OCTOBER 22, 2018 — Being a marine salvor has never been an easy job. As a first responder, you are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 weeks a year. Now it’s even more complex, with the influx of larger and larger ships, which pose their own particular technical challenges, expanding ship operations in the ice-infested waters of the polar regions, and ongoing regulatory and legal challenges brought on by environmental incidents.

To get the insight into the current challenges

OCTOBER 22, 2018 — The Methanol Institute , the trade association for the methanol industry, recently welcomed the findings of the MethaShip research project that has concluded that renewable methanol offers a long-term solution for the shipping industry’s ambitious CO ₂ emissions reduction strategy.

The MethaShip partners found that methanol can offer a dramatic improvement in emissions reduction across multiple ship types once the IMO has established the statutory framework conditions necessary for an industry-wide reduction of CO ₂ emissions. IMO has a current strategy

OCTOBER 21, 2018 — Former U.S. Navy Commander Troy Amundson has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the so called "Fat Leonard" affair, the corruption and fraud case involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).

Sentence was imposed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Amundson's prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. He must also pay a $10,000 fine and $21,625.60 in

OCTOBER 21, 2018 — The Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. have identified Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. as the preferred bidder to provide the design and design team for the Royal Canadian Navy's future Canadian Surface Combatants.

Public Services and Procurement Canada says that "while this represents a significant milestone in the competitive process, more work is required before a contract is awarded" and that Lockheed Martin Canada must now go through a due diligence process that includes negotiations on intellectual property rights, an

OCTOBER 19, 2018 — Austal USA, Mobile, AL, has been awarded a $57,854,366 Navy contract for procurement of long lead time materials and production engineering for of a 103-meter Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF). This will be the thirteenth EPF vessel ordered by the U.S. Navy from Austal.

Long lead-time materials for the additional vessel will include diesel engines, water jets and reduction gears.

Austal was awarded the initial contract to design and build the first 103-meter EPF in November 2008. The EPF is a high

OCTOBER 19, 2018 — Milford, MA, based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp, a leader in AT/B (Articulated Tug/Barge) design, is now a member of the Hyperion Marine Engineering Group.

Hyperion was formed three years ago by Portland, ME, headquartered CT Marine and Goa, India, based Buoyancy Consultants who saw a need for a naval architectural & marine engineering firm to serve the inland and offshore tug and barge industry with a capability for conceptual through highly detailed production

OCTOBER 19, 2018 — Hillside, NJ, headquartered Donjon Marine Co., Inc has been awarded a contract worth up to a maximum $215 million to provide the U.S Navy with salvage services throughout much of the western hemisphere. Donjon first secured this work in 1980 and has won each subsequent tender. This new award will see Donjon provide more than 40 years of continuous service to the U.S. military.

The contract is with the Department of Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving.

OCTOBER 19, 2018 — The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority has issued its report on a September 2017 grounding of a 1980-built, 3,041 dwt aggregates carrier that occurred when the master was asleep and where subsequent salvage efforts were hampered by the fact that the police had arrested the master and chief officer after both tested positive in a breathalyzer test and taken them ashore.

Following is taken from the bare bones summary of the report (but you have to read the whole report to get

OCTOBER 19, 2018 — Stena Line reports that its 550 car, 1,500 passenger RoPax ferry Stena Jutlandica has now completed its first month of operation as a battery hybrid vessel and that the results have exceeded expectations.

The Stena Jutlandica operates on between Gothenburg, Sweden, and Frederikshavn, Denmark, and, as we reported earlier , her conversion to a battery hybrid vessel is being carried out in steps.

Step one, which is presently underway, involves switching to electrical operation when in port to reduce the use