News – Page 162 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

01 Apr

RCC Offering Free Cruises to First Responders

Pacific MaritimeNews

Royal Caribbean Cruises has decided to offer a series of free cruises to the first responder community in both Australia and California using its displaced ships Spectrum of the Seas and Celebrity Millennium, both hit by the coronavirus outbreak in Asia. The 2019-built Spectrum of the Seas is being moved to Sydney, Australia to offer a number of complimentary cruises to Australian first responders while the 2,138-passenger Celebrity Millennium has moved to the US West Coast to offer complimentary cruises to California firefighters and other first responders and veterans. The voyages will run through this month and will feature a…

01 Apr

First CNG Carrier Undelivered

Pacific MaritimeNews

The world’s first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) carrier, the 2,200 cubic meter-capacity Jayanti Baruna, which was completed last year by China’s Jiangsu Hantong shipyard for Indonesia’s Pelayaran Bahtera Adhiguna, has not been delivered because the planned receiving terminal for the ship has never been completed. Measuring 98-meters by 16-meters the innovative vessel was specifically designed to carry compressed rather than liquefied gas, and at a very high pressure of 200 bar (2,900 psi). This is accomplished using a series of 832 vertically arranged 12-meter tall cylinders designed and fabricated by China’s CIMC Enrie. The 1,280-dwt ship is also powered by…

01 Apr

San Diego Yard Changes Ownership

Pacific MaritimeNews

Titan Acquisition Holdings, formed last year through the merger of Vigor Industrial and MHI Holdings, and majority owned by the Carlyle Group, is taking over the Huntington Ingalls Industries-owned San Diego Shipyard. Under the agreement Huntington Ingalls Industries will gain a minority stake in Titan.

01 Apr

Shipbreaking Centered in South Asia

Pacific MaritimeNews

According to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform a total of 674 ocean-going ships and offshore vessels were dismantled worldwide in 2019, with the vast majority, 469, dismantled on the beaches of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Last year’s numbers were down slightly from the 744 vessels sold for scrap in 2018, with 518 of those demolished in the same countries listed above. The NGO report also noted that 26 deaths and 34 severe injuries had occurred among workers at the breaking yards, with Bangladesh accounting for 24 of the deaths. Although 2019 marked the first year of the European Union’s new Ship…

01 Apr

Clipper Navigation Sells its First Clipper

Pacific MaritimeNews

Seattle-based Clipper Navigation has sold its original high-speed ferry, the Victoria Clipper, to new owners in Gabon, West Africa. The ferry, which entered service in 1986, sailed on its final run between Seattle and Victoria in mid-February. Over its 34-year career the vessel transported more than eight million passengers. Photo courtesy of Robert Etchell.

01 Apr

More Alaska Ferry Woes

Pacific MaritimeNews

The Alaska Marine Highway System’s 55-year-old Matanuska suffered a machinery malfunction between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska in January requiring that it be moved to the Vigor Industrial yard at Ketchikan, Alaska for warranty repairs. The breakdown left a number of Alaskan communities without ferry service and pressured Alaskan lawmakers to advance a proposal for an additional $11.3 million for the ferry operation, which suffered a $43 million budget cut last year that left a number of ships out of service (see Pacific Maritime Magazine, Jan 2020).

01 Apr

Workforce Development: A New Generation

Pacific MaritimeNews

By Karen Robes Meeks Whether you are running the nation’s busiest seaport or working to raise the economic profile of an entire state, nurturing a robust maritime workforce is essential to your success. Along the West Coast, port and business leaders are hard at work, fortifying the current workforce with additional skills and developing the next generation of workers who will be able to support waterfront operations and keep the region’s maritime sector competitive. Port of Los Angeles A year ago in his annual State of the Port Address, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka announced a $600,000…

01 Apr

Two New Ships for NOAA

Pacific MaritimeNews

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects to order two new oceanographic ships before the end of this year as part of its fleet rebuilding effort. Design of the vessels is currently underway, with the first to be named Oceanographer and the second Discoverer. The first ship will be homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii while the second will be assigned a homeport at a future date. NOAA currently has a fleet of 15 active research and survey ships in operation

01 Apr

American Countess Enters Service

Pacific MaritimeNews, News Briefs

New Albany, Indiana-based American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) has placed its newest vessel, the 245-passenger riverboat American Countess, in service on the Mississippi River alongside its American Queen and American Duchess. Converted from the 24-year-old casino boat Kanesville Queen by Gulf Island Shipyards at Houma, Louisiana, the vessel makes use of four Caterpillar 3516 diesel-electric generators of a combined 5,760 kW output powering three 650-hp electric drive motors turning three Schottel SRP 330 rudder propellers to give a service speed of 12-knots. In addition, a pair of Schottel 300-kW tunnel thrusters have been installed to enhance berthing and overall maneuverability…

01 Apr

New Tug for Vane Brothers

Pacific MaritimeNews

Baltimore-headquartered Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the 94-foot by 34-foot push tug Annapolis, the second of four Salisbury Class tugs being built for the company by Salisbury, Maryland-based Chesapeake Shipbuilding. The new vessel, like her earlier delivered sister, is powered by twin Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3 engines delivering a combined 3,000 horsepower.