Commercial Marine Business News

Rolls-Royce and Zhenjiang Shipyard have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly expand their commercial marine business in tug and workboats powered by high-speed engines for the domestic Chinese and export market.Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Zhenjiang Shipyard agreed to jointly explore business opportunities, with an initial focus on promoting the development of tugboats with mtu high-speed engines in China.Yan Guo, President of Zhenjiang Shipyard, said, “Zhenjiang Shipyard is a leading manufacturer of special vessels…

A new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-hybrid tug—said to be the world's first—will be equipped with two mtu 16V 4000 M55RN gas engines from manufacturer Rolls-Royce.The harbor tug will be built by Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard and operated in Singapore by Jurong Marine Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine. The new LNG-hybrid tug is the first of 12 tugs that Sembcorp Marine plans to design and build to replace the existing diesel-powered ones between now and 2025.LNG as a fuel virtually eliminates sulphur oxide emissions…

Lloyd's Register (LR) said it has reached a deal to acquire Navico Group’s C-MAP commercial marine business, a provider of commercial marine cartography and digital publications, shore-side and shipside voyage optimization, cloud-based fleet management and fleet analytics software. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition, which includes C-MAP’s charts and publications, route planning and fleet management, weather services, professional services, and marine hydrographic services, will be integrated with into Lloyd's Register's i4 Insight performance platform.

How have major events such as the U.S./China trade war, oil price fall and COVID-19 impacted Twin Disc’s commercial marine business to date, and what adjustments have you made in response?These are the three things that I’ve been highlighting in employee communications and with investors over the last few months. For us, COVID was just the third punch after the other two. China is typically our second largest market after the U.S., and we lost lots of orders to our competitors as the trade war started to affect us. It’s rebounding a little, but it definitely impacted our sales into China.

LIG Marine Managers, a commercial marine and longshore MGA in the U.S. and Lloyd’s broker, announced that veteran marine insurance executive Ken Baldwin has joined the company as Vice President of Marine.At LIG, Baldwin will direct and expand marine programs, including the company's quality control, and expand the team’s industry knowledge.Baldwin brings to the role extensive underwriting, operations improvement and program management experience. At one point, he personally handled…

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine America (MTEA) has appointed Cascade Engine Center, located in Seattle, as its marine engine division's new West Coast distributor effective August 11, 2020Cascade Engine Center will have responsibility for Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, California and Hawaii.“The addition of the Mitsubishi Heavy Duty engine lineup to Cascade Engine Center will complement our current commercial engine business, allowing us to support most commercial marine applications on the West Coast,” stated Tim A.

The past few months have been full of uncertainties and even as we look ahead, we don’t know exactly what the future will hold. But we do know that as an industry, we’ll need to prioritize and plan differently. Within the Volvo Penta organization, the team is working hard to understand how to adapt our business as the world around us continues to adjust to a changing economic and societal landscape.As I reflect on what’s transpired since the start of the pandemic, I’m proud of the professionalism and creativity shown by our Volvo Penta team in rising to the challenges.I’ll give you an example.

Kirby Corporation announced a net loss attributable to Kirby for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018 of ($24.4) million, or ($0.41) per share, compared with earnings of $231.3 million, or $3.87 per share, for the 2017 fourth quarter. Excluding certain one-time charges, 2018 fourth quarter net earnings attributable to Kirby were $44.9 million, or $0.75 per share. Consolidated revenues for the 2018 fourth quarter were $721.5 million compared with $708.1 million reported for the 2017 fourth quarter.For the 2018 full year…

Voices: Ron Huibers, President and CEO, Volvo Penta of the AmericasVolvo Penta has a reputation for pioneering innovations in marine propulsion. To learn more about what the company has on its drawing boards we talked with Ron Huibers, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas.Please give us a snapshot of your commercial marine business in North America?Our marine commercial business in the Americas has seen great growth, and it now represents a significant portion of our business, along with our leisure marine and industrial engine segments.

As Volvo Penta continues its strategic penetration of the commercial maritime sector, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News checks in with Ron Huibers, President, Volvo Penta of the Americas. When we first met with you a few years ago, Volvo Penta was in the early stages of a strategic move into the commercial maritime sector in North America. Please update your progress. Historically, we have been strong in the marine commercial markets outside of North America. Five years ago…

Britain's Rolls-Royce said it had agreed to sell its Germany-based diesel parts maker L'Orange to U.S.-based engineering company Woodward Inc for 700 million euros ($859 million), as part of a plan to simplify its business. Rolls CEO Warren East has been trying to streamline the company during his nearly three years in charge as part of a turnaround plan to counter declines in some of its older aero-engine programmes and plunging demand for oil equipment. The company said on Monday that L'Orange would continue as a key supplier to its power systems business…

Britain's Rolls-Royce said on Wednesday it was considering the sale of its commercial marine business, which has been hit by weak demand in offshore oil and gas markets, as part of a restructuring of the company into three core units. Shares in the company jumped after it said the loss-making unit could be sold. They were trading up 7.2 percent at 1330 GMT. The announcement came as part of a restructuring of the aero-engine maker into civil aerospace, defence and power systems units, with naval marine and nuclear submarines consolidated into defence and civil nuclear into power systems. Chief Executive Warren East said the latest overhaul would enable the company to respond quicker to meet the needs of its customers…

Further building its network of Power Centers and distribution partners to support its commercial marine business in North America, Volvo Penta of the Americas has appointed Interstate Power Systems as a strategic commercial marine partner for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and upper Michigan. Interstate Power Systems was founded in 1957 and currently has four primary divisions providing products and services at more than 20 locations across the upper Midwest. Volvo Penta…

Dave Brown has joined Volvo Penta of the Americas as director of commercial marine sales. In this new position, Brown will provide strategic and administrative direction and leadership to support overall segment growth. His primary focus will be to secure and maintain effective business relationships with governmental agencies, OEMs, dealers and customers in the marine commercial engine market. He will report to Marcia Kull, vice president of marine sales for Volvo Penta of the Americas. Brown has a 17-year background in business development and sales.

EMC has taken orders to supply VSAT equipment and services for seven platform supply vessels in the North Sea as part of a four-year fleet agreement with GulfMark (Norway). The scope of supply for each vessel includes a 60-inch Ku-band stabilized antenna and below-deck terminal interfaced with the ship’s network and third-party GSM voice system. EMC will also provide the satellite airtime for crew welfare and mission-critical voice and data communications. The installations will take place over the next 12 months as the vessels become available. “GulfMark’s vessels operate in an extremely demanding market segment with rigorous requirements for uptime, connectivity, bandwidth, data throughput and content,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial marine business unit.

Mackay Communications, Inc. acquired CMC Electronics’ commercial marine business on October 30, 2015, from Canadian parent, Esterline, a supplier of aviation systems. Esterline divested their marine sector to concentrate efforts on its core aviation business. CMC Electronics’ maritime brand traces its roots to the Canadian Marconi Company (CMC); originally the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada. Mackay Communications’ Marine Division is a turnkey supplier of communications and maritime electronic solutions and global service. According to the company, its acquisition of CMC Electronics’ commercial marine business mutually compliments their product offerings…

Marine electronics group Navico is aiming for a top three position in the commercial maritime sector within 3-5 years. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News seeks to find out from Jose Herrero, MD,  the plans to accomplish the feat. Navico is a strong player in the recreational boating sector, claiming a 32% market share and well versed in investing in growth both organically and through acquisition, including a commitment to product development. Its ambitions in a crowded commercial sector will have to be backed by a continuation of this successful formula.

Up and Down brown water bunker pricing is giving small-to-medium sized operators heartburn. It doesn’t have to be that way. The recent free fall in oil prices is grabbing the attention of many in the commercial marine business. Ferry services, cruise lines, tour boat operators, tugs, etc. all consume significant quantities of fuel to run their vessels. Customarily, the fuel cost is one of the larger slices of pie on the budget chart. Diesel fuel, or “bunkers” as they are often called, is a commodity; a synonymous product traded openly around the world.

Richard A. Mueller named John P. Dooley President of Choice Ballast Solutions, LLC. Working in close cooperation with ballast water systems suppliers and vessel owners, Dooley will be responsible for the overall management of the Choice commercial marine business activities, providing ballast water treatment systems integration from survey to signoff. Choice services include surveys, engineering, drawings, project management, equipment commissioning and startup and service. He will be located in Cleveland, Ohio and report directly to Mueller, CEO of Choice.

Cummins Inc. inform it has named Jim Schacht General Manager for the Commercial Marine Business. Working in close cooperation with the Cummins distributor network, Schacht will be responsible for all commercial marine business activities for the Engine Business Unit (EBU) globally, including business development and support. He will be located in Columbus, Indiana and will report directly to Ed Pence, Vice President of the High Horsepower Engine Business. According to the company…

Cummins Inc. has named Jim Schacht General Manager for the Commercial Marine Business. Working in close cooperation with the Cummins distributor network, Schacht will be responsible for all commercial marine business activities for the Engine Business Unit (EBU) globally, including business development and support. He will be located in Columbus, Indiana and will report directly to Ed Pence, Vice President of the High Horsepower Engine Business. “The importance of the commercial marine market to Cummins has increased significantly over the past several years,” said Schacht.

ZF is a $20 billion, foundation-held industrial colossus with a strong reputation of providing engineered solutions in the diversity of fields that it serves. While the company reaps the majority of its sales in the automotive sector, it is making a concerted push through its Marine Propulsion Systems unit to expand its offering and presences in the commercial maritime business. Wolfgang Schmid, Head of Marine Propulsion Systems Regional North America and Central America, last month hosted MR in the company’s gleaming North & Central American HQ to explain.

WR Systems, long renowned for its prowess in delivering innovative engineered solutions to the U.S. Navy, is making waves in commercial maritime circles. WR Systems is a rare bird by many accounts. While the Norfolk, VA-based engineering firm earns the lion’s share of its business from the U.S. Navy, it was never fashioned specifically as a “defense contractor.” While it houses an enviable stable of technical talent, with access to some the world’s leading experts in marine electronic systems…