Warner News

Chevron Corporation earlier this month completed its previously announced acquisition of biodiesel production company Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG) following approval by REG stockholders.“We have brought together companies with complementary capabilities, assets, and customer relationships to make Chevron one of the leading renewable fuels companies in the United States,” said Mark Nelson, executive vice president of Downstream & Chemicals for Chevron. “Chevron now offers our customers an expanded suite of cost-effective…

The Port of Virginia and the US Army Corps of Engineers today signed the agreement committing the federal government to begin its financial investment in the construction effort to widen and deepen the commercial shipping channels and Norfolk Harbor.With a group of federal and state officials in attendance, Virginia Port Authority CEO Stephen A. Edwards and Col. Brian P. Hallberg, the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District commander, signed the Project Partnership Agreement.

The recently approved federal work plan contains the final piece of funding for The Port of Virginia’s dredging project that will create the deepest and widest shipping channels on the U.S. East Coast by late 2024.The work plan, released last week by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allocates funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and contains $72 million for the dredging project. The federal government and the port agreed to a 50-50 cost share of the project at its outset in 2015 when the U.S.

Crowley Maritime Corporation said senior executive Dan Warner has been promoted to chief financial officer, consolidating company’s enterprise-level financial strategy, resources and services under his leadership. Warner has served as senior vice president and treasurer and member of the company’s senior leadership team since 2005. He began his career with Crowley in 2001 as a senior analyst for the corporate planning group, and later served as finance director for both the company’s…

If you’ve perused social media in recent weeks, you may have come across people singing chanteys, which were work songs employed on merchant sailing ships.Historically, chanteys – which are also spelled as “shanties” or “chanties” – began with a sing-out by a crew member recognized as “the chanteyman,” usually someone prized for his voice and ability to extemporize. Fellow sailors would respond with the refrain as they toiled away at their tasks. Now we’re seeing TikTok and Twitter users belting out songs inspired by chanteys to their followers…

Better connectivity, easier data sharing and a thriving IoT start-up scene demonstrate that maritime digitalization is flourishing according to satellite service provider Inmarsat.For many, the lasting consequence of COVID-19 may be the upheaval it brought to the familiar rhythms of daily life. Thankfully the internet enabled a semblance of routine activity to continue, as they worked from home while their children attended digital classrooms.The outbreak forced us to work together yet apart through video conferencing and collaborative online platforms…

Crowley Maritime Corp. announced today that Ray Fitzgerald, who began his career with Crowley and most recently served as president and chief operating officer of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions, and chairman of American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC), will rejoin the company March 1 as chief operating officer reporting to Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.Fitzgerald will lead the team of Crowley’s four senior vice presidents and general managers: Rocky Smith…

The U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) was christened Saturday during a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division.The second aircraft carrier in the Ford Class, John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is also the second aircraft carrier built by Newport News Shipbuilding named for JFK. Like its forerunner CVN 78, Kennedy is a truly electric aircraft carrier, with many of the systems powered by steam on Nimitz-class carriers now powered by electricity.

At CMRE, it’s not just about the science. It’s about building trust and confidence in resilient systems. An interview with Dr. Catherine Warner, Director, NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia, ItalyTell us a little about yourself and CMRE. What does CMRE do, and how do you see your mission evolving?I came here from the Pentagon, where I was the science advisor for the director of operational test and evaluation. My experience has been working with operators on systems that they’re getting ready to field.

Underwater vehicles communicate, make decisions, and work as a teamThe NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, is combining smarts and muscle to solve a complex warfighting challenge: finding and destroying mines in the murky waters of the littoral.CMRE has developed experimental unmanned vehicles for experimentation. Now it is evolving those vehicles to communicate and cooperate with each other, and to solve problems on their own.According to CMRE’s director Dr.

Alternative direct lender AURELIUS Finance Company has provided financing to support the buy-out of emergency management and offshore decommissioning company Ardent from co-owners Svitzer, a global towage operator, and Crowley Holdings, a holding company of international marine and logistics services provider Crowley Maritime Corporation.The deal will see Ardent’s senior management team acquire a shareholding in the company. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed…

The global newbuilding orderbook for vessels has shrunk to the lowest level in 15 years as vessel owners struggle with excess capacity.According to to data from Clarksons Research, there were 3,200 vessels of a combined 81 million gross tons ordered globally in the first quarter of 2019, which is the lowest figure since 2004.A report in the WSJ quoted George Warner of Clarksons Research as saying: "“The global order book has declined to its lowest level since the early stages of the shipbuilding boom.”The report said that the crude tankers and bulkers made up around two thirds of all orders a decade ago,  but this year the share has…

Automotive manufacturers including Tesla and BMW are redefining the energy possibilities for land transport. Hybrid systems are now commercially available and operating successfully in fleets around the world. Tenders for hybrid vessels are coming out with increasing frequency as historic and high profile European maritime cities including London, Paris and Amsterdam aim to reduce emissions. NEXT GENERATION Marine Power & Propulsion conference is being held in Southampton, U.K. on  April 18 and 19, 2018. All sectors are invited to participate in this unique event.

The Institute of Marine Technology located at Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla. has recently established and is now officially launching a robust “full ride” scholarship program available by application for students participating in its innovative marine technical training program for the upcoming 2017 – 2018 Fall enrollment. Three full scholarships of up to $28,000 each are now available, and cover full tuition costs for a one-year period, excluding housing and food. Inaugural scholarships recipients will include one male, one female, and one former member of a high school bass club.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

Inmarsat has appointed Mark Warner as Head of Marketing Communications for its Maritime business unit. Reporting to Inmarsat Chief Marketing Officer Chris McLaughlin, Warner will take responsibility for maritime marketing communications activities, with the objective of opening up the full potential of high-speed connectivity at sea across vertical markets including merchant shipping, small boat, fishing and leisure. With over 18 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Warner’s track record includes digital platform development and marketing program creation for ship owners…

Steady, smooth, powerful, highly maneuverable: these were comments from mariners on board for sea trials of Jones Marine Group’s new tractor tug, David J. The new workboat was put through its paces in fine form. The boat is an A.G. McIlwain-designed 53 by 26.5-foot handy-sized tractor tug with a hefty14-foot molded depth. The beam offers remarkable stability, while the length allows the tug to work in tight spaces. Built by Sylte Marine of Maple Ridge for Jones Marine Group Ltd, of Chemainus, it is, as company president Daryl R.

Canada based naval architect and marine engineering firm Robert Allan Ltd. is a leading designer of high-performance response vessels of many types and in particular, large fireboats for major ports worldwide. In addition to the vessels’ outwardly obvious role of fighting fires, these vessels also serve as incident command centers or as primary response vessels for any local emergency actions requiring water-based control. Robert Allan Ltd. was awarded a contract in the summer of 2011 to prepare plans and specifications for a pair of fireboats for the Port of Long Beach, Calif.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. launched the Impala Soledad, the first in a series of four inland river towboats for IWL River, Inc. This series of CT Marine designed 134 ft. ABS Classed Inland River Service towboats are Triple Screw with a Retractable Pilothouse and all are currently under construction at Eastern’s Allanton facility. The vessel series is scheduled for delivery starting in late 2016 into 2017. The launch on June 10, 2016 was hosted by Eastern’s Project Manager Joe Stark, a Navy veteran, followed by a decorated 25 year career with the FDNY as a Marine Engineer.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has launched Laura B, the final vessel in a series of four Robert Allan, LTD. (RAL) designed Z-Tech 2400 Class terminal and escort tugs built for Bay-Houston Towing Co. The Laura B is scheduled to deliver in 2016. The launch ceremony was on July 1, 2016 at the builder’s Nelson Street facility and hosted by Patrick D’Isernia, Project Manager at Eastern, with employees and guests in attendance. Deacon Tim Warner of St. John’s Catholic Church of Panama City, Fla.

Vertom-Bojen Bereederungs GmbH & Co. KG is implementing DNV GL’s ShipManager integrated fleet management software to further improve cost efficiency, process optimization and quality of operations for 41 vessels. When Vertom and Bojen Reederei established the new organization Vertom-Bojen, the fleet consisted of vessels with different software setups that were not integrated. Data was collected, but the system was not streamlined in order to extract insights for management decisions. The management team at Vertom-Bojen realized that a new fleet management system was needed. Using several different software systems to manage one fleet can be costly, inefficient and lead to communication challenges between vessels and onshore management.

The Coast Guard presented the crew of the cargo ship Joseph L. Block with a lifesaving award in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Saturday. Capt. Amy Cocanour, the Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan commander, presented the Capt. David P. Dobbins Award to Raymond Sheldon, Thomas Garvey, David Schwarz, Keith Breyfogle, Basil Friend, Joyce Greenisen, Aaron Vonsprechen, Stephen Kowalski, Michelle Fetterly, Betty Benish, Guy Curtis, Roger Long, Carlos Ledezma, Kyle Long, Jeffrey Thompson, David Morrow, Nicholas McCall, Larry Noirot, Glenn Woodford, Ronald Fey, David Deverin, Shawn Bowman, and Gary Warner for their role in saving the life of a boater in Lake Michigan, August 2015. The Capt. David P.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. announced the launch of the M/V Harvey Stone (Hull 234) on December 18, 2015 for Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC of New Orleans. The Harvey Stone is a Rampage 6400 multipurpose field support vessel (MPFSV), designed by Robert Allan, LTD of Vancouver, B.C. The launching event was held at Eastern’s Allanton facility with hundreds of Eastern employees, several representatives from Harvey Gulf and guests in attendance. Deacon Tim Warner of Saint John’s Catholic Church of Panama City, Fla., performed the blessing of the vessel.