Visitor News

A newly unveiled concept for a sail-powered catamaran cruise ship aims to offer a luxury cruising experience on board a vessel that can travel emissions free.The unique vessel design--codenamed "Seabreeze"--comes from Norway-based YSA Design, who engineered the 104.5-meter-long ship to feature four 50-meter-high foldable sails mounted on 6-meter-high bases on deck for emissions-free propulsion.“Sustainability is critical but cruise shipping also needs to continuously reinvent itself,” said Trond Sigurdsen, Senior Architect and Partner, YSA Design.

Glasgow boatbuilder Ultimate Boats has delivered a recyclable patrol boat to fellow Scottish organisation Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority.The bespoke vessel is 11 meters in length with a 3.1 meter beam. It features six permanent shock mitigation seats and two fold-down shock mitigation crew seats. Powered by two 350 HP Suzuki outboard engines, it has a 2,050kg payload, 1,000 litre fuel capacity and range of 400 miles.The vessel is built from Ultimate Boat’s patented Danu recyclable boat building material including its hull…

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced that a future John Lewis-class oiler, T-AO 205-class, will be named after American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman.SECNAV Del Toro made the announcement during an Emancipation Celebration at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Md. National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, who is also a U.S. Navy veteran, joined Secretary Del Toro for the announcement at the park.The future…

BYD-Naval Architects has secured a contract to develop the design for a new electric 27-meter passenger catamaran for Ottawa Boat Cruises as part of their initiative to continue delivering zero emissions tourism to Canada.Robert Taillefer, president of Ottawa Boat Cruises, said, “Ottawa Boat Cruises is a leader in sustainable technology innovation. They built the first certified 100% electrical boat in the world in 2016. Their second electrical boat was built in 2022 and they are now building two new electrical vessels.

The Great Lakes' 2023 shipping season will commence on March 25 with the opening of the Poe Lock at 12:01 a.m., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District announced.The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and driven in part by the feasibility of vessels operating in typical Great Lakes ice conditions.The Poe Lock closed January 16 to undergo critical repairs and maintenance during the 10 week-long winter shutdown. Maintenance crews performed a variety of critical tasks on the Poe Lock…

A new public water taxi service has been launched in Abu Dhabi to offer an alternative transport option between Yas Bay, Yas Marina and Al Bandar.Abu Dhabi Maritime, established by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and AD Ports Group as the primary custodian of Abu Dhabi's waterways, is launching the service in collaboration with local attractions developer Miral.It will initially operate across high-demand locations including Yas Bay, Yas Marina and Al Bandar with further stops to follow.

Finnish shipyard Rauma Marine Constructions held a keel laying ceremony of Spirit of Tasmania IV, a car and passenger ferry being built for the Tasmanian TT-Line Company.TT-Line, which operates between mainland Australia and Tasmania, has commissioned two identical Spirit of Tasmania vessels from RMC. The large-scale project is the biggest individual foreign sale between Australia and Finland.”Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the design and production of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels have proceeded according to the agreed schedule.

Anglo-Eastern’s flagship maritime training center in Mumbai recently celebrated the inauguration of its new premises at Leela Business Park in Andheri East. The new training space is home to Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) Mumbai and the associated partner facilities of MAN PrimeServ, WinGD and Wӓrtsilӓ.After 21 years at its former site, AEMTC Mumbai had outgrown the premises and was due for a refresh. The relocation to Leela Business Park, conveniently located on a single level above Anglo-Eastern’s crewing division…

A pair of first-of-their-kind passenger vessels installed with all-electric propulsion will bring Niagara Falls sightseers to experience one of the wonders of the natural world undisturbed by exhaust fumes, engine noise or vibrations.The zero-emissions ferries, named the James V. Glynn and the Nikola Tesla, respectively in honor of the Maid of the Mist chairman and the renowned energy pioneer – are the first all-electric vessels built in the U.S., with power drawn from a high-capacity battery pack supplied and integrated by ABB.

MV Kaami, a general cargo vessel salvaged six miles off the northwest coast of Skye, Scotland after running aground in March, has been dismantled and recycled in Kishorn.Built in 1994, the 89.8-meter vessel, owned by Norway’s Misje Rederi, was sailing under the flag of Bahamas when it ran aground on March 23 this year. It was refloated by Resolve Marine Group and towed to Kishorn Port and Dry Dock on the northwest coast of Scotland.Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has invested more than £700…

The U.S. Coast Guard signed a memorandum of understanding in June with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coast Survey, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, and United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding maritime emergency harbor assessments within federal waterways in Hawaii.This agreement means the partners can work more efficiently and effectively to assess the State's harbors following disasters, such as severe weather events, to restore…

A real estate development company is looking for a U.S. city to become the new home for one of America's most historic ocean liners.Having reached a deal with the ship’s nonprofit owner last year, RXR Realty has been developing a plan to restore the famed SS United States and this week issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking a permanent waterfront location where America’s Flagship, once restored, will be able to relive its former glory.At the time of its launch in 1952…

Belfast Harbour, the maritime hub in Northern Ireland, said that it has opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland to cater for Belfast’s growing popularity as a cruise destination.Christened as Cruise Belfast, it is a partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast.Belfast Harbour has invested more than GBP500,000 on upgrading the quayside facility which now includes a Visitor Information Centre, part funded by Tourism NI and managed by Visit Belfast. This investment represents an important step in the development of the city’s cruise tourism infrastructure.The new terminal is staffed by Visit Belfast’s…

Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards Group N.V. has cut the first steel for a 34-metre long Day Cruise Vessel for Windermere Lake Cruises, located in England’s Lake District National Park.Damen and Windermere Lake Cruises have planned the vessel construction process in close consultation with local authorities and residents to minimise the impact on this protected and environmentally sensitive area, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Windermere Lake Cruises currently runs a fleet of sixteen lake cruising vessels: three traditional ‘steamers’ – each with a capacity of more than 350 passengers – as well as other traditional and modern launches.The fleet operates all year round…

As the St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened for business yesterday (March 26), U.S. Great Lakes ports are predicting the shipping season will mirror last year’s stellar performance.In 2018, many U.S. Great Lakes ports recorded their highest cargo totals in recent years, with strong volumes of iron ore, petroleum products, construction products and international grain exports. This coming season, road salt shipments should also be strong as cities replenish their reserves after a long, difficult winter. “We are optimistic these trends will continue into the new season and off-season investments made by the St. Lawrence Seaway and local ports will make 2019 another great season for our members,” says Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

As Oceanology International celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Marine Technology Reporter explores half a century of subsea technology development and discovery. Oceanology International Americas runs February 25-27, 2019 in San Diego.When Oceanology launched in 1969 in the seaside resort of Brighton the world was a very different place. For a start, Brighton was home to the mods and rockers, who would square off against each other on the town’s elegant seafront. The British currency included shillings and ha’ pennies and man had yet to step foot on the moon.More crucially…

The 400-MW Rampion offshore wind farm off the Sussex coast in the UK has been officially opened, said German energy company E.on SE. The offshore wind farm now generating enough green electricity for around 350,000 UK homes setting a new power record in the country.Three years of construction officially came to an end on Saturday (November 29) at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Rampion offshore wind farm, the first wind farm off the UK's south coast.Named after the county flower of Sussex, the offshore wind farm, over the next 25 years, will make an important contribution to meeting the UK's climate targets.After a three-year construction schedule involving a workforce of around 750 at peak times, all 116 turbines were put into operation in spring.

One of the world's largest semi-submersible crane and pipelaying vessels has arrived in the Netherlands for an extensive six-month upgrade.The Saipem 7000 is in Damen Verolme Rotterdam (DVR) for a dynamic positioning system overhaul to meet the new closed ring DP3 configuration and ABS EHS-P notation. Under DP3 EHS-P notation, the vessel will achieve an exceptional level of redundancy with four independent redundancy groups systems.The project will include the upgrade and modification of the vessel’s power system for load sharing…

To provide the best response to modern navies, Naval Group offers a customer driven tool at Euronaval 2018 exhibition, the surface ship design lab, to meet as closely as possible customer’s requirements. The innovative tool is displayed on Naval Group’s booth.In order to respond to the needs of modern navies around the world, Naval Group presents the surface ship design lab: a configurator of surface vessel generates a variety of future surface vessels designs, built according to the capabilities proposed by the configurator and selected by the visitor.The design lab proposed on the booth illustrates the paramount importance of a customer driven process on the design of a solution.

The world is filled with marine exhibitions and conferences. What is special about SMM 2018?The sheer dimensions of this trade fair are stunning: 93,000 square meters of exhibition floor in 13 halls, and 50,000 expected industry visitors from more than 120 countries make SMM the world's biggest trade fair for the maritime sector. Even more important is the quality of the fair's 2200 exhibitors which cover the entire value chain of the maritime industry. This allows us to claim international technology and innovation leadership once again.At the exhibition stands…

U.K. shipbuilder Wight Shipyard Co has delivered its latest vessel to Scottish tourism operator Loch Ness by Jacobite. The new 20-meter day-cruise passenger catamaran Jacobite Maverick is joining the company’s fleet sailing between Dochgarroch, just outside Inverness, Clansman Harbour and the ruins of Urquhart Castle.Designed by Australia’s One2three Naval Architects, the hullform of the new catamaran is engineered to provide through-life efficiency with low structural weight assisting lower fuel consumption…

Independent cruise port operator Global Ports Holding announced that it has signed a 15-year management agreement with the Cuban company Aries S.A., for the operation of the cruise port in Havana, Cuba.Under the terms of the Agreement, the Group will from June 21, 2018 manage all of the cruise port operations over the life of the agreement. As consideration, the Group will be paid a management fee that is based on a number of factors including passenger numbers, with growth based incentives. In addition to operating the cruise port operations, the Group will continue to work with its Cuban partners on the design and technical specification of the cruise port investment program, including proposed new terminals.

Hong Kong’s first-ever cruise and yachting event, International Cruise and Yachting Festival (Hong Kong) 2018, is scheduled to be held from November 22 to 25 at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Kai Tak Runway Park and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter. The four-day event, organized by the Hong Kong Cruise and Yacht Industry Association, will bring together global cruise and yacht brands and boats with Maritime Education and Employment, Marine and Leisure Tourism and Maritime Industry Developments as the major focuses.