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"Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs," said Maryland's Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, the Dali's owners "configured the ship's electrical and mechanical systems in a way that prevented those systems from being able to quickly restore propulsion and steering after a power outage" Candela P-12 e-ferry unveiled Sweden's Candela is the first electric vessel developer to construct a fully "electric hydrofoil passenger ferry for public service. The DDG 51 plan is based on a hullby-hull evaluation of ship material condition, combat capability, technical feasibility, and lifecycle maintenance requirements and will result in an additional 48 ship-years of cumulative service life in the 2028 to 2035 timeframe. The life-extension decision "adds 10 years of cumulative ship service life from fiscal year 2026 to 2029," the Navy said. Mass Maritime takes custody of TS Patriot State Within days of its delivery from the Philly Shipyard, the training ship TS Patriot State was formally accepted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at a special ceremony held October 11, The ship is the second of five new purpose-built, state-of-the-art National Security Multi-mission Vessels (NSMVs) being built at the shipyard for America's state maritime academies at the shipyard.
From the Dali incident to game-changing contracts ву Michael White
In 2024, the maritime industry was marked by a series of high-impact events, from the aftermath of the Dali accident to new industry certracts and technological breakthroughs. While the Dali incident dominated headlines, other significant stories-such as the rise of lithium-ion battery fires, cutt-na-edge innovations, and the delivery of top vessels- also captured the attention of our readers. Take a look back at the top 10 most- ead stories on Marine Log this year.
$102 million settlement reached in Dali bridge allision
On June 24, 2024, the 984-foct containership M/V Dali sailed from the Port of Baltimore, bound for the Por: of Virginia, three months after the vessel lost power and allided with the Frar-is Scott Kev Bridge, causing a massive portion of the bricge :o collapse.
Six workers on the bridge were killed in the inciderr,, while the ship suffered what the Nationel Transportation Safety Bcerd called "suostentia' damage," and the port was effectively closed to vessel traffic.
The clean-up involved establisting temporary shirping lanes after federal, state, and local agencies combined the:r resources in a massive effort to remove appreximately 50,000 tors of steel, concrete, and debris from the Et. McHenry Channel, which was recper.ed on June 10.
The 0.3. government negotiated a $102 million settlement with the ship's Singapere-based owners to resolve the claims brought against them.
The claim on behalf of the U.S. did not include any damages for tke reconstructien of the Key Bridge, which is owned, mainteined, and operated by the State of Maryland, while attorneys on the state's behalf have filed a separate claim for those damages.
"Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs," said Maryland's Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, the Dali's owners "configured the ship's electrical and mechanical systems in a way that prevented those systems from being able to quickly restore propulsion and steering after a power outage"
Candela P-12 e-ferry unveiled
Sweden's Candela is the first electric vessel developer to construct a fully "electric hydrofoil passenger ferry for public service.
On October 29, 2024, the 40-foot, 30-passenger Nova departed Stockholm' suburb of Tappstróm and glided on a 15 kilometer, or nine-mile, transit to Stockholm's City Hall in just over 30 minutes.
The fastest ferry in the world, Nova silently cruises a meter above the water's surface at 25 knots and is the first of Candela's new P-12 model ferries to enter service.
The vessel is fueled by 100% renewable electricity and is fitted with computer-controlled hydrofoil wings that minimize wake and reduce energy consumption by 80%.
The ferry's motors are charged with electric power provided at a regular vehicle charger located at the City Hall.
After putting the world's first foiling e-ferry to enter public service into operation in Stockholm, Candela and local partner FlyTahoe are planning to introduce the first U.S.-based Candela P-12 on Lake Tahoe. The 30-seat P-12 is the same model now in operation in Stockholm and is designed to accommodate both skis and bikes.
"Fat Leonard" gets 15 years in prison; fined $55 million
On November 5, Leonard Glenn Francis-aka "Fat Leonard" -the mastermind of a bribery and fraud scheme that rocked the Navy was sentenced in San Diego federal court to 15 years in prison.
Francis, 60, a Malaysian citizen most recently living in Singapore, was also ordered to pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy a $150,000 fine and forfeit $35 million in proceeds from his crimes.
His company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) Corp., which provided services to U.S, Navy ships in Asia-Pacific ports, was put on five years of probation and fined $36 million.
In return for the bribes, court testimony showed that U.S. Navy command staff and personnel advocated on behalf of Francis and GDMA during the procurement process and provided him with classified data about U.S. Navy ships' port visits and other proprietary information.
Francis had pled guilty in 2015 to the bribery and fraud charges but fled the U.S. in September 2022 leaving his GPS ankle monitoring bracelet in a water cooler just days before he was to be sentenced. He escaped to Venezuela but was arrested and returned to the U.S. last year.
Coast Guard rescues five from tug Luther
U.S. Coast Guard released dramatic audio from an incident that saw five people rescued from a tug foundering 10 miles off the coast of La Push, Wash.
At 4:10 p.m. on October 19, the 130foot tug Luther was shouldering through 10-14-foot seas and 45-knot winds with a 333-foot barge loaded with cement and fuel under tow when it lost steering and began taking on water.
The tug's Master requested assistance from the Coast Guard and a motor lifeboat (MLB) from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, an MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, and the emergency tug Lauren Foss were dispatched to assist the distressed tug.
The heavy seas and high winds forced the barge adrift, while the tug's five-man crew was taken aboard the Coast Guard MLB. With assistance from the Canadian oceangoing tug Atlantic Raven, a line was finally secured aboard Luther, and the tug was towed to Port Angeles.
The wayward barge, the LaFarge Trader, was later located about five miles west of Cape Alava and successfully recovered.
Navy to extend the service life of 12 destroyers, three cruisers
The Department of the Navy has drafted plans to operate 12 Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51) Flight I destroyers beyond their 35-year expected service life and operate three Ticonderoga-class (CG 47) cruisers beyond theirs.
The DDG 51 plan is based on a hullby-hull evaluation of ship material condition, combat capability, technical feasibility, and lifecycle maintenance requirements and will result in an additional 48 ship-years of cumulative service life in the 2028 to 2035 timeframe.
The three Ticonderoga-class cruisers are the USS Gettysburg, USS Chosin, and USS Cape St. George. The life-extension decision "adds 10 years of cumulative ship service life from fiscal year 2026 to 2029," the Navy said.
All three cruisers received extensive hull, mechanical and engineering, as well as combat system upgrades as part of an extended modernization program.
Alaska Marine Lines overhauls retired tugboat
Seattle-based Alaska Marine Lines (AML) is overhauling the Polar King, a 120-foot, Robin-class tug built in 1974, and one of four tugs retired from service earlier this year.
The Polar King was reactivated and slated for a complete renovation, according to Kris Mullan, AMLs port engineer in Seattle.
The overhaul, he said, included a rebuild of the tug's main engines and a redesign of its interior, as well as an upgrade of its hydraulic system, valves, piping, electronics, wheelhouse, and deck equipment.
"One other aspect of the redesign is the ability to remove and reinstall both main engines out of the top of the deck," said Mullan. The goal is a simplified tug that is easy to operate, has good line of sight that minimizes safety concerns, and make is a comfortable platform to work from."
MM&P scores major organizing victory at OSG
Licensed deck officers at the Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) voted to be represented by the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) Union, which called the vote the "largest licensed deck officer organizing win in the U.S. Merchant Marine in at least 50 years."
OSG chief mates, floating chief mates, and second and third mates voted in the election, which the MM&P won by a wide margin, Turnout was high with more than 90% of OSG's licensed deck officers casting ballots. OSG is a wholly owned subsidiary of OSG Ship Management Inc.
In January 2024, licensed deck officers at Alaska Tanker Company-a wholly owned subsidiary of OSG Ship Management that operates four U.S.-flag, Alaska-class crude oil tankers-also voted in favor of MM&P representation. Mass Maritime takes custody of TS Patriot State
Within days of its delivery from the Philly Shipyard, the training ship TS Patriot State was formally accepted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at a special ceremony held October 11,
The ship is the second of five new purpose-built, state-of-the-art National Security Multi-mission Vessels (NSMVs) being built at the shipyard for America's state maritime academies at the shipyard.
Like its sisterships, the TS Patriot State features numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and accommodations for up to 600 cadets.
The new NSMV replaces the academy's previous training ship, TS Kennedy, which was built in 1967 as the SS Velma Lykes at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans and was transferred to Texas A&M Maritime Academy in 2023 to serve as its training ship.
The first vessel in NSMV program, the Empire State VII, was delivered to New York's SUNY Maritime Academy in September 2023.
Keel laid for ULA's new SpaceShip
Bollinger Shipyards held a ceremony atits shipyard in Amelia, La. on October 24, 2024, to mark the keel laying of the RO/RO vessel R/S SpaceShip.
The 365-foot-long vessel is being built for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and was designed by the Bristol, R.I.- based Bristol Harbor Group, Inc., which is also overseeing the ship's construction.
SpaceShip-classed for both ocean-going and river service and the second transport vessel in ULAs maritime fleet-will be used to transport its Vulcan rockets from the ULA factory in Decatur, Ala., to launch sites at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Patriot Offshore awarded Jones Act-compliant CTV contract
Patriot Offshore Maritime Services (POMS), a subsidiary of Liberty Green Logistics of Lake Success, N.Y., has been awarded a U.S. industry defining, 10-year crew transfer vessel (CTV) services contract with Equinor's Empire Offshore Wind LLC.
The Jones Act-compliant CTV will service Equinor's New York offshore wind farm during the construction and O&M phases of the project and will be built at a U.S. shipyard. It is slated for delivery in 2026.
The contract is the second newbuild CTV commission for POMS. The first-the Patriot Leader-was built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp. and delivered earlier this year to service several offshore wind farms along the U.S. East Coast. This vessel is one of Distinctive Deliveries on page 26.
Copyright Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation Dec 2024