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Gulf Port News

07 Jan 2024

Iran Guards Commander Challenges 'Enemy' Naval Presence in Region

© luzitanija / Adobe Stock

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed on Saturday to reach "the enemy" far and near as tensions soar on key shipping routes where Tehran’s allies have been attacking vessels."Today, we are facing an all-out battle with the enemy," said Guards commander Hossein Salami at a ceremony in the southern Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas, where the Guards' navy unveiled a new ship named "Abu Mahdi" and 100 missile launchers.Salami did not name the enemy, but 22 nations have…

03 May 2023

MARAD Awards $20.8 Million in Grants to Small Shipyards

(Photo: All American Marine)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Wednesday announced $20.8 million in grant awards to 27 small shipyards in 20 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local job opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.“Small shipyards strengthen America’s commercial fleet, bolster our economic security, and generate good jobs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud to support these shipyards reinforce their vital role in the U.S.

20 Apr 2023

Tug and Yacht Collide Near Bay St. Louis, Miss.

(File photo; Sondra-Kay Kneen / U.S. Coastguard)

Three boaters were rescued Wednesday after their yacht collided with a tug near Bay St. Louis, Miss.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Mobile received a report Wednesday of a 53-foot yacht and a tug vessel pulling two barges were involved in a collision. Sector Mobile watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Gulfport 45-foot Response Boat–Medium boatcrew to assist.The response boatcrew arrived on scene, embarked the three boaters from the yacht and transported them to Bay St.

17 Oct 2022

Maritime Autonomy Operational Seminar Launched

(Photo: Sea Machines)

A new seminar is the first maritime autonomy training program to allow the federal workforce to train on state-of-the-art, commercial, off-the-shelf autonomous technologies.Sea Machines Robotics’ in partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise in Gulfport, Miss. has developed the Maritime Autonomy Operational Seminar through USM's Center of Higher Learning at the John C. Stennis Space Center.Participants plan missions that transform USM's R/V Ken Barbor…

12 Oct 2022

Great Lakes Announced $143.5 Million in Dredging Contracts

(Photo: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, on Wednesday announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $143.5 million with open options pending award of $102.9 million.The awarded work includes:South Atlantic Division Regional Harbor Dredging 2023 Project (Maintenance, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, $26.6 million)Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point, Contract 2 Project (Coastal Protection, New York…

28 Sep 2022

Mexico Plans $4-$5 Billion LNG Hub at Gulf Port

© nikkytok / Adobe Stock

Mexico plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hub worth between $4 billion and $5 billion in the Gulf of Mexico that will help serve European demand, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.The planned LNG facility in the port of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state of Veracruz, would transport gas by boat to Europe, Lopez Obrador said."We're about to promote private sector involvement, it's going to be an investment of $4-5 billion this plant," he told a regular news conference.Lopez Obrador had previously floated the idea of an LNG plant in Coatzacoalcos, alongside

31 May 2022

Jordan's Container Port Sees Pickup in Syria- and Israel-bound Traffic

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

Jordan's only container port on the Red Sea has been capturing traffic to Syria, Israel and the West Bank as higher ocean freight costs give it an edge over closer but heavily congested Mediterranean ports, its CEO said on Tuesday.Crises from COVID-19 lockdowns to Russia's invasion of Ukraine have fed into a global supply chain crunch, with one study this month showing one-fifth of the global container ship fleet was currently stuck at various major ports.Given the current shipping backlog and ocean freight rates…

16 May 2022

USMI Names Hunt President, Bernhard CTO

Timothy Hunt has been named president of USMI. (Photo: USMI)

Timothy Hunt has been named president and Bryant Bernhard, PE, chief technology officer of boatbuilder United States Marine, Inc. (USMI).Hunt has more than 24 years of experience in the marine industry and 12 years with USMI. “Tim has my support, and that of the USMI employees, as he assumes this important role of leadership at USMI,” said John Dane, III, USMI chairman and CEO.To facilitate Hunt’s appointment, Bernhard will assume the new position of innovations efforts as the CTO. This change will ensure continued innovation at USMI, the company said.

10 Mar 2022

Dorsey Named Operations VP at Ingalls Shipbuilding

Donny Dorsey (Photo: HI)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Thursday that Donny Dorsey has been named vice president of operations at its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. Dorsey, formerly ship program manager for all DDG waterfront efforts at Ingalls Shipbuilding, replaces George Jones, who will retire April 1 after 37 years of service.“George’s expertise in shipbuilding has influenced generations of shipbuilders and the capabilities of the shipyard,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding.

01 Jun 2021

US Records Show Iran Oil Cargo Landed One Month After Ship Seizure

A cargo of 1.033 million barrels of Iranian crude oil landed on U.S. shores in March, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed, the second shipment of Iranian oil to be imported into the United States since 1991.The cargo was registered in EIA data released late last week for the month following the seizure by U.S. authorities of the Liberian-flagged tanker Achilleas, which was transporting Iranian crude.The EIA gave no other details on the Iranian cargo, and the agency could not be reached for comment outside of U.S. office hours. Monday is a holiday in the United States.The United States last recorded Iranian crude and petroleum imports of 3…

09 Apr 2021

Port of Gulfport Names Nass CEO

Jon Nass (Photo: Port of Gulfport)

The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) Board of Commissioners has named Jon Nass the new CEO and executive director of the Port of Gulfport, following a national search led by Tim McNamara, head of Odgers Berndtson’s Transportation and Infrastructure Practice in Washington, D.C. His tentative start date is June 1.“After nearly an eight-month process, the MSPA Commission is very pleased to announce we have selected a new executive director to lead the Port of Gulfport team,” said MSPA President E.J. Roberts.

15 Feb 2021

Iran Accuses U.S. of Piracy Over Oil Cargo Seizure

Iran said on Monday that a U.S. move this month to seize a cargo of oil on the grounds that it came from Tehran was an act of piracy, adding that the shipment did not belong to the Iranian government.Washington filed a lawsuit earlier this month to seize the cargo, alleging that Iran sought to mask the origin of the oil by transferring it to several vessels before it ended up aboard the Liberian-flagged Achilleas tanker destined for China.Washington said the cargo contravened U.S. terrorism regulations."This shipment does not belong to the Iranian government. It belongs to the private sector," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh…

10 Feb 2021

US Sells Illicit Iranian Fuel, Another Seized Cargo on the Way

The United States has sold more than a million barrels of Iranian fuel seized under its sanctions program last year, a Department of Justice official said, as another ship with intercepted Iranian crude oil sails to a U.S. port.The seizures are part of Washington's tough economic sanctions on Tehran imposed over its nuclear program and the U.S. designation of a number of Iranian groups as terrorists, continuing decades of rancor between the two nations. Iran rejects U.S. accusations of wrongdoing.In a new approach last year, the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump used civil forfeiture procedures to seize some 1.2 million barrels of gasoline it said were being sent from Iran to Venezuela aboard four tankers.The shipments…

02 Nov 2020

US Shipyards: Always on the Job Hunt

Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp is constantly on the lookout for quality tradesmen. (Photo: Gulf Copper)

American shipyards form an important economic engine, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs, $25.1 billion of labor income and $37.3 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD).It’s a good thing, then, that U.S. shipyards were deemed essential businesses amid COVID-19 and have remained up and running throughout the pandemic. And it’s even better that most yards have been able to keep their workers employed despite less than stable market conditions…

12 Oct 2020

Port Security: Autonomous ANTX

Graphic representation of the exercise; met-ocean data collection operations running concurrently with simulated threats, detection and mitigation assets. Image from ION.

Geophysical seismic surveys and port security may appear to have little in-common. However, it turns out that managing complex marine seismic operations, where 10km-long seismic streamers have to be deployed harmoniously alongside other offshore marine assets, isn’t that dissimilar to managing – and protecting – port facilities.It's an area that ION Geophysical, more known for seismic data acquisition technology, has recently been proving its expertise in, using its Marlin system for marine operations management.

05 Oct 2020

Chouest to Build Damen-designed Tug Pair

(Image: Damen)

Damen Shipyards Group has been awarded a contract to design a new offshore terminal tug for Edison Chouest Offshore. Chouest will initially build two ASD Tugs 5016 at its Gulf Ship yard in Gulfport, Miss., for completion by May 2022.Damen said it has designed the 50-meter ASD Tug 5016 to provide escort, hold-back, hose-handling and maintenance duties offshore Guyana. The tug will deliver 120 tons of static bollard pull delivered by twin C-280 engines. It will also have a hybrid system that will be engaged when loitering.

15 Sep 2020

Offshore Oil Wells, Ports Shut as Hurricane Sally Advances on U.S. Gulf

Hurricane Sally (Photo: NOAA)

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S. government said 21%…

08 Sep 2020

Iranian Fuel Seized by US to Reach Texas Within Days

Iranian fuel that the United States seized last month while it was being transported to Venezuela is now being taken to Texas by two tankers due to arrive in coming days, part of Washington’s efforts to disrupt trade between Caracas and Tehran, according to sources and data.The first fuel cargo, on Liberia-flagged tanker Euroforce, was to arrive in Texas in the coming 24 hours, the sources said. It is broadcasting the U.S. Gulf port of Galveston as destination, according to shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.The second cargo on Singapore-flagged tanker Maersk Progress tanker, is expected to arrive on Sep 19 to Houston port, the Eikon data showed.Eurotankers and Maersk Tankers, which manage the two vessels, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The U.S.

17 Aug 2020

Eastern Delivers Tug to Bisso Offshore

A. Thomas Higgins (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

Eastern Shipbuilding Group said it has delivered the second of two 80-foot, 5,100-horsepower Z-drive tugs for Bisso Offshore, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son of New Orleans, La.Following delivery on June 11, the newbuild ship-handling tug A. Thomas Higgins completed its bollard pull testing witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and received its USCG Sub-M Certificate of Inspection (COI). In addition to  A. Thomas Higgins, E.N. Bisso has taken delivery of five previous modern Z-drive ship assist tugs from Eastern from 2007, including Josephine Anne, Beverly B, Elizabeth B, Archie T.

14 Jul 2020

USMI’s Family Recipe

Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen conduct a Maritime External Air Transportation System training evolution in Moses Lake, Wash. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Prows)

Barry Dreyfus Jr., CEO of United States Marine Inc. (USMI), doesn’t keep the recipe to his company’s success a secret. In fact, it’s displayed plainly for all to see on the homepage of USMI’s website: family, integrity and quality. These have been cornerstones of the 36-year-old firm, today regarded as one of the nation’s premier military small craft builders.Headquartered in Gulfport, Miss., with a maintenance/repair facility in Chesapeake, Va., USMI is a fully integrated manufacturer of military, patrol and special warfare boats available in lengths from 21 feet to 90 feet.

20 May 2020

Daniels Tapped to Lead Port Everglades

Jonathan Daniels will be the new Chief Executive & Port Director at Port Everglades.

Port of Gulfport (Mississippi) executive director Jonathan Daniels will move east and take the top spot as the Chief Executive & Port Director at Port Everglades, as announed by Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry. Broward’s seaport is a gateway for cargo, cruise and petroleum that is undergoing a $1.6 billion port expansion effort. Daniels comes to Port Everglades from the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi where he has been the executive director since 2013.In addition to his maritime experience in Gulfport…

13 Apr 2020

USMI Awarded Contract to Build Special Ops Vesels

United States Marine, Inc. (USMI) has been awarded a $108 million contract to produce vessels for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).The Gulfport, Miss. based shipbuilder will use the five-year, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contact to build combatant craft assault vessels to support the USSOCOM missions around the world.USMI Chief Executive Office Barry Dreyfus, Jr., indicated the contract would allow the company to retain and possibly expand its workforce.“USMI looks forward to continuing our work on behalf of the warfighter and we appreciate the confidence the United States Special Operations Command continues to have in us. We are also proud to work with the tremendous members and Staff of the Mississippi delegation.

14 Feb 2020

US Ports Get More Than $280 Mln in MARAD Grants

© John McQuiston / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced that it has awarded more than $280 million in discretionary grant funding through the new Port Infrastructure Development Program. This funding is designed to improve port facilities at or near coastal seaports.The Port Infrastructure Development Program supports efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve facility and freight infrastructure to ensure our nation’s freight transportation needs, present and future, are met.