World Marine News

Unifeeder Group announced it has completed a long-term charter agreement for two additional methanol-capable container feeder vessels. This follows the agreement for two initial vessels announced in October 2023. The latest agreement is in partnership with German-based ship owning group Elbdeich Reederei and Norwegian shipowner MPC Container Ships (MPCC), who are responsible for one vessel each. The 1,250 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2026…

By now, it is a well-known fact that the marine industry contributes significantly to the greenhouse gasses causing climate change—and the impact is predicted to rise as the demand for shipping by sea increases. Action is needed now, and the majority of ship operators are adopting or planning zero-emission solutions to accommodate upcoming emission reduction targets.A key zero-emission technology that will be a critical enabler for decarbonizing the marine industry—now and in the future—is hydrogen fuel cells.Today…

Boatbuilder SAFE Boats International on Monday introduced Merlin, a new 23-meter semi-displacement monohull autonomous hydrographic survey vessel design developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design.SAFE Boats has exclusive rights to build the design at its Tacoma, Wash. large-craft production facility. Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull powered by a twin Volvo Penta D13 Hybrid-ready System with IPS. For a zero-emission power package, the Merlin can accommodate forward-thinking hydrogen technology supplied by Zero Emission Industries (ZEI).

U-Ming Marine Offshore Company Limited (UMO) has acquired two secondhand crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and completed their reflagging.The company, a joint venture between U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation and World Marine Offshore A/S, said the vessels, “UMO Mistral” and “UMO Scirocco” were trimaran SWATH vessels ideal for the harsh environment in Taiwan. "The hull form of the trimaran gives crew and passengers optimal sea comfort and less fatigue, and reduced slamming. The design shows a 40% improvement of uptime compared to best catamarans available on the market.

Unique collaboration on green fuels, new propulsion technology and hull-form optimization in the workboat sector will lay the foundation for global emissions reduction efforts.The workboat sector, comprising one of the strongest categories of the UK’s Ship Register and including many Small to Medium size Enterprises (SMEs), is leading the charge in developing innovative technologies that will ultimately reduce emissions throughout the wider maritime industry. This is according to the Workboat Association (WA)…

Shipbuilder Austal's U.S. subsidiary Austal USA announced Friday it has completed the purchase of waterfront land, buildings and an existing dry dock along the Mobile River to enhance its new construction and service business lines.“As we’ve consistently done over the course of our history, we’re adding capability to meet the growing demand from our customers,” Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle said. “Our business remains focused on continuing to manufacture highly capable…

Wärtsilä has unveiled a global initiative that aims to transform the world’s marine and energy industry into a more efficient, ecologically sound and digitally connected ecosystem. The initiative, which Wärtsilä calls “An Oceanic Awakening”, was announced at the SMM maritime trade fair in Hamburg.Wärtsilä said its drive to activate a fully-integrated smart ecosystem aims to address major maritime inefficiencies that impose a significant negative impact on profitability and sustainability…

World Marine of Alabama (WMA) said it has won a contract to drydock and repair the Dredge Wheeler, a hopper dredge owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Since the Wheeler’s commissioning at Avondale Shipyards in 1982, WMA’s facility in Mobile, Ala. has drydocked and repaired the Dredge Wheeler on many occasions, including a complete repowering of the vessel in 2012. As the largest and most powerful hopper dredge in the USACE fleet, the Dredge Wheeler is a 408-foot trailing suction hopper dredge with a hopper capacity of over 8,200 cubic yards.

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) said it has acquired the rig repair assets of World Marine of Mississippi LLC (WMM) adjacent to its existing yard, VT Halter Marine, Inc. in Pascagoula, Miss. in the U.S., through its subsidiary Vision Technologies Marine, Inc. (VT Marine). ST Engineering paid $25 million for these assets, comprising a purpose-built facility of 94 acres for heavy marine fabrication and offshore oil and gas rig upgrades, repairs and conversions in the Gulf of Mexico region are within close proximity to VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula yard. Since the downturn of the offshore and marine industry, ST…

A new white paper from Alfa Laval addresses ship owner concerns to ensure vessel compliance with bilge water regulations worldwide. Even if a traditional system with type approval is operating on board, the paper states, there are still risks of violating applicable laws and damaging the marine environment. Alfa Laval – a  leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has announced the availability of a new white paper, Bilge water compliance issues. The…

Saft’s Seanergy Marine Battery System offers a different way forward in the quest for reduced emissions in marine propulsion. Discovering new means to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiencies are top-of-mind for all companies in today’s day and age. The Paris Climate Deal, initiated nearly a year ago, is just one example of the world coming together to combat global warming. In the marine industry, operating with clean propulsion is a crucial goal for all parties involved, from navies, designers and shipyards to original equipment manufacturers (OEMS) and battery suppliers.

World Marine, LLC has received the Shipbuilders Council of America’s (SCA) annual “Excellence in Safety” award as well as the “Improvement in Safety” award. SCA, the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, honors companies with annual safety awards for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention. World Marine, LLC is one of 12 SCA member companies to receive awards for their continued advancement of employee safety in the shipyard industry. SCA member companies are eligible for both the Excellence and Improvement in Safety Awards if they submit the SCA Injury & Illness survey for all four quarters…

World Marine of Alabama (WMA), a division of World Marine, LLC, competitively bid and won a contract to dry-dock and repair the USNS Lawrence H. Gianella (T-AOT-1125), a Military Sealift Command (MSC) tanker operated by Ocean Shipholdings, Inc. World Marine, LLC purchased all the assets of Signal International in December 2015, including the Mobile, Alabama-based shipyard. World Marine remains one of the safest shipyards in the country, with its Alabama facility boasting zero accidents for over 460 days, and an OSHA total recordable injury rate (TRIR) of 0.0 for 2015.

Yanmar Marine International (YMI) will show its new range of common-rail fuel injected marine diesel engines rated for leisure marine and workboat applications at METS 2015, RAI Amsterdam, November 17 - 19. Topping the bill of new inboards is its in-line six-cylinder is rated at 440 mhp at 3,300 rpm. This is the world marine-trade debut for the new unit, which will also be offered in a 400 mhp version and will go into full production early in 2016, YMI said. Although new, the 6LY440 and 6LY400 have a pedigree derived from the mechanically controlled 6LY2A engine series, which during its nearly 20-year long production run was purchased by thousands of performance-cruiser owners around the world.

A turbocharger’s efficiency significantly influences diesel engine performance. •    Exhaust gas temp. Operational turbocharger maximum efficiency is achieved by the accurate coordination of turbocharger and diesel cylinders characteristics during the design and the engine’s test-bed trial stage. Usually such coordination is performed by engine manufacturers for design point only (for MCR). But in the real world, marine turbocharged engines operate on loads less than MCR. Based on practical experience…

Markey Equipment Selected For New Canadian Super Ice Class Tugs. Markey Machinery is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the order for a complete suite of deck machinery for the most powerful Harbor Class Tugs ever to be built in Canada. The tugs will be operated by Group Ocean of Quebec, Canada for harbor operations, ship escort services, short and long distance towing, as well as rescue operations and wreck removals. The new TunDRA 100 tugs, highly powerful, efficient and versatile…

New Fjellstrand designed WindServer Trimarans for World Marine Offshore to be classed by GL. As offshore wind developments move further offshore, into deeper waters with more extreme weather conditions, the challenge of providing operations and maintenance (O&M) support safely and cost effectively grows. The Fjellstrand WindServer is one of the new generation of offshore service vessels that will be meeting these needs and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) will be supporting this growing industry by providing classification services for the first newbuildings.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has begun  developing "UEC-LSGi," low-speed, dual-fuel, marine diesel engines capable of using not only conventional heavy oil but also natural gas for their fuel. The new engine will be added to the lineup of the Mitsubishi UEC Engine Series, the company's 2-stroke, low-speed marine diesel engine brand. Scheduled to be launched onto the market in 2015, MHI aims to reduce the economic and environmental burden on ship operators. For the new engine…

The offshore wind industry is experiencing a dynamic growth and with this new order Fjellstrand says it has answered the industry’s challenge of making fuel-efficient vessels which provide stable, safe and effective access to the wind farms. With support from the Carbon Trust, Fjellstrand  addressed these market requirements and developed a new concept, the “WindServer”, for the transportation of technicians and components to the offshore wind farms. The new WindServer trimaran SWATH design introduces a new level in sea-keeping performance and transport efficiency.

The report explains how implementing science-based fisheries management in the 25 countries that control more than 75% of the world's fish stocks - specifically measures that reduce overfishing, protect habitat and limit bycatch - will increase fish stocks to the point that wild seafood could sustainably feed 700 million people a day. Putting in place these policies in the countries that control most of the world's marine fish catch will also help protect important ocean ecosystems. According to projections by the United Nations, there will be 9 billion people on earth by 2050, a 30 percent increase in the world's population. The UN also estimates that food production will need to increase even further, by 70 percent, to meet a forecasted increased demand for food.

Wärtsilä and MAN Diesel & Turbo enter next phase of HERCULES research project. World-leading low- and medium-speed engine manufacturers, Wärtsilä and MAN Diesel & Turbo, announce the kick off of the next phase of the extensive, long-term HERCULES research programme. The overall vision of the programme is to achieve sustainable and safe energy production from marine power plants. This next phase is made possible by funding from the European Commission. Phase III of the HERCULES programme, HERCULES-C, aims at integrating several successful technologies in order to reduce emissions and optimise the efficiency and long-term reliability of marine engines. HERCULES-C is planned to run for three years, from 2012 to 2014, with a budget of EUR 17 million.

While small in stature at just 760 sq. km. with a population of 1.2 million, the Kingdom of Bahrain, an archipelago in the Persian Gulf just east of and connected by causeway to Saudi Arabia, seeks to grow its stature in the world marine market to become a global maritime and logistics center by 2030. The Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard Co. (ASRY), which is central to this success, last month celebrated several key milestones, including the anniversary of its 35th year in business and the opening of its new 1.38km Repair Quay Wall…

Baron Services announced the availability of Baron QuikLink, a subscription-based global weather data service. Supplying graphical weather information in small, targeted downloads over a data connection, QuikLink features the World Marine data package, which provides a 23-region coverage area. QuikLink provides weather information calculated based on advanced meteorological modeling techniques particularly valuable in areas where no radars exist. QuikLink data can be geo-referenced…