shipping – Professional Mariner

15 Jan

Piracy down in 2024, but more mariners taken hostage

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSecurity, shipping

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) annual Piracy and Armed Robbery Report recorded 116 incidents against ships in 2024 compared to 120 in 2023 and 115 in 2022. It reveals that 94 vessels were boarded, 13 were subject to attempted attacks, six vessels were hijacked and three fired upon. While the number of reported incidents in 2024 remains similar…

09 Jan

Bulk carrier grounds outside channel near Philadelphia

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsshipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(PHILADELPHIA) — The U.S. Coast Guard and partners responded to the aground 623-foot motor vessel Algoma Verity approximately a mile north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the Delaware River on Wednesday night. As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Algoma Verity is aground outside the main shipping channel. A team from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and the vessel’s representatives are…

08 Jan

Great Lakes iron ore trade down 2.5 percent in 2024

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.6 million tons in December, a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were just slightly above the five-year average for the month, according to the Lake Carriers' Association. The year-end total for the iron ore trade stands at 49.8 million tons, a decrease of 2.5…

08 Jan

Bulker freed two weeks after grounding in St. Lawrence River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping, Tugboats and towing

(SOREL-TRACY, Quebec) — A Cyprus-flagged bulk carrier that had been stuck in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal since Christmas Eve was refloated on Tuesday, CBC News reported. The Canadian Coast Guard said M/V Maccoa was being escorted by tugboats to Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. The Coast Guard announced earlier in the day that a second attempt to refloat the ship…

06 Jan

RAL-designed barges take on bunkering at Prince Rupert

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipbuilding, shipping

(PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia) — The Port of Prince Rupert recently welcomed the startup of Wolverine Terminals’ marine bunkering service for deep sea shipping, adding a key logistical capability to this strategic deepwater port on the west coast of Canada. Using a unique pair of barges designed by Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), Wolverine Terminals can deliver a wide range of…

06 Jan

Clarksons reports record investment in alternative fuel vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, propulsion, shipping

(LONDON) — Clarksons Research reported on Friday that alternative fuel vessels represented 50 percent of all tonnage ordered globally in 2024, which it called "a record level of investment." The data for the year is included in Clarksons' latest Green Technology Tracker, charting the progress of alternative fuel uptake and investments in energy-saving technologies across the global shipping fleet. There…

03 Jan

Great Lakes limestone trade down 3.9 percent in 2024

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.3 million tons in 2024, a decrease of 3.9 percent compared to 2023. Loadings in 2024 were below the trade’s five-year average by 2.9 percent, the Lake Carriers' Association reported. Loadings from U.S. quarries decreased 3.4 percent from the prior year to 22.8 million tons. Shipments from U.S. quarries were…

02 Jan

Crowley acquires Seattle-based mooring company

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(SEATTLE) — Crowley has expanded its harbor services capabilities through the acquisition of Main Line Inc., a vessel mooring company based in Seattle, effective Jan. 1. The addition of Main Line will provide Crowley’s customers calling on the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., with a comprehensive solution for their vessel mooring and ship assist needs. Main Line is a…

30 Dec

Four USMMA students earn Crowley scholarships

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Trainingshipping

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — Four students from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) have been awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships in recognition of their success and commitment to careers in the maritime industry. Draygan Colonese, Elizabeth Kay, Charles Lausten and Gianna Russo were selected based on their academic achievements and performance during the cadet training periods aboard Crowley-operated or…

16 Dec

Matson converts third boxship to operate on LNG

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLNG, propulsion, shipbuilding, shipping

(HONOLULU) — Matson has completed the conversion of its third containership to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as part of a long-term strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Offshore Energy reported. The containership Kaimana Hila, built in 2019 by Philly Shipyard, was retrofitted with an LNG dual-fuel gas supply system in accordance with a contract Matson had signed…