September 2 - A short ceremony at Industrial Terminals in Houston, Texas saw a US Congressman direct the raising of the US flag as the 8,000 dwt Ocean Charger became only the third heavy lift ship flagged in the US.
Intermarine first entered the US-flagged merchant shipping fleet in 2001 with the reflagging of the Industrial Challenger (now the Ocean Atlas). This was followed in 2005 with the Ocean Titan and now the Ocean Charger, formerly the Virgo J, is the third US-flagged ship represented by Intermarine. All three ships are modern box hold heavy lift cargo ships with dual 200 tonne cranes capable of 400 tonne lifts.
In his remarks to an audience of dock workers, crew members and shipping representatives at the ceremony, Congressman Gene Green noted that through financial backing from the US Export/Import Bank, American manufacturers are able to compete for construction projects around the world, securing thousands of manufacturing jobs in the US. This will drive the demand for more US-flagged cargo ships to carry the components to destination as Washington demands that certain ocean-borne cargo supported by US government credit entities must be transported on US-flagged ships.
