Portland Harbor News

When discussing the arrival of autonomous workboats, many – especially those developing the technologies that enable them – say it’s is not a matter of if, but when. In fact, autonomous harbor tugs are already being put to the test in Singapore, where authorities hope to establish the technological infrastructure to enable fully autonomous ship operations. In the U.S., an autonomous vessel was shown to be able to respond to marine oil spills.But is autonomy really the future?

As a part of its cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics announces that it has successfully demonstrated its autonomous systems in action on board a Kvichak Marco skimmer boat during events held along the Portland harbor earlier today.Sea Machines’ technology opens a new era of capability for the marine industry, and today the company demonstrated its ability to increase the safety, productivity and predictability of response for marine oil-spill operations.

National Response Corporation has acquired Boom Technology, Inc. (Boom-Tech), of Gorham, Maine effective Monday, November 7, 2016. Boom-Tech has been a contractor to NRC for many years, providing support for a variety of environmental, industrial, and marine projects as well as large-scale responses as a member of NRC’s Independent Contractor Network (ICN). Boom-Tech was founded in 2001 by Jim and Paula Fox, collectively they have more than 75 years of experience in the environmental industry.

The captain of the ill-fated cargo ship that sank in a hurricane off the Bahamas with no survivors last week was an experienced and highly trusted mariner who had spent a lifetime on the water, friends and colleagues said. The captain of El Faro, Michael Davidson of Windham, Maine, was raised in South Portland, alongside Maine's largest port, and spent summers nearby at a family home on an island in Casco Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard called off the search and rescue mission for the 28 American crew members and 5 Polish contract workers aboard El Faro on Wednesday night.

City councilors in South Portland, Maine, voted late Monday night to ban the loading of crude oil onto tankers along its waterfront, throwing up yet another roadblock to the export of Canadian oil sands crude and setting up a showdown with industry which called the process illegal. The city of 25,000, known for its scenic lighthouses and sweeping views of the island-speckled waters of Casco Bay, is also the east coast's second largest oil port, located at the southern terminus of the Portland-Montreal Pipeline, which currently flows north to Canada.

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. says it joins all of Oregon in expressing its condolences to the family of Victor G. (“Vic”) Atiyeh, former Governor and past member of Greenbrier’s board of directors. Atiyeh died late Sunday at the age of 91. He is remembered as a two-term Governor who helped shape the modern economy of Oregon, where Greenbrier continues to grow and prosper to this day. Atiyeh completed eight successful years as Governor from 1979-1987 that were preceded by decades of impactful service in the Oregon Legislature. During his tenure as Governor, Atiyeh helped preserve Gunderson, a manufacturing institution on the Portland Harbor since 1919, by sponsoring debt financing provided by Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System to assist Greenbrier’s acquisition of Gunderson.

The US Coast Guard proposes to establish a regulated navigation area (RNA) on waters of the Willamette River at Portland Terminal 4 in Portland, Oregon. The RNA is intended to preserve the integrity of engineered sediment caps at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. Comments on the proposal should be submitted by January 29, 2010. 74 Fed. Reg. 69046 (December 30, 2009). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

On Nov. 6, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency delivered its in-depth 103 page Report to the Chairman of Devons local Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the beaching of the MSC Napoli off the East Devon coastline. The Report summarises the Agencys activities from the moment the incident broke on the18th January 2007, when the MSC Napoli was on passage in the English Channel, loaded with 2,318 containers and bound for South Africa and when she suffered a catastrophic hull failure and got into severe difficulties. A number of possible locations were assessed by both the French and British authorities for a place of refuge on both sides of the Channel; however, the south coast of England provided better options for a place of refuge.

The Canadian tug Everlast was anchored in Portland Harbor, Maine, for inspection on Friday after a pump room on the barge it was pushing caught fire Thursday night. While anchored, the 400-foot double-hulled barge was evaluated by a Coast Guard marine inspector and Portland Fire Department officials to determine the extent of the damage caused by the fire. Steps were taken to move the tug and barge to the Portland Ocean Gateway terminal for additional repairs to the installed firefighting systems late Friday evening. “The Portland Fire Department was outstanding in accurately assessing the potential for the fire reflashing and helping to craft an appropriate response strategy to this casualty,” said Capt. Jim Rendon, commander of CG Sector Northern New England.

We rolled into town on the last train north, arriving Portland, Maine at 2:00 a.m. Half an hour later we were at the dock, hauling our kit - and when Marine News travels light, we're like Hannibal crossing the Alps - over silent tugs resting abreast: Captain Bill, Justine McAllister, Stamford. On the phone a few days before, Capt. Brian Fournier had said something about leaving a light in Stamford's forward port cabin, and there, finally, it shone. But something brighter had caught our eye, and could we believe it? Last time we saw something like it, it was in Aberdeen, Scotland. Now, from Stamford's starboard rail, it loomed and glistened four hundred feet away - rising nearly as high - a pair of deep-sea drilling platforms, afloat waters barely up to their ankles.

The world's largest submersible lift ship arrived in Portland Harbor today at 10:00 a.m. where it docked at the International Marine Terminal. Measuring 712 ft. (217 m), the vessel is owned by Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) of Lysaker, Norway. Viktor Lenac Shipyard in Rijekak, Croatia has chartered the vessel to lift and carry the 50-year-old 844-ft. (257.2 m) dry dock, used by the Bath Iron Works (Portland) Ship Repair Facility. The Croatian yard purchased the dry dock from the State of Maine for $3 million earlier this month. It is scheduled for renovations for eventual use in the Croatian shipbuilding and repair industry. During the first week of May, the dry dock is scheduled to be moved to the Maine State Pier and divided into two sections.

The Coast Guard is conducting Waterways Analysis Reviews of Portland Harbor and Portland Approaches. The Waterways Analysis Review is used to determine the effectiveness of aids to navigation within these waterways. Navigation aids under review will include light houses, buoys, day markers and ranges. The following areas are under the review for Portland Harbor: Back Cove Approach, Portland Harbor, Lighthouse Channel, Mill Cove and the Fore River. Additionally, the Coast Guard will review navigation aid suitability for Portland Harbor Approach. The data gathered in the analysis will be used to alter and modify channel and hazard markings to ensure that the Coast Guard provides the most effective and efficient system possible. The last survey was completed in 1999.

The Navy vessel Keokuk participates in a multi-agency oil spill training exercise in Casco Bay, Maine, October 4 while a Coast Guard helicopter flies over the area to assess how much oil is in the water. Ten years and one week prior to the exercise, an oil tanker struck the Casco Bay Bridge and dumped 180,000 gallons of oil into Portland Harbor. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Downs.

An Indian-registered container vessel has run aground west of Melbourne in stormy weather but there is no immediate risk of pollution, an Australian maritime official said. The 47,349 dwt Devprayag had been anchored off Portland harbor waiting to load woodchips. A spokesman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said tugs had been sent from Melbourne to refloat the ship. "The ship is sitting on sand, a beach area," the spokesman said. "There isn't any pollution that we're aware of, although we know the ship is carrying about 960 tons of fuel oil."

United States Attorney Michael Mosman announced today the settlement of a criminal investigation into illegal ocean pollution by the cargo ship M/V GRUMANT. Under the settlement, the operators of the GRUMANT will plead guilty to a single felony count for violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution From Ships, a federal law that implements an international treaty forbidding oil pollution of the oceans by commercial ships. Grid Odessa, Ltd., of Odessa, Ukraine, will pay a fine of $275,000 and be placed on probation. Large commercial ships use a heavy fuel oil that must be treated on board ship to remove impurities and water before it can be burned in the ship’s engine. This process creates substantial amounts of oily waste.