Greenwich News

Maritime Authority of Jamaica’s Director General, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady, has retired, with the position being accepted by Bertrand Smith, formerly the MAJ’s Director of Legal Affairs.Brady has served in this role since the Maritime Authority’s inception in 1999.As Director General, he was primarily responsible for elevating Jamaica’s maritime status regionally and globally. He spearheaded several major initiatives by the MAJ including the development of Jamaica as a shipping hub with attendant services such as bunkering and drydocking…

Maritime trade group the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) announced plans to host a high-level summit to address the challenge of decarbonization.Responding to a challenge thrown down by industry leaders in Glasgow, during COP26, ICS will work with partners to convene shipowners, ministers, maritime, energy and infrastructure leaders with the challenge of bringing forward a tangible path to decarbonize the sector. The closed-door meeting will be held in London the day after a dinner on June 20…

For a week the world was gripped by the extraordinary sight of a massive container ship that had run aground in the Suez Canal in Egypt. The Ever Given is 400m long (1,312ft) and weighs 200,000 tonnes, with a maximum capacity of 20,000 containers. It was carrying 18,300 containers when it became wedged in the canal, blocking all shipping traffic. Efforts to free it finally paid off when it was partially dislodged in the early hours of Monday 29 March. Adejuwon Soyinka asked maritime…

Pirate attacks against merchant ships off the African coast have been reported regularly over the past decade. And despite measures to suppress it, Somalia-based piracy remains a concern. On the other side of the continent, the Gulf of Guinea is now viewed as presenting a much more serious piracy problem.Last year a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The cluster of attacks in November and December has…

Ship management and services company V.Group announced that Paddy Rodgers has been appointed as a non-executive director.Rodgers had been CEO of Euronav for almost 20 years before stepping down from the post in 2019. Under his leadership Euronav grew from a family operation with 17 vessels to one of the largest international tanker companies with 73 vessels. He is currently Director at the Royal Museums Greenwich, England comprising of the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House.“I am honored to be joining V.Group at such a challenging and exciting time…

Barry Parker, contributor to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and MarineNews magazines, is – like many people around the world – sequestered and working from home. He is our designated “ship spotter” for the day.In the maritime business, most of us have been adept at working from home (or from remote locations). Still, with the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid 19), remaining at home – in my case, on the North Shore of Long Island, has not been without its challenges.

The global towage operator Svitzer held a ceremony on the River Thames  to officially christened Svitzer Meridian as the latest - and tenth - vessel in its Port of London fleet.During a naming ceremony held on the River Thames with guests representing a variety of customers and partners – including vessel builder Sanmar – the 70 tonnes bollard pull Azimuth Tractor Drive (ATD) Svitzer Meridian was officially christened by representatives from multinational electricity and gas utility company National Grid Grain LNG, who are godparenting the vessel.Meridian, whose name was chosen to reflect Maritime Greenwich’s Prime Meridian longitude line – and Svitzer’s longstanding links with the local area – has been in operation at the Port of London since November 2018…

The M/V Zhen Hua 25 departed Shanghai, China last month with two new super post-Panamax container cranes bound for South Philadelphia.The two behemoths will navigate a lengthy global trek before reaching the Delaware River for an expected mid-March arrival to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, said a press note from the Port of Philadelphia."The arrival will mark another important milestone in the comprehensive modernization project underway at Packer, and highlights a key competitive advantage for shippers looking to improve time to market on the East Coast of the United States," it said.“Our terminal is currently under capacity, meaning we could handle rerouted surplus bound for nearby congested terminals immediately without blinking an eye…

According to a Reuters report, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has divested his interests in oil tanker company Diamond S Shipping and is in the process of selling off his holdings in another shipping firm, Navigator Holdings, a Trump administration official said earlier this week. Ross had originally intended to retain his shipping interests following his confirmation in February. But the 79-year-old investor came under criticism after disclosures on Sunday that one of Navigator's major clients is the Russian gas company Sibur…

Descartes Systems Group, a leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce via the Global Logistics Network (GLN), announced that it has acquired Datamyne, a provider of cloud-based trade data content solutions for customers to analyze import and export trade activity. Datamyne, primarily operating in the U.S. and South America, collects, cleanses and commercializes logistics trade data from over 50 nations across five continents, including key markets in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the European Union. More than 100 million records are gathered each year from official filings with customs authorities and trade ministries.

Sparkman & Stephens (S&S), the naval architecture and brokerage firm founded by Olin Stephens and Drake Sparkman in 1929, announced that it was acquired by a group of private investors led by Brooke S. Parish and John B. Reuter. The transaction enables S&S to implement expansion strategies in its design and brokerage businesses, for which it sought growth capital. The firm remains privately held and terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We feel a tremendous sense of pride and responsibility to assume stewardship of a brand and a company whose legacy in American yachting cannot be overstated…

The first of a new class of “Neo-Panamax” shipping vessels called the Port of Philadelphia to begin a new phase of transport along the Delaware River. The MSC Sofia Celeste, an 8,800 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) vessel operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, docked at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia for the first time, making it the largest ship to ever call the Port of Philadelphia. “This new service comes as a direct result of the opening of the Panama Canal Expansion,” said David Whene, President of Greenwich Terminals LLC, operator of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The MSC Sofia Celeste was completed in 2014 and has an on-board capacity of 8…

London welcomed home the 12-strong fleet of the biennial Clipper Round the World yacht race, Saturday, July 30, 2016. Twelve teams celebrated the completion of the 40,000-nautical-mile ocean race — the world's longest — by sailing up the River Thames and under London's iconic Tower Bridge. The fleet began its parade at the Thames Barrier, and passed London landmarks such as Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College, The O2 Arena, Canary Wharf and historic Wapping. Tower Bridge lifted twice for the twelve teams, which all passed through in front of thousands of spectators on supporter boats who turned out to cheer home the international sailors into the UK capital.

1813 - During the War of 1812, Lt. John M. Gamble becomes the first Marine to command a ship in battle, USS Greenwich, when she captures British whaling ship Seringapatam. 1853 - Commodore Matthew C. Perry lands and holds the first meeting with the Japanese at Uraga, in which he delivers President Millard Fillmores request for a treaty to representatives to the Emperor. Allowing time for reflection and discussion, Commodore Perry returns in March 1854 and finalizes the Treaty of Kanagawa. 1944 - USS William C. Miller (DE 259) sinks Japanese submarine (RO 48) and teams with USS Gilmer (APD 11) to sink Japanese submarine (I 6). 1945 - In the first naval gunfire bombardment of the Japanese home islands, Task Unit 34.8.1 warships bombard ironworks plant at Kamaishi, Japan.

1747 - John Paul Jones is born in Arbigland, Scotland. Originally appointed to the Continental Navy in 1775, he is known for his quote, Ive not yet begun to fight! during the battle between Continental frigate, Bonhomme Richard, and HMS Serapis on Sept. 23, 1779. 1898 - During the Spanish-American War, the auxiliary-cruiser USS Dixie captures the Spanish vessels, Three Bells, Pilgrim, and Greeman Castle, off Cape Cruz, Cuba. 1943 - Following the Allied landing on New Georgia, the Japanese attempt to land reinforcements with 10 destroyers, resulting in the Battle of Kula Gulf. In the battle, USS Helena (CL 50) is hit by three torpedoes, breaks apart, and sinks, with nearly 170 of her crew lost.

The Port of London saw larger ships than ever calling last year as the tonnage of cargo handled at Thames terminals climbed to 45.4 million metric tons (up 2 percent from 2014). PLA chief executive, Robin Mortimer said, “Last year a number of operators introduced new, bigger ships and records were broken. The record breakers included containership, UASC Barzan and cruise ship Viking Star. The 400 -meter-long Barzan set a new benchmark as the biggest-ever ship on the Thames when she called at London Gateway Port in September.

Kathy Metcalf, President & CEO, Chamber of Shipping of America was confirmed as the keynote speaker for the Eleventh Annual WISTA USA Luncheon at the CMA Shipping 2016 Conference in Stamford, CT, scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m., Monday, March 21, 2016. WISTA USA uses this high-profile platform to highlight key personalities in the industry leaders that exemplify and resonate with WISTA's mission to promote and facilitate the exchange of information and education. Metcalf fits that role well…

London Mayor Boris Johnson gave final approval to build a new cruise terminal on the Thames River at Greenwich. The terminal, to be located at Enderby Wharf, is expected to play host to 55 ship calls a year when it becomes operational in 2017. Ships as long as 230m in length will be able to dock at the Enderby Wharf location, with a maximum of 1600 passengers on each vessel. There had been opposition from local residents on the new plan in Greenwich at Enderby Wharf. There were concerns on air quality from having more cruise ships which in turn causes more bad fumes from the ship’s fuel. The Royal Borough of Greenwich issues a statement saying the Mayor's office was "satisfied with measures put in place...to ensure robust monitoring of air quality…

A record 9.8 million passengers are using the River Thames‎, two years on from the launch of the Mayor's River Action Plan, it was announced today. The River Action Plan, launched in February 2013, details a host of measures designed to increase the number of river passengers to 12 million by 2020. Figures from January to December 2014 have shown very positive signs as passenger numbers on River Buses and River Tours increased to 9.8 million, compared to 8 million for the same period in 2013. The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed that a new developer led pier ‎will open at Plantation Wharf this year in order to meet the increased demand.

XPO Logistics has made a deal to acquire Bridge Terminal Transport (BTT) Services, one of the largest motor carriers serving ports and intermodal facilities in the United States, for $100 million. A few days ago, XPO spent $3.5 billion to purchase French third-party logistics provider Norbert Dentressangle. Based in Charlotte, N.C., BTT is a drayage provider, which transports goods over a short distance, offering international and domestic transportation services at major port locations and inland rail sites throughout the U.S. BTT has 28 terminals and some 1,300 independent owner-operators. BTT had revenue of $232 million for the 12 months ended March 31. The XPO statement said the acquisition price represents a multiple of 8.1 times BTT’s tax-free cash flow over the same time.

Kotug Rotortugs RT Ambition and RT Evolution were charged with a special task this morning as they towed new cruise ship Viking Star on her first call to the Port of London. RT Ambition and RT Evolution towed Viking Star through the Thames Tidal Barrier on the Upper River Thames and assisted her to swing and berth at Greenwich, towage operator Kotug said. At 228 meters long, Viking star is the largest vessel to call Central London, requiring moorings to be specially lengthened to accommodate the cruise ship, the Port of London Authority (PLA) said.

On May 18th, 2015, the Damen-built ART 80-32 Hybrid RotortugRT Evolution was named at the Greenwich Ship Tier in London during the cocktail reception of ‘Tugnology Conference’. Mrs Elizabeth Brunton-Reed, spouse of The ABR Company’s Chairman Mr Allan Brunton-Reed, performed the christening of RT Evolution in attendance of her family and Tugnology delegates. KOTUG chose the sponsor lady to express its appreciation and gratitude for the commitments and achievements of The ABR Company. KOTUG’s CEO Ard-Jan Kooren stated: “We are proud that Mrs Elizabeth Brunton-Reed accepted our invitation. KOTUG nowadays operate three hybrid Rotortugs. RT Adriaan and RT Evolution are operating in the Port of Rotterdam and RT Emotion commenced her towage activities in the German port of Bremerhaven recently.

Large cruise ships could become a familiar sight on the Thames if plans for a new passenger terminal in Greenwich move forward. London could soon become a popular destination for large cruise ships in two years as new passenger terminal planned for Greenwich. It would be the first passenger terminal in London for at least 35 years. The Times reports that detailed plans for the terminal will be submitted “within weeks”, allowing it to open “within two years”. The dockside hub could allow ships more than 650ft long to stop near the Old Royal Naval College and the Cutty Sark. At the moment, there are two moorings for small cruise ships in the capital: a small floating pontoon in Greenwich, which requires passengers to board or disembark via a launch, and another at Tower Bridge.