John Parker News

Companies from across the U.K. maritime sector and numerous government departments are coming together to develop a vision for making the country a global center of excellence for cruise lines looking to repair and refit their vessels.Britain’s maritime engineering industry already feeds into the cruise industry but sees significant untapped economic opportunity within the £2.36 billion global market for cruise ship refit and repair, particularly as demand for cruises rebounds…

A new partnership between Cammell Laird and BAE Systems aims to position the companies to build five Type 31e Frigates for the U.K. Royal Navy. The Teaming Agreement has been formed in response to the U.K. Ministry of Defense Request for Information and will now be part of a competitive tender process. Under the agreement, Cammell Laird will act as Prime Contractor to build the Type 31e Frigates with BAE Systems providing warship design, engineering capability and combat systems expertise.

British shipbuilder, and diverse engineering service provider, Cammell Laird has welcomed Sir Michael Fallon Secretary of State for Defence on a visit to the yard. The company said during the visit it intends to design and build a world leading Type 31 Frigate that will meet the Royal Navy’s specification and budget and will market the platform globally and capitalize on major export opportunities to Britain’s international allies around the world. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret CBE said it is ‘ready…

John Parker Conrad, Sr., founder of Conrad Shipyard, died peacefully on July 6 surrounded by family and friends at his home in Morgan City, La. He was 101 years old. A shipbuilding pioneer and a legend along the Gulf of Mexico coast and beyond, Parker founded Conrad Industries in 1948. Conrad now has five shipyards along the Louisiana-Texas coast. From age 12 to age 17, Parker trained as a Christian Brother, which formed in him a deeply rooted and lifelong commitment to others.

British shipyard and engineering company Cammell Laird said it plans to unleash an “aggressive exports drive” in 2017 after one of its busiest years for commercial marine work, which saw it land the biggest shipbuilding project in the U.K. for a generation. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret said the winning of the £150 million contract to build the Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel for the U.K. Government “threw open” a new global market to build a range of high value polar vessels from research to cruise ships.

Port Metro Vancouver said on Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of Canada's biggest port, continued to smolder at the container yard just east of downtown Vancouver. "Fire officials have isolated the fire and continue to monitor the container," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement, adding that there is an 100 meter (330 feet) exclusion zone in place around the burning container. He added that operations had resumed at all other port facilities on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

A chemical fire at a Vancouver container terminal led to a partial evacuation of Canada’s largest port for several hours Wednesday afternoon, as a cloud of white smoke drifting over the city prompted health warnings and road closures, says Canadian Press. "All south shore of the Burrard inlet port operations have been shut down, including rail and truck access," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement. The burning container contains trichloroisocyanuric acid, a hazardous organic compound commonly used as an industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent, he added. The Port evacuated its Centerm terminal, which is operated by DP World Vancouver, and nearby port properties.

Port Metro Vancouver official John Parker-Jervis informed that the program is already launched. The monitoring stations will provide information on noise for a five-year period, from 2015 to 2020. The port want to identify the problem areas and use the information to find what can be done in terms of mitigation. He said the system will be able to determine how much noise in an area could be attributed to port operations compared to other community noise sources. Noise complaints have shown a steady increase since 2009.

The gridlock at U.S. West Coast ports that has forced McDonald's to ration French fries at its Japanese restaurants and interrupted supplies to retailers such as Lululemon is unlikely to be alleviated by routing cargoes through Canada, whose Pacific ports face their own problems. Capacity is already limited at Canada's largest port, Port Metro Vancouver, which is also staring at the possibility of another crippling strike by container truck drivers. Tensions are mounting as talks to resolve longstanding complaints at the port drag on between government…

U.S. merchants face delays of as much as a week to ship cotton from major West Coast ports, threatening exports to China, the world's largest textile market, ahead of a key Chinese deadline at month's end for imports to arrive. Congestion has plagued West Coast ports for months, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, which are the two busiest container ports in the United States and together make up the top hub for U.S. cotton exports. The delays result from shortages of key equipment and an increase in container sizes, and are happening as labor negotiations drag on at the ports. While the congestion has eased since the end of the retail crunch last month, it has reached a critical point for the troubled cotton industry.

BMT subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region have been awarded a contract to provide design expertise for an advanced bulk-material handling system for the emerging port of Samalaju in East Malaysia. Samalaju Port is being developed by Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd as part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy at an investment of approximately $550 million. Companies involved in silicon, manganese, aluminium, ferroalloy, phosphate and coke processing have been drawn to the area to benefit from the cheap energy available.

The Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), a professional association representing oil spill removal organizations (OSRO), spill managers, qualified individuals, consultants, equipment and material manufacturers, distributors, insurers, and educational and governmental organizations, announced the appointment of three new SCAA Directors and the renewal of a fourth Director for another two-year term. The appointments were announced at the Annual Meeting on March 8 in Alexandria, Va.

VT Group has finalized its shipbuilding joint venture with BAE Systems. Under the agreement -- the terms of which are substantially unchanged from those set out in the framework agreement in July 2007 -- the BVT Surface Fleet Ltd joint venture will be owned 45 percent by VT and 55 percent by BAE Systems. The joint venture, under which VT has an option to sell its stake to BAE for at least $745 million, is key to VT's attempts to focus entirely on support services, leaving behind its origins as a shipbuilder, Reuters said. Last July, gave the go-ahead for plans to build two aircraft carriers, triggering the deal to merge operations at BAE and VT, 's two largest shipbuilders.

The AP has reported that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. said it has agreed to a $6.3 billion offer from Singapore port operator PSA International -- a switch of alliances that is likely to spark a bidding war for the 165-year-old British maritime icon. The approach from PSA trumped a 3.3 billion pound ($5.9 billion) cash offer from government-owned Dubai Ports World that P&O agreed to in November. P&O Chairman John Parker noted that the 470 pence ($8.40) per share offer from PSA, which would make the combined company the world's largest ports operator, was a 6 percent premium on the 443 pence ($7.91) offered by DP World. Shares in P&O were trading above both offers Thursday, up 1.8 percent at 516.25 pence ($9.22).