Maritime Vessels Directory

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) will run an autonomous patrol boat through its paces to gauge whether the innovative technology installed on board can be used to support personnel in executing Coast Guard missions.The vessel to be tested is a Metal Shark welded-aluminum 29 Defiant craft, the latest product of the Louisiana-based shipbuilder’s “Sharktech Autonomous Vessels” division to be equipped with the SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm technology from Boston-based autonomous technology developer Sea Machines.

Australia Sends Troops to Help Contain Virus on Bulker

2 hours ago

Australian defense personnel are being deployed to Port Hedland, one of the world’s largest iron ore loading ports, to help contain a coronavirus outbreak on a bulk carrier that last changed crews in the major seafaring city of Manila.Seventeen of the 21 crew from the Patricia Oldendorff carrier have tested positive for the virus, ship owner Oldendorff Carriers said in a statement.Ten of the infected crew members have been moved to hotel quarantine, and seven remain on board as part of a nine-person crew, authorities said.Oldendorff said the crew change on September 5 in Manila complied with all protocols.

TUI Cruise Ship Crew Tests Negative for COVID-19 in Repeat Test

5 hours ago

Twelve crew members of a cruise ship that docked at Piraeus port near Athens on Tuesday tested negative for the novel coronavirus in repeat checks by Greek health authorities, the ship's operator TUI Cruises said.The Mein Shiff 6 cruise ship had departed from Heraklion in Crete on Sunday with all 922 passengers having tested negative before boarding.But sample tests on 150 members out of the ship's total crew of 666, conducted at a land lab, detected 12 COVID-19 infections.Sailing off the island of Milos, the cruise liner made its way back to Piraeus, the country's biggest port, with better access to health services and equipped to deal with any emergency.

Eastern Lays Keel for Weeks Marine's New Hopper Dredge

25 minutes ago

Eastern Shipbuilding Group conducted the keel laying for the new trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) it is building for Weeks Marine.This new U.S. flag dredge R.B. Weeks, ordered by Weeks Marine in April, is be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla., for scheduled delivery in early 2023. Steel cutting commenced on August 19.R.B. Weeks is the second TSHD Eastern is building for the Cranford, N.J.-based marine construction and dredging contractor, following the Magdalen delivered in December of 2017.The R.B. Weeks is named in honor of Richard B. Weeks, a co-founder of Weeks Marine and husband to Magdalen Weeks, the namesake of the previously delivered sister vessel.

TOTAL Lubrifiants Acquires Lubrilog SAS

5 hours ago

Total Lubrifiants, the world’s fourth-largest international lubricants company, announced the acquisition of Lubrilog SAS.Lubrilog SAS is a French company, based in Romans sur Isère, specialized in the formulation and production of very high-performance synthetic lubricants. This acquisition is aimed to strengthen Total Lubrifiants’ position in the industrial lubricants market.“I am glad to welcome Lubrilog in the lubricants team of Total”, says Pierre Duhot, Senior Vice President at Total Lubrifiants. “Thanks to our international presence, our teams and engineers around the world will be able to leverage Lubrilog’s high end technical solutions for the benefit of our clients.

Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (September 2020)

Marine Design Annual