Sutton News

Kinder Morgan KMI.N on Wednesday said its Port Manatee, Port Sutton and Tampaplex terminals in Florida sustained minimal damage due to Hurricane Idalia, and that it was also planning to shut its Charleston area terminals later in the day.The U.S. energy company said it was planning to reopen the terminals on Thursday, while its Tampa facilities including the Tampa refined products terminal and Central Florida Pipeline system have resumed normal operations.The Port Manatee, Port Sutton and Tampaplex terminals handle commodities such as fertilizers…

A tropical cyclone smashed into Australia's northwest coast as a category 5 storm, setting new wind speed records, but has largely spared populated regions including the world's largest iron ore export hub at Port Hedland, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Ilsa made landfall early Friday morning with the highest intensity rating on a 1-to 5 scale and then moved inland as emergency crews urged several remote communities along the storm's path to seek shelter and remain indoors."Port Hedland ... escaped the brunt of the cyclone at this stage.

Jeffersonville, Ind. based American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) on Tuesday announced it has signed a contract with Belle Chasse, La. shipyard C&C Marine and Repair to build a 11,000 horsepower (HP) class towboat.Designed by Portland, Maine-based CT Marine, the twin-screw towboat will measure 198 feet long, with 50-foot beam and 12-foot depth. With accommodations for a crew of up to 12, the vessel incorporates a floating, spring-mounted superstructure for additional onboard comfort.

The White House announced President Biden's appointment of former Milwaukee port director, Adam Tindall-Schlicht, as the next Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS). Tindall-Schlicht resigned his position at Port Milwaukee on October 19.An agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the GLS is responsible for operation of U.S. portions of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It works in partnership with it's Canadian counterpart to maintain a safe…

Highlighted in Marine Technology Reporter's MTR100 is the work and technology ongoing in the halls of academia. The most recent report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasized our warming planet, an expected announcement for many in the scientific community. Faced with the confirmation that human activities have caused an increase in global temperatures, research has turned to seeking answers in the planet’s natural systems. How does each part of the global carbon cycle work and how may it be impacted by the changing climate?

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Friday that Jason Sutton has been promoted to chief information officer for its Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective June 21.Sutton will be responsible for all aspects of information technology to enable Newport News to establish IT priorities and meet strategic objectives. Sutton will guide the day-to-day leadership of all information systems, while ensuring the appropriate alignment to enterprise cybersecurity and IT goals.

A Kuwaiti livestock ship, without animals aboard, was being held off Australia’s west coast after six crew members tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities said on Tuesday, heightening concerns over how arrivals by sea are handled.The Al Kuwait left the Middle East on May 7 and docked near the city of Perth on May 22 after telling the Australian immigration and agriculture authorities that some crew members had raised temperatures, Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said.Six crew later tested positive for the new coronavirus and were taken to hotels on land for quarantine while the state police commissioner asked the Australian Border Force and Department of Agriculture why the ship was allowed to dock.“Clearly this is not good…

A new offering from North is designed for larger ocean-going vessels and will complement the H&M insurance already available from Sunderland Marine for fishing vessels and other small craft. WeThe P&I club expects the new line will be taken up by a number of Members, whilst it is also open to non-Members. The focus from an underwriting perspective will be on quality of risk and suitability of terms.In support of the product, North has added significant underwriting expertise from…

As COVID-19 coverage dominates the world’s news cycle, it’s a pleasure to report on a new ship delivery, Swire Shipping’s first 2400TEU newbuild vessel, MV Changsha. The vessel was built at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., in China, and will be deployed on Swire Shipping’s South East Asia to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands service.MV Changsha is part of a wider order book of eight feeder container vessels (four 2,400 TEU vessels and four 2,750 TEU vessels) scheduled for delivery in 2020…

Swire Shipping, trading division of China Navigation Company, announced it will be entering a new vessel sharing partnership from New Zealand to Tonga, Samoa (Apia), Cook Islands and Fiji. This market leading service will depart every 10 days from Auckland.“Swire Shipping has built up a strong reputation for itself as a market leader connecting the Pacific Islands to the world. Today’s launch will enable us to offer expanded global coverage into the Pacific Islands, as well as specifically providing New Zealand customers with a new direct service alternative. Our aim is to offer best in class and reliable services from all key trading countries and regions importing and exporting to the Pacific Islands…

The Humber Electrical Engineering Company (HEECO) in the United Kingdom has consolidated its marine presence and developed into new oil and gas markets.The Hull-based electrical manufacturing business is known for the design and build of switchboards, motor control centers (MCCs) and control panels for the marine and energy sectors as well as the programming of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and the provision of electrical design solutions.Celebrating its 110th anniversary this year…

The Georgia Ports Authority marked 12.3 percent container volume growth in December, moving 292,172 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 32,099 TEUs compared to December 2015, a record for the GPA. Roll-on/Roll-off cargo mirrored that growth, with a 12.3 percent increase (7,000 units) in passenger vehicles and heavy equipment handled at Colonel's Island terminal in Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Georgia's deepwater ports moved 63,967 Ro/Ro units last month.

After opening the 2016 season on March 21, the St. Lawrence Seaway closed on December 31, enjoying a navigation season of 286 days. This performance ties the record first established in 2008 and matched in 2013 for the longest navigation season. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation recorded a total of 35 million tonnes of cargo transiting the Seaway’s locks in 2016. Grain movements posted a strong performance for a third consecutive season, contributing 11 million tonnes of the total and continuing to track well above the five-year average. The Port of Thunder Bay, the principal point of entry for grain into the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, reported a late-season surge in grain activity, as loadings in December trumped all previous December activity since 1995.

“November was a good month for the export of agricultural products and shipments of aluminum ingots on the Great Lakes Seaway System,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Under the binational trade development program known as ‘Highway H2O’, the U.S. Sutton added, “The U.S. Great Lakes ports of Toledo, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Burns Harbor, Ind.; and Milwaukee, Wis. handled corn, soybeans and wheat exports bound for Europe, South America, and Central America.

“The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System saw a steady flow of traditional cargoes during the month of October,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Last month, shipments of aluminum, steel, generators, crane components, iron ore and containerized goods moved in the system. Thanks to a robust U.S and Canadian grain crop, agricultural products including corn, soy beans, wheat and sugar beet pellets made up the majority of the…

“Notable increases were reflected in the export of wheat, corn and soybeans from the U.S. Ports of Duluth, Milwaukee and Toledo during the month of September,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “The good news is that we anticipate that trend to continue for the remaining three months of the 2016 navigation season.”  Also notable were shipments of aluminum and project cargo consisting of crane components, machinery, and transformers.

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, a provider of marine warranty, dynamic positioning and engineering services to the offshore sector, has successfully led the disconnection and towing operations of the Njord A semi-submersible floating production platform from the Njord field. The Njord A platform arrived safely in Klosterfjorden on the August 23, where a handover to Kværner was achieved. The 346 nautical-mile journey was carried out by Global Maritime, on behalf of the operator Statoil.

“We are about half-way through the 2016 navigation season and our overall cargo tonnage numbers are down by 11 percent,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. Sutton added, “Aluminum shipments supporting the automotive industry played a significant role in activity at the ports of Oswego, NY, Toledo, OH and Detroit, MI. We also saw wind energy parts moving through the Port of Ogdensburg, NY, headed for the new Jericho Rise Wind Farm project in upstate New York.

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering has introduced a new set of policies and procedures to support its Dynamic Positioning (DP) activities. The new procedures will ensure continued excellence and consistency across all Global Maritime’s global DP operations. The document will cover general working practices and core competencies as well as working procedures relating to DP Systems Audits & Verifications; Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), attendance at DP trials, and the development of other DP documentation.

While U.S. ports have been busy, overall the beginning of the shipping season has been slower than anticipated. “Although the overall cargo numbers remain down when compared to the same time frame last year, in June we were above the five-year average,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Imports arriving in the Great Lakes Seaway System kept longshoremen busy during the month of June. About 45 ships arrived from 19 different countries with high value cargo like windmill components, machinery, aluminum ingots, steel, sugar, and general cargo.

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering has signed a contract with leading offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind to provide marine warranty services for the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm. Services that will be provided include a technical review of all installation procedures and calculations; the survey and inspection of installation vessels; the witnessing of the installation of turbines and subsea cables; and the issuing of Certificates of Approval. David Sutton, CEO of Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, said: “The potential for offshore wind in the US is huge – both in terms of jobs created and in providing cleaner energy into the national energy mix. Global Maritime is therefore delighted to be involved in such a prestigious project.

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened two weeks earlier this shipping season and U.S. ports took advantage of the warm weather to move cargo for their customers. Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation said, “During the first nine weeks of the 2016 navigation season, ships arrived from 30 countries and delivered high value cargo that supported a wide range of manufacturing. Our longshoremen worked diligently to offload cargo ships delivering transformers bound for electric power companies…

Ohio Congressman David Joyce (R) has been named a 2016 Great Lakes Legislator of the Year by the largest labor/management coalition representing shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast. Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) annually presents the award to legislators who have promoted shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Rep. Joyce received his award at a ceremony in Washington on April 12. “Rep. Joyce’s deep appreciation for Great Lakes shipping stems from having two major ports in his district, Ashtabula and Conneaut,” said Thomas Curelli, President of GLMTF in 2016. “Rep.