Response Services News

The ISU has published its annual statistics for 2024, and the headline 2024 numbers show great consistency with the 2023 statistics, continuing with the modest recovery from the low point of 2022.Gross revenue for ISU members was $406 million, up from $398 million in 2023. The number of services provided reached 191, up from 184 the previous year.Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) was used in 29 cases (2023: 16). LOF revenue was $118 million (2023: $29 million). The previous year had been…

Lloyd’s Register (LR) and vacation company Royal Caribbean Group announced today at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, a partnership aimed at driving safety, innovation, and sustainability across the cruise industry. Under this partnership, LR will provide expert classification, risk management, and technical consultancy services to ensure Royal Caribbean Group’s fleet remains at the forefront of maritime safety and efficiency. This includes overseeing the transfer of more the 25 ships into LR class and integrating Marine Management Systems and Ship Emergency Response Services.

Marlink, a leader in managed services for business-critical IT solutions, has created Marlink Cyber, a dedicated cyber security company to address growth of cyber threats and the increasing need for compliance.Marlink Cyber combines expertise within Marlink with the skills, resources and geographic presence gained with the acquisition of Diverto and Port-IT. Some 150 experts will focus on developing and delivering the services and solutions customers need to address emerging cyber challenges.The new company provides multiple customer benefits…

Seakeeper’s motion control technology can improve the performance of even the most impressive of workboats. Partnering with Seakeeper and Gladding-Hearn, the Charleston Pilots did just that, once again setting the bar for excellence.On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Charleston, SC, way back in 2014, MarineNews had the good fortune to attend the christening on the nation’s first dual purpose, rapid response vessel and pilot launch. As the first vessel to be designed for offshore salvage and firefighting requirements…

The authorities in Singapore have launched an oil spill clean-up operation after the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, causing a rupture of one its oil cargo tanks which released the low-sulphur fuel oil to the sea.Dredger Vox Maxima had reported a sudden loss in engine and steering control before its allision with bunker vessel Marine Honour on June 14, 2024.Investigations by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) are ongoing…

Maritime services company Boluda Towage on Wednesday announced it has acquired France-based Les Abeilles International.Les Abeilles provides maritime rescue response services, with coverage along the French and Northern European coasts. Boluda Towage said the acquisition will enhance its capacity to act in case of offshore spills, with highly qualified equipment and state-of-the-art technology. Boluda Towage will also emerge as a new player in the wind energy markets, supporting the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms.Through the acquisition…

Maritime services company Consulmar has performed a zero-emissions mooring service for a tanker, said to be the world’s first such operation.This operation took place at an offshore multiple buoy mooring site near the BP refinery, situated 2 miles from the Port of Castellón in Spain.Utilizing its electric line handling tug, CASTALIA, Consulmar towed the steel mooring lines from the vessel to each of the five mooring buoys, marking a significant advancement in the maritime industry towards more sustainable practices.The tanker vessel ARCHANGEL…

Marlink has further strengthened its cyber security portfolio with the addition of CyberGuard Unified Threat Management (CyberGuard UTM) to secure its customers’ digital transformation strategies.CyberGuard UTM reflects the growth of cyber threats in the maritime industry and the need to protect people and assets across a broader range of digital solutions. In particular, the growth of new LEO and 4G/5G services with greater bandwidth speed and lower latency require increased…

Engine manufacturer Scania on Thursday announced it has been selected by Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) to power its new fleet of five 47-foot Skimmer oil response vessels, built by Rozema Boat Works. Powered by twin DI13 087M 700hp engines provided by Cascade Engine Center, the new vessels will be delivered in 2023.Formed in conjunction with the Marine Preservation Association in 1990 by oil and gas companies, MSRC is a not-for-profit organization with U.S. Coast Guard OSRO classification in every U.S. captain of the port zone except Alaska.

Classification society DNV has awarded type approval to NAPA’s new onboard stability software for the passenger sector – NAPA Stability, a new onboard stability solution that will replace NAPA Loading Computer, the stability management solution for passenger ships.This type approval establishes that the software meets DNV’s requirements for the assessment of ship stability in both intact and damaged conditions, and the relevant IACS requirements to enable Safe Return to Port (IACS UR L5 Type 4 requirements)…

The Putnam County Fire Department, located midway between Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., has purchased two identical Lake Assault Boats craft scheduled for delivery later this year. The vessels will assist the department in providing fire suppression and emergency response services on Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair, as well as on the land surrounding both.“Our department protects 185 miles of shoreline, which includes hydropower facilities, single family homes, vacations homes, and secluded neighborhoods that are not served by fire hydrants…

Partners Group, a global private markets firm, has agreed, on behalf of its clients, to buy North Star, a UK-based operator of emergency response and rescue vessels, which has recently also dived into the offshore wind sector with several orders made for essential offshore wind maintenance services vessels, from Basalt Infrastructure Partners for an undisclosed price.Aberdeen-based North Star has a fleet of 48 Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs) and Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and around 1,400 employees.

Marine services and towage firm KOTUG Canada Inc., a partnership between KOTUG International and Canada’s Horizon Maritime Inc., has won a long-term agreement with Trans Mountain, operator of Canada’s only oil pipeline servicing the West Coast of Canada providing tidewater access to foreign markets for Canada’s petroleum resources. KOTUG Canada will provide escort towage to tankers loaded at Westridge Marine Terminal. "KOTUG Canada was selected for this purpose by shippers on the Trans Mountain Pipeline after a rigorous and competitive process facilitated by Trans Mountain.

Dutch shipbuilder Royal Niestern Sander last weekend launched "yard number 862", a shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel, being built for a joint venture between the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola."The world’s first ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel is one step closer to delivery and operations in harsh weather conditions in Sakhalin. To be continued!," the shipbuilder said in a press statement on Tuesday.The shallow draft ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel is designed and optimized for year-round operations in the challenging conditions on the east coast of Sakhalin…

In February 2021, LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie, escorted by a nuclear icebreaker, became the first large-capacity cargo vessel to transit the eastern sector of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The voyage demonstrated that year-round safe navigation is possible along the entire length of the Northern Sea Route (NSR).In the last five years, cargo traffic along the NSR has grown almost fivefold, reaching 33 million tons in 2020. Last year, there were 64 voyages on the NSR compared with 37 in 2019.

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

Marine salvage and emergence response group Resolve Marine said it repositioned its response tug Makushin Bay from Dutch Harbor, Alaska to Kodiak, Alaska where the growing need for maritime and response services will provide local vessel operators and owners with rapid response and cost efficiencies.Stationing the salvage and emergency response vessel in Kodiak with a 24/7 manned crew will improve response time and marine services along Alaska’s south coast, the company said.

After a tender procedure, Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander and a joint-venture between Russia's Mercury Sakhalin and Pola have signed an agreement for the construction of the world’s first shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel. After delivery in December 2021, Mercury Sakhalin will operate this vessel on the East Coast of Sakhalin, Russia for the offshore oil and gas industry.Acting as an intermediary between both parties, Wagenborg Offshore have contributed to the…

Dutch dredging and marine services giant Boskalis has acquired the U.S.-based maritime emergency response specialist Ardent Americas.Ardent, created by the 2015 merger of salvage divisions of Svitzer and Crowley, specializes in emergency preparedness and response, wreck removals, subsea services and decommissioning for the offshore oil and gas industry. Ardent Americas was a subsidiary of Ardent Global Marine Services, headquartered in IJmuiden, the Netherlands.Boskalis has also…

The Waco Fire Department has taken delivery of a custom-built Lake Assault Boats fireboat and rescue craft. The new vessel provides a wide range of emergency response services on Lake Waco (a 12-square-mile body of water located within the city limits) as well as a section of the Brazos River that flows through the department’s protection area in central Texas. The craft was purchased through Lake Assault Boats’ listings on GSA Advantage Schedule 84 that includes Marine Craft.A pair of 225 hp Honda outboard engines supplies power for the 26-foot craft.

Committed to providing tugboat and towing vessel operators with a platform to meet regularity requirements and collaborate with local resources, the annual event also reminds us that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.On September 28 2018, American Marine Associates, LLC (AMA) coordinated and hosted the 3rd annual Green Apple Spill Response Exercise in Bayonne, NJ. The Green Apple Spill Response exercise was established specifically for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating in New York Harbor.

These days, cost-conscious municipalities across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea, are ordering new waterborne assets to cover their many local responsibilities. When they do, they want ‘more bang for their buck,’ combining multiple missions – and the equipment that makes it all possible – onto one hull. That’s a tall order on the typically compact patrol boat style hulls that tend to be big on performance, but short on space for equipment that can demand a significant physical footprint. One such shipbuilder stepping up to plate to deliver on a raft of promises is Gulf Coast-based Metal Shark. Significantly expanding its presence in the fireboat market with a diverse range of fireboats currently in production for multiple customers…

The Rabun County Fire Services, located in the northeast corner of Georgia, has placed a Lake Assault Boats fireboat into service on Lake Rabun, an 835-acre reservoir with 25 miles of shoreline. The new craft provides fire suppression and emergency response services for homeowners, visitors, and Georgia Power facilities located on the lake.“The combination of hydroelectric plants and a growing number of high-end waterfront single family homes in a region susceptible to wildfires make our on-the-water emergency response capabilities a critical part of our department’s mission…