Jones Act

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Duncan Hunter honored as Champion of Maritime

 

AMP says that Rep. Hunter’s longstanding support for the domestic industry is demonstrated through his work as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and as a member of the Seapower Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. AMP adds that as the first U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan elected to U.S. Congress, Rep. Hunter understands the importance that the maritime industry serves in the everyday lives of our civilians and our service men and women.

“The true champions of maritime are the hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled service men and women in the American maritime industry who tirelessly work to protect our waterways — such a strength in defense wouldn’t be possible without the Jones Act,” said Rep. Hunter in accepting the award. “I will continue to vocalize my support for the American maritime industry; one that creates good paying family -wage jobs, secures our borders, and fuels our economy.”

This past June, Rep. Hunter demonstrated his commitment to the U.S. maritime industry when he joined hundreds of veterans and active military at the American Maritime Partnership’s Military to Maritime career fair in San Diego where he met with men and women looking to transfer their specialized skills earned from the military into a lucrative career in U.S. maritime.

“Chairman Hunter has been a tremendously valued champion for the domestic American maritime industry, serving as a leader who truly understands our industry’s critical role to the vitality and security of our nation,” AMP Chairman Tom Allegretti said. “From his time in the service to his seat as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Congressman Hunter has witnessed first hand what it takes to sustain a strong maritime industry and because of his dedication, we are honored to provide him with our highest honor – the Champion of Maritime Award.”

 

Marathon buys Aker Philly interest in four newbuilds

 

This follows last month’s news that Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) had agreed the four Jones Act tankers building for the shipyard’s wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Philly Tankers LLC.

Marathon’s buy-out of APSI’s interest in the Crowley joint venture with respect to each vessel will occur on its delivery from the shipyard. Deliveries of all four vessels are expected to occur from Q3 2015 to Q3 2016. APSI expects to recognize a pre-tax gain of approximately $10 million per vessel from the transaction.

APSI will make an investment in the vessels during their construction, but will no longer maintain the previously planned long-term investment in the vessels post-delivery, which was expected to be approximately $110 million in the aggregate.

“This transaction is an important part of AKPS’s plan to divest its shipping investments and realize the value created for shareholders,” said Kristian Rokke, Chairman of AKPS. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together with Crowley under the joint-venture and look forward to serving both Crowley and Marathon Petroleum as shipbuilders into the future.”

All four of the vessels subject to the transaction are under construction. APSI has also begun construction of the first two of four additional 50,000 dwt tankers for a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc., which are planned to be delivered between November 2016 and November 2017.

The shipyard also has contracts for two 3,600 TEU containerships for Matson Navigation Company, Inc., which are planned to be delivered in 2018.

On July 16, 2015, the company announced that it intends to change its name to Philly Shipyard by the end of the year, pending shareholder approval.

VIDEO: Crowley’s LNG fueled ConRo now 25% complete

 

First steel for the ship was cut in October 2014 and it is now 25 percent complete.

“Week by week, we have watched the pair of Commitment Class ships begin to take shape,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services. “It’s been incredible to watch. Once fully constructed, these new vessels will embody superior technology and construction and, while we are anxious to get them into service for our partners in Puerto Rico, we are thrilled that they are coming together on schedule.”

“The entire team at VT Halter Marine is pleased and proud to be partnered with Crowley in the construction of these magnificent ships,” said VT Halter Marine President and CEO Jack Prendergast. “It is a pleasure to see the hard work of the Crowley/Halter team come to fruition.”

The ships will be 219.5 meters long, 32.3 meters wide (beam), have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tons.Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent-units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Roll-on/Roll-off garage.

Each ship will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines fueled by LNG.

The ship design is provided by Wärtsilä Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a leading Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.

The Commitment Class, Jones Act ships will replace Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously and with distinction since the early 1970s. These new ships will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company’s diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility. El Coquí and Taíno are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.

Designing, building and operating LNG-powered vessels is in line with Crowley’s overall EcoStewardship positioning and growth strategy. The company formed an LNG services group earlier this year to bring together the company’s extensive resources to provide LNG vessel design and construction management; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.

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TOTE unifies maritime companies’ branding

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 — Jones Act operator TOTE today announced that its  operating companies — Sea Star Line, which serves Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and Totem Ocean Trailer Express, serving the

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