Coastal and Inland News

The 60m RAmpage 6000-ZM vessel Koc Al Zour, built by Uzmar Shipyard, will be the largest Robert Allan Ltd. design ever built in Turkey. She is designed and constructed as a modern double azimuth stern drive (ASD) and is the most capable multipurpose oil spill recovery and offshore support vessel Kuwait Oil Company has ever ordered.The vessel is equipped to undertake operations such as oil spill response, oil spill containment and recovery, area surveillance, offshore fire fighting…

A day after it ordered its tenth E-Flexer vessel in the RoPax class, Stena RoRo on Thursday said it had ordered two new ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). To remind, the firm on Monday ordered the tenth unit from the same shipyard for a charter in Canada. The 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels, ordered Thursday, are in the RoPax class developed by Stena RoRo, with delivery scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Stena RoRo said that at the same time, long-term charter…

Germany's Rhine river has re-opened to shipping as water levels fell from recent highs in the last southern stretches blocked after last week's record rains, authorities said on Friday.Shipping had been stopped last week following the rains and flooding that caused heavy loss of life in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century.The drop, which follows this week's hot, dry weather, allowed the re-opening of sections of the river around Maxau, the German inland waterways navigation agency said…

Canadian firm Westshore Terminals said Thursday it had executed a deal with BHP Canada Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Group, to provide port services to BHP’s proposed Jansen Potash Mine in Saskatchewan. The agreement is subject to approval by the Board of BHP and execution by BHP, after which the agreement would still be conditional on BHP making a final investment decision on Stage 1 of the Jansen Project. These decisions are entirely within the discretion of BHP, Westshore said  Thursday.If the Jansen Project does proceed…

The Panama Maritime Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama, has renewed the Agreement on Maritime Transport between the governments of China and Panama.The agreement took effect July 20, 2021, at the end of the renewal process between the Panamanian and Chinese authorities. However, in order to avoid interrupting its implementation it was considered that from May 17, 2021, until its entry into force, both parties would continue to benefit from its provisions."The agreement renewal will be extended to five years…

Union Pacific Corp container shipments from U.S. West Coast seaports to one of the railroad's major hubs in Chicago will restart early next week after a seven-day suspension, Chief Executive Lance Fritz told Reuters on Thursday.The railroad on Sunday night paused cargo shipments from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and Tacoma to its Global IV facility in Chicago in a bid to clear "significant congestion.""We're starting to see containers clear, so I anticipate in the seven-day period ...

A cyber attack has disrupted container operations at the South African port of Cape Town, an email seen by Reuters on Thursday said.Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was also affected, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, seen by Reuters: "Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored."Transnet's official website was down on Thursday showing an error message.Transnet…

The application period for this year’s MN100 edition is officially open and underway!Each year, Marine News magazine profiles 100 of the top firms in brown water, workboat space.Here's your chance to tell Marine News why your company is one of the best in the business. The selected 100 companies will be featured in the October edition of the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) discharged 300 steel coils on June 10, 2021, to barge at Coastal Cargo breakbulk and heavy-lift terminal at the Louisiana Ave. Complex that were transported to the barge from the SK Shipping Star Challenger and made their way upriver to be off-loaded at the Port of Caddo-Bossier in Shreveport.“This is a great example of two Louisiana ports coming together to facilitate commerce in the State and moving cargo on the Mississippi River,” said Brandy D. Christian President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.

DSC Dredge announced it has promoted Scott Laiche to Director of Engineering, overseeing both DSC's Engineering and Automation teams.“Scott has been with DSC for nine years and has been a vital part of the growth of our Engineering department,” said William J. Wetta, EVP and Chief Technology Officer with DSC, “This is Scott’s second promotion during his time at DSC. He first joined the team as a Mechanical Engineer, and after being promoted to Engineering Manager in 2016 he has…

Freight volumes in the port of Rotterdam rose 5.8% on a yearly basis in the first half of 2021, as international trade recovered from its coronavirus slump, Europe's largest sea port said on Thursday.Traffic took a big hit from COVID-19 in the first half of 2020, and despite its recovery, throughput is still not back at levels seen before the outbreak of the pandemic, port authorities said.Improvement was most notable in the shipment of iron ore and coal, which increased more than a third from a year ago on strong demand from steel factories in Germany.Container freight was up almost 9%, despi

The Association of Maryland Pilots has taken delivery of a new class of pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Called the “Baltimore Class” after the pilots’ base of operations at the Port of Baltimore.With a length overall of 48.5’, beam of 15.6’, and draft of 4’, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Design deep V hull. It is powered by twin Volvo Penta D13, EPA Tier 3-compliant diesel engines, each delivering 600 hp at 1,900 rpm, with a top speed of 30 knots.

Iran has opened its first oil terminal in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, to allow Tehran to avoid using the Strait of Hormuz shipping route that has been a focus of regional tension for decades."This is a strategic move and an important step for Iran. It will secure the continuation of our oil exports," Rouhani said in a televised speech."Today, the first shipment of 100 tonnes of oil is loaded outside the Strait of Hormuz. This shows the failure of the U.S.

Conrad Shipyard said it has started building two Damen-designed Multi-Cat vessels scheduled to be delivered to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. A steel cutting ceremony was held at Conrad's Morgan City, La. shipyard.The two identical vessels are being built under a licensing agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group. They will be the first of their type built in the U.S. Each Damen Multi Cat 3013 measure 98.92’ in length and will be powered by three Caterpillar C32 TTA engines capable of meeting speeds of 10.2 knots.

The Canadian province of Quebec on Wednesday rejected a liquefied natural gas export project for the Port of Saguenay, citing environmental concerns, in the latest blow to North American LNG development.Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said the proposed Énergie Saguenay project will not come to pass due to concerns over its emissions and would not support a transition to cleaner energy sources."This project has more disadvantages than advantages," Charette told reporters.The C$9 billion ($7.2 billion) project by privately held GNL Quebec had plans to export 11 million tonnes of LNG

Dutch marine and offshore contractor Van Oord has, together with its compatriot Boskalis, secured a contract for deepening of the approach channel and inner harbor at the Harwich Haven in the UK,  allowing access to large container ships.The contract valued around 140 million euros ($165 million) and split 50/50 between Van Oord and Boskalis has been awarded by Harwich Haven Authority. The project entails the deepening of the approach channel and inner harbor from minus 14.5 to…

U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway have experienced a rise in cargo shipments to feed domestic construction and manufacturing activity and global export demand, according to the latest June figures.The Great Lakes-Seaway System serves a region that includes eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, and is seen as a marine highway that extends 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, supporting more than 237,868 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity.If the region were a country…

Apollo Global Management has recently informed that certain funds managed by its affiliates have signed an exclusive agreement to invest in the Arthur Kill Terminal project, dubbed a major offshore wind energy staging and assembly port under development in Staten Island, New York.New York-based Atlantic Offshore Terminals will lead the development of Arthur Kill Terminal. Arthur Kill Terminal is anticipated to begin operating in late 2025 and, if successful, will catalyze investment across the offshore wind supply chain in the region and greater US.Boone Davis…

China's eastern port city Qingdao is experiencing the worst ever algae infestation in the region, with more than 1,700 square km of coastal area blanketed by harmful green seaweed, also known as "green tide." Qingdao has suffered from algae for 15 years. It normally appears from late spring and lasts for three to four months, damaging the local marine ecosystem as algae take oxygen from other organisms and churn out toxic odors while decaying. More than 1 million tonnes of algae are expected to be removed from coastal waters…

The American Jazz riverboat, which ran aground near Canton, Kentucky on July 8 with 120 passengers and six crewmembers aboard, has finally been set free.The Lake Barkley Grounding Unified Command freed the riverboat, American Jazz, Friday from Lake Barkley in Cadiz, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.At 3:22 p.m., salvage crews and the riverboat crew were able to free the riverboat from being ground by using a combination of a tug and barge setup along with the ship’s propulsion."Thanks to the amazing support of American Cruise Lines…

The Adani Group will offer a 50% discount on charges to liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled ships at Mundra, India's largest commercial port, according to a notice seen by Reuters, as the country seeks to cut emissions under its green ports plan.Using LNG to fuel ships allows a significant reduction in CO2 as well as of other forms of pollution compared with conventional shipping fuel."Port will offer 50% discount on Port Dues, Pilotage and Berth hire charges," the notice to shippers…

Divers have discovered rare remains of a military vessel in the ancient sunken city of Thônis-Heracleion - once Egypt's largest port on the Mediterranean - and a funerary complex illustrating the presence of Greek merchants, the country said on Monday. The city, which controlled the entrance to Egypt at the mouth of a western branch of the Nile, dominated the area for centuries before the foundation of Alexandria nearby by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.Destroyed and sunk along with a wide area of the Nile delta by several earthquakes and tidal waves…

The Scottish Port of Cromarty Firth is set to welcome its first cruise ship since 2019 with the arrival of the Marella Explorer 2 on July 25.The news comes as the Scottish cruise sector prepares to resume operations after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will switch to Level Zero on Monday (July 19).The 72,000tn Marella Explorer 2 will be making her inaugural call to Invergordon with a further 3 calls throughout the season, carrying British passengers and calling at British ports only.UK Government…

New Zealand authorities said Monday that two symptomatic crew members onboard the Mattina container ship, currently in quarantine in Bluff, have tested positive for COVID-19.The Marshall Island-flagged vessel came into port Sunday night and all 21 crew members were tested Monday morning."Rapid tests were ordered for the two symptomatic cases. Health officials report their condition is regarded as improving. The test results for the remainder of the crew are due back later tonight…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) applauded approval by the House Appropriations Committee (by a vote of 33 to 24) of strong funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). The Committee provided overall funding for the Corps’ Civil Works Mission for FY22 at $8.66 billion, an increase of $863 million above FY21’s appropriated level, and $1.9 billion above the President’s FY22 budget request.“WCI is pleased that the House Appropriations Committee has increased funding for the Corps of Engineers’ critical work…

British oil major BP and the German renewables firm EnBW submitted their bid for offshore wind acreage in the ScotWind leasing round, looking to secure the rights for a lease area off the east coast of Scotland that could support offshore wind projects with 2.9 gigawatts (GW) generating capacity.The seabed round in which firms apply for the license to build wind farms has attracted the interest of both "traditional" renewables giants such as Iberdrola, Orsted, Ocean Winds, and Vattenfall…

Shipping firm Trans-Asia Shipping Lines has launched its new RoPax vessel MV Trans-Asia 21 which will serve the Cebu-Cagayan De Oro-Cebu route in the Philippines.The company, part of Chelsea Group, said that the Japan-built newbuild was part of the group's program to move forward with its commitment "to provide Filipinos a fleet of modern, fuel efficient, clean, and superior quality ships."MV Trans-Asia 21 which measures 123 meters in length and with GRT of approximately 8,800 tons, is Trans-Asia’s 15th vessel and can carry 1,051 passengers.

Missouri prosecutors filed state charges on Friday against three employees involved in a 2018 boat accident on a lake in the tourist town of Branson in which 17 people were killed.Kenneth McKee, the boat's captain, and managers Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell each face 17 counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for taking the World War Two-style duck boat out in stormy weather.Stone County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Selby and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced the charges…

At least seven people are missing after a cargo ship that had been barred from sailing sank off the coast of Liberia, the country's Maritime Commissioner said on Sunday.The Liberian-registered Niko Ivanka left the capital Monrovia on Saturday morning for a port in the country's south, despite being under a Liberia Maritime Authority detention order for failing to meet basic safety requirements.The vessel sent out a distress signal that afternoon notifying the coast guard that it had taken on water, Maritime Commissioner Eugene Nagbe told a news conference.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it had responded to a boat fire near Carlsbad, California in an incident in which the 50-foot boat eventually sank.Coast Guard Sector San  Diego watchstanders received several reports of a boat, on fire approximately seven miles off the Carlsbad coast around 9 a.m. local time.Coast Guard watchstanders dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutters Munro, Benjamin Bottoms, and the  Haddock."While Coast Guard assets were en route, the Oceanside Harbor Master confirmed that the boat's name was the Relentless.

BP, through bpGM, Sempra LNG, and IEnova have entered into a contract for the delivery and receipt of the two companies' first carbon offset LNG cargo. The cargo is expected to be delivered to the Energía Costa Azul (ECA) terminal in Mexico on July 16, 2021, and it will be sourced from BP’s global LNG portfolio, BP said."Global demand for natural gas and LNG is expected to continue to grow. IEnova and Sempra LNG each intend to continue supporting this growth by diversifying their offerings…

Ships leaving the Argentine agricultural ports hub of Rosario on the Parana River are having to reduce cargos by thousands of tonnes due to low water levels, the local head of logistics said on Wednesday, amid growing environmental concerns.Dryness in Brazil, where the Parana originates, has diminished cargo traffic and sparked worries by environmentalists about dredging the river below certain depths. The dryness has reduced the amount of cargo that can be carried by ships at the height of the Argentine corn and soy export season."Handymax ships are leaving port with 9…

Deliveries of cocoa beans to Ivory Coast's two main ports have slowed in recent weeks as an energy crisis hit industries in the world's top cocoa-growing nation, exporters and cocoa cooperative officials said on Thursday.A lack of shipping containers due to the pandemic has also contributed to the slowdown, forcing Ivory Coast's cocoa regulator, the Cocoa and Coffee Council (CCC), to limit the issuance of documents that clear bean deliveries at ports for shipment.This has caused a stockpile of more than 80…

Ships leaving the Argentine agricultural ports hub of Rosario on the Parana River are having to reduce cargos by thousands of tonnes due to low water levels, the local head of logistics said on Wednesday, amid growing environmental concerns.Dryness in Brazil, where the Parana originates, has diminished cargo traffic and sparked worries by environmentalists about dredging the river below certain depths. The dryness has reduced the amount of cargo that can be carried by ships at the height of the Argentine corn and soy export season."Handymax ships are leaving port with 9…

Oman's state-owned Asyad is considering buying ports and terminals abroad and could divest assets outside its core logistics business, such as a college and project management operation, its chief executive said on Thursday.The plans by the company, which is owned by the Oman Investment Authority, align with the small oil producing Gulf state's broader strategy to reduce reliance on crude revenues and expand its non-oil industries.Chief Executive Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi told…

Two new inland container vessels built by Concordia Damen were named at a ceremony held at BCTN’s inland terminal at Den Bosch on Saturday, July 10, 2021. Den Bosch Max BV is a joint venture between logistics services provider Nedcargo International BV and inland terminal operator BCTN.Following on from their delivery in December 2020 and January 2021, the Den Bosch Max Blauw and the Den Bosch Max Groen were named respectively by Royal Commissioner I. Adema, and Nicole Verduijn, the partner of Heineken BV’s logistics manager.

The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, and COSCO SHIPPING Ports Ltd have completed a deal to buy a combined 21.2% stake in Red Sea Gateway Terminal Ltd from Saudi Industrial Services Co (SISCO).SISCO will receive gross proceeds of 556.5 million riyals ($148 million) for the deal, it said in a statement.The proceeds will support the company’s strategic objectives of enhancing shareholder returns and optimizing its portfolio, it said.LogiPoint also divested its 4% direct equity stake in the terminal and will receive gross proceeds of 105 million riyals, it said.JPMorga

The Port of Los Angeles hit a new volume record in June as U.S. businesses race to replenish stocks and build inventories for the back-to-school, Christmas and other holiday shopping seasons.Total volume at the Port of Los Angeles hit 876,430 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in June, up 27% versus the year earlier, port authorities said. Loaded imports accounted for more than half that, at 467,763 TEU.The port sent 312,600 TEU of empty containers to factories in China and elsewhere.

Cavotec said it has received two major orders for its MoorMaster NxG automated mooring system, one in Sweden – the first order for MoorMaster in a market with considerable growth potential – and the other in neighboring Finland, where the technology is already established.The two multi-unit systems will be installed at either end of a major passenger and vehicle ferry service, at the Port of Kapellskär in Sweden, owned by Port of Stockholm, and the Port of Naantali in Finland.

South Africa's Durban port has suffered major disruption after days of unrest, and operations have also been badly affected at the Richards Bay port and on a national freight rail line, logistics and freight companies said on Wednesday.The violence erupted last week in KwaZulu-Natal province, where Durban is located, after the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma but it has rapidly escalated in widespread looting and destruction in several other provinces.Durban has one of the busiest shipping terminals on the African continent…

Boatbuilder All American Marine (AAM) said it has launched a new 50-foot research vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), designated for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in Washington State.The twin-engine Teknicraft Design vessel was constructed by AAM to USCG Subchapter T standards. It will carry up to 18 personnel on board on a near coastal route. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary OCNMS) includes 3,188 square miles of marine waters off the rugged Olympic Peninsula coastline.

Naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying firm The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced two new additions to its team. The company has hired Colton Bonnaure and Jacob Frost as naval architects.Bonnaure graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Ocean Engineering and was the Senior Captain of the Texas A&M Human Powered Submarine Team, where he redesigned a new controls system for a one-man submarine. For his undergraduate research project, Bonnaure assisted…

Wärtsilä said it will provide the main and auxiliary engines, as well as the fuel storage and supply system, for a new Italian ferry designed to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG).The vessel is under construction at the Sefine shipyard in Turkey and has been ordered by Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori, based in Milazzo, Italy.The 109.98-meter-long ferry will be capable of accommodating 800 passengers and up to 115 cars on two vehicle decks. Expected to be delivered in 2023, the vessel will mainly operate between Milazzo in Sicily and the Aeolian islands.The order with Wärtsilä…

The Ever Given container ship that had blocked the Suez Canal in March left Egyptian waters at 4 a.m.

Elon Musk, a billionaire behind the SpaceX company, on Friday tweeted a video of a new Space X vessel named A Shortfall of Gravitas.SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp, was founded by Musk back in 2002 to cut space transportation costs and eventually enable the colonization of Mars. It designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.According to available info, A Shortfall of Gravitas is an autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) made from a converted deck barge, which is designed as a landing pad for SpaceX's rockets.

Shipping firm AAL Shipping has recently delivered four of the largest rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) in its history to the Port of Oslo, Norway. The mobile cranes, measuring 36 m in height and 28 m in length, were transported from Taicang in China to Oslo on a single sailing aboard the 31,000 deadweight multipurpose vessel (MPV), the AAL Pusan. The cranes were engineered and manufactured by Kalmar, part of Cargotec and Rainbow-Cargotec Industries Co. Ltd  (RCI) in Taicang,…

Investigators have located a Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday.Transair Flight 810 was found approximately 2 miles offshore from Ewa Beach. The major components of the airplane -- the aft fuselage including both wings and tail along with both engines, and forward fuselage -- were located on the sea floor at depths between 360 and 420 feet…

Crowley Maritime Corporation on Monday announced plans to build and operate an all-electric powered harbor tugboat capable of completing a job without expending a drop of fuel—a first in the U.S.The 82-foot-long vessel, dubbed eWolf, will be operational at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal by mid-2023 and comes as Crowley and the maritime industry continue to make strides toward sustainability and decarbonization. Over the first 10 years of its use, the operation of the new e-tug will reduce 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx)…

Salvors have raised the bow section of the liftboat Seacor Power, which overturned in heavy seas in the Gulf of Mexico in April.The Donjon-SMIT salvage team lifted the bow section to the surface of the water and transported it by barge on Saturday to the Modern American Recycling Services, Inc. (M.A.R.S.) facility in Houma, La.Meanwhile, salvage work continues at the wreck site, where crews recently conducted more acoustic surveys of the stern and accommodation sections. The updated surveys will be used to complete the rigging configuration to prepare the stern section for removal.

Bollinger Shipyards on Saturday christened the Holland, an ocean transport barge for General Dynamics Electric Boat. The Holland will support the construction and maintenance of the United States Navy’s Columbia Class ballistic missile submarines and Virginia Class fast attack submarines. General Dynamics Electric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and build of the Columbia Class submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio Class ballistic missile submarines.“Bollinger…

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) said it has delivered the final vessel in a series of four new tugs for Foss Maritime.The ASD-90 tractor tugs Jamie Ann, Sarah Avrick, Leisa Florence and Rachael Allen were completed and delivered between April 2020 and June 2021. Foss, a division of the Saltchuk company, will station two of the vessels in Los Angeles/Long Beach, while the other two vessels will be in the San Francisco Bay providing escort and assist services to large tankers and containerships calling on the California ports.The series' fourth vessel…

Lithuania is seeking alternative bids from providers of floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to potentially replace its existing import terminal, operator Klaipedos Nafta said on Friday.The Baltic state leases a floating storage and regasification vessel (FSRU) from Norway's Hoegh LNG and has an option to buy it when the lease expires in 2024.The state-controlled Klaipedos Nafta said it had decided to seek alternative bids to make sure that it gets the best terms, and has to make the final decision by the end of 2022.Lithuania has been importing LNG via the current terminal, dubbed I

Unable to get a slot on a container vessel, Lee Sang-hoon is considering using fishing trawlers docked for repair in the South Korean port of Busan to meet surging export orders for the car engine oil he sells to Russia."China is the black hole in this shipping crisis, all the carriers are headed there," said Lee, owner of Dongkwang International Co. in Busan which makes about 20 billion won ($17.60 million) in annual revenue."Those fishing boats out there could be an answer for us because we're already one month behind schedule.

The fifth in a series of 12 hybrid ro-ro ships for the Grimaldi Group has been christened in the port of Catania.Built by the Chinese Jinling shipyard in Nanjing, Eco Catania and its sister vessels already in service in the Mediterranean are part of the GG5G (Grimaldi Green 5th Generation) class, which rank among the largest and most eco-friendly ro-ro ships in the world.With a transport capacity of more than 500 trailers, these green giants are able to halve CO2 emissions compared to the previous generation of ro-ro ships operated by the Grimaldi Group…

The U.S. Coast Guard responded Thursday to the aground cruise vessel American Jazz near Canton, Kentucky."American Jazz is aground near mile marker 62 on the Cumberland River outside the ship channel and is carrying 120 passengers and 54 crew members," the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call Thursday morning from American Cruise Lines stating their vessel American Jazz ran aground. A Coast Guard Station Paducah 29-foot Special Purpose…

Seattle-based cargo and waterfront services company SeaTac Marine Services announced it has been approved and supplied with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection FIRMS code (Facilities Information and Resources Management System).As one of only a few private waterfront facilities approved to welcome foreign commodities in the Puget Sound, the company is looking to expanding its terminal and tug and barge services. Walter Seay, president of SeaTac Marine Services, said, “We aim to capitalize on Canadian coastal trade, specifically lumber commodities bound for U.S.

The government of Santa Fe province in Argentina late on Wednesday ordered port workers to suspend a day-old strike that had blocked grains shipments at the country's main agricultural export hub and mandated wage negotiations be resumed.Protests by port construction workers in Argentina's key grains hub Rosario had snarled exports, with roads blocked at some of the area's key export terminals, an industry official told Reuters earlier on Wednesday.The protest began late on Tuesday and on Wednesday spread to the districts of Puerto General San Martin and Timbues…

The application period for this year’s MN100 edition is officially open and underway!Each year, Marine News magazine profiles 100 of the top firms in brown water, workboat space.Here's your chance to tell Marine News why your company is one of the best in the business. The selected 100 companies will be featured in the October edition of the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible.

MSC Group's Cruise Division has signed a contract with Fincantieri for the construction of a new mega cruise terminal at PortMiami, a North America and the Caribbean cruise hub.The new terminal reflects an investment of approximately €350 million ($414.4 million) and will be made up of a multi-level central body to serve as many as three latest generation ships at the same time, with up to 36,000 travelers transiting every day. Designed by the award-winning global architecture firm Arquitectonica…

A fire caused by an explosion on a ship at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, the Middle East's largest transshipment hub, has been brought under control, the government's Dubai Media Office (DMO) said on Wednesday.The explosion was a "normal accident" in a container holding flammable material, DMO Director General Mona Al Marri told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television channel.Arabiya cited Dubai police as saying the cause may have been "friction or high temperatures" during the hot summer…

Galveston-based dredging contractor Callan Marine is the prime contractor to the Texas Department of Transportation for a maintenance dredging project located at the Bolivar Ferry Terminal. The project consists of the removal of 369,000 cubic yards of material and returning the landings to the required depth of 22 feet.The dredged material has been hydraulically transported via 4,000 feet of pipeline to placement area BU-1, located northeast of the dredging location.Callan expects the project to be complete in mid-July by the company’s fleet dredge the General Patton.

A barge modification project by Stillwater Marine Services for Brice Marine has been delivered using the ABS 3D Model-based Class Process.The barge has undergone a bulwark modification on its aft deck section. Stillwater Marine submitted the modification design to ABS’ New Orleans Engineering office in 3D model format. Once completed the modified barge was surveyed by ABS’ Seattle Office.“This was a powerful demonstration of the ABS 3D-Model-based class process in action. Not only did we deliver efficiencies in plan review and survey without compromising safety…

The owner of the Ever Given container ship said on Wednesday that the vessel would undergo a dive survey at Egypt's Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal, before proceeding to the next port where its cargo would be discharged."We regret the impact that the voyage delay has had on those with cargo stuck onboard but we can assure all cargo interests that throughout this matter, every effort has been made to minimize the delay and to secure the release of the vessel as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement.(Reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Aidan Lewis; Editing by Jon Bo

U.S. shipbuilder Conrad Industries has signed a license agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group to build two Damen Multi Cats 3013 for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.The two vessels covered by this agreement will be the first Damen Multi Cats to be built in the U.S. Fully compliant with the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stability criteria, the versatile Multi Cat is the ideal platform for dredging support operations."This is a milestone moment for the U.S.

The Galveston-Texas City Pilots have ordered a fourth launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for late 2022.With a length overall of 73.2’, beam of 23.3’ and draft of 5.9’, the all-aluminum, high-speed pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull. It will be powered by three Volvo Penta D13, EPA Tier 3 marine diesel engines, each delivering 800 Bhp at 2,300 rpm, and integral to the engines’ triple IPS-Pod 1050 system. Top speed will be over 30 knots.

Dynamic Protective Barrier (DPB) is an innovative safety device with a novel mechanism proposed to dissipate energy for short duration impact caused by the docking ship and/or vessels.The main job of the device is to dampen and contain the vessel movements, thus eliminating the effect that passing ships, tides, wind and long-period waves have on moored vessels and the constant low velocity impact that occurs with the port infrastructure. This means using Dynamic Protective Barrier…

Belle Chasse, La. shipbuilder C&C Marine and Repair has delivered the new towboat Bowling Green to Kirby Inland Marine, L.P.The newbuild—the second in a three-boat series for Kirby, delivered six months after the first vessel—will operate it under a long-term lease from Hines Furlong Line.The triple-screw 6,600-horsepower towboat measures 170’ x 50’ with the pilot house eyeline measuring at 39’-3”. The Bowling Green was designed by CT Marine, LLC, based in Portland, Maine. The vessel’s design includes three Cummins QSK60-M main engines…

Havyard said its shipyard in Leirvik won a contract with Fjord1 for modification of the car ferry MF Lote, a ferry that will operate the route Skarberget–Bognes over the Tysfjord in Nordland county.The conversion contract is seen as strategically important by the shipyard, particularly as it nears completion of a large-scale newbuild program and shifts its focus towards the modification and repair market. In recent years, the yard has been working on building and delivering ferries, wellboats and SOV vessels.

Egypt's Suez Canal earned revenue of $3 billion in the first six months of 2021, up 8.8% compared with the same period last year, Osama Rabie, the canal authority chairman, said on Sunday.The canal authority will receive a tug boat with a pulling capacity of about 75 tonnes as part of a settlement to release the container ship Ever Given, which blocked traffic at the waterway for six days in March, Rabie told a private TV channel. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

EveRé, Elengy, TotalEnergies and the CMA CGM Group are engaged in a study of a BioLNG production plant project at Marseille’s port, aiming to to turn household waste into clean energy and serving as another plank toward the maritime industry's decarbonization.This will be France’s first production unit for liquefied biomethane (BioLNG), a low-carbon alternative fuel dedicated to energy transition in the shipping industry, and when operational is intended to be used primarily for the CMA CGM Group’s LNG-powered vessels.BioLNG…

OSD-IMT recently completed the design of a new multipurpose vessel for operator Smit Lamnalco, a design for a MPV 4600 to be built in Turkey at Uzmar Shipyards.Signature features of the new design include a large (185 sq. m.) working deck area, in combination with an offshore rated crane of 6.5 ton @18.5 m. The DP2 vessel will be equipped for deck-cargo runs, towing operations, diving support, facilitating ROV operations and transferring crew and pilots. It will be able to perform standby and rescue tasks…

Seattle-headquartered Saltchuk Holdings informed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it has proposed to buy the Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) shares it doesn't already own for $3 each, lifting shares of the Tampa, Fla.-based marine transportation company on Friday.As of June 29, Saltchuk beneficially owned 15.2 million (17.5%) of OSG's outstanding shares, Saltchuk said in the SEC filing. The unsolicited bid reflects a premium of 43% to OSG's closing price of $2.10 on June 29.

A pair of custom designed and built Water Injection Dredgers (WID) dubbed Maas and Mersey were built at Kooiman Marine Group and christened earlier this week at the office of Van Oord in Rotterdam.The hybrid vessels were developed by Kooiman Engineering in cooperation with Van Oord. Two electrically driven pumps deliver water under high pressure, or with a lot of volume through the U-shaped water injection pipe located at the rear of the ship. With this pipe, water is injected into the soil, releasing sediment which is flushed away by the current.

Superior, Wis.based patrol, fire and rescue craft builder Lake Assault Boats has opened a 14,800 sq. ft. repair, service and maintenance facility in Portsmouth, Va. Marine industry veteran, Smokey Glover, along with his team of five highly regarded and experienced technicians (all formerly with Willard Marine) will lead and support the operation.The full-service operation will focus on repair, overhaul and maintenance services. The team can be dispatched on an as-needed basis to locations anywhere around the globe.“We are beyond excited to add a large and well-equipped hub facility…

BIMCO’s Shipping Number of the Week: Secondhand container ship deals jump over 100% in H1 2021During the first half of 2021, a total 277 container ships have changed hands, a 103.7% jump from 136 ships bought and sold in the same period of 2020 (source: VesselsValue). The jump testifies to a red-hot container market that has fueled demand for tonnage, not only in the charter market, but also for secondhand ships. A total of 922,203 TEU found new owners, with an average ship size of 3,403 TEU.

At least seven migrants, one of them pregnant, drowned after a boat carrying them capsized five miles off the Italian island of Lampedusa early on Wednesday, officials said.About 10 other people were missing, Luigi Patronaggio, the chief prosecutor of a team leading investigations into the deaths, told Reuters.The migrants are believed to have started their journey in Tunisia, said Patronaggio, who is working with magistrates based in the Sicilian city of Agrigento."This latest tragedy in the Mediterranean is heartbreaking…

An ailing crewmember was medevaced from a 400-foot accommodation barge Monday, approximately 140 nautical miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call from the DB Superior Performance barge reporting a medical emergency for a 46-year-old crewmember who was experiencing possible cardiac distress and required specialized medical care ashore. At the time of the emergency, the tugboat Crosby Leader was towing…

Leading German freight forwarder Hellmann will start using unmanned planes operated by Bulgaria's Dronamics from next year to speed up deliveries of vital goods in Europe and work around stretched supply chains, executives involved say.Global disruptions due to COVID, reduced air activity and major congestion at ports due in part to backed up container ships have upended logistics networks over the past year with companies looking for ways to ease pressure.Hellmann Worldwide Logistics said using drone planes developed by Dronamics was "a real game changer"."At the moment we are seeing a lot of

Stena Line is strengthening its position and expanding services in the Baltic Sea Region, by deploying two new ferries on the route between Ventspils in Latvia and Nynäshamn in Sweden this year. The first of the two vessels, Stena Scandica -- at 222-m long it is 30% larger than the existing vessels on the route -- has entered Ventspils port on June 29, 2021, to get ready for its maiden voyage on the route. The vessel adds another 70% cabin capacity compared to the existing vessels…

A new gas law in Brazil aims to see liquefied natural gas (LNG) will have a relevant role in the national market, a move that could drive new opportunties on the waterfront.Wilson Sons, the largest operator of maritime and port logistics in the Brazilian market, stands to benefit, and last year the company's Towage division carried out more than 25 special operations, which included services to the natural gas or LNG sector, as support for gas carriers and FSRUs (Floating Storage Regasification Unit)…

In any business, companies that achieve success must do at least one thing extraordinarily well. Shipbuilders like Metal Shark Boats are among companies that have taken their success to the next level by do a lot of things well. Government and commercial. Aluminum, steel and fiberglass. Serial and custom. Newbuild and repair. Sixteen to 300-plus feet. Patrol boats, pilot boats, fireboats, passenger ferries. Domestic and international. Metal Shark has thrived across the board.A…

A new utility/passenger vessel has been delivered and will soon go to work for the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to serve Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.The all-steel newbuild, designed by New Orleans-based TAI Engineers, LLC, has been named Annie Moore after the first immigrant, a 15-year-old Irish girl, who signed the Ellis Island register."TAI has designed and built many boats and ships, but this project is particularly special to me," said Anil Raj, President of TAI. "My very first arrival to the United States was via New York in 1969.

The evolution of commercial ship design and construction now includes a first in the U.S.: the first commercial U.S. vessel designed, built and verified using an end-to-end 3D design process, a project coordinated through ABS, Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), Signet Maritime Corporation (Signet) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).Designed by RAL, the Advanced Rotortug (ART), which is designed to escort vessels and offshore assets at the Port of Corpus Christi, will receive its Certificate of Inspection from the USCG and will now be built and operated by Signet to ABS Class…

Crowley said it recently took delivery of its new 55,000-barrel, articulated tug-barge (ATB), the Aurora/Qamun. The 410-foot vessel is the second ATB in Crowley’s fleet, after the Aveogan/Oliver Leavitt, to be dedicated to the Alaska market. The ATB is specially designed to add efficiency and range to transport clean petroleum products for Crowley Fuels, the company’s Alaska-based business unit.“This purpose-built vessel was specifically designed by our in-house naval architects to safely and effectively operate in the Last Frontier…

The operator of a giant cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March said on Thursday that it would take more time for the vessel to be released from detainment while a final agreement with Egyptian authorities was being concluded.The Japanese owners and insurers of the ship were locked in a compensation dispute with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), but announced on Wednesday that an agreement in principle had been reached."It may take some further time for the agreement to be concluded…

The application period for this year’s MN100 edition is officially open and underway!Each year, Marine News magazine profiles 100 of the top firms in brown water, workboat space.Here's your chance to tell Marine News why your company is one of the best in the business. The selected 100 companies will be featured in the October edition of the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible.

Severe rainfall and flooding from a tropical storm led to barges breaking away from their moorings and striking the Interstate 10 bridge in Channelview, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a marine accident brief released Tuesday.On September 19, 2019, 11 barges broke free from a San Jacinto River barge fleeting area north of the I-10 bridge in Channelview during Tropical Storm Imelda, the fifth-wettest tropical cyclone on record in the continental United States.

A representative for the owners and insurers of a giant cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March on Wednesday said that an agreement in principle had been reached in a compensation dispute with the canal authority.Work was under way to finalize a signed settlement agreement as soon as possible and arrangements for the release of the Ever Given vessel would be made after formalities had been dealt with, Faz Peermohamed of Stann Marine said in a statement.The Ever Given container ship has been anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29.

South Africa's National Ports Authority (NPA) will operate as a stand alone business under the aegis of state-owned freight logistics group Transnet, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, as the country tries to overhaul some of the world's worst-performing ports.A report last month ranking container ports by the World Bank and IHS Markit saw South Africa's major ports at the bottom of the list, with Durban faring the worst among local peers by coming in at 349 out of a total of 351 ports assessed globally.The Container Port Performance Index considered the total port hours per ship call,

U.S. terminal and logistics company Enstructure announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Patriot Port Holdings LLC. Patriot Ports, the ports division of Patriot Rail & Ports and a sister company of Patriot Rail Company LLC, works in breakbulk, specialty cargo and cold storage, operating six terminals in Jacksonville, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and Sunny Point, N.C. with approximately 1.2 million square feet of industrial warehouse capacity, including 10.2 million cubic feet of cold storage.Following the acquisition…

UK's Unite union's Scotland unit on Tuesday said talks to prevent industrial action at Sullom Voe Terminal have ended with no movement on the part of Shetland Islands Council (SIC) to resolve the dispute over a long service award.Unless the Council accepts liability, around 40 towage workers employed by SIC are set to begin an overtime ban on July 5, which will continue over a seven-week period, the union said.The ban would hugely disrupt the multi-million-pound contract to bring oil tankers on to the shore for oil processing and also on production for the Brent and Ninian fields, it added.

A tugboat in the busy Port of Singapore has become the first in South Asia to operate under remote joystick control, in a trial demonstrating the increased safety and efficiency of operations utilizing advanced digital solutions already available today.The harbor tug was controlled from a shore command center located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab in April 2021.The 32-meter harbor tugboat Maju 510, which is owned and operated by Keppel O&M’s joint-venture company Keppel Smit Towage…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ship assist and harbor escort services group has taken delivery of Apollo, a powerful and maneuverable tugboat with the most compact size in the U.S.The tugboat has completed final outfitting at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc. in Portland, Ore., and will deploy soon to serve the San Francisco Bay. Like its sister tug operated by Crowley, Hercules, the Apollo was designed by Robert Allen Ltd. to be the nation’s most powerful tug under 80 feet at 78…

Texas-based dredging contractor Callan Marine on Monday said it has released a tender package to build what it said will be the nation’s largest capacity trailing suction hopper dredge.The new dredge, to be named the Admiral Nimitz, will have an overall length of 422 feet, a breadth of 92 feet and a hopper capacity of 16,000 cubic yards. The diesel-electric powered Nimitz will have a maximum draft of 28.8 feet, a maximum dredging depth of 100 feet in the short dredge pipe configuration and 130 feet in the long dredge pipe configuration.

Ports of Indiana (POI) announced that it has hired Bernard (Ben) Weithman as the new Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon port director.Weithman will lead port operations and business development for the Mount Vernon port. His industry experience includes more than 30 years in business development, startup and long-term sustainable operations. A senior-level executive in the transportation, agriculture and freight sectors, he most recently served as a senior transportation market consultant at IHS Markit.

Wärtsilä was tapped to supply the main engines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply systems for two new LNG-fueled escort tugs being built for Canada’s HaiSea Marine, a joint venture between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan Marine Transportation. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the vessels are under construction at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey. They are expected to be two of the most environmentally advanced escort tugs operating in the coastal waters of British Columbia in Canada.

The owners of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March have made a new offer in a compensation dispute with the canal authority, and a court ruling on the case was postponed for two weeks on Sunday to allow more time for negotiations.The giant Ever Given container ship has been anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29. It had been grounded across the canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships and disrupting global trade.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) demanded $916 million in compensation to cover salvage efforts…

China's state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said on Monday it and the market regulator are jointly looking into the iron ore spot market and have pledged to crack down on hoarding and speculation.The move comes after NDRC said on Thursday that new rules on the management of price indexes for commodities and services will be effective Aug. 1 and will standardise price index compilation and transparency of information.During a visit to the Beijing Iron Ore Trading Center Corporation (COREX)…

To ensure the high level of service that has defined this family-owned business for the past 30 years, DSC Dredge, LLC has five key values: commitment, quality, innovation, service and customization. This is what the foundation of DSC is built upon, and clients who become long-standing business partners and friends only confirms what this company strives to do each and every day.Magnolia Dredge & Dock LLC., headquartered in Mandeville, La., was founded in 2009 through the merging of two companies.

Swedish ferry firm Stena Line has taken delivery of its RoPax ferry, Stena Scandica, the first of two Visentini vessels being lengthened and modernized by Stena RoRo at the Sedef Shipbuilding in Tuzla, Turkey. The Stena Scandica ferry will start operating on the Stena Lines route between Nynäshamn in Sweden and Ventspils in Latvia at the beginning of July.The conversion and lengthening of Stena Scandica (ex Stena Lagan) and sister vessel Stena Baltica (ex Stena Mersey) is managed by Stena RoRo at the Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey.The two vessels are lengthened with a 36-meter mid-section.

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority (PCCA) has added a new patrol boat to its security force.The new 44-foot port security boat was purchased using a combination of Port Security Grant Program funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as matching funds from the PCCA. The new boat replaces one existing police vessel that has been in operation for more than a decade and had limitations when operating in severe sea states.

A coalition of nine Argentine port worker unions will go on a nationwide 24-hour strike starting at midnight to press for vaccinations against the coronavirus, the labor groups said in a statement on Thursday.Workers including tugboat captains and customs officers have held similar work stoppages recently, as the South American grains powerhouse gets hit by a second wave of COVID-19 cases."We have raised the issue and held meetings with different authorities with the purpose to obtaining concrete answers regarding the application of vaccines against COVID-19 to our workers…