(Marine Log) SEACOR Holdings Inc. says its Seabulk Towing Holdings Inc. subsidiary is to sell its U.S. harbor towing operations and assets. They are being bought by two fifth-generation family-owned companies: New Orleans headquartered E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc. and Houston headquartered Bay-Houston Towing Co.

The E.N. Bisso transaction includes 12 harbor towing vessels serving ports in Florida and Alabama. Bay-Houston is acquiring eight vessels operating in Texas along the Sabine Neches Navigation District and in the Port of Lake Charles, La.

“E.N. Bisso and Bay-Houston are two industry leading harbor towing providers supported by many decades of safe and reliable operations,” said SEACOR Holdings CEO Eric Fabrikant. “They not only offer our people and assets long-term homes, but also ensure the continuation of high-quality service for our customers.”

“Acquiring an industry leading platform in these markets is exciting for E.N. Bisso and enables us to enhance our services in Florida and expand into Alabama,” said E.N. Bisso president and CEO Matt Holzhalb,. “Not only are we growing our fleet with the addition of new,

(Marine Log) Crowley has appointed Kollin Fencil as senior vice president and general manager to lead its Crowley Fuels business unit, which serves energy logistics needs throughout Alaska with a network land transportation and marine services and facilities.

Fencil will join Crowley after serving as senior vice president, operations, of global energy company Santos Ltd. in Alaska, where he led all operations functions, including driving the implementation of its strategic plan for the business unit. He previously served in management roles at BP and other energy companies after beginning his career as an engineer.

“Kollin’s strong leadership skills and broad experience in the energy space will enhance Crowley Fuels’ leadership role in Alaska. His strategic capabilities, understanding of the Alaska market, and focus on quality, safety and reliability for customers and our people will help lift our team to even greater success,” said Crowley COO Ray Fitzgerald.

Crowley Fuels division is one of Alaska’s largest petroleum wholesale providers and serves 280 communities, many of them remote. The company provides transportation, distribution and sale of petroleum

(Marine Log) Coming off the heels of a successful San Francisco presentation last November, Marine Log’s 36th annual FERRIES conference is heading back to the East Coast, taking place November 14-15 in Jersey City, N.J., just across the harbor from Manhattan, N.Y.

The first panel presentation of the event will be a discussion of the new Governors Island (N.Y.) hybrid-electric ferry—New York City’s first public hybrid-electric ferry. Leading the presentation will be Sebastian Coss, director, real estate & planning for Trust of Governors Island (ferry operator); David Turner, PMP, Elliott Bay Design Group (ferry designer); and Juan Suarez, ship design manager & senior naval architect for Conrad Industries (ferry builder).

During the panel discussion, Coss will give a general overview of Governors Island, explore its need for a ferry operation and update the audience on the project status. Turner will go over the ferry design elements and its unique design challenges, while Suarez will outline the construction progress of the ferry.

The Ferry
Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, the 190-foot passenger/vehicle ferry, which is

(Marine Log) Metairie, La., headquartered Maritime Partners LLC is getting into the Jones Act tanker market, big time. Best known as the largest lessor of U.S. inland waterways towboats, it is getting into the oceangoing sector by acquiring nine vessels owned by Oslo-listed AMSC ASA (the company formerly known as American Shipping Company).

All are on long-term bareboat charter to Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE:OSG) or Keystone Shipping Co., and all were built at Philly Shipyard (then Aker Philadelphia Shipyard).

The mechanics of the deal are that AMSC and Project Merchant Acquisition LLC a newly-formed company owned and controlled by a fund managed by Maritime Partners LLC, have signed a share purchase agreement covering PM Acquisition’s purchase of American Tanker Holding Company, Inc. (ATHC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMSC that, through its subsidiaries, owns the nine handysize products tankers and one handysize shuttle tanker covered by the transaction. Six are on charter to OSG and three to Keystone.

The deal puts an enterprise value of $746.7 million on ATHC.

“We are thrilled to acquire AMSC’s Jones

(Marine Log) A shift in consumer spending towards experiences rather than products may be good for the cruise industry, but maybe not so much for container movements through ports. The Port of Long Beach cites “a shift in consumer spending to travel, entertainment and other experiences” as contributing a fall in cargo volumes it recorded in July.

The port moved 578,249 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July, down 26.4% from July 2022, which was the port’s busiest July on record. Imports declined 27.9% to 271,086 TEUs, while exports decreased 17.6% to 90,134 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port were down 27.7% to 217,030 TEUs.

“I am confident we will see our numbers improve as we work with industry partners to rebuild our market share,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Looking ahead in the near term however, we anticipate a modest ‘peak season’ for shipping as consumers spend a little less this year on back-to-school supplies and gifts through the holiday season.”

“Our facilities, longshore labor, marine terminal operators and all of

The Vineyard Wind project offshore Martha’s Vineyard has marked another milestone. The DEME Group reports on social media that its offshore installation vessel Orion successfully installed the approximately 3,000 ton offshore substation for the Vineyard Wind 1 project.

“The installation of the offshore substation, a first in the U.S., took place after months of preparation with collaboration and dedication of all partners involved in the construction of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, including skilled union labor from the Massachusetts Building Trades,” said DEME.

The offshore substation serves to collect the generated electricity from the wind turbines and sends the power through an export cable and into the regional electricity grid.

DEME’s team continues the installation of the 62 wind turbines, a campaign that kicked off back in May 2023. Once completed, the 800 MW Vineyard wind farm will generate electricity for more than 400,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses.

In a post on its own social media, Vineyard Wind said that, “at 3,500+ tons, the installation of the ESP [electric service platform] was the single

Excessive speed during an advanced harbor-assist maneuver led to a tugboat collision with a containership in the Houston Ship Channel last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

The vessels in involved were the tugboat George M and the containership MSC Aquarius. The incident occurred on April 14, 2022, when the vessels collided while the tugboat was positioning for a ship-assist maneuver and the containership was transiting north in the Houston Ship Channel. No injuries were reported. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged George M’s port propulsion unit. Damages to both vessels totaled more than $900,000. Damage to the George M was estimated at $750,000; damage to the MSC Aquarius was $183,665.

The George M, owned by Bay-Houston Towing Co. and operated by G & H Towing Company, was built in 2021 by Gulf Island Shipyards in Jennings, La., and was a “30-80” class ASD (azimuthing stern drive) tugboat with a length of 30 meters and bollard pull of 80 tonnes. It was powered by two 3,386-hp Caterpillar diesel

BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, Calif., has been awarded a $37,730,467 firm-fixed-price contract action for maintenance, modernization and repair of USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) fiscal 2024 Selected Restricted Availability. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring its cumulative value to $42,442,680.

Delivered by Ingalls Shipbuilding in 2016, LPD 26 is the Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. Homeported in San Diego, the ship is a part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and returned to San Diego last month after a seven-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region

The scope of the BAE San Diego LPD 26 contract includes all labor, supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for, and accomplish, the Chief of Naval Operations Availability for managing critical modernization, maintenance and repair programs.

Work will be performed in San Diego and is expected to be completed by September 2024. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2024.

The contract was awarded on a sole source basis in

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, N.Y., conducted its 87th commencement exercises on Saturday, June 17, graduating 212 new Merchant Marine and Military Officers of the Class of 2023.
The keynote speaker, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, delivered an inspiring message that emphasized the vital importance of USMMA graduates to the American economy and national security. The audience included family members and guests of the graduating class, distinguished visitors representing the federal government, senior officers from the U.S. military, executives from the maritime industry, community leaders, alumni, faculty and staff.

“Perhaps the most important advantage we have over our competitors, is you—your talent, your training, and the responsibility we place in you to lead—all of which will serve you well as you enter a complex world,” Hicks told the Class of 2023. “They will help you navigate an operating environment that’s challenging, complicated, and contested. In the face of friction and fog, I know you—our newest ensigns and second lieutenants, active-duty and reserve—will be America’s saving grace… just like your predecessors.”