Us Lines News

Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has announced the retirement of Joseph F. Harrington after 25 years with Advanced Polymer Coatings. In 1994 he was approached by Don Keehan, Chairman of Advanced Polymer Coatings, to further develop the Marine Coatings industry with APC’s MarineLINE high-performance coating. Today MarineLINE is the industry leader in high performance coatings for the chemical tanker industry.APC President David Keehan says, “Joe Harrington has had a remarkable track record of 59 years in the coatings industry.

Mr. Jacques R. Saade, founding president of the CMA CGM Group, died on June 24, 2018 at the age of 81, according to the company. Jacques R. Saadé dedicated his life to CMA CGM. An extraordinary visionary and entrepreneur, he made the group into a world leader in the maritime transport of containers, developing the company in more than 160 countries, while maintaining the family dimension with its values. After having left Lebanon to protect his family for Civil War, Jacques R Saadé founded the Compagnie Maritime d’Affretement (CMA) 40 years ago…

Shipping group CMA CGM announced that the 18,000 TEU capacity CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, the largest vessel ever to call the United States, will be inaugurated today in Long Beach, Calif. in the presence of Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The inauguration will gather more than 600 American figures from economic, industrial, institutional and political backgrounds. Alongside Jacques R. Saadé, a large CMA CGM delegation came especially for the occasion…

Asian container operator Wan Hai Lines Ltd sees 2014 profit jump as revenue grows faster than costs. The Taiwanese container carrier recorded a profit of TWD5.32 billion (USD170 million) for 2014, soaring 158% from a profit of TWD2.13 billion in 2013. The carrier's earnings per share also rocketed by 147% to TWD2.37 from TWD0.96 a year ago, and its revenue totaled TWD67 billion in 2014, up 12% year on year (y/y). The company is aiming to raise its annual sales to NT$70 billion (US$2.23 billion) this year, an increase of 4.5 percent from last year. Currently, the carrier operates a fleet of 72 vessels. Taiwan's third-largest container shipping company in terms of fleet size is banking on an expansion of the scale of its fleet to make a successful comeback to the US market in May…

Horizon Lines, Inc. has announced that William A. Hamlin has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Mr. Hamlin will continue to report to Sam Woodward, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hamlin joined Horizon Lines in March 2011 as Senior Vice President of Operations. His responsibilities include ocean transportation services, inland transportation, terminals, equipment management, maintenance, network management, labor relations, security, safety and environmental.

1884 - Department of the Navy establishes the Naval War College at Newport, RI (General Order 325). 1940 - Fourth group of 8 U.S. destroyers involved in Destroyers for Bases Deal are turned over to British authorities at Halifax, Canada. 1943 - In night Battle of Vella Lavella, 3 U.S. 1958 - USS Seawolf (SSN-575) completes record submerged run of 60 days, logging over 13,700 nautical miles. 1997 - NASA Astronaut CDR Wendy B. Lawrence, USN returns from mission of STS-86: Shuttle -Mir 7 when Atlantis docked with Mir Space Station. The mission began on 25 September. 1864 - USS Washusett captures Confederate raider CSS Florida in harbor of Bahia, Brazil. 1924 - Rigid airship Shenandoah commences transcontinental flight.

1873 - LT Charles Belknap calls a meeting at the Naval Academy to establish the U.S. Naval Institute for the purpose of disseminating scientific and professional knowledge throughout the Navy. 1942 - First three schools for enlisted WAVES open at Stillwater, OK (Yeoman), Bloomington, IN (Storekeepers), and Madison, WI (Radiomen). 1945 - Parade in New York City honors FADM Chester W. Nimitz and 13 other Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor winners. 1961 - USS Princeton rescues 74 survivors of two shipwrecks (U.S. lines Pioneer Muse and SS Shiek) from the island of Kita Daito Shima. (Source: Navy News Service)

Total Terminals International (TTI), the West Coast joint-venture terminal operator between Hanjin Shipping and Marine Terminals Corp., announced the appointment of James Kwon as its new president to replace current CEO Y.M. Kim, effective Jan.16, 2004. Kim leaves TTI to join Hanjin's management team in Korea as its senior executive vice president in charge of HR, strategic planning, new business development and general administration. Former Citigroup managing director, Kim led TTI for the last two and half year and transformed this JV into a significant terminal operator on the West Coast with a sharp growth in third-party businesses. “James Kwon brings years of industry experience to Total Terminals,” Kim said.

In the fall of 1999, American Classic Voyages (AMCV) announced plans to almost singlehandedly revive the business of building cruise ships in the United States. Critics claimed it couldn’t be done, but the ships steadily took shape on the building ways in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Two years, a sour economy and horrific terrorist attacks later, the dream of building cruise ships in the U.S. is seemingly dead, as AMCV filed for Chapter 11 and the Maritime Administration is unwilling, at press time, to fund the ships further. While the cruise industry was hurting prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, the industry has been put into a seemingly perpetual tailspin as economic woes and fear of travel have conspired to leave ships far from full capacity.

Despite the less-than-stellar performance by the cruise industry during the last part of 2001, the industry more than had its fair share of newsmaking events — aside from the September 11 terrorist attacks — which ultimately exposed the fraility of this leisure sector. Beginnning with the demise of Renaissance Cruises almost immediately after the attacks, the industry suffered an additional blow in October when American Classic Voyages’ (AMCV’s) subsidiary U.S. Lines filed Chapter 11 — causing the dream of American cruiseship building to cease before it could even begin. These events, which were almost reminisicent of the faltering cruise industry of the 1970’s…

Subsequent to recent reports that the U.S. Navy had a vested interest in the half-completed cruise vessels for American Classic Voyages now-defunct U.S. Lines, the Navy has confirmed that it is no longer interested in pursuing the vessels, which are currently at Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss. According to Adm. Vernon Clark, the Navy had reached the decision after its engineers examined one of the ships at the yard. Clark confirmed the Navy's decision when he appeared before the Seapower Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee by simply stating that the ships were not suitable for Naval use.

The latest in the saga surrounding the remaining vessels of the American Classic Voyages' (AMCV's) fleet involves the vessel, which was formerly known as M/S Patriot. Carnival Corp.'s Holland America Line brand has entered into a long- term agreement to charter the cruise ship, which was also once known as m/s Nieuw Amsterdam, to Cypress-based Louis Cruises, which will subcharter the vessel to Thomson Holidays in the U.K. The vessel will be marketed as the Thomson Spirit. Holland America sold the vessel to U.S. Lines, a subsidiary of AMCV in 2000, which operated the ship in Hawaii under the name Patriot, however, it was reclaimed by Holland America in foreclosure proceedings earlier this year. The charter became effective yesterday.

Trailer Bridge, Inc. announced the execution of an amendment to its financing agreement with GE Capital and the addition of four new members to the Company’s Board of Directors. The amendment with GE Capital waives past non-compliance with certain covenants and establishes new financial covenants that the Company is confident it will remain in compliance with. Trailer Bridge has a $15 million revolving credit facility, with actual draws determined by a borrowing base formula. At March 31, 2002, the amount outstanding under this facility was $4.7 million. The Company also has approximately $10.3 million outstanding under a term loan facility with GE Capital. The Company also announced that Peter S. Shaerf has joined the board and that Malcom P. McLean, Jr., Greggory B. Mendenhall and F.

Since beginning his cruise industry career as Royal Caribbean's first ever marketing director — Roderick K. (Rod) McLeod has been an instrumental force in the cruise industry. He now heads up what is arguably the world’s most watched cruise ship newbuild program. Having a discussion with Rod McLeod is like talking to an old friend that you haven't been in touch with for awhile. Even though you may have not spoken for months — or even years — you always manage to find enough to talk about. That was the case when McLeod recently spoke with MR/EN regarding his current endeavors as president and COO of AMCV, as well as his past experiences — both professionally and personally.

The Tillberg name is synonymous with luxurious cruise ship design, often serving as the masterminds in the creation of images and themes that will capture the essence of the each vessel's itinerary and passenger base. MR/EN spoke with two generations of the Tillbergs — founder Robert — and son Tomas — to discuss their philosophies, ideas and creations for a business that is expediently working to meet the cruise industry's newbuild boom. From the time he was a young man attending college in Sweden, Tomas Tillberg longed for the day that he could join his father, Robert Tillberg, at work designing and dreaming up new ideas for the cruise ship industry.

Since 1999, when American Classic Voyages (AMCV) first announced its intention to construct two U.S.-flagged cruise ships that would be staffed by American officers and crew, the U.S. shipbuilding industry received a boost back into an area that it had not participated for almost 30 years — the cruise shipping market. Prior to the construction of the two vessels by Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, AMCV wanted to start making money right away — it purchased the 17-year-old ms Nieuw Amsterdam for $114.5 million from Holland America. AMCV then received an official notice from Congress that provided exemption from the Jones Act, thus allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to re-flag the foreign registered vessel.

Despite the threat of overcapacity in the cruise shipping industry, newbuilding contracts have remained on a constant high — specifically in the mega ship sector. This new trend, which seems to have taken on a life of its own in the industry, beginning with Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, has carried over to Cunard, which has hired Chantiers de l’ Atlantique to construct what is set to be the world’s largest ocean liner. Measuring 1,131 ft. 345 m) with a 131 ft. (40 m) beam, the $780 million vessel, according to its designers at Tillberg Design, will exemplify the classic British style that is representative of Cunard. By Regina P.

United States Lines' premiere vessel, the 1,212-passenger MS Patriot arrived on Thursday at its homeport of Honululu, Oahu as the newest and largest cruise vessel serving the Hawaiian Islands year-round. The vessel, which breaks a 40-year stagnation within the U.S. cruise ship industry, is scheduled to be christened today by Maggie Inouye, wife of Senator Daniel Inouye, who will perform the official dedication. Formerly known as Holland America's MS Nieuw Amsterdam, the vessel was purchased by American Classic Voyages (AMCV), by U.S. Lines parent company, AMCV for $114.5 million in 1999. Following an extensive refurbishment process,…

The year 2000 was another busy one for the cruise ship industry. European yards, which are filled to capacity with myriad orders of ship series from major operators - will have their hands full for the next five years. The U.S.' entrance has entered into the cruise shipping market - for the first time in more than 30 years has made headlines, as two separate contracts were signed with Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding last year for new vessels that will have the potential to shape the future of the U.S. cruise ship industry. Known for constructing a variety of military and commercial vessels, Litton Ingalls will build two vessels for American Classic Voyages' (AMCV) new U.S. Lines. The vessels, which will be delivered in 2003 and 2004, will offer cruises exclusively through the Hawaiian Islands.

Alfred R. (Ted) Ruhly, retired chairman of Maersk Inc.; Michael J. Sacco, who heads the Seafarers International Union (SIU), and Distinguished Alumnus Commodore Leroy J. Alexanderson will all be honored by the Maritime College at Fort Schuyler Foundation on March 31, 2001 at the New York Hilton. Ruhly began his transportation career in the trucking industry in 1950. After 22 years he joined Maersk Inc. as vice president of Marketing and Sales. In 1974 he was named executive vice president and two years later, president. In 1993, Ruhly was named chairman of the Board of Maersk Inc., a position he held until 1999. He also served as chairman of the Board of Maersk Line Ltd. from 1983 to 1997.

October 9, 1873 - LT Charles Belknap calls a meeting at the Naval Academy to establish the U.S. Naval Institute for the purpose of disseminating scientific and professional knowledge throughout the Navy. 1942 - First three schools for enlisted WAVES open at Stillwater, OK (Yeoman), Bloomington, IN (Storekeepers), and Madison, WI (Radiomen). 1945 - Parade in New York City honors FADM Chester W. Nimitz and 13 other Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor winners. 1961 - USS Princeton rescues 74 survivors of two shipwrecks (U.S. lines Pioneer Muse and SS Shiek) from the island of Kita Daito Shima. [Source: Source: www.history.navy.mil]

The saga of the now-defunct American Classic Voyages' U.S. Lines has seemingly come to a close with Northrop Grumman Corporation reaching an agreement on August 19 to sell all structures and material associated with the cruise vessel program at the company's Ship Systems sector to Norwegian Cruise Line. Under the agreement, Norwegian Cruise Line will take possession by Sept. 30, 2002 of the nearly half-complete first ship and all associated equipment and materials, as well as material acquired by Northrop Grumman for a planned second ship. Approximately 350 Ship Systems employees are currently preparing the cruise ship for launching and towing. These ships were to have been known as the first cruise ships to be constructed in the U.S. in more than 30 years.

2002 will surely not be counted as “a banner year” for many, if any, industries, particularly not for the leisure and travel niche. The cruise industry survived a tough year, as terrorism, a shakey economy and sickness outbreaks onboard ships grabbed headlines. But it is important to note that the industry did survive. Cruise lines were not as profitable as years past, but last year’s challenges present future opporunities. The end of 2002 closed out with a broken merger agreement between P&O Princess and Miami, Fla.-based Royal Caribbean, which, if completed, would have tallied up to a $6 billion operation. Taking the industry surprise in November 2001, the two companies even managed to keep their trade secret from the industry's powerhouse — Carnival Corp.