The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard delivered his first State of the Coast Guard address Thursday at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach in San Pedro.Speaking from the largest port in the nation, Adm. Karl Schultz highlighted Coast Guard security and marine safety operations, which facilitate $4.6 trillion in annual economic activity.Schultz also recognized the service and sacrifice of Coast Guard men and women deployed around the world ensuring global peace and prosperity, including servicemembers supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command.
Even in the face of a raft of geopolitical and trade disputes that have conspired to instill uncertainty in many industries, confidence in the shipping industry rose in the last three months says the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from BDO, a survey that was launched 11 years ago.The survey says …The average confidence level rose to 6.2 out of maximum score of 10 this quarter compared to 6.0 in Q4 2018, according to the BDO survey. Specifically confidence was up in Europe, from 6.1 to 6.3, and in North America, from 5.2 to 5.6. But the news was not positive everywhere.
How to make the Capital Construction Fund work for all vessel owners and operators.The Red and White Fleet is a passenger vessel operator on San Francisco bay with roots back to 1892. We make no secret of the fact that we want to build new vessels with zero environmental signatures, all in an effort to increase employment for shipyard workers, provide new jobs for US mariners, and provide a training ground to support the growth of the U.S. flag deep sea ships. That mission is, today, unnecessarily difficult. The reasons why are easy to see.Not too long ago, H.
Finnish-Swedish passenger ferry operator Kvarken Link has signed a construction agreement with Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions for a car and passenger ferry, set to operate between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå.Following the agreement, the planning of the vessel can begin with immediate effect. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Finland, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and the Ministry of Finance have jointly enabled the quick execution of the agreement.
The provider of offshore safety and support at sea ESVAGT aims straight for the dynamic market for service operation vessels (SOV) with the newbuilding ‘Esvagt Dana’.When the ‘Esvagt Dana’ entered into contract with Vattenfall on the Horns Rev III wind farm in the middle of February, it was on an atypically short SOV contract, said a press release from the Denmark-based company.All of ESVAGT’s other SOVs that currently service the offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the Baltic are built for long-term contracts for a specific task in a fixed area.
The U.S. government has named a Russian ship on a list of vessels suspected of providing fuel to Pyongyang, a month after Reuters reported the same ship violated sanctions by carrying out a clandestine transfer to a North Korean tanker.The Treasury Department, which oversees U.S. sanctions, included the Russian vessel, the Tantal, on a new list of "vessels believed to have engaged in ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean tankers."The list was included in updated https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/dprk_vessel_advisory_03212019.
US-based tanker owner Diamond S Shipping Inc. said it has appointed Kevin M. Kilcullen as its new Chief Financial Officer.Kilcullen comes to Diamond S from Oslo-listed chemical and product tanker owner/operator Team Tankers International Ltd., where he served as CFO for three years. Prior to that, he was CFO at Principal Maritime LLC, a private equity backed owner of crude and chemical tankers.Diamond S Shipping Inc. expects to become an NYSE-listed company with the closing of its combination with the crude and product tanker business of Capital Product Partners L.P. later this month.
Tonnage on river increases 60 percent from 2018Through the first two months of 2019, the Port of Little Rock and its stevedorer, LSI, have seen a year-to-year increase of 33 barges, a 62% increase in activity. Additionally, tonnage is up 49,000 tons year-to-year (60%) with a total of 130,400 tons. Commodities handled during the month included aluminum ingots and tee bars, bauxite, nepheline syenite, rock and sand, scrap, steel coils, wetcake and wire rod coils. LSI expects barge activity to continue to be very strong over the next several months.
Vessels in Asia Pacific, U.S. Pacific Northwest, and other key shipping areas benefit from the latest satellite technology by using KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network.KVH Industries announced that it has expanded its mini-VSAT Broadbandsm HTS network to the Pacific Ocean via the Horizons 3e satellite, which is jointly owned by Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT. The high-performance Horizons 3e satellite immediately adds to the global coverage and capacity of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network, which provides connectivity to vessels worldwide.
Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC JOSEPH DOYLE, the 33rd Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on the 21st of March, 2019 in Key West, Florida. The 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter has a flank speed over 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.
HMS Tamar, the fourth of the Royal Navy’s five cutting-edge new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), has been formally named in Glasgow.HMS Tamar was the latest second-generation River-class ship to be officially launched, lowered into the water at BAE System’s Govan yard, then towed three kilometres downstream to the firm’s Scotstoun facility, where fitting out took place.The 90-metre vessel, which is equipped with a 30mm cannon and flight deck capable of accommodating a Merlin helicopter, is part of a five-strong OPV contract with BAE Systems, worth a combined GBP635m.
European logistics provider Rhenus Group has acquired South African freight forwarding and logistics specialist World Net Logistics (WNL).The takeover of the Johannesburg-headquartered firm WNL is still subject to approval by the relevant cartel authorities.In addition to having a dense network of business sites in South Africa, WNL also has several branches and partners in Asia and Germany.The acquisition by Germany’s Rhenus Group is the latest in a string of purchases around the world in the last few months alone, including Canada-based Rodair this month