Simmons News

The owner, operator and charterer of the container ship that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday are likely to face lawsuits over its collapse and the people killed or injured, but legal experts say U.S. maritime law could limit the companies’ liability.U.S. laws pertaining to open-water navigation and shipping, which are created through court decisions and by acts of Congress, could restrict the kinds of lawsuits filed against the registered owner of the Singapore-flagged ship…

Chevron Corp has stepped up sales of Venezuelan crude oil to rival U.S. refiners, adding PBF Energy Inc and Marathon Petroleum Corp to its list of customers for the crude, vessel tracking and loading schedules showed.U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, which historically processed Venezuelan oil, have shown a renewed appetite for the heavy sour crude grade after Chevron late last year received authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department to expand its operations in Venezuela and resume oil shipments to the U.S. after a four-year pause.Chevron, the last big U.S.

The United States and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) on Thursday signed a remote shiprider agreement enabling the U.S. to act on behalf of the country to combat illicit maritime activity when an FSM law enforcement officer is not present.FSM is a nation with over six hundred islands in the Pacific, and the agreement provides a coordinating mechanism and process for U.S. law enforcement personnel to work with the FSM National Police through command centers to receive approval from the FSM to act.

A stevedoring company based in Tauranga, New Zealand has been ordered to pay a $90,000 fine and $20,000 in costs for safety failings that led to an excavator being dropped overboard from a logging ship in 2018.C3 Limited had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching its duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and was sentenced February 4 in the Wellington District Court.Maritime NZ’s central compliance manager, Blair Simmons, said that the incident, which took place at Wellington’s Centreport on June 2…

The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday commissioned three new Fast Response Cutters at a ceremony presided over by Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard’s commandant.The Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139), Oliver Henry (WPC 1140)  and Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) were commissioned during what the USCG said was a rare triple-commissioning ceremony at the new homeport at Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam. Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean.Named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes…

One of the world’s oldest tugboats, the 117-year-old, steam-driven Daniel Adamson, is set to return to service offering short cruises along the River Weaver, a tributary of the fabled Mersey River in England, after the completion of a project to install new propeller shaft bearings.The 1903-built steamship, rescued from scrap merchants 15 years ago, was fully restored in 2016 at Birkenhead’s Cammell Laird yard, the original builder of the vessel. Thordon Bearings’ SXL water lubricated propeller shaft bearings were installed last year after competitor bearings failed.Chris Simmons…

Natural gas flows to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants plunged this month after falling to a 20-month low in June as coronavirus lockdowns cut global demand for the fuel.Before the pandemic slashed energy demand, U.S. producers counted on LNG exports to keep growing fast as an outlet for their record gas output. But after soaring 68% in 2019 and 53% in 2018, U.S. LNG exports were only expected to rise about 7% in 2020.Gas pipeline flows to U.S. LNG export plants dropped…

U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs operating for a seventh week in a row as producers follow through on plans to cut spending on new drilling this year.Drillers cut 3 oil rigs in the week to Oct. 4, bringing the total count down to 710, the lowest since May 2017, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday.In the same week a year ago, there were 861 active rigs.The oil rig count, an early indicator of future output…

Hurricane Dorian took aim at the Bahamas and the Florida coast on Thursday, spurred on by warm Atlantic waters as it threatens to strengthen into a dangerous Category 3 storm.Dorian earlier sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but is expected to strengthen and slam the Bahamas and the southeastern United States with rain, strong winds and life-threatening surf over the next few days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.U.S. President Donald Trump urged Floridians to heed official warnings.

One year ago, we reported on vacation river cruising, presenting an industry mostly on the optimistic side of growth and expansion for 2018. This year’s review is more geographically limited – to the Mississippi River, heartland cruises centered among New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis and St. Paul – but with links important for a lot of smaller cities in between.Big picture:This industry is strong, at least among its two major players: American Cruise Lines and the American Queen Steamboat Company. Both have extensive and varied schedules for 2019.

Expansion Strengthens Client Access and Relationship Management.Elliott Bay Design Group proudly announces the opening of its new East Coast office in New York. The office will provide professional engineering and naval architecture services as well as waterfront development expertise to clients on the East Coast and is a springboard for future growth in the region. "This is an exciting time for EBDG and marks a major milestone in our 30-year history," states Christina Villiott, VP of Sales & Marketing.

U.S. energy companies this week cut oil rigs for a second straight week, and notched the first monthly fall since March.Drillers cut four oil rigs in the week to June 29, bringing the total count down to 858, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday. <RIG-OL-USA-BHI>That was the first time drillers cut rigs for two weeks in a row since October 2017. For the month, the rig count decreased by one, its first decline since March.For the quarter…

U.S. oil drillers cut rigs this week for the first time since January and the pace of additions slowed this quarter due to declines in crude prices despite an OPEC-led effort to cut production and end a multi-year supply glut. Analysts, however, noted the weekly decline in the rig count was likely just a brief pause in a drilling recovery expected to continue through at least 2019. Drillers cut two oil rigs in the week to June 30, bringing the total rig count down to 756, still more than double the 341 rigs in the same week a year ago…

Carmanah Technologies Corporation  has completed the acquisition of the EKTA marine aids to navigation assets from Cybernetica AS of Estonia. The company had previously announced its intention to acquire the EKTA branded products and contracts on November 29th, 2016. "The acquisition accomplishes two important steps in our growth strategy," said John Simmons, Carmanah CEO. "The ETKA products will strengthen our worldwide product portfolio and allow us to provide more comprehensive single-source solutions for our marine customers. Under the terms of the agreement the purchase price will be EUR1.35 million and will be paid by way of EUR1 million in cash on closing and EUR0.35 million on the first anniversary of closing.

Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama has appointed Karen C. Simmons, CPA, PFS as Chief Financial Officer effective January 1, 2017.

U.S. energy companies added oil rigs for an eighth week in a row, extending a seven-month drilling recovery as crude prices remained near a 17-month high. Drillers added 13 oil rigs in the week to Dec. 23, bringing the total count up to 523, the most since December 2015, but still below the 538 rigs seen a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said on Friday. Since crude prices recovered from 13-year lows in February to around $50 a barrel in May, drillers have added a total of 207 oil rigs in 27 of the past 30 weeks, the biggest recovery in rigs since a global oil glut crushed the market over two years. The Baker Hughes oil rig count plunged from a record 1,609 in October 2014 to a six-year low of 316 in May as U.S.

U.S. Gulf Coast refiners are cashing in on rising fuel demand from Mexico, shipping record volumes to a southern neighbor that has failed to expand its refining network to supply a fast-growing economy. The fuel trade could top a million barrels per day (bpd) at times in 2017 as Mexico becomes increasingly dependent on the United States for strategic energy supplies and providing business worth more than $15 billion a year to refiners such as Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Citgo Petroleum. The rise in Mexico's fuel imports reflects an economy that, after expanding for 27 quarters in a row even amid a public austerity plan, has been unable to increase its refining output to satisfy the consistent growth of its energy demand.

U.S. energy companies this week added oil rigs for a seventh week in a row, extending a seven-month drilling recovery as crude prices held near a 17-month high. Drillers added 12 oil rigs in the week to Dec. 16, bringing the total count to 510, the highest since January, but still below 541 rigs a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said on Friday. Since crude prices briefly recovered from 13-year lows to around $50 a barrel in May, drillers have added oil rigs in 26 of the past 29 weeks for a total of 194, the biggest recovery in rigs since a global oil glut crushed the market over two years. Almost two-thirds of the rigs added since May…

U.S. energy companies this week added the most oil rigs since July 2015, extending the seven-month drilling recovery as crude prices rose to a near 17-month high. Drillers added 21 oil rigs in the week to Dec. 9, bringing the total count up to 498, the most since January, but still below the 524 rigs seen a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said on Friday. Since crude prices briefly recovered from 13-year lows to around $50 a barrel in May, drillers have added a total of 182 oil rigs in 25 of the past 28 weeks…

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw returned to Chicago on December 3, 2016 as this year’s “Christmas Ship” loaded with 1,200 Christmas trees. Each year, the Coast Guard partners with the Chicago Christmas Ship Committee to participate in the two-day event depicting the annual Chicago tradition from the early 1900s, combining the trip with the cutter's annual aids-to-navigation mission as part of Operation Fall Retrieve. This annual operation affects 1,233 lighted and unlighted buoys and beacons throughout the Great Lakes.

U.S. oil drillers increased rigs this week for a 21th week in the last 24, as energy firms follow through on plans to add rigs made months ago when crude was still trading over the key $50 a barrel level analysts said should lead to more drilling. Drillers added two oil rigs in the week to Nov. 11, bringing the total count up to 452, the most since February, but still below the 574 rigs seen a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said on Friday. Since crude topped $50 a barrel in May, June and October, drillers have added 136 oil rigs, its biggest recovery in over two years since prices collapsed due to a global oil glut. The Baker Hughes oil rig count plunged from a record 1,609 in October 2014 to a six-year low of 316 in May as U.S.

The number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States rose again this week, extending its second-best streak of no cuts into a 17th straight week, with analysts expecting more additions as crude prices hold over $50 a barrel. Drillers added 11 oil rigs in the week to Oct. 21, bringing the total count up to 443, the most since February, but still below the 594 rigs seen a year ago, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc on Friday. That 17-week streak of not cutting rigs matched a stretch in 2010, making it the second-longest run since 1987, following 19 weeks in 2011. The Baker Hughes oil rig count plunged from a record of 1…

U.S. drillers this week added oil rigs for an 11th week in the past 12, according to a closely followed report on Friday, although the rate of increases has slowed as crude prices remain below the key $50 a barrel level that spurs a return to the well pad. That is, however, the longest streak of not cutting rigs since 2011 with the rig count increasing or holding steady every week so far this quarter. Drillers added two oil rigs in the week to Sept. 16, bringing the total rig count up to 416, the most since February but still below the 644 rigs seen a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said. The oil rig count plunged from a record high of 1…