Maritime Vessels Directory

Manson Construction Co. signed a contract with Keppel AmFELS to build a new hopper dredge at the shipbuilder's facility in Brownsville, Texas, the Seattle-based marine contractor announced Monday. The new dredge is scheduled to be fully operational by spring 2023 and continues a dredge building boom currently underway in the U.S.The self-propelled hopper dredge Frederick Paup will be the largest in the United States, representing Manson’s single biggest investment in its 115 year history, the company said. The 15,000 cubic yard hopper dredge — designed in collaboration with Hockema Whalen Myers Associates, Inc. of Seattle — has a length of 420 feet, breadth of 81 feet and draft of 28.5 feet.

Robert Allan Ltd. is a consulting naval architectural firm, established in Vancouver, Canada in 1930. Mike Fitzpatrick has been a driving force in the company’s growth since joining the firm in 2003. As a key member of the initial employee ownership group, he was named president and CEO in 2015, responsible for corporate direction, business development, management of senior project managers, and project priorities, schedules and profitability. Fitzpatrick is a 1995 graduate of the University of New South Wales in Australia, with a Bachelor of Engineering in naval architecture. Prior to joining RAL, he worked as a naval architect at InCat Designs in Sydney Australia.

Mexican authorities said on Sunday they had confiscated a vessel in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz and a warehouse in neighboring Tabasco along with storage tanks and trucks used by criminal groups to steal, transport and store hydrocarbons.Fuel theft has been a problem in Mexico for decades but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has enacted a range of measures to stamp out the practice and crush corruption and organized crime.State oil company Petroleos Mexicanos said in a recent presentation that an estimated 106 billion pesos ($5.02 billion) had been saved since Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018.

Scorpio Bulkers, a major ocean transporter for the dry commodities industry, is tapping into increasing demand for renewable energy with an investment in the logistics of offshore wind farms, the group's chief executive said.The Monaco-headquartered company will invest between $265 to $290 million in a vessel that can install offshore wind turbines, Emanuele Lauro, chairman and CEO, told Reuters, part of a strategy to begin to diversify the group away from the transport of dry cargo such as coal and iron ore."We believe that the investment in renewables is a more attractive opportunity in the marine space going forward as opposed to dry cargo," he said.

Norway-based ship management company OSM Maritime said Monday that it is nearing a deal to acquire Singapore-headquartered competitor SeaTeam Management from Frontline Ltd and Golden Ocean Group Limited.The acquisition, which is in final negotiations and remains subject to definitive documentation, is expected to be completed within the next 30 days, OSM said.“We look forward to finalizing our agreement with Frontline and Golden Ocean, after engaging in a very constructive dialogue,” said Tommy Olofsen, chair of OSM Maritime.