Pilot News

15,000 cu. yd. Hopper Dredge = “the Cookie Monster” of Beach ReplenishmentManson Construction Co.’s Frederick Paup is the largest Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge in the United States. Designed and built specifically to meet the needs of the U.S. dredging market, she boasts 25,000 HP and volumetric capacity of over 15,000 cubic yards. Utilizing her triple Z Drives and twin Bow Thrusters enables the Frederick Paup to maneuver and dredge within the tightest channels. This further…

Dominion Energy released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Director’s Order for a 90-day suspension of work issued earlier today for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project:"The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW) is essential for American national security and meeting Virginia’s dramatically growing energy needs, the fastest growth in America. This growth is driven by the need to provide reliable power to many of America’s most important war fighting installations…

Clippership, a company developing autonomous wind powered ships, announced it has completed the design of its first 24-meter class vessel, and executed a construction contract for the first cargo vessel with Dutch shipyard KM Yachtbuilders.The 24-meter class features twin, foldable rigid wings for primary wind propulsion and is designed for open-ocean autonomy. The vessel has a cargo capacity of up to 75 Euro-pallets within its climate-controlled cargo hold. It will be built in…

Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) has successfully completed its inaugural pilot training course on ammonia as a marine fuel.Held on November 24–25, the two-day program brought together 26 participants from a wide spectrum of shipboard ranks, including Masters, Chief Engineers, senior officers, and junior engineers, who travelled from across India to take part in the specialised training.Pioneered by Prasad Nayak, General Manager of Training at Anglo-Eastern, the…

In 2010, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) began the process of replacing its research vessel, R/V Western Flyer. With Glosten at their side as vessel designer, MBARI considered three types of ships for their new project. The Western Flyer was a small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH), but the parties agreed on a monohull design for the new vessel. In 2021, Freire Shipyard won the bid to build the vessel, and R/V David Packard came to life.There is no “I” in TeamWill Moon…

ABB and HDF Energy have signed a joint-development agreement (JDA) to develop a high-power fuel cell unit for marine applications.The agreement builds on an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between ABB and HDF Energy in 2020, envisaging the collaboration.Foreseeing pilot installations in 2028 - 2029 and serial production from 2030, the agreement initiates a significant step forward for developing fuel cells as a commercially viable option to support maritime decarbonization.The…

Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe has taken a decisive step toward low-emission coastal logistics with the development of a next-generation methanol-powered cement carrier, an 80% emissions-cutting vessel that could redefine short-sea bulk operations in Scandinavia. Planned to enter service in early 2028, the newbuild is the product of a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership involving the Hartmann Group, the Green Shipping Programme (GSP) and the Norwegian NOx Fund,…

ABB has verified what it calls a major advancement in vessel Dynamic Positioning (DP) technology, following successful Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) proving trials and sea trials on board the new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Norse Wind.By integrating ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control - a ship control system that unifies dynamic positioning, maneuvering, and transit functionalities into one intuitive interface - with Azipod propulsion units, the vessel showcases distinctive advantages of system-level synergy.Meeting all performance expectations…

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has launched an international sea trials program in partnership with the French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (Shom). The joint program represents the most comprehensive test of S-100 data standards to date and will form part of the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) coordinated test bed framework. Throughout the trials, the UKHO and Shom will collect evidence to inform safety and efficiency use cases, while providing guidance on the introduction of the S-100 data framework, which is set to underpin the future of maritime navigation.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Latsco have successfully completed a proof-of-concept for a new standard in digital class assurance with data-driven surveys. This collaboration aims to demonstrate how verified operational vessel data can fully meet class survey requirements, without compromising safety, integrity, or technical rigor. The proof-of-concept was conducted on the vessel HELLAS MARGARITA during an active voyage to Singapore. Using LR’s approved Digital Survey Test Procedure…

Van Oord has completed the transport and installation of all 21 monopiles at Iberdrola’s Windanker offshore wind farm.This achievement involved the largest monopiles Van Oord has ever installed, made possible by earlier upgrades to its heavy lift installation vessel Svanen, which is now equipped to manage next-generation offshore wind monopile foundations.Van Oord’s scope of work included loading the monopiles at the fabrication site in Spain and transporting them to the Port of Rønne, Denmark.

BIMCO and Hunit have launched a joint pilot project with the aim to reduce risks, cut manual workloads, and modernize the way the maritime industry works with standard contracts.The pilot project will address challenges such as rising operational demands driven by sanctions regimes, increasing safety and emissions requirements, insurer expectations for transparency, and more frequent inspections, to name a few.Today, much of this work to is still managed through PDFs, inboxes…

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will resume on December 30, Malaysia's transport ministry said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Beijing-bound flight disappeared in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014. Multiple search operations for the plane have been conducted since then but all proved fruitless.More than…

Alfa Laval Korea Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hanwha Ocean Ecotech, marking a step toward strengthening cooperation in developing safe and reliable ammonia fuel system solutions for dual-fuel vessels.The MOU will leverage Alfa Laval’s technical expertise in ammonia fuel systems with Hanwha Ocean Ecotech’s capabilities in marine technology. The joint approach aims to secure early market opportunities and build competitive advantage in the rapidly-growing…

Consilium Safety Group and Hyundai Heavy Industries have signed an agreement to explore the use of AI-powered cameras in certified fire alarm systems on ships.The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the companies centers on Hyundai’s HiCAMS technology, which uses cameras to identify smoke and flames.While camera-based detection is emerging in other industries, this initiative is among the first to target marine applications directly.A pilot test is already underway on the test vessel Sawasdee Sunrise in Korea…

A gas tanker had just left its berth at the Port of Brisbane, Australia, when it lost propulsion for two minutes as two of its three electrical generators were not properly configured, an ATSB final report has confirmed.On March 15, 2025, the 100-metre, Liberian-flagged Gaschem Homer departed the BP Products berth in the Port of Brisbane, under the conduct of a harbour pilot.While it was being turned towards the port’s entrance, it experienced an electrical blackout, resulting in the total loss of all propulsion and steering control.Power was able to be restored after about two minutes…

Breaux’s Bay Craft delivered its latest aluminum pilot vessel for the Houston Pilots. The first of two, M/V San Jacinto, is the newest addition to the fleet of high-performance pilot boats,designed for  precision, built for strength, and finished with a striking red, white, and blue color scheme that reflects the Gulf Coast heritage of the Houston Pilots.Measuring 80 x 21 feet wide, the San Jacinto is built with a new-generation inverted deep-V bottom hull, exceeds the rigorous operational demands of one of the busiest pilotage services in the U.S.

The U.S. Navy needs to dramatically increase the fleet, especially submarines, but the available pool of skilled workers is not keeping pace.Submarine construction is ramping up. The Navy continues to build Virginia-class submarines, striving for two per year, and is gearing up build the new Columbia-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. At the same time, the industry needs to support the ambitious Australia-U.S.-U.K. AUKUS program to make the Royal Australian Navy a nuclear submarine navy.Qualified workers are not only needed to build submarines…

Everllence has unveiled its new, dual-fuel ME-LGIA (-Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) engine.Using the Diesel principle and the well-known, dual-fuel liquid gas injection concept, the ME-LGIA engine has many of the same features as Everllence’s existing ME-LGIM and ME-LGIP units that, respectively, run on methanol and LPG.However, in light of ammonia’s particular characteristics, the new engine also has additional safety features such as containment systems, sensors, system ventilation…

The William E. Moran has entered service in New York, bringing enhanced capability and performance to Moran’s evolving fleet. As the first vessel in the company’s next-generation class, it is purpose-built to meet the demands of modern port operations, support evolving customer needs, and advance Moran’s goals for safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. These next-generation tugs will be among the largest in the fleet, underscoring Moran’s continued focus on delivering safe…

Ammonia-to-power company Amogy has signed a multi-year contract with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the manufacturing of Amogy’s systems.SHI plans to establish a dedicated facility in South Korea to produce and test Amogy’s systems, beginning with those required for Amogy’s pilot project in Pohang in 2026. The project will demonstrate the technology maturity and economic feasibility of Amogy’s ammonia-to-power systems for distributed clean power generation.This partnership…

Svitzer Group A/S, global towage and marine solutions provider, has acquired a 66.6% stake in Norwegian towage and marine service company, Buksér og Berging AS, subject to final regulatory approvals. Svitzer’s investment represents a partnership opportunity for both companies, with a view to leverage extensive shared knowledge and experience of the global towage, offshore, adjacent maritime service and marine solution markets.There is no integration activities related to the transaction…

Ineffective coordination and monitoring by the crew and harbour pilots on board the container ship Maersk Shekou contributed to its collision with the tall ship Leeuwin II in the Port of Fremantle, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found.The 333-metre, Singapore-flagged Maersk Shekou was being navigated into Fremantle under the direction of two harbour pilots in heavy squall conditions before dawn on August 30, 2024, when the incident occurred.Audio from the ship’s bridge…