Manufacturing Industries News

The Australian Government has released the report of the Independent Taskforce on the Strategic Fleet, along with its official response to the report, confirming a commitment to delivering a Strategic Fleet of up to 12 vessels that will help Australia build resilience to freight disruptions while supporting our maritime workforce and sovereign capability.Australia’s maritime sector has long been neglected with a shortage of Australian flagged ships and a skilled workforce, says Federal Minister for Infrastructure…

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its yearly member safety awards for 2023.“Workforce health and safety is embedded into the fabric of our industry because the teams that work in our shipyards and throughout the industrial base are the most important asset we have in building and repairing the U.S. commercial and military fleets,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America.

Thordon Bearings, manufacturer of water-lubricated and grease-free polymer bearing technologies, has appointed Anthony Hamilton as its new Technical Director. Reporting directly to CEO Anna Galoni, Hamilton will lead the Burlington-headquartered company’s engineering, CAD and New Product Development teams.“We are delighted to welcome Tony to the Thordon family as we look to strengthen the company's product portfolio in existing and new markets,” said Galoni. “Tony is a seasoned solutions-based leader having held senior technical positions in the marine…

Australian shipping company SeaRoad said it has finalized an agreement with German shipbuilding yard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) to construct a new roll-on /roll-off (RoRo) vessel with liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion worth more than 100 million euros.Construction on the 210-meter-long vessel will commence in late 2021. The ship will have a capacity of 4,227 lane meters and capability to transport heavy cargo with a unit weight of up to 100 tonnes. At over 40…

In the United States, it is a frustrating time to be in the government shipbuilding business. Even though America depends upon maritime commerce and faces growing security risks at sea, shipbuilding is just not a major national focus.Up to now, shipbuilders have had it pretty good. For the past several years, big naval shipbuilders have enjoyed steady growth and strong performance. In 2020, Huntington Ingalls Industries enjoyed record revenue of $9.4 billion, an 8.5% margin and gave a quarter billion back to shareholders in dividends and stock buybacks.

Joe Biden could erase much of President Donald Trump’s four-year legacy of energy and climate deregulation with the stroke of his pen, according to regulatory experts, but replacing it with something new and durable may prove trickier.Trump’s rollbacks are on shaky ground because most were done not through Congressional lawmaking but via presidential executive orders that can be easily torn up by a new administration. That means signature measures ranging from the withdrawal of…

A  recently completed a $2 million capital improvement project aims to attract more cargo to one of the nation’s largest inland ports.Situated 153 miles from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon connects the Ohio River Valley region’s agriculture, coal and manufacturing industries to the rest of the world via year-round access to the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes through the inland waterways system.Each year, more than 3,600 barges…

March imports dropped 26% at the Port of Los Angeles and 5% at the adjacent Port of Long Beach - the busiest U.S. sea trade gateways - as the novel coronavirus wrecked havoc on commerce around the globe.Imports at major U.S.

Global investment firm The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) and private equity firm Stellex Capital Management today announced they have closed on their acquisition of Vigor Industrial LLC and MHI Holdings LLC. In addition, Carlyle and Stellex announced they have appointed Jim Marcotuli as CEO of the newly created company comprising Vigor and MHI, effective today.Marcotuli brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the defense and manufacturing industries. He has served in a number of executive and operating roles with Carlyle portfolio companies and in industries spanning defense…

Crowley Maritime Corp. said it has retrofitted two of its heavy lift, flat-deck barges, 455-3 and Marty J, to provide additional capacity to customers shipping cargo between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico. With the 455-3 sailing early Tuesday morning from the Port of Jacksonville, Crowley has now expanded its fleet from nine to 16 vessels, further increasing U.S. flag capacity to transport commercial and relief supplies to support the island’s recovery after Hurricane Maria in late September.

SOHAR has released new figures showing a solid first-half of 2017, as both the Port and Freezone continue to play a crucial role in the diversification and globalisation of Oman’s economy. Despite on-going issues in the maritime industry and the continued lull in global oil prices, container volumes in Q2 of 2017 grew by 11% from the same quarter last year, as SOHAR emerges as one of the region’s prime logistical hubs. Container throughput at the Hutchison-managed terminal has grown threefold over the past five years, in line with significant investments to increase efficiency to the highest international standards. The new Terminal C features remote-controlled quayside cranes…

mltech, specialist in pipework set-up and measurement software development, has increased its global presence after securing its first contract in Baku, Azerbaijan. The one year contract, which has scope for extension, was awarded by Metal Qaynaq Sinaq (MQS) which operates throughout Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan. The company provides services including process piping fabrication, heavy and light structural steel fabrication, mechanical site services and civil construction to some of the oil and gas industry’s biggest operators and tier one contractors. The project will see mltech train MQS personnel to use its proprietary automet™ software, licensed to MQS, to perform pipe spool fabrication surveys and on-site pipework and steelwork surveys.

The inauguration of an IHC dredging simulator was held at Transnet’s Maritime School of Excellence in Durban, South Africa on Friday 2 September. The launch marked the start of a new dredge training programme to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of local dredging personnel. employed in these sectors. The delivery of a training simulator by IHC is part of the supplier development plan that IHC and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), one of five operation divisions of Transnet, agreed on prior to the delivery of trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) ILEMBE in 2016. The aim is to improve the local industry in South Africa by setting up a dredging school, outsourcing parts to local suppliers and using the local supply chain for life-cycle support of the vessel.

Africa’s first ever dredging simulator was launched in the port city of Durban, South Africa – another positive spin-off of ongoing collaboration between Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), the Transnet Maritime School of Excellence (MSoE), Netherlands based Royal IHC and its world-renowned Training Institute. The high-tech simulator – based at the MSoE’s Langeberg Road premises – will aid in building dredging capability in South Africa. Dredging is specialized underwater excavation that helps to keep ports and harbours safe and navigable and is a critical aspect of port development.

Cleaning up the wastewater stream on marine vessels isn’t just about removing hydrocarbons out of oily separators and bilges. Workboat galleys harbor a tremendous amount of FOGs (fats, oils and grease) that, if not properly disposed of, can be a health risk, damage equipment and add to overall operational costs. Even if vessels are equipped with sophisticated grease trap systems, the introduction of nontoxic, neutral pH biologic compounds into the trap and/or waste stream is a necessary step to reduce toxic buildup and environmental pollution.

Offshore and onshore health and medical solutions company Iqarus is set to acquire occupational hygiene consultancy C-CHEC to deliver a new integrated offering to global industries. Dougie Collin, currently Director of Occupational Hygiene for C-CHEC, will head up Iqarus’ Environmental Sciences Division and will bring his team and over 30 years of experience to expand Iqarus’ capability as an international player in providing healthcare solutions in remote and difficult environments. Tim Mitchell, CEO of Iqarus, said the strategic acquisition, expected to close this month, will be the first in a series that will transform the provision of healthcare solutions for challenging environments.

As the shipping operator BG Freight Line is set for a new freight service connecting the links, Scotland’s food and drink, chemical and manufacturing industries are looking for a boost. BG Freight Line, wholly-owned by Clydeport owner Peel Ports, has extended its Irish Sea network with a new service connecting Rotterdam, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and Greenock. The route, which will also take in Belfast, is expected to prove a boon to businesses in the west of Scotland, by cutting the cost of exports to the rest of the UK, Europe and North America. It follows investment by Peel Ports which in December will launch Liverpool2, the UK’s most centrally-located deep water container terminal…

Ensco plc announced that EVP & CFO Jay Swent will retire after more than 11 years of service. Swent will continue to serve in his current role until the succession process has been completed and a new CFO has been named. The completion of the succession process may extend into the first half of next year. Swent joined Ensco in July 2003 and was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in July 2012. Prior to his current position, Swent served as Senior Vice President – Chief Financial Officer.

Rotork announced it has acquired Masso Ind s.p.a., a manufacturer of shipboard valve remote control systems (VRCS), to enhance its range of flow control products and services for the worldwide marine and offshore industries. Masso VRCS solutions include hydraulic and electro-hydraulic systems that are compatible with most integrated automation systems required for critical safety applications. The Masso product range also includes hydraulic quarter-turn and linear actuators, hydraulic power packs, solenoid cabinets and electro-hydraulic actuators for shipboard applications.

A group of shipping companies and a powerful dockworkers union clinched a tentative labor deal on Friday after nine months of negotiations, settling a dispute that disrupted the flow of cargo through 29 U.S. West Coast ports and snarled trans-Pacific maritime trade with Asia. The settlement, confirmed in a joint statement by the two sides, was reached three days after U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday to broker a deal with the help of a federal mediator who had joined in the talks six weeks earlier. The White House called the deal "a huge relief" for the economy, businesses and workers. President Barack Obama urged the parties "to work together to clear out the backlogs and congestion in the West Coast ports as they finalize their agreement…

A partial shutdown of 29 U.S. West Coast ports stretched into a third day on Monday ahead of the U.S. labor secretary's scheduled arrival in San Francisco to try to broker a settlement ending months of disruptions on the cargo-clogged docks. President Barack Obama, under pressure to weigh in on a labor dispute that has rippled through the U.S. commercial supply chain and beyond, said on Saturday he would dispatch Labor Secretary Tom Perez to meet with the two sides in the conflict. But there was no word on timing of the trip until Monday, when a spokeswoman for the labor secretary said Perez was due to arrive in San Francisco on Tuesday to join in talks between the shipping companies and the union representing 20,000 dockworkers.

Clogged ports along the U.S. West Coast reopened to cargo vessels on Friday after a daylong closure, but shippers planned to re-impose a partial shutdown through the holiday weekend barring a settlement in stalled labor talks with the dockworkers union. The shipping companies and terminal operators planned to halt loading and unloading of container ships again starting Friday night and keep the suspension in place through Monday, the Presidents Day holiday, unless contract negotiators clinch a breakthrough deal. Negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing 20,000 dockworkers, met at union headquarters in San Francisco on Thursday with officials from management's bargaining agent…

Eagle Bay, the second of two new U.S.-flag crude oil tankers for Exxon Mobil Corporation’s marine affiliate SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., was named at a ceremony at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. The first-in-class vessel constructed at the shipyard incorporates the latest safety, navigation and engine room technologies and will begin supplying crude oil from Alaska North Slope to refineries along the U.S. west coast later this year. The double hull Eagle Bay is 820-feet long and has capacity to carry 800,000 barrels of oil. SeaRiver Maritime said its contract with Aker for two tankers, valued at $400 million, delivered an economic boost to the greater Philadelphia region where it generated employment and millions of dollars in revenue.