Coast Guard believes El Faro sank, searches for survivors

Coast Guard spokesman CAPT Mark Fedor said during a press conference in Miami this morning that one body was found in a survival suit in a 225-square mile debris field near the Bahamas. The body was “unidentifiable” and was not recovered. CAPT Fedor said the Coast Guard also recovered one of the ship’s two lifeboats with no one on board. He said that the Coast Guard was still hopeful of finding survivors among the 33 crew on board. Despite the difficult conditions of being subjected to 140 mph winds and 50-foot waves, “I’m not going to discount someone’s will to survive,” says Fedor.

According to Fedor, there were 46 survival suits on board and each lifeboat is certified to carry 43. “These are trained mariners and they know how to abandon ship.”

The search for survivors will continue with aircraft and commercial ships in the area.

The Coast Guard said Sunday evening that the search teams, which also include personnel and resources from U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, have covered more than 70,000 square miles.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, with involvement from the U.S. Coast Guard, is expected to conduct a full investigation. Fedor says the Coast Guard is also expected to conduct its own investigation.

The El Faro, owned by Tote Maritime, was built in 1974 and updated in 1992 and 2006. It was carrying 391 containers and 294 trailers and cars.

 

 

Debris field found near missing El Faro’s last position

OCTOBER 5, 2015—The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting that it has located a debris field of in the vicinity of the U.S.-flag containership El Faro’s last known position 35 nautical miles northeast

Update: Coast Guard finds life ring from El Faro

The El Faro, a 790-foot roll on, roll off, cargo ship, departed Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 29, en route to San Juan.

At about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center in Portsmouth, VA, received an Inmarsat satellite notification stating the El Faro was beset by Hurricane Joaquin, had lost propulsion, and had a 15-degree list. The crew reported the ship had previously taken on water, but that all flooding had been contained.

No further communications have been received from the vessel

A Coast Guard HC-130 search and rescue crew from Air Station Clearwater, Florida, spotted the life ring 120 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, Bahamas. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew recovered the life ring and confirmed it belonged to the missing ship.

Search and rescue crews have searched more than 30,000 square-miles since Thursday.

Sea conditions in the search area yesterday were reported to be 20 to 40-feet with winds in excess to 100 knots. Visibility for search and rescue flying between 500 and 1,000 feet was reported to be less than one nautical mile at times.

Tim Nolan, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, issued the following statement regarding ongoing efforts to locate and communicate with the El Faro and her crew:

“This morning TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico’s second ship, the El Yunque, and a contracted tugboat reached the area between the last known vicinity of the El Faro and the location that the Coast Guard recovered a life ring yesterday and carried out a visual survey.

“The two vessels discovered a container, which appears to be from the El Faro, and observed what appears to be an oil sheen.

“At this time there has been no sighting of the El Faro or any life boats.

“TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and the Coast Guard remain focused on the continuing  search for the crew.  The contracted tugs as well as other vessels transiting the area are also keeping a lookout for any sign of the ship.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the 33 individuals aboard the ship and their families.  They are our number one priority.”

A Coast Guard pilot searching for the missing containership, near the eye of hurricane Joaquin, recounts the weather conditions Oct. 3, 2015. The Coast Guard has been searching since Oct. 1, after losing communications with the El Faro.

U.S. Coast Guard video

ABS gets $8 million Military Sealift Command award

Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2016.  Working capital contract funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are subject to availability in fiscal 2016 funds, and will expire at the end of fiscal 2016.

This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with statue 46 U.S. Code 3316.

The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00033-13-D-8015).

USCG searches for TOTE ship caught by Hurricane Joaquin

 

The El Faro, a 735-foot TOTE Maritime RO/RO cargo ship, was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, FL. At about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center in Portsmouth, VA, received an Inmarsat satellite notification stating the El Faro was beset by Hurricane Joaquin, had lost propulsion, and had a 15-degree list.

The crew reported the ship had previously taken on water, but that all flooding had been contained.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 7th District command center in Miami launched an HC-130 aircrew out of Clearwater, FL, to search for the El Faro.

As of this afternoon, Coast Guard watchstanders and rescue crews had still been been unable to reestablish communications with the El Faro crew.

Two Air Force C-130 Hurricane Hunter aircrews attempted to locate and reestablish communications with the El Faro unsuccessfully Thursday. Coast Guard crews remained on scene and continue search efforts today by both air and sea.

At a press conference today Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor said the Coast Guard was pushing its assets to their operational limits in the search for the vessel and the 33 people on board.

Tim Nolan, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico issued the following statement on the incident:

On September 29, the El Faro, one of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico’s two ships departed Jacksonville en-route to San Juan Puerto Rico.

At the time of the El Faro’s departure, the vessel’s officers and crew were monitoring what was then Tropical Storm Joaquin. As of 720am EST on Thursday October 1, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico lost all communication with the El Faro. The US Coast Guard was immediately notified and since then we have been unable to reestablish communication.

There are a number of possible reasons for the loss of communications among them the increasing severity of Hurricane Joaquin.

TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico’s primary concern is for the safety and well-being of the 33 individuals on board.

We are working to ensure clear and frequent communications with their families and loved ones as we learn more.We have reached out to the families of those impacted and have established open lines of communication to provide them with timely updates. Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and their families.

TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico is working closely with the US Coast Guard and all available resources to establish communication by whatever means possible.

MARAD funding for TOTE LNG conversion study

OCTOBER 2, 2015 — The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced a $900,000 cooperative agreement with TOTE Maritime to further develop knowledge regarding the costs and benefits of vessel conversions to liquefied

ME-GI for first Crowley ConRo passes milestone test

The engine is the first of two 8S70ME-C8.2-GI units for delivery to VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, MS, for installation in the two 2,400 TEU ConRo ships it is building for Crowley Maritime Corporation.

The vessels will be two of the world’s first LNG-powered ConRo ships, with container Lift-on/Lift-off (LO/LO) and vehicle Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) loading. Designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots, they will be 219.5 m long, 32.3 m wide and have a deep draft of 10 m. In addition to carrying 2,400 TEU of containers they will be able to carry nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Roll-on/Roll-off garage.

Crowley ordered the ME-GI engines, along with three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines for each vessel, in early-2014. The company selected the high-pressure, Diesel-cycle ME-GI engines because of their high efficiency and power concentration. The ME-GI’s ability to avoid derating, and its negligible methane slip, also contributed to its selection.

Crowley reports that the newbuildings will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions attributable to each container by approximately 38%.

The ships will meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and will have the CLEAN notation, which requires limitation of operational emissions and discharges, as well as the Green Passport, both issued by DNV GL.

The ME-GI engine

The ME-GI engine is the culmination of many years’ work, and gives shipowners and operators the option of utilizing fuel or gas depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations.

The ME-GI uses high-pressure gas injection that allows it to maintain the numerous positive attributes of MAN B&W low-speed engines that have made them the default choice of the maritime community. The ME-GI is not affected by the multiple de-ratings, fuel-quality adjustments or large methane-slip issues that have been seen with other dual-fuel solutions.

MAN Diesel & Turbo sees significant opportunities ahead for gas-fueled tonnage as fuel prices rise and exhaust emission limits tighten. Research indicates that the ME-GI engine delivers significant reductions in CO2, NOx and SOx emissions. Its negligible methane slip makes it even more environmentally friendly

An ME-LGI counterpart that uses LPG, methanol and other liquid gases is also available, and has already been ordered.
Factory Acceptance Test attendees pictured in front of the ME-GI engine at MES’s Tamano Works

American Club sets up Cyprus based hull insurer

The American Club says the investment will allow further expansion into the global hull & machinery segment, enabling it to offer high quality insurance services and innovative customer solutions.

American Hellenic will be a Cyprus-based and licensed, Solvency II compliant, wholly-owned American Club subsidiary. It will be managed from Piraeus, Cyprus and New York, utilizing the expertise of long-standing professionals in the marine insurance market and will be serviced through specialists in offices located in seven global shipping hubs with the ability to provide local market know-how and service to its customers, and to communicate in eleven languages.

The American Club will now be able to continue offering first class marine protection and indemnity cover while also, through American Hellenic, offering an expanded product line of marine insurance including hull & machinery, war risk, and mortgagee interest insurance.

The American Club’s Board voted unanimously for the initiative, which Chairman of the Board, Arnold Witte, called “an historic moment in the club’s long history.”

He noted that it was “sparked by the idea of Board member Angelos Kostakos” and was a unique opportunity to prudently expand the club’s market footprint.”

“American Hellenic is an investment in the American Club’s future and is yet a further step in expanding and diversifying the club’s product line,” said Vincent Solarino, President and COO of Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., managers of the American Club. “It is part of the club’s overarching plan to significantly increase its revenue across a growing range of product lines, its tonnage across all lines, andexpand its market presence, while increasing its S&P rating.”

Joe Hughes, Chairman and CEO of the American Club’s Managers, said: “This is one of the most significant developments in the American Club’s recent history. The transaction proceeded with the close and active cooperation of the Board of Directors of the American Club. I am certain that American Hellenic will prove to be a powerful force of growing energy within the international marine insurance industry.”

 

Maersk 19,600 TEU giants to have waste heat recovery

 

DSME has placed an order with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Engine Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME) to supply the ships with its proprietary system for generating electric power by maximizing recovery and utilization of exhaust gas waste energy from marine diesel engines.

The systems ordered for the Maersk newbuildings takes the total number of MHI-MME’s WHRS units ordered to 87 since the system’s market introduction in 2010. Maersk has thus far been the biggest customer the system, with 69 units ordered for installation in four series of ships, including its 18,300 TEU Triple-E vessels.

The WHRS is MHI-MME’s best-selling product and the company holds a greater than 90% share of the WHRS global market.

The schematic below shows the principles of the system.

Image of WHRS

 

Singapore takes another step toward LNG bunkering

This week the MPA took another step toward the planned early 2017 launch of the LNG Bunkering Pilot Program (LBPP) which is aimed at developing Singapore as a key LNG bunkering hub in Asia.

The Port of Singapore is inviting interested companies to tap into Singapore $12 million available from the MPA’s Maritime Innovation & Technology Fund for the building of LNG-fueled vessels. The MPA will provide up to Singapore $2 million (about US$ 1.4 million) per vessel, capped at two successful funding applications per company.

Companies must be incorporated in Singapore, and the funded vessels must be flagged under the Singapore Registry or licensed for activity in Port of Singapore for a period of at least five years.

MPA has been collaborating closely with partner agencies, industry stakeholders and technical experts, to develop LNG bunkering standards, procedures and infrastructures.  On July 28 it announced its Request for Proposal (RFP) for interested parties to apply for an LNG bunker supplier license allowing the them to supply LNG bunkers to vessels in the Port of Singapore.

LOAD MORE