Macdonald News

Defense contractor Babcock has signed a four-year £750 million (~$916 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), to deliver the infrastructure required to support and sustain the UK’s submarines for decades to come.As part of the major infrastructure program underway at the Devonport site, Babcock said it would deliver substantial upgrades to existing infrastructure that will support the future capability of the Royal Navy and the…

Bibby Marine and its consortium partners are moving forward with plans to build the world’s first zero-emission electric service operation vessel (eSOV) after securing funding for the project from the Zero Emission Vessel Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition.The award, announced Monday at London International Shipping Week, comprises of match funding to build the pioneering vessel, which will operate solely on 20MWh of batteries – a significant step toward achieving the marine industry’s net-zero ambitions.

Nigeria's state-owned oil firm NNPC Ltd said on Monday an 800,000-liter (211,338-U.S. gallon) vessel carrying stolen crude had been intercepted offshore while heading to Cameroon and would be destroyed as a deterrent to oil theft.Crude theft from pipelines and wells in the Niger Delta has hobbled the country's output in recent years and is one of the biggest challenges to confront new President Bola Tinubu.NNPC said the oil was stolen from a well in south western Ondo state.

Crowley announced it will launch an end-to-end, integrated ocean and rail service between Mexico and the U.S. Midwest region and into Canada. Featuring Crowley’s new Mexico-U.S. ocean route in the Gulf, the service will leverage the inland rail network of Canadian National Railway Company and its U.S. rail subsidiaries (CN). The companies’ combined network provides broad reach across the Midwest and into Canada to increase solutions for global customers in North American market…

Exxon Mobil Corp is considering selling its majority stake in Italy's main regasification terminal as part of a wider strategy to divest from non-core assets, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The Rovigo liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is owned by Exxon's subsidiary ExxonMobil Italiana Gas (70.7%), QatarEnergy subsidiary Qatar Terminal Company Limited (22%) and Snam Spa SRG.MI (7.3%). Snam, an Italian gas grid operator, has the first right of refusal should a partner decide to divest.

Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is expected to ease congestion at the country's ports and help it become an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations.President Muhammadu Buhari has made building infrastructure a key pillar of his government's economic policy, and hopes that this will help his ruling party win votes during next month's presidential election.The new Lekki Deep Sea Port is 75% owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram group…

New Bedford, Mass. based manufacturer and importer of marine and commercial products IMTRA announced it has hired Rusty Morgan to take on the role of Regional Commercial Sales Manager for the Pacific Northwest. Eric MacDonald, who held the position most recently, has expanded his responsibilities to support IMTRA’s growing commercial sales and increased product offering from IMTRA’s headquarters in New Bedford.With the offshore wind segment in particular growing rapidly, having…

Whether we realize it or not, robotics and robotics systems are starting to impact our daily lives. From warehouse picking systems through to high-end medical devices through to your mowbot lawnmower. Each tends to be specialized to its own task and a similar trend is now starting to play out in the offshore wind space, where it’s hoped that robots can make operations safer and more efficient.According to a report, The Economic Opportunity for Robotics in Offshore Wind and Key Energy Markets by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult)…

An oil vessel used for storage that exploded off the coast of Nigeria last week had not been maintained for some time and had technical issues, two sources and an environmental group said on Friday, as its wreckage lay in the sea after the fire was put out.The 10 crew members who were on board at the time of the explosion early on Wednesday remained unaccounted for, according to witnesses, amid fears they may have been caught in the fire.A Reuters witness saw the burnt out remains of the Trinity Spirit floating production…

An oil production and storage vessel exploded off the coast of Nigeria early on Wednesday with 10 crew members on board though it was not yet clear if there were any casualties or how much crude might have spilled into the sea.Nigeria's Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) said on Thursday that flames had engulfed the Trinity Spirit floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel following the blast a day earlier."At this time there are no reported fatalities…

Exxon Mobil Corp outlined a major new investment in Guyana amid government calls for delivering economic benefits to residents from deepwater oil and gas discoveries helping turn the South American nation into an oil powerhouse.A coming onshore supply base will expand jobs and boost local fabrication for future projects starting with its fourth production unit, Exxon's president for Guyana Alistair Routledge said in remarks late Thursday. It will bring total investment in Guyana to $30 billion…

After being very much on the margins of the offshore wind industry, floating offshore wind now appears to be ready to hit the mainstream. With gigawatt scale developments already on the horizon, what will the infrastructure needed to build and support them look like? Over the past 12 months, the floating offshore wind sector appears to have had a major dose of adrenaline. While the largest development, to date, is the relatively small-scale 50MW Kincardine project off northeast Scotland (which will be outdone by the 88MW Tampen project in Norway later next year [2022])…

Svitzer Australia has taken delivery of its third and final new tug, Svitzer Wilu, welcomed to the Port of Geraldton on March 22, joining Svitzer North and Svitzer Abrolhos to form the new fleet.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the RAstar 3000-W series ASD tug Svitzer Wilu is 30 meters long, has 70 tonnes of bollard pull and increased safety capabilities with advanced firefighting capabilities on board.Main propulsion comprises of a pair of Caterpillar 3516C, IMO Tier II 2 certified diesel engines, each rated 2240 bkW at 1800 rpm, and driving a Schottel SRP 460FP Z-drive unit.

The U.K. Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived in Glen Mallan, Scotland, as part of final preparations before her first operational deployment set to commence later this year.Sailing in along the Firth of Clyde, the 65,000-tonne warship has spent the last two weeks at sea testing and trialing her latest equipment, before berthing at the new Northern Ammunition Jetty for a routine onload of operational stores.HMS Queen Elizabeth is the first of the Royal Navy’s fleet to visit the new £64 million facility, built by the Defense Infrastructure Organization (DIO).

Thirty-one fisherman have been rescued from a fishing vessel that caught fire and began to sink off the coast of Eastern Canada.At 7:05 p.m., Tuesday, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax notified watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard First District Command Center that the 143-foot Atlantic Destiny was disabled with a fire on board, and was taking on water in 26-foot seas and 35-mile-per-hour winds.A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing crew…

Two Canadian firms are partnering to develop and commercialize 3D digital twin capabilities with hopes of making Canada more globally competitive, driving export opportunities and creating jobs in the marine sector.The the $3 million-plus Digital Ship In-Service Support Project comes from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s (OSC) Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program. Led by British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards together with partner and Newfoundland and Labrador-based, Genoa Design International…

Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based marine survey firm developing the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the first wave of Ocean Infinity’s new Armada fleet with key sensor technologies for underwater platform navigation…

A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japan's coastguard on Thursday.The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.Japan's coastguard said it had rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, on Wednesday night (Tokyo time) while searching for the ship.According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said.When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets.

The provider of shipbuilding services Conrad Shipyard christened the oceangoing tug Kāpena Bob Purdy for Young Brothers Ltd, of Honolulu, Hawaii, a subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company.During the ceremony, which was held at Conrad Amelia in Amelia, Louisiana, Gary Lipely, Conrad Director of Sales and Marketing serving as master of ceremonies, introduced Joseph Boivin of Young Brothers, Will Roberts of Foss Maritime, and Julia MacDonald, Ship’s Sponsor.Father Clyde Mahler of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Morgan City conducted the christening, said a press release from the company which designs, builds and overhauls tugboats, ferries, liftboats…

Canadian National Railway (CN) said that it plans to invest approximately $320 million in Ontario in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company’s rail network across the province.CN’s Ontario rail network stretches across the province, and the GTHA is home to MacMillan Yard, CN’s largest rail car classification facility, and Brampton Intermodal Terminal, CN’s largest intermodal facility.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers,” said Doug MacDonald, Vice-President of CN’s Eastern Region. “This year, we are continuing to…

Australian energy services group Three60 Energy  has acquired Aberdeen-based North Sea Construction and Commissioning (NSCC) for an undisclosed sum. This is now the fourth company to be added to the fast-developing energy services group which now employs over 320 people.Established in 2017, NSCC specialises in the provision of construction, mechanical completion and commissioning support services for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry, whose focus is on maximising safe and efficient delivery in both the North Sea and overseas.The company has established a track record covering all aspects of topsides infrastructure construction and campaign delivery covering heavy-lift…

Shipping was blocked on the Brussels-Willebroek canal just north of the Belgian capital on Thursday after a ship struck a bridge near the town of Grimbergen, police said.The Humbeek bridge, which rises on cables to allow barges to pass beneath, was badly damaged, according to police cited by local media, although no one was injured.The canal carries significant amounts of freight between Brussels and the Scheltdt estuary around Antwerp.(Reuters reporting by Alastair Macdonald Editing by Gareth Jones)

Japanese shipping company NYK, global mining company BHP, green biofuel company GoodFuels and the developer of blockchain applications for the maritime industry Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration (BLOC) bunkered biofuel in the tanks a BHP vessel in Netherlands.The Netherlands based GoodFuels Marine, a supplier of sustainable low carbon marine fuels, has annouced the successful delivery of sustainable biofuels to the BHP-chartered, NYK-owned bulk carrier Frontier Sky, with CO2 savings verified with BLOC’s blockchain fuels assurance platform. The advanced biofuel, supplied by GoodFuels via logistics partner Varo Energy, is a ‘drop-in’ marine gasoil (MGO)-equivalent, and was blended with conventional fossil-based MGO in a mix of 30% biofuel to 70% conventional MGO.