Diesel Electric News

One of North America’s busiest ferry routes is joining the growing trend for U.S.-based operators to make the efficiencies of electrification central when they modernize their fleets, after an integrated hybrid-electric propulsion system from ABB was selected for the new ship ordered by Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA).Shipbuilder Senesco Marine contracted ABB to deliver full propulsion and automation systems for the 75-car passenger and vehicle ferry, which will replace the 45-year-old Cape Henlopen in connecting Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.

America’s maritime infrastructure is measured in draft depth, vessel clearance, sediment management, and days available to dredge. If the United States is serious about competing in a century defined by supply chains, energy exports, and sealift readiness, then ports, harbors, and waterways must move from being in the background to becoming part of the national strategy.The Dredging industry and it importance to the U.S. Port infrastructure will be discussed in depth at the Port of the Future Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for March 23-25 in Houston.

AYK Energy has secured a contract to supply the largest battery ever installed on an ice class vessel for Germany’s next generation polar research ship Polarstern.The partnership for the new diesel-electric vessel currently under development for the Alfred Wegener Institute has been signed directly with Wärtsilä.The AYK Energy Pisces+ battery system, with a capacity of 16 megawatt-hours (MWh) and weighing 131 tonnes, will be delivered in 2028. The vessel itself is due to enter…

Inmarsat Maritime, part of Viasat, has secured a contract with Vega Reederei to equip 10 new diesel-electric coaster vessels with its NexusWave bonded connectivity service.The agreement covers installation of NexusWave on the 89-meter, 3,800-deadweight-tonne short-sea general cargo ships, scheduled for delivery by July 2026. The deal also includes Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Fleet Secure Endpoint cyber-security solutions.The vessels feature an innovative hull and propeller design aimed at improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

Spanish shipbuilder C.N.P. Freire has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to construct four naval support vessels.The 47-meter vessels will be designed for naval support missions and built to operate in harsh weather and ice conditions. Each ship will accommodate 16 crew members, reach speeds of up to 12 knots and have an endurance of up to 10 days.The vessels will be equipped with two main cranes on the main deck and an auxiliary crane for supplies, enabling autonomous loading and unloading operations.

Long-distance ferry routes form a key part of Japan’s national transport infrastructure, connecting the archipelago’s four major islands and littoral centers of population, commerce and industry.RoRo passenger (RoPax) ferry fleet renewal and development has been a constant process over the past two decades in particular, driven largely by freight demand in combination with the pursuit of cost efficiencies and in response to new legislative edicts and rising customer expectations.

Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) Commission awarded a contract for the construction and outfitting of a new 75-car passenger/vehicle ferry to SENESCO Marine LLC of North Kingstown, RI. The project low bid was $78.6 million.The new ferry will eventually replace the MV Cape Henlopen, an over 40-year-old diesel engine ferry that currently serves passengers who travel between Lewes, Delaware, and Cape May, New Jersey. DRBA Executive Director Joel Coppadge realizes the historical…

With a growing focus on mitigating climate change and progressing toward the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2050 net-zero target, the marine sector is under intense pressure to decarbonize. Today, maritime transport emits nearly one billion tons of CO2 annually, representing roughly 2-3% of all energy-related carbon emissions worldwide .Substantial progress has been made over the past decade in reducing emissions from small commercial and coastal vessels via all-electric and diesel-electric propulsion (DEP) systems.

The newest addition to the Manson Construction Co. (Manson) fleet—the hopper dredge Frederick Paup—departed the Seatrium AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, TX, on Tuesday afternoon, setting sail for Mobile, AL.Representing Manson’s single biggest investment since its founding in 1905, the Frederick Paup—designed in collaboration with Hockema Whalen Myers Associates, Inc. of Seattle, WA and built by Seatrium AmFELS in Brownsville, TX—is the largest self-propelled hopper dredge in the United States.The 15…

Fincantieri has launched Italian Navy’s newly built hydro-oceanographic ship (N.I.O.M.) Quirinale at its integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso, marking a milestone in Italy’s maritime research and monitoring capabilities.The vessel, designated N.I.O.M. Quirinale, has been designed to support scientific mapping and monitoring activities and will operate in support of the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute, the state authority responsible for producing official national nautical documentation.Measuring approximately 110 meters in length with a displacement of around 6…

Seatrium delivered FREDERICK PAUP to Manson Construction Co. Built at Seatrium’s Brownsville Texas yard, the Jones Act-compliant vessel is the largest self-propelled hopper dredger in US history.Key highlights:Largest in the U.S. – 420’ length x 81’ beam, with a 15,000+ cubic yard hopper capacityPowerful and Agile – Self-propelled with 25,000 horsepower, triple azimuthing stern drives, and twin bow thrustersSustainable – Tier 4 Wabtec Diesel-Electric Engines and an advanced hull…

The quest to rebuild the U.S. iceabreaking fleet continues to move at lightening speed, with Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) signing agreements with Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger) and Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (Rauma) to provide its Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design and associated supply chain packages to enable rapid construction and delivery of up to six vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program.Rauma will build up to two vessels in Finland with delivery expected in 2028 under the contracts formally announced by the U.S. Coast Guard last week.

Maritime 2026 opened with a bang between the announcement of Battleships, Venezuela, shadow fleets and yes, U.S. shipbuilding. The commercial building issue may come down to strategic patience or the adaptability to evolve through new technology while ignoring historic, old tactics. The subject requires another year of debate as the line separating the success or failure of Naval and Commercial shipbuilding in the U.S. is slowly becoming a blur. Look towards Naval growth developing in non-traditional patterns … because it has to.With China leading all of the discussions…

15,000 cu. yd. Hopper Dredge = “the Cookie Monster” of Beach ReplenishmentManson Construction Co.’s Frederick Paup is the largest Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge in the United States. Designed and built specifically to meet the needs of the U.S. dredging market, she boasts 25,000 HP and volumetric capacity of over 15,000 cubic yards. Utilizing her triple Z Drives and twin Bow Thrusters enables the Frederick Paup to maneuver and dredge within the tightest channels. This further…

Maritime Operations Group (MOG) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) signed a memorandum of understanding MoU aimed at accelerating the development, construction and delivery of modern diesel-electric submarines and undersea technologies for U.S. government and allied missions.Under the agreement, the two companies will explore collaboration on the design and construction of diesel-electric submarines optimized for U.S. Navy training, research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), and specialized mission support.

The world’s largest wind-powered, industrial-scale, roll on/roll off vessel Neoliner Origin has returned for its second visit to the only U.S. port it is calling, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.The ship, which uses sails as main propulsion, is operating a monthly service between Saint Nazaire (France) and Baltimore, with stops along the way to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon and Halifax.“It’s a great honor to be the first and only U.S. port for Neoliner Origin,” said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Jonathan Daniels.

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…

Ukraine said on Monday it hit and disabled a Russian missile-carrying submarine docked at a Black Sea naval base using underwater sea drones for the first time, but Moscow denied the strike caused any damage.The attack with Ukrainian-made "Sub Sea Baby" drones hit the submarine in the port of Novorossiysk where Russia has rebased many of its Black Sea naval vessels to put them out of reach of Ukrainian strikes, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.Footage published by the…

In 2010, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) began the process of replacing its research vessel, R/V Western Flyer. With Glosten at their side as vessel designer, MBARI considered three types of ships for their new project. The Western Flyer was a small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH), but the parties agreed on a monohull design for the new vessel. In 2021, Freire Shipyard won the bid to build the vessel, and R/V David Packard came to life.There is no “I” in TeamWill Moon…

The December issue of Maritime Reporter magazine includes a feature story on Australian mining company Fortescue’s pioneering ammonia fuel trial on the platform supply vessel Green Pioneer.The Green Pioneer was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025.The conversion journey of its diesel-electric power system to dual-fuel ammonia started in 2022, on land, when Fortescue converted a four-stroke Cummins engine at is Perth testing facility in Western Australia.“The Fortescue Green Pioneer is proof that safe, technical solutions for ammonia power engines exist” said Dr.

Damen Shipyards Group has launched an Island Class ferry for Canada’s BC Ferries at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.The launch follows another key moment in October when the yard undertook the grand block assembly of Island Class 10. Both vessels form part of an order for four ferries, following the earlier deliveries of Island Class vessels 1-6 between 2019 and 2021.The four ferries currently under construction are based on the Damen 8117 (E3) Electric Ferry design. Damen is constructing the vessels to be fully electric-ready.

GONDAN signed a contract with Norwegian shipowner Østensjø Rederi to build a state-of-the-art offshore tugboat, which will be the most powerful in its tugboat fleet. Delivery of the vessel, whose operation will be guaranteed by PYMAR, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2028.Measuring 50 x 17 m with a bollard pull of 150 tons, the new tugboat is designed to handle the most demanding offshore operations, combining great thrust capacity, manoeuvrability, and precision, thanks to the DP-2 dynamic positioning system.

Royal T Shipyards christened and launched tha diesel-electric MV Vertom Quina, the tenth vessel in the LABRAX series for Vertom. “The launch of MV Vertom Quina is a truly special moment,” said CEO Thecla Bodewes. “Not only does it reflect the strong and long-standing partnership between Royal T Shipyards and Vertom, but it also represents the tenth vessel in a series that embodies our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and high-quality craftsmanship. This milestone is a…