Tag: US

The US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced $4,872,000 in grants to six Marine Highway projects. The funding aims to enhance existing marine highways serving ports in Louisiana, Virginia, New York, and Connecticut, and support the development of new container-on-barge services in Kentucky and Rhode Island.

Since April 2016, when the first US LNG carrier arrived in the Portuguese port of Sines, EU imports of LNG from the US have increased from zero to 2.8 billion cubic meters. Now, the two countries agreed to further bolster their strategic cooperation with respect to energy.

The US Government Accountability Office released a report on the challenges that the US flag deep sea fleet is facing. This includes increasing operating costs and a declining number of qualified American mariners.  According to the report, the US government supports the US-registered fleet, helping it meet national defense needs. However, it has had a negative effect on some non-defense government programs.

Trafigura has applied to build a deep water port in Texas, US. The port will be able to load supertankers, supplying the very much needed oil export infrastructure to the country. The port will enable VLCCs to load cargo via a single-point mooring buoy system and will have a capacity of about 500,000 barrels per day.

The US Office of the United States Trade Representative released a list of about $16 billion worth of imports from China that will be subject to a 25% additional tariff. This is a response to China’s retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods last week. The tariffs will be collected by August 23. 

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the US-based shipbuilding company Vigor Marine Inc. over 16 'willful and serious violations' following an inspection at its facility in Portland, Oregon. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $370,358.

China imposed retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods last week. The products range from LNG to some aircraft and warned that it may impose more measures, indicating that it won’t step back in the trade war with the US. The tariffs range from 5 to 25%. From its part, the US announced higher 25% tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports,

American Cruise Lines announced that the first modern riverboat in US history is almost complete. This week, 'American Song', under its own power moved from the East Outfitting Basin at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, to the yard’s outfitting bulkhead for the final outfitting touches.

Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners will develop an 800-megawatt offshore wind farm south of Martha’s Vineyard. This facility will save about $1.4 billion in a course of 20 years. Construction on the wind farm will start during 2019, and it is expected that it will start operation in 2021.

The US Coast Guard released the Certificate of Inspection for the 'Stretch Duck 07', the amphibious tour boat that sunk in Table Rock Lake, Missouri on July 19, killing 17. The COI reports operational limitations which may have been exceeded while the voyage took place.