Maritime News Headlines
June 2003
Offshore Mariners United abandons its campaign to organize Gulf Coast vessel operators (6/29)
Former Maritime Administrator John Gaughan to lead reconstruction of the Iraqi maritime industry (6/26)
Austal USA wins contract for the U.S.'s first fast ro-ro ferry (6/26)
Avondale workers will vote Friday on changes to their contract that would bring them level with Ingalls (6/26)
RADM Paul Pluta USCG, a leader, will retire on Monday (6/25)
Aker Kvaerner takes additional hit of $28mm on hull #1 at Philly (6/24)
Navy submits 30-year shipbuilding plan (6/24)
Owner of Verret Shipyard in Plaquemines LA convicted of lying to the USCG (6/24)
Santa Maria Shipping plans new shipyard in Olympia WA (6/23)
Bill Charrier resigns from NOL and from American Automar, the company he created (6/23)
New DoT statistics reveal that in 2001 the U.S. had a trade surplus of about $700mm in ships, boats and floating structures (6/23)
Teco Transport no longer for sale, say industry sources (6/20)
Conrad Industries forms aluminum boatbuilding subsidiary (6/20)
Lester Rosenblatt, a leader of the maritime industry and a delight to know, died in his sleep on 6/15: he was 83 (6/16)
Columbia Coastal Transport buys Palmer Industries and Columbia Container Services (6/16)
Anil Raj reported to have resigned as Pres/COO of VT Halter Marine (6/16)
Avondale's Panamax floater reported to be for sale (6/13)
Greek investor Priovolos out of Horizon Lines (6/12)
Baltimore Marine Industries files for Chapter 11 protection (6/12)
Northrop Grumman threatens Congress with lay-off of half the Avondale workforce (6/10)
Todd Shipyards reports net income for FY 2002 of $4.1mm (2.7%) on revenues of $151.8mm (6/10)
Congress blocks the Navy's proposed foreign transfer of PCs (6/6)
Maritime Administrator testifies on Title XI program (6/6)
European Union unveils new plan for phase-out of single-hull tankers (6/6)
Tom Van Dawark of Foss Maritime named President and COO of Todd Shipyards (6/4)
May 2003
Todd Shipyards' Rollie Webb resigns after 10 years' service (5/28)
US-flag cable ship Long Lines sold for scrapping in India (5/23)
Otto Candies transfers 2 new PSVs to the Mexican flag (5/23)
USCGC Bramble retires today, after 59 years of service (5/22)
US Chemical Shipping LLC opens for business with "Chemical Pioneer" and the wrecked "Stolt Spirit" (5/20)
House FY04 defense authorization bill provides $250mm for 5 new product carriers, $40mm for Title XI, $20mm for ship scrapping (5/16)
AMFELS wins Moss Sirius conversion contract (5/16)
Loony idea #423: 8,000 sq.ft. kite to be used as supplementary power for a cruise ship (5/16)
Insanity in Madrid: the Spanish govt. is suing ABS for $5 billion over the Prestige, which broke apart and sank because the Spanish govt. wouldn't give it refuge (5/16)
Halter Marine wins Puerto Rico ferry contract (5/14)
Former Detroit Port Director named Deputy Maritime Administrator (5/11)
USCG contracts for three prototype Response Boats - Medium, (RB-M), one each to be built by Marinette Marine, OTECH and Textron, each to cost $2.5mm (5/6)
NCL's 5-ship US-flag operation will be called NCL America (5/6)
Exxon buys TAPS tanker BT Alaska, renames it S/R Columbia Bay: ship has less than three years to its OPA90 phase-out date (5/3)
Ships partially owned by Horizon Lines' brilliant minority investor sold at auction in Hong Kong to pay debts (5/1)
April 2003
Friede Goldman Halter Creditors Committee files suit against Ds and Os of FGH, FGI and HMG (4/29)
Oh, dear, not again! A retired admiral takes over from a professional shipbuilder at BIW (4/29)
Matson reaches agreement with seagoing unions on new ships (4/29)
TECO confirms that TECO Transport, which includes TECO Ocean Shipping, TECO Barge Line and TECO Bulk Terminals, is for sale (4/23)
Noble Drilling's two baredeck Bingos may be going to DoD as mobile bases (4/22)
Reports that MARAD is about to approve scrapping in China may be premature (4/22)
TECO Transport, major US-flag dry bulk operator, reported to be for sale (4/19)
NASSCO delivers first TOTE trailership (4/18)
Crude carriers Sag Harbor and Prudhoe Bay, built at Sparrows Point in 1972, sold for scrap (4/16)
MARAD approves transfer of laker Elton Hoyt to the Canadian Flag (4/16)
LCS proposals submitted (4/15)
NCL goes mad, rescues both "United States" and "Independence" from scrapyard, will convert them for coastal cruising, not for Hawaii (4/15)
Wartime Supp'l. reported out of conference with $25mm for Title XI provided preference is given to militarily useful vessels and the IG's report is complied with (4/12)
Tom Kitchen joins Conrad's Board (4/10)
Conference on Wartime Supp'l. today (4/9)
House puts nothing for Title XI in its Wartime Supp'l Appropriation (4/4)
Senate puts $50mm for Title XI in its Wartime Supp'l Appropriation (4/3)
VT Halter Marine finally gets deal to finish Pasha's car carrier (4/3)
USCG buys up to 700 25-ft response boats from SAFE Boats International at $180,000 a pop: 2 boats a week for the next 7 years (4/2)
DoT IG releases report on Title XI program (4/1)
Administration yields to California on offshore drilling decisions (4/1)
Cheniere files with FERC to build LNG import terminal in Freeport TX (4/1)
Dept. of Homeland Security to have an Advisory Council (4/1)
Conrad Industries reports a net loss in 2002 of $4mm on revenues of $41mm (4/1)
Trailer Bridge reports a net loss in 2002 of $7mm on revenues of $74mm (4/1)
OMI reports net income in 2002 of $15mm on revenues of $163mm (4/1)
Gulfmark Offshore reports net income in 2002 of $24mm on revenues of $134mm (4/1)
Seacor-Smit reports net income in 2002 of $62mm on revenues of $340mm (4/1)
Seabulk Int'l reports a net loss in 2002 of $39mm on revenues of $324mm (4/1)