Confident Captain/Ocean Pros

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is embarking on a new chapter in its ocean research with the construction of a state-of-the-art ship, a vessel named in honor of MBARI’s founder, David Packard. The R/V David Packard will be capable of accommodating diverse expeditions in Monterey Bay and beyond to further the institute’s mission to explore and understand our changing ocean.It will measure 50 x 12.8 m with a 3.7 m draft, designed to  support a crew of 12, plus a science crew of 18. MBARI has selected Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, for the construction of the R/V David Packard.

Aluminum boatbuilder Brix Marine said it has delivered the 45’ by 18’4” passenger ferry Hat Island Ferry, which recently entered service for the community of Hat Island, Wash.A small, private island community in Snohomish County, Wash., Hat Island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano Islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. Its residents' requirements are reflected in the ferry design which received widespread community approval, according to the vessel's designer and builder Brix Marine (formerly Armstrong Marine USA), based in Port Angeles, Wash.

Shippers and carriers will soon have more flexibility in meeting service contract filing requirements as the result of a rule change approved by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) going into effect on June 2, 2021.The final rule amends existing regulations so ocean carriers will be able to file original service contracts with the commission up to 30-days after they go into effect. Current FMC regulations require the filing of initial service contracts with the FMC before an ocean carrier is permitted to receive and move cargo under the terms of that contract.

Marine and offshore services provider James Fisher and Sons on Tuesday announced the appointment of Duncan Kennedy as Chief Financial Officer and as an Executive Director with effect from May 4, 2021, when he will join the Board.Group Finance Director Stuart Kilpatrick in March informed the James Fisher Board of his intention to step down from the Board on April 29, 2021, following the Company's Annual General Meeting.Kennedy joins James Fisher from BTG plc ("BTG"), previously a FTSE250 international specialist healthcare company, where he was Chief Financial Officer for two years until the company was acquired in 2019.

Ropes manufacturer Samson says it is now offering several of its products with the option of sustainable, bio-sourced fiber, enabling customers to reduce their carbon footprint.Made from climate-neutral feedstock through sustainable forestry, this innovation utilizes the mass balance approach to sourcing and further reduces reliance on fossil-based resources. Samson and DSM are introducing the first-ever bio-sourced ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber and further reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based resources. Ethylene, the primary raw material used to manufacture HPME, is the feedstock that will transition from a conventional to a renewable source via the mass balance approach.