Infinity News

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

Ocean Infinity signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with Shell to provide its robotic fleet for servicing the offshore energy sector.The GFA marks a significant milestone in the provision of lean-crewed and robotic seabed geomatics, spanning geophysical and geotechnical services, within the offshore energy sector.It covers a 5-year period, encompassing all countries where Shell is currently active or plans to operate in the future.Services governed by the GFA include the Armada fleet of uncrewed and lean-crewed vessels."This agreement enables new…

Malaysia is pushing for a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the transport minister said on Sunday, as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries approaches.Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course, and debris…

Indian shipbuilder Cochin Shipyard has cut first steel for the first vessel in Samskip's new series of zero-emission, autonomous ready shortsea containerships.The first of two contracted vessels, Samskip SeaShuttle, will also be among the world's first zero-emissions short sea container vessels fueled by green hydrogen.The 135-meter-long containerships were ordered by marine robotics specialist Ocean Infinity for scheduled delivery in 2025 and will be operated under long-term charter by Rotterdam-based shipping company Samskip on its west European routes.

Marine electric product company RAD Propulsion announces that it has secured £1,000,000 investment from Ocean Infinity, a marine technology business that deploys innovative robotic and autonomous vessel solutions.The investment is part of a raise round to facilitate RAD’s rapid operational scale up as its RAD 40 electric drive goes into mass production. This year, RAD will see its products become available to OEM partners around the world, with new product development underway too.

Norwegian ship designed and builder Vard has secured a contract from I.T. International Telecom Marine (IT) to convert its platform supply vessel (PSV) IT Infinity into a cable laying vessel (CLV).The PSV was built at Vard Brattvaag and delivered to Volstad Maritime in 2008 under the name Volstad Princess.SD Standard Drilling acquired the vessel in 2017 before it was sold to IT in 2021 and was renamed IT Infinity.The work will be carried out by Vard Brattvaag in Norway and the vessel will be delivered in the third quarter of 2024…

U.S.

SunStone Maritime Group announced it has secured multi-year charters for two of its expedition cruise ships.The deals are for SunStone's Infinity Class vessels Ocean Explorer and the Ocean Odyssey, both built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and delivered in 2021 and 2022 respectively.Under its new charter agreement, Ocean Explorer will return to polar cruising in October 2024 for SunStone's long-term client Quark Expeditions. The vessel, which ran aground in a remote part of Greenland last year…

“Turku is building the real big ships,” said Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer.Meyer is not exaggerating. The yard’s latest newbuild, Icon of the Seas—the first ship of Royal Caribbean’s Icon class—is 248,655 GT, making it the largest cruise ship ever constructed.In general, the cruise ships rolling out of the nearly 300-year-old Finnish shipyard have been steadily increasing in size since the Meyer Group took full ownership in 2015. “We are proud to say Turku has been a first-mover in building these big new classes for Royal Caribbean…

The steel cutting ceremony for the seventh and final vessel in the Infinity series of expedition cruise ships took place at the Haimen shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI).The PC6 expedition cruise ship, yet to be named, will embark on a long-term charter upon its delivery, the ship is technically identical to the rest of the Infinity vessels.The Infinity-class newbuilds, featuring up to 95 passenger cabins, each equipped with bathrooms and most with balconies, promise an immersive and comfortable experience for travellers.

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku on Monday delivered the world's largest cruise ship, the 248,655 GT Icon of the Seas, to U.S.-based Royal Caribbean International.The 365-meter-long cruise ship has 20 decks (including 18 guest decks) and surpasses the previous world's largest, Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class Allure of the Seas. With 2,805 staterooms, Icon is able to carry 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, or up to 7,600 passengers if every cabin is maxed out—another cruise industry record.

Burger Boat Company and yacht designer Evan K. Marshall have collaborated on the Burger 142 Atrium Motor Yacht, a vessel the companies say combines impeccable design and cutting-edge technology in a stunning 142-foot masterpiece.The inspiration behind the design was to establish an extraordinary centerpiece within the yacht's interior. With the Atrium, Marshall has successfully crafted a multi-story grand entrance that has never been seen on a yacht of this size. This distinctive feature will captivate the owner and their guests…

Cummins is working with partners in the U.K. to develop and deploy a methanol conversion kit for an engine aboard an Ocean Infinity offshore support vessel (OSV) as the maritime industry works toward transitioning to cleaner fuels.The engine manufacturer announced its proposal to jointly develop a Methanol Kit for its QSK60 engine was selected to receive funding as part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, funded by the U.K. government and delivered…

Realizing the full value of digital solutions far exceeds the capability of technology. The technology exists today to help offshore energy and maritime operators radically improve efficiency and cut costs in equal measure. The real trick to driving efficiencies is to take advantage of the latest technologies while at the same time negotiating the necessary culture change within individual organizations, to really reap the benefits.Harvest Technology Group is a relatively young and small Australian company that has caught the attention of a number of offshore and subsea industry heavyweights…

Norwegian energy industry giant Equinor has appointed of Samuel Byrne as Vice President of Operations at Equinor Renewables Americas to lead Equinor's offshore wind operations in the U.S.Bryne most recently served as Vice President responsible for Operations & Maintenance at maker Vestas Wind Systems in Asia-Pacific for both onshore and offshore wind farms, as well as solar and battery storage sites. His responsibilities covered 13 countries and approximately 15GW of wind farms either in operations or being commissioned…

Port of Aberdeen said Thursday it had been awarded funding from the UK Government for a multi-million-pound project to design and deliver the first large-scale landside and vessel-side shore power system in Scotland."The demonstrator project will cut vessel emissions at the berths by more than 80% compared with burning marine fuel and save in excess of 60,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the next 20 years," Port of Aberdeen said.Crucially, the port said, ‘Shore Power in Operation’ will pave the way for the roll-out of green shore power across North Harbour.

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas—the world's largest cruise ship—has commenced sea trials in the Baltic Sea.The 250,800 GT vessel, the first in Royal Caribbean's new Icon-class, has been under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland since June 2022. The fully assembled ship was floated out in December and is now undergoing final outfitting and testing.This first set of sea trials—which tests the performance of the ship's propulsion systems, navigation systems and other ship features…

OSM Maritime Group and Thome Group have received approvals from competition authorities to merge and create one of the world's largest ship management companies.The merged company, OSM Thome, says it will be a powerhouse in the international ship management market, represented in 22 countries and headquartered in Arendal, Norway.Finn Amund Nordbye CEO of OSM Thome said: "This is a big day for OSM Thome. Our merger is now formally and finally approved. The merged company combines proud traditions with high ambitions.

Expedition cruise company SunStone Maritime Group A/S recently received its sixth Infinity class vessel, the Ocean Albatros. Final documentswere signed on Thursday, April 20, completing delivery of the vessel from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China, to the SunStone companies. The ship will be on a year-round charter to Albatros Expeditions.Infinity Class Vessels are 104 m long and 18 m wide, with a draft of 5.1 m. They feature a passenger capacity between 130 and 200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115.

The maritime industry’s movement toward remote vessel operations will not only build a more diverse workforce, it will benefit from it, argues marine robotics company Ocean Infinity.Greater workforce diversity, whether it be considered along lines of ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, neurotype, physical ability or any other parameter, has shifted over the course of the last decade from a ‘nice to have’ to a fundamental value. The modern view of society that the thought leaders at Ocean Infinity subscribe to, is often characterized as ‘intersectionality’.

Shipping and logistics company Samskip said it is “venturing into zero-carbon, emissions-free shipping” through the operation of two hydrogen powered, autonomous-ready vessels from Indian shipbuilder Cochin Shipyard Ltd.The containerships were ordered by marine robotics specialist Ocean Infinity for scheduled delivery in 2025 and will be operated under long-term charter by Samskip on its west European routes. Once commissioned for service between Oslo and Rotterdam, the 500 TEU…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has delivered a new ocean cruise ship for shipowner Viking from its shipyard in Ancona.The newly built Viking Saturn will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. Like its sister ships, Viking Saturn is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.According to Fincantieri, the “Viking Saturn”, the tenth of this class, has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers, including an interior design team of Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios and London-based SMC Design…

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas—the world's largest cruise ship—is taking shape at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.The 250,800 GT vessel, the first in Royal Caribbean's new Icon-class, has been under construction since June 2022. The fully assembled ship was floated out in December and is now undergoing final outfitting ahead of scheduled delivery in October or November 2023.First announced in 2016, the 1,198-foot-long Icon of the Seas will have 20 decks (including 18 guest decks) and will be bigger than the world's current largest cruise ship…