Marine Operator News

A work assignment dispute in Seattle is interrupting labor talks covering 29 U.S. West Coast ports and 22,000 employees that handle almost 40% of U.S. imports, the union representing dockworkers said on Tuesday.International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group have been negotiating a new contract since July 1. The ILWU's announcement on Tuesday comes after the two sides have traded jabs in the media about automation, another…

Severe rainfall and flooding from a tropical storm led to barges breaking away from their moorings and striking the Interstate 10 bridge in Channelview, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a marine accident brief released Tuesday.On September 19, 2019, 11 barges broke free from a San Jacinto River barge fleeting area north of the I-10 bridge in Channelview during Tropical Storm Imelda, the fifth-wettest tropical cyclone on record in the continental United States.

Abu Dhabi Ports’ maritime arm SAFEEN has signed an agreement with offshore vessel owner Allianz Marine & Logistics Services (AMLS), to launch a new international provider of integrated maritime logistic services."Operating under the title of Offshore Support and Logistics Services Company (OFCO – Offshore International), headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the new joint venture will be one of the largest, most capable, and cost-efficient providers of onshore and offshore integrated logistics solutions and subsea services in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Counci] Gulf Cooperation Council region and beyond," Abu Dhabi Ports said in a statement.According to the statement released Thursday…

Complying with International Maritime Organization Resolution MSC.337(91) Noise Level CodeOne of the best things a marine operator can do for its crew or passengers is prioritize their comfort by reducing shipboard noise. Commercial and military marine vessels can be subject to very high noise levels produced by everything from onboard activities to aircraft. At worst, this noise can be hazardous—disruptively noisy environments can lead to discomfort, sleep-deprivation, and even hearing loss, which can in turn lead to lower job performance, safety risks, and diminished quality of life.

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and remote-helm control systems, announced today that Herman Sr. BV, a Netherlands-based tug and workboat company, will add a Sea Machines’ SM200 wireless, remote-helm control system to one of its Shoalbuster tugboats, the 23.35-meter Teddy, for the purposes of increasing productivity and operational safety during offshore operations. The SM200 provides wireless helm and propulsion control, as well as remote control of auxiliaries and payload equipment (including pumps…

DP World, UAE Region’s next-generation security solutions provider World Security has launched the first autonomous security surveillance boat in the Middle East to upgrade security and surveillance at Jebel Ali Port, Mina Rashid, Mina Al Hamriya and other facilities in the UAE.The state-of-the-art boat introduces an extra dimension to World Security's portfolio of solutions, demanded by the uncertainty of the current changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.It also marks a new stage in World Security’ rising profile as Dubai’s industry leader for marine…

Make sure you know who you are really contracting with.A famous U.S. politician once insisted that “it takes a village to raise a child.” That said, any marine operator will tell you that it takes an even larger village and a ridiculous number of contracts to operate a vessel, and even more to manage a fleet of vessels. To make our marine operations run, we have to agree to contracts that provide for the construction or charter of a vessel, staffing, vessel catering, communications, fuel, maintenance, provisions, software, inspections, etc.

Wärtsilä signed an 5-year optimized maintenance agreement with Marine Service Company Ltd (MSCL), a Saudi Arabian tug operator, significant as it is the first ever such agreement that Wärtsilä has signed with a marine operator in Saudi Arabia. MSCL operates four terminal escort tugs operating in the port of Rabigh, and the comprehensive maintenance planning is designed to streamline the vessels’ operations. In addition to systematic service activity planning, Wärtsilä will provide maintenance budgeting…

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…

Like marine coatings, preparation is everything when it comes to sourcing and attracting marine finance support. If you’re familiar with the maritime industry at all, this won’t come as a shock: we’ve seen better days. Like many industries, this is one that goes up and down and, right now – depending of course on sector your focus resides – we’re pretty far down. This severe downturn began in late 2014 and we’ve seen many financing sources exiting the offshore market since. It seems that lenders have zero interest in lending into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

A newbuild DP2 cable installation vessel, Maersk Connector, was handed over from Damen Shipyards Group to Maersk Supply Service on February 4, 2016, and now goes directly on a long-term charter for subsea services provider DeepOcean. Built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, Maersk Connector is the second of a new generation of cable-laying vessels based on the Damen Offshore Carrier (DOC) 8500 platform, customized to meet the challenges of reducing offshore renewables costs, the builder said.

The USCG has poised e-logs and SaaS to transform U.S.-flagged shipboard recordkeeping. The United States Coast Guard frequently appears behind the times when it comes to rulemaking involving shipboard technological advances. Often, by the time the USCG has a Final Rule approved for publication in the Code of Federal Regulations, the technology which that Final Rule was expected to address has been superseded by a newer form of technology. Not so, however, with electronic recordkeeping (e-logbooks) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Currently the USCG offers the “Official Logbook 706-B” in manual form free of charge to any marine operator who requests one. The 706-B is the basic pen & ink ship’s log.

Capitalizing on its 2013 acquisition by software firm VerticaLive, MarineCFO has announced a Fall 2015 introduction of Endurance, a cloud version of the MarineCFO Enterprise Solution. “MarineCFO has proactively sought to bring efficiency, ease of use and affordability to the broader marine transportation market,” said Dean Shoultz, MarineCFO Chief Technology Officer. “We have simplified the shipboard user interface and improved upon existing MarineCFO Enterprise functionality. “SaaS creates an environment whereby a marine operator doesn’t worry about IT infrastructure, payroll for IT staff or updates to software. That’s all part of the cost savings and benefits of our Endurance product line,” explained Rocky Marchiano, MarineCFO Vice President of Business Development.

Vessel operators have an additional tool in their arsenal for preventing oil spills during bunkering operations. “Bunkering Best Practices: Protecting People and the Environment” is a free, 14-minute training video that demonstrates bunkering best practices applicable to the North American West Coast. That said; any marine operator – located anywhere on the globe – can glean valuable ‘take-aways’ from this video. The states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington…

Incat Crowther launched Kilimanjaro IV, a 45-meter passenger ferry for the African Operator Coastal Fast Ferries. The vessel capitalizes on the rapid growth in the operator’s passenger numbers, bringing the Coastal Fast Ferries’ fleet to seven Incat Crowther-designed vessels. A process of close cooperation between the builder, Richardson Devine Marine, operator and designer resulted in a vessel offering high speed, high passenger capacity and rugged efficiency. Kilimanjaro IV’s main deck has two partitioned passenger spaces – an 86-seat business class cabin, and a 168-seat economy class cabin.

Even the safest, most careful marine operator will, at some point in time, have an accident aboard one of their vessels. And, despite the best of intentions, sometimes employees gets hurt. Once an employee is injured, the likelihood of employee filing a lawsuit because of it, especially on Jones Act tonnage, becomes a real possibility. The effective management and outcome of such a case lies in preparing for litigation. An understanding of how personal injury litigation under the Jones Act works will help you position your company for a positive outcome – or in other words…

Scania’s 16-liter V8 EPA Tier 3 engine, intended for propulsion and auxiliary use, will be one of two engines showcased at The International Workboat Show in New Orleans, Louisiana. Scania engines are all based on Scania's new modular engine platform, which is used for marine, industrial, power generation, truck and bus applications worldwide. The engines build on a long tradition of amazing power packages that share both technology and architecture with Scania's truck and bus engines. This makes for exceptional performance.

Scania’s 13-liter EPA Tier 3 engine, intended for propulsion and auxiliary use, along with the powerful 16-liter EPA Tier 3 engine, will be showcased at The International Workboat Show in New Orleans, Louisiana. Scania engines are all based on Scania's new modular engine platform, which is used for marine, industrial, power generation, truck and bus applications worldwide. The engines build on a long tradition of power packages that share both technology and architecture with Scania's truck and bus engines.

A steel cutting ceremony held last week at the Singapore shipyard of partner company, ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd. marked the start of construction for the first of three infield support vessels (ISVs) being constructed by Perth-based KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd to support Shell’s Prelude FLNG project near Broome. KT Maritime Services Australia Director, Mark Thomas, said this major contract for the design, construction and operation of the three 42-meter, 100-metric-tonne bollard-pull ISVs at the Prelude site 475km north-north east of Broome was a major milestone for the company.

Scania’s 13-liter EPA Tier 3 engine, intended for propulsion and auxiliary use, along with the 16-liter EPA Tier 3 engine, debuted last month at the Workboat Show in New Orleans. The engines, as are all Scania powerplants,  are based on the company’s new modular engine platform, a platform used across marine, industrial, power generation, truck and bus applications globally. The units are built for simplicity of service and repair, and the company is quick to point out that most can be carried out by a single service technician…

Fendercare Marine provided STS support services for the first open sea’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) STS operations for two of the world’s leading Gas Majors. The LNG STS operations were performed in the Eastern Mediterranean with a number of 152,000 cm3 membrane tank Liquefied Natural Gas Carriers (LNGC), and most recently a 135,000 cm3 moss type carrier; all delivering cargo to one of Excelerate Energy’s 138,000 cm3 Floating Storage & Regasification Unit (FSRU). These were the first open sea LNG STS operations for either major.

Shell Australia has awarded a major contract for the design, construction and operation of three Infield Support Vessels (ISVs), which will create approximately 80 local jobs and support its Prelude FLNG Project, located 475km north-north east of Broome, in Western Australia. Perth-based KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd, a joint venture partnership with KOTUG International B.V and Teekay Shipping Australia Pty Ltd, will supply three 42-meter, 100-metric-ton bollard-pull vessels to assist in product offloading during the operations phase of the project.

The government has a plan for responding to your oil spill. Do you? In February, due to a collision between a tug boat and a tank barge, approximately 31,500 gallons of crude oil were released into the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River was closed down for two days and the residents of St. Charles Parish sat on pins and needles, waiting to find out if their drinking water would be contaminated. Thankfully, the drinking water was not affected, there were no reports of serious environmental damage and the River re-opened several days after the closure. It doesn’t always and happily, however. Unfortunately, the potential for a spill like this is always present when operating vessels.