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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Rock News

18 Mar 2024

Boskalis Wraps Up Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Ops

(Credit: Boskalis)

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has completed its activities in support of the development of Ocean Winds’ 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland.As part of its multidisciplinary role in the project, Boskalis deployed six vessels to carry out large number of activities off the east coast of Scotland in the Moray Firth.First, Boskalis’ wholly-owned subsidiary Gardline carried out extensive geotechnical and geophysical survey works prior to the installation work.Then


26 Feb 2024

Will 2024 Settle the Turbulence of US Offshore Wind?

(Photo: Avangrid)

There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing on


23 Feb 2024

Red Sea Ship Attacks Not Driving Inflation, Moody's Says

© helivideo / Adobe Stock

Attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea have delayed cargo and sent shipping costs higher, but soft demand and ample ship availability are muting the impact on inflation, analysts from Moody's Investor Service said on Thursday.Ships carrying everything from furniture and apparel to food and fuel are being diverted away from the nearby Suez Canal trade shortcut to the longer and more expensive route around Africa. Rerouting takes vessels and crew out of danger from drone and


22 Feb 2024

Fleet Management Managing Director Rajvanshy Steps Down

Kishore Rajvanshy (Photo: Fleet Management Limited)

Dr. Kishore Rajvanshy is stepping down after three decades as managing director of Fleet Management Limited (FLEET), currently the world’s largest third-party ship management company.FLEET announced it has begun implementing a phased succession plan as Rajvanshy transitions from his current role, with a global search for a new managing director underway.As part of this transition, Angad Banga, the chief operating officer of FLEET’s parent company, The Caravel Group, will co-lead FLEET with Rajvanshy – where Rajvanshy will continue to manage the technical


14 Feb 2024

Van Oord Awarded Polish Offshore Wind Contract

Source: Van Oord

Van Oord has been contracted for the construction of the Baltica 2 Offshore Wind Farm, developed by Ørsted and PGE. The wind farm is located 40 kilometres offshore in the Polish area of the Baltic Sea.Van Oord will transport and install 111 extended monopiles, of which 107 will serve as foundations for wind turbines and the other four as foundations for offshore substations.Van Oord will deploy offshore installation vessel Aeolus and heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen on the project. The Svanen will undergo a major upgrade this year.

12 Feb 2024

MARAD’s Title XI Changes: Good News for Offshore Wind?

© Maxim Khalansky / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) in December issued a final rule updating its financial requirements for the Federal Ship Financing Program, commonly referred to as Title XI. While the move applies to the U.S. maritime industry as a whole, it is seen as especially helpful for players looking to serve the U.S. offshore wind sector.Designed to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S. shipyards, Title XI provides for a full faith and credit guarantee by the U.S. government. The program essentially aims to encourage U.S.

25 Jan 2024

Jan De Nul Reels In Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Export Cable Job

Connector CLV (Credit: Jan De Nul)

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has signed the export cable contract with Ørsted for its 2.9 GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the U.K.Jan De Nul will be responsible for the seabed preparation, transport, installation and protection of 350 km of DC export cables connecting the wind farm to the U.K. electricity grid.For the installation and protection of the DC export cables, the company is going to deploy several vessels.Cable-laying vessels Isaac Newton and Connector will transport and install the cables


24 Jan 2024

Ulstein Verft Cuts First Steel for New and Improved Nexans Aurora Vessel

Steel Cutting Ceremony (Credit: Ulstein Verft)

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft and Nexans Marine Operations have marked the start of construction of a new DP3 cable-laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Aurora in a steel cutting ceremony held on January 19, 2024.Four months after signing the shipbuilding contract, Nexans Marine Operations and Ulstein Verft officially started he construction of Nexans’ next cable laying vessel.Attending the steel cutting ceremony at the Crist hull yard were representatives from Nexans, Ulstein Verft


23 Jan 2024

Red Rock to Supply Cranes for New Nexans Aurora Cable Layer

(Credit: Image supplied by Red Rock/Illustration by Skipsteknisk)

Norwegian offshore crane supplier Red Rock has been hired once again by Ulstein Verft to deliver upgraded crane package for a new and updated version of the DP3 cable laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Aurora.The cable-laying vessel will feature a split turntable on deck capable of holding up to 10,000t of cable, an under-deck turntable with a 3,500t cable capacity.It will be one of the world’s most advanced cable layer vessels, measuring 31 meters in width and 149.9 meters in length.

22 Jan 2024

VIDEO: UK Naval Ships Collide in Bahrain, No Injuries

FILE PHOTO: U.K. Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessel HMS Chiddingfold (M 37) participates in an exercise in the Arabian Gulf, Feb. 9, 2022. (Photo: Natianna Strachen / U.S. Army)

Two British Royal Navy mine-hunter vessels were involved in a collision in a port in Bahrain, the Royal Navy said.No one was injured in the accident which occurred in Bahrain Harbor on Friday, it said. An investigation into the incident has been opened.The Royal Navy is working with the U.S. Navy in the Gulf region in an effort to protect Red Sea shipping from an upsurge in attacks by Houthi forces based in Yemen.The Houthis say they acting in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas, which is locked in conflict with Israel in Gaza.

18 Jan 2024

Indian Navy Rescues Crew from US-Owned Ship After Attack Off Yemen

(Photo: Indian Navy)

The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement as tensions in the region's sea lanes disrupted global trade.Following the attack on the U.S. Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region".Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on


08 Jan 2024

Great Lakes, Van Oord Receive Rock Installation Contract Termination

© halberg / Adobe Stock

Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, has terminated the contract awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation and Van Oord for rock installation at Empire Wind 2 offshore wind project.In 2022, the Great Lakes and Van Oord consortium was contracted by Empire Wind to perform rock installation for the Empire Wind 1 and 2 projects with installation windows in 2025 and 2026, respectively. The Article 7 for Empire Wind 1 was approved by the New York State


22 Dec 2023

Great Lakes' MARAD Title XI Financing Application Completed

(Image: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced its MARAD Title XI Financing application for its offshore wind rock installation vessel, the Acadia, has been updated to the "completed" category, indicating the loan process is moving towards the final phase.Lasse Petterson, Great Lakes president and CEO, said, “We have fostered a strong relationship with MARAD and are pleased to have reached this significant milestone in the application process. We continue to make great strides in our strategy to be a leading contributor in the evolving U.S.

04 Dec 2023

Offshore Wind: Great Lakes Awarded Another Rock Install Job

Rendering of Great Lakes' subsea rock installation vessel Acadia, currently under construction at Philly Shipyard. (Image: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation)

U.S.-based dredging and marine services company Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation on Monday announced it has been awarded a third rock installation contract to perform subsea rock cable protection on an offshore wind project off the East Coast of the United States. The project remains subject to the client’s final investment decision (FID).Great Lakes will use the first Jones Act compliant subsea rock installation vessel, the Acadia, currently under construction at Philly Shipyard in the U.S. to execute the project. The project scope includes procurement of rock from our U.S.

09 Oct 2023

The Headwinds of US Offshore Wind Development

© nblxer / Adobe Stock

On March 29, 2021, President Biden announced his ambitious plan to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power – enough energy to power 10 million U.S. homes – by 2030. The plan would leverage authorities under the Department of Interior, Energy, and Commerce to guide “more than $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity.” The U.S.

21 Sep 2023

Dredging Expected During Desperate Times

Rock Island District's local maintenance crew from the Mississippi River Project Office in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, performs mechanical dredging with a three-yard crane bucket mounted on a barge in Pool 16. (Photo: Kelcy Hanson / USACE)

Maintaining a nine-foot channel on the Mississippi River is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District’s critical navigation mission, especially during low-water conditions. Although early spring snowmelt caused flooding throughout the upper Midwest this past year, water levels receded quickly, causing large amounts of material to settle in the channel.To aid in channel maintenance, geological surveyors regularly monitor water levels throughout the District.

13 Sep 2023

US Coast Guard Calls for Comments on Duck Boat Rule

Source: NTSB / Brian Young

The US Coast Guard has issued an interim final rule on mandated requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels and requested comments.The statutory mandate was enacted after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives on Table Rock Lake, Missouri.More than seven hours prior to the accident, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, followed by a severe thunderstorm warning a minute before the vessel departed the passenger boarding facility.

12 Sep 2023

Mounting Evidence Shows Seismic Surveys Can Harm Marine Life

© Sean / Adobe Stock

Woodside Energy last week announced it would start seismic testing for its Scarborough gas project off Australia’s west coast, before reversing the decision in the face of a legal challenge from Traditional Owners.Seismic testing is highly controversial in marine environments. Australia’s federal regulator (the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority) is currently examining a proposal for seismic testing in the Otway Basin in Bass Strait, which conservationists say has attracted more than 30


30 Aug 2023

Report: Submerged Rock Led to Fishing Vessel Grounding

Challenger courtesy of Alward Fisheries

A captain’s decision to navigate close to shore in an area with uncharted rocks led to the grounding and capsizing of a fishing vessel in Alaska last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.The Challenger struck a submerged rock while fishing for salmon along the shore of Kodiak Island, Alaska on August 7, 2022. The vessel began taking on more water than the onboard pumps could handle. The captain and three crewmembers abandoned ship and were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan fishing vessel, and the vessel capsized soon after.

28 Aug 2023

Offshore Wind: US Shipbuilders Answering the Call

From left to right: Lasse Petterson, CEO of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock; Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.; President Joe Biden; and Steinar Nerbovik, CEO of Philadelphia Shipyard (Photo: Philly Shipyard)

It’s a big deal when a U.S. president visits an American shipyard, and these trips always send a message. When President Obama spoke at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in 2013, he warned of the consequences of sequestration. President Trump’s 2020 speech at Fincantieri Marinette Marine touted a $5.5 billion naval contract that gave a welcome boost to the Wisconsin shipyard and its supply chain partners. Most recently, President Biden traveled to Philadelphia’s Philly Shipyard


10 Aug 2023

Mark's Epic Journey: 268 Days 1643 Hours, 6,800 Miles in a Kayak

Photo courtesy Mark Fuhrmann

After 268 days in his kayak, 1643 hours of paddling and a journey of almost 6,800 miles, 65-year-old Mark Fuhrmann has completed his epic “Reverse the Bad” charity expedition across Canada and the United States.In doing so, he becomes the first person to solo kayak the ‘Greater Loop’ circuit, beginning (and ending) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and traversing the Great Lakes, the Illinois, the Mississippi, the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers, before hitting the Gulf of Mexico and heading up the Atlantic Coast.A smiling


28 Jul 2023

New York Quarry to Provide Rock for Empire Wind Offshore Projects

Credit: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (File Image)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has signed the first ever subcontract for rock procurement for a U.S. offshore wind farm with Carver Sand & Gravel LLC (“Carver”), a U.S. quarry in the state of New York.Through this subcontract, Great Lakes will use rock produced in the State of New York to provide scour protection for offshore wind turbine foundations, and substations at Equinor and BP's Empire Wind I and Empire Wind II wind farms. The rock will be quarried locally, transported to the quayside on the Hudson River


26 Feb 2024

Crossing Death's Door Daily

© Derek Victor / Adobe Stock

Washington Island Ferry Line (WIFL) has been the essential link between the residents, business and visitors of Washington Island and Wisconsin's Door Peninsula for more than eight decades.Picturesque and peaceful Door County isn't named for some intrepid settlers named Door. The name has a more ominous meaning. It's derived from the treacherous passage between the peninsula and Washington Island that mariners called Porte des Mortes, or Death's Door.A unique combination of environmental