Rooney News

New York City is looking at ways to help shift freight transportation off of its busy roads and onto the waterways.The city's Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on Wednesday jointly released a Request for Information and Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking private sector feedback to help it gauge industry challenges and opportunities, and explore ways to implement and support businesses to engage in waterfront freight operations.The initiative is part of NYC's "Blue Highways" program, launched under the city's previous mayor, Bill de Blasio.

Shipyards across the U.S. are investing in new equipment to increase lift capacity, opening up the door for more projects and improved efficiency.Southern California-based Marine Group Boat Works, which performs a mix of yacht, commercial and government vessel repair work, in 2022 repowered its 665-ton Marine Travelift mobile boat hoist—the largest on the West Coast—with a Tier 4 John Deere engine. And earlier this year it was awarded a MARAD Small Shipyard Grant worth more than…

Bayonne Dry Dock & Repair Corp held a christening ceremony on December 9 for its new mobile boat hauler, dedicated in honor of Christopher Edward Cranston, a NYPD Detective who died of a 9/11-related illness in July 2019.The late Staten Island native—a first-responder during and in the aftermath of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks—was the brother of the Bayonne, N.J. ship repair yard’s president, Mike Cranston, who said the new lift is a fitting tribute to someone who always prioritized family and service.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Beth Rooney has been named Director of the Port Department, taking over for Sam Ruda who is departing to return to the West Coast.A maritime industry veteran, Rooney will assume the role on May 2 following three years as the ports Deputy Director and more than three decades of experience. She has been with the Port Department since 1993.Together, Ruda and Rooney have led the East Coast’s busiest and largest seaport, and third in the nation behind the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.

It was an unusually slow day on the docks back on April 21, 2021 when crewmembers onboard a Brusco tugboat sprang into action from the Port of Hueneme to assist a vessel in distress. A 17-year-old containership named the President Eisenhower was headed from Los Angeles to San Francisco when it suffered an engine room fire that disabled command of the vessel.A vessel named Teresa Brusco and her crew pushed the Eisenhower vessel away from shore while other tugboats and salvage companies came to assist. The vessel was disabled in the shipping lane while fully loaded and drifting to shore.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will conduct the first test at a U.S. port of an electric vehicle to move cargo containers by the end of this year.According to a press release from the port authority, this initiative is to meet aggressive targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement.A straddle carrier is a piece of terminal yard handling equipment that is used to move cargo containers by first straddling the container and then lifting it up and driving over the back of a truck to place the container on the chassis, in contrast to loading a container on the back of a truck from the side.Under a partnership with the Port Authority…

Growing options emerge for ever-increasing data and Comms demand. In the United States alone, 625 million tons of cargo is transported along the more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways each year, moving vital commodities to and from 38 of the nation’s 50 states. The advent of subchapter M has raised the bar significantly for as many as 5,000 inland vessels, both in terms of safety and the need to document and more closely control this tonnage. At the same time, domestic coastal transport and offshore energy support vessels also face growing communications requirements.

Speedcast International Limited, provider of reliable, fully managed, remote communication and IT solutions, announced the release of CrewReach, a new global prepaid mobile SIM card designed with crew members in mind. Powered by a Multi-IMSI global network, CrewReach provides cost-effective access to 4G and 3G data. “Weeks and months at sea without being connected to family and friends can lead to feelings of isolation and depression for the thousands of Commercial Maritime sailors who are responsible for the transportation of goods around the globe,” said Dan Rooney, Commercial Maritime Product Director, Speedcast. “CrewReach provides cost-effective prepaid mobile data access to terrestrial mobile networks…

Whether it’s autonomous cars or connected houses, it seems like everywhere you look these days, internet of things (IoT) technology is a focus. Even in the conservative maritime world, IoT is currently a hot topic. Shifting supply chain solutions and business models are fundamentally changing the way that commercial shipping and the wider transport sector operates. IoT enables an organization to capture value from information, regardless of sector, and in essence forms a loop that creates a larger process. Deloitte conceptualized this process and named it the Information Value Loop in 2015.

Press release- SpeedCast International Limited (ASX: SDA), a satellite communications and network service provider, has  launched a new maritime email communication solution called SpeedMail+, based on GTMaritime’s flagship new maritime email platform. SpeedMail+ combines SpeedCast’s unrivalled global VSAT and L-Band network with the full suite of GTMaritime’s services, including email, file transfer and anti-virus applications, developed for today’s communication requirements of the maritime sector.

Mary Anne Rooney, Harbor Commissioner at California’s Port of Hueneme, has been named President of the Association of Pacific Ports (APP), a trade and information association promoting increased efficiency and effectiveness of Pacific ports. Rooney, who previously served as APP’s Second Vice President, was selected at the group’s 102nd Annual Conference held in August in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. As a result, the Port of Hueneme will host APP’s Annual Conference in 2016. “I am very honored to be selected by my peers and have the opportunity to leverage the port and industry needs of our region…

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Arthur H. Thomas, Sr., president and CEO of Helix Alliance, Inc., received the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award. The award was presented by retired Capt. Louis Cavaliere, U.S. Navy, chairman of the Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, and George DuBois, chapel trustee, and mentor to the shipping community. The presentation was made at a joint meeting of the Propeller Club of Jacksonville and the Navy League. Cavaliere cited Thomas’ participation in numerous charitable organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and American Diabetes Foundation, through his position as chief operating officer at Solutions Through Advanced Research, Inc. (STAR), a Jacksonville company active in pharmaceutical research and clinical trials.

Today, Governor Brown signed AB 2395 Legislation. The bill was co-authored by Bonnie Lowenthal chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee and the Select Committee on Ports (D-Long Beach); Jeff Gorell, a member of the Select Committee on Ports (R-Camarillo); and Hannah Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). By increasing the Oxnard Harbor District's borrowing authority from its current $1 million to $10 million, the legislation will help The District upgrade and modernize its facilities.

The Port of Hueneme announced that it will receive more than $400,000 in funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Fiscal Year 2014 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). The funds will help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities. "The Port of Hueneme is a connection to world markets, serving as a priority gateway for the Western United States, and it is critical to the economic health of Ventura County and Southern California," said Congresswoman Brownley.

The Port of Hueneme says that over 40 Port, industry and community partners welcomed Brusco Tug & Barge's newest 78-foot by 31-foot ship assist tug, the 'Simone Brusco' at the ceremony. The Simone Brusco is the third Robert Allan-designed ship assist tug built exclusively for The Port. The new vessel is a continuation of a line of ship assist tugs for the Longview, Washington-based Brusco Tug & Barge, named in honor of the late daughter of Bo and Teri Brusco, Simone. The Port explains that like her sister tugs, the Simone is outfitted with a forward electric Markey Render/Recover hawser winch as well as a 1,500 gpm fire pump and monitor. The Simone can not only pour water on a shipboard fire, but act as an auxiliary water source for shore-based emergencies as well.

The Port of Hueneme, California, and the Port of Bolivar, Ecuador, have formalized their friendship by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding declaring their affirmation of a “Sister Port” relationship. The Port of Hueneme is the west coast’s number one hub for the banana trade, moving over 650,000 tons of bananas annually. The Port of Bolivar serves as one of the Port of Hueneme’s largest trading partners in the transport of bananas, fruits, and produce. As part of the agreement, the two ports will share information and policies on a wide range of topics relevant to the development of facilities, training of personnel, engineering and technical services…

The Port commissioned the Hamburg Sud’s M/V Cap Palmerston, carrying fresh fruit for Chiquita Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina during a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce the Port of Hueneme’s recently installed Grid-Based Shore Power system. Community leaders were on hand to view this first vessel ‘plug in’. The initial test of ‘plugging in’ a vessel is critical to assessing the performance of this new and very high voltage shore power system. It is also vital to ensuring all trained units including ILWU and ship operators become comfortable with operating the gear.

Port staff received news that the Port of Hueneme was among the awardees to receive funds through the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The funds will be used to complete an enhanced phase II to the Port’s existing Shore Power Project that will allow additional vessels to simultaneously connect to the Port’s Shore Power system. Following passage of AB 32 by the state assembly, programs were put in place to allow ships at berth in California ports to turn off their more polluting marine engines dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Port Officials and Global Auto Processing Services (GAPS) executed a fifth modification of its 2007 contract extending their agreement for an additional five years through January 31, 2019. The Port welcomed GAPS for the first time in March 2007. Port CEO and Executive Director Kristin Decas noted at the announcement, “In addition to GM and U.S. manufactured Honda exports, GAPS partners with logistics provider Glovis USA, (the logistical arm of Hyundai/Kia), to handle the Hyundai and Kia family of Korean manufactured automobiles. We greatly value this partnership and look forward to many more years as partners”.

The Port of Hueneme’s most historic cargo year, 2013, yielded a significant economic stimulus, reporting 778 new trade related jobs, $5 million in additional taxes and an additional $90 million in Maritime related economic activity as the Port of Hueneme continues to grow as an economic engine for Ventura County and the region. Highlights of the study show that more than 315 of these newly created jobs remain local. This announcement comes from a just released Economic Impact report for fiscal year 2013 performed by Martin Associates Economic Consulting firm.

The Port’s most historic cargo year (fiscal 2013) yielded a significant economic stimulus, reporting 778 new trade related jobs, $5 million in additional taxes and an additional $90 million in Maritime related economic activity as the Port of Hueneme continues to grow as an economic engine for Ventura County and the region. This announcement comes from a just released 'Economic Impact report for fiscal year 2013' performed by Martin Associates Economic Consulting firm. With over 20 years…

Acting Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen met today with Port of Hueneme officials and Port customers for an industry stakeholder meeting and tour of the Port of Hueneme and Navy Base Ventura County. BMW, Global Auto Processing Services, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, Chiquita, Del Monte, Yara, the ILWU and Port Stevedores participated in a strategic round table discussion focusing on partnership opportunities, marine highway trade and Port priorities moving forward. “America’s Ports truly are our economic gateway,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen.

The Port of Hueneme conducted its first operational and safety vessel test of its recently installed Grid-Based Shore Power system. Port crews were on hand to view this first vessel ‘plug in’ by Hamburg Sud’s M/V Cap Pasley, carrying fresh fruit for Chiquita Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina. The initial test of ‘plugging in’ a vessel is critical to the assessing performance of this new and very high voltage shore power system. It is also vital to ensuring all trained units including ILWU and ship operators become comfortable with operating the gear. The process tests the vessel’s ability to synchronize with and connect to the Port’s grid-based system.