Guild News

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) announced the completion of the third and final Ollis Class Staten Island Ferry for the City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division. Yesterday, the Dorothy Day, Hull 221, departed ESG’s Port St. Joe Shipyard passenger ready with the U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection and the ABS Class Certificates in hand.“It has been an honor for our company to build the three Ollis Class Staten Island Ferries…

A christening ceremony was held for the U.S. Navy’s 18th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Charleston (LCS 18), at Austal USA’s Mobil, Ala. shipyard on August 26. “Today marks another major milestone with the christening of this remarkable war ship,” said Austal USA President, Craig Perciavalle. The ship’s sponsor, Charlotte Riley, headlined the group of officials, naval guests – including the Honorable Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy -, civic leaders, community members and Austal employees who attended the ceremony in Austal’s final assembly bay.

Harley Marine Services announced the construction of two new ship handling vessels to be built at Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore. The two tugs are sister class vessels to the previously built Michelle Sloan and Lela Franco, and will add to the company's fleet presence on the West Coast. The vessels will each have a length of 80', a beam of 36' and a depth of 16'-8" and are capable of producing 70 short tons of bollard pull. Each vessel is equipped with two CAT 3516, Tier 3 propulsion engines, for a total of approximately 5,200 horsepower, and two Caterpillar C7.1, Tier 3 generators. These engines reduce NOx and particulate matter, from Tier 2 models by 74 percent. The vessels are each equipped with a Markey bow winch, a barge handling stern winch, and Shibata fendering.

The hulking backhoe dredges up rocks and silt from the shallows of the muddy Magdalena River in the first laborious step to transform the waterway into an engine of economic growth. The excavation along a verdant stretch near Barrancabermeja, an inland oil and coal hub, is part of a $600 million government bid to reclaim the river, once Colombia's primary transport route. By clearing logjams, the aim is to allow big cargo barges to steam up 900 km (560 miles) from the Caribbean coast to Puerto Salgar, close to the capital Bogota.

Rear Admiral Peter Brady, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, was deeply honoured to receive the prestigious IMO Themed Award for World Maritime Day 2015 "Maritime education and training", sponsored by the China Classification Society, at last night’s 27th Seatrade Awards Ceremony. The Admiral’s award was in recognition of his dedicated work in the sphere of maritime training. Rear Admiral Brady chaired the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) STW Sub Committee for almost 10 years and was Chairman of the Committee of the Whole at the Diplomatic Conference in Manila which amended the STCW Convention and STCW Code.

The New Zealand Shipping Federation (NZSF) said it has appointed Annabel Young as its new executive director. It said Ms Young was a National Party list MP from 1997 to 2002 and since then she has been the chief executive at Federated Farmers, as well as the Pharmacy Guild. The new executive director wants to get the issue of coastal shipping back on politicians' radar screen. "Everyone talks about road and rail but one look at a map of New Zealand tells you coastal shipping is a really important part of the transport network," she said. The federation started in 1906 and its current members are Pacifica Shipping, Silver Fern Shipping, Strait Shipping, the Interislander, NIWA and cement companies.

Piracy’s gone away, right? You’d be forgiven for thinking that. The predominant narrative for the Indian Ocean is that Piracy has been suppressed to an extent that ship-owners are requesting fewer guards, even unarmed in some cases. Certainly private security team composition has adjusted beneath the “rule of four” and the nationality of guards has shifted significantly away from the UK only model. But given the recent attacks in South East Asia and the prevailing amount of maritime crime and piracy off the Gulf of Guinea…

CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce that the CMA CGM MANET will arrive in Sydney International Container Terminals in Australia on July, 22nd. The bottles of Burgundy Wine will then have completed the first part of their trip around the world, that began on June, 14th. On board the container a precious selection of some of Burgundy most exceptional wines selected by the “Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin” - a guild celebrating its 80 anniversary this year - will be received by the Australian equivalent Order. The container will be reloaded back on the CMA CGM AZURE and sent back to France from Sydney on July, 28th. To celebrate the 80-years anniversary of the “Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin”…

North Vancouver, BC — Jonathan Whitworth, Seaspan CEO, announced today that it has signed agreements with both the Canadian Merchant Service Guild (the Guild) and International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 400 to enter into binding arbitration/mediation. Following extensive discussions with the Honourable Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Status of Women, Seaspan and both unions have agreed to allow the Federal Government to appoint an arbitrator who will run the process and be responsible for setting the terms of reference. Once the arbitration is complete, the outcome is binding and cannot be challenged by Seaspan or its unions.

Tug company operator Seaspan and GUILD (the union representing captains, mates and engineers) have agreed to enter blind arbitration. GAC reported in its daily Hot Port News report. Seaspan will defer the imposition of new terms and GUILD will not take a strike vote. The situation is different, however, with the International Longshoremen Workers' Union (ILWU) representing deckhand and cook. Seaspan has withdrawn the contract imposition. The ILWU, which had voted in favor of strike action, has suspended further action. The union has not agreed to blind arbitration.

Following discussions at Vancouver the tug company Seaspan has announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the GUILD union, agreeing to enter federal ediation/arbitration with regards to collective agreement negotiation. As per the MOA, Seaspan will defer implementation of their own Term of Agreement and the union, whose members will meet today to discuss a strike vote have agreed not to go on strike. The Federal Labour Minister will remain engaged in discussions with Seaspan’s other labour union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in regards to the collective agreement negotiation with Seaspan. GAC Houston Hub Agency Center

Protecting the world and its oceans remains the focus of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) as it celebrates its 125th anniversary, says its new president, Richard Vie, VP Technical Development and Quality Assurance, Corporate Shipbuilding, Carnival Corporation. Addressing more than 400 leading marine professionals from around the world at the IMarEST’s Annual Dinner at London’s Guildhall on Friday, March 28, Vie also called on members to inspire the next generation of marine engineers.

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) president Paddy Crumlin has met with key stakeholders in Auckland, New Zealand, about the ongoing campaign to secure NZD30 million in unpaid wages for fishers in the region. The ITF has contributed to Slave Free Seas’ campaign to claim outstanding wages in the vicinity of NZD30 million through the New Zealand courts. Crumlin met with senior union representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the Slave Free Seas advocacy group and the Merchant Service Guild as part of the Regional Maritime Federation meeting.

Lloyd’s Register’s new publication describes naval classification and how LR can support naval projects worldwide, from the earliest user requirement and concept stages, through life operations, and to end of life. The ability of most modern navies to sustain their own naval standards has degraded to the point where they must look for alternatives. These alternatives must not only deliver against the provisions of naval standards but against the greater safety and technical governance requirements that navies find themselves subject to both at home and internationally. The challenges of naval ship safety assurance have evolved and many navies have engaged with industry to manage these challenges.

The issue of the skills gap in the marine sector is to come under the spotlight as part of London International Shipping Week 2013 when the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and specialist engineering recruitment agency Matchtech will hold an invitation only roundtable to discuss and debate the topic. Chaired by Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CB, Chairman of the Engineering Council, and a Past President of IMarEST, the roundtable, taking place on Monday, September 9 at IMarEST headquarters in London, will attract key organizations from the marine industry, defense, academia and training, providing those taking part with the opportunity to discuss the skills shortages in marine engineering within the sector.

Maritime security specialist, Ambrey Risk, based in Hereford U.K., announced that the company has become Maritime Coastguard Agency Accredited, and can now offer STCW95 courses, which are the basic entry level training courses for working at sea. A range of security training solutions are offered by Ambrey Risk including maritime- and land-based security courses in design, delivery and professional development. The company recently conducted a comprehensive Training Needs Analysis (TNA) of all courses in conjunction with identifying the key Operational Performance Standards (OPS)…

Organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) the programme for the 5th Symposium is published. The symposium programme for the fifth 'Engine As A Weapon Symposium (EAAW V)', with its theme ‘Delivering Military Effect: A holistic approach to combat and platform system integration’, and featuring presentations by experts in combat and platform system design from home and overseas has now been published. Dr Mark Townley, Combat Systems Director, BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships will deliver the keynote address on the opening morning of the symposium.

Adding to a collection of innovation and technology awards, Abakan Inc. announced that its proprietary CermaClad clad pipe product was awarded the "Subsea Pipeline Technology of the Year" award by the Pipeline Industries Guild. MesoCoat, an Abakan subsidiary that developed the CermaClad technology, received the award at the Pipeline Industries Guild National Dinner in London on March 12. The CermaClad high-speed, large-area clad pipe technology produces a superior metallurgical clad pipe product for the oil and gas industry, where availability of metallurgical clad pipes and the associated lead time have been a major concern. The technology uses a high intensity plasma light source – "mini-sun" – to rapidly fuse anti-corrosion and anti-wear materials to large areas of steel…

He continued: “It is deeply regrettable that crew members from both vessels have been arrested. Captain TT Chung, general secretary of the MNOGHK (The Merchant Navy Officers' Guild-Hong Kong), and member of the ITF’s fair practices committee steering group, said: “This accident has been a dreadful reminder of all that we strive to prevent. Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected. Tomorrow, 4 October, has been set as an official day of mourning in Hong Kong for the victims of the accident.

The 11th International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC 2012), featuring the theme ‘Engineering Naval Capability,’ is set for Edinburgh next month with a keynote address by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB OBE ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Ministry of Defense. Organized by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) INEC 2012 is being held from Tuesday May 15 through Thursday May 17, with sessions on ship design, electric propulsion, survivability, system selection, environment and safety, submarines, design, and civil/military transfer, sustainability, unmanned operations, and affordability. Speakers come from 11 countries – Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, UK, and USA.

With the centenary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912 only days away, much information is being made available from many sources, and film and TV programs are bringing to the public the suffering and the loss of life of the passengers and crew. However, little is recorded of the 35 members of the engineering staff, all of whom lost their lives, and, with no survivors, the official enquiry into the sinking had no first-hand account of the actions and bravery of those men who stayed at their posts and endeavored to save the ship from sinking. The Guild of Benevolence of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) – which has a charitable link with the Titanic – hopes to redress the balance…

Subsea 7, a provider to the offshore energy industry, has won the Pipeline Industries Guild’s (PIG) 2012 Subsea Pipeline Technology Award. The award was made at the PIG National Dinner in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The award recognizes Subsea 7’s technology initiative for the installation of Mechanically Lined Pipe (Bubi® pipe) by reel–lay³. Subsea 7’s has been working with the pipe manufacturers  BUTTING to optimize the technical and commercial benefits of using Bubi® pipe over corrosion resistant alloys and metallurgically clad pipes currently used by the industry. The technology, independently qualified by DNV, has demonstrated its market potential and been adopted for the first major Pre-Salt project, Guará-Lula NE, in Brazil by Petrobras.

Engineering failures in the marine industry certainly cost time and resources to correct and, sadly, sometimes resulting in loss of life. At his President’s Day Lecture, Professor John Carlton FREng, Professor of Marine Engineering, City University London and the 109th President of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), will retrospectively discuss some of the marine failures that he has encountered, with the aim of teasing out the underlying issues that have contributed to their causes. The President’s Lecture will be held Tuesday 11 October at IET London in Savoy Place, London WC2. Tea will be served from 17.30, the President’s Lecture will begin at 18.00 and a Reception will follow at 19.00.