Hull Platform News

Glamox, a leading lighting companies, has secured a contract from Austal USA to supply exterior and interior LED marine lighting for the future USNS James D Fairbanks (T-ATS 13), the latest Navajo-Class (T-ATS) Towing, Salvage, and Rescue ship being constructed for the US Navy (USN). This new contract brings the total to three T-ATS ships that Glamox is lighting for Austal USA. Previously, Glamox was awarded contracts to light five T-ATS vessels from Bollinger Houma Shipyards.For the future USNS James D Fairbanks, Glamox will supply 914 lights.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced it has started construction on the future USNS James D. Fairbanks (T-ATS 13), the third of five steel U.S. Navy Navajo Class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ships Austal USA has under contract with the U.S. Navy.Construction is well underway on both the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. (T-ATS 11) and USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12), the shipbuilder said.“It’s exciting to see another ship begin traveling down the steel production line which has been busy since we opened it just a little over two years ago…

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony for USNS Billy Frank, Jr., marking the official start of construction on the U.S. Navy’s eleventh Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 11).Ship sponsor Peggen Frank and her husband, William Frank III, authenticated the keel by welding their initials into a keel plate that will be welded to the hull of the ship. They were assisted by Brandon Auld, a four-year Austal USA veteran A-class structural fitter.Local community leaders…

Bollinger Shipyards announced it has christened the USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6), the lead vessel of the U.S. Navy’s new Navajo-class of towing, salvage and rescue (T-ATS) ships.During a ceremony on Saturday, Arlando Teller, Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation, served as keynote speaker, joined ship sponsor Jocelyn Billy as she broke a ceremonial bottle of sparkling wine across the bow of the new vessel.“This isn’t just any ship; it's the first of its kind.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA has been awarded a $71,706,745 fixed-price incentive contract option from the U.S. Navy for the construction of an additional Navajo-class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 15).With the award, the company is now under contract for five T-ATS, having received awards for T-ATS 13 and 14 in July 2022 and T-ATS 11 and 12 in October 2021.Paddy Gregg, CEO of Austal USA's Australian parent company Austal, said the contract award again highlights Austal USA’s growing steel shipbuilding capability…

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal USA arm has been awarded a $156,171,650 fixed-price incentive contract option from the U.S. Navy for the construction of two additional Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ships (T-ATS 13 and 14). With the award, the company is now under contract for four T-ATS, having received awards for T-ATS 11 and 12 in October 2021.Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the latest contract award re-affirmed the Navy’s great confidence in Austal USA’s capabilities as a steel shipbuilder…

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA on Monday said it celebrated the start of construction on the company’s first steel ship, a U.S. Navy Navajo Class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 11).“It seems like only yesterday we were breaking ground on our steel shipbuilding facility and here we are, a little over a year later, beginning construction on our first steel ship,” said Austal USA Vice President of New Construction, Dave Growden.Austal USA, which has built a number of aluminum vessels for government and commercial customers…

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…

New 12m Site-Management boat from ProZero.After success with sales of both 8m, 11m and 15 Meter ProZero vessels for the aquaculture industry, ProZero now launch a new ProZero model in the fish farming markets. This time a 12m site-management boat developed in close dialogue with aquaculture experts.The new ProZero 12m site-management boat is basically equipped for tough offshore missions and built on the reliable and extremely seaworthy ProZero hull platform.The boat's large aft deck can…

Aqua Culture Exhibition, Tuco Marine presents the brand new ProZero 10m Walk - A - Round Workboat. The new vessel complements Tuco's range of ProZero workboats and support vessels. And is dedicated to the Workboat, Crew transfer and Diving markets.The New ProZero 10m walkaround workboat DCW is strategically sized and carefully equipped for passenger transportation and patrol missions in coastal and offshore waters and built on the proven, reliable and extremely seaworthy ProZero hull platform.Like all ProZero vessels…

Abu Dhabi based Al Seer Marine has signed a cooperation agreement with Iceland-based company Rafnar to convert Rafnar’s Embla RHIB platform into an unmanned surface vessel (USV).Rafnar began as a research and development company for the ÖK Hull, a hull platform that ensures endurance, comfort and safety for mariners in the harshest of environments by reducing wave slamming impacts. The company new sells its own vessels and provides licensing opportunities for its ÖK Hull technology to vessel builders.After having developed their individual proprietary technologies…

Japanese shipbuilder Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) announced it has developed a next generation hull platform for floating production, storage and offloading system (FPSO) that aims to offer improved flexibility between projects. Offshore oilfields vary in environmental conditions and oil properties relative to geographical location, requiring shipyards to frequently change hull design and construction scheme to satisfy varying requirements for each project. Though some concepts of standardized FPSO or simple generic FPSO have been proposed as possible solutions for this issue, MES said it seems essentially difficult to use a single and simple fixed design across various projects.

Over the past decade or so, as offshore oil has grown in importance, the development of vessels to meet the needs of the industry has made great strides. The needs for reliability in demanding sea conditions will put any hull to the test. It is not unusual for a commercial vessel serving the petro-industry to clock up 6,000 or more hours of operation per year. For vessels operating on time charter, downtime can be expensive. The versatile crew boats that have been developed to meet these expectations are particularly versatile.

Building programs continue, spanning the full range of missions, despite budget concerns. Amidst all the talk of Beltway budget cutbacks and sequestration, the U.S. Coast Guard is quietly investing approximately $30 billion in major acquisition projects to modernize its physical assets. The process of recapitalizing these older and difficult-to-maintain assets has never been an easy task, and the Coast Guard has seen its share of bumps along the way. For example, the initially messy Deepwater debacle initially kicked off what has evolved into today’s more successful recapitalization process, now run by the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate, which stood up in July 2007.

STX Marine is pleased to report the launching of Hallin Marine’s Compact Semi-Submersible, CSS Derwent. The event took place at Drydocks World Nanindah’s yard in Batam, Indonesia. The CSS Derwent was launched on 5 June 2012 and has an expected delivery at the end of 2012. The CSS concept has been developed by STX Marine, in partnership with Hallin Marine; Minnow Marine Projects Limited and M3 Marine, over a five year period to capture the capabilities and low-motion behavior of a semi-submersible vessel in the smallest form feasible, giving an industry-leading design in terms of operability.

Moose Boats, an aluminum boat manufacturer, delivered a M3-34 Mono-hull to the Los Angeles Police Department in San Pedro, CA in February 2012. The M3 all aluminum mono-hull is a new hull platform for Moose Boats and is powered by twin 300hp Yamaha outboard engines. The boat features a fully enclosed cabin with two shock-mitigating seats, bench seating for four additional personnel and a standing height head enclosure. The cockpit and foredeck are outfitted with weapons foundations and ammunition storage compartments.

Trawlercat Marine Designs (TMD) a power catamaran design company in New Westminster, BC Canada has announced that they are interested in exploring a Joint Venture Partnership with an established East Coast USA Fiberglass Boat Builder and a Financial Investor(s) to jointly build their MKlll Hull Carbon-Cat catamaran work-boats. TMD has been approached by US and UK Maritime Security Companies with an urgent need to provide up to nine of their purpose designed armed and armored Anti-Piracy Personal Escort Vessels (PEVs).

Burger Boat Company announced the signing of the contract to build a 150-ft. (46 meter) Tri-Deck, motor yacht dubbed. Time for Us. This is the largest, most comprehensive yacht design and construction project in the Company's 141-year history. John Munford of the UK., is the interior designer. Patton Marine has developed the comprehensive specifications and will provide project management. Vripack of the Netherlands is co-engineering the yacht along with the Burger Design Team who has developed the interior layout as well as the exterior styling. Time for Us will be ABS certified, fully MCA compliant and will be available to charter in various unique cruising areas of the world. Time for Us will have handicap accessibility featuring a four-level elevator.

Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. won a $3.8 billion U.S. Navy contract to design and construct the 10th and last Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN 77. The unnamed carrier is scheduled for delivery in 2008 and will serve as the first transition ship to a new class of carriers, Newport News said. The company will also be responsible for delivering the ship's warfare systems, which was a task previously performed by the Navy. That includes development and procurement of the warfare system through a subcontract to Lockheed Martin Corp. and overall integration of the system into the ship. The carrier's warfare system will incorporate a new multi-function radar system and an information network that allows new technology to be inserted in a cost-effective way, the company said.

Having added a unique multi-purpose offshore installations vessel and a powerful floating crane to its fleet, the Smit International Group is increasingly busy on installation heavy lift and heavy transport projects associated with FPSOs. Smit Pioneer, formerly a LASH carrier, was acquired and converted by Smit in 1999. The vessel represents a new concept for multi-purpose offshore installation tasks. This large, dock-type vessel is designed and equipped to remain on station for extended periods, having an unusually high degree of self-sufficiency. The multi-purpose vessel's primary roles include: installation of moorings, diverless tie-ins, well servicing, flexlay, manifold and riser installation, ROV support and long haul cablelay.

The recent growth of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, with the construction of more than 20 new shipyards and efforts to modernize older shipyards, has highlighted the need for more efficient ship design and construction methods. With the increased reliance on production line automation, ship design software has become even more important. Maritime Reporter and Engineering News spoke with Mr. Bruno França,CEO of  Brazilian IT company Sincronia and ShipConstructor representative in Brazil, about the relevance of CAD based ship design software in the new Brazilian shipbuilding industry. Please tell us a little about yourself and your company (Sincronia)? My name if Bruno França, I am CEO of Sincronia.

GE – Marine has been issued updated certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for its LM2500 aeroderivative marine gas turbine. The amended certification reflects compliance to “2004 Naval Vessel Rules 2-3-1,” qualifying the LM2500 gas turbine to be applied in the propulsion system for the United States Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). “The updated ABS certification – coupled with the LM2500’s compliance with existing ABS rules – was the last step necessary to qualify the LM2500 gas turbine for use in General Dynamics’ LCS propulsion system,” said Karl Matson, general manager, GE – Marine, Evendale, Ohio. “This is yet…

GE Marine reports that its LM2500 gas turbines will be used to power the United States Navy’s next Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 4). GE will supply the two LM2500 gas turbine modules to Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama. Austal USA is a subcontractor to Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, a General Dynamics company and the prime contractor for the General Dynamics LCS program. “The Independence (LCS 2) -- also built by Austal USA/Bath Iron Works -- features two GE LM2500 gas turbines. The keel for this vessel was laid on January 19, 2006,” said Brien Bolsinger, GE Marine general manager. The General Dynamics trimaran LCS is an agile surface combatant that can be deployed independently to overseas littoral regions…