NASSCO Begins Building Fifth ESB Ship for the US Navy
San Diego shipyard General Dynamics NASSCO on Wednesday started construction on the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), the fifth ship of the Navy’s reclassified Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.Long-time NASSCO employee Dennis DuBard served as the Start of Construction honoree, initiating the first cut of steel that will be used to construct the vessel.“Today, we start construction of the ship that honors the life and service of the ship’s namesake…
Maritime Partners Acquires J. Russell Flowers
Maritime Partners, LLC, through its managed funds, has acquired from J. Russell Flowers, Inc. and its affiliates, a diversified portfolio of over 1,000 marine vessels operating on bareboat charter. JRF’s fleet includes a variety of towboats, tank barges, hopper barges, and deck barges.With this acquisition, Maritime Partners’ portfolio has grown to approximately 1,600 vessels with an estimated fair market value of $1.2 billion…
Great Lakes Towing Acquires Plotz Machine
The Great Lakes Towing Company announced it has purchased The Wm. Plotz Machine & Forge Company.The acquisition, which includes all Plotz Machine’s assets and real estate, increases the services provided by Great Lakes and allows the company to now offer marine and industrial machine shop services to all types of customers, including shipyard new construction and ship repair. The transaction closed on Tuesday…
Sea Machines, HamiltonJet Launch JETsense
Sea Machines Robotics and HamiltonJet have launched a new intelligent voyage control product, named JETsense, that uses autonomous navigation, multi-sensor fusion, and computer vision "to move waterjet vessels to the forefront of 21st-century navigation and utility."JETsense utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced autonomy to perceive the domain and maintain precise control of steering and…
Kirby Inland Marine to Pay $15.3M in Damages Over 2014 Oil Spill
Houston, Texas-based Kirby Inland Marine agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs to resolve federal and state claims for harm to natural resources resulting from a 2014 oil spill from a Kirby barge in the Houston Ship Channel, the U.S. Justice Department said.In a related enforcement action in 2016, the United States secured a settlement with Kirby for $4.9 million in civil penalties…
NYK, ABS, WinGD Working on Battery-Hybrid System to Cut GHG Emissions from Ships
NYK and NYK Group company MTI Co., Ltd. (“MTI”), together with the American Bureau of Shipping (“ABS”) and Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. ("WinGD"), have started joint research for optimization of ship design by utilizing a battery-hybrid system to aid ship propulsion and thus reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vessels.A vessel’s main-engine revolutions may increase significantly when a vessel…
DSME Orders GTT Tanks for MOL LNG Carrier Quartet
French engineering firm GTT has won an order from the Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for the tank design of four new LNG carriers.The LNG carriers will be built for the Japanese ship-owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). GTT will design the tanks of these four LNG carriers for navigation in cold temperatures, with a total LNG tank capacity of 174,000 m3 per ship. Each tank…
Wärtsilä to Equip Second US LNG Bunker Vessel
The technology group Wärtsilä said it will supply a complete liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo storage and handling system for a new 103 meter (340 feet) long LNG bunker barge to be built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Wisconsin, USA for Polaris New Energy (PNE). This is the second of two such barges built at the yard for PNE, the same Wärtsilä solution having been ordered for both. The first barge is scheduled for delivery from FBS in December 2021.
Baltic Index Gains for Fifth Day as Rates for Smaller Vessels Rise
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index on Wednesday rose for a fifth straight session to its highest in a month, as gains in panamax and supramax vessels offset a dip in the larger capesize segment.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, added 29 points, or 1% to 3,047, a peak since Nov. 2.The capesize index shed 19 points, or 0.4%, to 4,464, snapping a three-session streak of gains.Average daily earnings for capesizes…
U.S. Labor Secretary Visits Top West Coast Ports as Union Talks Loom
The U.S. labor secretary on Tuesday met with unions and employers at the nation's busiest port complex in Southern California as anxiety builds ahead of next year's contract negotiations covering roughly 22,000 West Coast dockworkers.The contract expires in July, and the stakes are particularly high at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex that handles some 40% of U.S. imports. Docks at the side…
Brittany Ferries Takes Delivery of Stena RoRo's LNG-powered Vessel
The Salamanca ferry, the second of five ships in the E-Flexer class ordered by Stena RoRo for the French ferry firm Brittany Ferries was delivered on November 30. The vessel is the sixth E-Flexer of twelve ordered from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Salamanca will be chartered by Brittany Ferries on a long-term basis.The 214.5 meters long Salamanca has been built with LNG dual-fuel engines and is the first ship in the E-Flexer series with gas engines.
Huisman's Cranes for Cadeler's New Wind Turbine Installation Vessels
Dutch offshore crane maker Huisman has secured a contract from China's COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore Co., Ltd. to design and build two >2,000mt Leg Encircling Cranes (LEC) for Cadeler's recently ordered two new build X-class vessels.The identical Leg Encircling Cranes will have a 155-meter long boom, capable of reaching 180.5m above deck. Optionally, the boom can be upgraded to 175m in order to increase the lifting height to 200.5m.
U.S. Crude Output in September Fell 3.5% after Ida Hit Offshore Platforms
U.S. crude oil production fell 3.5% in September after Hurricane Ida temporarily halted most crude production in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a monthly report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Tuesday.Crude output dropped 380,000 barrels per day to 10.809 mln bpd from a revised 11.189 mln bpd in August, the report said. The decline came as production in the offshore Gulf of Mexico fell by 464…
Hi-Float: Hyundai Heavy Gets BV AiP for Floating Wind Turbine Foundation
Bureau Veritas (BV) has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries for its design and development of “Hi-Float”, a floating offshore wind turbine foundation. The offshore floating wind substructure “Hi-Float” is designed to support a 10MW wind turbine with semi-submersible and mooring technology. According to a press statement issued by BV, at Hi-Float, a passive ballast system ensures that risk is kept to a minimum during offshore operations.
Caterpillar to Power Edda Wind's New Vessels
Caterpillar Marine said it has been selected to be the power solutions provider for Edda Wind’s four new commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) being built at Astilleros Gondán and two new service operation vessels (SOV) to be built at Astilleros Balenciaga shipyards in Spain. The series of vessels six will be delivered in 2022-2024.Of the six confirmed units, the first four in the series have been contracted to work on offshore wind farms under long-term agreements with Ørsted…
Azamara Taps VIKAND for Fleet Medical Management
Maritime medical operations and public health provider VIKAND said it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Azamara to manage all medical operations aboard its four-ship fleet. Holistically designed for Azamara Quest, Azamara Journey, Azamara Pursuit, and the newest ship in the fleet, Azamara Onward, VIKAND’s comprehensive approach to cruise line healthcare includes medical facility operations…
Sea Change Completes US' First Hydrogen Refueling
The world’s first hydrogen fueling of a commercial marine vessel was successfully completed, and the vessel is now beginning its final sea trials before delivery, SWITCH Maritime announced.The new 75-passenger ferry, called the Sea Change, received hydrogen into its 242 kg tanks on the upper deck on November 18 at All American Marine shipyard. It uses that hydrogen in fuel cells producing electricity to power electric motors for distances up to 300 nautical miles…
Volvo Penta's Propulsion for American Offshore Services' CTVs
Volvo Penta has secured a contract to provide quad IPS propulsion systems for the four new offshore wind farm crew transfer vessels (CTVs) that will be built at Blount Boats for American Offshore Services (AOS). The new 30-meter (99-ft.) twin-hull CTVs will be powered by four IPS900 propulsion drives, two in each hull. The fully integrated system will also include Volvo Penta’s GPS-based Dynamic Positioning System and integrated joystick controls…
Volvo Penta to Power Hurtigruten Hybrid Vessel
Hurtigruten Svalbard said it has teamed up with Volvo Penta to test a new hybrid vessel that will allow guests to experience the wonders of the Arctic archipelago without disturbing the habitat around them.The near-silent, Marell M15 cruiser called Kvitbjørn (polar bear in English) will allow for fully electric operation in the environmentally sensitive waters around Svalbard, which is hugely popular with nature-loving adventure travelers.
Høglund to Supply Automation and Hybrid-electric System for Tipco Asphalt Carriers
Integrated automation and energy specialist Høglund announced it has been commissioned to supply advanced, fully integrated hybrid, automation, and digital solutions to two asphalt carriers to be built in Wuhu shipyard, China. The owner, Continental Bitumen, is an integrated procurement, logistics and distribution company supplying bitumen in Europe, Africa and Middle East. The technical manager and…
