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Honduras News

27 Mar 2024

Pilot Called for Tugboat Help Before Baltimore Bridge Disaster

Source: US Army Corps of Engineers

The pilot of the container ship that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder.The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more…

27 Mar 2024

Divers Recover Two Bodies After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of two of the six workers missing since they were tossed into Baltimore Harbor from a highway bridge that collapsed into shipping lanes when a faltering cargo freighter rammed into the structure, officials said on Wednesday.The bodies were pulled from the mouth of the Patapsco River a day after the massive container ship lost power and its ability to maneuver before plowing into a support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, knocking…

06 Sep 2023

15 Nations Sign Beijing Convention

Source: CMI

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (also known as the Beijing Convention) was signed by 15 nations and regions at a signing ceremony in Beijing on September 5, 2023.Signatories were: China, Burkino Faso, Comoros, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland and Syria. It will come into force when it is ratified by three state parties. The Convention…

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…

16 May 2023

Asian Shipowners’ Association Calls for Action on Seafarer Safety

© remipiotrowski / Adobe Stock

The Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) held its 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 16 in Shanghai with focus of much of the discussion on the safety of seafarers.The meeting was hosted by the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA) and attended by more than 230 representatives from ASA Ordinary/Associate members.The ASA said that unfair treatment of seafarers has a severe impact on seafarers' physical and mental well-being and a damaging effect on the image of the shipping industry and its ability to attract and retain qualified seafarers.

13 Mar 2023

Seaboard Marine Adds First LNG Vessel to its Fleet

Seaboard Marine's newly acquired LNG dual fuel containership Seaboard Blue was bunkered with LNG at PortMiami. (Photo: Seaboard Marine)

U.S.-based Seaboard Marine announced it has acquired its first vessel fueled by cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG).The 1,000 TEU Seaboard Blue, previously known as the Elbblue, was retrofitted in 2017 with the capability of running on both LNG and diesel fuel. The vessel was the world’s first containership converted from conventional diesel propulsion to LNG.The vessel, now part of Seaboard Marine’s North Central America service, called and bunkered at PortMiami on Monday…

19 Sep 2022

Eastern Pacific Shipping Orders Four LNG Containerships for Crowley Charter

From L-R: Fredrik Gloersen, MD Newbuilding Clasrksons; Thoger Bering, Charterting Containerland Chartering; Shin Hyun-Dae, Chairman, President & CEO HHI Mipo; Tucker C. Gilliam, VP Marine Assets Crowley; Dean Sahr, Manager of New Constructions and LNG Engineering Crowley; Thomas Preben Hansen, Commercial Director Containerships EPS; Capt. Gardiner F. Nealon, Director Crowley; Dan Kwek Manager of Sales & Purchase EPS; Sei Heung Won, SEVP Production Management Department HHI Mipo (Photo: EPS)

Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) said it has secured a contract from U.S.-based Crowley for the charter of four dual fuel liquified natural gas (LNG) powered containership newbuilds.The 1,400-TEU vessels, which will be built by South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for delivery in 2025, will be deployed on Crowley’s U.S.-Central America trade connecting U.S. markets to Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Each ship will feature 300 refrigerated unit plugs.Using LNG significantly lowers vessel greenhouse gas emissions…

06 Dec 2021

Norwegian Cruise Ship Detects Probable Case of Omicron Variant

© RedBridge / Adobe Stock

A probable case of the Omicron variant has been identified in a crew member of a Norwegian Cruise ship that reached New Orleans on Sunday after detecting COVID-19 among some crew and guests, the Louisiana Department of Health said.The probable case was found among 10 people who tested positive for the virus on Saturday, the health agency said in a tweet on Sunday.Another seven cases have since been reported, it added, taking the total number of cases among passengers and crew of Norwegian Breakaway…

01 Nov 2021

Denmark, US and 12 Other Nations Back Tougher Climate Goal for Shipping

© diegocardini / Adobe Stock

Denmark, the United States and 12 other countries on Monday backed a goal to reduce emissions by the global maritime sector to zero by 2050, a target to be fleshed out in negotiations at the United Nations shipping agency.The initiative, led by Denmark and announced on the sidelines of the U.N. COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, aims to build support among countries for the goal at the International Maritime Organization, which is considering new emissions-cutting measures…

29 Oct 2021

SAAM Towage Inks Service Deal with Caterpillar Marine

(Photo: SAAM Towage)

SAAM Towage and Caterpillar Marine signed a global services agreement aiming to help boost the efficiency of the fleet of tugs operated by the Americas towage services provider. This will be accomplished using digital solutions for planned and preventative maintenance.According to SAAM’s Technical Manager, Pablo Cáceres, “This partnership will let us continue to focus on providing safe, efficient and more environmentally friendly services. It will also strengthen our digital transformation strategy.”The agreement calls for ongoing review of more than 200 Cat engines…

09 Jun 2021

The Navy’s Big Fleet of Small Boats

The U.S. Navy’s Mark VI class patrol boat is designed to patrol riverine and littoral waters around the globe. (Photo: Nelson Doromal Jr / U.S. Navy)

The Navy is known for its big ships. It has a lot of smaller boats and craft, too—3,200 of them.The three primary stakeholders for these craft are the Surface Fleet, Commander Navy Installations Command and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Other stakeholders include Submarine Forces; Air Forces (which own the aircraft carriers); Naval Special Warfare; the Coast Guard; Naval Facilities Command and the Naval Warfare Centers.Boats and craft are procured and managed by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships)…

21 Aug 2020

Two Storms Head for US Gulf in Rare Hurricane Season Event

(Image: NOAA)

A pair of tropical cyclones forecast to become hurricanes early next week are headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast and will spin over the Gulf's warm waters simultaneously, a rare weather event that could cause massive disruption as they make landfall.The last time two cyclones entered the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was in 1959, according to meteorologists interviewed by Reuters, and there have only been a handful of other occasions when two storms entered the Gulf simultaneously. In 1933, a Category 3 hurricane and moderate tropical storm hit the U.S.

28 Jan 2020

CaribX Ups Stake in Cape Licence Off Honduras

The Central American and Caribbean specialist exploration company CaribX said that it is increasing its share of the Main Cape Operating contract in Honduras.Following government approval CaribX will hold a 55% interest in the highly prospective licence area.CEO Rory Scott Russell said: "We are pleased to have closed this latest round of funding and delighted to have such a highly qualified and experienced group of explorers and entrepreneurs joining the company. Attracting the team behind Sierra and the giant Zama discovery demonstrates the enormous potential offshore Honduras, and in the region, as well as the subsurface similarities to the super-giant oil fields of Mexico."Rory added: "Combined with Armando Zamora’s experience with regulatory and government affairs…

19 Jan 2020

SAAM Acquires Intertug

Chilean logistics company SAAM has struck a deal to buy Intertug Investment Holding, a towage services company with operations in Colombia, Mexico and Honduras.SAAM will spend $54.5 million for 70% of Intertug, based on an enterprise value of $98 million, and carry out the acquisition through a capital increase and a share purchase, it said in a stock market exchange announcement.Intertug's 25-vessel fleet logs more than 18,000 maneuvers a year, generating around US$44 million in towage service revenue annually.The partnership with Intertug allows us to enter Colombia, one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America, and to reinforce our presence in Mexico and Central America…

05 Nov 2019

SOLAS Training in S. America

International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s most important ship safety treaty – SOLAS – provides for safe merchant shipping, covering a wide variety of topics, from ship construction to fire protection, to life-saving appliances and cargo carriage.SOLAS generally applies only to ships above a certain size which make international voyages, but IMO’s efforts to improve ship safety go further – extending to so-called “non-SOLAS” vessels. These include fishing vessels, domestic ferries, private yachts and small cargo vessels under 500 gross tonnage.To help enhance safety of such vessels in Central and South America, IMO organized a regional training course on non-SOLAS ship inspections…

04 Nov 2019

IMO Organizes Training on SOLAS

International Maritime Organization (IMO) ’s most important ship safety treaty – SOLAS – provides for safe merchant shipping, covering a wide variety of topics, from ship construction to fire protection, to life-saving appliances and cargo carriage.According to the UN body, SOLAS generally applies only to ships above a certain size which make international voyages, but IMO’s efforts to improve ship safety go further – extending to so-called “non-SOLAS” vessels. These include fishing vessels, domestic ferries, private yachts and small cargo vessels under 500 gross tonnage.To help enhance safety of such vessels in Central and South America…

14 Oct 2019

Mexico Ratifies IMO Legal Conventions

The maritime authorities of the Government of Mexico have agreed to place a high priority on ratifying three important  International Maritime Organization (IMO) legal conventions, following a workshop in Mexico City.Mexico has said it will work towards ratifying the 2003 Fund Protocol, the 2001 Bunkers Convention and the 2007 Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention. It will also consider accession to the 2010 HNS Convention. The Governments of Guatemala and Honduras expressed similar intent.Both the Fund Protocol and the Bunkers Convention deal with compensation following oil spills from ships. Together with the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions…

13 Oct 2019

Workshop on Safe Handling Dangerous Goods

A  variety of important measures must be applied to transport dangerous goods in packaged form and solid bulk by ship safely, says  International Maritime Organization (IMO).According to the UN body, these include correct identification, classification, packaging, labelling, handling, storage, loading, stowage, unloading and transport.These measures are covered by IMO’s International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG) and the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargo Code (IMSBC) – the subject of an IMO training workshop underway in San José, Costa Rica (7-11 October).The training is enabling participants from a number of Central and South America countries - Costa Rica…

24 Sep 2019

Latin America Empowers Maritime Women

International Maritime Organization (IMO), with support from Malaysia, has given fresh impetus to an important regional network helping to promote women in the maritime community in Latin America.At a meeting in Colombia, (18-20 September 2019), the network of Women of the Maritime Authorities of Latin America (MAMLa) was put on a firm foundation. Maritime Authorities include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama and Peru.Some forty participants from 17 Maritime Authorities from the region established a governance and membership structure…

28 Aug 2019

ICTSI in Talks with Honduran Govt

The global port management company, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said that its Honduran unit  Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC) is in talks with the government of Honduras to improve the facilities at Puerto Cortes, Central America 4’s (CA-4).Puerto Cortes, Central America 4’s (CA-4) largest port operated by OPC, can expect faster cargo movement in and around the terminal with OPC beefing up its partnership with Honduran authorities for improved and more efficient port services, said a statement."OPC is working with the Honduran government and Puerto Cortés authorities to enhance the port’s competitiveness and better serve its customers in the four-nation CA-4, comprising Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

07 May 2019

U.S. to Deploy Hospital Ship to Venezuela

USNS Comfort  (Photo courtesy of MSC)

As tensions with Venezuela mount, the United States is planning to announce on Tuesday the deployment of a military hospital ship to the region, U.S. officials say, in the latest sign of the Pentagon's limited, and targeted, involvement in the crisis.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify where in the region the ship would travel to. Last year, a hospital ship -- the USNS Comfort -- cared for Venezuelan refugees and others as it stopped in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Honduras.The U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S.

08 Mar 2019

Workshop on Maritime Admin in C. America

A regional workshop has provided senior maritime administration officials in Central America with the latest information on current and future developments at International Maritime Organization (IMO).The training was organized by IMO and the Central American Commission on Maritime Transport (COCATRAM) in Medellin, Colombia (4-6 March), said a press note from the UN Body.The 24 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution.The participants were from Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

22 Oct 2018

Marshall Islands Confirms No Class Certificate Surcharge

International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) announced that the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry will not levy surcharges and commissions on vessel documents and certificates issued on its behalf by the classification societies."The RMI Registry will continue to provide its clients with a transparent pricing structure for the issuance of key certificates needed by shipowners," it said in a statement.Bill Gallagher, President of IRI, which provides administrative and technical support to the RMI Registry, said, "Over the past days, we have had discussions with several of the major classification societies concerning flag state surcharges on the issuance of class documents and statutory certificates.