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A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County, under early French ownership the port was utilized to ship lead cannonballs and shot to Europe to support Napolean’s army.

More than a half a billion dollars in recent, current or expected improvements at three Midwestern ports will strengthen these facilities and reinforce their important roles in the global freight network. The significant investments at Port KC, America’s Central Port, and Kaskaskia Regional Port District, along with new infrastructure funding recently secured, will spur an increase in barge services and deliver cost efficiencies that drive profitability for the industry. Port KC is located on the Missouri River.

As the maritime industry increasingly moves towards propulsion solutions that help cut emissions, battery technology is increasingly taking center stage on a number of ship, boat and offshore energy installations. Leading the charge are a number of battery manufacturers globally, including Norway’s Corvus Energy, which announced that the company is expanding its US operations by opening a new factory in the Port of Bellingham, Washington.The U.S.-based manufacturing facility, starting with Corvus’ Orca battery…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of a new Marine Highway Route, two new Marine Highway Projects, and one Project Designation Extension as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). While focusing on supply chain efficiency will have nationwide effects, the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, California, and Oregon will receive new routes, designations, or extensions.The…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Steller Systems announced it will open a new office on the U.K.'s South Coast. Slated to open next month, the new premises in the village of Hamble will house Steller Systems "growing" team of naval architects and marine engineers, the company said.The new location joins Steller Systems' existing Grade II listed office in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, and its rapid prototyping workshop which opened earlier this year in nearby Minchinhampton."With the continued increase in demand for Steller Systems’ services…

The U.S. has big plans for its offshore wind industry, and shipbuilders like Blount Boats and others are ramping up to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunity.Earlier this year, the Biden Administration unveiled its goal to have 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power installed and in development in the U.S. by 2030. The announcement, which included plans to open new areas to development, accelerate permits and boost public financing for projects, injected a healthy dose of optimism into an American offshore wind industry that has taken its time getting off the ground.To date…

Melanie Olsen is harnessing 10 years of missile defense and electronic warfare systems expertise to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopter…

The Biden administration will seek to approve more than a dozen offshore wind projects in the next four years and open new areas for leasing off the coast of California as it seeks to supercharge development of the nascent U.S. industry, an Interior Department official said on Tuesday.The effort is part of the administration’s broader plan to fight climate change by decarbonizing the U.S. power sector by 2035 and the entire economy by 2050.Amanda Lefton, director of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, told the Reuters U.S.

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…

SCHOTTEL do Brasil will soon be able to offer more services for marine customers in a new service center located in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. German propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL enabled its Brazilian subsidiary to acquire land in 2019, and the construction work has been making progress. The 10,500m² sized plot will be home to a spacious administration, repair and warehouse location. It is expected to be opened in 2021.“Key aspects for the premises’ design will be a more efficient supply chain…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that The Apprentice School at its Newport News Shipbuilding division has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to operate as a postsecondary institution. The certification gives the school the authority to grant academic degrees, further enhancing its national reputation as the model apprenticeship program.The school plans to grant associates of applied science degrees in maritime technology in 26 disciplines…

South Korean shipbuilding firm Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has earlier this month delivered a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to Excelerate Energy.The FSRU, named the Excelerate Sequoia, is Excelerate Energy's tenth FSRU vessel. All ten FSRUs were built by DSME.The vessel has a storage capacity of 173,400 cubic meters and is capable of operating as both an FSRU and a fully tradable LNG carrier, Excelerate Energy said. In September of last year, Excelerate and Maran Gas Maritime Inc. (MGM) signed a five-year bareboat charter agreement (BBC) for the FSRU.

Intercompany agreement signed between MAN Energy Solutions’ China Production and Four-Stroke Denmark’s Aft Ship & Propeller Department will establish a local CPP Assembly & Test facility with the aim to expand the propeller business further into the Chinese market.The target is to double the market share, and the plan is to start assembling the first systems in the middle of 2020, the company said.Jan Zebitz, Head of Aft Ship & Propeller, said: “There are several reasons for us to move closer to the Chinese market.

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

The largest trimodal  container terminal in the European hinterland is being developed in the Port of Duisburg.Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) is set to build a US$111.2mln  new 220,000 m² trimodal container terminal on the site of its current coal island in response to a sharp decline in coal handling as a result of the energy transformation.The trimodal terminal is to be developed with duisport’s intermodal partners COSCO Shipping Logistics, Hupac SA and HTS Group and aims to handle the port’s booming trade with China in particular.This is duisport's response to the sharp decline in coal handling resulting from the energy transformation. In the future, duisport will instead use the coal island in particular to handle the booming trade with China.

Floating solar photovoltaic (PV)  panels are making a splash in Southeast Asia. Development of floating solar PV power plants is expected to increase 100-fold in the region over the next five to 15 years, according to energy research firm Rystad Energy. Projects plans are in the works in Thailand and Vietnam as large-scale floating PV installations, with smaller utility-scale floating PV developments being proposed in Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar.Rystad Energy expects large-scale floating PV developments, typically installed on dams and reservoirs, to increase one hundred-fold in South East Asia over the next five to 15 years as countries in the region look to substantially increase their share of renewable energy in the power mix.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company vessel MSC Katya R. became the largest ever container ship to berth at APM Terminals Moin last month. Its first call at the terminal was part of a new weekly transatlantic reefer service.Measuring 281m long and 32.2 m wide, it can transport up to 4,200 TEUs. To date the record at APM Terminals Moin stood at 3,800 TEUs.“We feel very proud to continue expanding the horizons and open new opportunities for national trade, undoubtedly this event contributes to raising the level of port competitiveness in our country”, said Kenneth Waugh, Manager Director of APM Terminals Moin.“We will continue working to guarantee the arrival of increasingly larger ships and the incorporation of new commercial routes”…

A naval architect and graduate of the Webb Institute, Co-Owner/CEO Chris Allard introduced the engineering-centric approach that has fueled Metal Shark’s growth; driving innovation and transforming the company from a regional builder to a globally recognized industry leader.A member of the ownership team since 2005, Mr. Allard has overseen the expansion of Metal Shark from several employees to over 350. Under Mr. Allard’s direction, Metal Shark has successfully captured over $500…

Exploration travel and cruising company Hurtigruten said it has appointed John Downey as President for the Americas, based in its Seattle regional headquarters.Downey is charged with driving sales and profitability across the U.S., Canada, and South America and will work to broaden and deepen key travel agent relationships and open new channels for growth. He is also tasked with increasing brand awareness and market share by ensuring effective brand positioning, marketing, and…

Abu Dhabi Ports on Monday inaugurated the new Cosco Shipping Container Terminal at Khalifa with a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).The new CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, which includes the largest container freight station in the Middle East, is expected to boost Abu Dhabi’s position as a global maritime hub and support China’s One Belt One Road initiative.CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal is the first international green-field subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Ports; water depth of the semi-automatic terminal is 16.5 metres which allow it to accommodate megavessels typically in excess of 20,000 TEU, said a stock exchange annoucement.With an annual design capacity of 2.5 million TEU…

Harvey Gulf International Marine has confirmed that it is going global with the reflagging of both Offshore Supply and Fast Supply Vessels to facilitate work in Mexico.Harvey will open additional offices in Mexico through its affiliate, Harvey Gulf International Marine de Mexico S.A.P.I. de C.V. Harvey will also establish itself in Trinidad and Guyana by opening offices and redeploying shore base personnel and vessels to those areas.Harvey will certify vessels for operation under Mexican flags to ensure its customers can receive Harvey service levels for their expanding Mexico operations. In addition to Harvey Gulf de Mexico’s office in Mexico City…

A giant vessel docked at the port of Moheshkhali in Bangladesh two months ago, propelling the populous but poor nation into the fast-expanding club of liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyers.The Excellence is the latest floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a type of carrier that has proliferated since 2015 as many countries switch to a cleaner and increasingly cheaper fuel than oil and coal.But the young FSRU industry has been beset by more project delays than successes in the past 12 months as fluctuating energy prices…

U.S. based power transmission technology and equipment manufacturer Twin Disc, Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Netherlands based marine propulsion products supplier Veth Propulsion Holding, B.V. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.Twin Disc said the purchase price is approximately $58.6 million plus net cash, with potential adjustments based on Veth Propulsion’s working capital as of the closing date, and will be financed through a combination of cash and new debt facilities.