Scout News

ScoutDI has added an ultrasonic thickness measurements (UTM) payload, complete with in-flight A-scan, to the capabilities of its end-to-end inspection data solution for the Scout 137 drone.The product is suitable for offshore applications where drones are becoming common for visual inspection and steel plate thickness sampling must be done regularly to monitor e.g. the effects of corrosion over time.Adding the UTM payload enables the Scout 137 drone to collect location-tagged…

Austal USA delivered the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) to the U.S. Navy March 1, 2024. Kingsville is the 18th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered by the company and the first U.S. Navy vessel to be named after the Texas city home to Naval Air Station Kingsville and directly tied to the historic King Ranch.Delivery documents were signed on board the ship and followed the successful completion of acceptance trials at the end of January during which the ship’s major systems and equipment were tested to demonstrate mission readiness.

The competitive landscape in shipbuilding has changed dramatically, as ‘Industry 4.0’ capabilities driven by the digital revolution have given the edge to those that scout and adopt solutions that deliver on the promise of increasing efficiency while cutting costs. Juan Prieto discusses the CADMATIC suite of solutions for North American shipyards seeking to capture the competitive edge.Digital technologies are evolving at breakneck speed, unlocking tremendous efficiency gains for shipbuilders.

Maritime accelerator PortXL and containment system specialist GTT have formed a strategic partnership to drive transformative advancements in the maritime industry.The Rotterdam-based maritime start-up accelerator and GTT believe this collaboration sets the stage for an entrepreneurial journey towards transforming the maritime industry through innovation.PortXL has established itself as a maritime industry innovator, who bridges the gap between start-ups and scale-ups and established industry players.

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced that a future John Lewis-class oiler, T-AO 205-class, will be named after American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman.SECNAV Del Toro made the announcement during an Emancipation Celebration at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Md. National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, who is also a U.S. Navy veteran, joined Secretary Del Toro for the announcement at the park.The future…

Romania's navy said it deployed a ship and a helicopter on Monday to scout for stray mines on the country's Black Sea coast, after a pier in the seaside resort of Costinesti was damaged in an explosion.Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and mines have since then been laid in the Black Sea by the combatants. Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish military diving teams have been defusing those that have drifted into their waters.The sea is crucial for shipments of grain, oil and oil products and is shared by Bulgaria…

This story spans a long period of time, but begins with a note I received recently on an earlier column from a reader named Allan Berger. He commented on the OODA loop concept in my “Pondering Truths in Design” column in the September MREN issue.He provided his approach that closely follows the OODA loop concept, which follows the principle of always gathering all the facts before speaking. That led to a discussion on decision making. Decision making is an extremely important concept that sets the course of human development, and is central to effective engineering.

Oslo-based offshore vessel owner Atlantica Shipping has taken delivery of its fourth platform supply vessel.The company said in a social media post that it had expanded its fleet with the 2005 built UT 755L Atlantica Server.The vessel, previously known as Energy Scout (according to the VesselsValue database), will be under technical management by Vestland Offshore.According to the vessel's AIS, the 71.9-meter-long platform supplier with a 693-square-meter deck is currently in Aberdeen.The Dina Scout, the Atlantica Provider, and the Atlantica Supplier are the other three offshore supply ships in Atlantica Shipping's fleet.2023 Outlook: The Offshore Service Vessel Market

Solstad Offshore has sold the platform supply vessel Normand Aurora for an undisclosed fee.The Norwegian offshore vessel owner said that the delivery of the vessel to the new owner took place Tuesday, July 5, 2022.While Solstad did not say who the buyer was, the Norwegian company Atlantica Shipping confirmed it had bought the vessel."Today the PSV Normand Aurora was delivered to us. She will be renamed Atlantica Supplier. She is a 2005-built large PSV. After some years in lay-up, she will be reactivated and enter the market shortly. We wish her and the crew safe and prosperous voyages.

Norwegian owner and operator of offshore service vessels Golden Energy Offshore is deploying Inmarsat’s Fleet LTE service to meet the growing data requirements of modern offshore operations and support sustainability.Headquartered in Ålesund, Norway, Golden Energy Offshore owns and operates a fleet of offshore support vessels providing offshore services to the oil, gas, and renewables industries. The company is a long-term Inmarsat customer and also a longstanding user of the satellite communications specialist’s VSAT services.

For the future of the industry, hire interns, both college and high schoolers. And pay them: none of that silly privileged unpaid intern crap that occurs in non-maritime industries.I generally wait until I receive the printed issue to read Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, and when I read the August edition, I was both delighted and frustrated, mostly because of the two articles on shipbuilding workforce development.There is so much STEM wheel spinning and to see reports…

Those who are old enough (or young enough) to remember Justin Timberlake’s poignant lyrics, ‘What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around’, will appreciate their significance and relatability to the offshore oil and gas market. On that theme, it appears a vessel very close to my heart, the AHTS previously known as Sanko Energy (now Ena Shogun), has come 'all the way back around.'News is filtering through the market that Eastern Navigation (Singapore) has sold the vessel five years after purchasing it from Sanko Steamship in early 2017.So why does this vessel resonate with me? Well, from a professional perspective, it was my first analyst experience of a sale that went against everything established market experts thought about values and sale prices.

Offshore services provider Aqueos Corporation is moving into its new office facility in Boston to support the growing offshore wind industry in the U.S. Northeast.Broussard, La.-based Aqueos has primarily provided marine construction, commercial diving, ROV and vessel contracting services for offshore oil and gas, but in 2020 the company identified the demand to expand its operating lines to include the offshore renewable energy sector.Walter Aguilar, Aqueos' vice president of civil…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Golden Energy Offshore Services has secured a term contract for the Energy Scout platform supply vessel.According to the company, the reactivation process has started as the vessel has been in warm lay-up for 16 months, due to the downturn in the market as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ålesund-based Golden Energy Offshore Services did not say who the client was, apart from saying it was "a first-class international operator."Under the contract…

A chill wind whips across the Taiwan Strait as a small group of Taiwanese marines stands shivering on a remote dock in the early hours of the morning, their shorts and thin jackets drenched after a day spent mostly in the sea.“Are you a sleeping beauty? Are you skipping out on class?” a trainer shouts at the wiry men, who have barely slept in days, as they do sit-ups and other exercises on the rough concrete floor, some fading in and out of consciousness from fatigue.Blasts of…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has secured a one-year contract for its platform supply vessel Normand Flipper.Solstad Offshore said that the contract, starting in December 2021, is for work in the UK North Sea. It did not say who the client was.The 2003-built Normand Flipper was mentioned on OEDigital.com in February 2020, when Solstad Premier Oil chartered the PSV to support its Tolmount field operations in the UK sector of the North Sea.Also, Solstad Offshore said Friday it had Sold its  AHTS Far Scout…

MacGregor has launched a new fully electrically driven heavy lift crane (HCE) as part of a drive to introduce more environmentally sustainable products and solutions.The HCE design—a result of combining MacGregor and NMF’s experience in the heavy lift industry—covers lifting capacity up to SWL 1000 tonnes.By combining NMF crane house design principles with MacGregor high tensile steel experience, the weight of the HCE is significantly reduced. This has a major advantage for the…

Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focus…

Bollinger Shipyards delivered the USCGC Emlen Tunnell to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. It is the 168th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the USCG in 35 years and the 45th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.Named to honor Coast Guard hero and NFL great Emlen Tunnell, the cutter is the fourth of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace an aging 110-ft. Island Class Patrol Boats. The USCG ships are stationed in Bahrain…

Offshore energy industry services provider Aqueos has acquired the Sea Scout, a U.S.-built multi-purpose service vessel, targeting renewable industry prospects in the U.S."The vessel is a specialty built, high speed, shallow draft catamaran with comfortable berthing for 26 persons ideally suited to support multi-mission offshore wind farm projects," Aqueos said.The vessel design includes a unique quad-propeller arrangement which allows the vessel to operate at a transit speed…

The growing U.S. offshore wind industry will offer "a substantial number of opportunities" for the local fishermen and mariners to supplement their income, a study commissioned by the New York State Economic Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), has found.The study – compiled by The Renewables Consulting Group (RCG) – concluded that as the offshore wind industry grows, the option for mariners to supplement their income will become available during all phases of a project’s lifecycle.Based on current Northeastern US offshore wind commitments alone…

Cargotec's subsidiary MacGregor has signed an agreement with offshore vessel owner North Sea Shipping to deliver its OnWatch Scout Predict on the North Sea Giant offshore vessel.OnWatch Scout is a solution that connects installed equipment aboard a vessel to advanced monitoring systems that continuously analyze component conditions and predict maintenance needs.MacGregor has signed a 5-year OnWatch Scout Predict agreement with North Sea Shipping, and the company's OnWatch team…

Ocean science is in high demand by scientists studying ocean acidification, wave energy, seabed composition, changing water temperatures, fish populations and dozens of other research projects. The Oregon State University (OSU) has a proud history in the field. The wide variety of research project require a variety of vessels.One boat that has made large contributions to research is the 54 by 16.5-foot Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon Washington.