Government & Military News

The U.S. Navy has many assets other than its seaborn vessels to care for, and recently it adopted new standards to protect those that are fuel-related. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) contracted with Master Painter Institute (MPI) services to establish product standards for interior carbon-steel fuel pipes, interior welded fuel tanks, exterior steel systems and waterfront steel structures. These new standards, known as the MPI 500 Series Standards, are for use in numerous aspects of work involving specialized Department of Defense (DoD) petroleum…

In mid-September, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued the 35th USCG Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate after a detailed review of Seattle-based manufacturer oneTank, LLC’s type approval application determined its system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.The recent U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Approval, which follows the DNV GL Certificate of Approval awarded on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Authority in compliance with the International Maritime Organization BWMS Code in July 2020…

Naval Group has unveiled its new SMX 31 E submarine concept, integrating the latest digital technologies for reinforced operational efficiency and improved versatility. Stealthier thanks to her biomimetic covering, the ship also benefits from an unmatched electrical energy storage capacity and a new propulsion concept.The new sub is designed to deliver upon Naval Group's long-term vision. The French-based company said its naval architects considered operational needs expressed…

The North Carolina Ferry System (NCFS) has been designated by the federal Maritime Administration as a Marine Highway Project, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced ThursdayThe designation, a first for the state, will allow the ferry system to apply to the Marine Highway Grant Program, which awards federal funding to modernize vessels and improve infrastructure at terminals. This year’s grant program awarded $9.7 million to marine highway projects across the…

Bollinger Shipyards delivered the USCGC Charles Moulthrope to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla., the Louisiana-based shipbuilder announced Thursday. This is the 164th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 41st Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The 154-foot USCGC Charles Moulthrope is the first of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S.

As the U.S. offshore wind industry begins to build up, the U.S. Coast Guard is training to ensure it is prepared to respond to any potential emergency—even at 400 feet in the air.Last week, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and several surface assets from the Virginia area conducted a simulated rescue operation on wind turbines at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project approximately 28 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach…

“All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don’t know by what you do”Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonIt is hard to get past headlines painting the portrait of a world besieged physically and economically by a medical crisis on a global scale and a nation that has turned the national spotlight onto the fundamentals of its constitutional democracy, including the persistence of racism, the right to protest and the character of local and national security forces in the United States.

Royston has won a multimillion pound contract to support and maintain small diesel engines onboard amphibious assault ships, mine hunters and other Royal Navy vessels, the marine engineering and propulsion specialist said Wednesday.The £5.5 million ($7.2 million) five-year Ministry of Defense (MOD) contract will see U.K.-based Royston responsible for providing diesel engine spares and technical support alongside repair and refurbishment of engines when required.This will include various Caterpillar…

Tankers were entering and leaving Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas export plant in Louisiana despite draft limitations in the Sabine-Neches Waterway after a rig ran aground in the channel over the weekend.The U.S. Coast Guard said a large semi-submersible rig, called the Jasminia, drifted into and ran aground in the Sabine Bank Channel, limiting vessels entering the waterway to those with a maximum draft of 36 feet (11 meters).The waterway sits on the Texas…

A U.S. safety board on Tuesday called for new safeguards for small passenger vessels following a September 2019 early morning boat fire in California that killed 34 people.The 75-foot (23-m) recreational diving vessel, Conception, with 33 passengers and six crew aboard, was anchored off Santa Cruz Island when it caught fire. All 33 passengers and one crew member died of smoke inhalation because they were trapped in the berthing area while a fire burned above.The National Transportation…

On a windy August afternoon in 2017, Akitsinnguaq Ina Olsen was relaxing in the old harbor of Nuuk, Greenland's capital, when a Chinese icebreaker sailed unannounced into the Arctic island's territorial waters."I saw it by chance," Olsen, 50, told Reuters. "My first thought was: 'They're already here!' They're pretty cheeky, those Chinese."She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the 167-meter long Chinese icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon), before it turned around and disappeared.The…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) said Tuesday it is accepting applications from eligible and qualified institutions to apply for a Centers of Excellence (CoE) designation, which will recognize and support community or technical colleges and maritime training centers that prepare Americans for careers in the maritime industry.“These educational institutions benefit America’s national security and economy by growing and strengthening our maritime workforce,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L.

Australia will join three-way naval exercises involving the United States, Japan and India, in a move that could provoke concern from China, which has criticized similar joint drills in the past.Here are some of the most common questions on the Malabar exercise:What is the Malabar exercise?The Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 as a training event between the United States and India. Japan joined it in 2015, but Australia has not participated since 2007.The exercise was conducted…

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) provided assistance to an Iranian-flagged dhow in distress in the Arabian Sea, October 15.While operating under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Churchill received signal from the motor vessel via flashing light that it was in distress. When hailed over bridge-to-bridge radio, the vessel’s crew explained that their engine would not start due to a dead battery and they had run out of food and water.The Churchill’s…

Please describe your professional background and what attracted you to your current position.In June 2020, I was named president and chief executive officer of Halter Marine. I had been retired around six years. My wife and I bought a piece of property outside of Brookhaven, Miss., and we were enjoying retired life split between our country property and our home in Gautier, Miss. Earlier this year, I was asked if I would consider a consulting role for Halter Marine, which led…

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) revealed it has entered into three major supply contracts worth over €100 million ($117.4 million) in total for the main equipment of Pohjanmaa Class multi-purpose corvettes commissioned by the Finnish Defense Forces.The most crucial contracts for the supply of critical main equipment with long delivery times were signed during spring and summer in highly unusual circumstances, the shipbuilder said, adding that the coronavirus pandemic has posed significant challenges to numerous businesses…

“Your true pilot cares nothing about anything on earth but the river, and the pride in his occupation surpasses the pride of kings.” -Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi (1883).That statement made by the great chronicler and river pilot over 137 years ago is arguably as true today as it was then. But what has changed dramatically in the almost century and a half since then is the variety and complexity of the daily challenges that river pilots confront on our increasingly busy inland waterways.

More than $220 million in discretionary grant funding has been awarded to improve U.S. port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced Thursday.“This $220 million in federal grants will improve America’s ports with nearly half the projects are located in Opportunity Zones, which were established to revitalize economically distressed communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L.

The future USS Mobile (LCS 26) completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico on September 25, Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced. LCS 26 is the third Austal-built ship for the U.S. Navy to complete acceptance trials in 2020.“I am proud of how the Austal team has come together again, in the middle of this pandemic, only a week after a Cat 2 hurricane made landfall in our backyard, completing another major milestone for one of our Navy ships - especially one so near and dear to us, named after our great city of Mobile, Alabama,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle.

Japan’s Coast Guard said on Sunday that two Chinese vessels entered what Japan considers its territorial waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea.It marked the 21st time this year that Chinese boats have entered Japanese waters and the first since late August, a Japanese Coast Guard representative said.Japan’s government has complained of “relentless” intrusions in waters around the group of islets claimed by both nations. The contested territory contains islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.Two Chinese Coast Guard ships entered the waters at about 10:45 a.m.

A U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement boat and a 23-foot pleasure craft with five people aboard were involved in a collision Saturday near Manatee Pocket, in Florida.As a result of the collision, the pleasure craft began taking on water and became submerged in the channel.The people aboard the pleasure craft were embarked by the Coast Guard boat crew and taken to Sandsprit Park.One person from the pleasure craft was reported to be injured and was transported to Martin County Memorial Hospital for treatment. No other injuries were reported.

Since early Spring 2020, American consumers have received a practical education in supply chain operations. One lesson is that it takes more than simply going online and clicking a “Buy Now” button for goods to show-up on our front porches. While the networks and systems that deliver commodities from around the globe might have been stretched as a result of COVID-19 related impacts, the men and women who move the freight have worked selflessly and tirelessly to meet consumer and manufacturing demand.Early on in the response to COVID-19…

The U.S. Coast Guard recently accepted the Birdon America's first upgraded 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (47 MLB) at the agency's National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) in Ilwaco, Wash., completing the first major milestone in the MLB Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The first article vessel will undergo a four-month operational assessment by members of NMLBS.The 47 MLB is the Coast Guard's standard lifeboat, designed to weather hurricane force winds and heavy seas, capable of surviving winds up to 60 knots, breaking surf up to 20 feet and impacts up to three Gs.

Ukraine will sign a memorandum with the United Kingdom, securing 1.25 billion pounds ($1.61 billion) to build new military vessels for the Ukrainian Navy, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.The memorandum would be signed during Zelenskiy’s state visit to the U.K. on October 7-8.“This is an important strategic document ... we will sign this memorandum for the amount of 1.25 billion pounds,” Zelenskiy told local television, without giving further details.Specialized military news agencies have said the funds would be in the form of a 10-year loan and allow the U.K.

The name of the first ship in the U.S. Navy's new guided missile frigate (FFG(X)) class will be USS Constellation (FFG 62), Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced Wednesday while aboard the museum ship Constellation in Baltimore.The warship will be the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name Constellation. Braithwaite said the name was selected in honor of the first U.S. Navy ships authorized by Congress in 1794: six heavy frigates named United States, Constellation, Constitution, Chesapeake, Congress and President.

Two ailing crewmembers were medevaced from a Panamanian flagged tanker approximately 25 miles off Freeport, Texas, Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston were contacted at 1:20 p.m. by the captain of the 473-foot tanker Morholmen requesting assistance for two seafarers on board, aged 29 and 57.The captain said one of the ailing mariners was experiencing abdominal pain and the other was displaying stroke symptoms.A Coast Guard…

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019, which enforces Jones Act requirements for all offshore renewable energy production. However, the bill's current language has the potential to create a loophole that would leave the U.S. Jones Act fleet on the sidelines. The Jones Act and its applicability to the offshore wind sector has long been debated by politicians, activists, and industry professionals. The act requires components transported between points in the United States to be moved by U.S. built, owned, flagged and crewed vessels.

The U.S. Navy has awarded Groton, Conn. submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat two contracts worth $251 million combined.The first is a $215.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract, the cumulative value of which, if all options are exercised, could be more than $1 billion. Electric Boat will provide planning yard, design agent, engineering services and technical support for in-service submarines and submersible systems.The second is a $35.3 million cost…

The Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Charles Ray, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. He was tested the same day, after feeling mild symptoms over the weekend, the Coast Guard said Tuesday.The Coast Guard's second-in-command will quarantine from home in line with the Coast Guard's coronavirus policy. Any Coast Guard personnel that were in close contact with Admiral Ray will also quarantine.Other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also quarantining at…

Naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox said it has been awarded a multi-phase contract from the U.S.' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a connectorless "Sea Train" concept.DARPA's Sea Train program aims to demonstrate long range deployment capabilities for a distributed fleet of tactical unmanned surface vessels. The program seeks to enable extended transoceanic transit and long-range naval operations by exploiting the efficiencies of a…

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for surface vessels, said it has been awarded a multi-year Other Transaction (OT) agreement by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to initiate a prototype that will enable commercial ocean-service barges as autonomous Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) units for an Amphibious Maritime Projection Platform (AMPP).Under this OT agreement, Sea Machines will engineer…

A containership that was leaking fuel oil through a crack in its hull has left its mooring in Bayonne, N.J. to undergo repairs at different a facility within the Port of New York/New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Liberian-flagged YM Mandate had stopped leaking last week after the spill was reported from the 300 meter long, 6,572 TEU capacity vessel on Tuesday.The Coast Guard said box ship departed the Global Container Terminal Saturday after bunker fuel was removed from the affected tank, the ship was cleaned and a dive survey confirmed no additional damage.

An offshore supply vessel assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in responding to a boat fire Saturday near the Houston Ship Channel entrance in Galveston, Texas.Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders were notified at 8:37 a.m. by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr stating they were responding to a blaze aboard a 25-foot pleasure craft with three people aboard.The Daniel Tarr crew arrived on scene and began extinguishing the fire alongside the Erin T, a 33-meter U.S.-flagged offshore supply vessel.

The Scottish Maritime Museum has successfully bid for an 80-year-old bottle of whisky salvaged from one of Scotland’s most famous shipwrecks and the inspiration for the Ealing Studio comedy Whisky Galore!The unlabelled bottle of blended whisky from the 1923 SS Politician, which ran aground off the Isle of Eriskay in 1941, was acquired by the Scottish Maritime Museum with the support of the National Fund for Acquisitions at The Grand Whisky Auction.The rare find will become part…

A 738-foot bulk carrier that ran aground near Sewell’s Point in Norfolk, Va. was refloated during high tide on Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.It took seven tugs to refloat the Panamanian flagged Hong Dai, which grounded late Wednesday night with 22 crewmembers aboard. The ship was said to be carrying a cargo of coal, as well as 188,000 gallons of low sulfur fuel oil, diesel and lube oil, collectively. No injuries, pollution or flooding concerns were reported.The refloated…

The U.S. Coast Guard’s ninth national security cutter, Stone (WMSL 758), has completed acceptance sea trials, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced Friday.Having recently spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico proving its systems, Stone is scheduled to deliver later this year and will be homeported in Charleston, S.C.Ingalls in Pascagoula, Miss. has delivered eight Legend-class NSCs with two more under construction and one additional under…

The plight of the seafarer during the COVID-19 pandemic has garnered global attention, but according to Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime, more action is needed.“This is quite remarkable. After all of the attention, from public addresses by the Secretary General of the IMO and even having the Pope engaged to have the seafarer crisis resolved, and still we are in the very unfortunate situation with more than 300,000 seafarers adrift and unable to return home.”According to Ørbeck-Nilssen a key missing ingredient to resolve the problem is a recognition…

A 608-foot bulk carrier that suffered an engine failure and ran aground in the Columbia River Thursday has been refloated without injury or pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at 12:50 a.m. that the Marshall Islands-flagged Genco Auvergne had run soft aground due to a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting down the Washington side of the Columbia River, south of Skamokawa Vista Park.The vessel, which is said to be carrying grain and approximately 616…

U.S. Coast Guard and Port of Virginia personnel are assisting the crew of a bulk carrier that ran aground near Norfolk, Va. on Wednesday night.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Virginia command center received notification from crewmembers aboard the the Panamanian-flagged Hong Dai stating the 738-foot bulk carrier ran aground on a soft sandy bottom approximately 400 meters Northwest of Sewell’s Point, the Coast Guard said on Thursday.The Hong Dai crew reported no injuries…

The Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) “Old Tar” designation, honoring the U.S. Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) serving on active duty with the earliest qualification date, has passed to Force Master Chief David B. Carter. Carter is currently assigned as the Force Master Chief, Naval Information Forces, Suffolk, Va.Carter relieved Command Master Chief Rodd D. Tooker, who has retired, and is now the 13th individual to receive the honor.“This award is a recognition of the leadership, experience and expertise possessed by a knowledgeable mariner.

Oil is no longer leaking from the cracked hull of a containership moored in the Port of New Yok and New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.A sheen around the Danaos-owned YM Mandate was first reported to the Coast Guard on Monday after the ship arrived at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., from Halifax, N.S.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding since…

The United States domestic maritime sector recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the passage by Congress of the Jones Act. It is considered the most significant of various US cabotage laws. Few mariners though appreciate the long history of cabotage laws in this country.Cabotage laws here are older than our nation. The British Navigation Acts and its predecessors were designed to develop, promote, and regulate British ships, shipping, trade, and commerce between other countries and with its colonies, including the restriction of foreign participation in its colonial trade.

A mariner suffering extreme abdominal pain was airlifted from an oil tanker approximately 225 miles off Galveston, Texas, Tuesday.The U.S. Coast Guard said the captain of the Bahamas-flagged Chrysanthemum notified USCG District Eight watchstanders of the 28-year-old crewmember's condition, and that the watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and a Coast Guard Sector/Air Station…

A containership with a visible crack in its hull is leaking fuel oil at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding after the National Response Center contacted Coast Guard Sector New York watchstanders, Monday, reporting a sheen near the Liberian-flagged vessel YM Mandate.A nearby Coast Guard Maritime…

A contract to recycle an out-of-service U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser has been awarded to International Shipbreaking Limited, LLC., one of the world’s largest green ship recycling companies.The USS Ticonderoga (CG 47), decommissioned in 2004, concluded her final voyage last week to the Port of Brownsville, Texas, where full dismantling will commence with 98% of all removed materials being recycled. The recycling work, which requires complete demilitarization of the entire ship…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) will run an autonomous patrol boat through its paces to gauge whether the innovative technology installed on board can be used to support personnel in executing Coast Guard missions.The vessel to be tested is a Metal Shark welded-aluminum 29 Defiant craft, the latest product of the Louisiana-based shipbuilder’s “Sharktech Autonomous Vessels” division to be equipped with the SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm technology from Boston-based autonomous technology developer Sea Machines.

The commander of the U.S. Navy’s Norfolk Naval Shipyard has been ousted amid ongoing performance issues in repairing and modernizing the service's ships.Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Vice Adm. Bill Galinis relieved Capt. Kai Torkelson, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, according to statement from the U.S. Navy.Rear Adm. Howard Markle, Director of NAVSEA’s Industrial Operations Directorate (SEA 04), has assumed duties as the acting commander until a permanent relief is named, the Navy said.

Finland's Wärtsilä reports it has won a contract for the delivery and integration engineering of two retractable thrusters and a dynamic positioning (DP) system for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) icebreaker CCGS Amundsen.Wärtsilä, which booked the order in July, said it was able to meet the CCG’s requirements to fit the equipment in the existing space of the 98-meter-long Arctic Class 3 Medium Icebreaker, the only vessel in its class to be fitted with retractable thrusters and DP. The new thrusters will be integrated with the existing bow thruster, which is also a Wärtsilä product.

Orcas behavior of battering sailboats off Spain and Portugal baffles expertsThere are many mysteries in the maritime environment. For Sailors along Spain and Portugal’s Atlantic coastline, there has been a recent series of puzzling incidents involving apparently aggressive orcas.While orcas are not known to attack humans, they can cause damage to boats. In a series of incidents along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts between Gibraltar and Galicia, groups of orcas have been recorded swimming near sailboats and other vessels…

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill said Thursday its Brazilian subsidiary had been served with a search and seizure warrant in relation to a bribery investigation."Seadrill Limited confirms that today its subsidiary Seadrill Serviços de Petroleo, Ltda was served with a search and seizure warrant from the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of the latest phase of Operation Car Wash."Operation Car Wash is a years-long corruption investigation by the Brazilian Federal Police that covers…

The cruise industry has certainly been among businesses hardest hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. But the industry-rocking fallout extends well beyond the cruise lines themselves, extending through cities throughout Florida where canceled sailings are resulting in loss of revenue to public ports, government at all levels, and private companies that do business with cruise lines.These conclusions are contained in the latest Fact Finding 30 report that was released today by Fact Finding Officer Commissioner Louis E. Sola, of the Federal Maritime Commission.

Sweden has protested to Russia after two warships entered its territorial waters without permission, a defense department spokesman said on Wednesday, as Sweden agreed with two neighboring countries to deepen military cooperation.The spokesman said Sweden had called in Russian diplomatic representatives to protest the breach on September 14 by “two Russian corvettes which entered territorial waters near Gothenburg”.The Swedish military has also reported that a Danish military…

A fire-stricken U.S. Coast Guard cutter docked in Yokosuka, Japan Tuesday for inspection and possible repairs days after an onboard blaze left five crew members with minor injuries.Black smoke was reported on the cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) at 5:18 p.m. (local time) on Sunday while the ship was on deployed within the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations, the Coast Guard said.Onboard crews were able to contain the flames in the ship' exhaust stack and nearby spaces, and all fires…

A Russian navy vessel collided with a Swiss-owned container ship in Danish waters on Wednesday near the Oresund Bridge linking Denmark and Sweden, Danish defense authorities told Reuters.The Ice Rose, which was sailing from St. Petersburg in Russia to Gothenburg in Sweden, collided with a Russian frigate early on Wednesday morning, a spokesman for the Joint Operation Centre said.He said the reason for the collision was not clear, but that the Russian vessel had permission to be…

Bollinger Shipyards said it has been awarded contracts to build four additional Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRC) for the U.S. Coast Guard, bringing the total number of FRCs awarded to the Louisiana shipbuilder up to 60 vessels since the program’s inception. The Coast Guard’s Program of Record is to procure 64 FRCs.All four of the newly awarded FRCs will be built at Bollinger’s Lockport, La. facility and are scheduled to be delivered in 2022 and 2023. Three of the four will be homeported in Alaska and the fourth in Boston.“It’s a great honor to have the confidence of the U.S.

An ailing crewmember was medevaced from the vehicle carrier Morning Peace approximately 130 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At 1:32 p.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard watchstanders received a medevac request for a 48 year-old crewmember reportedly experiencing symptoms of appendicitis aboard the 653-foot, Marshall Islands flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle carrier. The Duty Flight Surgeon was consulted and a medevac was recommended.Initially 530 miles south of Unalaska Island…

The United States and Guyana will begin joint maritime patrols aimed at drug interdiction near the South American country’s disputed border with crisis-stricken Venezuela, the U.S. secretary of state and Guyana’s new president said on Friday.The agreement comes as U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp, as part of a consortium with Hess Corp and China’s CNOOC Ltd, ramps up crude output from Guyana’s massive offshore Stabroek block, a large portion of which is in waters claimed by Venezuela.“Greater security…

Shipbuilder Austal Australia has delivered the seventh Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, PSS President H.I. Remeliik II, was gifted by the Government of Australia to the Government of Palau during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said this Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivery was unique as it is the first to take place under COVID-19 restrictions.The 39.5-meter steel monohull patrol boat—designed…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, navies adjusted how they operate at home and while deployed, to keep their forces ready for any missions as they keep their Sailors, families, communities, as well as allies and partners safe from the coronavirus.Navies have taken a number of prudent preventative measures to limit outbreaks, mitigate cases of infection and reduce the community spread of the virus.Speaking during his May 29 “On The Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theaters” podcast, Admiral James G. Foggo III, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, said The U.S.

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm BMT said it has been awarded a contract to conduct industry studies to advance the design of the next generation of U.S. Navy Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship (T-AGOS(X)).The industry studies address technical solutions and design tradeoffs, provide recommendations to improve producibility and affordability, and include technical reviews of the Navy’s evolving ship design, said prime contractor BMT, who will partner with U.S.

New legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.The Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act aims to increase Great lakes icebreaking capacity, which the lawmakers say will help the businesses and workers that rely on the maritime industry to transport their goods to market and grow the regional economy.“In recent years…

The captain and crew of a Hong Kong-flagged containership came to the rescue of a sailboat crew in distress on Sunday amid severe weather and waves during storm Sally, in the Gulf of Mexico, some 130 nautical miles west of Port Tampa Bay, Fla.The COSCO SHIPPING Lines containership COSCO Malaysia was en route from Mobile, Ala. to Port Tampa Bay when it received a distress call from the sailboat Yes Dear at 8:22 a.m. local time and immediately carried out rescue operations under instruction from local U.S.

Texas-based Gulf Copper and Manufacturing said it has been awarded a $3.9 million dry docking and refurbishment of the NOAA research vessel Henry B. Bigelow. The work will be performed at Gulf Copper's Galveston yard.Commissioned in 2007 and homeported in Newport, R.I., Henry B. Bigelow is a fisheries survey vessel that studies a wide range of marine life and ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast, primarily from Maine to North Carolina. The ship's main mission is to study and monitor fish stocks…

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest national security cutter Stone (WMSL 758) completed builder’s sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The new ship, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss., spent three days testing propulsion and auxiliary equipment, as well as various shipboard systems, Ingalls announced Monday.“Every successful sea trial is a major accomplishment for our shipbuilders, but this set proved to be a particularly substantial undertaking,” said Jay Boyd, Ingalls’ NSC program manager.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Vigor (Team RB-M) in August delivered two additional Response Boat-Mediums (RB-Ms) to the U.S. Coast Guard. These boats are part of an approved foreign military sale to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan through the Department of Homeland Security.Fincantieri Marinette Marine was the prime contractor and program manager for the project, and Vigor built the vessels at its Seattle facility.The Royal Jordanian Naval Force (RJNF) plans to operate the new boats from its base in Aqaba…

Sri Lanka has initiated repair work on the ruptured fuel oil tank in the engine room of a stricken fully loaded oil supertanker after plugging the leak, the country's Navy said.The supertanker is currently 52 nautical miles (96 kms) from the Sri Lankan coast, Navy spokesman Indika de Silva said. "Salvors are on board, they plugged the leak and the repair is still going...They have vacated the ruptured tank and transferred the dirty water into the ballast section," de Silva told Reuters. A fire broke out in the engine room of the Greek-owned New Diamond tanker on Sept.

The U.S. Navy’s latest fast-attack submarine Montana (SSN 794) was christened on Saturday at Huntington Ingalls' Newport News Shipbuilding division, in what was the shipyard's first virtual christening ceremony.Namely, due to COVID-19 restrictions on the size of public gatherings, the christening ceremony was hosted virtually at Newport News’ Module Outfitting Facility.Former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell the ship’s sponsor, smashed a bottle of sparkling wine across the…

Davit supplier Vestdavit said its U.S. operation has won a contract to deliver boat launch-and-recovery systems to two U.S. Navy Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels currently being built by global shipbuilder Austal at its yard in Mobile, Ala.Vestdavit Inc. will supply a 2TDB-7000 davit system to each of EPF 13 and EPF 14, the latest vessels to be commissioned as part of the U.S. Navy’s EPF program. With EPF 13 due for delivery in late 2021, both ships will be deployed in the high-speed…

Maritime navigational safety near two U.S. Navy installations in Kings Bay, Ga., and Portsmouth, N.H. has been improved thanks to new Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems, also known as PORTS, installed by NOAA and the U.S. Navy. They are the first new PORTS in two years, and the 34th and 35th in the nationwide network.The system near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, the East Coast home to America’s Ohio-class submarines, is an integrated series of sensors which will provide critical real-time information on oceanographic and meteorological conditions.

The Sri Lankan navy has towed a fire-stricken supertanker further out to sea to keep it off the coast of the Indian Ocean island after the wind picked up strength and changed direction, a spokesman said on Thursday.The tanker, loaded with 2 million barrels oil, was 50 nautical miles (95 km) from the east coast and moving in a northerly direction, the navy spokesman, Indika de Silva, said. Earlier, it had been headed southwest.The stricken vessel has raised fears of an environmental disaster…

Beca Applied Technologies Ltd, with the support of specialist naval architecture company Vard Marine Inc, have been appointed by the New Zealand Ministry of Defense as the Technical Support Partner to the Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel (SOPV) project. Beca and Vard Marine will join the Ministry’s Integrated Project Team providing systems engineering, concept design and technical logistics input for the early stages of the project as the capability is defined and specified.The SOPV project is exploring options for an ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel for Southern Ocean operations will be navigating the large distance between New Zealand and Antarctica…

On August 28, Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) held a keel-laying for the second of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPV) that it is building for the South African Navy’s Project BIRO.The South African Navy’s Project BIRO aims to develop maritime security, ensuring the country’s capabilities to respond effectively, rapidly, and cost-efficiently to maritime threats such as piracy and illegal fishing.The MMIPVs draw on proven technology from Damen’s standardized range of patrol boats…

The Sri Lankan navy said on Wednesday it had extinguished another fire on a stricken supertanker loaded with 2 million barrels of oil and is towing it to deeper water.The navy's disaster management team put out the fire that reignited on Monday on the MT New Diamond, and there were currently no fires burning on the ship which is 41 nautical miles (76 km) off Sri Lanka's east coast.Officials were working to assess any damage to the environment from the incident, which began on Sept.

The new U.S. Navy destroyer Delbert D. Black departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula Miss. Friday, sailing to its homeport in Mayport, Fla.Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, delivered to the Navy in April this year, was was originally scheduled to be commissioned in 2019, but an allision at the shipyard in March 2019 caused scheduling delays, minor injuries and more than $30 million in damage to the new destroyer, which was still under construction at the time.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted in March 2020, provided relief to numerous industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Air carriers, for example, benefitted from the creation of a $25 billion Treasury direct loan program, in addition to a $25 billion worker support program that provides a mix of grants and loans to cover employee wages, salaries and benefits. In addition, Congress waived the small business affiliation rules for businesses…

Sri Lanka's navy said on Tuesday that an oil slick had been spotted a kilometer from a loaded supertanker off the country's east coast, as efforts to extinguish a fire on board continued.Sri Lankan officials are working to assess any damage to the environment and marine life from the incident, which began on September 3, when a fire initially broke out in the engine room of the New Diamond supertanker.The first fire aboard the ship, which was chartered by Indian Oil Corp to import some 2 million barrels of oil from Kuwait, was put out, but a second one broke out on Monday."The ship has tilted

Iranian fuel that the United States seized last month while it was being transported to Venezuela is now being taken to Texas by two tankers due to arrive in coming days, part of Washington’s efforts to disrupt trade between Caracas and Tehran, according to sources and data.The first fuel cargo, on Liberia-flagged tanker Euroforce, was to arrive in Texas in the coming 24 hours, the sources said. It is broadcasting the U.S. Gulf port of Galveston as destination, according to shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.The second cargo on Singapore-flagged tanker Maersk Progress tanker…

The United States Navy is searching for a sailor missing from one of its aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz, in the northern Arabian Sea, the U.S. 5th Fleet said on Sunday.“USS Nimitz called man overboard at 6:47 p.m. local time on September 6 after personnel aboard the ship were unable to locate the Sailor following a shipwide search”, the statement on Twitter said.The Nimitz and the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton were conducting search and rescue operations. The sailor’s name was withheld, in accordance with U.S. Navy Policy.(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Emergency responders extinguished a fire aboard a commercial crane barge near Egmont Key, Fla. Sunday.The U.S. Coast Guard, West Manatee County Fire Department, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and commercial salvage crew responded after Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders were made aware of the blaze by a good Samaritan via VHF-FM Channel 16.The Coast Guard directed the launch of Coast Guard Station Cortez and Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg 45-foot Response Boat—Medium boat crews to create a safety zone around the burning vessel…

The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy have awarded six contracts worth around $42 million for studies of a large unmanned surface vessel.The companies awarded the contracts, valued around $7 million each, are Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Huntington Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Gibbs & Cox, Austal, and Bollinger Shipyards.Each contract includes an option for engineering support, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value for all awards to $59,476,146, the DoD said."...each contract and is expected to be complete by August 2021…

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) has ordered energy management and electric propulsion package from GE’s Power Conversion for the new Combat Support Ship (CSS) being built for the Royal Netherlands Navy.The CSS ordered by the Dutch government in December 2019 will be 180 meters in length, will accommodate a 75-persons basic crew, with capacity for an additional 85 persons on-board. GE’s will deliver main switchboards for the ship distribution system, with two shore connection cubicles…

A fire on a supertanker abandoned off Sri Lanka's east coast has been extinguished, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman said on Sunday.“The fire on the oil tanker has been doused. However we are continuing to spray water in case it reignites,” Captain Indika De Silva told Reuters.The New Diamond is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil, although a senior Sri Lankan navy official said on Friday there was no real risk of a spill.The fire broke out in the engine room on Thursday morning and spread to the bridge of the ship.

A third crewman from a cargo ship that capsized this week off the coast of Japan with more than 40 crew and some 6,000 cattle on board was found alive on Friday after he was spotted by a search plane, Japan's coastguard said.The man, 30-year-old Filipino Jay-nel Rosals, was found on a liferaft waving for help 2 km (1.2 miles) off Kodakarajima, a small island in Japan's southern Kagoshima prefecture, the coastguard said.He was conscious and was able to walk when the coast guard rescued him.

Shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO on Thursday laid the keel for the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), the second of six vessels in the John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler program for the U.S. Navy.At 746-feet in length and displacing 49,000 tons, the future USNS Harvey Milk will provide logistics support to carrier strike groups around the world. Fleet oilers serve as a supply lifeline for Navy vessels carrying out missions in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and beyond.

Austal Limited announced Thursday that USNS Newport (EPF 12) has been delivered to the United States Navy from Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile, Ala.USNS Newport is the 12th Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship to be delivered to the U.S. Navy – and brings the total number of ships delivered to the Navy by Austal USA to 24 in 10 years, including three this year. USS Oakland (LCS 24) was delivered in June, following the future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) handed over in .Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said…

Austal announced that the future USS Savannah (LCS 28) has been christened at Austal USA’s manufacturing facility in Mobile, Ala. The future USS Savannah is the 14th of 19 Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) Austal USA has under contract with the United States Navy.Austal Limited Chief Executive David Singleton said the continued success of the Independence-class LCS shipbuilding program demonstrated the extensive capabilities of the high-caliber Austal USA team. “The…

A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japan's coastguard on Thursday.The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.Japan's coastguard said it had rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines…

Mackay Marine said it has completed final electronics commissioning during sea trials aboard the future CCGS John Cabot. Constructed at Seaspan’s Vancouver shipyard, the new ship is the third Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) built for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCGS) under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.Mackay said it was selected to be part of the team to support Thales Canada in its role as Tier-1 Partner to Seaspan Shipyards and as Electronic Systems Integrator for the construction of these vessels.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone at Saudi Arabia's Abha international airport and a remotely controlled explosive-laden boat in the south of the Red Sea both launched by Iran-aligned Houthis on Sunday, Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported.As a result of intercepting the drone, some splinters fell on the airport, causing no injuries or damage, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said, according to SPA.Air traffic at the airport was proceeding as normal, state-run Al Ekhbariya TV said, citing its reporter.Al-Malki said the expl

The U.S. Coast Guard and Air National Guard completed a four-day, long-range, joint rescue mission to medevac a critically injured 39-year-old man aboard a cargo ship located approximately 1,300 miles west of San Francisco, Friday.The Hong-Kong-flagged bulk carrier Ocean Applaud contacted 11th Coast Guard District command center watchstanders Monday regarding a crewmember who reportedly fell 30 feet while working on the vessel.Due to the limited offshore range of Coast Guard aircraft…

The European Union is preparing sanctions against Turkey that could be discussed at the bloc's next summit on Sept. 24 in response to the eastern Mediterranean dispute with Greece, the EU's top diplomat said on Friday.The measures, meant to limit Turkey's ability to explore for natural gas in contested waters, could include individuals, ships or the use of European ports, Josep Borrell said. The EU would focus on everything related to "activities we consider illegal", he added.He…

In 2007, scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who holds a doctorate from the University of Paris, wrote a bestselling book titled “Black Swan,” which proposed a theory involving unpredictable events with significant impact. Taleb believed that a black swan event was an outlier with significant impact and, once it occurs, is the source of deep reflection and rationalization. Since the book’s publication, a significant number of research efforts have been developed to consider possible black swan events that significantly impact the Maritime Transportation System (MTS) and the Maritime Global Commons.

Earlier this year, The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a new advisory to provide those engaged or involved in trade in the maritime industry with further information and tools to counter illicit shipping and sanctions evasion.The advisory is representative of the U.S. Government’s increasingly detailed efforts towards addressing these issues, as illustrated by OFAC’s recent sanctions actions which show a trend of incremental but clear extension of oversight.

NATO is looking at ways to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean while supporting German diplomatic efforts to defuse the worsening dispute over energy resources there, the alliance’s chief said on Thursday.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters the Western alliance was considering so-called deconfliction measures to prevent naval accidents in an increasingly congested region, although he did not go into details.“I am also exploring the possibilities of NATO developing mechanisms to prevent incidents and accidents, a set of deconfliction mechanisms,” Stoltenberg s

A sailor is being investigated for arson in connection to the fire that raged for four days aboard the warship USS Bonhomme Richard in July, multiple sources report, citing anonymous U.S. Navy officials.Naval investigators are focused on one sailor from the ship, an official said, adding no motive has been determined and no one has been charged, according to the New York Times.“The Navy will not comment on an ongoing investigation to protect the integrity of the investigative process and all those involved,” Lt. Tim Pietrack, a Navy spokesperson, told the newspaper.

The United States on Wednesday blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals it said were part of construction and military actions in the South China Sea, its first such sanctions move against Beijing over the disputed strategic waterway.The U.S. Commerce Department said the two dozen companies played a “role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea.”Separately, the State Department said it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese individuals “responsible for…

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) said it has been awarded a developmental contract by Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) to provide manufacturing design drawings, engineering, fabrication, inspection, and assembly of prototype propulsor, shafting and bearing components as well as the equipment needed to support propulsor research and development, testing and evaluation.GA-EMS will work with NSWCCD to develop new propulsor components for both surface ships and submarines.

Maritime regulatory and law enforcement authorities from Asia, Australia and Europe convened virtually on Tuesday to address piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.During the virtual Capacity Building Workshop, host ReCAAP Information Sharing Center (ISC) and participants from its member countries shared the information and assessment of the latest situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, in particular, in the areas of concern. They also discussed the…

A Panama-flagged bulk carrier and Philippine-flagged motor tanker collided off Luzon Point, Mariveles, Bataan at around 12:15 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will stand up its first unit dedicated to supporting the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Conn. today.The new Auxiliary unit will support the RDC mission by coordinating requests for assets and skills in three focus areas: subject matter expertise, field research activities and public affairs. The new Auxiliary unit coordinator, Bruce Buckley, will develop a skills bank that matches Coast Guard research priorities to Auxiliary skill sets across the nation.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) is making an early return to its Seattle homeport, and its future Arctic operations have been canceled after the 21-year-old medium icebreaker suffered a fire in one of its main propulsion motors last week.The electrical fire was reported at 9:30 p.m. on August 18 while the Healy was 60 nautical miles off of Seward, Alaska, where it had embarked 11 scientists for research and security mission in the Arctic.An onboard fire team disconnected the affected motor…

Paramount Maritime, a Paramount Group company, said it has launched the first of three next-generation Survey Motor Boats (SMBs) to the South African Navy in continued support of its programs to enhance the capabilities and infrastructure of the South African Navy Hydrographic Office (SANHO).In addition to the three Survey Motor Boats to be delivered to the South African Navy Hydrographic Office (SANHO), this program also provides for the delivery of a Hydrographic Survey Vessel and a Sea Boat as well as a third…

French tech company iXblue will deliver inertial navigation systems and gyrocompasses for new Royal Australian Navy’s SEA1180 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV). Based on Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology, iXblue’s inertial navigation systems will provide the 12 new Arafura Class vessels with highly accurate and reliable navigation capabilities in all environments, including within GNSS-denied operational areas, iXblue said.David Cunningham, commercial director at iXblue: "We would…