Aurora News

A new memorial stone and plaque have been placed at the grave of Captain John King Davis, one of the mostly highly decorated navigators and mariners in the history of Antarctic exploration.Davis served as Chief Officer under Ernest Shackleton during the British Antarctic Nimrod Expedition in 1907 and captained the SY Aurora during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911, led by Sir Douglas Mawson.Despite his contributions, Captain Davis’s grave at the Melbourne General Cemetery has remained unmarked since his death in 1967.Earlier this month…

DOF Group has entered into an agreement to purchase the very high-end AHTS vessels Aurora Saltfjord and Aurora Sandefjord.The vessels are 2011-built and feature a bollard pull of almost 400 metric tonnes, making them among the most powerful AHTS vessels globally.The vessels are among the most recently built in their segment (AHTS >300mt bollard pull), a segment which sees no newbuilding activity due to prohibitive newbuilding costs. DOF sees a very strong market outlook for projects that require high-end AHTS vessels in the years to come…

Wasaline has successfully completed sea trials following a major battery upgrade on board Aurora Botnia, which now features the largest battery capacity ever installed on a RoPax vessel worldwide.The vessel’s battery capacity has been expanded from 2.2 MWh to 12.6 MWh. The upgraded system has been approved for operation in traffic by DNV.The new batteries, supplied by marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy, can store nearly five times more energy than the previous battery packs…

A ceremony in Umeå marked the official completion of Stena Line’s acquisition of Wasaline.“The close and strong cooperation between Sweden and Finland is of central strategic importance to both our countries. Robust and reliable transport links are a fundamental prerequisite for a competitive business sector as well as for strengthened preparedness and security. Ferry traffic between Sweden and Finland is attractive and viable, as underscored by today’s ceremony," said Andreas Carlsson…

The World Shipping Council (WSC) announced that Höegh Autoliners has joined as a member, further strengthening the Council’s representation of the global liner shipping industry, including the vehicle carrier sector.“We are pleased to welcome Höegh Autoliners to the World Shipping Council,” said Joe Kramek, WSC President & CEO. “Vehicle carriers are a core part of liner shipping that move global trade. Höegh Autoliners brings valuable expertise and perspective as we work with policymakers on safety…

Finnish–Swedish ferry operator Wasaline reported a strong performance in 2025, delivering passenger growth, higher revenues and a major reduction in emissions, despite a more challenging freight market.Passenger volumes rose by 2.6% to 259,769, even though the company’s ROPAX vessel Aurora Botnia was out of service during the final week of December for scheduled dry-docking. Freight volumes declined slightly year-on-year, reflecting the broader economic downturn in the region, postponed construction projects, reduced paper trade and the bankruptcy of battery manufacturer Northvolt.

Mavrik Marine, Inc. was selected to build high-speed passenger ferries for the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District. Mavrik will construct catamaran passenger ferries as part of the District’s eight vessel Lima Class Ferry Replacement Program to provide transportation services in San Francisco Bay.The 50-m aluminum ferries specifications and systems were developed by Aurora Marine Design in San Diego with structural design from One2Three Naval Architects in Australia. Construction will begin immediately at Mavrik’s facility in La Conner, WA.

Is LNG to ammonia a viable pathway for helping shipowners get to net zero?From an engine point of view there is a pathway, but there are two points to consider, says Lars Tingbjerg Danielsen, Two-Stroke Promotion Manager – Newbuildings at Everllence. First, the case where an engine is capable of burning both methane and ammonia; second the case where an engine starts its service burning methane and then later switches to burning ammonia.“If we look at the idea of an engine capable of burning both methane and ammonia, it is our belief that this is not a request from the market.

Stena Line strengthened its position in the Baltic Sea by acquiring NLC Ferry Ab Oy/Wasaline and taking over operations of the ferry route between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland.“It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we at Stena Line take on the responsibility for Wasaline and the route between two important regions and cities, Umeå and Vaasa,” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.The only existing ferry connection between Umeå and Vaasa is jointly owned by the two cities through the 50/50-owned company Kvarken Link…

Trade Representative Jamison Greer said on Sunday that the U.S. reached out to China for a phone call following an announcement that it was expanding its rare earths export controls but Beijing deferred, while China accused the U.S. of what it called "double standards.""I can tell you that we were not notified, and quickly, as soon as we found out from public sources, we reached out to the Chinese to have a phone call, and they deferred," Greer told Fox News' "Sunday Briefing," while calling China's move "a power grab."U.S.

Svanehoj, an ITT company, acquired Germany-based Köhler & Hörter GmbH (KOHO Kompressorsysteme, or KOHO), a family-owned company specializing in high-quality compressors for a wide range of industries, including shipbuilding. The acquisition closed on October 1, 2025. In recent years, Svanehoj has expanded its position as a supplier of marine pumps, tank control systems, and related service solutions. The acquisition of KOHO Kompressorsysteme represents the next strategical step for Svanehoj in the gas segment as the global gas tanker market continues to grow.

SunStone Maritime Group A/S, touted as the world’s largest tonnage provider to the expedition cruise industry, announced the delivery of the seventh and final vessel in this first series of newbuilds, the Douglas Mawson. The delivery took place at China Merchants Heavy Industry in Haimen, China, on September 9, 2025.Named after Sir Douglas Mawson, the Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer whose work was central to the study of the polar regions, it is the third Infinity vessel to go to Aurora Expeditions…

Höegh Autoliners has named its sixth Aurora-Class vessel in commercial operation at Sweden’s leading port and the largest in the Nordic region.The vessel was sponsored by Jenny Westermark, Senior Vice President, GTO Production Logistics at Volvo Group, who performed the traditional bottle-breaking.With a capacity of 9,100 car equivalent units (CEU), the Höegh Moonlight joins Höegh Autoliners’ flagship series of 12 next-generation pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).All 12 vessels are designed from the keel up to transition to clean fuels…

Höegh Autoliners has placed an order for four ammonia-burning Everllence B&W 7S60ME-LGIA (Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) dual-fuel engines for four 9,100 CEU Aurora-class pure car truck carriers (PCTCs).The vessels will be the first in the PCTC segment to receive DNV’s ammonia-ready and methanol-ready notations.Everllence views the order as signalling a new era for clean propulsion within global shipping. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. will build the engines in South Korea.Bjarne Foldager – Head of Two-Stroke Business – Everllence…

Wärtsilä has been selected as the electrical integrator for a major battery extension project for the Wasaline ROPAX ferry "Aurora Botnia." The project will increase the ship’s battery capacity by 10.4 MWh, from 2.2 MWh to 12.6 MWh, making it the world’s largest marine battery hybrid system in operation. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in Q3 2025.In the transition to more sustainable ferry transportation, hybrid propulsion systems have emerged as a compelling solution, offering a multitude of pathways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Wasaline says it has become the first carbon-neutral shipping company in the Baltic Sea, reaching its original 2030 climate target six years ahead of schedule. The milestone comes as the Finnish-Swedish operator signed a biogas supply contract with Gasum and entered a FuelEU Maritime pooling agreement with Stena Line, enabling its Vaasa–Umeå service to run entirely on biofuels.The agreement makes the route the first international green shipping corridor in operation, an achievement supported by the DNV-led Nordic Roadmap.

Andreas Enger, CEO of Höegh Autoliners, is sending ammonia demand signals to new fuel producers but doing it in a way that will enable the company to scale use of the fuel gradually.Enger explained how to Øyvind Sekkesæter in a DNV Maritime Impact podcast released late last week.Höegh Autoliners has a fleet of 37 vessels and more vessels under construction including a series of 12 Aurora class multi-fuel vessels anticipated to run on LNG and ammonia. The vessels have an ammonia-capable LNG fuel tank…

French subsea power cable maker and services provider Nexans has formed partnership with Crowley Wind Services to develop and operate a Jones Act compliant cable lay barge. The cable lay barge will be dedicated to supporting the installation of subsea transmission lines necessary for offshore wind energy, telecommunications and other major industrial applications.The 300-foot, U.S.-flagged vessel, built in Louisiana and tested in the U.S. Gulf to Nexans specifications, will be…

Analysts question feasibility as framework trade deal outpaces current U.S. export capacityThe European Union’s commitment to purchase $250 billion in U.S. energy supplies annually under a new trade framework with Washington faces significant market challenges, according to analysts and industry observers.The agreement, announced Sunday, includes 15% U.S. tariffs on most EU goods and a pledge by the EU to dramatically scale up imports of U.S. oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG),…

Green hydrogen developers are cancelling projects and trimming investments around the world, raising the prospect of longer than targeted reliance on fossil fuels.The challenges facing the sector have exposed its initial ambitions as unrealistic.Hard-to-electrify industries that were seen as ideal candidates for green hydrogen, such as steelmaking and long-distance transportation, have found that transition to the low-carbon fuel looks prohibitively expensive.The gap between ambition and reality in Europe shows the extent of the reset happening within the industry…

Lloyd's Register (LR) has announced a milestone in its naval assurance services, having secured a 12-month in-service submarine support contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) through the Aurora Framework.Under the new contract, LR will provide experienced surveyors to His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, providing expert support to the Royal Navy’s submarines. In parallel, LR will offer technical consultancy from MOD Abbey Wood, delivering strategic advice. This dual-location presence ensures responsive…

AYK Energy is set to ramp manufacturing of its latest range of marine batteries after receiving type approval from DNV.DNV has approved AYK Energy’s Pisces, Pisces +, OrionAN, and OrionAN+, as well as aluminum versions of AYK’s legacy modules setting new standards in clean energy marine propulsion.AYK Energy founder Chris Kruger said the approval is a game changer making marine battery technology more affordable driving adoption.The approval enables the company to install a 10.4MWh…

The international treaty on the high seas, which focuses on conservation and sustainable use of maritime areas beyond national jurisdictions, has received sufficient support to take effect early in 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.Speaking at the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, Macron said 55 countries' ratifications of the treaty have been completed, around 15 are in progress with a definite date, and another 15 will be completed by the end of the year…