Ulstein Introduces New Subsea Vessel for Offshore Energy Market
Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Ulstein has developed a new subsea vessel - ULSTEIN SX232 – designed to service the offshore wind market for floating and fixed installations as well as offshore oil and gas industry.Designed for walk-to-work operations in the offshore energy market, the ULSTEIN SX232 features an optimizes hull based on the ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN design.The vessel is equipped with smart power and propulsion system developed to minimize energy consumption during DP operations and an integrated energy recovery system utilizing all the waste heat in the machinery systems…
TDI-Brooks' Retrofitted Vessel Arrives to US for Offshore Wind Work
TDI-Brooks' latest dynamic positioning vessel, the RV Nautilus, has reached the shores of the East Coast of the United States ahead of work for offshore wind sector.After undergoing a six-month retrofit in Las Palmas, the 2000-built vessel will be put to work to provide support for offshore wind projects and various other subsea needs.With the length of 75-meters, the DP2 vessel is equipped with advanced technology, including a Geomil Manta-200 CPT that can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.The system can penetrate the soil up to 40-50 meters…
TDI-Brooks' New Vessel Ready for Work
TDI-Brooks' newest vessel R/V Nautilus (formerly known as Nautical Geo) is ready to go to work following a 6-month retrofit period in Las Palmas.The DP2 vessel is currently enroute to the U.S. East Coast to provide support for offshore wind operations. It is expected to be fully prepared for the first offshore wind program by early March.Built in 2000, the 75-meter-long vessel is equipped with the newly-acquired Geomiil Manta-200 CPT, which can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.
Eastern Awarded Contract to Complete MPSV Builds for Hornbeck
Panama City Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced it has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra high-spec 400 class multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the contracts in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues". Gulf Island then sued Hornbeck, claiming the two shipyard construction contracts were wrongfully terminated.
Marine News' Top Vessels of 2023
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.
Fugro to Convert Two PSVs to Geotechnical Vessels
Dutch offshore survey firm Fugro will convert the Fugro Resilience and the Topaz Endurance, two ULSTEIN PX121 platform supply vessels (PSVs), to geotechnical vessels, targeting their deployment in the global offshore renewable energy market.Fugro acquired the two platform supply vessels, the Topaz Endurance and the Topaz Energy (renamed Fugro Resilience), in February 2023.Ulstein Design & Solutions AS is responsible for the redesign of the two vessels, and on September 22, 2023, Fugro awarded Ulstein Verft a contract to convert the Fugro Resilience. Both vessels were built in 2015.
Longline Fishing Company Successfully Trials Whale Depredation Solution
Norway/Uruguay-based Pesquera Azul’s has successfully trialed an innovative catch protection cage in whale-rich waters in the southern Indian Ocean. The company says it is a potential game-changer for the longline fishing industry as it grapples with the challenge of whale depredation.The steady increase in the whale population in sub-Antarctic fishing grounds is hampering the longline fishing industry, especially for fatty fish species. Whales have learned to snatch, for example…
TDI-Brooks Adds 75m DP2 Ship to its Fleet
TDI-Brooks increases its vessel capacity by adding a 75-meter DP2 vessel, R/V NAUTILUS to its fleet, a ship that can offer a variety of offshore assistance with subsea services, construction aid, exploration, production, ROV and diving support, and scientific marine research and survey mapping, along with military support.This vessel is currently about 60% through its retrofit period in Las Palmas, scheduled to complete its shipyard period in late September 2023 and then transit to Trinidad for several geotechnical coring projects.
RRS Sir David Attenborough Gearing Up for First Antarctic Science Cruise
Britain's high-tech polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough is gearing up for its first Antarctic science cruise.Over the coming weeks, the crew and scientists on board the vessel will be carrying out a range of trials to test the ship's science equipment in both deep and shallow water around the Scottish coast. Among the tech to be tested are the vessel's moonpool, coring equipment and the ship’s workboat Erebus, all of which are critical elements of upcoming science missions.Erebus will be put through its paces with new equipment…
Australia Readies New Icebreaker After Repairs
Australia’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina has been conducting sea trials in Hobart’s River Derwent as part of familiarization exercises with TasPorts pilots after returning from Singapore for repairs.The 160-meter vessel was built by Damen Shipyards in Romania and delivered in October 2021. In Singapore, issues identified with couplings that connect the propulsion shafts with the clutches were rectified under warranty.Nuyina will now depart Hobart for Macquarie Island research station in early May for cargo delivery and science support.
New Autonomous Hydrographic Survey Vessel Design Unveiled
Boatbuilder SAFE Boats International on Monday introduced Merlin, a new 23-meter semi-displacement monohull autonomous hydrographic survey vessel design developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design.SAFE Boats has exclusive rights to build the design at its Tacoma, Wash. large-craft production facility. Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull powered by a twin Volvo Penta D13 Hybrid-ready System with IPS. For a zero-emission power package, the Merlin can accommodate forward-thinking hydrogen technology supplied by Zero Emission Industries (ZEI).
AAM Delivers Survey Vessel for NV5-Geodynamics
Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) announced it has delivered a new research and hydrographic survey vessel for NV5-Geodynamics. The vessel was sea-trialed on Bellingham Bay, prior to shipping via cargo ship to its homeport of Beaufort, N.C.Built to service the growing offshore wind market as well as accomplish many other scientific survey missions, Shackleford is a 73- by 26.7-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand.
Freire Shipyard Signs Deal to Build MSV for Briggs Marine
Spain's Freire Shipyard won a contract from the Briggs Marine for the design and construction of a new Maintenance Support Vessel to support Briggs’ ongoing contracts for the inspection, servicing and replacement of navigation marks and heavy inshore moorings, operating as required with an attendant onboard diving team. The new building, which is schedule for delivery in 2024, is 40m long with a diesel-electric DP-2 propulsion system. The ship will be designed to have excellent…
Solstad Offshore Delivers Normand Jarl Vessel to New Owner
Solstad Offshore's subsidiary, Normand Ships, has completed the sale and delivery of the construction support vessel Normand Jarl to its new owner.Solstad Offshore first announced it had agreed to sell its 2013-built construction support vessel Normand Jarl in December 2022. It did not say who the buyer was.It was said at the time that the vessel would be sold to a buyer outside of the offshore industry. Solstad Offshore, based in Norway, will recognize a gain on the sale of about NOK 420 million (currently around $41…
UK Defense Ministry Buys Offshore Construction Vessel for Subsea Cable, Pipelines Protection
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’…
VIDEO: Ocean Infinity's Armada 7801 Robotic Vessel Reaches Norway
Ocean Infinity's Armada 7801 has reached Norway after a long journey from Vietnam, where its hull was built last year at the Vard Vung Tau shipyard."Our first new ship has arrived in Norway, having set sail on its maiden voyage from Vietnam in November. Installation of the payload equipment and remote systems will now commence ahead of the ship entering service on offshore data acquisition tasks in the coming months," Ocean Infinity, a seabed survey and ocean research company based in the United States…
US Navy to Name Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Robert Ballard
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 Ship that Found Antarctica’s Endurance Wreck is Vital for Climate Science
It was 1914 when the English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail on his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard a ship called Endurance. It was an ill-fated journey: the ship got trapped in the ice and eventually crushed by pack ice in 1915. It sank to the bottom of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. (Shackleton and his entire crew survived the ordeal by escaping in smaller boats.)It was difficult to believe that the Endurance might ever be found. The icy Weddell Sea is inhospitable and the wreck lay in more than 3000 metres of water.
SAFE Boats Delivers Survey Vessel for Maritime Autonomy Provider Mythos AI
Bremerton, Wash. shipbuilder SAFE Boats International announced a production partnership with West Palm Beach, Fla.-based autonomous maritime technology provider Mythos AI. SAFE Boats has delivered a purpose-built Porter 78S workboat to Mythos AI. The aluminum-hull, outboard-driven Porter 78S survey boat, built under an exclusive license agreement with Stormer Work Boats of the Netherlands, is specifically designed for the integration of Mythos AI’s self-driving and autonomous hydrographic survey control system.Mythos AI’s first autonomous SAFE Porter 78S hydrographic survey vessel…
Helix, Volstad Agree Long Term Charters for Construction Support Vessel Duo
Helix Robotics Solutions Limited, the U.K. Robotics division of Helix Energy Solutions Group, and the Norwegian shipowner Volstad Maritime have agreed on five-year charter extensions for both the Grand Canyon II and Grand Canyon III construction support vessels to continue working on projects across multiple energy sectors.The two vessels have been under long-term charter with Helix since 2015 and 2016, respectively. The extended charter for the Grand Canyon II runs from January 2023 through the end of 2027, while the extended charter for the Grand Canyon III runs from May 2023 through May 2028, with a further option to extend. Financial details were not disclosed.
Solstad Offshore Sells Construction Support Vessel
The Norwegian offshore vessel company Solstad Offshore has agreed to sell its 2013-built construction support vessel Normand Jarl.Sold through Solstad's subsidiary Normand Ships, the CSV will be delivered to an unnamed buyer outside of the offshore industry. The delivery of the vessel to the new owner is expected to take place during the first quarter of 2023. "Solstad Offshore will recognize a gain on the sale of approximately MNOK 420 [~$43 million currently] to be reflected in the Q1 2023 accounts." Solstad Offshore said.According to Normand Jarl's AIS info as found on MarineTraffic.com…
Tech File: Foldable 'Workboat in a Box' Goes to Work for Bahrain Defense Force
The military force for the Kingdom of Bahrain purchased the self-propelled WorkFloat, a 12 x 6m WorkFloat platform which has the unique ability to fold up -- including all equipment -- and fit into a standard 40-ft. shipping container.The WorlkFloat platform is designed for a range of support tasks, with the version for Bahrain equipped with a 10-tm crane that can lift just under half a ton at 13m, a deck load capacity of over 10t, a 2t deck winch that can be used for mooring work…
CTV Ordered for Vineyard Wind Project in the US
Offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind on Monday announced it has signed a contract to charter a crew transfer vessel (CTV) from Massachusetts-based marine transportation company Patriot Offshore Maritime Services.The 88.5-foot (27-meter) aluminum CTV will be built at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Mass. for mid-2023 delivery. Based on an Incat Crowther catamaran design, with a beam of 29.5 feet and draft of 5.6 feet, it will be capable of carrying up to 24 technicians…