Pontoons News

Concordia Damen won a contract by Koninklijke Van der Wees Transporten for the construction and delivery of an innovative RoRo pontoon, to be named Lastdrager 29. In addition, the Werkendam-based shipyard will build two coupling pontoons for Van der Wees. The Lastdrager 29 was developed to meet the unique transport challenges faced by Van der Wees, which has designed the RoRo Pontoon together with Shipbuilding Solutions. Equipped with a (removable) drive-in function, the pontoon enables the seamless loading and unloading of high and heavy cargo, supporting a load capacity of up to 600 tons.

As the war between Ukraine and Russia rages on, the Black Sea has become a hotbed for naval operations, with Ukraine pioneering the use of naval drones in its fight to reclaim the Crimean Peninsula. These drones have emerged as a potent tool in disrupting Russian naval dominance, particularly around Sevastopol, the home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.Ukraine's use of unmanned naval drones marks a significant shift in naval warfare. These drones are capable of targeting large warships, as demonstrated in the October 2022 attack on Russian vessels docked in Sevastopol.

Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has announced that Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong Beach will reopen for swimming and all sea activities in August, with Siloso Beach being the first to reopen, with immediate effect after an extensive oil spill cleanup operation.The milestone comes one and a half months after the oil spill on June 14, 2024, when the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, causing a rupture of one…

Classification society DNV has published updates to its rules for classification of ships and offshore structures.The new rules—published on July 1 and slated to enter into force on January 1, 2025—support the development and deployment of decarbonization technologies. In addition, new in-operation class notations seek to bring clarity to the responsibilities of class customers for notations that have a mix of design and operational requirements, DNV said.“One of the most striking aspects of the maritime industry today…

Van Oord has launched its new offshore installation vessel Boreas at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore shipyard in China.The Boreas’ dual fuel engine set is able to run on methanol and is purpose-built for the transport and installation of the next generation foundations and turbines at offshore wind farms.The vessel is expected to be commercially available in 2025, according to Van Oord.Upon completion, the Boreas will be the largest vessel of its kind.The vessel measures 175 meters in length and has a crane with a 155-metre-high boom, able to lift over 3,000 tonnes.

U.K. shipbuilder Manor Marine, an OEG group company, announced it has built a new cargo-carrying pontoon for the Ascension Island Government.Construction commenced in February 2023, and the pontoon has been delivered on schedule.The 17-meter self-propelled barge is commissioned for shipping to and use in the Ascension Island waters.Previous pontoons fabricated for the Ascension Island Government at the Manor Marine shipyard were also commissioned for the same purpose, the builder said.

ABB has secured a contract with Auckland Transport (AT) to deliver the maritime world’s first megawatt charging system (MCS) to recharge electric ferries using the same interface as trucks and airplanes. Lowering the barrier to entry, the standardized and highly adaptable system is expected to improve electric vessel competitiveness against fossil-fueled counterparts.As part of its Mission Electric initiative, AT has ordered two 200-seat all-electric ferries and two 300-passenger…

A dredge building boom that has been underway in the United States for several years is still going strong as the market remains highly completive for solid project workloads in both the public and private sectors.According The Mike Hooks Report, an analysis of the FY22 U.S. federal dredging market compiled in September 2023 by Michael Gerhardt, senior director of government affairs at Mike Hooks, LLC, 52 Jones Act dredging companies were awarded federal dredging contracts in FY2022.

Austal USA began construction on the Navy’s Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM) at the company’s Gulf Coast ship manufacturing facility last week. AFDM is the third program to begin construction on Austal USA’s steel assembly line following T-ATS 11 and 12 - the first two of four U.S. Navy Towing, Salvage, and Rescue (T-ATS) ships the company is under contract to build. The AFDM is a “Rennie”-type floating dry dock which means it has continuous wing walls and several sectional…

Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) in Scotland said Friday it had installed a heavy-duty pontoon system in Eyemouth Harbour as part of the new operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm.The system comprises a 58m x 4m pontoon and a 27m x 4m pontoon, both with one meter freeboard to match that of the vessels, creating a berthing facility for crew transfer vessels (CTVs) serving the new wind farm which is located  15.5 kilometers of the coast of Fife…

Survey, positioning and data management firm UTEC, part of the Acteon Group, is targeting the offshore wind survey and inspection market with a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV).Torsten Marten, lead surveyor, UTEC, outlined the new design at the Marine Autonomous Technology Showcase (MATS), at the National Oceanography Center (NOC) in Southampton, UK, early November.It’s a 12m-long, “DP equivalent” catamaran design, developed to offer a stable platform for survey and inspection operations…

Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation, on Tuesday announced the launch of its new 5.7L 350 and 400hp Verado outboard engines, said to be the industry's first V10 outboards.The new outboards are compatible with the latest Mercury SmartCraft technologies and will also be offered with an optional dual-mode 48V/12V alternator to pair with Navico Group’s Fathom e-power system, an integrated lithium-ion auxiliary power management system, providing boaters the opportunity…

A self-propelled pontoon made entirely from standard scaffold components and fitted with a crane has been used for a project on the river Thames to install ladders, chains, and wooden fendering.This project sees yet another evolution of the ScaffFloat system that launched in the UK just two years ago. The Cornish-based company has grown across multiple markets and this latest addition of a crane to their self-powered pontoons has some in the industry likening it to the popular multicat style workboats.For the project on the Thames ScaffFloat mobilised an 8m x 6.4m ScaffFloat…

Schulte Group unveiled its next generation design for an liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel (LBV), which it said is engineered to be easy-to-use and reduce last-mile costs.The unique vessel design, presented at Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Milan, does away with the need for fenders and spacer pontoons, replacing them with an integrated outrigging system that’s compatible with any vessel type and can be operational in five minutes with the push of a button. Same applies to the telescopic crane, which extends over 40 meters over the water and can be adjusted to any required reach.

Ecochlor launched a containerized version of the EcoOne filterless ballast water management system (BWMS), targeting the Semi-Submersible Rigs, Jack-Up Rigs, Drillships, FPSOs, FSRUs and other vessels with infrequent ballasting operations at medium to high flow rates.“The EcoOne Container Unit offers incredible benefits to Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU),” said Andrew Marshall, Ecochlor CEO. “One system can simultaneously serve up to four separate sea chests or quadrants, in the case of the semi-submersible rigs.

Singapore-based heavy lift and bulk shipping company AAL Shipping announced it has increased the number of vessels in its latest newbuild series from four to six.In November 2021, AAL announced the launch of its third-generation newbuilding plan with the initial order of four 32,000 deadweight (DWT) Super B-Class multipurpose vessels from China’s Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard. The carrier, which already operates a fleet of 25 heavy lift multipurpose vessels (MPV) globally, has now…

ScaffFloat, a patented plastic float that allows pontoons, barges and workboats to be built from standard scaffold components, has just launched its first pontoon in Australia through one of its local partners, AEG Group.Perth-based Access Engineering Group is the first scaffold firm in Australia to become an approved partner of the system, and last week launched an 8m x 4m ScaffFloat pontoon with a submerged access shelf cantilevered of the end to give bespoke access to their…

Dutch shipbuilding group Damen has signed its first contact with ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) manufacturer ERMA FIRST. The Greek manufacturer ERMA FIRST will supply its oneTANK, which is the world’s smallest BWTS, using chemical injection methods to clean ships’ ballast water.Damen Green Solutions has a broad selection of BWTS in its range, offering shipowners various capacities and techniques in treating their ballast water. With the addition of the ERMA FIRST oneTANK, Damen can provide clients with a solution that is not only small, but also modular.

Norfolk, Va.-based marine services company Seaward Marine Corporation has added a new 260-foot workboat pier to accommodate its seven-boat fleet of tow and tug vessels in Chesapeake, Va.The pontoons for the Seaward Marine project were made in SF Marina Systems' Norfolk, Virginia production facility and towed by water to the installation location. Because of their intimate familiarity with SF Marina products, Seaward Marine installed the dock themselves.Engineered for commercial ports…

DSC Dredge and Deep Diggers Ltd announced the launch of a new 18-inch Shark Class dredge manufactured in Bangladesh.In 2019 U.S.-based cutter suction dredge manufacturer DSC Dredge signed a memorandum of understanding with Deep Diggers Ltd, Bangladesh with a project focus of providing an engineering design and component package. Deep Diggers imported all the dredge components from DSC including the Caterpillar diesel engine, dredge pump, gearbox, cutter assembly, winches, hydraulic system and lever room and controls.

Conrad Shipyard said it has started building two Damen-designed Multi-Cat vessels scheduled to be delivered to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. A steel cutting ceremony was held at Conrad's Morgan City, La. shipyard.The two identical vessels are being built under a licensing agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group. They will be the first of their type built in the U.S. Each Damen Multi Cat 3013 measure 98.92’ in length and will be powered by three Caterpillar C32 TTA engines capable of meeting speeds of 10.2 knots.

U.S. shipbuilder Conrad Industries has signed a license agreement with the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group to build two Damen Multi Cats 3013 for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.The two vessels covered by this agreement will be the first Damen Multi Cats to be built in the U.S. Fully compliant with the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stability criteria, the versatile Multi Cat is the ideal platform for dredging support operations."This is a milestone moment for the U.S.

In 2020, Damen signed a contract with Blue Amigo for the delivery of nine passenger vessels to operate between Rotterdam and the Drecht cities in the Netherlands in a service known as the Waterbus. Damen identified that six of the vessels – hybrid carbon fiber water buses that will operate fast, inter-city routes – would require a unique thruster solution, a fully azimuthing, 360-degree thruster to make docking easy and propulsion fast.“It’s actually the kind of thruster you would expect to see on a pleasure craft,” says Damen design and proposal engineer Ferries Jan van Ooijen.