ATCO SHARIFA

As the U.S. offshore wind industry begins to build up, the U.S. Coast Guard is making sure it is prepared to respond to any potential emergency -- even at 400 feet in the air.Last week, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and several surface assets from the Virginia area conducted a simulated rescue operation on wind turbines at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project approximately 28 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va.

Not long ago, at the start of 2020, the market for passenger vessel construction was booming, with record orders rolling in across the size spectrum, from small passenger vessels all the way up to the world’s largest mega cruise liners.But then passenger vessels of all types and sizes began to empty out as COVID-19 spread. A large number of ferries were taken out of service or left operating with drastically reduced ridership (or in some cases, none at all) while the cruise industry—a related but separate species—was brought to a virtual standstill. The new construction business that was so strong quickly dried up.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. announced Thursday it is moving its corporate headquarters to Houston, positioning the nation’s largest dredging services provider nearer to major regional projects and opportunities. The firm will also open regional offices in Jacksonville, Fla., and Staten Island, N.Y.The move to Houston from from Oak Brook, Ill., which stems in part from changing industry dynamics, places the company closer to key regional customers and new markets, especially along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River, Great Lakes said

Bollinger Shipyards delivered the USCGC Charles Moulthrope to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla., the Louisiana-based shipbuilder announced Thursday. This is the 164th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 41st Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The 154-foot USCGC Charles Moulthrope is the first of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the United States.

A  1,600-horsepower towboat delivered to Harvey, La.-based operator L&L Marine Transportation in June is now operational with a full range of Thordon oil-free and grease-free bearings.Designed by Entech, the 65-foot twin-screw towboat Amelia Ray is purpose-built by Rodriquez Shipbuilding in Coden, Ala. for the transportation of petrochemicals along all inland and coastal waters in the southern states of the U.S.In addition to newest towboat addition, L&L Marine operates the 2,000-horsepower Melissa Lee and three 1,200-horsepower vessels Angela Rae, Myrna Ann and Madeleine Michelle. Besides working the Harvey Canal, the company offers towing services anywhere below Baton Rouge, La.