Vessel Technology News

U.S.-based Chance Maritime Technologies, a startup and service provider of uncrewed vessel technology, reports it has completed long-endurance commissioning trials of its MC-29: a 29-foot-long, mission-capable USV that operates at high power with long endurance. The vehicle completed over 40 total operational days, which included 24 operational days of 24-hour operation in Vermilion Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.This new class of utility vessel offers kilowatts of continuously available payload power…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has shortlisted 11 proposals, submitted by seven companies and consortia, to advance designs and promote adoption of full electric harbor craft (e-HC) in Singapore.The announcement follows call for the expressions of interest (EOI), launched by MPA) in 2023, which yielded 55 proposals from 32 international and local companies and consortia.The results signal high interest and strong confidence by global and local participants in the development of e-HC in Singapore.Of the 11 e-HC designs…

Blake Powell, president at JMS Naval Architects, discusses his career, company and latest trends in naval architecture and marine engineering.Please give a brief professional bio, including education, experience and overview of current duties as president of JMS Naval Architects.I earned my degree in Naval Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley where I attended on a Navy ROTC scholarship and was commissioned as a Diving and Salvage Officer after I graduated.

Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen said it is studying Zeabuz's cutting-edge technology for autonomous sailing in an effort to enable autonomous vessel operations in the coming years.Norway-based Zeabuz specializes in software for autonomous maritime operations."Autonomy holds the potential to revolutionize vessel operations by enhancing safety protocols, optimizing asset effectiveness, and paving the way for the creation of new business models," Damen said. "The industry's…

Azane Fuel Solutions and ammonia-to-power provider Amogy have signed an MoU to explore the feasibility of using Amogy’s technology on board an Azane bunker vessel concept.The collaboration will explore the technical and commercial feasibility of the bunker vessel and also of an Azane ammonia fuel feeder solution integrated into the Amogy power system.Azane is a Norway based company developing the world’s first ammonia bunkering terminal. The company has also developed an ammonia fuel bunker vessel concept with a complete ammonia cargo handling system.

Container shipping giants CMA CGM and Maersk said on Tuesday they will cooperate in efforts to reduce emissions in the sector, including by supporting the use of methanol and aiding research into potential fuels like ammonia. The shipping industry is grappling with which fuels and vessel technology to adopt on a large scale to meet an objective of net zero emissions by around the middle of the century. Danish group Maersk has focused on so-called green methanol and last week announced the creation a new company to produce fuel.

ABS and HD Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to continue working together on marine autonomy projects. Building on shared efforts to expand the development of autonomous navigation technology into critical vessel machinery and safety systems, the organizations met again at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to finalize the agreement covering four areas:Artificial Intelligence-based Autonomous Machinery Health Management Function (HiCBM)Artificial…

NAVTOR’s NavFleet performance management and optimiation platform will now be able to access the data collected by HOPPE’s onboard vessel technology, after the two signed a new collaboration partnership that allows customers of the firms to feed real-time operational data into the NavFleet application, giving onshore teams complete awareness, understanding and control of their maritime assets.It is, says Arild Risholm Sæther, CBDO NavFleet, NAVTOR, “the key to better business decisions that impact on performance, profitability and sustainable fleet management.

The possibility now exists for ships to navigate the globe with no one at the helm. This capability has been demonstrated in the United States, Europe and Japan by autonomous workboats, survey vessels, and coastwise voyages by autonomous cargo vessels and ferries with the development of larger vessels capable of making trans-oceanic voyages coming soon. Despite this new reality, aside from a patchwork of voluntary best practices, there are no international standards for the safe design…

U.K.-based Chartwell Marine is introducing its expanded range of offshore energy support vessel (OESV) designs ahead of Seawork 2022 this month.The new design range, spanning classes A to D outlined below, offers a foundation for the integration of advanced technologies and low carbon propulsion solutions, including hybrid and electric as well as BAR FOSS (Foil Optimised Stability System).Chartwell Ambitious: Chartwell Marine’s original flagship crew transfer vessel (CTV) design.

Uncrewed surface vessel specialist SEA-KIT International has announced plans to build another of its X-class, 12m USVs as a fleet vessel for launch in 2022. This build, the sixth X-class to be constructed at the company’s Essex base, will pave the way for the company to meet increased market demand for unmanned vessels and to penetrate new sectors of the global maritime industry, the company said.SEA-KIT CEO, Ben Simpson, commented: “Our X-class USV has changed very little since we won the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE with USV ‘Maxlimer’ back in 2015.

Dutch shipbuilding group Damen reports it has delivered two RSD Tugs 2513 to France-based Thomas Services Maritimes (TSM) for operations on the River Seine in the port between the Ports of Rouen and Honfleur (HAROPA – Port de Rouen).Like Damen, TSM is a family-owned company, something which played a part in Damen’s securing of the order, according to TSM CEO, Loïc Thomas: “We were looking for new tugs with the latest in vessel technology and we heard about Damen’s quality and reliability.

Satellite communications company Inmarsat said it has secured a fleet-wide agreement with Tidewater to upgrade the majority of the offshore support vessel (OSV) owner's active fleet to Fleet Xpress, complete with advanced vessel technology efficiencies solutions and enhanced and reliable communications for crews.Tidewater was one of the largest users of Inmarsat’s legacy iFusion service, which was scheduled for network shutdown on December 31, 2020. Tidewater and Inmarsat created…

Autonomous vessels are quickly gaining acceptance across the maritime sector, but especially in government and military applications where the technological and safety advantages are most pronounced.On Monday, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) System, a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting loitering munitions to address targets at sea and on land.The weapons system will be tiered and scalable…

Qatar-based shipping company Nakilat said Monday it has taken delivery of a newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Global Star built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).The 173,400 cubic meter capacity Global Star will be commercially and technically managed in-house by Nakilat. It is the second out of the four LNG carrier newbuilds to be delivered to Global Shipping Co. Ltd., a joint venture of Nakilat (60%) and Maran Ventures Inc. (Maran Ventures) (40%).The series' first newbuild, Global Energy, was delivered in May 2020.

Finnish vessel technology company Wärtsilä said it has been awarded a contract for the supply of cargo handling and fuel supply system for two new 98,000 cbm very large ethane carriers (VLEC) being built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in South Korea, with an option for a third vessel.The order, placed in September 2020, follows a similar contract awarded in 2019 for three VLECs, also under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries.The ships will also feature Wärtsilä’s tailormade and highly efficient reliquefaction unit and a unique high-pressure ethane fuel supply system.

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for surface vessels, has partnered with Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) and representatives of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD)’s Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) Program to bring hands-on education about autonomous marine systems into the MMA curriculum.The Academy will provide instruction to cadets using MMA’s 41-ft Coast Guard cutter-class workboat R/V Quickwater…

Autonomous vessel technology developer Sea Machines Robotics announced Wednesday it has closed a new $15 million financing round with significant participation by America's largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).The Boston-based tech company said it expects the investment and associated partnership with HII will accelerate the deployment of self-piloting technologies for unmanned naval boats and ships as the defense shipbuilding and technology giant continues…

From 2015 to present an estimated 250 incidents related to electric hoverboard fires have been recorded according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. The same commission reports that 83,000 Toshiba laptop batteries were recalled in 2017 due to fire and safety concerns.In January 2017 a NYC garbage truck was the source of a neighborhood surprise when a Lithium ion battery exploded in the compactor of the truck. Luckily no one was injured.According to a study conducted by the National Fire Data Center branch of the U.S.

A new offshore guard vessel concept aims to be smaller, lighter and more efficient than most of the vessels used to protect offshore operations currently. It will also be completely unmanned and autonomous.The so-called Autonomous Guard Vessel revealed Tuesday has been created by a consortium of maritime companies specifically for surveillance of offshore structures throughout their life cycle, ranging from wind farms to substation platforms and cable routes.This clean and lean concept to replace conventional guard vessels came to life in a project group facilitated by LISA…

Qatari shipping company Nakilat took delivery of a newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Global Energy. Built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), the vessel will be managed in-house by Nakilat and is the first of four LNG carrier newbuilds to be delivered to Global Shipping Co. Ltd., a joint venture of Nakilat (60%) and Greece-based Maran Ventures Inc. (40%). The delivery of all four newbuilds by end-2021 will bring Nakilat’s fleet to 74 LNG carriers…

The technology group Wärtsilä, in collaboration with PSA Marine, has achieved a breakthrough in its IntelliTug project.Following the successful installation of a first-of-its-kind Dynamic Positioning (DP) system onboard the harbor tug ‘PSA Polaris’, trials are now being carried out in the Port of Singapore under real-world conditions. This phase of the project implementation, which has been approved by Lloyd’s Register, moves the bar higher on safety standards for vessel automation and autonomy.

"Koselig" is a Norwegian adjective used to describe situations that give a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation. The NorShipping exhibition and conference, one of the largest in northern Europe, could definitely be described as koselig. Occurring in Oslo, Norway between June 4-7, 2019, the conference featured close to 1,000 exhibitors from around the world. With the prominently featured Blue Economy Hall, terms such as marine sustainability and environmental ocean awareness held the center stage at a number of the events. In true Norwegian fashion, most of the major press announcements were delivered in semi-intimate gathers with copious amounts coffee by maritime CEOs and VPs who enjoyed being called by their first names.