Manufacturing Infrastructure News

Mesabi Metallics, backed by Essar Group, has secured $150 million of financing from Macquarie Group, supporting the Q3 2026 startup of its world-scale Direct Reduction (DR) grade iron ore mine and pellet plant in Nashwauk, Minnesota.The financing follows Mesabi's recently announced $520 million senior secured credit facility with Breakwall Capital, further reinforcing the strong momentum behind the project.Mesabi has also recently received support from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), reflecting the project's growing strategic importance to U.S.

Saronic Technologies today announced it has closed $1.75 billion in Series D funding to advance its mission of delivering autonomous platforms at scale across defense and commercial sectors. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins and values the company at $9.25 billion.Saronic welcomes Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners, DFJ Growth, BAM Elevate, and other new partners and recognizes the continued commitment of its existing investors, including 8VC, Caffeinated Capital…

San Diego State University announced a partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), a global leader in shipbuilding and offshore engineering, during a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony held on the university’s campus March 12.The collaboration leverages innovative research and workforce development from SDSU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego’s active ports and shipyards, and SHI’s innovative maritime technologies.Together, the South Korean company…

Dating back to the year 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote to a member of the Continental Congress on the importance of free press keeping government in check. He was quoted as saying if he had a choice between “a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to choose the latter.”The basis of the statement being that the government is the opinion of the people. It is not in the current U.S. shipping reporting.The first “newspaper” shipbuilding announcements consisted of new legislation capable of delivering us back to our former maritime dominance.

Wind assisted ship propulsion system company AYRO has introduced an expanded Wingsail portfolio designed to adapt to the cargo needs of ships of most types or size, and rebranded as OceanWings, with the announcement made at Posidonia 2024.The rebranding follows a successful design, manufacturing and commercialization phase over the past six years, bookended in 2023 by the launch and subsequent commercial operations of the Canopée RORO cargo ship, equipped with four fuel-saving OceanWings® Wingsails.The new product range ensures OceanWings are now available to most shipowners…

De Nora announced it has completed its acquisition of Calgon Carbon Corporation's UV Technologies Division (CCUV), including the products, brands and assets of UV ballast water management systems (BWMS) manufacturer Hyde Marine as well as municipal and industrial water treatment brands RAYOX, SENTINEL and C3 SERIES UV.The acquisition – first announced last month – creates one of the world's largest ballast water management system (BWMS) manufacturers. Through the De Nora BALPURE electrolytic disinfection (EC) BWMS and the Hyde Marine ultra-violet (UV) Hyde GUARDIAN BWMS…

President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order aiming to use government spending to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies, in a move widely praised by America's maritime industry.The executive order, titled Strengthening "Buy American" Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers", calls for increasing the amount of U.S. content that must be in a product for it to be considered made in America under existing "Buy American" requirements.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is building a new hub for unmanned systems prototyping, production and testing to meet growing demand from the U.S. Navy for autonomous and uncrewed systems.The purpose-built Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence will include two buildings totaling over 150,000 square feet constructed on a 20-acre campus in Hampton, Va., the U.S.'s largest military shipbuilder said in announcing the center's groundbreaking on Tuesday.“With U.S. Navy’s increasing demand for UUVs and USVs…

Berg Propulsion will invest in the centralization of all manufacturing operations for controllable pitch propellers, azimuthing and transverse thrusters, and associated control systems to a single campus location in Sweden.Currently, manufacturing operations are located across two separate campuses in Sweden and Singapore. Investments made by Berg Propulsion to merge manufacturing operations at one global location will enable increased warehouse capacity for spare parts and swing…

Even if the diesel engine's scandal-driven fall from grace pushes it out of the world's passenger cars, an increasing need for it on ships, in trucks and heavy industry could save the refineries that invested heavily in producing the fuel. The unfolding crisis that kicked off when Volkswagen falsified U.S. car emissions has spurred a litany of changes at vehicle manufacturers, which are now putting their cash behind electric cars, or back to gasoline engines. "I'm not concerned for refineries," said Steve Sawyer, head of refining with consultants FGE. Although oil refiners disagree over how quickly the global market will turn its back on fossil-fuel-powered cars, the shipping industry is set to turn to low-sulphur diesel in droves due to new regulations.

Arun Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, head of IRClass, discusses advances at the classification society as it celebrates 40 years. Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) is India’s “National” Ship Classification Society, formed to fill the need for having an Indian ship classification society due to the increase in Indian flagged commercial shipping tonnage, post-independence. Accordingly, Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar first proposed to set up a National Classification Society. In response the Ministry of Shipping & Transport convened a meeting in Delhi on May 29…

IRClass Academy of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding last month with Lloyd’s Maritime Academy (LMA) and IBC Academy (IBCA) that are part of Informa PLC in the UK. The objective of this collaboration is to deliver customised training solutions in specialist areas for Indian organisations as well as individuals in maritime and energy sectors. IRClass Academy aims to emerge as a leader in professional development by partnering with industry and by collaborating with established providers of education and training services such as LMA and IBCA. Informa was formed in 1998 when the IBC Group merged…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Japan on Saturday seeking to capitalise on his affinity with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to strengthen security and business ties on his first major foreign visit since his landslide election victory in May. Modi is one of only three people that Abe follows on Twitter, while the Indian leader admires the Japanese premier's brand of nationalist politics. "We will explore how Japan can associate itself productively with my vision of inclusive development in India," Modi said before departing on Saturday for the five-day visit. He listed manufacturing, infrastructure and energy as key areas for cooperation. In his previous role as chief minister of India's fast-growing western state of Gujarat Modi had actively courted Japanese investment.

The launch of the Bravante IX, built in a U.S. shipyard, was from the investments made by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) just three years ago. The investment in and upgrading of the infrastructure can be an economic game changer, increasing competiveness and fostering long term job creation. Over the last five years, the work of two MARAD grant and financing programs have come together at Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, FL, to provide a perfect example of this principle at work. The Bravante IX is the fifth and final platform supply vessel ordered from Eastern Shipbuilding by Boldini S.A, a Brazilian company. These U.S.-manufactured…

The recently announced promotion of Craig Perciavalle to President, Austal USA was a logical one. At Austal since 2007, he moves up after serving as Senior Vice President of Operations. Significantly, he oversaw Austal’s transition from a conventional commercial shipyard to an efficient, modular manufacturer that has improved its metrics and economy of scale with each new hull. Eventually, that could mean commercial, series build contracts – something Austal USA has already proven it can do. In a domestic shipbuilding market that is fraught with worries about sequester, reduced defense spending and other federal budgetary concerns, Perciavalle takes the helm at a time when Austal’s risk must be managed and bets hedged against any eventuality.

Austal USA today finds itself plowing into 2013 with the proverbial bone in its teeth, powered by an enviably hefty U.S. government backorder book, possibly the most modern and efficient manufacturing infrastructure in U.S. shipbuilding and the leadership of a new President who, over the past five years, helped to make it all happen. Nevertheless, domestic shipbuilders all know that DoD and DHS belt tightening is a the new reality. Determining the depth of government cuts and positioning accordingly is the tricky part, yet hardly new to companies operating in defense circles. In fact Austal may be as well positioned to ride out the storm as anyone…

Albacore Research Ltd. (ARL), announced ShipConstructor's support for AutoCAD(R) 2006 next generation design software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), the world's leading software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media and wireless data services fields. AutoCAD 2006 software allows users to create, manage and share design information faster, to compete and win. ShipConstructor2005 is fully compatible with AutoCAD 2006. The new features offered by the latest release of AutoCAD will significantly improve the productivity of ShipConstructor users. ShipConstructor is the 3D product modeling and Product Data Management (PDM) system for the design and fabrication of ships and offshore structures…