Coastal and Inland News

Crowley Engineering Services announced Monday it has designed the first fully electric U.S. tugboat with autonomous technology, engineered as a zero-emissions, high-performance solution for ship assist and harbor services.The Crowley design, powered by the expertise of recently integrated subsidiary Jensen Maritime, leverages a large battery system and power saving technology to operate in a fully electric mode while producing zero air emissions or greenhouse gases, Crowley said.

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation was fined $500,000 in the U.S. after pleading guilty to dumping wastewater into Lake Ontario.One of the Great Lakes operator's dry bulk carriers, the Algoma Strongfield, was built in China and delivered to Canada on May 30, 2017, by a crew from Redwise Maritime Services, B.V., a vessel transport company based in the Netherlands.During the delivery voyage, while manned by a Redwise crew, the oily water separator and oil content monitor malfunctioned or failed on multiple occasions…

A second unresponsive person has been recovered from the water near a lift boat that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday.A Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted the person in the water at 7:10 p.m. on Thursday while searching the area about 8 miles south of Port Fourchon, La. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Daily, also in the area searching, recovered the unresponsive person and transported him to Coast Guard Station Grand Isle where a…

South American logistics operator Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. has ordered a fleet of diesel/battery electric pushboats from Belov Engenharia Shipyard, in Salvador, Brazil. Construction has commenced, and the first vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2022.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the innovative vessels are expected to be the world’s first battery electric shallow draft pushboats when they begin operating to provide terminal assistance in the Amazon River system.The new vessels are of the RApide 2000-E design…

Two crew members aboard the cargo vessel that blocked global shipping in the Suez Canal last month will be allowed to return to India owing to urgent personal circumstances, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Thursday.The Ever Given has been anchored in a lake between two sections of the canal since being dislodged on March 29 and is caught in a legal dispute linked to a $916 compensation claim made by the SCA against the ship's Japanese owner.The SCA said it was "sparing no effort to ensure the success of the negotiations" and was cooperating with the shipping agency to make sure the crew

The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it is still searching for 12 people missing from a lift boat that capsized in extreme weather conditions Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Coast Guard vessel and air crews have worked with other local agencies to scour the area overnight Wednesday and through the day Thursday in search of the dozen missing from the Seacor Power, which overturned in rough seas and hurricane force winds approximately 8 miles south of Port Fourchon, La. The search has covered approximately 6…

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 1.3 million tons in March, a near match to 2020. However, loadings trailed the month’s five-year average by 13.5%, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).LCA, which represents the U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleet, said the iron ore trade stands at 3.9 million tons  year-to-date, an increase of 26.3% compared to last year. Iron ore shipments are 12.2% ahead of their five-year average for the first three months of the year."We continue to rebound from the pandemic…

A Crowley ship assist and escort tug serving the Bay of San Francisco is now running on cleaner-burning biofuel, in line with Crowley Shipping's commitment to sustainable operations that decrease the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas impacts of maritime operations.The Veteran, a 6,800-horsepower tug with a bollard pull of 182,000 pounds, received its first bunkering of 24,000 gallons of low carbon biofuel on March 9 in San Francisco, where Crowley has operated tugboats since 1906.Veteran joins Crowley’s Vision/650-10…

The Town of Hempstead Harbormaster on Long Island recently took delivery of the first Stormer Marine workboat built under a license agreement by SAFE Boats International. The 6.8-meter Porter 68S, delivered in late January, was recently put into service in the waters around the Town of Hempstead.Through this Jones Act-compliant licensing agreement between U.S.-based SAFE Boats International and the Netherlands-based Stormer Marine, SAFE Boats can now offer the full line of Stormer workboats to U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard is studying and seeking public comment on the Columbia River entrance in the Pacific Northwest as it seeks to validate the adequacy of the existing aids to navigation system, as well as to get a better understanding of the uses of the waterway and general safety issues.The Coast Guard's Waterways Analysis and Management System study will look at the Columbia River entrance up to Statute Mile 15/Buoy 39, including Baker Bay, Chinook Channel, Skipanon Channel and Youngs Bay.WAMS focuses on the waterway’s present ATON system…

Swedish power firm Vattenfall has chosen Hvide Sande Harbour in Denmark as its service port for Vesterhav Syd and Nord wind farms in the Danish part of the North Sea. The move will create around 50 new jobs.Danish Energy Agency has approved Vattenfall's environmental assessment and construction plans for 350 MW offshore wind farms Vesterhav Syd and Nord in December 2020. "Hvide Sande will to be the service hub for Vattenfall’s Danish offshore wind operations in the northern part of the North Sea and benefit from the creation of about 50 jobs…

Longer sailing distances cushion fall in US crude oil exportsTon mile demand generated by US crude oil exports has fallen by 9.7% in the first two months of 2021 compared with the start of 2020. The fall could however have been much worse; In volume terms, seaborne crude oil exports have fallen by 18.8%, to 20.9m tonnes, a 4.8m tonnes decline compared with last year, according to data from the US Census Bureau.While seaborne crude oil exports to all regions have fallen, those to Asia are among the least affected, down just 1.0%, or equivalent to one Aframax load (101,088 tonnes).

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics revealed on Wednesday that its SM200 wireless helm system has been installed and is being used aboard two sister U.S.-flag articulated tug-barge (ATB) tugboats.Sea Machines said its dealer Rio Controls & Hydraulics, of Houston, managed the installations and technology integrations at a U.S. Gulf of Mexico shipyard. In the coming months, Rio and Sea Machines will continue to work together to install additional SM200 systems on at least five more ATB tugboats by the same owner.Sea Machines’ wireless helm system introduces flexible control for mariners…

Evergreen Line said on Wednesday that it is investigating the scope of an Egyptian court order to detain the Ever Given container ship which got stuck in the Suez Canal last month.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has made a $916 million compensation claim against the ship’s Japanese owner Shoei Kisen, according to UK Club, one of its insurers.The SCA has also obtained a court order to detain the ship as discussions over compensation continue.

Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced it has opened a new Americas regional headquarters in Panama City.Svitzer said it decided early last year to relocate its Americas headquarters from Miami, U.S. to Panama and move into the Panama Design Center, which also houses other entities of the Maersk Group including Sealand Americas, APM Terminals, Hamburg-Sud, Twill, and Maersk Liner Operations Clusters.Arjen van Dijk, managing director of Svitzer Americas, said, “Panama is an important, strategic maritime hub with good infrastructure and easy connections to nearby countries and ports.

The cargo vessel that blocked global shipping in the Suez Canal and is caught in a legal dispute in Egypt is fit to sail once approval is given, its technical manager said on Wednesday.The Ever Given was declared suitable for onward passage from the Great Bitter Lake to Port Said, where she would be assessed again before departing for Rotterdam, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said in a statement.The ship has been in the lake, which sits between two sections of the canal, since being dislodged on March 29.

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) said on Wednesday that it has secured an order from Australian shipping company TT Line Company to build two car and passenger ferries at the Rauma shipyard.The newbuild order comes after TT Line, also known as Spirit of Tasmania, withdrew from a previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) last July while the Tasmanian government-owned company investigated options to produce the vessels locally to help offset economic impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.RMC revealed Wednesday that negotiations resumed in March this year…

Ukrainian shipping company PJSC Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP) signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Belgian engine manufacturer Anglo-Belgian Corporation NV (ABC) to modernize its pushboat fleet.The LOI signed under the auspices of the Embassy of Belgium in Ukraine provides UDP with the possibility to install hybrid engines with equipment provided by ABC for up to 33 UDP pushboats. The fleet modernization would enable UDP to prolong the life of outdated fixed assets and…

Evidence mounts that vessel safety will benefit with technology enhancing the bridge lookout.Maritime safety regulations have – and for valid reasons – traditionally been strict and have often developed in ways that could hold up innovation. Almost two decades after the remedy of ‘goal-based’ standards and ‘technical equivalence’ arrived at the IMO, rules based on risk assessment and functionality continue to face an uphill battle to redefine a safety culture based on ‘dos and don’ts’.

The Port of Oakland reported all-time high container volume for import and export cargo in the month of March amid an ongoing trade boom exploding through U.S. ports.The port said Oakland received the equivalent of 97,538 20-foot import containers in March. It said it shipped out the equivalent of 94,169 20-foot export boxes. Both totals were single-month records at the 94-year-old port. March imports were up 45% from the same month a year ago, the port said. March 2020 was when the port felt the initial impacts of the pandemic. Exports gained 12% year-over-year.

A ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week in March has not been given clearance to leave the waterway as discussions continue over a compensation claim made to the vessel’s owner Shoei Kisen, an official from the Japanese company said on Tuesday.The Ever Given has been in a lake separating two sections of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29, as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) conducts investigations.Yumi Shinohara, deputy manager with owner Shoei Kisen’s fleet management department…

North American import of containerized goods from the Far East soared to a noteworthy high of 1.62m TEU during February 2021, a 100% increase from the low point of the same month last year. Fueled by US stimulus, volumes moving on the trans-pacific trade lane to consumers and businesses in North America thereby defied all obstacles during a month usually characterized by slow activity.In particular, the US economic stimulus packages have worked magic for the container shipping industry…

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbors including China, which called it "extremely irresponsible."The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure and acquire regulatory approval.Japan has argued…

Canada's manufacturers on Monday asked the federal government to curb a brewing labor dispute after dockworkers at the country's second largest port said they will work less this week.Unionized dockworkers, who are in talks for a new contract since 2018, will hold a partial strike starting Tuesday, by refusing all overtime outside of their normal day shifts, along with weekend work, they said in a statement on Monday.The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Quebec's 1,125…

Offshore wind caught a favorable gust with the 2020 election of Joe Biden, and the following breeze from the early 2021 reconfiguration of the U.S. Senate toward Democrats. Though widely touted as a growth engine for maritime businesses (as well as shoreside trades), the latter years of the Trump administration seemed to see delay after delay.The class society DNV has been involved in offshore wind since its outset in the early 1990s, and now has 2,000 energy experts working in its efforts supporting this power source.

A multi-agency search was called off on Monday after responders failed to locate a man that went missing in the Savannah River after his vessel collided with a dredge on Saturday.A good Samaritan contacted U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders on VHF Ch. 16 stating three people were in the water in the vicinity of Hutchinson Island after a recreational vessel allided with dredging equipment on Saturday at approximately 5 p.m.Local partner agencies and good Samaritans arrived on scene and rescued two of the people in the water and brought them to awaiting emergency medical responders.

SAAM Towage has launched operations in Peru as the Valparaíso, Chile-based tugboat operator continues its growth plans in the Americas. “We are taking the first steps at the Port of Callao, which lets us provide better coverage on the southern Pacific coast,” said SAAM Towage managing director, Hernán Gómez. “We are interested in this market and foresee leveraging our broad network in the region. Our strategy is to preserve our leadership position and play an important role in the industry's consolidation process.”Having already opened offices and hired personnel in Callao…

Take a look around you.Perhaps you’re snacking on a banana, sipping some coffee or sitting in front of your computer and taking a break from work to read this article. Most likely, those goods—as well as your smartphone, refrigerator and virtually every other object in your home—were once loaded onto a large container in another country and traveled thousands of miles via ships crossing the ocean before ultimately arriving at your doorstep.Today, an estimated 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea…

Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán has tapped ABB to supply all-electric power solutions for ten fast 40-meter urban passenger ferries transporting up to 540 passengers each across Lisbon’s Tagus river.The contract comes a week after Astilleros Gondan said it would start building a series of 10 fully electric passenger ferries for the Portuguese river passenger transport operator Transtejo.The ten new ferries will replace the existing fleet serving this route when they enter service between 2022 and 2024.In addition to energy storage…

French container shipping group CMA CGM is pursuing a plan to rebuild Beirut's port within three years, despite political deadlock in Lebanon that has prevented decisions on the port since a blast last August, a company executive said.A chemical explosion at the port killed 200 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods, deepening Lebanon's worst political and economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.CMA CGM's plan, first outlined to Lebanese authorities in September, envisages the reconstruction of damaged docks and warehouses…

The lucrative prospect of transporting COVID-19 vaccines by sea has intensified the spotlight on the maritime industry’s cold supply chain and its ability to carry high-value pharmaceuticals.At present, speed to market is critical to stemming the spread of the pandemic, so the vaccines are being shipped by air to international destinations. Delivering them by sea is a longer-term strategy; certainly, the present urgency would have to calm considerably before enough confidence could be built to support delivery times in weeks…

The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) Board of Commissioners has named Jon Nass the new CEO and executive director of the Port of Gulfport, following a national search led by Tim McNamara, head of Odgers Berndtson’s Transportation and Infrastructure Practice in Washington, D.C. His tentative start date is June 1.“After nearly an eight-month process, the MSPA Commission is very pleased to announce we have selected a new executive director to lead the Port of Gulfport team,” said MSPA President E.J. Roberts.

Turkey-based Sanmar Shipyards delivered two line-handling pusher crafts to Scotland-based Targe Towing for operations at the Hound Point oil export terminal on the Firth of Forth.Targe has provided services for Ineos at Hound Point, Scotland’s largest oil export terminal, for almost 30 years and the main task of the new additions to its fleet will be line handling operations assisting the berthing of large crude oil tankers up to VLCC. They will also support pollution response…

Galveston, Texas-based dredging contractor Callan Marine said it has promoted Micah Morris to operations manager of its brown water division.Morris most recently served as project manager on the brown water projects. He takes over leadership of Callan's brown water division from the company’s vice president of operations, Kevin Pearse, who was previously responsible for both the blue and brown water divisions. “Our portfolio of projects continues to expand,” said Maxie McGuire, president of Callan Marine.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which manages the 82 kilometers long Panama Canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, has awarded Kongsberg Digital a contract to upgrade and extend the K-Sim Navigation simulators based in SIDMAR; the Center for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development of the Panama Canal Authority. Equipped with the new technology, the Panama City-based center will be able to include multiple vessels in training scenarios and extend the realism of the simulator training provided for pilots and tug masters…

A backlog of container ships carrying consumer goods has grown in some key strategic ports after a near week-long blockage in the Suez Canal, adding to ongoing disruptions to global trade, industry sources say.Dozens of container ships were stuck when the 400-metre-long (430-yard) Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel.The suspension of sailings through the waterway left shipping companies - including container lines - with millions of dollars in extra costs…

Singaporean shipbuilder Penguin said it has delivered Singapore’s first hybrid-powered pilot boat.Built, owned and operated by Penguin, the 15-meter vessel Penguin Tenaga is certified by Bureau Veritas with a "ZE" (zero emission) class notation and is capable of running in pure electric mode at 5 knots for more than 30 minutes. In conventional diesel mode, the vessel can reach a maximum speed of 24 knots.In addition, solar panels installed on the roof of Penguin Tenaga generate…

Reinsurers are set to foot most of the bill for the grounding of the ship that halted traffic in the Suez Canal, industry sources said, with payouts expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.International supply chains were thrown into disarray when the 400 meter Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel.Around 400 vessels were affected by the canal’s closure, which led to some having to divert around Africa to get supplies to global markets.Ships typically have protection & indemnity (P&I) insurance…

Carnival Corp, the world’s largest cruise operator, is currently not taking a position on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for passengers before traveling, a company spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.The company’s statement comes just a day after rival Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said it would mandate travelers be vaccinated under a proposed plan to restart U.S. cruises in July.The U.S.

A Dutch cargo ship that was abandoned at sea during a storm off the coast of Norway this week has been attached to two large tugboats and is no longer at risk of running aground, local officials said late on Wednesday.The Eemslift Hendrika, badly listing after parts of its cargo shifted in the rough weather, had been adrift since Monday, leading to fears it would spill some or all of the 350 tonnes of heavy oil and 50 tonnes of diesel in its tanks.The Norwegian Coastal Administration…

Saga on Wednesday reported a stronger than expected annual profit, sending its shares sharply higher, as lower motor insurance payouts during lockdowns offset losses in its over-50s tour and cruise operations.The British company, hit hard last year by a shutdown of cruises globally and collapse of other travel, said it was ready to resume its tour and cruise businesses this year after suspending them in March 2020, with timing subject to government restrictions.“Customer demand remains strong…

Several passenger vessels from Austrian operator WolfgangseeSchifffahrt were recently fitted with a SCHOTTEL PumpJet type SPJ 30, including the new CoaGrid. With the SPJ 30 (100 kW), which is driven by an electric motor with a battery storage device, the ship owner benefits from zero-emissions propulsion power and low-loss power electronics.SCHOTTEL noted the maneuverability of the vessels is further increased by means of the two previously installed SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers…

It’s no secret that the U.S. offshore wind sector is finally about to burst into action after years of behind-the-scenes movement. With a new administration set to bolster the favorable political headwinds for the sector, establishing a strong domestic supply chain will be critical as the industry scales up.Offshore wind farm operators will need high-quality vessels ready to go, and crew transfer vessels (CTV) are vital when constructing and servicing new assets. Concurrently…

Shipbuilding group Damen said it has renewed and expanded its lineup of trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD), now offering a range covering hopper volumes from 650 m3 to 5,000 m3. The updated portfolio includes both hopper dredgers for port maintenance and multi-purpose dredgers.All designs have a number of core values in common. Damen said the starting point for the designs were that the dredger be both practical in operation and in maintenance, and have a sustainable future-proof design.

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat said it as secured an an agreement with Clearwater Seafood that commits Canada’s largest vessel-operating seafood company to Fleet Xpress high-speed maritime broadband services.Clearwater Seafood chose to install the Fleet Xpress combination of high speed Ka-band and continuous FleetBroadband backup on board seven vessels replacing Ku-band services on each vessel. Deployed off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, each vessel is being fitted with GX100NX antennas from Intellian.“Robust connectivity for the crew is imperative for Clearwater…

The Suez Canal Authority is considering expanding the southern section of the waterway where the container ship Ever Given became stranded, its chairman said on Tuesday.It is also looking into procuring cranes that could potentially offload cargo at heights of up to 52 meters, Osama Rabie told Reuters in an interview.“Our procedures are sound, we are just aiming to improve the service,” he said.The 400-meter-long Ever Given became grounded diagonally across the southern section of the canal during high winds on March 23.

Marine traffic slowed in the Suez Canal on Tuesday as oil tanker M/T Rumford appeared to face difficulties in the south of the canal, shipping websites MarineTraffic and TankerTrackers said.A trade source said that the canal notified companies that the M/T Rumford faced engine trouble in the canal and that it had sent tug boats Tim Hope and Mosaed 3 to its aid.TankersTracker said on Twitter that the vessel had run into difficulty but is finally heading north again.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) told Reuters the issue had only lasted about 10 minutes and "was fixed".

The crew of a Dutch cargo ship was evacuated in stormy weather off the coast of Norway late on Monday, leaving the abandoned vessel adrift and in danger of sinking and causing an oil spill, local authorities said on Tuesday.Footage released by the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centre showed some of the 12 crew members jumping into the ocean from the badly listing Eemslift Hendrika before being rescued by helicopter. Others were hoisted directly from the deck.All were brought to safety…

Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. and three former and current management officials from the Long Island-based petroleum barge company have paid $375,000 in restitution to the brother of one of two seamen killed in a 2017 barge explosion off Port Aransas, Texas.The seaman alleged the company fired him for cooperating with investigators and reporting safety concerns to the U.S. Coast Guard following the deadly blast on board Buster Bouchard/B. No. 255. The National Transportation…

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation announced Monday that it has taken delivery of its new dry bulk carrier Captain Henry Jackman from the Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui Shipbuilding Company in China.The vessel is expected to begin trading on the Great Lakes in late June following its transit from China to Canada via the Panama Canal. The voyage is scheduled to commence in mid-April.The Captain Henry Jackman is the fifth Equinox Class gearless dry-bulk carrier and the tenth Equinox Class vessel to join the Algoma fleet. It is also the most efficient.

Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros GONDAN said it is gearing up to start building a series of 10 fully electric passenger ferries  for the Portuguese river passenger transport operator Transtejo – Transportes Tejo, S.A.The 40-meter-long ferries are designed based on a catamaran-type hull form specifically optimized to make the most of the almost 2MWh of electrical energy stored in its batteries, with silent operation and no CO2 emissions. With a capacity of around 540 passengers,…

Greece on Monday launched a tender for the sale of a majority stake in a port on the island of Crete, a popular tourist destination in Europe.The conservative government has been keen to attract investment and upgrade its port facilities across the country after years of underspending and a decade-long financial crisis.Investors can submit expressions of interest for a 67% stake in the port of Heraklion, the busiest on Crete, by July 30, the country's privatization agency, which is managing the sale…

A Bangladesh ferry carrying around 50 passengers collided with a cargo vessel and sank on Sunday in the Shitalakhsya River south of the capital Dhaka, leaving at least 26 people dead and a few still missing, officials said.Twenty one bodies had been recovered on Monday. The ferry sank just after it departed from the industrial Narayanganj district about 20 km (12 miles) from Dhaka, to Munshiganj, said Mustain Billah, Narayanganj district administrator."Most of the bodies were found inside the sunken boat after it was dragged to the bank…

All ships stranded by the grounding of the giant container ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal in March had passed through the canal by Saturday, ending the backlog that built up during the blockage, the canal authority said.The last 61 ships, out of 422 ships that were queuing when the vessel was dislodged on Monday, passed through the vital trade artery on Saturday, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.International supply chains were thrown into disarray when the 400-metre-long (430-yard) Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23…

Germany will next week present a multi-billion-dollar proposal to Lebanese authorities to rebuild the Port of Beirut as part of efforts to entice the country’s politicians to form a government capable of warding off financial collapse, two sources said.A chemical explosion at the port last August killed 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed entire neighborhoods in Lebanon’s capital, plunging the country deeper into its worst political and economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.According to two diplomatic sources with knowledge of the plans…

A lack of procedural compliance and complacency were key factors in several marine accident investigations concluded so far in 2021, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).The agency said it determined the probable cause of the flooding of the towing vessel Alton St. Amant on May 17, 2020, in Harvey Canal, New Orleans, Louisiana, was the absence of shipyard pre-inspection and monitoring procedures for water transfer, which resulted in potable water tanks…

Jones Capital said it has acquired Rockport Terminals, one of the largest private intermodal terminals on the Texas Gulf Coast.Rockport Terminals is located within 28 miles of the fast growing Port of Corpus Christi, but outside of the Port's tariff zone. With more than 250 acres of industrial land, Rockport Terminals boasts access to the Intracoastal Waterway, nearby railways and many major highways. Today, the terminal specializes in bulk liquids storage, bulk and break bulk…

Canadian offshore services company Horizon Maritime has signed on to support a dive mission to explore the wreck of the Titanic.OceanGate Expeditions, the crewed submersible exploration company leading the mission, selected the multipurpose offshore support vessel (OSV) Horizon Arctic to serve as the surface support vessel for the expedition scheduled to take place later this year.The RMS Titanic shipwreck lies approximately 2,500 feet below the ocean's surface, about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The blockage of the Suez Canal is likely to lead to large reinsurance claims, adding to upward pressure on marine reinsurance rates, James Vickers, chair of reinsurance broker Willis Re International, told Reuters.Formal investigations began this week into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week.The incident and its impact on hundreds of ships delayed in the canal would be a “large loss” for insurance market Lloyd’s of London…

Egypt's Suez Canal must move quickly to upgrade its technical infrastructure if it is to avoid future shipping disruption, shipping industry sources said, as the major trade route tries to bounce back from a costly six-day closure.International supply chains were thrown into disarray on March 23 when the 400-meter-long (430-yard) container ship Ever Given ran aground in the canal, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free her after extensive dredging and repeated tugging operations.Egypt will get two new tugboats…

Montreal-based shipping company Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) said it will test second generation biodiesel on half of its fleet over the course of the 2021 navigation season—a first for the Great Lakes shipping industry.These tests, which follow the trials of B100 biodiesel fuel on the main engines of two CSL ships last year, come as CSL explores the use of green fuels and technologies to reduce its vessel emissions and overall environmental footprint.Elsewhere, several shipping companies seeking to curb their emissions have been trialing cleaner-burning biofuels…

Indonesia has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea in January, and the air accident investigator said on Wednesday it could take up to a week to be able to listen to the recording.The CVR could help investigators understand the actions taken by the pilots of the doomed jet, which crashed shortly after take-off on Jan. 9, killing all 62 people on board.A preliminary report by investigators released in February said the plane had an imbalance in engine thrust that eventually led it into a sharp roll and then a final dive into the sea. The report included information from the flight…

Turkey's Sanmar Shipyards said it has won contracts worth $33.46 million to supply four new tugs and two new pilot boats for the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in Pakistan. The tugs are scheduled to be delivered in 12 months and the pilot boats in 10.The contracts were awarded following an international tendering process during which Sanmar championed its new Kocacay range of escort and harbor tugs, based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 3200SX design from Canada-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.

Divers inspected the hull of the Ever Given on Wednesday as the man tasked with investigating how the giant container ship ran aground, choking off international trade through the Suez Canal for almost a week, boarded the vessel.Lead investigator Captain Sayed Sheasha, who boarded the Ever Given on Wednesday afternoon, told Reuters that the investigation would include examining the seaworthiness of the ship and its captain’s actions to help determine the causes.Divers had gone to check the hull of the ship while it is anchored in the Bitter Lakes area…

Portland Port in the U.K. said it has taken delivery of new tug Rupert Best.Built in Turkey in 2019 to a Robert Allan Ltd. design, the Sanmar Sirapinar class ‘RAmparts 2200’ azimuth stern drive tug will increase and help support the port’s ability to welcome larger vessels. The tug has a bollard pull of 50t and her two Caterpillar engines deliver a total of 3,000 kw. The port's harbor master and general manager – marine, Captain Mike Shipley said, "We have been planning this purchase for a while, so it was a great day when she arrived in the port.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. launched Dorothy Day, the third of three new Staten Island Ollis Class ferries, on Friday, March 26, at its Allanton shipyard in Panama City, Fla.The three 320-foot Ollis Class double-ended 4,500 passenger ferries are being built for the City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division. Designed by Elliot Bay Design Group, each ferry features four ABS Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 12-710 at 900 rpm EPA Tier 4  marine…

Formal investigations into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week, begin on Wednesday, a canal official told Reuters.The six-day blockage threw global supply chains into disarray after the 400-metre-long (430-yard) ship became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.Egypt’s Leth Agencies said on Wednesday that a total of 163 ships had transited the Suez Canal since its reopening and that a total of 292 ships were currently w

Royal Caribbean Group on Wednesday took delivery of its newest cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas, built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.The 169,000 GT, 347.1-meter vessel is the last of five Quantum Ultra class cruise ships started in January 2013 with the launch of Quantum of the Seas."Royal Caribbean Group commissioned us in 2011 to build the first two units of the Quantum class, which have been very popular with passengers since day one. We have continuously improved and developed these ships…

A new cruise ship order placed at Meyer Werft this week marks the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German shipbuilder said.The 229-meter, 51,950 GT cruise ship is scheduled for delivery in 2025 to Asuka Cruise, a joint venture between Japanese firms NYK Group and Anchor Ship Partners. It will be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).The order is significant for the cruise industry and specifically for the Meyer Group, whose three shipyards in Papenburg and Rostock…

Dutch shipbuilder and equipment supplier Royal IHC said it has received an approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Bureau Veritas for the design of a hydrogen-fueled trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) engineered to reduce emissions from coastal protection projects.The new dredge design, referred to as the ‘LEAF’ (low energy adaptive fuel) hopper, is the result of a partnership between Royal IHC and the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)…

Excessive vessel speed contributed to a 2019 collision between a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and a barge in the Houston Ship Channel that resulted in the release of 11,000 barrels of petrochemicals, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 754-foot-long tanker Genesis River collided with the 297-foot-long tank barge 30015T on the Houston Ship Channel May 10, 2019, in Texas’ Upper Galveston Bay. The collision breached two cargo tanks in the barge, spilling approximately 473,600 gallons of reformate, a gasoline blending stock.

One of South America’s leading push boat operators is on its way to completing a fleet-wide retrofit to Thordon’s water lubricated tailshaft and rudder bearings.In 2014, Argentinian owner Atria Logistics UABL, which operates a fleet of workboats on the Paraná River, installed Thordon’s RiverTough tailshaft bearings to its first push boat, the 135-foot-long Concepcion. In 2020, six more vessels in the company’s 26-strong fleet were converted.Egnard Bernal, Thordon Bearing’s Business Development Manager…

Reserve, La.-based cutter suction dredge manufacturer DSC Dredge has unveiled a new version of its Marlin Class dredge currently under construction and slated to become available in mid-2021.The newly designed 14-inch underwater pump mining dredge is equipped with a 1,125-horsepower EPA Tier 4-compliant diesel engine and offers 65-foot dredging depth capability. Notably, the dredge is completely transportable via both trucks and intermodal shipping containers.DSC Dredge said its Marlin Class dredges have been its most popular over the last year.

Expedition cruising company Lindblad Expeditions Holdings has appointed Dolf Berle as president, chief executive officer and a member of its board, effective May 10. Berle succeeds Sven-Olof Lindblad, who will become co-chair of the board together with current board chair Mark Ein.The leadership change comes as Lindblad Expeditions announced that it will resume small ship expeditions cruises and adventure travel experience operations for the 2021 season in Alaska and Galapagos, beginning in the first week of June.

The Suez Canal expects 140 ships to pass on Tuesday after the freeing of a container ship stranded for nearly a week allowed it to reopen, but experts warned that disruptions to global shipping and at ports could take months to resolve.The blockage threw global supply chains into disarray, threatening costly delays for firms already wrestling with COVID-19 restrictions, and nearly doubled rates for oil product tankers.Shipping convoys through the canal resumed on Monday evening…

Svitzer Europe took delivery of the first of two new icebreaking tugs from Med Marine to support its operations in Scandinavia.After mobilizing from the shipyard on the Black Sea, Svitzer Embla will arrive and start working in Sweden in the beginning of April 2021. Soon after, in the beginning of May 2021, the second tug, Svitzer Edda, will be delivered and start mobilizing towards Denmark, where she will serve a large variety of customers throughout Scandinavia. The 30-meter…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is encouraging states and port authorities to apply for $230 million in discretionary grant funding for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).“Our nation’s ports are a key part of our critical infrastructure. They create jobs and make our economy more resilient and sustainable,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “This funding…

Shipping was on the move again late on Monday in Egypt's Suez Canal after tugs refloated a giant container ship which had been blocking the channel for almost a week, causing a huge build-up of vessels around the waterway.With the 400-meter-long (430-yard) Ever Given dislodged, 113 ships were expected to transit the canal in both directions by early Tuesday morning, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie told reporters.He said a backlog of 422 ships could be cleared in 3 -1/2 days.The Ever Given had become jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal…

Marine shipping drives 90% of global trade, moving over 11 billion tonnes of containers, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s seas annually. Almost all consumer products we buy — or the raw materials required to make them — arrive at Canadian ports via ship.Each year, Canadian port facilities handle about 340 million tonnes of goods, worth about $400 billion. Roughly 25% of Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping.Despite their economic importance…

For a week the world was gripped by the extraordinary sight of a massive container ship that had run aground in the Suez Canal in Egypt. The Ever Given is 400m long (1,312ft) and weighs 200,000 tonnes, with a maximum capacity of 20,000 containers. It was carrying 18,300 containers when it became wedged in the canal, blocking all shipping traffic. Efforts to free it finally paid off when it was partially dislodged in the early hours of Monday 29 March. Adejuwon Soyinka asked maritime…

A largescale salvage operation has freed one of the world's biggest containerships from blocking global trade through the Suez Canal, services firm Boskalis said Monday, enabling the resumed flow of maritime commerce through one of the world’s most important shipping arteries.At high tide on Monday, a team of tugboats was able to dislodge the 20,000 TEU Ever Given's bulbous bow from the bank of the canal where it had been stuck for nearly a week. The ship had been partially refloated earlier in the day after approximately 30…

The stranding of a container ship in the Suez Canal has created disruptions in the global shipping industry that could take weeks and possibly months to clear, top container shipping lines said.Around 30% of the world’s shipping container volume - including goods like sofas, consumer electronics, apparel and shoes - moves through the 193 km (120 miles) Suez Canal daily. Empty containers, which Asian factories need to ship goods, are also caught up in the backlog.“Even when the canal gets reopened…

The blocking of the Suez Canal by one of the world’s largest container ships is likely to result in losses worth hundreds of millions of euros for the reinsurance industry, Fitch Ratings said, even as rescue teams were successful in partially refloating the vessel on Monday.The 400-metre (430-yard) long Ever Given got wedged diagonally across the canal in high winds early last Tuesday, blocking the path for hundreds of vessels waiting to transit the shortest shipping route between…

News about the partial refloating of the giant container ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal is good, but completing the operation would not be a "piece of cake", Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski told Dutch public radio on Monday.Boskalis is the parent company of Smit Salvage, which has assisted in efforts to dislodge the ship.A new tug would arrive and water would be injected under the ship's bow to help free it, but if those efforts did not work containers might have to be removed, Berdowski said.

Svitzer Australia has taken delivery of its third and final new tug, Svitzer Wilu, welcomed to the Port of Geraldton on March 22, joining Svitzer North and Svitzer Abrolhos to form the new fleet.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the RAstar 3000-W series ASD tug Svitzer Wilu is 30 meters long, has 70 tonnes of bollard pull and increased safety capabilities with advanced firefighting capabilities on board.Main propulsion comprises of a pair of Caterpillar 3516C, IMO Tier II 2 certified diesel engines, each rated 2240 bkW at 1800 rpm, and driving a Schottel SRP 460FP Z-drive unit.

A stranded container ship blocking the Suez Canal threatens to make it even more difficult for European and U.S. retailers to keep products in stock during the coronavirus pandemic.The Suez Canal saga that began on Tuesday and could go on for weeks, is just the latest crisis to strike the global supply chain that was upended when coronavirus shutdowns spurred house-bound consumers to upgrade appliances, sofas, televisions and backyards.IKEA, the world’s largest furniture seller…

A newly arrived specialist tug ALP Guard has joined efforts on Sunday night to float the giant containership Ever Given stranded in the Suez Canal, the ship’s technical manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said in a statement.“Further attempts to refloat the vessel will continue this evening once the tug is safely in position along with the 11 tugs already on site,” the statement said.An additional dredger THSD Causeway is in transit and scheduled to arrive on scene by March 30…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations for lightening the cargo of the giant container ship grounded in the Suez Canal, the head of the canal’s authority told Egypt’s Extra News on Sunday.The Ever Given containership has been blocking the waterway since Tuesday and salvage teams have been hoping to free it with dredgers and tugs without unloading any of its cargo.(Reporting by Omar Fahmy Writing by Aidan Lewis)

Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday.The 400 metre (430 yard) long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.A combination of dredging material from around the ship and pulling and pushing the vessel with tugboats made minor progress in dislodging the ship on Saturday, two SCA sources said.

A unique partnership formed between the Haisla Nation and North Vancouver-based Seaspan ULC will produce battery-powered and low emissions tugboats to serve the $40 billion LNG Canada project in Kitimat, B.C.Majority-owned by the Haisla Nation, the new venture is called HaiSea Marine, which has a major contract with LNG Canada to build and operate escort tugs and harbor tugs required for the largescale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility. The company will provide ship…

The head of the United Nations' maritime agency issued a statement Friday following the grounding of containership Ever Given and the resulting closure of the Suez Canal.International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim offered encouragement for local authorities and the teams working to dislodge the 400-meter-long vessel from the banks of one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints. He also requested patience from the global supply chain as the…

The Dutch emergency response team hired to free the vast ship blocking the Suez canal has pulled off some dramatic recoveries, including lifting Russia’s Kursk nuclear submarine from the Barents Sea floor, but says this is one of the trickiest.Weighing 200,000 tonnes without cargo, the Ever Given is the heaviest vessel that Smit Salvage, a subsidiary of the Dutch marine services company Boskalis contracted in the rescue, has faced in its nearly 180-year history.With real-time emergency response crews across the globe…

Japan’s port of Tokyo will waive an entry fee from next month for ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen, as well as LNG bunkering ships, in a bid to promote the use of cleaner marine fuels, authorities said on Friday.The exemption runs for five years from April 1, and an official of the Tokyo metropolitan government said the neighboring ports of Yokohama and Kawasaki would also apply it to LNG-powered and LNG bunkering ships.“The waiver is aimed at contributing to global efforts to boost use of cleaner fuels and support faster development of hydrogen-powered ships,” the off

The Fire Department of Quang Ninh Province (Canh Sat PCCC) in Northern Vietnam ordehas taken delivery of a new fireboat built by Canadian builder MetalCraft Marine (MCM) for the island of Tuan Chau, in Ha-Long Bay.The Firestorm 36 MkII arrived in Vietnam in December of 2020 and was commissioned in late January of 2021 by MCM staff, with technical assistance and translation provided by technicians from the local Vietnamese MCM agent.The Firestorm 36 MkII pumping system exceeds 3200 GPM at 150 PSI through her Darley ZSM 3000 pump and Elkhart Monitors…

The Suez Canal stepped up efforts on Friday to free a giant container ship blocking the vital trade waterway that has sent shipping rates for oil product tankers soaring and disrupted the global supply chains for everything from grains to baby clothes.Shipping rates for oil product tankers have nearly doubled after the 400 meter long Ever Given, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, ran aground in the canal on Tuesday.Efforts to free the vessel may take weeks and be complicated by unstable weather conditions…

Hamburger Lloyd is selling the two widebeam containerships, RHL Constantia (IMO-No. 9495765) and RHL Calliditas (IMO-No. 9495777), to Hapag-Lloyd AG. Hamburger Lloyd will remain responsible for the technical management and crewing of the two freighters. With the purchase of the Constantia and the Calliditas, Hapag-Lloyd AG is expanding its fleet to a total of 17 units in the 4000-6000 TEU ship segment. The RHL Calliditas has already been deployed as a charter vessel for Hapag-Lloyd in the Swahili Express / Gulf India Africa service since 2019.

German shipbuilder Neptun Werft said on Thursday it has delivered two new river cruise ships to the shipping company Viking River Cruises (Basel).The ships, to be named Viking Gymir and Viking Egdir, are the last two river cruise ships in the builder's current order book, ending a string of 65 sister ship deliveries for Viking River Cruises ordered at Neptun Werft from 2010 onward."More than a decade ago we launched this series of ships, which has been extremely successful and very popular with passengers.

The Suez Canal Authority said on Thursday it had discussed the option of dredging around a vast container ship stranded in the waterway during a meeting with a rescue team from Dutch firm Smit Salvage.Current efforts to free the ship include the use of two dredgers, nine tugs, and four diggers on the canal bank, the authority added in a statement.(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Aidan Lewis Editing by Gareth Jones)

A containership blocking the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" may take weeks to free, the salvage company said, as officials stopped all ships entering the channel on Thursday in a new setback for global trade.The 400-meter Ever Given, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, is blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for oil and grain and other trade linking Asia and Europe.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said eight tugs were working to move the vessel…

Salvage teams from the Netherlands and Japan have been hired to devise a plan to refloat a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal, the company leasing the vessel said on Thursday.Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp said Dutch firm Smit Salvage and Japan’s Nippon Salvage had been appointed by the ship’s owner and would work alongside its captain and the Suez Canal Authority on a plan to refloat it.“Evergreen Line will continue to coordinate with the shipowner and Suez Canal Authority to deal with the situation with the utmost urgency, ensuring the resumption of the voyage as soon as possible a

Shoei Kisen, the Japanese owner of a containership stuck in the Suez Canal that is holding up potentially billions of dollars of traded goods, apologized on Thursday and added that it was working toward a resolution of the situation.It said getting the ship moving was “extremely difficult”, but that there were no injuries or oil spillage caused by it running aground.“We sincere apologize for causing a great deal of concern,” the company said in an English statement more than 24 hours after the grounding.It said there were 25 crew on board, all of them of Indian nationality.

The Suez Canal temporarily suspended traffic on Thursday as efforts to dislodge a 400 m (430 yard) long container vessel that has blocked the waterway continued for a third day, with eight tugs working to straighten the ship.The Ever Given vessel, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, ran aground diagonally across the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.It is now blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for goods…

Bay-Houston Towing Co. in January took delivery of the final tug in a series of five ordered from Gulf Island Shipyards LLC in 2018.George M and its four sister vessels are Z-Tech 30-80 tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. The series' first tug Mark E. Kuebler was delivered in 2019.Robert Allan Ltd. said the Z-Tech 30-80 design incorporates its unique RAstar series sponsoned hull form in the existing Z-Tech design, which enhances the tug's escort capabilities by generating more than 100 mt of steering force at 10 knots.Bay-Houston Towing Co.