Zhuhai News

Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy said the transition to electric-powered workboats is accelerating as a battery-methanol harbor tug completed sea trials ahead of delivery.The Svitzer Balder, built by Türkiye’s Uzmar shipyard, is described by the company as the most powerful electric escort tug, capable of operating in near-open ocean conditions as well as in harbor.The vessel is set to be delivered to the Port of Gothenburg in Sweden, where it is expected to carry out more…

Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy has signed a second contract with Spanish ship owner Mureloil, extending the use of battery-supported diesel-electric propulsion into the chemical tanker segment.The agreement follows the installation of a battery system on Mureloil’s 8,000-deadweight-tonne tanker Bahía Candela and will see AYK supply an identical 4.2 MWh Aries+ battery system for its sister vessel Bahía Beatriz, currently under construction at Astilleros de Murueta shipyard near Bilbao.Battery systems are widely used in ferries and workboats…

Marine battery maker AYK Energy is gearing up production after striking a deal to undertake the biggest ever battery retrofit on a vessel operated by Finnish shipping line Wasaline.AYK will install a 10.4MWh battery on the hybrid-electric Ropax ferry, the Aurora Botnia, which operates a daily service between Finland and Sweden. Built in 2021, the Aurora Botnia presently operates on dual-fuel LNG/biomass engines and 2.2 MWh batteries. The upgrade to a battery system nearly five times more powerful is expected to reduce fossil energy use by around 10…

AYK Energy was contracted to manufacture and supply the 6MWh battery that will power the world’s first battery-methanol tug, to be built at Uzmar for Svitzer. This is AYK’s first contract with Uzmar. The 6MWh battery-powered tug is planned to be deployed in Gothenburg and provide zero-emission services across a quarter of Svitzer’s operations in the Swedish port. The tug is based on Svitzer’s TRAnsverse tug design and the battery will be supported by dual fuel methanol engines…

The new line handlers joining SAAM Towage Canada's fleet were unloaded from the MV Jumbo at the Port of Vancouver on January 6th after completing their journey from Hong Kong.“These multipurpose vessels play a key role in berthing and unberthing vessels by transferring mooring lines from the ships being assisted to crews on the ground. They also assist with emergencies, rescuing people from the water and scanning for incipient changes in weather, tides and wind for pilots at the terminal where they provide services…

Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy reports it has secured a contract to build a new 4,200 KWh battery for Spanish ship owner Mureloil. The agreement will see AYK’s Aries + battery supplied on a new 7999 DWT diesel-electric product tanker being built for Mureloil at Astilleros Murueta shipyard near Bilbao.AYK founder Chris Kruger said the vessel will be able to operate on zero emission battery power while entering and exiting port immediately improving air quality and cutting emissions in built up port areas.

Holland Shipyards Group (HSG) and AYK Energy have signed a deal for AYK Energy to make batteries for the zero-emission container ship FPS Waal.AYK Energy founder Chris Kruger said the company was increasing production at its factory in Zhuhai, China, to supply the retrofit project at HSG's shipyard in Werkendam. Under the contract, AYK will supply two high-density DNV-approved Aries 88 lithium batteries to the vessel. Kruger confirmed the 125-watt hour/kilogram (Wh/kg) batteries will be installed on Future Proof Shipping’s FPS Waal…

Jianglong Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. signed a shipbuilding contract worth $27.8 milliion with H Ferry Co. Ltd. No additional details on the contract were readily available.Jianglong was established in 2003, and had two construction bases covering an area of about 210,000 sq. m. in Zhongshan City and Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, with about 800 professional marine technicians. Jianglong's product range includes patrol boats, passenger ferries, sightseeing boat and multi-function vessels made of aluminum, steel, FRP or composite material. (Reuters reporting by Hong Kong newsroom)

Zhuhai Fast Ferry Company has taken delivery of two new fast ferries for operations in the Pearl River Delta region.Designed by Incat Crowther and built by AFAI Southern Shipyard, the 140.5-foot newbuilds Xin Hai Yun and Xin Hai Jun were handed over in December 2020.The Incat Crowther 40s are powered by twin MTU 12V2000 M72 main engines, driving Rolls Royce Kamewa S71-4 waterjets. According to the designer, the vessels are sleek, fast and offer low fuel consumption.The vessel…

Singapore's PSA Marine recently took delivery of two new 32-meter harbor tugs, PSA Marvel and PSA Valkyrie, from PaxOcean Engineering Zhuhai Co.The newbuilds, which follow the PSA Thor and PSA Hulk delivered from the same builder in 2018, are of the same basic design with some improvements, said naval architect Robert Allan Ltd.The RAmparts 3200 ASD tugs are designed for ship assist in berthing and un-berthing operations at ports/terminals, coastal towing operations and in addition are capable of escort service.

Construction is well progressed on a pair of 40-meter catamaran passenger ferries at AFAI Southern Shipyard, in the Peoples Republic of China, designer Incat Crowther said on Wednesday.To be operated by the Zhuhai Fast Ferry Company, the vessels will form the next generation of sleek, fast, low fuel consumption ferries operating in the Pearl River Delta region.The Incat Crowther-designed vessels will accommodate 199 economy passengers on a single deck with VIP passengers having a dedicated cabin on the upper deck.

Currently under construction at Cheoy Lee Shipyards' Hin Lee (Zhuhai) Shipyard facility are two 27-meter wind farm support vessels (WFSV) to support operations and maintenance of the Akita and Noshiro offshore wind farms, in the Akita Prefecture region of Japan.The first WFSV is set to be launched in December this year, with the delivery to the operator Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (AOW) in early 2021.AOW's Akita Noshiro Offshore Wind Farm Project is the first large-scale commercial…

A passenger port in Zhuhai, China has created a new solution using aquatic robots for long distance line deployment.Earlier this month, Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port carried out a series of typhoon-proof reinforcement work for their floating barges. The staff used a small self-powered jet pump device called Dolphin 1 to transport a traction rope, which was attached with the mooring line, to the opposite shore 230 meters away.After the traction rope was transported to the opposite shore…

China has built its first research and development test base for autonomous ships in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai next to Macao, state-owned newspaper Economic Daily reported.The test base named Xiangshan Marine Scientific & Technological Port is located in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It will create an innovation platform for the design, research and testing of unmanned marine systems and intelligent equipment.The base will help develop the industrial chain of unmanned ships and foster research on advanced equipment manufacturing as well as new generation of information technology.Backed by local unicorn Zhuhai Yun Zhou Intelligent Technology…

The deep-water port of Nansha in Guangzhou, a city of 15 million people in the vicinity of Hong Kong, has doubled the number of direct connections with North Europe and West Africa, following the arrival of the Elly Maersk.The Elly Maersk departed from Nansha for Rotterdam on 28 July; the first departure of the new 2M service, doubling the number of direct departures from Nansha to Rotterdam. The Ocean Alliance also already has direct connections with this fastest growing port in the south of China.Nansha port started international departures ten years ago, quickly becoming the most important port for ‘Africa Trades’ from the south of China.Direct departures to and from Europe (NWC and MED) and the west coast of North America were only added in recent years.

The government of Panama gave a US$1.4 billion contract to build a bridge over the Panama Canal to Panama Cuarto Puente, a Chinese consortium.Panama Cuarto Puente consortium or so-called Panama Fourth Bridge Consortium,  composed of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and its unit China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), will design and build a bridge over the Panama Canal.According to a report in Reuters, the 6.5-km (4-mile) bridge will have six car lanes and a two-way metro line. The Chinese companies initially won the contract in June but the award was postponed after rival bidders appealed the decision.Now that the consortium outbid companies from Spain…

Singapore based construction specialist of rigs, semi-submersibles and specialised offshore vessels PaxOcean held the keel laying ceremony of PSA Marine’s first dual fuel ship-handling tug  at its facility in Zhuhai, China.Earlier, Robert Allan, the designer of LNG tugs, has been selected to design the very first RAmparts 2800-DF for PSA Marine.Peter Chew, Managing Director and Lim Bock Kee, Senior General Manager (Special Projects) of PSA Marine attended the ceremony.Robert Allan designed the RAstar 4000-DF for Østensjø Rederi, Norway and RAstar 3800-DF for Ningbo Port, China. The cooperation between Robert Allanand PSA Marine began in 2002, with the design of Z-Tech tug series.PSA Marine is a marine services provider with flagship operations in Singapore.

A vessel carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil discharged the crude into a bonded storage tank at the port of Dalian in northeast China on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and a shipping agent with knowledge of the matter.Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is finding fewer takers for its crude ahead of U.S. sanctions on its oil exports that will go into effect on Nov. 4. The country previously held oil in storage at Dalian during the last round of sanctions in 2014 that was later sold to buyers in South Korea and India.The very large crude carrier Dune, operated by National Iranian Tanker Co…

Chinese shipbuilder AFAI has launched a new 40-meter catamaran passenger ferry for domestic operator Zhuhai Fast Ferry Company.The new vessel, named Xin Hai Bin, is designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, whose relationship with AFAI dates back to 1982, when the yard built the first Incat Crowther ferries to enter service in China. In 2018, Xin Hai Bin is the 50th Incat Crowther-designed vessel for operation in China.Xin Hai Bin is based on the Incat Crowther z-bow hull form used 2012’s Hai Ju and Hai Yao.

In August 2018, PSA Marine Singapore took delivery of two new 32-meter tugs, PSA Thor and PSA Hulk, built at PaxOcean Engineering Zhuhai Co., Ltd.The evolved RAmparts 3200 ASD hull form has been developed by Robert Allan Ltd. to provide ship assist in the berthing and un-berthing operations in ports/terminals and also coastal towing operations. Tugs of this design are capable of escort service as well. PSA Thor and PSA Hulk feature a uniquely styled deckhouse and wheelhouse developed exclusively for PSA Marine.The two new tugs join to PSA Marine’s existing fleet…

Chinese buyers of Iranian oil are starting to shift their cargoes to vessels owned by National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) for nearly all of their imports to keep supply flowing amid the re-imposition of economic sanctions by the United States.The shift demonstrates that China, Iran's biggest oil customer, wants to keep buying Iranian crude despite the sanctions, which were put back after the United States withdrew in May from a 2015 agreement to halt Iran's nuclear program.The United…

Hong Kong-based shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) has partnered with Microsoft’s research arm to improve network operations and achieve efficiencies within the shipping industry through applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.The partnership, between OOCL and Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), will apply deep learning research to shipping network operations with a projected $10 million annual operational cost saving. The collaboration is also expected to nurture over 200 AI developers over the next 12 months.“With MSRA’s efforts and expertise…

Destructive winds, waves batter Hong Kong, south China. Typhoon Hato, a maximum category 10 storm, slammed into Hong Kong on Wednesday lashing the Asian financial hub with wind and rain that uprooted trees and forced most businesses to close, while in some places big waves flooded seaside streets. There were reports of 34 people injured in Hong Kong while in the city of Macau, across the Pearl River estuary, three people were killed, authorities there said. In Hong Kong, more than 450 flights were cancelled, financial markets suspended and schools closed as Hato bore down, the first category 10 storm to hit the city since 2012. "I've never seen one like this," Garrett Quigley, a longtime resident of Lantau island to the west of the city, said of the storm.