The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted extraordinary contract relief to Eastern Shipbuilding Group related to the first four hulls in the Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program due to impacts from Hurricane Michael in 2018. ESG submitted its request extraordinary contract relief in June 2019 after their Panama City, Florida shipbuilding facilities … [Read more...]
U.S. Coast Guard Beefs Up Pacific Fleet to Counter China
By Philip J. Heijmans and Glen Carey (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Coast Guard is touting increased operations in the Western Pacific, thousands of miles from American shores, as China’s coast guard and civilian fishing militias increasingly assert the country’s territorial claims. A presence in the South China Sea and elsewhere will help enforce the sovereignty of partner nations … [Read more...]
U.S. Coast Guard Sees Ships Switching to Cleaner Fuel in October
By Stephen Cunningham (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Coast Guard expects ships to start switching over to cleaner burning fuels as soon as the fourth quarter to meet new international standards that kick in next year. “Our focus has been on a smooth and transparent and consistent implementation of the 2020 sulfur cap,” said Jeff Lantz, director of commercial regulations and … [Read more...]
Houston Ship Channel Bottleneck Eases After Collision
HOUSTON, May 14 (Reuters) - A bottleneck of inbound traffic on the Houston Ship Channel eased on Tuesday though one-way travel restrictions remained following a weekend collision between a deep-draft ship and a barge, officials said on Tuesday. About 9,000 barrels of gasoline spilled into the channel near Bayport, Texas, when a 755-foot (230-meter) tanker collided over the … [Read more...]
VT Halter Marine Wins $745 Million Icebreaker Contract
Yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy awarded VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, a contract for the Detail Design and Construction of the Coast Guard’s lead Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The initial award is valued at $745.9 million and supports non-recurring engineering and detail design of the PSC class as well as procurement of long lead-time … [Read more...]