Auto carriers are extremely large, complex vessels. As such, there are a numerous, detailed regulations by which car carrier companies and operators must abide.Types of Auto CarriersCar carriers are unique vessels that feature a box-like superstructure. Many fully enclose the cargo and have the capacity to hold thousands of vehicles. They also typically have dual ramps for faster loading and have extensive automatic fire control systems.Some of the vessels considered car carriers include:...

Vessel determination refers to a decision the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) makes regarding a vessel. Vessel owners, manufacturers, lawyers and law enforcement agencies occasionally will ask the USCG which laws and regulations apply to a particular device. The USCG’s reply letter is the vessel determination.In some instances, vessel owners will send letters to the USCG requesting information about whether or not construction work on their vessels will affect their particular vessel status.In other...

Russia has been busy making plans to stock up on specialized submarine warships. They are making an effort to resurrect their submarine fleet, creating two new classes of submarines: the Borei and the Yasen.What are they up to, and should we be concerned?Russia’s New Top-of-the-Line Submarine: BoreiRussia is the process of scrapping its Typhoon submarine vessels and building more sophisticated (and deadlier) Borei- and Yasen-class submarines.Borei (meaning ‘North Wind’) submarinesare much...

If a business depends on commercial vessels, those vessels must remain in top condition, as unreliable equipment can take days or weeks to repair, resulting in the loss of customers and revenue. Smith Maritime is such a business, and the company relies on Laborde Products – particularly the Mitsubishi S12R-Y2MPTK Tier II engines that power its tug, Rhea.Rhea’s maiden voyage involved towing a large section of oil-field equipment from Texas to the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa, then...