Ship Design News

Norwegian-headquartered Salt Ship Design said it has completed its acquisition of Serbian naval architecture firm Albatross Ship Design.Albatross was founded in 2001 as a member of Norway's Vik Sandvik Group, working under name Vik Sandvik Albatross until it was acquired by Finnish technology company Wärtsilä and renamed Wärtsilä Ship Design Serbia in 2009. It became a private independent company with the new name Albatross Ship Design in 2016.Salt Ship Design, which specializes in the design of offshore and fishing vessels…

Reston, Va.-based Leidos said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire esteemed naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox for $380 million in cash, as the defense, engineering and IT conglomerate looks to bolster its expertise as it competes for U.S. Navy unmanned systems contracts. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to closing conditions.Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox has designed some of the world's most well-known vessels, including the WWII Liberty Ships and the stories ocean liner SS United States.

CWind, offshore wind crew transfer specialist, on Tuesday announced the delivery of what it described as "the world’s first hybrid-powered Surface Effect Ship (SES)," the CWind Pioneer crew transfer vessel.CWind said that the crew transfer vessel, with 24 passenger capacity, was developed in response to an industry-wide push to develop and deploy innovative technologies that reduce CO2 emissions, while cost-effectively servicing windfarms located further offshore. "The CWind Pioneer…

WinGD  updated its X72DF dual-fuel engine platform with four new versions, new versions aimed to provide ship design flexibility while helping to reduce installed power and emissions.Popular on LNG carriers, the X72DF is also applicable on Suezmax tankers, Panamax and sub-Panamax containerships and Capesize bulk carriers, too.“Our most successful engine model is now available in four configurations,” said WinGD Global Sales Director Volkmar Galke. “These options reflect the varied demands on shipowners to design vessels more efficiently, reduce installed power and cut emissions dramatically.

Thousands of containers have been lost by ships in heavy weather conditions over recent months, impacting the ocean environment and adding a large extra cost expense for shipping companies.Among many factors leading to the problem is heavy rolling and pitching of the ship that causes containers to lose their stability and fall overboard. Marine electronics company JRC said its navigational radar JMR-7200/9200 includes a Wave Analysis function made available through a software upgrade.The JRC Radar Wave Analysis function is developed to measure wave height, direction and length.

British company Windship Technology has unveiled a whole-ship solution to tackle CO2 emissions from ships, launching its emissions-free bulk carrier and tanker designs alongside an investment partnership with classification society DNV.Starting from a clean drawing board, Technical Director Simon Rogers and his design team developed and tested at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton the company’s patented high performance, highly efficient triple-wing rig. The technical team further developed a new diesel electric ship drive system that eliminates CO2…

Ireland's new marine research vessel due to enter service in 2022 will be named the RV Tom Crean, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced. "I am delighted to announce the name of Ireland's new marine research vessel is the RV Tom Crean, acknowledging the contribution of a legendary Irish Explorer," McConalogue said.Tom Crean was a renowned seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world…

German shipowner Oldendorff Carriers (OC) said it has signed onto a project to develop and trial a fuel-saving wind-assisted propulsion solution for bulk carriers that will help to reduce vessels' carbon emissions.The joint development project (JDP), which also involves Anemoi Marine Technologies, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), is scheduled for completion in 2022 and aims to produce commercial-ready applications across the industry in the short-term.“This JDP…

Havyard said Monday it has been contracted to develop a new emissions-free ship concept for transporting cargo between European ports.The contracting partner, an unnamed European company, was first introduced to Havyard by Invest in Norway, who has been working with this company for the last two years in supporting their entry to the Norwegian maritime industry, Havyard  said.Lars Conradi Andersen, Vice President Sales, said, "The framework for this contract is to develop a ship…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Tuesday authorized the construction of two additional National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV), marking a key milestone for one of America's most high-profile shipbuilding programs.The new vessels will replace aging training ships at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, and Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, Texas. MARAD previously authorized the construction of the first two NSMVs, destined for SUNY Maritime College in Bronx…

When the maritime history books are written, 2020 will be viewed as a year of pivots, re-invention and new paradigms. By February 2020, concerns about marine fuel’s sulfur content quickly shifted to near-term disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-year, with demand recovering, the conversation turned to longer term questions surrounding the moves towards reduced maritime carbon emissions and alternative fuels. How will this all impact the current fleet?Perhaps the most extreme reaction to the shifting landscape is the ongoing “pivot” of Scorpio Bulk (NYSE: SALT)…

Oslo-listed BW LPG, the world’s largest LPG shipping company, ordered Wärtsilä LPG Fuel Supply System (LFSS) for retrofit to three very large gas carrier (VLGC) vessels. BW LPG had previously ordered four Wärtsilä LFSS’ in 2018, and an additional eight systems in February 2020. The initial order was placed following Wärtsilä’s successful full-scale testing of the system in 2018 with a full-sized two-stroke marine engine operating on LPG fuel, which was the world’s first such testing protocol.

Turkish shipbuilder Cemre said it has signed a contract with Seistar Holding to build two environmentally friendly live fish carriers.Developed by the Norwegian SALT Ship Design, the newbuilds will be equipped with circular fish tanks. The 69.9- and 110-meter-long vessels will be built according to the DNV GL class rules and will carry the Norwegian flag.The larger of the two vessels, with a total of 8,000 cubic meters load capacity in the fish holds and deadweight of approximately 12…

GE Marine will provide gas turbine engines and associated equipment for the Navy’s Constellation-class frigates being designed and built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin.“GE Marine brings a proven and reliable gas turbine that integrates perfectly in our combined diesel electric and gas turbine (CODLAG) propulsion system,” said Dario Deste, President and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Fincantieri has a decades-long relationship with GE, and we are proud to have these American-made gas engines on our U.S.

The sinking of the Estonia ro-ro passenger ferry stands out as one of the most disastrous accidents in modern times. The tragedy claimed 852 lives and the wreck was declared a marine graveyard. At first glance, the sinking seems to have been triggered by a single technical failure only minutes before the point of no return, with no warning signs. The first objective of this review was to verify whether the pattern of typical major accidents can be found in the Estonia disaster. The usual pattern involves multiple human errors combined with an immature organizational culture.

The global shipping industry is going to face a big challenge during the coming years when regulators, investors and stakeholders demand the drastic reduction of CO2 and other GHG emissions during ship operations. But in reality, the change is already underway.Since 2013, any newbuild ship over 400GRT has been obliged to comply with a specific Energy Efficiency limits – the well-known Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). It is about to enter an accelerating phase propelled by the recently released IMO GHG reduction strategy.

Babcock invests in technically advanced shipbuilding facilityBabcock awarded a £31.5 million contract to Robertson Construction for the development of a new Assembly Hall at its Rosyth site. The construction project will support circa 100 positions locally in Scotland and a further 100 positions nationally throughout the supply chain.At a small Covid-19 safe ceremony marking the beginning of the steel structure construction, Babcock also announced that it has placed an order for…

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has awarded approval in principle (AIP) to Chinese shipbuilder Jiangnan Shipyard Co.

In 2018, Havyard Design & Solutions won a contract for the delivery of two ship designs to Royal Arctic Line A/S. Reefer vessel design was a new segment for Havyard and the first of the two ships, ‘Siuana Arctica’, has now been delivered from the Astilleros Zamakona yard in Spain.Royal Arctic Line A/S handles all sea freight to and from the 13 biggest ports in Greenland, which secures supplies across the country. ‘Siuana Arctica' is set to sail the Uummannaq area to the Upernavik district in north-west Greenland.In the course of December…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Participating in "Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships" focussed on R&D toward Achieving Decarbonized Shipping, and on December 10, 2020, a presentation was held in Yokohama to announce the establishment of the Center.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has become a member of "Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships," a core organization established to plan and propose state-of-the-art ships on a continuing basis through integration of the accumulated expertise of Japan's shipbuilding industry.

For the Design issue Greg Trauthwein asked me to write about a favorite ship design. I have no favorite ship design, or should say there are simply too many that are truly worthy of mention. But when considering favorite designs, ship designers (and builders) do carry a strange curse. Unique among engineers (and artists, architects, and industrial designers) their creations only live for about 30 years. With very few exceptions, in their own life time, ship designers get to see the disassembly of most of their creations. I am not aware of any other creations that are so readily tossed aside.

The common perception of intact stability has remained largely unchanged over the last few decades, where a vessel’s stability is evaluated using classical and static means: limits on righting arms, residual areas, and determining maximal VCG (or minimal GM) composite curves. These methods are familiar to most naval architects and are taught at a fundamental level in most naval architecture engineering programs.But repeated incidents of dynamic failure in recent decades brings question to the adequacy of classical static stability criteria to provide a complete understanding of…

The world's first very large gas carrier (VLGC) to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel propulsion technology has completed sea trials, shipowner BW LPG announced Wednesday.BW Gemini and its newly retrofitted LPG propulsion technology were tested to their safe limits by an expert team from engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions, BW LPG’s Newbuilding & Projects and Technical departments, and classification society DNV-GL, who awarded the required classification certificate to following satisfactory performance.