Kiel News

Sanmar’s Altinova Shipyard held a christening ceremony last Saturday for a powerful new harbour tug destined to work for German operator H. Schramm Towage.Lara König, took on the honorary role of godmother to the new tug, which is named Bo after her two-year-old son, who is the godchild of SCHRAMM group owner Hans-Helmut Schramm.Bo is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar TRAktor-Z 2500SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan, part of the Turkish tug and workboat builder’s Deliçay series.Powered by two high-speed…

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.

Damen Naval and project partner NVL Group held a steel cutting ceremony at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany for the first new multipurpose frigates for the German Navy.“We are proud to be able to start cutting steel entirely on schedule on December 5. We were able to complete the development phase in record time, something that is partly due to the excellent cooperation with BAAINBW, the Navy and the other German authorities,” said Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen.

With the completion of shore power installation on Volendam, Holland America Line's entire fleet is now shore power-capable. Volendam completed installation in Vancouver, British Columbia, and connected to the port's shoreside electricity for the first full day on Sept. 27.The cruise line began converting ships to have shore power connectivity in 2006 with its four Vista Class ships; its Pinnacle Class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam) all were built with shore power systems installed…

The German government is considering taking a minority stake in Thyssenkrupp's warship division Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to Kiel on Tuesday.The consideration process would take until the end of the year, Pistorius said, according to a defense ministry spokesperson.Thyssenkrupp is looking for a standalone future for TKMS, which builds submarines and frigates, and has mentioned a listing, partial sale, merger or joint venture as possibilities to reach its goal.Last week, a leading worker representative told Reuters that Berli

MSC Cruises’ second liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship MSC Euribia has completed sea trials ahead of planned delivery in the coming weeks.Flowing four days of "intensive systems tests" in the Atlantic Ocean, MSC Cruises’ latest flagship will receive finishing touches at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France before being officially delivered to MSC Cruises on May 31.Cleaner burning LNG is set to play a key role in the transition to the decarbonization of international shipping…

Anschütz, a brand with more than a century history (since 1905), has a new owner and is part of DMB Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, meaning that Raytheon Anschütz GmbH is to be renamed Anschütz GmbH once the entry in the commercial register has been made.DMB takes over the entire Anschütz Group with its headquarters in Kiel and international subsidiaries in Panama City, Portsmouth (United Kingdom), Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Singapore. Anschütz returns to a…

A milestone for the use of methanol as a marine fuel was achieved in the Port of Gothenburg on Monday, as methanol propelled vessel Stena Germanica was the first non-tanker vessel in the world to be bunkered with methanol ship to ship.“This is a door-opening demonstration, proving that there is a feasible way to handle ship to ship methanol bunkering. This strengthens our position as a bunker hub and is also showcasing for other ports that this can be done in a safe and efficient way – not only here, but in other ports around the world as well.

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

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.

Last week, Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH delivered a new LHM 800 High Rise mobile harbor crane to its customer Port Esbjerg.The delivery took place shortly after an incident in the Kiel Canal, in which an LHM 600 ordered by Port Esbjerg was damaged while passing under the Holtenau High Bridge.Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH said it sent service engineers and technical specialists to assess the situation on site and to assist with the recovery immediately after the incident. Every effort was made to deliver a replacement unit to Port Esbjerg as quickly as possible…

Dutch marine battery system supplier EST-Floattech has delivered 1092kWh of battery capacity for new, full-electric ferry Wellingdorf in a contract with system integrator Holland Ship Electric. The zero-emission vessel, the fifth in a series of six hybrid and full-electric vessels for Kiel-based tug and ferry operator SFK, was designed and built by Holland Shipyards Group. The last (hybrid) vessel Schilksee is expected to be delivered early 2026.Earlier this year Holland Shipyards Group…

TUI Cruises said a second vessel in its cruise ship fleet has successfully tested the use of shore power in port.Earlier this week, the German cruise ship operator's Mein Schiff 6 received shore power for the first time in SEEHAFEN KIEL Cruise GmbH & Co. KG (Port of Kiel), making it the second TUI Cruises ship behind Mein Schiff 4 to have made a shore power connection.Technicians and engineers carried out various tests of the shore power system before connecting the plugs of the Kiel shore power system to the sockets of Mein Schiff 6.

In cooperation with Leviathan GmbH, German Naval Yards welcomed the first ship that it says is to be recycled "100% sustainably," with parts of the ship to be transformed into works of art.Leviathan GmbH from Cuxhaven has developed a process for green & emission-free ship recycling. Together with German Naval Yards in Kiel, the sustainable recycling process will now be applied for the first time on a 41m long landing boat. The pilot project will start on June 20, 2022, and is expected to be completed within six weeks.

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 software problem that blocked all ship traffic in the main channel between the Baltic and the North Sea on Sunday was not a hacker attack and has been fixed, a spokesperson for Germany's Kiel Canal Waterways and Shipping Authority said on Monday.The incident was caused by the installation of a new vessel traffic management software system, the spokesperson said.Fixing a small error in the code allowed the channel to go back into full operation after more than 12 hours of outage, the spokesperson added."The traffic controller went down at 8 o'clock yesterday morning.

“Wavelab” will be an advanced testbed for sustainable urban mobility technologiesTorqeedo won a contract to supply a complete electric drive train for an autonomous boat in the German city of Kiel. Dubbed “Wavelab”, the electric vessel will serve as a research platform for the “Clean Autonomous Public Transport Network” (CAPTN) initiative in Kiel. The program aims to create the infrastructure for an integrated inner-city mobility network based on multiple modes of transport on…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz halted the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project designed to bring more Russian gas to Germany on Tuesday after Russia formally recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.Europe's most divisive energy project was finished in September but has remained idle since then pending certification by Germany and the European Union.The project is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia straight to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing…

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in Hamburg in 2028.

Danish shipping company DFDS said its first newbuild vessel in 30 years has arrived in Europe following a long voyage from the Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).The new ship, Aura Seaways, is the first in a series of two new roll-on, roll-off passenger ferries built by GSI for DFDS. The 230-meter-long vessel, officially handed over to DFDS in China in December, is the first newbuild passenger vessel contracted by DFDS since Scandinavia was delivered in 1982.Last weekend…

Helsinki Shipyard has delivered SH Minerva, the first of three Vega-class ships under construction in Helsinki for Swan Hellenic’s heritage brand.After being christened on November 23, the vessel left Helsinki on December 3 and is heading toward Ushuaia, from where the vessel will take off for a New Year maiden Antarctic cruise departing December 29. The new ship sailed through the Kiel Canal on December 6.The new purpose-designed ship is the first in a series of three next-generation polar expedition vessels designed for worldwide cruising with a strong focus on high-latitude areas.

Danish shipping company DFDS said it has taken delivery of Aura Seaway, the first in a series of two new roll-on, roll-off passenger ferries from Chinese shipbuilder Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).The 230-meter-long newbuild, now on its way to Europe, is the first newbuild passenger vessel contracted by DFDS since Scandinavia was delivered in 1982.With 4,500 lane meters and capacity for 600 passengers, the new vessel is by far DFDS' largest RoPax ferry in terms of cargo capacity.

On November 1, 2021, Mikko Juelich took over the position as Trade Director for Business Region Germany at the Swedish ferry company Stena Line. He succeeds Ron Gerlach, who has moved to Stena Teknik where he will become the company’s Technical Director.Juelich joins Stena Line with many years’ experience in the maritime sector. For the last five years, he was Managing Director of Container CSG in Luebeck, Germany. Before his time in container shipping, he held various positions at the ferry company Finnlines.