Glenn News

The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers has officially welcomed its new senior officers at a Controlling Council meeting held in Athens, Greece.Taking over from Glenn Murphy as International Chair of the Institute is Luis Bernat. Prior to his election as Chair, Bernat has held the position of Vice Chair since 2021. He brings to the role extensive experience gained over almost 50 years in the industry. This includes, most recently, his role as Chartering Manager for TSL Shipping & Trading.

Four former U.S. Navy officers charged in a massive bribery scandal linked to the man known as Fat Leonard were cleared of felony charges on Wednesday by a judge citing prosecutor misconduct.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said in a sentencing hearing that prosecutors' conduct "can only be described as outrageous," the San Diego Union-Tribune reported from the courthouse. After the felony charges were cleared, the four former officers each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor with only a $100 fine as punishment…

Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Chairman Glenn Murphy offers this advice to young shipbrokers In the bustling world of global trade, shipbrokers play a crucial role in facilitating seamless transactions and ensuring the smooth movement of goods across vast oceans. As a shipbroker, you are at the heart of this dynamic industry, and staying ahead of the competition requires a strategic approach and a particular set of skills.Shipping does not stand still: shipbroking is a multifaceted skill which has always moved with the times.

Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) REM Power was named at a ceremony in Aalesund, Norway on Friday.The Rem Power, owned by Rem Purus, designed to offer services and maintenance operations at offshore wind farms, was named in the center of Ålesund in front of shipbuilder VARD’s headquarters.This is the first of two CSOVs VARD is delivering to Rem Purus.The REM Power is a CSOV of the VARD 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design. The vessel is equipped to provide services during both construction…

Norwegian shipping line UECC announced it has taken delivery of its third and final newbuild multi-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) battery hybrid pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) as the company works toward meeting new requirements for low-emission ship operations with the green transformation of its fleet.The latest newbuild, to be named Auto Aspire, was delivered on October 20 at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and will soon join sister vessels Auto Advance and Auto Achieve plying…

Venezuela's top court has ruled to give the U.S. government 60 days to request the extradition of fugitive Malaysian businessman Leonard Glenn Francis, also known by his alias "Fat Leonard," who is implicated in a U.S. Navy bribery case.The supreme court ruling was issued last week but only made public on Wednesday by a reporter with official media.Francis was arrested on Sept. 21 at Caracas' main airport as he prepared to leave for Russia. The U.S. government had previously issued…

A barge has gone adrift and ran aground near the Packery Channel in Corpus Christi, Texas on Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a call at 7:45 a.m. from a driver on Texas State Highway 361 stating they saw an adrift barge floating in the Packery Channel between the boat ramp and the jetties. The barge was loaded with rocks and drifting outbound.The Coast Guard notified Callan Marine, the company contracted to repair the jetty using the barge, and issued a safety marine information broadcast to alert nearby mariners and beachgoers to the potential hazard.

Plagued by mosquitoes at night and marauding monkeys by day, ship captain Glenn Madoginog was held for months at an Indonesian naval base before ending up in a cramped prison cell, sleeping alongside convicted murderers and child rapists.The Filipino father of four was one of dozens of captains held at the Batam naval base after being arrested for anchoring in Indonesian waters without a permit while waiting to enter Singapore, according to a dozen people involved in the cases, including captains, ship owners, intermediaries and insurers.Most of the captains were freed after a few weeks once ship owners made unofficial payments to navy intermediaries of between $300…

Venezuelan police have arrested a fugitive Malaysian businessman nicknamed 'Fat Leonard' who is at the center of a major U.S. Navy bribery scandal, as he prepared to leave the country for Russia, Venezuelan Interpol said.Leonard Glenn Francis was detained at the country's main international airport on Wednesday under a red notification requested by the United States for crimes of corruption and bribery, the Interpol chief in Venezuela said in a statement posted on Instagram.The…

A Malaysian businessman at the center of a major U.S. Navy bribery scandal has escaped house arrest ahead of his impending sentencing by cutting off his monitoring anklet, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Monday.Leonard Glenn Francis, popularly known as "Fat Leonard," cut off his GPS anklet some time Sunday morning, and when police went to his home they found it empty, the newspaper reported, citing Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Omar Castillo.Prosecutors said that in exchange for contracts Francis plied Navy officers with cash…

Shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO, a subsidiary of aerospace and defense company General Dynamics (GD), announced on Friday that it received $1.4 billion in U.S. Navy contract modifications for construction of a sixth Expeditionary Sea Base ship (ESB 8) and two additional John Lewis-class fleet oilers (T-AO 211 and 212). This award comes in addition to $600 million already received to procure long-lead time materials for the same ships. The contract modification also provides an option for the Navy to procure an additional oiler…

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO said it has been awarded $600 million in U.S. Navy contract modifications for long-lead-time material to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 (Thurgood Marshall) and T-AO 212 (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), and $100 million…

Richard Murphy has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of BPA Worldwide, a leading global assurance provider of media, technology, events, and sustainability compliance. He replaces Glenn Hansen, who has announced his intent to retire in June 2023. In the interim, Hansen has been named Executive Strategic Advisor to focus on BPA iCompli Sustainability and Event Audit practices.Murphy brings 30 years of experience with BPA to this position. He was formerly Executive Vice President…

Phoenix Lighting announced it is growing its U.S. distributor network in response to increasing demand for its marine-rated LED lighting products, particularly in the commercial inland marine market.The Milwaukee, Wis.-based company said it has entered into new distribution partnerships with Hannan Supply Co. in Paducah, Ky. and Humco Marine Products, Inc. in St. Louis. Both now maintain local inventory of Phoenix floodlights and navigation lights for the inland towboat and pushboat…

Insurers have raised the cost of providing cover for merchant ships through the Black Sea, adding to soaring rates to transport goods through the region for vessels still willing to sail after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Ship owners pay annual war-risk insurance cover as well as an additional "breach" premium when entering high-risk areas. These separate premiums are calculated according to the value of the ship, or hull, for a seven-day period.Ship insurers have quoted the additional premium rate for seven days at anywhere between 1% to 2% and up to 5% of insurance costs…

Norwegian shipping company UECC said its third and final newbuild in a series of advanced dual-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) has been launched at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard.The December 28 launch comes seven months after the keel-laying ceremony for the vessel and follows the recent final delivery of the first newbuild named Auto Advance, with the second and third vessels set to be delivered in the first half of this year.“We are rapidly building up our low-emission fleet to become the leading eco-friendly shortsea carrier in Europe through t

While many companies talk about decarbonization, United European Car Carrier (UECC) acts, as proven by its recent acceptance of the world’s first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid PCTC, Auto Advance, delivered from China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and Maritime Reporter & Engineering News’ 2021 Great Ship of the Year.The ship is the first in a series of three newbuild pure car and truck carriers (PCTC), measuring 169 by 28 meters with capacity for 3600 vehicles on 10 cargo decks. The remaining…

Navies, shipowners, shipyards, and organizations have offered the best of birthday wishes to Canada’s Thomson-Gordon Group, the parent company of water-lubricated polymer bearing pioneer Thordon Bearings, as it celebrates its 110th anniversary this fall.Among several well-wishers, Claude Tremblay, Directorate General Maritime Equipment Program Management National Defence, Royal Canadian Navy, wrote: “Congratulations to Thomson-Gordon Group for 110 years of Canadian innovation and pioneering. We are proud to rely on your top-quality products.

UECC has emerged as a leader in regards to decarbonization, with an order earlier this year for its third LNG battery/hybrid Pure Car/Truck Carrier (PCTC). Glenn Edvardsen, CEO, discusses the strategy and the future for this Oslo-based ship owner.Glenn, to start, can you give a by-the-numbers overview of UECC?United European Car Carrier is a pan-European trading carrier, trading up to the Baltic, as far east as Turkey and down to north Africa. We operate about 18 vessels (of which) UECC-owns six, ranging from (a capacity of) 5,000 cars down to 1,000.

The first of three liquefied natural gas (LNG) battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) commissioned by Norwegian shipping company United European Car Carriers (UECC) was launched this week at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. The remaining two vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2022."With the launch of our first LNG battery hybrid PCTC, we are ushering in a new era for UECC and short sea shipping in Europe," said Glenn Edvardsen, UECC CEO. "These ships prove that…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is evaluating remote operation of locks within the U.S. inland waterways system. Timetables are hazy, but the Corps plans to include remote operations capabilities during rehabilitations or new construction, in the work planned, for example, in the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, part of the USACE’s Pittsburgh District.In fact, the first install project is being readied at Lock & Dam 4 on the Monongahela River. L&D 4 is also known as Charleroi Locks and Dam because it’s at Charleroi, Pa, at river mile 41.5, between Pittsburgh and Fairmont, W.Va.

As the maritime industry debates the "future fuel", one carrier, United European Car Carriers (UECC), plows forward, celebrating today the keel-laying of its third in a series of PCTCs powered by a liquefied natural gas (LNG) battery hybrid arrangement.The ceremony at China's Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard saw the laying of the keel for the hull designated H2665 as part of an ambitious newbuild program in which UECC is taking the lead in sustainable shipping by developing the first-ever vessels to run on hybrid propulsion power fueled by LNG.All told the ships measure 169 by 28 meters…

Offshore vessel owner Olympic Subsea has decided to install Kongsberg Digital's Vessel Insight solution across its entire fleet as a means of accessing, collecting, and consolidating a full range of mission-critical data.Olympic Subsea’s fleet-wide upgrade to Kongsberg Digital’s Vessel Insight data infrastructure service will enable the company to continue the digitalization journey which began with its implementation of KDI’s Vessel Performance solution for energy usage and operational monitoring, Kongsberg Digital said.