Coastal Infrastructure News

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), a top-ranked public university with undergraduate degree programs focusing on science, engineering, technology, math, and business that blend academics and experiential learning, announced the reappointment of Elizabeth B. Simmons, vice president of external affairs, to the reconstituted Seaport Economic Council.Named to the Council by Governor Maura Healey, Simmons serves on the newly reconstituted 15-member body, which is updating its mission and membership to better advance economic growth…

Fincantieri is advancing its push into high-tech maritime infrastructure through a new agreement with WSense, a fast-growing underwater technology scale-up specializing in subsea communication and environmental monitoring systems. The partnership—signed by Giorgio Bellipanni, CEO of Fincantieri Infrastructure Opere Marittime, and WSense CEO Chiara Petrioli—aims to integrate real-time underwater sensing and Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) capabilities into major port and coastal projects.Under the collaboration…

Skana Robotics, a defense tech startup, is unveiling its latest autonomous vessel, the Alligator, the first amphibious vessel that combines infrastructure-free deployment, manned or unmanned operation, and the ability to carry and launch other autonomous systems. The Alligator joins Skana’s fleet of maritime autonomous vessels, which have already progressed from the prototype stage to deployable and adaptable naval assets designed for mass production: the Bullshark (autonomous surface vessel, ASV) and Stingray (Autonomous underwater vessel, AUV).

Jifmar Group has completed the transfer of Seacontractors’ fleet of 15 workboats, finalizing a deal signed in August and strengthening its presence in the Middle East and Indian Ocean.The vessels and associated teams formally joined Jifmar on November 19, the company said.The transaction also includes a six-month transfer services agreement under which Seacontractors will continue supporting fleet operations to ensure continuity for clients. The Dubai office team and the seafaring…

ECOnnect Energy has signed two pre-Front End Engineering and Design (pre-FEED) contracts for its IQuay Regas Terminal, a modular floating regasification system designed to offer faster, more flexible alternatives to conventional onshore and floating LNG terminals.The IQuay Regas Terminal combines a Floating Storage Unit (FSU), a modular floating regasification platform known as the R-Class, and either subsea or floating pipelines for high-pressure gas transfer to shore. The system’s compact…

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), CORE POWER and Athlos Energy have formed a consortium to evaluate the potential of positioning the floating nuclear power (FNPP) platforms to meet the energy demands of islands, ports and coastal communities in the Mediterranean Sea.The group will research how FNPPs can potentially unlock a range of applications including the establishment of grid-scale electricity to remote locations, the delivery of emission-free energy to ports and the distribution…

There’s more to domestic dredging than meets the eye. Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle is just the guy tell you why.William P. Doyle serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). DCA represents the dredging industry on key issues before Congress and is an active partner to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public port authorities, state and local governments, as well as allied construction and maritime organizations.Immediately prior to this appointment, Mr. Doyle served as the Port of Baltimore’s Chief Executive for three years.

2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA bill—Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nation’s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

Australian offshore support vessel owner MMA Offshore has agreed to buy Perth-based Subcon, a company that provides innovative stabilization, coastal erosion, and engineered reef solutions to the oil and gas, offshore wind, coastal infrastructure, and tourism sectors.The total consideration for the transaction is $8.4 million comprising $4.2m cash and $4.2m in MMA ordinary shares."The acquisition is aligned with MMA’s purpose and strategy bringing a range of new environmental marine solutions within MMA’s capability…

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Rear Admiral (Rear Adm.) Ann Phillips, USN, Ret., has been confirmed and sworn in as the 20th Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Nominated by President Biden on October 21, 2021, Rear Adm. Phillips was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 10, 2022. She is the first woman to lead MARAD as administrator.“From her distinguished naval service to her leadership on coastal infrastructure, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips has championed America’s maritime sector throughout her career,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

It is clear only a few weeks into 2022 that this year can be a watershed moment for American offshore wind. The Department of the Interior has positioned 2022 to be a record year in terms of offshore wind lease offerings and project greenlights.At the end of 2021, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the regulatory agency responsible for offshore wind lease sales, released the document, Offshore Wind Leasing Path Forward 2021–2025. The document maps out potential new wind lease sales.

President Joe Biden intends to nominate Ann Phillips to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) at the Department of Transportation (DOT), the White House announced Thursday. The position has been vacant since Mark Buzby resigned from the role in the wake of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January.If confirmed, Phillips, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and currently the first Special Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Coastal Adaptation and Protection…

The World Ocean Council (WOC) and the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) have signed an MOU on long-term cooperation.The partnership agreement provides a commitment and framework for the two bodies to collaborate on ocean sustainable economic development through information exchange, communications, events, joint working groups, etc. on topics of shared interest.More specifically, PIANC and WOC will begin by working together to develop tools and methods for port and coastal infrastructure adaptation that can be scaled up to address port resiliency needs, especially regarding extreme weather events affecting…

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) yesterday (5th February) launched a five-day capacity building seminar to help UK Overseas Territories support safe maritime trade.The seminar, delivered as part of the Government’s Overseas Territories Seabed Mapping Programme, will focus on international regulations, with sessions on maritime safety information training, best practice governance and maritime law. This guidance, given by experts at both the UKHO and MCA, will help each of the 10 participating territories to comply with international obligations and share their own maritime safety information with ships operating in their waters.For these ships, this information, including up-to-date bathymetry (seabed mapping data), navigational warnings and observations, is essential to safe navigation.

A federal FASTLANE grant has been approved for S.S. Badger Ports & Harbor project impacting Manitowoc, Wis. and Ludington, Mich. A primer on how things get done. This is a story about two communities on the shores of Lake Michigan and the unique car ferry that connects them. The SS Badger provides a nautical “highway” across one of our nation’s major waterways, carrying passengers, oversized loads and trucks of nearly every kind. Essentially, the ferry provides a vital lifeline of commerce, tourism and economic growth between the cities of Manitowoc, Wis. and Ludington, Mich.

The Chairman of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ACSC) Rauf Veliyev and Konstantin Anisimov, the General Director of Moscow River Shipping Company (MRSC) signed in Baku a memorandum of cooperation in cruise shipping in the Caspian region with the use of the new cruise passenger vessel "Peter the Great". The agreement was signed during the visit of the Russian delegation headed by Konstantin Anisimov to Baku. The agreement provides for joint activities on study and development of optimal routes for cruise passenger vessels, such as ports of the Black Sea - inland waterways of the Russian Federation - Astrakhan - ports of the Caspian Sea; Moscow-Baku; Astrakhan - Makhachkala - Baku; Baku-Anzali- Nowshahr -Turkmenbashi-Aktau-Astrakhan and others.

The Ministry of Shipping in India has taken up projects worth Rs 2,302 crore (USD 356million) for financial assistance under the Coastal Berth Scheme of the flagship Sagarmala Programme. The Ministry, after due appraisal in consultation with NITI Aayog and Department of Expenditure, has extended the period of the scheme for three years, upto 31st March, 2020 and expanded its scope to cover capital dredging at Major Ports and preparation of DPR for coastal berth project, in Oct 2017. The projects under Coastal Berth Scheme of the flagship Sagarmala Programme are distributed over eight states with the highest number of projects in Maharashtra (12 projects)…

It is with great sadness that the Sovcomflot management and team must announce a monumental loss to the Russian shipping community. On 9 October 2017, Orest Sychenikov, first Head of Novorossiysk Shipping Company, passed away at the age of 95. On 9 October 2017, we lost a highly educated man, a talented leader who made a massive contribution to the strengthening and development of Russian maritime navigation. Orest Sychenikov was born on 28 June 1922. In 1941, he was called up to the Red Army to fight in the Second World War, during which was seriously wounded in 1943. Following demobilization in September 1945, Orest was accepted into the Department of Marine Engineering at the Odessa Institute of Marine Fleet Engineers.

Global Environment Facility (GEF) approves new project concept to address major aquatic invasive species vector. A new global project to help protect marine ecosystems from the negative effects of invasive aquatic species has been given the go-ahead for preparation. The GloFouling Partnerships project – a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – will address the transfer of aquatic species through biofouling, in other words, the build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures. The project will focus on the implementation of the IMO Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ biofouling…

Port Master Plans for 12 major ports have been prepared keeping in view the requirements for cargo handling till 2035. A total of 142 Port Modernization and 30 Port Connectivity projects have been identified in the Master Plans. The objectives of these projects are to promote port led development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost effectively and efficient evacuation to and from hinterland. These identified projects will be taken up over the next 20 years (till 2035) for implementation in phases. 3. Creation of dedicated coastal infrastructure i.e. 8. Central Scheme for providing assistance to Major ports and Oil Handling non-major ports under State Maritime Boards/State Govt.

“Sustainable development” has gone from buzz word to business imperative in the two decades since the initial Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Companies are increasingly evaluated on how well they address sustainability as a critical measure of their commitment to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. Stakeholders expect companies to develop sustainability and corporate responsibility programs and reporting as part of efforts to take up civil society concerns and maintain the social license to operate.

The global engineering, project management and construction company, Bechtel has become a member of the World Ocean Council (WOC), the international business alliance for Corporate Ocean Responsibility. Bechtel brings considerable experience and expertise in the design, engineering and construction of sustainable ports and coastal infrastructure. The company has worked on more than 80 ports and coastal projects around the world. Its projects include Khalifa Port (UAE), Jamnagar Refinery and Port Complex (India) and Jubail Industrial City and Port (Saudi Arabia). “Smart planning, innovation and having an integrated approach are key to developing sustainable infrastructure,” said Tam Nguyen, global head of sustainability at Bechtel.