Transportation Vessel News

An obstructed check valve on a bilge pump led to the flooding and partial sinking of a towing vessel last year while moored at a shipyard near New Orleans, the National Transportation Safety Board reports.Marquette Transportation's vessel Joanne Marie was found partially submerged a day and a half after being moored and deactivated at the Bollinger Quick Repair Shipyard on the Harvey Canal. The vessel was unattended at the time. No injuries were reported and damage to the vessel was over $176…

Four Greenpeace activists on Tuesday boarded the heavy transportation vessel carrying Shell's Penguins FPSO aboard, calling on the oil major to "Stop Drilling. Start Paying."Six Greenpeace International activists attempted, and four managed to board Boskalis' White Marlin vessel in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Canary Islands. The heavy transportation vessel is carrying the recently delivered 34,000t Penguins FPSO, which is planned to ultimately be deployed northeast of the Shetland Islands in the North Sea for the Penguins field project.

Shell's Penguins FPSO has set sail from China loaded aboard Boskalis' White Marlin semi-submersible heavy transportation vessel.In a social media post on Thursday, Boskalis said: "Boskalis’ semi-submersible transport vessel White Marlin departed from Qingdao, China with an impressive cargo; the 34,000-ton cylinder-shaped Shell Penguins FPSO. After a smooth and safe float-on and [seafastening] campaign, the vessel started her journey to Norway." At the time of writing, the White Marlin was sailing past the east coast of Taiwan…

Water depths on the Rhine River in Germany have risen thanks to recent rain and are approaching normal levels after falling this summer to lows that disrupted transportation, vessel brokers and commodity traders said on Monday.But, since dry weather was forecast for much of this week, levels could fall again and the picture had not yet normalized, brokers said.The Rhine is an important shipping route for such commodities as grains, minerals, coal and oil products, including heating oil.Weeks of high temperatures and scant rainfall in August lowered water levels in the river…

Following a long journey from Thailand, an offshore substation built for the massive Dogger Bank offshore wind project in the United Kingdom arrived at Aibel's yard in Haugesund on Saturday, aboard BigLift Shipping's heavy transportation vessel BigLift Baffin.The substation is the first of three platforms that Aibel will deliver to the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank, which is located in the North Sea, 130 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast.The platforms…

Norwegian engineering and construction firm Aibel's yard in Thailand has completed the construction of the Dogger Bank A wind farm substation topside, in what is the first ever HVDC converter platform exported from Thailand.Loaded on a BigLift heavy transportation vessel, the topside is now en route to Haugesund, Norway where further equipment will be installed ahead of the installation at its final offshore location at what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, the Dogger Bank…

Dutch marine services company Boskalis has delivered the Hollandse Kust Zuid Beta substation topside to Tennet in the Netherlands after a long journey from Dubai, where it was built.This is the second High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) offshore transformer station topside, built by Petrofac and Drydocks World Dubai for the Dutch-German transmission grid operator TenneT.The 700 MW Beta topside weighs 3,950 tonnes. It was shipped to the Dutch North Sea aboard Boskalis' Mighty Servant 3 heavy lift and transportation vessel.

The second High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) offshore transformer station topside, delivered by Petrofac and Drydocks World Dubai for the Dutch-German transmission grid operator TenneT, has set sail from the fabrication facility in the UAE, Petrofac said Monday.The 700 MW Beta topside weighs 3,950-tonne. It is being shipped to the Dutch North Sea aboard Boskalis' Mighty Servant 3 heavy lift and transportation vessel. The topside will form part of the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) grid connection that connects the offshore wind farm zone to the Dutch mainland at the Maasvlakte.

Singapore's Sembcorp Marine has delivered the Norwegian Barents Sea-bound Johan Castberg FPSO to Equinor. The FPSO has set off for Norway, loaded aboard Boskalis' Boka Vanguard semi-submersible heavy transportation vessel.Johan Castberg is Sembcorp Marine’s first EPC newbuild FPSO. Sembcorp Marine’s scope of work for the Johan Castberg FPSO vessel comprised the construction of the hull and living quarters.Upon final completion in Norway, the FPSO is scheduled for deployment at the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea, about 240km from Hammerfest, Norway.

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

U.S.-based Spear Power Systems said it will provide its Trident marine battery systems for SeaBubbles' 100% electric, hybrid hydrogen and batteries flying boats. The first-of-its-kind water vehicle designed by France-based manufacturer SeaBubbles has been developed to help alleviate heavy congestion in cities close to bodies of water.The SeaBubbles flying boats have already completed test runs in Geneva, Paris and the Mediterranean basin, and have subsequently been chosen to receive funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) on Monday commissioned the newest Staten Island ferry, SSG Michael H. Ollis.The 320-foot, 4,500-passenger vessel was built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group ass the first in a series of three new Ollis Class ferries due to enter service for Staten Island Ferry.The three Ollis Class double ended 4,500 passenger ferries, are designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, each featuring four ABS Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) L12ME23B @ 750…

China's Cosco Shipping has earlier this month delivered the King’s Quay floating production unit to Ingleside, Texas, aboard its M/V Xiang An Kou semi-submersible heavy transportation vessel, after a long journey from South Korea.The 21,498mt platform, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, will be used for Murphy Oil's offshore oil field developments around 175 miles south of New Orleans in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The King’s Quay floating production unit is scheduled to go into service in 2022.

Terral RiverService announced September 1 the acquisition of the assets of Vidalia Dock and Storage Company, Two-J Ranch Inc., 363 Dry-Dock & Repair LLC, and Natchez Marine and Towing Inc. the premier fleet and yard operator in the Vidalia La., and Natchez, Miss. areas. According to Terral, the acquisition includes a total of four towboats, a dry dock and rock yard. In addition, Terral has acquired all of Vidalia Dock and Storage’s fleeting locations on the Mississippi River located…

Heerema Marine Contractors' giant semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir has lifted and installed the first new topside for TotalEnergies' Tyra redevelopment in the Danish North Sea.Noreco, TotalEnergies' partner in the project, shared the photos of the installation via social media on Tuesday."The world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir, with an incredible precision, has now lifted off the first new Tyra topside and installed it on the jacket. This is an important step towards what will be a state-of-the-art facility in the North Sea…

Subsea energy services firm Subsea 7 said Thursday it had agreed to merge its renewables business with OHT, and Oslo-listed heavy lift and transportation vessel owner which is building a fleet of offshore wind installation vessels, too.The combined company will be renamed Seaway 7 ASA and will initially retain OHT’s listing on Oslo’s Euronext Growth market, with a view to a future listing on the main board of Oslo Børs. Subsea 7 will own 72% and OHT’s shareholders 28% of Seaway 7 ASA.

Crane specialist Liebherr has informed that important components for a giant crane to be installed aboard OHT's Alfa Lift offshore wind foundation installation vessel, have departed from Germany and are now en route to China where the vessel is being built.The Alfa Lift, being built for Offshore Heavy Transports (OHT) at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard in Jiangsu, China, was on February 28, floated-out from its drydock. Once delivered, the semisubmersible heavy installation vessel…

On November 25, 2020, MV Hawk discharged her final jacket foundation for the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm.OHT’s heavy transportation vessel carried its second load of 10jackets from Lamprell’s fabrication site in Hamriyah, UAE, arriving at the Port of Nigg in the Cromarty Firth on November 12, 2020, marking the completion of OHT’s eight-month transportation campaign which also used its vessels MV Osprey and MV Albatross. All told, OHT transported 48 three-legged jacket foundations averaging more than 1…

Norwegian company that specializes in the distribution of fish feed Eidsvaag has contracted Damen to convert platform supply vessels (PSV) into highly demanded fish feed carriers.Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) is converting a platform supply vessel into a fish feed carrier that will improve efficiency and sustainability in the Norwegian aquaculture industry.“One of the main things that made Damen stand out as a strong candidate in the tender process was their previous experience with the vessel,” explains Vidar Eidsvaag, general manager and owner at Eidsvaag. The vessel, now renamed Eidsvaag Opal, was part of a six-vessel order Damen built for the offshore supply company…

Dutch company SBM Offshore has announced the sailaway of the last two modules for the Turret Mooring System built for Equinor's Johan Castberg FPSO which will, once completed, be deployed in the Barents Sea, offshore Norway.The modules will be shipped to Singapore aboard a heavy-transportation vessel. Once in Singapore, the modules will be integrated into the hull of Equinor’s Johan Castberg FPSO. Commenting on the completion of the construction phase of the turret mooring system…

There’s a barge full of reasons why many operators turn to ATBs.A  mainstay of the U.S. coastwise dirty and refined products trades, articulated tug barges (ATB) have increasingly filled a void left as the fleet of Jones Act tankers (with crew complement requirements exceeding that of tugs) has aged out. With the cargo capacity of the larger ATBs – some with barges exceeding 300,000 barrels capacity – rivalling that of workhorse tankers that had served oil consuming regions, the concept certainly makes sense from a supply and distribution perspective.With 50…

China's shipbuilder CIMC Raffles has launched the Antarctic Provider, a vessel being built for Norway's krill harvesting company Aker BioMarine.The launching ceremony for the krill transport vessel built by CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. was held Thursday at CIMC Raffles Yantai base. The 167.6 meters long Antarctic Provider will be used mainly for krill transportation between the Antarctic fishing area and South American ports. It will also provide the fuel supply for fishing vessels…

NorthStar Midstream, a portfolio company of funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., has announced the formation of Polaris New Energy (“PNE”), a marine transportation company focused on the transportation and distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) along the coastal and inland waterways of the United States.NorthStar has executed an agreement with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build a 5,400 cubic meter (CBM), with the ability to potentially construct two sister barges, for coastwise transportation of LNG.