Islander News

China and the Philippines accused each other on Tuesday of dangerous manoeuvres in a hotly disputed shoal in the South China Sea, in the latest confrontation over the waterway.A Chinese coast guard vessel sped up and manoeuvred on Monday to block the navigation route of a Philippine vessel around 36 nautical miles off the Scarborough shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said."This incident highlights the CCG's non-compliance with the international regulations ...

Manson Construction Co. (Manson) announced that James (Jim) McNally, previously Manson’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has assumed the role of President and CEO as of March 3, 2025.“The Board of Directors unanimously approves of Mr. McNally taking the reins of Manson due to his excellent performance as COO and his long-time industry experience,” announces Frederick Paup, Manson Chairman of the Board. “He is indeed wicked smart, which any Rhode Islander understands is the highest of compliments.”Since becoming COO in 2016, Mr.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has awarded five scholarships to students at the University of Tasmania as part of its recognition of the importance of diversity.The funding of A$47,000 is part of its 2024 scholarship program.The recipients are:Tenisha Jones – AMSA Sara Bool Women in Maritime Engineering ScholarshipAngelica Starlight – AMSA First Year Access Scholarship for Maritime StudiesSamantha Roser – IMAS Environmental Excellence AMSA ScholarshipKyla Fuller and Tracey Vella – AMSA Vocational Near Coastal Seafaring Scholarship.AMSA Chief Executive Officer…

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on an American destroyer on Thursday, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones.The statement by a Houthi representative on social media site X came shortly after the group's leader said it was ramping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea and other waters - including with new "submarine weapons" -to mirror Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea…

Bollinger Shipyards on Thursday announced it has delivered the USCGC Melvin Bell to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 181st vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 55th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC Melvin Bell, the final of six Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Boston, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bollinger president and CEO, Ben Bordelon.

Washington Island Ferry Line (WIFL) has been the essential link between the residents, business and visitors of Washington Island and Wisconsin's Door Peninsula for more than eight decades.Picturesque and peaceful Door County isn't named for some intrepid settlers named Door. The name has a more ominous meaning. It's derived from the treacherous passage between the peninsula and Washington Island that mariners called Porte des Mortes, or Death's Door.A unique combination of environmental…

Great Lakes ferry operator Miller Boat Line announced it has received grant funding from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will help it to reduce diesel emissions from its vessels.The $239,339 grant will cover approximately 40% of the replacement cost for seven (model year 1982-1996) diesel generator sets with Northern Lights model M50T13L generators on four ferries, the Ohio-based company said.The ferry Islander will receive one new genset, and Put-in Bay, William Market and South Bass will each receive two.

Lindblad Expeditions has shared images of its newest fleet addition ahead of the vessel's inaugural voyage in the Galápagos Islands.The National Geographic Islander ll is an expedition cruise ship acquired to replace Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander for year-round operations in the Galápagos. Accommodating just 48 guests in 26 suites, the ship will sail for Lindblad Expeditions with a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratioThe 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by…

Lindblad Expeditions has take delivery of the secondhand expedition cruise ship National Geographic Islander II.The vessel, which was previously named Crystal Esprit and operated by Crystal Cruises, will sail year-round in the Galápagos Islands, replacing Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander.The 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by Flender Werft in Germany from 1989-1991 and was operated by Windsor Lines and Star Cruises before its sale to Crystal Cruises in 2015.Accommodating just 48 guests…

Manitowoc, Wis., shipbuilder Burger Boat Company announced it has begun work on a new vehicle and passenger ferry for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA), located in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.Due to launch Summer 2022, the 92-foot steel ferry will operate year-round on the St. Mary’s River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Barbeau, Mich., and Neebish Island. The ferry was designed to operate in the harsh winter environment and through the solid ice conditions it will encounter on its route.The ferry is designed by Seacraft Design, LLC of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

A pair of fully-electric road ferries are now on their way from Damen Shipyards Galati to Lake Ontario, Canada, to begin operations. Ordered by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, Canada, the Amherst Islander II and Wolfe Islander IV, 68 and 98 meters in length respectively, departed the yard on August 26 to be loaded on the semi-submersible transport vessel Super Servant 4 and will arrive in Lake Ontario in mid-September.Both of the open-deck vessels are equipped to be fully-electric…

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced the designation of 27 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE), recognizing community colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in the U.S. maritime industry.One of the 27 schools and institutions recognized is the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI).The designation allows CCRI to work with MARAD to enter into cooperative agreements to help advance recruitment of students and faculty…

It is not something that pops to mind often: the massive, market-changing advantages of a high-powered, fuel-efficient, cleaner V8 diesel outboard engine. Then, you aren’t a salmon farmer with aquaculture farms in the Norwegian fjords or an islander in the Maldives who drives a Zodiac to work. But, if you are Joel Reid, these are just some of the many things on your mind.Joel Reid is the Global Sales Director of Cox Powertrain a British start-up based in Shoreham-by-Sea, close to Brighton, UK.

The Amherst Islander II, a Damen Road Ferry 6819 E3, was launched on November 14 at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.Amherst Islander II is part of a two vessel order that Damen will deliver to the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. The E3 ferries will be among the first passenger/car ferries in North America with the ability to operate fully electric and promise to reduce the amount of emissions by the equivalent of 7 million kg of carbon dioxide each year.With an overall length of close to 72 meters and a loading capacity of up to 42 cars, the Amherst Islander II is the smaller of the two.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that employees from its Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions received awards during the 2019 Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) National Conference and STEM Career Fair. The conference, the largest for Asian Americans in the United States, was held Oct. 10-12 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.Marie Lawson, an engineer at Newport News, and Scott Chin, an engineer at Ingalls, received Professional Achievement awards.

Inmarsat was chosen to provide connectivity through Fleet Xpress for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic’s new adventure cruise ship, National Geographic Venture.The expedition ship, designed to explore the coastal waters, shallow coves and fast-moving channels where wildlife congregates, completed its first cruise around the Galapagos Islands in December 2018 before moving to Baja California. It is also destined for the Pacific North West coast and Alaskan cruising in the next few months.Built by Nichols Brothers…

Japanese ship building marine engineering and service company Imabari Shipbuilding, with the cooperation of Marubeni Corporation,has secured a newbuilding order of twelve units of 11,000TEU Container Carriers for Evergreen Line, Taiwan.Having dimensions of about 334m in length with about 48.4m breadth service speed in about 23 knots, loading capacity is over 11,000TEU, said a press release."Like our other Ultra large-size containers with track record, this Vessel is adopted with eco-friendly hull form design and Twin-Islander enhancing more loading capacity to compare with our former design," it said.Also, she is able to go on many service routes such as between Asia - North/South America - Europe flexibly to restrict her breadth below 49m for passing through the new Panama Canal…

Bolidt Synthetic Products & Systems' position for decking and flooring in mainstream cruise ship and superyacht markets has been quickly converted into a series of business wins in the fast-emerging polar expedition cruise ship sector.The most recent contract for the Dutch manufacturer’s hardwearing, environmentally friendly and visually attractive products covers the Hurtigruten newbuildings, Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansens, two hybrid propulsion expedition cruise ships under construction at Kleven shipyard in Norway.

Anyone plying the Great South Bay between the shores of Long Island and Fire Island know that the fleet of Fire Island Ferries is a ubiquitous site, shuttling people, pets and supplies from the mainland to the barrier island oasis just five miles away. The scene is a familiar one, too, for Rhode Island boat builder Blount Boats, which has built quite a few of these ferries, and announced today the contact with Fire Island Ferries to build a new 85-ft. aluminum ferry boat for service between Bay Shore and Fire Island on Great South Bay.

The U.S. and Philippine navies will participate in the Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama June 19-25 in the vicinity of Cebu. Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama is designed to enhance the complexity and diversity of training opportunities, while strengthening the longstanding alliance between the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines. The exercise will focus on mutual security concerns that affect the Philippines including piracy and sea smuggling, maritime domain awareness and patrol, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness. "The training we will perform over the next week will provide excellent opportunities to deepen our long-time maritime partnership with the Philippine Navy," said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander, Task Force 73.

Matson said it it will increase the frequency of its South Pacific Express (SPX) service to Samoa and American Samoa from 28 days to 14 days. The service provides transits from Hawai'i and the U.S. West Coast to the Samoas: 12 days from Long Beach and 5.5 days from Honolulu to Pago Pago, with an extra day to Apia. Matson launched its SPX service on August 10, 2016, establishing reliable, fixed day shipping service between the U.S. West Coast, Hawai'i and the Samoas. Its new fortnightly SPX schedule is made possible by the company's acquisition of a larger, faster vessel that has been christened "Samoana" and will be welcomed at special ceremonies following its maiden voyage arrivals at Pago Pago and Apia.

Interferry has unveiled a strategic plan promising to put safety issues at the heart of its work as the voice of the worldwide ferry industry. The pledge came at the global trade association’s 41st annual conference in Manila – a venue chosen to spotlight the challenges of domestic ferry safety in developing nations. According to Interferry, the plan signals its overriding ambition to help lift ferry safety in all parts of the world to the very high standard already in place in North America and Europe, where casualties in recent decades have been extremely rare.

Great Lakes Shipyard announced it has been awarded a contract from regular customer Miller Boat Line to complete the five-year U.S. Coast Guard inspection and main engine repowering for its ferry William Market. The work is scheduled to be completed by February 2016. Previously, Great Lakes Shipyard completed unscheduled work and the five-year U.S. Coast Guard inspection for Miller Boat Line M/V Islander in May 2014 and most recently drydocking and maintenance for M/V Put-In-Bay in April 2015.