Austal USA Launches Large USV Vanguard for US Navy
The U.S. Navy’s newest Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel Vanguard (OUSV3), was recently launched from Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Vanguard is the first USV for the Navy purpose-built for autonomous operations from the keel-up.Vanguard is being jointly developed by a team led by Austal USA and L3Harris. Once outfitting and testing is completed, Vanguard will autonomously transit to San Diego, joining sister ships, OUSV2 Ranger and OUSV4 Mariner, as part of the Navy’s USV Division 1.
BRIX Marine Delivers Newbuild for Haleiwa Shark Tours
Port Angeles, Wash. boatbuilder BRIX Marine has delivered Kamohoali'i, a state-of-the-art 40- by 14-foot high tunnel catamaran (HTC) purpose-built for Haleiwa Shark Tours on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.With a full-width open cabin Superstructure on a 4014-CTC hull form, the USCG Subchapter "T" inspected vessel has capacity for 29 passengers and two crew.Kamohoali'i is powered by twin Volvo 380HP…
Xeneta Appoints Luykx as Chief Revenue Officer
Ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and intelligence platform Xeneta has appointed Tonia Luykx to spearhead its journey to drive revenues through an industry data revolution.Luykx, who has a track record for building and scaling SaaS and tech businesses including Sift, Google, Dropbox and Amazon, has now set her sights on global logistics in the position of Chief Revenue Officer at Oslo-based Xeneta.She said…
Houthis Say They Will Target US Ships
Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza.
US SECNAV Directs Naval Shipbuilding Review
The United States' Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro is directing a comprehensive analysis of the Navy shipbuilding portfolio amid ongoing labor issues and supply chain shortages that have negatively impacted vessel delivery timelines.Del Toro tasked newly-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (ASN RD&A) Nickolas Guertin and Commander Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Adm.
Houthis Hit US-owned Dry Bulk Ship, No Injuries
Houthi forces in Yemen struck the U.S.-owned and operated dry bulk ship Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile, U.S Central Command said on Monday, although there were no reports of injuries or significant damage.The vessel's U.S.-based operator Eagle Bulk Shipping said that it was hit by an "unidentified projectile" while sailing 100 miles off the Gulf of Aden and suffered limited damage to its cargo hold…
Corvus to Integrate Ammonia Cracker with Its Pelican Fuel Cell
Corvus Energy on Monday announced it has been awarded funding through the EU's Horizon Europe Framework Program for the integration of ammonia cracker technology with its Pelican Fuel Cell system.The project, titled “APOLO”, is a collaboration between several partners and aims to solve the challenges of power conversion from ammonia and develop an efficient and flexible ammonia cracking technology for the maritime sector.The four-year program…
Exploring 'Future Fuels' - Methanol’s Superstorage Solution
Technical inquiries to SRC Group ramped up after it received Approval in Principle (AIP) for a concept which ‘reinvented methanol fuel storage’ on board ships. Delivering the answers has seen technical talk converting into project discussions ‘Green’ methanol has the ability to one day run vessels almost emission-free, and commercial shipping increasingly investigates. Derived today principally from natural gas, methanol is nonetheless available, relatively easy to handle and predictable.
Houthis Vow to Keep Up Red Sea Attacks
The chief negotiator for Yemen's Houthis said on Monday the group's stance has not changed since U.S.-led air strikes on its positions, and warned that attacks on ships headed to Israel will continue.U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines last week launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen in retaliation for Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which the Iran-aligned movement cast as a response…
Inchcape Shipping Services Names Svend Stenberg Mølholt CCO
Port agency and marine services company Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) announced the appointment of Svend Stenberg Mølholt as Chief Commercial Officer, effective January 9, 2024.Svend has been in the shipping industry for 20 years, most recently serving as the Group COO in Monjasa Holding, a global fuel and shipping company. While serving as the Group COO, Svend also held the position of Chairman of the Board at RelateIT, one of Denmark’s largest NAV/Business Central partners.
N-Sea Charters Geo Plus' Survey and ROV Support Vessel
Subsea solutions provider N-Sea Group announced it has entered into an agreement with Geo Plus to long term charter the Dutch flagged vessel Geo Ranger, a hybrid survey and ROV support vessel.The Geo Ranger will accompany the Geo Focus which is already under N-Sea management and control.The fuel efficient vessel Geo Ranger is equipped with smart on-board technology, comprising various different sensors and a plug-and-play system for additional…
Two Shipping Heavyweights Form Strategic Alliance
Germany’s United Heavy Transport (UHT) and Korea’s Dongbang Transport Logistics have joined forces in a new strategic alliance combining their expertise in heavy lift vessels and transport.UHT and Dongbang Transport Logistics signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), symbolizing the integration of UHT's heavy lift expertise and Dongbang's mastery of open deck carrier operations."In this strategic alliance…
Houthi Attacks Expose China's Commercial Stakes in Red Sea
China has called for an end to attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea that have dramatically widened the Hamas-Israel conflict and placed Beijing's commercial interests along the Suez Canal at risk.The Iran-backed Houthi militia from Yemen that seeks "Death to Israel" is challenging the ability of the world's biggest trading nation to defend billions in strategic investments in Egypt.Since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2014…
QatarEnergy Stops Red Sea LNG Shipping Due to Attacks
QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea although production continues, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has since November been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, part of a route that accounts for about 12% of the world's shipping traffic, in what…
Outfitting Work Set to Start for Olympic's CSOV Built by Ulstein
The first of two methanol-ready newbuild Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) for the Norwegian shipowner Olympic has arrived at the outfitting yard of Ulstein Verft in Norway.The contract between Olympic and Ulstein was signed in 2022 and includes the construction of two CSOVs for offshore wind at Ulstein Verft.The vessels are based on the ULSTEIN SX222 design, and have a length of 89.6 meters with a beam of 19.2 meters. The CSOVs are able to accommodate 126 people in 91 cabins.
NKT Orders $270M Cable Layer from Vard
Norwegian ship designer and builder Vard has confirmed the Danish subsea cable company NKT is behind the order for the construction of the new cable laying vessel.The contract, valued between $218-270 million (€200-250 million), was signed mid December 2023 by Vard and NKT HV Cables, a Swedish-based turn-key power cable manufacturer and installation company, which is part of NKT.The hull for the cable…