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General Maritime News

28 Feb 2024

The Mission to Seafarers Names Rouch Secretary General

Peter Rouch (Photo: The Mission to Seafarers)

Maritime welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers announced Dr. Peter Rouch has been named as its next secretary general, succeeding Revd. Canon Andrew Wright, who will retire from the role in September this year, after almost 12 years of leading the organization. Rouch has been appointed to the role by the board of The Mission to Seafarers. He will join the Mission on July 1, enabling a period of handover between himself and Wright.Tom Boardley, chairman of The Mission to Seafarers, said, "We are delighted that Peter is joining the Mission and look forward to welcoming him in July.

16 Aug 2023

To Fight Sexual Assault and Harassment, Vessel Owners and Operators Must Comply with Heightened Reporting Requirements

© NAN / Adobe Stock

In response to increased awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in the maritime industry — and following a widely reported account by a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet of sexual assault aboard a U.S.-flagged ship during her Sea Year training — Congress enacted into law the Safer Seas Act (SSA) in December 2022.Intended as a direct effort to prevent and punish SASH, the SSA, among other provisions:Requires the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to revoke the license…

29 Aug 2022

How to Stop Injured Vessel Crew from Calling My Law Firm

© Rick Lohre / Adobe Stock

For 20 years, I represented operators of OSVs, jack-ups, semi-submersibles, oil and gas production platforms, harbor tugs, towboats and barges in state and federal court personal injury litigation arising in the Gulf of Mexico, across the Great Lakes and on the inland waterways. For the last decade or so, I have been representing injured crew. In the case of a death or serious injury, sometimes there is little a vessel operator can do to prevent being sued. In my experience, though, many expensive lawsuits could have been avoided had the marine employer handled the situation differently.1.

28 Oct 2021

Thordon Celebrates 110 Years in Business

The CCGS Martha L. Black is fitted with Thordon’s propeller shaft bearings, Water Quality Package and rudder bearings at Heddle Shipyards in dry dock (Photo: Thordno Bearings)

Navies, shipowners, shipyards, and organizations have offered the best of birthday wishes to Canada’s Thomson-Gordon Group, the parent company of water-lubricated polymer bearing pioneer Thordon Bearings, as it celebrates its 110th anniversary this fall.Among several well-wishers, Claude Tremblay, Directorate General Maritime Equipment Program Management National Defence, Royal Canadian Navy, wrote: “Congratulations to Thomson-Gordon Group for 110 years of Canadian innovation and pioneering. We are proud to rely on your top-quality products.

29 Jul 2021

EMSA Taps Drone Firm for Long-range Maritime Surveillance Services

Textron Systems' Aerosonde - Credit: Textron Systems

Oslo-listed drone company Nordic Unmanned has received a conditional letter of award from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for a contract worth up to 20 million euros ($23,75 million).The letter of award is related to fixed-wing RPAS (drone) services carrying out long-range general maritime surveillanceThe official value of the framework contract is EUR 20 million over a period of up to 2+1+1 years. Nordic Unmanned is the contractual partner with EMSA. Nordic Unmanned will utilize Textron Systems' Aerosonde as its drone platform and two complete systems…

06 May 2021

Impact of Dredging on Maritime Law

© Bill Chizek / Adobe Stock

In 1875, the General Moultrie was the first suction dredge built in the United States and was used in the Charleston River — until it sank within a year. During the same era, the city of Houston and other port towns formed companies like the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company to build special-purpose vessels to clear and connect waterways for commercial vessel traffic. Toward the end of the 19th century, the cutter suction dredge made its appearance and effectively dug and maintained water channels.

07 Oct 2020

Drones Deployed for Maritime Surveillance off France

(Photo: EMSA)

Aiming to test the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in enhancing the maritime awareness picture in the French Mediterranean Sea, Secrétariat Général de la Mer requested the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) set up a multipurpose maritime surveillance operation, having the Navy (Marine Nationale) and customs (Douanes) as the operation's strategic and tactical leaders.Operational missions started on September 23 for an initial period of three months. The RPAS…

29 Jul 2020

Port of Seattle Shelves Plans for New Cruise Terminal

(Photo: Port of Seattle)

Plans to develop a new cruise terminal at the Port of Seattle have been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. The port announced Tuesday it has called off a request for industry proposals for a joint investment to build and operate a proposed new cruise terminal to serve the Alaska market.“Our current focus remains on public health,” said Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck. “We continue to work with public health partners and cruise stakeholders to determine the enhanced procedures that will make our cruise passenger terminals and facilities safe for the community…

26 Dec 2019

Five Common Mistakes in Maritime Contracts

Copyright: byemo/AdobeStock

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Henry de Bracton, DeLegibus, ~1240Often clients or prospective clients come to me with a commercial contract issue perched on the precipice of full-blown litigation or arbitration. When I ask to see the contract, often times I see errors in drafting that either (1) give rise to the problem before me or (2) could create a bigger problem for the client in the future.The risk of drafting error is higher for Europeans looking to contract with American companies.

26 Jul 2019

Canadian Navy Awards ELMS2 Contract to BMT

BMT Group  (previously British Maritime Technology) announced that it has been awarded the Engineering, Logistics, and Management Support 2 (ELMS2) contract by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND).According to the provider of focused solutions to projects in the energy, ports, mining, defense and transport fields, the services will directly support the Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management (DGMEPM) and the Director General Major Project Delivery (DGMPD) (Sea).Under this contract, BMT will continue to provide risk, due diligence and engineering services for Capital and National Procurement (NP) programs on an ‘as-and-when’ requested basis to support Canada’s naval fleet requirements for the next fifteen years.Darcy Byrtus…

23 Jan 2019

The Tanker Market: 2019 and Beyond

Alex and Alice under construction. Photo courtesy Euronav

Late 2018 saw the tanker market bubble upwards through late November, with daily vessel hires moving in the direction of, though not yet reaching levels not seen since late 2014-2015, when oil prices were in freefall and inventories building to the brim. A few pundits have suggested that we are seeing a “mini 2014” where lowered oil prices are coaxing another inventory build which would drive tanker capacity utilization, and per diem freight inflows, higher. The oil market has changed over four years…

15 Aug 2018

ASA Names First Honorary Maritime Academy Member

Rebecca Garcia-Malone, ASA Education Committee Chair, presents Dr. Richard J. Burke, ABS Professor of Naval Architecture & Engineering, SUNY Maritime College, with an official invitation to join the ASA as the very first honorary maritime faculty member representative, July 20, 2018 at SUNY Maritime College. (Photo: ASA)

On July 20, 2018, The American Salvage Association (ASA) welcomed Dr. Richard J. Burke, of SUNY Maritime College as the Association’s very first honorary maritime academy faculty member representative. This initiative is designed to broaden the knowledge about the marine salvage and emergency response industry, and the academic community’s access to it.The ASA’s Education Committee was established in March 2011 to further promote general maritime industry interest with a focus on marine salvage and emergency response…

07 Aug 2018

Shipping Executive Focus: Art Regan, Executive Chairman, Genco Shipping & Trading

Art Regan, Executive Chairman, Genco Shipping & Trading. (Photo: Genco)

Art Regan, who has been the Executive Chairman at Genco Shipping and Trading (NYSE: GNK) since October 2016, personifies the new type of shipping executive, savvy on all things maritime (he is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler) coupled with a keen understanding of market dynamics. Regan commenced his maritime industry career at sea, rising through the shipboard officer ranks completing as a Master Mariner during a more than ten-year period sailing on oil tankers and dry bulk vessels.

23 Nov 2017

DMA Visits Ghana

The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) accompanied Her Majesty the Queen on her official state visit to Ghana on 23-24 November 2017 to discuss current maritime challenges and maritime authority-to-authority cooperation. The Danish Maritime Authority took part in Her Majesty the Queen’s official state visit to Ghana on 23-24 November 2017 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence; furthermore, the state visit served to mark Danish-Ghanaian relations. A major maritime delegation, including the Danish Maritime Authority, was also a part of the state visit. During the visit, the Danish Maritime Authority participated in a number of meetings and activities.

15 Nov 2017

Worldwide Implementation of Maritime Search and Rescue

International search and rescue plans are crucial, so that, no matter where an accident occurs, the rescue of persons in distress at sea can be coordinated successfully. Therefore, the worldwide implementation of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s  International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR Convention 1979) is a key component in efforts to ensure the safety of international shipping. To further promote the ratification and appropriate implementation of the Convention, a seminar is being held in Bogota, Colombia, (14 to 16 November) to particularly promote the Convention in Central America and the Caribbean.

19 Oct 2017

The Art of Navigation

© danr13 / Adobe Stock

There are countless examples of how an over reliance of GPS navigation and the electronic charting systems, as well as the use of dead reckoning without a known fixed starting point – instead “eyeballing” the situation – are leading vessels in to danger. August 21, 2017 was the Great American Eclipse, and the science fiction fantasy fan in me wondered if this is when I would get my superpowers back. The navigator in me pondered if I was in the zone of totality and took a sight of the sun and moon, at the moment of totality would it count as two lines of position on my chart.

10 Oct 2017

Top Regulatory Concerns on the US Commercial Waterfront

© John Merlin / Adobe Stock

A top 10 list of regulatory concerns is by no means all-inclusive, but it does bring to light the full weight of the regulatory hammer on the collective domestic commercial waterfront. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us...” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859.

22 Aug 2017

MPA Chairman Opens International Safety@Sea Conference

The International Safety@Sea Conference was officially opened yesterday by Mr Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Organised by MPA as part of Safety@Sea Week, over 250 international maritime professionals convened to share best safety at sea practices. This year’s Safety@Sea week will also see the inaugural ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP) Forum which will be held on 23 August 2017. The CoP Forum is a collaborative platform for maritime administrations, Classification Societies, and non-government organisations to share knowledge and best practices on general maritime safety as well as collaborate on promoting safety at sea. For the inaugural forum, 40 participants will be discussing the topic of ferry safety.

13 Jun 2017

Damen Stan Pontoon Delivered to Norway

Damen Sales Manager Norway Remko Hottentot, with Torgeir Vareberg and Lisa Chaparian of Skyssbåtservice on the occasion of the contract signing for a Damen Stan Pontoon 4512.   (Photo: Damen)

Norwegian maritime transport company Skyssbåtservice has taken delivery of a Stan Pontoon 4512 from the Damen Shipyards Group. The 45-meter barge will be capable of fulfilling a variety of roles in both the general maritime transport sector projects and the oil and gas industry. As well as carrying general cargo along the Norwegian coast on its 12 metric tons per m² deck, the barge is fitted with a bow ramp giving it full RoRo capability. Tug stoppers on the stern also allow it to be pushed as well as towed to its destinations.

19 Apr 2017

Understanding Legal Liability in a Subchapter M Environment

© Ed Metz / Adobe Stock

There is more to SubM than just attention to safety. Protect yourself accordingly. In today’s environment, safety management systems for brown water marine operators are standard industry practice, whether they come in the form of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program (RCP) or the Tanker Safety Management Assessment (TSMA) framework developed by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) for liquid carriers. However, with the full-fledged implementation of Subchapter M on the horizon…

24 Nov 2015

When Conducting Investigations Consider 'Privileges'

Jeffrey S. Moller

Whether voluntarily or as required by the International Safety Management Code, the American Waterways Operators’ (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program, or some other rule or regulation, investigations of accidents and near-miss situations are routinely conducted by companies in the maritime industry. This is due to the widespread recognition that careful examination of the root causes of such incidents can help to prevent future occurrences. Faulty procedures, defective equipment, and inadequate training can all be identified in the investigation exercise.

15 Jul 2015

Biggest Spenders of 2015

Image: VesselsValue.com

Online ships data platform VesselsValue.com has rounded up the top spenders in terms of second hand tonnage for the first half of 2015. Leading the industry in total amount spent on second hand tonnage so far in 2015 is U.S.-based Gener8 Maritime, who spent roughly $1.4 billion on 14 vessels. The seaborne crude oil transportation services company formed earlier this year as result of a merger between General Maritime Corporation and Navig8 Crude Tankers Inc. Second in spending was the Malaysian headquartered tanker shipping group MISC who spent about $1.065 billion on five second hand vessels.

25 May 2015

Gener8 Maritime to Go Public

Private equity-backed tanker operator Gener8 Maritime filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to proceed with an initial public offering worth up to $100m. The company was created in February 2015 via the merger of General Maritime and Navig8 Crude. New York-based company booked $391 million in pro forma historical sales for the 12 months ended March 31, 2015, plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol GNRT. Gener8 Maritime initially filed confidentially (as General Maritime prior to the merger) on November 12, 2014. Citi and UBS are the joint bookrunners on the deal. No pricing terms were disclosed. Gener8 Maritime has 46 tankers on its books, totaling over 11m dwt once all deliveries arrive.