NSWC Crane, Hydronalix Sign CRADA for AISUM Prize Challenge Hardware Support
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and Hydronalix, Inc. of Green Valley, AZ, signed a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) entitled AISUM Prize Challenge Hardware Support. Agreement number: NCRADA-NSWCCD-21-419. NSWC Crane is hosting an Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuver (AISUM) Prize Challenge with contestants from industry and academia. With the strategic goals of developing software that can be supported by a variety of hardware…
HII Authenticates Keel of National Security Cutter Calhoun (WMSL 759)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel of Legend-class national security cutter Calhoun (WMSL 759) late last week.“This is a very special keel authentication ceremony for a multitude of reasons,” said George Nungesser, Ingalls’ vice president of program management. “While we were able to work steadily and safely though the pandemic, visitation to the shipyard made commemorating major shipbuilding milestones a challenge.
Russia to Build LNG-powered Icebreakers for Arctic Sea Route
Russia plans to build its first batch of icebreakers that are powered by liquified natural gas, a top official said on Friday, returning to an idea that was put on hold.Russia has the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. It is building up that fleet, hoping to develop the Northern Sea Route across its northern flank into an international shipping lane as climate change melts the ice."We are now returning to this topic (building LNG-powered icebreakers).
Ten Men Get 12 Years in Prison for Chinese Ship Hijacking
A court in Lagos sentenced 10 men to 12 years in prison on Friday for kidnapping the crew of a Chinese-flagged merchant vessel last year, the navy said, a verdict that officials hope will help tackle piracy in the waters off Nigeria's coast.Federal high court Justice Ayokunle Faji, who also fined each man 250,000 naira ($608) for each of the three counts for which they were charged, said their actions in kidnapping 18 crew from the FV HAILUFENG II in May 2020…
"We'll vigorously defend," Keppel Says After FPSO Arbitration Request
Singapore-based Keppel Offshore and Marine subsidiaries have been slapped with a request for arbitration from an unnamed counterparty in relation to contracts for the delivery of Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.Keppel said this week that the unnamed claimant had withheld $11.3 million due to Keppel's subsidiaries under the FPSO engineering, procurement, and construction contracts.Furthermore…
Rosatom, DP World in Arctic Container Shipping Project
Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom and Dubai logistics firm DP World agreed on Friday to join efforts in developing pilot container shipping between Northwest Europe and East Asia through the Arctic, the companies said.Rosatom is a designated sole infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route which it plans to develop into a fully-fledged transport corridor."The Northern Transit Corridor holds out the prospect of shorter transit times between East and West…
Northern Lights Partners with MAN Engines & Components
Northern Lights announced a new partnership with MAN Engines & Components, when on June 30 2021, Northern Lights acquired MAN Engines West Coast distributor Rabaul Diesel Inc (RDI). Northern Lights said the deal with MAN is a great addition to its family of products including Northern Lights marine generators, Technicold air conditioning, refrigeration, ice machines & Lugger propulsion engines.Also headquartered in Seattle…
Kuwait Oil Company gets a new Oil Spill Recovery/Offshore Support Vessel
The 60m RAmpage 6000-ZM vessel Koc Al Zour, built by Uzmar Shipyard, will be the largest Robert Allan Ltd. design ever built in Turkey. She is designed and constructed as a modern double azimuth stern drive (ASD) and is the most capable multipurpose oil spill recovery and offshore support vessel Kuwait Oil Company has ever ordered.The vessel is equipped to undertake operations such as oil spill response…
Linblad Expeditions' National Geographic Endurance Honors Shackleton
Lindblad Expeditions officially launched the newest addition to its fleet, National Geographic Endurance, at a dockside christening ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland, the first christening of an international vessel in Reykjavík Harbor.The occasion, a closed ceremony exclusively for Lindblad Expeditions guests, marked a major milestone for the line as the first polar new build in the company’s history.
Stena RoRo Orders Two More E-Flexer Ferries in China. Charters Secured
A day after it ordered its tenth E-Flexer vessel in the RoPax class, Stena RoRo on Thursday said it had ordered two new ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). To remind, the firm on Monday ordered the tenth unit from the same shipyard for a charter in Canada. The 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels, ordered Thursday, are in the RoPax class developed by Stena RoRo, with delivery scheduled for 2024 and 2025.
Turkey Rescues 37 People From Sunken Migrant Boat
Thirty-seven people have been rescued from a migrant boat with 45 people on board that sank south of Turkey, and Turkish naval ships and an aircraft are continuing search and rescue operations, the defense ministry said on Friday.The ministry said in a statement that it had received information on Thursday evening that the boat was sinking, 161 miles (259 km) southwest of the Turkish resort town of Kas."Thirty-seven people were rescued from the migrant boat that sank.
GTT Tanks for Korean-built LNG Carrier Duo
French engineering company GTT has won orders from South Korean shipyards Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to design tanks for two new LNG carriers.GTT will design the tanks of the vessels which will each offer a cargo capacity of 174,000 m3. The company did not share any info on the value of the order.The LNG carrier built by HSHI, for an unnamed "Liberia ship-owner…
Venezuela's PDVSA Imports Condensate to Boost Oil Blending
Venezuela's state-run PDVSA began discharging 620,000 barrels of imported condensate crude oil at the nation's largest oil port this week in an effort to boost blending operations…
Wärtsilä Thrusters for Chinese Offshore Wind Vessels
Finland's marine engine and equipment maker Wärtsilä said Friday it would deliver the steerable and tunnel thrusters for two new wind farm turbine installation vessels being built for the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), a China state-owned power company. The ships will serve China’s expanding offshore wind power sector. The orders were placed by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co, the yard building a 2000-ton wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV)…
Jan De Nul Installs Export Cables for Formosa 2 Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan
Offshore installation firm Jan De Nul has installed four export cables for the 376MW Formosa 2 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. Jan De Nul used its cable-laying vessel Willem de Vlamingh to install with cables of total length of 34 kilometers."Thanks to her shallow draft design, the Willem de Vlamingh was able to position itself close to the beach thereby limiting the shore pull distance to around 1,250 meters.
Flooding in Germany: Rhine River Re-opens to Shipping as Water Levels Drop
Germany's Rhine river has re-opened to shipping as water levels fell from recent highs in the last southern stretches blocked after last week's record rains, authorities said on Friday.Shipping had been stopped last week following the rains and flooding that caused heavy loss of life in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century.The drop, which follows this week's hot, dry weather…
Westshore to Provide Port Services for BHP's Jansen Potash Mine
Canadian firm Westshore Terminals said Thursday it had executed a deal with BHP Canada Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Group, to provide port services to BHP’s proposed Jansen Potash Mine in Saskatchewan. The agreement is subject to approval by the Board of BHP and execution by BHP, after which the agreement would still be conditional on BHP making a final investment decision on Stage 1 of the Jansen Project.
Greece Launches Search Op after Migrants' Boat Sinks Off Crete
Greece was searching for migrants who went missing after their sailing boat sank off the island of Crete, its shipping ministry said on Thursday.A nearby vessel spotted the boat after it sent a distress signal and reported it started sinking some 60 nautical miles southeast off Crete, it said.Some 36 migrants have been rescued so far, while a helicopter, two coast guard vessels and other boats sailing…
Mexico Sending Navy Ships with Food and Medical Supplies to Cuba
Mexico will send two navy ships loaded with food and medical supplies to Cuba, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed the U.S. embargo for fomenting the biggest unrest in Cuba in decades.The ships will leave the port of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, taking syringes, oxygen tanks, and masks along with powdered milk, cans of tuna, beans, flour…
Red Rock Cranes for Dogger Bank-bound SOVs
Norway-based crane maker Red Rock has won a contract with shipbuilder Vard to deliver equipment for three service offshore vessels (SOVs) Vard is building in Vietnam for the UK-based shipowner North Star Renewables. The vessels will be operating on the first two phases of what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm - the Dogger Bank wind farm in the UK North Sea.Red Rock will deliver 2 x 2T 3D Motion Compensated cranes…