The Columbian News

Wärtsilä’s will deliver its hybrid solution for a new RoRo ferry being built for the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure at the Western Pacific Marine shipyard. When delivered the ferry will serve the Balfour – Kootenay Bay route across Kootenay Lake. “Wärtsilä was selected based on their experience, reputation, and know-how in developing, delivering, and supporting complex hybrid propulsion systems. These capabilities are extremely important to us, and we very much appreciate and welcome Wärtsilä’s support throughout this project…

Griffon Hoverwork will launch  its new 995ED model at  Exponaval in Valparaiso, Chile.“Griffon is hugely excited to unveil the highly innovative 995ED which is specially designed for search and rescue, coastguard and surveying work complementing Griffon’s range of marine grade aluminium hovercraft,” said sales and marketing director Nick MacLeod-Ash. “The 995ED, at eight meters (m) length and 30 knots speed at full ‘all up weight’, is the first hovercraft to achieve certification…

Almost 14,000 archeological sites and national monuments in the United States could be lost by the year 2100 as seas rise due to climate change, scientists said on Wednesday. The findings offer a glimpse into the vast amount of global cultural heritage that could be destroyed, the study said. One in 10 archeological sites that it analysed on nine southeastern coastal states risk inundation. "The data are sobering: projected sea level rise ... will result in the loss of a substantial portion of the record of both pre-Columbian and historic period human habitation…

The 'Seaspan Swift' is the first LNG-battery hybrid cargo ferry in North America. The vessel features two dual-fuel engines and a Corvus lithium ion energy storage system (ESS), which operates as spinning reserve and provides propulsion power for low-speed maneuvers. The cargo ferry will be joined by a sister ship, Seaspan Reliant, in early 2017, after which the operator will order a further three ferries, according to Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth. The 148m vessels, designed by Vard Marine…

Thordon Bearings’ US West Coast Distributor, Pacific Marine Equipment has successfully completed the installation of a pair of TG100 mechanical propeller shaft seals to Hornblower Cruises & Events’ 1000-passenger capacity twin screw flagship, Inspiration Hornblower. Hornblower, one of the leading river cruise operators in the U.S., operates a fleet of 70 sightseeing and dinner cruise vessels in several cities across the Golden State, the United States and Canada. Todd Terry, President, Pacific Marine Equipment, Thordon Bearings’ U.S.

British Columbian officials on Friday criticized the Canadian government's response to an oil spill in the waters around Vancouver, calling into question plans for new crude oil export pipelines in the Pacific Coast province. Nearly 3,000 liters of oil spilled after an anchored bulk carrier began leaking bunker fuel in English Bay, just west of Vancouver's downtown core, on Wednesday. Officials in the province said the coast guard responded but was slow to contain the slick, which spread towards beaches. They said the federal agency failed to notify the cities of Vancouver and West Vancouver until early Thursday, delaying public safety warnings by more than 12 hours. "It took them six hours to get booms in place ...

The delivery ceremony and reopening of the Caravel La Niña III, faithful replica of the ship of Columbus, the Caravel “La Niña III“ was held yesterday in the city of Las Palmas. Las Palmas is part of the network of Columbian cities of Spain, it is a symbol of the discovery of America, the pass of Christopher Columbus over the island of Gran Canaria and benchmark their contribution to the expansion of the Canary Islands, for its strategic location as a bridge between America, Europe and Africa. This replica of the Caravel “La Niña” was built in 1992 for the V centenary of the discovery of America. Zamakona Yards has led the restoration project of the same in cooperation with ground forces in a unique example of public-private initiative and corporate social responsibility.

Vessel fleets face an increasing number of environmentally focused regulations, adding complexity to their operations and creating urgency around compliance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Vessel General Permit (VGP), requires that all vessels over 79 feet use an “Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant” (EAL) in oil-to-water interfaces unless technically infeasible. The 2013 VGP revision also requires any above water line hull cleaning or deck wash-downs resulting in discharge to be conducted with “minimally toxic…

Reuters - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday it was "not acceptable" for striking truck drivers to block shipments at Canada's largest port in Vancouver and that Ottawa was concerned about the labor dispute. "It is not acceptable to have relatively small numbers of people blocking what is important trade for a range of British Columbian and Canadian businesses," Harper told a business audience in Vancouver when asked about the truck driver strike. Unionized container truck drivers set up picket lines at the Vancouver port on Monday, joining hundreds of nonunion workers who walked off the job last month in a dispute over pay and services.

The 100m long RoRo ferry was launched for the Croatian national shipping company Jadrolinija as the second of a series of 4 such vessels, and the two river barges for Sweden's Wisby Tankers AB. The ferries are designed for two-way direct sailing for the transportation of 600 passengers in summer months or 320 passengers in the winter period in the closed lounge. The ferries will also be able to transport 145 standard vehicles or 16 trailers of 40 tonnes each. All the vessels from the series will be 99.8 m long…

Fuel distributor continues global expansion with launch of fifth office in Latin America. OW Bunker, a reseller and physical distributor of marine fuel, announced the launch of a new operation in Cartagena, Colombia. The move into the Colombian bunker market builds upon OW Bunker’s presence across the region with existing offices in Chile, Uruguay, Panama and Brazil. OW Bunker’s Colombia office is located in Cartagena – the country’s most active port - on the region’s northeast coast along the Caribbean Sea.

Government of Colombia lawyers concede salvage company Sea Search Armada to be rightful owner of 50% of treasure proceeds. Lawyers representing the Government of Colombia (GOC) admitted recently in a U.S. court that Sea Search Armada (SSA), engaged in a long-running suit with Colombia, was the rightful owner of 50 percent of the proceeds of perhaps the most valuable sunken treasure in history. This is the first time representatives of the government have conceded this point in over 30 years of legal wrangling. The admission came in oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington, D.C. over the validity of SSA's suit.

On the heels of the announcement that the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia will go into effect in May, Port Everglades and  the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport hosted a delegation of public officials from Colombia to discuss international trade and visit Broward County's seaport. Port Everglades is the top seaport in Florida for trade with Colombia, which totaled more than $1 billion in FY 2011, representing 54 percent of Colombian trade through all of Florida's seaports last year.

According to a report from The Columbian, contractors have finished building a cofferdam around the beached and broken Davy Crockett, the U.S. Coast Guard announced. Workers can now dismantle the 431-ft vessel which is beached on the north bank of the Columbia River between Vancouver and Camas, Wash.   (Source: The Columbian)

The 2011 BIMCO General Meeting will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia from 6 to 8 June 2011 followed by a series of Seatrade events. Central to the occasion will be a high profile speaker’s conference focusing on matters central to shipping industry concerns. BIMCO and Seatrade are now firming up the arrangements. Over the past twenty years, the British Columbian port has developed into an increasingly important focal point for the Pacific trades, with a strong maritime presence from both Asia and Europe represented locally.

A combined effort led by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Miami has resulted in the arrests of foreign mariners on ships visiting Miami for using fraudulent merchant mariner licenses and training certificates. One mariner was arrested yesterday for operating with a fictitious Columbian International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW) certificate. The individual was further determined to be an illegal alien and was turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Another similar arrest occurred this morning and more are anticipated this afternoon. "Our primary concern is maintaining waterway safety.

A federal judge called invasive species possibly stored aboard the ballast water of ships an "irreparable" degradation to the nation's coastal environment, and ordered federal regulators to take a much tougher stand, according to a report on www.columbian.com. In a ruling on a lawsuit brought by Portland-based Northwest Environmental Advocates and other environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating ballast water just as if it were sewage pouring out of a factory. In doing so, the judge threw out an exemption that had been in effect for three decades. "The EPA regulation is plainly contrary to the congressional intent embodied in the (Clean Water Act)…

British Columbian boat builders pioneered aluminum construction in the 1960s and '70s in the building of efficient commercial fishing boats. Aluminum won wide acceptance in BC for its low maintenance costs and durability. Since that time they have honed their skills in the craft of aluminum fabrication on a wide range of single and multi-hulled crew boats, yachts, ferries and pilot boats. Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, earned recognition for their part in the fabrication of modules for the Incat designed fast ferry project where weight and strength were important criteria. Now, utilizing workers who have come out of this tradition, Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, BC are building to a highly evolved pilot boat design.

For more than 175 years, Columbian Rope Company has continued to be a driving force and a leader in the rope and cordage industry. During Columbian's existence, a goal of excellence has been achieved, as evidenced by the rate of repeat clients, who continue to inquire about Columbian's products. With four locations (two in the U.S. and two in Mexico), Columbian Rope enhanced its product base when earlier this year, it became a member of Chicago-based Unicord International — a member of the Unicord Companies. How Did This All Start? In 1903, Edwin Metcalf, a preacher's son with entrepreneurial ambitions, left Massachusetts for Auburn, N.Y. Throughout his travels Metcalf managed to purchase the Osborne Implement Co., an 80-year-old manufacturer of Farm Implements and Bailer Twine.