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Savannah River News

08 Feb 2024

Insights: Blake Powell, JMS Naval Architects

Blake Powell, President, JMS Naval Architects (Photo: JMS Naval Architects)

Blake Powell, president at JMS Naval Architects, discusses his career, company and latest trends in naval architecture and marine engineering.Please give a brief professional bio, including education, experience and overview of current duties as president of JMS Naval Architects.I earned my degree in Naval Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley where I attended on a Navy ROTC scholarship and was commissioned as a Diving and Salvage Officer after I graduated.

09 Feb 2023

US Coast Guard Enforces Safety Zone for Historic Crane Import

The U.S. Coast Guard will enforce a temporary safety zone in the Savannah River on Thursday for the import of the largest gauge ship-to-shore cranes in U.S. history.The Coast Guard said its captain of the Port Savannah would establish a safety zone during the import of the cranes to ensure the safety and security of the public and all vessels in the channel. The safety zone is expected to take place from 12:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., Feb. 9.No Vessel Permitted in Safety Zone"Vessels are not permitted to enter into, transit through, moor, or anchor within 1,500 feet of the motor vessel Biglift Baffin. No vessels will be permitted in the safety zone 30 minutes prior to…

15 Jun 2022

Maersk Containership Grounds in the Savannah River

The 1,091-foot Maersk Surabaya ran aground in the Savannah River, June 14, 2022. The ship was refloated with no reported injuries or pollution. (Photo: David Micallef / U.S. Coast Guard)

A Maersk containership has been refloated after running aground in the Savannah River near Fort Jackson on Tuesday.The U.S. Coast Guard said it was notified at 6:09 p.m. via the vessel agent of Maersk Surabaya that the vessel had run aground.The 1,091-foot box ship was repositioned to the center of the shipping channel with the help of seven tugs. AIS ship tracking data shows the vessel was aground for about 2 hours. The Danish-flagged vessel is now safely moored, and no injuries…

28 Mar 2022

Savannah Harbor Deepening Complete

(Photo: Georgia Ports Authority)

Dredging work to deepen Savannah Harbor has wrapped up, reducing tidal restrictions for mega-ships transiting the Savannah River to clear the way for expedited cargo movement.Dredging for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project started in September 2015, adding five feet in depth to the shipping channel. Initial feasibility studies for the harbor deepening began in 1997.“After more than 20 years in the making, we are thrilled to mark this accomplishment today,” said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority.

12 Apr 2021

Boater Missing After Striking a Dredge on the Savannah River

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A multi-agency search was called off on Monday after responders failed to locate a man that went missing in the Savannah River after his vessel collided with a dredge on Saturday.A good Samaritan contacted U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders on VHF Ch. 16 stating three people were in the water in the vicinity of Hutchinson Island after a recreational vessel allided with dredging equipment on Saturday at approximately 5 p.m.Local partner agencies and good Samaritans arrived on scene and rescued two of the people in the water and brought them to awaiting emergency medical responders.

28 Jan 2021

Colonial Group Announces Leadership Changes

(Photo: Colonial Group)

Savannah-based Colonial Group Inc. has announced a new era of leadership as it prepares to mark a major milestone in the company’s history in 2021.Christian B. Demere (Demere) has been named chief executive officer, succeeding his father, Robert H. Demere, Jr. (Demere Jr.), who had been in the position since 1986. Colonial Group has continued to operate as a privately held business since 1921 through the chairmanships of its founder, Raymond Demere; his son, Robert H. Demere Sr.; and Robert’s son, Demere Jr.“The time has come to pass the torch to the fourth generation,” said Demere Jr.

27 Jan 2021

Biblia Orders New Dry Dock

(Image: JMS Naval Architects)

Biblia, Inc., Marine Towing and Transportation has ordered a new dry dock to service its fleet tugs and barges.The 500-ton lift capacity floating dry dock was designed by JMS Naval Architects and is currently being built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La. The new dry dock, which will replace Biblia’s existing dry dock in Savannah, Ga., is 120’ long, 60’ wide, has a 6’ deep pontoon, and 14’ tall wing walls. It will primarily be used for hauling tug boats with a maximum length of 120 feet and draft of 10 feet.Biblia owns and operates a fleet of tugs and barges…

05 Sep 2019

Bahamians Struggle in Dorian's Devastating Wake

A file image of Equinor's South Riding Point storage terminal (CREDIT: Equinor)

Stunned residents of the Bahamas surveyed the wreckage of their homes and officials struggled to assess the number killed by Hurricane Dorian, as the storm bore down on the South Carolina coast, threatening record flooding on Thursday.The United Nations said 70,000 people in the Bahamas needed immediate humanitarian relief after the most damaging storm ever to hit the island nation.Aerial video of the worst-hit Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas showed widespread devastation…

04 Sep 2019

Hurricane Dorian Update

The 8 AM tracking graphic (CREDIT: NHC)

At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 29.5 North, longitude 79.6 West.Dorian is moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h), and a northwest or north-northwest motion is expected through this morning. A turn toward the north is forecast by this evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning.On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through tonight.

01 Mar 2019

Insuring the Marine Industry’s Risky Work Environment

File Image / CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Currahee Shutter

From high-traffic ports to bustling boatyards, and busy shipyards to expanding marinas, marine professionals operate in a challenging environment. They work on land, on or around water, and are exposed to all kinds of weather. And the challenges won’t ease up any time soon. Our nation’s ports continue to expand as trade surges. Add in increased commercial vessel traffic and recreational boating, and it’s clear that marine businesses have to be in shipshape condition. It means that the marine insurance industry has to stay on its toes too…

12 Feb 2019

Roll Group Completes at Elba Island LNG

Heavy lift specialist Roll Group said it has completed its activities on the expansion of the LNG plant at the Elba Island project in Savannah, Georgia."The activities on Elba Island have come to an end for Roll-Lift USA. Mid-January the last equipment was removed, after working more than two years with an extensive fleet of equipment and a large team on the expansion of the LNG plant at the Elba Island Project located in Savannah, Georgia," said a press release.The first challenge to overcome was the low weight limit and deteriorating condition of the only access bridge on to the island. This posed a huge problem for the delivery of the 9,300 poles and 71 process/pipe rack modules.

02 Jul 2018

HII Appoints Brady as Chief Operating Officer for SN3

Sharon Brady is chief operating officer of SN3, part of HII’s Technical Solutions division. HII photo

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) (NYSE:HII) has appointed Sharon Brady chief operating officer of SN3, part of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Technical Solutions division, effective June 4. In this new position, she plays a leading role in supporting SN3’s current portfolio and developing strategies for growth. Brady has been with SN3 since 2001, serving in various corporate and government contract positions. She most recently served as director of business services for the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL)…

26 Jun 2017

Aegean Marine Strengthens Presence on the U.S. East Coast

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network has announced the launch of a new service center in Savannah, Georgia, the third largest container port in the United States. The operations in Savannah will be managed by the existing Aegean U.S. team. Under the terms of the agreement with Colonial Terminals, Inc., Aegean will lease tankage from Colonial's oil terminal on the Savannah River. Aegean will acquire and blend a full range of bunker fuel products and has agreed to supply Colonial Oil Industries, Inc. with a range of No. 6 oil products for Colonial's truck delivery business. Aegean has contracted with the Vane Brothers Company to provide barge services in the port.

09 Jun 2017

Newport News Names Temple VP, Strategic Sourcing

John Temple (Photo: HII)

John Temple has been appointed vice president of strategic sourcing at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division. Temple, an Apprentice School graduate, began his shipbuilding career in Newport News’ pipe department. He has worked in quality inspection, cost engineering and contracts and pricing. Five years ago, he earned the “Master Shipbuilder” designation, which celebrates shipbuilders who have worked 40 years of continuous service. He most recently served as vice president of contracts and supply chain management at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina…

08 Feb 2017

Savannah Positioned as U.S. Gateway Port

Today the Georgia Ports Authority announced the sale of 500 acres of property for commercial development to accommodate growing customer demand for warehousing, distribution and transload facilities near the Port of Savannah. The new development, located on five parcels of land at GPA's Savannah River International Trade Park, is less than five miles from the Garden City Container Terminal and can accommodate up to 5 million square feet of logistics space. "Today's announcement will help further establish Savannah as a gateway port for the U.S. Southeast and beyond," said Executive Director Griff Lynch. The project is just one mile from I-95 and will help fill a growing need to service a larger range of customers from the Southeast to the Midwest U.S.

13 Oct 2016

Crews Working to Restore Port of Savannah Navigation Aids

The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress crew works to correct aid to navigation in the Savannah River after Hurricane Matthew Oct. 12, 2016. The Cypress is a 225-foot buoy tender built for maintaining aids to navigation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Cypress)

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the Port of Savannah has been reopened Thursday to two-way traffic during daylight hours as response crews continue to identify, remove, replace or repair the surrounding navigational infrastructure. “Our Coast Guard crews have been working diligently to restore operations in the Port of Savannah, and it was because of their dedication that we were able to open the port to two-way traffic,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Amy Beach, Marine Safety Unit Savannah commander.

12 Oct 2016

Georgia's Ports Back in Action

Containership MSC Kleven sails up river to the Port of Savannah after the Savannah River reopened following Hurricane Matthew in Savannah, Ga., Wednesday, Oct.12, 2016. Nine vessels worked at the Garden City Terminal on Wednesday. (Photo: Georgia Ports Authority/Stephen B. Morton)

After being closed last week due to Hurricane Matthew, the Savannah River channel has reopened for commercial traffic Wednesday morning at 7 a.m., with 11 vessels transiting the channel by mid-afternoon, nine of which will be worked at Garden City Terminal and two at Ocean Terminal, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reported. By the end of the day, the Garden City Terminal was working nine vessels, moving nearly 800 containers per hour, with an anticipated 7,800 container moves for the day.

09 Oct 2014

GPA Marks 13 Percent 1Q Growth

Harbor deepening moves into construction phase. On the heels of a state-federal agreement allowing the Savannah Harbor deepening to begin, the GPA has posted nearly 13 percent growth in container traffic for the first quarter of the fiscal year. "September's outstanding cargo volume continued a trend of double-digit growth," said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. Since July, the Port of Savannah has moved 891,408 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 102,122 units. September cargo grew at the same rate, with the Port of Savannah moving 295,698 TEUs, up 33,876 (12.9 percent) compared to the same month a year ago. Release of the positive cargo numbers comes after the signing of a cost sharing agreement between Georgia and the U.S.

26 Jun 2014

NNS Supports SCA Welding Education Program

Huntington Ingalls Industries informs that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has donated training materials to the Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance (SCA) for a welding program in Allendale County, S.C. The SCA's Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Program has already provided 47 students with welding training. The SCA is now working to expand the program by implementing curricula developed and used by Newport News Shipbuilding. In addition to the training materials presented to the SCA today, a shipyard welding instructor will work with the training facility to implement the curricula. "Newport News Shipbuilding has found that by working closely and sharing some of our training materials with local community colleges and technical schools…

23 May 2014

WRRDA Spurs Savannah Harbor Expansion

A containership makes its way up the Savannah River to the Georgia Ports Authority Garden City container terminal in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo: Georgia Ports Authority/Stephen Morton)

The U.S. Senate’s passage of the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) has cleared the way for construction to begin on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. The House passed identical legislation on Tuesday. Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz called the bill’s passage a critical milestone. “Today’s action is an important step toward better accommodating the larger vessels that are the new standard in global shipping,” said Foltz.

22 Jan 2014

Newport News Shipbuilding Opens S.C. Office

Aiken office opening: Photo courtesy of HII

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announce that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has opened a field office in Aiken, S.C., as part of its continuing efforts to expand the company's business in the Department of Energy and commercial energy markets. NNS leadership joined community leaders to officially open the office with a ribbon-cutting event (see photo). HII explain that the Aiken office will provide a location from which NNS will manage jobs currently under contract in the area and pursue additional opportunities in the energy industry.

25 Nov 2013

GPA Achieves Records in Total Tonnage, Autos

At the Georgia Ports Authority board meeting Monday, Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported that the GPA achieved record volumes and added additional customer accounts in October. "Strong growth, new customer accounts and additional harbor deepening funding announced this month are all positive signs that Georgia's ports are moving in the right direction," said Foltz. Georgia ports moved a record 2.54 million tons of cargo during October – a 22% increase over the same month a year ago. The Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick and Savannah’s Ocean Terminal combined to move a record 62,343 units of automobiles and heavy machinery in October, for an increase of 10,045 or 19.2% over October 2012.

16 Sep 2013

Biden: U.S. Harbors Must be Deepened

GPA Board Chairman Robert Jepson, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and GPA’s Executive Director Curtis Foltz in front of the Maersk vessel Atlanta, Monday at the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal. The officials gathered just before Vice President Joe Biden shared remarks at the Port of Savannah. (GPA photo/Luke Smith)

In Savannah visit, Georgia officials accompany Vice President. After touring the Port of Savannah Monday, Vice President Joe Biden called for expediting port improvement projects on the U.S. East Coast. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Fox, Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Congressman Jack Kingston, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson accompanied the vice president on the tour. “I appreciate the opportunity to show Vice President Biden the Port of Savannah firsthand…