Esb News

Frederick Joseph Harris of Mystic CT, passed peacefully at 5:47PM on 10/24/2025, with his family by his side. “Fred” was born on 11/25/1944 at Framingham Union Hospital to Frederick Everett and MaryRosa Camilla Harris.Fred was a proud patriot who loved his country. Fred received his bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy (with Honors) in 1967. Upon graduation, Fred was commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve with the obligation of sailing in the U.S. Merchant Marine. In the Merchant Marine, Fred sailed on various U.S.

Enshore Subsea has installed the first of two offshore export cables at Inch Cape offshore wind farm, using the CMOS Installer cable laying vessel.Operating from the Port of Blyth, the vessel installed the first of two 85-kilometre export cables for the 1.1 GW offshore wind farm, being built off the east coast of Scotland.The 220 kV, three-phase export cable was installed in three 28-kilometre sections.Once operational, the cable will transmit power from the offshore wind farm to the project’s new onshore substation under construction at Cockenzie…

Construction has started on the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the 1.1 GW Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm at Montrose Port in Angus, Scotland.The base will expand Inch Cape’s existing presence at Montrose, where its marine coordination center is already located, and confirms the port’s role as a major Scottish offshore wind hub.Local contractor Pert Bruce Construction is delivering the project, which includes an O&M office, a 600 square metre warehouse, quayside facilities…

The global offshore wind industry is poised for a rebound in 2025, with capacity additions expected to reach 19GW and sector-wide expenditure projected to hit $80 billion, according to research from Rystad Energy.This recovery follows a slowdown at the end of last year, when new installations dropped to approximately 8GW, which is 2GW lower than the year prior.A record wave of lease auctions is driving the resurgence, with the world’s largest offshore wind market, mainland China, accounting for 65% of new capacity.

Belgian offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has secured a contract for the installation of monopiles for 72 offshore wind turbines that will make up the 1.1 GW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.Inch Cape offshore wind farm, being developed by ESB and Red Rock Renewables as equal joint owners, recently reached financial close and is now progressing into construction.In that regard, Jan De Nul has been contracted for the installation of the monopile foundations with the offshore heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés…

The Coast Guard announced immediate action on executive orders issued by the White House Tuesday.“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard’s acting commandant. “Per the President’s Executive Orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus starting with the following key areas:Coast Guard Vice Adm.

Seaway7, part of Subsea7 Group, has secured a contract for the transport and installation of pin-pile jacket foundations and transition pieces for the 1.1 GW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.The contract, valued between $150 million and $300 million, has been awarded to Seaway7 by Cape Offshore Limited, a joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables.The 1.1GW Inch Cape project offshore site is located in the Scottish North Sea, 15 kilometers off the Angus coast, and will comprise 72 wind turbine generators.The turbines of the V236-15.0 MW type…

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) to the U.S. Navy, on September 12.The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base ship is named for Private First Class Robert Ernest Simanek, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War. The Medal of Honor was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a White House ceremony in 1953.“From christening in May 2024 to delivery…

Danish firm Cadeler has signed a contract with Inch Cape Offshore for the installation of 72 offshore wind turbines, each rated at 15 MW, at the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea.The work will be done with one of the newbuild M-class wind turbine installation vessels, Cadeler said.The contract value is projected to fall within the range of $121 million - $139 million (€114 million - 130 million), with installation due to start in the fourth quarter of 2026.Located 15 kilometers off the East Coast of Scotland in the North Sea…

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO recently christened USNS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), the fifth ship for the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform designed to support multiple maritime-based missions. ESB ships are mobile sea-based assets and are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces, equipment, supplies, and warfighting capability. These 784-foot ships are configured with a 52…

The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) completed its routine planned maintenance in Rijeka, Croatia Feb. 8, 2024 at Viktor Lenac Shipyard.Military Sealift Command, Europe and Africa (MSCEURAF) and Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) executed the ship’s planned Mid-Term Availability (MTA), a depot-level maintenance period, to maintain safety and mission-essential equipment and ensure the ship will reach its planned service life.Maintenance work during the MTA included Safety of Life At Sea equipment such as communication…

Neue Schleppdampfschiffsreederei Louis Meyer GmbH & Co. KG of Hamburg has placed an order with Damen Shipyards for the one of the first of its next generation ASD Tug 2111 class. The vessel will be operated on a long-term charter by Emder Schlepp-Betrieb GmbH (ESB) for operations in its home port of Emden, one of the top three ports in Europe for car shipping. There, its shallow draft and compact size together with its over 50 tonnes of bollard pull, make it ideal for manoeuvring…

Davits supplied by Vestdavit will be used for the launch and recovery of fast craft to support refuelling operations at sea for the US naval fleet after the company was awarded a major contract for six vessels being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in the US.The contract covers delivery of 12 high-specification PLRH-5000 davits to be installed on the John Lewis-class of T-AO oilers ordered by the US Navy at the shipbuilder’s San Diego shipyard, with two on each ship from T-AO…

Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) in Scotland said Friday it had installed a heavy-duty pontoon system in Eyemouth Harbour as part of the new operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm.The system comprises a 58m x 4m pontoon and a 27m x 4m pontoon, both with one meter freeboard to match that of the vessels, creating a berthing facility for crew transfer vessels (CTVs) serving the new wind farm which is located  15.5 kilometers of the coast of Fife…

U.S. shipyards are making improvements to building ships for the Navy and Coast Guard today and in the future. In some cases, it means phasing out one class of ship and getting ready for the next. Or, it can be a drastic make-over.The yards include mid-tier yards all the way up to very large facilities devoted exclusively to warships. The ships range from the 353-ton Fast Response Cutter to the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin…

Shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO, a subsidiary of aerospace and defense company General Dynamics (GD), announced on Friday that it received $1.4 billion in U.S. Navy contract modifications for construction of a sixth Expeditionary Sea Base ship (ESB 8) and two additional John Lewis-class fleet oilers (T-AO 211 and 212). This award comes in addition to $600 million already received to procure long-lead time materials for the same ships. The contract modification also provides an option for the Navy to procure an additional oiler…

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO said it has been awarded $600 million in U.S. Navy contract modifications for long-lead-time material to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 (Thurgood Marshall) and T-AO 212 (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), and $100 million…

General Dynamics NASSCO christened the USNS John L. Canley (ESB 6), the fourth ship for the U.S. Navy’s reclassified Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program, on Saturday. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley served as the principal speaker at the ceremony, in addition to remarks from NASSCO, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps representatives. Following remarks, Patricia A. Sargent, the ship’s sponsor and daughter of the ship’s namesake, christened the ship with the traditional champagne bottle break alongside the hull.“Today, we celebrate and honor a true hero, Sgt. Maj. Canley.

San Diego shipyard General Dynamics NASSCO on Wednesday started construction on the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), the fifth ship of the Navy’s reclassified Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.Long-time NASSCO employee Dennis DuBard served as the Start of Construction honoree, initiating the first cut of steel that will be used to construct the vessel.“Today, we start construction of the ship that honors the life and service of the ship’s namesake, Marine Corps Private First Class Robert E. Simanek,” said Dave Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.

U.K.-based offshore services firm Briggs Marine said it has secured a contract to deliver crew transfer vessel (CTV) services to the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm, currently under construction 15 kilometers off the Fife coast. The project is jointly owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB.Utilizing its Damen 2610 vessel Forth Engineer, Briggs Marine will transfer technicians to turbines, substations and construction vessels as well as providing a cargo-carrying capability to support construction and operations.Rob Baker…

AdvanTec Marine said its USA Sliding Doors division has been awarded a contract from Seaspan Shipyards to supply Fire-Rated, Class II and III Watertight doors for both Joint Support Ships (JSS) that Seaspan is building for the Royal Canadian Navy under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.The order includes USA-1005 Cargo Doors and the USA-1003 Personnel Doors. Both models have remote (wheelhouse) and local controls, both electric, while the drive system is electro-hydraulic. In the event vessel power is lost, a local manual handpump is also provided as a failsafe feature.

Dutch offshore survey specialist Fugro has secured a contract with RWE to carry out geophysical exploratory works at Five Estuaries offshore wind farm, the extension project of the existing 353MW Galloper wind farm.Works are expected to take place in the Southern North Sea from August to November 2021.Three dedicated vessels will map the characteristics of the seabed and bedrock to assess the conditions around the wind farm site and the potential cable locations. The seafloor…

The U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) has awarded GE Power Conversion an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to maintain the electric and hybrid electric power and propulsion systems aboard its vessels. The five-year contract potentially could be worth $125 million.The contract covers maintenance, modernization and upgrades, training, repairs, parts, remote technical support, and program management on 35 vessels, with more ships to be added as they are built and turned over to MSC after commissioning.