Media Coverage News

Jennifer Carpenter joined The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry, in August 1990 and became its president and CEO in January 2020. She highlights some of the greatest focus areas for the 80-year-old trade group—simultaneously looking at both the present day and the road ahead.The towboat, tug and barge industry is in a period of rapid evolution. How is AWO—now in its 80th year…

There is no shortage of challenges confronting the U.S. barging industry, and executives such as Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), are leading their companies past hurdle after hurdle. The Jeffersonville, Ind.-based company, which owns a fleet of approximately 150 towboats and moves a fleet of some 4,500 barges (including roughly 3,500 operated by ACBL), is focusing on factors it can control while planning and investing for the future.The weatherMother Nature is often unkind to the barging industry.

Lloyd's Register has told India's Gatik Ship Management, which has become a major carrier of Russian oil since the Ukraine war, that it will withdraw certification of 21 of its vessels by June 3, the maritime services company told Reuters.It is the latest setback for Gatik, which was also been forced to find new flags for 36 of its ships after they were deflagged by the St. Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry."Lloyd's Register is committed to facilitating compliance with sanctions regulations on the trading of Russian oil," it said in an email to Reuters.

Most of the media coverage of offshore wind development in the United States focuses on the leases of the offshore areas where the wind turbines will be located. However, equally important is the landside dimension of these projects, including the manufacture, installation, maintenance and operation of the turbines. Several awards made in the last two rounds of funding under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) show how offshore wind now offers an additional direction of port development for which funding is available.

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

Shipbuilder and designer Ulstein is looking to take its revolutionary Thorium powered vessel concept from the drawing board to the deep blue sea. Is this the solution that industry, and society, have been searching for to enable a truly sustainable maritime future?Everything about the launch of ULSTEIN THOR was unexpected.The vessel concept, a 149m 3R (Replenishment, Research and Rescue) design with a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), took the industry, and wider society, by surprise.

Docked at a Canadian port, crew members returned from a test run of the Ocean Cleanup's system to rid the Pacific of plastic trash were thrilled by the meager results — even as marine scientists and other ocean experts doubted the effort could succeed.The non-profit, launched in 2013 amid buoyant media coverage, hopes to clear 90% of floating plastic from the world's oceans by 2040. But the group's own best-case scenario — still likely years away — envisions removing 20,000 tonnes a year from the North Pacific…

On Sunday the first major cruise ship to take to the Mediterranean in almost five months sailed out of the Italian city of Genoa. Passengers on the MSC Grandiosa were tested for coronavirus before stepping on board. The ship—which has brought in an array of strict measures to limit the spread of the virus—will stop at three Italian ports and the Maltese capital Valletta in a seven-day voyage. But will these measures be enough to help the sector survive the pandemic? A lot is riding on the success of this Italian cruise.After all…

The St. Louis Regional Freightway has compiled a summary of the major developments over the past year that either elevated the St. Louis region’s global status as a world-class freight hub or will help to advance the region’s position as the country’s freight nexus in the year ahead.“From mega projects breaking ground and global companies choosing to invest here, to newly formed partnerships that strengthen the bi-state region’s role in national and global supply chains, there was much to be excited about in 2019…

The builder of luxury floating vessels Global Boatworks Holdings announced that it has completed the sale of the Luxuria, the second sale of one of its luxury floating vessels.The Florida based company said in a press release that the sale of the Luxuria allowed the Company to pay down the Company’s liabilities and eliminate convertible debt from its balance sheet.Global Boatworks had entered into a Note Settlement Agreement with St. George Investments and Tonaquint Inc., lenders that had a secured interest in the Luxuria.St. George and Tonaquint agreed to release their liens upon payment from the sale proceeds and an additional payment of $70,000 in September 2019.

It was a warm and sunny early summer morning in an increasingly popular and typically busy domestic harbor. And, not surprisingly, the water and waterfront were crowded with commercial and private vessels of every description. From a slowly moving tug/barge combination, a working dredge and a small tanker delivering fuel on the more industrial side of the harbor, to numerous water taxis, sightseeing boats and larger catamaran ferries, the harbor was buzzing with activity.All of these commercial vessels were operating in close quarters with a fleet of small yachts…

As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates its 70th anniversary, Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, sits in his London office with a sense of satisfaction that in his two plus years at the helm of IMO tremendous strides have been made toward significant greenhouse gas emission reductions, punctuated by the recent MEPC meeting where the target was set for a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. But the Secretary- General’s sense of satisfaction is tempered with the fact that his job has just begun and his plate is full.

The Pentagon named a senior general to command military relief operations in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Thursday and the Trump administration sent a Cabinet emissary to the island as U.S. lawmakers called for a more robust response to the crisis. The U.S. territory of 3.4 million people struggled through a ninth day with virtually no electricity, patchy communications and shortages of fuel, clean water and other essentials in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to hit the island in nearly 90 years. The storm struck on Sept. 20 with lethal, roof-ripping force and torrential rains that caused widespread flooding and heavily damaged homes, roads and other infrastructure. The storm killed more than 30 people across the Caribbean, including at least 16 in Puerto Rico.

Cammell Laird shipyard informs it has reached the nine-month milestone in its project to build the U.K.’s new polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The Merseyside-based engineering services giant beat off competition from around the world to be appointed to build the £15 0million vessel. The ship, which is the biggest commercial shipbuilding project in Britain for 30 years, has been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and it will be operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), transforming the U.K.’s polar research capability.

It creates a certain unease over what 2017 might have in store for us, given that the words have gotten bigger and the tone sharper in both political and diplomatic dialogue across the globe. It certainly makes practicing the dark art of making predictions of the future even more terrifying than usual. However, there are a few topics that appear more than certain to be part of the 2017 tapestry than others. The outcomes of both the Brexit referendum as well as the US election both stem from the same core. The disenfranchised groups in society, who have seen their jobs disappear and their economic foundation eroded, blame globalization, trade and open borders as the cause of their situation.

On Wednesday, Indonesian Independence Day, the southeast Asian country  sank 60 vessels – 58 foreign boats and two domestic vessels –  it captured for unlawfully fishing in its territorial waters. The government said the action marked Indonesia's commitment to "enforcing the law" amid attempts to stop foreign fishermen from "stealing" from its waters. Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said the ships were sunk at eight locations across the Indonesian archipelago. But unlike past boat-sinking events, which were broadcast on national television, yesterday's ceremony was markedly toned down, with officials barring media coverage. They have also refused to disclose the vessels' countries of origin.

Maritime Reporter talks with Bart Otten, President, United Technologies Corporation Fire & Security EMEA, at this year’s biggest maritime trade show, the Nor-Shipping Exhibition, regarding the company’s Joint Maritime Approach. Bart Otten heads the Fire and Security Business Unit of UTC in Europe, Middle-East and Africa both for the land and marine business sides. He is also in charge of United Technologies’ entire Marine business initiative. Based in the Europe head office in Brussels, Otten, a Dutch citizen himself, has worked within the UTC Group since 2007.

The sinking of a cruise boat on China's Yangtze River is likely to mar the country's generally clean maritime safety record, which hasn't suffered an incident of this magnitude since a passenger steamship blew up almost 70 years ago. The Eastern Star, which was carrying 458 people, capsized in a storm late on Monday, state media said, with those on board ranging in age from three to more than 80. Six bodies have been found and over a dozen people rescued, but more than 430 are still unaccounted for. The incident comes after China has beefed up maritime safety regulations in recent years, with authorities becoming even more stringent after last year's South Korean ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people, industry insiders said.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association Raises Awareness of U.S. The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) will represent U.S. Merchant Mariners on the only U.S.-flagged and U.S. crewed cruise ship, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Pride of America. Recent media coverage concerning the cruise line industry has highlighted the lack of qualified ship’s officers in this industry. However, the coverage has not addressed the skill and professionalism of the crew of the Pride of America, a U.S- flagged cruise ship. This vessel and its mariners have an outstanding safety and environmental record. In fact, it is the best in the industry; exceeding all the requirements and regulations set in place by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) raises awareness of U.S. mariners in the cruise industry in light of recent media interest. MEBA say it is proud to represent U.S. Merchant Mariners on the only U.S.-flagged and U.S. crewed cruise ship, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Pride of America. Recent media coverage concerning the cruise line industry has highlighted the lack of qualified ship’s officers in this industry. However, the coverage has not addressed the skill…

The rusty hulk of the Costa Concordia began its journey to the scrapyard on Wednesday, after a two-year salvage operation off the Italian island where the cruise liner capsized two years ago, killing 32 people. Boats sounded horns and church bells rang as a tug boat slowly pulled the wreck of the liner, which was around two-and-a half times the size of the Titanic, away from the holiday island of Giglio, accompanied by a convoy of 14 vessels. Salvage workers gathered in bars at the port…

After the referendum debate on Scottish independence Guy Platten, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Chamber of Shipping has called for the divisions created by the campaign to be healed. "When I left Scotland late last year to become Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, the referendum debate was already reaching fever pitch. I think few people south of the border had, at the time, a real understanding of just how divisive the campaign had become. Now the campaign is over, and the result is in, those divisions must be healed - across industries, businesses and communities alike. The UK Chamber was never going to publicly back one side…

According to a special advisory warning recently issued by U.K. maritime intelligence provider Dryad Maritime, there has been an increased threat of crew kidnap in the Gulf of Guinea. And since the issue of Dryad’s warning, two further attacks on vessels have taken place within a single week, as two Nigerian-flagged vessels were targeted by maritime criminals on consecutive days, resulting in the kidnap of six crew members. On March 4, multipurpose offshore vessel MV Prince Joseph 1 was attacked offshore Akwa Ibom state…