Caribbean News

The Coast Guard interdicted 66 migrants in the last 72-hours in five separate events near Puerto Rico.The Coast Guard, and federal and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law enforcement partners have interdicted more than 380 migrants and stopped several narcotics smuggling attempts since October of 2018.“These recent migrant and drug interdiction cases, though smaller than what we see at our land borders, are a reminder of the constant threat toward the American citizens of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” said Rear Adm. Peter Brown, Coast Guard 7th District commander.

The Swiss-based cruise company MSC Cruises  has waved ‘bon voyage’ to MSC Magnifica as the final guests embarked today in Barcelona for the Company’s first world cruise.For many, the idea of seeing the world is just a dream, but a world cruise is an easy way to make this dream a reality, and the only way to circumnavigate the globe without having to unpack a suitcase more than once! On this first world cruise, MSC Cruises guests will visit 49 different destinations, checking off 32 countries from their bucket lists.From the Mediterranean…

The second of Crowley Maritime Corp.’s new combination container/roll-on roll-off “ConRo” ships - MV Taíno, one of the first of its kind to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) - completed its maiden voyage to Puerto Rico on Friday morning, Jan. 11. MV Taíno, which departed Jan. 8 from its mainland homeport of Jacksonville, Fla. (JAXPORT), is the second of two ConRo vessels constructed for Crowley. Sister ship MV El Coquí began its first-in-class service in July 2018.The ships…

The Coast Guard interdicted a vessel, Monday, with 35 Dominican migrants and 4 kilograms of heroin approximately 34 miles west of Desecheo, Puerto Rico.The crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry, deployed to Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico, detected the vessel Monday evening. Watchstanders with Coast Guard Sector San Juan diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114), who arrived on scene, embarked the 35 migrants and discovered a backpack…

Amendments to the bunker delivery note relating to the supply of marine fuel oil to ships which have fitted alternative mechanisms to address sulphur emission requirements entered into force on 1 January 2019.According to a press release from International Maritime Organization (IMO), the amendment enters into force as the shipping industry counts down to 1 January 2020, when the limit for sulphur in fuel oil will be reduced to 0.50% m/m outside emission control areas (ECAs),…

The U.S. Coast Guard assisted the Haitian Coast Guard stop approximately 70 Haitian migrants Sunday approximately 26 miles north of Cap Haïtien, Haiti.At approximately 1:30 a.m., the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant (WMEC-617) crew sighted a roughly 40-foot Haitian freighter. The cutter Vigilant crew launched a smallboat crew to question the people aboard. Upon detection, the freighter changed course back south to Haiti. The cutter Vigilant crew continued to shadow the vessel while Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders contacted the Haitian Coast Guard.

Belgium based EXMAR announced Thursday that its floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility has left China for a 45-day voyage to the destination of its liquefaction operations at the Port of Bahia Blanca in Argentina.The barge-based Tango FLNG (previously named Caribbean FLNG) is on the move just one month after a contract was signed for a firm, 10-year deployment.Upon its arrival, the facility will be put in operation for EXMAR’s customer YPF S.A. and is expected to start up LNG production in the second quarter of 2019.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday was searching for a British crew member who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.Arron Hough, 20, went overboard 267 miles (430 km) off the northwest of Puerto Rico on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Coast Guard 7th District told Reuters in a telephone interview.At the time the Coast Guard became aware of the incident, the Harmony of the Seas ship was traveling from its home port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to its first stop of St. Maarten island on its seven-day Caribbean itinerary, the Miami Herald newspaper had reported earlier.The Coast Guard said it continued…

Last July 6, Major General Manuel Quevedo joined his wife, a Catholic priest and a gathering of oil workers in prayer in a conference room at the headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA.The career military officer, who for the past year has been boss at the troubled state-owned oil company, was at no ordinary mass. The gathering, rather, was a ceremony at which he and other senior oil ministry officials asked God to boost oil output."This place of peace and spirituality…

Royal Caribbean International chose Optimarin to provide its USCG compliant Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) for three flagship vessels. Optimarin has now retrofitted its BWMS tech on Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas, with installation on Grandeur of the Seas set for Q1 2019.Optimarin has now sold approximately 700 OBS units, with more than 500 installed and operational, of which approximately 250 are retrofits.Alongside full IMO and USCG compliance, OBS has certification from a comprehensive range of classification organizations, including ABS, BV, DNV-GL, LR & MLIT Japan.

Singapore-based shipbuilder Sembcorp Marine cemented its position as Asia’s top cruise ship repair and upgrade solutions provider in 2018 with the successful completion of repairs on the Costa Fortuna – the Group’s 10th and final cruise ship project this year.Operated by Costa Crociere, the 1,358-cabin vessel sailed away from Sembcorp Marine’s Admiralty Yard yesterday, joining a bevy of luxury liners that underwent repairs and upgrades at Sembcorp Marine facilities in the past 12 months.These included six vessels from leading cruise brands and long-term partners Carnival Cruises…

Carnival Corporation announced it will launch four new cruise ships in 2019 across three of its leading global brands – Carnival Cruise Line, America's Cruise Line; Costa Cruises, the largest European cruise operator; and Princess Cruises,  international premium cruise line. The world will get a preview of one of these spectacular new vessels when Carnival Cruise Line debuts a floral replica of its new Carnival Panorama sailing down Colorado Boulevard in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day…

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) said that U.S. territories need the Offshore Wind for Territories Act.The U.S. has five permanently inhabited 'Territories' in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands which are directly overseen by the United States Federal Government.NOIA President Randall Luthi issued this statement: “The House passage of H.R. 6665 is welcome news for many Americans this holiday season. Too often, Americans in the U.S.

For experts in the field of ocean mapping it is no small irony that we know more about the surfaces of the Moon and Mars than we do about our planet's sea floor."Can you imagine operating on the land without a map, or doing anything without a map?" asked Larry Mayer, director of the U.S.-based Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, a research body that trains hydrographers and develops tools for mapping."We depend on having that knowledge of what's around us - and the same is true for the ocean…

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here.

Florida-based Crowley Logistics has added 400 new refrigerated (reefer) cargo containers to its industry-leading equipment fleet just in time for the peak perishables shipping season beginning in Central America.The additional units, all 40-foot-long, high cubes built to Crowley’s exacting standards, further demonstrates the company’s focus on offering customers the most reliable and efficient equipment in the market. These units have wireless asset monitoring technology, which will provide continuous monitoring of the equipment as it transits from origin to destination…

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was offered the opportunity to interview Admiral Karl Schultz, the 26th Commandant in the history of the United States Coast Guard, in his office in Washington, DC. Just five months into his tenure, his plate is predictably full with a number of challenges, including: Attracting and retaining future U.S. Coast Guard personnel; addressing a number of assymetric threats, including cyber attacks; and ensuring captial and operating budgets are adequate to safely and efficiently carry out a global mission envelope, to name but a few.

Carnival Corporation-owned Princess Cruises said that Regal Princess will be the second ship in its fleet to offer the Princess Medallion wearable technology.Regal Princess will be fully activated for her Caribbean Season starting February 17, 2019. The Princess OceanMedallion, included complimentary, is a wearable device that elevates the guest experience by delivering enhanced experiences and personalized service resulting in high guest satisfaction scores, claimed the company.The fully automated gadget has no visible technology…

Subsea Industries develops durable, non-toxic hard hull coating systems. Ecospeed was the first coating and was launched in 2002, but since then a line of other products has been added.EcoshieldEcoshield is an enhanced version of Ecospeed. Small but significant variations of the Ecospeed formula have been tested on rudders since 2002 with extraordinary results. After years of testing (initially under the name Ecospeed Strong) the product was launched in 2013.Ecoshield is designed to protect rudders and other underwater running gear against the cavitation phenomenon: against pitting…

Nieuw Statendam, the new cruise ship of Holland America Line, was presented at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. Holland America Line is a brand under Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator.The vessel is the 16th Holland America Line ship built by Fincantieri and is the line’s second Pinnacle-class ship after Koningsdam, delivered in 2016.The 99,902-ton vessel accommodates 2,666 guests and is the ultimate expression of the Holland America Line brand.

The super luxury passenger vessel MV Mein Schif 3 of TUI Cruises with 2,430 passengers and 995 crew on board made her maiden call at the Port of Colombo on 26th November 2018. The vessel was welcomed at the East Container Terminal (ECT) of Sri Lank Ports Authority (SLPA).Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) – Dr.Parakrama Dissanayake said that the Port of Colombo was honored by the presence of Mein Shiff 3 in Colombo. “The Port of Colombo has become an extremely busy port and this year the port also became the fastest growing port in the world in terms of handling containers.

Damen Shiprepair Curaçao (DSCu) commissioned its floating D-dock on November 22, making both of its floating docks operational."Following the mooring of D-dock to her moorings on Friday, November 16th, final tests were carried out and D-dock was submerged onto the equalised seabed, ready for the first visiting vessel the Jara," said a press release from the ship repair yard.It said that the vessel is a Damen ASD Tug 3110 (L 30.82m x W 9.40m x D 4.08m) owned by Citgo Aruba.The commissioning of the D-dock is another historic milestone for DSCu and one that the yard is extremely proud of.

Belgium's Exmar and YPF of Argentina announced the signing of a firm, ten-year agreement to deploy Exmar’s barge-based floating LNG liquefaction unit (FLNG) currently known as Caribbean FLNG to produce and export LNG from the Vaca Muerta source at the Neuquén Basin in Argentina.The project marks the entry of Argentina to the select club of global LNG exporting nations, with an initial plan to export 500,000 tons of LNG per year to overseas markets.Exmar’s FLNG barge will be named Tango FLNG and be deployed to the port of Bahia Blanca.