San Pedro Bay Ports Struggle to Keep Up with Record Box Flow
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue their record-breaking start to the year, exceeding pre-pandemic records again and again. Already under pressure to handle a throughput that has broken the pre-pandemic record every month for 11 months in a row, practically all ports in the US will have to continue to run fast to keep up, as peak season starts breathing down their necks.In May, loaded imports and total throughput in both ports broke their previous highs.
Autonomous Energy Plant ICCP-POD Launched
A new solution is designed to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to using diesel generators to supply energy during the construction phase of wind turbines, and sacrificial anodes to protect turbine foundations against corrosion.The ICCP-POD combines two advanced technologies. The EnergyPod, developed by Amphibious Energy, is an easy-to-transport autonomous energy plant that uses sun, wind…
Dongara Marine Delivers Its First Rescue RIB
The first newbuild rigid inflatable boat (RIB) built by Dongara Marine has entered into service, heralding a raft of government and RIB contracts for the Western Australian boatbuilder.The newbuild, Cape Rose, was completed at the end of last year and has been operating for Marine Rescue Shark Bay since delivery to Denham in early in 2021. It has replaced a response vessel that had serviced the Western Australia (WA) coastline for more than 20 years…
Wärtsilä Teams Up With Weathernews
Wärtsilä Voyage and Japan based weather routing provider Weathernews Inc (WNI) have signed a strategic partnership agreement enabling the integration of WNI’s weather forecasting data and Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR) service with Wärtsilä’s products and solutions. According to Wärtsilä, the move aims to increase navigational safety and support the decarbonization efforts of ship owners and operators.By automating navigation and route planning functions with weather avoidance technology…
Cobham Launches 'Next-gen' Antenna Platform
The SAILOR 1000 XTR Ku is the first of a new generation of software-controlled antenna systems in the Cobham SATCOM new SAILOR XTRTM antenna platform line.SAILOR XTRTM integrates SAILOR VSAT technology into a new platform with new software and electronic capabilities that prepare it to operate in future satellite constellations in LEO, MEO, GEO and HEO orbits. The one-meter antenna has a new simplified…
Chevron Marine Lubricants Expands in Africa
Chevron Marine Lubricants announced a plan to boost its presence in African ports, extending its joint venture with Akwa Group. Chevron is now an equal partner in Afriquia Lubrifiants, with plans to extend the blending, distribution, and marketing business beyond Morocco to markets in sub-Saharan Africa.The agreement enables theJV to manufacture Chevron’s premium products locally for the first time, including Chevron Marine Lubricants’ product portfolio.
BHP Taps McDermott for GoM Subsea Installation
Offshore installation company McDermott has won a contract with oil firm BHP for a marine installation campaign for the Shenzi Subsea Multiphase Pumping Project (SSMPP) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The project is located around 138 miles (222 kilometers) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico at a water depth of 4,400 feet (1341 meters)."We look forward to continuing our partnership with BHP through this latest contract award…
ClassNK Grants AiP for Tsuneishi's LNG-fueled Bulker Design
Classification society ClassNK has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) based on its Rule Part GF to Tsuneishi Shipbuilding for its concept design of an LNG-fueled bulker “KAMSARMAX GF”.ClasNK granted the AiP based on its Rule Part GF (regulation for ships using low-flashpoint fuels) incorporating “International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code)."As more…
U.S. Judge Orders Resumption in Federal Drilling Auctions
A federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration's pause on oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters, dealing a setback to a key White House effort to address climate change.The order granted a preliminary injunction to Louisiana and 12 other states that sued Democratic President Joe Biden and the Interior Department over the freeze on new drilling auctions. Louisiana…
Golden Ray Salvage Paused—Again
Salvage crews have once again paused operations to remove the Golden Ray wreck outside Georgia's Port of Brunswick, this time for "routine maintenance" on the equipment being used to cut and separate sections of the hulking overturned car carrier. Considered one of the most complex wreck removals in U.S. history, the project has been plagued by a number of setbacks since salvage operations commenced in 2019.
Panama Canal Extends Max Length, Increases Draft for Neopanamax Locks
The Panama Canal has increased the maximum allowable length for vessels transiting the Neopanamax Locks. Since May 21, the maximum length overall (LOA) for commercial and noncommercial vessels acceptable for regular transits of the Neopanamax Locks is 370.33 meters (1,215 feet), up from 367.28 meters (1,205 feet).The increase, which comes nearly five years after the canal's expansion, means that now 96.8% of the world’s fleet of containerships can transit the Panama Canal.
Fairbanks Morse Delivers Engines for USNS Earl Warren
Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME), a division of Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), shipped two main propulsion diesel engines for the USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207) on June 13, 2021. These are the fifth and sixth engines Fairbanks Morse Engine has made for the T-AO program. The USNS Earl Warren is a fleet replenishment oiler for the U.S. Navy.The engines are traveling from Beloit, Wis. to FME’s customer National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) in San Diego via railroad.
Huntington Ingalls Industries Names Gokhale Technical Solutions VP
America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that Ashutosh Gokhale has been appointed vice president, business management and chief financial officer for its Technical Solutions division.Gokhale will replace Billy Jahn upon his retirement on July 9 and will be responsible for all financial management and business management functions in Technical Solutions.
American Cruise Lines Confirms Two More Newbuilds
U.S.-based river and coastal cruise operator American Cruise Lines announced on Tuesday that it has signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding of Salisbury, Md., to build two more modern riverboats in 2022. The newbuilds will be the fifth and sixth in American Cruise Lines revolutionary modern series, first introduced in 2018. Both vessels are yet to be named and will follow the 2021 debuts of American Jazz and American Melody on the Mississippi River.
Costamare Makes Foray into Dry Bulk with 16 Ship Purchase
Greek-based container shipping company Costamare announced its foray into dry bulk shipping with the acquisition of 16 secondhand bulk carriers. Currently operating in the spot market, the 16 ships range between 33,000 and 85,000 DWT and have an average age of 10 years.Two of the vessels have been delivered to Costamare, and the remaining vessels are expected to be delivered by January 2022, the company said.Costamare…
Hamel Joins Bristol Harbor Group
Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) announced it has hired Jeb Hamel as a naval architect.Hamel graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. with an M.S.E. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.Prior to joining BHGI, Hamel worked as a naval architecture intern at BMT Designers and Planners in Arlington, Va., where he gained experience…
C&C Delivers New Towboat to Parker Towing
C&C Marine and Repair has delivered the new towboat Olive Parker to Parker Towing Company. The vessel is the first the Belle Chasse, La. shipbuilder has built for the Tuscaloosa, Ala. based company.The 4,400-horsepower towboat measures 147.5’ x 34’ x 10’-9” with the pilot house eyeline measuring at 33’. The Olive Parker was constructed based on a collaborative design by Parker Towing Company and CT Marine, LLC, based in Portland, Maine.
Odyssey Marine Exploration Appoints Jones as CFO
U.S.-based subsea mining company Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. announced it has expanded its executive and legal teams. On Monday, the firm's Board of Directors appointed Christopher "Chris" E.
Hong Kong Ends Quarantine Curbs on Port Calls by Non-cargo Vessels
Hong Kong providers of shipping services are breathing a sigh of relief after authorities announced they would ease strict quarantine restrictions imposed last July on vessels calling at the Asian shipping hub, trade sources said.From Tuesday, crew of non-cargo goods vessels visiting Hong Kong for shipping services, including bunkering and provision supplies, will be exempt from the curbs, subject to conditions, the Marine Department told shipping firms in a letter.“This is a long overdue relaxa
Deutsche Bank Set for $1 Bln Windfall from Zim Bets
Deutsche Bank is on course to make up to $1 billion on a long-shot bet on Israeli shipping firm Zim after it surged in value on the back of record-high global freight rates, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the report said that Mark Spehn, a distressed debt trader at the German bank, had wagered less than $100 million over the past five years on building a position in the company through bond and bank loans as shipping rates fell.
