Two Ship News

Fincantieri has received a highly significant order from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings for the construction of four new next-generation cruise ships.The order entails the construction of two cruise ships for the Regent Seven Seas Cruises and two for the Oceania Cruises brands respectively.The ships designated for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2029, will boast a gross tonnage of 77,000 tons and accommodate approximately 850 passengers.Meanwhile…

Two crewmembers were killed and another badly injured after a fire broke out on a containership in Port Houston.Port Houston Fire Department responded during the early morning hours on Monday to a report of a fire onboard the Panamanian-registered containership Stride docked at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal, the port said in a statement.Two ship crew members lost their lives, and another was injured and transported to a hospital via a medical transport helicopter, the port said.

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received a notice to proceed to perform essential improvements to the Brownsville Ship Channel for NextDecade Corporation’s Rio Grande LNG project.The company said it expects to start work for the project later this year, including deepening the entrance channel to the western end of the Rio Grande LNG property also known as Phase 1 of the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvements. The project also includes…

NSB GROUP will work with Wärtsilä on the technical upgrade of the simulator of its NSBacademy. Since 2007 NSB is training Nautical Officers in its own Maritime Training Center. The retrofit for the technical update began in June and is expected to last three months.The NSBacademy has two ship‐handling simulators with a field of view of 270° and 180° respectively. Both units are being completely overhauled. The new Wärtsilä Simulators will include the new version of Navi‐Trainer professional simulation software…

Garry Noonan, Director, Innovation, Ardmore Shipping is candid in discussing emerging technologies and their impact on ship fuel and emissions reductions. With a fleet of product and chemical tankers under his guise, Noonan gives insights on technologies that he has seen work, as well as his thoughts on the fuel transition, which he believes won’t become mainstream until we’re well into the 2030s.While Cork, Ireland-based Ardmore Shipping, founded in 2010, is relatively new in shipping circles…

The US Coast Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate has released Marine Safety Information Bulletin 04-23 to advise mariners that an increasing number of break-bulk and retrofitted bulk carriers are arriving in the U.S. carrying wind turbine parts stowed in a manner that substantially limits visibility from the navigation bridge.In many cases, the vessels have been temporarily exempted from compliance with SOLAS 1974 Chapter V, Regulation 22, by their flag administration…

Liebherr Container Cranes completed its first ship to shore lift height increase with their new patented jacking system as part of Liebherr Transform. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Liebherr engineers at Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad.Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad located on the eastern coast of Australia is one of the world’s most advanced container terminals. Liebherr have two ship to shore container cranes at the terminal, a new STS currently being commissioned and an STS supplied in 2015.

Swedish company Gotlandsbolaget has unveiled the Gotland Hydrocat concept vessel, said to be the world's first large-scale, high-speed catamaran with fossil-free hydrogen propulsion.Slated to enter service in 2030, the high-speed vessel will operate between Gotland and the Swedish mainland, reducing crossing times to under three hours.The vessel is the second vessel in Gotlandsbolaget's Horizon series of high-speed passenger and cargo vessels, launched as a concept model in 2021 with the Gotland Horizon.

Shipping companies are transforming rust buckets into gold mines in a modern-day alchemy that could fuel already rampant inflation for years to come.The disruption to world trade caused by pandemic lockdowns and a shortage of new cargo vessels has pushed freight rates for ageing containerships to record highs.Cashing in on the boom, shipping firms are locking in long-term leases lasting three to four years, which means consumers could carry on paying the price for the surge in costs until hundreds of new ships on order come into service.Take the Synergy Oakland…

Containership giant Seaspan Corporation announced on Wednesday that it now has financing lined up for its entire 70-vessel newbuild program.With the completion of the latest $1.4 billion deal in December, Seaspan said its financing proceeds are approximately $6.9 billion.Seaspan, a subsidiary of Atlas Corp, said the $1.4 billion will be used to finance ten 15,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel newbuilds, the last of its recent $7.6 billion containership ordering spree, including three ships that have already been delivered.

The U.S. Navy took delivery of the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) at Austal USA on December 21. This is the second Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) that shipbuilder Austal has delivered to the Navy in 2021.“With two ship launches, two christenings, and now the successful completion of sea trials and delivery for LCS 30, it has been a busy last couple of months at Austal USA,” said Rusty Murdaugh, President of the Mobile, Alabama-based shipbuilder. “All of these milestones require extensive coordination between Austal…

BC Ferries revealed the name of its latest Island Class Ferry this week at a naming ceremony at its fleet maintenance facility in Richmond, B.C. Island Kwigwis is the newest vessel to join the fleet and will begin service in the spring of 2022, allowing for two-ship operation on the Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island route.The name Kwigwis, which means "eagle of the sea," was selected with support from the 'Na̲mg̲is First Nation and celebrates the beauty of the journey and the important connection to coastal communities.

U.S. shipbuilder Philly Shipyard has won a contract from the dredging giant Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company to build a Jones Act-compliant subsea rock installation vessel that will serve the growing U.S. offshore wind market.The contract award, first in the U.S. offshore wind space for the shipyard, is worth around $197 million. Great Lakes, the U.S. largest dredging services provider, will have a right of first refusal on a second ship. If both ships are ordered, then the total contract value of the two-ship program would be around $382 million."Over the past several years…

Rolls-Royce announced it has secured a contract to supply eight of its mtu 16V 4000 M65L engines for four 80-ton bollard pull tugboats to be built by Detroit Brasil, Ltda. and operated by Starnav Servicos Maritimos Ltda. The new tugs will feature a hybrid propulsion system, combining the mtu engines and mtu Blue Vision New Generation (BVNG) monitoring system with Z-drive thrusters, hybrid components and controls from Schottel, a manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems…

The U.S. Navy awarded Austal USA a $144 million two-ship Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship (T-ATS) detailed design and construction contract October 5.T-ATS will provide oceangoing tug, salvage and rescue capabilities to support U.S. fleet operations and will be a multi mission common hull platform capable of towing heavy ships. These ships will be able to support current missions, including oil spill response, humanitarian assistance, and wide area search and surveillance. The…

Wilson Sons, through its Towage unit, participated in the first ship-to-ship offshore operation for the transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through a ULGC (Ultra Large Gas Carrier) vessel of Q-FLEX type in Brazil. The ship is considered one of the largest gas carriers in the world with a capacity of 215,000 cubic meters.This unprecedented operation took place at the Celse’s terminal, in Barra dos Coqueiros (SE), and aimed to supply the Porto de Sergipe Thermoelectric Power Plant (UTE), operated by the company.

BC Ferries’ new Island Class ferry arrived late last week in British Columbia, Canada, having departed Damen Shipyards Galati yard in Romania on May 19.The vessel, temporarily named Island 3, arrived under its own power, after a 64-day, approximately 10,700 nautical miles transatlantic journey. The Island Class are battery-equipped ships designed for future full electric operation. The ships are fitted with hybrid technology that bridges the gap until shore charging infrastructure and funding becomes available in B.C.

TotalEnergies has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Novatek to acquire 10% of Arctic Transshipment LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Novatek, which owns and will operate two liquefied natural gas (LNG) transshipment terminals being built in the Murmansk and Kamchatka regions of Russia.These terminals will provide export logistics services, including to the Arctic LNG 2 project under construction, and will each initially include a 360,000 m3 floating storage unit (FSU) and two ship-to-ship transfer kits (STS).

Crowley Engineering Services announced Monday it has designed the first fully electric U.S. tugboat with autonomous technology, engineered as a zero-emissions, high-performance solution for ship assist and harbor services.The Crowley design, powered by the expertise of recently integrated subsidiary Jensen Maritime, leverages a large battery system and power saving technology to operate in a fully electric mode while producing zero air emissions or greenhouse gases, Crowley said.

BC Ferries’ newbuild program continues with the launch of its fifth Island Class hybrid-electric ferries last Thursday at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. When in operation, the yet-to-be named vessel will be one of two assigned to the Nanaimo Harbor – Gabriola Island route.Work will continue on the new ferry until scheduled sea trials in June. Following sea trials, the vessel will be delivered to Point Hope Maritime in Victoria in late 2021 for final preparations. Two-ship service is scheduled to begin on the Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island route by early 2022…

In 2018, Havyard Design & Solutions won a contract for the delivery of two ship designs to Royal Arctic Line A/S. Reefer vessel design was a new segment for Havyard and the first of the two ships, ‘Siuana Arctica’, has now been delivered from the Astilleros Zamakona yard in Spain.Royal Arctic Line A/S handles all sea freight to and from the 13 biggest ports in Greenland, which secures supplies across the country. ‘Siuana Arctica' is set to sail the Uummannaq area to the Upernavik district in north-west Greenland.In the course of December…

L3Harris Technologies said it has received a contract from Eastern Shipbuilding Group to provide the integrated communications system for the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).The Coast Guard has said that the OPC program is the highest acquisition priority in the Coast Guard, providing the capability bridge between the National Security Cutter and Fast Response Cutter.The initial award to L3Harris includes the design, development and production of the first two ship systems with options for up to as many as four OPC systems.