Marine Link
Thursday, March 28, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Apl News

26 Mar 2024

Houthis Say Six Ships Attacked in Past 72 Hours

© Robert / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday that they had mounted six attacks on ships with drones and missiles in the last 72 hours in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.The Houthis attacked the Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, Huang Pu and Pretty Lady after identifying them as either U.S.

06 Mar 2024

APL’s Fluid Swivel Technology Certified by DNV

Source: NOV

NOV’s APL group has received technology qualification program (TQP) certification from DNV for its largest swivel. The swivel TQP developed by APL is claimed to be a game-changer for fluid swivels for oil, gas, e-fuels, and CO2 transfer.The TQP was developed to meet the increasing demand for larger swivel designs that can withstand higher pressures and temperatures. Large swivel stacks are used for floating production vessels to connect the processing system on the weathervaning vessel with the geostationary subsea installation.“Without the swivel stack…

18 Dec 2023

Bollinger Delivers US Navy Berthing Barge

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Last week, Bollinger Shipyards delivered the first Bollinger-built Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) Class berthing and messing barge (APL 71) to the U.S. Navy. APL 71 is the fifth vessel of its class to be delivered to the Navy and the third to be homeported in Norfolk, Va.The previous four APLs were built and delivered by VT Halter Marine, which Bollinger acquired in late 2022. Halter received the initial contract in 2018.APLs are used by the Navy to house crewmembers when ships are in port for availabilities and Inter-Deployment Training Cycles.

24 Aug 2023

Port of Los Angeles Pays Tribute to Shipping Lines That Reduced Emissions

Source: Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles has recognized the achievements of more than two dozen shipping lines and carriers for participating in the Port’s Vessel Speed Reduction Program (VSRP), an air quality and annual incentive program for vessel operators who reduce their speed as they approach or depart the port.The voluntary program is one of many sustainability efforts currently underway at the Port to reduce emissions and decarbonize operations.Emission reductions are achieved under the…

03 Aug 2023

CMA CGM Settles with US EPA over Alleged Dumping Violations

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

France-based CMA CGM, the world’s third largest shipping container company, will pay $165,000 in penalties as part of its settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over claims of violations of EPA’s Vessel General Permit issued under the Clean Water Act. “The Vessel General Permit is a key element of the Clean Water Act. When companies and their ships don’t comply with this permit, the quality of our nation’s already-challenged waters can be seriously impacted,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.

08 Jun 2023

America's Sea Services Building Large Fleet of Small Ships and Craft

U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48), moor a landing craft, utility during amphibious operations, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in March 2023. (Photo: Christopher R. Lape / U.S. Marine Corps)

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

11 Apr 2023

US Navy Contracts Bollinger to Build Sixth Berthing Barge

(File photo: VT Halter Marine, now known as Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding)

Bollinger Shipyards on Tuesday announced that the U.S. Navy has awarded the Lockport, La.-based shipbuilder the detailed design and construction contract for the sixth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) 67 Class berthing and messing barge. Construction will take place at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. and is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2023.The previous five APLs were built by VT Halter Marine, which Bollinger acquired in late 2022.

16 Dec 2022

APL England Fittings in Poor Condition Prior to Containers Loss off Sydney

(Photo: Australian Transport Safety Bureau)

Fixed container securing arrangements on containership APL England were in poor state of repair and corroded prior to loss of dozens containers in heavy seas off Sydney, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation found.The Singapore-flagged containership was making way down the east coast of Australia on May 24, 2020 when, in adverse weather, it underwent a series of heavy rolls that resulted in the loss of 50 containers overboard, and shutdown of the main engine.The…

30 Nov 2022

Bollinger Announces Leadership Changes

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

U.S. Gulf shipbuilding group Bollinger Shipyards announced a raft of leadership changes following its recent acquisition of Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding (BMS) and Bollinger Mississippi Repair (BMR).The announcements reflect leadership changes across all 14 Bollinger facilities, including at BMS and BMR (formerly VT Halter Marine and ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore respectively) as well as Bollinger Lockport New Construction and Bollinger Marine Fabricators.“I’ve always said Bollinger’s greatest strength is its people and I believe that wholeheartedly…

16 Nov 2022

Levesque Named President of CMA CGM America

© Tupungato / Adobe Stock

French shipping group CMA CGM on Thursday announced it has appointed Peter Levesque to take over as president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines (APL) upon Ed Aldridge's retirement on December 6.Levesque is an international global supply chain executive with more than 30 years of industry leadership experience, who until 2021 was president of Ports America Group. Prior to Ports America, he spent 25 years based in Hong Kong and held leadership positions in international transportation…

14 Nov 2022

Bollinger Completes Acquisition of Halter Marine

(File photo: Halter Marine)

Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards announced it has completed its acquisition of Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine and neighboring repair yard ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore (STEHMO) from parent company ST Engineering North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Singaporean multinational technology, defense and engineering group ST Engineering.The deal, first announced on November 7, is said to be worth $15 million, according to ST Engineering. Bollinger, which operates 14 facilities located throughout Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico…

07 Nov 2022

Bollinger to Acquire VT Halter Marine

(File photo: VT Halter Marine)

Lockport, La. based Bollinger Shipyards announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine, Inc. and neighboring repair yard ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore (STEHMO) from parent company ST Engineering North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Singaporean multinational technology, defense and engineering group ST Engineering.The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, is said to be worth $15 million, according to ST Engineering.

27 Jul 2022

From Surface to Subsea to Space: U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Outlook 2022

The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) transit the Atlantic Ocean March 20, 2021, marking the first time a Ford-class and Italian carrier have operated together underway. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley McDowell)

As a rudderless U.S. Navy debates maritime strategy, fleet futures and platform performance, America’s naval shipbuilding industry can look forward to another year of relative stasis.Barring a major geopolitical incident or unexpected maritime provocation, government shipbuilding isn’t going to change course. With Admiral Michael Gilday approaching the final “lame duck” year of his four-year term as Chief of Naval Operations and the 2024 election season looming, the prospect for major changes in the Navy’s demand signal seems limited.Aside from the U.S.

25 May 2022

Incorrectly Installed Fuel Tubing Led to Containership Fire Off California -NTSB

An incorrectly installed section of main engine fuel oil return tubing led to an engine room fire aboard a containership off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.Marine Investigation Report 22/15 details the NTSB’s investigation of the April 28, 2021, fire aboard the containership President Eisenhower while transiting through the Santa Barbara Channel. The vessel was transiting to Oakland, California with a crew of 22. The crew extinguished the fire using the engine room’s fixed carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing system. As a result of the fire, the vessel lost propulsion and drifted for several hours before being towed to the Port of Los Angeles. No pollution or injuries were reported.

11 Mar 2022

2022 US Shipbuilding Report

Gladding Hearn is currently building four pilot boats, including a 70-foot pilot boat for the Galveston Pilots. (Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

10 Nov 2021

TOTE Group Announces Leadership Changes

(Photo: TOTE)

The TOTE Group announced it is expanding its leadership team. Mike Noone, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC is being promoted to a new role as the company’s chief operating officer for TOTE Group. Kevin D. Kendrick will be named the new president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and Alex Hofeling will be named president of TOTE Maritime Alaska, LLC.“The TOTE organization welcomes Mike to this newly created role, where he will help drive the future of our companies,” said TOTE Group President & CEO Tim Nolan.

30 Jul 2021

Halter Marine to Build Fifth U.S. Navy Berthing Barge

Halter Marine will soon deliver the first two berthing barges to the U.S. Navy. Photo courtesy of VT Halter Marine, Inc.

U.S.-based Halter Marine, an ST Engineering North America company, has been awarded a contract option for the U.S. Navy’s fifth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) 67 Class berthing and messing barge. APLs are used by the Navy to house crewmembers when ships are in port for availabilities and Inter-Deployment Training Cycles. The barges are mobile and can be towed to new bases or shipyards to support changing fleet requirements and also offer potential use for humanitarian missions and other temporary assignments.The contract award announced Friday is $41 million for a firm…

30 Oct 2020

ATSB Publishes Preliminary Report on APL England Incident

A preliminary investigation report published by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) details that a containership was rolling and pitching heavily in rough seas and high winds when it lost 50 containers overboard about 46 nautical miles south-east of Sydney in May 2020.The ongoing investigation’s preliminary report sets out the incident’s sequence of events and outlines that as the APL England travelled down the east coast of Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology issued regular forecasts regarding a complex low pressure system developing off the south-east of the country…

19 Oct 2020

Interview: Bob Merchent, CEO, Halter Marine

Robert "Bob" Merchent, president and CEO of Halter Marine (Photo: Halter Marine)

Please describe your professional background and what attracted you to your current position.In June 2020, I was named president and chief executive officer of Halter Marine. I had been retired around six years. My wife and I bought a piece of property outside of Brookhaven, Miss., and we were enjoying retired life split between our country property and our home in Gautier, Miss. Earlier this year, I was asked if I would consider a consulting role for Halter Marine, which led…

23 Sep 2020

“It’s my dream job”: One-on-one with Søren Andersen, CEO, StormGeo

When Søren Andersen took the helm at StormGeo in September 2019, it was the self-confessed “dream job” for the 23-year shipping industry veteran. Andersen came with leadership experience from the likes of A.P. Møller – Maersk, APL, and Rickmers, among others, bringing to StormGeo inside experience on how ship owners can modernize practices and procedures to quantifiably cut emissions and fuel costs.“What I saw in StormGeo was a company with the opportunity to enrich the shipping industry…

06 Aug 2020

Container Losses in the Rolling Seas

The APL England lost at least 50 containers in heavy seas off the coast of Australia in May 2020. (Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

Cargoes have come off ships at sea it seems like forever. Some years ago a ship suffered a casualty transiting the English Channel in a storm. Much of its cargo of lumber and other floating items washed ashore on the southwest English coast. Before the authorities could arrive, enterprising local residents gathered it up.Nowadays, the majority of non-bulk cargo is carried in containers. Container ships have gotten larger and are capable of carrying thousands and thousands of containers. The ships have greater length, greater breadth, and greater draft. They also have greater air draft.

19 Jun 2020

Released by Australia, Containership APL England Sails to China for Repairs

APL England without cargo in the Port of Brisbane, prior to departing for China where the ship will be repaired. (Photo: AMSA)

Singapore-flagged containership APL England, detained in Australia after losing dozens of containers off the country's southeastern coast in May, has been released and is sailing to China for repairs, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said Friday.The ship departed the Port of Brisbane without cargo and with a new master after AMSA's inspectors attended the ship and determined it is fit to sail. The ship’s previous master who is facing multiple charges relating to the incident…

07 Jul 2020

Halter Marine Launches US Navy Berthing Barge

(Photo: Halter Marine)

Over the course of several days, Halter Marine Inc. celebrated multiple milestones on the Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) program. The Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder launched the first two berthing barges, erected modules on the third barge and laid the keel on the fourth barge.In September 2018, the company received the initial contract to design and build two units, with options for four additional units. The company expects to deliver the first two APLs this fall, while the third vessel is due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2021.