East Coast News

Norwegian shipowner Ocean Yield ASA has agreed to acquire Navigator Aurora, a 37,300 cbm ethylene gas carrier owned by Navigator Gas.According to agreement, the ship will be purchased for a total consideration of USD 69.75 million net of a seller’s credit, with a 13-year bareboat charter to a company 100% owned and guaranteed by Navigator Holdings - Navigator Gas.The vessel is expected to be delivered to the Company during October 2019. Navigator Gas has certain options to acquire the vessel during the charter period.

The Panama Canal has closed the 2019 fiscal year (FY19) with a record tonnage of 469 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), a 6.2 percent increase compared to FY2018.With this figure, the waterway exceeds the 450.7 million PC/UMS tons projection for FY2019, as well as the record tonnage of 442 million PC/UMS tons registered in the previous fiscal year. These record-setting results reflect the Canal workforce's commitment to efficiency and ongoing investments in infrastructure, which will allow the waterway to meet the growing demand and offer a reliable and safe service to customers.

Dublin-based SSE Renewables, a renewable energy subsidiary of Airtricity, has selected the port of Montrose on the east coast of Scotland to serve as the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for its 1100MW Seagreen offshore wind farm.Situated over 27km off the Angus coastline, Seagreen is the furthest from shore of any Scottish offshore wind farm and is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power over 40% of all households in Scotland. When completed, it will become Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.John Hill…

A group of offshore wind industry members that includes Equinor, Magellan Wind and Principle Power have launched an offshore wind group in California.The Offshore Wind California (OWC) said it is  committed to providing industry expertise, innovative solutions, and a dedicated voice for offshore wind in California.OWC is poised to lead the promotion of responsible and sustainable deployment of offshore wind power in the state's energy system.California is well-positioned to break out as the next investment hot spot for America's booming offshore wind industry…

More than 300 executives from the maritime industry, government and academia filled the conference hall at SUNY Maritime as the State University of New York Maritime College and the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler jointly hosted "Offshore Wind Power: Planning For America’s Ocean Energy" today in New York.I was pleased to facilitate the lead panel entitled "East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of Industry,” a panel which featured executives from four of the leading companies which are investing and working to make offshore wind power a reality in the U.S.…

A disruption in global oil flows following attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities has left U.S. crude exporters without enough tankers to cover rising demand for cargoes, traders and shipping sources said.Missile attacks last Saturday temporarily cut Saudi oil production by more than 5 million barrels per day, or about half the country's output.That set off a scramble for alternative cargoes of crude, particularly in the United States, which lined up available tankers sailing from the Mediterranean, West Africa and continental Europe to pick up cargoes.

Global growth in container volumes has picked up slightly in the second quarter of the year, with growth in the first seven months reaching 1.2%, compared to the just 0.8% in the first quarter.Global growth in container volumes has picked up slightly in the second quarter of the year, with growth in the first seven months reaching 1.2%, compared to the just 0.8% in the first quarter. Despite this rise, the growth figure remains substantially below what the industry has been used to…

Four crew members are missing from a roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel that is disabled, overturned and has caught fire near Brunswick, Georgia, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday.Twenty people have been safely removed from the ship, and the Coast Guard said it is working with local partners to locate the four crew still missing from the 656-foot vehicle carrier, MV Golden Ray, which began listing heavily and capsized with 23 crew and one pilot on board in St. Simons Sound early on Sunday morning.The Coast Guard said it was notified of the capsizing by a 911 call around 2 a.m.There were 4…

At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 29.5 North, longitude 79.6 West.Dorian is moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h), and a northwest or north-northwest motion is expected through this morning. A turn toward the north is forecast by this evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning.On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through tonight.

National Oilwell Varco, a provider of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production, announced new contract award for submerged turret production (STP) system.APL, part of NOV's Completion & Production Solutions segment, has been awarded the supply of another large STP system, said a press release from NOV.This follows a recent  contract award from Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. for Reliance Industries' FPSO on the MJ field.This time, the system will be provided to a joint venture between Shapoorji Palloonji Oil and Gas and Bumi Armada Berhad.

Dorian weakened on Tuesday but was heading north-westward and growing in size, moving "dangerously close" to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.Dorian, now a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, is located about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east of Fort Pierce, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km per hour).Separately, and from Portsmouth, VA, the Captain of the Port set Port Condition X-ray for the Port of Virginia at 9 a.m.

At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located by reconnaissance aircraft and NOAA Doppler radar near latitude 27.1 North, longitude 78.4 West. Dorian is beginning to move northwestward at about 1 mph (2 km/h), and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected later today and tonight.A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn to the north-northeast Thursday morning. On this track, the core of extremely…

Named one of this year's MarineNews' prestigious MN100 firms, Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) in 2019 expanded to the East Coast by opening an office in New York and teamed with AMD Marine Consulting Designs to be their exclusive North American vessel design representative. EBDG delivers designs that are better to build and better to operate.The Company:EBDG is a full-service, employee-owned company with offices in Seattle, New Orleans, Ketchikan and New York. The firm provides naval architecture…

Hurricane Dorian took aim at the Bahamas and the Florida coast on Thursday, spurred on by warm Atlantic waters as it threatens to strengthen into a dangerous Category 3 storm.Dorian earlier sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but is expected to strengthen and slam the Bahamas and the southeastern United States with rain, strong winds and life-threatening surf over the next few days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.U.S. President Donald Trump urged Floridians to heed official warnings.

Norway-based shipowner Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) has undertaken a wet-dry cargo switch, marking a first for one of its CLEANBU combination carriers.The vessel transported a full cargo of petroleum products (CPP) from India to Argentina, said the global owner and operator of combination carriers.After discharging the CPP, she completed the cleaning and conversion from tanker mode to dry bulk mode, loaded a grain cargo and is now enroute back to Asia. Strong cleaning capabilities with cleaning result available for online inspection on new digital application.After discharging of CPP…

NorthStar Midstream, a portfolio company of funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., has announced the formation of Polaris New Energy (“PNE”), a marine transportation company focused on the transportation and distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) along the coastal and inland waterways of the United States.NorthStar has executed an agreement with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build a 5,400 cubic meter (CBM), with the ability to potentially construct two sister barges, for coastwise transportation of LNG.

Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has announced the retirement of Joseph F. Harrington after 25 years with Advanced Polymer Coatings. In 1994 he was approached by Don Keehan, Chairman of Advanced Polymer Coatings, to further develop the Marine Coatings industry with APC’s MarineLINE high-performance coating. Today MarineLINE is the industry leader in high performance coatings for the chemical tanker industry.APC President David Keehan says, “Joe Harrington has had a remarkable track record of 59 years in the coatings industry.

Offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services signed a  deal to support the construction phase of Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.The contract, which includes options for further vessel charters, will initially see two Seacat Services OESVs – one 26-meter and one 24-meter catamaran – operating out of Triton Knoll’s new Grimsby construction base, providing specialist crew transfer and logistical support at the 90-turbine, 857MW project off the UK’s East Coast.With offshore construction set to commence in Q1 2020…

Israeli container line ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Limited reported a total revenues of  $834.3 million in Q2 2019, reflecting an increase of 3.9% compared to $803.2 million in Q2 2018.In Q2 2019, ZIM carried 731 thousand TEUs, the second highest ever carried volume (reflecting a decrease of 5.3% compared to 772 thousand TEUs in Q2 2018, ZIM’s all-times record), said a press note.The container shipping industry is dynamic and volatile and has been marked in recent years by instability…

McAllister Towing is proud to announce the arrival of the tug CAPT. JIM MCALLISTER, the fourth in a series of four 100’ x 40’, 80 metric ton bollard pull tugboats. The tug is the 33rd tractor tug in McAllister’s fleet.The CAPT. JIM is powered by 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines with twin Schottel SRP4000FP units. Packed into her 100’ x 40’ hull is 6,770 horsepower. She achieved 82.50 metric tons during her ABS bollard pull certification and had a maximum pull of 83.70 tons. The CAPT. JIM joins her sister vessels, the CAPT.

On April 30 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a notice, requesting public comments, on a proposed “incidental harassment authorization” (IHA). An IHA is a legal and enforceable document presenting the terms and conditions with which a company must adhere in order to protect wildlife. In this case, the draft IHA was for Vineyard Wind, the wind energy company ready to start construction on an 800 MW offshore wind farm in the Atlantic, covering about 675 square kilometers, starting 14 miles from the coastline of Martha’s Vineyard.

New South Wales Government is considering a proposal for a $590 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in the Port of Newcastle, with the project given critical state significance.Under the prosposal, the terminal will be built at Kooragang Island in Newcastle Port and promises to supply NSW with up to 80 per cent of its gas requirements.The Newcastle GasDock project - with an estimated direct onshore investment of up to AUD$250M at the Port - today received Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) status from NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces…

The Port of Savannah set a record for intermodal cargo last month, handling 47,255 rail lifts, an increase of 10.5% over July of last year.According to Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), over the past three years, the Port of Savannah has grown its rail volume by 35.4 percent, completing more than 507,000 intermodal lifts in the fiscal year that ended in June.“We’re moving containers from ship to outgoing rail in less than 24 hours at the Port of Savannah,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch.