Amphibious Vessel News

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

German renewable energy industry giant RWE, in partnership with Commercial Rib Charters (CRC), is building "a world-first" amphibious vessel for reaching offshore wind farms in shallow waters."The unique crew transfer vessel has initially been designed to reach turbines at Scroby Sands [wind farm in the UK ], which have become stranded by the natural rising tide of the sandbank on which it is built. The fully seaworthy vessel, which can also drive on land, provides a unique access solution for some of the industry’s first-generation assets affected by very dynamic seabed conditions…

Qatar's Ministry of Defense has signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri evaluate and study new technologies and capabilities, possibly leading to a future acquisition of new vessels in 2020.Fincantier said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Barzan Holding, a company wholly owned by the Qatari Ministry of Defense and responsible for empowering the military capabilities of the national armed force in the state, in Doha, on Friday.The programs indicated in the MOU include…

The largest shipbuilder in Europe Fincantieri said that the steel cutting ceremony of the first patrol vessel (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel)ordered Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place yesterday (February 27) at the Muggiano (La Spezia) yard.The contract, amounting for Fincantieri to approximately 4 billion euros, envisages the supply of seven surface vessels, of which four corvettes, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) as well as support services in Qatar for further 10 years after the delivery of the vessels.All the units will be entirely built in Fincantieri Italian shipyards.The first patrol vessel…

A steel cutting ceremony for the first “Doha” class corvette ordered from Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defense within the national naval acquisition program, took place today at the Italian shipbuilder’s Muggiano, La Spezia yard.The flexible ship will be capable of fulfilling different kinds of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capacities to being a fighting vessel. It is designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules and will be about 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, with a maximum speed of 28 knots.

The U.S. Coast Guard used a floating crane on Monday to raise the "duck boat" that sank beneath storm-whipped waves in a Missouri lake last week, drowning 17 people in one of the deadliest tourist accidents in the United States in years.Workers in hard hats spent an hour or so helping divers connect slings to the World War Two-style amphibious vessel some 80 feet (24 meters) below the water's surface before raising it and dragging it, dripping but apparently intact, to dry land.The…

Rolls-Royce said it has achieved a milestone for the Italian Navy’s new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) multi-purpose amphibious vessel, to be built by Fincantieri one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, by successfully completing the factory acceptance test for the vessel’s first MT30 Gas Turbine. Rolls-Royce has been selected to provide two MT30 gas turbines to power the new 20,000 tonne displacement, multi-purpose amphibious vessel. The LHD, which will be built and launched…

Fincantieri and the Qatari Ministry of Defense have signed a contract in Rome today for the construction of seven new generation units included in the national naval acquisition program. The signing took place between the Commander of Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, Staff Major General Mohammed Nasser Al Mohannadi and the CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, in the presence of the Ministers of Defense of the two countries, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and Roberta Pinotti. The contract, amounting for Fincantieri to approximately 4 billion euros, envisages the supply of seven surface vessels, of which four corvettes of over 100 meters in length…

Rolls-Royce signed a contract with Fincantieri to provide MT30 gas turbines to power the Italian Navy’s new multi-purpose amphibious vessel. The Derby-based company will supply two of its MT30 gas turbines to power a 20,000-tonne landing helicopter dock vessel, which will be the second largest ship in Italy’s navy. Based on Rolls’ Trent 800 jet engine used on aircraft such as the Boeing 777, the MT30 is already installed on the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and is due to be used in Type 26 frigates when work on them begins. The ship will be built by Fincantieri under the Legge Navale ‘Naval Law’ – a major investment programme to renew the Italian naval fleet.

Turkey launched the 140-meter amphibious ship "Bayraktar," the first of two vessels that are part of a domestic Landing Ship, Tank (LST) project, reports Local media. The two ships boast local design and construction and are aimed at meeting the operational requirements of the Turkish Naval Forces Command, according to the website of Anadolu Tersanesi, the company that constructed the ship. The Bayraktar is a fast amphibious vessel of upper-intermediate size with powerful armaments. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underlined the refugee crisis faced in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas during his address given at the ceremony, and efforts of the Turkish naval forces to minimize the losses.

The delivery ceremony of new amphibious vessel for the Algerian Navy  was held today at the Muggiano shipyard (in La Spezia). The "Kalaat Beni-Abbes" (from the name of a place in the north of the country, which in Arabic means fort of the sons of Abbes), a vessel commissioned in 2011 by the Ministry of Defence of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria from Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a company controlled by Fincantieri in which Selex ES also holds an interest, will serve as the national Navy's new flagship. The ceremony was attended, among others, by Gen. Malaoui, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Algerian Navy, Gen. M.L. Haouli…

The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team (GD LCS Team) christened the LCS 2 Independence October 4, on the waters of the at the Austal USA shipyard. Present at the Christening Ceremony were over 1,000 guests and dignitaries. The Ship Sponsor was Doreen A. Scott, wife of the 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Terry D. Scott. She was joined by her daughter, Maid of Honor, Lauren A. Scott, but her daughter, Matron of Honor Ensign Lindsay Fatz, USN, was out of the country on orders.

Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter visited Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8) May 29, as part of a scheduled Gulf Coast visit. Winter toured the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) facility and spaces aboard . His primary goal for the tour was to review updates on the overall shipbuilding activities at NGSB and for a status assessment of what's happening with . "The overall integration of combat systems in particular was most helpful, and I think it helped gauge not only where we are right now but where we'll be in the future," Winter said.

Northrop Grumman Corp. recently won a $1b contract from the U.S. Navy to build the ninth vessel of LPD-17 Class of amphibious transport ships. Northrop Grumman is building ships for the $13.5b Navy program at its facilities in Avondale, La., and Pascagoula, Miss. The LPD-17s, which stand for Landing Platform Dock, are amphibious assault vessels. Work on the latest ship will be performed at Avondale, near New Orleans, and in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed in 2011.

Northrop Grumman Corp. recently won a $1b contract from the U.S. Navy to build the ninth vessel of LPD-17 Class of amphibious transport ships. Northrop Grumman is building ships for the $13.5 billion Navy program at its facilities in Avondale, La., and Pascagoula, Miss. The LPD-17s, which stand for Landing Platform Dock, are amphibious assault vessels. Work on the latest ship will be performed at Avondale, near New Orleans, and in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed in 2011.

Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that Transport Canada has issued a Ship Safety Bulletin reminding vessel operators of recent amendments to the Lifesaving Equipment Regulations and Small Vessel Regulations that require safety briefings on all Canadian passenger vessels. In the course of its investigation into the sinking of the amphibious vessel Lady Duck on June 23, 2002, the Transportation Safety Board issued a Marine Safety Advisory to Transport Canada on July 19, 2002, suggesting that the department take steps to ensure that safety briefings are conducted by vessel operators. As of March 2002, all operators of passenger vessels are required to provide safety briefings to their passengers on or before the departure of the vessel.

Austal Limited teamed with Raytheon Australia to bid for the upcoming Australian Government tender to build two amphibious ships, which is due to be issued in early 2005. “By combining Austal’s impressive track record of on time, on budget shipbuilding with Raytheon's expertise in electronic systems, we have created a powerful team to build and support the new amphibious vessels, along with considerable potential to bid for other naval contracts in the future,” said Austal’s Managing Director, Mr Bob McKinnon. The amphibious vessel project has an indicative cost of $1.5 to $2 billion. The preferred tenderer is likely to be identified by late 2005, with in-service delivery planned between 2010 and 2014.

Sailors man the rails of the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17) as it arrives at her new homeport of Naval Station Norfolk. San Antonio is the lead ship in the Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock-class of ships. She is scheduled to stay at Naval Station Norfolk for the holidays and then sail to Ingleside, Texas for her commissioning ceremony, Jan. 14, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist Seaman Apprentice Charles A. The U.S. Navy will commission the USS San Antonio, lead ship of the latest class of amphibious ships, at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 14, at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas. Former President George H. W. Bush will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Sen. Capt. Jonathan M.

The LST-325 (Landing Ship, Tank), a World War II amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores, will once again be plying the waters, but this time, being towed as a floating memorial making a maiden educational voyage on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers this summer. The LST-325 is one of only two World War II LSTs to be preserved in the United States and is crewed solely by veterans. Towing services are being provided by several barge companies including Kirby Corporation (Houston, TX); Luhr Bros. (Columbia, IL); Madison Coal and Supply (Charleston, WV); MEMCO Barge Line (Chesterfield, MO), and American Commercial Barge Lines (Jeffersonville, IN). Acquired by the USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc.

A donation from EVAC Environmental firm will allow a World War II vessel that sailed 40 missions to France and England during WWII to sail again and serve as a museum ship for thousands of visitors across the country. The USS LST (Landing Ship Tank) 325, is one of only two WWII LST’s to be preserved in the United States. To bring it to standards that allow it to operate in U.S. waters, it must have a sewage treatment system on board. EVAC Environmental Solutions, 1260 Turret Dr., manufactures a marine sanitation device, called an ORCA, which treats sewage on board the vessel and discharges it overboard. The firm is donating the device to the USS LST 325, and on Thursday, August 15, 11:30 a.m., Capt.