Bremen News

Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry in China have ordered four MAN 10L32/44CR main engines in connection with the construction of a quartet of 41,000 dwt oil-and-chemical tankers for Bremen-based German Tanker Shipping (GTS).The construction of the 199-meter Swedish Fartygskonstruktioner AB-designed newbuildings is set to start at Xiamen Shipbuilding with delivery scheduled from mid-2025 onward. The order includes options for an additional two vessels.Each…

One body has been recovered and two people have been rescued in a search and rescue mission after two freighters collided in the North Sea off the coast of Germany, the maritime emergency authority said on Tuesday. The Verity, which the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said had sunk, had been on its way from Bremen to the English town of Immingham. The Polesie was sailing from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain. It was not immediately clear what the vessels were carrying, if anything.

Several people are missing after two freighters collided near the German North Sea island of Heligoland, the central command for maritime emergencies said on Tuesday.The Polesie and Verity vessels collided at around 0300 GMT about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) southwest of Heligoland, likely causing the Verity to sink, central command said in a statement. One person was rescued from the water and is receiving medical treatment, while several others are still missing, it added.The rescue operation includes a rescue cruiser…

Denmark-based engineering and contracting group Semco Maritime has agreed to acquire German firm Wind Multiplikator, specialized in managing offshore wind farms and projects and providing engineering and consulting services.The transaction also includes all activities in offshore service provider OWS Off-Shore Wind Solutions, which is part of Wind Multiplikator Group. The combined Wind Multiplikator Group focuses on offshore wind O&M related activities, including major component…

Libra Group's shipping subsidiary Lomar Shipping announced the appointment of Marius Bujor as its new Technical Director. Based in the company’s Bremen office, he succeeds Stylianos Papageorgiou who has been promoted to the position of Managing Director of lomarlabs, a new venture to collaborate with deep-tech start-ups.Bujor has been with Lomar for eight years, having joined in 2014 as a Technical Superintendent. He became a Fleet Manager four years later, and was promoted to Deputy Technical Director in late 2022, as Lomar prepared for the launch of lomarlabs.

Libra's global ship owning and management unit Lomar Shipping last week delivered the chemical tanker Apollo to new owner Navigator Line Ship Management and Operation, in Sharjah, UAE.Built in 2003, the 24,000 DWT vessel was sold for close to $10 million as part of Lomar's ongoing fleet renewal program, the company said.The vessel was the oldest of six chemical tankers, including four 38,000-dwt chemical/products tankers, that joined the Lomar fleet following the October 2022 acquisition of Germany’s Bremen-based tanker specialist Carl Büttner Group…

German trade union ver.di called on several thousand employees at German ports to take part in a 24-hour warning strike from Thursday morning, potentially further increasing difficulties at already strained ports.Workers in Emden, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Brake, Wihelmshaven and Hamburg were called on to take part, after a fourth round of wage negotiations fell through.

Boluda Towage's tug Bremen Fighter passed all administrative procedures and inspections to officially operate, as of February 21, its maritime salvage activity under the German flag.Bremen Fighter is displaying the official German coast guard colors, with a commitment to protect maritime safety in the eastern Baltic Sea, under the command of German Federal Waterway Authorities. Bremen Fighter, an offshore tug, is the most powerful tug in the Boluda Towage fleet.Earlier , the German…

Alternatives to fossil fuels are emerging throughout the maritime universe, and vessels working in U.S. rivers, waterways and harbors are at the cusp on this trend. While the alternative fuels spectrum is wide, battery power and electrification—a technology that has seen a decade of shipboard applications already—is particularly suited for smaller vessels.Crowley Maritime Corp will be taking delivery of a completely electric tugboat, dubbed eWolf; the boat- which will include kit for advanced vessel control tied to an electric propulsion system from ABB…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

Bremen-based ship owning and ship management company Harren Bulkers announced it has acquired its first Handysize bulk carrier. The company's fleet now counts 23 ships.The 37,000 dwt Pabari (ex Western Aida) was built in 2012 at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, in South Korea. With an overall length of 186.96 meters, 28.60-meter beam and 15.6-meter depth molded, Pabari is currently the smallest ship in the Harren Bulkers fleet. The chartering is done by OneBulk from Hamburg.Joachim Zeppenfeld…

Shipbuilding group Damen said it has delivered the 111-meter Damen Stan Pontoon 11226 RD mega-barge Tomsk to heavy lift and project cargo shipping company Combi Lift. The barge will be used in the construction of Gazprom’s Amur Gas Processing Plant near Russia’s eastern border, transporting some of the largest components to the site.This contract follows a 19 vessel order placed with Damen by Combi Lift that was delivered in May 2018. It was comprised of four Multi Cat 2608SD workboats, four Pusher Tugs 2612SD, four Side Floaters 8605SD and seven 89-meter Stan Pontoons 8916SD.

Just several months after the launch of Harren Bulkers, three 93,000 tdw Post-Panamax bulkers have been secured for the company's fleet on a long-term basis.The newly formed Bremen-based shipping company on Wednesday announced the acquisition of the 2011-built Post-Panamax bulker Topas. The ship will be named Pablo, and with an overall length of 229.2 meters (38-meter beam, 14.9-meter draft) it is currently the largest ship in the Harren Bulkers fleet. The two 2012-built sister…

Cooperation strengthens chemical platform; underpins strategy to operate more sustainable, non-fossil fuel cargoes  Ardmore Shipping Corporation announced a new partnership with Carl Büttner, taking on the commercial management of four chemical tankers on behalf of the Bremen-based shipowner.The vessels Aurelia, Avalon, Apollo and Admiral are 24,000 deadweight tonne (DWT) chemical tankers, and will operate alongside Ardmore’s own chemical tanker fleet. This move signals a doubling of the number of similar sized chemical tankers under Ardmore’s management.Gernot Ruppelt…

iXblue said it has been selected by Naval Group to supply navigation systems for two Gowind corvettes intended for the international market. These two future combat corvettes will be fitted with Marins navigation systems and Netans data distribution and processing units.Based on fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) technology, iXblue navigation solutions already equip more than 650 surface ships and underwater platforms in 40 navies and coast guards, including major programs such as the French Navy's future FDI…

Driven by the need to organically protect maritime Task Groups from the threat of sea mines, the Royal Australian Navy is introducing a deployable Mine Counter-Measures (MCM) capability under the first phase of Project SEA 1778.The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) SEA 1778 deployable Mine Counter-Measures (MCM) capability is both a small step forward in the spiral development process and a “technological leap” into autonomy.”The RAN is looking to replace its four legacy Huon-class minehunter coastal ships (MHCs) with a new deployable MCM capability.

Damen Shipyards Group and the German Bundesamt fur Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr on Friday signed the contract for the construction of four MKS-180 frigates for the German Navy. Damen is the main contractor for this complex project which it is undertaking, together with partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, in Germany.The combination of companies was previously declared the winner of a European tender; the largest in the history of the German Navy. On June 17, the necessary financial resources were released by the German Bundestag budget committee.

Thyssenkrupp and Germany's largest union IG Metall on Thursday called for further consolidation of the country's warship sector, saying a tie-up of rivals Luerssen and German Naval Yards (GNYK) did not go far enough.Late on Wednesday, Luerssen and GNYK announced they would combine their defense divisions to create a national champion, a move that has backing from the German government.Thyssenkrupp had also sought to participate in the consolidation and board member Oliver Burkhard…

“Stay at home” is the global message of the moment. The fleet of the Hamburg-based cruise company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which would normally be sailing the seven seas, is now heading for the waters of its home port. The expedition ship, the HANSEATIC nature, will be the first to return and is expected to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Its sister ship, the international HANSEATIC inspiration, and the two luxury ships, the EUROPA and the international EUROPA 2, are also now on their way back to Hamburg.

German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp is in talks about possibly merging its subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) with a domestic rival to create a national champion.The Thyssenkrupp board member in charge of the marine systems unit, Oliver Burkhard, tweeted earlier that the company was in talks as an alliance could make sense in the current European market environment, with the creation of a national champion one possible outcome.The tweet followed a report by public sector…

Claus-Peter Offen Tankschiffreederei (GmbH & Co.) KG (“CPO Tankers”) has now been renamed ZEABORN Ship Management Tanker GmbH & Cie. KG (“ZEABORN Tankers”). The company is part of Bremen-based ZEABORN Group since June 2019 and has started trading under its new name with effect from November 4,2019.Since August 2018, ZEABORN Group has bundled its ship management activities for dry cargo vessels – container, bulk and multipurpose – under the brand ZEABORN Ship Management. ZEABORN Tankers will operate as a legally independent company under the brand name ZEABORN Ship Management as well…

New research has revealed the highest levels of microplastic yet recorded on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in an area of just one square metre.Published this week in the journal Science, this study shows how deep-sea currents act as conveyor belts, transporting tiny plastic fragments and fibers across the seafloor. These currents can concentrate microplastics within huge sediment accumulations, which the authors of the research term ‘microplastic hotspots’. These…

Germany has awarded Dutch shipyard Damen a contract to construct at least four new multi-role warships worth nearly 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in an alliance with its Bremen-based partner Luerssen, the armed forces and budget lawmakers said on Tuesday.The ship tender is one of Germany's biggest arms projects, along with a contract for the MEADS missile defence system and the new Franco-German fighter jet (FCAS), underlining Berlin's efforts to increase its military capabilities.The first warship is expected to be delivered in 2027…