Workboats News

Stockholm shipping company Waxholmsbolaget has launched its first hybrid ice-going passenger ferry, powered by innovative hybrid electric propulsion by Danfoss Editron Oy.The 27.5m vessel, designed and built by Baltic Workboats, is serving the Stockholm archipelago (Sweden) and is built to transport up to 150 passengers at a time.The electrified ice-class ferry will help the city of Stockholm achieve its target of becoming a fossil fuel-free city by 2040, while providing more…

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here.

Choosing the ‘top stories of 2018’ was, this year, a difficult task. Many compelling story threads played out, dramatically impacting the North American waterfront, and in particular, the workboat sector – each in their own unique way. Read on to find out how and why.Autonomous Vessels: Ready or Not, Here They ComeFuturistic, remote-controlled autonomous marine vehicles aren’t coming. They are here. As the pace of change quickens, autonomous vessels are already providing service and value on the water.

FUELTRAX optimizes uptime and reduce costs with a real-time marine fuel management solution. Solving your emissions and fuel monitoring reporting and compliance headache is what they are all about.In today’s operating environment, it would be an understatement to say that detailed insight into fuel consumption and efficiency is one key to managing marine operations. But, beyond the operational headache of determining where and why you are consuming so much fuel and so quickly, regulatory compliance is also emerging as a fundamental requirement of modern marine operators.

This West Coast boat builder stays busy creating high quality fireboats for a diverse set of demanding, multi-missioned first responders. For Moose customer satisfaction is the name of the game. This year, they’ve got that box checked.Vallejo,CA-based Moose Boats builds aluminum catamaran and monohull vessels designed to meet a variety of mission-specific applications for military, law enforcement, emergency response, firefighting and security patrol purposes. It’s been a busy year for Moose…

Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Société de Remorquage et de Travaux Maritimes (SNRTM) for the delivery of one Damen STu 1606 that shall operate in the Mediterranean Sea in Toulon, France.According to a press release from the manufacturer tugs and workboats, high speed crafts, ferries, offshore vessels, pontoons, the contract was signed in the Netherlands at Damen’s headquarters, between Eric Arnal, Managing Director of Société de Remorquage et de Travaux Maritimes and Arnout Damen…

Bergen-based Vestdavit said has secured a contract to equip the Nexans flag ship cable layer Nexans Aurora with its MissionEase multi-boat handling system for mission bays.The cable laying vessel (CLV) has been designed by Skipsteknisk in Ålesund and will be constructed by Norwegian yard Ulstein Verft. At 149.9m in length, 31m width and with capacity to accommodate 90 personnel, she will perform power cable laying, cable system protection and trenching, and be capable of high maneuverability and DP3 station-keeping capabilities.Rather than using overhead cranes within the mission bay…

The safety statistics released by the National Workboat Association (NWA) demonstrate progressive improvement in the Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) safety performance of workboat crews and operators, with a considerable drop in the rate of incidents between 2014 and 2017.This four-year statistical summary has been compiled using annual accident data submitted by the NWA’s membership of workboat owners and operators, working in a range of maritime sectors including offshore wind…

Albwardy Damen celebrated its tenth anniversary on November 15th by officially opening its new ship repair facility at Dubai Maritime City (DMC). Over 100 guests from both the regional maritime industry and the Dubai government joined the Albwardy Damen management team at their new DMC workshop and Dubai HQ for the opening ceremony, followed by lunch on board the famous Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) ocean liner. Albwardy Damen is a joint venture between Albwardy Marine Engineering and the Damen Shipyards Group…

The near-shore and inland workboat fleet is at the leading edge for autonomous vessel developmentWhile the advent of autonomous workboats are not exactly mainstream, you better believe that in the not-too-distant future they will be a reality on waterways in and around the U.S. Today there remain more questions than answers, particularly on the legal, logistics and insurance side of the coin. But the technology is evolving at record pace, providing many in the industry with mixed emotions. Excitement. Controversy. Curiosity. Skepticism.

Three one-day workshops - Southampton, U.K. - April 2-4, 2019NEXT GEN 2019 is a series of specialist one-day workshops run back-to-back on April 2-4, 2019. The program combines hot topics and international maritime experts with dynamic panel discussions. The Grand Harbor is a conference venue overlooking the historic port of Southampton, U.K. Workshop Lead John Haynes said, "In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry.

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

Drug interdiction. Crew transport in hostile waters. Law enforcement. Rescue operations. Passenger vessels. Today’s MultiMission Vessels (MMVs) are a diverse collection of workboats characterized by adaptable platforms, customized with standard accessories.A larger budget for electronics and multiple, smart, navigational screens and MDTs challenge the interior configuration of already crowded MMVs, increasingly built with matching FEMA port security grant funds for joint venture operations.More monohull patrol vessels monitor illegal fishing…

Philadelphia design firm Sharrow Engineering, LLC  announced that the company’s propeller design has been awarded patents in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and European Union with further domestic and international patents pending. Additionally, the final phase of testing on its core propeller product has been completed.Over the past six years, Sharrow Engineering has analyzed extensive testing data collected at the University of Michigan’s Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory and implemented a rigorous in-water test program using manned vessels in lakes, rivers, and bays.

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI),  unveiled the TracPhone V3-HTS at the Fort Lauderdale (FL) International Boat Show. Measuring just 37 cm (14.5 inches) diameter and weighing 11 kg (25 lbs.), the TracPhone V3-HTS is smaller in physical size than any other Ku-band marine satellite communications antenna on the market and is designed to provide faster data speeds (5 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload) than larger marine satellite antennas.The TracPhone V3-HTS’s fast data speeds, combined with its diminutive size…

U.K. based offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services said it has seen unprecedented growth in demand for crew transfer vessel (CTV) services across 2018 in offshore wind.The fourth quarter of 2018, is, atypically, seeing surging demand for offshore wind crew transfer, according to Seacat Services, as it reports its latest operational figures. In the month of October, transfers and charter days exceeded the sum total for 2017, closely following third quarter figures that surpassed company records to date.Seacat said it is seeing rising demand for larger…

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

UK-based marine services company Stewart Marine has contracted Neptune Marine to build a new EuroCarrier 2611, which is to be named ‘Viking Energy’.To meet Stewart Marine’s operational requirements, Neptune will customise the 26-metre long workboat with a DP1 system.Stewart Marine is based in Fife, Scotland. It offers marine services to the offshore renewables industry around the world. Talking after the contract signing, Owner Graham Stewart, said: “After several years working with Neptune’s EuroCarriers…

The floating tidal turbine developer Scotrenewables Tidal Power Limited has announced a comprehensive company-wide rebranding to Orbital Marine Power.The new name is inspired by the orbital cycle of the moon around the earth, the reliable provider of tidal energy. Speaking about the rebranding, Andrew Scott, CEO, said: “After a comprehensive exercise, we are really pleased to introduce our new brand identity, and to do so at such an exciting time for the business, as we begin the build of our next generation turbine…

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

AXA XL's North America marine insurance business is expanding its reach in the marine insurance market with a new policy specifically designed and delivered to address workboat risks.“Our new workboat policy represents the continued extension of our risk appetite and underwriting expertise to address a wider array of marine risks,” said Anne Marie Elder, AXA XL Chief Underwriting Officer for Marine in the North America. “Workboats represent many different types and sizes of vessels that are used for a wide range of tasks…

Last Thursday, Damen Shipyards Gorinchem hosted the Damen group’s third annual Workboat Festival. The event brought together more than 200 customers, media and industry partners, and 34 workboats, for an afternoon of presentations, demonstrations, product displays and interactive exhibits.The workboats ranged in size from ten-meter Stan Launches and Stan Tugs up to a 72-meter Stan Pontoon. In between were Fast Crew Suppliers, Stan Pilots, Stan Patrols, additional Stan Launches and Tugs, plus an Interceptor and a RHIB.