Pax News

2024 marks 50 years of ship design work for Kongsberg Maritime. From setting the benchmark that set the standard for offshore supply vessels in the 1970s, to advanced anchor handlers that transformed the oil and gas industry, and a growing reference list in fishery and merchant ships, Kongsberg Maritime’s range of ship designs has continued to evolve over the past five decades.The early 1970s, at the dawn of the offshore oil and gas industry, saw the very first vessels, designed…

Smyril Line announced it has signed a contract with the CIMC Raffles shipyard in China for the construction of two new vehicle carrier vessels.The ro-ro ships will each be 190 meters in length with 3,300 lane meters for trailers. They have been designed in close cooperation with naval architects Knud E. Hansen for year-round seaworthiness in the North Atlantic. Smyril Line plans to place the vessels into service on its current network, operating a route between Europe, the Faroe Islands and Iceland from 2026.Compared to the company's existing fleet…

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…

Zinus announced it has won a contract to supply its autonomous charging solution for a new zero-emissions, lightweight Ro-Pax ferry.The endeavor is led by shipbuilder Incat Tasmania, and commissioned by their South American customer Buquebús. The ferry will operate between Argentina and Uruguay, providing efficient and eco-friendly transportation services to as many as 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles.Zinus will be supplying its autonomous charging solution, which includes the SWC200 Onboard Unit and ZPP800 charging tower solution.

Finnlines announced it has taken delivery of Finncanopus, its second of two Superstar-series freight-passenger (ro-pax) vessels from shipbuilder China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai.The newbuild is slated to enter service on Finnlines’ line between Finland and Sweden (Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär) in February 2024. The homeward voyage is expected to take 6–7 weeks as Finncanopus will be nearly fully loaded with freight and will call several ports before entering the Baltic Sea.Finncanopus is the final vessel of Finnlines EUR 500-million Green Newbuilding Program…

BMT and PA Consulting have explored the feasibility of retrofitting medium-sized Ro-Pax ferries with hydrogen propulsion and storage technology.The resulting white paper assesses the economic and technical feasibility of retrofitting existing vessels with hydrogen propulsion systems, presenting three retrofit alternatives with varying complexity, hydrogen demand and costs. These options involve dual-fuel engines with compressed gaseous hydrogen storage, hydrogen fuel cells with…

“If we are to state our strategy in one word, it’s decarbonization,” said Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and engineering at Finnish tech company Wärtsilä. “What we are going toward is to supply the market with a portfolio of products that are ready for zero-carbon fuels.”In order to achieve its sustainability goals—including a 2030 target for carbon neutrality in its own operations—Wärtsilä has been taking big strides in research and development, having ramped up its investment on this front in recent years, Kytölä said.

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards has recently delivered three ASD Tugs to Poland’s WUZ Ports and Maritime Services.“On the 19th of October, the flag raising ceremony for three new ASD Tugs took place in Gdansk, Poland. In the presence of a large group of Polish and international associates and company employees, the new tugs were welcomed into the fleet. This followed the christening ceremony of the second ASD Tug 2811 that took place in September in Rotterdam. Named Pax (in Latin "Peace”)…

SSI said it will supply its ShipConstructor design and modelling solution to Tasmania’s Incat shipyard to support structural modelling for two hull modules of Hull 096, a 130-meter battery-electric Ro-Pax catamaran under construction for Buquebus of Uruguay.Incat and its partner Revolution Design chose SSI’s ShipConstructor system, the SSI design and engineering solution, to deliver specific benefits for this complex project, including centralized data management, automation and standardization of design outputs…

Finnish shipping company Wasaline announced it has started operating with certified biogas one day a week from October 13, in preparation for the EU emissions trading system that will come into force next year.The company, which operates the route connecting Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden, said it will use certified biogas aboard its ro-pax vessel Aurora Botnia for all Friday departures through December 22 as part of its “Green Fridays” pilot project.Biogas is more expensive than liquefied natural gas (LNG)…

The Abu Dhabi Ports Group has commissioned Penguin Shipyard International and Incat Crowther to design and deliver two new 56-metre ro-pax catamaran passenger and vehicle ferries.The new vessels will be built by Penguin International in Indonesia and can transport up to 194 passengers and 25 vehicles.Replacing two older vessels in the Abu Dhabi Ports Group fleet, the new vessels will service Delma Island from Jebel Dhanna on the UAE mainland – a 42-kilometer route. Powered by four MTU engines and Kamewa 71 S-4 waterjets…

Washington's Skagit County is inviting U.S. shipyards to bid for a contract to construct a new all‐electric car and passenger ferry.In 2017, Skagit County Public Works enlisted Glosten to design an environmentally friendly all‐electric replacement for the diesel‐powered ferry Guemes, which has serviced the half-mile route between Anacortes and Guemes Island since 1979.After some funding-related delays, the county approved the Seattle-based naval architecture firm's preliminary design in 2021…

Finnlines on Wednesday held a naming ceremony in Naantali for its first of two new freight-passenger Superstar vessels, Finnsirius.The new ro-pax vessel, part of Finnlines €500-million Green Investment Program, was built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China.“Finnsirius is Finnlines’ new eco-efficient flagship, designed specifically for the fast-paced freight transport route between Finland and Sweden. At the same time, Finnsirius offers upgraded services and more travel comfort than the previous generation of ro-pax vessels.

Finland-based marine technology group Wärtsilä will supply an integrated hybrid propulsion system for two new world’s first methanol-fuelled hybrid RoRo vessels The ships are being built at the China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) Co., Ltd for the Swedish shipping company Stena RoRo. The ships will operate in the Stena Line Irish Sea system. Each vessel will be equipped with two Wärtsilä 32M multi-fuel engines capable of operating on methanol fuel and with ammonia-ready notation.

ERMA First has received a letter of professional opinion from DNV categorizing ERMA FIRST BLUE CONNECT as an energy-saving device and verifying its positive impact on Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) performance. The system is an alternative maritime power solution that facilitates a vessel's connection to a port's electrical grid to power onboard services, systems and equipment.By plugging into an onshore power supply and shutting down its diesel auxiliary engines while berthed…

Wärtsilä is now offering carbon capture and storage (CCS) feasibility studies to shipowners and operators. Studies have already been conducted on a range of vessel types including ro-ro and ro-pax vessels, a drill ship, a container vessel and a gas carrier.The process takes four to six months of study and design work. Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment’s experts are involved in ship design at an early stage to conduct engineering work to understand how CCS can be smoothly integrated once…

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania is setting a record for the largest, lightweight battery electric ship in the world with a new 130-meter (427-foot) ro-pax ferry under construction for South American customer, Buquebús.The aluminum ferry will be the first fully electric vessel in South America when delivered in 2025, operating between Argentina and Uruguay. It will have a capacity for 2,100 passengers and crew and 225 cars and will feature a duty free shop of over 2,000 square meters (21…

The 47th Annual Interferry Conference takes place in Hobart, Tasmania on November 4-8, 2023. With focus on elevating the customer experience and sustainability, expert presentations will feature the latest trends in tourism, service automation and onboard entertainment, as well as ship construction and conversion trends, optimised operations, and safety measures.How global tourism trends have changed and will develop post COVID-19 are part of the keynote of Robert Dougan from Tourism Australia, who kicks off the conference on Day 1.

Finnlines announced it has taken delivery of Finnsirius, the first in a series of two Superstar hybrid freight-passenger (ro-pax) vessels built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China.The vessel will enter service on Finnlines’ Finland–Sweden (Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär) line from September 2023, followed by the series' second vessel, Finncanopus, expected to be delivered by the end of this year.The two ships—part of Finnlines' €500 million green newbuilding program comprising both ro-pax and ro-ro vessels—are equipped with air lubrication…

Finland-based marine technology firm Wärtsila said Wednesday it had launched an innovative retrofit solution for its marine engine governor system in collaboration with Swedish marine green tech company Qtagg. The solution is designed to extend the lifespan of a ship’s propulsion control system, while simultaneously enhancing the vessel’s overall efficiency.Wartsila's Wärtsilä Automation, Navigation and Control Systems (ANCS) business is collaborating with Qtagg in this project."ANCS’s marine governor systems help regulate and control engine speed.

ADS Maritime Holding said Wednesday it had acquired a 10% stake in a Dive Support Vessel and will act as Commercial Manager with primary responsibility for following up the shipowning company’s activities related to the vessel and the bareboat contract.The vessel “Southern Star” is a high spec DP3 Dive Support Vessel (“DSV”) built in 2017, suited for light subsea construction work (150t subsea crane) and advanced dive support work with accommodation for approximately 120 pax.

Shipbuilder and designer Vard, part of Fincantieri, said Friday that it had secured a contract to design and build a cable laying vessel for NCT Offshore in Denmark.The VARD 9 01 design vessel is designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania, while the final outfitting, commissioning, and delivery will be carried out by one of Vard’s shipyards in Norway. The cable layer, which will be about 95 meters long and have a beam of about 21,5 meters, is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2024.

Irish crew transfer vessel (CTV) owner and operator Farra Marine has expanded its fleet of CTVs after ordering another seven vessels from Singapore-based Penguin Shipyard International. The new CTVs are part of the WindFlex-27 series, and when complete will couble Farra Marine CTV fleet servicing the UK and European offshore wind industry. By early 2024, 13 of the 14 CTVs in Farra Marine’s fleet will be Incat Crowther-designed, Penguin-built vessels. The new WindFlex-27s have been customized to meet Farra Marine’s special operational requirements…