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22 Jul 2015
Iran Preparing for Crude Exports
An infographic examining the laden VLCCs owned by Iran has been generated by online ship intelligence and information service VesselValue.com. Iran stands at present as the fifth largest owner of laden VLCCs in the world by value, currently with 25 vessels worth a total value of $1.449 billion, amounting to 7.7 million DWT, according to VesselValue.com. This is equivalent to 56.7 million barrels of crude oil.
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20 Jul 2015
HHI’s New Weather System Helps Plan Sea Trials
A new system has been developed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to help better manage sea trial schedules for vessels built at its Ulsan yard. The new Sea Weather Forecasting System, developed by HHI in collaboration with Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), analyzes sea weather information such as wave height, wind speed and current patterns on an hourly basis in seven offshore areas including Ulsan…
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15 Jul 2015
Signal International Files for Bankruptcy
Facing a wave of lawsuits filed by workers recruited from India to work on the U.S. Gulf Coast, marine services company Signal International has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to help save its business and resolve litigation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Accused of labor trafficking, marine services company Signal lost the first of many lawsuits filed against it by more than 225 Indian workers who say they were promised good jobs repairing rigs damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
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15 Jul 2015
Biggest Spenders of 2015
Online ships data platform VesselsValue.com has rounded up the top spenders in terms of second hand tonnage for the first half of 2015. Leading the industry in total amount spent on second hand tonnage so far in 2015 is U.S.-based Gener8 Maritime, who spent roughly $1.4 billion on 14 vessels. The seaborne crude oil transportation services company formed earlier this year as result of a merger between General Maritime Corporation and Navig8 Crude Tankers Inc.
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15 Jul 2015
'Kayaktivists' Take Shell Arctic Protest Nationwide
Environmental activists in the U.S. prepare to take their so-called “kayaktivism” nationwide as they urge lawmakers to revoke oil and gas exploration leases in the Chukchi Sea, says environmental group Friends of the Earth. The group’s “Shell No” day on July 18 will gather activists in 13 states and in Washington D.C. as they bring their message to President Obama’s doorstep by staging an Arctic marine scene in Lafayette Park to protest Shell and other companies drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
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13 Jul 2015
Odfjell Tankers Head Steps Down
Morten Nystad will step down as senior vice president of Odfjell Tankers after 35 years with the company. His departure is effective immediately. Nystad has held various management positions during his tenure at Odfjell, serving within the company’s chartering department in Bergen and other locations. Nystad’s exit follows the departure of president and CEO Jan A. Hammer in December 2014 “due to different views on the strategic direction for the company”.
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10 Jul 2015
Horizon Shipbuilding Delivers Third 80’ Towboat to FMT
Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc. announced it has delivered another 80-foot inland river towboat, the M/V Michael Akiu #86, to Florida Marine Transporters. Inc. (FMT) of Mandeville, La. The 2,100 horsepower M/V Michael Akiu #86 is the final vessel for FMT as part of a order for three 80’ X 33’ X 10’-6” twin propeller towboats awarded to the a Bayou La Batre, Ala. shipyard in 2013. The Project Manager for the construction of the M/V Michael Akiu #86…
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09 Jul 2015
CMA CGM Christens 18,000 TEU Mega Ship
The CMA CGM Group’s largest vessel, CMA CGM Georg Forster, was christened today in Hamburg, Germany. The new ultra large vessel, a 398-meter-long, 18,000 TEU containership, is the second in a series of six vessels of the same size that will enter service for CMA CGM in 2015, joining the group’s fleet of 460 ships. The U.K. flagged Georg Forster was delivered to the CMA CGM Group on June 2 in South Korea, when she began her first rotation sailing the group’s French Asia Line (FAL).
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09 Jul 2015
Davie Wins Icebreaker Life Extension Work
Canadian shipbuilder Davie informs it has been awarded a $16 million contract to refit and upgrade the CCGS Henry Larsen, a CCG T1200-Class Icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Medium icebreaker CCGS Henry Larsen is capable of sustained icebreaking and escort operations in the Arctic and Atlantic Region for the winter and summer seasons. The vessel joined the CCG fleet in 1988 and is named after the commander of the first vessel to cross the Northwest Passage in a single season.
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08 Jul 2015
USCG Ups River Security for MLB All Star Game
The U.S. Coast Guard, in cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, will provide additional maritime safety and security operations on the Ohio River in support of events surrounding the 86th Major League Baseball (MLB) All Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. According to the Coast Guard, boaters can expect no wake zones, interruptions and closures to maritime traffic.
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07 Jul 2015
Cruise Ship Passenger Medevaced off US
A cruise ship passenger suffering stroke symptoms was medevaced by U.S. Coast Guard personnel approximately 200 miles east of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Coast Guard received a call late Monday afternoon from the 959-foot, Panama-flagged cruise ship Carnival Pride, reporting a 77-year-old female passenger was in distress. Coast Guard air crews arrived on scene and hoisted the ailing passenger along with a family member and a medical professional into a helicopter at about 7:30 p.m.
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02 Jul 2015
Ardmore Shipping Takes Tanker Delivery
Ardmore Shipping Corporation took delivery of the newbuild product and chemical tanker vessel Ardmore Seafox on June 25, 2015, the company announced today. The 49,999 dwt, Eco-design IMO 3 tanker was built at Korea's SPP Shipbuilding Co., Ltd Sacheon Shipyard and is the second in a series of four SPP newbuilds scheduled to be delivered to Ardmore in 2015, following the delivery of sister ship Ardmore Sealion on May 26.
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30 Jun 2015
Coast Guard Monitoring Rocket Debris off US
The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is working with SpaceX and partner agencies to monitor the debris field of the exploded Falcon 9 rocket in the Atlantic Ocean more than 150 miles off the Florida-Georgia coast. The unmanned SpaceX CRS-7 rocket was meant to deliver supplies, hardware and other cargo to the International Space Station, but a launch failure caused it to explode just after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 28.
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26 Jun 2015
UASC Exempted from Controlled Carrier Rules
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) voted unanimously to grant the Qatar-controlled United Arab Shipping Co. (UASC) exemption from its controlled carrier list which aims to stop price fixing among state-owned shipping companies. UASC will remain subject to all other applicable provisions of the Shipping Act and regulations. “United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is an industry leader and a pioneer of sorts in international shipping,” FMC Commissioner William P. Doyle said in a statement.
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19 Jun 2015
Meet the Maritime Education Standards Council
The Maritime Education Standards Council (MESC) is a coalition of 35 member schools in the U.S. and Canada that offer U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved maritime training courses to professional and recreational mariners. The coalition was formed with the aim to safeguard education standards and provide students who utilize MESC schools with a high level of training that meets all USCG guidelines. The organization is comprised of privately owned…
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19 Jun 2015
Newport News to Host JAMF Ground-breaking Event
Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding subsidiary will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for its new Joint Manufacturing and Assembly Facility (JMAF) on Monday, June 22.
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19 Jun 2015
IMO Launches 'Day of the Seafarer' Photo Wall
In the days leading up to Day of the Seafarer on June 25, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched an online photo wall inviting people around the world to post their photos of careers at sea and other maritime professions. The IMO's focus for Day of the Seafarer 2015 is on education, urging young people to consider careers at sea. This year's campaign aims to showcase what the maritime world has to offer through myriad career opportunities, both at sea and ashore.
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19 Jun 2015
Cruise Ship Hits St. Lawrence Seaway Lock Wall
A cruise ship struck a lock wall in the Saint Lawrence Seaway upstate New York Thursday night, injuring several passengers, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. There were 274 people…
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17 Jun 2015
CMA CGM Reshuffles Asia-Europe Lines
The CMA CGM Group informs it has reorganized its container shipping lines between Asia and Europe with the reshuffle of its FAL1 and FAL3 services to better meet clients’ needs and optimize vessel utilization, notably increasing Chinese ports coverage with the group’s largest ships. Starting June 24, with the aim of improving North China coverage, CMA CGM will reorganize its FAL1 service rotation, which deploys the group’s largest vessels.
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17 Jun 2015
NOAA Issues Whale Advisory to Mariners
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) broadcasted an advisory concerning populations of endangered whales off the coast of California, stating large numbers of endangered whales are being observed along the coastline. Voluntary vessel speed reduction zones are currently in effect for the San Francisco and Santa Barbara traffic separation schemes (TSS). NOAA is asking mariners to help track whales by reporting whale sightings…