Manufacturing Base News

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a basic contract for the marine transport of offshore wind components with JFE Engineering Corporation, while also agreeing to build a new module carrier vessel with Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering.This will be first coastal module carrier in Japan to transport components for offshore wind turbine foundation components, according to MOL. MOL DrybulkThe vessel is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2026, and will then engage in the coastal transport of offshore wind turbine foundations from JFE Engineering's manufacturing base in Kasaoka-shi…

Optimarin is setting up a manufacturing base in China to boost the availability of its ballast water treatment system (BWTS) for the Asian shipbuilding market. It also targets further retrofits of the existing fleet.The Norwegian BWTS supplier is now pursuing partnerships with several Chinese suppliers to focus on high-quality production of BWTS components at a reasonable cost for delivery to regional yards, according to Optimarin’s Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing Tore…

Global container shipping rates are a widely used gauge of overall consumer sentiment, with high and rising costs indicating strong demand for goods, gadgets, and clothes, while falling rates attest to slowing or falling buyer interest.As the main conduit for global trade in finished and intermediate goods - including an overwhelming majority of the parts and machinery needed to produce other merchandise - the container shipping sector can also offer a glimpse into the state of…

As a rudderless U.S. Navy debates maritime strategy, fleet futures and platform performance, America’s naval shipbuilding industry can look forward to another year of relative stasis.Barring a major geopolitical incident or unexpected maritime provocation, government shipbuilding isn’t going to change course. With Admiral Michael Gilday approaching the final “lame duck” year of his four-year term as Chief of Naval Operations and the 2024 election season looming, the prospect for major changes in the Navy’s demand signal seems limited.Aside from the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) recently announced the availability of nearly $20 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Federal funding to support funding to help modernize U.S.'s small shipyards.MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program aims to strengthen the economic competitiveness of shipyards by providing grants that can be used to purchase equipment or train employees. In addition, the purchase of American-made manufacturing equipment with these, small shipyard grants support a wide range of jobs throughout our nation’s manufacturing base.

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it will “use the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life.” University of Massachusetts Boston public policy scholar David W. Cash, who worked at senior levels in state government for a decade…

Japan's JFE Engineering Corporation is set to build a factory for the construction of monopile foundations and transition pieces for the offshore wind industry. The company also has plans to build jacket-type foundations in the future."The monopile foundation consists of a transition piece for connecting the monopile as a support and the wind turbine tower and is an extremely thick, large-diameter, long super-heavy object, which is difficult to manufacture at existing factories in Japan.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Monday awarded $19.6 million in grants aiming to help 31 shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.The grants were awarded to shipbuilding and repair yards in 15 states throughout the U.S. as part of MARAD's Small Shipyard Grant Program. Since 2008, the program has awarded $262.5 million to nearly 300 shipyards in 32 states and territories.

President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order aiming to use government spending to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies, in a move widely praised by America's maritime industry.The executive order, titled Strengthening "Buy American" Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers", calls for increasing the amount of U.S. content that must be in a product for it to be considered made in America under existing "Buy American" requirements.

Thrustmaster of Texas, Inc. said it has been awarded a contract from Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) for the design, development and manufacture of the auxiliary propulsion unit (APU) on the U.S. Navy’s future guided missile frigate (FFG 62). Thrustmaster will be supplying the complete APU package consisting of the 1MW retractable azimuthing thruster, controls, prime mover electric motor, variable frequency drive and steering and retraction power unit. The APU package will…

Inspecting fuel and ballast tanks. Sand-blasting old paint coatings and applying new ones. Removing corrosion on ships, submarines, aircraft and other vehicles.These are some of the unpleasant jobs in naval shipyards and maintenance facilities that could be made safer by pairing human workers with robots. Experts say this could improve the speed and efficiency with which the U.S. Navy sustains its assets—and expand the career paths of current workers (and create new jobs) by teaching them to operate…

China's fast-spreading coronavirus is throwing the global container shipping trade out of sync, with lines re-routing cargoes and reducing calls to Chinese ports, setting the scene for months of delivery delays ahead, industry sources said.The spread of the deadly virus has shut down cities and factories in China and disrupted global air travel.China's decision to extend its Lunar New Year holiday period until Feb. 10 has compounded logistical complications, despite its ports staying open.

The economic impact of China's coronavirus lockdown is being felt across the globe, with exporters, miners and manufacturers of everything from coal and timber to meat and fruit facing delays and potential shipment cancellations.As the most populous nation and factory floor for most of the world's manufactured goods, China is normally the largest and most voracious consumer of a slew of global raw materials, fuels and foods.But the combination of an extended Lunar New Year holiday…

Joel Reid joined Cox Powertrain in April 2015. He holds an EMBA in Business from the University of Chicago, a Master’s Degree in Marine Surveying and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Reid has been instrumental in bringing Cox’s ground-breaking 300hp diesel outboard to market and has worked tirelessly over the last three years to create an enviable global distributor network. Reid is currently focuses his efforts on sales, distribution and support in the US market, which it is predicted to account for approximately 50% of Cox’s diesel outboard sales globally.

The shipping & logistics company GAC is tapping into the growing contract logistics business potential of the Asia Pacific, Indian Subcontinent and Middle East, with plans to further develop and expand in its operations in the regions.That was the message Lars Bergström, GAC’s Group Vice President for Asia Pacific & Indian Subcontinent, had for the Group’s Contract Logistics Solutions experts who gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to chart GAC’s strategy to increase its share of the business in their regions. They discussed growing demand as a result of the rise of e-commerce, last mile deliveries and technological advancements, as well as the challenges the contract logistics sector faces.According to Transport Intelligence’s Global Contract Logistics 2018 report…

President Vladimir Putin calls improving the Russian navy's combat capabilities a priority.The unfinished husks of three guided-missile frigates that have languished for three years at a Baltic shipyard show that is easier said than done.Earmarked for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the frigates fell victim to sanctions imposed by Ukraine in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, prompting Kiev to ban the sale of the Ukrainian-made engines needed to propel them.With Moscow unable to quickly build replacement engines for the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, construction stopped.

Newport Shipping Group has purchased 100 scrubbers from Chinese manufacturer Weihai Puyi Marine Environmental Technology Co, with options for an additional 100 units.Newport, which operates a network of 13 drydocks globally, said the bulk purchase aims to safeguard shipowners against any price hikes or production bottlenecks as demand for scrubbers is expected to increase ahead of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 sulphur cap deadline.Erol Sarikaya, Newport Shipping Chief Executive Officer…

Bob Kunkel needs no introduction to Marine News readers. Kunkel, President of Alternative Marine Technologies, previously served as the Federal Chairman of the Short Sea Shipping Cooperative Program under the Maritime Administration and Department of Transportation from 2003 until 2008. A past Vice President of the Connecticut Maritime Association, he is a contributing writer for Maritime Logistics Professional magazine and of course, Marine News. A graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy…

Rolls-Royce said it has reached a deal with Indian naval shipbuilder Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to cooperate in the local manufacturing of technologically-advanced MTU Series 8000 engines. Under the agreement, which was signed this week at the defense trade show Defexpo in India, the companies will assemble the 16-cylinder and 20-cylinder MTU Series 8000 engines at GSL’s new facility in Goa.The MTU brand produces large diesel and gas engines and complete propulsion systems as part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.The agreement includes transfer of MTU technology related to localizing of engine components, engine assembly, testing, painting and major overhauls. MTU Series 8000 engines are the largest and most powerful MTU diesel engines with a power output of up to 10 MW.

The Trump administration this week will unveil the list of Chinese imports targeted for U.S. tariffs to punish Beijing over technology transfer policies, a move expected to intensify trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. The list of $50 billion to $60 billion worth of annual imports is expected to target "largely high-technology" products and it may be more than two months before tariffs take effect, administration officials have said. The U.S. Trade Representative's office needs to unveil the list of products by Friday under President Donald Trump's China tariff proclamation signed on March 22. The tariffs are aimed at forcing changes to Chinese government policies that USTR says results in the "uneconomic" transfer of U.S. intellectual property to Chinese companies.

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and John Garamendi (D-CA), Chairman and Ranking Member respectively of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, raised concerns today over the Trump Administration’s decision to issue a 10-day waiver of the Jones Act for relief shipments into Puerto Rico. Hunter and Garamendi held a listening session Thursday morning with other members of the Maritime Transportation Committee and representatives from the American maritime industry to explore this issue in depth.

DP World Group Chairman and CEO, and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Freezones Corporation, HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem has met with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, at the Annual Investment Meeting in Dubai to explore possible future opportunities for economic co-operation. During the meeting, which was also attended by DP World Vice Chairman Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah and senior company officials, HE Bin Sulayem suggested diverse solutions for Georgia’s trade and logistics development plans that would be cost effective and up-to-date with the latest industry trends. Both parties agreed that a DP World research team should visit the country to evaluate the potential for the possible construction of a marine terminal…

In December Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation (MCO), a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Hiroshima, will establish a new company in Brazil in a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), to be known as MHI Compressor do Brasil Ltda. (MCO-B). Creation of the new entity, which will launch commercial operations in February 2016, is targeted at developing the Latin American market for compressors, with a focus on expanding sales of compressors for use in Floating Production, Storage and Offloading systems (FPSO), a market expected to see robust demand as Brazil develops deepwater oil fields. Initially MCO-B will perform sales and after-sale servicing functions, with local manufacturing capability targeted for the future.