Willis News

The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is “Managing Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)” with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.

Omaha-headquartered construction company Kiewit Corporation on January 1, 2023 completed its acquisition of Cranford, N.J.-based marine construction and dredging contractor Weeks Marine and its subsidiaries for an undisclosed amount.Weeks Marine and its subsidiaries Healy Tibbitts Builders, McNally International and North American Aggregates will be independently branded subsidiaries of Kiewit.“This acquisition offers substantial opportunities for both companies,” said Kiewit CEO Rick Lanoha.

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

WTW has launched CyNav for Ports and Terminals, a cyber solution specifically designed to help address the escalating cyber risks faced by owners and operators in this strategically vital sector of the global maritime supply chain. The release of CyNav for Ports and Terminals is a direct response to growing calls from operators for a bespoke product that addresses the specific risks faced by their high-value asset class and closes the gaps found in the standard cyber policies of today’s insurance market.Due to the outsized role its practitioners play in supporting the global economy…

The Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance initiative has been launched to provide transparency on carbon emissions and support the shipping industry’s green transition. Marine insurers that launched the initiative on Wednesday, said that the Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance "are a framework to quantitatively assess and disclose the climate alignment of marine insurers’ underwriting portfolios. ""This pioneering initiative makes marine insurance the first line of business to establish a sector-specific methodology to support the ambition of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA)…

Aukland ferry operator Fullers360 announced a new electric hybrid fast ferry will join its fleet in 2023.The new electric vessel with hybrid capabilities will have capacity to transport approximately 300 passengers servicing the company’s Devonport route, with capacity to travel to other destinations as needed. Designed by Incat Crowther, the vessel is a modular metro-level with overflow to the upper deck optimized to be up to 100% electric on the Devonport route.Fullers360’s CEO…

Ports and terminal operators are entering a new era where the operational threats they face – both old and new – will make a return to ‘business as usual’ increasingly unlikely, even once the pandemic finally subsides.Transition to new technologies and digitally enabled systems, addressing the impact of climate change, defending against cyberattacks and shifting geopolitics will couple with traditional supply chain and operational risks to change the face of the sector.According to Global Port Trends 2030…

The 11th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium: A Virtual Event Exploring All Too Real RisksThe past year has been as impactful for the world’s maritime transportation xystem as it has been for the rest of society. From the Suez Canal to the Arctic and beyond, human, technology and environmental events disrupted maritime activity. And the pandemic highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities in many ways, from mariners quarantined aboard vessels to port congestion due to COVID-driven surges in e-commerce.

The blockage of the Suez Canal is likely to lead to large reinsurance claims, adding to upward pressure on marine reinsurance rates, James Vickers, chair of reinsurance broker Willis Re International, told Reuters.Formal investigations began this week into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week.The incident and its impact on hundreds of ships delayed in the canal would be a “large loss” for insurance market Lloyd’s of London…

Four individuals have been charged for their roles in a conspiracy to sell phony U.S. Coast Guard merchant mariner credentials in Norfolk, Va., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced Monday.According to allegations in the unsealed indictment, Lamont Godfrey, 42, of Portsmouth, Va.;, Eugene Johnson, 45, of Norfolk; Shunmanique Willis, 43, of Texas; and Alonzo Williams, 45, of Louisiana, acted in concert to create counterfeit certificates from the Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) and sell them to merchant mariners for a profit.

A shipping joint venture between Venezuela and China has fallen apart in the wake of U.S. sanctions, resulting in the South American nation losing three supertankers at a time when foreign shippers are reluctant to carry its oil, court documents show.PetroChina Co Ltd, which had been state-run Petroleos de Venezuela’s partner in the Singapore-based joint venture CV Shipping Pte Ltd, took control of the three tankers between January and February, according the documents from a Singapore court reviewed by Reuters.The transfer of the Junin, Boyaca and Carabobo very large crude carriers (VLCC) has not been previously reported.It came after U.S.

Willis Towers Watson unveiled a new type of cyber insurance product for shipowners that redesigns standard cyber policies to better navigate the risks for ship operators in the digital era.The solution, CyNav, addresses cyber threats in the broadest sense, including losses that occur from cyber-related business interruptions, even when the cyber events originate with third party IT service providers.CyNav’s primary focus is to support the continuity of maritime businesses and…

Dutch heavy-lift firm Mammoet  has reached an agreement that will enable it to provide offshore wind services at the Port of Coeymans Marine Terminal, in New York.The collaboration allows Mammoet access to the port’s 400-acre marine terminal facility, which is owned and operated by Carver Companies , in Coeymans, New York, conveniently located along the Hudson River 100 miles North of NY City and 10 miles South of Albany, NY.Over the years, Mammoet has developed a relationship with the Port of Coeymans while utilizing the port during the execution of local projects such as the roll-off operation of a fully assembled HRSG module, and the Willis Avenue Bridge project just to name a few.With the agreement…

The State University of New York Maritime College, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, National Academy of Sciences, academic institutions, industry partners, and federal, state and local agencies, will host the 10th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2019) Nov. 13-15, 2019, at New York Maritime College located in the Bronx, New York.MRS 2019 will bring together academics, government and commercial entities to discuss the threats, challenges and risks associated with the Marine Transportation System with a focus on current and future marine transportation challenges and threats.

Tanker shipping company Euronav has secured a loan facility providing financing for four ice-class suezmax newbuildings under construction by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., two of which have recently been delivered with the remaining two scheduled for delivery later in 2018.Watson Farley & Williams LLP (WFW) said it acted for Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank in relation to a $173.5 million loan facility for Euronav NV signed on March 22, 2018. The commercial lenders were Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV and Sea Bridge Finance Limited and The Export-Import Bank of Korea acted as ECA lender.WFW also acted for ING Belgium SA/NV on a $220 million loan facility for Euronav and International Seaways signed on March 29…

Energy.It seems that energy touches every aspect of our lives from heating our homes to ensuring that fresh produce is available at grocery stores. It powers our cars and allows industry to move products around the world. The connection between energy and risk to the maritime environment has been a growing area of discussion, research and analysis. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, within its Joint Doctrine Publication (JDOP 0-10) 5th edition UK Maritime Power, captured this issue superbly: “Fossil fuels and minerals are an important resource in the maritime environment. New deposits of oil and gas, as well as mineral wealth, are discovered under the seabed each year, and improvements in technology will facilitate future exploitation.

THE London P&I Club has published a loss prevention guide on risks associated with the carriage of coal cargoes, with particular emphasis on gas monitoring and ventilation.The guide, written by Paul Willis, Senior Associate with UK-based forensic investigation and root cause analysis specialist Hawkins, notes that the management of coal cargoes and the proper use of gas detection equipment are key elements in the prevention of coal fire claims. It details the fundamental requirements relating to the installation…

Chinese oil buyers will keep taking crude from the United States through September, but plan to reduce future purchases to avoid a likely import tariff amid a trade spat between the world's two largest economies, multiple industry sources said.Beijing has put U.S. energy products, including crude oil and refined products, on lists of goods that it will hit with import taxes in retaliation for similar moves by Washington.Beijing did not specify when it will impose a 25 percent tax on oil…

Sparks are flying on the keel of the $1.9 million, 57-foot aluminum fisheries research vessel for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), at Moran Iron Works (MIW). The project was announced in November of 2016 when the two parties met for an inaugural meeting in Onaway. Preliminary design of the vessel was performed by Seacraft Design, LLC, with MIW working to finalize the design and construction drawings. “The official laying of keel day was January 23,” said Jason Willis, project manager at MIW.

SAFE Boats International has promoted Janice Willis to the position of Vice President Program Management. Willis joined SAFE Boats in December 2010 as a member of the Business Development team, and in 2014 became the Director of Program Management, leading the teams responsible for managing SBI’s fed-eral government program business in Bremerton including the USCG CB-OTH and USCBP CIV Programs. Willis has over 25 years’ experience in program management and contract administration. The past 10 years have been in the marine industry in the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is responsible for security and facilitation operations at 328 ports of entry throughout the United States. Missions include the pursuit, boarding and searching of suspect vessels, seizing vessels and contraband, and arresting violators. It is a difficult and dangerous job. To that end, CBP recently selected SAFE Boats International to design and build a 41-foot Coastal Interceptor Vessel (CIV) that is up to the task. “The patrol boat market is really a specialty market,” said Janice Willis, Vice President Program Management at SAFE Boats. Among its many innovative features…

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Mark H. Buzby as the new administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). MARAD executive director Joel Szabat had been serving in lieu of the administrator following the departure of outgoing administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen. Buzby, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in June, is a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) alumnus and retired U.S. Navy admiral with a military career spanning over three decades at sea and ashore. He was most recently president and CEO of National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA).

Residents fleeing most powerful storm on U.S. mainland since 2005. Businesses closed and lines of cars streamed out of coastal Texas as officials called for residents to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Harvey, expected to arrive about midnight as the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland in more than a decade. The hurricane is forecast to slam first near Corpus Christi, Texas, drop flooding rains along the central Texas coast and potentially loop back over the Gulf of Mexico before hitting Houston, some models showed. "My urgent message to my fellow Texans is that if you live in a region where evacuation has been ordered, you need to heed that advice and get out of harm's way while you can," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a televised address.