Boats News

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…

The Swedish-built Combat Boat 90 (CB 90) has established itself with military forces around the world as both a warrior and a workhorse. The 52-foot boats first entered service in 1991 as troop carriers with the Swedish Marines, which is still procuring them. There are more than 250 operating worldwide today.These rugged boats are optimized for high-speed / shallow-draft operations in and around Sweden’s many coastal islands, but they have also proven to be ideal for a variety of other applications and operating environments.The CB 90 is 52 feet long, with a draft of just 2 feet 7 inches.

Ocean Craft Marine, the manufacturer of Amphibious Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), has signed a brand ambassador partnership with local Chicago-area boat enthusiasts Ted Widen and Mark Kaplan. Widen and Kaplan will represent Ocean Craft Marine in the Great Lakes region to increase brand awareness and provide sales and marketing of the AMP RHIBs to prospective customers in the Midwest."With a passion for the boating lifestyle, both Ted and Mark are the perfect ambassadors for the Ocean Craft Marine brand and our Amphibious RHIBs…

Inquiries began into what caused the disappearance of a tour boat off Japan's northern coast as search efforts intensified on Monday to find the vessel and its missing passengers, with the confirmed death toll rising to 11.The "Kazu I" left harbor on Saturday for a sightseeing trip when it ran into trouble off the Shiretoko peninsula on the island of Hokkaido. The boat was carrying 24 passengers, including 2 children, and two crew members. Only a few orange flotation devices bearing…

Aqua superPower announced a strategic partnership with AC charge point developer e-concept, which has developed a novel design of charging posts that have been approved for use in certain sensitive environments including the canals in Venice. Aqua superPower will be developing charging infrastructure for marine and inland water applications deploying e-concept’s AC charging posts where environmental, cultural and heritage factors need to be considered.e-concept manufactures public and private recharging stations for electric boats and for the transition towards electric marine transport.

Erden Eruc is a man on a ‘human-powered’ mission, a mission which Elliott Bay Design Group recently assisted with donated design services as he plans for the next leg of his “Six Summits Project.” Next up: a solo row across the Pacific Ocean, a bike ride to Tibet and climbing Mt. Everest.A Seattle resident, Erden Eruc’s solo circumnavigation by human power quest, which started as a quiet obsession in the late 1990s, became a life mission following the death of Göran Kropp, who died while rock climbing with Eruc in September of 2002.

Marell Boats of Sweden launched the M15 Quad outboard open high-speed interceptor that includes fine tuning of the M15 hull and the addition of four Mercury 450HP Outboard engines on an extended platform.The M15 is designed for high speed interception and boarding, with a center steering position for a helmsman to optimize control and allow for full view of the surroundings during boarding maneuvers and high speed turns. Ullman shock absorbing seats level out the impact from the…

Turkish tug boat builder Sanmar Shipyards said that it has launched Odin of Scapa, first of the Orkney Islands Council (OIC) two new tugs, at its shipyard at Altinova in Turkey."The launch was on schedule and the program is currently within budget," informed the shipbuilder.Following a period of final fitting out, equipment commissioning and then sea trials the purpose-built tug will commence a three week passage from Turkey and is due to arrive at its new home in Scapa Flow in Orkney at the end of the second week in May.The second tug – Thor of Scapa – is ahead of schedule and is due to arrive in Orkney some 2 months after its sister ship.OIC’s Head of Marine Services…

Dutch shipbuilding major Damen Shipyards Group said that it has signed a contract with London construction services provider S. Walsh & Sons (Walsh) for a CS2010 pusher tug from Concordia Damen.The pusher will be available for quick delivery in summer this year as a result of Concordia Damen’s practice of building stock hulls, the shipbuilder said.The CS 2010 will join the growing Walsh marine fleet operating on the River Thames in the UK – including the Damen Multi Cat 1908 delivered in 2019. The new vessel will push barges on the river, transporting huge volumes of bulk freight in and out of London.On delivery it will go straight into action…

The technical launch of first Doha-class air defense corvette ordered by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia).The corvette Al Zubarah is named after a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha.The vessel, which will be delivered in 2021, is designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules, said a release by Fincantieri."She will be a flexible type of ship capable of fulfilling a range of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capabilities to being a fighting vessel…

Australian-based global ship building company Austal Limited announced that it has been awarded a A$15.5 million (US$10.7 million) contract for a 41 meter, high-speed catamaran.According to a press release, the vessel will provide production continuity to Austal Vietnam as it completes the fabrication of a 94 meter ferry for a customer in Trinidad and Tobago. The contract will become effective when the required down payment is received, which is expected in the next few days.The new vessel is based on an existing and proven Austal Australia designed vessel, with customer defined design modifications to be undertaken in Vietnam before construction commences there by March…

The provider of towage services Boluda Towage Europe said that it's tugboat ‘Union Koala’ was officially certified for compliance with the IMO Tier III standards. The converted tug returned to service during a ceremony at the ABC Tower in Zeebrugge, Belgium."Boluda Towage Europe has passed a new milestone: it is the first towage company in Europe to convert an existing tugboat, complying with the IMO Tier III standards. The company embarked on this project together with supplier Anglo Belgian Corporation with the aim of reducing shipping emissions and addressing local port authorities’ demand for cleaner operations in the port area," claimed a press note from the company.To ensure that the vessel is complying with the IMO Tier III standard…

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has ordered two more fire-fighting vessels following the delivery of modern fireboat, the "Branddirektor Westphal".As with the previous order, both vessels will be fitted with Schottel thrusters – in this case, two Schottel Rudderpropellers and one Schottel Transverse Thruster. These will enable maximum maneuverability in the restricted fairway of the Port of Hamburg.This mobility is also guaranteed in situations that require fast response times. The special vessels, operated by Flotte Hamburg, a wholly owned subsidiary of the HPA, are currently under construction at Damen Shipyards.Each of the fireboats features two rudder-propellers type SRP 150 L FP (380 kW each) with a propeller diameter of 1.10 m and a transverse thruster type STT 60 FP (100 kW).

Italian yacht manufacturer Ferretti Group said that its brand Custom Line has achieved its goal of 14 launches in 2019 and of the sale of two Navetta 33s in December alone.Three new launches were held during the last three months at the Ferretti Group’s Superyacht Yard in Ancona: Custom Line 106’ was launched on 28 October, a Navetta 42 on 3 December, and a Navetta 28 took to the water on 12 December.These latest débuts show once again the tremendous commercial success of 28-42 metre Custom Line vessels, the leaders in comfort, technology and design. As many as 14 Custom Line yachts were launched in 2019 at the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard…

Canadian marine engineering services firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) said that it has been awarded a contract by Modutech Marine Inc. of Tacoma, Washington to design a new version of the commercially successful RAscal 1800-Z tugs for the United States Navy.According to the consulting naval architectural firm, this award builds on the success of Robert Allan Ltd.’s Z-Tech 4500 design for the US Navy which currently operates six, identified as the YT 802 Class, and has another six tugs, identified as the YT 808 Class, currently under construction.The new RAscal tug (with an option for one more) will be built by Modutech Marine Inc at their…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a shipbuilder based in Panama City, Florida, has recently launched the RApport 2400 tug C.D. White, a ship-assist / escort tug for E.N. Bisso & Son Inc. of New Orleans LA.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. it is first of two tugs of the same design being built by Eastern for E.N. Bisso. The tug is designed and built to USCG Subchapter M.Though very similar to the tug Gladys B, delivered in to E.N. Bisso in 2016, the design incorporates modifications in order to better accommodate the owner’s operational requirements, regulatory changes and different main machinery."The vessel has been designed to the highest standards of outfitting for an operating crew of up to six.

MasterCraft Boat Holdings announced that its Board of Directors has appointed current Board Chair, Frederick A. Brightbill, as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.Brightbill’s appointment follows Terry McNew’s decision to step down as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Company to pursue an opportunity outside of the boating industry. Brightbill is expected to serve until the Company completes a search and appoints a new Chief Executive Officer.“On behalf of the Board and the entire organization, I would like to thank Terry for his leadership, steadfast dedication and service to MasterCraft over the past seven years…

The most powerful ice-breaking tug of this size, TundRA 3600-H (Hybrid) tug VILJA was christened in the Port of Luleå, Sweden.The 36-metre tug is yet another significant achievement of Robert Allan Ltd. The hybrid propulsion system and the use of batteries provides the vessel with flexibility and efficiency to perform its task year-round.The tug will be capable of operating entirely on the electrical battery power feeding shaft driven motor generator sets as well as the ship’s load only or by utilizing a single main engine in the hybrid diesel-electrical mode driving both shafts via the same motor generator sets producing a bollard pull of up to 55 tonnes…

Japanese shipping line Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) collaborated with Oki Electric Industry (OKI), to launch a joint study on the use of OKI's bird's-eye view monitoring system to monitor a 360° field of view around a tugboat.The system was installed on the tugboat Asaka Maru and a preliminary experiment was conducted, said a press release.As a tugboat approaches a large vessel for assistance, only a small part of the vessel's hull can be seen from tug's bridge, and therefore, the tugboat relies on instructions through the radio from the pilot onboard the target vessel.The experiment was done in a situation with OKI's "FlyingView" setting four fish-eye cameras on the mast…

A new monohull dive compliance vessel Salish Scout was recently accepted by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after successful launch and sea trials in Port Angeles Harbor.In a competitive solicitation process last year, DNR selected Armstrong Marine’s proposal to design and build multiple vessels for their Marine Law Enforcement program. Salish Scout is a sister ship to the vessel Sentry, completed earlier this summer.Salish Scout is customized for efficient geoduck fishery management along with other marine law enforcement operations. A 4’ dive platform, tank racks, aft deck shower, and custom dive ladder serve DNR divers monitoring geoduck stock and habitat.“As the manager of 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands…

The Ferretti Group announced that it has gained new orders worth $510.1 million (465 million euros) during the first nine months of the year, up 18 percent compared to the same period in 2018.The Italian boatbuilder said in a press statement that its Wally brand helped increase its order book. It also signed contracts for 16 coastal patrol boats in its Ferretti Security Division."These positive results have benefited from the launch of five new models under our Riva, Pershing, Ferretti Yachts and Custom Line brands, as well as from the relaunch of the Wally brand, which we acquired in April this year. In particular, our first serial model under the Wally brand…

MetalCraft Marine (MCM), an aluminum boat manufacturer located in Kingston, Ontario, has delivered their 18th NFPA Type III Fireboat in 14 years.In 2015 the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) ordered their first FireStorm 50’, along with a 50’ STLC landing craft support craft. The KFSD liked the FireStorm 50’ so much, they bought Two more in 2016. The KFSD have now received their Fourth FS50.The new FS-50 has the very latest in technology available for fire fighting and search and rescue. This is the first FireStorm powered by Volvo D13 1000 HP twin diesels. It is propelled by the first Marine Jet Power 310X mixed flow waterjets installed in North America. The boat’s electronics are the latest offerings by Raymarine, the Axiom PRO Series.

The Admiralty Shipyard in St Petersburg has begun cutting steel for the third in the series of trawlers being built for the Russian Fishery Company, with this vessel’s keel expected to be laid in June next year.In total, the Admiralty Shipyards will build 10 modern super trawlers for the RFC. The entire series will be built in pairs, two vessels a year with an interval of about a year between the pairs. The total investment in the construction of the series is more than 65 billion rubles.Currently, the hull of the first vessel is practically formed on the slipway. The launch of the first pair is scheduled for next spring.“Despite the fact that Russian shipyards have not completed such projects before…