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30 Nov 2020
Video: First Golden Ray Section Lifted and Removed
Salvors finished cutting and lifting the first section of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray on Sunday, and the section was carried by barge to a local site for further sea fastening before transport to Louisiana for recycling.Delays during the first round of cutting operations, including those caused by a passing tropical storm and equipment issues, are among a string of setbacks to impact one of America's most complex salvage projects.
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20 Nov 2020
In Focus: Talking Workboat Safety with AWO's Brian Bailey
Brian Bailey, Director of Safety and Environmental Stewardship for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), was recently named a 2020 Rising Star of Safety by the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit public service organization promoting health and safety in the U.S. Marine News spoke with Bailey about workboat safety and the AWO’s mission to protect industry workers, assets and the environment.Please…
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20 Nov 2020
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…
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16 Nov 2020
OTC 2021 Postponed
One of the world's largest conferences and exhibitions dedicated to the offshore energy industry will be postponed next year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The Offshore Technology Conference, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Houston annually, will be postponed from May 3-6 to August 16-19, the event's board of directors announced Monday, citing continued challenges and health and safety concerns presented by the pandemic."By postponing OTC to the second half of 2021…
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12 Nov 2020
Golden Ray Salvors Brace for Storm Eta
The salvage team working to cut and lift sections of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray in Georgia's St. Simons Sound has suspended operations ahead of a tropical storm that made landfall in neighboring Florida on Thursday.The specialized heavy lift crane vessel VB 10,000 has paused work partway through the first cut, which began Friday, and has been secured inside the environmental protection barrier in advance of the approaching storm Eta, downgraded from a hurricane on Wednesday.
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09 Nov 2020
Golden Ray Salvors Begin Cutting Operations
A specialized heavy lift crane vessel began cutting the first bow section of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray on Friday as salvage crews enter the next phase of operations to remove the overturned vessel from Georgia's St. Simons Sound.The Korean-owned Golden Ray, which capsized after leaving the Port of Brunswick in September 2019, will be dismantled in place and removed in sections. Salvors have installed 16 lifting lugs on the wreck to provide connection points for the U.S.-flagged VB 10…
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04 Nov 2020
Detyens Lines Up More MSC Ship Repair Work
Within a week's time, Detyens Shipyards has secured two Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship repair contracts worth more than $29 million combined. The privately-owned Charleston, S.C. repair yard beat out two other competing shipyards to secure a $18,144,376, 76-calendar day, firm-fixed-price contract for the regular overhaul dry-docking availability of the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195), the U.S.
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02 Nov 2020
Cruise Line Viking Installs First COVID-19 PCR Lab at Sea
A cruise ship has been fitted with the world's first at-sea PCR laboratory to test passengers and crews for COVID-19 as cruise lines look for ways to safely resume voyages amid the prevailing coronavirus pandemic. The full-scale lab installed aboard Viking's luxury cruise ship Viking Star has capacity to perform daily non-invasive saliva tests for every passenger and crew member, the company said on Monday.Viking's announcement comes days after the U.S.
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02 Nov 2020
US Shipyards: Always on the Job Hunt
American shipyards form an important economic engine, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs, $25.1 billion of labor income and $37.3 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD).It’s a good thing, then, that U.S. shipyards were deemed essential businesses amid COVID-19 and have remained up and running throughout the pandemic.
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28 Oct 2020
Video: Heavy-lift Ship Arrives at Golden Ray Wreck Site
The heavy-lift vessel VB 10,000 arrived Tuesday at the Golden Ray wreck site in Georgia's St. Simons Sound, where the specialized vessel will be used by salvage crews to cut and lift sections of the overturned car carrier. The Korean-owned Golden Ray, which capsized after leaving the Port of Brunswick in September 2019, will be dismantled in place and removed in sections. Salvors have installed 16 lifting lugs on the wreck to provide connection points for the U.S.-flagged VB 10…
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27 Oct 2020
Overboard Containership Crewmember Missing in the Port of Savannah
Helicopter and boat crews are scouring the Port of Savannah in search of a crewmember who fell overboard from a containership in the Georgia seaport on Tuesday.The U.S.
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26 Oct 2020
Heavy Lift Vessel Heads to St. Simons Sound for Golden Ray Salvage
A specialized heavy-lift vessel departed the Port of Fernandina, Fla. Monday en route to Georgia's St. Simons Sound, where it will be used by salvage crews to cut and lift sections of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray.The U.S. flagged VB 10,000 is expected to reach the St. Simons Sound in the early hours on Tuesday and remain on scene for a minimum of eight weeks, plus any extra time required for weather stoppages or other unforeseen circumstances…
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22 Oct 2020
Video: USCG Performs Rescue Drill on Wind Turbine off Virginia
As the U.S. offshore wind industry begins to build up, the U.S. Coast Guard is training to ensure it is prepared to respond to any potential emergency—even at 400 feet in the air.Last week, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and several surface assets from the Virginia…
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22 Oct 2020
How is COVID-19 Influencing Passenger Vessel Design?
Not long ago, at the start of 2020, the market for passenger vessel construction was booming, with record orders rolling in across the size spectrum, from small passenger vessels all the way up to the world’s largest mega cruise liners.But then passenger vessels of all types and sizes began to empty out as COVID-19 spread. A large number of ferries were taken out of service or left operating with drastically reduced ridership (or in some cases…
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19 Oct 2020
Interview: Bob Merchent, CEO, Halter Marine
Please describe your professional background and what attracted you to your current position.In June 2020, I was named president and chief executive officer of Halter Marine. I had been retired around six years. My wife and I bought a piece of property outside of Brookhaven, Miss., and we were enjoying retired life split between our country property and our home in Gautier, Miss. Earlier this year…
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15 Oct 2020
Scorpio Bulkers Sells Another Ultramax Amid Offshore Wind Pivot
Scorpio Bulkers said on Thursday it has sold another Ultramax bulk carrier, the sixth ship to leave its fleet since the Monoco-based shipowner announced plans to…
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14 Oct 2020
Scorpio Bulkers Sells Two Ultramax Vessels
Scorpio Bulkers, Inc. announced Wednesday that it has entered into agreements with an unaffiliated third party to sell two 2017-built Ultramax bulk carriers for…
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08 Oct 2020
WorkBoat Show Canceled Due to COVID-19
The International WorkBoat Show has become the latest maritime industry event to be canceled due to health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the tradeshow's organizers announced on Thursday.“After extensive consultation with the WorkBoat community, it is clear there are too many uncertainties about the impact COVID-19 will have on travel and mass gatherings this December. Accordingly, it…
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29 Sep 2020
Bouchard Transportation Files for Chapter 11
Long Island-based barge operator Bouchard Transportation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after several years fraught with legal and financial difficulties.The family-owned oceangoing tug and petroleum barge firm filed alongside several of its subsidiaries Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.According to the filings, Bouchard has between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors…
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24 Sep 2020
Samsung's Ammonia-fueled Tanker Design Gets LR AIP
An ammonia-fueled tanker design developed by South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR).The project to develop the novel, emissions-slashing aframax tanker was announced in January as maritime stakeholders consider cleaner-burning ammonia and other zero-carbon options to meet the International Maritime…