Columbia News

The Hepburn and Sons LLC team welcomed David Rice, CAPT David Bauer, USN (Ret), and Gary Loberg as their newest members. David Rice serves as Senior Consultant, Material Science. David Bauer will serve as the Senior Manager, Material Science. Gary Loberg serves as Senior Manager, Advisory Services.David Rice comes to Hepburn and Sons, LLC after a career spanning 45 years at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS). During his time at NNS he served as the Manager of Contracted Research & Development and was responsible for Research & Development Programs funded by ONR/ManTech…

French ferry operator Brittany Ferries said that the takeover of of Condor Ferries  has been completed. The deal, announced last year, had been subject to scrutiny by competition authorities, but work on the transition has been completed."Brittany Ferries is today the proud part-owner of Condor Ferries," it said in a press note.“This is excellent news for Brittany Ferries, our new partners and for Condor Ferries,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries. “We are committed…

Dubai-based port operator DP World announced it has completed the acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks in Canada from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) alongside its partner Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).The enabler of global trade said in a press release that said the acquisition complements its footprint in Canada, which also includes terminal operations in Vancouver, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert and St John’s, without disclosing the value of the purchase.The integrated coast-to-coast platform provides customers with bulk…

Corvus Energy reports it has been selected by Damen Shipyards to supply the energy storage system (ESS) for four new battery-hybrid ferries for BC Ferries.BC Ferries placed a repeat order with Damen Shipyards Group for four Damen Road Ferries 8117 E3 design—known by BC Ferries as the 'Island Class' vessels. The diesel-electric hybrid ferries are prepared for fully battery-powered, zero-emissions operation in the future. Until electrical charging systems are in place, the ferries…

OCEAN Industries Inc. has ordered 8 × MAN 12V175D-MM, IMO Tier III-compliant engines in connection with the construction of 4 × 24-meter ASD tugs for the Royal Canadian Navy. The vessels are set respectively for delivery to Canada’s major naval bases at Esquimalt, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia, with each location set to receive two tugs. Under the contract, MAN Energy Solutions will also provide SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology for the engines, facilitating Tier III compliance, as well as ship service diesel-generator sets.

BC Ferries has awarded Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. a contract to build an additional liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled vessel scheduled to go into service in the Southern Gulf Islands in 2022.This vessel will be identical to the three Salish Class vessels built by Remontowa for BC Ferries in 2016.“Our Clean Futures Plan is our path to replace diesel fuels with clean erenergy options. While this cannot be achieved in a single step, we arecontinually seeking energy sources that offer a cleaner…

Chembulk Tankers announced on Wednseday that Bart B. Kelleher has taken over as Chief Executive Officer for David Ellis, who has resigned for personal reasons. Ellis will be available to the company through January 31, 2020.Kelleher has held senior executive roles within Chembulk since joining the company in early 2016, initially as Chief Strategy Officer and then Chief Financial Officer in early 2019. Prior to joining Chembulk, Kelleher was the Chief Operating Officer for Principal Maritime Management and held roles in investment banking…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Brandi Smith has been named program director of the Newport News Columbia-class submarine program.Smith will be responsible for leading the company’s construction activities for the U.S. Navy’s new class of ballistic-missile submarines, as well as maintaining strong relationships with General Dynamics Electric Boat and Navy customers. She will report to Jason Ward, Newport News vice president for Columbia-class submarine construction.Smith began her career at Newport News in 2002 as an engineer in the carrier overhaul program.

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel capsized on Saturday with four crew members aboard near Pier 39 in Astoria, Ore.Four Coast Guardsmen were aboard the 26-foot Coast Guard Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat conducting routine operations when the vessel reportedly encountered a series of heavy wakes that came over the bow, which resulted in an unrecoverable starboard list that capsized the vessel, the Coast Guard said.At 11:39 a.m., watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District command…

These days, cost-conscious municipalities across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea, are ordering new waterborne assets to cover their many local responsibilities. When they do, they want ‘more bang for their buck,’ combining multiple missions – and the equipment that makes it all possible – onto one hull. That’s a tall order on the typically compact patrol boat style hulls that tend to be big on performance, but short on space for equipment that can demand a significant physical footprint.

Four people were rescued from a commercial fishing vessel that sank in Coos Bay, Ore. on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 40-foot Darean Rose capsized and sank shortly after leaving the fuel pier at the Charleston Marina with four people aboard who reported sustaining minor injuries.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend were notified at 2:54 p.m. that the vessel had run aground and capsized right after departing the pier.A Coast Guard Station Coos Bay 29-foot Response…

Blount Boats, Inc. becomes the eighth shipyard company to join Green Marine.“We’re already committed to delivering vessels that exceed our clients’ expectations and now wish to go beyond compliance in our work in terms of the environment as well,” says Marcia Blount, the company’s president. “The Green Marine framework is tailor made for the marine industry and scalable to our size of operations. It will provide guidance towards greater sustainability for our shipbuilding activities.”Green Marine further expands its shipyard and U.S. East Coast membership by welcoming Blount Boats, Inc.

Condor Ferries, an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between UK and France, has been sold to a consortium including the French shipping company Brittany Ferries.Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities.

Canadian ferry owner and operator British Columbia Ferry Services Inc (BC Ferries) has made a further order of four additional electric-battery hybrid Island Class vessels from a major European shipyard.The ferry corporation announced that Damen Shipyards Group of the Netherlands has been awarded the contract to build the new vessels.Project cost for the four latest Island-class vessels is about $200 million, including financing and project-management.According to a release, BC Ferries’ procurement process resulted in 18 bids from international shipyards…

JGC-Fluor joint venture has awarded BJM the contract for the construction of the LNG Canada MOF, a material offloading facility to support the realization of a LNG export facility in Kitimat on the west coast of Canada, British Columbia (approximately 600 km north-west of Vancouver).BJM is a joint venture between BAM International (the operating company of Royal BAM Group active outside Europe), JJM Construction (Canada) and Manson Construction (USA).The project is part of the overall LNG Canada project.

Nike and Ocean Conservancy are encouraging businesses to avoid shipping routes via the Arctic Ocean, with the launch of an ‘Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge.'As climate change causes Arctic sea ice to diminish, cargo traffic through previously unnavigable ocean routes becomes increasingly feasible. Though these routes can offer decreased transit times, the possibility of increased vessel traffic across the Arctic poses great risk and potentially devastating environmental impacts for one of the world’s most fragile regions.“At Nike, we exist to serve athletes.

The British Columbia Government has joined Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and FortisBC to establish the first ship-to-ship LNG marine refueling – or bunkering – facility on the west coast of North America.The use of LNG to power the world’s ocean-going vessels is forecast to expand and B.C. is well positioned to benefit from this growth.According to industry standards, replacing diesel fuel with LNG has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 20%. Because FortisBC’s Tilbury facility runs on clean B.C.

Marine Highways Gain Traction in the Intermodal Supply Chain.In the United States, landside infrastructure is at a crisis point. Congestion at the big hub ports, exacerbated by imperfect intermodal interfaces with surface transport serving cargo hinterlands is at the heart of the matter. As politicians bicker over a possible infrastructure package, the Highway Trust Fund, funded by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, has continued its downward journey towards further deficits (now $144 billion). And, where countless U.S.

What are the barriers to implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to cut emissions from ships and how can these be overcome?These were key questions explored during an IMO regional workshop on effective ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and the  initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, held in Viña del Mar, Chile (30 September-2 October).Participants identified existing barriers preventing ratification of MARPOL Annex VI…

A Canadian company has loaded a test cargo of solid bitumen onto a vessel destined for a refinery in China, the latest effort by the energy industry to avoid congested export pipelines and find new ways to export more oil sands crude.Calgary, Alberta-based Melius Energy loaded 130 barrels of neat bitumen, similar in consistency to a hockey puck, onto a 20-foot shipping container in Edmonton, Alberta, and transported it by rail to the Port of Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia.

China Merchant Heavy Industries (CMHI) held in Haimen a keel-laying ceremony for the Miami-based SunStone Ship's third Infinity-class ship, Ocean Victory.European aesthetic and design, and Chinese ship-building efficiency combine to produce the intimate expedition ship Ocean Victory that deliver on refinement, along with cutting-edge design and operations, claimed a press release from the company.Representatives from the owner, the charterers - American Queen Steamboat Company…

The Baltic Exchange, the a membership organisation for the maritime industry, and freight market information provider for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts, has launched a new assessment to track the cost of operating vessels.Initially covering a range of dry bulk vessels, the service will also be expanded to tankers and other sectors.The Baltic Operating Expense Index (BOI) will be published quarterly and based on assessments from three leading independent third-party ship management companies: Anglo-Eastern…

Carnival Corporation's Germany brand AIDA Cruises and Corvus Energy have signed a deal to retrofit the AIDAperla with a 10MW battery pack, the largest to date set to be featured on a cruise vessel."The order is for a 10MWh Energy Storage System (ESS) to be installed on board AIDAperla in 2020. AIDAperla, built in 2017, has the capacity of 3300 passengers and a crew of 900," said the British Columbia-based developer of maritime energy storage solutions.When installed on AIDAperla…