Mission Bay News

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit has notched up a new annual sales record for another consecutive year after seeing its order intake surge by 76% in 2023 on high demand from the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors, as well as increased sales in its core naval market.Vestdavit has expanded its market position in offshore wind after both gaining new customers and winning repeat orders with existing clients, including Esvagt and Rem Offshore, with orders in this sector accounting for more than $9.4 million (NOK 100 million)…

Denmark-based OSK Design has unveiled its latest design, an Arctic frigate designed for operations in the North Atlantic, High North and Greenland regions.One of the notable features of the vessel is its fully operational helicopter, a critical asset for Arctic operations, allowing for airborne scouting, transport, and search and rescue missions in the challenging Arctic environment.The Arctic frigate is classed for year-round operation in the Arctic, capable of withstanding the most challenging ice conditions while maintaining optimal performance.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) announced that WETA’s Gemini Class Clean Air Conversion Project has been completed, resulting in a substantial decrease in air pollution emissions from four San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels serving Oakland, Alameda and Richmond.In September 2021, WETA's Board of Directors approved a $5.5 million project to upgrade the engines and reduce emissions on the agency’s four Gemini-class vessels.

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has been awarded a $14.9 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to develop a high-frequency network of battery-electric ferries.The grant will fund the construction of ferries and shoreside charging infrastructure to support the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which will use zero-emission ferries to connect waterfront San Francisco neighborhoods including Downtown, Treasure Island and Mission Bay.This grant…

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to VARD Marine for its 115-meter offshore patrol vessel (NGOPV) design.The VARD 7 115 NGOPV caters to a range of mission requirements, including air, surface, and sub-surface surveillance and engagement capabilities. The vessel arrangement offers a multi-mission bay and a set-down area for containerized mission payloads, with a configuration that can be tailored to meet a variety of mission objectives, ABS said.The vessel, which is to be unveiled at the Defence and Security Equipment International Show in London…

A steel cutting ceremony was held for the U.K. Royal Navy's third Type 26 frigate, HMS Belfast, with all three of the first batch of City Class frigates now under construction.Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, set the plasma cutting machine to work on the first plate of steel at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Glasgow. The U.K.-sourced steel plate will form part of a unit which will contain the machinery space for the gearbox and stabilizers of HMS Belfast.Minister of State for Defense Baroness Goldie…

The aft block of the first City Class Type 26 frigate being built for the British Royal Navy has been rolled out of the build hall to join the forward block at BAE Systems' shipyard on the River Clyde.Teams at the Govan shipyard prepared and completed a series of complex maneuvers to bring the aft block out of the HMS Glasgow block and outfit hall and into position to meet the forward block.The aft block contains the versatile mission bay and hangar which is capable of supporting helicopters…

The U.S. Navy awarded Austal USA a $235 million undefinitized contract action modification on Feb. 26, 2021, for the detailed design and construction of Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) 15.The EPF program, currently operating on schedule and under budget, has delivered 12 ships to the fleet. The versatility of the EPF design has enabled each ship to provide a significant operational capability tailored to the needs of each geographic command. EPF 15 will include enhanced medical capability to increase its operational capability.“At its core…

U.K. shipbuilder BAE Systems said it has awarded a further five contracts to suppliers worth more than £100 million ($129 million), as progress on the Type 26 frigate program continues apace at the company’s shipyards in Glasgow.More than £1 billion ($1.29 billion) has been invested across the program’s supply chain to date, with more than 100 suppliers globally.The contract awards come as construction on the final unit of the first Type 26 frigate, HMS Glasgow, begins. All 57…

The first steel to be used in Britain's HMS Cardiff, an anti-submarine frigate, was ceremonially cut at BAE Systems' shipyard at Govan, Scotland."We have cut steel for the second Type 26 Global Combat Ship, HMS CARDIFF, marking an important milestone in the program to deliver the most advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability to the Royal Navy," said a press release from the British multinational defence company.BAE Systems employees and representatives from the Royal Navy, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, performed the official duties; setting the plasma cutting machine to work on a plate of steel that will form part of the unit that holds vital fuel stores for the ship, it said.The company has designed and built the Type 26 Global Combat Ship in Glasgow.

Austal USA was awarded a $261.8 million contract for the 13th and 14th Expeditionary Fast Transport ships (EPF) by the U.S. Navy, bringing the total value of the 14-ship deal to slightly more than $2 billionThe EPF’s large, open-mission deck and large habitability spaces provide the opportunity to conduct a wide range of missions from engagement and humanitarian assistance to disaster relief, and from maritime security support operations, to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Bergen-based Vestdavit said has secured a contract to equip the Nexans flag ship cable layer Nexans Aurora with its MissionEase multi-boat handling system for mission bays.The cable laying vessel (CLV) has been designed by Skipsteknisk in Ålesund and will be constructed by Norwegian yard Ulstein Verft. At 149.9m in length, 31m width and with capacity to accommodate 90 personnel, she will perform power cable laying, cable system protection and trenching, and be capable of high maneuverability and DP3 station-keeping capabilities.Rather than using overhead cranes within the mission bay…

Rolls-Royce Canada said it has won a contract with BAE Systems for its mission bay handling technology for the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship. The contract covers the first three ships, the first of which is currently under construction at the BAE Systems Glasgow shipyard, Scotland. The Type 26 Global Combat Ship is designed with modularity and flexibility in mind, and a key feature which sets it apart from competing designs is its mission bay. The Rolls-Royce Mission Bay Handling System…

BAE Systems said it has begun to build the first of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ships. Sir Michael Fallon MP, U.K. Secretary of State for Defense, visited the builder’s Glasgow shipyard to press the button to officially commence production on the new warship, and during his speech revealed the vessel’s name: Glasgow. This ceremonial event follows the U.K Government’s recent award of a contract worth approximately £3.7 billion for the first three ships to be built at BAE Systems’ sites in Glasgow.

Austal USA proudly hosted the christening of the nation’s 16th littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Tulsa, here Saturday, Feb. 11. Tulsa (LCS 16) is the sixth LCS in Austal’s 11-ship contract, worth over $3.5 billion. With its shallow draft of 14 feet, the Austal-built Independence-variant LCS is an advanced high-speed and agile 419-foot aluminum trimaran combat ship that combines superior seakeeping, endurance and speed with the volume and payload capacity needed to support emerging missions. “We are proud to provide an awesome combat ship to our nation’s incredible sailors. One that will honor the great city of Tulsa as she defends our nation around the globe,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle.

Austal USA said it was awarded a $326 million contract to built the 11th and 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport ships (EPF) for the U.S. Navy. This new contract adds upon a 2008 fully-funded EPF 10-ship block-buy agreement and brings Austal’s current build to a 12 ship program valued at $1.9 billion, and thereby extending the shipbuilder’s production under contract into 2022. Austal USA’s EPF program has seen seven ships delivered so far, with three more under construction at its headquarters and ship manufacturing facility in Mobile, Ala.

Norway-based boat system and davit-handling specialist Vestdavit has secured a breakthrough order for its unique MissionEase multi-boat handling solution for mission bays, under contract to offshore support vessel owner Esvagt. Multi-boat handling on the high seas will be a defining characteristic of flexibility for offshore ships in the years ahead, according to Vestdavit, and MissionEase’s fast and safe solution for transferring boats between storage and davit is expected to enhance the attraction of ships up for charter. MissionEase is the first multi-boat handling system in the offshore segment which has been designed from its conception for the widest array of ancillary craft, including RIBS, ROVs and Unmanned Support Vessels.

Austal officials joined ship sponsor U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and many distinguished guests in celebrating the christening of the nation’s 14th littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Manchester, here Saturday, May 7, 2016. Manchester (LCS 14) is the fifth LCS in Austal’s 11-ship, contract worth over $3.5 billion. With its shallow draft of 14 feet, the Austal-built Independence-variant LCS is an advanced high-speed and agile 419-foot aluminium trimaran combat ship that combines superior seakeeping, endurance and speed with the volume and payload capacity needed to support emerging missions. “On behalf of Austal USA’s shipbuilding team…

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract to supply the MT30 gas turbine packages for the first three Type 26 Global Combat Ships for the Royal Navy. Rolls-Royce will now begin manufacture of the gas turbines and the surrounding steel packages for the ships, which are to be built by prime contractor BAE Systems. Don Roussinos, Rolls-Royce, President – Naval, said, “The selection of the MT30, the most powerful marine gas turbine in operation today, for the Type 26 continues our long and successful history of developing and supplying gas turbines for the Royal Navy fleet.

On April 20, Damen gave a sneak preview of its newly designed second generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) during the annual OPVs & Corvettes Asia Pacific conference in Singapore. Damen’s Design & Proposal Manager Piet van Rooij explained how this new OPV has been configured for various missions. According to the designer, this new generation of reconfigurable Damen OPVs is highly efficient and incredibly versatile. Damen’s Sea Axe hull shape is used for these second generation OPVs for improved seakeeping and low heave accelerations.

The U.S. Navy’s joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) delivered wheelchairs and medical supplies to Ghanaian non-governmental organizations March 26, 2015. The materials were delivered under the U.S. Navy’s Project Handclasp program, which accepts humanitarian, educational and goodwill donations, contributed by the American private sector, and transports them to foreign nations on a space-available basis aboard U.S. Navy vessels. Spearhead delivered 168 of these three-wheeled, hand-cranked wheelchairs, with 154 being adult sized and 14 being for children. The shipment weighed more than 15,600 pounds, with an estimated total worth of $42,000. The humanitarian items are from charities in the United States.

Norway-based boat handling system and specialized davit supplier Vestdavit has designed a new multiple-boat handling system which aims to make boat handling safer and simpler in the hangars and mission bays of warships, seismic craft and expedition yachts. The MissionEase system can stow, launch and retrieve up to seven different RIBS, daughter boats and USVs in high seas from within a protected hangar. Atle Kalve, Development Director, Vestdavit, said, “MissionEase is simpler, quicker, safer and cheaper than any boat handling system available.