Columbia News

A true family business, Stan and Mary Helen Stephens started operating fishing and hunting charters out of Valdez, Alaska on their first vessel the 26-foot m/v Mary Helen, in 1971. Soon after, the rest of the family joined in, operating tours on the waters around Valdez and in Prince William Sound. They have been promoting the beautiful scenery and important resources of this community ever since, officially as Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises. The business has remained a valuable community asset, contributing economic, educational and environmental benefits to this region.

Robert Allan founded Robert Allan Ltd. in 1930 when Allan commenced private practice as a consulting Naval Architect after serving as Technical Manager of a local major shipyard. In the 90 years that have passed, the organization has evolved from a one-man shop to a global powerhouse in the business of naval architecture and marine design. Following the founder into the business were his namesake son and grandson, with the company in recent years passing to an employee-owned model led by Mike Fitzpatrick. Robert G.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer on Monday joined Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, calling for a creation of a local offshore wind turbine assembly center at Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York, and calling for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) funding.According to a statement released by the Senator's office, the assembly site would position New York to play a significant role in the offshore wind supply chain, "which could create thousands of jobs…

Two Canadian firms are partnering to develop and commercialize 3D digital twin capabilities with hopes of making Canada more globally competitive, driving export opportunities and creating jobs in the marine sector.The the $3 million-plus Digital Ship In-Service Support Project comes from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s (OSC) Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program. Led by British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards together with partner and Newfoundland and Labrador-based, Genoa Design International…

Maritime Payment Solutions, LLC (d/b/a ShipMoney), a provider of payment solutions for maritime companies, announced two new hires. Vanessa Torres has joined as Strategic Client and Business Development Manager in Manila, and Theo Tsokos is the Client Account Manager in Athens.Torres will be responsible for managing clients in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, including Maersk and V. Ships, among others. With more than 20 years of professional experience, she will act as liaison between ShipMoney and regional client offices.Tsokos will be responsible for managing clients in Greece and Cyprus, including Scorpio and Tsakos-Columbia.“We are very pleased to welcome Vanessa and Theo…

America’s largest military shipbuilder announced Tuesday that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has been awarded a contract modification from General Dynamics Electric Boat in support of construction on the first two Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.The contract modification, valued at approximately $2.2 billion, provides continued design support efforts, as well as the construction and delivery of six module sections for each of the first two Columbia-class submarines, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said.As part of the contract, the Newport News, Va.

With the advent of autonomy on and under the water, part of the value proposition is the ability to stay at sea, on station, to exponentially increase efficiencies. Have the ability to repower at sea is central to this effort, as an increasing number of companies work to solve the inherent technical and logistic problems.Columbia Power Technologies (C-Power) is commencing a six-month sea trial to test and validate its SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS), in partnership with a pair of powerhouses: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. NavyInitially conceived during a U.S.

Joe Biden could erase much of President Donald Trump’s four-year legacy of energy and climate deregulation with the stroke of his pen, according to regulatory experts, but replacing it with something new and durable may prove trickier.Trump’s rollbacks are on shaky ground because most were done not through Congressional lawmaking but via presidential executive orders that can be easily torn up by a new administration. That means signature measures ranging from the withdrawal of…

General Dynamics Corp was awarded a $9.47 billion contract for the construction of Columbia class submarines, moving the U.S. Navy's top procurement priority out of the early-construction phase, the Pentagon said on Thursday.The contract for the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines covers the move to full construction of the first ship in the class, the USS Columbia, as well as continued advanced construction of the second ship, the USS Wisconsin, the Navy said.General…

The first of many warnings about a deadly cargo in Beirut’s port came in February 2014, about three months after its arrival. It was made by Colonel Joseph Skaf, described by his family as a diligent customs official.Skaf, then the head of the anti-narcotics and money laundering division, informed the customs authority that the shipment of ammonium nitrate was “extremely dangerous” and posed a risk to the public.In his handwritten letter, reviewed by Reuters and authenticated by a source familiar with the case…

The BioBarrier MarineMBR series of Type II sewage treatment plant (STP) from marine sewage and water treatment specialist Scienco/FAST is engineered to help meet the increasingly stringent needs of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) water quality standards and is ideal for water reuse applications, its manufacturer says.With its decades-long history providing adaptable and proven marine sewage devices, environmentally-friendly cleaners and other industrial water management technologies…

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals said it recently added Aaron Degodny as its new Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. As part of Tidewater’s executive leadership team, Degodny will focus on establishing strategic partnerships in new markets, expanding and strengthening client relationships, and extending the regional and global footprint of Tidewater, the largest barge transportation and terminal network on the Columbia-Snake River system. He will have direct oversight and responsibility for business development, sales and marketing, public relations and media.

The Los Angeles Pilot Service has taken delivery of two customized 56-foot Camarc Design pilot boats built by Vigor Industrial at its Vancouver, Wash. facility, located on the northern side of the Columbia River. The Angels Pilot and Angels Navigator were handed over to the LA Pilot Service at Vigor’s shipyard on Swan Island in Portland, Ore. in early October.Camarc designs are optimized to function in the most extreme climates in the world. The UK firm's pilot boat designs are deployed throughout Europe…

The U.S. Navy has awarded Groton, Conn. submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat two contracts worth $251 million combined.The first is a $215.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract, the cumulative value of which, if all options are exercised, could be more than $1 billion. Electric Boat will provide planning yard, design agent, engineering services and technical support for in-service submarines and submersible systems.The second is a $35.3 million cost…

A 608-foot bulk carrier that suffered an engine failure and ran aground in the Columbia River Thursday has been refloated without injury or pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at 12:50 a.m. that the Marshall Islands-flagged Genco Auvergne had run soft aground due to a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting down the Washington side of the Columbia River, south of Skamokawa Vista Park.The vessel, which is said to be carrying grain and approximately 616…

UK-based offshore crew transfer specialist Seacat Services has ordered two multi-hull crew transfer vessels (CTVs) from naval architects, BAR Technologies, designed in partnership with Chartwell Marine.The first vessel, to be built in the UK, is scheduled for delivered in Q1 2022. The new vessels will be named Seacat Columbia and Seacat Cambria.According to Chartwell, the vessels' design will make them more fuel-efficient and could cut CO2 emissions by up to 600 tonnes per annum…

Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards announced Wednesday it will construct a state-of-the-art, floating dry dock for Groton, Conn. shipyard General Dynamics Electric Boat to support the construction and maintenance of the United States’ new Columbia Class of Ballistic Missile Submarines.The detail design engineering will be performed at the Bollinger facility in Lockport, La. The concept and contract design for the 618ft by 140ft dry dock was performed by the Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island.

I don’t remember when I discovered that the first application of lightbulbs occurred at sea rather than ashore. But when I dug a little deeper into the subject recently, I came across an interesting set of coincidences that shows how innovation often relies on simply doing, rather than endlessly talking about it. After Thomas Edison managed to make sufficient improvements to the lightbulb concept to have it show commercial viability in late 1879, he ended up in a chicken and egg conundrum.The lightbulb might be great, but to get it to work would require an electrical power plant.

Vancouver, Wash. based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals announced it will expand its service on the Columbia Snake River System.The Pacific Northwest focused inland marine transportation company has been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) to aid in the expansion of its barge service from the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Ore. to Vancouver, Wash.The expansion will include the procurement of a new barge capable…

The owners of four Iranian fuel cargoes that were confiscated by U.S. authorities last month mounted a challenge to the seizure, asserting their rights to control the cargo, according to a court filing on Tuesday.The U.S. Justice Department last month announced the seizure of 1.116 million barrels of fuel it said was destined for Venezuela. The oil industries of Venezuela and Iran, both OPEC nations, are under U.S. sanctions, and Iran earlier this year irked Washington by sending gasoline cargoes to Venezuela.In the Tuesday filing with the U.S.

American Cruise Lines announced it has taken delivery of a new riverboat from Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md.The 190-passenger American Jazz is the latest in American’s series of five new modern riverboats and will be added to the company’s fleet on the Mississippi River. American’s building plans have continued at full strength, despite this year’s pause in cruising.“American Jazz and the modern riverboats we currently have under construction demonstrate our commitment to leading the U.S. river cruise market by adding new small ships each year,” said Charles B.

On July 20, the tanker Cabo de Hornos delivered an estimated 450,000 barrels of crude oil to the Irving Oil refinery’s Canaport storage facilities in Saint John, N.B.What made Cabo de Hornos’s delivery different was that it was the first time crude oil had arrived in Saint John by ship from Alberta. It came via the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Westbridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C., and then through the Panama Canal.By the end of April next year, a second tanker will arrive at Canaport carrying 350,000 to one million barrels of Western Canadian crude oil.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) said it has been awarded a developmental contract by Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) to provide manufacturing design drawings, engineering, fabrication, inspection, and assembly of prototype propulsor, shafting and bearing components as well as the equipment needed to support propulsor research and development, testing and evaluation.GA-EMS will work with NSWCCD to develop new propulsor components for both surface ships and submarines.