Charging Ahead: Brent Perry & his Sterling PBES Team Drive Maritime Battery Tech
Brent Perry, CEO of Sterling PBES is a 40+ year veteran of the marine business, and one of the pioneers in delivering battery solutions to boats and ships at sea. Please give us a by the numbers look at Sterling PBES today?Right now we are sitting in a position where we had anticipated delivering somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-21 million worth of product, which is about 35 megawatt hours. And we’re scheduled to blow past that to almost $40 million.
Video: In Offshore Wind, Size Matters
The offshore wind industry has made great strides to become a cost-competitive option for grid and off-grid energy solutions. And today, the industry is growing faster than ever before, both in the well-established European market and in newer ones such as in China, Taiwan, Japan and the U.S.As the industry keeps growing, projects and turbines do too, says Philip Lewis, director of research at World Energy Reports."Offshore wind is becoming more mainstream…
SeaMar Group Nets Long-Term Charter with MMT in U.S. Offshore Wind Space
Swedish marine survey company MMT has awarded a long-term contract for SeaMar Group's Deep Helder offshore support vessel.To contract comes following the recent six-month deal previously awarded for the vessel for work on the east coast of the U.S.The contract extension has a duration of two years firm, plus 1-year option. Work is expected to start in direct continuation of the vessel’s previously agreed scope.
Lebanon Hires German Firm to Remove Dangerous Material from Beirut Port
Lebanon's authorities signed a contract this month with a German company to clear dangerous material stored for more than a decade at Beirut port, the site of a seismic blast in August that killed about 200 people and wrecked swathes of the capital.Combi Lift, which signed the contract three months after a huge quantity of poorly stored chemicals erupted in a mushroom cloud, will remove "flammable and highly reactive" chemicals from 49 containers at the port…
A Group of Villagers, a Migrant Boat and a Deadly End in Senegal
Seven neighbors from a village in western Senegal boarded a fishing boat crammed with migrants just after midnight on Oct. 26. Their destination: Europe, 1000 miles away over open ocean.Two of them are now missing, presumed dead, after the boat carrying dozens of people capsized in a collision with the Senegalese coastguard.One can barely walk from his injuries. Another is haunted by the memory of…
UN's IMO Approves Ban on Heavy Ship Fuel in Arctic after July 2024
The United Nations shipping agency on Friday approved a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic region in a move criticized by green groups which said loopholes will allow many vessels to keep sailing without enough regulatory control.Antarctic waters are protected by stringent regulations, including a ban on heavy oil fuel (HFO) adopted in 2011, even though no cargo moves through the turbulent southern waters.
Jo-Kell Promotes Executives Parkinson, Kelly
Electrical distributor Jo-Kell Inc. said it has promoted Kristin Parkinson to Chief Operating Officer and John Kelly to Chief Corporate Officer.Initially hired as the head of the company’s Jacksonville branch, Parkinson took charge immediately and led the Jacksonville team to more than 500% revenue growth over her tenure. She was promoted to Executive Vice President of Operations and relocated to Jo-Kell’s corporate office in Chesapeake, Va.
Thyssenkrupp Expects Consolidation in European Warship Sector
Thyssenkrupp is in intense discussions with European peers about consolidation in the warship sector, Chief Executive Martina Merz told analysts on Thursday.Thyssenkrupp has said that it is exploring partnerships for its Marine Systems division, which builds frigates and submarines, and Merz said developing the unit as a standalone business within the group was not the most likely scenario.Sources…
Idled Cruise Ship Answers Mayday Call in the Caribbean
The crew of an idled cruise ship anchored in The Bahamas coordinated the rescue of a severely inured yacht crew member on Tuesday.Carinval Cruise Line's Carnival Ecstasy responded to the Mayday call from the private yacht Balista seeking help for a crew member suffering from severe injuries.Carnival Ecstasy was approximately four nautical miles away. While it could see that another cruise ship was closer…
Hanscom Named GM of Willard Marine
Boatbuilder Willard Marine announced Eugene Hanscom has been appointed general manager.The industry veteran came to Willard in May of 2020 as the director of finance. Prior to that he spent the last six years with Curtin Maritime, a Long Beach-based maritime construction services company, as vice president of finance. Hanscom got his start in the industry by gaining his USCG Masters License and operating charter fishing trips on various vessels berthing at Fisherman’s Landing…
US Moves to Loosen Safety Rules for Arctic Offshore Drilling
The Trump administration on Thursday proposed to loosen Obama-era safety regulations for the oil industry in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska to ease the way for petroleum extraction in the region, an effort that President-elect Joe Biden will likely throw out once in office.The proposal would revise a suite of Obama-era rules crafted to improve safety in the extreme conditions of the Arctic after a Shell drilling rig ran aground there in 2012.
Briton Plans to Round the World On an Electric Boat
British navigator Jimmy Cornell set sail from Seville in Spain on Thursday to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first voyage around the world—this time on an electric boat.Cornell plans to follow the route taken by explorers Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano.The trip "has two dimensions, a historical dimension, because I want to travel the original and historic route," Cornell told reporters."But it has another very important dimension for me…
Conrad Delivers Asphalt Barges to Parker Towing
Conrad Shipyard announced Thursday that it has delivered two 30,000 BBL asphalt barges to Parker Towing of Tuscaloosa, Ala.The PTC 2001 and PTC 2002 are each double skin 30,000 BBL capacity asphalt barges, measuring 297’-6” x 54’ x 12’. Each is outfitted with one (1) Volcanic thermal fluid heater unit rated for 8 million BTU; one 99kw John Deere generator; three Nabrico deck cranes; four Patterson…
Derecktor Breaks Ground on New Florida Shipyard
Plans to convert the century-old Port of Fort Pierce into a repair and refit facility for the global fleet of megayachts and large sailing yachts are moving full speed ahead.After a lengthy permitting and review process, Derecktor Shipyards has been granted approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Lucie County…
Australia Sets Return to Pre-COVID Seafarer Contracts
Australian maritime officials have set an end date for interim arrangements permitting seafarers to serve longer than 11 months aboard ships amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Under the International Labor Organization’s Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) the normal maximum period that a seafarer can serve aboard a vessel without leave is 11 months.Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) general manager of operations…
Boatbuilder Armstrong Marine USA Renamed BRIX Marine
Boatbuilder Armstrong Marine USA said it has changed its name to BRIX Marine as the company looks to broaden and diversify its portfolio of welded aluminum boats.Since 1991, Armstrong Marine has crafting rugged aluminum catamarans and workboats. The company was founded in Canada and moved to Port Angeles, Wash. in 2001 before joining Bryton Marine Group in 2017.“Our team has developed strong momentum with our boat portfolios and customers.
Callan Marine Names Stika CFO
Dredging contractor Callan Marine announced it has hired Matt Sitka as the Galveston, Texas-based company's new chief financial officer.A 15-year veteran of the industrial services, dredging, and marine construction industry, Sitka, CPA, MBA, brings experience in the petrochemical, refining, power generation, marine, public and government industries, in addition to four years in public accounting.“We are thrilled to have Matt on our team,” said Maxie McGuire, President of Callan Marine.
Wärtsilä Engines Selected for CGN's New Ferries
Marine and technology provider Wärtsilä said it will supply the engines and related emissions control after-treatment systems for two new passenger ferries being built for operation between Switzerland and France across Lake Geneva. The ferries were ordered in January at the Shiptec AG yard in Switzerland for General Navigation Company (CGN), a Swiss ferry operator based in Lausanne.The 60 meters long…
Global Crude Market Finds Support From China Demand
China, the global oil market's lifeline this year, has stepped up purchases from exporters like Russia, the United States and Angola in recent weeks, while buyers elsewhere pare orders as coronavirus infections surge and fresh lockdowns are put in place.China, the world's largest importer of crude, is the only major buyer expected to see increased oil demand this year as the pandemic destroyed consumption globally.With China's imports expected to reach 12 million barrels per day (bpd) next year…
Cavotec, ASKO Power Forward on Autonomous, Zero-Emission Fleet
The future of shipping is here, and it will not surprise industry observers to see Norway in the pole position as autonomous vessels enter commercial operations. Norway has long been on the bleeding edge of shipping innovation. In 2015, the world’s first battery electric car ferry entered operation in Norway’s deepest and longest fjord, Sognefjord.The ferry, MV Ampere, resulted from a government initiative and was a catalyst for innovation in the industry.