Albatros News

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

Expedition cruise company SunStone Maritime Group A/S recently received its sixth Infinity class vessel, the Ocean Albatros. Final documentswere signed on Thursday, April 20, completing delivery of the vessel from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China, to the SunStone companies. The ship will be on a year-round charter to Albatros Expeditions.Infinity Class Vessels are 104 m long and 18 m wide, with a draft of 5.1 m. They feature a passenger capacity between 130 and 200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115.

At the Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. shipyard, a handover and acceptance protocol for the third in a series of modern mine destroyers – the ORP Mewa vessel for the Polish Navy – was signed on Wednesday.The ship was built by a consortium comprising the leader, Stocznia Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A., which is part of the Remontowa Holding S.A. capital group, the Research and Development Centre for Maritime Technology (OBR CTM) S.A. and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna.Like its predecessor ORP Albatros…

SunStone Maritime Group A/S took delivery of two Infinity class ships -- Sylvia Earle and Ocean Odyssey -- from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China. The pair are the fourth and the fifth of the Infinity class delivered from China Merchant Heavy Industries, and both will be on long-term, year-round charter: the SYLVIA EARLE with Aurora Expeditions, and the OCEAN ODYSSEY with Vantage Deluxe World Travel.The Infinity series of ships represents a collaboration between European design and technology and Chinese shipbuilding.Infinity class ships measure 104 x 18m with a 5.1m draft.

SAAM Towage announced it will receive a new tug for its fleet in Panama, the SAAM Quibian, purchased from Türkiye-based Sanmar Shipyards.SAAM Towage’s Technical Manager Pablo Cáceres explained that “this tug’s equipment has been specially selected to reinforce our customers’ needs in Panama, while its compact design ensures safe maneuvers.”SAAM Quibian, the third tug to join the SAAM Towage Panamanian fleet, owes its name to the legend of a brave chief from the Caribbean coastal…

SAAM Towage has taken delivery of the tug Cóndor, acquired from Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey and now located in the Port of Callao. This is the sixth tug to join the fleet in Peru, and its main features are its energy efficiency and high maneuverability.Cristián Cifuentes, Country Manager of SAAM Towage Chile, said, “Cóndor is designed to maneuver safely in ports with reduced spaces.

SAAM Towage expanded its fleet in Chile with the arrival of a new tug dubbed Halcón III.“This new vessel is very symbolic, since it will be called Halcón III. Its predecessor (Halcón I) had a single shaft and was one of the first tugs to start operating at SAAM. Today, almost 60 years later, we can see how technology has advanced at the service of foreign trade. We now have a state-of-the-art unit that will enable us to continue efficiently and safely supporting maneuvers at domestic ports…

Chinese shipbuilder China Merchant Heavy Industries has laid the keel for expedition cruise ship company SunStone Ships' sixth Infinity Class newbuild, Ocean Albatros. A keel laying ceremony was held January 20 at the CMHI yard in Haimen, China.Scheduled to be delivered in March 2023, the vessel will be on year-round charter to the Danish travel company Albatros Expeditions, who is also the charterer of SunStone’s Ocean Victory and Ocean Atlantic.SunStone’s Chairman, Niels-Erik Lund…

After a 30-day voyage from Altinova, Turkey, SAAM Towage's newest tug SAAM Palenque has arrived in Colón, Panama, where the company provides towage services on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.SAAM Towage Country Manager in Panama, Matia de Luiggi said, “We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new tug, which will be an important reinforcement for our fleet. A compact vessel with advanced fire-fighting systems, it has all the technical specs for safely, efficiently serving…

SAAM Towage has launched operations in Peru as the Valparaíso, Chile-based tugboat operator continues its growth plans in the Americas. “We are taking the first steps at the Port of Callao, which lets us provide better coverage on the southern Pacific coast,” said SAAM Towage managing director, Hernán Gómez. “We are interested in this market and foresee leveraging our broad network in the region. Our strategy is to preserve our leadership position and play an important role in the industry's consolidation process.”Having already opened offices and hired personnel in Callao…

Hensoldt UK announcde the supply of Kelvin Hughes Mk11 X Band SharpEye navigation radars to two Polish Navy Kormoran II-class minehunters. ORP Albatros and ORP Mewa were built by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland.Installed in conjunction with an OSI Maritime Systems integrated navigation bridge system, the radar will be tasked with navigation and surface surveillance functionality, providing the Polish Navy with solid state radar sensors to ensure safety of navigation whilst providing advanced small target search capability.

Expedition cruise vessel Ocean Victory, under construction at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China, is slated to commence sea trials by the end of the week, Norwegian designer Ulstein revealed Thursday.The newbuild is the third in the Ulstein-designed CX103 INFINITY series for U.S.-based owner SunStone Ships.The 104.4-meter-long vessel offers capacity for 200 passengers in 93 suites, 68 with balconies, nine with French balconies and 16 with panoramic windows. An infinity pool has been installed…

The third ship in SunStone Ships' INFINITY series was launched on Monday at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China.Ocean Victory, though a sister vessels to the first vessel in the INFINITY series, Greg Mortimer, the latest newbuild differs from in several ways, reflecting the flexibility of the design series, according to Ulstein Design & Solutions, who is providing the design and equipment package to this project. Ocean Victory is the second exploration cruise vessel built at the yard to feature the ULSTEIN X-BOW…

The BorWin3 offshore wind grid connection project in the German North Sea has been handed over to the German/Dutch transmission grid operator TenneT, by contractors Siemens and Petrofac.The 900 MW project will convert three-phase electric power generated by the Hohe See and Albatros offshore wind farms into direct current and transmit it 160km back to shore to the German national grid.Siemens was responsible for the grid connection system including an onshore converter station.The grid connections HelWin1 and HelWin2, BorWin2, SylWin1, and BorWin3 – for which Siemens supplied all the technology for direct current transmission – are thus now in commercial operation and are transmitting power.Siemens, together with Petrofac, was awarded the contract for BorWin3 in the spring of 2014.

The newly built Service Operation Vessel (SOV) “Bibby WaveMaster Horizon” is equipped with propulsion units from SCHOTTEL. Ordered by the British company Bibby Marine Services Ltd. and built at Damen Shipyards Galati, the vessel is driven by three rudderpropellers and two bow thrusters from the German propulsion expert. The new walk-to-work vessel is purpose-built for the transfer and accommodation of support and maintenance engineers at offshore wind farms.Maintaining wind turbines…

The second of Damen’s Accommodation Support Vessel (ASV) 9020 has been delivered to Bibby Marine Services at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. On her arrival in the North Sea, the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon will begin maintenance work off the coast of Germany on two EnBW and Enbridge-owned windfarms– Hohe See and Albatros – for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW.The 90-meter ASV 9020 was developed by Damen to meet the specific needs of the offshore renewable energy industry…

China Merchant Heavy Industries (CMHI) held in Haimen a keel-laying ceremony for the Miami-based SunStone Ship's third Infinity-class ship, Ocean Victory.European aesthetic and design, and Chinese ship-building efficiency combine to produce the intimate expedition ship Ocean Victory that deliver on refinement, along with cutting-edge design and operations, claimed a press release from the company.Representatives from the owner, the charterers - American Queen Steamboat Company and Albatros Expeditions - participated in the ceremony.The Ocean Victory is scheduled to be launched in April 2020 and to be delivered in October 2020.Ocean Victory is small enough to provide an exclusive atmosphere…

China Merchants Heavy Industry has delivered an expedition cruise vessel to SunStone Ships, the first of its next-genn INFINITY-class vessel and perhaps more significantly China's firm entrance into the cruise ship building sector.The arrangement to bring this ship from drawing board to delivery slip is the culmination of marrying European cruise design and quality with Chinese ship-building efficiency. The vessel will be chartered out to Aurora Expeditions.https://www.marinelink.com/news/cruise-ship-construction-china-rising-438788The vessel has departed China Merchants Heavy Industry…

Florida-based designer and developer of next-generation expedition ships  SunStone Ships has signed an agreement for the construction of its seventh Infinity-class ship in Hong Kong, China.The seventh vessel now ordered has a long-term charter agreement in place, this vessel will be delivered in September 2021."We have been moving along steadily with ordering and building the Infinity Class Vessel, continuing with the European designed, Chinese built concept," said a statement from the company.Infinity Class new-builds underway include the GREG MORTIMER, scheduled to be delivered August 2019, the OCEAN VICTORY in October 2020, the OCEAN EXPLORER in January 2021…

A second service operations vessel for Bibby Marine Services has been launched and christened during a ceremony at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, the shipbuilder announced Friday.The new vessel, Bibby WaveMaster Horizon, will begin maintenance work on two EnBW and Enbridge-owned wind farms in the German North Sea – Hohe See and Albatros – for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW, upon delivery later this year.Damen said it developed the SOV 9020 vessel design through close consultation with the offshore renewables industry.

Construction on Bibby Marine Services’ second service operations vessel (SOV) is underway at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania less than a year after Bibby took delivery of sister ship Bibby Wavemaster 1.Bibby ordered the new SOV in early 2018 after lining up a charter for the vessel in December 2017. The new vessel, scheduled to be delivered in 2019, will go to work under contract for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW for maintenance operations on two windfarms in German waters: Hohe See and Albatros…

DEME Group’s offshore marine engineering subsidiary GeoSea said that, following successful completion of the design, it also received the Notice to Proceed for fabrication and offshore installation of 16 wind turbine foundations and 1 Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) for the EnBW Albatros offshore wind farm, for which GeoSea is Siemens’ EPCI partner. This partnership enables Siemens to provide a full-scope project (offshore wind turbines and OTM, incl. foundations) to EnBW. The Albatros offshore wind farm is located in the so-called “exclusive economic zone” of the North Sea, in the  immediate vicinity of the EnBW windfarms Hohe See and He Dreiht, approximately 90 km north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea.

MS Albatros, operated by German-based travel agency Phoenix Reisen, will visit Townsville tomorrow carrying approximately 612 passengers and 345 crew. This beautiful retro-style ship was built in 1973 by Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard Finland and has been extensively refurbished over the years. She is 206 metres in length and her gross tonnage is 28,518 tonnes,   Passengers will disembark around 0830 and the ship departs at 1800.  A high proportion of the Albatross’ passengers are pre-booked on tours tomorrow (about 400), the remaining will be provided with the usual free shuttle buses to CBD and then City/Strand Loop bus throughout the day.