Mercy Ships to Build Another Hospital Ship
The MSC Foundation, the MSC Group and Mercy Ships International have joined forces to build a new hospital ship.On 8 April, the chairman of MSC Group and MSC Foundation, Capt. Gianluigi Aponte, MSC Group President and Member of the MSC Foundation Board, Diego Aponte, and Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens, finalized an agreement to kickstart the new project with a generous anchor donation from MSC Foundation.The new purpose-built hospital ship will expand the impact of Mercy Shipsâ life-changing surgeriesâŚ
Third Temporary Channel Opened in Baltimore
The Captain of the Port (COTP) has established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels.The channel has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet, and will facilitate additional commercially essential vessel traffic through the port of Baltimore.âThis additional channel increases the types of vessels able to transit inbound and outbound the port of BaltimoreâŚ
MRS '24 - Panel 5: Identifying Risk, Measuring Success in the "Gray Zone"
The Maritime Risk Symposium is an annual three-day conference in which government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, researchers, and solution providers convene to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. MRS2024 is scheduled to take place June 11-13 2024 at Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA.A look @ Panel 5: Facilitator: Eric âCoopâ Cooper, CAPT, USCG (retired)This panel will inform participants and generate discussion to improve understanding of the risk of gray zone activities pose to the economyâŚ
First Containers Removed from Dali
The Unified Command began to remove containers onboard M/V Dali at the Key Bridge incident site, Sunday. Salvors removed containers from the Dali as part of the effort to gain access to the portion of the Key Bridge that lies atop the ship. The transfer of containers from the Dali will continue in the coming days, as weather permits.The removal of the containers is a critical step required to safely move the Dali and eventually fully re-open the Fort McHenry Channel. Removing containers allows for safe access to then remove the pieces of the Key Bridge that lie across the shipâs bowâŚ
On Board the eWolf: The First Electric Tugboat in the US
Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowleyâs new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmentalâŚ
USS Hershel âWoodyâ Williams Maintenance Completed in Croatia
The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel âWoodyâ Williams (ESB 4) completed its routine planned maintenance in Rijeka, Croatia Feb. 8, 2024 at Viktor Lenac Shipyard.Military Sealift Command, Europe and Africa (MSCEURAF) and Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) executed the shipâs planned Mid-Term Availability (MTA), a depot-level maintenance period, to maintain safety and mission-essential equipment and ensure the ship will reach its planned service life.Maintenance work during the MTA included Safety of Life At Sea equipment such as communicationâŚ
Newport News Begins Topside EMALS Testing on John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
HII announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division (NNS) recently began topside testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).EMALS, first integrated into USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), replaces the existing steam catapults currently in use on the U.S. Navyâs Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.Following successful âno-loadâ testing on catapults one and two, known as the âbow cats,â the NNS team, alongside the John F. Kennedy crew, has now started âdead-loadâ testing.
Shipping Industry Calls for Release of Galaxy Leader Crew
The international maritime industry, led by the International Chamber of Shipping, has joined together to express their concern for the seafarers from the Galaxy Leader who have been held hostage and call on the Houthis to release them.Monday February 19, 2024 marks the three-month anniversary since the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader and its 25 seafarers in the Red Sea.The roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier was seized on November 19.âThe 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shippingâŚ
Coast Guard R&D Center Receives Auxiliary Integration Award
The Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), under the command of Capt. Michael Chien, has won the Commodore Viggo C. Bertelsen Jr. and Vice Admiral John P. Currier Auxiliary Integration Award in the category of Applied Innovation. The award was presented by Commander Steven Koch, who leads the Auxiliary (AUX) in New England, at a command all hands. The Auxiliary is the 25,000-member volunteer organization supporting the Coast Guard across 11 missions.Regional Auxiliary Commodore Michael West notedâŚ
Marine Towing of Tampa Acquires Seabulk Towing Assets from Bisso
Marine Towing of Tampa announced it is expanding its ship assist services to Florida's east coast following a deal with E.N. Bisso & Son to acquire towing assets formerly owned by SEACOR Holdings' Seabulk arm.In September 2023, SEACOR divested its U.S. harbor towing operations, selling to Bisso 12 tugs across ports in Florida and Alabama.Under a recently executed asset purchase agreement with Bisso, Marine Towing of Tampa acquired the Port Canaveral operations and assets from the SEACOR-Bisso deal and will operate them in Canaveral under a newly formed affiliateâŚ
Austal USA Launches Large USV Vanguard for US Navy
The U.S. Navyâs newest Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel Vanguard (OUSV3), was recently launched from Austal USAâs shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Vanguard is the first USV for the Navy purpose-built for autonomous operations from the keel-up.Vanguard is being jointly developed by a team led by Austal USA and L3Harris. Once outfitting and testing is completed, Vanguard will autonomously transit to San Diego, joining sister ships, OUSV2 Ranger and OUSV4 Mariner, as part of the Navyâs USV Division 1.
McAllister Takes Delivery of New Tractor Tug from Washburn & Doughty
New York based McAllister Towing announced it has taken delivery of its new shipdocking tractor tug Grace McAllister from East Boothbay, Maine shipyard Washburn & Doughty.Equipped with 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines powering twin Schottel SRP 490 Z-drive units, the 93- by 38-foot vessel produces 6,770 horsepower and achieved over 85 metric tons during bollard pull certification. Markey winches are installed on the tug's bow and stern.Grace McAllister has received Low Emission Vessel class notation from ABS.
Back to the Drawing Board: The Worst Ship in History â Exxon Valdez
While Greg Trauthwein never assigns me column subjects, each time the Great Ships issue comes around I go with the theme. However, I try to take a view askew on that subject and have found that these are the rare columns where I am criticized for my views. Greg must enjoy that, and this year he asked me to write a column on the worst ship designs. That was the entire assignment, and it was unclear if he asked me to discuss the worst ship designs for 2023, or in the history of ship design.
Maritime Innovation: Fostering Creativity and Working to Make Bright Ideas Work
This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 â across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime â AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBMâs programming advances in the 1940s.
New Tugs Delivered to Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority
Two next-generation Damen ASD Tugs 2813 have been delivered to the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA).Commissioned during a ceremony on December 14, the newbuilds Capt. Edward A. A. Awuviri and Nestor Percy Galleyânamed after two former Director Generalsâwere built at Damen Shipyardsâ dedicated tug building facility Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.The vessels each deliver 83 tonnes bollard pull ahead and up to 77 tonnes astern, making them capable of maneuvering the range of large vessels that use the Ghanaian ports of Takoradi and TemaâŚ
InterManager Urges Stronger Safety Focus Amid Surge in Enclosed Space Deaths
Shipmanagement trade group InterManager is urging the shipping industry to increase its focus on safety amid a recent surge in deaths in enclosed spaces on ships.Three seafarers and five shore workers died over the past week in accidents in enclosed spaces, bringing this yearâs known deaths to a total of 31, according to InterManager.The trade association keeps records of these incidents on behalf of the wider shipping community, sharing them with regulators in its role as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Marine News' Top Vessels of 2023
The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023âfrom a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.
Stowaways Found on Barge in Puerto Rico
Twelve stowaways were found on a barge in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received notification from a Coast Guard Station San Juan boat crew at 8:34 a.m., Saturday, of a possible stowaway sighting aboard the barge that was being towed by the U.S.-registered tugboat Sarah Dann.Coast Guard Sector San Juanâs Boarding Team responded to the report and found nine stowaways aboard the barge, including one who was unresponsive. The unresponsive stowaway was reported to be breathing and have vital signs.
14th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium to be Held Nov. 14-16 at SUNY Maritime
The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is âManaging Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)â with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.
Close Call: US Coast Guard Rescues 12 as Bonnie G Ro-Ro Ship Runs Aground
A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew rescued 12 people, Wednesday morning, after they were forced to abandon the Bonnie G vessel that was taking on water and ran aground just south of the airport in St. Thomas.All 12 people aboard the Bonnie G, a 195-foot Vanuatu-flagged âro-roâ cargo vessel, are safe, and no injuries have been reported to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received VHF marine radio communication from the Bonnie G at 3:41 a.m., Wednesday, reportingâŚ
DiCosimo to Chair Greater Houston Port Bureau
The Greater Houston Port Bureau Board of Directors announced Vincent DiCosimo, vice president of government affairs at Targa Resources, will assume the position of the chairman of the board on January 1, 2024. DiCosimo has served as first vice chairman on the Port Bureauâs board for the last three years.Bernt Netland, the outgoing chairman of the Port Bureau Board said, âVincent has been a part of the Port Bureauâs board for many years and has been active in his role as vice chair. He is an experienced and respected leader in the port region.
Fishing Vessel Converted to CTV for Work in US Offshore Wind
A fishing vessel has been converted to operate as a Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) in the U.S. offshore wind industry.Hornblower Marine announced it converted the former fishing vessel Nice Day Too for New Bedford, Mass. based Coast Line Transfers.The 59-foot-long Capt. Les Eldridge, which was originally constructed on the Gulf Coast, underwent extensive bow conversion and other vessel upgrades at Hornblower Marineâs Bridgeport, Conn. facility to provide necessary cargo and passenger loading space required to safely serve offshore wind platformsâŚ
U.S. Navy Takes Delivery of Ship to Shore Connector, Landing Craft, Air Cushion 108
The U.S. Navy took delivery of the next-generation landing craft, Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 108, from Textron Systems."These next-generation craft provide our Navy and Marine Corps team with essential agility and speed to complete their missions,â said Capt. Jason Grabelle, program manager for Amphibious Assault and Connectors Programs, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. âSSC provides the fleet with agility and speed to assist with current and future mission requirements.âLCACs are built with configurationsâŚ