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Barracuda News

18 Jan 2024

Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral

The South Carolina Army National Guard and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources turns unused armored carrier vehicles into an artificial reef off the coast of Beaufort, S.C. in 2014. (Courtesy photo by Phillip Jones/South Carolina Army National Guard)

When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the U.S. and beyond.

17 Apr 2023

Ampelmann to Deploy Second Gangway for World's Largest Floating Wind Farm

©Ampelmann

Ampelmann, a Dutch-based firm providing offshore access solutions, will soon be deploying a second gangway to support the construction of the Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in Norway.The first gangway, an E1000 system, was fitted to OSCV Siem Barracuda in early December. Ampelmann said Monday that the second Ampelmann gangway would begin its operations on the wind farm within the next six months.Maichel van Nauta Lemke, Ampelmann’s Business Developer for floating wind. ”We are…

01 Apr 2022

'Siem Sapphire' Providing W2W Services for Offshore Wind Farm Commissioning in Taiwan

©Siem Offshore

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Siem Offshore has signed a new contract for the “Siem Sapphire” AHTS vessel for operations in Taiwan. "Delivery [of the vessel] has already taken place, and secures firm utilization well into the third quarter of 2022 plus options," Siem Offshore said.The scope of work consists of walk-to-work (“W2W”) operations for accommodation support in relation to the commissioning of an offshore wind farm. Siem Offshore did not say who the client was."This contract reiterates the strong demand from the offshore wind market…

13 Dec 2021

Siem Offshore Nets More Offshore Wind Work for OSCV Duo

Credit: Siem Offshore

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Siem Offshore said Monday it had signed a contract with an undisclosed client for operations in South East Asia for the Siem Barracuda offshore subsea construction vessel (OSCV), and an extension for OSCV Siem Stingray. The project will utilize the OSCV "Siem Barracuda" for a scope of work consisting of subsea preparatory work required for the construction of a new offshore wind farm. The contract has a firm duration of 5 months plus options and will start around year-end following the completion of the vessel’s current contract in the same region.Also…

18 Jun 2021

Magnolia Dredge and Dock Highlights DSC Dredge’s Commitment to Values

(Photo: DSC Dredge)

To ensure the high level of service that has defined this family-owned business for the past 30 years, DSC Dredge, LLC has five key values: commitment, quality, innovation, service and customization. This is what the foundation of DSC is built upon, and clients who become long-standing business partners and friends only confirms what this company strives to do each and every day.Magnolia Dredge & Dock LLC., headquartered in Mandeville, La., was founded in 2009 through the merging of two companies.

24 Feb 2021

Siem Offshore Wins W. Africa Deal for Subsea Construction Vessel 'Siem Spearfish'

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Siem Offshore has said it has secured a contract for its Siem Spearfish subsea construction vessel.The contract, with an unnamed client, is for 2 months firm, with extension options included.Under the contract, the Siem Spearfish, designed for subsea operation duties such as construction and installation work, inspection and maintenance, will work offshore West Africa. The 120.8 meters long vessel, built in 2014, has started its mobilization from Norway. Siem did not share info on the financial value of the deal.The vessel's AIS shows it has left Kristiansund and is currently on its way to Las Palmas, from which it will then set sail to the project location.

19 Feb 2021

Siem Offshore's Siem Barracuda Nets 100-Day Offshore Wind Deal in Asia

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Siem Offshore and Seaway 7, the renewables business unit of Subsea 7, have entered into a contract for an offshore wind project in the Far East. Siem Offshore said that the project will utilize the offshore construction vessel "Siem Barracuda", currently mobilizing to the area of operation, for a minimum period of 100 days, excluding options. Siem Offshore did not say where exactly it would deploy the vessel in the Far East."[....]he company has since its early entrance to the offshore wind segment contributed with over 200,000 personnel transfers at sea, which makes the company a leading player in this segment…

15 Dec 2019

Dutch MoD Shortlists Naval Group for Submarine

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected France's Naval Group to enter the next phase in the selection process for the Submarine Replacement program."Naval Group looks forward to entering an in-depth technical cooperation with DMO to conduct this joint-design phase in close association with the involved stakeholders. The Group strongly believes that the envisaged operational profile is very much in line with the mission capabilities of the conventionally powered Barracuda family submarine," said a press note from"Naval Group thankfully acknowledges this new phase, which will allow the joint in-depth design process to be translated into a full industrial solution…

02 Dec 2019

KCC Names MV Barracuda

Norway-based shipowner Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) has named its second CLEANBU vessel, MV Barracuda, after it completed a first switch between dry cargo and a cargo of clean petroleum products (CPP).MV Barracuda was named at anchorage outside Singapore by Ms. Su Yin Anand, head of Legal at South32 Marketing Singapore, one of KCC’s largest customers.As all the other CLEANBU vessels, MV Barracuda was named after a “sea creature” to show KCC’s commitment to clean oceans and KCC’s ambition be a driving force to improve the environmental footprint of deep-sea tanker and dry bulk shipping.The naming ceremony was made after MV Barracuda…

23 Aug 2019

Klaveness' CLEANBU Switch from Wet to Dry Cargo

Norway-based shipowner Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) has undertaken a wet-dry cargo switch, marking a first for one of its CLEANBU combination carriers.The vessel transported a full cargo of petroleum products (CPP) from India to Argentina, said the global owner and operator of combination carriers.After discharging the CPP, she completed the cleaning and conversion from tanker mode to dry bulk mode, loaded a grain cargo and is now enroute back to Asia. Strong cleaning capabilities with cleaning result available for online inspection on new digital application.After discharging of CPP, MV Baru successfully completed cleaning and conversion from tanker mode (as a LR1-tanker) to dry bulk mode (as a Kamsarmax bulk carrier).

17 Jul 2019

Naval Group Wins More Orders

French shipbuilder Naval Group received more orders in the first six months of 2019 than the entire 2018 calendar year.In the first half of 2019 order intake reached €3.853 billion. This is above the €3.4 billion target set for all of 2019 and boosted the order book to €15.5 billion at end June 2019.International orders represented a large percentage of all new orders at 30 June 2019 and are mainly for new ships. The Belgian and the Dutch mine hunters contract and the design contract for the Australian submarine program have been awarded to Naval Group.The French order for a sixth Barracuda submarine also boosted Naval Group orders this half…

16 Jul 2019

France Launches New Gen Suffren

French naval defence and marine renewable energy company Naval Group launched the Suffren, the first of six nuclear submarines of the latest generation in Cherbourg, in a  ceremony presided over by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macro.The industrial group said in a press note that this event is a key step for the Barracuda program for the benefit of the French Navy.The Suffren is the first of the Barracuda-class series, designed to replace the Rubis-class generation. Naval Group is in charge of the construction of this submarines series, including the design and construction of the ship and information systems as well as the manufacturing of the main components of nuclear boiler rooms.Hervé Guillou…

22 Jun 2018

Naval Group to Showcase at Balt Military Expo

Scorpene - copyright Naval Group

From June 25th to 27th 2018, Naval Group will participate to Balt Military Expo (BME) 2018 in Gdansk. Naval Group will showcase its proposition for the ORKA program and its state-of-art innovations created for modern navies.ORKA ProgramThe Scorpène class submarine presented at BME 2018 and offered in the Orka program is NATO’s most powerful conventional submarine thanks to a sea-proven platform fitted with combat capacities equivalent to those of the French Barracuda submarines.It…

28 Feb 2018

Demanding Times for DSC Dredge

The dynamic dredge builder navigates a complicated dredge building market by augmenting an impressive array of standard equipment with a customized approach that satisfies domestic and international customers alike. It isn’t as easy as it looks. The New Year typically brings new challenges to all sectors of the waterfront and 2018 will be no different. As the newly expanded and improved Panama and Suez Canals bring larger, so-called post-Panamax vessels to U.S. shores, stakeholders tend to focus on domestic dredging needs. And, there’s plenty of that to go around. At the same time, global infrastructure requirements are also growing.

09 Feb 2018

Aker Solutions Signs Agreement with Petrobras

Norwegian oilfield services company Aker Solutions has won a contract to provide maintenance and modifications services for three platforms at Petrobras-operated oil and gas fields offshore Brazil. The four-year contract is valued at about NOK 800 million ($101.5 million) and includes an option for a one-year extension. The order covers a range of services to renovate, repair and upgrade the floating production storage and offloading platforms, or FPSOs, at the Barracuda, Caratinga and Albacora Leste fields in the Campos Basin. It also entails management at the yard where replacement parts and other equipment will be fabricated. "Brazil is an important global market and growth area for servicing oil and gas fields," said Aker Solutions Chief Executive Officer Luis Araujo.

17 Aug 2017

King Abdullah Port Bullish on Maritime Services

Specialized Marine Services (SMS), a JV between the Ports Development Company (PDC), which is the private sector owner and developer of King Abdullah Port, and the National Port Services Company, delivered 1,460 maritime services  in 2016. It expects 30% increase expected by the end of 2017. SMS is the primary supplier of marine services, such as marine guidance, in King Abdullah Port. Its team includes highly qualified and skilled maritime guides with vast experience in dealing with the largest international vessels, most of which have visited the King Abdullah Port. All guides hired to work in the marine services department are ambitious Saudi youth who undergo periodic training in accordance with the highest international standards.

02 Mar 2017

DSC Dredge Digs In

The world of dredging is defined by the vast diversity of each assignment that contractors perform on any given day. Fortunately, DSC’s standard lineup of dredge equipment can be modified and customized to meet just about any job that needs doing. It wasn’t too long ago that retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Jim Loy told me, “If you’ve seen one port, well, you’ve seen one port.” That now-famous declaration was made in reference to port security in a post-9/11 world, but the quip is as valid now as it was when he said it during his tenure as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Similarly, it can also be said that if you’ve seen one dredging operation, well, then you’ve seen one dredging operation.

02 Nov 2016

N-Sea Expands Fleet with OSCV

Subsea IMR provider, N-Sea, has increased its fleet through the long term charter of Siem Offshore’s offshore subsea construction vessel, the Siem Barracuda. The vessel is equipped specifically for subsea IMR, Survey and construction operations, featuring twin WROVs, moonpool deployed, a 250T AHC crane and accommodation for 110 personnel. Roddy James, Chief Operating Officer at N-Sea, said: “The Siem Barracuda has added another highly efficient dive support and survey vessel to the N-Sea fleet. Its technical specifications not only increase our capabilities across the subsea IRM field, but also build upon the safe, efficient ethos for which N-Sea is renowned. “This is a state-of-the-art subsea vessel, which increases our ability to operate within greater parameters of harsh weather.

18 Mar 2016

Germany Hardsell Submarine Deal With Australia

The German company competing for Australia's $50 billion submarine contract is ramping up its pitches and lobbying became more intense. Germany is positioning itself as the "safe option" to build Australia's new submarine fleet, arguing it avoids upsetting China. The German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) linked its bid to strategic tensions in the South China Sea. It also said that awarding the contract to Japan could damage Australia's relationship with China. According to a report in ABC, TKMS positioned itself as a neutral alternative for Australia, caught between its security interests with Japan and the United States, and its trade interests with China. Germany says choosing their boats, unlike Japan's, would avoid inflaming tensions with Beijing.

08 Apr 2016

Damen Delivers Reservoir Dredge Package

The Damen Field Service crew has just returned from commissioning the Barracuda cutter suction dredger in Algeria. The customised Damen Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) 500 has been delivered with a complete dredging package including a booster station and dredge piping enabling immediate start up. The CSD500 will perform maintenance dredging in a reservoir. As reservoir dredging can be quite a challenge, the standard dismountable CSD500 has been customised. Its job is to clear a water reservoir in an inland location in Algeria. As it is relatively deep, the CSD500 has been fitted out with a longer cutter ladder for the important dredging depth of -18m working at 45°. Moreover the spuds – normally a distinct feature of any CSD– have been replaced by an X-mas tree.

19 Apr 2016

Submarine Bidders Step up Lobbying for Australia Tender

Japan's advanced attack Soryu submarine carried out drills with Australia's navy on Tuesday as a German company launched a campaign to advertise its expertise - as a race for a A$50 billion contract to build Australia's next submarine fleet neared a climax. Industry sources told Reuters the Australian government is speeding up its decision on the contract - France is the other major bidder - with a winner now expected to be announced by the end of the month. Australia intends to buy 12 new submarines, a centrepiece of its defence strategy unveiled in February, which called for an increase in military spending of nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years to protect strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific.

26 Apr 2016

France's DCNS Wins $40 bln Australian Submarine Contract

France's state-owned naval contractor DCNS Group has won a A$50bn ($40 billion) contract to build 12 submarines for the Australian Navy, beating bids from Japan and Germany. Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, announced that DCNS awarded tender over Germany and Japan to build fleet of Barracuda-class submarines in South Australia. The decision to build a new fleet of submarines in partnership with DCNS represented “a momentous national endeavour,” he said. The Shortfin Barracuda submarines will be built in Adelaide using Australian steel, creating 2,800 jobs, he said. French President Francois Hollande hailed the decision as historic.

26 Apr 2016

France sinks Japanese, German Sub Bids

Fleet of 12 submarines to be built in South Australia; decision has political implications at home, abroad. France has beaten Japan and Germany to win a A$50 billion ($40 billion) deal to build a fleet of 12 submarines for Australia, one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Tuesday. The victory for state-owned naval contractor DCNS Group underscored France's strengths in developing a compelling military-industrial bid, and is a blow for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda. Reuters earlier reported that DCNS would be announced as the winner, citing sources with knowledge of the process.