Johns Hopkins University News

The collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge has highlighted what engineers say is an urgent need to better protect the piers holding up spans over shipping channels as the size of cargo ships has grown in recent decades.Federal authorities continue an investigation into why a massive cargo ship lost power and crashed into a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, bringing down the structure and killing six workers who had been filling potholes atop it.The Maryland Transportation Authority did not respond to questions about what…

HII announced that Peter Courtney has been promoted to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to serve as the director of legislative affairs. Courtney succeeds Carolyn Apostolou who retired in December after 10 years with the company.Courtney will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR). Benedict will report to Courtney.In Courtney’s new role…

Richard Balzano took over as CEO and executive director of the Dredging Contractors of America in December 2020. And while he says he’s “still fairly new to the [dredging] industry”, he certainly knows his way around the business, having held a number of prominent roles over the course of more than 30 years in the maritime and U.S government sectors. His resume is impressive. A combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, he retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Captain. He later served as the presidentially appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator for three years…

Baltimore-based Vane Brothers announced it has take delivery this month of the final boat in a series of four 3,000-horsepower Salisbury Class push tugs. Named the Charles Hughes, Vane’s newest addition is the 20th Maryland-built towing vessel to join Vane Brothers’ fleet since 2008.Designed and constructed by Chesapeake Shipbuilding Shipbuilders and Naval Architects of Salisbury, Md., Vane’s Salisbury Class push tugs have a molded depth of only 10.5 feet, making them well suited for working in confined, shallow-draft waterways.

Richard “Rick” W. Spinrad, Ph.D., an internationally renowned scientist with four decades of ocean, atmosphere, and climate science and policy expertise, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and the 11th NOAA administrator.“As an accomplished and respected scientist, educator, communicator and executive, Rick has dedicated his career to the science that is at the core of NOAA’s mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its board of directors announced that Mark Vandroff will be taking over as CEO effective July 7, replacing Jan Allman who has led the Wisconsin shipyard since 2014.“Our company’s continued growth afforded us an opportunity to expand our senior leadership team and to better organize to exceed our customer’s needs,” said Dario Deste, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Jan [Allman] has done a tremendous job working with partner Lockheed Martin and the Navy on the Littoral Combat Ship and Multi-mission Surface Combatant programs…

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed efforts to make safer the often hazardous job of dismantling old ships in Bangladesh, officials said, following the latest worker fatality.COVID-19 temporarily shuttered ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh, one of the world’s main destinations for end-of-life vessels, delaying safety reforms ahead of a 2023 deadline.Almost all of the 70 active yards in Bangladesh have submitted Ship Recycling Facility Plans since 2019, according to the Ministry…

Royal Caribbean Group has hired Dr. Calvin Johnson as Global Head, Public Health and Chief Medical Officer, a new role created to lead the cruise line operator's global health and wellness policy, manage its public health and clinical practice and determine the strategic plans and operations of its global healthcare organization.Johnson will also collaborate with the Healthy Sail Panel assembled in response to COVID-19, to ensure the company establishes and implements its protocols and recommendations.Dr.

Greensea recently added key personnel to its engineering team in its Plymouth, Mass., office to support their hull robotics program. James Truman, Senior Robotics Engineer, is leading the development of Greensea’s latest technology, a hull crawling robot with precise hull-relative navigation and autonomy capabilities. Assisting James on the hull robotics program is Sam Fladung, Robotics Engineer.“James is one of the best engineers I know. I first met him at graduate school and then worked with him at Phoenix International,” said Greensea CEO, Ben Kinnaman.

Even as he is hailed as a hero by his crew, the fired commander of a coronavirus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier is being reassigned while investigators consider whether he should face disciplinary action, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told Reuters on Friday.Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after a scathing letter in which he called on the Navy for stronger action to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear…

The Hepburn and Sons LLC team welcomed David Rice, CAPT David Bauer, USN (Ret), and Gary Loberg as their newest members. David Rice serves as Senior Consultant, Material Science. David Bauer will serve as the Senior Manager, Material Science. Gary Loberg serves as Senior Manager, Advisory Services.David Rice comes to Hepburn and Sons, LLC after a career spanning 45 years at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS). During his time at NNS he served as the Manager of Contracted Research & Development and was responsible for Research & Development Programs funded by ONR/ManTech…

A report entitled “An investigation of air pollution on the decks of 4 cruise ships” studied levels of Particulate Matter (PM) on the decks of four separate cruise ships. While many studies have evaluated the potential impact of ship emissions in port cities, the author – Ryan David Kennedy, PhD, MAES, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health – said in the report that “little is known about how ship engine exhaust may impact the air quality on the deck of a ship.

ABS announced three senior management appointments as part of the organization’s digital class strategy. “As our markets are increasingly shaped by digital technology, ABS is setting the pace in digital innovation,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. “As part of our digital class journey, our entire organization is focused on digital developments and opportunities. Howard Fireman, previously the organization’s chief technology officer, will take on the role of ABS Chief Digital Officer (CDO) leading a global team of experts across the organization in the fields of data analytics, innovative inspection technologies…

Howard Fireman, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, joined the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 2013. Fireman is responsible for leveraging the latest advancements in technology to drive the development of innovative products and services that promote safety and improve the delivery of class services in the marine and offshore industries. Since joining ABS, Fireman has also served as President of the ABS Nautical Systems Fleet Management Software product line where he has overseen significant advancements in the software and achieved growth in every sector.

Brian Salerno was sworn in as the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on August 26, 2013. He is responsible for promoting safety, protecting the environment and conserving resources through the vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement of offshore operations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Prior to his appointment as Bureau Director, Salerno served as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deputy Commandant for Operations where he was responsible for establishing and providing operational strategy…

Traveling across the globe from port to port, the U.S. Navy fleet transports sailors and Marines, aircraft, and supplies. Unfortunately, ships can also unintentionally transport stowaways, small organisms which live in ballast water. Most people would not look at small organisms like mitten crabs or zebra mussels and think they are a major threat to the environment – and in their natural habitats they pose no threat. But what happens when these organisms are introduced into a new ecosystem? According to Rachel Jacobs, a chemical engineer in the Wastewater Management Branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, the results of introducing non-native species into a new environment can be disastrous for the ecosystem…

Adm. Robert E. Kramek, former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, has died October 20, 2016. Kramek served as the Coast Guard's 20th commandant from 1994 through 1998, during which time he significantly expanded the Coast Guard's global reach and influence as commandant, including directing active participation in the combined service/international anti-narcotic smuggling operations Frontier Shield and Gulf Shield, along with other law enforcement operations. He led the Coast…

Satellite footage suggests that the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-Un has begun development of a massive new submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles further potentially threatening the US, reports the Telegraph. Images captured by commercial satellites in September show components compatible with the construction of a submarine stockpiled at the Sinpo South Shipyard, according to the 38 North web site, operated by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. "While there is no direct evidence that the program is for a boat to carry the ballistic missile currently under development, the presence of an approximately 10…

On April 11, 2016 the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) released the revised 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines. The new guidelines will become effective on June 10, 2016. Established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the PREP guidelines were developed to provide a mechanism for compliance with the vessel response plan (VRP) drill and exercise requirements. Use of the PREP Guidelines is voluntary, however, compliance with the PREP guidelines will satisfy these requirements.

Flirtey, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine doctor and the Field Innovation Team showcase humanitarian potential of drones for the United Nations and American Red Cross. Drone delivery service Flirtey and Dr. Timothy Amukele, assistant professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, successfully conducted the first ship-to-shore drone delivery in the U.S. on the New Jersey coastline. “Imagine a future where in the event of a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy…

Flirtey has announced that it will be conducting what it believes will be the first US-based ship-to-shore drone delivery later this month. The Nevada-based startup will conduct the first ship-to-shore drone delivery in the US on June 23 in Cape May, New Jersey. The purpose of the joint mission is to demonstrate how unmanned aircraft can provide life-saving aid to disaster victims. Maersk, the maritime shipping giant, used drones earlier in 2016 to deliver a small box of cookies  to one of its tanker ships in a seaport town in Denmark. It took about one-and-a-half minutes for the drone to deliver the cookies across a distance of one kilometer. Maersk is looking to use drones to cut down on the costs it takes to use barges for deliveries. The drone company will be teaming up with Dr.

ABS named Howard Fireman as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective April 20 in a move that strengthens alignment and generates further synergies across all of ABS' technical programs, ABS announced. Fireman, who will report to ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki, assumes this role following former Senior Vice President and CTO Todd Grove's appointment as ABS Group President and CEO. Technology continues to be a core element of the ABS mission of protecting life, assets and the environment.

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) awarded its highest technical honor, the David W. Taylor Medal for notable achievement in naval architecture or marine engineering, to Howard Fireman, ABS Senior Vice President, Asset Performance Management (APM). "Howard is recognized as a technical leader in naval architecture," said ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. "His insight and guidance in design and energy efficiency are valued by the industry in great part because of his ability to provide real-world practical solutions.