Veterans News

Electronic Fuel Management Systems (EFMS) company Fueltrax reports it has opened a Vessel Operations Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.This is Fueltrax’s second such center and the first outside of the company’s headquarters in the U.S. It provides closer-to-region coverage for Asia-Pacific customers.Ruben DeLeon, Fueltrax’s Vice President of Product Support, drew on his seven-year tenure at NASA's Mission Control Center in driving the establishment of the Kuala Lumpur facility.As DeLeon explains…

HII announced that Peter Courtney has been promoted to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to serve as the director of legislative affairs. Courtney succeeds Carolyn Apostolou who retired in December after 10 years with the company.Courtney will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR). Benedict will report to Courtney.In Courtney’s new role…

Orca AI, headquartered in Israel and founded in 2018, has a simple yet complex premise: develop and deliver an intelligent safety platform for the maritime industry to prevent collisions. To date it has attracted attention and business globally, working with SeaSpan, NYK, MSC, Shell Shipping and Marubeni amongst others. Maritime Reporter TV recently caught up Orca AI CEO and co-founder Yarden Gross for insights on the reality today, and the promising potential for AI in the maritime sector.Yarden…

Many problems in our “New World” can be solved more quickly than ever due to the speed at which information now travels. Gone are the countless long days of research, because often our questions can be answered instantaneously at a computer terminal or on a handheld mobile device. Traditional investment, research, science and industry have all attempted to reconfigure their business practices to accept that information speed. Unfortunately, government regulation and bureaucracy have not…

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

Fincantieri Marine Repair is now serving as a Hangar Sponsor the Jacksonville Naval Museum, a role that will provide $50,000 in funding over several years to provide necessary renovations and upgrades to the Museum’s retired warship USS Orleck. Fincantieri also recently supported the Museum by providing a specialized crane and volunteering a team of its U.S. Veteran employees to  help lift a historic QH-50 Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH), weighing approximately 1,154 lbs., aboard the USS Orleck’s flight deck at no cost to the non-profit. In response to the sponsorship and ongoing support, the Jacksonville Naval Museum will dedicate its renovated hangar to the company upon completion of the work.For the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a congressionally chartered U.S.

When Atlantic offshore wind (OSW) projects move into high gear they will kick-start a series of impacts affecting almost the entire East Coast economy, from logistics to transportation to utility projects and, of course, just about every aspect of port and maritime activities.The related topics of workforce development and employment are among the fundamental issues being pushed and pulled by OSW. How workforce development and education and training proceed – and succeed – will be critical for the U.S.

Two load-bearing pillars of Norway’s leading maritime industry cluster in Sunmøre on the country’s west coast – offshore energy and the expedition cruise sector – took severe knocks from plunging energy prices in the 2010s followed by COVID-19. However, a recent tour of the region found the cluster in recovery mode.At the time, the cluster’s diversification strategy was to dive into the emerging expedition cruise sector: small, highly sophisticated ships designed to operate in some of the world’s most sensitive environments incorporated features including the highest ice-class…

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

The Long Island Council of the Navy League of the United States recently held a World War II Veterans Recognition Event in conjunction with Veteran’s Day. The event honored the heroic service efforts of three Long Island World War II veterans who protected our freedoms during their service in the United States military: Lieutenant Commander Jules V. Steinhauer of Farmingdale, N.Y., Radio Technician 1st Class Victor Nelson of Bethpage, N.Y., and the late William J. Evanzia of Westbury, N.Y., Communications Officer, Radar-Man 2nd Class, RD2, who was honored posthumously.

Members of "The Greatest Generation" honored  for Valiant U.S. Military Service by the Long Island Council of the U.S. Navy LeagueThe Long Island Council of the Navy League of the United States earlier this year held a World War II Veterans Recognition Event in conjunction with Veteran’s Day. The event honored the heroic service efforts of three Long Island World War II veterans during their service in the United States military: Lieutenant Commander Jules V. Steinhauer of Farmingdale, NY, Radio Technician 1st Class Victor Nelson of Bethpage, NY, and William J.

PACCAR Winch has been recognized locally and nationally for their ongoing commitment to providing an outstanding work environment for veterans. From community outreach to employee programs, the company is dedicated to recruiting, developing, and celebrating veterans.On November 10, PACCAR Winch was recognized as a recipient of the 2021 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award for the third year in a row from the U.S. Department of Labor. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing…

National Rivers Hall of Fame will honor marine towing industry veterans Peter Stephaich and Joseph H. Pyne during the Annual Waterways Symposium hosted by Waterways Council, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., in November.Stephaich, the current Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and Pyne, Kirby Corporation’s former CEO, will receive the Hall's Achievement Award, given to individuals making significant contributions to America’s waterways and barge industry.Having served the river industry for over 30 years…

“I hold no branch in higher esteem, than the Merchant Marine…”That is a quote from General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander of the Pacific in WWII. That one sentence sums up National Maritime Day. Inasmuch if it were not for our glorious Merchant Marine and maritime industry, we may not even have been a nation at all.National Maritime Day is the day we honor our American Merchant Mariners for protecting our freedom and for their dedication to promoting American commerce together with the accomplishments of the U.S. maritime industry.

As the traditional offshore oil and gas markets continue to struggle, the renewable offshore wind market is hot and getting hotter.As the cumulative maritime, offshore, port and logistics marketplace gears up for offshore wind energy on a huge scale, World Energy Reports (WER), in its report “2021 The Year When Offshore Wind Takes Off in the United States,” shows the anticipated growth trajectory. Service Operations Vessels (SOVs), which can commission and/or maintain turbines…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) hosted commencement exercises on Saturday, April 17, 2021, for 154 graduates of the company’s Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. Due to the COVID-19 environment, and in an effort to keep all employees, staff, graduates and their guests safe, the ceremony was held outdoors at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.“A drive-in movie-style graduation is likely not what you expected, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that the past year in many ways isn’t what any of us expected…

Investment company United Overseas Group (UOG) is to acquire Dubai-based shipping company United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC), the two companies said on Thursday.The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter, they said in a statement, without disclosing the value.UOG is controlled by shipping industry veterans Peter Georgiopoulos and Leonidas Vrondissi.The sale of UACC, whose shareholders include the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, was held up in 2017 after a bitter diplomatic rift broke between the Gulf Arab states, sources familiar with matter had told Reuters.The countries agreed this week to end the dispute that had seen Saudi Arabia and some allies cut ties with Qatar over accusations it supports terrorism.

Engineering firm BMT said it has appointed John Godwin as Regional Business Development Director for the Asia Pacific region. Based in Adelaide, Australia, Godwin will oversee the business development for the Asia Pacific region including Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.Godwin has over 25 years’ combined defense and industry experience, spanning engineering, consulting, business development, programs, operations, and general management. His international experience includes Europe, South East Asia, and the Middle East.

Finnish marine technology company has teamed up with naval architect and yacht designer Stefano Pastrovich on the design of innovative sustainable superyachts for the boutique cruise sector."A new generation of boutique cruise ships is set to emerge, with the luxury of a superyacht, the construction techniques and passenger experience of a cruise ship, and a close focus on the environment. These cost optimized vessels will serve the charter and luxury hotel sectors in attracting and meeting the demand from millennials and cruise veterans alike…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted commencement exercises on Saturday for 145 graduates of the company’s Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. The ceremony, held at Liberty Baptist Church Worship Center in Hampton, commemorated the school’s centennial graduating class.“Graduates of the 100th class of the Apprentice School, you know what it takes to do this amazing and important and difficult work,” said retired Adm. John Richardson, the former chief of naval operations, who delivered the commencement address.

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Expeditionary Sea Base, USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), during a ceremony Saturday, March 7, in Norfolk, Va.USS Hershel “Woody” Williams is optimized to support a variety of maritime-based missions and designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets. ESBs can be enhanced to meet special operations force missions through increased communications, aviation and unmanned aircraft system support.Built by General Dynamics NASSCO…

What will COVID-19 mean for the offshore wind industry? An industry not yet spinning on its own.Epitomized by the roller coaster ride that defined the stock market over the last few weeks, unpredictability has emerged as one of the few certainties of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Every industry has seen the effects of the pandemic, from hospitality, to travel, and even to the renewable energy sector. Indeed, even though the US offshore wind industry is not yet fully established…

Fairbanks Morse recently won an order by Huntington Ingalls Industries to build and deliver the four main propulsion diesel engines that will power the U.S. Navy’s newest Landing Platform/Dock (LPD) ship, LPD 31, the second of 13 in the LPD Flight II class of ships. We caught up with George Whittier, CEO, for his insights on this contract, COVID-19 and business overall.How long have you been at the helm at Fairbanks Morse?I returned to Fairbanks Morse in January where I previously served as CEO from 2009 to 2012.