The United States has transferred three U.S. Navy patrol craft to the Egyptian Navy in an effort to help boost regional maritime security. During a formal ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt on March 21, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) turned over USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12), three … Read more
Extreme weather events—including both high and low water levels—can wreak havoc on inland waterways transport. In late 2022, severe drought conditions brought the latter to the Mississippi River Basin, underlining the importance of America’s dredging fleet. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District’s dredge Hurley returned to its home port, Ensley Engineer … Read more
San Rafael, Calif. based dredging and marine construction contractor The Dutra Group was awarded a $67,478,100 dredging contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Under the firm-fixed-price award, Dutra will perform dredging by hopper or mechanical dredge as well as potential clean-up operations in Norfolk, Va. Dutra is the winner among four bidders for … Read more
Organized crime in the fisheries industry that endangers stocks, exploits labor and robs states of billions of dollars must be fought with cross-border surveillance and stronger law enforcement, officials meeting in Copenhagen heard on Thursday. Some 600 million people worldwide depend on the sector for their livelihoods, working in a value chain affected by illegal … Read more
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its investigation report into a bulk carrier’s collision with two tugs in Tasmania last year highlighting the importance of bridge resource management (BRM) and the design of bridge systems to reduce the risks of human error. On January 28, 2022, the Australian-flagged bulk carrier Goliath was turning … Read more
Insurers continue to cover grain shipments from Ukraine through a U.N.-backed corridor although more clarity will be required soon, a senior Lloyd’s of London official said on Thursday, after the export accord was renewed for at least 60 days. The deal allowing the safe wartime export of Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports, initially … Read more
An oil tanker runs aground off eastern China, leaking fuel into the water. Another is caught in a collision near Cuba. A third is seized in Spain for drifting out of control. These vessels were part of a “shadow” fleet of tankers carrying oil last year from countries hit by Western sanctions, according to a … Read more
Alfa Laval announced it has completed its acquisition of Marine Performance Systems B.V. (MPS), a Rotterdam-based maritime technology company that has developed a fluidic air lubrication system that enables improved ship efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and minimized emissions. Having acquired a minority stake in MPS in 2021, Alfa Laval has now taken the final step … Read more
The Italian coast guard has rescued around 750 migrants in two separate operations off the country’s southern coastline, hours after at least five people died and 33 were missing in an attempted sea crossing from Tunisia. The coast guard said some 295 people were rescued from a fishing boat intercepted 167 km from the eastern … Read more
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Thursday buoyed by a rebound in rates of the larger capesize vessel segment. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, gained 28 points, or about 1.9%, to 1,484 – its biggest … Read more