West Indies News

A 36-meter custom built passenger ferry has been delivered to Guadeloupe-based operator CTM Deher by Incat Crowther.The new 316-seat passenger ferry has been designed to safely and efficiently service CTM Deher’s passenger and tourism routes in the French West Indies and is expected to begin operating in late 2023.The new ferry, named Miss Outre-Mer, was designed using Incat Crowther's digital shipbuilding process. This meant CTM Deher and Incat Crowther worked closely together to deliver the complete digital ship design before physical construction began at PT Kim Seah Shipyard in Indonesia.

Equipment corrosion at an oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands presents a risk of fire, explosion or other "catastrophic" releases of hazardous substances, U.S. environmental regulators said on Tuesday, after performing an inspection last month.The idled St. Croix refinery, formerly called Limetree Bay, was shut down by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May 2021 after a series of chemical releases into the environment sickened neighboring residents. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum and Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation…

Construction has started on a 35m Catamaran for CTM Deher of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. The Incat Crowther 35 is being built by PT Kim Seah Shipyard Indonesia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s publicly listed Penguin International Limited, using Incat Crowther’s Digital Shipbuilding solution, a process that is designed to bring the designer, shipyard and owner together in one cohesive process, from concept through delivery.A feature of Incat Crowther’s Digital Shipbuilding solution is a 3D digital model of a ship…

Carnival Cruise Line said it has named Darrell Campbell as chief financial officer. He joins the U.S.-based cruise operator from parent company Carnival Corporation where he has served as corporate treasurer since 2017.Prior to his role at Carnival Corp, Campbell served as an audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He is a licensed CPA in Florida and New Hampshire. He has master's degrees in accounting from Florida International University and in international business from the University of Florida. He also holds a bachelor's degree from University of the West Indies in Jamaica.

Norwegian-owned cruiseship operator SeaDream Yacht Club has cancelled all sailing for the remainder of 2020 after positive COVID-19 test results onboard one of its cruises, it said on Tuesday, dealing a fresh blow to the cruise industry.The decision follows an outbreak of the novel coronavirus aboard a voyage of its SeaDream I vessel in the Caribbean last week.“7 guests and 2 crew members have tested positive for Covid-19 by Barbados health authorities,” SeaDream said in a statement.Requirements for multiple negative PCR tests from guests before boarding had not been sufficient to prevent COVID-19 onboard, it said.“The company will now spend time to evaluate and see if it is possible to operate and have a high degree of certainty of not getting COVID…

SeaDream Yacht Club has halted a cruise in the Caribbean following several positive coronavirus tests among passengers, the company said on Friday.The SeaDream I vessel has returned to port in Barbados and all passengers are currently being re-tested, the privately owned company said in a statement.“The ship’s medical staff has tested all crew members and all tests have come back negative,” SeaDream said.Cruise ships were home to the some of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 as the pandemic spread globally early this year…

The United States domestic maritime sector recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the passage by Congress of the Jones Act. It is considered the most significant of various US cabotage laws. Few mariners though appreciate the long history of cabotage laws in this country.Cabotage laws here are older than our nation. The British Navigation Acts and its predecessors were designed to develop, promote, and regulate British ships, shipping, trade, and commerce between other countries and with its colonies, including the restriction of foreign participation in its colonial trade.

Bourbon confirmed on Wednesday that the body of a fourth crew member has been recovered following the sinking of its vessel Bourbon Rhode last week. Only three of the 14 Bourbon Rhode crew members have been rescued as the search continues for seven mariners still missing.The body of the fourth mariner was discovered on Tuesday and transferred on the French Navy frigate Ventôse, Bourbon said. The bodies of three other seafarers were recovered at sea on Monday.Offshore tug supply vessel Bourbon Rhose sank in the Atlantic Ocean…

Bourbon said a mission has been launched to rescue 14 crew from one of its vessels taking on water in heavy seas near a category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.The French offshore vessels owner said water is entering the stern of the 49.5-meter tug supply vessel Bourbon Rhode, about 60 nautical miles south-southeast from the eye of hurricane Lorenzo.The US National Hurricane Center said on Thursday morning the category 4 storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour and moving west-northwest at 13 miles per hour.As of Thursday afternoon…

CMA CGM Group announced that the CMA CGM Fort de France, the first vessel belonging to its new fleet dedicated to the French West Indies, was christened on April 4th, 2019 in Martinique by Mrs. Annick Girardin, French Minister for Overseas Territories.This inauguration took place in the presence of Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, Tanya Saadé Zeenny, Executive Officer, Alfred Marie-Jeanne, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Martinique Regional Authority…

The CMA CGM Group has announced it has taken delivery of the CMA CGM Fort de France, the first of an order for four container ships dedicated to the French West Indies.With a capacity of 3,500 TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent units) and a length of 219 meters, the CMA CGM Fort de France stands out by its draft which is adapted to the West Indies ports. It is also equipped with a large number of plugs for refrigerated containers (“Reefers”) which allow the transport in optimal conditions of perishable goods such as bananas…

The House of Representatives passed the Ballast Water Management Bill, which is aimed at protecting Jamaica’s marine environment, said Jamaica Information Service, a government agency. The legislation seeks to implement measures to prevent ships entering Jamaica’s waters from introducing foreign aquatic species and diseases into the country. The Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague, said the Bill is in keeping with commitments under the Ballast Water Management Convention, of which Jamaica is a signatory. He explained that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention, adopted in 2004, “provides a global legal…

The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) announced it received a contribution of $150,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Roland Malins-Smith. Mr. Malins-Smith, now retired, is founder of SeaFreight Line Ltd. which was acquired by Crowley in 2015.The ACMF funds scholarships and provides grants for classrooms and other facilities at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).Malins-Smith, born in Grenada, began his career in 1970 researching shipping and transportation issues for the then Caribbean Free Trade Area (Carifta) Secretariat based in Georgetown Guyana.

BMT Group subsidiary BMT Asset Performance has appointed Paul Haycock as Business Development Lead for Surface Systems. Haycock joins BMT after 35 years in the Royal Navy, serving on a variety of ships and in a diverse range of environments. A Warfare Officer and Lynx Helicopter Observer, Haycock’s sea time has ranged from Minesweepers on Fishery Protection duties to Frigates and Destroyers as a Bridge Watch Keeper, Ships Communications Officer, Flight Commander and Second in Command.

Miraejet Co. Ltd. named its Damen Fast Ferry 4010 JET MV Nina at an official launching ceremony held at the Busan International Ferry Terminal in the Republic of Korea on October 6th. Nina was named after one of the ships deployed on Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the West Indies. The order for the 440-passenger, Damen Fast Ferry 4010 JET was fulfilled in just four months. Miraejet Co. Ltd., a well-known ferry company in Korea, will operate the new vessel between Busan and Tsushima island, Japan, a very popular tourist destination.

GT USA’s Canaveral Cargo Terminal (CCT) incurred minimal damage during Hurricane Matthew and is fully operational, the result of advance storm preparation and facility planning by GT USA in partnership with Canaveral Port Authority. The Canaveral Cargo Terminal resumed full operations, which included working the container cargo vessel M/V MAX WONDER for StreamLines, N.V.’s Blue Stream service. The service ships refrigerated and dry cargo between Port Canaveral, Europe, the French West Indies and Central America. “Though Hurricane Matthew packed quite a punch in Port Canaveral, the hard work of the Emergency Response Team, Brevard County Sheriff’s Department, U.S.

GT USA, operators of Canaveral Cargo Terminal, has expanded its supply chain capabilities to serve shipping lines, along with domestic customers, with the addition of more than 40,000 square feet of covered storage now available at the Marlin Street Warehouse at Port Canaveral. The facility serves as a secure location for general warehousing, providing a full range of logistics services, including trucking, cross docking, storage and inventory control and last mile distribution.

1775 - During the American Revolution, the British supply ship Unity is taken by the Continental schooner, Hannah, paid for by Army Gen. George Washington. It is the first prize taken by a Continental vessel. 1776 - David Bushnells submarine Turtle is used by Sgt. Erza Lee to attack HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. Lees efforts to attach a "torpedo" to the ship's hull are frustrated by copper-sheathing, marine growth, perhaps merely a hard spot in the hull, which prevents the drill from boring into the ship bottom and it drifts away.

GT USA, the US arm of UAE-based global ports and logistics company Gulftainer, announced the new ‘Blue Stream Service’, a weekly container cargo service connecting Port Canaveral to Europe, the French West Indies, and Central America. Blue Stream Service, operated by StreamLines, part of the SeaTrade Group, will provide refrigerated and dry container service to and from GT USA’s Canaveral Cargo Terminal, with a focus on fresh produce and perishable cargo. The Blue Stream Service will feature five ships with 1,300 TEU capacity and 250 reefer plugs on a weekly rotation. The new line will serve Central America to Port Canaveral in just three days and will offer the fastest transit time between Florida and Europe, just 11 days.

French container line CMA CGM has announced imminent changes to its PCRF line service which links Northern Europe with the French West Indies, by adding two new calls at Zeebrugge and Rotterdam and increasing freight capacity on the route. The company says this will mean customers will benefit from the enhanced import and export cargo opportunities. During the first quarter of 2016, PCRF line’s capacity which links the French West Indies to Europe will be increased by replacing current 2,200 TEU capacity vessels by 2,800 TEU capacity vessels. This move supports regional growth of both the French Indies market, currently around 3%, and promotes intra-Caribbean trade developments.

1854 - Commodore Matthew C. Perry and Japanese officials sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, opening trade between U.S. and Japan. The treaty also provided protection for American merchant seamen wrecked in Japanese waters. 1917 - Rear Adm. James H. Oliver takes possession of the Danish West Indies for the United States, and they are renamed the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also becomes the first governor of the islands under American control. 1945 - USS Morrison (DD 560) and USS Stockton (DD 646) sink the Japanese submarine I 8, 65 miles southeast of Okinawa.

On May 25, 2016, The University of the West Indies Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business (UWI-ALJGSB) together with the Trinidad and Tobago Shipbuilding & Repair Maritime Cluster (TTSR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to undertake maritime project initiatives involving research, the sharing of knowledge and showcase technologies in the context of improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in the maritime sector. One such initiative involves an Expression…

1800 - During the Quasi-War with France, the schooner, USS Experiment, commanded by Lt. Charles Stewart, captures the French privateer Deux Amix off Barbuda, West Indies. 1814 - The sloop-of-war, USS Wasp, commanded by Johnston Blakely, sinks the British brig sloop, HMS Avon, south of Ireland. 1925 - Cmdr. John Rodgers and a crew of four in a PN-9 aircraft run out of fuel on the first San Francisco to Hawaii flight. Landing at sea, they rig a sail and set sail for Hawaii. On Sept. 10, they are rescued by the submarine USS R-4, 10 miles from Kaui, then Territory of Hawaii. 1941 - The United States assumed responsibility for trans-Atlantic convoys from Argentia, Newfoundland, to the meridian of Iceland. 1942 - The United States Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet is established. Vice Adm.