BRIX Marine Delivers Whale Watching Vessel Quinn Starr
Port Angeles, Wash. shipbuilder BRIX Marine announced it has delivered a new whale watching tour vessel for Alaska Whale Watching, operating out of Auke Bay, Alaska.The 5217-CTC aluminum catamaran Quinn Starr—part of the builder's PaxCat portfolio—is 56 feet long (LOA) with a beam of 17 feet 6 inches. The vessel can accommodate 49 passengers and three crew members, meeting USCG Sub T class requirements.Quinn…
Michigan Awards $5 Million for Maritime Infrastructure Projects
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has revealed the winners of the 2024 Michigan Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program, which will allocate $5 million to maritime projects throughout the state.The five chosen projects aim to enhance Michigan's maritime infrastructure, bolstering the state's economic edge, lowering freight transportation costs, increasing reliability and lessening the environmental effects of freight movement…
Bulk Carrier Grounded Due to Inadequate Clearance Guidance
Inadequate operating company guidance on underkeel clearance led to the April 2023 grounding of a bulk carrier in Lake Huron, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 667-foot-long, self-unloading bulk carrier John J Boland—owned by American Steamship Company and operated by Grand River Navigation under charter—grounded twice as it was completing final loading in Port Dolomite, Michigan on April 21, 2023.
Electric Motor Startup H3X Raises $20 Million
Electric motor startup H3X on Tuesday announced it has raised $20 million through an oversubscribed Series A round led by Infinite Capital, with participation from Hanwha Asset Management, Cubit Capital, Origin Ventures, Industrious Ventures, Venn10 Capital, and follow-on investors that include Lockheed Martin Ventures, Metaplanet, Liquid 2 Ventures and TechNexus.Denver-based H3X manufactures high power density electric motors for aviation, marine, industrial and defense applications.
Austal USA Launches US Navy's Final Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA has launched the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), the last ship of the U.S. Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.Following launch, Austal USA’s test and activation team will spend the next several months preparing her for sea trials later this year.Pierre, christened in May, is the Navy’s 19th and final Independence-variant LCS, and will be deployed to the Pacific fleet area of responsibility supporting forward presence…
Greek Coast Guard Makes Million Dollar Cocaine Bust
Greek authorities have confiscated cocaine valued at more than 1 million euros ($1.10 million) that was hidden in a sea container for bananas, the coast guard said.The drugs, seized from a vessel in Piraeus port on Monday, were found with the help of the Homeland Security Investigations unit of the U.S.
Damen Books Tug Order for Lithuanian Naval Force
Dutch shipbuilder Damen has signed a contract with the Lithuanian Defence Resources Agency under the Ministry of National Defence for the acquisition of a new ASD Tug 3010The tug is to be delivered to the Naval Forces within nine months."By acquiring this harbour tug, Lithuania strengthens its position as a maritime nation and provides the necessary operational capabilities to the Navy,” said Laurynas Kasčiūnas…
Vestdavit Davits for Coast Guard Newbuilds
Vestdavit landed its biggest-ever order, a deal to deliver davits for six multi-purpose vessels being built for the Canadian Coast Guard at Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver. It will initially provide a total of six FF-15000 davit systems - one for each vessel - with options for another 10 units. This follow an order that it won last year with Seaspan to supply RHIB davits for the Polar Icebreaker also under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard.The hydraulically operated FF-15000…
Ardmore Shipping Makes Leadership Changes
Ardmore Shipping has announced a series of leadership changes and updates to its commercial organization following news of the upcoming retirement of Founder and CEO, Anthony Gurnee, and the appointment of Gernot Ruppelt and Bart Kelleher to CEO and President roles respectively.Effective September 16, 2024, Robert Gaina will join the Ardmore Senior Management Team (SMT) as Senior Vice President, Commercial, succeeding the current CCO, Gernot Ruppelt upon his advancement to CEO.
IMO Launches Toolkit to Curb Insider Security Threats
The IMO has launched a new toolkit that will help the global maritime industry respond better to ever-evolving insider threats.Insider threat refers to the risk that arises from a maritime employee carrying out or enabling a security incident, either through a lack of awareness, complacency or maliciousness. For terrorists and organized crime groups who are constantly looking to exploit vulnerabilities in security controls of ports and ships…
Provaris and Norwegian Hydrogen Partner with Uniper for Regional Hydrogen Supply
Provaris Energy and Norwegian Hydrogen have signed an MoU with Uniper Global Commodities aimed at strengthening co-operation in developing hydrogen supply chains from Norway and other potential Nordic sites, to import locations in North-Western Europe.The parties will collaborate in exploring the potential for Uniper to off-take RFNBO1 compliant hydrogen, which will be produced by Norwegian Hydrogen and transported and stored using Provaris’ H2Neo carriers and H2Leo storage barges.In April 2024…
Maritime Charity Commits Long-Term Funding for Seafarers in Ukraine
Maritime charity Stella Maris is committing funding “for as long as it takes” to provide urgent support to the thousands of seafarers in Ukraine and those regularly making the perilous journey to and from its Black Sea ports.Seafarers working on vessels that have to navigate Russian threats through the Black Sea face numerous challenges, not least mental health issues associated with life-threatening risks.And in Ukraine itself…
Panama Canal Raises Maximum Draft for Neopanamax Locks
The Panama Canal Authority announced on Monday it is raising to 49 feet the maximum authorized draft allowed for vessels transiting the key global waterway's Neopanamax locks.The previous maximum depth allowed for the Neopanamax locks was 48 feet.In a brief statement, the authority said the change was made due to "the present and projected level of Gatun Lake for the upcoming weeks."(Reuters - Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Aida Perlaez-Fernandez)
Irving Shipbuilding Orders 165-meter Shiplift Drydock from Bardex
Irving Shipbuilding has awarded Bardex Corporation a contract for a 165-meter shiplift drydock to support its River-class destroyer shipbuilding program for the Royal Canadian Navy.With a capacity of over 27,000 metric tons, the OmniLift Shiplift will include fifty-six 575-metric ton chain jack lift stations. According to Bardex, the shiplift drydock will be the largest in the Americas.“A reliable…
Burch Takes Control of Gunderson Marine & Iron
Dee Burch is now the sole proprietor of Gunderson Marine & Iron (GM&I). Recently acquiring all shares of GM&I, Burch assumes the role of president, managing day-to-day operations.“My transition to an active role in the organization is both a profound honor and a tremendous responsibility,” Burch said. “We stand on the shoulders of giants that have built a stellar 100-plus year history. I am committed…
Simulation Training Profile: Chris Hearn, Memorial University
Memorial University in St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, is a microcosm of how this unique regional cluster has parlayed its geographic locale and harsh, unique operating conditions into world leadership in the maritime, offshore energy and subsea tech spaces. An alumni, a professional mariner and now the Director of the Center for Marine Simulation, the Fisheries & Marine Institute at Memorial University…
Vessel Damaged in Houthi Attack Diverts to Djibouti
A container vessel that was hit by Houthi militants off Yemen on Saturday in the first such attack in two weeks, has arrived safely in Djibouti and the strike caused no injuries or water ingress, its Greek manager said on Monday.Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday that they targeted the Liberia-flagged MV Groton in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles, claiming their first attack on shipping…
China Coast Guard Keeps Close Watch on Philippine Patrol Boats
China's coast guard said it was monitoring Philippine patrol and fishing vessels that have gathered around the contested Sabina Shoal, citing China's "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.China's coast guard had been monitoring the vessels since Saturday, spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement late on Sunday.Gan said patrol boats from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries…
Winners of Student Ferry Design Contest Announced
The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) announced the awardees for the 11th Annual Student Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry. Winning teams receive monetary awards and are invited to speak about their work at an international conference; this year- the venue will be Interferry’s 48th annual conference, to be held in Marrakesh on October 28-29, 2024. For this year's WFSA competition, the Terms of Reference (TOR) called for a RoPax vessel to accommodate 150-200 passengers…
Meyer Werft Floats Out Cruise Ship Disney Treasure
German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has floated out Disney Treasure, a new cruise ship being built for U.S.-based Disney Cruise Line.The 144,000 GT newbuild left the shipyard's building dock and is now berthed in the harbor, where final interior outfitting will take place ahead of scheduled delivery later this year.The second in a series of four Wish class cruise ships Meyer Werft is building for Disney…
