Great Britain News

DNV has awarded an approval in principle for Michelin's WISAMO wing sail system, which is the first AiP to have been awarded to an inflatable wing sail design. The WISAMO wing sail system is currently being installed for testing on the DNV-classed MN Pelican ro-ro cargo vessel.An Approval in Principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible, and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.

Britain won't proceed with building a new national flagship to promote business and trade interests around the world, defense minister Ben Wallace said on Monday, ending one of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pet projects.The ship was announced in May 2021 to host trade shows and negotiations, but tendering of contracts had not been completed.Wallace said that the project had been scrapped as he was prioritizing building ships to detect threats to cables on the seabed in…

For many, the ocean is life. It provides transportation, work, commerce, food, recreation—tales as old as time and shared by people across the globe. These stories are lived day to day, passed down between generations, and shared with the public through various media. Maritime museums assume responsibility to share these histories while honoring the communities shaped ocean exploration and commerce. In a decade where ocean health and climatic events have become a primary focus…

French tire maker Michelin and Compagnie Maritime Nantaise said on Thursday they will jointly test Michelin's inflatable wing sail this year on a merchant ship for the first time, in a move that may help the shipping industry cut its emissions.The Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project is centered on an inflatable, retractable and automated wing that can be fitted on commercial vessels and pleasure boats, the statement said.Using wind propulsion, it could help save up to 20% of the fuel used per ship…

The United States, Britain and Australia will establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as Chinese influence over the region grows.Under the partnership, to be announced on Wednesday by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines…

The Nanjing Jinling shipyard in China has laid the keel for the second of three new hybrid ro-ro vessels it is building for Finnlines.The construction of MS Finneco II is proceeding, and the keel laying ceremony was held on May 12, Finnlines said.The vessel is part of Finnlines’ €500 million ($607 million) newbuilding program which includes two eco-sustainable ro-pax vessels in addition to the three hybrid ro-ro vessels.“Finnlines has made major investments in renewing and developing its fleet into more sustainable, using the latest technologies and green innovations available.

Finnlines’ first of three new hybrid ro-ro vessels was launched at the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard in China on Monday. The vessel, Finneco I, will start sailing on the Finnish shipping company’s Biscay–North Sea–Baltic Sea service at the turn of the year. The series’ second and third vessels, Finneco II and Finneco III, will be delivered in 2022.The new vessels are 238 meters long with a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane meters. Additionally, car decks have a capacity of 5,800 square meters and about 520 TEU on the weather deck.

Britain could lose more jobs in its fishing sector if the current delays and increased costs involved in exporting to the EU post-Brexit are not ironed out soon, industry groups told British government officials on Tuesday.Speaking at an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) select committee inquiry, representatives of Britain's fishing sector said small to medium-sized enterprises were especially at risk and called on the government to urgently negotiate new export rules with the EU."(Even) if we get (export) systems sorted, we will still have cost implications.

Thirty years ago, a ship built in Hobart by Incat Tasmania challenged for the Hales Trophy which recognizes the fastest commercial passenger ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The 74-meter Hoverspeed Great Britain left New York on her Transatlantic Challenge voyage arriving in at Bishop Rock on England’s south coast on June 23, 1990. The crossing achieved in 3 days, 7 hours and 54 minutes.The previous record had held for 38 years, the USS United States having taken it out in 1952 after a long list of Transatlantic Challenges by the great passenger liners over the previous century.

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced its Chief Operating Officer Patrick Gregg will take over as Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2021, following a six-month transition from current Managing Director and CEO David Singleton.Gregg was appointed as COO 3.5 years ago with a view to him being a natural successor for the CEO role in the future, said John Rothwell, Chairman of Austal Limited. Since Gregg's appointment Austal has set up operations in Vietnam, expanded…

Ferry routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland have been safeguarded, thanks to a multimillion-pound government scheme to help ensure critical freight can continue to move into and across the union.The package, worth up to £17 million ($21 million), is being funded by the U.K. government and the Northern Ireland Executive and will be made available to operators so that they can continue running freight services on five sea routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced further funding…

Driver-less heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be to ship freight between the UK and continental Europe in the future, according to a new white paper published by the British Ports Association (BPA) and the specialist freight transport consultancy MDS Transmodal.Commercial and environmental pressures will encourage freight operators to look at autonomous trucks and they would transform the way the ro-ro market works in Great Britain."Changes anticipated include significant growth in the market share of ‘driverless accompanied’ RORO traffic – particularly through North Sea and Western English Channel ports," it said.Technical developments…

The Irish power grid operator EirGrid has awarded NKT a service contract for the interconnector connecting Ireland and Great Britain.The cable and cable accessories supplier to the energy sector has been awarded a five-year service agreement by the Irish power grid operator EirGrid for cable related services including repair works for the East West Interconnector.The 200 kV HVDC power cable with capacity of 500 MW between Ireland and Great Britain is connecting the countries power grid ensuring the high transmission security needed to power modern life.For NKT, the agreement marks the first contract including the company’s recently launched 10 days vessel mobilization guarantee.

Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with the global towage and marine services operator  Svitzer covering spare parts deliveries in six countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines.The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries.In VCA, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board.

Global energy company E.ON has signed an agreement to purchase clean energy from British wind farms of RWE Renewables.The 2.5-year agreement is on purchasing the output of more than 20 British wind farms, supplying sustainable power to the grid and supporting E.ON’s commitment to provide 100% renewable power for its UK customers.With this power purchase agreement (PPA) E.ON buys around 3TWh of power annually from wind farms around Great Britain which are operated by RWE. It covers a capacity of 892MW of onshore and offshore wind generation and includes a proportion of the London Array, currently the world’s second largest offshore wind…

German utility RWE has delivered its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo to Great Britain.The cargo, comprised of approximately 150 000 m3 of LNG, was regasified through a Milford Haven LNG Terminal, located close to RWE’s 2000 MW Pembroke B gas-fired combined cycle gas power plant (CCGT).The cargo has been sourced from the portfolio of RWE Supply & Trading, the subsidiary of RWE which is responsible for gas and LNG trading.The cargo was loaded from Sabine Pass Liquefaction Terminal in the Gulf of Mexico, USA and transported by RWE Supply & Trading to Great Britain on the Gaslog Savannah LNG carrier.Once regasified, the LNG will meet a significant proportion of any gas consumption needs of Pembroke Power Station. On a typical day Pembroke burns 8,000,000 m3 of natural gas.

UK-based autonomous work-boat company SEA-KIT said that its Maxlimer could be the first unmanned surface vessel across the Atlantic.The British drone ship is set to sail from the coast of Canada and attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean for Great Britain this fall in a voyage that could bring crewless cargo ships closer to reality.According to The Daily Beast, the Atlantic crossing is scheduled for sometime in the first half of 2020. Since Maxlimer has a range of 12,000 nm with its twin diesel engines, the journey is well within its technical specifications, and it is expected to take about one month to complete the voyage.The Maxlimer…

Germany's Siemens AG said  that it has won a deal to supply two converter stations for the first high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link between the UK and Denmark.Viking Link will enable the exchange of up to 1400MW of electricity to provide increased power-supply reliability and security to consumers in both countries, and will support the integration of renewable energy.The interconnector is being jointly developed by National Grid Ventures (Great Britain) and Energinet (Denmark) via National Grid Viking Link Ltd. and Energinet Eltransmission A/S. Viking Link is scheduled to begin commercial operation at the end of 2023.The two converter stations…

Operations to recover oil from a World War II-era shipwreck are nearing completion after commencing on May 11, 2019 off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.The sunken vessel, Coimbra, was a supply ship owned by Great Britain that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Long Island during World War II. Initial dive operations in May 2019 confirmed the tanker was leaking small amounts of oil, the Coast Guard discovered.A unified command…

The U.S. Coast Guard has contracted Resolve Marine Group to conduct a full assessment of oil remaining on the Coimbra wreck, located approximately 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, N.Y. If substantial oil still remains, and if feasible, the Coast Guard will work with Resolve Marine Group to remove oil from the wreck in order to reduce pollution risks to the environment.The operation is scheduled to take place from April 28th to May 30th. The initial evaluation will assess the condition of the tanker and what potential environmental impact still exists. Based on the assessment, possible oil removal operations will take place.During the operation…

Hamburg Süd christened the “Polar Mexico” container ship in the Mexican port of Veracruz on the weekend.The sponsor of the “Polar Mexico” is Claudia Dávila, wife of Carlos Ayala, Logistics and Distribution Director of Alpek Polyester, which is a subsidiary of the Alfa Group, one of the largest corporate groups in Mexico.The Mexican economy is strong in the fruit sector as well as in other industries with high import and export volumes, such as automobile manufacturing, chemicals and brewing.

The Liebherr Group notched up a company record turnover of $11.8 million in 2018, representing an increase of $828 million, or 7.5 %, compared with the previous year.Despite a slight decline in overall economic growth, revenues from construction machinery and mining equipment rose by 10.8 % to $7,761 million, with especially strong contributions from the Earthmoving, Mobile Cranes and Mining divisions. In the other product areas, which include Maritime Cranes, Aerospace and Transportation Systems…

Hamburg Süd christened the Polar Ecuador containership in Antwerp.The new vessel belongs to a group of four structurally identical vessels in the Polar class that have been built for Hamburg Süd by the Chinese shipyard Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding. With a total length of 230 meters and a width of 37.30 meters, the ship offers a container storage capacity of 3,800 TEU and is equipped with 1,000 reefer plugs.The Polar Ecuador is deployed in Hamburg Süd’s North Europe – Mexico/Caribbean service (EMCS)…