Medway News

Svitzer announced the delivery of Svitzer Estelle, the second tug built as part of the company’s ongoing partnership with Uzmar Shipyards, based in Turkey.Svitzer Estelle is a Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar 3200W that will be deployed by Svitzer on the River Thames and the River Medway,bolstering the company’s operations in the busy Port of London. The first tug delivered by Uzmar Shipyards in May 2023, Svitzer Elizabeth, is currently in service in the Port of Liverpool. Svitzer’s partnership with Uzmar Shipyards began with the delivery of two tugs for the company’s fleet in Australia.

Five mariners were rescued by the crew of a U.K. Royal Navy patrol ship after their tug started to sink in rough seas last week in the Caribbean.The oceangoing tug began taking on water after suffering an engine failure some 20 miles west of Sint Maarten. The vessel's crew sent out a distress call around 1 p.m. on Friday and took refuge on the large sand barge their vessel had been towing.Patrol ship HMS Medway, the Royal Navy’s permanent presence in the region, was slightly more than a dozen miles away and promptly responded to the Mayday call.

Towage provider Svitzer, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has bought a new tug to support terminal operations in Milford Haven, UK. The addition of the Svitzer Pembroke to the UK fleet will free up the 86-tonne bollard pull ASD tug, Svitzer Ramsey, for relocation to London to cater for expected growth at the River Thames and River Medway, Svitzer said.The Svitzer Pembroke was originally built for Svitzer at Zamakona Shipyard, Spain, but in 2014 the vessel was sold, and has operated…

The U.K. has sent one of its Royal Navy ships to support relief efforts in Haiti as the Caribbean country recovers from the recent devastating earthquake.The Wave-class fast fleet tanker RFA Wave Knight, deployed to the Caribbean as part of the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), arrived off the west coast of Haiti in the early hours of Wednesday and will serve as a landing pad for U.S. military helicopters responding to the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck the impoverished country earlier this month, killing and injuring thousands. The U.K. vessel will allow U.S.

The fifth and final new River Class patrol ship for the Royal British Navy was formally named as work on HMS Spey.The ceremony almost closes the chapter on a seven-year program which will give the Royal Navy a flotilla of brand-new patrol ships ready for deployment around the globe.Lady Johnstone, HMS SPEY’s sponsor, named the 2000 tonne vessel by releasing a bottle of special blend Spey whisky from Speyside Distillery that smashed against the ship’s hull.HMS SPEY is the last in a class of five vessels that have been built in Glasgow. With construction starting on the first ship in late 2014, these vessels have provided an important opportunity to maintain essential design…

Peel Ports, Britain's second largest group of ports, has expanded its proposition at London Medway with a GBP5.5million investment to replace the Royal Bridge Pontoon.The upgrade work includes a new 12m wide, 45m across ramp, which will allow larger stern ramp RoRo vessels to berth at the port and increase the overall capacity for throughput.It comes as new opportunities in the unaccompanied freight and automotive sectors brings new customers to the port, with the facilities able to support a higher volume of larger vessels.The forestry industry, which along with automotive, forms the core business of London Medway, has also brought opportunities for growth…

The global towage operator Svitzer held a ceremony on the River Thames  to officially christened Svitzer Meridian as the latest - and tenth - vessel in its Port of London fleet.During a naming ceremony held on the River Thames with guests representing a variety of customers and partners – including vessel builder Sanmar – the 70 tonnes bollard pull Azimuth Tractor Drive (ATD) Svitzer Meridian was officially christened by representatives from multinational electricity and gas utility company National Grid Grain LNG, who are godparenting the vessel.Meridian, whose name was chosen to reflect Maritime Greenwich’s Prime Meridian longitude line – and Svitzer’s longstanding links with the local area – has been in operation at the Port of London since November 2018…

The first of the U.K. Royal Navy's next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) has been formally commissioned into the fleet.Commissioned last week at her home base of Portsmouth, HMS Forth represents the second ship to join the Royal Navy in less than six months, following aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth commissioned in December. The warships are part of the government’s £178 billion plan to bolster its Armed Forces over the next decade.HMS Forth is the first of five new OPVs designed for counter-piracy…

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, a global leader in transportation and logistics, is pleased to announce the launch of a new freight rail service between Seville, Spain, and the Atlantic, beginning 4 April 2018. The service is expected to run daily between Seville’s inland maritime port – Puerto de Sevilla – and the major coastal port hub of Sines, Portugal, with a capacity of more than 100 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) per return journey. Shippers will have the possibility to obtain customs clearance for cargo at Seville’s inland maritime port, before onward carriage to Sines and Atlantic markets. MSC’s new rail service will…

The third of five new River class offshore patrol vessels being built for the U.K. Royal Navy, HMS Trent, was officially named during a ceremony at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow on Tuesday. “This is another landmark moment for the River class offshore patrol vessel program and an important day that honors the traditions of the Royal Navy,” said Iain Stevenson, Managing Director of BAE Systems Naval Ships. “Today is made even more special as we are able to see the full scale of Trent as she prepares to enter the water for the very first time in the next few days.

The second of five new River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels for the U.K. Royal Navy was officially named during a ceremony at BAE Systems’ site at Scotstoun, Glasgow. Guests watched on October 20 as Lady Wendy Fallon, HMS Medway’s sponsor and wife of Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon named the 2,000-metric-ton, 90-meter-long vessel. In keeping with Royal Navy tradition Lady Fallon pressed the button that released a bottle of Dockyard Gin from the Copper Rivet Distillery in Chatham, Kent, against the ship’s hull.

Gulf Petrochem Group, the UAE based global bunker supplier, said it is now officially offering physical supply of Gasoil on the River Thames, U.K. The group’s deliveries will be carried out using a barge on an exclusive long-term charter named the Conveyer. The move will allow Gulf Petrochem Group to supply ISO compliant Gasoil to its customers at all ports and wharfs along the Thames and Medway. Further, the group’s Rotterdam operations have added to its current fleet with the time charter of The Melbourne.

Estuary Services Limited (ESL), a joint venture between the Port of London Authority (PLA) and Peel Ports London Medway, is continuing its fleet replacement plan and buying another new pilot boat for its pilot transfer operations serving the ports of London and Medway. ESL currently has a fleet of six vessels including two 17.1 meter ORC class vessels that carry marine pilots from the Kent coast to board ships, in the Thames Estuary. The ships which are arriving from all over…

A world leader in the design and manufacture of navigation and security surveillance radar, Kelvin Hughes announced in April 2015 that it had been selected to supply its SharpEye systems for the new Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) - HMS Forth, HMS Medway and HMS Trent. Today, the company is delighted to announce that it will also be supplying the same industry-leading radar equipment for the two latest Batch 2 ships – HMS Tamar and HMS Spey. Each ship will be equipped with a SharpEye I-Band radar for helicopter control and navigation as well as an E/F-Band SharpEye™ radar for navigation and collision avoidance. In addition, Kelvin Hughes will be supplying its ARPA widescreen radar display for all of the Batch 2 OPVs.

BAE Systems said it will cut first steel for the U.K. Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ships in Glasgow in summer 2017, subject to final contract negotiations with the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD). “Backed by Britain’s rising defense budget, the Type 26 Program will deliver a new generation of cutting-edge warships for our Royal Navy at best value for taxpayers,” said Defense Secretary Michael Fallon during a visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Glasgow. “The U.K. Ian King, Chief Executive…

Construction has begun on a new warship for the U.K. Royal Navy as the Minister of State for Defense Procurement, Philip Dunne MP cut the first steel in Glasgow today. HMS Trent is the third of three River Class Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) designed and constructed by BAE Systems. Employees, as well as representatives of the Royal Navy and local community, joined the Minister as he switched on a plasma cutting machine in a formal ceremony in Govan. “These new ships will…

Construction of the U.K. Royal Navy’s second new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) has begun, marked by a ceremony led by Defense Secretary, Michael Fallon, at BAE Systems in Glasgow. The Secretary of State formally started construction of HMS Medway, the second of three River Class Batch 2 vessels, by operating the plasma steel-cutting machine at a June 8 event attended by representatives from the Royal Navy, the local community and BAE Systems employees. “These new ships are an important part of the £160 billion we are investing over the next decade in the equipment our armed forces need…

A tugboat owner was given an eight-month custodial sentence after his crew member died trying to reattach a tow line in a violent storm. Martin Richley, owner and skipper of 9.5m Medway tugboat Endurance, pleaded guilty to offences under the Merchant Shipping Act at a hearing today at Southampton Crown Court. Richley was charged with being the captain of a vessel put his crew at risk of serious injury/death and as the owner his operations were unsafe under sections 58 and 100 of The Merchant Shipping Act. On February 3, 2013 the Endurance began to tow 60ft motor cruiser Sirus M from the River Medway to Brighton on the south coast of England. Richley was acting as skipper on board the Endurance along with Steven Trice as the crew.

Peel Ports Group said it sees the automotive sector as a major growth opportunity and is working continually to provide vehicle manufacturers, logistics companies and shipping lines with world-class facilities and systems. The latest example is Peel Ports Medway’s new partnership with the Volkswagen Group UK Ltd. to build and oversee a new eight-acre Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) Center at the Port of Sheerness. The investment will create 100 supply chain jobs and increase automobile imports into Sheerness by 50,000 vehicles annually.

The 'Medway Queen Preservation Society' (MQPS) reports progress on the restoration of the historic UK River Medway passenger ferry. The re-dedication ceremony was held in the Albion Shipyard in Bristol, and now the tow to Gillingham in Kent (on the same River Medway) is eagerly awaited. The Society say that it is impossible to overstate the achievement of the Albion Dockyard in building this, the first fully rivetted steel hull in the UK for well over 50 years. They have applied a mix of old and new techniques to rebuild a 1924 sip to its original specification.

Following Evergreen’s recent consolidation of its U.K. cargo handling needs at Felixstowe, the news that Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and NYK intend to switch their transatlantic services to Southampton will leave Thamesport with no deep sea services. Whilst a return of some deep sea traffic might occur, Thamesport appears to be the first casualty of the impending shake up in U.K. deep sea container ports brought about by the combination of bigger ships, larger alliances – and the new London Gateway terminal. U.K.

BMT ARGOSS, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that pilot organisations around the world including Peel Ports Medway in the UK and Kiel Canal Pilots in Germany, are investing in the latest version of its marine manoeuvring simulator, PC REMBRANDT V5, to further enhance port navigation risk assessment and familiarisation training capabilities. In order to provide greater accuracy to the simulation experience, BMT ARGOSS has enhanced the tidal current and wind settings to accommodate the unique features of a given port which can affect current flow and wind speed.

Class S- Standard for Certification of Maritime Simulators No. 2.14 ensures  that the simulations provided by the simulator include an appropriate level of physical and behavioural realism in accordance with recognised training and assessment objectives. As part of the accreditation process, DNV carried out a rigorous audit of the software to ensure consistent outputs for a wide range of vessel manoeuvring studies and PC REMBRANDT passed these audits. Operating directly from S57 ENC chart data…