Sigma News

Damen Naval has expanded Colombian involvement by contracting Georg Fischer for the PES project in LATAM. Under this project, a Damen SIGMA frigate will be built by COTECMAR, at their shipyard in Cartagena. Georg Fischer in LATAM has been contracted for the delivery of all plastic piping for the PES project.Besides the supply of plastic piping, Damen Naval’s procurement contract also includes Georg Fischer in LATAM to provide training sessions for COTECMAR staff at their yard in Colombia. This enlarges exchange of technology and knowledge under the PES project.

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract with Damen Naval to supply twin Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP) and shaftlines as part of a contract with the Colombian Navy for a new frigate.In September 2022, the Colombian Ministry of Defence announced that COTECMAR and Damen Naval will develop the new frigate. Construction is to begin at the end of 2025, with commissioning expected at the end of 2029 or the beginning of 2030.The new Colombian frigate is based on Damen’s SIGMA design (Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach)…

Karmsund Hydrogen—owned by Norwegian Hydrogen, Sigma, and Karmsund Group—is partnering with HydePoint to build a green hydrogen facility in Karmsund, aimed at cutting emissions in local industry. The facility will be located at Karmsund Group’s Service Base, offering direct access to hydrogen users in both the maritime and onshore sectors.The project plans to produce more than 3000 tons annually based on 20 MW installed electrolysis capacity.The initiative is directly based on…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Solstad Offshore has informed that its two Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels, hired by Petrobras, have received approvals for work offshore Brazil.Solstad Offshore announced in April that its two AHTS vessels Normand Sigma and Normand Sirius secured contracts with Petrobras, subject to board approvals.The approvals have now been secured and the AHTS vessels have been allocated to the contracts.The contracts, which will start in the first quarter of 2026…

Damen Naval signed a contract with Nevesbu for the platform engineering scope of the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate for Colombia. This scope includes both basic engineering and detailed engineering. The collaboration highlights the strength of the Damen Shipyards Group, with Damen Naval and Nevesbu joining forces as sister companies within the organization.Based on Damen Naval’s SIGMA 10514 series, the PES frigate is designed to combine versatility and combat capability while being tailored to meet Colombia’s specific requirements.

Damen Naval has signed contract with classification society Lloyd’s Register for the delivery of Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate for Colombia, which will be built by Colombian shipbuilder COTECMAR.Following a successful design study contract with COTECMAR, Damen Naval signed a contract for the delivery of engineering, technical support and the shipbuilding materials and equipment for the first frigate in August 2024.Lloyd’s Register has been involved with the project since the end of 2022…

Damen and COTECMAR have signed the contract for technical support and the supply of components for the construction of the first frigate to be built in Colombia.COTECMAR, short for the Corporación de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo de la Industria Naval, Marítima y Fluvial, will be in charge of the construction, based on Damen’s SIGMA 10514 model.The ship, Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES - Strategic Surface Platform), will have a length of 107.5 meters and a beam of 14.02 meters.After Mexico and Brazil…

Austal USA, a U.S. shipbuilding subsidiary of Australia's Austal Group, announced it has named Mark Santamaria as its new chief financial officer (CFO).“Mark’s extensive background in government and commercial contracting environments is a valuable asset to Austal USA,” stated Austal USA president Michelle Kruger. “We are excited to have him on our senior leadership team and look forward to benefiting from his financial management experience.”Santamaria has served as CFO for several major defense contractors throughout his lengthy career.

Damen Naval has contracted RENK to supply the gearbox systems for the new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates.The Dutch shipyard is building four new frigates, two each for the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Belgian navy.The contract includes eight gearboxes that are part of the CODLAD (COmbined Diesel-eLectric And Diesel) propulsion system.RENK's Dutch subsidiary Schelde Gears will provide support in design and service activities.The first gearboxes are due to arrive for installation in October 2025…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers, owned by S&B, announced it has appointed Amer Kalla as director of production design, based in Houston."We are excited to have Amer Kalla join the TAI team. His wealth of experience and expertise will play a crucial role in advancing our production design capabilities and contributing to the success of our projects,” said Kris Karri, senior vice president of operations and chief engineer at TAI Engineers. “Kalla will be responsible for TAI’s global production design team in the U.S.

Austal USA has named Jim Blastos as vice president supply chain management, with responsibility for the company’s procurement, strategic sourcing, warehousing, logistics, material management and production control activities.Blastos has over 25 years of experience in developing strategic organizational transformation, collaborative solutions and operational processing. He has held leadership positions in supply chain and operations in the U.S. Navy and industry, including Overhead Door Corporation…

Offshore wind developer Ørsted is deploying Rutter’s wave prediction technology on board selected crew transfer vessels (CTV) worldwide within its contracted fleet to improve the safe transfer of personnel to offshore wind turbines.Roots of the initiative stretch back to 2018, when the two companies launched a project to investigate wave prediction applications for improving safety during transfers from CTVs to offshore wind turbines, resulting in the development of wave prediction…

The L.S. Starrett Company, a manufacturer of precision measuring tools and gages, metrology systems and more, appointed Matthew Wells as Director of Operations and Continuous Improvement, responsible for Production, Planning, Production Control and Purchasing, Inventory Management, Warehouse and Shipping, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Facility, EHS, Maintenance and Continuous Improvement. Wells reports directly to Mr. Emerson Leme, Vice President, Starrett Industrial Products, North America.

Norfolk, Va. ship repair yard Colonna’s Shipyard announced a series of senior management promotions along with a revised organizational structure effective July 2022.Jordan Webb, currently Vice President, Contracts, has been promoted to Vice President of Shipyard Operations. Randall Crutchfield, currently Colonna’s Chief Experience Officer and Executive Director of Steel America and Weld America, has been named Vice President of Industrial Operations and Facilities. Chris Marsh…

PTL Marine announces the hiring of Mohamed Tounkara as Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Manager - West Coast and Donnie Lowe as Operations Manager - Seattle. With decades of combined experience, both Tounkara and Lowe possess an extensive skillset from past roles ranging from Fortune 100 companies to Main Street entrepreneurial businesses. PTL Marine continues its flurry of recent hiring as it shores up operations in major West Coast ports including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

DSC Dredge announced it has welcomed Mitchell Duplantis as the newest member of its information technology (IT) team.As a former IT support analyst and helpdesk specialist, Duplantis brings experience in applying technical and problem-solving skills to improve both team and organizational performance and the ability to leverage existing technology with internal resources to facilitate DSC achieving its technological goals. He joined DSC Dredge on October 26, 2021As IT specialist for DSC…

As the shipping industry undergoes major transformation, with operations becomingly increasingly automated, maritime companies need to consider more than just efficiency and safety when it comes to operations. The current global situation has resulted in a growing demand for crew communication, for both work and social purposes, alongside the ongoing need for optimization. All of this causes higher levels of traffic on maritime networks, forcing shipping operators to place an…

A flotilla of oil tankers is sailing empty from Europe and the Mediterranean toward the U.S. Gulf Coast to take advantage of surging shipping rates, according to shipping sources and Refinitiv Eikon data on Monday.Eight tankers, an unusually high number, are in the Atlantic and steaming to the United States, with capacity of up to 5.6 million barrels of oil combined, the people said. Freight rates for Aframax vessels out of the U.S. Gulf coast hit record levels last month, drawing more vessels to the region.The United States exported a record 4.46 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) in the week ended Dec. 27, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as shale producers continued to deliver more oil than U.S.

The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) has held a ceremony marking delivery of the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) Class vessel ARM Reformador. The delivery ceremony was attended by Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy and High Command of the Mexican Navy, in the company of Mr. Juan Carlos Atecas Altamirano, Municipal President of Salina Cruz Oaxaca. Damen Shipyards Group was represented by Executive Board member René Berkvens, President of Damen Shipyards Mexico Horacio Delgado, and POLA Project Director Frank Verhelst.

Combat systems were recently installed and tested aboard the second of the Indonesian Ministry of Defence’s SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided missile frigates, the KRI Gusti Ngurah Rai (332).The PKR frigates are constructed via a modular process operating simultaneously at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in the Netherlands and the PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia.This method, which allows the Damen Shipyards Group to build vessels anywhere in the world, enables…

Alewijnse Marine has completed the electrical fit-out of the Mexican Navy’s latest vessel; the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) vessel ARM Reformador. Built at the ASTIMAR 20 naval shipyard in Salina Cruz, Mexico, with the Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards and its suppliers, it is widely regarded as the most advanced naval vessel afloat in Latin America.The scope of works covered all aspects of the ship’s electrical systems, including engineering, the supply and installation of equipment, project coordination and supervision, and commissioning.

Greek commercial ship management company Signal Maritime Services and tanker vessel trader Heidmar join forces to deliver commercial management to the global tanker market.Both companies have agreed a milestone partnership, under which Signal will manage a joint tanker fleet using its proprietary technology and analytical approach, said a press release.Signal’s Artificial-Intelligence-backed solution to pool management has consistently delivered superior earnings to its pool members since its launch in 2018.Commercial management of 18 Aframax vessels in Heidmar’s Sigma Pool will be handled by Signal with immediate effect, with a transition period of one month.Signal will also be working with the Heidmar team to manage the LR2 vessels in its Sigma Pool…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has entered into medium-term contracts for six of its vessels.The contracts are for a period of 80 to 170 days each with undisclosed clients. The contracts are expected to start around July 1 and the operations are outside the North Sea.The nominated vessels are the PSVs Normand Supra, Normand Surfer, Normand Serenade, Normand Sitella, and Sea Spear, in addition to the AHTS Far Sigma."The contracts will significantly reduce the company's North Sea spot market exposure in 2020," Solstad Offshore said.