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18 Mar 2024

Port NOLA Bests Container-on-barge Record

(Photo: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) said 2023 was a record year for container-on-barge shipping.During the last calendar year, Port NOLA marked 20,500 container moves by barge, the highest since launching the container-on-barge network—the nation's largest—in 2016 with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and Ingram Marine Group. Container-on-barge moves containers by water rather than by truck on roads to reduce air emissions; moving an average of 30,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) per year between New Orleans, the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Memphis and St. Louis.

12 Mar 2024

Philippine Seafarers Who Survived Houthi Red Sea Attack Arrive Home

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Eleven Filipino seafarers arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday nearly a week after they survived a Houthi missile attack off Yemen.They were crew members of the Barbados-flagged, Greek operated merchant ship True Confidence which the Houthis attacked last week, killing three sailors, including two Filipinos. The migrant workers' ministry said in a statement the 11 survivors received government help on arriving in Manila.Mark Anthony Dagohoy, a crew member on True Confidence, said it was difficult to recall what they went through…

29 Feb 2024

Steve Nevey Tapped to Lead Washington State Ferries

Steve Nevey (Photo: WSDOT)

Steve Nevey has been selected to serve as assistant secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division, the state's Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar announced on Thursday. Nevey will succeed Patty Rubstello, who is stepping down as head of WSF after more than 33 years of service with the Washington State Department of Transportation.A career mariner, Nevey progressed directly from high school to a maritime academy in the U.K. For the past two years he has served as director…

21 Feb 2024

Biden Executive Order Targets Cybersecurity at US Ports

© Brian E Kushner / Adobe Stock

President Biden on Wednesday signed an Executive Order aiming to strengthen cybersecurity at U.S. ports amid growing threats to America's vital maritime supply chains.The directive bolsters the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to address maritime cyber threats, including through the creation of new standards to ensure the security of networks and systems throughout the nation’s marine transportation system (MTS), which supports $5.4 trillion in economic activity each year."Most critical infrastructure owners and operators have a list of safety regulations they have to comply with…

08 Feb 2024

GOST Promotes Breaux

Scott Breaux (Photo: GOST)

Marine security, tracking, monitoring and video surveillance systems company GOST (Global Ocean Security Technologies) announced the promotion of Scott Breaux to Global Sales and Marketing Director – Business Strategies Analyst.In his new role, Breaux will oversee GOST’s initiatives and strategies for both recreational and commercial maritime markets. His responsibilities will include identifying potential markets for expansion, ensuring supply chain viability and establishing new global partnerships.“I’ve known Scott for over a decade…

07 Jan 2024

War, Weather Put Ocean Shippers on Notice for Rough Seas in 2024

© Daniel / Adobe Stock

Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have thrown global shippers of vital goods for a loop - but it is hardly the only issue that big carriers are facing as 2024 kicks off.Giants like Maersk say the industry, which handles 90% of global trade, faces the possibility of significant disruptions, from ongoing wars to droughts affecting key routes like the Panama Canal. Complex vessel schedules are likely to be knocked out of sync for giant container ships, fuel tankers and other commodity haulers throughout the year.That will increase delays and raise costs for retailers like Walmart…

28 Dec 2023

Red Sea Shipping Workarounds Add Costs, Delays for Suppliers

© EvrenKalinbacak / Adobe Stock

Toymaker Basic Fun's team that oversees ocean shipments of Tonka trucks and Care Bears for Walmart and other retailers is racing to reroute cargo away from the Suez Canal following militant attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.Suppliers for the likes of IKEA, Home Depot, Amazon and retailers around the world are doing the same as businesses grapple with the biggest shipping upheaval since the COVID-19 pandemic threw global supply chains into disarray, sources in the logistics industry said.Florida-based Basic Fun usually ships all Europe-bound toys from its China factories via the Suez Canal…

19 Dec 2023

How Could Red Sea Attacks Affect Oil and Gas Shipping?

© Vallehr / Adobe Stock

Several shipping companies and a few liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have decided to avoid the world's main East-West trade route, following attacks launched by Yemen's Houthi group on commercial ships at the southern end of the Red Sea.The attacks raised the specter of another bout of disruption to international commerce following the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, and prompted a U.S.-led international force to patrol waters near Yemen.IS THE RED SEA ROUTE IMPORTANT FOR…

11 Dec 2023

Panama Canal Woes to Delay Grain Ships well into '24

Copyright searagen/AdobeStock

Bulk grain shippers hauling crops from the U.S. Gulf Coast export hub to Asia are sailing longer routes and paying higher freight costs to avoid vessel congestion and record-high transit fees in the drought-hit Panama Canal, traders and analysts said.The shipping snarl through one of the world's main maritime trade routes comes at the peak season for U.S. crop exports, and the higher costs are threatening to dent demand for U.S. corn and soy suppliers that have already ceded market share to Brazil in recent years.

10 Dec 2023

Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

© olinchuk / Adobe Stock

The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

29 Nov 2023

US Coast Guard Awards Golden Ray Responders

Source: US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard presented public service awards to maritime partners for their actions during the Golden Ray capsizing and subsequent response during a ceremony at the Southeast Georgia Conference Center.The public service awards recognized each individual’s commendable actions that resulted in the preservation of life and mitigation of environmental hazards and economic impacts during the Golden Ray capsizing and grounding in St. Simon's Sound, Georgia, on Sept. 8, 2019.Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, commander, Coast Guard Seventh District, and U.S.

10 Nov 2023

KBR Secures FEED Contract for Liquid CO2 Terminal in Danish Port

Credit:Ina Meer Sommer/AdobeStock

KBR has been awarded a Front-End Engineering Design (FFED) contract by Fidelis New Energy for Project Fyrkat, a liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) receiving terminal at the Port of Aalborg, Denmark. KBR will provide engineering to support the LCO2 handling and storage facility, as Fidelis New Energy aims to help global decarbonization.Project Fyrkat is one of the first onshore CO2 sequestration facilities, and is part of a larger initiative, Project Norne, which expects to store more than 20 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030. This equates to around half of Denmark's yearly emissions.

10 Oct 2023

Sprintex Delivers Compressors for Billion Dollar Project

Source: Sprintex

Australian company Sprintex has supplied a critical component to the US$15 billion EU Sustainable Hydrogen-Powered Shipping Project (sHYpS), involving 13 partner companies in six countries, which will convert six cruise ships to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.Each vessel will be equipped with around 100MW of electrical power, derived from modular hydrogen fuel cells. Sprintex has delivered high-speed electric compressors which are essential for the overall efficiency and performance of the fuel cell systems…

10 Oct 2023

Near Collision, Tense Encounter as Beijing Flexes Muscles in South China Sea

© luzitanija / Adobe Stock

The crew of the Philippine coastguard boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the South China Sea.The captain of the BRP Sindangan shuts off the engine and activates the reverse throttle. China's coastguard issues a warning via megaphone to leave as the Filipino crew watch closely on a radar that shows two vessels side by side."In accordance with international and Philippine national laws we are proceeding…

26 Sep 2023

Philippines Condemns Chinese 'Floating Barrier' in South China Sea

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities…

13 Sep 2023

Rowing Boat Owner Sentenced in the UK After Man Was Lost Overboard

The 10.8-meter ocean rowing boat Toby Wallace. (Photo: U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch)

The owner and skipper of a rowing vessel has received a 12-month prison sentence after a 21-year-old was lost overboard in the middle of the Atlantic.In February 2016, Michael Johnson was swept overboard by a large wave in the North Atlantic Ocean, between the Canary Islands and Barbados, during a world record row attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 32 days. The seven remaining crew members on board were unable to save Johnson.Simon Chalk, owner of the rowing boat Toby Wallace…

21 Aug 2023

Electric Boat Lays Keel for Submarine Tang (SSN 805)

(Photo: General Dynamics Electric Boat)

General Dynamics Electric Boat held a keel laying for the Virginia-class submarine Tang (SSN 805) at its facility in Quonset Point, North Kingstown, R.I.The submarine will be the third ship in the U.S. Navy to carry the name Tang. The first USS Tang was a Balao-class submarine, SS 306, credited as the most successful U.S. submarine of WWII, sinking the most tonnage of any U.S. submarine—33 enemy ships—on five war patrols over the course of just 14 months."This ship represents…

16 Aug 2023

Washington State Ferries Awards Vigor Contract to Convert Its Largest Vessels to Hybrid-electric Power

© David Johnson / Adobe Stock

Washington State Ferries has tapped local shipyard Vigor to convert up to three of its Jumbo Mark II class ferries to low-emission hybrid-electric power.Vigor's $150 million winning bid for the contract came in about $16 million under the second place bid from another Washington shipyard, but was still approximately $30 million above the state’s $120 million estimate for the project. Vigor has been awarded approximately $100 million for the conversion of two vessels, with a fixed-price option to convert the third vessel in 2025.WSF…

27 Jun 2023

Canadian Safety Regulators Open Probe into Fatal Loss of Titan Submersible

File photo: OceanGate Expeditions

Canadian safety officials on Friday opened an investigation into the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard while diving to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, raising questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.A debris field from the submersible Titan was found at the bottom of the North Atlantic on Thursday by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian search vessel, ending an intense five-day international rescue effort.Fragments of Titan…

15 Jun 2023

Singapore's Penguin Shipyard Selects Kongsberg Kamewa Waterjets for Fast Ferries Bound for the Middle East

©Kongsberg Maritime

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply its Kamewa waterjets for two fast ferries to be built by Singapore's Penguin Shipyard for a Middle East client. Each of the new 56-meter Ropax ferries will be equipped with four Kongsberg Kamewa 71 S-4 waterjets and control systems.Designed by Incat Crowther UK, the ferries will have a capacity of 250 passengers and 25 cars. The 71 S-4s are from the Kongsberg Kamewa Steel series of waterjets, with a maximum power of…

09 Jun 2023

Maritime Partners Announces $235.3 Million Securitization

(Photo: Maritime Partners)

Maritime Partners, a provider of maritime financing solutions primarily focused on Jones Act vessels, has announced the successful completion of the inaugural capital markets issuance of vessel asset-backed securities (ABS) by MP 2023 LLC, its controlled affiliate. This transaction was the first ABS issuance composed entirely of inland marine vessels.MP 2023 LLC issued an aggregate principal amount of $235.3 million of its MP 2023-1, Class A Notes, with a coupon of 7.167% over an expected 7-year term.

05 Jun 2023

Retailers, Manufacturers Urge White House to Mediate in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute

© trekandphoto / Adobe Stock

Groups representing major retailers and manufacturers urged the White House on Monday to intervene in contentious West Coast port labor negotiations, citing worries about shipping disruptions during critical holiday shopping seasons.The call came after the largest terminal at Southern California's Port of Long Beach closed on Monday as dock workers rally for better pay. Monday's closure followed similar disruptions on Friday in Oakland, California.More than 22,000 dockworkers…

26 Jun 2023

Salvors Raise Fishing Vessel That Sank Near Santa Cruz Island

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A salvage team has refloated a charter fishing vessel that sank near California's Santa Cruz Island.Overseen by the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), the salvage operation included underwater assessment, refloating, stabilization and the safe transfer of the vessel to harbor. The operation was led by a seasoned salvage master and supported by a crew of four experienced salvage technicians and divers.Two dedicated recovery vessels equipped with lift bags, dewatering equipment and custom rigging were brought in to handle the vessel recovery.