19 Aug

ABS donates $2.5M to Maine Maritime for green classroom

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The following is the text of a press release issued by Maine Maritime Academy:   (CASTINE, Maine) -- Maine Governor John E. Baldacci announced earliertoday a $2.5 million gift to Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) from ABS ([http://www.eagle.org/ ]American Bureau of Shipping). The gift is thelargest single corporate gift to the Maine public post-secondaryinstitution in the college’s 67 year history.  …
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18 Aug

Gulf ship operators propose raise for Galveston-Texas City pilots

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
(GALVESTON, Texas) -- An association of ship owners and operators has proposed a cost-of-living raise for the Galveston-Texas City Pilots Association, the Daily News of Galveston County reported. The West Gulf Maritime Association members are typically at odds with the pilots over the issue of fees. The mariners association said the recent proposal was conciliatory and acknowledged the assistance the…
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15 Aug

GulfMark Offshore buys Rigdon Marine

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Larry Rigdon launched his company, Rigdon Marine, with the construction of 10 vessels like the 210-foot DP-2 St. Louis. Their success led to the current building program comprising 10 190-foot diesel-electric supply vessels. Desiring to have a position in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, GulfMark Offshore Inc., has agreed to purchase Rigdon Marine Corp. The terms of the agreement calls…
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15 Aug

Offshore oil’s port of choice

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
An aerial view of busy Port Fourchon. [photos courtesy Brian Gauvin] Ted Falgout calls Port Fourchon “the nest of the goose that is laying the golden egg.” You might suspect him of being biased, since he is, after all, the executive director of this fast-growing port at the southern tip of Louisiana. However, even a casual glance around Port Fourchon…
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15 Aug

Terminal operator admits bribing ship captain to illegally dump fertilizer

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
A marine terminal operator has pleaded guilty to violating the federal Ocean Dumping Act after investigators said an employee bribed a freighter captain $1,100 to discard an unwanted fertilizer chemical off the Oregon coast. The admission by Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals Inc. (KMBT) culminated a five-year probe. The Louisiana-based company is expected to pay a total monetary penalty of $240,000,…
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