Bud News

This story spans a long period of time, but begins with a note I received recently on an earlier column from a reader named Allan Berger. He commented on the OODA loop concept in my “Pondering Truths in Design” column in the September MREN issue.He provided his approach that closely follows the OODA loop concept, which follows the principle of always gathering all the facts before speaking. That led to a discussion on decision making. Decision making is an extremely important concept that sets the course of human development, and is central to effective engineering.

Shipping line MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and oil firm Shell have partnered up to speed up the decarbonization of the global shipping sector."The long-term memorandum of understanding will help MSC and Shell to play enhanced roles in the energy transformation of shipping, as developers and early adopters of innovative technologies and fuel solutions," the companies said in a statement.The companies plan to develop a range of safe, sustainable and competitive technologies…

Container shipping giant MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company doubled down on its position to avoid sending its vessels through the Northern Sea Route and urged others to follow suit, citing environmental concerns.“As a responsible company, this was an obvious decision for us,” said MSC CEO, Soren Toft. “MSC will not seek to cut through the melting ice of the Arctic to find a new route for commercial shipping, and I consider this a position the whole shipping industry must adopt.”Running from Murmansk near Russia’s border with Norway to the Bering Strait near Alaska…

Seafarers' lack of access to vaccinations is placing shipping in a "legal minefield", while leaving global supply chains vulnerable, warns the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).The organization is planning to circulate a legal document to the global shipping community later this week highlighting its concerns following reports that some states may require crews to be vaccinated in order to enter their portsComplicating matters even further, it's expected developing nations will not achieve mass immunization until 2024…

Container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said it is working to advance the exploration viability of hydrogen and fuels derived from it as potentially viable fuel sources for its vessels.The initiative is part of the Swiss-Italian shipping line’s wider approach to decarbonization which has already seen the company pioneer the use of biofuels as a blended marine fuel, and on Tuesday MSC said it joined the Hydrogen Council, an industry body, to help drive R&D…

Container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) counts biofuels and hydrogen-based fuels among options worth studying to potentially help the shipping industry meet decarbonization targets, one of the company's executive told an industry conference in Switzerland on Monday.“There’s no one single solution to decarbonize shipping. We need a range of alternative fuels at scale and we need them urgently,” said Bud Darr, MSC Group's Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy & Government Affairs…

Swiss-Italian international shipping line MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced that its vessels bunkering in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will now bunker biofuel blends on a routine basis - the first  major shipping line to do so.Following successful trials with biofuel blends earlier this year, MSC has decided to continue bunkering responsibly sourced biofuel blends on a routine basis.The trials were completed with a minimal 10% blend fuel and following further trials the company is now using much higher 30% blends.“We are pleased to see these trials completed successfully and look forward to now using biofuel on our vessels as a routine matter.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s second-biggest container shipping line, has decided not to use the Arctic as a new short cut between northern Europe and Asia and will instead focus on improving environmental performance on existing global trade routes.In declaring the northern sea route out of bounds, MSC follows CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd that have similarly eschewed the commercial benefits of an Asia-North Europe option that is 30 percent shorter than the southern route via the Suez Canal.The Northern Sea Route lies entirely in Arctic waters and has been trialed by other shipping lines seeking to take advantage of melting ice from global warming.“As a responsible company with a longstanding nautical heritage and passion for the sea…

Three shipowners and ship-management companies  were  recognized by Japanese logistic major Nippon Yusen (NYK) for their original and effective implementation of measures to stimulate further safety awareness and encourage a sense of ownership among crew members.NYK held a “Brush Up on Safety Awareness” competition on July 2 and Taiheiyo Kisen Kaisha Ltd., Wilhelmsen Ship Management Sdn. Bhd., and NYK LNG Shipmanagement Ltd were recognized, said a release.Held annually since 2017, this competition is part of the Remember Naka-no-Se safety campaign, which draws on the lessons learnt from the Diamond Grace oil spill in July 1997 to encourage…

The provider of container shipping services MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is a new member of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), which works to preserve the marine environment by promoting sustainable maritime industry best practices and educating the public."MSC is committed to promoting a sustainable business model, remaining true to its roots and its core family values. Regardless of the challenges and transformation we might face in today’s business world, our approach does not and will not change: we have a genuine passion for the sea, an unparalleled nautical heritage and a strong commitment to our employees and communities…

Like many boys, Charles. F. “Bud” Kirby, Jr. loved ships. He had drawings, models, pictures, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks. And, as his son, Don, recently learned, he had cachet covers of submarines.Bud would send stamped envelopes to the Electric Boat Company that he had addressed to himself in Watertown, Mass. These envelopes would be stamped with a commemorative cachet and then appropriately cancelled at Groton, Connecticut, where the EB shipyard was located, or on the ship if it had been commissioned.Each ship has its own post office, and its own cancellation stamp.

At gmec, the global maritime environmental congress (gmec) during SMM in Hamburg, high-profile business and science experts discussed how the global shipping industry can achieve the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) environmental goals while continuing to provide its services at competitive prices.“We are at the beginning of a new chapter in the history of shipping,” said Tian-Bing Huang, Deputy Director - Marine Environment Division at the IMO, in his opening keynote.There is no question that the shipping sector is facing huge challenges…

The Port of Prince Rupert and DP World have agreed on terms of a project development plan that outlines the next phase of expansion for the DP World Prince Rupert Fairview Container Terminal. The Phase 2B expansion will increase annual throughput capacity at Canada’s second largest container terminal to 1.8 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) when complete in 2022. DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: “Canada is an important part of our global network and we are delighted to confirm these plans, which underline our commitment to Prince Rupert, which plays a major role in enabling trade in the region and across the west coast with rail connections inland to the rest of the country and the United States.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a 44-year-old man from the fishing vessel Golden Alaska approximately 60 miles northeast of Cold Bay, Tuesday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center received a medevac request from Health Force Partners for a man suffering from stroke symptoms Tuesday afternoon. Watchstanders notified the Coast Guard duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. The helicopter crew hoisted the man and safely transported him to Cold Bay for further transport by commercial services to Anchorage.

The ailing U.S. coal industry is ramping up its political and legal offensive to win approval for West Coast export terminals that could provide a lifeline to lucrative Asia markets. Coal producers filed two recent lawsuits against governments in Washington state and California challenging local decisions to block port projects on environmental grounds. The industry is also lobbying the Trump administration to override the local bans. The fight reflects the sector’s desperation to boost exports as U.S.

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stressed the strategic importance of security agencies to the achievement of safe and secure shipping and a viable and vibrant maritime sector for the country’s benefits. The Director General who stated this while playing host to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Peter John Dauke at the Agency’s Headquarters in Lagos said that as the Agency strives to achieve a secure maritime environment…

Using HEPR solutions satisfies regulatory compliance, sustainability initiatives and performance demands. There are numerous factors that are driving global environmental regulatory growth and the growth in renewable lubricant technologies, such as natural resource constraints, standardizing requirements due to globalization, public opinion and pressure, increase in climate change concerns, new technologies, new evidence from research and overall growing Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) concerns…

When is bad harassment prevention training worse than no training at all? When it comes with a wagging finger shaming employees whose only sin is being a little rough around the edges. When it emboldens opportunistic employees to seek an advantage they do not deserve. When it causes managers to cravenly subordinate legitimate operational considerations to political correctness. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not mandate a general civility code. Nor does it prohibit all verbal or physical harassment in the workplace.

International energy logistics provider Peterson is to partner with Port Cameron in Louisiana to develop a deepwater staging port and supply base facility serving the Gulf of Mexico. Peterson has signed a teaming partnership agreement with Port Cameron for the development of a 500-acre deep water staging port. Upon completion, Port Cameron in Louisiana will be one of the largest private energy services facilities on the Gulf Coast. The agreement will see Peterson serve as port manager with the option to lease up to 1.2 million square feet of space in Port Cameron Logistics Center. The proposed development will feature more than 21,000 linear feet of bulkhead lots on dredged slips of 500-feet and 700-feet wide and dredged depths of 33 feet.

Nature’s clock is running fast in the Arctic, thanks to climate change. Some plants in the low Arctic of Greenland are emerging sooner than usual. Due to diminishing sea ice cover, spring is coming sooner to some plant species in the low Arctic of Greenland, while other species are delaying their emergence amid warming winters, says a study. "The timing of seasonal events, such as first spring growth, flower bud formation and blooming, make up a plant’s phenology — the window of time it has to grow, produce offspring and express its life history. Think of it as “nature’s clock.” - says a study published in the journal Biology Letters and led by the University of California, Davis.

The U.S. Navy's newest warship, the future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), has left Naval Station Norfolk for Baltimore, Md., where it will be commissioned into active service on October 15 during Fleet Week Maryland. Originally slated to sail from Norfolk on October 9, the one-day transit was moved up to October 7 due to the approach of Hurricane Matthew. The Navy's most technologically advanced surface ship, Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers designed to strengthen naval power.

The Navy will commission the destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000), Saturday, Oct. 15, during a 5 p.m. EDT ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship is named in honor of Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., former chief of naval operations (CNO) from 1970 to 1974. A veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, Adm. Zumwalt exemplified honor, courage and commitment during 32 years of dedicated naval service, earning a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 79. During his time as CNO, Adm. Zumwalt embraced technological innovation and advocated a number of successful programs including the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate…

USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), representing the newest class of surface combatant, was commissioned on October 15 in ceremonies at Baltimore. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the principal speaker. “This ship is an example of a larger initiative to increase operational stability and give the U.S. a strategic advantage,” he said. “Our Navy and our Marine Corps, uniquely, provide presence – around the globe, around the clock – ensuring stability, reassuring allies, deterring adversaries and providing the nation's leaders with options in times of crisis,” Mabus said.