Two Large News

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has ordered eight new ships, the most comprehensive newbuild order in its history.The order represents nearly 25,000 additional berths, with new classes of ships for each of its three brands and the construction of a multi-ship pier at Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island destination in the Bahamas.The new ships are scheduled for delivery over a 10-year period, between 2026 and 2036. Following the delivery of four Prima-Plus class ships from 2025 through 2028…

Panama City Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced it has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra high-spec 400 class multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the contracts in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues". Gulf Island then sued Hornbeck, claiming the two shipyard construction contracts were wrongfully terminated.

Vallejo ,Calif. boatbuilder Moose Boats announced it has delivered a new fireboat to the Alameda City Fire Department (AFD) located in Alameda County, Calif.According to the builder, the new Moose M2-38 fireboat is the most powerful ever assembled, running on twin Cummins turbo charged QSB 6.7L 480HP engines with Twin Disc Transmissions and Hamilton HJX 29 waterjets. The boat can reach speeds up to 38 knots with a cruise speed of 30 knots.The vessel is equipped with two large Darley 2000 GPM fire pumps powered by PTO systems that enables full control at the helm while flowing close to 5…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has taken delivery of the Cape Hatteras and the Cape Canaveral, the two Damen 3013 Multi Cats built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La.“This is a milestone for our company and the U.S. dredging industry,” said Chris Gunsten, Great Lakes’ senior vice president of project services and fleet engineering. “The Multi Cat brings step change safety improvements to Great Lakes’ dredge pipeline operations, which was a prime driver for the investment.

Optimized to deal with shallow water levels, a diesel-electric drive system and an extra-wide design for the vessel are the main features of a gas tanker that HGK Shipping ordered from the Dutch shipyard, De Gerlien Van Tiem, on September 15, 2023. The latest addition to the fleet will enable the Duisburg, Germany inland shipping company to maximize cargo carriage even if water levels are low. “GAS 96” has been developed in close cooperation in line with the requirements of two large chemicals companies in the Netherlands and Germany.

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…

Shipyards across the U.S. are investing in new equipment to increase lift capacity, opening up the door for more projects and improved efficiency.Southern California-based Marine Group Boat Works, which performs a mix of yacht, commercial and government vessel repair work, in 2022 repowered its 665-ton Marine Travelift mobile boat hoist—the largest on the West Coast—with a Tier 4 John Deere engine. And earlier this year it was awarded a MARAD Small Shipyard Grant worth more than…

NYK will install a variable compression ratio system (VCR system) on two large LNG-fueled coal carriers to be built at Oshima Shipbuilding. The vessels are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2025, and NYK reports this will be the first time for VCR systems to be installed on vessels, including existing vessels that use heavy fuel oil as their main fuel.The VCR system can adjust the air compression ratio in the engine combustion chamber to an optimal balance according to engine power and LNG fuel properties.

Heavy lift and transport services firm Mammoet said Monday it had secured contracts for two large offshore wind projects for undisclosed clients in the United States, both of which begin in 2023. Together, the two contracts cover a range of port scopes, including the load-in, load-out, handling, and temporary storage of XXL monopiles, plus the pre-assembly of turbines in a US marshaling port."Mammoet’s vast experience in offshore wind, presence in the USA, and long track record in supplying specialized equipment as well as tailor-made solutions have proven decisive to confirm these awards.

WindServe Marine, a U.S. offshore wind support services company, has secured a loan from The Washington Trust Company, for the construction of three new 88-foot crew transfer vessels (CTV), recently commissioned by Ørsted, the largest offshore wind developer in the world. "Washington Trust was founded on the southwestern shoreline of Rhode Island and as a good corporate citizen, we are committed to protecting and preserving the local environment. Providing financing for alternative sources of energy that benefit this community aligns both with our business and sustainability benchmarks…

BAE Systems announced it will spend $200 million for upgrades aimed at increasing capacity and flexibility at its Jacksonville, Fla. ship repair yard. The investment covers the preparation, construction, procurement and installation of a modern Pearlson shiplift and land-level ship repair facility, giving the yard the capability to service a greater number of vessels more efficiently.Located two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, at the intersection of the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway…

The Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior has commissioned naval architecture firm Incat Crowther to design a new low-emission battery hybrid research vessel.The aluminum-hulled vessel will be built by Louisiana shipbuilder Midship Marine for expected delivery in spring 2024.Described as a ‘floating classroom’, the 65-foot USCG-certified catamaran will support the university’s on-water education and research and features proven parallel…

Hurtigruten Norway announced it has launched its first environmentally-upgraded battery-hybrid powered ship as part of a €100 million seven vessel refit program aimed at significantly reducing both CO2 and NOx emissions.MS Richard With has gone through extensive upgrades, having been retrofitted with two large battery packs (1,120kWh each) and new, more efficient Norwegian-made engines and new propulsion systems at Myklebust Yard in northwestern Norway. The vessel also received new switchboards and power management systems…

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has awarded Approval in Principle (AIP) to Norwegian ship owner Egil Ulvan Rederi AS for its zero-emission self-discharging hydrogen-fuelled bulk carrier, With Orca. The vessel is planned to enter into a long-term transport contract with cargo owners Felleskjøpet Agri and Heidelberg Cement.With Orca will be fully zero-emission in all operations. It will be powered by hydrogen, stored onboard in compressed form, and the hydrogen combustion engine will be optimized for increased efficiency.

Ask anyone working in the shipyard business, and they’ll tell you balancing yacht, commercial and government vessel repair work concurrently is no easy task. Add a bit of new construction to the mix, and you’ve got Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW), a Chula Vista, Calif. shipyard that has seemingly mastered the balancing act.“There are a few tricks to the trade,” said MGBW president Todd Roberts, a Cal Maritime graduate with a U.S. Coast Guard license for vessels up to 1,600 tons. “The biggest thing we do is run an extremely clean, environmentally friendly operation. . .

French engineering firm GTT announced it has received, in March 2022, an order from Chinese shipyard Jiangnan for the cargo containment and cargo handling systems design of two large capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.As part of this order, GTT will provide the design and associated engineering services for the vessel’s tanks, which will each offer a capacity of 175,000 cubic meters. The tanks will be fitted with the GTT Mark III Flex membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT.The vessels are scheduled for delivery in the first and second quarters of 2025.Philippe Berterottière, chairman and CEO of GTT, said the vessels are are the first large LNG carriers to be built by Jiangnan shipyard.

Wärtsilä and logistics provider CLdN have jointly developed an innovative hybrid design for two new RoRo vessels. The propulsion arrangement is such that the ships can operate as gas/diesel-mechanical vessel now, or in the future as gas/diesel-electric vessel. The vessels are being built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyards in Korea.The Wärtsilä hybrid system includes Energy Storage Systems, two large PTO/PTI generators and electric motors, multidrive converters, and the Wärtsilä Energy Management System that controls and optimizes the hybrid operations.

Vestdavit has developed an innovative heavy-duty davit for larger offshore wind workboats to be delivered for a green-fueled service operation vessel (SOV) newbuild as part of a multiple davit contract with Esvagt.Danish shipowner Esvagt earlier this year announced an order at Turkey’s Cemre Shipyard for an SOV to operate on green fuels under a joint newbuild project with compatriot offshore wind operator Ørsted.Powered by batteries and dual-fuel engines, the 93-meter-long vessel will be capable of sailing on renewable e-methanol produced from wind energy and biogenic carbon…