Maritime Industry Top News
AWO Elects Crowley's Mead as Chairman
Arthur F. Mead, Vice President and Chief Counsel at Crowley Maritime Corporation, has been elected Chairman of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), succeeding outgoing Chairman Scott Merritt, former Chief Operating Officer with Foss Maritime Company, LLC.Members of the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association elected a new slate of leaders this week during the association's Spring Board of Directors / Annual Membership Meeting…
Australian Navy Commissions Destroyer HMAS Sydney
The Royal Australian Navy welcomed its newest Air Warfare Destroyer, HMAS Sydney, into the fleet in the first commissioning of an Australian warship at sea since World War II.Commissioned during a ceremony off the coast of New South Wales on Monday, Sydney is the last of three Hobart Class vessels built for Navy at Osborne in South Australia and is based on the Navantia F100 frigate design.The 147-meter-long guided missile destroyer is equipped with advanced combat systems…
Forecasters Expect Busy 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season
U.S. forecasters expect an above-normal 13-19 named storms during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 through November 30, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center said on Thursday.NOAA forecasters estimate three to six major hurricanes packing winds of at least 111 miles per hour may form. The last two years have seen an above-average number of named storms with 18 last year and 15 in 2018.
Detyens Wins $24 Mln Ship Repair Contract
Charleston, S.C. repair yard Detyens Shipyards has been awarded a $24,235,291 firm-fixed-price contract for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul dry-docking of the U.S. Navy oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201). Work is expected to be complete by October 2020.The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $27,416,444. The Military Sealift…
Video: NYK Trials Remote Tug Operations
Several companies within Japan's NYK Group have partnered to test the remote navigation of a tugboat in Tokyo Bay.The tugboat, operated by NYK's Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha Corporation, was equipped with a manned remotely controlled system and put to the test by NYK and its group companies MTI Co. Ltd., Keihin Dock Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS).During the trials, the tug was operated remotely from an operation center in the city of Nishinomiya, approximately 400 kilometers away.
ABS Launches Guide for Wind-assisted Propulsion Systems
ABS has published the ABS Guide to Wind-assisted Propulsion System Installation, providing class safety standards when installing wind-assisted systems.The classification society said its new guide is applicable to both Flettner rotors and wing sails, including both rigid and soft sails. These wind-assisted propulsion technologies have been gaining attention as operators seek new ways to reduce fuel costs as well as their environmental footprint.“Wind-assisted propulsion systems…
Bahri Puts LNG Tanker Plan on Hold
Saudi Aramco’s shipping division Bahri has put on hold plans to charter up to 12 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers after Sempra Energy delayed its decision on whether to proceed with an LNG export project in Texas, two sources said.Bahri issued an expression of interest (EOI) last year to charter the vessels from 2025 in Saudi Aramco’s first foray into LNG as part of the state oil giant’s plan to become a major global player in the gas market.In May last year, Aramco signed a 20-year agreement
Hyundai Heavy Bags Double VLCC Order
South Korea's shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured an order to build two very large crude carriers for unnamed European shipowners.The value of the orders for two 300,000-ton VLCCs, which will be equipped with scrubbers to meet IMO emission regulations, is 200 billion South Korean Won ($162.5 million).The VLCCs will be 330 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 29.7 meters high. Hyundai Heavy…
China to Receive Rare U.S. Ethanol Shipment on Friday
A rare ethanol shipment of U.S. origin is expected to arrive in China this month, according to three industry sources and shipping data, probably the first such…
Israel Linked to Cyberattack on Iranian Port
Israel appears to be behind a cyberattack earlier this month on computers at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port that caused massive backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility, the Washington Post reported on Monday.Citing unnamed U.S. and foreign government officials, the Post said the May 9 disruption of Iranian computers was presumably in retaliation for an earlier attempted cyberattack on rural…
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Extend Cruise Suspensions
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd on Wednesday extended the suspension of voyages by another month until July 31 amid sailing curbs imposed to check the spread of the coronavirus.The cruise industry has faced the brunt of the health crisis as major outbreaks in ships were blamed for spreading the disease, resulting in government-mandated “no-sail” orders and trip cancellations.Royal Caribbean…
Venezuela's Military to Escort Iranian Tankers
Venezuela's military will escort Iranian tankers bringing fuel to the gasoline-starved country as soon as they enter its exclusive economic zone, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday.His comments came after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said the shipment should "alarm" Latin America. Both OPEC members are U.S. adversaries whose oil industries are under U.S. sanctions. Trump…
China to Europe Container Spot Rates in Rare Reversal -BIMCO
Throughout April, container shipping spot freight rates on the back-haul trade from North Europe to China were higher than those on the front-haul trade from China to North Europe. This is a rare occurrence that has developed in the wake of the massive supply chain disruptions in the world’s top manufacturing hub due to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing aftershocks across the Far East.“A reversal of front-haul and back-haul spot freight rates is a rare event.
Ingalls Lifts Deckhouse onto DDG125
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Wednesday lifted the aft deckhouse onto guided missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). The 320-ton aft deckhouse includes radar equipment rooms, main engine intake and exhaust compartments, electric shop and staterooms.“Our team has kept this first Flight III ship ahead of schedule by working collaboratively and using lessons learned from our long history of building destroyers…
FMC to Investigate Alleged Discriminatory Canadian BWMS Regulations
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it will initiate an investigation into whether ballast water regulations proposed by the Government of Canada discriminate against U.S. flag vessel operators in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.The FMC commissioners voted unanimously to accept a petition filed by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) asking the commision to perform the investigation and examine the detriment and harm to the U.S.
Ingalls Shipbuilding to Host Drive-in Hiring Event
Job candidates looking to be employed by one of the United States' largest shipbuilders will be able to interview for a job without having to leave their cars.America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Wednesday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. will host a "drive-in hiring event" due to coronavirus restrictions. On Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m.
C&C Marine and Repair Adds Fabrication Space
Belle Chasse, La. shipyard C&C Marine and Repair said it has grown its indoor fabrication space to accommodate an expanding pipeline of newbuild and repair projects.The shipyard announced Wednesday it has acquired from Versabar, Inc. a 35,000-square-foot fabrication building complete with four 40-ton overhead gantry cranes, equipped with 10-ton auxiliary cranes. C&C Marine and Repair took possession of the building from Versabar…
Crew Training for a Future that Includes Autonomous Vessels
As we continue to contemplate a future with ships transitioning to automated and autonomous operations, the need for new and innovated crew training will only increase. Our current and future ship crews will need to straddle both new and existing vessel operation technology. This will present challenges, but ones that the industry can address in a proactive manner.Traditionally, maritime skills have changed slowly and new technology was assimilated on the fly in many cases.
US Navy's Newest Yard Tug Launched
The U.S. Navy’s first Yard Tug (YT) 808 class vessel was launched at Dakota Creek Industries' (DCI) shipyard on May 16. The Navy and DCI plan to conduct acceptance trials for the vessel in July, followed by planned delivery in August.The new tug is the first in a series of six being built by the Anacortes, Wash. shipbuilder for scheduled delivery through early 2022. The YT 808 vessels are designed by Robert Allan Ltd.
US Tells Gulf Mariners to Stay Clear of Its Warships
In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels."Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S.
