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02 Jan 2024

SIU President Emeritus Michael Sacco Passes Away

Michael Sacco (Photo: Seafarers International Union)

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…

15 Aug 2023

DCA Voices Support for US Offshore Wind Development

(Photo: The Dutra Group, courtesy Dredging Contractors of America)

The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA), a trade association representing the U.S. dredging and marine construction industry, said it strongly supports the development of a robust offshore wind industry.“As the industry grows in the United States and along the U.S. East Coast, the DCA and its companies are working with state and federal regulators on matters related to dredging operations,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America.The U.S offshore wind…

11 Jul 2023

Disabled Passenger Vessel Rescued Off Northern Mariana Islands

Source: US Coast Guard

French, Canadian, and U.S. Forces, along with local responders, successfully conducted a search and rescue operation to save the operator and passengers of a distressed vessel off the coast of Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, on July 10.All 11 people from the center console fishing vessel are now safely in Rota.At 5:05 p.m. on July 10, Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam's Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam received a distress from the operator of the 21-foot vessel Full 20 Horizon…

11 Apr 2023

Chinese Aircraft, Ships Remain around Taiwan After Drills end

Chinese warplanes and navy ships were still in the waters around Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said on Tuesday after the end of three days of war games, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen criticized Beijing for its "irresponsible" behavior.China began the exercises on Saturday after Tsai returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.China, which warned the U.S. not to allow Tsai to visit or meet McCarthy, has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under Beijing's control.

15 Feb 2023

Hepburn and Sons Joins Forces with MELD Manufacturing

(Photo: MELD Manufacturing)

Hepburn and Sons LLC announced it has officially joined forces with MELD Manufacturing Corporation, developer of the patented, solid-state metal additive manufacturing process and provider of MELD 3D printing machines. The companies have been working together since 2021 to introduce the Navy and other military services and DoD agencies to MELD, also known as additive friction stir deposition.Hepburn and Sons LLC is a small business founded in 2010 whose initial focus was to provide expert consulting…

05 Jan 2023

US Warship Sails Through Sensitive Taiwan Strait; China Angered

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) sails through the Taiwan Strait. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

A U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the U.S. military calls routine activity but which has riled China.In recent years, U.S. warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of China, which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government.In a statement, the U.S. military said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer…

28 Dec 2022

Ex-USS Denver Served Until Sunk

Amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9) operates in the Philippine Sea in 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lacordrick Wilson/Released)

Explosive charges aboard the ship enabled battle damage assessment (BDA) teams to respond to actual damageThe former Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD 9) was sunk in a blaze of glory as a target ship during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2022. The 9,600-ton, 561-foot Denver, which was commissioned in 1968 and served until being retired in 2014, had been stored with other inactive ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before being sunk about 50 miles north of Kauai in about 15…

07 Jul 2022

SAFE Boats: Keeping ’Em Coming

(Photo: SAFE Boats International)

Despite all of the challenges that COVID-19 has wrought upon the marine industry, SAFE Boats International has managed to keep building and delivering boats to its customers. A snapshot of the last six months has seen the Bremerton, Wash. boatbuilder deliver more 30 boats, and it has a healthy backlog to keep busy for the next year and beyond. Its range of boats and customers runs from small to large, and deliveries stretch across the globe.Below are highlights of vessels SAFE…

31 May 2022

Callan Marine Powers Ahead

(Photo: Callan Marine)

Galveston-based Callan Marine possesses one of the youngest, most powerful dredge fleets in America. “Our oldest dredge is 11 years old, so we have a nice modern, new fleet, which really helps us in our performance,” said the company’s president, Maxie McGuire. “I’m very proud that we have one of the newest fleets in the industry.”McGuire and Callan Marine have plenty to be proud of. McGuire, a U.S. Air Force veteran with an Operation Desert Storm tour under his belt, took a job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after discharge before eventually finding his way into the private sector.

07 Sep 2021

Exploring All Too Real Maritime Risks

© Shenzen Photo Lab / Adobe Stock

The 11th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium: A Virtual Event Exploring All Too Real RisksThe past year has been as impactful for the world’s maritime transportation xystem as it has been for the rest of society. From the Suez Canal to the Arctic and beyond, human, technology and environmental events disrupted maritime activity. And the pandemic highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities in many ways, from mariners quarantined aboard vessels to port congestion due to COVID-driven surges in e-commerce.

18 Jun 2021

Sutton Named Chief Information Officer at Newport News

Jason K. Sutton (Photo: HII)

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Friday that Jason Sutton has been promoted to chief information officer for its Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective June 21.Sutton will be responsible for all aspects of information technology to enable Newport News to establish IT priorities and meet strategic objectives. Sutton will guide the day-to-day leadership of all information systems, while ensuring the appropriate alignment to enterprise cybersecurity and IT goals.

11 May 2021

OpEd: Navy Infrastructure Needs a Boost from Congress

FILE PHOTO: Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi (Photo: Derek Fountain / HII)

America is home to some of the finest shipbuilders in the world. This industry is becoming increasingly vital to our national security as we seek to build a larger Navy capable of confronting China. Unfortunately, our shipyards are aging and are too small to expand our fleet at the pace that is needed. As lawmakers consider what to include in an upcoming infrastructure bill, I am leading a bipartisan effort to provide a significant boost to infrastructure at our nation’s shipyards.My proposal…

01 Mar 2021

Satellite Data Company Spire to Go Public in Latest SPAC Space Deal

© GreenOak / Adobe Stock

Satellite data company Spire Global Inc said on Monday it has agreed to go public through a merger with blank-check acquisition firm NavSight Holdings Inc at a $1.6 billion valuation.It is the latest example of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merging with a company in the space industry, following deals for the likes of space tourism company Virgin Galactic and rocket startup Astra.Spire said it expects the deal will provide it with up to $475 million in proceeds.

15 Feb 2021

Autonomy: Inside the Building of Ocean Infinity’s Armada Fleet

Image Courtesy Ocean Infinity

Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey. Now the firm is taking the use of remote, robotic systems a significant step further.Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey.

20 Oct 2020

As the Arctic's Attractions Mount, Greenland is a Security Black Hole

File photo: Chinese research vessel Xue Long (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

On a windy August afternoon in 2017, Akitsinnguaq Ina Olsen was relaxing in the old harbor of Nuuk, Greenland's capital, when a Chinese icebreaker sailed unannounced into the Arctic island's territorial waters."I saw it by chance," Olsen, 50, told Reuters. "My first thought was: 'They're already here!' They're pretty cheeky, those Chinese."She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the 167-meter long Chinese icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon), before it turned around and disappeared.The…

16 Jun 2020

Pilot Dies after Fighter Jet Crashes in North Sea

Illustration; A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, breaks away from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, U.K., after receiving fuel off the English Coast, April 23, 2020.   (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Emerson Nuñez)

A US Air Force F-15 fighter jet pilot died in an accident Monday after crashing into the North Sea, off Flamborough Head, UK.Immediately after the crash, a search and rescue operation was launched for the pilot of a United States military aircraft from RAF Lakenheath base.However, on Monday evening local time, the U.S. Airforce 48th Fighter Wing division said the pilot had been found and confirmed deceased, and the UK coast guard said the SAR had been called off. The coast guard…

16 Jun 2020

Østensjø’s Offshore Wind Vessels Assisting SAR after Fighter Jet Crashes Off UK

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Østensjø has said it is assisting in the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) after a fighter jet crashed off the UK coast on Monday."Østensjø's offshore wind vessel “Edda Mistral” and her autonomous workboat “Mistral Worker” were in the vicinity of the fighter jet crash off the UK coast. Both vessels are engaged in the ongoing search and rescue SAR operation," the company said Monday.The vessels are reporting to UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency who is coordinating the SAR-operation.

06 May 2020

US Rearms to Nullify China's Missile Supremacy

File photo: A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is launched from the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George in the eastern Mediterranean Sea March 23, 2003. (U.S. Navy photo by Kenneth Moll)

As Washington and Beijing trade barbs over the coronavirus pandemic, a longer-term struggle between the two Pacific powers is at a turning point, as the United States rolls out new weapons and strategy in a bid to close a wide missile gap with China.The United States has largely stood by in recent decades as China dramatically expanded its military firepower. Now, having shed the constraints of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, the Trump administration is planning to deploy long-range…

28 Apr 2020

US Navy Pays Contractors $600 Mln That Had Been Withheld

File photo (U.S. Navy photo by Keith Simmons)

The U.S. Navy has paid defense contractors $600 million it had withheld due to poor workmanship, hoping the funds would shore up finances for suppliers ravaged by the coronavirus-driven economic downturn, a Navy official said on Tuesday.The move, which follows a similar action taken by the Air Force that released billions of dollars in payments, is aimed at replacing revenue vital Pentagon suppliers have lost in their non-military businesses as the spreading coronavirus has halted…

27 Apr 2020

Gibbs & Cox Hires Hobbs as Chief Information Officer

Brian Hobbs (Photo: Gibbs & Cox)

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox announced Brian Hobbs has joined the company as Chief Information Officer. In his new role, Hobbs will provide executive leadership and oversight of the full spectrum of corporate information technology infrastructure, security, end user services, people and processes."With the cyber landscape constantly evolving and threats becoming increasingly more sophisticated, Brian's experience will help us and our clients increase resiliency and securely achieve the next generation of cyber capabilities…

19 Feb 2020

Measuring the Hostile Ocean Beneath Hurricanes

Fig.1: A Slocum glider from Teledyne Webb Research, en route to deployment. Credit: Rutgers University.

Unmanned Vehicles Collect Data for Improving Storm ForecastsThe influences of ocean conditions and currents on living environments are now more widely appreciated—from the Earth’s climate and severe weather conditions to fisheries and biodiversity. Sustained and widespread measurements are needed to provide essential clues for understanding the oceans, for effective monitoring of environmental changes, and for helping to clarify the long-term effects of global warming.To meet this challenge, ocean researchers have invented various types of unmanned observing platforms.

13 Feb 2020

Bulker Captain Missing

© Andy Ru / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and regional partners are searching for the master of a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier who has gone missing about 174 miles northwest of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.At 5:44 p.m., Tuesday, JRSC Guam watchstanders received a report from Rescue Coordination Center Australia watchstanders stating they received a call from the first mate of the 751-foot Rising Wind reporting the vessel’s 47-year-old master was missing. The master was last seen in his cabin…

12 Mar 2019

Robots to Optimize Shipyard Operations

The navy shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF) and Sarcos Robotics will jointly develop robotic technologies, including full-body powered exoskeletons, for use in naval shipyards, the two entities jointly announced.Sarcos Robotics, a player in robotic systems that augment rather than replace humans working in the industrial, public safety and military sectors, said in a press note that they would will evaluate Sarcos’ Guardian XO battery-powered full-body exoskeleton as well as its Guardian S inspection robot for use across a wide variety of unstructured, challenging work environments and tasks.Areas of initial focus will be manipulation of heavy items…