Maritime Vessels Directory

One person has died, a dozen are still missing and six others have been rescued after a commercial lift boat used to service oil rigs capsized in hurricane force winds south of Louisiana’s Port Fourchon, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.Rescuers in Coast Guard cutters, aircraft and volunteer civilian boats were hunting for the dozen missing people in the Gulf of Mexico after the 129-foot (39-m) commercial vessel, Seacor Power, capsized in rough seas eight miles (13 km) off Port Fouchon about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said.Searchers were “saturating the area,” said Coast Guard Captain Will Watson, who added that some people could still be trapped on the crippled vessel.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced Tuesday that it will postpone increasing canal transit fees following calls from the shipping industry to reconsider the rate hikes amid a spate of global supply chain disruptions.The higher rates for the canal's transit reservation system were scheduled to take effect on Thursday but will now start on June 1, allowing the maritime industry more time to prepare for the adjusted booking fees, ACP said. The proposed changes represent a minimum cost increase per transit reservation of $20,000 (up 57%) and a maximum cost increase of $58,500 (up 167%).

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, Calif. and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Conn. agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on April 14 extending for five more years their previous three-year direct collaboration on joint research projects and exchanges. The extension is a result of the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy (TSMS) released in December, which underscored the need for joint cooperation in today’s security environment. The emphasis of the MOU is to further optimize joint collaboration for specific research and educational outcomes that directly support defense priorities and Coast Guard statutory missions within the TSMS.

Evergreen Line said on Wednesday that it is investigating the scope of an Egyptian court order to detain the Ever Given container ship which got stuck in the Suez Canal last month.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has made a $916 million compensation claim against the ship’s Japanese owner Shoei Kisen, according to UK Club, one of its insurers.The SCA has also obtained a court order to detain the ship as discussions over compensation continue. The vessel is currently being held in Great Bitter Lake, which sits between two sections of the canal.The ship’s operator Evergreen Line said on Monday it was studying the possibility of the ship and cargo on board being treated separately.

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics revealed on Wednesday that its SM200 wireless helm system has been installed and is being used aboard two sister U.S.-flag articulated tug-barge (ATB) tugboats.Sea Machines said its dealer Rio Controls & Hydraulics, of Houston, managed the installations and technology integrations at a U.S. Gulf of Mexico shipyard. In the coming months, Rio and Sea Machines will continue to work together to install additional SM200 systems on at least five more ATB tugboats by the same owner.Sea Machines’ wireless helm system introduces flexible control for mariners, meaning the primary operator is no longer bound to a fixed control station.