Maritime Industry Top News
Russian Firms, Vessels Hit with US Sanctions over N. Korea Oil Transfers
The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products…
Western Towboat Founder Passes Away
Robert “Bob” Shrewsbury, founder of Seattle-based tug and barge services provider Western Towboat, has passed away at the age of 94.Shrewsbury started Western Towboat along Ballard’s waterfront in 1948, operating with just one small tug the, ND Tobey, and working in the early days as business agent, captain and engineer.Today, the family owned company is run by Shrewsbury’s son, Bob Jr., with grandchildren Russell, Ross and Kristin, and has grown its fleet to 22 tugs and seven barges.
MV WERFTEN Lays Keel for Crystal Endeavor
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Prime Minister, Manuela Schwesig were among those in attendance at a keel laying ceremony for the world’s largest polar-class expedition yacht held Tuesday in Germany.The ceremony marked a construction milestone for the 20,000 gross ton luxury expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor, currently being built for Crystal Cruises at MV WERFTEN's Stralsund…
Wärtsilä is Building a Tech Hub in Vaasa
Wärtsilä is building a new center of research, product development and production, in Vaskiluoto, Vaasa. As of 2020, all of Wärtsilä's functions and personnel in central Vaasa will transfer to the new Smart Technology Hub, along with the logistics and maintenance workshop operations from Runsor.As a part of the project, Wärtsilä will invest 83 million euros in modern testing and production technology for the hub.
Future of Shipping: Follow the Wind at SMM
The shipping industry is set on a serious decarbonization course and the search is on for credible, viable and cost-effective solutions to meet the IMO’s initial strategy challenge to peak GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible and to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008.Wind propulsion technologies can help cut fuel costs significantly…
Gladding-Hearn Delivers High-Speed Launch to Delta Pilots
Delta Launch Services, the operating company for the Associated Branch pilots on the SW Pass of the Mississippi, has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. The new 52-footer is the fifth St. John’s Class launch built by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard for the Delta pilots.The new all-aluminum launch, a sister-ship to the Mississippi Delta delivered in 2013, measures 52.6’ overall, with a beam of 16.11’ and a draft of 4.8’. The boat features the C.
Floating Sauna Sails from Helsinki to Tallinn
Wearing only a bathrobe, Finnish inventor Janne Kapylehto sailed his self-made floating sauna across the Gulf of Finland on Monday, travelling from Helsinki to Tallinn in 16 hours.The floating sauna - which resembles a shed on a raft - is equipped with four engines, solar power panels, a sauna for three, an observation post, sound system, a fridge and a grill.The voyage of 82 kilometers took longer than expected as the raft faced 1.5 meter-high waves and winds of up to 15 meters per second.
North America’s First LNG Bunker Barge Delivered
The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge to be built in North America has been delivered in Jacksonville, Fla., said U.S. shipbuilder Conrad Industries.The new 2,200 cubic meter bunkering barge, Clean Jacksonville, will service TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico’s LNG-powered Marlin Class containerships, the Isla Bella and Perla del Caribe, which operate between Jacksonville and San Juan, Puerto Rico.The…
PDVSA to Resume Use of Caribbean Oil Terminal
Venezuela's PDVSA and NuStar Energy LP have reached an agreement over outstanding storage fees, allowing the state-run company to resume use of a key storage terminal in the Caribbean, the U.S. energy firm said on Monday.NuStar had suspended PDVSA several times since 2017 from using its St. Eustatius facility over millions of dollars in missed payments.The terminal played a role in a legal dispute between PDVSA and ConocoPhillips…
High-sulphur Fuel Demand Outlook Jumps as Shippers Soften Stance on Scrubbers
Demand for high sulphur marine fuels is likely to see a smaller drop than previously expected by 2020, said consultancy FGE, as changing attitudes to sulphur-stripping technologies from large shippers alter the outlook for use of the fuels.More than 2,100 vessels are now expected to be equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as scrubbers, by 2020, up from 1,500 ships previously, said Thomas Olney…
Crowley Delivers Appomattox Platform
Crowley Maritime Corp.’s offshore services group has delivered Shell’s Appomattox semi-submersible Floating Production System (FPS) to the open waters of the U.S.
Subsea 7 Awarded Substantial Contract
Norwegian subsea services provider Subsea 7 announced the award of a substantial offshore Conventional contract. Subsea 7 defines a substantial contract as being…
ABS Issues Subsea Processing Advisory
ABS has developed the Subsea Processing System (SPRS) Advisory that provides an overview of the SPRS and associated sub-systems that are currently available and…
Hong Kong Grants Licence to Steamship Mutual
Protection and indemnity club Steamship Mutual P&I Club has been given a licence in Hong Kong by Hong Kong Insurance Authority , its third in the Far East after…
Offshore Test of New Installation Technology Successful
The Carbon Trust and Fistuca, in conjunction with industry partners announced the successful completion of the offshore trial of the Fistuca BLUE 25M hammer as part…
AET and Shell Sign DPST Contract
Shuttle tanker owner AET, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia's MISC Group, has won its first contract with Shell in Brazil to time charter one new-build dynamic…
Maersk, Vopak to Launch 2020 Fuel Bunkering in Rotterdam
A.P. Moller - Maersk and Royal Vopak, an independent tank storage operator active in the heart of Rotterdam’s bunker environment, have agreed to this first joint…
US Navy Searching for Missing Sailor
The U.S Navy is searching for a sailor who is believed to have fallen overboard from USS Lake Erie (CG 70) in the eastern Pacific Ocean.The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser began man overboard procedures after the sailor failed to report for duty at approximately 7 a.m. local time, August 19.The ship's crew has completed multiple extensive searches of the ship, and all attempts to locate the sailor on board have been unsuccessful…
Sunken Barge Raised from Gulf of Mexico Seafloor
A sunken derrick barge has been raised from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor following several months of planning, engineering, on-site preparations and the heaviest salvage lift ever accomplished in the Americas, said marine services and wreck removal specialists Resolve Salvage and Fire Americas.The 350 ft x 100 ft derrick barge DB1 sank 30 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on October 22, 2017, when…
Mississippi River Ship Channel Deepening Project Moves Forward
The Mississippi River Ship Channel could be the first port complex on the Gulf Coast to reach a depth of 50 feet now that the Director’s Report has been signed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Elected officials and industry leaders have long worked to increase the channel’s depth to 50 feet, which is the same depth of the expanded Panama Canal.In signing the Report, Corps of Engineers Director of Civil Works James C.
