Newbuildings News

Greek shipping company Carras (Hellas) has received the ABS Biofuel-1 notation for its Aquataurus ultramax bulk carrier, the first vessel in the world to qualify.The notation is assigned to vessels that use a biofuel blend of up to and including 30% biofuel in compliance with IMO and ABS requirements.Biofuels are liquid hydrocarbon fuels with similar composition and properties to fuel oil, but they are produced from renewable sources such as crops, agricultural and forestry waste…

Belships announced has expanded its newbuild program with two new 64,000 dwt Ultramax bulk carriers scheduled for delivery in 2028.The Norwegian-based company now has a total of 10 newbuilds under construction at Japanese shipyards with delivery between 2024 and 2028. All vessels are leased on time charter for a period of 7 to 10 years from delivery, with purchase options around current market levels. There is no obligation to purchase any of the vessels. Cash breakeven for the vessels upon delivery is about $14…

Finnish shipping company Meriaura announced it has placed an order for two Ecotrader cargo ships from Dutch shipyard Royal Bodewes. The ships will be built in Hoogezand for scheduled delivery in January and December 2026.The ships are 105 meters long, 1A ice classed 6750 DWT vessels, designed to achieve the lowest possible emission levels, Meriaura said. Like the EcoCoaster vessels Eeva VG and Mirva VG delivered in 2016, the newbuilds will be capable of operating on biofuel made from recycled raw material produced by Meriaura’s subsidiary VG-Ecofuel.

Marlink reports it is providing new capabilities to long-term customer TUI Cruises on its Mein Schiff fleet, augmenting its managed hybrid network solution with Starlink LEO connectivity.Marlink will install its Sealink NextGen network solution – combining low-latency LEO connectivity with global 4G/5G and C/Ku-band VSAT - on the combined fleet of six existing Mein Schiff vessels and two newbuildings. These different connectivity links will be orchestrated by Marlink’s SD-WAN solution…

Gearbulk announced it has signed a contract for delivery of up to four ammonia/methanol-ready, 82,300 dwt open hatch newbuildings. The contract is firm for two vessels, with an option to purchase a further two.The Swiss-headquartered company said it has secured financing for the vessels, and CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Longxue shipyard will deliver the first two vessels in the first half of 2027.“This contract for four newbuildings marks a significant milestone for Gearbulk as these vessels are set to be the largest and most efficient in the company’s history…

30 years ago shaft generators with PTI capability kept container ships sailing at top speed. That purpose gone, PTI/PTO is making a new comeback in more cargo shipping segments, this time for reducing emissions.Retrofitting a shaft generator is not an insignificant undertaking. Around 50 tons of equipment needs to be installed into the engineroom through a hole in the hull. A new section of shaft is usually required.That a few shipowners are undertaking such projects - Klaveness Combination Carriers on the Ballard…

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, will deliver the fuel supply system for Exmar’s two new medium size gas carriers that will operate with ammonia fuel.The ships are being built at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) in Korea for ship owner Danish shipowner Exmar LPG, a joint venture between Exmar, a multi-disciplinary maritime and offshore solutions provider, and Seapeak, one of the largest independent owner-operators of liquefied natural gas vessels.These…

NYK Stolt Tankers, a joint venture between NYK Line and Stolt Tankers, has placed an order with Nantong Xiangyu Shipyard in China to build six 38,000 deadweight tonne stainless steel chemical tankers for delivery between late 2026 and 2029.The newbuilds will be sisters to a series of six vessels Stolt Tankers ordered at Wuhu Shipyard in November. The ships feature 30 cargo tanks, offering a range of cargo flexibility and are designed to maximize fuel efficiency using a wide range of energy savings devices and shore power connection, Stolt Tankers said.

Two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) under construction for Germany-based Bernhard Schulte Offshore have reached milestones. The steel cutting and keel laying ceremonies for yno 321 and 320, respectively, were arranged at the Crist hull yard, Poland, on January 30, 2024.The two Ulstein-designed CSOVs are characterized by the TWIN X-STERN feature, implementing fore and aft main propeller units for excellent dynamic positioning characteristics.The hulls will be prepared at Crist before being towed to Ulstein Verft in Norway for the final phases…

Longship Group entered a joint newbuilding project with Wagle Chartering AS for two "GS Eco-Freighter 3700" to be built by GS Yard BV in Waterhuizen, the Netherlands.The general cargo ships feature single open top box shaped holds of about 181,000 cbft intake. The vessels are equipped with two bulkheads that can be used as tweendecks. They are fitted for grain, timber, project cagos and are driven by a IMO Tier III compliant Mitsubishi S12R engine with an output of 749 kW.Wagle Chartering is assigned with the commercial operation…

Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry in China have ordered four MAN 10L32/44CR main engines in connection with the construction of a quartet of 41,000 dwt oil-and-chemical tankers for Bremen-based German Tanker Shipping (GTS).The construction of the 199-meter Swedish Fartygskonstruktioner AB-designed newbuildings is set to start at Xiamen Shipbuilding with delivery scheduled from mid-2025 onward. The order includes options for an additional two vessels.Each…

Technical inquiries to SRC Group ramped up after it received Approval in Principle (AIP) for a concept which ‘reinvented methanol fuel storage’ on board ships. Delivering the answers has seen technical talk converting into project discussions        ‘Green’ methanol has the ability to one day run vessels almost emission-free, and commercial shipping increasingly investigates. Derived today principally from natural gas, methanol is nonetheless available, relatively easy to handle and predictable.

Erik Thun Group selected Berg Propulsion’s Dynamic Drive technology to optimize efficiency on board all 10 of its latest newbuildings. The Swedish owner confirmed its decision after pilot installations exceeded energy efficiency gain expectations, with the integrated drive solution helping to save 10% of fuel, rising to 20% in some operational conditions.As part of Erik Thun’s rolling fleet renewal strategy, the owner recently expanded its newbuild program with Dutch yard Shipsveerf Ferus Smit B.V to include four 5…

London-headquartered Stolt-Nielsen Limited announced its subsidiary Stolt Tankers B.V. has reached an agreement with Chinese shipbuilder  Wuhu Shipyard to construct six 38,000 deadweight tonne stainless steel parcel tankers for delivery between 2026 and 2028, with additional options for a further six newbuildings.The new ships will have 30 stainless steel cargo tank segregations offering a wide range of cargo flexibility, the shipowner said.Stolt-Nielsen CEO Udo Lange said, “Following our well-timed acquisitions of 10 secondhand ships since 2021…

A climate neutral island supply vessel has been launched for the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) to service the Marshall Islands.GIZ is implementing the bilateral project financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) together with the government of the Marshall Islands. The ship, which was developed by the ship design office Kostec Co. and the shipyard Asia Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Busan/Geoje, South Korea, together with the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and the Hamburg design office SDC…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) will install cameras and an AI system developed by Captain's Eye in the cargo holds of most of its LNG-fueled car carriers to provide early fire detection capabilities.The devices will be installed on 10 vessels currently on order and scheduled for delivery in 2024 or later, and the company will consider retrofitting current in-service vessels with the system.The Captain's Eye AI system sends an alert to crewmembers onboard the vessel and to the onshore ship management company when it detects abnormal images captured by the cameras.

Norwegian shipping company Odfjell SE announced it is expanding its fleet with six newbuildings through a combination of long-term time charter and pool agreements with Japanese shipowners and shipyards.This increases the total to twelve 25,000 - 40,000 dwt stainless steel vessels to be delivered on long-term time charters and pool agreements between 2024 and 2027.The series of newbuildings will be built at multiple shipyards in Japan and are scheduled to be delivered from 1H2026 to 1H2027.

Classification society DNV has entered into a Joint Development Project (JDP) with AL Group and its Singapore company Asiatic Lloyd Maritime LLP to explore the feasibility of carbon capture and storage (CCS) on board AL’s 7,100TEU containership and Kamsarmax bulk carrier newbuildings.Under the JDP, DNV will cooperate with AL on a techno-economic study of CCS on board the vessels using DNV's FuelPath to assess the economic potential of the different fuel and technology strategies.

Eneti, a company providing offshore wind installation vessel services, said Tuesday its subsidiary Seajacks had signed a contract with an undisclosed client to transport and install wind turbines.With mobilization starting in the second quarter of 2027, the contract will be performed by one of the company’s two NG16000X Wind Turbine Installation Vessels currently under construction at Hanwha Ocean (ex-Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) in South Korea. Including mobilization and demobilization…

The number of stern tube-related damage claims has increased considerably over the last few years, and this is causing marine insurer Gard some concern.In the past, damage to a stern tube was often considered a relatively straightforward casualty by surveyors. The cause was often obvious – contact with a floating object such as ice, fishing nets or ropes, for example.These causes still exist, but the significant increase in frequency over the past years, without any apparent explanation…

Integrated Wind Solutions' subsidiary, IWS Fleet AS, has agreed with the shipyard China Merchants Industry Holdings to postpone equity yard installments of a total of 36 million euros on IWS Seawalker, IWS Starwalker, IWS Moonwalker, and IWS Sunwalker offshore wind service vessels up to one year, to strengthen the company’s liquidity position. The delivery schedules for IWS Windwalker, IWS Seawalker, and IWS Sunwalker vessels are unchanged, while IWS Moonwalker and IWS Sunwalker are moved forward by one month.

Furetank and Algoma Central Corporation announced further expansion of their FureBear joint venture with orders for two additional vessels. The two ships will be constructed at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou, China, with delivery expected in second and third quarters of 2026.The new order for Vinga series vessels grows the FureBear joint venture to a total of 10 intermediate product tankers under construction, with the first vessel slated for delivery in the first quarter of 2024.

Wärtsilä will supply the LNG Fuel Gas Supply (FGSS) systems for four new 23,000 TEU container ships being built for CMA CGM at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard in China.This latest order, which was booked as order intake by Wärtsilä in Q2, 2023, represents a continuation of Wärtsilä’s supply of fuel gas supply systems to CMA CGM vessels. During the past six years, Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply 30 of the company’s newbuild vessels with FGSS systems.Wärtsilä’s full scope of supply includes the system engineering…