Trump to Meet with GOP Senators on Jones Act
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Republican senators on Wednesday over a proposal to waive rules that only U.S.-flagged ships can move natural gas from American ports to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Northeast.The nearly 100-year-old Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. Bloomberg News reported last week the administration was seriously…
ABS Unveils 'Smart Guide'
A new guide published by ABS aims support the development of smart functions and condition-based approach to optimized performance that will help marine and offshore owners and operators capitalize on their operational data.Through the analytics that they provide, smart functions can proactively manage asset health and performance, providing a mechanism for sustainability and improved uptime. Smart…
e-Navigation Passage Planning transformation
Passage planning. Two words sure to elicit a groan from any navigator anywhere in the world. The vital, yet incredibly frustrating, process of developing a complete description of a vessel's voyage from start to finish, berth to berth, is an administrative burden.On average, each vessel, for each journey, uses 3.5 hours of officer time to collate a plan – manually adding elements such as ENC cells…
Efficient Wave-Generated Power … Really!
Wave-generated power could be considered the Rodney Dangerfield of offshore renewable energy sources; it gets no respect. There have been a number of high-profile, expensive failures that have conspired to give the sector a poor reputation despite a number of engineering advances. A new entrant is SurfWEC offering a patented “surf-making” Wave Energy Converter which has been in development since 2007. Its developers promise it will stand out from the field and perform where others have failed.
Trump, Dems to spend $2 trillion on Infrastructure
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with Democratic leaders on Tuesday to spend $2 trillion on roads, bridges, water, broadband and power grids, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday after a White House meeting.Trump and Democratic leaders are slated to meet again in three weeks to discuss how the "big and bold" plan - which would need the approval of Congress - would be paid for, Schumer told reporters outside the White House.Reporting by Roberta Rampton
Zeaborn Acquires CPO Tankers
Zeaborn Group has signed an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Claus-Peter Offen Tankschiffreederei KG, the tanker management subsidiary of Offen Group.The transaction partners signed the relevant contracts on April 29. The completion of the transaction is subject to antitrust clearance. The parties have agreed to keep the key financial data confidential.With the takeover of CPO Tankers…
USCG VADM Fagan Weighs in on Arctic Plans
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Pacific Area commander discussed the service’s new Arctic Strategic Outlook, Polar Security Cutters and innovation efforts to improve maritime domain awareness in the high latitudes April 26, 2019, during the Arctic Encounter Symposium in Seattle.During her keynote speech at the symposium, Vice Adm. Linda Fagan said, “The tyranny of distance and the harsh Arctic climate pose…
Pure Safety Group's 'Checkmate' TR3 Tripod
Pure Safety Group (PSG), a company dedicated solely to fall protection, has introduced the Checkmate TR3 Tripod, used as Personal Protective Equipment to access workers and provide fall protection in confined space environments.The tripod features an innovative new crown and foot design that makes it stronger yet more lightweight than other tripods. The design is representative of the new advancements…
ABS Publishes Guide for Smart Functions
ABS published the Guide for Smart Functions for Marine Vessels and Offshore Units (Smart Guide) to help marine and offshore owners and operators capitalize on their operational data.The Smart Guide introduces a unique class approach leading to the marine and offshore industries' first set of notations to help owners and operators qualify and utilize smart functions. Through the analytics that they provide…
Westgarth to Lead V.Group
V.Group, a global provider of ship management and marine support services, has announced the appointment of Graham Westgarth as Chief Executive Officer. Graham has served on V.Group’s board since September 2018 and will take over from Ian El-Mokadem who has informed the Board of his desire to leave the company.Graham has a distinguished track-record in the maritime sector, having worked in the industry for almost 50 years.
Armstrong Catamaran Arrives in Alaska
The 46’ x 17.5’ high tunnel catamaran George Ryan recently arrived in Juneau after departing Port Angeles, Washington three days prior. The vessel was built by Armstrong Marine USA for Alaska Tales Whale Watching, located in Juneau. Alaska Tales also operates a 42’ catamaran, Jay Ellis, built by Armstrong in 2017.The 49-passenger + 3 crew USCG Subchapter T vessel pairs speed with stability for the ultimate touring platform.
Three New Boats for Norsk Fisketransport
Havyard signed a contract with Norsk Fisketransport (NFT) for another two wellboats with an option for one more.These will be vessels number five and six for NFT of the Havyard 587 design, and they will be the sister ships of build number 147, scheduled for completion in May 2020.The two new vessels have been allocated build numbers 150 and 151 and will be delivered in December 2020 and June 2021.
ABB Automation for Eckerö’s Cruise Ferry
ABB Ability Marine Pilot Visionis designed to allow MS Finlandia to enhance safety during maneuvering and dockingABB and Eckerö Line teams will install ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision on board cruise ferry MS Finlandia with no interruption to the ship’s schedule. In addition to the mechanical interface, ABB Marine & Ports Digital Service teams will support the crew to maximize the value from the system…
MTL: Allan Named Senior Naval Architect
FPSO and marine integrity management specialists, Marine Technical Limits (MTL) has welcomed a senior naval architect to its team.Paul Allan, who has more than 10-years’ experience in delivering naval architecture and marine warranty surveying (MWS) to the oil and gas industry, has been appointed to the position of Senior Naval Architect by the Kintore-based firm.The chartered engineer will be supporting the MTL team developing systems and procedures…
MarineNews August Edition & the MN100 Annual
Is your company a Top 100 performer? The application period for this year’s MN100 edition is officially open and underway! Only those who apply can be considered for inclusion.The MN100…
Activists End Occupation of Arctic Drill Rig
Greenpeace activists climbed down from a Seadrill drilling rig in Norway on Tuesday and are no longer occupying it, the environmental group told Reuters.The rig, which was boarded by four activists on Monday, will be used next month by Equinor to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic.(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, Writing by Terje Solsvik, Editing by Paul Tait)
Diesel Traders See Shortage, but not yet
Gasoil traders expect the middle distillates market to stay well supplied until almost the end of 2019 before swinging into deficit with the introduction of new maritime fuel regulations.Calendar spreads for low-sulphur gasoil delivered to Europe's Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub are currently in contango through until October before shifting to backwardation from November onwards (https://tmsnrt.rs/2WgXabR).In futures markets…
China is Building an Armada
It took time for China's naval shipyards to hit their straps. For about a decade from the turn of this century, they experimented with new designs, in some cases launching just a couple of each new type of warship for evaluation.The yards absorbed foreign technology, imported some key components and developed local know-how. Quality ruled over quantity. Then they started mass production. New hulls cascaded into the water…
COSCO Inks LSFO Supply Deal with Double Rich
China’s COSCO Shipping Lines has signed a low sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) supply agreement with Double Rich Limited, a subsidiary of China Marine Bunker (Petro China).According to the agreement…
65,000 Wells will be Drilled in 2019
Rystad Energy forecasts that the number of onshore and offshore oil and gas wells drilled globally will increase to around 65,000 in 2019.Activity levels are then…
