CSL St-Laurent on Maiden Voyage
The second of Canada Steamship Lines' (CSL) two newbuild Trillium Class Great Lakes bulk carriers, CSL St-Laurent, was delivered on November 26, 2014 and set sail on her maiden voyage on December 13. She departed at 20:00 CST from Yangfan shipyard on Zhoushan Island, China, en route to Canada where she is set to operate throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The vessel is commanded by Captain Kevin Crouse and Chief Engineer Paul Beaudet, and is expected to take approximately 50-60 days to complete her voyage. CSL St-Laurent marks the successful completion of CSL's audacious newbuild program, which began with the delivery in December 2012 of the award-winning Trillium Class self-unloading Laker, Baie St. Paul.
China PLA Hospital Ship Sails for Philippines Disaster Support
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's hospital ship, the 'Peace Ark', has set sail for a typhoon relief mission to the Philippines, reports Xinhua. The 300-bed ship with eight operating rooms sounded its horn as it set off from a navy port on Zhoushan island in east China's Zhejiang Province, and is expected to take three days to reach the devastated Samar Province in the Philippines. The medical team will conduct first aid and outpatient treatment and perform surgery and epidemic prevention.
China Navigation Orders MacGregor Machinery for Four New Vessels
China Navigation Company's (CNCo) four new Chief Class 22,000dwt multi-purpose vessels ordered from Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (Ouhua), on Zhoushan Island in China, will each feature three 60-ton variable frequency drive (VFD) MacGregor cranes and hydraulically-operated MacGregor hatch covers. The order was booked in the second quarter 2013 order intake. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in late 2014 and first quarter 2015 and the contract includes options for an additional 2+2 vessels. CNCo is the deep-sea ship-owning and operating arm of the Swire group of companies and is wholly-owned by the group's parent company, John Swire & Sons.
Levingston Contracts for World’s Largets Liftboat
PaxOcean Engineering Zhoushan Co., Ltd. of Singapore, Singapore and The Levingston Corporation, Boerne, Texas, USA announced they have signed a Letter of Intent to build a Levingston designed 415WC (World Class) with an option for one additional similar vessel for an undisclosed contract value. The announcement was made at the new Elevating Boats LLC’s (EBI) facility at Ponchatoula, Louisiana. The Levingston 415WC Jack-up MOU (Mobile Offshore Unit) will be the world’s largest liftboat with 415 feet of legs, an open deck area of 18,300 square feet (1,700 square meters), a net deck load capacity of 1,654 tons (1,500 metric tonnes) with accommodations for 100 personnel including navigation crew. This vessel follows in the footsteps of the Levingston 320E, the world’s current largest liftboat.
Death Toll Rises in China Sea Ship Collision
According to Xinhua, the death toll from an accident in the East China Sea rose to nine on when rescuers retrieved another body from a cargo ship that sank after colliding with another ship late on Saturday night. Twelve sailors have been rescued but eight others are still missing, sources with the maritime safety administration of Zhejiang Province revealed on Monday. The collision occurred at around 11 pm on Saturday near the Langgang islands, northeast of Zhoushan Island, Zhejiang Province, when a cargo ship belonging to a transport company in Shenzhen crashed into another one registered in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong ship, "Huirong", sank immediately and all its 29 sailors on board were marooned out at sea.
