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South Pacific News

27 Feb 2024

Constucution Starts on 10 Incat Crowther Ferries for Majestic Fleet

Image © Incat Crowther

Singapore’s Majestic Fast Ferry Pte Ltd has commissioned Incat Crowther to design a new second generation 39-m passenger ferry as the basis of its future fleet. Incat Crowther’s range with PT Cahaya Samudra covers four vessels lengths; 29-, 32-, 39- and 42-m.

30 Jan 2024

bound4blue to Install Its eSAIL on Cargo Vessel Newbuild

(Image: Cotenaval)

bound4blue reports it has been selected to install a 22-meter-high eSAIL on board the newbuild multipurpose cargo vessel Na Pae E Hiro, helping shipowner SNA TUHA’A PAE (SNA) reduce energy consumption by 10%. Launching in 2026, the trailblazing ship will mix green technology with an ambition to accelerate development of the remote Austral Islands, carrying both vital supplies and up to 200 tourists on its voyages from Tahiti to the South Pacific archipelago.The eSAIL, designed for both retrofits and newbuilds, is a ‘suction sail’.

04 Dec 2023

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Christens Amphibious Assault Ship Bougainville (LHA 8)

Pictured from left: Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven; Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson; Prospective Commanding Officer, Bougainville (LHA 8) Capt. Harry Marsh, USN; and Ship’s Sponsor Ellyn S. Dunford. (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Saturday christened the U.S. Navy’s third America-class amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8).“Today is not only a day to celebrate our namesake, representatives of the successful outcome of a World War II campaign, but also the team work and collaboration of our United States Navy and Marine Corps that enabled it,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “To fulfil our mission here in the shipyard, our sailors and Marines…

02 Aug 2023

New Expedition Cruise Ship Delivered to Seabourn

Seabourn Pursuit (Photo: Seabourn)

Carnival's Seabourn brand has taken delivery of its second purpose-built, ultra-luxury expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, during an official handover ceremony at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. The "yacht like" small ship is designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards and includes modern hardware and technology that extend the ship's global deployment and capabilities and allows the line to offer a wide range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of scientists…

27 Mar 2023

Majestic Fast Ferry Welcomes Trio of Vessels

Image courtesy Incat Crowther

Singapore’s Majestic Fast Ferry Pte has welcomed the arrival of three new Incat Crowther-designed passenger ferries: Majestic Peace, Majestic Spirit and Majestic Flair are the first of a fleet of nine Generation 2 Incat Crowther 39s vessels to be added to Majestic’s fleet.Built in Indonesian shipyard PT Cahaya Samudra Shipyard, the 39-m ferries are capable of transporting 312 passengers at speeds of up to 32 knots. The main deck seats all 312 passengers in air-conditioned comfort…

03 Mar 2023

Virtual Marine Expands Representation in Australia and New Zealand

(File photo: Virtual Marine)

Canada-based marine simulation training firm Virtual Marine Technology Inc. announced it has signed a strategic market representation agreement with New Zealand's Global Marine Technical Services (GMTS), extending its in-country coverage to Australia and New Zealand. The deal includes representation for Virtual Marine’s products within New Zealand and Australia, as well as other areas in the Indo-Pacific region.With a range of desktop to full mission motion systems, Virtual Marine…

02 Nov 2022

Australia Orders Another Patrol Boat from Austal

(Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal Limited announced that the Australian Government has ordered an additional Guardian-class Patrol Boat from Austal Australia for A$15.2 million.The 39.5-meter steel hull patrol boat, to be constructed in Western Australia and delivered in September 2024, is in addition to the 21 Guardian-class Patrol Boats ordered by the Australian Government under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1) in 2016.Fifteen of the 21 vessels have been delivered to 11 Pacific Island nations under the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program…

31 Oct 2022

AAPA Elects Strawbridge as Next Board Chairman

Sean Strawbridge (Photo: Port of Corpus Christi)

Trade group the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) elected a new Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sean Strawbridge of the Port of Corpus Christi, last week during its 111th Annual Convention and Expo in Orlando, Fla. Outgoing Chairman Mario Cordero of the Port of Long Beach made the formal announcement during his address to members and attendees.AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor remarked on the transition, "Our work at AAPA is bolstered by the leadership and input of our chairperson and board of directors.

29 Sep 2022

Wind-powered Cargo Capacity Surpasses One Million DWT

Mitsui OSK Line’s installation of wind propulsion technology on a 99,000DWT bulker tips the balance of wind-powered cargo capacity over one million DWT (Photo: MOL)

The latest installations of wind propulsion technology on large commercial vessels have tipped the amount of cargo that can be transported on vessels that make use of wind as a renewable energy source over the one million tonnes of deadweight (DWT) milestone.The timing of wind-powered ship propulsion passing this pivotal milestone comes in the same week that the industry celebrates World Maritime Day and its theme "New Technologies for Greener Shipping".In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in equipping vessels to harness the power of the wind.

30 Aug 2022

US Coast Guard Vessel Blocked from Bunkering in Solomon Islands

The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140). (Photo: Sara Muir / U.S. Coast Guard)

A United States Coast Guard vessel was unable to enter Solomon Islands for a routine port call because the Solomon Islands government did not respond to a request for it to refuel and provision, a U.S. official said.The islands' government did not immediately answer a Reuters request for comment. The Solomon Islands has had a tense relationship with the United States and its allies since striking a security pact with China in May.The USCGC Oliver Henry was on patrol for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency when it failed to obtain entry to refuel at Honiara…

21 Jan 2022

New Zealand Water Ship Unloads in Tonga

File photo: HMNZS Aotearoa (Photo: Natalie Dorsey / U.S. Navy)

Life-saving water supplies from a New Zealand navy ship were distributed across Tonga's main island on Friday, as other countries battled the logistics of delivering aid to one of the world's remotest communities.Six days after the South Pacific archipelago was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that deposited a blanket of ash and polluted its water sources, the HMNZS Aotearoa docked in the capital, Nuku’alofa.The ship carried 250,000 liters of water and desalination equipment able to produce 70,000 litres more per day, New Zealand's High Commission said."Trucks ...

22 Sep 2021

Oldendorff Post-Panamax to Load Logs from New Zealand

(Photo: Oldendorff Carriers)

A deal has been finalized that will soon see the largest vessel to ever call at New Zealand for the loading of logs.The deal between South Pacific Shipping (SPS) and Oldendorff Carriers was brokered by Braemar ACM’s Bruce McFarlane, a Mount Maunganui local. Braemar also negotiated the deal with ISO Stevedoring that delivered the mobile cranes from the manufacturer in Germany, to the port of Tauranga, New Zealand last year. Bruce McFarlane commented, “We saw an opportunity to bring…

09 Aug 2021

Transhipment Services Australia Orders Damen Crane Barge

(Photo: Damen)

Transhipment Services Australia (TSA) has ordered a transshipment crane barge from shipbuilding group Damen, who says it will be able to deliver the new the Crane Barge 6324 directly from stock to fulfil the order in a period of only four weeks.TSA has been contracted by Metro Mining to provide transshipment services for its Bauxite Hills Project located along the Skardon River on Cape York Peninsula, north of Weipa in Far North Queensland. With a presence in three sites across Australia…

02 Aug 2021

Australia Gifts Newbuild Patrol Boat to Vanuatu

(Photo: Austal)

The Australian Department of Defense has handed over a newly built patrol boat to the Republic of Vanuatu. The vessel, the RVS Takuare, was gifted by the Australian Government to the South Pacific Ocean nation at a certificate signing ceremony held at the Australian Marine Complex, in Henderson, Western Australia.The vessel is the 12th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) built by Austal Australia and the first to be delivered to Vanuatu under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

29 Jun 2021

VARD to Build World's Largest Superyacht

(Image: VARD)

Norwegian shipbuilding and design group VARD announced it has secured a contract to build the world's largest superyacht.At 33,500 GRT, with a length of 222 meters and a beam of 27 meters, the $600 million superyacht Somnio was unveiled Monday as the first ever residential "yacht liner", featuring 39 luxurious apartments for a select, secret group of ultra-wealthy travelers.Captain Erik Bredhe, co-founder of Somnio, is overseeing the project. He said, "Somnio, meaning 'to dream' in Latin…

07 Apr 2021

Singapore Is the Global Cruise Leader—For Now

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas moored at Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore (File photo: Royal Caribbean)

Singapore currently accounts for a third of the world’s cruises its tourism body said on Wednesday, owing to the roaring success of its “cruises to nowhere” at a time of crisis in the industry globally.Cruises have yet to restart in many parts of the world after taking a beating from the coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks found on cruise ships.The city-state launched what it called “round trips” on luxury liners in November, which have no port of call and last only a few days.

12 Mar 2021

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems Profitable Despite 17% Revenue Plunge

Photo courtesy Rolls-Royce's Power Systems

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems division has ended the 2020 financial year with an underlying operating profit of $247.3 million despite suffering a 17% drop in underlying revenue to $3.8 billion. This corresponds to an underlying operating margin of 6.5% (2019: 11.5%). As a result, Power Systems, with its product and solutions brand mtu, remained in the black during the 2020 pandemic year.Power Systems is taking advantage of the crisis to prepare for a shift in its business model…

26 Oct 2020

US to Base Coast Guard Cutters in Western Pacific in Response to China

Coast Guard Cutter Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) steams towards Apra Harbor before arriving at its new homeport in Santa Rita, Guam, in September. The new Fast Response Cutter (FRC) is the first of three scheduled to be stationed on Guam and is replacing the 30-year old 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. (Photo: MacAdam Kane Weissman / U.S. Navy)

The U.S. national security adviser said on Friday the U.S Coast Guard was basing Fast Response Cutters in the western Pacific for maritime security missions, citing illegal fishing and harassment of vessels by China.In a statement, Robert O’Brien also said the Coast Guard planned to evaluate next fiscal year the feasibility of basing Fast Response Cutters in American Samoa in the South Pacific.The statement described the United States as a Pacific power and added that China’s “illegal…

10 Aug 2020

Ecuador Navy Surveils Huge Chinese Fishing Fleet Near Galapagos

(Photo: Ecuador's Navy)

Ecuador’s navy is conducting surveillance of a massive Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the protected waters of the Galapagos Islands, amid concerns about the environmental impact of fishing in the area of the ecologically sensitive islands.The navy conducted a patrol mission on Friday that included a flyover of the region where the hulking vessels are fishing, as well as reconnaissance by military patrol ships. A total of 340 vessels are currently in the area, the navy said…

19 Aug 2020

Many Chinese Fishing Vessels Near Galapagos Cut Off AIS, Ecuador Says

(Photo: Ecuador's Navy)

Ecuador's armed forces said on Tuesday that dozens of vessels from a predominantly Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the Galapagos Islands have turned off tracking systems to prevent monitoring of their activities.Of around 325 ships still fishing in the waters near the ecologically sensitive Galapagos, 149 have at some point in recent months cut off communications, Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Darwin Jarrin told reporters.Some had also changed the vessels' names to avoid supervision, he said."In this period, 149 ships have turned off their satellite systems ...

26 Jun 2020

Sustainable Shipping Gets New Berth

(Photo: Sailcargo)

Centuries-old maritime craftwork and advanced technology help carbon-free seaborne trade.It was a chance meeting that changed two lives. It may also change the way the world thinks about maritime shipping.An accomplished sailor, Danielle Doggett loves tall ships—the large wind-powered sailing vessels that carry passengers and cargo. Her fascination with the big ships started in her teens, sailing on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and eventually on the St. Lawrence II, a 72-foot two-mast brigantine built in the 1950s for youth sail training.

27 Aug 2020

AST Forms Joint Venture with Wright Technologies

Intelligent remote communication solutions provider Applied Satellite Technology Ltd (AST) said it has entered into a joint venture with Wright Technologies, a provider of marine electronics services to the South Pacific markets.AST Group Managing Director, Gregory Darling, said the companies will jointly offer remote data applications through new technology and software to improve operational effectiveness.The newly formed company, AST Wrights Ltd, has its headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, with offices in Auckland and Christchurch.The combined companies bring expertise in remote monitoring and control of fixed and mobile assets, extension of coverage beyond GSM, integration of radio and satellite networks.

21 Oct 2020

Coral Reef Health Report: Palau’s Coral Reefs - A Jewel of the Ocean

Photo: Copyright Keith Ellenbogen/iLCP

The latest report from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation finds Palau’s reefs had the highest coral cover observed on the Global Reef Expedition—the largest coral reef survey and mapping expedition in history.Scientists at the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) have released their findings on the state of coral reefs in Palau. Their research, based on extensive underwater surveys, found Palau’s reefs had the highest live coral cover of all the reefs studied on the Global Reef Expedition…