Irish Ship Fuel Initiative Gets Underway
MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, and renewable energy consultants Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions (GDG) have announced the inception of the 'ShipFuel' research project.The initiative is set to position Ireland at the helm of maritime sustainability by developing a clear path to support the transformation of the shipping sector's reliance on traditional fuels to low-carbon alternatives.The research is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Chief of Naval Operations Tours Austal USA
Austal USA welcomed Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General Christopher Mahoney to the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard on March 4. They were joined by Senator Roger Wicker, Congressman Jerry Carl, and Rear Admiral Tom Anderson, Program Executive Officer Ships.The visitors witnessed Austal USA’s focus on innovation, adherence to proven processes, and continued investment in the company’s people and facilities to meet the emerging needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.
Capital Product Partners Move Forward with $3.1B Acquisition of 11 LNG Carriers
New York-listed shipowner Capital Product Partners L.P. (CPLP) has closed the umbrella agreement from November 2023, moving forward with the $3.1 billion acquisition of 11 newbuild LNG carrier vessels.CPLP entered into umbrella agreement with Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. and Capital GP on November 13, providing for the acquisition of 11 newbuild liquefied LNG carriers.Upon the closing of the umbrella agreement on Thursday, CPLP entered into 11 share purchase agreements to acquire 100% of the equity interests in each vessel-owning company.Each Vessel will have a capacity of 174…
US Coast Guard Awards Golden Ray Responders
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.
California Boat Captain Guilty of 'Seaman's manslaughter' in Fire Deaths of 34 People
The captain of a dive boat that caught fire and sank off the California coast in 2019, killing 34 people on board in one of the state's deadliest maritime disasters, was found guilty on Monday of a federal charge of seaman's manslaughter.Jerry Boylan, 70, was convicted by a U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles on a single charged count of "misconduct or neglect of a ship officer" under a federal homicide statute dating from steamboat accidents in the early 1800s.The felony conviction…
Philly Shipyard Lays Keel for Third NSMV
Philly Shipyard held a keel laying ceremony on Monday for the third vessel in a series of new purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for America’s state maritime academies.The newbuild is the third of five new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) being built under a program for the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), which owns and operates training ships for the nation's state maritime academies. The third NSMV is scheduled to be delivered to Maine Maritime Academy in 2024.MARAD's NSMV program is designed to provide a purpose-built…
Insights from the 50th International Congress of Maritime Museums
For many, the ocean is life. It provides transportation, work, commerce, food, recreation—tales as old as time and shared by people across the globe. These stories are lived day to day, passed down between generations, and shared with the public through various media. Maritime museums assume responsibility to share these histories while honoring the communities shaped ocean exploration and commerce. In a decade where ocean health and climatic events have become a primary focus…
Judge Throws out Indictment of Captain in 2019 Fatal Dive Boat Fire
A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday dismissed the criminal indictment against a dive boat captain charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 people when the vessel caught fire and sank off the California coast three years ago.The 75-foot (23-meter) Conception caught fire while most of those onboard were sleeping, killing 33 passengers and a crew member. It is considered one of California’s worst maritime disasters.U.S. District Judge George Wu said in a ruling that the indictment…
Costello Lock Closed Due to Silt Build Up
The Jerry F. Costello Lock on the Kaskaskia River, near Modoc, Ill., has been closed due to silt and debris build up on the lock sill and chamber, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) said.Contracted divers were utilized to remove underwater obstructions, but the issue with the gate persists, USACE's St. Louis District said in a statement on Tuesday. Crews from the St. Louis District’s Motor Vessel Pathfinder are on site to excavate silt that is preventing the downstream miter gates from closing from properly closing.“Our goal at the Jerry F.
Philly Shipyard Begins Building Third National Security Multi-Mission Vessel
U.S. shipbuilder Philly Shipyard on Monday held a steel cutting ceremony for the third of five new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV). The new ship, destined for the Maine Maritime Academy, is scheduled to be delivered in 2024.The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) NSMV program is designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training platform for state maritime academies in New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Texas and California, respectively.
Ingalls Shipbuilding to Hire More Than 2,000 Full-time Shipbuilders
HII said Thursday that the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division plans to hire more than 2,000 full-time shipbuilders as part of its future workforce plans."The new shipbuilders will join a skilled workforce that delivers critical capabilities to HII’s national security customers, including amphibious warships, destroyers and national security cutters. Ingalls Shipbuilding is located on an 800-acre facility, having recently completed a state-of-the-art upgrade that includes covered workspaces to keep shipbuilders dry and cool…
Continued Investment Strengthens Key US Midwest Ports
More than a half a billion dollars in recent, current or expected improvements at three Midwestern ports will strengthen these facilities and reinforce their important roles in the global freight network. The significant investments at Port KC, America’s Central Port, and Kaskaskia Regional Port District, along with new infrastructure funding recently secured, will spur an increase in barge services and deliver cost efficiencies that drive profitability for the industry. Port KC is located on the Missouri River.
Austal USA Opens New Steel Facility
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA hosted a ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new facility which adds steel shipbuilding capability to the company’s well-established aluminum shipbuilding expertise.“We are so excited to see our plans to add steel to our capabilities come to fruition,” said Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “The addition of steel capability is a game changer as it opens up our capability to support the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and other customers with high-quality ships.
Maine Maritime Academy Names Paul as President
Maine Maritime Academy’s Board of Trustees announced that Jerald S. “Jerry” Paul has been named as the college’s 15th President. Paul, current President of Capitol Access and a 1989 graduate of the institution, will take office this spring.Paul will succeed President William J. Brennan, who steps down from the position at the end of April following 12 years of transformative leadership at MMA. “I am gratified that the Board has selected such a fine individual to lead this wonderful college when I step down next spring,” says President Brennan.
5th Circ. Won't Reconsider Ruling on FLSA Exemption for Seamen
A U.S. appeals court on Thursday said workers who use cranes attached to boats to load equipment onto offshore oil rigs are not "seamen" exempt from overtime pay under federal wage law, reviving a collective action against liftboat operator All Coast LLC.The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 15-2 to deny en banc review to All Coast and reinstated a three-judge panel's unanimous February ruling that said the workers were engaged in industrial activities that had no bearing…
Shipbuilding: Austal USA Breaks Ground on Steel Manufacturing Line
Austal USA broke ground on its steel manufacturing line Friday, March 26, 2021, positioning the company to start steel production in April 2022.“This world-class steel manufacturing line is a treasure for the Gulf Coast, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard that will provide a much needed boost to the defense industrial base and our Nation’s defense,” said Jerry Carl, Congressman for Alabama’s first district.“As demand for the greater and larger Navy and Coast Guard fleets grows, Austal USA is investing to meet those changing requirements,” Rusty Murdaugh, interim president said.
IMO SG Emeritus William O’Neil Passes Away
William A. O’Neil, Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has died in the United Kingdom, aged 93.O’Neil was elected Secretary-General of the IMO for a first term of Office beginning in 1990, a second term beginning in 1994, a third term beginning in 1998 and a further two-year term from 2002 to 31 December 2003. He was the second longest serving Secretary-General of IMO.Current IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim expressed his sincere condolences to the Canadian Government…
Creative Approach Keeps Commerce Flowing Amidst Historic Flooding
Operational changes keep Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam open for 17 days longer than typical during high water events.While the record flooding in 2019 disrupted barge traffic throughout the inland waterways in the Midwest for extended periods this spring and summer, a little out-of-the-box thinking helped limit the number of days the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam was forced to close, keeping commerce flowing on the Kaskaskia River in Southern Illinois for several additional days during the persistent high water.The Kaskaskia River is a critical transportation link for several commodities…
Mackay Completes Electronics Commissioning Aboard CCGS John Cabot
Mackay Marine said it has completed final electronics commissioning during sea trials aboard the future CCGS John Cabot. Constructed at Seaspan’s Vancouver shipyard, the new ship is the third Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) built for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCGS) under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.Mackay said it was selected to be part of the team to support Thales Canada in its role as Tier-1 Partner to Seaspan Shipyards and as Electronic Systems Integrator for the construction of these vessels.
CPLP to Fit Six more Ships with Scrubbers
Capital Product Partners (CPLP), a Greek shipping company engaged in the seaborne transportation of a wide range of cargoes, including dry cargo and containerized goods, said that it is planning to install exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubber) in six more vessels.Jerry Kalogiratos, Chief Executive Officer of our General Partner, said: “We are pleased to have concluded the first scrubber retrofit on the M/V Agamemnon and to see the vessel subsequently deliver under its new long-term charter until 2024. The scrubber retrofit combined with passing of the special survey of the vessel and the associated off hire, as well as certain additional…
Konecranes Wins Chinese Order for Two Barge Cranes
In the first quarter of 2021, Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd. ordered two eco-efficient Konecranes Gottwald Model 8 Cranes on Barge. The cranes will be operated by Cosco Shipping Bulk Co. Ltd. (Cosco Bulk) off the coast of Guinea, Africa.Home to the world’s largest reserves of bauxite, the Guinean mining industry has been expanding. Cosco Bulk, a subsidiary of a world-leading shipping company, China Cosco Shipping Corporation Limited, found they needed more cranes to cope with the volume.
HII President and CEO Honored by SNAME
Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that the Society of Naval Architect and Marine Engineers (SNAME) awarded HII President and CEO Mike Petters the 2019 Vice Admiral Emory S. “Jerry” Land Medal. Petters received the Land Medal on Thursday during the Annual SNAME Banquet, held in Tacoma, WA.Mike Petters Accepts Land AwardHII President and CEO Mike Petters, center, accepts the 2019 Vice Admiral Emory S. “Jerry” Land Medal from, at left, Fred Harris, former president of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works…
Dive Boat Captain Charged in Fire that Killed 34
The captain of a dive boat that caught fire last year near Santa Cruz Island, resulting in 34 deaths, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter.Jerry Nehl Boylan, of Santa Barbara, was named in the indictment by a federal grand jury that alleges Boylan, as the captain and master of the Santa Barbara-based Conception, “was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers.”The indictment alleges that Boylan caused the deaths of 33 passengers and one crewmember “by his misconduct…