D Laboratory News

A consortium led by the University of Vaasa has been awarded Horizon Europe funding for the H4PERION – Hydrogen FOR Performance Enhancement and Reliable Ice OperatioN – project which aims to demonstrate how a large vessel can operate with a hydrogen‑capable internal combustion engine.Long‑distance shipping remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Ships operating for weeks at a time need enormous amounts of energy and absolute reliability – requirements that today’s batteries…

A luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and marooned since Sunday off the coast of Cape Verde was set to leave for Spain on Wednesday after three people, two of them seriously ill, were evacuated.The MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board, is expected to dock in Spain's Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, within three days, Spain's health minister said, adding that those still on board were not presenting any symptoms of the disease.Once in Tenerife, if they are still healthy…

Cal Poly Maritime Academy (formerly the CSU Maritime Academy) will award 150 bachelor’s degrees and 20 master’s degrees at its commencement ceremony Saturday, May 2, at Bodnar Field.The university will also award an Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Capt. Kate McCue, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is the inaugural captain of Four Seasons. McCue is an internationally recognized maritime leader whose career spans nearly three decades at sea.

DASSAI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries report a successful completion of the first mission of the "DASSAI MOON Project", an initiative aimed at producing sake on the surface of the Moon.In this mission, specialized brewing equipment jointly developed by DASSAI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, along with sake raw materials, were launched to the International Space Station (ISS).The experiment took place within JAXA's experimental facilities aboard the Japanese experiment module "Kibo…

Australia has commenced its first live shipboard trial of S‑100 digital navigation data, with dynamic tidal and current information now being tested on the bridge of operational cruise vessels in Sydney Harbour.S‑100 is the international standard for next‑generation digital marine navigation, developed by the International Hydrographic Organization. It enables multiple interoperable data layers — such as charts, tides, currents and water levels — to be displayed together on a ship’s bridge…

The Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) has established a new partnership with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, with the goal of improving maritime training, advancing ship simulation technology, and enhancing safety across the nation’s waterways. The collaboration, formalized through a recent Memorandum of Agreement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the result of ongoing conversations with mariners…

Rising temperatures and humidity are increasingly compromising cargo integrity during transit, making prevention essential for operational resilience.Climate change is no longer a distant concern for shipping. Across Southeast Asia, rising temperatures and humidity, and more volatile weather patterns are increasingly affecting cargo integrity during transit.The past decade has been the hottest on record, with global temperatures rising by around 1.1ºC since 1880. At sea, this warming is amplified.

NYK has installed a compact plant cultivation rack aboard the coal carrier Pirika Moshiri Maru, which is operated for Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc.The system, called the “PUTRACK” and developed by Plants Laboratory Co., Ltd., uses a water-saving cultivation technology that requires only a small amount of water. Its design allows for flexible adjustment of the number of racks and tiers to match the ship’s available space, enabling efficient cultivation of the required quantity of vegetables even within the limited space on board a ship.

Mark Offshore has agreed with Klaipėda University to operate the research vessel Mintis, expanding its fleet and strengthening its position in offshore renewables and subsea support services.Under the agreement, the Lithuanian university has appointed Mark Offshore as commercial and operational manager for the vessel’s activities within the renewables and energy sectors.The addition of Mintis is aimed at supporting offshore wind, marine survey and nearshore energy projects, as…

China is conducting a vast undersea mapping and monitoring operation across the Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, building detailed knowledge of marine conditions that naval experts say would be crucial for waging submarine warfare against the United States and its allies.In one example, the Dong Fang Hong 3, a research vessel operated by Ocean University of China, spent 2024 and 2025 sailing back and forth in the seas near Taiwan and the U.S. stronghold of Guam, and around strategic stretches of the Indian Ocean, ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows.

China is conducting a vast undersea mapping and monitoring operation across the Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, building detailed knowledge of marine conditions that naval experts say would be crucial for waging submarine warfare against the United States and its allies.In one example, the Dong Fang Hong 3, a research vessel operated by Ocean University of China, spent 2024 and 2025 sailing back and forth in the seas near Taiwan and the U.S. stronghold of Guam, and around strategic stretches of the Indian Ocean, ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows.

Fred. Olsen 1848 has completed a pilot installation of four automatic Tension Buoy units at the EDP Floating PV Lab, Europe’s first open-access laboratory dedicated to testing technologies for floating and hydro solar power generation.With water levels that rise and fall by as much as 50 meters, this Portuguese dam lake is a great testing ground for the adaptive mooring system, says the company.Tension Buoy's adaptive mooring technology is designed to ensure stability and performance for FPV systems under large water level variations.

All American Marine (AAM) has begun construction on a next-gen 78’ x 26.7’ aluminum catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI). The vessel is being built on Teknicraft Design’s multi-purpose research platform and is designed to support scientific research, survey, and teaching missions throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including offshore operations up to 150 nautical miles from shore.Purpose-built for multi-mission flexibility, the twin-engine…

lomarlabs has entered a collaboration with Blaze Energy to pilot a third-generation, compact, engine-integrated fuel reformer designed to accelerate the practical adoption of alternative fuels in commercial shipping.The collaboration will culminate in a pilot installation onboard a Lomar vessel, enabling Blaze Energy to validate its multi-fuel reforming system, under real marine operating conditions. The Flex-Fuel Reformer converts ammonia, methanol, or LNG into hydrogen directly onboard the ship…

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, is rolling out its NexusWave connectivity service across the fleet of Belgian gas shipping company EXMAR to support ship-to-shore communications and crew connectivity.The deployment targets EXMAR’s growing fleet of gas carriers operating globally in high-demand environments, where the company aims to strengthen links between vessels and shore-based teams while improving seafarer welfare.NexusWave is a fully managed connectivity service that bonds multiple network underlays including GX Ka-band, LEO, LTE and L-band to help ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

In the February issue of Maritime Reporter magazine Nirav Patel, Nuclear Navy Segment Director at Fairbanks Morse Defense, takes a look at the cobots (cooperative robots) that are being used for welding in the ship repair industry.He explains: “As a long-time principal supplier of propulsion systems for the U.S. nuclear navy, FMD is responsible for sustainment of a fleet of diesel engines that provide emergency backup power to onboard nuclear reactors. These 30–35-year-old engines pose a unique welding challenge.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has released its latest Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) Fuel Quality Report covering July to December 2025, revealing a rise in the frequency and severity of off specification marine fuel incidents across several of the world’s busiest bunkering hubs.The second half of 2025 was characterized by a concentration of repeated fuel quality failures across major ports including Singapore, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hong Kong and Port Klang. December saw the highest number of monthly off specification cases recorded in 2025…

This week, the Blue Water team reached a milestone in their journey: surpassing 1000 hours of ocean-based testing of their proprietary propulsion system designed for autonomous surface vessels. Achieving this milestone surpasses the Navy’s original 720-hour land-based test requirement while also including the addition of fuel polishing, electric power generation, and a full sensor suite.Meeting the Navy's VisionAs the Navy expands its fleet of uncrewed ships to execute transoceanic missions, vessels will need to remain at sea unmanned for months at a time.

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply its rim-drive thrusters for a new acoustic research vessel being built for India’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL). The vessel, under construction at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), will play a critical role in oceanographic and acoustic research for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The Kongsberg Maritime rim-drive thrusters were selected for their ability to meet exceptionally strict underwater radiated noise requirements, a key factor for acoustic research operations.

Underwater welding is one of the most demanding and hazardous tasks in the maritime and offshore world, relying heavily on a small, highly specialized pool of industrial divers. As port infrastructure ages and offshore structures expand, demand for underwater repair continues to outpace available manpower. A new research project out of Germany aims to fundamentally change that equation.Led by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, the MARIOW (Maritime AI-Guided…

China’s leading marine lubricant suppliers are embracing onboard oil testing technology. The adoption of portable lube-oil analyzers represents a shift in how the country’s oil majors including Sinopec, PetroChina, and CNOOC, look to service and support ships calling at Chinese ports.According to Germany’s CM Technologies GmbH (CMT), whose onboard test kits are already standard tool kits for European fleets, China’s lubricant producers are now integrating condition-based monitoring tools into their supply programs.“We are seeing a real transformation in China’s fuels and lubricants market…

Wärtsilä Water & Waste, part of Wärtsilä, continues to deliver wastewater treatment performance in one of the world’s most closely monitored marine environments through their Hamworthy membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems, according to independent regulatory data from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).During the 2024 Alaska cruise season, fourteen vessels equipped with Wartsila's Hamworthy MBR systems achieved a 98.2% compliance rate under DEC’s public testing program.

Seaspan Shipyards has officially delivered the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).The OOSV is the fourth large vessel, and second class of ship, to be built and delivered by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is named after a well-respected elder from Nunavik who was a renowned promoter of Inuit language and culture.The ship will replace CCGS Hudson, which was decommissioned…