Class Design News

An official launch ceremony was held to celebrate the commissioning of a new Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) built for American Offshore Services (A-O-S)—the company's first.Constructed by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., the 100-foot-long aluminum catamaran is owned and operated by A-O-S, a joint venture formed in 2020 by leading European CTV operator Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) and U.S.-based investment firm OIC.The vessel will support Ørsted and Eversource’s portfolio of offshore wind farms in the Northeast…

American Offshore Services (A-O-S) has taken delivery of its first crew transfer vessel (CTV), Gripper, purpose built to support the U.S. offshore wind industry. The vessel is scheduled to be christened during an official ceremony later this month.The Jones Act compliant aluminum catamaran was built by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., based on Northern Offshore Services' (N-O-S) 30-meter G-class design. The newbuild features Volvo Penta's IPS propulsion system and is said to be "hybrid-ready"…

The first large cruise ship ever to be built in China has been delivered, potentially leading the way for a new market player to rise within the global cruise shipbuilding industry.The 5,246-passenger Adora Magic City, built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) based on Fincantieri' Vista-class design, will commence its maiden voyage from Shanghai in January 2024, operated by Asian cruise line Adora Cruises.The Chinese-built ship will service the domestic market with four-to-five day sailings…

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel on Wednesday for the America-class amphibious ship Fallujah (LHA 9).The ship’s sponsor, Donna Berger, former first lady of the Marine Corps and spouse of Gen. David H. Berger, 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, was in attendance to declare the keel “truly and fairly laid.”During the authentication ceremony, Ingalls welder Seveta Gray welded the initials of the sponsor onto a ceremonial keel plate that will remain with…

AAL Shipping has released a short film highlighting the design of its mega size 32,000dwt Super B-Class heavy lift vessels. The first, the AAL Limassol, is expected to be launched next year.The Super B-Class design was a collaboration between AAL’s engineering and commercial teams and sister company, Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM). The vessels were designed to be the most efficient and competent multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) available, built on the engineering team’s expertise in handling heavy lift…

WTIVs have always been fuel-hungry. Now they are being tasked with installations that are further, deeper and heavier.Offshore wind farms continue their march into deeper water, further from shore, with turbines that can now reach more than 270 meters high with blades 120 meters long. Designers and OEMs are pushing efficiency to new levels to contain OPEX on the new-generation jack-up WTIVs taking them up there.Danish ship design firm Knud E. Hansen has chosen specialization for its Atlas A-class WTIV, a smaller derivation of its massive C-class design.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. started fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship Fallujah (LHA 9) on Monday. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship and that the shipyard is ready to move forward with the construction of the ship.“Our shipbuilders are proud of the work they do for the security of our nation and for our Navy and Marine Corps customers,” said Eugene Miller, Ingalls Shipbuilding LHA program manager.

UK-based uncrewed surface vessel (USV) specialist SEA-KIT on Thursday announced its first USV export sale to ThayerMahan, an autonomousmaritime solutions firm based in Connecticut, USA.Sea-KIT said that the X-Class USV's combination of extended range, high sea state endurance and payload capacity attracted ThayerMahan initially to the UK-based USV firm."The fact that SEA-KIT’s vessels are already commercially proven across the globe also factored heavily in their decision-making process…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has been awarded a $2.4 billion U.S. Navy fixed-price-incentive contract for the detail design and construction of amphibious assault ship LHA 9. The award includes options, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $3.2 billion. Ingalls was awarded the original long-lead-time material contract for the fourth ship in the America (LHA 6) class on April 30, 2020.Construction on LHA 9 is scheduled to begin in December 2022.The America-class is a multi-functional and versatile ship that is capable of operating in a high density…

Rhode Island-based offshore wind farm crew transfer vessel company Atlantic Wind Transfers has ordered six crew transfer vessels to be built at St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla. The first two vessels, of the Chartwell Ambitious-class design, are expected to be delivered in the summer of 2023 and January 2024, with four further builds in the pipeline. The 25.2-meter aluminum catamarans will each have capacity to transport 24 personnel to and from turbines.Charles A. Donadio…

U.S. shipyards are making improvements to building ships for the Navy and Coast Guard today and in the future. In some cases, it means phasing out one class of ship and getting ready for the next. Or, it can be a drastic make-over.The yards include mid-tier yards all the way up to very large facilities devoted exclusively to warships. The ships range from the 353-ton Fast Response Cutter to the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin…

Baltimore-based Vane Brothers announced it has take delivery this month of the final boat in a series of four 3,000-horsepower Salisbury Class push tugs. Named the Charles Hughes, Vane’s newest addition is the 20th Maryland-built towing vessel to join Vane Brothers’ fleet since 2008.Designed and constructed by Chesapeake Shipbuilding Shipbuilders and Naval Architects of Salisbury, Md., Vane’s Salisbury Class push tugs have a molded depth of only 10.5 feet, making them well suited for working in confined, shallow-draft waterways.

The U.S. has big plans for its offshore wind industry, and shipbuilders like Blount Boats and others are ramping up to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunity.Earlier this year, the Biden Administration unveiled its goal to have 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power installed and in development in the U.S. by 2030. The announcement, which included plans to open new areas to development, accelerate permits and boost public financing for projects, injected a healthy dose of optimism into an American offshore wind industry that has taken its time getting off the ground.To date…

Jones Act marine transportation provider Vane Brothers announced it has taken delivery this month of the third in a series of four 3,000-horsepower push tugs. Named the Rock Hall, Vane’s newest addition is the nineteenth Maryland-built towing vessel to join the Baltimore-based company’s fleet since 2008.Chesapeake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects of Salisbury, Maryland has delivered 16 3,000-horsepower, model bow tugs and three 3,000-horsepower square-bow push boats. Two of the Rock Hall’s sister tugs, the Salisbury and the Annapolis, were delivered in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Naval architecture firm KNUD E. HANSEN has unveiled a new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design engineered to carry and install up to four new-generation 14 megawatt wind turbines.The Atlas A-class vessel is specifically dimensioned for transporting and assembling wind turbines on top of pre-installed foundations, the designer said. The foundations, which are heavy but do not require jacking, can be efficiently installed from a heavy-lift vessel. As a result, the Atlas A-class can be entirely optimized for the jacking operation…

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation announced it has taken delivery of its second Equinox 650-foot Class self-unloading dry-bulk carrier, Algoma Intrepid.The new vessel, the ninth Equinox Class vessel to join the Algoma fleet, has begun her voyage across the Atlantic to Canada from the 3 Maj Shipyard in Croatia to Canada where she is expected to begin trading on the Great Lakes in November.Algoma Intrepid is the sister ship to the Algoma Innovator, which entered…

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA said it has been awarded a modification to previously awarded contract with a total potential value of $43,362,000 by the U.S. Department of Defense. This contract was modified to exercise the options for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Class design services, material to support LCS Class design services, and the Integrated Data Product Model Environment (IDPME). Austal will provide LCS Class design services to all LCS ships and services may include program management…

The world's largest containership, HMM Algeciras, passed through the Suez Canal on Monday as the record-setting 24,000 TEU class vessel makes its maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.Built at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s (DMSE) Okpo shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, the 399.9-meter HMM Algeciras has a capacity of 23,964 TEU and is the first of 12 vessels of the same class, design and size contracted to be built by DSME and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).Delivered in April…

Singapore-based offshore drilling rig builder Keppel Offshore & Marine has delivered a newbuild jack-up drilling rig to Norway's Borr Drilling.The rig, named Hild, was built to Keppel's KFELS Super B Class design. The Hild is the sixth jack-up that Keppel has delivered to Borr Drilling, out of the 11 that have been ordered. It is capable of operating in 400 feet water depth and drilling to 35,000 feet. The jack-up is equipped with a maximum combined cantilever load of 2,700 kips and high capacity hook loads of two million poundsFollowing this delivery…

Two new dive support vessels (DSV) operated by Belov Engenharia Ltda. have completed class commissioning and are currently performing client acceptance testing for Petrobras.Built at Belov's own fabrication facility in Salvador, the newbuilds Belov Amaralina and Belov Humaitá are of Robert Allan Ltd.'s RAlly 4000’s Class design, fitted with Dynamic Positioning System (DP2), four diesel generators, three water jet propulsors and triple bow thrusters for redundancy. The propulsion system is diesel-electric to improve efficiency when operating in lower power DP modes.

Vane Brothers said it has taken delivery of the second of four 3,000-horsepower push tugs being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding Shipbuilders and Naval Architects in Salisbury, Md.The newbuild, Annapolis, has a design that is identical to the tug Salisbury, delivered in 2019. With a length of 94 feet, width of 34 feet, molded depth of 10.5 feet, and working draft of 8.5 feet, each vessel in the Subchapter M-compliant Salisbury Class of push tugs is especially well-suited for operations along inland waterways.Vane Brothers President C.

Canadian naval architecture and marine engineering company Vard Marine has been contracted to complete the basic class design package of a new generation of Siemens powered SeaFloat power barges to support New York’s Gowanus Repowering Project.Working under the guidance of Stantec, the project’s engineer of record, Vard Marine will supply the barge arrangements, structural design package, marine engineering and naval architecture for the project.Vard Marine’s Houston Vice President, Darren Truelock, said, “We are very pleased to be partnered with Stantec and Siemens in such an important initiative that reduces potential emissions in…