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Navigator News

25 Mar 2024

Fuel Savings of Autonomous Navigation System Verified

Source: Avikus

Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, has verified that its autonomous navigation system is capable of reducing fuel use by as much as 15%, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The fuel savings were quantified on a 325,000-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC) operating several times on a 5,800-mile route from Singapore to Brazil using Avikus’ autonomous HiNAS Control system.The verification of this performance was conducted through procedures that were jointly developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus…

07 Mar 2024

Briggs Marine Adds New Pilot Boat in the UK

(Image: Briggs Marine)

Briggs Marine announced its is adding a new pilot vessel to its fleet in response to demand for pilot services within the U.K.Built by Goodchild Marine and scheduled for delivery in March, the Forth Navigator is a 12m version of the now well-established ORC design, incorporating the high levels of performance and crew comfort, Briggs Marine said.From March 2024, the Forth Navigator will be available for charter for a range of activities, including pilot boat duties and harbor patrol either on a short or long-term basis.

21 Dec 2023

OSG to Upgrade Engines on Its Alaska Class Tankers

(Photo: MAN Energy Solutions)

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group announced it will upgrade all four vessels in its Alaskan Class fleet with new methanol-ready engines from MAN Energy Solutions.The vessels Alaskan Explorer, Alaskan Frontier, Alaskan Legend and Alaskan Navigator, all approaching 20 years in age, will receive significant engine and operational improvements, resulting in environmental benefits as well as extending their commercially useful life, OSG said.The lifecycle engine upgrades involve a series of technical and commercial enhancements…

12 Dec 2023

NAVTOR Revamps Passage Planning Module

NAVTOR taking Passage Planning to the next level with NavStation. Image courtesy NAVTOR

NAVTOR  announced a breakthrough revamp of its Passage Planning module. Featured in the latest release of NAVTOR’s NavStation planning software (version 6.3), the new module offers expanded automation and auto-calculations, effectively slashing both administration time and the potential for human errors, compliance with the very latest industry standards, enhanced data utilisation, the ability to revise and update plans (rather than creating new ones after voyage deviations/changes)…

27 Nov 2023

ASGARD: Developing an Anti-Spoofing Weapon

Image courtesy ASGARD

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

13 Nov 2023

Atlas Ocean Voyages Christens World Voyager

Source: Atlas Ocean Voyages

Yacht cruising company Atlas Ocean Voyages has held a naming ceremony in Ushuaia, Argentina for the World Voyager.The 198-guest expedition yacht was christened by Godmother British physiotherapist and British Army Captain Harpreet "Preet" Kaur Chandi MBE.The third vessel in the line's expedition fleet, the sister ship to Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Traveller and World Navigator, the vessel will now begin its inaugural deployment for the 2023/24 Antarctica season.The Polar Category C- and Ice Class 1B-certified vessel features two Rolls Royce 9…

11 Jul 2023

China Celebrates National Maritime Day

©  creativenature.nl / Adobe Stock

China celebrated its 19th National Maritime Day on July 11, with celebrations taking place in museums and schools along with a range of technical conferences.The Ministry of Transport released the 2022 China Shipping Development Report which showed that container throughput at ports increased by 4.7% and the volume of rail-water multi-modal transport routes increased by 16% year-on-year.China Daily reports Vice-Transport Minister Fu Xuyin saying: “By the end of last year, the Chinese fleet reached a carrying capacity of 370 million deadweight tons…

19 Jun 2023

ECDIS is Not a Replacement for Terrestrial Navigation

Copyright AdobeStock/Ignacio

I guess it was only a matter of time. After years of debating whether or not Celestial Navigation should be taught it is now time to debate the relevance of Terrestrial Navigation. The argument is same: why do I need to know this if there is technology available to do it for me?The answer is also the same. If you want to be a professional mariner than your knowledge base and skill sets should far exceed that of a weekend boater that follows the direction of their chart plotter…

09 Jun 2023

Steel in the Water: Foundation Installation Kicks Off for First Commercial-scale U.S. Offshore Wind Farm

DEME's Orion installation vessel - Credit: Vineyard Wind

The installation of the first monopiles and transition pieces has kicked off for the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States - the Vineyard Wind 1.“We can finally say it – as of today, there is ‘steel in the water,’” said Klaus S. Moeller, CEO of Vineyard Wind, the company developing the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, located in a federal wind energy area 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and 35 miles from mainland Massachusetts.Vineyard…

15 May 2023

Noise Mitigation: Bubble Curtain to Be Deployed During Construction of U.S. Largest Offshore Wind Project

Bubble Curtain noise mitigation system ©Vineyard Wind

U.S. offshore wind farm developer Vineyard Wind will deploy and test a secondary bubble curtain noise mitigation system during foundation installation at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm, the first commercial-scale wind farm installation project in the U.S.For this, the company is investing in ThayerMahan, a firm that specializes in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime-related services, with facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The $5 million in funding comes from Vineyard Wind's Industry Accelerator Fund…

22 Mar 2023

Steps To Take Now For New Maritime Infrastructure Funding Opportunities

© William A. Morgan / Adobe Stock

Much has been said both in Congress and by the current administration of the need to restore and enhance our nation’s transportation infrastructure, including its maritime transportation infrastructure. Recent legislation, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), the Inflation Reduction Act, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2023, and the related appropriations acts, has shown that Congress is ready to provide substantial funding in support of these stated goals.

09 Mar 2023

Navigator Line Buys Chemical Tanker from Lomar

Apollo (Photo: Lomar Shipping)

Libra's global ship owning and management unit Lomar Shipping last week delivered the chemical tanker Apollo to new owner Navigator Line Ship Management and Operation, in Sharjah, UAE.Built in 2003, the 24,000 DWT vessel was sold for close to $10 million as part of Lomar's ongoing fleet renewal program, the company said.The vessel was the oldest of six chemical tankers, including four 38,000-dwt chemical/products tankers, that joined the Lomar fleet following the October 2022 acquisition of Germany’s Bremen-based tanker specialist Carl Büttner Group…

01 Mar 2023

Discovery: Historic Shipwreck Found in Lake Huron

Image of the schooner-barge Ironton as it sits on the lake floor today. This image is a point cloud extracted from water column returns from multibeam sonar. Image Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Well preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-ft. Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing."Using this cutting-edge technology, we have not only located a pristine shipwreck lost for over a century…

26 Jan 2023

Mark Heward Named Director at MITAGS

Mark Heward (Photo: MITAGS)

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced that Mark Heward has joined its team as Director. Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management and training experience together with being fully STCW qualified and his continuing education experience are a rare combination,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director.

09 Dec 2022

Navy Veteran Joins MITAGS as Director

Mark Heward, Director of MITAGS - ©MITAGS

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) said Friday that Mark Heward had joined as Director of MITAGS.Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Heward Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management, and training experience, together with being fully STCW qualified…

18 Oct 2022

Solstad Offshore's Subsea Construction Vessels Win Renewable Energy Assignments

©Solstad Offshore

Solstad Offshore, a Norwegian company that owns and operates offshore support vessels, has won a contract for the subsea construction vessel Normand Baltic and a contract extension for the subsea construction vessel Normand Navigator.The contracts are for renewable energy projects in North Europe and Asia, with extension options available upon the expiration.The Normand Baltic contract will cover the majority of Q4-22 and Q1-2023, while the Normand Navigator now has a firm contract to Q4 2023…

10 Oct 2022

UK Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier Heads to Rosyth for Repairs

U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (Photo: U.K. Royal Navy)

The U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has left Portsmouth en route to Rosyth where the £3 billion aircraft carrier will receive repairs after breaking down off the Isle of Wight in August.The 65,000-tonne warship will enter Babcock's dry dock in Rosyth where it will undergo repairs to its starboard propeller shaft which suffered a mechanical defect as the ship left for New York. Inspections by divers revealed the shaft coupling had failed. Since the aircraft carrier returned to Portsmouth Naval Base in early September…

31 Aug 2022

Solstad Offshore Nabs New Contracts for CSV Quartet

Credit: Solstad Offshore

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has secured four new contracts for its subsea construction vessels (CSV). The contracts have a combined firm vessel utilization of 410 days, with additional subsequent options, on projects in North Europe, West Africa, and Asia.The contracts have a combined value of approximately NOK 260 million (~around 26,5 million), including addition services, such as ROVs, “Walk to Work”-systems, and project support.

25 May 2022

NYK to Invest in theDOCK’s Navigator II Fund

Image courtesy NYK/theDOCK

NYK  signed an agreement to invest in “Navigator II,” an investment fund managed by theDOCK, an Israeli venture capital firm specializing in maritime technology. Navigator II invests in and supports startup companies that research and develop innovative technologies in the fields of shipping, ports, and supply chains. Through Navigator II, NYK will promote open innovation with startup companies by identifying new technologies and ideas that will strengthen existing businesses and create new businesses.In the past…

05 Jul 2022

Norwegian Police Order Five Patrol Boats from Marell

(Image: Marell Boats)

Swedish builder Marell Boats informs it has been awarded a new contract to supply five fast patrolling and interceptor vessels to the Norwegian Police. The five new M12 RIBs will be delivered during from the third quarter this year through the first quarter 2023, to five different locations in south of Norway.The medium-sized patrol boats will be used by the Norwegian Police for patrolling and assignments such as surveillance, search and rescue, boarding and control of recreational boats. It will also be used as a training platform of police personnel in boat handling and navigation.

25 Apr 2022

New Routines on the Bridge in the Digital World

(Photo: Vane Brothers)

Like every sector of cargo and passenger shipping, “digitalization”—where computerized processes are replacing onboard routines previously handled manually— is an ongoing trend coastwise, on the waterways and harbors. Regulatory compliance, especially with Subchapter M for towing vessels, has also driven choices of onboard equipment with digital interfaces to software and online platforms for record-keeping and for generating inputs for forms and documents.Improved performance has also shaped the capabilities of equipment in the wheelhouse and the view from the bridge.

16 May 2022

Activists Block Greek Tanker with Russian Cargo from Entering UK Port

Greenpeace protesters have blocked the entry of a Greek tanker into a southern English port due to its Russian fuel cargo with police making arrests, the green group said on Monday.Britain and the EU have separately banned Russian-flagged vessels from their ports, with exemptions, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in what the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation."The UK has said it will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, which has meant that foreign-flagged vessels carrying Russian cargoes are still able to call at ports for the time being.Greenpeace said 12 activists occupied a jetty on Sunday evening in Navigator Terminals' Thames site in Essex…

07 Jun 2022

ABS Report Examines Hydrogen and Carbon Value Chains

(Image: ABS)

The potential for carbon markets and pricing to reshape global shipping, as well as the impact of the emerging hydrogen and carbon value chains, are explored in-depth in the latest support for the industry’s decarbonization ambitions from ABS.The groundbreaking analysis is at the heart of the fourth edition of the ABS Setting the Course to Low Carbon Shipping series, as well as insights on the industry’s progress to low- and zero-carbon operations.“We are in the early innings…