Alabama Shipyard Tallies US Navy Repair Contracts
Alabama Shipyard has been awarded a pair of ship repair contracts from the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) that are worth nearly $40 million altogether. The Mobile, Ala. shipyard was awarded a $30,085,225 firm-fixed-price contract for a 156-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry dock availability of MSCās hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). This deal includes options which, if exercised, would increase the cumulative value to $30,900,268.
Maersk Skips Sailings Due to Significant Port Congestion in Asia, Mediterranean
Maersk faces significant terminal congestion in Mediterranean and Asian ports, causing substantial delays in its vessel schedule, the Danish shipping group said in a statement on Monday.As a result of that congestion, the world's second-largest container shipping company, will skip two westbound sailings from China and South Korea that had been planned to depart in early July, it added.The notice fromā¦
Cocaine Seized from Container at Port of Gemlik
Turkish authorities seized 373 kilograms (822 lb) of cocaine shipped from Latin America and hidden in a container at the Turkish port of Gemlik, detaining nine suspects, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.The minister said on X that the operation against a criminal group trafficking drugs, "Operation Narco-Steel-20", was carried out in Istanbul and the northwestern city of Bursa.(Reuters - Reporting by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Daren Butler)
Sanctioned Tankers Pose Rising Environmental Risk
Unregulated tankers sidestepping Western sanctions are posing a bigger risk to the Mediterranean region and Greece is undertaking more protective measures to safeguard its coast, the country's shipping minister told Reuters on Tuesday.Up to 850 oil tankers are estimated to form the so-called shadow fleet transporting oil from countries such as Iran and Venezuela as well as Russia, which has multipleā¦
Vigor Begins Building the US Army's New Landing Craft
Pacific Northwest shipbuilder Vigor on Tuesday announced it has begun low rate initial production (LRIP) on the Maneuver Support Vehicle (Light) (MSV(L)) vessel at its facility in Vancouver, Wash.The new generation 117-foot U.S. Army landing craft, which replaces the Vietnam-era Landing Craft Mechanized 8 (LCM-8), is designed to support Army Mariners and their payload in even the most difficult environmentsā¦
Navies Are Stepping Up to Deter Houthi Red Sea Attacks
Closer international cooperation between naval missions in the Red Sea has reduced the number of attacks by Yemenās Houthis over the past week, Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.Greece is the home of the headquarters of the European Union's naval operation in the Red Sea, which is dubbed "Aspides" and in Greek means "Shields"."For us, it is a satisfactionā¦
Carnival to Sunset P&O Cruises Australia
Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company, announced that in March 2025, the company will sunset the P&O Cruises Australia brand.The New-York-listed cruise giant said the move is once of several intended to increase guest capacity for its flagship brand, Carnival Cruise Line, which will absorb the operations of shuttered Australian cruise brand. P&O Cruises Australia ships Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure will be rebranded and operated by Carnival Cruise Lineā¦
Mark Handin Named President at Patriot Maritime
U.S.-based Patriot Maritime announced it has appointed Mark Handin as president, replacing Lance Bardo who will retire at the end of June.Handin joins Patriot after a 27+ year career in various management, executive and corporate officer roles within Tidewater Marine and the A.P. Moller-Maersk group.Handin will hold overall responsibility for the performance of the companiesā owned and managed vessels under Patriot Contract Services. LLC., and its American Ship Management, LLC subsidiary.
Egyptian Man Who Survived Shipwreck Denies Causing Greece Boat Disaster
Ahmed Alkwrab thought his ordeal was over last June when he survived one of the deadliest shipwrecks ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea and finally set foot on European soil.Hours after a fishing trawler carrying hundreds of migrants capsized, however, the Egyptian housepainter found himself being interrogated by Greek authorities who then charged him and eight others with smuggling and causing the disaster.If convictedā¦
GSI Aims to Build Worldās Largest Ammonia Carrier
Guangzhou Shipyard International's (GSI) plan to build the world's largest ammonia carrier vessel has taken a step forward.The Chinese shipbuilder has signed a joint development project (JDP) agreement with classification society Lloydās Register (LR) for the design of very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) with a carrying capacity of 100,000 cubic meters (cbm)ālarger than a series of 93,000-cbm VLACs currentlyā¦
Brandon Foy Joins BHGI
Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) has welcomed Brandon Foy, P.E. as a naval architect to its naval architecture and marine engineering firm.Foy holds a Masterās degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelorās degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy. Brandon is also a registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia.Before joining BHGI, Foy was an Officer in the U.S.
Ageing Fleet a Problem for the Crude Oil Tanker Market
The crude oil tanker market is grappling with an ageing fleet of vessels which need to be replaced, posing a challenge as shipyards are focused on building other types of ships, a top executive with commodity trader Trafigura said on Tuesday.The crude tanker market, including VLCC supertankers, has remained strong in recent months partly due to longer voyages made by some vessels sailing via southern Africa amid Red Sea attacks by the Houthis, which has tightened availability.In addition, up to
ABS Wavesight Updates Its 'My Digital Fleet' Software
Maritime software company ABS Wavesight on Tuesday announced major updates to its My Digital Fleet software aimed at empowering maritime operators to optimize performance, improve energy efficiency and streamline compliance with decarbonization requirements.The ABS Affiliate maritime software-as-a-service (SaaS) company unveield the updates at the Posidonia trade fair in Athens."We are excited to unveil the latest My Digital Fleet softwareā¦
John Okon Named SUNY Maritime President
Rear Admiral John Okon has been named as the next president of SUNY Maritime College, a public maritime college in the Bronx, New York City.Okon, a retired U.S. Navy officer with more than 33 years of naval service, will succeed Rear Admiral Dr. Michael A. Alfultis, who will retire on July 1 after 10 years at the helm. Okon will become SUNY Maritime's 12th campus president."As a SUNY Maritime alumnusā¦
Panama Canal Eyes Adding New Reservoir to Boost Ship Transits
The Panama Canal is exploring the construction of a new water reservoir that would provide capacity for 11 additional ship crossings, the administrator of the key global waterway said in a statement on Tuesday.The administration is also seeking to make its ship reservation system "more permanent," the statement added.(Reuters - Reporting by Elida Moreno)
ABB Acquires DTN Weather Routing Business for Shipping
ABB Marine & Ports has finalized its acquisition of DTNās portfolio for weather routing in shipping. The transaction was completed today, following an earlier announcement of an agreement with global data and analytics group DTN to acquire the shipping business of DTN Europe BV and DTN Philippines Inc., on January 24, 2024.The acquisition brings with it advanced routing services, including a selectionā¦
Dutch Subsea Services Newcomer Acquires First Vessel
FreeStar Subsea Services, a Netherlands-based company established by the merger of Vriezoo ROV Services and Mark Offshore, has acquired its first vessel and started operations.The company offers remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and survey support services with its own vessel, the SSV Navicula Star, which was recently acquired the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).While most mid-sized subsea companies specialize in either vessel or ROV servicesā¦
Strategic Marine Delivers Two Offshore Wind CTVs to Mainprize Offshore
Singaporean shipbuilder Strategic Marine has delivered two offshore wind Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) to UK-based Mainprize Offshore.The two 27-meter vessels are part of the UK-based CTV owner and operatorās ongoing fleet expansion and will add to its current fleet of 11 vessels.Scheduled for operations in European waters from July 2024 onwards, both vessels will be carrying out crew transfers in Europe.Theā¦
DOFās Pipelay Support Vessel Hooks Petrobras Job
Norwegian offshore vessel operator DOF Group has secured a āmajor contractā from Petrobras for its pipelay support vessel (PLSV) Skandi Vitória.DOF secured a three-year firm contract, plus option, for its PLSV Skandi Vitória as part of an ongoing tender process.The contract starts in 2025, according to DOF.The vessel is Brazilian-built and flagged and owned by DOFCON Navegação, a joint venture between DOF Subsea (50%) and TechnipFMC (50%).kandi Vitória is an ROV construction support vesselā¦
Philippine Military says Troops acted Professionally in South China Sea
The Philippine military on Tuesday rejected Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a warship grounded on a disputed South China Sea shoal had pointed guns at its coast guard, insisting its personnel maintained professional conduct.Philippine troops are governed by rules of engagement and acted with the highest level of professionalism, military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla told a pressā¦
