Industry News – Page 7 – Professional Mariner

Gnots Reserve takes delivery of new towboat

M/V Ryan Anthony is now working the Lower Mississippi for Gnots Reserve Inc. The La.-based company took delivery of its newest towboat from Eymard Marine Construction & Repair’s shipyard on the Harvey Canal. The new towboat - named for Ryan Hayes, Gnots Reserve’s port engineer – is the fourth ‘spindle top’ vessel the shipyard has built for the Louisiana-based…

Illinois Ports Get Funding Boost

Every year, in excess of 1.6 billion tons of freight, valued at $2.5 trillion, flows in and out of Illinois, making it one of the top three states in the nation for freight activity. Earlier this year, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced some $200 million in investment funds to energize 22 projects that aim to improve the movement…

Washington State ferries being converted to hybrid-electric

Washington State Ferries has awarded its first shipyard contract to Vigor for the conversion of up to three Jumbo Mark II-class ferries to hybrid-electric power. While converting WSF’s largest ferries to hybrid-electric power, Portland, Or.-headquartered Vigor “will also update aging propulsion system controls and perform other work to extend the life expectancy of these vessels,” the agency said. Following…

Ground broken on Upper Ohio Navigation Project

Setting the stage for updating the Ohio River’s oldest navigation system, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District has broken ground at the Montgomery Locks and Dam to officially mark the start of a construction of the Upper Ohio Navigation Project. The multi-billion-dollar construction project will replace locks at the Emsworth, Dashields, and Montgomery locks and dams –…

Conrad launches new YRBM; reports construction backlog

Conrad Shipyard, LLC has launched the first in a series of Yard, Repair, Berthing, and Messing (YRBM) accommodation barges on order for the U.S. Navy. The 151-foot YRBMs are built to provide temporary berthing for as many as 199 mixed gender personnel and messing for 300 personnel whose ships are in port for repairs and maintenance. The barges also…

Port Freeport moves forward with expansion plans

Port Freeport, Tx. has completed a three-year, $146 million project to expand Berth 8 at its Velasco Terminal cargo facility – to date, the single largest project overseen by a public port on the Texas Gulf Coast. The project included demolition of an existing concrete relieving platform, dry excavation, a combi-wall bulkhead installation, and construction of the new wharf…

New Governor’s Island ferry under construction

A new 190-foot passenger/vehicle ferry for the City of New York’s Trust for Governor’s Island is under construction at the Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, La. The vessel, scheduled to enter service in the summer of 2024, was designed by the Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group and will be New York City’s first public hybrid-electric ferry, featuring a propulsion system…

Curtin Maritime adds new tug to its fleet; expands San Diego operations

Long Beach, Ca.-based Curtin Maritime has said it will initially deploy its recently acquired vessel, Edna C, to Houston, where it will work alongside the DB Ironbound, a multi-functional ABS barge paired with a Lima 2400B 150-ton crawler crane. After several months in Texas, the company said, the small push boat will be transported to California for a repower conversion,…

Matson converts box ship to LNG

Matson Navigation Company has confirmed that it will convert the main engine aboard its containership Kaimana Hila from an MAN B&W S90ME-C10.5 unit to a dual-fuel ME-GI unit capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). In doing so, it is exercising an option contained in a contract it signed with MAN Energy Solutions in June 2022 to perform an…

SAFE Boats unveils autonomous survey monohull

SAFE Boats International has announced the introduction of Merlin, an autonomous hydrographic survey vessel. This innovative, 75-foot semi-displacement monohull design was developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design. SAFE Boats International has exclusive rights to build the design at its Tacoma, Wash., large-craft production facility. Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull powered by a…