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Friday, March 29, 2024
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George V News

27 Mar 2024

Recruiter to Cooperate in Deal with Workers Suing Major US Shipbuilders

© Joseph Creamer / Adobe Stock

A maritime industry recruiter has agreed to work with plaintiffs and share worker compensation data in a lawsuit accusing major U.S. shipbuilders of limiting employee mobility, marking the first settlement in the case.Attorneys for a proposed class of engineers and architects suing General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries and other companies disclosed the settlement with Faststream Recruitment on Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia federal court.The October lawsuit said the shipbuilders violated U.S.

26 Mar 2024

FMD Acquires AMMCON

Image courtesy FMD/AMMCON

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has acquired AMMCON Corp., a Jacksonville- based fittings and assembled components manufacturer. The defense contractor’s acquisition continues its expansion and commitment to providing critical components to the U.S. Navy and other marine defense customers.“Fairbanks Morse Defense is working to build fully integrated products and services that will meet every need of maritime defense


14 Mar 2024

Hijacked Ship May Have Been Used in Attack near Somalia

Source: EUNAVFOR

Somali pirates who seized the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship Ruen in December may have used the vessel in the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia two days ago, the European Union naval force said on Thursday.Somali pirates caused chaos in important global waterways for a decade leading up to 2018, but had been dormant until a resurgence of attacks starting late last year.If confirmed, Tuesday's attack from a confiscated ship would mark a return


12 Mar 2024

Armed Pirates Board Cargo Ship Off Somalia

© Venera / Adobe Stock

Twenty armed people have boarded a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia and have taken control of it, a maritime security firm said on Tuesday.The vessel is the latest to be targeted following a resurgence of attacks by Somali pirates in recent months although the maritime security firm, Ambrey, did not specify that it was Somali pirates who boarded the ship.Ambrey said the ship was a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier - a type of merchant ship used to transport large amounts of cargo


26 Feb 2024

Mauritius Stops Norwegian Cruise Line Ship from Docking, Cites Health Risk

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Mauritius stopped a ship belonging to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings from docking at its ports due to what it said was a health risk and took samples from about 15 passengers who were in isolation on board, its port authority said on Sunday.The Norwegian Dawn had been scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but since it had not gone to Reunion Island, it arrived in Port Louis a day earlier, the Mauritius Ports Authority said in a statement."The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks


26 Feb 2024

Caribbean Officials Search for Missing Couple After Yacht Hijacking

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel (Photo: Salty Dawg Sailing Association)

Police from two countries in the eastern Caribbean are investigating the possible murder of two people believed to be U.S. citizens who owned a catamaran that was hijacked by three fugitives in the waters off the island of Grenada.The yacht's alleged owners, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, were last seen Sunday night, when three men escaped from the custody of Grenadian authorities. Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured the men on Wednesday.The Royal Grenada Police


22 Feb 2024

SAAM Towage’s First Electric Tugs Arrive in Canada

(Photo: SAAM Towage)

The first electric tugs of the SAAM Towage's fleet, built by SANMAR Shipyards, have reached the Port of Vancouver in Canada. The vessels are named Saam Volta and Chief Dan George."We continue to make progress on this milestone for SAAM Towage, which is part of our strategy to drive innovation and development for increasingly sustainable operations. These tugs, which are the result our alliance with Teck and Neptune Terminals, show our commitment to seek alternatives in our industry to reduce the carbon footprint and support the fight against global climate change


20 Feb 2024

Maritime Emissions Reduction Center Launched in Athens

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

The Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonization Hub is collaborating with five leading shipowners as founding members in the establishment of a not-for-profit Athens-based global Maritime Emissions Reduction Center (M-ERC) that will focus on optimizing the efficiency of the existing fleet.The M-ERC is being created with the goal of removing technical, investment and community barriers for the uptake of solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the existing global fleet


06 Feb 2024

DNV Confirms Energy Efficiency Gains for LNG Carries with DFE+ Propulsion

ABB dual-fuel electric propulsion system (Credit: ABB)

New Dual Fuel, Electric+ (DFE+) concept, developed by ABB and MAN Energy Solutions, has been recognized by DNV as a more energy efficient alternative to current conventional designs for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.DNV has quantified the gains that owners of LNG carriers could expect to achieve using the new DFE+ solution and found that it could help LNG carriers boost energy efficiency by up to 7.5%, therefore enabling greater emissions reduction.The number takes into account the smaller machinery space requirements with ‘a conservative estimate’ of 5% greater cargo capacity


29 Jan 2024

Crounse Takes Delivery of New Towboat from Conrad

(Photo: Crounse Corporation)

Paducah, Ky. headquartered Crounse Corporation announced it has taken delivery of a new 6,034-horsepower towboat built by Conrad Shipyard, based in Morgan City, La.The 166- by 48- by 12-foot Alice is named after the company’s first vessel that began operating in 1949. Delivered with a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection for Subchapter M compliance and two EPA Tier 4 compliant main engines, the newbuild is one of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly vesselsoperating on the United States' inland waterway system.Alice and powered by two General Electric (GE) diesel engines


29 Jan 2024

Sri Lankan Trawler Rescued from Somali Pirates

© Antony / Adobe Stock

Six crew members of a Sri Lankan fishing trawler hijacked by suspected Somali pirates have been rescued, Sri Lankan officials said on Monday.The hijacking on Sunday was the latest in a series of attacks that have fueled fears of a resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea waters after years without a successful raid.Pirates who caused chaos in the key waterways from 2008 to 2018 appear to be taking advantage of disorder caused by attacks on shipping by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.Authorities were informed of the incident by a second boat traveling with the trawler on Su

22 Jan 2024

TEN Sells 2005-built Suezmax Tanker

(File photo: TEN)

Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN) on Monday announced it has sold one of the older vessels in its fleet, noting it plans to sell additional vessels in the near future.The 164,608 dwt suezmax tanker Eurochampion 2004, built at South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2005, was sold to an undisclosed buyer in a deal expected to contribute approximately $40 million to the TEN’s cash balances, the Greek shipowner said.In announcing the sale, TEN noted its management is in continuous discussions for further vessel sales in the near future.The company also announced it has taken delivery of two 115


08 Jan 2024

Fairbanks Morse Defense Acquires Samtan Engineering Corporation

(Image: Fairbanks Morse Defense)

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has acquired single-source metalworking supplier Samtan Engineering Corporation based in Malden, Mass. Samtan’s metalworking services expand FMD’s portfolio with shearing, punching, forming, machining, fabrication and assembly capabilities.“Our acquisition of Samtan Engineering Corporation allows Fairbanks Morse Defense to continue delivering value far beyond the cost of our services through the seamless integration of metal-stamped products and machine shop services,” said FMD CEO George Whittier.

18 Dec 2023

Ingalls Authenticates Keel of Destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131)

Ingalls Structural Welder Morris Johnson welds the initials of Kelley Neal Gray onto the keel plate that will be permanently part of George M. Neal (DDG 131). (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has authenticated the keel of the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131).George M. Neal (DDG 131) is the fourth Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability including the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System


18 Dec 2023

The Man Behind the 'Jones Act'

Senator Wesley Livsey Jones (Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, photograph by Harris and Ewing, [LC-DIG-hec-15427])

Senator Wesley Livsey Jones gave his name to the famous “Jones Act” governing U.S. domestic maritime trade. But what do really know about him? It turns out that he was much more than a leading merchant marine policy maker. (i)Jones had a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before he was a Senator, was an effective legislator, an astute politician, one of the hardest working legislators of his era, and always viewed as honest and forthright. His many maritime legislative successes included the Merchant Marine Act


15 Dec 2023

Warship Rushes in to Investigate Suspected Pirate Attack off Somalia

(Photo: EUNAVFOR)

A Spanish navy ship is sailing at full speed towards a Maltese-flagged commercial vessel that may have been hijacked by pirates off Somalia, the European Union's Somali counter piracy force said on Friday.If confirmed, it would be the first successful hijacking involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.EUNAVFOR's joint operations centre in Spain said it received an alert on Thursday about the "alleged pirate-hijacked vessel" Ruen, which was approximately 500 nautical miles east of Socotra Isl

14 Dec 2023

Robotics in the EngineRoom

Image courtesy FMD

When talk turns to autonomous ships, a first question always centers on how routine and emergency repair and maintenance will be conducted. Trey Taylor, Director of Digital Innovation, Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), discusses FMD’s research and development on next-gen engine room robotics.The FMD team that Trey Taylor leads is relatively new, kicking off in 2019 with a baseline product that was looking at monitoring equipment, “being able to provide that information back to our


30 Oct 2023

Fairbanks Morse Acquires American Fan

George Whittier (Photo: FMD)

Defense contractor Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has acquired American Fan, a axial and centrifugal fan manufacturer based in Fairfield, Ohio.“Now more than ever, Fairbanks Morse Defense remains committed to expanding our growing array of OEM equipment to ensure that our fleet is always mission-ready,” said George Whittier, FMD CEO. “American Fan has a long track record of delivering high-quality products to the U.S.

31 Oct 2023

ABS and Sea Forrest Collaborate on Maritime Electrification Tech

 Photo Caption (Front L to R): George Lee, CEO, Sea Forrest; Gareth Burton, ABS Vice President, Technology (Back Row L to R): Dr. Gu Hai, ABS Vice President and Head of Global Simulation Centre; Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive, Industry and Transformation, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore; Arnab Ghosh, ABS Vice President, Regional Business Development - Credit: ABS

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Sea Forrest Power Solutions (Sea Forrest), a subsidiary of BH Global, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to drive advancements in cutting-edge maritime electrification technologies.Supported by the new ABS Electrification Center in Singapore, the agreement will cover projects for electric vessels, shore charging infrastructure, along with related industry standards and marine classification requirements, ABSABS and Sea Forrest


26 Oct 2023

Sea Forrest's Marine Battery System Earns BV Approval

Sea Forrest’s SEAGEN 11 battery units installed on board. (Photo: Sea Forrest)

Sea Forrest (SF), a provider of specialist marine electric propulsion and energy management solutions, has been awarded type approval from Bureau Veritas (BV) for its SEAGEN 11 modularized marine propulsion battery module system.SEAGEN 11 is the first marinized lithium-ion battery system for marine propulsion to be designed, built and assembled in Singapore. Together with the battery management system, which was also designed, built and programmed in Singapore in collaboration with GenPlus Pte Ltd


02 Oct 2023

Orlowski Named VP Engineering at Austal USA

Austal USA introduced Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering. Photo courtesy Austal USA

Austal USA introduced Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering, leading a team of more than 350 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff. Orlowski has more than 30 years of program and systems engineering leadership experience within the defense industry. He came to Austal USA from Northrup Grumman’s CIO Office – Mission Systems - where he was the director of engineering and manufacturing systems and infrastructure. He led a team of 250 employees focused on designing


15 Nov 2023

US Appeals Court Orders Gulf Lease Auction Within 37 Days

Source: Earthjustice, Credit: NOAA

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday ordered that a postponed federal auction of drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico be held within 37 days, a setback for environmentalists seeking expanded protections for the endangered Rice's whale.According to court papers, the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit dismissed an effort by four green groups to block an expansion of the sale ordered by a lower court judge in September.The judges said the groups lacked standing to challenge the September decision.

05 Dec 2023

Naftomar Shipping Orders Four Ammonia-powered VLGCs

(Image: Hanwha Ocean)

Shipowner Naftomar Shipping announced an order for four very large ammonia carriers, to be built by South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean (formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) for scheduled delivery from 2026. With a capacity of 93,000 m3, the ships are among the world’s largest ammonia carriers ordered to date.The Bureau Veritas (BV) classed ships will be fitted with a ME-LGIP LPG dual-fuel engine, ready to be converted to use ammonia as fuel when the MAN ES ammonia engine retrofit kit is made available.