Fjord News

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.

Norwegian shipyard Myklebust Verft has been selected to build a pair of innovative hydrogen-powered passenger ferries ordered by Norwegian transport company Torghatten Nord.The design, produced by The Norwegian Ship Design Company for operations in the challenging waters of the Vestfjordstrekninga fjord in the Arctic Circle, received approval in principle (AIP) in August 2022 from Lloyd's Register, who has signed on to class the first-of-their-kind vessels.At 117 meters long with a 120-car capacity…

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection gave their approval to the construction of the planned ammonia bunkering facility at Fjord Base in Florø, Norway.The planned terminal consists of a floating stationary barge with a capacity of 1,000 cu. m. (650 tons) of ammonia. The permit allows for up to 416 operations annually, many of these expected to be bunkering operations for offshore supply vessels that regularly call at Fjord Base in Florø.The planned terminal is part of Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane’s efforts to make low-emission ammonia a common fuel for shipping.

Corvus Energy has developed a DNV-accepted method for data-driven state of health (SOH) testing.SOH tests for marine battery systems are mandatory and give an overall assessment of the condition, performance and safety of the batteries over time. These tests help determine the battery's capacity, efficiency and remaining life. Using data-driven approaches in these tests enhances accuracy and efficiency in monitoring and maintaining marine battery systems. In addition, the test…

A fire has broken out on board a Liberian-registered containership off Canada's East Coast, the Canadian Coast Guard said.At around 11 p.m. on Sunday, the MSC Sao Paulo V issued a call for help after a blaze erupted in the engine room of the 294-meter-long vessel. The ship had left Montréal in the morning and was approaching the Les Escoumins pilot station while en route to Portugal when the incident occurred.By Monday afternoon, the containership crew had informed the Coast Guard that the fire was under control…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Østensjø Rederi announced it has sold the multipurpose vessel Edda Fjord to an undisclosed buyer.The vessel was delivered to its new owners in Haugesund, Norway on January 24, 2024 and is now en route to embark on new projects in Brazil.Edda Fjord, built in 2002 by Flekkefjord Slipp og Maskinfabrikk, has operated in a number of different segments through the years and is considered the predecessor to Edda Fides and the Edda Accommodation concept…

As part of the Clean Autonomous Public Transportation Network (CAPTN) initiative, Anschütz' research into autonomous systems and assistance systems onboard ships that support navigators has made progress in 2023. In the Remote Operating Centre (ROC) which is set up on land at Anschütz, the MV Wavelab -- a research catamaran that is operating on a maritime test field on the Kiel Fjord in Germany -- is monitored. Part of the ROC is a complete digital twin with all the data provided by the various existing and experimental sensors and systems on board the Wavelab.

The first US-built trawler-processor for Alaskan pollock in over three decades is now undergoing sea trials in the Northern Pacific, testing an integrated technology package from Kongsberg Discovery tailored to locate, inspect, and engage fish with unparalleled efficiency.The 100-meter-long Arctic Fjord, designed by Kongsberg Maritime and built by Louisiana’s Thoma-Sea Marine Constructor, will start full-time operations for 2024’s pollock A season in the Bering Sea.Speaking ahead of this week’s Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle…

ABB has won a contract to deliver a power, propulsion, and automation system for two new-built short-sea container ships for Rotterdam-based global logistics company Samskip Group.According to ABB, the vessels will be among the world’s first of their kind to use hydrogen as a fuel. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed. Built by India-based Cochin Shipyard, the 135-meter ships are due for delivery in Q3 and Q4 of 2025, respectively. Both vessels will be operating between Oslo Fjord and Rotterdam, a distance of approximately 700 nautical miles.

Off the coast of Spain and Portugal, killer whales have been biting boats. And the famous beluga whale nicknamed “Hvaldimir” has popped up again – this time in Sweden. When first spotted in Norway in 2019, wearing a suspicious harness, some suggested he could be a Russian spy.These unusual human-wildlife interactions raise questions about managing risk. Both situations present a maritime safety concern. And the whales are at risk of being injured or killed by the boat.What’s more…

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had successfully demonstrated a range of remote and autonomous technologies on a cargo vessel operating off the coast of Norway.The test cruise has been named one of the most complex autonomous journeys at sea so far, Kongsberg Maritime said.The Eidsvaag Pioner is one of the two vessels that are equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.Owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company…

The Norwegian government is providing financial support for the construction of three cargo ships that will run emissions-free along the Norwegian coast.Enova, a Norwegian government enterprise promoting the use of clean energy, said it is providing NOK 130 million to Skarv Shipping Solutions AS for the acquisition of three cargo ships that will run on batteries, ammonia engines, rotor sails and energy-saving hull design. The vessels will potentially have a 90% reduction in emissions compared to similar traditional ships."Enova supports those who go ahead.

Furetank turned a former office building into a maritime educational center on Donsö outside Gothenburg: a state-of-the-art ship simulator complex for training, assessment and certification. Starting in the summer of 2023 it will be available for the shipping cluster on Donsö as well as external organizations.Furetank has ordered a large range of new-built vessels to be delivered in the coming years, and crewing these ships is a challenge. The new simulator center is seen as helping to alleviate some training bottlenecks…

MV Tennor Ocean, newbuilding 782, from Germany's shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft recently set off on test voyage on the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The 210-m RoRo ferry is on the move to Dock 3 at Lloyd Werft. During its week-long stay there, the shipbuilders of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) will carry out the remaining work on the ship’s hull to optimize the performance data. Afterwards, the “MV Tennor Ocean” will set out on a multi-day test voyage on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Norwegian grocery distributor ASKO announced its two new full-electric, self-driving vessels have been christened.The battery-electric powered RoRo cargo ferries, named Marit and Therese, will cross the Oslo Fjord daily between Moss and Horten, mainly carrying groceries for NorgesGruppen's chains.The groundbreaking vessels, which were designed by Norwegian firm Naval Dynamics and built at Cochin Shipyard in India, are equipped with technology from Kongsberg Maritime enabling completely…

Norwegian state enterprise ENOVA has awarded NOK150 million (€15M) in funding for SeaShuttle, a project for the construction of two hydrogen-powered, remotely controlled, and autonomous-ready containerships for delivery by 2025.The project, led by multimodal transport and logistics group Samskip and marine robotics specialist Ocean Infinity, envisages two SeaShuttle ships operating emissions-free between Oslo Fjord and Rotterdam, with each powered by a 3.2MW hydrogen fuel cell.The…

Italian offshore energy services company Saipem has confirmed the return to action of its giant crane vessel Saipem 7000, following a tilting incident in Norway in mid-April.Offshore Engineer reported back in May that the 197.95 meters long Saipem 7000 would return to work at the Seagreen wind farm site offshore Scotland on or around May 31.Two weeks later, the confirmation came from Saipem. The company said Monday: “Following the incident [that] occurred on April 14, 2022 to Crane n.1 of Saipem 7000…

Holland Shipyards Group announced it has handed over a third hybrid ferry, Wik, for Schlepp- und Fahrgesellschaft Kiel (SFK) in Germany.After the previous delivery of the hybrid ferry Gaarden in July 2020, Holland Shipyards Group was awarded a contract to build three additional similar hybrid vessels: Friedrichsort, Wik and Schilksee. With both the Friedrichsort and the Wik now in service in the Kieler Fjord, the Schilksee is scheduled to follow in the beginning of 2026.The ferry…

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…

Norwegian offshore wind services firm Edda Wind has taken delivery of its first CSOV, the Edda Breeze. The vessel was built by Astilleros Gondán shipyard in Spain.The hydrogen-ready vessel is the first to be delivered as part of a nine-vessel newbuilding program. The new Commissioning Operation Vessel (CSOV) will in August go on a ten-year contract with Ocean Breeze at the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm in Germany. “The delivery of Edda Breeze marks the start of deliveries for our newbuilding program of nine vessels.

Saipem's giant Saipem 7000 semi-submersible crane vessel is set to return to operation at the Seagreen wind farm site in the UK a month and a half after it was involved in a tilting incident in Norway.As previously reported, in mid-April, Saipem 7000 tilted in a fjord in Norway with 275 people aboard. The vessel tilted during the planned 5 years main cranes load test, when, as Saipem said, the main block wire broke during the test lifting operation and the testing load (two cargo barges) with the main block was released into the water.Now the vessel appears ready to return to work…

Yara Birkeland, the world’s first electric, autonomous container vessel, was christened in Norway on Friday.The battery-driven vessel completed its maiden voyage in November 2021 and is due to enter service this year, transporting fertilizer across the fjord from Yara International’s Porsgrunn plant to Brevik port, eliminating the carbon emissions of 40,000 diesel truck loads per year, Yara said. Initially, the 80-meter ship will start operations as a manned vessel as part of a two-year trial period to become certified as an autonomous…

Italian energy services company Saipem, whose Saipem 7000 crane vessel with 275 people aboard tilted in a fjord in Norway on Thursday morning, released a statement on Thursday evening, confirming the incident had occurred, and sharing preliminary info on the likely cause."In the morning of today off the coast of Amoyfjorden (Norway), an incident occurred on the vessel Saipem 7000. After having completed DP trials as per DNV testing program, Saipem 7000 was performing the planned 5 years main cranes load test…