The U.S.
The race to green
A worldwide race is on to put a new breed of all-electric fast foiling ferry into service
Pleasing the guests is the easy part
There’s good news for the cruise industry as it gets back in revenue operations after a long pause imposed by COVID regulations
How are ferries faring?
Things are looking up as ridership on many ferry operations starts exceeding pre-pandemic levels
Are seafarers still “wards of admiralty?”
Cruising is one of the few international maritime sectors that regularly engages with a peculiarity of U.S. general maritime law that treats seafarers as “wards of admiralty”
Late last month, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement saying that the Depart ment of Homeland Security will approve “a temporary and targeted Jones Act Waiver” in order to address Puerto Rico’s immediate needs in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
That move has not be welcomed by the U.S. domestic maritime industry, whose umbrella organization American Maritime Partnership (AMP) had earlier released a statement debunk ing media claims surrounding the need for a waiver for a Marshall Islands flagged tanker, the GH Park, that was loitering off Puerto Rico after departing Texas City on September 19.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas issued the waiver after detrac tors of the Jones Act had a field day as the media puts out stories about Puerto Rico running short of diesel.
AMP believes the waiver was illegal. In a let ter sent to Mayorkas, AMP President Ku’uhaku Park, wrote: “As DHS surely knows, all federal agencies involved in this situation … reported prior to the waiver that there was no diesel fuel shortage in Puerto Rico. The fuel situation on the island has been compromised by difficul ties with the on-land distribution system there.”
“The waiver is unlawful,” wrote Park. “The Jones Act waiver statute, 46 U.S.C. §501(b)(“Section 501”), requires a determi nation of the non-availability of American
vessels before any waiver can be granted. It is a core requirement of the statute. In this case, because the vessel in question was already four days underway when the waiver was applied for, such a determination was not possible. That should have ended the inquiry.
“Instead, the U.S. Maritime Admin istration conducted an unprecedented retroactive U.S. availability determination 12 days after the fact, and we are well aware that American vessel operators reported U.S. vessel availability in that survey.”
One thing this case underscores is the com plete lack of public and timely transparency on Jones Act waiver cases.
Applications for these waivers should be a matter of public record and posted on the DHS website as soon as they are submitted with full details on who is making the case, the identity of the vessel, and its true owner ship and the ownership of the cargo.
If this were a disincentive to those seek ing the waivers, few in U.S. maritime would be unhappy.
Congress returned from its August recess to several mustdo items, including approving the 12 appropriations bills that fund the federal government.
Few bills have passed, with the Energy & Water Development (E&WD) appropria tions bill that funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers clearing only the House as part of a minibus package with the Agriculture, Trans portation-HUD, Interior-Environment, Financial Services, and Military Construc tion appropriations bills.
FY23 House E&WD funding for the Corps’ Civil Works mission was $8.9 billion, up $545 million from FY22 appropriated funding ($2.288 billion above the President’s FY23 budget request).
The Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY23 E&WD bill provided overall funding at $8.7 billion, up $414 million above FY22’s appropriated level ($2.1 billion above the FY23 budget request).
For the Corps’ Investigations account, the House allocated $160 million, up $17 million from FY22 ($54 million above the president’s request).
The Senate Appropriations bill pro posed $165.67 million for Investigations, $22.67 million above the FY22 enacted level ($59.79 million above the FY23 bud get request).
The House bill funded the Lower Saint Anthony Falls disposition study ($550,000) and the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a deepening study for the Ten nessee-Tombigbee Waterways and the Black
Warrior and Tombigbee rivers (Ala. and Miss.) ($2,600,000), and for Lower Saint Anthony Falls (Mississippi River, Minn.) ($550,000) among inland projects.
For the Construction account, the House allocated $2.47 billion (up $1.25 bil lion above the president’s request). Senate Appropriations Committee FY23 Construc tion funding was $2.16 billion ($1.27 billion above FY23’s budget request).
Chickamauga Lock (Tennessee River) was the only Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) construction project funded via the President’s Budget (and included in both bills) at $39.3 million, $13.76 mil lion of which comes from the IWTF under the 65% general revenues/35% IWTF costshare included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020.
In the House and Senate, Community Project Funding (CPF) (known previously as earmarks) allocated $49.3 million for the Nav igation & Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), with funds expected to go to Precon struction Engineering and Design (PED) for LaGrange Lock (Illinois Waterway).
Also receiving IWTF funds in the Senate bill was the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) deepening project ($10 million).
Disappointingly, the House and Senate E&WD appropriations bill did not provide full use of the IWTF, instead, both spend ing approximately $31 million (House) and $34.57 (Senate) of the estimated $130 million in expected FY23 receipts, for a total of $88.6 million for inland waterways
construction projects.
The bill’s report stated that it is the Com mittee’s understanding that the Corps does not have any further capability for ongoing projects. For the House, the Appropriations Committee was unwilling to give a con struction new start to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway—Brazos River Floodgates and Colorado locks project that has FY23 capa bility funding of $223 million.
For the Corps’ Operations & Maintenance (O&M) account, $5.15 billion was allocated by the House (up $580 million above FY22 levels and $2.55 above the President’s Bud get). Funding was $5.13 billion in the Senate bill ($562 million above FY22 and $2.53 bil lion above the administration’s request).
The House bill also provided another $40 million above the FY23 budget request for additional O&M inland waterways activities.
At the time of this writing, Congress likely will pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government past the Sep tember 30 fiscal year end, perhaps through December 16.
Equally important to WCI’s work is WRDA 2022. In the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, WCI achieved a construction cost-share adjustment at Olmsted Locks and Dam (Ohio River), from 50% general revenues/50% IWTF, to 85% general reve nues/15% IWTF that allowed the project to be built ahead of the adjusted schedule and achieve a cost-savings from its then-pro jected amount.
In WRDA 2020, WCI was able to adjust the cost-share from 50%/50% to 65% gen eral revenues/35% IWTF, with a 2031sunset to create a $330 million IWTF capital improvements program (up from $230 mil lion under a 50%/50% cost-share).
In WRDA 2022, WCI is working with Congress to adjust the cost-share to 75% general revenues/25% IWTF ad infinitum. The change was made for other maritime sectors, can ensure reliable inland waterways transportation, help address supply chain efficiencies, lower transportation emissions and shorten project completion timelines.
TRACY R. ZEA President/CEO, Waterways Council Inc.
Sleep is not a luxury; it is a physiological need.
Sleeping less than the designated 7 to 8 hours a night can leave a person at a physical and mental deficit. This deficit over time can translate into a “48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15% greater chance of developing or dying from a stroke” for those who sleep less than six hours (2017, Euro pean Heart Journal).
Personal risk is not the only effect of sleep deficiencies. When on the job with six hours of sleep or fewer, individuals reduce their physical response time, leading to accidents in the transportation industry. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) iden tifies that 52% of 107 heavy truck crashes had related fatigue factors. On the marine side, the U.S. Coast Guard has reported that fatigue contributed to 16% of critical vessel casualties and 33% of personnel injuries.
Cognitive and physical performance declines as hours of wakefulness increase. This decline produces the most significant and immediate safety risk to workers by increasing the risk of injury. WorkSafeBC relates the following impacts on fatigue to the reaction time of someone under the influence of alcohol:
• 17 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.05 (Above the Coast Guard’s legal limit for alcohol consump tion for working mariners or those under DoT regulation);
• 21 hours awake is equivalent to a blood
alcohol content of 0.08; and
• 24-25 hours awake is equal to a blood alcohol content of 0.10.
Individuals looking to check in on their cognitive and physical functioning can use these timeframes as a general reference to understand the potential impacts of sleep deprivation on their ability to work safely.
It should also be noted that fatigue, like alcohol, is often unnoticed by the person influenced by it. Just like the number of drinks may indicate when to stop or when not to drive home, so too can the number of hours of wakefulness indicate the state of cognitive decline, even if it goes unnoticed by the sleepless.
Individuals can further prioritize sleep when the opportunity is available to them. Chronic sleeplessness can be related to med ical challenges that a medical professional can work through. Putting-off consulta tion for long-standing issues can be a deadly decision. Where a poor night’s sleep or over night work causes patterns to be disrupted, a few reminders can help reset the restorative process and manage an acute disruption.
1. Sleep When You Can! Seven to eight hours of sleep per night is the standard amount required for physical and cognitive restoration; where you cannot sleep that long, nap when the opportunity arises. Sci entists found that people who napped for 30 to 90 minutes had better word recall and were better at drawing figures—both signs
of good cognition—(Journal of the American Geriatrics Society December 20, 2016.)
2. Bask in the Sun & Increase Nitric Oxide. Unfiltered sunlight produces Vita min D in the skin, which is one building block for sleep. It also increases hormone production like testosterone, so you will probably feel better for the exposure over all. Additionally, it was reported by Medical News Today (May 8, 2013) that “researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggest that the heart-health benefits of sun exposure may outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer. The researchers found that when sunlight touches our skin, a compound called nitric oxide that helps lower blood pressure is released into our blood vessels.” Sunlight is not the only way to increase nitric oxide. Eating beets or taking a beet supple ment can also help release nitric oxide in the blood and rapid blood pressure decrease.
3. The Chemistry of Sleep. Sleep requires more building blocks than just sunlight. Tryptophan, magnesium, potas sium, calcium, and Vitamin K2 stack up to produce sleep when you sink into the bed. Without these combined building blocks, you will not produce melatonin (the hormone that allows rest to come). Micronutrients to build sleep can all be found in foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, yogurt, cheese, etc., and com bined supplements. In 2016, the University of Canterbury Department of Psychology conducted research that also recognized a place in sleep management for nutritional supplementation. They showed that supple mentation could be an effective treatment for insomnia with minimal side effects.
Awareness of poor sleep safety and health concerns can help mitigate its costly effects. Conscious choices by individuals focusing on prioritization, medical assis tance, and supporting the process with well-balanced nutrients can help increase the likelihood of sleeping well when your head hits the pillow.
Nothing in this article constitutes medical advice. All medical advice should be sought from a medical professional.
The latest addition to the fleet of Korea Express Ferry, Korea Pride, is a 72-meter, 556-passenger Incat Crowther design catama ran ferry that is the first vessel of its kind to be built in South Korea.
In procuring the vessel, Korea Express Ferry set very high safety, comfort and performance standards—and also speci fied that the ship be built locally.
Incat Crowther was selected to both design the ship and supervise its con struction at Kangnam Corporation in Busan. This choice was based on Incat Crowther’s digital shipbuilding creden tials and operator-focused design.
“It’s a great example of our approach to using global experience to support local building,” said Dan Mace, tech nical manager.
The finished product highlights the developed capability to build this class of ship locally in South Korea.
Of marine grade aluminum con struction, Korea Pride features a sleek,
single-deck configuration that, Mace said, was selected to handle the spe cific local sea conditions which include large swell and wind chop.
“Safety and open sea capabil ity drove our design and build,” said Mace. “The 72-meter platform is lon ger than usual for a single-deck ship. This delivers greater speed without sacrificing fuel efficiency.”
“We are very pleased with the out come,” said Korea Express Ferry CEO Sung Man Hwang. “Incat Crowther’s contribution to the project cannot be understated. We received a high-qual ity ship that reached an impressive 41 knots on sea trials. It is a very happy day for us to take delivery of such an extraordinary ship. It will serve our passengers very well.”
A total of 556 passengers is accom modated across a single deck. To maximize safety and efficiency, they board and disembark via six boarding gates/doors, located to integrate with shoreside infrastructure.
We think of a ferry as being more than a vessel. A ferry is a means by which you connect your community, using the water to stimulate trade and recreation. We understand that you want to do this in a responsible manner. This is why we o er holistic, integrated solutions covering vessel and infrastructure, throughout the lifecycle, to make your operation as safe, and as sustainable, as can be.
transported onto the yard’s floating dock by a new, rail-based system called ANTS (Aus tal Nautical Transportation System), which features self-drive trollies with variable geometry to suit any hull configuration.
“The launch of Express 5 is a genuine milestone on a number of levels, as the largest ferry ever constructed by an Austal shipyard; and the first to be launched using our proprietary new vessel transport sys tem,” said Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg. “The Austal Nautical Transportation System (ANTS) allows us to move any large vessel safely, securely, and efficiently—monohull, catamaran or trimaran – at a fraction of the cost of traditional mobile transporters.”
AUST A L PHILI PP INES H A S USED A NEW VESSEL TR A NS P ORTATION sys tem to successfully launch the largest ferry (by volume) thus far constructed by any
Austal shipyard. The vessel, the 115-meter long high speed vehicle-passenger cata maran ferry Express 5, under construction for Molslinjen of Denmark, was securely
Austal Philippines President Wayne Murray said the launch of Express 5 dem onstrated the ingenuity and dedication of the local team—and the shipyard’s capa bility to deliver large, world-class ships, cost effectively.
STOR AGE (OCCS) start-up Carbon Ridge Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., has raised $6 million in funding led by the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, with additional investments from Crowley and Berge Bulk, as well as Rusheen Capital Man agement and Plug and Play Ventures.
Carbon Ridge says its OCCS technology provides a low-cost and near-term solution to reduce carbon dioxide and other green house gases emissions from commercial shipping by up to 95%.
Carbon Ridge’s technology allows for non-disruptive integration to vessel exhaust systems, enables up to a 75% reduction in
process equipment size and volume in com parison to conventional CCS technologies, and is designed for the rigor of commer cial maritime operations. In addition to its onboard OCCS technology, Carbon Ridge provides end-to-end solutions includ ing CO2 transportation, sequestration, and credit monetization.
The financing enables Carbon Ridge to continue development of the company’s onboard OCCS technology for an onboard pilot in 2023. “We believe onboard car bon capture and storage will be the lowest cost and most efficient pathway to achieve near-term decarbonization in the maritime industry,” said Chase Dwyer,
founder and CEO of Carbon Ridge. “We are very excited about partnering with the Grantham Foundation, Crowley and Berge Bulk, as leaders in their respective sectors, each with strong commitments to longterm climate stabilization.”
Clean, Quiet, Proven
Keeping our waterways clean is important to the health and survival of our planet. BAE Systems is leading the way with clean, quiet alternative propulsion systems, helping passenger vessels get to zero emissions.
gettozero.com
Red and White Fleet’s Enhydra Electric Hybrid Passenger Vessel
A nearly $1 million project to reduce key infra structure challenges by outlining a network of West Coast ports and upgrades needed to deploy commercial-scale floating offshore wind.
West Coast Transmission Analysis:
An analysis to review existing transmission studies and identify research gaps related to off shore wind integration in California, Oregon, and Washington.
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW MULTI-AGENCY floating offshore wind initiative. Called the Floating Offshore Wind Shot, it will see the administration advance lease areas in deep waters in order to deploy 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035.
This builds on President Biden’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, which will be largely met using fixedbottom offshore wind technology. Additionally, the Floating Offshore Wind Shot includes a goal of reducing the cost of floating offshore wind energy by more than 70%, to $45 per megawatthour by 2035.
A White House fact sheet says that achiev ing this cost target will require focused research, development, and demonstration to catalyze continued cost reductions, with a focus on manufacturing, engineering, and continued increases of offshore wind turbine capacity. Agencies will also continue collaborating to develop the robust domestic supply chain and transmission infrastructure needed to accelerate floating as well as fixed-bottom offshore wind.
While conventional offshore wind turbines can be secured directly to the sea floor in shal low waters near the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, deep-water areas that require floating platforms are home to two-thirds of Ameri ca’s offshore wind energy potential, including
along the West Coast and in the Gulf of Maine.
Globally, only 0.1 GW of floating offshore wind has been deployed to date, compared with over 50 GW of fixed-bottom offshore wind, and the Administration sees this as an opportunity for the U.S. to become a frontrun ner on floating offshore wind technologies.
To support the new goals, the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the availability of nearly $50 million for research, develop ment, and demonstration funding:
Floating Offshore Wind Readiness Prize:
A $6.85 million prize competition that chal lenges competitors to optimize floating platform technologies and work to get them ready for wide-scale domestic manufacturing and commercialization.
Floating Offshore Wind Array Design Project:
A $3 million project to develop a set of mod eling tools to help industry and researchers design commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm arrays in U.S. waters, includ ing their anchors, mooring lines, and subsea power cables.
DOE’s Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy (ARPA-E) intends to announce $31 million in funding through phase two of its Aerodynamic Turbines, Lighter and Afloat, with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servocontrol program. This focuses on novel forms of systems engineering for floating offshore wind systems to drive down costs. This second phase of the program will focus on experimen tal testing in ocean, lake, and tank and tunnel environments to further develop new technol ogy for floating offshore wind turbines.
Environmental Research Award:
DOE and BOEM announced a $1.6 million project to support coexistence of floating off shore wind with bats on the West Coast of the United States.
The National Offshore Wind R&D Consor tium, a partnership established with funding from DOE and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, announced five projects totaling $3.5 million to facilitate ocean area coexistence with marine mammals and fishing and to support offshore wind transmission for both fixed-bottom and floating technologies.
Sales
Over 120,000 units sold. Over 320 million operating hours. For over 25 years.
Providing ever cleaner, safer and more competitive solutions is always on our mind – even when we’re not at work.
Talk to Andi about mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines.
goods across the Oslo Fjord.
The sea drones will operate between Moss and Horten and will mainly carry groceries for ASKO parent NorgesGruppen’s chains.
Initially, they ships will sail with a limited crew of around four people, including cap tains. After an extensive trial period of two years, the plan is to let them sail without people on board. Instead, they will be monitored from shore in Horten.
NORWAY’S AS KO SUPERMAR KET CHAI N is moving right along with its plans to put emissions-free — and ultimately peo ple-free — autonomous freight ferries into operation across Oslo Fjord. The first two of the battery-electric vessels, which ASKO calls sea drones, were christened in a ceremony held in the harbor at Moss, Norway, on Septem ber 15, where they were named MS Marit and MS Therese by the former cross-country skiers and Olympic champions, Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug.
The sea drone freight ferries are designed to eventually sail completely uncrewed and will contribute to lower transportation costs, replacing one million road kilometers of truck transport a year (which corresponds to approx imately 16,600 driver hours annually) and saving 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The 67 meter long vessels were built at India’s Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) with the help of about $12.8 million in Norwegian Government funding as part of a project to provide emissions-free transportation of
The sea drones started their journey from Cochin in India on June 28 this year when they were loaded on board the heavy lift vessel Yacht Servant, the largest semisubmersible vessel in the fleet of yacht transportation specialist DYT Superyacht Transport. Yacht Servant sailed up the east coast of India before crossing the Arabian Sea, it sailed through the Suez Canal, then crossed the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay before sailing through the English Channel bound for Horten.
The sea drones were floated off the Yacht Servant on August 10 and towed to Horten Industrial Park for the remaining work and tests to be carried out.
(MARAD) reports that New Orleans headquar tered Canal Barge Company Inc. has received a Federal Ship Financing Program Title XI loan guarantee amount of $51,458,000 over 25 years for three new towboats and 17 new barges.
The loan guarantee approved for Canal Barge Company Inc. supports the modern ization of the company’s barges and towboats, which operate on the Ohio, Lower Mississippi, and Illinois rivers.
According to the MARAD website, the loan
guarantee supports a project with a total cost of $64.6 million. The towboats will built at Steiner Construction, Bayou La Batre, Ala., and Conrad Industries Inc., Morgan City, La., while the barges will be built by Southwest Shipyard L.P., Channelview, Texas.
“The Title XI program supports the construction of vessels in U.S. shipyards, strengthening this essential industrial base and supporting good-paying, high-skilled jobs,” said MARAD Administrator Ann Phillips. “The Title XI program also enables American vessel owners to modernize their fleets and
expand waterborne transportation options.”
The Title XI program enables shipyards and shipowners to access loans that have lon ger terms, higher loan-to-value amounts, and lower interest rates compared to loans pro vided by commercial lenders.
The Department of Transportation recently announced that vessels supporting the off shore wind industry have been designated as Vessels of National Interest under the Title XI program. This designation enables MARAD to prioritize these vessels in the application review process.
The department is responsible for over seeing all county properties and projects while maintaining safe public navigation, including waterways, bridges, docks, mari nas, sewerage systems and more and the custom-built Explorer workboat’s primary purpose is to transport heavy machinery and equipment to support the depart ment’s activities.
The 40 foot long, 14-foot beam land ing craft vessel is powered by triple 250 HP Honda outboard motors and is fitted with a Vetus 8 HP bow thruster that allows the front of the boat to move sideways which helps facilitate maneuvering and docking in close quarters.
The Explorer 40 workboat operates with a 12-volt direct current electrically actuated bow door that is connected to a stainless steel braided cable routed through a series of pulleys.
The boat has a deadweight capacity of up to 10 tons and, in addition to transporting
heavy equipment to remote and hard to reach areas, is equipped with a Maxilift hydraulic knuckle boom crane to support additional material handling requirements.
The vessel features an enclosed cabin and has a bow door that raises and lowers, allow ing crew to land vehicles on shore. This bow door makes for a quick transition from water to land, enabling more versatile operations.
“Silver Ships is committed to finding solu tions that will help our customers achieve their operations and long-term goals,” said Dave Hunt, business development manager at Silver Ships. “Our team designed and built the Explorer 40 landing craft for the Suffolk County Public Works Department to best equip their staff in day-to-day operations on the water.”
Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sena tor Patty Murray (D-Wash) have introduced the “Ferry Service Expansion Act,” seeking significant additional funding for a number of programs—including the retrofit of current diesel-powered ferries. Specifically, the “Ferry Service Expansion Act” would:
• Increase funding for both the Fed eral Highway Administration’s formula and the Federal Transit Administration’s competitive grant programs to the levels requested by the Public Ferry Coalition;
• Provide $640 million total from fis cal years 2023 to 2026 in formula grants from the Federal High way Administration’s Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities For mula Program, a $180 million increase over current law;
• Provide $450 mil lion total from fiscal
years 2023 to 2026 in competitive grant programs from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program, a $300 mil lion increase over current law;
• Provide a one-time $1.25 billion investment in federal transit fund ing for passenger ferries serving urbanized areas like San Fran cisco-Oakland and Seattle;
• Allow States to use their federal Surface Transportation Block Grant for hovercraft ferry projects. Under current law, only “watercraft” ferry projects are available, not hover craft performing the exact same overwater transit service;
• Make all Census Bureau-des ignated rural areas nationwide eligible for Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program established under 2021 Bipartisan Infrastruc ture Law (Public Law 117–58);
• Make the 85% federal cost share permanent for the replacement or
retrofit of diesel-powered ferries to substantially reduce emissions. Under current law, this more gen erous federal cost share will end after fiscal year 2025;
• Apply “Buy American” and Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements to the two newly authorized ferry grant programs established under the 2021 Bipar tisan Infrastructure Law; and
• Make privately operated pas senger ferries eligible to register Capital Construction Funds with the Maritime Administration, which allow vessel operators to forgo paying federal business taxes on such vessels provided all that forgone tax payment is reinvested in constructing new U.S.-flagged vessels in Ameri can shipyards. Under current law, only cargo vessels and commercial fishing boats are eligible for this special tax exemption.
8:00am
9:00am
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1st Registration
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Area
Keynote Address
Jim Wunderman, Board Chair, WETA; Chief Executive O cer, Bay Area Council
8:00am
9:00am
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Area
Shoreside Charging Study Progress Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Ferry / Water Emergency Transportation Authority
9:30am
10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:15am 11:45am
1:15pm
Powering Ferries in the San Francisco Bay with Hydro-Electric Power Cameron Clark, Chief Strategy & Business Development O cer, Hornblower / City Experiences
World’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ferry: Experiences and What’s Next Dr. Joe Pratt, Chief Executive O cer & Chief Technology O cer, Zero Emission Industries
Co ee Break in the Exhibit Area
Sponsor Spotlight: Ferry Vessel Electri cation Opportunities through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Bruce Strupp, Senior Account Manager, New Sales –Ferry, ABB Inc. Marine & Ports
Concept Passenger-Vehicle Ferry for Ocean and Coastwise Service Chris Biernat, PE, Naval Architect, Elliott Bay Design Group
Luncheon in the Exhibit Area Sponsored by Siemens Energy
Panel: Decarbonization and Alternative Fuels for Ferries
• MODERATOR: Morgan Fanberg, President, Glosten
• Katherine Keith, PMP, PMI-ACP, Change Management Director, Alaska DOT
• Mark Keneford, Managing Director Wärtsilä Canada, Wärtsilä
• Steve Bomgardner, Head of Business Development, SailPlan
9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 10:45am 11:30am
1:00pm
Washington State Ferries’ Voyage to Hybrid-Electric Matthew von Ruden, System Electri cation Program Administrator, Washington State Ferries
Co ee Break in the Exhibit Area
Sponsor Spotlight Speaker from Cummins Inc.
Panel: A Look at Double-Ended Ferry Technology
• MODERATOR: Harrison Brann, Engineering Manager at The Shearer Group Inc.
• Lutz Mueller, Schottel
• Bruce Paterson, P.Eng, M.Eng, Director, Naval Architecture, Engineering, BC Ferry Services Inc.
• Shival Sapre, SVP Sales & Marketing – Americas, Kongsberg Maritime
Conference Sessions End Tour
Take a ride on the Sea Change—the world’s rst gaseous hydrogen fuel cell powered passenger ferry. Tour participants will gather at 1:00pm. We will then travel to the San Francisco Ferry Building to board the Sea Change. Space is limited.
2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 3:45pm 4:30pm
Co ee Break in the Exhibit Area
Assisting Captains and Crews with Advanced Perception Technology
Arthur Seaman, Product Manager, Government & Compliance, Sea Machines Robotics
Update on Electric Water Taxis
Nigel Cabral, Chief Executive O cer, Tideline Marine Group Inc.
Case Study: Canada’s First All-Electric, Zero-Emissions Ferry Shawn Balding, General Manager, Canal Marine & Industrial Inc.
Cocktail Reception on the Historic Klamath Ferry Guest Speaker David Chiu, City Attorney of San Francisco
3:30pm
Event Ends program subject to change
Opening FERRIES 2022 as keynote speaker will be Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council—a CEO-led public policy and advocacy organization formed in 1945. He is also on the board of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA).
Behind Wunderman’s leadership, the council has spearheaded and partnered in numerous ballot measure campaigns that have secured tens of billions of dollars for transportation, climate resilience, and more.
“The Bay Area Council led the charge to create the WETA, which operates SF Bay Ferry, with the dual goals of creating a world class water transportation system for the public, while assuring that our region is better positioned to respond to a major emergency, including a large magnitude earthquake,” says Wunderman. “We’ve made huge progress expanding the system and believe our future will feature a new era of zero emission vessels that will attract ever more passengers. I’m proud that Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed me to serve as chairman of WETA. Both the Bay Area Council and WETA are excited that Marine Log’s FERRIES 2022 will take place in San Francisco.”
SWITCH Maritime’s landmark Sea Change hydrogen-powered ferry project got a lot of attention at last year’s FERRIES conference. FERRIES 2022 incorporates a tour of the vessel—now on the water in the San Francisco Bay.
Launched in August 2021 at All American Marine, the Sea Change is a 70-foot catamaran ferry designed by Incat Crowther, equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system from Zero Emissions Industries (ZEI). The Hornblower Group led the construction management.
The Sea Change project is managed and nanced by SWITCH Maritime, an impact investment rm building the rst fleet of exclusively zero-carbon maritime vessels for adoption by existing ship owners and operators. Sea Change was the rst vessel in the larger zero-carbon ferry fleet that SWITCH planned to construct in 2022, in partnership with municipalities and shipowners aiming to transition to carbon-free vessels. In making the transition, they were able to leverage government grant funds related to transportation decarbonization activities.
ABB Marine & Ports is leading the way to a zero-emission marine industry. Our electrical systems are enabling ferry owners with the option for safer, greener and more reliable operations. ABB Marine & Ports operates in 26 countries and has 2,000 employees. www.abb.com/marine
Cummins Global passenger segment offers diesel engine power ratings from 250-4,200 horsepower designed to support both newly constructed and existing global passenger vessels. Looking for EPA Tier 4 / IMO III solutions or pursuing zero emissions? Cummins has the expertise and innovation to fully support your needs. www.cummins.com/industries/ marine/passenger
Glosten is a full-service naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy that caters to clients worldwide. Founded in 1958, the firm is recognized throughout the marine industry for integrating advanced analysis with practical, experiencebased design. In recent years, Glosten has emerged as a leader in the design of hybrid and electric-propelled commercial vessels. www.glosten.com
Hanson Bridgett is general counsel to the two public ferry providers on San Francisco Bay—WETA and Golden Gate Ferry. In addition to representing public agencies throughout California, we are a full-service law firm for entities ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500
corporations. We are a certified B Corp. www.hansonbridgett.com
For more than 35 years, Marine Jet Power (MJP) has been redefining the waterjet market with innovation and unsurpassed quality. Engineered and built in Sweden, MJP’s proven stainless steel, mixed-flow and aluminum, axial-flow waterjets are used in many diverse applications, from fast military craft and passenger vessels to luxury yachts, CTV’s and workboats worldwide. www.marinejetpower.com
For over 100 years, Baudouin has designed and manufactured the highest quality diesel and gas engines for marine and power generation applications spanning 18-4,125 kVA. Our network supports our customers in over 130 countries with specification, commissioning, service and genuine spare parts. www.baudouin.com
SAI LPL A N MA RITI ME, INC.
SailPlan is a maritime clean-tech company enabling vessel operators, ports, and marine terminals to monitor, report, and optimize operations. Through these outputs, operators can reduce fuel consumption and GHG emissions using the high-resolution, real-time data our platform provides. www.sailplan.com
Wärtsilä Marine Power leads the industry in its journey towards a decarbonized and sustainable future. Our broad portfolio of engines, propulsion systems, hybrid technology, and integrated powertrain systems delivers the efficiency, reliability, safety, and environmental
performance needed to support our customers to be successful. Our offerings include performance-based agreements, lifecycle solutions, and an unrivalled global network of maritime expertise. www.wartsila.com/marine
ALL AMER ICA N MA RI NE
All American Marine was founded in 1987 and specializes in the construction of custom-tailored and proven aluminum catamarans and monohulls. Today, the company has become the North American leader in high-quality and innovative vessel builds, including passenger ferries, research & survey, hydrofoilassisted catamarans, and hybrid and hydrogen-powered vessels. www.allamericanmarine.com
BMT is a premier ship design consultancy with over 300 vessels in service globally. We offer world-class naval architecture and engineering services to vessel owners and shipyards, delivering innovative solutions within each of our designs. www.bmt.org
Christie & Grey: for over 100 years a leader and innovator in shock and vibration control. Providing proven products and engineering for highly effective isolation to protect your investment, improve habitability, and reduce your environmental impact. When performance counts, count on Christie & Grey. www.christiegrey.com
Crowley Engineering Services provides a diverse range of maritime solutions including engineering, project management, and construction management. Our team delivers
comprehensive engineering services, including detail and conceptual design, interior design, shipyard management, and on-site consulting. We are at the forefront of electrification technology including propulsion, shoreside and operational solutions. www.crowley.com/shipping/ engineering-services
Elkon Elektrik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. Elkon was established in 1980 to develop, design, manufacture, integrate and commission lowvoltage electrical equipment and automation systems for the maritime industry. Since May 2022, the majority shareholder of Elkon is SCHOTTEL, the German propulsion experts. Elkon is an international brand operating in Europe and the Middle East, North America and East Asia. Closely following industry trends, Elkon considers decarbonization, emission reduction and the reduction of greenhouse e ect as its company vision. www.elkon-tr.com
EBDG is a client-focused naval architecture and marine engineering rm serving operators, owners, and shipyards across the country. With national presence, EBDG’s team of naval architects, engineers, designers, and analysts o ers support for planning, new construction, and modi cations of vessels and floating structures. And Ferries are our specialty! www.ebdg.com
Electronic Marine Systems (EMS) is a veteranowned, 43-year-old small business. We are an ABS type approved manufacturer for ACCU and ABCU designations, as well as an ISO 9001:2015 certi ed manufacturer. EMS products include hybrid and battery solutions, barge tank level indication systems, engine order telegraph, throttle systems, as well as ACCU and ABCU alarm and monitoring systems. Our products are manufactured in the U.S.A. and are fully tested and witnessed by ABS, owner’s representative and contracting shipyard(s). EMS has manufacturing facilities in both the East and West Coasts for national coverage. www.emsmarcon.com
Great Lakes Power is a leader in marine propulsion and control system sales and service. We are the East Coast distributor
for Twin Disc, Veth, HamiltonJet, Torqeedo, Konrad, Glendinning, Vulkan, and Centa through our 12 branch locations. www.glpower.com
HamiltonJet is the leading manufacturer of water jet propulsion systems from 100-8,000 horsepower. With the most extensive product support network of parts distribution centers, distributors, and service dealers throughout the world, HamiltonJet provides outstanding support for demanding marine applications. www.hamiltonjet.com
Since 1999, Helm Operations has been developing software to help marine companies better manage their vessel maintenance, compliance, personnel, and operations. Its flagship product, Helm CONNECT, has emerged as the leading software platform for marine operations and vessel management. Today, more than 250 customers and 5,000 vessels around the world use Helm CONNECT, including three of the top five harbor operators. www.helmoperations.com
I NCAT CROWTHE R
Incat Crowther is a diversified marine design and digital shipbuilding business with offices in Sydney, Australia, Lafayette, U.S.A. and Romsey, United Kingdom. The company has a 40-year history with over 650 vessels in service to its designs. www.incatcrowther.com
Karl Senner, LLC provides the maritime community with the highest quality marine propulsion equipment. Premium products backed by superior service allow Karl Senner’s customers to optimize vessel performance, safety, and operating hours. www.karlsenner.com
KONGSBERG MARITIME , I NC.
Kongsberg Maritime is a world leader in marine technology. With an extensive portfolio of innovative and integrated products and solutions, Kongsberg Maritime delivers efficiency, reliability, flexibility, and environmental sustainability to enhance the business of its customers. Our approach to product design maximizes performance by
providing THE FULL PICTURE. www.kongsberg.com/maritime
Rolls-Royce provides world-class power solutions and complete life-cycle support under our product and solution brand MTU. Through digitalization and electrification, we strive to develop leading-edge solutions that are robust, reliable and smart. Our powerful engines and systems are trusted around the world. www.mtu-solutions.com
NCP develops and manufactures technologically advanced primers, enamels, textured coatings, topcoats, reducers and marking paints. Markets / industries include commercial and recreational marine shipbuilding / maintenance; aerospace; military weaponry; ground force equipment and naval shipbuilding / maintenance. Other industries served include heavy truck / trailer and off-road equipment. www.ncpcoatings.com
RYPOS, INC.
Rypos is a leading technology provider in the emissions control industry through the company’s patented self-regenerating diesel particulate lters and proprietary catalytic technologies. Rypos o ers an easy-to-implement solution that eliminates 85-95% of black carbon released by diesel engines—instantly protecting the health and safety of employees and area residents. www.rypos.com
For nearly 40 years, Thrustmaster has been designing and manufacturing advanced marine propulsion systems for commercial and government vessels of all types. Thrustmaster can deliver Buy America compliant propulsion packages. www.thrustmaster.net
W&O is one of the largest suppliers of actuated valves, valves, engineered products, pipe and ttings to the marine market. W&O is the only global maritime products supplier with distribution points that span the U.S., Asia and Europe through a branch network, headquartered out of Jacksonville, FL. www.wosupply.com
Allied Marine Crane has over 40 years of expertise in manufacturing davits for the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy. The DX2800S davit has been designed and priced with the ferry market in mind. The DX2800S davit is low cost, ultra-compact, lightweight, and can accommodate a wide variety of rescue boats. www.alliedsystems.com
BAE Systems provides low and zero emission power and propulsion solutions. With more than 15,000 systems in operation around the globe, our Gen3 power electronics are powering sustainable solutions for a greener tomorrow. Join us on the mission to get to zero. www.gettozero.com
C-Job is a leading independent naval architecture and marine engineering rm with over 180 professionals in 8 o ces in the U.S. and Europe. We focus on sustainability and bespoke solutions to meet our clients’ goals. Our next-generation designs and industry-leading services make C-Job the preferred partner for ferry owners worldwide. www.c-job.com
Conrad Shipyard is among the nation’s most respected shipbuilders with more than 70 years of history of delivering safety, quality, cra smanship, integrity and service. With ve modern and expansive shipyards located along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas; an experienced workforce and computerized manufacturing equipment; multi-disciplined engineers; and a management team focused on customer satisfaction, Conrad Shipyard is well positioned to provide cost-effective solutions to complex shipbuilding challenges. www.conradindustries.com
MOPS provides USCG-licensed deck o cers, engineers, certi ed tankermen and state and federal pilots involved in a maritime casualty with fully paid maritime attorney representation. www.mopslicenseins.com/ml-quoterequest-video
Rigidized® Metals’ engineered surfaces o er signi cantly stronger, longer lasting products, ideal for all areas of marine vessels. From USCG- and IMO-certi ed decorative aluminum honeycomb panels, hand railings, steps and decking solutions, we provide solutions from stem to stern. www.rigidized.com
All-in-one, cloud-based so ware for tours and attractions. RocketRez is the world’s most flexible cloud ticketing and operations platform built to deliver great guest experiences. The all-in-one platform provides ticketing, retail, and food and beverage sales together in a single cart online, in person, and at contactless kiosks. The platform also includes RocketPass–a mobile guest experience for real-time communication with guests and a digital wallet for all their purchasing needs. www.rocketrez.com
The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) is a full-service naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying rm headquartered in Houston, TX. TSGI is a global leader for the design of dry docks, barges, dredges, workboats, and inland towboats, with a rich history of servicing the inland marine equipment sector. www.shearer-group.com
Steerprop is a leading designer and
manufacturer of azimuth propulsion systems for the most demanding applications and toughest conditions. Since our founding in Finland in 2000, we have delivered t-for-purpose units for hundreds of vessels, including every third icebreaker in operation around the world. Our unrivaled arctic experience and t-for-purpose solutions are a testament to our commitment to continuous development, steadfast dedication to meet our customers’ needs, and our unwavering resolve to perform. www.steerprop.com
Thrive Payments is a full-service merchant services provider with extensive expertise providing safe, fast, and cost-e ective payment acceptance for passenger vessel operators at all points of sale, including contactless, online, and mobile payment options for the purchase of tickets, cargo, shipping, parking, or food/drink—on water or on land. www.thrivepay.us
Global supplier of re detection and suppression systems for marine, transportation and other industries. We also supply other safety equipment including gas section, air ltration and other systems. www. reboy-xintex.com
VenTek International is the premier U.S. manufacturer of automated payment systems for unattended fee collection applications. All our solutions include electronic payment processing that meets PCI-DSS and PA-DSS standards. VenTek’s mission is to provide complete customer satisfaction with state-of-the-art product o erings and an exceptional team to support them.
www.ventek-intl.com
Boundary Layer Technologies zeroemission foiling ferry is designed to deliver to have a range of up to 100 nautical miles and a cruising speed speed of 40 knots
Aworldwide race is on to put a new breed of all-electric fast foiling ferry into ser vice. Likely to be the first U.S. operator to achieve this will be Kitsap Transit.
It is a partner in a Washington State joint industry partnership (JIP) whose plans to deploy a 150-passenger, 35-knot composite hulled foiling ferry have been making steady progress ever since naval architect firm Glosten and Bieker Boats first announced their plans to bring mod ern composite hydrofoil technology to the ferry sector.
As of June, the Washington Blue alli ance reported that “the Fast Foil Ferry JIP feasibility phase is reaching conclu sion and we are beginning to draft the final business plan that summarizes the Route Evaluation, Vessel Design, Shore Side Infrastructure, Economic and Envi ronmental Impacts tasks.”
Interestingly, the Glosten-Bieker ves sel is not the only American entrant in this race. Alameda, Calif.-based marine
technology start-up Boundary Layer Technologies has released a concept design for a zero-emission all-electric foiling ferry said to have twice the speed and range of existing e-ferries.
Called Electra , the 159-passenger ferry is targeted at world markets and is designed to have a range of up to 100 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 40 knots using Boundary Layer Technolo gy’s proprietary hydrofoil technology and podded propulsion system.
For its electric drive, Electra will uti lize the Danfoss Editron Marine System, which is a complete DC-based power plant and propulsion system that includes DCdistribution, electric power generation, energy storage utilization, propulsion and thruster drivetrains, and overall control and monitoring of the system. The sys tem will be coupled with Boundary Layer Technologies’ proprietary podded Z-drive propulsion system.
Electra will use lightweight EC-C1200450 inverters for propulsion and DC-DC conversion, along with AC inversion for
hotel loads, with power being supplied by a 700-volt, 6,000 kWh lithium ion bat tery. Electra will also be using a pair of 1.25 MW EM-PMI-540-T4000 propul sive motors, which utilize synchronous reluctance assisted permanent magnet technology to reduce weight and improve power density.
Meantime, Belfast, Northern Irelandbased Artemis Technologies could be positioned to claim the “world first” in the race to put a high-speed all-electric, foiling ferry into actual passenger opera tion. It has announced a partnership with Condor Ferries, a long-established opera tor of ferries serving the mainland U.K., the Channel Islands and France. Now the plan is for Condor to operate a pilot scheme using Artemis’s EF-24 foiling ferry in 2024, running between Belfast and Bangor in Northern Ireland.
At 24 meters, the EF-24 is twice as long as that boat and is designed to deliver a top speed of 38 knots, and to offers a range of 115 nautical miles at a 25 knots cruise speed while producing fuel savings
of up to 85% compared to conventional high-speed diesel ferries.
Powered by the same patented eFoiler electric propulsion system demonstrated in the workboat, the vessel will fly above the water, providing what the company says will be a “comfortable ride for up to 150 passengers on board, mitigat ing effects of seasickness and producing minimal wake at high-speed, significantly reducing the impact on shorelines.”
The EF-24 vessels will also feature a unique high-speed collision avoidance system developed with ECIT, part of Queen’s University Belfast. The system will ensure the safety of operations in port and close to shore by safely diverting the ferry on an altered path away from sea life, wildlife, debris and other in-water objects that might otherwise be obscured from view.
Of course, most e-ferries don’t fly on foils—and externally, unless some one paints “e-ferry” on the side, the custom ers won’t likely know that they’re on one unless they wonder why the boat is so quiet. That does not mean that designers
and builders can simply take an exist ing design and stick batteries where the engines and fuel tanks used to be.
Shorter route distances are the most obvious options for pure e-ferries and what will be one of the first newbuild all-electric ferries in the U.S. is the Glo
fully funded and a presentation given by Skagit County Public Works this July pro jected vessel construction as starting next year with vessel being in service by 2024. Something else to emerge from the presen tation is that the vessel will have a battery capacity of 700 kWh and the battery system alone will weigh 16,000 pounds.
The longer the route and the bigger the ferry, the more likely it is that the greenest option currently available will be bat tery hybrid. That is the solution Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) chose for a hybrid-electric passenger vehicle ferry that will operate on a 4-mile route, oper ating between Portland and Peaks Island, for Casco Bay Lines of Portland.
Under construction at Senesco Marine of North Kingstown, R.I., the 164-foot ferry will replace an existing diesel-pow ered ferry, the Machigonne II .
sten-designed replacement for the Skagit County, Wash., M/V Guemes , a 21-vehicle, 99-passenger, diesel-powered ferry that was built and put into service in 1979. It operates on a route that’s just three-quar ters of a mile long.
In March came news that the project was
As part of the preliminary design efforts, EBDG prepared a propulsion selection study to compare various pro pulsion systems based on capital cost, operating cost, reliability, serviceability, CO2 emissions, and in port noise and exhaust generation.
The longer the route and the bigger the ferry, the more likely it is that the greenest option currently available will be battery hybrid.
The result is a ferry that features ABB Marine & Ports’ hybrid propulsion system supporting diesel-electric and zero-emis sions battery-powered modes, as well as a combination of both. With the ferry operating in zero-emission mode, the passengers will benefit from a smoother, quieter and cleaner ride. A Stemmann Technik FerryCHARGER shore charging system is also being supplied by ABB for rapid vessel charging in Portland.
EBDG will provide technical support services to Casco Bay Lines as the ferry progresses through construction. The ferry is expected to enter operating ser vice in 2024.
This is the second hybrid-electric ferry to be built by Senseco, which was also selected to build a hybrid-electric pas senger/vehicle ferry for the Maine State Ferry Service. Designed by Gilbert Asso ciates, the 154-foot vessel will feature a BAE Systems’ electric hybrid propulsion solution.
If you want pure e-ferries capable of operating on routes currently impracti cable with L-ion batteries, the obvious candidate technology would appear to
be fuel cells—and hydrogen fuel cells in particular. This is a topic that is going to get increasing attention as the quest for ever-greener ferries continues. Mean time this is one area where the U.S. has taken a lead with the delivery of SWITCH
Maritime’s landmark Sea Change hydro gen fuel cell powered ferry. A highlight of Marine Log’s FERRIES 2022 event, being held in San Francisco, November 1-2, will be an opportunity to tour the vessel on the water in the San Francisco Bay.
Norwegian Prima, the first ship in Norwegian Cruise Lines’s Prima Class, is not LNG fueled, but Norwegian is taking a hard look at methanol.
Back in revenue operations after an around 500 days pause imposed by COVID regulations, the good news for the cruise industry is that the market for its product didn’t go away. Bookings are at healthy levels, and so are all sorts of indicators of future demand.
The bad news, of course, is that the industry had to borrow massively to stay afloat through the shut down and has a huge debt burden.
That has investors and lenders jittery. One recent indication of this came last month when the world’s largest cruise company—Carnival Corporation & plc— gave a third quarter business update that had many positive trends to report.
Significantly, adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2022 was over $300 mil lion, turning positive for the first time since the resumption of guest cruise
operations and marking a significant milestone. EBITDA, short for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, is one of the most widely used measures of a company’s financial health and ability to generate cash. It’s seen as giving a good picture of the core profit of a company and a quick snapshot of its available cash flow. And though Carnival’s EBITDA and its revenues were up, it still reported a net loss of $770 mil lion. The numbers fell short of what Wall Street analysts expected and, almost as soon as they came out, the price of Carni val’s stock started to fall and was down by more than 20% at the end of the trading day, with the two other big cruise stocks, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, taking collateral damage and also falling.
All of this means that the major cruise lines who order ships with billion dollar price tags are in no hurry to take on further
debt by extending their newbuilding pro grams beyond their current pipeline.
That said; don’t expect them to stay away forever. Newbuilds are major draws in the cruise market—and historically the way they have been financed has worked well for the industry.
Norwegian Cruise Lines CFO Mark Kempa explained how it worked in a call with analysts in August:
“In general, approximately 20% of the ships cost is due in four installments tied to various milestones preconstruction beginning at contract signing. Typically, 80% of the cost is then due upon tak ing delivery of the ship. However, while this looks like a large capital expendi ture outlay in the financial statements, we also received very efficient export credit agency-backed financing at the same time. This ECA-backed financ ing covers approximately 80% of the Photo
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JEFF ANDREINI, Vice President New Energy At Crowley Marine Services
CHARLIE DONADIO, President and Founder, Atlantic Wind Transfers
ship cost, which, as I mentioned earlier, is committed prior to contract sign ing and at extremely attractive rates. In certain cases, we also structure predeliv ery financing in order to better max the timing of cash flows. Amortization pay ments on this deck began six months after delivery of each vessel and continue over 12 years.
“An often overlooked but incredibly important facet in the cash flow mechanics of a new build timeline is that well prior to a delivery of a vessel, we are already receiv ing significant cash inflows in the form of advanced ticket sales and onboard presales. Given that final payments from our guests are typically due 120 days prior to a sail ing, this is when the cash engine begins to come to life. As a rough estimate, we typ ically receive in the range of $100 million to $150 million of cash inflow from future bookings prior to a vessel’s first revenue sailing, resulting in a cash infusion into the business that continues to build over time as final payments for future voyages also become due.”
Currently, there are around 70 oceango ing cruise ships worth a total of up to
$44 billion on order at world shipyards for delivery between 2022 and 2027, with Fincantieri, Chantiers de l’Atlantique and the two Meyer Werft yards (Papenberg and Turku) accounting for most of them
Any new orders booked over the next
division (the world’s third largest cruise sector player), signed a memorandum of agreement with shipbuilder Fincantieri covering the construction of an additional two 922-passenger luxury cruise ships.
Something to note here is that MSC Group’s main activity is container ship ping, a highly profitable sector recently, and that it has been leader in introducing LNG-fueled containerships. New gener ation LNG-fueled engines with reduced methane slip will power these two new cruise ships. They will also feature a con tainment system for liquid hydrogen that will power a 6 MW fuel cell, delivering emissions-free power for hotel operations and allowing for zero-emissions opera tions in port, with the engines turned off.
several months are likely to come for ships in the 1,000 passenger and under category, and, in one of the first signs of a break in the ordering lull, in July, Explora Journeys, the luxury travel brand of the privately held, Swiss-based MSC Group’s cruise
The two newbuilds—the Explora V and Explora VI —will come into service in 2027 and 2028, respectively, taking the Explora Journeys fleet to six ships. In a change of the original plan, Explora Journeys’ previously announced vessels Explora III and Explora IV will now also be powered by LNG. The two ships will be enlarged by 19 meters to enable the installation of a new generation system based on LNG and hydrogen. This
has provided an opportunity to enhance the mix of suites with an increased number of spacious and luxurious Ocean Residences and larger public spaces.
The brand’s first ship, the 922-passenger Explora I , was floated out from Fincant ieri’s Monfalcone, Italy, shipyard earlier this year and is on track to set sail in May 2023, while its second ship is set for delivery in 2024. The 14-deck vessels will each have four swimming pools, including one with a retractable roof and 461 suites.
The two additional ships covered under the MOA will bring MSC Group’s invest ment in the Explora fleet to EUR 3.5 billion (about $3.56 billion). This includes an additional EUR 120 million (about $122 million) each for fitting Explora III and Explora IV with LNG engines, a change that required a temporary halt of work due to the significant redesign of the ships. They will now be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
MSC Group main cruise brand, MSC Cruises, meantime, is set to take delivery in November of what will be the world’s largest LNG-fueled cruise ship, the MSC World Europa . Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique it will have a length of 332.8 meters (1,092 feet) and the capacity for 6,774 passengers and 2,138 crewmembers.
The ship’s energy saving features will include new solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technol ogy developed by MSC Cruises, Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Bloom Energy. The 150-kW SOFC demonstrator will generate auxiliary power and will be a testbed to accelerate the development of fuel cell technology, with MSC seeing it as offering the potential to enable hybrid propulsion solutions in the future.
Other significant LNG-fueled vessels set to join the world fleet include Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess, the first of two new Sphere class vessels, currently under construction at Fin cantieri’s Monfalcone, Italy, shipyard. The new 175,000-gt ship will be the brand’s largest ever and will accommodate over 4,000 guests. It will be the first Princess vessel to be LNG dual fueled and is one of 11 new ships in the overall Carnival Corporation fleet powered by LNG fuel technology.
Meantime Royal Caribbean’s first LNG dual-fueled ship, Icon of the Seas , is to deliver from Meyer Turku next year, with a capacity in the 5,000 passenger range, it, too, will include fuel cells in its power mix.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Norwegian Prima , the first ship in Norwe gian Cruise Lines’s Prima Class of six new
ships from Fincantieri, is that it is not LNG fueled. At 965 feet/294 meters long, 142,500 gross tons and with capacity for 3,100 guests, Norwegian Prima features wide-open spaces, and lays claim to being the most spacious new cruise ship in the contemporary category.
Norwegian Cruise Lines recently joined the Methanol Institute, with Robin Lindsay, the company’s EVP of vessel operations, at saying that the company would “share key learnings from its feasibility assessment of retrofitting existing engines to operate with duel fuels—diesel and methanol.”
Since then, Norwegian—whose brands include Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas—has signed an MoU with MAN Energy Solutions that provides for retrofitting a medium-speed MAN 48/60 engine to make it capable of dual-fuel diesel/methanol operation.
Cruise lines are also looking hard at biofuels.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages is look ing to advance its commitment to reaching net zero by 2050 by what it calls “a portfolio approach to sustainable marine fuel sup ply.” It has partnered with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials and with three leading sustainable fuel providers, Argent Energy, GoodFuels and Twelve.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on transportation has been far reaching as the transportation sector— from airlines to subways to rideshare outlets—continues to grap ple with the long-term implications of the pandemic. Within the ferry trans portation arena, companies across the country are eager for ridership to return to pre-pandemic levels and are doing whatever it takes to entice patrons back into their fold.
Seamus Murphy, executive director, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (SF Bay Ferry) says that in the San Francisco Bay area, remote work has persisted and as a result, most transit agencies are still struggling to restore lost ridership, but the ferry sys tem is doing a bit better.
“We felt it was really important to have the service available and in operation
before riders returned to traveling,” Mur phy says. “We wanted to be in front of demand and not chasing it, so we became the first Bay Area system to restore 100% of our service.”
The SF Bay Ferry has recovered 65% of pre-pandemic riders, compared to around 30 to 40% for other systems with regional service. The ferry opera tor has made several decisions that have led to this, but they all center around not waiting for the pre-pandemic ridership market to return, and instead, reinvent ing their service to reflect how the market has evolved and then incentivizing those riders however they can.
“That means our service today is less focused on peak commute hours, rather it includes new customer experience enhancements in areas like ticketing and real-time arrival information, and it’s more affordable,” Murphy says. “Riders used to pay a premium to ride the ferry
and our boats were full. We felt it was very important to take cost out of the equation when riders plan their trip, so that no one would be priced out, and so riders can feel free to choose the travel mode that works best for them.”
The SF Bay Ferry also identified new markets. Commuters were always the system’s primary customers. They are slowly coming back, but Murphy and his team are recognizing that it will take several more years for peak hour rider ship to return.
“But leisure travel on our system has really picked up, and it’s going to be an opportunity for growth in the near term,” Murphy says. Weekend ridership is exceeding pre-pandemic levels, and the ferry’s special event service almost always sells out.
Like San Francisco Bay Ferry, Canada’s BC Ferries also has experienced a signif icant uptick in ridership. According to Photo
BC Ferries car and passenger ship leaves the terminal in Nanaimo on its way to Vancouver last December.
Brian Anderson, BC Ferries’ vice presi dent of strategy and engagement, the company saw a marked return in traffic this summer as COVID restrictions were
lifted. In the months of May through July 2022, passenger and vehicle traf fic increased 74% and 42% respectively, compared to the same time last year. This period marked the highest ever first quar ter for vehicle traffic. When compared to the same period in 2019, a pre-COVID period, vehicle traffic was 3.8% higher, while passenger traffic was 6.3% lower.
“We offered our customers discounted fares and vacation packages to entice them to travel with us,” Anderson says.
This summer, BC Ferries offered a full summer schedule to meet pent up demand after two years of the pandemic. In the spring of 2021, BC Ferries intro duced a new pricing model on its major routes connecting Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. This included the implementation of a new website and the introduction of discounted fare choices.
“These fare options provide our custom ers more value, flexibility and certainty. They also help spread traffic across the day, reducing sailing waits at peak times, which benefits all customers travelling on these routes,” Anderson says. As a result, over 60% of private vehicle passengers on these routes now book in advance, compared to
36% before the pandemic. And sailing waits have decreased on these routes.
Washington State Ferries is a little dif ferent than a lot of ferry companies in that it is part of the state DoT and is oper ated as an extension of the state highway system rather than a for profit business.
Ian Sterling, public information officer, Washington State Ferries, says the system has seen ridership increase to about 80% of where it was pre-pandemic. At its low est in 2020 it fell to about half of what they considered normal pre-pandemic.
“In a normal year we carry around 24 million customers. One area that has been slow to recover is walk-on riders ver sus those in vehicles,” Sterling says. “We believe this is due to fewer people com muting for work and the ability of many to work from home.” Vehicle ridership is about 90% of pre-pandemic systemwide, but walk-on customers are only about 60% of where they were in 2019. The service is operating a reduced sail ing schedule on some routes due to lack of staffing, so that affects total passenger numbers as well.
Timothy O’Brien, senior vice president of ferries and transportation, City FerryAnchored by Hornblower, says that Horn blower saw ferry ridership return faster than other modes of public transportation, and ridership continues to grow as more and more people see the benefits of embracing
the ability to socially-distance,” O’Brien says. “Now, welcoming both long-term ferry riders and those that embraced ferries during the pandemic is key to sustaining the industry’s growth in ridership.”
SF Bay Ferry’s Murphy expects ridership growth will continue, but at a slower pace. Offices in the Bay Area are very cautiously welcoming workers back, but that progress is being muted by layoffs and companies opting for permanent remote work.
waterways and commuting by ferry.
“Early in the pandemic, riders flocked to ferries for the benefit of an open-air com mute and, because ferries can limit capacity,
“Congestion cannot be what we rely on to attract riders to our system. Instead, we need to make the system better overall, which means focusing on rider experi ence, identifying efficiencies that allow for more service without adding costs, inte grating better with other travel modes, exploring new fare structures, and pre paring our system to serve the areas of the region where growth is being focused,” Murphy says. “We’re living through the most transformative time in the history of the transit industry and finding cre
Offices in the Bay Area are very cautiously welcoming workers back, but that progress is being muted by layoffs and companies opting for permanent remote work.
Cruising is one of the few sectors of the interna tional shipping industry that regularly engages with a peculiarity of U.S. general maritime law that treats seafar ers as “wards of admiralty.” This notion stems from a shipowner’s obligation to provide crewmembers maintenance and cure. This duty is so broad that, for decades, crewmembers have asserted that all maintenance and cure related ambi guities must be resolved in their favor, relying on a U.S. Supreme Court case, Vaughan v. Atkinson , 369 U.S. 527 (1962). However, recent precedent from the Elev enth Circuit—the federal appellate circuit presiding over South Florida’s “Cruise Capital of the World”—suggests that the cruise lines’ duty to provide maintenance and cure may not be so broad.
In Witbart v. Mandara Spa (Haw.), LLC, 860 F. App’x 175 (11th Cir. 2021), a 2021 unpublished decision, the Elev enth Circuit expressly stated that, in the context of a maintenance and cure claim, “ Vaughan did not state that all
ambiguities, or even evidentiary ambi guities, were to be resolved in every seaman’s favor.” This dicta may signal recognition that crewmembers may no longer be entitled to the “special solici tude” previously afforded them as wards of admiralty.
Maintenance and cure is a general mar itime law remedy owed by a shipowner to crewmembers who become injured or ill while in the service of the ship. It is a quasi-contractual obligation owed regardless of fault until the crewmember reaches maximum medical improvement.
In 1962, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Vaughan , which considered, inter alia, the proper amount of mainte nance and cure to award a seaman. The Supreme Court noted that admiralty courts were “liberal in interpreting” the shipowner’s duty to provide maintenance and cure “for the benefit and protection of seamen who are its wards.” Indeed, the Supreme Court stated, “When there are ambiguities or doubts, they are resolved
in favor of the seaman.”
Half a century later, in 2019, the Supreme Court considered the basis for awarding punitive damages under the general maritime law to crewmembers as wards of admiralty in Dutra Group v. Batterton , 139 S. Ct. 2275 (2019). Before determining that punitive damages are not available to seamen asserting unsea worthiness causes of action, the Supreme Court analyzed the origins of unsea worthiness claims from admiralty court decisions of the 19th century — a time when “seamen led miserable lives” and were viewed as “emphatically the wards of the admiralty.” “In that era, the primary responsibility for protecting seamen lay in the courts, which saw mariners as ‘peculiarly entitled to’ — and particularly in need of — judicial protection” against vessel owners. The Supreme Court noted that it was Justice Story who, in the early 1800s, originally “described mariners in markedly paternalistic terms” as “a class of persons remarkable for their rashness, thoughtlessness and improvidence.”
Critically, however, the Batterton
Court went on to recognize the “long and gradual evolution” of the law from the 1800s into the 20th century, includ ing the “[t]remendous shifts in mariners’ rights [that] took place between 1920 and 1950.” Indeed, the Batterton Court har kened back to its prior punitive damages decision in Atl. Sounding Co. v. Townsend , 557 U.S. 404 (2009), where it reasoned that “[w]e no longer live in an era when seamen and their loved ones must look primarily to the courts as a source of sub stantive legal protection from injury and death.”
The 2021 Witbart decision aligns the Elev enth Circuit with the Supreme Court’s reservations about continued special pro tections for seafarers in the modern age. In Witbart, the Eleventh Circuit considered whether the lower court properly applied the McCorpen affirmative defense, named for McCorpen v. Cent. Gulf S.S. Corp. , 396 F.2d 547 (5th Cir. 1968). Generally, under McCorpen , a crewmember forfeits his or her right to maintenance and cure where the crewmember intentionally conceals a preexisting condition that was material
to the decision to hire that crewmember. There must also be a causal connection between the withheld condition and the crewmember’s subsequently complainedof condition for which maintenance and cure is claimed in order to establish this affirmative defense.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the lower courts’ finding that the defendant
had proved its McCorpen defense and, therefore, was absolved from liability rel ative to the crew member’s maintenance and cure claim in Witbart . In seeking reversal, Witbart , the plaintiff-crewmem ber, argued that the lower court erred in not applying Vaughan , which plain tiff “contend[ed] requires courts hearing maintenance cases to construe disputed medical evidence in the seaman’s favor.” The Eleventh Circuit was emphatic in its rejection of this claim: “This is an incor rect reading of [ Vaughan ].” The Eleventh Circuit reasoned that applying Vaughan to resolve “all ambiguities, or even evi dentiary ambiguities,” would improperly “strip district courts of their ability to make credibility determinations when confronted with conflicting evidence dur ing a bench trial.”
The Eleventh Circuit seems to be following the Supreme Court’s lead, trending away from the presumption that 21st-century seafarers remain “poor and friendless” as Justice Story wrote in 1823 in Harden v. Gordon ¸ 11 F. Cas. 480, 483 (No. 6,047) (CC Me. 1823). Rather than treating crew members as barely capable “wards of the court,” the
Supreme Court and the Eleventh Cir cuit — the federal courts that are most likely to oversee cruise-related litiga tion in the United States — appear to be shifting toward treating seafarers like most everyone else — that is, as ordinary, reasonable persons.
Cruise line passenger volumes are now on the road to recovery toward prepandemic levels. Competition is stiff, however, because when it comes to filling
guest-facing hotel department positions, the cruise lines are not just competing with each other; they’re competing with the entire service sector, on land and at sea.
As cruise lines look to return to their full complement of crew amid worker shortages, it is unclear how Witbart will affect their ability to restaff their ships. Will a perceived reduction of benefits make service at sea less enticing for some
individuals? Alternatively, will this rec ognition by the courts that seafarers are not incompetent encourage high-caliber applicants to consider service at sea for the first time? It is also unclear how Wit bart will be interpreted by the courts.
The Eleventh Circuit’s recognition that not all ambiguities must be resolved in every seaman’s favor comes at a pivotal time for the cruise industry. At this point, it seems that only time will tell how, or whether, this shift toward recognizing crewmembers as ordinary, reasonable persons will ultimately affect the cruise sector’s ability to recruit and retain quali fied personnel. Nevertheless, although staffing challenges remain, Witbart is likely to be useful precedent in the long run for cruise lines returning to full-time service in this post-pandemic world.
Kassandra Doyle Taylor is special counsel in Jones Walker’s LLP Maritime Practice Group in the firm’s Miami office and a member of the maritime litigation, arbitra tion and dispute resolution team.
As cruise lines look to return to their full complement of crew amid worker shortages, it is unclear how Witbart will affect their ability to restaff their ships.KASSANDRA
Seaspan Shipyards reports that the board of direc tors of its parent, The Washington Companies, has appointed JOHN MCCARTHY CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, succeeding MARK LAMARRE, who is now presi dent and CEO of The Washington Companies. This follows the planned retirement of the previous President and CEO LARRY SIMPKINS
Huntington Ingalls Industries has promoted TODD BORKEY to execu tive VP and chief technology officer (CTO), reporting directly to President and CEO CHRIS KASTNER. The promotion expands the scope of responsibilities for Borkey, who has served as CTO of HII’s Mission Technologies division since 2021.
California State University Maritime Academy has appointed SAMARO
BANNISTER-
SCHNEIDER to serve as interim captain of its training ship Golden Bea r. A graduate of Cal Maritime’s Marine Transportation program, she will serve as the academy’s first female captain of the Golden Bear
The Shearer Group Inc., a special ist in the design of inland towboats, ferries and barges, reports that RYAN HENTSCHEL has joined the firm as a naval architect. Hentschel began his career at Texas A&M University at Galveston, where he earned a bachelor of science in marine engineering technology and received a commission in the U.S. Navy in 2012.
ZF Marine Propulsion Systems has hired GEORGE LEWIS as the new head of product line commercialfast craft, North/Central America and the Caribbean. He reports to WOLFGANG SCHMID, ZF’S industrial division head for North America, and is now operating from ZF Marine’s headquarters in Miramar, Fla.
Limassol, Cyprus-based maritime and commercial procurement company GP General Procurement Company Ltd. (GenPro) has appointed MARIA THEODOSIOU as managing director. GenPro is a joint venture between Columbia Shipmanagement and Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and Theodosiou has been with the company since its beginnings.
has joined forces with ABB to develop a methanol-hybrid ship assist tug design that provides operators with a viable path to car bon-neutral operations while minimizing operating costs.
Referred to as the SA-100, the 100-foot ASD harbor tug is propelled by two metha nol-compatible CAT 3512E gensets powering electrically driven L-drives. The gensets are complemented by battery banks for zeroemission operation when transiting, peak shaving during general operation, and as boost for achieving the tug’s peak bollard
pull of 90 short tons.
The SA-100 has also been designed to mea sure less than 100 gross registered tons.
“We had three primary design objectives in developing this tug—all intended to ben efit the owner/operator,” said Peter Soles of Glosten, who leads the conceptual devel opment of the firm’s tug designs. “First, to provide assurance of regulatory compliance and future adaptability; second, to achieve meaningful improvement in environmen tal performance; and lastly, to control OpEx costs such that assist services can still be offered at competitive rates.”
“Every tug operator is trying to deter mine their company’s path through this new hybrid and electric world. The SA-100 design is the perfect stepping off point for those that cannot leap headlong into all-electric propulsion. With this design, the operator will reap some of the instant power availability and operational savings of an electric vessel, without the need to ‘plug in’ at the dock. At the same time, it will allow them to realize a substantial reduction in EPA criteria emissions,” said Dave Lee, VP of sales with global workboat responsi bility at ABB Marine & Ports.
BROOKLY N , N. Y. , headquartered startup Amogy Inc. reports that it has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register for its ammonia-to-power system for maritime applications
The AiP covers an ammonia power sys tem that generates electricity from liquid ammonia to power maritime vessels. This is achieved by cracking the liquid ammonia to hydrogen and using the produced hydrogen to generate electrical power through protonexchange membrane fuel cells.
Amogy says it will now continue the technol ogy qualification and type approval processes,
which would make the ammonia-to-power system fit for use on maritime vessels.
Amogy, which is backed by investors who include Amazon, SK, and Saudi Aramco, has plans for a world-first zero-emission, ammo nia-powered maritime demonstration in 2023. This follows previous successful demon strations of this technology in a drone and a tractor. Additionally, Amogy is working with industry partners across the ammonia and shipping value chains to evaluate its power solutions for commercial use in upcoming newbuild and retrofit vessels.
“This important milestone is further
validation in Amogy as we continue to work towards full commercialization of our innovative ammonia technology in the maritime industry,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy.
The receipt of the AiP came within days of news that Amogy had signed a memo randum of understanding (MOU) with Norway’s Amon Maritime, which is focused on commercializing ammonia as fuel in sev eral shipping segments, including the Viridis Bulk Carriers project, and which will now consider the Amogy ammonia technology for future projects.
“Most of the companies acquired by FMD in recent years have technology development in their roadmap, but they’re spread out among the individual busi nesses,” said FMD CEO George Whittier.
“By consolidating these initiatives within a specific center of excellence, we can fully leverage our wealth of expertise to benefit our customers in a way that will improve reliability, enhance performance and reduce their lifecycle costs.”
FMD’s technology portfolio focuses on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital defenses, SMART engineering solutions, uncrewed mission management and FM OnBoard.
FAIRBANKS MORSE DE F ENSE (FMD) , a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), says it aims to redefine the technologi cal limits of national security with the
establishment of its Technology Center of Excellence. The initiative is designed to consolidate the company’s extensive tech nology resources under a single platform to maximize its capabilities.
While the company’s short-term focus is on technology solutions that support autonomy, electrification, and augmented reality, it plans to round out its technology portfolio — through organic growth and future acquisitions — with Artificial Intel ligence and Uncrewed Systems Solutions.
Keith Haasl, vice president and general manager of Fairbanks Morse Technology, will lead the new division.
S WE D ISH-BASE D CLI M EON AB has launch its new waste heat recovery tech nology, HeatPower 300 Marine. The system generates clean electricity from low-temper ature waste heat produced by a ship’s engines and is capable of producing up to 355 kW of carbon-free electricity from a single unit.
HeatPower 300 Marine has been created for larger vessels with engine sizes from 15 MW and up. Its modular, scalable and SOLAS-compliant design ensures maxi mum onboard waste heat can be repurposed into clean electricity.
Up to three HeatPower 300 Marine units can be installed on a single vessel, depending on the available thermal energy, delivering up to 1 MW of renewable power.
When carbon-free energy is produced on board, ships are less reliant on die sel-powered generators, which means the vessel consumes less fuel. Climeon claims its HeatPower 300 Marine can reduce CO2 emissions and cut fuel consumption by up to 5%, improving vessels’ EEDI/EEXI and CII ratings/
While most waste heat recovery prod ucts rely on high-temperature heat inputs, Climeon’s patented HeatPower technology uses low-temperature waste heat to gener ate renewable, carbon-free energy. As most
of the heat produced on board ships is low temperature, this increases the availabil ity of thermal energy and maximizes clean energy outputs.
HeatPower 300 Marine can generate clean electricity from waste heat at temperatures as low as 80 degrees Celsius. The low min imum temperature requirement means that HeatPower systems can rely solely on jacket cooling water or HT cooling water to produce carbon-free power, simplifying the installation process and increasing the
applicability of waste heat recovery through out the maritime industry.
The Climeon HeatPower Control system monitors and manages onboard electricity production for optimal performance and can easily be integrated into a ship’s exist ing management system, meaning minimal on-site supervision is required. Its auton omous operation ensures that maximum thermal energy is utilized, with the system going into standby mode if no waste heat is available.
is seeking Engine Room Operators who will be responsible for operating, mon itoring and maintaining the main power plant onboard our vessels. Qualified applicants will possess the minimum of a a High School diploma or equivalent, ERO 2nd - 1year ERO 3rd, and 3 years of overall experience as Offi cer of the Watch on DP vessel or drilling rigs or ERO 3rd - 1 year as Officer of the Watch on DP vessels or rigs; and Engineer officer certif icate class 4 or certificate of similar standing. Must pass physical, drug screen and back ground check and fully COVID vaccinated. Interested candidates can apply at https:// seadrill.csod.com/ats/careersite/jobdetails. aspx?site=1&c=seadrill&id=8718.
BAE Systems
Blount Boats
BMT Group
Colonial Oil Industries
Damen
Detyens
Duramax
Furuno
Gladding-Hearn
Glosten
Incat Crowther
Lignum-Vitae
Marine Log FERRIES
Marine Yellow Pages
MSHS Group
NCP Coatings
Panolin America
Prime Mover
Rigidized
Rolls Royce/MTU
Sennebogen
Shearer
W&O
partners conducting the investigation under stand the importance of it. The investigators asking the questions have typically spent many years working alongside members of marine industry as inspectors, investigators, or as industry members themselves. They have established relationships with the com munity and greatly desire to determine what happened and prevent these disasters from occurring in the future. The public hearing is a critical part of the democratic process that can be used to propel changes faster. Along side the social, economic, or political; public pressure on safety issues can and does result in new laws and regulations.
We’ve all heard a lot about our country’s democratic processes recently. The broader media is seemingly abuzz with stories about the importance of and threats to some of the things that make our society free and pros perous. Fortunately, many of these processes remain alive and well, even in places you may not expect. For instance, when most people think of the U.S. Coast Guard, they think of Search and Rescue; those bright orange or white helicopters with the brilliant men and women that risk their lives so that others may live. Some may think of the small boats and cutters patrolling the ports and waterways, a constant and reassuring presence for both public safety and security.
Yet one of the most significant parts of the Coast Guard regularly utilizes a key demo cratic process and goes largely unnoticed most of the time. Most people don’t real ize that roughly one third of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 40,000 members are stationed shoreside; working to prevent and respond to safety, security, and environmental incidents. When an accident involving a commercial vessel is reported, the Coast Guard conducts a marine casualty investigation as one of its statutory missions and responsibilities to the public. If the incident is significant enough, it is declared a “major marine casualty” and the Coast Guard will often hold a public hearing as part of its investigation.
These hearings are similar to ones you may have seen in other places such as the legisla tive or judicial branches, but have some key
differences. The Coast Guard conducts these hearings as part of the “Findings of Fact” phase of the investigation, meaning very lit tle analysis into the cause of the incident has transpired. Witnesses are identified, advised of their rights, and asked to appear before a panel of investigators from the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Frequently, the investigators can learn
Furthermore, the increased aware ness can breed widespread self-correcting behaviors amongst maritime vessel owners, operators and the public before these regu latory changes can take place. Some recent examples of public hearings were for the fishing vessel Scandies Rose in 2020 and the offshore supply vessel Seacor Power last year. This well-established process has saved countless lives and protected millions in property over the past few decades, and is likely to take place again this fall.
Over the past few years, several signifi cant passenger vessel incidents have occurred prompting the public and congress to place increased scrutiny on the passenger vessel industry. The most recent incident of inter est was a fire on board the Spirit of Norfolk on the afternoon of June 07, 2022. The vessel was underway near the Norfolk Naval Base when it caught fire with 106 passengers on board, many of them children. Fortunately, multi ple nearby vessels were able to respond and disembark everyone with no loss of life. How ever, the Spirit of Norfolk would continue to burn and ultimately be deemed a total loss.
The U.S. Coast Guard and NTSB have been conducting an investigation into the incident and will likely hold a public hear ing as part of the fact-finding process. The passenger vessel industry and the gen eral public are encouraged to look for any updates regarding the potential hearing from the Coast Guard this month.
of a critical piece of evidence at the same time as everyone else watching. Very little is scripted, and the answers given by the wit nesses testifying are unedited and in real time. Emotions can run high and the testi mony can be intense, but that is exactly why the hearing is held and why it is so signifi cant. The Coast Guard, NTSB, and its other
... Several significant passenger vessel incidents have occurred prompting the public and congress to place increased scrutiny on the industry.
