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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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21 Mar 2024

Fiji to Sign Ports Deal with Australia in Shipbuilding Boost

© yorkzel / Adobe Stock

Fiji will strike a deal with Australia to upgrade ports and shipbuilding infrastructure, months after its prime minister said it was likely to partner with China on the project, the government of the Pacific Islands nation said on Thursday.Fiji's government said its cabinet had agreed to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Australia for the project, after Australia committed to financing."The revival of the shipbuilding industry in Fiji has been articulated as a key priority…

20 Mar 2024

Elliott Bay Design Group Acquires Coastwise Engineering

(Photo: Coastwise Engineering)

Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has acquired Coastwise Corporation. The Anchorage, Alaska-based firm—an expert in shallow draft, high-speed aluminum and cold weather engineering—has been rebranded as Coastwise Engineering and will operate as a division of EBDG.As part of the agreement, EBDG acquires Coastwise's assets and adds a staff of more than 50 employees. Coastiwse owner and principal, Patrick Eberhardt, joins EBDG as a full-time employee…

13 Mar 2024

New UTM Payload Available for Scout 137 Drone System

Source: ScoutDI

ScoutDI has added an ultrasonic thickness measurements (UTM) payload, complete with in-flight A-scan, to the capabilities of its end-to-end inspection data solution for the Scout 137 drone.The product is suitable for offshore applications where drones are becoming common for visual inspection and steel plate thickness sampling must be done regularly to monitor e.g. the effects of corrosion over time.Adding the UTM payload enables the Scout 137 drone to collect location-tagged…

28 Feb 2024

Fort Lauderdale PD Repowers with Cox Marine V8 Outboard

(Image: Cox Marine)

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is repowering one of its patrol boats with a new 300-horsepower variant of Cox Marine’s flagship V8 diesel outboard.The department is working with Cox Marine’s East Coast distributor, Ring Power Cox Marine, for the project.The vessel is a 33'1" Brunswick Impact 1000 built in 2018, now powered by twin Cox 300 diesel outboards. The boat has as 12' beam and capacity for up to 18 persons. Its fuel capacity is 307 gallons.“The use of diesel engines…

12 Dec 2023

Austal and Birdon Ink Landing Craft MOU

Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg and Birdon CEO Jamie Bruce at Austal USA’s headquarters in Mobile, Alabama (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding groups Austal and Birdon announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop defense shipbuilding capability in Western Australia to deliver the Australian Department of Defense Landing Craft-Medium (LC-M) Project.The formation of the MOU commenced in late November when Minister for Defense Industry, Hon. Pat Conroy, announced a Heads of Agreement (HOA) to establish a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA) between Austal and the Commonwealth, and named Austal as the preferred vessel constructor.

23 Oct 2023

US Gulf Coast Oil Patch Gets Lucky, So Far, in Busy Hurricane Season

© Michael Rolands / Adobe Stock

A very active Atlantic hurricane season so far this year has not sent storms across U.S. oil and natural gas fields in the northern Gulf of Mexico, sparing energy companies billions of dollars of losses and consumers higher fuel costs.The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season has been another in a string with above average activity producing three major hurricanes with winds above 111 mph (179 kph) out of six hurricanes among 20 named tropical storms.So far this year, only one storm, Tropical Storm Harold, on Aug.

11 Oct 2023

Ascot Appoints New Head of Marine

Pat Stoik courtesy of Ascot

Pat Stoik will join insurer Ascot Group as Executive Vice President, Head of Marine, Ascot U.S., effective October 24. He will be based in New York and will report directly to Matt Kramer, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot U.S.An experienced executive in the marine industry, Stoik brings more than 35 years of senior management, underwriting, and broker experience to Ascot. Most recently, he served as Chief Risk Officer for Overhaul Group, Inc., a global leader in in-transit supply chain risk management…

02 Oct 2023

Biden Angers All Sides with Scaled Back Offshore Oil Drilling Plan

Credit: Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming. The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

09 Feb 2023

Cox Marine Expands Distributor Deal With Ring Power

Left to right: Patrick Bucci, General Manager – Cox Marine, Ring Power with Doug Ross, Regional Director – Americas, Cox Marine (Photo: Cox Marine)

Cox Marine, the manufacturer of the CXO300 diesel outboard engine, announced an expanded contract with U.S.-based distributor and Cox investor, Ring Power, to cover additional regions as the exclusive distributor. The Florida-based company is increasing its territories beyond the state of Florida and the Caribbean to include Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, as well as Bermuda.Appointed by Cox Marine in 2019, Ring Power has a growing order book and is also hiring a team of qualified technicians and a skilled sales team to support the Cox Marine operation in the region…

06 Jan 2023

China Eases Australian Coal Ban

Copyright Parilov/AdobeStock

The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output.The lifting of the unofficial ban on Australian coal imports, which were halted in 2020 in a fit of Chinese pique over questions on COVID's origins, is the clearest sign yet of the renewed ties between them. The resumption is also a reminder of their economic interdependence as Australia's raw materials play a crucial role in fuelling the export-oriented economy of China…

23 Dec 2022

Texas Beefs Up Security with New RHIBs

(Photo: Ocean Craft Marine)

The state of Texas is putting into service a fleet of new, highly capable patrol boats as it works to detect, disrupt and deter criminal activity along the Rio Grande."Now, more than ever, it is imperative that our law enforcement officers and Texas National Guard soldiers adopt innovative solutions," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during a recent visit tour the state’s enhanced assets along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Abbott’s official website, the Governor has secured $4 billion in funding for Texas' border security efforts.

10 Nov 2022

Recruiting Gen Z in the Marine Industry

(Photo: Pat Folan)

Who is Gen Z?Generation Z, according to the Pew Research Center, are the people born between 1996 and 2012. Gen Z is vastly different from previous generations. Some of the issues that have affected their perspective on life are COVID-19, the Great Recession and school shootings. They believe that stability is difficult to achieve and that worry and anxiety are at the center of their lives. They don’t necessarily see a world full of possibilities and success.They spend 3 hours…

08 Sep 2022

Chevron Supplies First Stem of 40 BN Category II Lube Oil

Pat McCloud, General Manager, Chevron Global Marine Lubricants (Photo: Chevron Global Marine Lubricants)

Chevron Marine Lubricants said it made its first delivery of a 40 BN Category II lube oil on August 30, in a breakthrough moment for operators of MAN ES Mk9 and above two-stroke engines, when it supplied a stem of its new Taro Ultra Advanced 40 to SIEM Car Carriers.“We are very pleased that Taro Ultra Advanced 40 is now available to our customers and that we have successfully made the first delivery,” said Pat McCloud, General Manager, Chevron Global Marine Lubricants. “From September, it will be available at major ports across Europe and Asia Pacific, including Singapore and Rotterdam.

25 Jul 2022

USS Whidbey Island Decommissioned

USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) (Photo: Rachael L. Leslie / U.S. Navy)

Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship namesake, USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) held a decommissioning ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. on July 22 before its inactivation next month.The ship’s decommissioning ceremony was held on the quay wall, alongside the moored USS Whidbey Island. The ceremony was attended by nine of her previous Commanding Officers and over 50 plankowners. “The last crew of Whidbey Island performed with great dignity and resiliency,” said Cmdr. Matt Phillips, the ship’s final commanding officer.

09 Jun 2022

Offshore Wind Innovation Hub Launched in New York

Credit: Fokke/AdobeStock

Equinor and BP on Thursday announced the launch of a New York-based Offshore Wind Innovation Hub that they say will facilitate partnerships with start-ups that bring new technological solutions to the growing US offshore wind industry"The initiative springs from a new three-year partnership between Equinor, the Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NY Tandon School of Engineering, and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NOWRDC), supported by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)…

22 Apr 2022

Adani Ports Acquires Marine Services Firm Ocean Sparkle

© Jevgenijs / Adobe Stock

Adani Ports, the largest private ports and logistics company in India, said it has reached a deal to acquire a 100% stake in India’s largest third-party marine services provider Ocean Sparkle Ltd. (OSL).OSL, which provides towage, pilotage, and dredging services, has an asset base of 94 owned vessels and 13 third-party owned vessels, and a team of 1,800 personnel. It is present in all the major ports, 15 minor ports and all three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in India, and also operates in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Yemen and Africa.

15 Nov 2021

Marine Concept Design: Ocean "Plastic Harvester" Completes Prototype Testing

Image courtesty Our Cleaner Planet

Our Cleaner Planet, a non-profit startup with an 'innovative technique to remove plastics from our oceans', said it has completed prototype testing of its first plastic harvester and is now ready to move forward with larger unit testing. The program is scheduled to launch the first of its full-sized, plastic harvesters into ocean operation in 2025.“The test parameters for our 1:164-scale prototype were set up to evaluate speed and control and the first stage of the filtration process,” said Pat Marshall, founder of Our Cleaner Planet.

19 Oct 2021

International Propeller Club Names Patti President

The International Propeller Club of the United States elected C. James Patti as its new International President at its 95th Convention and Port President's meeting. As International President, Patti will serve as the CEO and lead the business and affairs of the Club and its 70 port chapters worldwide. Patti succeeded Niels Aalund of Houston, Texas, as International President, who said "Jim Patti's broad experience, maritime contacts, and devotion to the Propeller Club will profoundly enhance our organization." Also elected were Maria Conatser of Nashville as First Vice President and Treasurer…

03 Sep 2021

Subchapter M: Is it Time to Press Pause?

(Photo: Pat Folan)

For many, the path to Subchapter M compliance has been anything but smooth sailing. And while progress has been made through the growing pains, some feel it’s time for the U.S. Coast Guard to pump the brakes.A funny thing happened on the way to compliance. We all learned that nobody was quite ready for Subchapter M.Sure, we had gone through the law with a fine-toothed combed and had self-inspected vessels and trained crews, but we were all surprised by interpretations.Third party organizations (TPO) have done their best to set up systems and satisfy paying customers and the U.S.

17 Jun 2021

Callan Marine Building New Cutter Suction Dredge

(Image: Callan Marine)

Callan Marine announced the construction of its newest dredge, an 18” cutter suction dredge named the General Marshall, scheduled to join the Galveston-based dredging contractor’s fleet in late 2022.At 194 feet long and 41 feet wide, the General Marshall will have a maximum digging depth of 60 feet, a dredge pipe diameter of 18 inches, and a 300 horsepower cutter. Manufactured by DSC Dredge in Reserve, La., it will boast an overall horsepower of 3,005 horsepower.“Our cutter suction dredge fleet continues to grow in order to meet the demands of the coastal market…

04 Dec 2019

ERSG Wins Asian Offshore Wind Contracts

Specialist energy recruiters for offshore wind, ERSG  has won a tender to be the sole supplier of fabrication management personnel to two undisclosed offshore wind farms in Asia.Additionally, the Wind industry specialist recruiter has also agreed terms with a company building floating wind foundations to supply contractors for the entire project lifecycle, project planners and WTG package managers have already been deployed.The company said that will a global portfolio of candidates and a physical presence in Taiwan, it is “well placed to provide both local and expatriate professionals to the projects in Asia”.ERSG chief executive Jim…

02 Dec 2019

REGULATORY REVIEW: Subchapter M

Image Credit: (Captain) Pat Folan

One Year In: Industry SME (Captain) Pat Folan weighs in from the front lines.It has been an interesting year for towing industry. As the new Subchapter M towboat rule rolled out, it didn’t take long to discover that the regulation wasn’t perfect. As stakeholders look ahead to what comes next, it is also helpful to take a look back at what went right, what didn’t, and more importantly – why.The U.S. Coast GuardThe US Coast Guard does not have the manpower to add more than 5,000 vessels to its workload.

24 Jul 2019

Stena Bulk: Seized Tanker's Crew Safe

All 23 crew on a British oil tanker seized last week by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz are safe and well, the vessel's Swedish operator Stena Bulk said on Wednesday after speaking to them.The Stena Impero had been heading to a port in Saudi Arabia when it suddenly changed course after passing through the strait at the mouth of the Gulf and headed towards Iran, captured by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.Iran said on Saturday it had seized the Stena Impero because it had collided with a fishing boat. Stena Bulk said it had received no evidence of such a collision."We had direct contact with the crew on board the vessel last night by telephone and they're all okay and in good health and they're getting good cooperation with the Iranians on board…