Services Group News

Crowley announced it will pilot carbon capture technology on board one of its containerships under the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) program.The Jacksonville, Fla. based shipping company said it has reached an agreement with Sana Monica, Calif. based Carbon Ridge and MARAD to operate, measure and optimize the technology’s effectiveness in actual maritime environments at port and ultimately at sea. The collaboration includes the engineering…

Some of the world's largest ports may be unusable by 2050 as rising sea levels hit operations, and efforts to speed up decarbonization of the maritime sector and bring in new technology are vital, a study showed on Friday.Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe. These include a drought which is hampering operations in the Panama Canal, a top waterway.The Global Maritime Trends 2050 report, commissioned by leading shipping services group Lloyd's Register and the independent charity arm Lloyd's Register Foundation…

TDI-Brooks International, Inc. announced it has appointed Paul Walker as its director of laboratory operations, tasked with leading the company's geotechnical, geochemical and environmental labs.Walker began his career at Humble Geochemical where he was tasked with method development, instrument maintenance, and general lab and project management. He then joined Baseline Resolution where he continued developing and optimizing specialized pyrolysis and hydrocarbon separation methods for onshore and offshore petroleum systems.

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

Crowley signed an agreement on Thursday with the Port of Humboldt Bay to exclusively negotiate to be the developer and operator of a terminal to serve as California’s first hub for offshore wind energy installations. Through Crowley’s Wind Services group, the company will enter into negotiations with the port to lease and serve as the port’s developer of the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal. The services provided will support tenants in the manufacturing, installation and operation of offshore wind floating platforms…

Crowley announced it is integrating Seattle-based marine interior design company JE Russell Consulting, giving the company’s engineering services group the capability to complement vessels’ existing designs with interior designs, consulting and other service offerings.“Crowley’s addition of the JE Russell Consulting team provides our engineering services group with an important resource to offer comprehensive design services to our customers,” said Coulston Van Gundy, vice president, Crowley Engineering Services.

Carnival Cruise Line is partnering with Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and STI, one of the largest networks of colleges and schools in the Philippines, to assist Filipinos in taking up maritime studies and working on board the line's fleet of 24 cruise ships.Carnival Cruise Line SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer Bettina Deynes and Vice President for Crew and Travel Operations Richard Brearley were recently in Manila, Philippines for the announcement of the dynamic…

Italy's Saipem on Wednesday confirmed its 2022 guidance and the targets in its business plan after the energy services group reported a first-half adjusted core profit of 321 million euros ($325 million).Investors this month agreed to fund only 1.4 billion euros of a life-saving 2 billion euro cash call, leaving the underwriting banks to mop up the remaining new shares.

International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI), which provide administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries, announced the promotion of Simon Bonnett and Theo Xenakoudis.Bonnett, who has served as Senior Vice President, Technical since 2018 was promoted to Chief Maritime Officer, and Xenakoudis, the organization’s Director, Worldwide Business Operations since 2015 and Managing Director of the Piraeus office since 2007…

Crowley’s ship assist and escort services group has agreed to charter its third Tier IV ship assist tug, Athena.Athena meets U.S. EPA Tier IV requirements for emissions control technology. The vessel will be equipped with remote monitoring for the improved efficiency of vessel operations and data exchange to further the company’s commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its fleet.“Athena will provide innovation and performance for customers in the Pacific Northwest,” said Paul Manzi, vice president, Crowley Shipping.

Israel is ready to renew efforts to solve its dispute with Lebanon over the delineation of their territorial waters in the Mediterranean, but it will not accept that Beirut dictates the terms of the negotiation, its energy minister said on Tuesday.The talks mediated by the United States were launched a year ago to try to resolve the dispute, which has held up exploration in the potentially gas-rich area. The talks stalled in May.U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein is due in both…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ship assist and harbor escort services group has taken delivery of Apollo, a powerful and maneuverable tugboat with the most compact size in the U.S.The tugboat has completed final outfitting at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc. in Portland, Ore., and will deploy soon to serve the San Francisco Bay. Like its sister tug operated by Crowley, Hercules, the Apollo was designed by Robert Allen Ltd. to be the nation’s most powerful tug under 80 feet at 78…

U.S.-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox, Inc. announced Tuesday that the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) awarded the company a $20 million prime contract.The NSWCPD provides the Navy's primary technical expertise for naval machinery research and development and in-service engineering, as well as machinery cybersecurity and lifecycle engineering.Gibbs & Cox said its contract will have a five-year operating period with a work scope including maintenance functions for the materials, structures, environmental and protection divisions.

New Zealand’s Westfleet Seafoods, based in Greymouth, has earned an international reputation for quality and sustainability. While their fleet includes some mid-water trawlers, their preferred method of catching is longline. This method is noted for the quality and selectivity of the catch.The company’s current fleet includes five vessels, two of which are modern longliners. The success of these vessels has prompted the firm to order an additional longliner for delivery in early 2022.

Crowley announced Friday that the company has fully integrated Jensen Maritime into the Crowley Engineering Services group, a group designed to seamlessly combine Crowley’s diverse business portfolio with Jensen’s marine engineering and naval architecture experience.“This transformation reflects the evolution of Crowley’s capabilities as single source for engineering and design since Jensen joined Crowley as a subsidiary in 2008,” said Matt Yacavone, SVP and GM, Crowley Shipping.

Rolls-Royce has acquired Servowatch Systems, a UK-based international supplier of integrated marine automation solutions for navies, commercial vessels and large yachts.Representatives of Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit and the company’s previous owner, the Indian engineering, procurement and construction projects, manufacturing, defense and services group Larsen & Toubro, signed the contracts Wednesday. Commercial terms were not disclosed."Servowatch's modern and sophisticated…

The inland waterway system, flowing through the United States heartland, is a microcosm of all that has been happening in 2020: trade tensions, infrastructure issues, shifting trends in fuel consumption and the pandemic that has gripped us since the winter months. Shortly after the initial coronavirus outbreak here in the U.S., maritime workers were deemed to be “essential”, paving the way for cargo flows to recover from their springtime nadir. As COVID-19 infections turned up on U.S. shores, the boats continued plying the waterways, albeit with reduced volumes in some cases.

Italian oil services group Saipem said on Thursday it could not offer new guidance for the year because of the highly unstable environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic and falling oil prices.Last week the group pulled its 2020 outlook saying the pandemic might trigger a sharp fall in demand and a delay in projects.On Thursday the company said it swung to a net loss in the first quarter of 269 million euros ($291.30 million), from a profit of 21 million euros the previous year…

Crowley Fuels took delivery Tuesday of its new Alaska Class 100,000-barrel, articulated tug-barge (ATB), which will be used to transport petroleum products for the Alaska market, from Bollinger Shipyards.Crowley will operate the 483-foot ATB for Alaska-based Petro Star Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) under a long-term charter. Crowley Shipping’s petroleum services group will operate the ATB on behalf of Crowley Fuels.The ATB is the first in Crowley’s fleet to be dedicated to the Alaska market.

Traders are storing an estimated record 160 million barrels of oil on ships - double the level from two weeks ago as they seek to tackle a glut of stocks created by a slide in global demand from the coronavirus, shipping sources say.Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia have agreed a record cut in output from May of 9.7 million barrels per day, or almost 10% of global supply, to help support prices and curb oversupply.At…

The Offshore Rig Market – At $30 Oil Offshore Drillers May Be Out of OptionsCOVID-19 and low oil prices are already having an impact on the offshore rig market as contractors face crew and logistical challenges and E&Ps attempt to prioritize drilling campaigns.Contract scrutiny has already led to a few contract cancellations and the first claims of force majeure.However, contract options are at most risk. Over $1.6 billion in contract value is at stake for options that are due to be exercised this year.

Crowley Maritime Corp said Friday its marine services group has entered into a bareboat charter with Brusco Tug and Barge for an all new RApport-design tractor tug to serve Pacific Northwest and California ports, performing ship assist and harbor escort work.The vessel, which Crowley will rename Hercules after delivery next week, was designed by Robert Allan Ltd., and constructed by Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore., for Brusco. The 82-foot, 6,000-horsepower tug is powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E (2240kw@1,800rpm) U.S. EPA Tier IV-compliant engines.

Maritime services group Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) has appointed Kent Lee as Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 15,  2020. Kent’s appointment follows the acquisition of GNS by the Cornes Group in November 2019. He succeeds Paul Stanley, who led GNS from 2014 until its acquisition by Cornes.During the last 25 years, Kent has held a number of senior executive positions in the information technology industry with wide international exposure. In 2012, he co-founded CloudRadigm…