Houghton News

UK-based company Tugdock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Salamander floating offshore wind farm to collaborate on innovation for floating offshore wind energy in Scotland.Tugdock, based in Cornwall, UK, has patented marine buoyancy technology that enables heavy marine structures to be built or assembled and loaded-out in ports with water depth or space restrictions.Salamander Offshore Wind is a joint venture development project between Simply Blue Group, Ørsted and Subsea7, which is developing a floiating wind farm to be located offshore from Peterhead in North-East Scotland.

U.S.-based maritime logistics and offshore services firm Crowley on Wednesday announced a new investment in Tugdock. Tugdock has developed "the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock" known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), to help advance offshore wind energy in the U.S.Crowley and Tugdock will explore the potential use of the platforms in locations such as the U.S. West Coast, where depth and conventional dry docks may be ill-suited for the logistics required.“This…

The US Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) announced four upcoming Industry Days. (Check SAM.gov for details).The St. Louis District Industry Day is Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 9:00AM to 5:00PM at the Engineering Center of St. Louis. Topics will cover ACE projects and opportunities within other agencies. ACE leadership will participate, and ACE will host one-on-one afternoon briefings covering specific topics. Advance registration is required. Use this link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022…

U.S.-based marine petroleum transportation services provider Centerline Logistics said it has formed an Alternative Fuels Working Group consisting of industry partners and internal representatives from within Centerline to spearhead the cooperative project that will be known as “Visionary Fuels”.According to Centerline, the Visionary Fuels initiative will aim to build future marine transportation equipment, standards and technology targeted toward reducing the carbon footprint of vessels transiting within America’s ports and harbors.

Harley Marine Services has changed its name to Centerline Logistics Corporation and rebranded its regional operations in parallel following an equity ownership change in July 2019.Matt Godden, Centerline Logistics President and CEO, said, “Over the last year the company has made significant progress in restructuring its operations and this branding change signals our renewed strength and vision to remain a leader in the marine transportation business.”The name change follows a ratings affirmation of the company’s senior credit facility by Kroll Bond Rating Agencyon December 16…

It's that time of year.The US Coast Guard announced it has commenced icebreaking operations in response to expanded ice growth in the commercial ports of western Lake Superior.Operation Taconite, launched by Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie on Wednesday, is one of two icebreaking operations that support the Great Lakes. It encompasses Lake Superior, St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay, Green Bay, northern Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan.The authority for Coast Guard domestic icebreaking was created in 1936, by Executive Order 7521 signed by President Franklin D.

RSC Bio Solutions recently announced the addition of several key team members in the business development and sales departments in a continuing drive to support its growing client base. The company also announced a new market-oriented organizational structure with two focused teams around the marine and land markets. “Deeper segment experience and knowledge will support our growth objectives and our goal to be recognized as the go-to resource for biochemical solutions in markets where protecting equipment and protecting the environment are both essential…

The Ledcor Group of Companies announced that it has taken delivery of six new cargo barges to serve clients in southwest B.C. Ledcor said its marine division has grown significantly since its inception in 2012 and is on target to double its fleet size by 2016, bringing its fleet totals to nine tugboats and 23 barges. "Ledcor continues to invest in its marine operations, allowing us to expand and diversify to meet the needs of current and future clients," said Mark Houghton, Chief Operating Officer for Ledcor's Marine Operations.

The Greenstone II, a U.S. Department of Interior fuel barge, was relaunched at Port Calcite upon completion of drydocking, repair work and inspections. The barge was hauled out at the Port Calcite facility in late May by Port Calcite Collaborative’s 440-ton Manitowoc 16000 crane. Schwartz Boiler of Cheboygan, Mich. performed the blasting, painting and repair work. Upon inspection and approval by the U.S. Coast Guard, the barge was returned to the water in late June. It has departed for the transit back to its homeport of Houghton, Michigan.

The U.K. Chief of Defense Staff said the Westminster government will "get our ships in the place it makes the most sense," blasting a hole in suggestions that if Scotland votes Yes then Glasgow would lose out on work to build the Type 26 ships. Speaking on the BBC Andrew Marr program today, General Sir Nicholas Houghton said, "[The decision] was very much a matter of a business rationalization. In terms of raw business sense it makes sense the place where they have the greatest capacity and the best depth of skills - which is on the Clyde - so it is driven by a business decision. "We live in a world now where it is not for the purposes of the defense budget to underwrite elements of industry. The U.K.

American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS) announced that the Houston Pilots Association, Maersk Line, Limited, Un-Cruise Adventures and The Vane Brothers Company would be the recipients of the 2013 AMS Safety Awards. AMS is a nonprofit maritime trade association, which facilitates the maritime industry's compliance with international shipping protocols and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations. The AMS consortium is comprised of more than 400 vessel owners and operators. It is the leading maritime industry association specializing in regulatory compliance in the United States. Every year, the AMS Safety Advisory Committee presents member companies with Safety Awards in recognition of their dedication to preserving the marine environment and promoting safe vessel navigation…

RSC Bio Solutions, developer of readily biodegradable lubricants and cleaners, has added Bernie Roell as vice president of technology. RSC Bio Solutions said it is aggressively addressing the needs of the biobased chemical industry for new innovative solutions for a wide range of applications. Roell will work to gain even more application approvals for company products and lead other quality, technology and application development initiatives in conjunction with the research and development department.

During North American Occupational Health and Safety (NAOSH) week Seaspan welcomed Walter Gretzky on a tour of its Vancouver Shipyards. For those not in the know, Walter Gretzky, is a Canadian who is best known as the father of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, but also for his dedication to helping many local, provincial, and national charities. With North American Occupational Health and Safety (NAOSH) week well underway across the continent, Seaspan welcomed Walter Gretzky to its Vancouver Shipyards to underscore the importance of health and safety in the workplace.

For the past 13 years, Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) has hosted more than 900 cadets from federal and state maritime academies to sail aboard its ships. This summer, more than 60 cadets will train aboard 28 U.S. flag containerships and 4 pure car/truck carriers. Cadets will actively participate in all of the daily tasks necessary to safely and efficiently keep large commercial vessels working in international trade, while simultaneously fulfilling the United States Coast Guard (USCG) training requirements to obtain a license. Throughout the year, MLL coordinates training opportunities for cadets from all major academies including Massachusetts Maritime, Maine Maritime, California Maritime, New York Maritime, Texas A&M Galveston, the Webb Institute of Technology and the U.S.

Houghton Offshore has enabled the Transocean Sedco Forex to set a new world record for the deepest well drilled to date. The drillship Discoverer Spirit used a subsea blowout preventor (BOP), operating on a 2 percent mixture of Houghton Stack Magic 200 BOP fluid, as it drilled at 9,727 ft. below sea level in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, surpassing the previous record of 9,687 ft. set earlier this year. "The previous world record had been set on that same drillship using Houghton's BOP fluid in June 2001," explains LeeRoy J. Patin, Global Offshore manager at Houghton Offshore, a division of Houghton International specializing in the manufacture and formulation of water-based fluids for oil and gas production and exploration equipment.

The tank barge Greenstone II, the first vessel to be built by Superior’s Fraser Shipyards in nearly 40 years, is tentatively scheduled to depart the Port of Duluth-Superior on Monday, May 24, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority reported today. Fraser Shipyard floated the Greenstone II at its dry dock today (May 21), and has scheduled the Marine Tech, Duluth, tug Miss Laura to escort the vessel to Houghton, Mich. The Greenstone II is a double-hulled fuel barge that will operate between Houghton and Isle Royale National Park, replacing the single hulled barge Greenstone that was retired last year. Fraser Shipyards, whose predecessors date back 113-years, is the only remaining major American shipyard and dry dock operation on the western end of the Great Lakes.

Houghton Offshore has entered into a five-year contract with Transocean Sedco Forex for the supply of the following fluids for Transocean Sedco Forex's global fleet of mobile offshore drilling units: water/glycol based blowout preventer (BOP) fluids, as well as motion compensator, riser tensioner, and other water-based fluids. The new contract follows Transocean's recent world record for the deepest well drilled to date using Houghton's Stack Magic 200 blowout preventor fluid (BOP). The well was drilled in 9,687 ft. (2,952 m) below sea level in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The Grande Mariner, a 183-ft., 100-passenger U.S. cruise vessel, is scheduled to make her third visit to the Port of Duluth-Superior on July 22. The vessel is scheduled to arrive at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) dock at approximately noon on Thursday, where it will be greeted by a welcoming ceremony that will include the Duluth Community Band. The Grande Mariner, which called at Duluth twice last year, is visiting the Port this month as part of a “Lake Superior Grande Tour” offered by American Canadian Caribbean Line (ACCL). The Port of Duluth-Superior will be used as a debarkation/embarkation point for the cruise vessel, which is scheduled to depart at noon on July 25 with new passengers. This tour for the vessel commences in Chicago, Ill., and ends in Warren, R.I.

In many ports across the country, competition among tugboat operators is intense. The combined Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach is one such competitive environment for tug operators. Three companies vie for business that includes about 6,000 ship arrivals a year. Many of the companies utilize new tractor tugs to guide these ship movements. Foss Maritime, Crowley Marine and Millennium Maritime operate over a dozen modern tugs. Any slight edge in efficiency gives one company a competitive edge. For example, Foss Maritime recently placed the Halter Marine-built Marshall Foss into service. The 6,200 hp tug measures 98 x 40 x 16 ft. "This vessel was purpose built as a harbor tug," said Barry Baldwin, business director for Foss Maritime. Baldwin is located in Long Beach.

Hawaiian Tug & Barge and Young Brothers, Ltd. announced the appointment of Mark Houghton as Vice President of Maritime Operations. He succeeds Mark Cohen who moved to the mainland. Houghton is responsible for overseeing the maritime operations of both companies. Houghton was formerly Director of Marine Transportation Sales for Foss Maritime Company in Seattle, Washington, a sister company to HTB/YB. During his 11-year stint with Foss, he also served as an assistant port engineer and Cominco Red Dog Mine (Alaska) manager-lighterage operations. Prior to joining Foss, Mr. Houghton was a chief engineer and assistant port engineer for Crowley Maritime and maritime department manager for Sunmar Shipping. He is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Young Brothers, Ltd.'s tug, the Hoku Ke'a, has returned to service after being fitted with Nautican Research and Development Ltd.'s new Integrated Nozzle and Rudder Units at Foss Shipyards in Seattle. Mark Houghton, Vice-President, Maritime Operations, of Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Young Brothers reports that on the return trip to Hawaii, "the Hoku Ke'a was able to run at reduced r.p.m. and still averaged between 9.5 and 10 knots for the Pacific transit, towing a 340 x 78 ft. barge." This is the first installation of the Nautican Integrated Units on an ocean-going tug. Prior to the conversion, the Hoku Ke'a was fitted with conventional open propellers and rudders. The 108 x 34 ft., 3,900 hp tug's bollard pull went from 88,853 lbs with open propellers to 132,810 lbs with the Nautican Nozzles.