Vessel Operators News

The tail rotor of an Agusta A109 struck a handrail while landing on a bulk carrier as the pilot did not detect the obstacle, and the ship’s crew were using an older version of the vessel’s helicopter operations checklist, reports the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).An ATSB investigation report details that the A109E helicopter was conducting marine pilot transfer operations to the bulk carrier Tai Keystone, which was about 240 km north-east of Mackay, Queensland, on December 6…

Brunvoll has been contracted to deliver the propulsion, maneuvering and autonomy systems for two hydrogen powered ferries for Torghatten Nord AS.The ferries will operate the harsh route to and from Lofoten in Norway, the Bodø-Verøy-Røst-Moskenes route. The hydrogen fuel cell ferries were designed by The Norwegian Ship Design Company AS. Both ferries included in the contract will be delivered from Myklebust Yard in 2026.The Brunvoll contract includes two azimuth propulsion thrusters, BruCon Propulsion & Thruster Control System, BruCon Auto-Crossing system and BruCon Condition Monitoring System.

Maritime technology companies Helm Operations and Spinergie announced they are teaming up to create a fully integrated fleet optimization platform and centralized source of record keeping.The partnership will integrate vessel management system data from Helm Operations' Helm CONNECT into Spinergie's Smart Fleet Management, including logbook entries, engine room readings, and other essential sources. When combined with Spinergie’s data streams, including AIS, GPS, custom GIS Maps…

UK-based offshore vessel designer Chartwell Marine has started the construction of its new Brevity Class crew transfer vessel (CTV) at the Diverse Marine shipyard, becoming the latest in its growing pipeline of new vessel builds to supply the global offshore wind market.Chartwell Marine’s current new build pipeline now exceeds 15 vessels across six local shipyards – with 14 offshore wind vessels launched and operational at major offshore wind farms, including two in U.S. waters.The company’s latest CTV entered build in March 2024…

Wärtsilä has introduced a new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution, which is said to raise the level of offshore dynamic positioning for greater efficiency and operational performance of vessels.The company’s new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution package utilizes a combination of Wärtsilä’s WST-E embedded electric steerable thruster and WST-R retractable thrusters, together with an updated remote propulsion control system featuring an enhanced user interface ProTouch…

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit has notched up a new annual sales record for another consecutive year after seeing its order intake surge by 76% in 2023 on high demand from the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors, as well as increased sales in its core naval market.Vestdavit has expanded its market position in offshore wind after both gaining new customers and winning repeat orders with existing clients, including Esvagt and Rem Offshore, with orders in this sector accounting for more than $9.4 million (NOK 100 million)…

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have completed the initial design of an ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for vessels powered by WinGD’s X‑DF‑A ammonia-fueled engines.The AFSS design is the first result of a wide-ranging partnership announced last year that will develop solutions for ammonia engines and fuel systems that can be applied across a range of vessel designs.The project will now proceed to the detailed design phase…

Fueltrax reports it has won a series of contracts from a group of deep sea and offshore support vessel operators working with a global oil company in Southeast Asia.Of 30 ships that implemented a fuel management system at the urging of their oil company customer to ensure accurate fuel usage transparency and emissions tracking, 28 of them chose the Fueltrax Electronic Fuel Management System (EFMS), the Texas-based company said.The patented Fueltrax EFMS measures direct fuel consumption and transfers on board, enabling vessel operators to reduce operational and fuel costs.

Catherine Gianelloni sailed with the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (IOMM&P) for about 10 years after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2009. But in between times at sea, she would help out at the MITAGS (Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies). Operating simulators evolved into teaching opportunities, and Gianelloni took a full-time position in 2012. “Because we are the union school, I was allowed to take breaks—leave of absences—to go out and sail.

Metis Cyberspace Technology is expanding its portfolio of data acquisition, real-time performance monitoring and intelligent analytics solutions to include the needs of service operation vessels (SOVs), following collaborative project with Danish vessel owner Esvagt.The move follows a collaborative project covering fleet performance optimization with Esvagt.The SOV fulfils multiple roles - as transport ship, accommodation vessel, warehouse and workshop - presenting a challenge when it comes to assessing overall efficiency.Following an Esvagt initiative…

U.S.-based boat builder Metal Shark is expanding its presence in its home state of Louisiana with the addition of a third manufacturing facility and a new recruitment effort.The expansion follows the recent divestiture of its Alabama-based ship refit and repair business, after the company sold its operations to Birdon America.With a new 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Metal Shark is looking to boost its production capacity.Together with its nearby Jeanerette and Franklin production facilities…

North Star has confirmed that India-based Cochin Shipyard will build its new hybrid-electric service operations vessel (SOV), bound for EnBW on a decade-long minimum charter at offshore wind farm in Germany.The contract award for Cochin Shipyard follows the one secured by North Star from EnBW on February 1, 2024, which outlines the engagement of the SOV at the He Dreiht offshroe wind farm.The hybrid-electric newbuild is of VARD 407 design which has been tailored to meet EnBW’s…

Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week, with U.S. and UK air strikes on Yemen stirring concerns of a prolonged disruption to global trade in Red Sea, one of the world's busiest routes, industry officials said on Friday.U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of strikes across Yemen overnight in retaliation against Iran-backed Houthi forces for attacks on Red Sea shipping, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's war…

While Greg Trauthwein never assigns me column subjects, each time the Great Ships issue comes around I go with the theme. However, I try to take a view askew on that subject and have found that these are the rare columns where I am criticized for my views. Greg must enjoy that, and this year he asked me to write a column on the worst ship designs. That was the entire assignment, and it was unclear if he asked me to discuss the worst ship designs for 2023, or in the history of ship design.

The Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG) has merged with the Commercial Vessels Association (CVA).The CVA has been a steadfast advocate for the interests of commercial vessel operators. Specializing in operations on Sydney Harbour and extending its influence throughout regional NSW, the CVA encompasses a diverse range of operators, including ferry services, tour and party boats, houseboats, whale and dolphin watching ventures and fishing charters.The association played a pivotal role in advocating for the Marine Tourism and Charter Vessels Award…

Ammonia-to-power solutions company Amogy Inc. has released a white paper titled "Ammonia as a Clean Energy Solution for Maritime Use."Ammonia has emerged as a promising fuel source for a wide range of vessel types, but realizing its potential requires a combination of production incentives, sector-specific policies, and standardized ammonia usage practices throughout the maritime value chain.The white paper examines ammonia's pivotal role in decarbonizing maritime applications.

Low water levels after recent dry weather are preventing cargo vessels from sailing fully loaded on the Rhine river in Germany with surcharges added to the usual freight rates, commodity traders said on Thursday.Low water is hampering shipping on most of the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub, traders said.Some vessels can only transit Kaub about 50% full, depending on ship type, they said.Shallow water means vessel operators impose surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels not sailing fully loaded, increasing costs for cargo owners.

On March 29, 2021, President Biden announced his ambitious plan to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power – enough energy to power 10 million U.S. homes – by 2030. The plan would leverage authorities under the Department of Interior, Energy, and Commerce to guide “more than $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity.” The U.S.

Kongsberg Digital has launched an application called Vessel Performance Merchant, to meet the merchant fleet's need for optimised voyage decision-making.The application is designed for the merchant fleet to enhance fuel efficiency and optimise the overall performance of both the vessel and its crew."By collecting and contextualising data from the vessel's onboard sensors, automation systems, and manually reported data through the vessel-to-cloud cloud infrastructure Vessel Insight…

You can feel it in the air, and increasingly on the water: a steady increase in momentum toward a global economy that prioritizes sustainability. Government stakeholders at all levels, and shipping customers across industries, are setting ambitious goals and high expectations for environmental performance, and that includes the transportation of U.S. and global commerce on the waterways.For the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, which moves nearly 700 million tons of cargo on America’s rivers, coastal waters and Great Lakes annually, it’s both an exciting and challenging time.

SWITCH Maritime announced plans to grow its U.S. fleet of zero-emission ferries following the completion of a $10 million in a Series A round led by Nexus Development Capital.Founded in 2018, SWITCH’s mission is to enable private and public municipal ferry operators to more easily replace their carbon-intensive, diesel-powered fleets while reducing operating and fueling costs over the lifetime of their vessels.The fundraise comes on the back of the completion of its flagship zero-emission vessel…

Chevron Marine Products said Tuesday that four-stroke engine operators could benefit from its new lubricating oil's versatility.HDAX 9700 was created to provide a solution for engines that run on multiple liquid and gaseous fuels and applications that require a low-sulfated ash lubricant, Chevron said.According to the company, the HDAX 9700t is also suitable for dual-fuel marine engines, as HDAX 9700 has successfully completed more than 20.000 hours of testing on a Wärtsilä dual-fuel power plant.“HDAX 9700 brings many benefits for operators of four-stroke engines.