Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Boston Harbor News

27 Sep 2023

Crewmember Dies After Falling from Tanker Near Boston

© Blair Hake / Adobe Stock

A crewmember has died after falling overboard from a tanker vessel near Boston.A frantic search commenced shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday in response to a mayday call from the Singapore-registered MTM Dublin, which reported the mariner had fallen overboard.The man had reportedly been swept into the sea while a ladder was being lowered for the boarding of a Boston Harbor pilot, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.The search was performed in rough sea conditions near Boston Harbor…

17 May 2023

Boston Fire Department Orders Newbuild from Moose Boats

(Image: Moose Boats)

Vallejo, Calif. boatbuilder Moose Boats announced it has been selected to build a custom dive boat for the Boston Fire Department’s Special Operations Dive Team. The model M1 will be 46 feet long and powered by two Cummins QSC 8.3-liter engines delivering 1,200 horsepower.According to Boston Fire’s Captain Doug Felton, “The Boston Fire Department is looking forward to upgrading our current Dive Team boat to a Moose Boats, M1. The M1 will allow us to operate a dive boat year-round, as opposed to our current seasonal asset.

16 Aug 2021

Marine Autonomy: The Future is Being Revealed

Foss ASD 90 class tractor tug (Photo: Foss Maritime)

Automation, where routine tasks are handled by machines, has been talked about throughout maritime sectors for much of the 21st Century. Initially touted by suppliers of engine room and bridge management systems for its cost savings (with reduced manning levels), its value proposition was then infused with risk management (reduced human error) and remote operations, where vessels could be managed from a shoreside control room. In early 2017, Rolls Royce —an early proponent of unmanned operations—teamed with tug operator Svitzer on a remotely operated vessel…

27 Jan 2021

Boston Harbor Phase II Dredging Wraps Up Ahead of Schedule

(Photo: Cashman Dredging)

New England’s busiest port moves closer to welcoming larger containerships and growing the regional economy with the completion of the second phase of a three-part dredging program last month, nearly one year ahead of schedule.Cashman Dredging and JV partner The Dutra Group began Phase II of the U.S. Army Corps’ Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project in July of 2018. The recently completed phase, focused on deepening the main ship channels (the Outer Harbor Channel from 40 to 51 feet…

12 Feb 2020

Dredging at the Forefront of Corps' 2020 Work Plan

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' FY2020 Work Plan release on Monday places dredging at the forefront.“We welcome the FY 2020 Work Plan released by the Army Corps,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “We’re ready – our dredging companies are hard at work on projects and continue to build new dredging ships for America’s ports, waterways and beaches.”The Work Plan is based on the FY2020 Energy and Water Development appropriations bills signed into law by President Trump in December 2019.In December 2019…

27 Nov 2019

DOMESTIC DREDGING: U.S. Ports Require a Diverse Fleet

Image: CREDIT Cashman Dredging

The reasons for that are many and these realities cater to regulatory, commercial and regional needs.The U.S. dredging market is complex and relies on the diverse fleet of private dredging companies to get the job done. In addition to design and technical capabilities, environmental restrictions and regulations often dictate whether a trailing suction hopper dredge, cutter suction dredge, or mechanical dredge can respond to the coastal protection, wetland restoration, port deepening, and channel maintenance needs of the Nation.

14 Nov 2019

Blue Atlantic Fabricators Wins Manufacturing Award

From left to right: Michael Julian, Rep. Adrian Madaro, Karl Julian (Photo: Blue Atlantic Fabricators)

Maritime focused steel and aluminum fabrication specialist Blue Atlantic Fabricators said it has been awarded as 2019 Manufacturer of the Year by the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership.Formed in August 2014, the Manufacturing Caucus and Annual Manufacturing Awards includes more than 60 legislators from around the state of Massachusetts. Lawmakers focus on training for manufacturing employees; encouraging innovation by helping start-ups access resources; and expanding education and apprenticeship opportunities in key manufacturing centers.

04 Nov 2019

Boston’s Conley Terminal Receives Two New RTG Cranes

Photo: Massachusetts Port Authority

On Saturday, November 2nd, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) received two new rubber-tired gantries (RTGs), increasing the number of RTGs at the Paul W. Conley Container Terminal to 16. Adding equipment is part of an $850 million investment to keep Conley Terminal competitive and efficient with truck turntimes averaging under 35 minutes. Another two RTGs were also delivered back in May. The Port of Boston contributes over $8 billion to the regional economy and supports more than 9,000 direct jobs.

14 Oct 2019

INSIGHTS: Michael G. Johnson

Michael G. johnson, Sea Machines CEO & President

Sea Machines Robotics CEO & President.Michael Gordon Johnson is a marine engineer, an accomplished entrepreneur and sector leader with a primary goal of building progressive and sustainable innovation for modern society. He is the founder of Sea Machines, a Boston-based tech company that is a leading provider of autonomous control and intelligent perception systems for marine vessels. Johnson earned a marine engineering degree from Texas A&M University before starting a career focused on complex projects in offshore oil and gas, marine transportation and salvage.

20 Sep 2019

GLDD Wins $141Mln Across Several Awards

The American company providing construction services in dredging and land reclamation, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD) announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $141 million.The North America's dredging industry leader said in a release that  awarded work includes: Jacksonville Deepening Contract B Option (Capital Deepening, Florida, $96.6 million); Baltimore Harbor (Maintenance, Maryland, $38.4 million) and Boston Harbor (Maintenance, Massachusetts, $5.6 million).The base scope for the Jacksonville Deepening Contract B was won in 2018 and the option work is a continuation of channel deepening an additional 2.5 miles upriver.

28 Aug 2019

Dutra Launches Hydraulic Dump Scow

Photo courtesy of DCA

On August 20, 2019, Dutra’s new Jones Act built Hydraulic Dump Scow ES15 was successfully launched, christened, commissioned and will finish sea trials and additional testing this week. Next week the ES15 will head to Massachusetts to to work on the Boston Harbor Deepening Project.ES15 is a 6,000cy Hydraulic Dump Scow built in Corn Island Shipyard in Grandview, Indiana, located at 734 Mile Marker on the Ohio River. Departing from Corn Island, IN  on August 27, 2019, the vessel will head south on the Ohio River…

16 Aug 2019

Ferry Runs Aground in Boston Harbor

Coast Guard Station Point Allerton crew members respond during the grounding of the ferry Lightening in Boston Harbor, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Station Point Allerton)

Four people were injured Friday morning when a Boston-bound ferry ran aground off Long Island in Boston Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At approximately 7:45 a.m., J.P. Vega, operations manager for Boston Harbor Cruises, reported to Coast Guard watchstanders that the ferry Lightening ran aground with 84 people aboard.The Coast Guard said it launched rescue crews from Station Boston and Point Allerton to assist in the response alongside state and local partner agencies.The four…

28 Jul 2019

Port of Boston Sets New Record

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced another record year for the Port of Boston’s Paul W. Conley Container Terminal.From July 2018 through June 2019, Conley handled 307,331 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) – an 8% increase in cargo volumes over FY2018 and a new all-time record for the fifth consecutive year. Total imports also rose by 12% over FY18 to 152,960 TEUs in advance of pending tariffs.“We are proud of Conley’s continued growth and success, which reflect the region’s strong economy and Conley’s high levels of productivity,” said Acting Port Director Mike Meyran.“For FY2020, we will continue to make smart infrastructure…

30 Jun 2019

Massport Board Appoints New CEO

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) picked its port director, Lisa Wieland, to be its next Chief Executive Officer(CEO), bypassing the other finalist, a member of the city's power elite, for one of the most influential public-sector jobs in the state.Board of Directors voted to offer Wieland the position of CEO and Executive Director for a five-year term. Contract negotiations will occur at a later date.The search firm Isaacson, Miller sought a diverse candidate pool for the position and more than 100 applications were received. Members of the Board’s Preliminary Screening Committee interviewed 10 semifinalists, of which five were women and three were people of color.

19 Mar 2019

$35M for Boston Harbor Dredging Project

Photo: Courtesy Massachusetts Port Authority

The Massachusetts Port Authority announced that $35 million has been secured to help fund the ongoing Boston Harbor Dredging Project. The project is approximately 30 percent complete, and this funding will enable the project to continue on schedule.The project is a $350 million partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Massport. The maintenance dredging of the inner harbor was completed in December of 2017. The deepening of the main ship channels began in July 2018 to accommodate the large container vessels calling today and in the future.

11 Jan 2019

Blue Atlantic Fabricators Launches Lovejoy Wharf Ferry & Water Taxi Dock

Boston Harbor Cruises’ new subsidiary is building for Massachusetts in the Commonwealth.Blue Atlantic Fabricators of East Boston, MA announces the fabrication and launch of a 50 ton, 20ft x 80ft floating dock to be located at Lovejoy Wharf in Boston. This all-steel dock, will be the facility for privately-run ferry and water taxi service between Lovejoy Wharf and Boston’s Seaport District, offering both bow-loading and side loading capabilities.Blue Atlantic Fabricators built the floating dock for C. White Marine, Inc. who, as general marine contractor for developer Related Beal, will finish and install the docking system at the multiuse Lovejoy Wharf property.

05 Dec 2018

Coast Guard, Agency Partners Locate Sunken Barge off Nahant

Coast Guard and local agency partners worked together to locate the sunken barge off Nahant. (USCG image)

The Coast Guard and partner agencies located the missing barge, Dredge 200, Wednesday after it capsized and sank earlier this week in Broad Sound approximately two miles southeast of Nahant.The barge's location was confirmed by a contracted company using multi-beam sonar just north of the North Channel, the major shipping lane into Boston Harbor, in approximately 100-feet of water.Close coordination with the Boston Harbor Pilots was crucial to ensure maritime commerce impacts…

03 Dec 2018

Coast Guard Urges Caution after Barge Capsizes near Nahant

The Coast Guard is warning mariners to use caution and avoid the North and South Boston Main Channels after a barge carrying construction equipment capsized and possibly sank Sunday night approximately two miles southeast of Nahant.The captain of tug boat Big Jake notified the Coast Guard at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Sunday that two of five barges they were towing had broken free and were adrift. Crew members from Coast Guard Station Point Allerton and Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo responded to the scene along with the tug boats Smith Predator, Justice, and Kendall J. Hebert.While Big Jake was being escorted to Hull two more barges broke free bringing the total number of adrift barges to four.The three tug boats each located a barge and brought them to safe havens.

17 Aug 2018

Water Taxi Strikes Sailboat in Boston

A Coast Guard Station Boston 45-foot response boat crew stands by at Long Wharf in Boston, Thursday, August 16 after responding to a collision between a water taxi and sailboat in Boston Harbor. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Andrew Barresi)

A water taxi collided with a sailboat on a mooring ball Thursday afternoon near Long Wharf in Boston Harbor.Only one minor injury was reported, and the patient was treated and released at the scene.A U.S. Coast Guard Station Boston rescue crew along with the Boston Fire Department, Boston Police Department, and Massachusetts Environmental Police all responded to the scene at around 5 p.m.The water taxi had one operator and seven passengers. One passenger sustained a minor injury to his nose and was treated at the scene.

22 Jun 2018

Second Fast Ferry Delivered in Massachusetts

M/V Glory (Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

The second of two new high-speed catamarans from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding has been delivered to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA).Funded by a grant from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), M/V Glory will pair with her sister-ship to provide year-round commuter service in Boston Harbor, replacing the high-speed ferries built by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard in 1997.Designed by Incat Crowther, the all-aluminum ferry is 88.7 feet LOA, 28.8 feet abeam, and draws approximately four feet loaded.

21 Mar 2018

American Pride: Working Hard in the US Dredging Industry

World Marine of Alabama (WMA) completed work on a contract valued at over $14 million to drydock and repair the Dredge Wheeler, a hopper dredge owned and operated by the USACE. (Photo: WMA)

We have had a great first couple of months at the Dredging Contractors of America. As the new CEO and Executive Director, I have begun to visit the companies, their facilities and associated dredging projects. So far, I have surveyed the beach re-nourishment project in Ocean City, Md. undertaken by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock. I’ve canvassed Weeks Marine’s repair and yard facility in Jersey City, N.J. In the last week of February, I visited Mike Hooks Inc.’s corporate headquarters and boatbuilding and repair yard in West Lake, La.

14 Feb 2018

Interview: Alison Nolan, GM, Boston Harbor Cruises

Alison Nolan, General Manager and a fourth-generation owner of Boston Harbor Cruises (Photo: BHC)

Alison Nolan is General Manager and a fourth-generation owner of Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), a company that moves more than 2.5 million passengers annually on its fleet of 60 vessels with more than 600 daily departures seven ports and more than 30 facilities. But the story of BHC and Alison Nolan transcends raw numbers; as the company and passenger vessel industry are in her DNA, more of a lifestyle than a career. She spoke with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently to address the rewards and challenges inherent in her position.

29 Dec 2017

Best Workboats of 2017

Marine News showcases the best of North America’s 2017 workboat deliveries. There is something for everyone. Notwithstanding the lingering offshore energy downturn, there were plenty of bright spots for North American shipyards in 2017. If a hull was delivered in 2017, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For starters, it is always exciting when a domestic yard delivers a vessel – or multiple vessels, for that matter – to foreign buyers. We can compete in a foreign arena; on price, quality and on-time delivery. This year was no different. No less important is the environmental footprint of a vessel, and there was plenty to report on from that angle in the past 12 months. The domestic waterfront is indeed getting greener and cleaner.