Derecktor to build new ferry for Georgia’s Sapelo Island
03 Nov

Derecktor to build new ferry for Georgia’s Sapelo Island

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has awarded Derecktor Shipyards a contract to build a 70-foot, 150-passenger catamaran ferry that will provide a vital transportation link between Sapelo Island and the Georgia mainland. Construction of the Chartwell Marine-designed vessel is scheduled to begin before the end of 2026 at Derecktor's shipyard in Dania Beach, Fla. The ferry will operate between…
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MarAd ends first NSMV activation, returning ‘Empire State VII’ to SUNY
22 Oct

MarAd ends first NSMV activation, returning ‘Empire State VII’ to SUNY

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
After being called into federal service in late August for an undisclosed national security mission, the training ship Empire State VII is expected to return to SUNY Maritime College, bringing an early end to the first federal activation of the nation's new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) fleet. “The federal activation plan has changed, and the ship is now expected…
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Somali piracy resurges amid wider maritime security threats
01 Oct

Somali piracy resurges amid wider maritime security threats

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
After nearly a decade of decline, piracy off Somalia spiked in 2026, adding another threat to commercial shipping already contending with continuing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities in Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region said this week that five crewmembers aboard the hijacked fuel tanker Honour 25 were killed before security forces retook the vessel. The tanker, carrying 18,500 barrels…
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Maersk Conducts First 100% Bioethanol Bunkering in U.S.
28 Sep

Maersk Conducts First 100% Bioethanol Bunkering in U.S.

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Maersk has completed what it says is the first U.S. bunkering of a vessel with 100 percent bioethanol, using fuel supplied by U.S. bioethanol producer POET. The dual-fuel containership Tangier Maersk received the U.S.-produced fuel in Houston in what Maersk described as the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea containership in the United States. Kirby Corp. supported the…
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McAllister Takes Delivery of Latest High-Tech, Low-Emission Tug
24 Sep

McAllister Takes Delivery of Latest High-Tech, Low-Emission Tug

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & Towing
McAllister Towing is proud to announce our newest arrival, tug Mary McAllister. As our customer's vessels grow larger and services for these behemoths become increasingly demanding, McAllister continues to meet their needs with modern and environmentally conscious equipment. American-built at Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc. in Maine, Mary is the sixth in a seven-tug series of American Bureau of Shipping…
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Debris in water possible culprit in Ohio River barge breakaway
17 Apr

Debris in water possible culprit in Ohio River barge breakaway

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, ,
​​(WASHINGTON) — On April 16, 2024, about 0445 local time, the barges MPC 907 and MPC 644 broke free from their moorings at the Marathon Petroleum Co. (MPC) terminal dock at mile 793.8 on the Ohio River, near Evansville, Ind. The two barges contacted mooring cells about 1,500 feet downstream at the TransMontaigne terminal at mile 794.1. The barges were…
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SWITCH completes first hydrogen fueling of commercial vessel in US
02 Dec

SWITCH completes first hydrogen fueling of commercial vessel in US

Professional Mariner StaffHydrogen Fuel Cell Power, Maritime News, Propulsion, Shipbuilding
(BELLINGHAM, Wash.) — SWITCH Maritime announced that the world’s first hydrogen fueling of a commercial marine vessel was successfully completed on Nov. 18 at All American Marine shipyard. The vessel, Sea Change, is now beginning its final sea trials before delivery. The new 75-passenger ferry received hydrogen into its 242-kilogram tanks on the upper deck. It uses that hydrogen in…
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Kirby to pay $15.3 million for damages resulting from Houston Ship Channel spill
02 Dec

Kirby to pay $15.3 million for damages resulting from Houston Ship Channel spill

Professional Mariner StaffBrownwater, Casualty News, Tugboats & Towing
(WASHINGTON) — Houston-based Kirby Inland Marine LP has agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs under the Oil Pollution Act to resolve federal and state claims for injuries to natural resources resulting from an oil spill from a Kirby barge, after a collision Kirby caused. The United States and Texas concurrently filed a civil complaint along with…
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NASSCO begins construction of fifth ESB for Navy
02 Dec

NASSCO begins construction of fifth ESB for Navy

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Shipbuilding
(SAN DIEGO) — General Dynamics NASSCO started construction of the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) on Wednesday, the fifth ship of the Navy’s reclassified expeditionary sea base (ESB) program. Dennis DuBard, a longtime NASSCO employee and the start of construction honoree, initiated the first cut of steel that will be used to construct the vessel. “Today, we start…
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