Oahu News

Orion Joins Dredging Contractors of America

Houston based dredging and marine construction contractor Orion Group Holdings – Marine Group has become a member of trade group the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA).Orion has a near 100-year legacy and today ranks among market leaders in the provision of dredging services to keep waterways serviceable and to expand ports and other marine infrastructure throughout the United States, territories and Caribbean. The company works to create beneficial marsh habitats, dredging…

BRIX Marine Delivers Newbuild for Haleiwa Shark Tours

Port Angeles, Wash. boatbuilder BRIX Marine has delivered Kamohoali'i, a state-of-the-art 40- by 14-foot high tunnel catamaran (HTC) purpose-built for Haleiwa Shark Tours on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.With a full-width open cabin Superstructure on a 4014-CTC hull form, the USCG Subchapter "T" inspected vessel has capacity for 29 passengers and two crew.Kamohoali'i is powered by twin Volvo 380HP D6 diesel engines and features Seastar Optimus inboard steering systems and EPS smartcylinders.The vessel is equipped with a Garmin navigation system…

All American Marine Delivers New Vessel for Hawaii Dolphin Tours

Bellingham, Wash. boatbuilder All American Marine (AAM) has delivered a new tour and dive vessel for Hawaii Dolphin Tours based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The highly customized vessel 50- by 17-foot Poseidon features a semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand and was constructed to USCG (US Coast Guard) Subchapter T regulations in AAM’s facility on Bellingham Bay. The new vessel started operations this week in Oahu…

RIMPAC Naval Exercise Brings Together 'Capable Adaptive Partners' from 28 Nations

The 2022 biennial, multi-national Rim of the Pacific's (RIMPAC) exercise has come to a close.This year’s exercise with the theme of “Capable Adaptive Partners,” featured 26 participating nations and 38 surface ships, three submarines, more than 30 uncrewed systems, approximately 170 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel.RIMPAC 2022 featured a wide range of capabilities--projecting the inherent flexibility of maritime forces and helping to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, and took place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, June 29 to Aug.

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues 15 Mariners aboard Disabled Yacht off Hawaii

U.S. Coast Guard rescued 15 mariners aboard the disabled 72-foot sailing vessel Lucky, 26-miles east of Makapu’u Point, Oahu, Hawaii, Saturday.The Lucky was adrift due to a disabled rudder and crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry (WPC 1124) and a Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium towed the vessel to Honolulu Harbor.“With any towing evolution there is risk involved," said Ensign Michael Meisenger, the operations officer aboard the Oliver Berry vessel.“Our crew trains constantly to ensure we are prepared when called upon. Last night that training paid off.

Downed Cargo Jet Found on the Seafloor off Hawaii

Investigators have located a Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday.Transair Flight 810 was found approximately 2 miles offshore from Ewa Beach. The major components of the airplane -- the aft fuselage including both wings and tail along with both engines, and forward fuselage -- were located on the sea floor at depths between 360 and 420 feet…

Tech File: Enhanced Active Heave Winch Control

Hawboldt Industries installed an ABB winch drive with in-built active heave compensation (AHC) software at the heart of a new winch and offshore crane for the research vessel Kilo Moana, giving University of Hawai‘i Marine Center scientists a reliable means of deploying water sampling equipment at depths up to 5,000 meters in even the roughest sea conditions.Kilo Moana is a 60-meter Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the University of Hawai‘i Marine Center, built to conduct a variety of tests at sea.

Containership Crew Member Medevaced Off Hawaii

An injured mariner was medevaced from a containership off the coast of Hawaii on Wednesday.At 4 a.m., Saturday, the captain of the 984-foot Adonis notified Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu watchstanders that a 43-year-old crew member on board suffered a hand injury. A U.S. Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was consulted and recommended a medevac based on the concern that the mariner’s injury could worsen if left untreated.Due to the vessel’s size and safety concerns for a small-boat transfer, the Malta-flagged containership’s crew was instructed to set course for Oahu where Coast Guard crews would rendezvous upon arrival.Coast Guard crews conducted the medevac nine miles south of Honolulu, on Wednesday.

VIDEO: 2021 Will Be a 'Step-change' for U.S. Offshore Wind Industry

Despite being the second-largest global market for onshore wind, the United States is today a very minor player in comparison to the European and East Asian offshore wind markets, however, this is about to change.Philip Lewis, Director of Research, World Energy Reports said in an interview with Maritime Reporter TV, that 2021 is expected to be a "step-change" for the U.S. Offshore wind industry.But first, where are we today? Per Lewis, the U.S. currently has only two operational projects for a total of 42MW of installed capacity versus a global offshore installed base of 34…

Car Carrier Crewman Medevaced off Hawaii

An ailing seafarer was medevaced from a 650-foot car carrier vessel, 100 miles northwest of Honolulu, Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At 9 p.m., Thursday, the Cayman Islands-flagged Brilliant Ace notified Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) watchstanders in Honolulu that a 50-year-old crewmember on board appeared to be suffering from his medications not working.Duty flight surgeons from the Coast Guard were consulted and recommended a medevac based on the concern that the mariner’s condition could rapidly deteriorate if left untreated.

Autonomous Offshore Power Trials Get Underway off Hawaii

With the advent of autonomy on and under the water, part of the value proposition is the ability to stay at sea, on station, to exponentially increase efficiencies. Have the ability to repower at sea is central to this effort, as an increasing number of companies work to solve the inherent technical and logistic problems.Columbia Power Technologies (C-Power) is commencing a six-month sea trial to test and validate its SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS), in partnership with a pair of powerhouses: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. NavyInitially conceived during a U.S.

Containership Crew Rescues Sailors 825 Miles off Hawaii

The crew aboard a U.S.-flagged containership rescued three sailors from a 50-foot trimaran that became disabled in the Pacific Ocean, about 825 miles northeast of Oahu, last week.At 8 a.m., last Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders at Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu received a report from a friend of the trimaran’s master stating the vessel, Third Try, had not made contact since Monday. The three mariners aboard were attempting a nonstop circumnavigation of the globe, and their last known position was between California and Hawaii.Watchstanders issued a SafetyNET broadcast notifying merchant vessels in the region…

US Agencies Ink MOU for Hawaii Emergency Harbor Assessments

The U.S. Coast Guard signed a memorandum of understanding in June with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coast Survey, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, and United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding maritime emergency harbor assessments within federal waterways in Hawaii.This agreement means the partners can work more efficiently and effectively to assess the State's harbors following disasters, such as severe weather events, to restore…

MBARI Works at Unlocking Ocean Biology

Greater understanding of what goes on in the ocean is starting to become a reality – thanks to growing use of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and developments in biological sensing. Elaine Maslin takes a look at what a team at MBARI has been doing.Gathering biological data from the oceans remains a significant challenge for oceanographers. Now, an increasing range of unmanned vehicles that are able to work together is becoming available, as is an ability to collect biological data using them.It sounds straight forward…

Burning Fishing Vessel Sinks Off Oahu

The Coast Guard continues to respond to an incident aboard the commercial fishing vessel Miss Emma off Oahu, Wednesday.“We’re pleased there was no loss of life in this case, and there are no current reports of pollution,” said Lt. j.g. Seth Gross, a command duty officer for Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We will conduct another overflight of the area today, and Coast Guard personnel are investigating the cause of the fire."The vessel caught fire Tuesday afternoon about 8 miles south of Sand Island prompting a search and rescue response.

MTR100: Five "Ones to Watch"

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes of operation are entering the underwater domain for oil and gas operations and…

Coast Guard, Good Samaritans Respond to Ro/Ro Fire in Pacific Ocean

The Coast Guard and good Samaritans aboard several commercial vessels are responding to a reported vessel fire on the 650-foot Sincerity Ace 1,800 nautical miles (2071 statute miles) northwest of Oahu on the high seas, Monday.“The distance involved here requires any and all available support, we thank the crews of the commercial vessels for volunteering to assist and have Coast Guard air support en route,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Les Elliott of JRCC Honolulu.One commercial vessel…

$12.5m Awarded for Drydock Repairs in Hawaii

GSI Pacific Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii, is awarded $12,481,550 for a firm-fixed-price task order (N6247818F4183) under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62478-16-D-4015) to overhaul a dry dock caisson and provide dock repairs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The work to be performed provides for 10-year ultrasonic testing of the entire caisson in accordance with Military Standard 1625D including, but not limited to, plating of the entire hull, top deck (weather deck), machinery deck, internal strength decks, bulkheads including breast hooks, ballast tank and machinery deck internal structural members such as stiffeners, truss frame members and sea chests/ballast piping seaward of the first closure valve.

Coast Guard Responds to Collision near Oahu

The Coast Guard responded to a reported collision of two vessels approximately 20 miles southeast of Oahu, Wednesday.The commercial fishing vessel, Helen, reportedly collided with the Italian-flagged Liquid Propane Gas tanker, Pertusola, carrying 2,300 metric tons of propane reportedly collided.At 1:52 p.m., Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a report from the vessel Helen’s captain via VHF radio channel 16 of the incident.The U.S.

Keehi Marine to Reduce Stormwater Discharge Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with Hawaiian repair yard Keehi Marine, Inc. to reduce pollution in its stormwater discharges to Keehi Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.Acting on a tip it received from the public, EPA performed an inspection in April 2017 at the Honolulu boatyard and found accumulation of fine sediment and debris without controls that prevent stormwater and associated debris from entering stormwater discharges and flowing into Keehi Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean. It was discovered that recent flooding at a covered work area indicating pollutants had washed offsite. From September 2016 to December 2017…

Torrential Rain, Howling Winds as Hurricane Lane Nears Hawaii

Hurricane Lane, a powerful Category 3 storm, spun slowly north out of the Pacific toward Hawaii on Friday, causing torrential downpours and catastrophic flooding on the Big Island.The greatest threat from wind and rain shifted to Maui overnight and then to Oahu, the U.S. state's most populous island, through Friday, the National Weather Service said. Hurricane conditions were possible over Kauai into Saturday, according to forecasts.More than 2 feet (60 cm) of rain had already fallen on a few areas on the windward side of the Big Island…

U.S. Army Corps Selects 10 Beneficial Use Pilot Projects

At the end of December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) announced its selection of ten dredging projects that will form the core of a pilot program to advance the beneficial use of dredged material.The recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ announcement culminated a program required by Congress, established within the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, specifically Section 1122. Congress directed that the ten pilot projects selected were required to present environmental…

French Frigate Shoals: A Canary in the Coal Mine

French Frigate Shoals are located in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, between Kauai and Midway. The atoll consists of a twenty-mile long crescent-shaped reef, with 13 coral and sand islands and the 120-foot high volcanic rock Perouse Pinnacle, named for French explorer Jean-Francois de la Perouse, who charted the atoll in 1786 and nearly grounded his two frigates. Tern Island is the largest, covering 105,276 square meters or 26 acres. Second largest is (or was) East Island, with 35…