San Diego News

The U.S. Navy's efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because the Pentagon remains wedded to big shipbuilding projects, according to some officials and company executives, exposing a weakness as sea drones reshape naval warfare.The lethal effectiveness of sea drones has been demonstrated in the Black Sea where Ukraine has deployed remote-controlled speed boats packed with explosives to sink Russian frigates and minesweepers since late 2022.Yemeni-backed Houthi rebels have employed similar vessels against commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months…

The Austal USA Board of Directors has elected Michelle Kruger as Austal USA President. She has been serving as interim president since August 2023.Kruger joined Austal USA in 2022 as the vice president of global services and support. In that role she led Austal USA’s ship repair and warranty efforts including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. She also oversaw the stand up of Austal USA’s San Diego repair yard including the delivery of a purpose-built 9000-tonne capacity dry dock.

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowley’s new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmental…

Austal USA welcomed Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General Christopher Mahoney to the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard on March 4. They were joined by Senator Roger Wicker, Congressman Jerry Carl, and Rear Admiral Tom Anderson, Program Executive Officer Ships.The visitors witnessed Austal USA’s focus on innovation, adherence to proven processes, and continued investment in the company’s people and facilities to meet the emerging needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., March 1.Kingsville is the 18th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) constructed, and is the first ship ever named after Kingsville, Texas.The LCS class comprises fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that can operate in both near-shore and open-ocean waters to counter 21st-century coastal threats.Kingsville successfully completed Acceptance Trials on February 1 and will be commissioned later this summer…

The U.S. government said it is spending more than $7 million a year to maintain a superyacht it seized from a sanctioned Russian oligarch, and urged a judge to let it auction the vessel before a dispute over its ownership is resolved.Authorities in Fiji seized the 348-foot (106-meter), $300 million Amadea in May 2022, pursuant to a U.S. warrant alleging it was owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a multibillionaire sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia's activities in Syria and Ukraine.Efforts to auction the yacht are being challenged by Eduard Khudainatov…

The Pentagon last Friday announced that nine companies have been awarded contracts for repair, maintenance and modernization of U.S. Navy’s non-nuclear surface ships homeported or visiting the Northwest United States.The total value of the multiple award contract is a combined $944 million. The scope of work is for continuous maintenance, emergent maintenance, and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities, which are short-term or less than 10-months in duration.The nine companies are East Coast Repair & Fabrication…

Crowley on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of its groundbreaking vessel eWolf, the first all-electric, ship assist harbor tugboat in the United States.The 82-foot tug, designed by Crowley’s engineering services team and built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, will enter service at the Port of San Diego this spring following final demonstration trials and completion of Crowley’s microgrid shoreside charging station. The vessel will operate with zero emissions while providing the complete performance capabilities of a traditional tug…

Vigor Marine has been awarded a contract for a 93-calendar day shipyard availability for a mid-term availability of Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).The $21,198,656 firm-fixed-price contract includes a base period and options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $21,711,746. Vigor was the sole bidder for the project.Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., beginning March 15, 2024, and is expected to be completed by June 15…

The U.S. Navy’s newest Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel Vanguard (OUSV3), was recently launched from Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Vanguard is the first USV for the Navy purpose-built for autonomous operations from the keel-up.Vanguard is being jointly developed by a team led by Austal USA and L3Harris. Once outfitting and testing is completed, Vanguard will autonomously transit to San Diego, joining sister ships, OUSV2 Ranger and OUSV4 Mariner, as part of the Navy’s USV Division 1.

Seattle based Manson Construction Co. announced it has been selected as the contractor for the P-508 Floating Dry Dock Mooring Facility project.Awarded by Naval Facilities Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW), this $106.9 million project at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) includes a new ramp pier, retrofitting the mooring wharf, and support facilities for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) to directly support the operations and maintenance of a new floating dry dock.

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

The first all-electric tugboat built in the United States, Crowley's eWolf, has started sea trials along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The 82-foot ship assist tug, built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, is expected to enter service at the Port of San Diego in 2024. Video footage of the vessel on sea trials was shared by Crowley on social media.The eWolf is designed to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and expected 70 ton bollard pull strength.

Greensea IQ reports it has completed a demonstration of a prototype Autonomous EOD Maritime Response Vehicle (AEMRV) for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and US Navy. Leaning on the capabilities of OPENSEA Edge, the system provides the computing resources needed to power edge perception systems and advanced autonomous behaviors of EOD Workspace, allowing human-on-the-loop autonomy and untethered command and control over the ROV platform.The demo took place over several days in September in the open ocean off the coast of San Diego…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Glosten and Siemens Energy have selected Ballard Power Systems and Chart Industries as primary equipment vendors for their design of what will be the first hydrogen-hybrid research vessel in the world. The vessel, nominally known as the CCRV, is currently in the design phase and will be owned and operated by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps). Ballard Power Systems will provide the fuel cells which will help power the vessel…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

With the completion of shore power installation on Volendam, Holland America Line's entire fleet is now shore power-capable. Volendam completed installation in Vancouver, British Columbia, and connected to the port's shoreside electricity for the first full day on Sept. 27.The cruise line began converting ships to have shore power connectivity in 2006 with its four Vista Class ships; its Pinnacle Class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam) all were built with shore power systems installed…

The U.S. Navy's first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) departed HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division Tuesday. DDG 125 will be commissioned October 7, 2023 at a ceremony in Tampa, Fla., before sailing to its homeport in San Diego.“Watching Jack H. Lucas sail away is a proud moment for our entire DDG shipbuilding team,” Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG Program Manager Ben Barnett said. “Our shipbuilders will follow this first Flight III destroyer…

A U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego helicopter crew rescued a 64-year-old male passenger from a fishing vessel approximately 40 miles off the coast of San Diego, Thursday.Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center watchstanders received a distress call from the fishing vessel Pride, requesting a medical evacuation for a crewmember at approximately 9 a.m. The injured male was experiencing multiple onset abnormalities.Based on the reported condition of the individual…

A dynamic era in naval oceanography recently ended as the iconic Floating Instrument Platform — popularly known as FLIP — was officially retired from service.Built in 1962 with funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), FLIP helped generations of scientists and oceanographers better understand the mysteries of the sea, including internal waves, air-sea interaction and long-range sound propagation. Sadly, age and exorbitant life-extension costs resulted in the platform being disestablished.On Aug.

General Dynamics NASSCO, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) won a contract by the U.S. Navy for the maintenance, modernization and repair of USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95). The contract for an initial $15.6 million includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $753.8 million.Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and San Diego, California. If all options are exercised, work will continue through November 2030.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investments—part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—are intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland…