Becker News

Monique Hezel-Reyntjens will retire effective December 31, 2023, having worked in and led what is now known as BeKa HGK GmbH for almost 42 years. Her parents, Franz Josef and Corrie Becker founded the dry shipping company in 1982. Monique Hezel-Reyntjenshas played a significant role in the success story at BeKa HGK; she worked in the chartering section from the outset and in the course of time became a shareholder and has been its managing director up to now. She will be succeeded by Florian Bleikamp (34)…

The Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG) has merged with the Commercial Vessels Association (CVA).The CVA has been a steadfast advocate for the interests of commercial vessel operators. Specializing in operations on Sydney Harbour and extending its influence throughout regional NSW, the CVA encompasses a diverse range of operators, including ferry services, tour and party boats, houseboats, whale and dolphin watching ventures and fishing charters.The association played a pivotal role in advocating for the Marine Tourism and Charter Vessels Award…

Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa said Monday it planned to build a major offshore nacelle manufacturing facility in New York state. The construction of the plant depends on Siemens Gamesa's wind turbines being selected by the New York authorities in their third offshore wind solicitation. The planned facility would be located at the Port of Coeymans. According to Siemens Gamesa, the facility would create up to about 420 direct jobs, support a significant rise in indirect jobs and represent an investment of around $500 million in the region.

With the founding of Lehmann Marine, a subsidiary of Höpen GmbH, a new supplier of innovative maritime products such as the COBRA battery system has entered the maritime market in 2023.The COBRA (Compact Battery Rack) battery system, which is freely scalable and tailored to maritime requirements, has several references in the shipping industry for the hybridization or electrification of vessels. Initially developed by Becker Marine Systems, COBRA has now been incorporated into Lehmann Marine, which was founded on January 1, 2023.

A second Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC (GLDD) trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) is to be built to ABS Class at Conrad Shipyard.Able to dredge at depths of up to 100 feet, the 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity vessel is expected to deliver in the first quarter of 2025 and will be a sister ship to the Galveston Island, currently under construction at Conrad Shipyard to ABS Class, with delivery expected in early 2023.Steve Becker, Senior Vice President, Fleet Engineering at GLDD, said, “As the leader in the U.S.

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. authenticated the keel of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128). The ship’s name honors former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who served as a pilot in World War II and later as a senator representing Alaska. At the time he left office in 2009, he was the longest serving Republican U.S. senator in history.“With this ship we honor Senator Stevens’ exemplary service to our nation,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of the Ingalls Shipbuilding division.

The technology group Wärtsilä said it has been contracted by Remontowa shipyard in Poland to supply engines, fuel storage and supply systems for three new RoPax vessels, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled RoPax vessels to be built for the Polish maritime sector. The ships will be operated by ferry companies Unity Line and Polferries. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in January 2022.The vessels will each operate with four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines. The LNG-fueled engines can use bio-LNG…

dship Carriers took delivery of number four of four newbuilds, the MV Charlie, the latest generation eco-friendly F-500 vessel type. The quartet of new ships enhances dship's capabilities in the multi-purpose heavy lift market during a time when cargo slots are rare and the market is tight.dship ordered the four eco-friendly F-500 multipurpose heavy lift vessels—MV Mick, MV Keith, MV Ronnie and MV Charlie—as part of its fleetexpansion program initiated back in 2018. All ships were developed to reduce fuel consumption while increasing stowage flexibility.

Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) and Becker-Marine Systems have finalized an agreement for a fleet wide rollout of the Becker-Mewis Duct. The tailored hull appendix is designed to improve the hydrodynamics of the flow into the ship’s propeller, thereby increasing propulsion efficiency and reducing fuel consumption at sea.Initial findings from model tank studies, CFD calculations and operational feedback from pilot vessel Banastar have provided confidence the system will firmly contribute to KCC’s targets of further reducing CO2 emissions and fuel cost savings…

An Ohio man has been arrested on federal charges after suspected explosive devices were found on Ohio River towboats, authorities said.Nathaniel Blayn Becker, of Marietta, Ohio, was charged on October 28 in a federal criminal complaint with possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices.Forty-two-year-old Becker is accused of purchasing pipes and other components that formed suspected destructive devices recovered by law enforcement officers from two different tugboats on the Ohio River on October 21 and October 25, 2021.

Japan's Nakashima Propeller Co. has taken a majority stake in the German shipbuilding supplier Becker Marine Systems GmbH.“We have gotten to know Nakashima Propeller as a much respected and reliable partner through decades of cooperation,” said Dirk Lehmann and Henning Kuhlmann, the two managing directors at Becker Marine Systems, “and because we are expert suppliers in the area in front of and behind the propeller with well-known products such as the Becker Mewis Duct and the Becker Rudder family…

With DNV GL certification obtained in February 2021, the COBRA battery system from Becker Marine Systems can be used for a wide range of inland waterway and maritime shipping applications, and due to demand, Becker is expanding COBRA production at its Winsen (Luhe) location.Tailor-made for maritime, the COBRA system now has full certification including IEC 62619 and IEC 62620 and can now be installed on board inland waterway and ocean-going vessels. “We have achieved the highest…

As the maritime world collectively feels its way forward in a time now defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of the SMM in Hamburg, traditionally the world's largest and most influential maritime and shipbuilding trade event, share market overview insights on the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic throughout the the shipping industry.The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world economy on its head. “The recession this year will likely be more severe, and recovery in 2021 will be slower than we anticipated two months ago…

The largest German bulk carrier company Oldendorff Carriers GmbH, which operates around 700 ships, said that its Lydia Oldendorff (207,562 tdw built 2015) has set a record as the largest vessel to load coal at Puerto Bolivar, Colombia.The Newcastlemax vessel has a length of 300 meters and a breadth of 50 meters and was loaded on a trial cargo draft of 17.5 meters. The cargo loaded is destined for Flushing, in the port of Antwerp in Belgium, where it will again be the largest vessel to enter the port.Oldendorff Carriers currently operates a fleet of about 65 modern eco-Newcastlemax (203-211,000 tdw) vessels. Oldendorff Newcastlemax vessels feature fuel saving devices such as…

The CMA CGM Group has launched its first new vessel in a series of nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ultra large containerships at the Shanghai Jiangnan-Changxing Shipyard, the France-based shipping and logistics company announced on Wednesday.At 23,000-TEU capacity, the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé and its eight French-flagged sisterships will be the world’s largest containerships to run on LNG propulsion.“With the launching of the first 23,000-TEU ship powered by liquefied natural gas…

Thordon Bearings’ founder and polymer materials pioneer George A. (Sandy) Thomson has been awarded the global transportation sector’s most distinguished accolade, the Elmer A. Sperry Award 2019 for “Advancing the Art of Transportation”.Thomson joins a long list of Sperry Award recipients, which was established in 1955, including Donald Douglas, Ferdinand Porsche, Sir Geoffrey De Havilland, Christopher Cockerell, Leonard Hobbs, Perry Pratt, Josef Becker and Malcom McLean.“I am deeply honored and humbled to win this award…

In effort to upgrade the fleet, 2019 started with the delivery of five new eco-ships delivered to Oldendorff Carriers, four of which were delivered on the same day. In trying to reduce the environmental impact and these new (fuel-efficient) vessels will reduce fuel consumption for transporting cargo and consequently reduce the carbon footprint.M/V “Jan Oldendorff”, M/V “John Oldendorff”” and M/V “Julius Oldendorff”” were delivered from the building yard Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd in Nantong, PRC.

French shipping group CMA CGM inaugurated its new flagship vessel 20,600 TEU-containership CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery in Le Havre, France.Two French ministers, Bruno Lemaire (Economy) and Elisabeth Borne (Transport) were present for the event.Delivered last January 26 by Philippine shipyard Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Philippines of Subic Bay, the vessel is one of the largest container ships in the world. At 400-meters long by 59-meter wide, the vessel has the capacity to carry 20,600 twenty-foot containers.CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery is equipped with environmental technologies such as a Becker Twisted Fin, which helps reduce in CO2 emissions by as much as 4%…

The international conference on maritime security and defense (MS&D), held for the seventh time in Hamburg during the SMM maritime trade fair, focused on current and future challenges to maritime security and defense. Twenty naval, industrial and science experts discussed topics such as how to protect international ocean trading routes, when and how to deploy naval forces on crisis missions, as well as cyber security issues.The welcome address opened the event with somber words as Rear Admiral Thorsten Kähler…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced its targets of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050, and to make ships entirely CO2-neutral before 2100. But long before that, the so-called sulphur cap will take effect: From 2020 all oceangoing ships must run on fuel that contains no more than 0.5 per cent of sulphur. According to estimates by classification society DNV GL, up to 70,000 ships will be subject to this requirement.

Port of Hamburg is taking a further step toward improving air quality at its port. Innovative technology developed right here in the city is set to enable large and very large container ships to switch off their auxiliary diesel supplies during lay time and instead draw the power they need for on-board operations from a new kind of mobile generator.Becker Marine Systems, Hapag-Lloyd AG and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) have been testing the new technology as part of a joint pilot project since the start of the year. Technology supplier Becker Marine Systems developed the mobile power generator, then partnered with Hapag-Lloyd and HHLA for the test phase.

Hamburg-based Becker Marine Systems is now taking another step forward – wind operated vessels."We will see different hybrid systems on board vessels in the future. There will be ships and services where sailing provides a real option for supporting propulsion," said Henning Kuhlmann, Managing Director of Becker Marine Systems.Becker is developing a highly efficient wing sail, which will generate significant forward thrust on commercial vessels. The operational profile of the vessel will have to be adapted and weather routing is an important part of it, but for long range operation, using wind as a "fuel" source will significantly reduce a vessel's fuel consumption.The key partner for this development is Wallenius Marine.

The U.S. office of Becker Marine Systems announced the order for a retrofit of another set of Becker Flap Rudders placed by the Canal Barge Company, Inc. Canal Barge Company is a family-owned, independent marine transportation company headquartered in New Orleans. Chosen for retrofit is the 140-ft. boat Eugenie P. Jones, built in 1975 by the Dravo Corporation. She is a sister vessel of the Susan L. Flap Rudders since June of 2014. Canal Barge Company also has one more set of Becker Flap Rudders on order for a third sister boat.