Hulls News

Uzmar Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey has launched a first-of-its-kind tractor tug for Turkish operator BOTAS.The vessel, named the Sultanhani, was launched on February 27 as the world’s first Voith propelled tractor tug with liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel propulsion. It is the first of two hulls being built for BOTAS to Robert Allan Ltd.’s TRAktor V3900-DF design.The TRAktor V3900-DF builds on Robert Allan Ltd.’s experience designing both Voith tractor tugs and LNG dual fuel tugs.

Damen Naval has selected Kongsberg Maritime Sweden to deliver controllable pitch propellers and shaft lines for the four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates for the Netherlands and Belgium.As part of this contract, Kongsberg will supply four shipsets of its controllable pitch propeller systems and associated equipment including blades, hubcaps, hubs, and shaft lines.The four ASW frigates will replace the current Karel Doorman-class multi-purpose frigates. They will be deployed for a wide variety of tasks, with anti-submarine warfare as their main purpose.

A newly unveiled concept for a sail-powered catamaran cruise ship aims to offer a luxury cruising experience on board a vessel that can travel emissions free.The unique vessel design--codenamed "Seabreeze"--comes from Norway-based YSA Design, who engineered the 104.5-meter-long ship to feature four 50-meter-high foldable sails mounted on 6-meter-high bases on deck for emissions-free propulsion.“Sustainability is critical but cruise shipping also needs to continuously reinvent itself,” said Trond Sigurdsen, Senior Architect and Partner, YSA Design.

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft on Saturday launched the new Olympic construction service operation vessel (CSOV), Olympic Boreas.The newbuild is first of two sister vessels for Olympic, designed to assist in offshore energy construction projects and service assignments.The launch saw the vessel towed out the dock hall and moored quayside for outfitting work."The general outfitting work, which consists of accommodation work, electrical installations, piping and mechanical installations, to name a few, is well underway.

Austal Limited announced Austal Vietnam has been awarded a contract to design and construct a 71-meter roll-on-roll-off (RORO) passenger cargo vessel for The Degage Group of French Polynesia.The new steel monohull ferry design includes an aluminium superstructure accommodating up to 140 seated passengers and 17 crew, and features a main cargo deck area of 494 square meters; capable of transporting a combination of 10- and 20-foot containers, palletized cargo and vehicles.With a cruising speed of 12 knots and a range of 1…

ESNA and Strategic Marine have signed an agreement to develop a SES CTV (Surface Effect Ship Crew Transfer Vessel) for offshore wind applications.According to Wikipedia, a surface effect ship or sidewall hovercraft is a watercraft that has both an air cushion, like a hovercraft, and twin hulls, like a catamaran.The vessel type offers the combination of higher speed, increased operational wave height and reduced fuel oil consumption.The plan is to start building the first offshore…

Independent laboratory testing reportedly confirmed there is no decrease in the thickness of hull coatings from the use of Shipshave’s In-Transit Cleaning of Hulls (ITCH) solution, according to the company.The Endures laboratory in the Netherlands was enlisted by Norwegian technology developer Shipshave to perform tests to investigate the impact on the thickness and roughness of anti-fouling coatings from repeated brushing with the ITCH system.A number of coated panels treated…

Two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) under construction for Germany-based Bernhard Schulte Offshore have reached milestones. The steel cutting and keel laying ceremonies for yno 321 and 320, respectively, were arranged at the Crist hull yard, Poland, on January 30, 2024.The two Ulstein-designed CSOVs are characterized by the TWIN X-STERN feature, implementing fore and aft main propeller units for excellent dynamic positioning characteristics.The hulls will be prepared at Crist before being towed to Ulstein Verft in Norway for the final phases…

Swire Shipping announced that Westwood Shipping Lines, a niche vessel operator it acquired in June 2022, has changed its name to Swire Shipping.According to Sire, the rebrand—which took effect February 1—will help Westwood to leverage synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network to better serve customers throughout North America, Japan, South Korea and China.“The integration of Westwood Shipping Lines reflects our continued investment and expansion in the North Pacific.

Windward Offshore has exercised its option for the design and construction for two additional hybrid commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) from Vard.Windward Offshore, a consortium led by ASSC's offshore arm SeaRenergy Group in Germany, announced its initial order for two CSOVs from Vard in October 2023. Other founding partners behind the venture include Blue Star Group, Diana Shipping Inc. and SeraVerse."Windward Offshore is pleased to announce the execution of the options for two further VARD 4 19 CSOVs…

The first of two methanol-ready newbuild Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) for the Norwegian shipowner Olympic has arrived at the outfitting yard of Ulstein Verft in Norway.The contract between Olympic and Ulstein was signed in 2022 and includes the construction of two CSOVs for offshore wind at Ulstein Verft.The vessels are based on the ULSTEIN SX222 design, and have a length of 89.6 meters with a beam of 19.2 meters. The CSOVs are able to accommodate 126 people in 91 cabins.

The much-needed replacement for the U.S. Coast Guard’s long-serving medium endurance cutters (WMEC) took a giant step closer to joining the fleet as the first Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) was launched and christened at Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) in Panama City, Fla. on October 27, 2023.The future USCGC Argus (WMSM 915) was christened by the ship’s sponsor, Captain (Ret.) Beverly Kelley, the first woman to command a U.S. military vessel, the 95-foot patrol boat, USCGC Cape Newagen (WPB 95318).

Russia is hoping its shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will offset a sharp fall in pipeline gas exports to Europe, but a shortage of gas tankers and sanctions hold back its plans, analysts and industry sources said.Russia wants to boost its share of the LNG market to 20% by 2030 from 8% now, but a force majeure declaration by top producer Novatek over LNG supplies from its future Arctic LNG 2 project due to sanctions shows the hurdles it faces.Novatek's announcement comes after the United States last month imposed sanctions on Arctic LNG 2…

Stolt Tankers reports it is the first shipping company in the world to apply a cutting-edge sustainable coating to the hull of one of its vessels.The X-GIT FUEL graphene technology, developed by Graphite Innovation & Technologies (GIT) Coatings, has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions.X-GIT FUEL is a hard foul release hull coating that creates an ultra-low friction surface to increase vessel performance, without the use of biocides, silicon oils or toxic components.

Robotics company Greensea IQ has launched its most advanced EverClean service robot to date.The company says the improvements represent a significant leap forward in the realm of supervised reliable autonomy with over-the-horizon operational capability for underwater hull maintenance.OPENSEA is Greensea IQ’s extensively refined and modified software system that provides the robot's capability to deliver fast and efficient hull cleaning. The new EverClean robot features depth aided navigation, smarter obstacle avoidance, improved manoeuvring and enhanced user interaction capabilities.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is warning criminals that their attempts to hide illicit drugs in the hull of cargo ships continues to be disrupted by law enforcement after another import was seized by authorities in Melbourne.Packages of cocaine concealed inside the sea chest of a cargo ship was seized after the vessel docked in Melbourne, the second attempted import of its kind in two months.Australian Border Force (ABF) used an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at Melbourne's Appleton Dock to search a vessel…

Frank Manning has quickly risen through the ranks during his eight years in the shipyard business, today serving as president and COO at Diversified Marine, Inc. (DMI) in Portland, Ore. Crucial along the way has been a passion for the business itself and the people that make it all possible.“The first day I walked in a shipyard I knew that I was in the right industry,” Manning said. “DMI has always been a relationship-based business. All of our customers are close friends, and we have relationships that are second to none,” he said.

FPSO leasing company BW Offshore said Thursday that the hull of BW Opal, one of the largest FPSO hulls ever built and destined for Santos' Barossa gas project in Australia, had set sail from a yard in South Korea and was en route to Singapore for topside integration."On October 28, 2023, at 11:30 local time, the newbuild hull for the BW Opal FPSO, which is based on BW Offshore’s RapidFramework concept, started tow from the SK Oceanplant (SKOP) yard in South Korea, to the integration shipyard in Singapore…

Lloyd's Register (LR) will classify two methanol-ready Commissioning Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) being built by VARD for the UK-based offshore vessel operator North Star."The new tonnage will increase North Star’s offshore wind capabilities as it progresses its ambition to add 40 hybrid-powered SOVs to its fleet by 2040. The introduction of the two CSOVs will expand North Star’s capabilities to support commissioning and maintenance work essential to ensuring offshore wind farms can operate.

EverClean’s “Always Clean” hull management service, which is designed to deliver maximum hull performance for commercial vessel owners, announced the launch of EverClean IQ.EverClean IQ provides EverClean customers with insights into their vessels’ condition below the waterline by harnessing data collected during the cleaning operations. Using multiple sensors and cameras the cutting-edge robot accumulates valuable data on the ships while they are being serviced. The robots also have a system for recording brush pressure feedback…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a supplemental proposed rule to reduce the spread of invasive species though ballast water that occurs with normal operation of large marine vessels.Following public input on EPA’s 2020 proposed rule—including meetings with states, tribes and other stakeholders—the agency is now issuing a Supplemental Notice to share new data and control options raised by stakeholders. This supplemental proposal will bolster the development…

Dutch firm SBM Offshore said Friday it had won contracts to perform front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) for the ExxonMobil-led Whiptail development project in Guyana.Following FEED and subject to government approvals in Guyana of the development plan, and project sanction, including the final investment decision by ExxonMobil, to release the second phase of work, SBM Offshore will construct and install the FPSO.

Classification society ABS announced it has granted approval in principle (AIP) for a the Sterling Streamline, a next generation concept design for large floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) newbuild hulls from India's Shapoorji Pallonji Energy (SPE).The design features flexible mooring configurations, 60 risers and an umbilical slots riser balcony, with an oil processing capacity of up to 250,000 barrels per day and storage capacity of minimum 2.2 million barrels of crude oil.