Cats News

HII announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division (NNS) recently began topside testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).EMALS, first integrated into USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), replaces the existing steam catapults currently in use on the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.Following successful “no-load” testing on catapults one and two, known as the ‘bow cats,’ the NNS team, alongside the John F. Kennedy crew, has now started “dead-load” testing.

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Damen Shipyards has delivered one of its Multi Cats to workboat specialist Maritime Craft Services (Clyde) Ltd. The 27-meter Multi Cat 2712 is a mid-range model in the 13-strong class and Damen builds them in series to meet the consistent demand for vessels of this size and capability, the Dutch shipbuilder said.Based on the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland, Maritime Craft Services (MCS) operates a fleet of 17 workboats, of which 13 have been built by Damen. The company provides services to offshore energy contractors and dredging clients for activities including anchor handling…

American Cruise Lines’ newest Coastal Cat, American Glory, completed sea trials and has been delivered from Chesapeake Shipbuilding on-time as scheduled.The the 100-passenger small ship is the newest ship in American’s ongoing series of 12 new Coastal Cats for exploring U.S. waterways. Additional ships in the series are already under construction, with the next two scheduled for delivery in 2024. American Glory will sail its inaugural cruise on November 28 from Maryland to Florida…

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has taken delivery of the Cape Hatteras and the Cape Canaveral, the two Damen 3013 Multi Cats built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La.“This is a milestone for our company and the U.S. dredging industry,” said Chris Gunsten, Great Lakes’ senior vice president of project services and fleet engineering. “The Multi Cat brings step change safety improvements to Great Lakes’ dredge pipeline operations, which was a prime driver for the investment.

American Cruise Lines introduced its first new Coastal Cat, American Eagle, during a christening ceremony in at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy campus on Buzzards Bay last week.Carol Robertson, wife of American Cruise Lines’ founder the late Charles A. Robertson, served as godmother for the ship and christened the 100-passenger American Eagle with one of her handmade, ribbon-wrapped champagne bottles. The American Eagle is named after the first American Cruise Lines’ ship, which the couple launched in the 1970s.The ceremony began with remarks from Robertson…

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled the Multi Cat 1908 Electric, a fully electric, zero emissions operations workboat.The MuC 1908 E is based the Damen Multi Cat 1908, a proven product within the Damen portfolio that has been operating successfully around the world for over a quarter of a century.The MuC 1908 E is 19.05 meters by 8.4 meters, with a deck area of 35m². It offers seven tonnes of bollard pull and can travel at speeds of up to seven knots. The batteries used for the vessel’s propulsion have a lifetime of 10 years.

American Cruise Lines on Monday announced construction has begun on American Legend, the fourth new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series.Described by American Cruise Lines as a "nimble go-anywhere ship", the 100-guest American Legend is being built for coastal operation and features a new hull design that is a hallmark of the series. All American’s new Coastal Cats are being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md.The first three ships in the series—American Eagle…

Netherlands-based tug and workboat company Herman Senior has acquired all shares of maritime and offshore services provider ST Marine Support. The acquisition includes ST’s three existing vessels and their upcoming newbuild, a Damen Multi Cat 3313SD, which is expected to be delivered at the end of March this year. With the formal handover completed on February 23, the acquisition has come into effect retroactively as of January 1, 2023.With this agreement ST Marine Support becomes part of the Herman Senior group of companies, integrating both fleets.

Tim Clerc’s maritime career spans half a century, starting with his cadet training in 1969 in the U.K. He sees hybrid technology as one of the most transformational technological developments in maritime in that span, and the company is currently awaiting its 10th hybrid, the Seacor Yangtze. Clerc discusses the hybrid strategy and offers some practical insights.If you had to pick one technology that you think has made the business of running ships more efficient, more cost effective…

Belle Chasse, La. shipbuilder C&C Marine and Repair will build four new Damen Multi Cat 3013 workboats to be delivered over the course of 2023.The first two vessels will be delivered to Galveston, Texas based dredging contractor Callan Marine, and the second two vessels will be built on spec for sale or lease to the U.S. market.The Multi Cat 3013 design comes from the Netherlands-based shipbuilding conglomerate Damen Shipyards Group, which licenses its designs to U.S. shipyards to build for the Jones Act market.Each of the 30-meter…

American Cruise Lines announced on Monday that Salisbury, Md. shipbuilder Chesapeake Shipbuilding has began building American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series. The newbuild is scheduled to enter service in May 2024.First announced in January 2022, the Project Blue series is a set of 12 small ships designed to cover almost any domestic U.S. cruise itinerary. The first two ships in the series, American Eagle and American Glory are scheduled…

When it came time to replace their 50-year-old station vessel New York, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association thought long and hard, weighing their options to determine the best possible solution. They traveled the country, to Houston, San Francisco and up to the Columbia River, and even to Europe—the Elbe River in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands—to ride with other pilots in search of an answer.“We looked at everything from SWATH (small-waterplane-area twin hull) boats to helicopters to big boats in Europe…

Underwater foul-release coatings company Propspeed announced Tuesday that its big investment in global expansion at the beginning of this year is paying off in a big way.The New Zealand-based company said it achieved "unprecedented growth" in 2021, including an expanded focus on the commercial maritime industry, despite the lockdowns and supply chain issues that have plagued recent history.“After navigating 2020 and the paradigm shift that occurred in how the industry as a whole does business…

Antwerp-based Brabo Group has held a naming ceremony for a Multi Cat 1506 and a Multi Cat 1908 delivered by Damen Shipyards Group. The group’s cleaning division, Brabo Cleaning Company, has secured a contract with Port of Antwerp to maintain a pollution-free environment in the harbor.The naming ceremony took place at Brabo’s headquarters in Antwerp on October 21. The vessels were sponsored by Annick de Ridder and Yasmine Janssen.After securing the contract, Brabo required the vessels quickly.

The Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group is one of the industry’s largest and most recognized shipbuilders, perhaps best known for its standardized, serial production workboats. Now with several dozen newbuild and repair yards on the map, the company has produced more than 6,000 vessels over its 90-year history—from harbor tugs and offshore supply ships, to ferries and patrol craft. But Damen does not have a shipyard in the United States, and therefore doesn’t directly build vessels for the Jones Act market. Instead, it licenses its designs to U.S.

Conrad Shipyard said it has started building two Damen-designed Multi-Cat vessels scheduled to be delivered to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. A steel cutting ceremony was held at Conrad's Morgan City, La. shipyard.The two identical vessels are being built under a licensing agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group. They will be the first of their type built in the U.S. Each Damen Multi Cat 3013 measure 98.92’ in length and will be powered by three Caterpillar C32 TTA engines capable of meeting speeds of 10.2 knots.

U.S. shipbuilder Conrad Industries has signed a license agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group to build two Damen Multi Cats 3013 for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.The two vessels covered by this agreement will be the first Damen Multi Cats to be built in the U.S. Fully compliant with the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stability criteria, the versatile Multi Cat is the ideal platform for dredging support operations."This is a milestone moment for the U.S.

Boatbuilder Armstrong Marine USA said it has changed its name to BRIX Marine as the company looks to broaden and diversify its portfolio of welded aluminum boats.Since 1991, Armstrong Marine has crafting rugged aluminum catamarans and workboats. The company was founded in Canada and moved to Port Angeles, Wash. in 2001 before joining Bryton Marine Group in 2017.“Our team has developed strong momentum with our boat portfolios and customers. As we look to the future, Brix Marine will honor the legacy we have built and move beyond to deliver exceptional custom boats…

The UK-based High Speed Transfers (HST) has taken delivery of its fourth fast crew supplier (FCS) 2710, eighteen months after receiving its first, the HST 'Hudson'.HST received HST Hudson, in June 2018, which was followed by HST Sofia in March 2019 and HST Harri in October of the same year.The latest addition is named HST Euan and in mid-January 2020 she was loaded on to a heavy lift vessel at Damen Shipyards Antalya in Turkey bound for Rotterdam.The HST Euan replicates the features and layout of her sister ships. These include capacity for 26 passengers in safety and comfort and the ability to operate in wave heights of more than two meters.

Dutch marine construction company ST Marine Support christened its newest multi-purpose workboat (Multi Cat) AUXILIA at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld.The vessel brings the total of Multi Cats in the company’s fleet to three, following the delivery of Multi Cats 3013 ODIN in 2010 and NERO in 2013. AUXILIA is the first of her kind – a Multi Cat 3513.S. T. Marine Support approached Damen for a new Multi Cat with larger deck capacity and greater winch capacity. The contract was signed in February 2018 and Damen worked closely with the client in the development of the vessel.Co-founder and director of the company Vasco Tammes explains, “When we needed a Multi Cat larger than those we’ve used before, we approached Damen.

The success of the first lines boat / utility vessel Dongara Marine built for Jetwave Marine led the Western Australian marine services provider to acquire a second.Jetwave Nelson Point is the latest addition to Jetwave Marine’s owned and operated fleet, which includes nearly 30 specialized commercial vessels including harbor tugs, barges, multi-cats, utility / crew boats, and port service craft. These cater to the requirements of clients in the oil and gas, and resource industries Australia-wide.Designed by Southerly Designs…

Thai navy sailors braved choppy waters to launch a dramatic rescue this week after discovering four cats had been abandoned on a sinking ship that caught fire off a paradise island.After the crew had been taken to safety on Tuesday, the navy was sent to the site of the capsized vessel to check for an oil spill, but discovered a few crew members had been forgotten.“I used my camera to zoom in to the boat, and I saw one or two cats popping their heads out,” said First-Class Petty Officer Wichit Pukdeelon of the navy’s air and coastal defense division.A sailor in a life vest swam out to the capsi