Project Services News

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has taken delivery of the Cape Hatteras and the Cape Canaveral, the two Damen 3013 Multi Cats built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La.“This is a milestone for our company and the U.S. dredging industry,” said Chris Gunsten, Great Lakes’ senior vice president of project services and fleet engineering. “The Multi Cat brings step change safety improvements to Great Lakes’ dredge pipeline operations, which was a prime driver for the investment.

With dredging business booming in the U.S., companies across the country invest in innovative new tonnage to get the job done more efficiently, effectively and safely. Chris Gunsten, SVP, Project Services & Fleet Engineering, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) and Patrick Webb, Senior Director Sales - Global Marine and Stationary, Wabtec discuss the tech inside the new Conrad-built trailing suction hopper dredge Galveston Island.Conrad Shipyard recently launched Galveston Island, the first of two newbuild hopper dredges being built for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation said it has appointed David Johanson to the position of SVP, Project Acquisition & Operations, and of Christopher G. Gunsten, P.E. to the position of SVP, Project Services & Fleet Engineering.Johanson and Gunsten will assume their new roles effective August 1, 2022. Their positions will fill the roles currently held by the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, David E. Simonelli, who is retiring on September 16, 2022.

Norwegian group Crown LNG has signed a deal with Aker Solutions as the main contractor to deliver a concrete gravity-based structure (GBS) for Crown’s offshore LNG terminal at Kakinada, India.Under the agreement, Aker Solutions and key subcontractors will first conduct the front-end engineering and design for the LNG terminal. Aker Solutions’ scope includes technical development of the concrete foundation and topsides, as well as the pipeline between the offshore regasification terminal and the onshore gas grid.

CWind, a provider of project services and crew transfer vessels (CTV) to the offshore wind industry, reports it has completed the sale of its CTV Endeavour to Wood Marine, a port services operator based in Suffolk, U.K.According to CWind, part of the Global Marine Group (GMG), the sale the 18.5-meter catamaran with a maximum speed of 27 knots, is part of the company’s plan to remodel its CTV fleet.“We continuously review the composition of our fleet of over 20 CTVs, to actively divest tonnage and upgrade our fleet to suit market requirements.” Joshua Brennan, operations director at CWind.

Brazilian offshore support vessel operator CBO has tasked maritime equipment manufacturer Wärtsilä, based in Finland, to convert one of its offshore vessels to operate with hybrid propulsion. The vessel selected for the upgrade is the 2012-built platform supply vessel CBO Flamengo. According to Wärtsilä, the CBO Flamengo will be the first vessel in Brazil and Latin America to be fitted with a battery pack for hybrid propulsion. This is expected to improve the vessel’s energy consumption…

Kalmar, the provider of cargo-handling solutions and services to ports and terminals, has concluded a comprehensive software maintenance and support agreement with Australian terminal operator Patrick Terminals.The agreement, which covers the equipment automation systems at the company’s Brisbane and Sydney AutoStrad terminals, was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q4 order intake, with the agreement coming into effect from November 2019, said the Cargotec unit.Patrick Terminals is Australia's leading container terminal operator, handling over three million TEU annually. The company operates some of Australia's most technologically advanced terminals at four strategically located ports: Brisbane AutoStrad Terminal…

Crowley Maritime Corp. has appointed Jonathan Zier manager of business development in Houston.Zier will assist customers globally with marine transportation projects such as sealifts and beach-landings, as well as offshore and coastal towing and installation of rigs, spars and other structures. He will also be responsible for providing solutions for alternative energy projects such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, offshore wind power generation, and other projects requiring offshore or coastal equipment and expertise.Zier will report to Johan Sperling…

The recently signed smart carrousel plan in the Waalhaven is expected to give breakbulk and heavy cargo companies space for further growth in Rotterdam’s Waalhaven.In the coming three-and-a-half years, 12 hectares of industrial site and 1,155 metres of quay will undergo a user change. The industrial sites and port infrastructure will also be renovated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The aim is to give an additional growth incentive to the Rotterdam breakbulk sector."This operation, which was carefully prepared over a long period together with the involved companies, enables us to demonstrate that we are giving the Rotterdam breakbulk sector ample space to develop"…

This year, Project Development International (PDi) Ltd., part of the Tattva Group, celebrates a decade of activity within the decommissioning sector. As a provider of multi-disciplined engineering, project management and project services to the international energy industry, PDi has worked with multiple clients since 2008, successfully completing more than twenty decommissioning workscopes.Recently shortlisted as finalists in the Excellence in Collaboration category at Decom North Sea’s inaugural decommissioning awards…

ABB said it will modernize 10 out of 14 Medium Icebreakers and High Endurance Multi Task Canadian Coast Guard ships to extend operational life of the vessels by another 20 years. “For more than 75 years ABB has been working at the cutting edge of icebreaker technology and we are delighted to bring this expertise to these Canadian Coast Guard ships,” said Jyri Jusslin, Senior Vice President of ABB Global Marine & Ports Service. Design and work supply on first of the 10 vessels, CCGS Pierre Radisson, is already underway and will be completed in July 2017. From then on the remaining nine vessels will be completed in following order: CCGS Ann Harvey (2018), CCGS Des Groseilliers (2018), CCGS Sir William Alexander (2018), CCGS Martha L.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Yesterday, I voted to reject the Tripartite Agreement proposed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line); Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL); and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). This agreement was unanimously rejected by the Commissioners on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). This decision by the FMC in no way precludes the Japanese carriers from merging their container trade business units into a single stand-alone company. Rather, the vote recognizes that the FMC cannot approve certain actions that would allow the three Japanese companies to act as a merged entity prior to actually merging. The Shipping Act does not provide the Federal Maritime Commission with authority to review and approve mergers.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has conducted a national port security and facilitation workshop at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC). The workshop (7-8 March) was highlighting IMO's maritime security and facilitation requirements and showcases the range of IMO and other training courses, guidance and tools available, including new port-focused training packages developed in line with the World Maritime Day theme, "Connecting ships, ports and people". The aim is to identify Djibouti's national training needs and showcase the potential of the DRTC for delivering national and regional training, including for maritime safety, security, facilitation and protection of the marine environment.

International project services consultancy, Cambla, has launched an upgraded version of its Schedule Animation Tool (S.A.T) to the renewables market. Initially launched to market last year, the technology was a world-first for the oil and gas industry and has been further developed to ensure effective and efficient planning of renewable marine operations. S.A.T provides an accurate visual representation of vessel locations and planned activities, offering project teams full fleet management support and significant cost savings. The most recent upgrades to the tool significantly improve user experience and include improved comparison view, detailed project infrastructure and the addition of renewable graphics.

TorQuest Partners has invested in McKeil Marine, in partnership with existing management and shareholders, the two companies announced. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. McKeil also announced that Steve Fletcher, President, who has been with McKeil for 17 years, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and that Blair McKeil, previously Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, has assumed the role of Vice Chairman. McKeil is a Canadian provider of marine transportation and project services for a range of customers and industry sectors across the Great Lakes, St.

Before the furious monsoon and tropical cyclones hit South East Asia, Ardent, the amalgamation of two salvage giants, has already positioned itself to tackle the growing number of accidents and casualties that become a regular feature this time of the year. Ardent is also responding to the recent initiatives of the Indian Shipping Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari, who is focused strongly on setting up new ports, augment capacity of existing ports, develop coastal shipping, passenger ferry services, lighthouse and cruise tourism, island development and other services related to Indian Maritime Sector. The company sees this as an important driver for Ardent.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), the world's leading maritime and logistics service provider, has expanded its operations in Mexico with the opening of a new office in Veracruz. The Veracruz office, ISS’ fourth in the country, will enable it to cover 80 per cent of ports with the greatest commercial activity across the Gulf of Mexico. One of the oldest and largest ports in Mexico, a new development project at the Port of Veracruz will also increase at the capacity by a further 25 per cent when completed in 2018. Located to the east of Mexico, the port is multifunctional with numerous specialist terminals including container, chemicals, general cargo and vehicles.

Foss Maritime has opened a new office and the formed a project management group aiming to support its customer base headquartered in Houston. John Tirpak of Foss has been appointed Vice President of Business Development & Contract Services and will be relocating to Houston to develop business in the region and lead the business development function of the entire Marine Transportation division from the new office. There he will oversee domestic and international business development, sales and marketing.

A Singapore-based breakbulk, project cargo and heavy lift carrier AAL (formerly Austral Asia Line) and German multipurpose shipping operator Peter Döhle have announced the launch of a new global cooperation. From June onwards, the pair will offer joint tramp and project services. For, they have pooled a fleet of 26 multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels on trade routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas starting June 2015. The two carriers will remain independent of each other, with separate ownership, operations and identities. However, across a number of key trade routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas, they will deploy and jointly represent what they claim is the market’s youngest fleet of 26 multipurpose heavylift vessels.

Dr.-Ing. Herbert Aly has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Management of the Nordic Yards Group. He succeeds Dr. Vitaly Yusufov, who will preserve his links with the company as a member. The appointment of Dr.-Ing. Aly strengthens the top management of the Nordic Yards shipyard group and moves the focus specifically on to high-margin areas of business. "We will further develop our know-how and expertise to deliver best quality, adherence to program and acceptable prices," Dr.-Ing. Herbert Aly said.

A ferry being built for Sweden’s Rederi AB Gotland will be fueled by LNG, featuring a Wärtsilä integrated solution which includes a complete LNG powered propulsion- and fuel storage and supply system, as well as comprehensive project services. It will be the first Swedish flagged LNG powered passenger vessel and the first LNG-fuelled high speed RoPax ferry in the world. The vessel will be built at the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) yard in China and when delivered, will sail between the Swedish mainland and the island of Gotland. GSI placed the contract with Wärtsilä in November.

A new passenger ferry being built for Swedish operator Rederi AB Gotland will be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and will feature a Wärtsilä integrated solution. The Wärtsilä integrated solution includes a complete LNG powered propulsion- and fuel storage and supply system, as well as comprehensive project services.This will be the first Swedish flagged LNG powered passenger vessel and the first LNG fuelled high speed RoPax ferry in the world. The vessel is being built at the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) yard in China and when delivered…