Qc News

Frank Manning has quickly risen through the ranks during his eight years in the shipyard business, today serving as president and COO at Diversified Marine, Inc. (DMI) in Portland, Ore. Crucial along the way has been a passion for the business itself and the people that make it all possible.“The first day I walked in a shipyard I knew that I was in the right industry,” Manning said. “DMI has always been a relationship-based business. All of our customers are close friends, and we have relationships that are second to none,” he said.

Law firm HFW said Tuesday it had advised Chinese shipbuilder Shanghai Shipyard on a UK Court of Appeal win relating to a US$170 million payment under a shipbuilding contract for an offshore drillship.The Court of Appeal overturned an April 2020 decision from the UK High Court that allowed the buyer of an offshore drillship – Reignwood International – to withhold a final payment installment that was due on delivery of the vessel, pending the outcome of arbitration proceedings.The Court of Appeal unanimously overturned a first instance decision in a preliminary issues trial concerning the proper characterization of a shipbuilding performance guarantee issued by Reignwood…

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has elected Mario Cordero, executive director of California’s Port of Long Beach, to serve as the association’s next Chairman of the Board.Cordero will be installed as Chairman on the final day of AAPA’s 2020 Annual Convention, set for September 13-16, in Québec City, QC, Canada. He will assume the AAPA chairmanship from Gary G. Nelson, executive director of Washington State’s Port of Grays Harbor, who began his term on October 15…

The port and terminal operator International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) said that  its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT)  recently took delivery of another new quay crane (QC) and eight new hybrid rubber tired gantries (RTGs).According to a press release, the terminal has the largest fleet of modern container-handling equipment in the Philippines today with 18 QCs and 58 RTGs.Manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (ZPMC), the QC is part of the five from ICTSI’s 2018 USD80-million capacity improvement program package. With a reach of up to 16 rows across twin, the new QC can service the largest feeder vessels calling the Philippines.

Cepsa and Global Energy Private Limited (GPGEPL), part of UAE-based global conglomerate GP Global, have announced an exclusive partnership to manufacture and market Cepsa branded marine and power generation lubricants in India.As per the agreement, GP Global will manufacture, package and even import Cepsa branded lubricant products in India.“India is a huge market for port modernization and coastal shipping development. Major initiatives have been taken in this direction by our government. This partnership is our contribution to the governments Make in India vision and the vibrancy of the sector is a clear sign of resurgent interest in its potential.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s largest port developer today said that it had breached the 0.5 Million TEU mark at Hazira Port in FY 2017-18, with year-end throughout touching 500,879 TEUs, corresponding to a remarkable growth rate of 20.7% over 2016-17. With an annual capacity of 1 million TEUs, 2 berths of combined length of 630 metres and quay-side infrastructure comprising 6 QC’s and 16RTG’s, the all-weather port with a deep draft has been able to attract main line services from the world’s largest container shipping companies. Hazira port is well positioned to serve as the ideal alternative gateway to the more established ports on the Western Indian coastline.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned Djibouti’s cancellation of DP World’s contract to run the Doraleh Container Terminal, calling it an “arbitrary” flouting of a signed agreement, said a report in Bloomberg. Media reports yesterday said that Dubai has accused Djibouti of illegally seizing a port operated by one of its state-owned shipping companies and started legal action against the African government. “Djibouti government’s seizure of the Doraleh port is regrettable,’’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter. According to a press statement from DP World, the Government of Djibouti illegally seized control of the Doraleh Container Terminal from a Dubai Ports World (DP World) owned entity that designed…

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has celebrated the launch of the first large vessel to be designed and built under the Government of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) - OFSV1, the first of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV). In 2011, the Government of Canada competitively selected Seaspan to be its Non-Combat Shipbuilder as part of the NSS program. Under the NSS, Seaspan will build and deliver non-combat vessels at the company's state-of-the-art facility in North Vancouver for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and Royal Canadian Navy. OFSV1 is the first large vessel to be designed, built and launched under the NSS. It represents an important milestone in Seaspan's long-term strategic relationship with the Government of Canada.

The owner of a fishing vessel has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to two charges brought by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) for the unsafe operation of a fishing vessel and failing to ensure that the gas cooker was properly maintained. Timothy Bowman-Davies from Milford Haven was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court on August 2, after two crew members on board his fishing vessel Eshcol died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2014.

Classification society the Korean Register (KR) has elected Lee Jeong-kie as its new Chairman and CEO. Lee assumes the role of Chairman and CEO, following the death of B. S. Park, who passed away after a short illness in October 2016. Lee has worked for KR for 29 years, most recently as executive vice president of KR’s survey division. He was elected at the extraordinary meeting of KR’s general assembly which oversees the running of KR and comprises 86 voting members. This is the second time in KR’s 56-year history that an internal candidate has been appointed as Chairman and CEO.

Innovative boats, unusual collaboration: Hornblower, Horizon, Incat Crowther and Metal Shark team up on one of the most significant newbuilding projects of the year. When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year announced the selection of Hornblower to operate as many as 20 ferries to connect a similar number of New York City neighborhoods, the magnitude of the award immediately outweighed the details of the contract. The vessels, intended to eventually form the backbone of a modern, comfortable and efficient urban ferry fleet, will also be New York City’s first city-wide ferry system in over 100 years. Now on track to launch in 2017, the news service is predicated on the on-time delivery of high tech, newbuild hulls now being constructed on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Concerns about UK coastal security are to be raised with Government Ministers following a meeting of an influential Parliamentary maritime group. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Maritime and Ports is to seek assurances from Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill MP about measures to bolster Great Britain’s inshore borders in the fight against such threats as people traffickers, organised crime, illegal fishing, terrorists and drugs smugglers. It is also to copy the letter to Shipping Minister John Hayes MP. A centralised command and control structure, multi-agency operations and co-ordinated intelligence gathering were among the issues raised at the meeting at Westminster.

Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) has delivered the Motor Yacht Imagine. The M.Y. Imagine, a Trinity built yacht, is a 193’x 32’x 14’6” custom designed semi-displacement aluminum hull and superstructure vessel that was constructed in GCSG’s yard located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The vessel meets the highest quality yacht standards in the world. It was designed by GCSG and is ABS classed for commercial yachting service. M.Y. Imagine is designed to accommodate 12 guests and a crew of 14 including a captain.

Dry dock pontoon deck preservation is often taken for granted. In the flow of ever changing priorities for dry docks, it often gets pushed aside and/or delayed. If neglected long enough and often enough between preservation cycles, the thickness of the pontoon deck steel plates can be compromised. Salt water with chloride contamination causes accelerated corrosion while impact and abrasion damage from heavy equipment also take their toll. For shipyards, the overall objective should be to provide a protective surface that will hold up over time, and that is easy to clean.

The Canadian Government has committed $51.9 million to support Atlantic Canada ferry services, announced Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The funding, announced as part of Budget 2016, will support operations, maintain and repair ferry assets and dispose of the MV Princess of Acadia, which was taken out of service in July 2015 and replaced by the MV Fundy Rose. The funding has enabled the one year extension of contracts for interprovincial ferry services in Atlantic Canada…

Sociedad Puerto Industrial de Aguadulce S.A. (SPIA), a unit of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) in Colombia, recently received four super post Panamax quay cranes (QC) and five rubber-tired gantries (RTG) as it enters the final stage of preparation for the operational launch in 2016 of the Aguadulce Multi-User Container Terminal (AMCT) at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia. Manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC), the QCs have an individual lifting capacity of 60 tons, and feature twin lift spreaders. They can reach up to 65 meters into the water and perform up to 40 moves per hour. With a maximum lift height of 46 meters, the QCs are capable of servicing 18,000-TEU Triple E class vessels.

Headquartered in New Delhi, India with operations in the U.S., ARI Simulation’s business for more than two decades has been to design and deliver world-class simulation solutions across multiple maritime sectors. MR spoke with Shravan Rewari, CEO, for his insights on technologies and technique moving the maritime simulation markets. ARI Simulation provides simulation products and solutions across a broad range of industries including marine, offshore, oil and gas, exploration and production, naval and strategic, airports, and construction.

A tugboat owner was given an eight-month custodial sentence after his crew member died trying to reattach a tow line in a violent storm. Martin Richley, owner and skipper of 9.5m Medway tugboat Endurance, pleaded guilty to offences under the Merchant Shipping Act at a hearing today at Southampton Crown Court. Richley was charged with being the captain of a vessel put his crew at risk of serious injury/death and as the owner his operations were unsafe under sections 58 and 100 of The Merchant Shipping Act. On February 3, 2013 the Endurance began to tow 60ft motor cruiser Sirus M from the River Medway to Brighton on the south coast of England. Richley was acting as skipper on board the Endurance along with Steven Trice as the crew.

Electric motors are among the highest in reliability incident reports, said SKF Canada, noting that for many companies, electric motor failures lead to a continual cycle of costly repairs and unplanned downtime - factors that can hurt the bottom line. Since 40% to 70% of motor failures are related to bearings, it's no surprise that high-quality bearings are key for reliable motors. SKF Canada announced it has recently launched the SKF Certified Rebuilder program for electric motor repair and four shops have already achieved the certification: GMR Electric motors, Saskatoon, SK; Les Entreprises LM, Montreal QC; Continental Electric, Edmonton, AB and GPR Industries, Grande Prairie, AB.

The New Fitzwright Liferaft is now available in Canada. FitzWright Survival Inc., has been recognized for over 30 years as one a high quality manufacturer of Life-Saving Equipment in Canada. FitzWright is proud to announce that it has expanded its product offering under the FitzWright Brand to bring a far greater variety of products to the market. The showcase of this new Life-Saving Equipment Program launch is FitzWright’s NEW Transport Canada and SOLAS Approved Liferafts. The FitzWright Liferafts have been designed and built to not only meet the challenging approval requirements, but also to meet the needs of customers. Taking a Performance and Safety first approach, FitzWright has been able to find the perfect balance which will bring cost effective solutions to its customers.

Noise Control Engineering, LLC (NCE) opened a new office in Mobile, Ala. The office will be staffed by Nathan Jones, a Senior Engineer with more than 10 years of experience at NCE. “Our customers along the Gulf Coast region are a very important part of our business and this office will enable us to better serve them. Our goal is to be in a position to react quickly to their needs and provide them with superior support” explains Nathan. Mr. Jones will be providing clients with…

LNG and LPG carrier tanks hold both a source of income and a potential source of danger. To avert the danger, inert gas systems (IGS) have been required on all new tankers over 20,000 dwt since 1978 — a move that has surely saved untold lives. Yet with increasing demand, tighter delivery schedules, the constant need to optimize onboard footprints and numerous other factors, Alfa Laval believes IGS should go beyond fire safety to protect against other disasters that chisel away at the potential income for both shipyards and shipowners.

Robert “Bob” “Sonny” Fogal, Jr., one of the icons in the offshore oil and gas industry, has decided to retire from front-line work as Zentech’s Director of Business Development. Zentech’s President Ramesh Maini noted on August 28, “All the serious players in our industry know Bob and his many accomplishments. Fogal has spent his entire career in the rig building business, starting with Levingston Shipyard and subsequent work with major designers and builders in the U.S. as well as Singapore, Japan, China, Brazil, India, South Africa and the Middle East.