Military Equipment News

The UK defense ministry has acquired a subsea construction vessel that used to work in the offshore energy industry. The vessel, Topaz Tangaroa, will undergo a period of military modification and will be used to protect subsea cables and oil and gas pipelines.The Topaz Tangaora, to be renamed as it joins the Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet, is the first of two future undersea surveillance ships, and it arrived at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. Thursday.Once operational, the ship will be used to protect seabed telecommunications cables and oil and gas pipelines. "The 98-meter-long, adaptable offshore patrol vessel – the length of Big Ben – will act as a ‘mother ship’…

The U.S. Navy's next Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship will be named USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67), Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced on Wednesday.The name selection follows the tradition of naming survey ships after explorers, oceanographers and distinguished marine surveyors. Widely known as a discoverer of the final resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard is a retired U.S. Navy Commander, former director of the Center for Ocean Exploration…

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA – also known as the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), contains a responder immunity provision. That provision states, in pertinent part:(A)A person is not liable for removal costs or damages which result from actions taken or omitted to be taken in the course of rendering care, assistance, or advice consistent with the National Contingency Plan or as otherwise directed by the President relating…

The German government made an offer to buy the insolvent MV Werften's Rostock shipyard for its navy, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Friday, in a move to top up capacities for repairing and servicing war ships.Germany, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has been scrambling to bring its military back in shape after decades of attrition following the Cold War.In a major policy shift, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged in February to sharply increase defense spending, including an initial 100 billion euro ($106 billion) fund to fill gaps in weapons and other military equipment.The d

The U.S. is spanning a sea bridge over the Atlantic to support Ukraine with crucial equipment in its war against Russia, a senior official said on Friday, as a huge cargo ship at the Belgian port of Antwerp got ready to set sail for Germany.Carol Petsonk, the United States' Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, was shown around the loading dock of the vehicles carrier "Arc Integrity" where the military gear was tied with straps to the floor."What we see is the vessel's carrying two types of equipment: One is the personal vehicles, belongings of service members who are going to serve in U.S.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls most of northern Yemen hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel engaged in "hostile acts" but which the Saudis said was carrying hospital equipment.The ship was heading to the Saudi port of Jizan, just north of Yemen, from the Yemeni Red Sea island of Socotra when it was attacked just before midnight on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, quoting coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki.Saudi Arabia…

Russia's Black Sea naval forces practiced destroying enemy targets on Tuesday as Moscow bristled at the presence of two U.S. warships in the area.President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russian forces could observe the USS Mount Whitney navy command ship "through binoculars or in the crosshairs of its ... defense systems" and complained about NATO activity near Russia's borders.On Tuesday, the Black Sea fleet said its ships had rehearsed destroying enemy targets and that their air defense systems had been put on alert at its bases in Novorossiysk and on annexed Crimea…

Indonesia ended salvage efforts on Wednesday to retrieve a disaster-stricken submarine that cost 53 lives and prompted questions over the maintenance of military equipment in the world's fourth most populous nation.The 44-year-old submarine lost contact with the Indonesian navy on April 21 while preparing for a torpedo drill in the Bali Sea, triggering a desperate international search and rescue effort to find it before oxygen supplies ran out.When the vessel was discovered days later in three parts…

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) said it will award $19.6 million in federal funding to support efficiency improvements and modernizations at America’s small shipyards.The investments awarded annually by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s MARAD through the Small Shipyard Grant Program help U.S. shipyards and their workers to reap the benefits of increased production capabilities, and boost yards’ competitiveness in the global marketplace.Since its inception in 2008…

The sinking of the Estonia ro-ro passenger ferry stands out as one of the most disastrous accidents in modern times. The tragedy claimed 852 lives and the wreck was declared a marine graveyard. At first glance, the sinking seems to have been triggered by a single technical failure only minutes before the point of no return, with no warning signs. The first objective of this review was to verify whether the pattern of typical major accidents can be found in the Estonia disaster. The usual pattern involves multiple human errors combined with an immature organizational culture.

India's steel exports more than doubled between April and July to hit their highest level in at least six years, boosted by a surge of Chinese buying in defiance of tensions between Beijing and New Delhi.Traders said reduced prices had driven the purchases as Indian sellers sought to get rid of a surplus generated by the impact of COVID-19 on domestic demand and generate much-needed income.It was unclear whether the sales broke any trade rules, but the China Iron and Steel Association…

Pasha Hawaii's pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) Jean Anne has received an electronics upgrade, including the replacement of her navigation system.The update was performed by Mackay Marine in Vancouver, B.C., in just under three weeks, including time for sea trial and crew training. Project Manager Ben Staggs, and installers Hamid Nayebi and Don Kamachi, handled the entire retrofit without complications, removing the older electronics and replacing them with all-new Furuno equipment.Dual X-Band FAR2228 and S-Band FAR2238S Radar ensure that the 579-foot…

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said it had agreed to begin talks with Mitsui E&S Holdings to acquire its shipbuilding business.A deal to acquire Mitsui E&S's shipbuilding unit could help Mitsubishi Heavy, Japan's biggest defense company, better compete for naval contracts.

The wreck of one of the U.S. Navy's longest serving battleships has been found 15,400 feet beneath the surface about 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor, researchers said Monday.The USS Nevada (BB-36), which served in two world wars over the course of a career that spanned more than three and a half decades, was discovered by underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm SEARCH, Inc. and marine robotics company Ocean Infinity at the bottom of the Pacific.The mission was jointly coordinated between SEARCH's operations center and one of Ocean Infinity's vessels, Pacific Constructor.

Major naval and maritime exhibition set for Copenhagen Sept. 3-6, 2019; MAST NOCO 2019 will be the biggest military conference in Denmark everThe maritime world will meet at MAST NOCO 2019 in Copenhagen September 3-6, 2019. MAST, which stands for Maritime Systems and Technologies, encompasses a series of global conference and exhibitions. The year’s MAST NOCO 2019, which takes place at the same time as the Northern Coasts (NOCO) 2019 multinational naval exercises, will be the biggest military equipment exhibition and conference ever held in Denmark.

Military Sealift Command hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to signify the opening of its new Center for Excellence located on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, March 25.The Military Sealift Command Center for Excellence provides MSC-centric basic training for newly employed civil service mariners (CIVMAR).“Ultimately, the new Military Sealift Command Center for Excellence is replacing the MSC training center in Earl, New Jersey,” said Military Sealift Command Total Force Management Director Mike Morris, who co-officiated the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Merchant mariner numbers may be at a low in the U.S., but the men and women of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) have increased their operating days by 245 percent from Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 to FY 2017.This year’s missions have included some of the largest ammunition movements since the Vietnam War – which the RRF crane ships are exceptionally cut out for; unit resupply to various theaters around the world, and movement of rotating forces including supporting the Canadian military.

U.S. Navy’s Sealift Body Accepting OSVDPA DPO Certificates. The Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority, Inc. (OSVDPA) announced the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) is accepting OSVDPA DPO Certificates for mariners seeking employment by MSC. Dynamically positioned vessels are a growing part of MSC’s fleet and operations and are being utilized at a higher rate in recent years in an effort to conduct operations, often times dive and salvage operations, in a safer and more efficient manner. MSC currently has three DP-equipped vessels in its fleet, charters DP vessels from industry, and anticipates adding several more DP-equipped vessels in the coming years to aid in their operations.

Japan has offered to send patrol ships to deal with a growing piracy threat in the southern Philippine waters bordering Indonesia and Malaysia, a senior Philippine defence official said on Tuesday. A surge in piracy off parts of the southern Philippines is forcing ship-owners to divert vessels through other waters, pushing up costs and shipping times. Dozens of sailors have been taken captive by Abu Sayyaf. Japanese vice minister Ro Manabe offered the assistance at a meeting in Tokyo on Friday and expressed readiness to contribute to efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia "in addressing piracy and terrorism", said Raymund Quilop, assistant defence minister for assessments and international affairs.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao welcomed the newest vessel to the Maritime Security Program (MSP) in the port of Beaumont, Texas. Renamed the M/V Liberty Passion, it is the third ship owned by Liberty Global Logistics to join the MSP fleet. “Today we are celebrating a public-private partnership that is strengthening America’s Merchant Marine, as well as America’s Armed Forces,” said Secretary Chao. “U.S.-flagged vessels are a critical component in our domestic commerce, moving $467 billion worth of goods between ports in the U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard transferred a high-endurance cutter to its Vietnamese counterpart in Honolulu, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said on Friday, in the latest effort to deepen ties with its former foe. The move follows an increase in exchanges between the two countries, ahead of a visit to the United States next week by the Vietnamese prime minister and a recent delivery of six patrol boats to the Vietnamese coast guard. The ship will help the Vietnam Coast Guard carry out maritime law enforcement, and conduct search and rescue and other humanitarian response operations, the embassy said in a statement. "This cutter provides a concrete and significant symbol of the U.S-Vietnam comprehensive partnership," said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael J. Haycock, its chief acquisition officer.

Argentina and other South American countries are likely to maintain or increase their submarine programs despite the scrutiny that has followed the fatal loss of an Argentine sub in South Atlantic waters last month, defense specialists said. The disappearance of the ARA San Juan with 44 crew members aboard has put pressure on Argentine President Mauricio Macri to consider boosting spending for the military, including the country’s two remaining submarines. Military spending sharply decreased after the end of Argentina’s dictatorship in 1983.

The expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF-6) concluded a port visit to Kuching, Malaysia, Jan. 17. The crew took advantage of the opportunity to experience Malaysia's rich culture following a port visit to Lumut, Malaysia. "It is important for our Sailors to interact with local communities throughout the region," said Capt. Lex Walker, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. "The experiences they share with partner nations allows the U.S. The Royal Malaysian and U.S. Navy continue to work closely together through increasingly sophisticated exercises including the annual bilateral Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia and the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise. "For over two decades, the U.S.