Dock Operations News

Harland & Wolff has secured a contract with Canada-based Cenovus Energy for the mid-life upgrade of the SeaRose FPSO vessel. The base contract value is approximately £61 million (~currently around $74 million). The FPSO is expected to arrive at Harland & Wolff in Belfast in the first quarter of 2024 and will be in the building dock for a period of more than three months.The contract follows a letter of intent announced earlier this year, and a number of pre-arrival works have already started…

Terral RiverService announced September 1 the acquisition of the assets of Vidalia Dock and Storage Company, Two-J Ranch Inc., 363 Dry-Dock & Repair LLC, and Natchez Marine and Towing Inc. the premier fleet and yard operator in the Vidalia La., and Natchez, Miss. areas. According to Terral, the acquisition includes a total of four towboats, a dry dock and rock yard. In addition, Terral has acquired all of Vidalia Dock and Storage’s fleeting locations on the Mississippi River located…

As the maritime industry faces numerous environmental and efficiency challenges, the future is ship automation and Wärtsilä Voyage is a driver. Sean Fernback, President, and Thomas Pedersen, Director, Automation & Dynamic Positioning, Wärtsilä Voyage discuss the path and the pace with Maritime Reporter TV.Sean, to start, it seems many define “autonomy” differently. How do you define Wärtsilä's smart-autonomy approach?Sean Fernback, President, Wärtsilä VoyageAutonomy is a journey and there is no question that, at some point, various vessels in different classes will be fully autonomous.

Houston-based Kirby Corporation said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Savage Inland Marine's towboat and tank barge fleet for approximately $278 million in cash and the assumption of leases.Kirby will acquire Savage's inland fleet consisting of 46 towboats and 90 tank barges with approximately 2.5 million barrels of capacity, primarily used for transporting petrochemicals, refined products and crude oil on the Mississippi River, its tributaries and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Greece's Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) announced that the "PIRAEUS I" floating dock is available again for ship repair works."PIRAEUS I floating dock has been delivered for use and is operating again after scheduled maintenance works," said an announcement from PPA.PIRAEUS I is 202 m. long, with inner width 31 meters, has lifting capacity of 15,000 tons and can serve ships with capacity of 40,000 tons.During the first nine months of 2019, the ship repair activity at the port of Piraeus is showing an increase, despite the temporary suspension of PIRAEUS I floating dock operations, as the ships in docks increased by + 11% and the ships under repair in Ship Repair Zone increased by 7.4% compared to the same period of 2018.The Management of PPA S.A.

Freeport-based Grand Bahama Shipyard announced that it drydocked its first vessel since reopening the shipyard after Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas.The Taipei Trader, a 9,932-ton container ship operated by Lomar Shipping Limited, docked at the No. 3 dock this week, for its ongoing drydock, which was interrupted by the hurricane.Taipei Trader first docked at the yard on August 25 for a routine program including propulsion and thruster maintenance, and preparation of the hull for protective coating application. On August 30, in accordance with the shipyard's hurricane procedures, the vessel had to be undocked and depart the shipyard due to the projected path of Hurricane Dorian.Following the return and docking of Taipei Trader…

Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation (Keppel T&T) has entered into agreements to divest its entire stakes in Keppel Logistics (Foshan) Co (KLF) and Keppel Logistics (Hong Kong) to Sinoway Shipping, a subsidiary of Sinotrans Limited, for about S$39 million.Expected to be completed in 2019, the proposed divestments are in line with Keppel T&T's strategy to unlock value and recycle capital, allowing the company more flexibility to pursue other opportunities.Thomas Pang, CEO of Keppel T&T, said, "The divestments are part of Keppel T&T's efforts to sharpen its focus and reallocate capital to grow other parts of its businesses. We would like to thank Sinotrans…

Associated Terminals runs an impressive mid-stream cargo handling operation on the Lower Mississippi River, unloading bulk carriers with high-efficiency cranes loading a carousel of barges. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News/MarineLink.com spent some time with Todd Fuller, President, Associated Terminals to discuss the operation.For those not in the know, provide an overview of the Associated Terminals assets in your New Orleans midstream cargo ops.Associated Terminals operates 13 deep draft midstream berths and 11 deep draft fixed dock facilities on the lower Mississippi River.

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced that it is launching a new weekly fixed-day container shipping service between Jacksonville and Costa Rica. The service’s two containerships will call at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Talleyrand Terminal, making port calls in Jacksonville on Thursdays, Port Everglades, Fla., on Fridays, and arrive in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, on Wednesdays. “We are confident this service enhancement will add a new dimension to our portfolio of Latin America services and bring increased efficiency and savings to our customers…

Blohm+Voss has appointed Jean-Gabriel Tridon as General Manager and Dieter Pladeck as Finance Director for its new maintenance and refit facility in La Ciotat in the south of France. The company has filled the two management positions only two weeks after winning the local tender of La Ciotat Shipyards for the setting up of the new site. In La Ciotat, Blohm+Voss will focus on the maintenance and refit of megayachts of over 80 meters in length. Fred van Beers, Chief Executive Officer at Blohm+Voss: “We are filling these key positions with familiar faces.

Emco Wheaton has played a pivotal role in the transfer of the first shipment of U.S. crude oil for export in 40 years, after the Theo T tanker set sail from the Port of Corpus Christi bound for Europe. The Greek oil tanker was loaded on New Year’s Eve by NuStar Energy LP at its North Beach Terminal at Port Corpus Christi in Texas using three Emco Wheaton Marine Loading Arms. To cost effectively and safely supply crude oil to the global market, Nustar Energy LP made significant investments in its Corpus Christi terminal operations in 2014 with the purchase of new equipment.

The Port of Long Beach today announced plans to seek new ways to use a largely undeveloped 150-acre pier to help move cargo more efficiently as the Port continues to welcome increasing trade. With the looming closure at the end of this month of the temporary storage depot at the Terminal Island parcel known as “Pier S,” Harbor Department officials will begin a process to solicit input on potential uses from industry, environmental groups and the community. Any proposal would undergo a full environmental review. In the midst of the worst congestion to strike the port complex in years, the 30-acre temporary depot opened on Pier S on Dec. 29, 2014, to store empty cargo containers and free up truck chassis needed to haul loaded containers out of congested terminals at the time.

Capt Sarveen Narula, has taken over as Director Liner and Passenger Services of The Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) from 01 May 2014. Capt  Sarveen Narula has more than 35 years of Maritime Experience  both afloat and ashore. He has had more than 7 years command experience on several type of ships including Tankers, Bulk Carriers, Cargo ships and Container ships. He has extensive shore experience in  various aspects of Liner and Passenger services which includes port and dock operations,  Line Operations and Management,  consortium formations, Hazardous cargo and break bulk shipments, Safety and Quality Management, Coastal Shipping, Cargo claims and claim Minimization.

Senesco Marine of North Kingstown, R.I. launched the largest commercial floating dry dock in the Northeast United States on May 7, 2013. Senesco built the dry dock for Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Co. of Staten Island, N.Y. The dry dock has a lifting capacity of 7,300 LT, is 420 feet long, and has a 100-foot wide open pontoon deck between its 30-foot tall wing walls. JMS Naval Architects (JMS) of Mystic, Conn. designed the dry dock for Caddell to accommodate large tank barges, tugs, workboats and Coast Guard Cutters.

PD Ports has announced the creation of 13 full time permanent positions for Teesport based apprentices. The new dock operations roles in both bulks and container related areas of the business will commence at the end of April, after the existing apprenticeship programme completes. The programme took over 18 months of training and is on track to achieve 100% success rate with all 13 apprentices achieving a NVQ Level 2 in Dock Operations. PD Ports initiated the programme in conjunction with the Redcar Development Trust…

Looper Reed & McGraw is pleased to announce the addition of Julia Palmer and Carrie Weitinger as Members and Shannon Thorne and Monika Moore as Associates to its Houston office. The addition of these four attorneys has added great depth to the firm's Admiralty, Onshore and Offshore Energy and Insurance Law Practices. Julia M. (Adams) Palmer, formerly Julia M. Adams, is an active member of the admiralty and energy bar. Her practice focuses on the representation of marine and energy interests, insurers, and insurance brokers.

SpecTec in The Middle East has announced the signing of a first contract with Mubarak Marine LLC. The contract which was agreed early in July is for the supply of AMOS2 Software. It includes one full office installation for the Mubarak Marine’s headquarter in Dubai and five Vessel installations. The software is expected to be installed onboard five Offshore Tugs vessels, in order to reduce operational complexity related to the Planning Maintenance System, help decrease the costs of the Procurement actions and give the due IT support to Dry Dock operations. Database consultancy is to be provided by the technical staff of SpecTec in the Middle East.

Damen Shipyards awarded to build Modular Dock for the Port of Djibouti. Damen Shipyards will construct a Damen Modular Dock (DMD) 4020 for - and will be delivered to - Djibouti. Djibouti’s busy port is one of the most important gateways to the African continent and is strategically located at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Besides maintenance of the Port Authorities’ own fleet, the dock will be used for repair and maintenance of port-calling vessels. The dock…

Knight & Carver YachtCenter has acquired a 4,000-ton dry dock for its refit and repair operations. With the acquisition, financed by a locally-based investment group, Diligence & Company LLC, Knight & Carver will provide the largest lifting capacity for megayachts and commercial  vessels on the West Coast, and one of the largest such lifts in the United States. Knight & Carver will operate the dry dock, named Diligence, under an exclusive, long-term lease arrangement with Diligence & Company LLC, along with investment partner Fraser’s Services, a San Diego-based boat repair firm. Full dry-dock operations are expected to begin by August. Knight & Carver already has secured a commitment for a significant megayacht refit project scheduled for August.

Damen Shipyards reports that a Damen Modular Dock (DMD) 4020 is being built for - and will be delivered to - Djibouti. Djibouti’s busy port is one of the most important gateways to the African continent and is strategically located at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Besides maintenance of the Port Authorities’ own fleet, the dock will be used for repair and maintenance of port-calling vessels. The dock, that measures 50 x 20 m, is to be used for repair and maintenance of the Authorities’ fleet…

Shipyard workers in Turkey reportedly held a one-day strike to protest working conditions in Istanbul's Tuzla district, where a reported 21 workers were killed in accidents in the last nine months, according to a report on www.hurriyet.com.tr. A number of labor unions, non-governmental organizations and intellectuals extended full support to the strike. A total of 97 workers have died at the shipyard since 1992. The sub-contracting system and noncompliance with occupational safety regulations in dock operations are seen as the major causes of deaths in Tuzla.   (Source: www.hurriyet.com.tr)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the signing of a federal facility inter-agency agreement with the U.S. The agreement requires that the Coast Guard thoroughly investigate environmental impacts associated with past activities, and that appropriate actions be taken in order to protect the community and the environment. The agreement identifies roles, responsibilities, processes, and schedules EPA will follow to protect the environment and support approved land uses. Federal facility agreements, required by Superfund, are now in place at more than 150 federal facilities nationwide. The agreement is the last of those required by civilian federal agencies.

Ship captains and pleasure boaters can now get free real-time information on water and weather conditions for Cherry Point, Wash., from a newly installed NOAA ocean observing system that makes piloting a ship safer and more efficient. The NOAA Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) at Cherry Point provides observations of tides, currents, water and air temperature, barometric pressure and winds. Collected from a variety of sensors in and around the port, the data is available online and by phone: 888-817-7794 (toll-free).