West Coast Of Scotland News

Damen Shipyards has delivered one of its Multi Cats to workboat specialist Maritime Craft Services (Clyde) Ltd. The 27-meter Multi Cat 2712 is a mid-range model in the 13-strong class and Damen builds them in series to meet the consistent demand for vessels of this size and capability, the Dutch shipbuilder said.Based on the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland, Maritime Craft Services (MCS) operates a fleet of 17 workboats, of which 13 have been built by Damen. The company provides services to offshore energy contractors and dredging clients for activities including anchor handling…

Keel laying and steel-cutting ceremonies for two new ferries being built for Scotland's Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) were held this week at Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Turkey.The first ferry in the production timeline has had its keel laid, while steel-cutting for the second vessel has also begun – three weeks earlier than planned.The new, 94.8-meter vehicle/passenger ferries will each have capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 commercial vehicles…

A newly refurbished ferry has been delivered to provide additional capacity for operator CalMac Ferries on the west coast of Scotland.Purchased out of Norway in 2021 and renamed Loch Frisa, the vessel departed Dales Marine Services in Leith on May 29 for repositioning to Oban where it is undertaking familiarization and entry-in-to service activities.Starting in mid-June, the double-ended RoPax ferry will be phased into the Oban-Craignure timetable, in tandem with Coruisk. Once Loch Frisa takes over the full Coruisk timetable…

When Dutch boat captain and engineer Ernst-Jan de Groot applied to continue working in Britain after Brexit, he became ensnared in a bureaucratic nightmare because of an online glitch and says he is now likely to lose his job.Under new immigration rules coming into force, de Groot faces the prospect of losing the right to come to Britain to work unless he can successfully apply for a visa through a government website by the end of June.Following its departure from the European Union’s orbit at the end of December…

Kishorn Port's proposal to extend the port’s dry dock has received approval from The Highland Council."This is a further and significant step in the regeneration of the port and dry dock," Kishorn Port, located on the North West coast of Scotland, said Tuesday.The development proposal involves an extension of the dry dock into adjoining land which, when completed, will allow the port to receive vessels and structures up to 250 meters in length in comparison to the current 160 meters.

Harnessing the power of the tides is not for the squeamish, with the roster of trials and failures long and distinguished. Jason Hayman and his Sustainable Marine Energy crew are putting their tech to the test in one of the harshest spots on the planet, the Bay of Fundy, as his discussed with Marine Technology TV.Jason, to start, how did you come to a career in the offshore renewable energy field?I suppose my interest got piqued back in about 2003. I went to a lecture at the University of Newcastle and they had a wave energy crowd there and a tidal energy developer.

Ferries serving the Western Isles and West Coast of Scotland could soon be powered by hydrogen generated from onshore island wind power, according to a newly published feasibility study.The Scottish Western Isles Ferry Transport Using Hydrogen (SWIFTH2) project, which was led by the Point and Sandwick Trust in collaboration with seven industry partners including Wood, was part-funded by the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme.The project team also included Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, ITM Power, ENGIE, Ferguson Marine Engineering, Caledonia Marine Assets Ltd and Johnston Carmichael.The study assessed the feasibility of deploying hydrogen-powered passenger ferries on nine existing Caledonian MacBrayne ferry routes servicing the Western Isles.

Scotland based MacDuff Ship Design reports it has had another busy summer and autumn with the delivery of a number of new vessels, work continuing on existing contracts and several new design contracts won. Alongside this has seen the continuation of the companies bureau work in naval architectural consultancy and the steady expansion of MacDuff Marine Surveyors. A new 25.5m Aquaculture Support Vessel has entered service on the West Coast of Scotland having been delivered in September 2017 to owners Inverlussa Marine Services.

he first ever UK domestic dual-fuelled new build vessels will feature fully integrated Wärtsilä propulsion machinery packages. Wärtsilä will also supply extended engineering and site support services. The two ships, both 102 metre long ro-ro passenger ferries, are being built for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) based in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The contracts with Wärtsilä were recorded in December 2015. Besides being the first dual-fuel vessels for CMAL, they are also the first ever dual-fuel ships to be built in the UK. These will be built by Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd. The yard is located on the River Clyde in Glasgow. "This project highlights the fact that high-end, technologically advanced commercial shipbuilding is again present in Scotland.

Scottish Communications Group (SCG), an independent communication equipment specialist, has been awarded a $2.7 million contract by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) for the design and installation of a new CCTV solution at their Clyde and west coast network of 25 harbors, ports and slipways. These range from Largs on the mainland to Tarbert (Harris) in the Western Isles. The new CCTV system has been designed to improve safety and security for customers, Harbor Operator personnel…

Clyde Marine Services has taken delivery of its first Damen ASD Tug, the shipbuilder announced today. The Damen ASD 2310 has been named CMS Warrior, and she will join a 12-strong fleet of tugs and crew tenders at the Scottish company. Based in Greenock, Scotland, Clyde Marine Services was established in 1913 and has a long history of working with Damen vessels. The first experience of a Damen vessel was when the marine services company bought a Damen Pushy Cat in the mid-eighties. The fleet includes Damen Stan Tugs 1906 and 1907, as well as two Stan Tug 1s.

Ferry masters operating off the west coast of Scotland traditionally would have to sail to a port and on arrival visually assess the weather and tide conditions before deciding whether it was safe to berth alongside the pier or quayside: a process which wasted time and fuel, and frustrating the paying passengers. The berthing of ferries is a high skill job, particularly during bad weather, and the decision on whether a specific ferry can safely berth at a specific port is subjective and ultimately can only be taken by the ferry Master…

Historically, ferry masters operating off the west coast of Scotland would have to sail to a port and on arrival visually assess the weather and tide conditions before deciding whether safe berthing alongside the pier or quayside would be possible. This wastes time and fuel, and can causes frustration among passengers, who may see ferries come close to a port, but thereafter depart without berthing when conditions are determined by the ferry Master to be unsafe. These ferries provide a lifeline service to the islands, so the reliability of ferry services is important.

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members at the ferry operator CalMac go on strike over the future of services of Scotland’s west coast as two thirds of CalMac routes have been suspended. CalMac will operate a third of its Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, with nine of 27 routes sailing as normal or to an amended timetable. The RMT union is concerned about the outcome of a tendering bid which could see the service change hands from publicly-owned CalMac to private firm Serco. They walk out over prospect of Serco winning contract to operate services across Clyde, inner Hebrides and Western Isles. Supplemented by air services…

A 2,600-tonne cargo ship has run aground while docking close to berth at Corpach on Loch Linnhe at Fort William on the west coast of Scotland in windy conditions. Stornoway Coastguard said the alarm was raised this morning when the 91-metre ship Fri Sea went aground at high water at Corpach. Seven crew members remain on board the ship and there are no signs of any injuries, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. The Secretary Of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention is aware and is monitoring the situation, said the spokeswoman of MCA. It looks as if the strong winds that were blowing may have caught her when she was almost stopped in the water. The coastguard said it was likely an attempt to refloat the vessel would be made at high water on Sunday.

Two ships ran aground Tuesday off the west coast of Scotland, according to Herald Scotland. The first vessel, the 87-meter passenger cruise vessel Serenissima, was lodged on sand and gravel at a spot known as the Corran Ledge in Oban Bay Tuesday night as it made its way from Ireland to the port of Oban, Herald Scotland reported. Aboard the ship were 61 passengers and 51 crew members. With help from the ship’s crew and the Oban RNLI lifeboat team, Serenissima was refloated and inspected without any damage or pollution.

Scottish Salmon Farms has taken delivery of its latest vessel – powered by twin Doosan V158TIH main engines supplied by WaterMota. Designed by consultant naval architects AG Salmon as a multi-role vessel, Sally Ann was built by Arklow Marine Services in Ireland for Scottish Sea Farms to be used on the West Coast of Scotland across all the Scottish Sea Farms sites. The vessel is 22.8m in length with an 8m beam and a lightship displacement of 120 tonnes. She has a service speed of 9 knots with a maximum speed of 10.5 knots.

Imtech Marine informs it has been awarded a third contract to supply the electric and hybrid propulsion system for a hybrid ferry operated by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) of Scotland. Ferguson Marine, the Glasgow-based yard which built the first two CMAL diesel electric, hybrid seagoing ferries, launched a tender last year and Imtech Marine was given the contract in late February. For the third hybrid ferry, Imtech Marine will, next to the diesel-electric and Li-Ion battery hybrid propulsion system, additionally carry out the electrical installation.

Plans for a £5.4-billion offshore wind farm off the coast of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides have been dropped, partly because of the presence of basking sharks in the area, reports BBC News. The project, if continued, would have had up to 300 turbines and a capacity of up to 1800MW, enough to power one million homes. Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) cited construction issues and a significant presence of basking sharks in the area for its decision. Campaigners against the wind farm welcomed the decision…

When Imtech Marine was asked to supply a hybrid propulsion system to the first ever diesel electric, hybrid seagoing ferries to the Scottish state-owned ferry operator, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. (CMAL) in 2011, fuel savings of around 20% were expected, the company said. Following extensive trials Imtech Marine announced that the actual fuel savings with the innovative hybrid system - consisting of diesel electric in combination with battery technology - were up to 38%. CMAL operates 30 ferries on the west coast of Scotland to 18 islands.

DUNCAN, the sixth and final Type 45 destroyer built by BAE Systems, has today set sail from the company’s Scotstoun shipyard on the Clyde to embark on her second stage sea trials off the west coast of Scotland. During the next 19 days at sea, DUNCAN will undertake an extensive program of trials, including final testing of the ship’s power and propulsion, combat systems, navigational and communications equipment ahead of her handover to the Royal Navy in March next year. Jennifer Osbaldestin…

Ship repair and specialist fabrication firm Dales Marine reports a first time achievement as all of its seven docks around Scotland are full for the first time today. Dales Marine’s docks are filled with vessels ranging from offshore supply vessels to ferries, and are all owned by different firms. The work being carried out at Dales Marine’s six bases in Aberdeen, Leith (which has two docks), Grangemouth, Montrose, Greenock and Troon is a mixture of planned repair and maintenance, along with weather-related unplanned repairs.

The Commission has awarded over €1.2 billion to 23 innovative renewable energy technology (RES) projects. The projects cover a wide range of renewable energy technologies from bioenergy (including advanced biofuels), concentrated solar power and geothermal power to wind power, ocean energy and distributed renewable management (smart grids). The projects will be hosted in 16 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The project comprises a floating offshore 26 MW wind farm located 50 km from Marseille. Thirteen wind turbines will be installed on 13 moored floating structures which will transfer power to an onshore substation connected to the grid.