Manufacturing Industry News

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) held an informal public hearing examining impacts from attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 7.Opening the hearing, Commissioner Carl Bentzel, voiced concern about safe access through both the Suez and Panama Canals.“What is at stake is severe international economic disruption. The United States is still recovering from the aftershock of the pandemic induced supply chain disruption that that saw 30% increases…

The Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters organisation (HEMEXPO) has appointed a new Board of Directors following the association’s General Assembly Meeting on November 21.Konstantinos Fanouriadis, CEO of FARAD S.A., Athanasios Athanasopoulos, CEO of UTECO ABEE and Ilias Mallios, Export Manager of SeaBright S.A. were re-appointed to the board, joined by Stefanos Chartomantzidis, Chief Commercial Officer of Prisma Electronics. All four will assume the title of Vice…

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is expanding its partnership with a local technical college in an effort to advance the maritime manufacturing industry and meet growing workforce demand within the region.In fall 2022, FBS and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) designed a specialized training program for FBS employees to advance their welding and ship/pipe-fitting techniques. Since the launch, 97 participants have successfully completed this five-week course offered through the NWTC Sturgeon Bay campus.

Global container shipping rates are a widely used gauge of overall consumer sentiment, with high and rising costs indicating strong demand for goods, gadgets, and clothes, while falling rates attest to slowing or falling buyer interest.As the main conduit for global trade in finished and intermediate goods - including an overwhelming majority of the parts and machinery needed to produce other merchandise - the container shipping sector can also offer a glimpse into the state of…

Fincantieri Marine Group began accepting applications for a new paid Industrial Shipbuilding Apprenticeship program this week. This program, which was approved by Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, is designed to increase the quality and quantity of skilled technicians trained and equipped to succeed in the maritime sector of the manufacturing industry. Fincantieri will select its first group of apprentices in July, and then will open up additional apprenticeship positions in the coming months.

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, today announced the 2022 Annual Shipyard Safety Awards. SCA recognized a total of 15 U.S. shipyards and repair facilities with seven recipients receiving multiple awards.SCA honors shipbuilding and repair organizations with the “Excellence in Safety” Award and “Improvement in Safety” Award each year for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.

Boatbuilder RECONCRAFT announced that it has named Josh Pruzek as executive vice president, effective January 1.Pruzek brings to the role two decades of leadership and operations in the specialized marine manufacturing industry. He most recently served as the vice president of sales and business development at Vigor for two years and as vice president of marine products at Oregon Iron Works for 17 years, both in the Portland, Ore. area. He led the successful capture and execution of multiple high-profile programs including SOCOM’s Combatant Craft Heavy (CC-H)…

Offshore wind developer Ørsted and its partner Eversource have selected Kiewit to construct an offshore wind substation, which will be deployed at their South Fork Wind project serving New York’s Long Island. This will be the first US-built offshore wind substation.Offshore wind substations are critical components of utility-scale offshore wind farms. Substations collect the power produced by wind turbines and connect the clean energy to the grid. The offshore substation will consist of a topside resting on a monopile foundation.Kiewit will not only build but also design the substation…

HEMEXPO President, Helen Polychronopoulou, says Greek marine technology developers see collaboration between shipping industry stakeholders as the key to innovation and decarbonization.Helen Polychronopoulou has dedicated her career to the successful growth and development of the marine equipment manufacturing industry in Greece and today leads HEMEXPO –  Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters.Established in 2014, HEMEXPO has developed a pivotal role in representing Greek marine technology specialists by reinforcing links worldwide with ship owners and operators…

A giant semi-submersible lifting barge is being lengthened and strengthened at the Hat-San shipyard in Turkey in preparation for a new working life with marine services and transportation firms Malin Abram and Malin Augustea in Scotland.Once converted, the massive barge will be one of the largest in Europe, and the only one in Scotland able to submerge and load vessels and cargo up to 12 meters deep and 140 meters long, the Malin Group said. With a submergence depth of up to 12 meters over deck and a deck space of 4…

A stuck container vessel in the Suez Canal, which has blocked the flow of goods through the narrow channel, will add strain to global supply chains already stretched by rebounding economic activity and tight shipping container supplies, analysts said on Friday.The 400-metres long Ever Given container vessel has been stuck in the canal since Tuesday, suspending traffic of containers transporting goods, parts and equipment through the shortest sea link between Europe and Asia.The…

Towage operator Svitzer Europe announced it will start a new towage operation in Germany’s third-largest North Sea port from January 1, 2021. To fully service customers at the seaport of Emden, Svitzer will deploy two tugboats: the Svitzer Valand, a tractor tug with 45 tons bollard pull and part of the organization’s existing European fleet, and the newly purchased Svitzer Vestri, an azimuth stern drive tug with 60 tons bollard pull. Vestri is a newbuild from Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine…

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, today announced the 2020 annual shipyard safety awards. SCA honors shipbuilding and repair organizations with the “Excellence in Safety” Award and “Improvement in Safety” Award each year for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.Over the past several years, the industry has seen the total recordable incident rate steadily decline, with the most significant decline seen in 2019.

Rolls-Royce and the Defense Production Act Title III office will invest millions of dollars to upgrade the company’s capability and capacity for U.S. Navy ship propulsion components in its facility in Pascagoula, Miss.The DPA Title III office has already agreed to invest $22 million for equipment, with Rolls-Royce making an additional investment for building improvements, supplemented with support from Jackson County and the state of Mississippi.Naval components manufactured by Rolls-Royce at Pascagoula include controllable-pitch propeller systems, fixed pitch propellers, and water jets.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. There is little doubt that this will have significant implications for the shipping industry. But to what extent? BIMCO expects that the strict containment measures imposed by governments around the world will result in substantially lower global economic growth and consequentially, lower demand for shipping. Container and dry bulk shipping are at the front line when it comes to feeling the fallout…

Only 10 days ago, reports indicated that China cargoes were returning to pre-coronavirus levels, and there appeared to be light at the end of the tunnel. Today, however, a barrage of new headlines has underscored the impact on the rapidly changing global supply chain, including in the United States. In addition to the aggressive spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), new economic developments indicate a decreased trend in global manufacturing. Changes in local economies negatively impacting employees reflect corresponding changes in consumer buying patterns.

Royal IHC (IHC), a Netherlands-based player in design and construction activities for the specialist maritime sector, and compatriot Breman Machinery, a company that makes components for the builders of machinery, have signed an agreement to cooperate on building complex and steel structures with high tolerances and high precision as part of the tender to replace the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Walrus-class submarines.IHC is competing in the tender as a partner of the highly experienced Naval Group. If the group goes a stage further in the process – which will be announced in a so-called ‘B-letter’ – it will be able to draw on Breman’s extensive expertise and experience.IHC and Breman have been working together for decades on various shipbuilding projects…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is intensifying its joint activities with parties in India. 'As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is investing heavily in the development of seaports, industrial areas and hinterland connections.The largest port in Europe will sign two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with India, appointed an office and also supported the establishment of a maritime university that will partner with Rotterdam's institutions, marking the port's joint initiatives with Indian parties.It has appointed Broekman Logistics India as its representative team in the country, as the port looks to strengthen its activities in the region.The Port of Rotterdam Authority has been active in India for a number of years…

The Russian natural-gas company Novatek and Atomenergomash, a mechanical engineering division of the Rosatom State Corporation, have signed a memorandum on strategic partnership and localizing the fabrication of critical equipment for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.Novatek said that under the memorandum, the two companies will cooperate in the long term to localize the fabrication of pumps, heat exchangers and other equipment for Novatek's LNG projects at Atomenergomash's facilities.The Memorandum notes the results already achieved on the fabrication of coil-wound heat exchangers and medium-tonnage cryogenic pumps, and establishes the obligations of the Parties on design…

Royal Huisman, a Dutch shipyard that specialises in the building and repair of sailing yachts, said that it will take over the Holland Jachtbouw facility in Amsterdam for further expansion.The facility, which entered the ownership of the Port of Amsterdam on May 14, will now be leased to Royal Huisman, which will dedicate the yard to its future new-build and refit projects."With the arrival of Royal Huisman, the port of Amsterdam has attracted yet another yacht manufacturer with a Royal Charter," said a release from Amsterdam port.Royal Huisman is the second superyacht manufacturer to join the port of Amsterdam community, following Feadship Royal van Lent, which opened its facilities there in 2016.

Christina Bolling has been named Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of DSC Dredge, LLC.She was promoted after serving five years as DSC Dredge Corporate Human Resources Director for DSC headquarters and two production facilities in Greenbush, Michigan and Poplarville, Mississippi. Bolling’s background experience of Human Resources, Leadership Development and Operations provide substantial knowledge and expertise as she reinforces each DSC department’s performance to be the best of their abilities.DSC is a global leader in the dredge manufacturing industry…

Taiwanese container transportation and shipping company  Evergreen Marine Corp. is expanding its operations into Central and South America this year following the recent opening of four new agency offices in the region."In view of the growth potential in Latin American trade, Evergreen Line is continuing to establish its own offices at main service locations in the region. The move will strengthen the effectiveness of the line’s operations, improve its capability to react to market opportunities, optimize the efficiency of its network routing and enhance its competitiveness in the area," the Taiwanese freight company said.Evergreen Line has just opened its own agency in Colombia following the establishments of other offices in Peru, Chile and Mexico over the past few months.

USD 51.86 billion (EUR 45.6 billion) or 6.2% of the added value of the Netherlands is due to the Port of Rotterdam. This emerged in ‘The Rotterdam effect - Impact of Mainport Rotterdam on the Dutch economy’ study conducted by Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), commissioned by the Port Authority.Port of Rotterdam pointed out that it contributes twice as much to the gross domestic product than previously calculated. Traditionally, when determining the economic significance of the port, only direct employment and added value were measured, including the so-called backwards indirect effects. These backwards effects are the added value that is a consequence of port companies purchasing elsewhere in the Dutch economy.However…