STATE OF ALASKA D.O.T. & PUBLIC FACILITIES

A tugboat in the busy Port of Singapore has become the first in South Asia to operate under remote joystick control, in a trial demonstrating the increased safety and efficiency of operations utilizing advanced digital solutions already available today.The harbor tug was controlled from a shore command center located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab in April 2021.The 32-meter harbor tugboat Maju 510, which is owned and operated by Keppel O&M’s joint-venture company Keppel Smit Towage, was retrofitted with technology solutions from ABB and Keppel Offshore & Marine that enabled the test.

Texas-based dredging contractor Callan Marine on Monday said it has released a tender package to build what it said will be the nation’s largest capacity trailing suction hopper dredge.The new dredge, to be named the Admiral Nimitz, will have an overall length of 422 feet, a breadth of 92 feet and a hopper capacity of 16,000 cubic yards. The diesel-electric powered Nimitz will have a maximum draft of 28.8 feet, a maximum dredging depth of 100 feet in the short dredge pipe configuration and 130 feet in the long dredge pipe configuration. It will accommodate a crew of 28.

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ship assist and harbor escort services group has taken delivery of Apollo, a powerful and maneuverable tugboat with the most compact size in the U.S.The tugboat has completed final outfitting at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc. in Portland, Ore., and will deploy soon to serve the San Francisco Bay. Like its sister tug operated by Crowley, Hercules, the Apollo was designed by Robert Allen Ltd. to be the nation’s most powerful tug under 80 feet at 78 feet long with an estimated 94 tons of bollard pull.

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has sold another vessel. This time the platform supply vessel Far Spirit.The company said Tuesday the vessel had been sold by its subsidiary Farstad Marine to an undisclosed buyer."Delivery of the vessel to the new owner took place today June 22nd, 2021. The sale of the vessel will result in an immaterial accounting effect for Q2-2021," Solstad Offshore said, without revealing the sale price. The Far Spirit vessel, of the VS 470 Mk II design, was built in 2007 by Westcon Olen yard in Norway.

Richard “Rick” W. Spinrad, Ph.D., an internationally renowned scientist with four decades of ocean, atmosphere, and climate science and policy expertise, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and the 11th NOAA administrator.“As an accomplished and respected scientist, educator, communicator and executive, Rick has dedicated his career to the science that is at the core of NOAA’s mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “I am grateful for his ongoing public service to the agency and the nation, and I look forward to working alongside him as we tackle the climate crisis, conserve our oceans, and grow our blue economy.