Government & Military News

Norway's Westcon Yards says it entered into a new agreement with the Norwegian Armed Forces for the maintenance of Coast Guard vessels."This is an important agreement for us," says Georg Matre, ship repair officer at Westcon Yards, pointing out that the first maintenance agreement with the Armed Forces came into place in 2016. The latest agreement, now valid for an additional three years, concerns the maintenance of seven Coast Guard vessels."Our maintenance work for the Coast Guard mainly includes classing…

The European Commission has approved a €600 million ($668.1 million) Finnish aid scheme to support maritime companies impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.The aid scheme will take the form of State guarantees on working capital loans and will be accessible to maritime operators that are essential for maintaining the security of supply to Finland during the coronavirus outbreak. The funds are intended to help these firms cover immediate working capital needs, maintain employment and have sufficient liquidity to continue their activities.

The U.S. Navy has issued standardized operational guidance aiming to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through its deploying units after more than 3,100 confirmed cases and 12 deaths have been reported in its ranks and several warships have been sidelined by onboard outbreaks.The guidance, which outlines minimum actions required for units to deploy safely during the coronavirus pandemic, builds on existing restricted movement, isolation and quarantine procedures already in practice as well as lessons learned…

New powerboats have been delivered to the UK Royal Navy’s Tyneside headquarters to improve seafaring training for reservists.HMS Calliope in Gateshead has taken delivery of two Gemini RIBs to take the unit’s volunteers out on to the water – part of an initiative to provide numerous Royal Naval Reserve bases around the UK with fast boats again, an idea first mooted three years ago.Following hundreds of hours of hard work, dedication and commitment, that vision is now reality.Given the increasing use of reservists in seagoing billets – such as the Gibraltar Squadron or fishery protection ships –

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Myrtle Hazard to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 162nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 39th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC Myrtle Hazard is the first of three FRCs to be home-ported in Apra Harbor, Guam, increasing the presence for the U.S. Coast Guard in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Additionally, later in 2020, Bollinger will deliver the first of six FRCs that will be home-ported in Manama…

Ship owners and insurers say it may be impossible for the maritime industry to fully comply with the Trump administration’s new guidelines on how to avoid sanctions penalties related to Iran, North Korea and Syria, raising the risk of disruptions in a sector already struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.The advisory issued this month marked the first U.S. sanctions guidance for the global maritime sector, and will test Washington’s ability to clamp down on violations without disrupting an industry that handles 90% of the world’s trade.The final version of the U.S.

Unique among the nation’s armed services, the Coast Guard’s missions include national defense, law enforcement, natural disaster incident management, recreational boating safety and environmental protection. This diversity of mission scope presents opportunities for the Coast Guard at the strategic, operational and tactical levels as the service works to make their efforts as effective and efficient as possible.Contributing to the service’s overall execution effort is the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), based in New London, Connecticut.

In May 2020, the US Department of State, US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and US Coast Guard issued a joint Sanctions Advisory for the Maritime Industry. The advisory builds on and expands several prior sanctions advisories for the maritime community issued in 2018-19.The advisory is intended as a guidepost to help participants in the maritime sector achieve the desired level of compliance. Most of the guidance is couched in the language of suggestion (e.g., parties “may wish to consider…”), rather than as a mandate.

The technology group Wärtsilä has completed replacement of the Ship Analytics simulator solution at the United States Coast Guard Academy’s Ship Control and Navigation Training System (SCANTS) facility. The original simulator system was installed at the Academy in the 1990s, and the replacement work was carried out primarily by, and in partnership with, NavSim Services, Inc., the prime contractor. The upgrade was accomplished in two stages to accommodate the operational training schedule of the Academy…

The coronavirus pandemic has not caused Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri to lose any of its existing orders, CEO Giuseppe Bono told a Senate defense committee.While the company has not received any order cancellations to date, the company—one of the world's top cruise ship builders—said in its first quarter report that it is in talks with clients and subcontractors to discuss potentially stretching out order delivery times for vessels currently under construction and on…

The European Union's carbon market could capture a large chunk of emissions from outside Europe if the bloc succeeds in including shipping in the scheme, according to the European Commission's first report on maritime CO2 emissions.Pollution from ships plying international waters typically escapes countries' domestic emissions-cutting targets, but the EU's executive has said the sector must contribute to its trillion-euro push to achieve a "climate neutral" economy by 2050.It wants to curb shipping's carbon footprint by adding it to the Europe-wide emissions trading system (ETS)…

The Independence-class littoral combat ship - the future USS Oakland (LCS 24) - has completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico, shipbuilder Austal has informed.The LCS 24 is the 12th Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama for the United States Navy (USN).Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said the successful completion of acceptance trials for LCS 24 during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated Austal USA’s capability and reliability to deliver vessels on time…

Two fisherman reportedly adrift for two weeks and presumed lost at sea were rescued with help from a good Samaritan towboat crew and the U.S. Coast Guard.Domingo Jimenez, 45, and Ramon Castillo, 29, both from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, departed Samana, Dominican Republic on May 2. On May 5, USCG Sector San Juan watchstanders received a report from a concerned family member stating Jimenez and Castillo were overdue after heading out in their 25-foot vessel to fish approximately 132 miles northeast of Samana.The U.S.

In recognition of National Maritime Day, held on May 22 each year, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation honoring the U.S. maritime industry. The full text is below.Since the founding of our great Nation, we have relied on merchant mariners to deliver goods to market and strengthen our national security. On National Maritime Day, we recognize the United States Merchant Marine for all it does to facilitate our commerce and protect our interests at sea.Our Nation’s merchant…

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is underway for the first time since being sidelined by an onboard coronavirus outbreak that infected hundreds of sailors and led to the firing of the ship's commander.Theodore Roosevelt was in the Asia-Pacific region when a number of its sailors began falling ill with COVID-19, forcing the aircraft carrier to eventually dock in Guam on March 27. One sailor who was infected died, and more than 1,110 out of the roughly 4…

The Royal Australian Navy welcomed its newest Air Warfare Destroyer, HMAS Sydney, into the fleet in the first commissioning of an Australian warship at sea since World War II.Commissioned during a ceremony off the coast of New South Wales on Monday, Sydney is the last of three Hobart Class vessels built for Navy at Osborne in South Australia and is based on the Navantia F100 frigate design.The 147-meter-long guided missile destroyer is equipped with advanced combat systems, providing…

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the allocation of $88 million in fishery disaster funding to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, where a catastrophic regional fishery disaster occurred due to extreme freshwater flooding in 2019 associated with the unprecedented opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.“The Department of Commerce stands with our U.S. fishing communities, especially in times of hardship,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These funds will help industries and individuals recover from this disaster…

Charleston, S.C. repair yard Detyens Shipyards has been awarded a $24,235,291 firm-fixed-price contract for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul dry-docking of the U.S. Navy oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201). Work is expected to be complete by October 2020.The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $27,416,444. The Military Sealift Command is the contracting activity.Work will include main and emergency switchboard cleaning…

Indonesia has summoned China’s ambassador to clarify the deaths of four Indonesian crew from two Chinese-flagged vessels, Indonesia’s foreign ministry said, after rights groups alleged the crew were mistreated and exploited.The ministry issued a statement after a video was circulated on social media, appearing to show a burial at sea aboard a Chinese-flagged ship. The footage showed a group of men praying around an orange body bag before it was tossed into the ocean.A Chinese…

Israel appears to be behind a cyberattack earlier this month on computers at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port that caused massive backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility, the Washington Post reported on Monday.Citing unnamed U.S. and foreign government officials, the Post said the May 9 disruption of Iranian computers was presumably in retaliation for an earlier attempted cyberattack on rural water distribution systems in Israel.The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not…

Venezuela's military will escort Iranian tankers bringing fuel to the gasoline-starved country as soon as they enter its exclusive economic zone, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday.His comments came after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said the shipment should "alarm" Latin America. Both OPEC members are U.S. adversaries whose oil industries are under U.S. sanctions. Trump administration officials say Washington is considering a response to the shipment.The tankers - Fortune…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Wednesday lifted the aft deckhouse onto guided missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). The 320-ton aft deckhouse includes radar equipment rooms, main engine intake and exhaust compartments, electric shop and staterooms.“Our team has kept this first Flight III ship ahead of schedule by working collaboratively and using lessons learned from our long history of building destroyers,” said Ben Barnett, Ingalls DDG 125 program manager.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it will initiate an investigation into whether ballast water regulations proposed by the Government of Canada discriminate against U.S. flag vessel operators in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.The FMC commissioners voted unanimously to accept a petition filed by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) asking the commision to perform the investigation and examine the detriment and harm to the U.S. flag fleet resulting…

The U.S. Navy’s first Yard Tug (YT) 808 class vessel was launched at Dakota Creek Industries' (DCI) shipyard on May 16. The Navy and DCI plan to conduct acceptance trials for the vessel in July, followed by planned delivery in August.The new tug is the first in a series of six being built by the Anacortes, Wash. shipbuilder for scheduled delivery through early 2022. The YT 808 vessels are designed by Robert Allan Ltd. after the Navy’s existing YT 802 Valiant-class tugs to perform towing and ship-handling duties for carriers, surface ships, submarines and barges.

In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels."Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat," according to the text of the notice.A U.S.

The Iranian navy will maintain regular missions in the Gulf, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday, a day after the United States warned mariners there to stay away from U.S. warships.“The naval units of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will continue their regular missions in accordance with professional principles as in the past,” ISNA quoted an unnamed military official as saying.The U.S. warning to mariners followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass U.S. Navy vessels.The Bahrain-based U.S.

Naval automation and navigation systems supplier Seastema said its SEAS-PILOT HCS autopilot system has been certified with the MED/4.16 Type Approval Certificate of Conformity by DNV GL.With this result, Seastema, a Fincantieri company, becomes the only Italian manufacturer, and one of the first worldwide, of a certified autopilot system in conformity with the new European regulation MED (Marine Equipment Directive) 2019/1397, the highest international standard in the marine sector.The…

Fairbanks Morse said it has been awarded a contract by Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) to build and deliver the main propulsion diesel engines (MPDE) for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Ingham (WMSM-917).Ingham is the third OPC being constructed by ESG in Panama City, Fla. The 360-foot-long cutter will be powered by two FM | MAN 16V 28/33D STC diesel engines, each rated at 7,280 kW for 14,560 kW of total propulsion power. Fairbanks Morse said it will build the engines at its Beloit…

General Dynamics Mission Systems said it has secured a $40.3 million contract to support the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) in its role as U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independence-variant Software Support Agent (SSA), Combat Management System (CMS), and In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA).The contract, awarded May 1, will provide support for LCS Independence-variant CMS efforts. As the prime contractor, General Dynamics’ responsibility will be…

The latest Philippine Navy frigate built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), BRP Jose Rizal, departed for the Philippines carrying masks and other quarantine supplies.The 2,600-ton frigate, with maximum speed of 25 knots, features the Philippine Navy’s first operation of guided missiles and torpedoes.The new ship set sail to Subic port in the Philippines following a sail-off ceremony held by HHI on Monday. The builder said the delivery comes four months ahead of the…

Taiwan is complying with international sanctions against North Korea, a senior Taiwanese security official told the United States’ deputy representative for North Korea on Tuesday, having previously been called out for breaking them.Taiwan, claimed by China as its own, is not a member of the United Nations, but says that as a responsible global player it is committed to ensuring sanctions are enforced to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.In 2018, independent U.N. monitors told a U.N.

Thyssenkrupp on Monday said it was looking for partners for its steel and warship divisions, singling out just three lines of businesses that will stay within the struggling German industrial icon.Hoping to stop the bleeding of cash and restore investor confidence, the group also pooled businesses worth 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) of sales and employing 20,000, about 13% of total staff, that are either to be sold or shut down."With this reassessment of the portfolio, we have taken some difficult decisions that were long overdue and will now implement them systematically…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is seeking public comment on a proposal to expand regulations on vessel financial responsibility for all tank vessels greater than 100 gross tons as required by statute, and to make other amendments that clarify and update reporting requirements, reflect current practice and remove unnecessary regulations.The proposed rule would ensure that the Coast Guard has current information when there are significant changes in a vessel’s operation…

Philly Shipyard won a high-profile contract when TOTE Services awarded the deal to build up to five new ships, the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV). We caught up with Steinar Nerbovik, President & CEO, Philly Shipyard for insights on the deal.While many companies globally fight to stay in business through the COVID-19 pandemic, Philly Shipyard received a huge deal late last month: the contract to build up to five NSMV ships, a contract that has been one of the most closely watched and hotly contested U.S. shipbuilding deals in recent memory.

With developments in the current health crisis almost entirely consuming nearly all news reporting, one could be forgiven for thinking that the members of Congress are thinking about and working on little else, and that even if they were, the divisive partisanship of recent years would doom the prospects of much else getting done. Happily, that is not the case for the nation’s inland waterways. Both houses of Congress are diligently working on maintaining the momentum of passing a Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) every two years…

Shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique said it has cut first steel for the lead vessel in a series of four new Bâtiments Ravitailleurs de Force (BRF) replenishment ships for the French Navy. The four ships are scheduled to be delivered from end 2022 to 2029.The order for the construction of the four vessels was placed in January 2019 to the temporary association of companies formed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Naval Group. This order for the French Navy is part of a Franco-Italian program led by OCCAR…

An Iranian news agency close to the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday there would be repercussions if the United States acted “just like pirates” against an Iranian fuel shipment to Venezuela.A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration told Reuters on Thursday the United States was considering measures it could take in response to Iran’s shipment of fuel to crisis-stricken Venezuela.The oil sectors of Iran and Venezuela, members of OPEC, are both under U.S. sanctions.

Vallejo, Calif. ship repair yard Mare Island Dry Dock has secured a $33,532,308 firm-fixed-price contract for a 150-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of U.S. Navy submarine tender ship USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). Work is expected to be complete by January 2021.The contract includes a base period and three options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $36,228,717. The Naval Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N32205-18-C-4552).Commissioned in 1970, the 649-foot USS Emory S.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a safety alert highlighting the importance of accurate Automatic Identification System (AIS) data entry and display to safe navigation following a recent towboat collision on the Mississippi River.Although the investigation into this casualty is not yet complete, the Coast Guard said the incident shows the hazards created by inaccurate AIS data and should prompt owners and operators to review and update their procedures to prevent similar casualties from occurring.Before sunrise, two towing vessels were approaching a bend on the Mississippi River.

The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Los Angeles Friday after supporting local COVID-19 response efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.Mercy has been at the World Cruise Center Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles since March 27, serving state and local healthcare providers by treating non-COVID-19 patients in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Medical professionals aboard the ship treated a variety of patients and performed medical procedures including general…

Dozens of containers lost from a ship at sea have been recovered off the coast of Australia as the country's maritime authority continues to press the vessel's owner to pay the $11 million cleanup costs.The 63 boxes plucked from the bottom of the Tasman Sea are among more than 80 lost from Yang Ming's containership YM Efficiency about 20 miles from shore in June 2018. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says it stepped in to handle the cleanup operations after the…

The Trump administration on Thursday issued guidelines to help ship owners and insurers avoid the risks of sanctions penalties, standards that maritime players and a senior State Department official said were modified following months of discussions with industry.The guidelines, known as a Global Maritime Advisory, concern sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Syria. The State Department said it is committed to disrupting sanctions evasion and smuggling of goods, including oil exports from Iran…

Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc., a company of ST Engineering North America, said it has cut first steel for the fourth Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) that the company is designing and building for the U.S. Navy. The contract award is $39,906,609 for a firm, fixed-price option for the detail design and construction of the vessel.Halter Marine is currently constructing the first three APLs. In September 2018, the company received the initial contract to design and build two units, with options for four additional units. Construction on the fourth vessel is expected to be complete in the summer of 2021. The company expects to deliver the first two APLs this fall…

The U.S. navy said on Thursday it had sailed a guided-missile destroyer through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a week before Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration for a second term in office amid rising tension with China.China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has been angered by the Trump administration’s strong support for the island, such as increased arms sales.Beijing-Washington ties have also been buffeted by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and disputes over trade.The U.S.

Thyssenkrupp and Germany's largest union IG Metall on Thursday called for further consolidation of the country's warship sector, saying a tie-up of rivals Luerssen and German Naval Yards (GNYK) did not go far enough.Late on Wednesday, Luerssen and GNYK announced they would combine their defense divisions to create a national champion, a move that has backing from the German government.Thyssenkrupp had also sought to participate in the consolidation and board member Oliver Burkhard…

Thyssenkrupp is exploring several strategic options for its warship unit, ranging from combining it with Italy’s Fincantieri to creating a national champion with German peers, a person familiar with the matter said.The talks are aimed at creating economies of scale for the division, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which builds submarines and surface ships and operates in a highly fragmented sector driven by political decisions, the source said.As part of the deliberations…

Shipping group CMA CGM has obtained a 1.05 billion euro ($1.1 billion) loan to be 70% guaranteed by the French government as it seeks to bolster its cash position during the coronavirus pandemic, which has hammered international trade.The loan, secured from a consortium of banks comprising BNP Paribas, HSBC and Société Générale, has an initial one-year maturity and an extension option of up to five years, Marseille-based CMA CGM said in a statement on Wednesday.France is offering guarantees to support billions of euros in loans for French companies to help them survive the economic fallout fro

Vestdavit is bringing new fast craft handling capability to HMS Protector, the only Royal Navy ship dedicated to Antarctic patrol and survey duties.The advanced icebreaker, which provides a UK presence in the Antarctic and meets treaty obligations on inspections, hydrographical charting and in support of scientific research, is to be equipped with a specially-enhanced PLR-5000 davit from Vestdavit. All seven of the davits onboard HMS Protector have been supplied by Vestdavit.Part of a five-year docking and recertification package undertaken in the UK…

The 86 crew members of the Greg Mortimer cruise ship, stranded in Uruguayan waters since March 27, began their evacuation to Montevideo on Tuesday following an outbreak of the new coronavirus on board, the government said.At least 37 positive cases of coronavirus were detected in the last several days, officials said, preventing plans for the ship to travel to the Spanish port of Las Palmas, the original planned destination for the tourist trip, which is operated by Australian…

The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued a Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) Type Approval Certificate to Korean manufacturer Techcross, Inc. after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type approval application determined the system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.The treatment principle of the Techcross ECS-HYCHLOR BWMS consists of filtration and electrolysis during uptake and neutralization at discharge. This approval covers models with maximum treatment rated capacities between 300 and 8,000 cubic meters per hour.

The wreck of one of the U.S. Navy's longest serving battleships has been found 15,400 feet beneath the surface about 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor, researchers said Monday.The USS Nevada (BB-36), which served in two world wars over the course of a career that spanned more than three and a half decades, was discovered by underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm SEARCH, Inc. and marine robotics company Ocean Infinity at the bottom of the Pacific.The mission was jointly coordinated between SEARCH's operations center and one of Ocean Infinity's vessels, Pacific Constructor.

Russia’s Northern Fleet is tracking a group of U.S. and British naval vessels which entered the Barents Sea on the morning of May 4, the Russian Defence Ministry was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.The U.S. Navy said earlier that four U.S. Navy ships and a Royal Navy vessel had entered the Barents Sea to conduct maritime security operations in what it called the challenging environmental conditions above the Arctic Circle.It said U.S.

British coastguards rescued more than 120 migrants trying to cross the English Channel on seven small boats, French maritime authorities said on Friday.The rescue took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, a spokesman for the Maritime Prefecture for the Channel and North Sea said.Border and coastguards in Britain and France have intercepted numerous attempted crossings in recent months as migrants have repeatedly tried to travel from destinations in Asia and Africa to Britain.“It’s little wonder people living in France’s refugee camps are desperate to make this dangerous crossing, given the awful conditions they face there,” Clare Moseley…

France’s armed forces minister blamed an outbreak of coronavirus aboard the navy’s flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on mistakes taken to counter the disease.“An inquiry shows the ship’s commanders and their medical advisors over-estimated the ability of the aircraft carrier and its flotilla to confront the coronavirus,” Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told a parliamentary committee.(Reporting by Tangi Salaun; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Jon Boyle)

A tanker crew member was medevaced approximately 400 miles off the coast of Virginia, Friday evening.Watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center were notified by a crewmember on the Marshall Islands flagged ship Arctic Flounder that a chief officer aboard had shown symptoms of a possible stroke.Aircrews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. launched to assist.Due to the extensive distance, the Coast Guard Fifth District coordinated with U.S.

One Iranian warship accidentally struck another with a missile during an exercise, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others, Iran's navy said on Monday.The incident took place during training in the Gulf of Oman, a sensitive waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Iran regularly conducts exercises in the area.The frigate Jamaran fired at a training target released by a support ship, the Konarak. However, the support ship stayed too close to the target and was hit…

Estonia will give the Baltic Sea shipping firm Tallink, which has been badly hit by lockdowns, a 3-year loan of 100 million euros ($108 million), the government of the small EU member said on Friday.Tallink - which operates large ferries between Estonia and Finland, and from Latvia, Estonia and Finland to Sweden - is approaching its peak season of June-August with most of the countries around the Baltic closed to travelers because of the coronavirus pandemic.The firm's passenger traffic dropped 96% in April, while cargo traffic fell 14%.Tallink this week reported a gross loss of 0.2 million eu

Damen Yichang Shipyard in China recently hosted a different kind of steel cutting ceremony for a RoPax Ferry 6716 being built for the Government of Timor-Leste.Ordinarily, Damen would invite its clients and guests to attend the celebratory event, but the occasion on April 27 was marked by a digital gathering due to safety measures surrounding the global COVID-19 outbreak.Damen sales manager Gysbert Boersma said, “During the coronavirus crisis, our first priority is for peoples’ safety and wellbeing.

Vietnam protested on Friday against what it calls China's unilateral fishing ban in the disputed South China Sea from May 1 to Aug. 16, weeks after it said Vietnamese boat had been rammed by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel.Vietnam and China have for years been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of water, called the East Sea by Vietnam."Vietnam demands that China not further complicate the situation in the South China Sea," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement.(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Toby Chopra)

The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued a Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate to Japanese company Miura Co., Ltd., after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s application determined the system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.The treatment principle of the Miura HK-(E)R consists of filtration and UV treatment during uptake and UV treatment during discharge. This approval covers models with maximum intake treatment rated capacities between 200 m3/h and 900 m3/h.The Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate is the 31st awarded by the U.S.

The need for ships to change crews and for the world's 1.2 million seafarers to be able to fly home at the end of their periods of service have emerged as two of the biggest challenges facing the shipping industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.To help governments put in place coordinated procedures to facilitate the safe movement of seafarers, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued a 12-step plan to 174 member states, providing them with a roadmap to free…

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., on Thursday participated in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider nominations for the Department of Defense. At the hearing, Wicker pressed members of the committee and the nominees to devote more resources to meeting the needs of America’s military, including shipbuilding and aviation.At the hearing, Wicker asked Kenneth Braithwaite, nominee for Secretary of the Navy, to comment on his support for a 355-ship Navy.“I look to a role as being the chief advocate to build a fleet to have greater than 355 ships…

As the nation continues to be impacted by COVID-19, there are silver linings to the crisis: family time and togetherness, gratitude for what we had before it was taken away, and a chance to seek opportunities to be better and more productive.As funding bills related to the COVID-19 crisis move forward, there may be an opportunity for the nation to better itself by modernizing its infrastructure.Congress has, to date as of this writing, passed three phases of a coronavirus relief package.

Italian coastguards have seized two charity rescue boats at the port of Palermo citing "technical and operational" irregularities, which the owners called an excuse to hinder missions to save the lives of migrants at sea.The seizure of the German-flagged Alan Kurdi and Spanish-flagged Aita Mari this week followed a sharp rise in the number of migrants reaching Italy, which has angered and embarrassed the government as it battles the coronavirus epidemic.For years Italy was the primary route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and other irregular migrants.

T&T Salvage installed the eighth lifting lug on the M/V Golden Ray, a roll-on, roll-off vessel that ran aground and overturned near the Port of Brunswick in Georgia in September.In total, 16 lugs will be installed: two on each of the eight sections of the Korean-owned car carrier, which rests on its side in St. Simons Sound.The Golden Ray will need to be dismantled in place and removed in pieces because the vessel, in its current position and condition, would not be able to support…

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an injured crewmember from a Greece-flagged oil tanker approximately 39 miles offshore Port Aransas, Texas, Wednesday afternoon.Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a request for medevac from the captain of the 274-meter Cap Guillaume for a crewmember who suffered an arm injury. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.A Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was launched to the scene and hoisted the injured crewmember from the vessel.

On April 28, 2020, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) released the long-awaited interpretive rules in Docket No. 19-05 relating to how ocean common carriers may lawfully apply demurrage and detention charges to exporters, importers and ocean transportation intermediaries, including Customs brokers in certain circumstances and still be compliant with the “reasonableness” requirement of 46 U.S.C § 41102(c). The analyses and guidance in the interpretive rules have been in high…

As Washington and Beijing trade barbs over the coronavirus pandemic, a longer-term struggle between the two Pacific powers is at a turning point, as the United States rolls out new weapons and strategy in a bid to close a wide missile gap with China.The United States has largely stood by in recent decades as China dramatically expanded its military firepower. Now, having shed the constraints of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, the Trump administration is planning to deploy long-range…

First Coast Guard District command center crews, from Maine to Northern New Jersey, have a new tool to help distressed mariners come home to their families after being out to sea.The i911 program allows for watchstanders to use a mariner’s cellphone number to assist in finding their location for Coast Guard rescue crews to locate them faster. Once the number is entered, the mariner receives a text message authorizing them to share their location with the U.S. Coast Guard. Once shared…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group reports that the keel laying ceremony for the U.S. Coast Guard’s first-of-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Argus (WMSM-915) was held on April 28, 2020 at Eastern’s Nelson Street facility in Panama City, Fla. USCGC Argus is scheduled to be delivered in 2022.The ceremony was performed and recorded without audience to comply with CDC guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19.The keel laying represents the ceremonial start of a ship’s life by commemorating the assembly of the initial modular construction units.

The owner and Chief Executive Officer of a South Korea–based company, DK Marine, that provided ship husbanding services to the U.S. Navy pleaded guilty for his role in a bribery conspiracy.Sung Yol “David” Kim, 49, a citizen of the Republic of Korea, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery before U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith of the Eastern District of Michigan. Sentencing has been scheduled for November 17, 2020, before Judge Goldsmith.Pursuant to his guilty plea…

A statement from a Singapore Ministry of Law spokesperson outlines details of  a Bill for read in Parliament today regarding maritime salvage:The Singapore Ministry of Law will table the High Court (Admiralty Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill (“the Bill”) for First Reading in Parliament on 4 May 2020. The High Court (Admiralty Jurisdiction) Act is the primary legislation on admiralty jurisdiction in Singapore. The Bill will extend the Singapore High Court’s admiralty jurisdiction to special compensation claims arising from salvage operations which prevent or minimize environmental damage, even if the ship or its cargo are not saved. Salvors may hence enforce such special compensation claims by way of actions in rem (i.e.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man Thursday from a U.S.-flagged oil tanker approximately 170 miles southwest of Cold Bay.A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted the ailing man at about 8 a.m. and flew him to Cold Bay where he was placed in the care of an awaiting LifeMed aircraft crew.Coast Guard watchstanders in the 17th District command center in Juneau received the request at about 1 p.m. Wednesday to hoist the 61-year-old man experiencing abdominal pain from the 905-foot Alaskan Navigator…

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the extension of the period for the public to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed SPOT Terminal Services, LLC deepwater port facility. The comment period was initially scheduled to end on March 23, 2020, but is now extended 30-days from the publication date of this Federal Register notice published on Friday, May 1, 2020.Due to the nationwide impacts of COVID-19 and the associated social distancing protocols, MARAD and the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the impact of these protocols have affected the public’s ability to assemble and provide feedback on the SPOT DEIS.

Malta plans to keep 57 rescued migrants aboard a private ship anchored just outside territorial waters until the European Union finds a way to rehouse them, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Friday.The migrants were plucked from a dinghy earlier this week inside Malta’s search and rescue zone by a commercial fishing vessel that had been chartered by the Maltese government to intercept possible asylum seekers.The group were subsequently transferred to a launch normally used for tourist harbour cruises…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday Rear Adm. Melissa Bert has been invested as judge advocate general and chief counsel of the Coast Guard. Bert is the service’s first woman to hold that office.Bert was most recently the director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Coast Guard, where she was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media and other inter-governmental entities.As judge advocate general and chief counsel, Bert will lead a group of legal professionals who are responsible for the delivery of all legal services in support of the Coast Guard's missions…

On any given day, the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman can be found off the Atlantic coast of the United States, probably somewhere between Virginia and Florida. Its crew would love to come home to their families. But they can’t. They’re just too valuable right now.That’s because the Truman is a “clean” ship, free from the coronavirus thanks to a longer-than-expected deployment at sea that started in November. The deployment has kept its battle-ready 4,500 crew out of reach…

The U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort departed New York harbor on Thursday, just a month after arriving to help ease the strain on overburdened city hospitals dealing with the novel coronavirus outbreak.The 1,000-bed Navy vessel, headed back to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia, never neared its capacity, even as the city quickly became the world’s epicenter for COVID-19 infections.The vessel, painted a gleaming white with red crosses, was a symbol of hope when it arrived on March 30 to cheers from the docks.

Commissioner Louis E. Sola will lead a fact finding investigation and work with key industry stakeholders to identify commercial measures passenger cruise lines can adopt to mitigate COVID-19 related impacts to this sector of the maritime industry.The Federal Maritime Commission designated Commissioner Sola to serve as the Fact Finding Officer for Fact Finding 30, “COVID-19 Impact on Cruise Industry” in an order issued today.In the course of his investigation, Commissioner Sola…

Shipbuilder Austal Australia has been awarded a A$324 million (US$209.8 million) contract to design and construct six evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (CCPBs) for the Royal Australian Navy.It is the largest contract for an Australian vessel construction program ever awarded to Austal in the company’s 30-year history.The six new vessels, to be constructed at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia, will add to the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) existing fleet of two CCPB’s delivered in 2017 and further extends Austal’s Cape-class Patrol Boat program to a total of 18 vessels.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard has been selected to build a class of up to 10 multimission guided-missile frigates (FFGs) for the Navy’s FFG(X) program, the U.S. Navy announced on Thursday.The Navy awarded a $795 million contract to the Marinette, Wis. shipbuilder for the design and production of one base ship plus nine option vessels, as well as post-delivery availability support, engineering and class services, crew familiarization, training equipment and provisioned item orders…

Maritime Administration implements new way of doing business in government shipbuildingNot only is the Maritime Administration (MARAD) back in the shipbuilding business with the National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV), the agency is using an innovative procurement method using an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) approach for these ships to be flexible for appropriation cycles. This method marks a fresh approach by the Federal government to procuring new ships…

The Dutch government said on Thursday it is providing ailing shipbuilder Royal IHC with a lifeline of up to almost 400 million euros ($435 million), enabling the company's takeover by a consortium of marine companies and investors from Benelux countries.IHC had been looking for fresh capital since the summer of 2019 as it grappled with mounting debt and heavy losses on tailor-made ships.The company is to be taken over by Luxembourg-based investor HAL Trust and Belgian peer Ackermans & Van Haaren, together with Dutch dredgers Van Oord and equipment maker Huisman.Together these companies will pr

The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued the 30th U.S. Coast Guard Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate to Hyde Marine, Inc., after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type approval applications determined the systems met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.The treatment principle of the GUARDIAN-US consists of filtration and UV treatment at intake and UV treatment at discharge. This approval covers models with maximum intake treatment rated capacities between 60 m 3 /h and 3,000 m 3 /h.

Hong Kong's Marine Department will resume all services, with the exception of surveying outside of Hong Kong, from May 4 after a suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a deppartment spokesperson said Wednesday.Following the coronavirus outbreak, the department first suspended service on January 29 but resumed on March 2. Services were suspended once again from March 23.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group reports that steel cutting for the second Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), Coast Guard Cutter Chase (WMSM-916), commenced on April 27, 2020 at its facilities in Panama City, Fla. The cutting of steel started the fabrication and assembly of the cutter’s hull, and ESG is to complete keel laying of Chase in 2021. Additionally, ESG has commenced the placement of orders for long lead time materials for OPC #3, Coast Guard Cutter Ingham (WMSM-917).Eastern’s President Mr.

Hundreds of U.S. Navy sailors began the transition from quarantine and isolation to return to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Wednesday, as the ship prepares to return to sea after a bow-to-stern deep cleaning following a coronavirus outbreak on board. Theodore Roosevelt was in the Asia-Pacific region when its sailors began falling ill with COVID-19, forcing the aircraft carrier to eventually dock in Guam. One sailor who was infected died, and nearly 850 out of the roughly 4…

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer with a coronavirus outbreak on board docked in San Diego Tuesday after cutting its mission short to administer medical care to affected sailors and disinfect the ship.USS Kidd (DDG 100) was at sea participating in counter-narcotics operations when several sailors on board began exhibiting influenza-like symptoms. Two sailors were medevaced to the U.S. and a number of others were transferred to amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) for closer observtion.

NOAA has selected Arthur John “A.J.” Reiss, as the director of NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) in College Park, Maryland. OPC provides marine forecasts and critical decision support services for mariners, ensuring the safety of lives and vessels at sea by alerting to hazards like hurricane-force winds and high seas.“The nation’s maritime shipping industry is a $2.1 trillion economic activity for the U.S., making accurate and reliable weather forecasts at sea economically critical,” said Grant Cooper, Ph.D., acting NCEP Director.

The U.S. Navy has paid defense contractors $600 million it had withheld due to poor workmanship, hoping the funds would shore up finances for suppliers ravaged by the coronavirus-driven economic downturn, a Navy official said on Tuesday.The move, which follows a similar action taken by the Air Force that released billions of dollars in payments, is aimed at replacing revenue vital Pentagon suppliers have lost in their non-military businesses as the spreading coronavirus has halted…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has issued new guidance about how it will assess the reasonableness of detention and demurrage regulations and practices of ocean carriers and marine terminal operators (MTOs) under 46 U.S.C. 41102(c).The final rule, “Docket No. 19-05, Interpretive Rule on Demurrage and Detention under the Shipping Act”, will become effective upon its publication in the Federal Register.Under the new interpretive rule, the Commission will consider the extent…

The continued operation of an amphibious passenger vessel despite severe weather warnings led to its fatal sinking during a derecho in July 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board said during a public board meeting Tuesday.The 33-foot-long, modified, World War II-era DUKW amphibious passenger vessel Stretch Duck 7 sank in Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Mo., killing 16 of 29 passengers and one of two crewmembers on board for a tour.Operator Ripley Entertainment Inc., dba Ride The Ducks of Branson continued to run waterborne tours after a severe thunderstorm warning had been issued.

Military Sealift Command has awarded a $20,880,790 firm, fixed-price contract to Portland, Ore. shipyard Vigor Marine for an 87-day shipyard availability for the overhaul dry-docking availability of the underway replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200).Scheduled work includes the furnishing of general services, shipboard access, clean and gas free tank voids and cofferdams, preservation of aft ballast and cargo tanks as well as the flight deck, overhaul repairs to main engine turbochargers and HP air compressor…

Members of European Parliament say the EU should stop channeling funds to Libya to manage migration and to train its coastguard, as the violation of human rights of migrants and asylum-seekers continues.In a debate in the Civil Liberties Committee with representatives of the Commission, Frontex, UNHCR, the Council of Europe and NGOs, a majority of MEPs insisted that Libya is not a “safe country” for disembarkation of people rescued at sea and demanded that the cooperation with…

In an extraordinary reversal, the U.S. Navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives, officials said on Friday.The Navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday, just three weeks after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the Navy for stronger measures to protect the crew…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission voted to temporarily allow parties to file service contracts up to 30 days after they take effect, as a measure to relieve COVID-19 impacts to the supply chain.The Commission published an order today making the relief effective immediately and lasting through December 31, 2020.The benefits of service contract filing relief were identified by the Fact Finding 29 Supply Chain Innovation Teams working under the direction of Commissioner Rebecca Dye.“The criticality of supply chains is something the Federal Maritime Commission understands well…

The United States on Monday posted rule changes that impose new restrictions on exports to China, including aircraft components and many items related to semiconductors.The new rules will require licenses for U.S. companies to sell certain items to military entities, even if they are for civilian use, and do away with a civilian exception that allows certain U.S.

Ferry routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland have been safeguarded, thanks to a multimillion-pound government scheme to help ensure critical freight can continue to move into and across the union.The package, worth up to £17 million ($21 million), is being funded by the U.K. government and the Northern Ireland Executive and will be made available to operators so that they can continue running freight services on five sea routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced further funding…

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of its first Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) on April 24 following Combat Systems Activation.The ship will transition to the next phase of developmental and integrated at-sea testing. This event marks a major milestone of the dual delivery approach for USS Zumwalt, which achieved Hull Mechanical & Electrical delivery from shipbuilder General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works in May 2016. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems was the prime contractor for the Zumwalt Combat System…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) to the U.S. Navy.Documents signed today mark the official transfer of custody of the ship from HII to the Navy. Delbert D. Black is scheduled to sail away from the Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard in August 2020.DDG 119 is the first ship named in honor of Navy veteran Delbert D. Black, who served as a gunner’s mate and was aboard the battleship USS Maryland (BB 46) during the attack on Pearl Harbor…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a contract modification to exercise the first option year of the existing Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) Planning Yard contract. This option has a potential total value of up to $107.9 million for planning yard services in support of in-service LCS class ships.“Our outstanding and experienced Shipyard Planning Yard team is poised to continue the excellent and efficient execution of this important work for our Navy customer…

U.S. Navy destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) is believed to have a significant coronavirus outbreak on board as it carries out a counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, marking the latest challenge for the military in dealing with the virus.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that over a dozen sailors had tested positive for the virus. Given the size of ship, usually only a few hundred sailors, an outbreak like this is likely…

An increased number of oil tankers sit at anchor near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as the volume of oil products held in floating storage around the globe has skyrocketed in the past month amid what analysts are saying is the biggest oil glut in history.There were 27 tanker vessels off the coast of Southern California Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, who is monitoring the situation to help manage the surge.Oil traders are struggling to find enough…