Quantum News

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured a series of major contracts for vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions, set for completion by the end of 2025.With an aggregate value of S$350 million ($259 million), the contracts have reinforced Seatrium’s reputation as a one of the market leaders in vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions.The diverse range of complex contracts secured by Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades include the upgrades and conversions of Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU)…

AUKUS defense ministers have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.A statement was released after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California on December 1.AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia…

A ship with supplies for Canadian miner First Quantum's unit in Panama was unable to dock as local boats blocked off access to the key port, the company said in a statement to Reuters on Friday.Protests have escalated in recent weeks against the miner's contract for a major copper mine operated by the company's local unit, known as Minera Panama.The ship in question has remained in Panamanian waters for several days without being able to reach the Punta Rincon port due to protests…

Klaveness Combination Carriers ASA (KCC) announced it is exploring the potential of improved vessel connectivity with a pilot of Starlink, a satellite internet service provisioned by Marlink. The move focuses on improving digital collaboration and data exchange between shore and ship, a key step in reaching KCC’s targets set for crew safety/welfare and carbon emission reductions, the company said.Taking traditional VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) connectivity to the next level…

Emergency responders are searching for a cruise ship passenger who reportedly fell overboard in the Singapore Strait.At about 7:50 a.m. on Monday, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was notified that a passenger onboard a Cyprus-flagged passenger vessel, Spectrum of the Seas, had fallen overboard while enroute into Singapore.MRCC Singapore, operated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), is coordinating the search and immediately issued navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait and vessels in port to keep a lookout for the missing person and report any sightings to MRCC Singapore.The cruise ship is currently berthed in Singapore and is supporting investigations.The 169…

Since the ballast water management system discussion started nearly two decades ago, a clear concern was the ability to fit new equipment on existing ships, placing a strain on both space and power. Last month we caught up with a few key suppliers to for their insights on market development.How many BWMS have you sold and installed to date?Maxime Dedeurwaerder, BIO-UV GroupLast year has proven to be the best on record, with roughly 200 BIO-Sea units delivered. All told, since we entered the ballast water market, we have about 700 units in service or pending commissioning.

State-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corp is seeking $22.4 million from its insurer for a cargo ship hit by a missile in March, government officials with knowledge of the talks said, in the first major marine insurance claim from the conflict in Ukraine.The UN's shipping agency said last week it would create a safe maritime corridor for merchant ships and crews stuck in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, although shipping industry sources expect progress to be slow. Projectiles have hit four other vessels in recent days with one sunk.Insurance premiums have soared by over 100% for voyages to the region since the war started. Insurers are watching…

“DDG-51 hull form is maxed out in nearly every mission area. Meanwhile, the threat marches on.”Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, director for surface warfareThe U.S. Navy’s highly successful USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) surface combatant program is still going strong and growing in capability. Nearly 40 years later, new ships are still being built. But, the navy said, the ship cannot support the systems of tomorrow needed to meet the future threat.“DDG 51 has been in production for over 40 years with basically the same hull we started with in 1985…

West creates a Charterers and Traders team as a new center of excellence within the Club, further enhancing the West’s popular tailor-made liability insurance products.The West of England P&I Club announced the creation of a dedicated Charterers and Traders product team to manage its Charterers Comprehensive Cover, which provides bespoke cover for charterers and traders.Suumit Madhu will lead the new team with support from Nicola Goff, Christina Anderson, Chris Ward and Paul Kaye…

Denmark-headquartered Scandlines said it has entered into a contract with Turkey's Cemre Shipyard to build an emissions-free freight ferry for the Puttgarden-Rødby route. The ferry will enter service in 2024.With a crossing time of one hour, the ferry is emissions free. It can also be operated as a hybrid ferry like the current passenger ferries on the Scandlines routes between Germany and Denmark. As a hybrid ferry, the crossing time is 45 minutes.Initially, the ferry will exclusively charge in Rødby.

Offshore wind vessel company Edda Wind, owned by Wilhelmsen and Østensjø, on Monday announced plan to launch an offering of shares in the company and to apply for a listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange (the “IPO”).Based in Haugesund, Norway, Edda Wind develops, builds, owns, and operates purpose-built Service Operation Vessels (“SOV”) and Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (“CSOV”) for offshore wind farms.The company owns and operates two purpose-built offshore wind SOVs and…

Don’t let the titanium metal walls or the sapphire windows fool you. It’s what’s on the inside of this small, curious device that could someday kick off a new era of navigation.For more than a year, the avocado-sized vacuum chamber has contained a cloud of atoms at the right conditions for precise navigational measurements. It is the first device that is small, energy-efficient and reliable enough to potentially move quantum sensors — sensors that use quantum mechanics to outperform conventional technologies — from the lab into commercial use…

The United States, Britain and Australia will establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as Chinese influence over the region grows.Under the partnership, to be announced on Wednesday by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines…

A Genting Cruise Lines ship on a "cruise to nowhere" has returned to Singapore after a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a passenger, and the nearly 3,000 passengers and crew on board were confined to their cabins through most of Wednesday.The 40-year-old passenger tested positive onboard and the result was confirmed after the person was taken to hospital once the ship docked early on Wednesday, the Singapore Tourism Board said, following the detection of the suspected case."The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land…

It’s no secret that the U.S. offshore wind sector is finally about to burst into action after years of behind-the-scenes movement. With a new administration set to bolster the favorable political headwinds for the sector, establishing a strong domestic supply chain will be critical as the industry scales up.Offshore wind farm operators will need high-quality vessels ready to go, and crew transfer vessels (CTV) are vital when constructing and servicing new assets. Concurrently…

Singapore currently accounts for a third of the world’s cruises its tourism body said on Wednesday, owing to the roaring success of its “cruises to nowhere” at a time of crisis in the industry globally.Cruises have yet to restart in many parts of the world after taking a beating from the coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks found on cruise ships.The city-state launched what it called “round trips” on luxury liners in November, which have no port of call and last only a few days.

Royal Caribbean Group on Wednesday took delivery of its newest cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas, built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.The 169,000 GT, 347.1-meter vessel is the last of five Quantum Ultra class cruise ships started in January 2013 with the launch of Quantum of the Seas."Royal Caribbean Group commissioned us in 2011 to build the first two units of the Quantum class, which have been very popular with passengers since day one. We have continuously improved and developed these ships…

Royal Caribbean's latest Quantum Class cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas has set sail for sea trials in the North Sea ahead of planned delivery in the coming weeks, German shipbuilder Meyer Werft said.Trials for the 348-meter, 169,379 GT cruise ship include technical and nautical tests while final interior work remains underway on board.Meyer Weft said teams from the shipyard, its suppliers as well as the shipowner and the classification society DNV are working hand in hand to ensure the successful completion of the ship…

In early 2021, the somber news from the cruise sector continued. For some cruise brands, their own version of “lockdowns” will have spanned an entire year. By late January, 2021, Carnival and others were hesitantly pegging their restarts for April/May 2021, and for some markets, late summer, under a Conditional Sail Order promulgated late last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).What else to do but look ahead?In preliminary earnings guidance, Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL)…

Dutch shipbuilder Damen's new Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011, which will be able to carry 122 people in a single trip, hit the water earlier this month at Damen Shipyards Antalya, Turkey. The vessel, which Damen has dubbed "as a quantum leap forward in marine access solutions," has been described as a "cost-effective crew transportation alternative boasting robust safety characteristics."According to Damen, the vessel is the largest ever to have been launched in Antalya Free Zone.

Most people these days are aware of risks inherent in our increasingly electronic maritime industry. There is malware, ransomware, and spear phishing to name a few. But a new one has been recently identified – cosmic rays.Cosmic rays are high-energy protons and atomic nuclei which move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the sun, from stars outside of the solar system, and from distant galaxies. They are capable of penetrating and passing through almost any material.

Triumph Subsea Services has signed a letter of intent with Infrastrata for the construction of offshore wind farm development vessels at Infrastrata's Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The letter of intent envisions the construction of two Windfarm Development Vessels ("WDV) each of which will have a length of 200 meters and a beam of 35 meters.Under the terms of the LoI, InfraStrata's subsidiary, Harland & Wolff - a shipyard that built the Titanic - would be responsible for the build…

A Royal Caribbean “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore began disembarking its nearly 1,700 passengers who were confined to their cabins for more than 16 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected onboard, forcing the ship back to port.All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the virus up to three days before the four-day cruise began on Monday.Authorities said close contacts of the COVID-19 patient among the 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew members on board had so far tested negative.