Needed Equipment News

Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA diverted two crude cargoes set to discharge at Cuba's Matanzas terminal, Refinitiv Eikon data and company documents showed on Tuesday, as a fire that devastated 40% of the island's main storage facility continued for a fifth day.Lightning on Friday set one crude storage tank at the 2.4-million-barrel facility ablaze, later spreading to three others, resulting in massive power outages.As most of Venezuela's oil shipments to Cuba typically go to…

Last month a Hydrex team replaced the bow thruster of a 191-meter roro ship during the vessel’s stop in Rotterdam. Using one of the company’s workboats, the diver/technicians carried out the operation on-site.The team mobilized to the ship’s location on the workboat loaded with all the needed equipment. After the team set up a monitoring station, the divers started the operation with a detailed inspection of the bow thruster and tunnel. In the meantime, initial preparations were…

In just over a week Hydrex diver/technicians traveled to Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and France to assist shipowners with damaged propeller blades. On two bulkers the blades were cropped while on a third bulker and a general cargo vessel the bent blades could be straightened.In all cases the best solution was offered to the customer to restore the propeller’s efficiency as close to the original condition as possible.One of the propeller blades of a 180-meter bulker was severely bent. A fast, on-site solution to restore the propeller’s balance and efficiency was needed.

Last month a Hydrex team removed a bow thruster from a 170-meter container ship. This was done during a stop in Rotterdam. The unit needed to be overhauled and the operation had to be carried out within a very short window that would fit the schedule available to the vessel’s owner.The team mobilized to the ship’s location using a workboat loaded with all the needed equipment. These workboats are fully equipped as dive support stations with hydraulic cranes, winches, nautical and communication equipment and a dive control room.

A pair of new patrol vessels have been delivered to boost the security presence for offshore operations off the coast of Nigeria.The Netherlands based Damen Shipyards Group said on Tuesday it has handed over two Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 3307 vessels configured as patrol boats to West African offshore services supplier Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Limited (HIOSL).The delivery of Guardian 9 and Guardian 10, just five months after the contracts were signed, adds to the existing…

At the Port of Virginia in Norfolk and the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana, Foss Maritime is loading hundreds of utility trucks onto barges bound for Puerto Rico this week. It’s all part of the on-going effort to restore power to nearly half of the population who are without electricity. Last Friday, Ricardo Rosselló, governor of Puerto Rico, announced that 1.5 million Puerto Ricans are still without power 100 days after Hurricane Maria hit Sept. 20. As part of the on-going power restoration effort, Foss is working with a coalition of 19 U.S. electric companies to deliver between 500 and 600 utility trucks, including bucket trucks, line trucks, pickups, aerial lifts, CAT skid-steer loaders, digger derricks, and pull trailers.

Foss Maritime Company said it has contracted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Three accommodation vessels are being utilized and will serve as floating hotels, providing safe housing and warm meals for responders. With these vessels, Foss will be able to help feed and temporarily house 729 people.

The U.S. Coast Guard regulations regarding salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) as elements of vessel response plans (VRPs) for tank vessels have been in place since December 31, 2008. On September 30, 2013, these regulations were expanded to include non-tank vessels with a capacity of 2,500 barrels or greater of fuel oil. The VRP requirement was established by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). be resubmitted for approval of each significant change. The salvage and marine…

Wärtsilä has won an order for two new 8000m3 trailing suction hopper dredgers being built for the Adani group, India's largest private multi-port operator. The vessels are the first of a new IHC Beagle series designed by Royal IHC (IHC) of the Netherlands. IHC will also build the dredgers. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in February, 2016. The Wärtsilä scope of supply comprises two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 main engines for the first vessel, and two 7-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 main engines for the second one, together with four Wärtsilä CPPs with shafts. In addition, Wärtsilä will supply a Super Trident sewage treatment plant with vacuum generation for both vessels. Delivery of this equipment will commence in September 2016.

Germany’s Linde Group will build the first FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) facility in Iran, Iran’s oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said. Zanganeh said that building LNG-producing facility in line with exports of LNG to European countries is a priority for the ministry. Currently, it has a 60-per cent physical growth and when completed, it will add to the 10.5 million metric tons of LNG annually, reports MNA. On the issue of seizing [by German authorities] of LNG facility equipment in Germany, minister said that German Linde Group would deliver the facility equipment when removal of sanctions took effect. “Building of a floating LNG producing facility is in the current agenda…

Acting to relieve cargo delivery delays, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Thursday approved the use of Port of Long Beach property as a temporary site for the storage of empty containers, which will help to free up needed equipment to move cargo out of shipping terminals faster. The “Temporary Empty Container Depot” will be operated on 30 acres of a vacant, undeveloped area on Pier S on Terminal Island. The temporary depot will help put back into circulation more of the chassis -- the wheeled trailer-frames that trucks use to haul cargo containers.

A Hydrex diver/technician team carried out underwater stern tube seal repairs on a 157-meter dredger in Montevideo, Uruguay in April. The ship was suffering from an oil leak, making an on-site repair necessary. Using a Hydrex flexible mobdock the team was able to carry out the entire operation on-site and underwater, saving the owner an expensive and time-consuming trip to drydock. Hydrex has carried out on-site, underwater repairs and replacements on all types of seals for a number of years now. A dry environment is created underwater in which the divers can work.

In February, Hydrex diver/technician teams carried out underwater stern tube seal repairs on a 139-meter container vessel in Port Everglades, Fla., close to the company’s office in Clearwater. The vessel was suffering from an oil leak, making a fast repair necessary. Using one of the company’s next generation flexible mobdocks the team was able to carry out the entire operation onsite and underwater, saving time and money for the owners. Hydrex said it constantly invests in the research necessary to continue to evolve repair techniques and procedures.

At the beginning of March, a Hydrex team of diver/technicians sailed out with one of the company’s dive support workboats to a 200-meter vehicle carrier berthed in the port of Antwerp. They performed an underwater inspection and repair of the vessel’s malfunctioning rudder. The latest development allows Hydrex to perform permanent repairs on any type of rudder while the vessel remains at anchorage and cargo operations continue. Permanent in-water rudder repairs were hitherto not possible and ships had to drydock in cases where a major defect was found.

At the beginning of March a Hydrex team of diver/technicians sailed out with one of the company’s dive support workboats to a 200-meter vehicle carrier berthed in the port of Antwerp. They performed an underwater inspection and repair of the vessel’s malfunctioning rudder. The latest development allows Hydrex to perform permanent repairs on any type of rudder while the vessel remains at anchorage and cargo operations continue. Permanent in-water rudder repairs were hitherto not possible and ships had to drydock in cases where a major defect was found. The newly-designed method can be mobilized within hours to any port in the world. This allows Hydrex to offer the new service on a worldwide basis. Major defects on rudders very often cause unscheduled drydocking of ships.

A Hydrex diver/technician team mobilized to Rotterdam last month to remove the bow thruster of a 300-meter container vessel. The unit needed to be overhauled. Hydrex performed the operation underwater using the company’s own workboats based at the Antwerp depot. This made it possible for the owner to keep his vessel out of drydock. The team mobilized from the Hydrex headquarters in Antwerp after all basic preparations had been made and the needed equipment was loaded onto one of the Hydrex workboats.

ADM Bob Papp’s Coast Guard tenure continues to be one of low profile victories, calm leadership and an emphasis on doing what is right for the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp delivered the 2013 State of the Coast Guard (SOCG) Address at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. on February 27. Adm. Papp assumed command of the Coast Guard in May of 2010, he had the unenviable task of following perhaps the most charismatic leader the Coast Guard has ever had. The high profile Thad Allen, dubbed by the mainstream media as “the rock star” Commandant, also more earned his reputation by firm leadership over the course of more than one highly visible crisis after another.

Recently Hydrex diver/technician teams carried out two underwater stern tube seal repairs: one on a 143-meter general cargo ship in Galveston, Texas, and one on a 292-meter container vessel in Panama. Both vessels were experiencing oil leaks and a fast repair was required by the classification societies. Using the company’s flexible mobdocks, Hydrex teams were able to perform both operations on-site and underwater. This saved time and money for both owners. Hydrex has carried out on-site, underwater repairs and replacements on all types of seals for a number of years.

The operator of the world’s largest and most modern molten sulphur tanker has enjoyed four years of near-continuous service, thanks in part to the ship’s innovative thermal maintenance system. Sulphur Carriers, Inc., a subsidiary of International Shipholding Corporation, keeps M/V Sulphur Enterprise at sea hauling around 24,000 long tons of molten sulphur per trip. “We’ve had zero freeze-ups and zero maintenance associated with the bolt-on piping and valve heating system,” says Peter Johnston, Sulphur Carriers’ VP of operations. For reportedly the first time on any sulphur transport ship, a bolt-on heating system keeps the molten cargo flowing and the ship on schedule by preventing costly delays due to frozen pipes and valves.

A Unified Command of federal, state and shipping company representatives continues to make efforts to right the ship Cougar Ace and plan contingencies for towing to an appropriate port of refuge if those efforts are not effective. These efforts are in response to the vessel's July 24 listing in the North Pacific Ocean. With the arrival of a new naval architect and an additional team of salvage professionals at the scene late tonight, a second, more extensive examination of the vessel will take place. Two pumps and other needed equipment were off-loaded from the Makushin Bay onto the Cougar Ace on Tuesday night for an intended rigging of pumps to begin this afternoon. Another pump is still to be placed on board. The pumps will be set up in series to allow them to function more effectively.

On New Year’s Eve, 2008, the US Coast Guard issued its long-awaited regulations regarding salvage and marine firefighting. While there are various points of criticism, overall the rulemaking is an excellent advance over the current situation of preparing in advance for marine casualties that implicate salvage and firefighting. The owners or operators of a tank vessel that carries or is designed to carry Group I-IV oils as cargo in bulk has until July 1, 2010 to revise its vessel response plan (VRP) and submit it to the Coast Guard for consideration and approval.

ACE Recreational Marine Insurance releases ten tips to help recreational boaters protect their vessels during the hurricane season. “The best defenses to protecting your boat from hurricanes or any severe weather are planning, preparation and timely action,” said Damon R. Hostetter, Senior Vice President, ACE Recreational Marine Insurance. Develop a detailed plan of action to secure your vessel in advance. Options for non-trailerable boats may include hauling your boat, securing your boat in the marina (if permitted) or moving your boat to a previously identified “storm refuge.” Specifically identify and assemble needed equipment and supplies. Keep them together and practice your plan to ensure it works before the hurricane season.