The government of Argentina on Monday declared a 180-day “water emergency” for the Parana River, which is suffering a historic bout of shallowness that has affected the amount of grains that can be shipped from the country’s key ports hub of Rosario.

The country is a major international food supplier. The Parana, which originates in a drought-hit part of Brazil, carries about 80% of Argentina’s agricultural shipments, which are the country’s main source of export dollars.

The river is at its lowest level in 77 years. The state of emergency, which will take effect on Tuesday, was published in the government’s gazette and covers wide parts of the Parana River basin, affecting the provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Misiones and Buenos Aires.

Residents and businesses in these areas are urged to reduce the amount of water they use.

“The extraordinary magnitude of the emergency requires that all areas of the national government join forces to mitigate this hydrological phenomenon in the areas affected,” the government decree said.

Ships departing from Rosario are having to leave grains ports with 25% less cargo than usual due to river shallowness, which is not expected to improve for months.

The emergency is hitting at the peak of soy and corn export season. Argentina is the world’s No. 3 corn exporter and top supplier of soymeal livestock feed, used to fatten hogs and poultry from Europe to Southeast Asia.

Reporting by Lucila Sigal; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Paul Simao

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/parana-river-level-drops-year-low-489447

A diesel cargo sent by Mexico’s state-run Pemex [was] due to arrive in Cuba’s Havana port on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and sources, after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised humanitarian aid to the Communist-run island, [Reuters reported Monday.]

The Jose Maria Morelos II, a tanker owned and managed by a Pemex unit, is on its way to the Caribbean island after Mexico’s left-leaning government last week announced it would send two humanitarian shipments, including food and diesel, to Cuba.

Authorities in Havana have long said that a decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba has caused widespread hardship on the island, where thousands took to the streets this month in protests. Cuba’s vital tourism industry has also been hard hit by the slump in travel following the global coronavirus pandemic.

The vessel departed from the Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos and is sailing with its transponder switched on, but has not updated its port of destination, according to Eikon.

Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com and a shipping source said it is navigating half-loaded. A Pemex source told Reuters the cargo contains 20 million liters or about 126,000 barrels of diesel.

Pemex declined to comment on the vessel’s content and destination. The foreign affairs ministries of both Mexico and Cuba did not reply to requests for comment.

A separate shipping source said the tanker departed last week from the Coatzacoalcos port’s berth number four, after being given “priority,” which is why it loaded immediately.

The terminal is located nearby Pemex’s Minatitlan refinery on the Gulf of Mexico.

The U.S. Treasury Department, which enforces sanctions, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Mexico said it would assist Cuba after this month’s rare protests by thousands of citizens against the dire economic conditions on the island and the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexico said its policy toward Cuba is a demonstration of international solidarity.

López Obrador on Monday asked U.S. President Joe Biden to make a decision about the embargo on Cuba to allow families in the island to receive remittances.

Cuba’s main fuel provider is Venezuela, whose own economy is mired in a deep recession that has sparked widespread shortages. Venezuela’s oil production and refinery output has shrunk in recent years under lack of maintenance and tough U.S. sanctions, reducing its exports to Cuba.

(Reporting by Adriana Barrera and Marianna Parraga; additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Sarah Marsh in Havana; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/humanitarian-aid-mexico-sends-fuel-tanker-489450

Dutch FPSO leasing specialist SBM Offshore has secured a firm deal with Petrobras to lease and operate a newbuild FPSO at its giant Buzios offshore oil field in Brazil.

The firm contract, for the 26.25 years lease and operation of the FPSO to be named Almirante Tamandaré, follows the signing of the binding Letter of Intent announced back in February. SBM Offshore did not share the financial details.

FPSO Almirante Tamandaré will be deployed at the Búzios field in the Santos Basin approximately 180 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The FPSO is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2024.

Back in February when the LoI was announced  SBM Offshore said that the FPSO would be one of the largest oil-producing units operating offshore Brazil and one of the largest in the world.

The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré will have a water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day and a minimum storage capacity of 1.4 million barrels of crude oil.

SBM Offshore is progressing with the design and construction using its Fast4Ward program, the company said Tuesday.

The Fast4Ward program includes a new build, multi-Purpose Floater hull combined with several standardized topsides modules. SBM Offshore’s fourth Fast4Ward MPF hull has been allocated to this project.

Under the Fast4Ward program, SBM Offshore usually orders an FPSO hull without a firm contract in hand, so that, when a contract is secured, the FPSO delivery time is shorter. The hull that has now been allocated for the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré was ordered in December 2019 and is under construction in China.

Per LoI announced a few months back,  the project foresees the interconnection of 15 wells to the FPSO, being 6 oil producers, 6 water and gas injectors, 1 gas injector, and 2 convertible wells, through a subsea infrastructure composed of rigid production and injection pipelines and flexible service pipelines.

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/sbm-offshore-deliver-fpso-petrobras-489474

As International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions requirements continue throughout the IMO Emission Control Areas (ECA), they are also forcing postponement of many new construction decisions as vessel owners and operators continue to tread cautiously along the path forward. The Marpol Annex VI program looked to correct emissions requirements while working with petroleum fuels. Technology developers continue best efforts to advance long-term solutions to reach the latest IMO zero emissions greenhouse gas (GHG) goals of 2050. Those GHG decisions and regulations are working to move away from oil and press forward with alternative sources of energy and fuels. Two paths that simply require a hybrid connection similar to the procedures the automotive industry has followed. The combination of those two paths will ease the decision process for owners and manufacturers. It is our opinion that the oil faucet will not be shut off as quickly as the IMO hopes. It is a simple statement based upon economics. And with those economics, watch as zero emissions achievements become a financial model using carbon credits rather than technical solutions to meet IMO 2050 goals.

The IMO emissions standards are commonly referred to as Tier I through III standards. The Tier I standards were defined in the 1997 version of Annex VI and they are now ancient history in the discussion. The stricter Tier II/III standards were introduced by Annex VI amendments adopted in 2008—nearly 13 years ago. There’s been 13 years to address sulfur, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter in the air by regulation, and another 30 years to meet the IMO goals of 50% reduction of GHG by 2050.

IMO Tier II represented an approximate 20% reduction in NOx from Tier I and was applied to engines greater than 130 kW. The standard took effect in 2011 for all areas that adopted IMO Tier I (keep track through this article of the time that has passed to meet some of the simplest of requirements along with the new projection for the reduction of GHG to meet “zero emissions”).

Is the emissions goal post moving for most owners and manufacturers? You bet it is. A long-term goal has many moving parts.

The main changes to the original Marpol Annex VI have involved progressive reductions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter emissions globally. The introduction of ECAs was added worldwide to reduce those air pollutants to protect the coastal population areas. The latest tier (whether you are counting IMO or EPA designations) limits NOx emissions standard with enforcement from January 1, 2016 in ECAs as per the MEPC 66 meeting. Most do not understand that those requirements are only in the ECA. When returning to blue water, propulsion engines are not required to meet those NOx strict emissions standards. But to reduce GHG to zero and meet MEPC 77, engines will have to.

In many of the Far East yards the IMO 2016 requirements were circumvented by building keel blocks in inventory and having them certified as constructed prior to January of 2016. In turn offering them into new construction utilizing IMO Tier II propulsion engine standards as Tier III solutions were not available. We are in the new construction yards worldwide each day. Tier II engines and ships are being delivered well into 2021.

The regulatory loopholes were also applied within the domestic shipbuilding market. During the 2016 regulatory period there were no manufacturers developing IMO Tier III or EPA Tier 4 engines under 600Kw that could comply with the standards. In fact, larger propulsion engines utilized in the domestic workboat, tug and offshore operations only had EMD and General Electric to choose from to comply. That said, complying with propulsion did not relieve the domestic owners from meeting the requirements with generators and auxiliary engines. As a result, those newbuilds were restricted to only U.S. domestic operation. Operating in Canada or the Caribbean added a risk of losing that domestic “Tier” protection for those trading outside the zone. From a financial perspective or an investment opportunity, this created another hiccup in exit strategy should domestic markets fail.

(Photo: Robert Kunkel)

Owners have been forced to deal with the continuing regulation amendments when making decisions with assets that were financially modeled to trade anywhere between 20 and 40 years. The latest IMO revision to the EEDI calculation and EEXI amendments has also affected that decision process. In a recent construction supervision project in 2020 the owners delivered six chemical tankers that were a continuation of a design and delivery in 2016. Imagine their confusion when the 2016 vessels were determined to have a better energy rating than the 2020 builds because of changes to the EEDI and EEXI calculations. How these calculations will drift into smaller tug and offshore markets is yet to be seen.

Under Tier regulations engines are tested using distillate diesel fuels, even though residual heavy fuels are usually used in real life operation. Under GHG “zero emissions” projections we are now looking at methanol, liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia, all of which have different energy densities that affect consumption, tank space and Kw /HP requirements. The range is significant with marine gasoil (MGO) at an energy density of 35.9 to hydrogen at 8.5. Beyond those performance issues look to the cradle to grave environmental impact when processing and developing those new fuels when you are attempting to reach environmental goals in your company.

In our marine applications we have worked toward a hybrid combination of battery technology and fossil fuel very similar to how the automotive industry has developed. It will be difficult to move directly into full “marine EV” in the near future, and though we are supporters of alternative fuels and electric propulsion we understand the infrastructure requirements and costs involved. It is hard to look beyond the energy density of distillate low sulfur MGO after all the work the engine manufacturers have completed to meet the Tier requirements. A hybrid application allows full “EV” battery operation within the ECA or around coastal populations with zero emissions and combustion engine operation when extending the battery range. Energy storage is important when working toward those alternative fuels or a complete movement away from internal combustion engines. That hybrid application is in operation along the New England coast with our company First Harvest Navigation (a documentary on the project is available on YouTube).

The IMO goal of 50% reduction of GHG gases by 2050 requires all of these technical issues to be answered, built, tested and developed. Historically, regulation has never driven the marine markets. Private investment has been that leader and the investment path must have the ethics to take emissions reduction into the boardroom. Without that corporate drive you will see the application of carbon credits used to meet the 2050 goals.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE

https://www.marinelink.com/news/moving-forward-emissions-tiers-tears-489475

As International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions requirements continue throughout the IMO Emission Control Areas (ECA), they are also forcing postponement of many new construction decisions as vessel owners and operators continue to tread cautiously along the path forward. The Marpol Annex VI program looked to correct emissions requirements while working with petroleum fuels. Technology developers continue best efforts to advance long-term solutions to reach the latest IMO zero emissions greenhouse gas (GHG) goals of 2050. Those GHG decisions and regulations are working to move away from oil and press forward with alternative sources of energy and fuels. Two paths that simply require a hybrid connection similar to the procedures the automotive industry has followed. The combination of those two paths will ease the decision process for owners and manufacturers. It is our opinion that the oil faucet will not be shut off as quickly as the IMO hopes. It is a simple statement based upon economics. And with those economics, watch as zero emissions achievements become a financial model using carbon credits rather than technical solutions to meet IMO 2050 goals.

The IMO emissions standards are commonly referred to as Tier I through III standards. The Tier I standards were defined in the 1997 version of Annex VI and they are now ancient history in the discussion. The stricter Tier II/III standards were introduced by Annex VI amendments adopted in 2008—nearly 13 years ago. There’s been 13 years to address sulfur, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter in the air by regulation, and another 30 years to meet the IMO goals of 50% reduction of GHG by 2050.

IMO Tier II represented an approximate 20% reduction in NOx from Tier I and was applied to engines greater than 130 kW. The standard took effect in 2011 for all areas that adopted IMO Tier I (keep track through this article of the time that has passed to meet some of the simplest of requirements along with the new projection for the reduction of GHG to meet “zero emissions”).

Is the emissions goal post moving for most owners and manufacturers? You bet it is. A long-term goal has many moving parts.

The main changes to the original Marpol Annex VI have involved progressive reductions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter emissions globally. The introduction of ECAs was added worldwide to reduce those air pollutants to protect the coastal population areas. The latest tier (whether you are counting IMO or EPA designations) limits NOx emissions standard with enforcement from January 1, 2016 in ECAs as per the MEPC 66 meeting. Most do not understand that those requirements are only in the ECA. When returning to blue water, propulsion engines are not required to meet those NOx strict emissions standards. But to reduce GHG to zero and meet MEPC 77, engines will have to.

In many of the Far East yards the IMO 2016 requirements were circumvented by building keel blocks in inventory and having them certified as constructed prior to January of 2016. In turn offering them into new construction utilizing IMO Tier II propulsion engine standards as Tier III solutions were not available. We are in the new construction yards worldwide each day. Tier II engines and ships are being delivered well into 2021.

The regulatory loopholes were also applied within the domestic shipbuilding market. During the 2016 regulatory period there were no manufacturers developing IMO Tier III or EPA Tier 4 engines under 600Kw that could comply with the standards. In fact, larger propulsion engines utilized in the domestic workboat, tug and offshore operations only had EMD and General Electric to choose from to comply. That said, complying with propulsion did not relieve the domestic owners from meeting the requirements with generators and auxiliary engines. As a result, those newbuilds were restricted to only U.S. domestic operation. Operating in Canada or the Caribbean added a risk of losing that domestic “Tier” protection for those trading outside the zone. From a financial perspective or an investment opportunity, this created another hiccup in exit strategy should domestic markets fail.

(Photo: Robert Kunkel)

Owners have been forced to deal with the continuing regulation amendments when making decisions with assets that were financially modeled to trade anywhere between 20 and 40 years. The latest IMO revision to the EEDI calculation and EEXI amendments has also affected that decision process. In a recent construction supervision project in 2020 the owners delivered six chemical tankers that were a continuation of a design and delivery in 2016. Imagine their confusion when the 2016 vessels were determined to have a better energy rating than the 2020 builds because of changes to the EEDI and EEXI calculations. How these calculations will drift into smaller tug and offshore markets is yet to be seen.

Under Tier regulations engines are tested using distillate diesel fuels, even though residual heavy fuels are usually used in real life operation. Under GHG “zero emissions” projections we are now looking at methanol, liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia, all of which have different energy densities that affect consumption, tank space and Kw /HP requirements. The range is significant with marine gasoil (MGO) at an energy density of 35.9 to hydrogen at 8.5. Beyond those performance issues look to the cradle to grave environmental impact when processing and developing those new fuels when you are attempting to reach environmental goals in your company.

In our marine applications we have worked toward a hybrid combination of battery technology and fossil fuel very similar to how the automotive industry has developed. It will be difficult to move directly into full “marine EV” in the near future, and though we are supporters of alternative fuels and electric propulsion we understand the infrastructure requirements and costs involved. It is hard to look beyond the energy density of distillate low sulfur MGO after all the work the engine manufacturers have completed to meet the Tier requirements. A hybrid application allows full “EV” battery operation within the ECA or around coastal populations with zero emissions and combustion engine operation when extending the battery range. Energy storage is important when working toward those alternative fuels or a complete movement away from internal combustion engines. That hybrid application is in operation along the New England coast with our company First Harvest Navigation (a documentary on the project is available on YouTube).

The IMO goal of 50% reduction of GHG gases by 2050 requires all of these technical issues to be answered, built, tested and developed. Historically, regulation has never driven the marine markets. Private investment has been that leader and the investment path must have the ethics to take emissions reduction into the boardroom. Without that corporate drive you will see the application of carbon credits used to meet the 2050 goals.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE

https://www.marinelink.com/news/moving-forward-emissions-tiers-tears-489475

A  man in a hamster wheel-like vessel washed ashore near the Old Salt Park beach approach in Flagler County, Florida. He said he was on the way to New York.

“[The vessel’s] sole occupant was with the vessel and advised that he came to shore because he was missing some of his equipment,” Flagler Sheriff’s report from July 24 reads.

In a tweet on Saturday, Flagler Sheriff said the occupant of the vessel was safe with no injuries.

“The occupant advised he left the St. Augustine area [the day before] to head to [New York], but came across some complications that brought him back to shore,” Flagler Sheriff tweeted.

St. Augustine is a city on the northeast coast of Florida.

The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and arrived on scene to take over the case and ensure the vessel/occupant are USCG compliant for their safety moving forward, Flagler Sheriff tweeted.

According to Google Maps, to reach New York from St. Augustine by car, it takes 14 hr 58 minutes (970.7 mi / 1562,2 km).

Unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer an option to calculate the St. Augustine-New York ETA when one is using a hamster-wheel-like contraption.

Also, according to Google Maps, the device was floating away from New York direction, as the location where it washed ashore is south of S. Augustine.

The Guardian reported Monday that the man behind the attempt was Reza Baluchi. His website, runwithreza.com describes him as an ultra-marathon runner.

His Youtube channel also includes a video of a similar attempt, titled “Florida Man Running to Bermuda.”

Media reports found online claim that he tried to reach Bermuda at least three times, but these attempts were apparently stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard. See below:

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/man-hamsterlike-floating-wheel-washes-489454

There could be a shortage of merchant sailors to crew commercial ships in five years if action is not taken to boost numbers, raising risks for global supply chains, a report said on Wednesday.

The shipping industry is already struggling with crewing shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that will exacerbate expected labour supply problems over the next few years, according to the study published by trade associations BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

The Delta variant of the coronavirus has hit hard in parts of Asia and prompted many nations to cut off land access for sailors. That’s left captains unable to rotate weary crews and about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their stints, in a flashback to 2020 and the height of lockdowns when over 200,000 merchant sailors were stuck on ships.

The study released by BIMCO and ICS estimated that 1.89 million seafarers were operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet.

The Seafarer Workforce Report, which was last published in 2015, predicted that an additional 89,510 officers would be needed by 2026, based on projections for growth in shipping trade, and said there was a current shortfall of some 26,240 certified officers, indicating that demand for seafarers had outpaced supply in 2021.

“We are far beyond the safety net of workforce surplus that protects the world’s supply of food, fuel and medicine,” said ICS secretary general Guy Platten.

“Without urgent action from governments the supply of seafarers will run dry.”

The report said more emphasis was needed to recruit and retain seafarers.

Platten, citing industry surveys, added that as few as 20% of seafarers around the world had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and urged governments to prioritize “essential transport workers for vaccinations”.

“Combined with a surge in demand for labour, this is pushing global supply chains to breaking point,” he added.

“Countries which supply most of the world’s seafarers, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and India have limited access to COVID-19 vaccines, threatening further supply chain instability without rapid action at a national level.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/world-faces-shortage-sailors-crew-489492

“The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”

The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention recognizes the rights and freedoms of all nations to engage in traditional uses of the sea. According to the Department of Defense 2020 Annual Freedom of Navigation Report to Congress, “Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims—or incoherent legal theories of maritime entitlement—that are inconsistent with international law pose a threat to the legal foundation of the rules-based international order.”

Not all nations adhere to this principle. Consequently, the United States is “committed to confronting this threat by challenging excessive maritime claims,” the report said.

The U.S. Navy routinely asserts those right by conducting “Freedom of Navigation” operations (FONOPS) around the world.  There are a number of claims around the globe with which the U.S. does not agree or accept.   Last year U.S. forces met 28 excessive maritime claims by 19 countries, the DoD report said.  This is perhaps most visible in the western Pacific, where the United States Navy continues to assert its right to operate freely in international waters by conducting FONOPS in the South China Sea, particularly in the vicinity of the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducted a FONOP in the South China Sea on July 12, and “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law,” according to a Navy statement.  “This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and also by challenging China’s claim to strait baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Seventh Fleet, U.S. forces have operated in the South China Sea on a daily basis, and have done so for more than a century. “They routinely operate in close coordination with like-minded allies and partners who share our commitment to uphold a free and open international order that promotes security and prosperity. All of our operations are designed to be conducted professionally and in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows –regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events.”

The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) claimed they “chased away” the Benfold.   According to Tian Junli, a spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), “The US military’s actions seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, seriously damaged the peace and stability of the South China Sea and seriously violated international law and the norms of international relations – more ironclad proof it is engaging in navigational hegemony to cause the militarization of the South China Sea.  We strongly condemn and resolutely oppose this, and we urge the US side to immediately stop their provocative actions and to strictly control their maritime and air activities. Otherwise, the US side will need to bear all consequences that arise from this.”

The U.S. Navy said the PRC’s statement about Benfold’s mission was incorrect. “USS Benfold conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters. The operation reflects our commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Benfold did here. Nothing PRC says otherwise will deter us.”

A U. S. Navy press statement said that the PLAN statement was just “the latest in a long string of PRC actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea. The PRC’s behavior stands in contrast to the United States’ adherence to international law and our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. All nations, large and small, should be secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms.”

Furthermore, the Navy statement said, international law does not permit continental States, like China, to establish baselines around entire dispersed island groups. “With these baselines, China has attempted to claim more internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf than it is entitled to under international law. By conducting this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are beyond what China can lawfully claim as its territorial sea, and that China’s claimed straight baselines around the Paracel Islands are inconsistent with international law.”

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-navy-asserts-freedom-navigation-south-489515

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) is working on a project for research and development of a sail (Delta Sail) that can be mounted on ships’ cargo handling cranes and similar equipment to boost propulsion force.

MOL’s subsidiary MOL Drybulk, Oshima Shipbuilding, and Iknow Machinery are part of the R&D project which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vessels while underway, by unfurling the sail placed on ship such as triangular parts of existing cargo handling cranes to use offshore winds to provide additional propulsion force.

“Many MOL Drybulk-operated vessels are equipped with cargo handling cranes, and the company plans to study the installation of the Delta Sail on a broad range of ship types, such as bulkers, wood chip carriers, and multi-purpose vessels,” MOL said.

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/wind-boost-mol-plans-install-sails-cranes-489464

Crowley Maritime has secured a multi-year, $638 million contract for Vessel Acquisition Management (VAM) by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).

“Crowley’s strategic acquisition and vessel management service will assist MARAD in the enhancement of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), helping reduce the overall age of the fleet and increase ship reliability. The fleet executes U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sealifts,” Crowley Maritime said.

“To carry out the contract, Crowley will use a new, proprietary information technology system to assess, research, and make purchasing recommendations,” the company said,

Once the vessels are acquired, Crowley will oversee any required re-flagging, re-classification, modification, and maintenance to ensure they are fit for service in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping, and Defense Department requirements. After ships enter the fleet, Crowley will maintain and operate the vessels on behalf of MARAD.

“A successful VAM program is important to the U.S. as a maritime nation, the maritime industry and Crowley as we mutually invest in the strength of our nation,” said Mike Golonka, vice president, government ship management in Crowley Solutions. “We want to share our innovative, successful approach to vessel ownership and lifecycle engineering with the U.S. government.”

Crowley will use the web-based platform to perform data analysis of the lifecycle of vessels and their components. The SHIPFAXTM platform will provide data-driven recommendations based on essential service requirements, as well as important factors to successfully manage and operate vessels.

“Crowley will execute the contract with Stena RoRo, Serco and LCE (Life Cycle Engineering), who bring specialized and unique experiences and services in acquisitions, naval ship architecture, engineering and applied technology,” Crowley said.

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https://www.marinelink.com/news/crowley-bags-m-vessel-acquisition-489522