Silverback Marine Brings Fresh Blood—and Ideas—to Boatbuilding
Tacoma, Wash.-based Silverback Marine is a relatively new name in boatbuilding, formed with the tall ambition to “change the way the world thinks about workboats”.“We started Silverback with the vision of essentially bringing, what I would call, the big boat experience to smaller workboats. Enabling people to get a smaller workboat, but also have a real naval architect and engineer go through it—give them renderings, give them that tailored experience that you would normally only find if you’re getting a much larger vessel…
Newcastle Port Becomes First EcoPort in Australasia
Port of Newcastle has become the first port in Australia or New Zealand to commit to meeting global environmental and sustainability standards as set by EcoPorts.The port was this month granted membership of the International EcoPorts network, having completed rigorous assessments to benchmark its environmental and sustainability practices against 120 major ports across Europe, Asia, North America and South America.Developed in 1997, EcoPorts remains the only Environmental Management Standard (EMS) specific to the global port sector.Port of Newcastle environmental adviser Jackie Spiteri said the organisation had chosen to be a pioneer…
Helikon Expands Use of GNS Voyager
Maritime services group Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) announced that London-based bulk carrier operator Helikon Shipping Enterprises has expanded its use of its VOYAGER software solution across its fleet to take advantage of VOYAGER’s advanced route planning and optimization tools. Helikon, a customer of GNS for more than a decade, has extended its contract to make use of the navigational efficiency tools available within the VOYAGER solution. In addition to VOYAGER’s inventory management, compliance management and chart updating functionality, the fleet is now also using A2BviaC digital distance tables and Meteo Group’s SPOS weather routing technology, all of which is enabling Helikon to improve route planning and achieve greater fuel efficiencies.
Wooldridge CCO, Navios Maritime Acquisition
Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: NNA) announced that Adrian Wooldridge will serve as the Company's Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for all chartering and related commercial activities. Before joining the company, Wooldridge worked for eight years at various divisions of Shell Oil where he most recently served as Freight Trading Manager for Shell Western Supply & Trading Ltd. in Barbados with overall responsibility for crude and refined petroleum products' trading. Wooldridge holds a Master's in Business Administration from Warwick Business School in the UK and a degree from the Royal College of Music in London. He also is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Navy's Top Engineers and Scientists Honored
By Lt. Cmdr. John T. The Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, John S. Thackrah, today honored 46 of the Department of the Navy's top scientists and engineers at the second annual Top Navy Scientists and Engineers of the Year award ceremony at the Pentagon, May 29. The Department of the Navy has over 35,000 scientists and engineers pursuing research, development, acquisition and sustainment. The award was established to honor those who reached superior technical achievements and to promote continued scientific and engineering excellence. "This award ceremony recognizes the top scientists and engineers in the Department of the Navy," Thackrah said.
Japanese Shipping Company to Pay $350K for Polluting
A Japanese shipping company admitted that it intentionally failed to maintain required records concerning overboard discharges of oil sludge and oil-contaminated bilge water from one of its cargo ships, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice, Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency announced. MK Shipmanagement Company, Ltd. pleaded guilty to one felony count of intentionally failing to maintain an oil record book, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, and will pay a total of $350,000 in criminal fines and community service payments. U.S. District Judge William H. Walls took the guilty plea from the corporation. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18.
Chief Engineer Sentenced to Prison Term, Reports U.S. Attorney
The Chief Engineer of a Panamanian registered container ship was sentenced today in federal court to charges of conspiracy, obstruction, destruction of evidence, false statements and violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships in connection with the use of a secretly concealed "magic pipe" used to deliberately discharge tons of sludge and oil contaminated waste overboard. Michael J. Sullivan, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Sue Ellen Wooldridge, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division; Rear Admiral David P. Pekoske, Commander, First Coast Guard District; and William Schenkelberg, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the U.S.
Ship Company to Pay $10.5M for Covering up Oil Pollution
MSC Ship Management (Hong Kong) Limited—a Hong Kong-based container ship company—has agreed to plead guilty to charges that it engaged in conspiracy, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, false statements and violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Department of Justice announced today. Per the terms of a plea agreement that must be approved by the court, MSC Ship Management will pay $10.5 million in penalties. This is the largest fine in which a single vessel has been charged with deliberate pollution and the largest criminal fine paid by a defendant in an environmental case in Massachusetts history. According to the plea agreement…
