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Chesapeake News

22 Jan 2024

American Cruise Lines Christens New Coastal Cat American Glory

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Glory, the second Coastal Cat in American Cruise Lines’ new series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Key West, Fla. on Sunday. The ceremony took place at Mallory Square where the ship docks when visiting Key West along the company’s newest U.S. itinerary—Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises, operating roundtrip from St. Petersburg.Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines, gave remarks and introduced American Glory’s Godmother, the Honorable Teri Johnston, Mayor of Key West.

11 Jan 2024

Rebuilding the Foundations of US Offshore Wind

© Fokke Baarssen / Adobe Stock

As we enter a New Year, the memories of the shocks to the foundations to the U.S. offshore wind segment remain fresh. In short, supply chain inflation and capacity/availability, interest rate increases, and tax credit monetization have been the key themes highlighted by developers to explain why many projects became commercially unviable.Several Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have reacted rapidly, accepting the termination of power sales & purchase agreements and allowing the canceled projects to be rebid into new solicitations.

03 Jan 2024

Jonathan Daniels to Lead Port of Baltimore

Jonathan Daniels (Photo: Maryland Department of Transportation)

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld has announced Jonathan Daniels as the new executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Port Administration. Daniels comes to Maryland after serving as chief executive officer and director at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., and has more than 30 years of port and economic development experience.Daniels will begin in his new position February 5, taking over from Brian Miller, who has been serving…

27 Dec 2023

Alabama Pilots Receive New Launch from Gladding-Hearn

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

The Alabama Pilot, Inc. in Mobile, Ala., has taken delivery of its second Chesapeake Class high-speed pilot boat, Mobile Pilot, from Somerset, Mass. shipbuilder Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery of its first Chesapeake launch, Dixey, was in 2017.With a length overall of 53.6’, a beam of 17.8’, and a draft of 4.6’, the new all-aluminum pilot boat, features the Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull. It is powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each delivering 671Bhp at 2100 rpm and a top speed of 27 knots.

13 Nov 2023

American Glory Completes Sea Trials

American Glory (Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines’ newest Coastal Cat, American Glory, completed sea trials and has been delivered from Chesapeake Shipbuilding on-time as scheduled.The the 100-passenger small ship is the newest ship in American’s ongoing series of 12 new Coastal Cats for exploring U.S. waterways. Additional ships in the series are already under construction, with the next two scheduled for delivery in 2024. American Glory will sail its inaugural cruise on November 28 from Maryland to Florida…

08 Nov 2023

Gladding-Hearn Delivers New Pilot Boat to Bermuda

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation)

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a Chesapeake Class pilot boat to the Bermuda Government, Department of Marine and Port Services. It follows delivery of a 61’ pilot/rescue vessel to the port services in 2011.The new all-aluminum launch is certified to Lloyd’s Register class and replaces a 10-knot steel pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard in 1980. With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the new boat measures 52.11’ overall, with a 15.10’ beam and a 4.8’ draft.

28 Aug 2023

American Cruise Lines’ First New Coastal Cat Enters Service

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines introduced its first new Coastal Cat, American Eagle, during a christening ceremony in at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy campus on Buzzards Bay last week.Carol Robertson, wife of American Cruise Lines’ founder the late Charles A. Robertson, served as godmother for the ship and christened the 100-passenger American Eagle with one of her handmade, ribbon-wrapped champagne bottles. The American Eagle is named after the first American Cruise Lines’ ship, which the couple launched in the 1970s.The ceremony began with remarks from Robertson…

14 Aug 2023

Commercial Fishing on the Great Lakes is a Family Affair

© Hank Erdmann / Adobe Stock

Although the number of fishermen who make a living on the waters of the Great Lakes is much diminished from a half century ago, the region's commercial whitefish fishery continues to be viable and profitable.Henriksen Fisheries is one of about a dozen commercial entities in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan, focused on trap netting whitefish in Green Bay and the waters surrounding the Door Peninsula.Charlie Henriksen started his family-owned fishing business in Door County in 1987.Originally from Illinois…

01 Aug 2023

BOEM Announces Three Final Wind Energy Areas Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia

Credit: BOEM

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday announced three final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.These areas, BOEM said, were developed following extensive engagement and feedback from states, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners, and other members of the public.If fully developed, the final WEAs could support between four and eight gigawatts of energy production. The Biden administration has a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.The three WEAs total approximately 356…

18 Jul 2023

USACE Awarded a Slew of Dredging Work in the First Half of 2023

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is snapping back from the doldrums of COVID-19, wrapping up a strong first half of 2023 with a slew of awarded dredging work.“The federal government is no different from state and local governments, nor the private sector when it comes to COVID-19 work related recovery and USACE is not an exception,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “The Army Corps has been steadily issuing contract awards since February, and that’s on the award side.

13 Jun 2023

US Marine Economy Worth $432 Billion in 2021

Credit: Douglas Croft

America’s marine economy contributed $432 billion in economic impact in 2021, making up nearly 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).That is according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released by two Department of Commerce agencies —NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The marine economy statistics include activities in the US ocean, coasts and major water bodies such as the Great Lakes, Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay.From 2020 to 2021…

19 May 2023

Fincantieri Awarded Contract to Build Fourth Constellation-class Frigate

(Image: Fincantieri)

Marinette, Wis. shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) has been awarded a $526 million contract to build a fourth Constellation class frigate for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense announced. The contract for the lead frigate and nine option ships, signed in 2020, has a cumulative value of $5.5 billion, including post-delivery availability support and crew training. FMM received the $795 million contract for the first frigate in the Constellation class program…

04 May 2023

American Cruise Lines Christens Two New Riverboats

(Photos: American Cruise Lines)

In a canyon at the Idaho border and alongside a bayou in Louisiana, two nearly identical cruise ships were just christened. American Cruise Lines announced the christening of sister ships American Jazz and American Serenade, two of the lines’ six new riverboats.“The two christenings, one in a desert canyon and one on the bayou, show the incredible breadth of river cruise options in the USA,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO, American Cruise Lines. “They also show the growth of American Cruise Lines and the range of places that we explore.

06 Apr 2023

New Mississippi Riverboat Passes Sea Trials

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

The newest riverboat for the Mississippi River passed sea trials this week and is on its way to New Orleans for its inaugural season on the mighty river.American Cruise Lines announced today, that it has accepted delivery of the American Serenade from Chesapeake Shipbuilding as scheduled.American Serenade is the sixth riverboat in the line’s new series, and the 18th small ship built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding for the U.S. based small-ship cruise line.The 180-passenger boat will…

03 Apr 2023

Gladding-Hearn Delivers Refitted Launch to Tampa Bay Pilots

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

The Tampa Bay pilot association has taken delivery of Tampa, a newly refitted Chesapeake Class pilot boat built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in 2003, when the Somerset, Mass. shipyard introduced the class of mid-size, high-speed launches. In 2015, the Tampa pilots also took delivery of the shipyard’s first Chesapeake Class MKII, which incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 2 pod system. “After 19 years of hard work, the vessel was showing some wear and tear but she still had a lot of life left so it was definitely worth re-investing in…

13 Mar 2023

Construction Begins for American Cruise Lines' Fourth New Coastal Cat

(Image: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines on Monday announced construction has begun on American Legend, the fourth new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series.Described by American Cruise Lines as a "nimble go-anywhere ship", the 100-guest American Legend is being built for coastal operation and features a new hull design that is a hallmark of the series. All American’s new Coastal Cats are being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md.The first three ships in the series—American Eagle…

16 Feb 2023

2023 Shipbuilding Report: US Passenger Vessels

Casco Bay Line selected the Senesco to build a double ended hybrid electric ferry to replace an existing diesel boat. (Image: EBDG)

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

23 Jan 2023

Maryland Pilots Order New Launch from Gladding-Hearn

The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered its fifth Chesapeake Class launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for early 2024.With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the new all-aluminum launch measures 52.6’ overall, with a 16.8’ beam and a 4.8’ draft. Powered by twin Volvo Penta D16, EPA Tier 3-certified diesel engines, each producing 641 Bhp at 1800 rpm; the vessel’s top speed is expected to reach over 26 knots. A Humphree interceptor trim control system, with its Automatic Trim Optimization, will be installed at the transom.

06 Dec 2022

Lack of Situational Awareness Led to Ever Forward Grounding -USCG

File photo: A Coast Guard response crew monitors the 1,095-foot motor vessel Ever Forward, which became grounded in the Chesapeake Bay, March 13, 2022. (Photo: Kimberly Reaves / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard cited the pilot’s failure to maintain situational awareness and attention while navigating, as well as inadequate bridge resource management as factors that led to the grounding of the 1,095-foot containership Ever Forward in the Craighill Channel earlier this year.The Hong Kong flagged box ship grounded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 while transiting with 4,964 containers aboard, en route from the Port of Baltimore to Norfolk, Va. The incident set in motion…

28 Nov 2022

Marine News' Top Vessels of 2022

Mark W. Barker (Photo: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding)

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

14 Nov 2022

Construction Begins for American Cruise Lines' Third Project Blue Vessel

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines announced on Monday that Salisbury, Md. shipbuilder Chesapeake Shipbuilding has began building American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series. The newbuild is scheduled to enter service in May 2024.First announced in January 2022, the Project Blue series is a set of 12 small ships designed to cover almost any domestic U.S. cruise itinerary. The first two ships in the series, American Eagle and American Glory are scheduled…

07 Nov 2022

Great Lakes Winter Supply Chain – A Cause for Concern

(Image: Lake Carriers’ Association)

As the temperatures start their annual decline on the Great Lakes, an icy chill is in the air. Shipping companies across the lakes are rushing to get final loads of critical raw materials from the northern lakes to the manufacturing facilities on the lower lakes. The gales of November began blowing in October this year, tightening the constraint on the remaining days before the large navigational lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. will close for the season and shipping virtually halts.While high winds and seas can only be avoided, ice can be effectively managed by the U.S.

17 Oct 2022

Long-serving Pilot Boat Returns to Gladding-Hearn for Repowering

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

The Tampa Bay pilot association has returned its first Chesapeake Class pilot boat to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. Tampa was built in 2003 when the shipyard introduced the class of mid-size, high-speed launches. In 2015, the Tampa pilots took delivery of the shipyard’s first Chesapeake Class MKII, which incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 2 pod system. With more than 50,000 operating hours, the 53’ all-aluminum pilot boat will be repowered and undergo repairs after a thorough inspection by the shipyard’s quality control department.

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