U.S. shipbuilders responded with characteristic resolve when the COVID-19 pandemic reached North American shores. Workers adapted to new safety protocols and managers overcame supply chain hiccups to keep projects moving forward. But many of these shipyards now face another…
Pasha Hawaii is charting a greener course with its Ohana-class containerships now under construction in south Texas. M/V George III and M/V Janet Marie are scheduled for delivery in late 2020 and early 2021, respectively, from Keppel AmFELS in Brownsville,…
September 2020 • Chesapeake Shipbuilding delivered the riverboat American Jazz to American Cruise Lines for service on the Mississippi River. The 190-passenger vessel is the third modern riverboat to join American’s fleet, with two more newbuilds on the way. August…
Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry is a company that takes family, and tradition, seriously. But when it came time to build a new high-speed ferry, the third-generation family owners broke from the past. They decided to put waterjets on William Richard,…
Five years ago, Atlantic Wind Transfers built the first crew transfer vessel (CTV) in the United States specifically designed to service offshore wind turbines. This fall, the company led by Rhode Island businessman Charles Donadio, Jr., is adding a second CTV…
Buffalo earned the “City of Light” nickname more than a century ago as an early beneficiary of the electricity generated from nearby Niagara Falls. The iconic Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist tour company made history of its own last…
Matson Navigation has a proud history in the Pacific dating back more than a century. The 870-foot container/roll-on, roll-off (con-ro) Lurline will build on that legacy well into the future. Lurline is the first of two Kanaloa-class ships built…
It’s a cat-and-mouse game on the high seas: Unlicensed commercial fishermen from Mexico head north into Texas waters in small, swift boats called “lanchas,” hoping to catch a haul of seafood before the authorities catch them. One day this…
The St. Lawrence Seaway Pilots work in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. The pilots’ new launch, Seaway Pilot V, has already shown itself up to the task. Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding of Somerset, Mass., modified its proven Chesapeake-class hull to withstand…
It’s likely a matter of when, not if, offshore wind power will take off in the United States. WindServe Marine has made an early investment in crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to get ahead of the coming boom. The 3,200-hp catamaran…
For most of this century, the Washington Island Ferry Line had a single icebreaking vessel available for winter runs across Lake Michigan’s Death’s Door Passage. The arrangement caused some sleepless nights for company President Hoyt Purinton. He should rest a…
The scientists at Duke University Marine Lab had a good idea for what they wanted in a new research vessel. It had to be quick enough to keep pace with the speedy pilot whales, and efficient enough for voyages well…
There were plenty of noteworthy small ships built within the last year in the pilot, patrol and fireboat sector. Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding led the market in pilot boat deliveries once again, while Metal Shark completed multiple pilot launches and has a…
The passenger boat market has been relatively strong over the past few years, driven largely by ferry operators on all three coasts replacing older vessels and adding to existing fleets. Meanwhile, the relatively robust economy stoked demand for new excursion…
The promise of new orders and a couple of prominent deliveries — led by the latest addition to Canada’s oceangoing fleet — kept North American shipbuilders engaged in the research and survey sector during the past year. In the wake…
Twelve months ago, 2020 looked to be a banner year for megayachts. Sales were on the rise, clients were interested and yards were buzzing with projects. The 2019 fall boat shows, which informally kick off the yachting industry’s year, saw…
American Jazz, 345’ Cruise ship Designer/builder: Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md. Owner/operator: American Cruise Lines, Guilford, Conn. Anini I, 32’ Excursion boat Designer/builder: Armstrong Marine USA, Port Angeles, Wash. Owner/operator: North Shore Charters, Kilauea, Hawaii Aventura, 29’ Patrol boat Designer/builder: Sirocco…
In a familiar refrain, it was tough to find torches burning at Gulf Coast shipyards during the past year.
While the market for new workboats is virtually nil along the Gulf Coast, hope is in the wind for shipbuilders in the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.
As Polar Star, America’s only operational heavy icebreaker, faltered again mechanically on its annual resupply mission to Antarctica last winter, lawmakers were finally voting to do something about it.
August 2019 • Canada announces that it will obtain six new icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, opening the door for a third shipyard to join the NSS with Irving and Seaspan. • Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Interlake Steamship…
With the sun rising, Pyxis made its way up the Napa River and docked at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal.
