Hart News

Matt Hart, Manager & Platform Leader, Marine & Stationary Power Systems, Wabtec, offers insights on how the megatrends of decarbonization, energy transition and autonomy all inspire and impact the marine power solutions from Wabtec.Matt, to start us off, can you provide insight on the journey to your present position?I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and started with General Electric in the Edison Engineering Development rotational program at the Erie…

Southern Ports’ new pilot boat Wardan has arrived in Bunbury, Western Australia, for local testing and trials ahead of an official naming ceremony to be held early next year.The boat, built by Hart Marine, combines top-tier technology, safety and comfort in a lightweight structure that renders the vessel resistant to corrosion, guaranteeing longevity and resilience in the harshest of marine conditions.Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks acknowledged the exciting milestone for the Port of Bunbury’s fleet.

With shipowners pressed to upgrade machinery to meet strict new emission targets, there’s much confusion with chatter surrounding ‘decarbonization’ and ‘future fuels’, solutions that don’t exist today – and may not exist in mass for another generation – cluttering the conversation. Enter Wabtec, formerly GE Transportation, which today offers a Tier 4 compliant engine with no need for urea. Is it the cheapest propulsion solution on the market? No. But the Pennsylvania-based engine builder mounts a compelling case for its 250MDC diesel engine based on performance…

U.K.-based Horizon Technologies is teaming up with Richard Branson's launch and space solutions company Virgin Orbit, the companies announced on Tuesday.Horizon, which provides space-based maritime domain awareness through signals intelligence, has tapped U.S.-based Virgin Orbit to become its preferred launch partner. Horizon will use Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne’s for at least five launches.Also under the deal, Virgin Orbit will take an equity stake in the company, and will appoint…

Belfast-based shipyard Harland & Wolff has appointed a new General Manager, Tom Hart to its Appledore site.Harland & Wolff, famous for building the Titanic, is today a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five sectors: commercial, cruise and ferry, defense, oil & gas, and renewables and six services: technical services, fabrication and construction, decommissioning, repair and maintenance, in-service support and conversion.Hart joins Harland & Wolff (Appledore) from Dubai-based Drydocks World where he was Director of Projects & Engineering.

General Dynamics announced today that the negotiating teams from Bath Iron Works and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local S6 reached agreement last night on mutually acceptable terms to end the ongoing strike by shipyard workers in Bath, Maine. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service deputy director Rich Giacolone and IAM International President Robert Martinez helped to facilitate the tentative agreement.“We are pleased to have reached agreement with our union partners and look forward to getting back to the job of building ships for the U.S. Navy,” said Phebe Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer.

Philly Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build up to five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) that will enable at-sea training for America’s future mariners and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in times of need.TOTE Services, selected in May 2019 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) as the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program, placed an initial order with Philly Shipyard for the first two vessels for delivery in Spring and Winter 2023…

It takes a thick skin to live in New York City, let alone to run its Staten Island Ferry service. James C. DeSimone, Deputy Commissioner, Ferry Division, New York City Department of Transportation, has been charged with running the ferry service for the last 16 years. We met with him for his insights on the challenges of keeping the iconic ferry running safely and efficiently.Jim DeSimone has led a maritime life, with his time equally split between the private and public sectors. His maritime affiliation is literally in his blood, as his father Guy J.

The Coast Guard is searching for seven people overdue aboard a tour helicopter on Kauai, Thursday."The weather conditions are challenging. We have trained crews responding and on scene searching for any signs of the helicopter and those aboard," said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Cox, Coast Guard Joint Rescue Command Center Honolulu.The owner of an overdue tour helicopter contacted watchstanders at JRCC Honolulu at 6:06 p.m. They stated the aircraft was due back at 5:21 p.m. from a tour of Kauai's Napali Coast with one pilot and six passengers. Two of the six passengers are reportedly minors.

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the newest Hawaii-based 154-foot Fast Response Cutter in Honolulu, Thursday.“There is no greater reflection of the commandant’s strategic vision and commitment than the fact that as we commission the William Hart today, it will be the fifth Coast Guard cutter commissioned in the last two years here at Base Honolulu that will operate in the heart of Oceania,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander Coast Guard 14th District. “There is no question that by our actions and not our words alone…

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC William Hart, the 34th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on May 23, 2019 in Key West, Florida. The 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter has a flank speed over 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.

Delaware-based NGL Energy Partners and Colorado's DCP Midstream have executed a purchase and sale agreement under which DCP will convey to NGL its wholesale propane business, generally consisting of seven natural gas liquids terminals in the Eastern United States.Under the terms of the agreement, NGL will acquire 100% ownership of five propane rail terminals operated by Gas Supply Resources, a subsidiary of DCP, and 50% ownership interest in a sixth propane rail terminal.The agreement also includes an import/export terminal located in Chesapeake, Virginia, with the capability to load or unload ships from Handy-sized vessels up to Very Large Gas Carriers. “NGL is excited to acquire these well-operated, high-quality assets from DCP.

Kirby Corporation announced a net loss attributable to Kirby for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018 of ($24.4) million, or ($0.41) per share, compared with earnings of $231.3 million, or $3.87 per share, for the 2017 fourth quarter. Excluding certain one-time charges, 2018 fourth quarter net earnings attributable to Kirby were $44.9 million, or $0.75 per share. Consolidated revenues for the 2018 fourth quarter were $721.5 million compared with $708.1 million reported for the 2017 fourth quarter.For the 2018 full year…

Pipeline transportation of natural gas company American Midstream Partners (AMID) has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its refined products terminalling business (Refined Products Terminals) to Sunoco, for approximately $125m.The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018, a release said.The divestiture of the Refined Products Terminals, located in Caddo Mills, Texas and North Little Rock, Arkansas, represents continued progress towards American Midstream’s capital allocation strategy designed to reduce leverage and strengthen the partnership.“In addition, the divestiture of the Refined Products Terminals simplifies AMID’s business profile while creating capital flexibility,” the company said in a statement.

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a new ASD Tug 3212, Svitzer Glenrock, as the second part of a two-vessel order placed by Svitzer Australia.The tug sailed on its own keel from Damen Song Cam Shipyard, Vietnam to Newcastle, NSW, where it will work in the world’s busiest coal port, handling Cape-class bulk carriers and petroleum tankers as they enter and leave the confines of the harbor.Svitzer operates one of Australia’s largest fleets of tugs, comprised of more than 85 vessels.

Commercial workboat philanthropy on display on PT-305: WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again after a far reaching donor-funded restoration. In March, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans launched its reconstructed PT-305, built locally by Higgins Industries in 1943. The museum acquired the boat known as the USS Sudden Jerk in 2007, restoration began in 2009, and it now sails Lake Pontchartrain as an interactive exhibit. PT-305, with a fifteen-man crew, belonged to a 12-ship squadron operating in the Mediterranean from 1944 until the war ended in 1945.

In St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, the fledglng trial of the Cross-Bay Ferry carried nearly 8,000 passengers during March and generated significant growth in ridership for both weekday and weekend service between Tampa and St. Petersburg. During March, the Cross-Bay Ferry sold a record 7,990 tickets, which was a 31-percent increase over February, which was also a record month. The 6-month pilot project has now carried 31,362 people as of March 31. Weekend ridership in March increased 17 percent over February, and weekday ridership increased 57 percent. The final run of the ferry pilot project will be on Sunday, April 30. The project began last November as a real-life test of the feasibility and desire of the community for regular water transit.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show major obstacles to that plan. The initiative could cost nearly $700 billion in government funding, take 30 years to complete and require hiring tens of thousands of skilled shipyard workers - many of whom don't exist yet because they still need to be hired and trained, according to the interviews and the documents reviewed. Trump has vowed a huge build-up of the U.S. military to project American power in the face of an emboldened China and Russia. That includes expanding the Navy to 350 warships from 275 today.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report Thursday identifying the risks associated with the shared use of America’s Marine Transportation System by recreational and commercial vessels. The growth of both commercial and recreational vessel traffic during the last several decades is a significant risk factor. The number of canoers, kayakers and standup paddleboarders increased by nearly 22 percent between 2008 and 2014. The diversity of waterway users and their differences in experience, navigational knowledge, and boat-handling skills exacerbate the safety risk.

Christopher A. Hart’s term as Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board concluded on schedule Wednesday and Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr will serve as the agency’s acting chairman. Hart will remain at the NTSB, applying his transportation safety expertise in the capacity of a board member. The NTSB has five board members, each nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms. By statute, a board member is designated by the President as Chairman and another as Vice Chairman for two-year terms. The Chairmanship requires separate Senate confirmation.

Canada, fearful of talk by the U.S. presidential candidates to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement, could use the opportunity to push for a better deal on worker mobility, dispute resolutions and other issues, Canadian negotiators of the original pact said. Republican Donald Trump calls NAFTA the worst trade deal signed by the United States and Democrat Hillary Clinton has signaled a change of position on the 1994 pact she supported when it became law under her husband, former president Bill Clinton. The agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico is often used for political grist in U.S. election campaigns but altering it is a major concern for export-oriented Canada.

A failed front axle on an amphibious "duck boat" led to a deadly Seattle collision between the vehicle and a charter bus that killed five international students, the National Transportation Safety Board found on Tuesday. The September 2015 incident on the city's busy Aurora Bridge increased scrutiny of the boat-buses, which have been involved in several deadly crashes in recent years. The NTSB said the front axle failure resulted from a manufacturing error by the company that built the vehicle, Ride the Ducks International Inc. The board also faulted the tour company, Ride the Ducks of Seattle, for not ensuring proper maintenance. "The chain of events leading to this crash began years before the crash," NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said at a board meeting.

Norway’s Kleven has delivered a 116 m superyacht to its owner, Graeme Hart. The vessel left Kleven Verft in Ulsteinvik, Norway this weekend, heading for Germany, where the final completion of the vessel is to be carried out by mid 2017. “It has been a great pleasure working with Mr Hart and his team on this magnificent project. We highly appreciate the trust they have shown us by placing not just one but two orders with Kleven, in what was a new segment for us,” said Ståle Rasmussen, CEO of Kleven. The vessel is of type MT 5006 MKII ESV, designed by Norwegian ship design company Marin Teknikk in cooperation with Naval Architect Kyle Dick, of New Zealand based Oscar Mike Naval Architects.