Maritime News – Professional Mariner

10 Jul

Union protests Chinese ship sailing under Jones Act waiver

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsJones Act, shipping

(GARYVILLE, La.) — Union members and officials gathered Thursday at the Marathon Garyville Refinery to peacefully protest the arrival of the Chinese vessel Jin Zhou Wan, an asphalt carrier owned by a Chinese military company believed to be carrying domestic cargo from the Port of Baltimore. This is a direct result of the Trump administration’s Jones Act waiver, which seafarers…

09 Jul

Ports of Indiana gets $25 million federal grant for expansion

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping, Tugboats and towing

(JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind.) – Ports of Indiana has been awarded a $25 million BUILD grant (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a $32 million expansion of the Jeffersonville port. The grant is the largest federal award in Ports of Indiana’s 65-year history – more than double the previous high for any Indiana port.…

07 Jul

HII adds Halimar Shipyard to USV production program

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(McLEAN Va.) — Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder and a global leader in autonomous maritime systems, announced Monday that Halimar Shipyard of Morgan City, La., has joined the company’s growing network of strategic industrial partners supporting serial production of HII’s ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel (USV) family. With extensive experience in commercial and government vessel construction, Halimar brings…

06 Jul

Moose Boats response cat to serve San Francisco airport

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsFire and rescue, shipbuilding

(VALLEJO, Calif.) — Moose Boats has delivered an M1-46 fire-rescue catamaran to the San Francisco Fire Department’s Airport Division. This will be the second M1 that the San Francisco International Airport will have available for emergency calls in the waters surrounding the runways. While many of the systems have been upgraded from the previous Moose Boats vessel, the platform and…

06 Jul

Port of Galveston opens new 1,410-foot cargo berth

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, UncategorizedPorts, shipping

(GALVESTON, Texas) — The Port of Galveston’s new cargo berth officially opened for business July 2 with a Wallenius Wilhelmsen cargo carrier delivering roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo at the West Port Cargo Complex. The 656-foot-long MS Toledo offloaded hundreds of pieces of heavy construction equipment from Brazil and Asia to be transported by truck to destinations in Texas and Middle America.…

02 Jul

New report questions effectiveness of Jones Act waiver

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsJones Act, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — Navigistics Consulting, a maritime industry consulting and market analysis firm, examined the real-world effects of the current (150-day) blanket Jones Act waiver – put in place by the Trump administration – on the U.S. economy, energy security, and domestic maritime workforce. The findings add new weight to growing calls from American mariners, labor groups, and maritime industry advocates…

02 Jul

Safety alert: Lack of notice for unmanned vessel operations

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard recently identified multiple unmanned maritime system (UMS) operations occurring within and near major West Coast port approaches without prior coordination with cognizant captains of the port (COTP). The lack of advance notification reduces maritime domain awareness and limits the Coast Guard’s ability to effectively assess operational risk, support safe vessel movement, and protect the…

29 Jun

Facing ‘headwinds,’ Charleston pauses ops at new terminal

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) — South Carolina Ports is consolidating container operations to its Wando and North Charleston terminals in the short term, while continuing to offer ample port capacity to customers needing access to the Southeast market. SC Ports plans to pause operations at Leatherman Terminal as of Aug. 1 as the industry faces numerous headwinds, an uncertain trade forecast and…

26 Jun

Bordelon to provide logistics support vessel for Coast Guard

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipyards, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a contract to Bordelon Marine to provide a commercial support vessel that will transport supplies, equipment and personnel to Coast Guard cutters operating in the Caribbean, gulf and other maritime areas in the Western Hemisphere. The contract supports the Coast Guard’s Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean (HSC-Ocean) initiative, a new effort to strengthen fleet…

26 Jun

Midship begins work on new ferry for Mass. operator

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, shipbuilding

(HARVEY, La.) — Construction of a 157-foot, bespoke catamaran passenger ferry designed by Incat Crowther for U.S. operator Hy-Line Cruises is now underway. The new vessel, which is being built by Midship Marine in Harvey, La., will operate on Hy-Line Cruises' tourism and commercial routes connecting Hyannis, Mass., with the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Capable of transporting up…