Siu News

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) added ARC Honor as the ninth American flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel to its fleet.“This tremendously capable and flexible U.S.-flag ship is crewed by American merchant mariners and now operates in ARC’s global network supporting America’s national defense and economic security through trade,” said Eric Ebeling, ARC President & CEO. The vessel is ARC’s fourth large car/truck carrier (LCTC) vessel.The former Tulane was re-flagged to American registry and re-named the ARC Honor on February 2, 2024.

Seafarers International Union President Emeritus Michael Sacco died December 28, 2023, in St. Louis, surrounded by family members. He was 86 years old and passed away from natural causes.Mike was the longest-serving president in SIU history, having led the organization from 1988 until his retirement in February 2023, a period spanning nearly 35 years.The Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters, AFL-CIO, represents professional United States merchant mariners sailing aboard U.S.-flag vessels in the deep sea…

When Atlantic offshore wind (OSW) projects move into high gear they will kick-start a series of impacts affecting almost the entire East Coast economy, from logistics to transportation to utility projects and, of course, just about every aspect of port and maritime activities.The related topics of workforce development and employment are among the fundamental issues being pushed and pulled by OSW. How workforce development and education and training proceed – and succeed – will be critical for the U.S.

Hong Kong is in "all-out combat" to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the city's number two official said on Sunday, with the ramping up of community isolation and treatment units helped by mainland Chinese construction teams.Scenes of people lying outside public hospitals in the rain and chilly weather have shocked many in the global financial hub, leading to an apology from authorities. Officials have now organized facilities to shelter patients amid a drop in temperatures as healthcare facilities are overwhelmed.Officials reported 6…

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday approved $1 billion for U.S. Coast Guard shore side infrastructure nationwide and $350 million for a heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as part of its budget reconciliation bill, an action that the Great Lake Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) called “great news for the Great Lakes.”The GLMTF described the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as desperately needed and expects that a portion of the infrastructure funds will go to good…

The Suez Canal blockage laid bare many of the challenges being faced by the global shipping industry today. With 12% of global trade passing through the canal each day, the total revenue lost from delayed, damaged or lost goods due to its blockage is estimated to be up to $10 billion. Many of the organizations that faced a logistical nightmare in the face of the Ever Given blockage struggled to respond to things as they happened and make informed predictions about future occurrences…

By the time this article is published, voting will have concluded in the 2020 United States presidential election. Based on the possibility of legal challenges to the election, however, it may be some time before we know who will be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 2021. Additional uncertainty may linger with regard to control of the Senate. However, beyond the general spectacle of American politics, an important question remains: What does this election mean for the U.S.

The dredging market in the U.S. is strong and growing, a bright spot for U.S. shipyards, with increased funding for critical infrastructure projects and port dredging at the federal and state levels. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, the country’s largest dredging company, has invested mightily in new dredgers at U.S. yards. Lasse Petterson, CEO and President, shares insights on the strategy ahead.You have sat at the helm of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock for just over three years. What…

CMB Financial Leasing (CMBFL) sign a $415.6 million sale and lease back transaction of 20 chemical tankers with Stolt Tankers, a UK-based provider of transportation and storage for liquids, notably specialty and bulk liquid chemicals, the proceeds of which were used to refinance certain debt secured on the vessels.Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), the international law firm based in London, has advised on this transaction. The leases were of a hybrid nature combining elements of both financial and operating leases.Founded in 2008, Shanghai-based CMBFL provides financial leasing solutions to large, medium and small businesses across China.

The provider of software-as-a-service based shipping and logistics solutions, CargoSmart has announced the official execution of the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) Services Agreement with shipping majors.According to a statement from the shipment management software company, CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping, COSCO Shipping Ports (CSP), Hapag-Lloyd, Hutchison Ports, OOCL, Port of Qingdao, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group have signed up with it.As per the agreement, each signatory commits to provide resources to support preparatory work required to establish the GSBN, a not-for-profit joint venture to accelerate the digital transformation of the shipping industry.The preparatory work includes obtaining all necessary regulatory…

London-based international law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised Credit Agricole Asia Shipfinance Limited as facility agent on a US$91m term loan facility to a subsidiary of investment firm Sole Shipping Group (advised by Nordisk Legal Services) for the financing of two VLCCs (and scrubbers).According to WFW, the ships will be bareboat chartered to Hong Kong-based Landbridge group, with the leases arranged by Pareto Securities.The lenders were Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and BNP Paribas, it said.The WFW Hong Kong Maritime team advising on the transaction was led by Partner and Office Head Madeline Leong…

Hong Kong-based shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) has partnered with Microsoft’s research arm to improve network operations and achieve efficiencies within the shipping industry through applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.The partnership, between OOCL and Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), will apply deep learning research to shipping network operations with a projected $10 million annual operational cost saving. The collaboration is also expected to nurture over 200 AI developers over the next 12 months.“With MSRA’s efforts and expertise…

China on Friday denied reports it has been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not happy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation. Trump said on Twitter the previous day that China had been "caught" allowing oil into North Korea and that would prevent "a friendly solution" to the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes that it conducts in defiance of heavy U.N. Security Council sanctions. "I have been soft on China because the only thing more important to me than trade is war…

Jinhui Shipping and Transportation Limited expects to record a wider net loss for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December 2015, compared to a year earlier on account of record-low freight rates in the dry bulk shipping market. The Hong Kong-based marine transportation company has faced a tough year in 2015 in the dry bulk shipping market, coupled with deeper than expected slowdown of China’s economic growth, ambiguous currency policies, and a meltdown in commodities prices from metals to oil all occurring in a synchronised manner. A statement from Ng Siu Fai, Jinhui Chairman said: "Year 2015 was another tough year for dry bulk shipping market, with drastic confidence crisis in the final quarter stimulated by the reverse of the U.S.

(A) 22 deg. 23.920’N / 113 deg. (B) 22 deg. 23.458’N / 113 deg. (C) 22 deg. 23.034’N / 113 deg. (D) 22 deg. 18.560’N / 113 deg. (E) 22 deg. 18.910’N / 113 deg. (F) 22 deg. 19.024’N / 113 deg. The acoustic monitor is an instrument for collecting dolphin data. It is a structure of pyramid shape with a height of about 0.8 metre and a square base of 1.0 metre by 1.0 metre. Its bottom will be embedded in the seabed. Regular diving operations for inspecting and retrieving data from the acoustic monitors will be carried out by a work boat in the above locations once every month. The hours of work will be from 0900 to 1730 hours. Vessel engaged in the operations will display signals as prescribed in international and local regulations.

Shanghai International Port Group Co Ltd, the operator of the world's busiest container port, posted a 4 percent fall in its 2015 preliminary net profit, marking the first decline since 2011 as China's economy slows. Shanghai Port, whose container throughput totalled 36.5 million TEU (twenty-foot-equivalent units) in 2015, reported a preliminary net profit of 6.5 billion yuan ($989.35 million) in 2015, down from 6.8 billion yuan a year earlier, it said in an exchange filing on Monday. The port is expected to post its final annual results with outlook comments in March. The last time it logged a profit fall was in 2011, when net profit was down 12.8 percent, according company data posted on Eikon.

Shanghai International Port Group Co Ltd, the operator of the world's busiest container port, reported its first fall in quarterly net profit in over a year, providing evidence of China's economic slowdown. China, the world's second largest economy, grew 6.9 percent in the third quarter, dipping below 7 percent for the first time since the global financial crisis due to cooling trade and investments. Shanghai Port recorded a third quarter net profit of 1.4 billion yuan ($220.29 million), down 18.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, it said in a filing on the Shanghai stock exchange. That marked the first decline since the second quarter of 2014, Eikon data based on company data showed. In the first nine months, Shanghai Port's net profit dropped 3.3 percent to 4.5 billion yuan.

Approximately 120 people were injured when a high-speed jetfoil heading from Macau towards Hong Kong hit an “unidentified object” last night south of Lantau Island. The injured, aged between six and 83, were sent to seven hospitals, with 87 discharged as of this morning. In addition to the five patients in critical condition, five were categorised as serious and 27 stable. Over 170 people on board the ferry lost power after colliding with an "unidentified object" in the water, according to the boat's operator, Shun Tak. The local media quoted passengers who described there being chaos after the crash. The Turbojet lost power after the accident and water began seeping in as passengers scrambled in the dark for lifejackets. "It went dark.

TOTE Services has promoted Michael J. (Mick) Kondracki to director of labor relations and risk management effective March 16, 2015, as announced by the company’s president, Phil Greene, Jr.   In his new role, Kondracki will oversee risk management, human resources and promote the continued business relations with the Seafarers International Union (SIU) and the American Maritime Officers (AMO).   Kondracki joins the TOTE Services executive team with more than 26 years in the maritime industry in numerous executive roles.    He earned a BS in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, an MBA from the University of New Orleans, a Masters Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and a Diploma from the U.S. Naval War College, Staff & Command.

SIU Piney Point building dedicated in honor of the late Thomas B. Crowley Sr. The Seafarers International Union (SIU) recently honored the late Thomas Crowley Sr. during a dedication ceremony that named a new administration building in his memory. The new Thomas Crowley Sr. Center for Maritime Services, located at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md., commemorates the legacy of Crowley, who owned and operated Crowley Maritime Corp. until his death in 1994.

Shipping company TOTE and shipbuilder NASSCO on Saturday launched Perla del Caribe, the second of two Marlin Class ships – the first containerships in the world to be powered by natural gas. The christening and launch ceremony took place at General Dynamics NASSCO’s shipyard in San Diego. The 764-foot-long Perla del Caribe and sister ship, christened Isla Bella, are Jones Act vessels built for the Puerto Rican trade for TOTE Shipholdings and will be operated by TOTE subsidiary Sea Star Line out of Jacksonville, Fla.

The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU) has launched a lawsuit challenging repeated decisions by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to grant temporary work permits to foreign maritime workers crewing foreign ships operating in Canadian waters. Canadian law requires that ships carrying passengers or goods between Canadian ports (“cabotage”) may only use foreign workers if no qualified Canadian workers are available. “The Government of Canada has allowed foreign workers to take 2100 jobs from qualified Canadian maritime workers,” said SIU President Jim Given. “The Federal Government continues to misuse their authority to grant temporary work permits to foreign workers, while passing over Canadian sailors who are ready to work”.

SIU: Canada's coastline could become the easiest point-of-entry for terrorists if CETA becomes a reality. The Seafarers International Union of Canada is today raising the alarm to inform Canadians that the Maritime provisions of the Canadian-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) could result in an open door of entry for terrorists, as well as create other security threats. Under CETA, foreign owned and crewed vessels would gain more access to Canadian Cabotage; meaning they would be free to trade between Canadian Ports, something previously reserved for Canadian flagged and Canadian crewed vessels only. Canadian seafarers must go through vigorous police background checks before seeking employment on a Canadian vessel- this insures both security and safety.