Volvo Penta Engines for Two New Elizabeth River Ferries
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has specified twin Volvo Penta 13-liter 400 hp diesel engines to power its two new Elizabeth River ferries – River Ferry IV and V – due to enter service later this year. The ferries provide daily, round-trip connections between the downtowns of Norfolk and Portsmouth in southeastern Virginia. The two aluminum 150-passenger pedestrian ferries were designed by BMT Group and are under construction at Armstrong Marine’s shipyard in Swansboro, N.C. One is expected to be delivered before the end of 2016 and the second is slated for delivery during the first half of 2017.
Insights: Outgoing Transportation Sec. Connaughton
Until January of this year, Sean Connaughton oversaw seven state agencies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 billion. Connaughton is probably better known to MarineNews readers as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator during the second Bush Administration. As U.S. Maritime Administrator, he was responsible for the daily management of that agency and its promotional programs for the marine transportation industry. This included advising and assisting the Secretary of Transportation on commercial maritime matters…
Jumping Off the Fiscal Cliff?
You are not alone if you are bewildered by the talk in Washington about “sequester,” “continuing resolution”, “fiscal cliff,” “budget resolutions,” and “debt ceilings.” Even those of us who think we understand what’s going on have trouble keeping up. This article will break down the talk into segments on the continuing resolution that funds the government for the rest of this fiscal year: the House and Senate budget resolutions, the upcoming debt ceiling fight; and, finally, the President’s budget request for FY2014. The focus is on maritime, transportation and energy programs.
Jo-Kell Employees Donate Food & Money
Employees of Jo-Kell Inc., a local electrical distribution and engineering Company, presented two local charities with donations collected over the past month at their facility on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Bill Giermak and Martha Stewart of St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, as well as Karen Joyner, CFO for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia were on site to accept the donations from Jo-Kell employees. With the company matching the donations of their 49 employees from the past month…
Navy Ships Evade Hurricane Isabel
Commander, 2nd Fleet ordered ships based in Hampton Roads in southeastern Virginia to get underway Sept. 16, to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated hurricane force winds and high tidal surges. Ships currently underway will stay out to sea until Hurricane Isabel passes. Vice Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet, said the decision to sortie the ships from Hampton Roads is based on concerns for the safety of Sailors, and the preservation of the ships and associated equipment. Forty Hampton Roads-based ships and submarines will get underway Sept.
Federal Judge Orders Toxic Ships to Stay Put
The National Defense Reserve Fleet will remain in the James River in southeastern Virginia, after a federal judge blocked the ships from being towed to the U.K. where they are slated to be dismantled. The 1940s-built Canisteo and Caloosahatchoo, were the first of the 13 ships scheduled to leave today for their scrapping destination at Teesside, England where AbleUK would dismantle the ships and dispose of the hazardous materials. The ships, dubbed the Ghost Fleet, contain up to 100 tons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as significant quantities of asbestos and fuel oil. Environmental groups urged Judge Rosemary M. Collyer to block the scheduled towing of the vessels, stating that the agency responsible for the ships failed to follow environmental regulations.
