Maritime News – Professional Mariner

19 Apr

MarAd update: Ongoing threats to ships, crews in Mideast

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, Security, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — Regional conflict, military activity, terrorist attacks and piracy pose significant threats to commercial vessels operating in the following geographic areas: Southern Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Somali Basin, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf. The U.S. government is continually assessing the maritime security situation in the region…

17 Apr

Royal IHC partnering on Jones Act cable lay vessel

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsoffshore wind, shipbuilding

(KINDERDIJK, Netherlands) — Royal IHC and Kalypso Offshore Energy, an emerging contractor for the offshore wind industry in the United States, have signed a letter of intent to build America’s first Jones Act-compliant cable lay vessel (CLV) for the offshore wind market. Kalypso brings experience in offshore wind management as well as U.S. marine operations. Kalypso is committed to providing…

16 Apr

All American to build research catamaran for Cal Poly

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding

(BELLINGHAM, Wash.) — All American Marine (AAM) has announced a contract to build an innovative research vessel for the marine sciences program at the California Polytechnical Institute at Humboldt (Cal Poly). The vessel is a 78-by-26.7-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. It will incorporate the proven design elements…

16 Apr

Sea Machines launches new autonomous workboat

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(BOSTON) — Sea Machines Robotics has announced the launch of SELKIE, its latest innovation in unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The first model, SELKIE 7, is a 7-meter (23-foot) USV powered by the company's flagship SM300 autonomous command and control system. As the first turnkey autonomous vessel released by Sea Machines, SELKIE is designed for industries ranging from hydrographic surveying and…

15 Apr

U.S. strongly condemns Iran’s seizure of containership

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSecurity, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. State Department has strongly condemned Iran’s seizure of a containership, MSC Aries, near the Strait of Hormuz and urged Tehran to immediately release the vessel and its crew, VOA News reported. A State Department representative told VOA’s Persian Service that the vessel, flying the Portuguese flag and owned by Britain, was seized in "international waters," and…

11 Apr

Baltimore bridge investigators focusing on Dali’s electrical system

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, NTSB, Salvage

(WASHINGTON) — Federal safety investigators are focusing on the electrical system of the containership Dali, which struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, collapsing the span and plunging six construction workers to their deaths, The Baltimore Sun reported. Investigators, who are still aboard the 984-foot boxship, are searching in the ship’s engine room for an explanation as to…

11 Apr

Houthis claim attack on U.S.-flagged boxship in Gulf of Aden

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSecurity, shipping

(TEHRAN, Iran) — The Yemeni Armed Forces on Wednesday announced that it conducted four operations against merchant and military ships in the Gulf of Aden, including targeting the U.S.-flagged containership Maersk Yorktown. In a televised statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said that Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out an operation targeting Maersk Yorktown, the boxships MSC Gina and MSC Darwin, and…

09 Apr

Chesapeake to build two more Project Blue ships for ACL

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding

(GUILFORD, Conn.) — American Cruise Lines (ACL) will be adding two more new small ships in 2025, American Patriot and American Pioneer. These 125-passenger sister ships represent the fifth and sixth ships in the company’s Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for the U.S. market. The ships will be built at the company’s affiliated shipyard, Chesapeake Shipbuilding in…

09 Apr

Gladding-Hearn delivers refitted launch to Boston Pilots

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPilots, shipbuilding

(SOMERSET, Mass.) — Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp., has delivered the first of the Boston Pilots’ two Chesapeake-class pilot boats undergoing a comprehensive refit. “The vessels are well used and well maintained. Only minor structural repairs were necessary so definitely worthy of refitting,” said Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s co-president. Along with installing new shafts and Brunton propellers, the 53-foot all-aluminum pilot…

08 Apr

Key Bridge update: Salvors removing containers from Dali

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, Ports, U.S. Coast Guard

(BALTIMORE) — The Unified Command began to remove containers aboard M/V Dali at the Francis Scott Key Bridge incident site on Sunday. The ship struck the bridge on March 26, causing it to collapse. Salvors are removing containers from Dali as part of the effort to gain access to the portion of the Key Bridge that lies atop the ship.…