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Marine Office News

18 May 2018

River Cruise Company Fined $400,000

A Thames river cruise company has been fined a total £304,925 (approximately $411,000) at Westminster Magistrate's Court in a prosecution brought by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) for operating without a valid Domestic Safety Management (DSM) certificate.Sodexo Ltd pleaded guilty to operating without the valid certificate, contrary to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, on one of its Thames cruise vessels Symphony. They were fined £300,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £125 and £4,800 toward the cost of the prosecution.Symphony is a Scandinavian style river cruise boat operated by Sodexo subsidiary Bateaux London Ltd specializing in banqueting style cruises for up to 260 guests at a time.In June 2017…

07 Jul 2016

UK Overhauls its Survey and Inspection Program

Plans to ensure there is a full maritime survey and inspection team covering the whole U.K., will see more remote working and a slight change to where some of the marine offices are based. The U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency has undertaken a review of the way it carries out its surveys and inspections and recently consulted on the locations of its marine offices. It has also, with its staff, reviewed the way the organization of those offices is structured. As a result of both consultations, changes have been made to the original proposals including keeping two offices open that were originally marked for closure and identifying a senior experienced marine surveyor who will have over-arching responsibility for the River Thames.

12 Feb 2016

Owner Fined for 'Dangerously Unsafe' Vessel

The owner of a harbor tanker has been fined £3,000 with more than £7,000 costs after pleading guilty to a charge of operating a vessel for being dangerously unsafe. Joseph O’Connor was fined at the hearing in Southampton Magistrates Court February 12 following his guilty plea to the charge which was brought until the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. In March 2009 the Wadestone, then known as the Humber Star, sank at its berth on Weston Wharf in the River Solent. As a result, the vessel was detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) as being dangerously unsafe on March 26, 2009. At the time it was detained it was noted that Wadestone (Humber Star) had been poorly maintained and repaired and was not fit to go to sea.

02 Feb 2016

AlphaEye Allows Real-time Audio Visual Support

Alphatron Marine’s robustly designed AlphaEye is a next generation service communication tool offering the capability to have an extra set of eyes “onboard.” With the AlphaEye, the crew onboard can call through a dedicated (satellite from 128kb, 3G or 4G) communication link directly with the expert in the Alphatron Marine office and obtain error analysis and problem solving in a matter of minutes. www.alphatronmarine.com (As published in the January 2016 edition of Marine News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeNews)

27 Jan 2016

SENER Celebrates 60 Years

Photo courtesy of SENER

The SENER engineering and technology group will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in 2016. It has grown into a multidisciplinary international group which offers solutions in Aeronautics, Engineering and Construction, and Energy and Environment. SENER was founded on the basis of three important premises: to create high-quality projects, to anticipate the industry’s problems with innovative solutions, and to be independent and flexible in order to adapt to the market’s demands.

29 Oct 2015

AlphaEye: Real-time Audio Visual Support

AlphaEye (Photo: Alphatron Marine)

Alphatron Marine has introduced what it is calling “the next generation service communication tool”; AlphaEye aims to offer the capability to have an extra set of eyes “on board”, allowing for support specialists to be standing by 24/7 to solve any problem, globally and remotely. With AlphaEye, the crew on board can directly call through a dedicated communication link via satellite from 128kb, 3G or 4G to reach an expert in the Alphatron Marine office. The device allows the remote expert to better experience the issues crews are facing through live audio and visual contact…

07 Oct 2015

Swiss Re Establishes North America Marine Team

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has expanded its marine business by opening a North America marine office. Beginning October 1, 2015, the New York-based team will provide ocean cargo insurance, with additional products to follow, the company said. Leading the marine North America team will be Graeme Schultz, who brings 18 years of industry experience to the role. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions said the new marine team will support its regional North American clients, enabling better service to midsized-to-large manufacturers, importers, exporters and logistics providers, among others. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions now has dedicated marine teams in Zurich, Genoa, London, Sao Paulo, Paris, Singapore, Mexico City and Shanghai.

08 May 2015

SENER Inaugurates Manchester Office

From left to right: Fernando SĂĄnchez, Ian Stewart and Rafael de GĂłngora (Photo: SENER)

The engineering and technology group SENER has celebrated the inauguration of its facilities in Manchester, the group’s base for engineering and construction in the United Kingdom, which have been fully operational since 2014. The inauguration event was held May 8 and was attended by local authorities, including City Mayor Ian Stewart and representatives from key clients such as BAE Systems and Babcock. The guests were received on behalf of SENER by its Marine General Manager, Rafael de Góngora, and the Manager of its Marine office in Manchester, Fernando Sánchez.

24 Sep 2014

UK Cross-Harbor Ferryboat Operators Fined

Carrying numbers of passengers, including schoolchildren, far in excess of its license, has cost a Hampshire ferry company £12,340, informs the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). At Portsmouth Magistrates Court the master, operator and owner of the ferry, Tina Maria, were each charged with four counts of sailing without a valid passenger certificate, and two charges of sailing with insufficient liferafts onboard. All three pleaded guilty to all charges, which were brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Tina Maria is an 11-metre long, single-engined boat used as a ferry between Hayling Island and Eastney, across the entrance to Langstone Harbour. The vessel is certified to carry 12 passengers and two crew.

23 Sep 2014

Too Many Passengers Lands Ferry Company in Court

Carrying numbers of passengers, including schoolchildren, far in excess of its license, has cost representatives of a Hampshire ferry company fines and costs totaling £12,340. At Portsmouth Magistrates Court today, the master, operator and owner of the ferry Tina Maria were each charged with four counts of sailing without a valid passenger certificate and two charges of sailing with insufficient liferafts onboard. All three pleaded guilty to all charges, which were brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Tina Maria is an 11-meter long, single-engined boat used as a ferry between Hayling Island and Eastney, across the entrance to Langstone Harbor. The vessel is certified to carry 12 passengers and two crew.

04 Sep 2014

OSV Master Fined Following Wind Turbine Allision

The master of a wind farm support boat has been made to pay £3,000 in fines and costs after breaching maritime collision regulations, informs the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Geoffrey Whinfrey was in charge of the Island Panther when it collided with a wind turbine in the Sheringham Shoal wind farm on 21 November 2012. Whinfrey had been requested by the wind farm operator - Scira Offshore Energy Ltd - that the Island Panther take off duty employees ashore due to the worsening weather conditions. It was dark and the wind was gusting up to 45mph, with driving rain and rough seas. Passage plans had not been completed for any part of the journey. Whinfrey attempted to navigate through the wind farm using the safety lights on the wind turbine towers, which is against company policy.

02 Sep 2014

Master Fined After Wind Farm Collision

The master of a wind farm support vessel has today been made to pay £3,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaches of maritime collision regulations. Geoffrey Whinfrey was in charge of the Island Panther when it collided with a wind turbine in the Sheringham Shoal wind farm on November 21, 2012. Whinfrey had been requested by the wind farm operator - Scira Offshore Energy Ltd - that the Island Panther take off duty employees ashore due to the worsening weather conditions. It was dark and the wind was gusting up to 45mph, with driving rain and rough seas. Passage plans had not been completed for any part of the journey. Whinfrey attempted to navigate through the wind farm using the safety lights on the wind turbine towers, which is against company policy.

30 May 2014

RHIB Collision Leads to Big Fine

A Cardiff sailing club and its Chief Instructor has today been made to pay £67,000 in fines and costs after failing to take proper care of children attending one of their courses, the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. The Chief Instructor, Nicholas Sawyer has also been given 180 hours of Community Service. Penarth Motor Boat and Sailing Club, trading as Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, and its Chief Instructor Nicholas Sawyer pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to charges relating to failures in their duty of care for children attending a residential course in October 2010. The four-day sail training event was attended by 24 girls aged between 10 and 14. On the evening of 27 October 2010, after a day’s training, the girls were taken ice skating.

13 May 2014

Steve Mariner Joins Jeppesen

Jeppesen Commercial Marine announced today that Steve Mariner has joined the company as Head of Commercial Marine Sales, where he will oversee Jeppesen’s global network of sales offices and distributors. Mariner brings related industry experience to his management position, most recently as Business Development Manager for KH Charts and ChartCo. Mariner is an Incorporated Engineer and holds an MBA. He is based at Jeppesen’s Commercial Marine office in Egersund, Norway. jeppesen.com

27 Mar 2014

Operator Fined for Crashing into Farne Islands

MV Danio grounded (Photo: U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency)

The operator of a coaster ship which grounded in an environmentally sensitive area off the Northumberland coast has been ordered to pay nearly £73,000 in fines and costs after its crew failed to keep a proper lookout. On the evening of March 15, 2013, the MV Danio left Perth, in Scotland, with a cargo of logs, destined for Ghent, in Belgium. The Master was on watch until around midnight when he handed over to the Chief Officer, who had contracted an eye infection after handling a previous ‘dusty’ cargo.

26 Sep 2013

Tero Marine to Install Software for RK Offshore

Photo credit: RK Offshore

Norwegian maritime IT company Tero Marine has won a contract with RK Offshore Management Ltd. to install its TM Master software on 26 offshore vessels. The leasing contract covers 26 RK Offshore supply ships, with the possibility of extending this to an additional 15 vessels. The five-year agreement enables RK Offshore to lease software from Tero Marine for a contractually fixed annual sum. Implementation of the Tero Marine software on RK Offshore ships is already in progress, and expected to be completed by the end of September. “We aim to ensure the process is as error free as possible.

12 Sep 2013

PT Logindo Vessels Get Tero Software

Norwegian maritime software house Tero Marine has won a contract with Indonesian offshore company PT Logindo to implement software on several of its vessels. The contract covers software implementation on three ships but with the possibility of being extended to include the Indonesian company’s entire fleet of 35 vessels. Tero Marine hopes the contract can help open several doors in the region. “Logindo is a fast growing company, and one of the biggest in offshore shipping in the region. Over a relatively short period of time, they have expanded their fleet with a large number of vessels and are an exciting company for us to work with,” explained Satish Kanakasabai, Technical Manager at the Tero Marine office in Singapore.

15 May 2013

First on Forth for Alnmaritec

‘Linz S’ at Alnmaritec during sea trials

Alnmaritec announced the recent delivery of a new 50 passenger ferry to the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors JV who are currently building the Forth Replacement Crossing over the Firth of Forth for the client, the Scottish Government. The £790M new bridge will sit alongside the famous Forth Road and Rail bridges and will be 1.7 miles long, carrying two lanes of motorway traffic in each direction. One of the highly successful Alnmaritec Wave Commander class, the newly delivered…

13 Nov 2012

Imtech Marine Introduces the New Furuno RHRS 2014

Furuno and Imtech Marine have jointly developed an innovative product for inland waterway shipping. The RHRS 2014 river radar is a revolutionary color radar, unique in the inland shipping market is the mouse control, which makes this radar very user-friendly. It also offers maximum safety thanks to a black box with two SD cards for 24 hours of storage of radar images. The RHRS 2014 replaces the RHRS 2005, which is now being used on more than 4,000 inland waterway ships. The RHRS 2014 is approved by the  Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes for inland waterway shipping in Europe.

15 Oct 2010

Johnson Joins Senesco Marine

Senesco Marine located in North Kingstown, R.I., a part of the Reinauer family of marine companies, principally engaged in the design and construction of state of the art OPA-90 compliant double hull ATB ocean tank barges and the new generation of “Facet” tugs announces that it is bringing on board Tom Johnson who will be responsible for new business development expanding the ship builders services to the commercial market. Johnson is a 1969 graduate of the Texas Maritime Academy holding a B/S in Marine Engineering, US Coast Guard license and commission in the US Navy at the time of graduation. He has variously served with the US Army Corps of Engineers…

21 Nov 2008

UK MCA Detains Ship in Liverpool

Broken sink as found in the crew accommodations aboard the Panamanian flag buld carrier Pistis.

On Friday 14th November the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) detained a vessel in Liverpool. The Panamian flag 41,016 GT bulk carrier Pistis had berthed in Liverpool to discharge a cargo of grain and was boarded by surveyors from the MCAs Liverpool Marine Office, who arrived to conduct an overriding priority Inspection following information received from the UK Border Agency. The inspection of the Pistis revealed that the vessel had several deficiencies indicating a lack of proper maintenance of the ship and equipment…

21 Nov 2008

Drunk Master Sentenced to Jail

The Elousa Trikoukiotisa

In the UK’s Snaresbrook Crown Court on Nov. 19, Captain Gonchar Volodymyr aged 53, was sentenced to two months in jail, and will be deported upon completion of the sentence after pleading guilty to being the Master of a ship whilst being over the alcohol limit. On the 4th November 2008, Gonchar Volodymyr, a Ukrainian, was Master of the Cypriot registered chemical tanker; Elousa Trikoukiotisa bound for London from Rostock in Northern Germany. The vessel was laden with Ammonium Nitrate in liquid form and had a crew of 15 on board.

12 Nov 2008

Queen Elizabeth 2 Grouding

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors from the Southampton Marine Office have completed a full inspection of the Queen Elizabeth 2 liner after its Nov. 11 grounding near the Brambles sand bank in the Solent, and they have given the all clear for the ship to continue on its final journey. At 05.30 on Nov. 11 the crew of the 70,000 gross tons ship reported to Solent Coastguard that they feared she may have run aground two nautical miles north west of Cowes whilst en route into Southampton.