Mackay Marine Open for Business in the U.A.E.
Mackay Marine announced the opening of its newest marine electronics service center, in Fujairah, U.A.E., located on the east coast of the Gulf of Oman.Mackay Marine–UAE provides Comm & Nav electronics sales and service to vessels in ports throughout the U.A.E., including Fujairah, Jebel Ali, Dubai, Sharjah, Port Saeed, Khorkakkan, etc., as well as service ships in Dry Dock in Oman and Dubai.Mackay…
Thyssenkrupp in Talks About Possible Warship Unit Merger
German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp is in talks about possibly merging its subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) with a domestic rival to create a national champion.The Thyssenkrupp board member in charge of the marine systems unit, Oliver Burkhard, tweeted earlier that the company was in talks as an alliance could make sense in the current European market environment, with the creation of a national…
Third and Fourth Lifting Lugs Installed on M/V Golden Ray
T&T Salvage on Friday installed the third and fourth lifting lugs on the M/V Golden Ray, a roll-on, roll-off vessel that ran aground and overturned near the Port of Brunswick in Georgia in September.In total, 16 lugs will be installed: two on each of the eight sections of the South Korean car carrier, which rests on its side in St. Simons Sound.The 656-foot, 20,000-deadweight-ton Golden Ray will need to be dismantled in place and removed in pieces because the vessel…
US Crude Futures Plunge to Lowest on Record
U.S. crude oil futures collapsed below $0 on Monday for the first time in history, amid a coronavirus-induced supply glut, ending the day at a stunning minus $37.63 a barrel as desperate traders paid to get rid of oil.Brent crude, the international benchmark, also slumped, but that contract was nowhere near as weak because more storage is available worldwide.While U.S. oil prices are trading in negative territory for the first time ever…
Tanker Crewman Medevaced Off Galveston
A crew member reportedly experiencing symptoms of an upper respiratory illness was medevaced from a tanker anchored off the coast of Texas and transferred to shoreside medical personnel on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Houston-Galveston received report of the ill crewman aboard a 600-foot tanker at anchorage approximately 15 miles southeast of Galveston…
Pirates Holding Containership Crew Hostage in Gulf of Guinea
Pirates reportedly boarded a Portuguese-flagged containership anchored off the coast of Benin on Sunday and are believed to be holding eight crew hostage, according…
Alewijnse Equips Mexican Patrol Boats
Alewijnse Marine has completed the electrical fit-out of the Mexican Navy’s latest vessel; the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) vessel ARM Reformador. Built at the ASTIMAR 20 naval shipyard in Salina Cruz, Mexico, with the Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards and its suppliers, it is widely regarded as the most advanced naval vessel afloat in Latin America.The scope of works covered all aspects of the ship’s electrical systems…
Hydrex Ready to Mobilize at Port of Rotterdam
To enable a fast mobilization throughout the entire Rotterdam port without delaying a ship’s commercials operations, Hydrex dive support vessels are stationed in Rotterdam. These workboats are fully equipped with hydraulic cranes, winches, a dive spread and control room.This allows Hydrex to offer simple maintenance operations as well as repairs on all parts of the underwater ship propulsion system and the hull.
MARAD Awards Nearly $20 Mln for Small Shipyards
Two dozen small shipyards in the U.S. have received a combined $19.6 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grant Program to help fund upgrades and expansions that often lead to more competitive operations, quality ship construction and improved employee skill.“This $19.6 million federal government investment in the nation’s small shipyards will help maintain the U. S. shipyard infrastructure of our country,” said U.S.
What Did Scientists Learn from Deepwater Horizon?
April 20, 2020, marks the tenth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, the offshore oil industry's biggest environmental disaster.Eleven people died, 17 others were injured, Transocean's drilling rig sank, and an incident caused more than four million barrels of oil to spill into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from the BP-operated Macondo well which spewed oil into the ocean for 87 days before…
Carnival CEO Defends Company's Safety Record
Carnival Corp Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald defended the company’s safety record on Thursday, telling reporters in a media call that Carnival followed protocols from international authorities while handling high-profile coronavirus outbreaks aboard two of its ships.On Feb. 3 the company’s Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined in the port of Yokohama, Japan, where 712 passengers were ultimately infected in what was then the biggest concentration of confirmed cases outside China.
Norwegian Cruise Taps Goldman Sachs to Explore Stake Sale
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to explore financing options that could include the sale of a stake in the company, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.Norwegian’s attempt to bolster is finances comes as cruise operators have been forced to suspend their operations due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. They have been left out of a $2.3 trillion stimulus package that U.S.
Almost Half of French Aircraft Carrier Crew Test Positive for COVID-19
Almost half the 2,300-strong crew on France’s sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the armed forces minister said on Friday.Florence Parly told parliament that 1,081 out of 2,010 tests carried out had shown a positive result.
Russia Files Protest After Accusing Norway of Detaining Trawler
Russia on Friday accused Norway’s coastguards of detaining a Russian fishing trawler near a remote chain of islands in the Arctic earlier this month and said it…
North Korea Caught Busting Sanctions in Chinese Waters
On Oct. 10 last year, eight North Korean vessels - several carrying illicit coal shipments - were anchored in Chinese waters off the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, according to a photo in a U.N. report published online on Friday.That appears to be a lax enforcement by China of U.N. sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear program under which countries are required to inspect cargo destined to or coming…
Iran Says It Has Increased Gulf Patrols
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned the United States about its military activities in the Gulf on Sunday, adding that their navy had as a result increased patrols, which would also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.The U.S. military said on Wednesday that 11 Revolutionary Guards naval vessels had come close to its navy and Coast Guard ships, describing the moves “dangerous and provocative”.The Guards’ statement on Sunday…
Taiwan Coronavirus Cases Jump After Ship Visit to Palau
Taiwan reported 22 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, almost all of them sailors who were on a navy visit to the small Pacific islands state of Palau, which said there was “little chance” it was the source of the infection.Taiwan’s government on Sunday said 700 navy personnel were being quarantined and tested and there were 24 positive cases altogether. Of those, three cadets had been to Palau, one of only 15 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan…
Tanker Bottleneck Grows at Mexico's Ports
More than 20 vessels loaded with fuel have waited a week or more to discharge gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas at Mexico's ports, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, as demand craters due to coronavirus-related lockdowns.Mexico imports most of its fuel and has very limited storage capacity. State oil company Pemex and about a dozen independent importers typically discharge at least two gasoline cargoes per day…
Brazil Agrees to Raise Level of the Parana River
Brazil has agreed to release water at the giant Itaipu hydroelectric dam to raise low water levels in the Parana River, a key thoroughfare for grains shipments, Argentina's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.Decade-low water levels on the Parana are forcing Argentine exporters to load less soy and other grains on ships bound largely for China, adding a new problem to a sector already beset by bottlenecks due to the coronavirus pandemic.The agreement with Brazil will allow for an additional 1…
Ukraine Wheat Exports Jump Despite Government Warning
Ukrainian wheat exports jumped nearly 50 percent in the week of April 11-17 despite a government warning that it could ban shipments if export rates are too high.Preliminary data from the APK-Inform consultancy on Sunday showed that Ukraine exported 319,000 tonnes of wheat last week, up from 217,000 tonnes a week earlier.Taras Vysotskiy, deputy economy minister in charge of agriculture, told Reuters last week that Ukraine, one of world's top grain exporters, was ready to ban wheat exports if sal