ANTITRUST
Puerto Rico trade lines face antitrust class action suit
Last month Jones Act lines operating in the Puert Rico trades were raided by Federal antitrust investigators. Now a Puerto Rico law firm has filed a civil antitrust class action lawsuit claiming "economic and treble damages ... reasonably estimated in hundreds of millions of dollars" ... more
JONES ACT
Atlantic Marine lays keel for first AHL tanker
An innovative plan to build three advanced Jones Act tankers has marked another major milestone with a keel laying ceremony in Mobile ... more
DEEPWATER
ENSCO orders fifth ultra deepwater semi
One day after securing a drilling contract from Cobalt International for the fourth in its 8500 series of newbuilds at Keppel FELS, Dallas-headquartered ENSCO placed a $512 million order for a fifth ... more
OFFSHORE EQUIPMENT
TTS breaks into anchor handling winch market
Two 150 tons bollard pull anchor handling vessels currently under construction in Japan for a Korean shipping company will have 350-ton TTS winches using high pressure hydraulics tecnology and set up for troubleshooting via satcom ... more
NAVAL TECHNOLOGY
ONR awards T-Craft design contract
Alion Science & Technology Corp. has been awarded a $10.1 million contract to develop detailed designs for the Sea Base Connector Transformable-Craft ... more
NAVY CONTRACTS
Potential $93 million MSC charter for HSV Swift
Sealift, Inc. has been awarded an MSC charter for the Incat-built High Speed Vessel Swift that starts out at $22 million for 12 months, but has extension options that could bring the total to $93 million
... more
MARITIME SECURITY
DHS "realigns" final TWIC compliance date
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that the final compliance date for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program will be April 15, 2009, reflecting "a realignment of the Sept. 25, 2008 compliance date set in the final rule." Stil, several ports will be required to come into compliance long before that ... more
BOARDROOM BATTLES
Clarkson ousts Fulford-Smith
London shipbroker Clarkson said Richard Fulford-Smith had "been asked to and has stepped down from the Board and as Chief Executive." The news came after the company upped provisions against claims brought by Russian state-owned shipping companies ... more
