I Facility News

On Yonges Island, South Carolina, just up the Wadmalaw River from Charleston, the fourth-generation maritime company Stevens Towing Company continues to rewrite its own history. Long known for its towing and barge work, its ship repair business is growing at light speed, transforming what began decades ago as an internal maintenance yard into a dynamic commercial shipyard serving tugs, barges, OSVs, and dredge vessels from Florida to Virginia. At the center of this evolution is Kurt Olsen…

Equinor said it is complying with a stop-work order issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which ordered the suspension of offshore construction activities on the Empire Wind project citing national security concerns.Empire Offshore Wind LLC, the project company, received the notice on December 22 and has begun safely suspending all ongoing work on the U.S. outer continental shelf, while retaining the ability to carry out emergency actions and measures necessary to protect health…

Singapore-based Seatrium has resolved its dispute with an affiliate of Maersk Offshore Wind, over the delivery of a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), originally intended for Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project in the United States.Under the agreement Seatrium Energy reached with Maerk’s affiliate Phoenix II A/S, the parties will discontinue all legal proceedings related to the contract, agreeing to deliver the vessel by February 28, 2026.The settlement follows months of dispute after Phoenix II issued a termination notice in October 2025…

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been selected by the U.S. Navy to design and build the future small surface combatant (SSC) ship, leveraging the proven design of the Ingalls-built Legend-class national security cutter (NSC). "We look forward to supporting the Navy on this critical program,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO. “Speed matters, and the NSC ship design is stable and produceable and will lead to predictable schedules. I have great confidence in the Ingalls team to execute this program, and in our ongoing efforts with our partners to successfully expand the U.S.

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…

Anemoi Marine Technologies, the U.K.-based designer of Rotor Sails for wind-assisted ship propulsion, has signed a deal to install its Rotor Sails on two newbuild chemical tankers under construction for Union Maritime.The 18,500 DWT vessels, to be built by Wuhu Shipyard Co in China, will feature a combination of technologies and retrofit readiness to safeguard cost-effective decarbonization across their lifecycle.The Rotor Sails are set to be installed at Wuhu in early 2026 after…

Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) has successfully completed its inaugural pilot training course on ammonia as a marine fuel.Held on November 24–25, the two-day program brought together 26 participants from a wide spectrum of shipboard ranks, including Masters, Chief Engineers, senior officers, and junior engineers, who travelled from across India to take part in the specialised training.Pioneered by Prasad Nayak, General Manager of Training at Anglo-Eastern, the…

Italy’s Cimolai Technology  reached a major construction milestone on one of the largest crane projects currently underway in Europe, completing the lifting and erection of the main girder of the first of two massive 800-ton rail-mounted Goliath cranes at the Port of Chioggia.The lift, carried out at Cimolai Technology’s Chioggia facility in the Val da Rio port area, marks the conclusion of a critical technical phase in a complex, international heavy-engineering project. Once completed…

MISC and China Offshore Engineering & Technology Company have received the Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for their design of an ammonia floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.This innovative floater solution adapts proven onshore production technology for offshore operations, transforming unutilized hydrocarbon gas from nearby offshore facilities into high-value blue ammonia, which is stored onboard at cryogenic conditions.This…

ABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), a leader in safety, risk and asset integrity management, has released a paper to support vessel and facility owners and operators in meeting compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Maritime Cyber Rule. This paper outlines practical steps to meet the first cybersecurity training deadline of January 12, 2026.Titled From Final Rule to Fully Trained: Practical Direction for Meeting the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Cybersecurity Requirements…

Scottish engineering and consultancy firm Wood has secured a ten-year contract with NextDecade to deliver maintenance solutions at Rio Grande LNG, a major natural gas liquefaction and export facility under development near Brownsville in Texas.Wood will provide comprehensive maintenance services to support operations at the approximately 1,000-acre site.NextDecade expects the liquefaction and export facility will deliver secure and affordable energy through the safe and efficient…

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.

Oil prices fell more than $1 on Thursday as investors shifted focus back to Russia-Ukraine peace talks and monitored potential fallout from a U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.Brent crude futures were down $1.1, or 1.8%, at $61.11 a barrel at 1408 GMT, hovering near the lowest since Oct. 21.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.07, also around 1.8%, to $57.39 a barrel, its lowest in over two weeks.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a visit to Moscow this month by U.S.

HII and Babcock International Group announced they have signed a contract that expands their strategic partnership to further support Virginia-class submarine construction throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Additionally, the contract will build resiliency within HII’s submarine supply base.This is the first Virginia-class outsourced contract to Babcock in support of NNS-specific submarine work, authorizing Babcock to build complex submarine assemblies…

In October, a German navy ship completed sensor accuracy testing at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) for the first time, marking a milestone for both Germany and NATO’s long-running Fleet Operational Readiness Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS) program.The combat oiler Federal German Ship (FGS) Berlin (A 1411) arrived in the U.S. as part of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary celebrations, but the visit also…

Yara and Air Products have advanced negotiations to partner on low-emission ammonia projects.Yara has matured a project portfolio for potential investment in cost competitive US ammonia to diversify its energy position and increase competitiveness of its European nitrate production.Air Products is developing the world’s largest low-carbon energy complex in the state of Louisiana. The complex is designed to produce >750 million standard cubic feet per day of low-carbon hydrogen…

Morocco will open a new deepwater Mediterranean port next year and another on the Atlantic in 2028, Equipment and Water minister Nizar Baraka said, as the North African country aims to replicate the success of Africa's largest port, Tanger Med.Nador West Med, under construction on the Mediterranean, is scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2026, Baraka told Reuters in an interview.It will offer 800 hectares for industrial activity, with plans to expand to 5000 hectares…

Equinor and its Brazilian subsidiary Rio Energy have started commercial power production at the Serra da Babilônia Solar facility in Brazil. Strategically co-located with the existing Serra da Babilônia Wind, this represents the first hybrid asset in Equinor’s power portfolio, comprising 140 MW of solar and 223 MW of wind capacity.Hybrid projects take advantage of the complementary nature of solar and wind resources, which generate power at different times of the day and throughout different seasons.

Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) has signed important agreements with leading Italian companies Fincantieri and Roboze to boost collaboration in shipbuilding and repair and establish the Kingdom of Bahrain’s first smart plant dedicated to additive manufacturing.ASRY signed a partnership agreement with Fincantieri to jointly assess opportunities for the design and construction of surface naval vessels up to 80 meters in length for domestic use by the Navy and the Coast Guard.The partnership agreement will also explore the design and construction of similar-sized offshore units…

Saronic has announced a $300 million investment to expand its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard.Supported by close partnerships with Louisiana Economic Development, St. Mary Parish, and other state and local officials, Saronic is expanding its facility to meet surging demand for its autonomous ships.As part of the shipyard expansion, Saronic will construct three new slips, expand its warehouse, and develop a dedicated production line for large-vessel assembly — namely Marauder, the company’s 180-foot autonomous ship.

Liebherr Container Cranes has signed a contract to deliver two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes to Port Tampa Bay, marking Liebherr’s first STS installation on Florida’s Gulf Coast.The cranes will play a central role in the port’s Vision 2030 expansion and will deliver significant gains in berth productivity, vessel turnaround efficiency, and long-term operational reliability.The new cranes, manufactured at Liebherr’s facility in Killarney, Ireland, feature a 60-metre (197FT) outreach…

C&C Marine and Repair has promoted Nick Bergeron to General Manager.Bergeron brings more than 30 years of marine industry experience to his expanded role. Prior to joining C&C Marine, he spent 25 years with Zito Companies in a variety of leadership and operations positions.“Nick has been a tremendous addition to the C&C family,” said Tony Cibilich, Owner of C&C Marine and Repair. “He has an exceptional understanding of the business, and he works well with everyone. His leadership…

Germany has been putting import terminals for liquefied natural gas into operation as part of its efforts to replace piped Russian gas following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The Brunsbuettel terminal received its floating storage regasification unit, the Hoegh Gannet, back on November 24 after upgrades, and Wilhelmshaven 2 has restarted its FSRU Excelsior ready for the coming winter months, state-appointed terminal company Deutsche Energy Terminal said.DET, which is in charge of three terminal locations…