Port Of Southampton News

Maritime UK Solent is set to put Maritime Defense at the heart of discussions at the inaugural Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit on March 26 - 27, 2025, at ABP’s Ocean Cruise Terminal in Southampton.The UK Government has announced the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War, and the Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit aims to provide a platform high-profile speakers and thought leaders from across the sector. They will provide critical insights into the vital…

The Singapore-flagged dual-fuel ammonia-powered vessel Fortescue Green Pioneer has arrived in the U.K. to demonstrate the viability of ammonia as a sustainable marine fuel.The vessel is the first of its kind, powered by four-stroke engines, two of which are capable of being fueled by ammonia and diesel.Ammonia, a zero-carbon fuel, has the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used for shipping.An ammonia-powered vessel exemplifies how shipping can become more sustainable, an ambitious but essential mission fully backed by U.K.

Maritime air lubrication company Silverstream Technologies has opened its new Global Operations Center in Southampton, U.K., in an effort to enhance its operational capabilities and support the existing fleet. The new hub, which accommodates more than 40 employees, is also equipped for further R&D on Silverstream’s Control and Monitoring System (CMS) solutions.Founded in 2010, Silverstream completed its first installation in 2014 and today has 80 systems installed on board ships.

Spanish police said on Friday they had seized four metric tons of cocaine hidden in rice sacks at Barcelona's port, breaking up a crime ring that operated in Spain, Paraguay and Britain.The drug smugglers processed the drugs into powder in Asuncion, Paraguay, and then put them plastic bags which were hidden inside sacks of rice sewn by hand before shipping them to Europe, the statement said.The containers arrived at Barcelona's port earlier this year but the haul of cocaine was only discovered in July when the smugglers moved the containers, police said.Authorities in Paraguay and Britain seiz

Survitec, a survival technology solutions provider, has opened a new service center in the Port of Southampton, boosting its UK servicing capability.The 10,000 sq. ft building, newly fitted out with equipment and facilities for the servicing and repair of liferafts, lifejackets, immersion suits and other safety equipment, will deliver increased capacity and faster turnaround times when meeting the needs of customers in the cruise, defense, Border Force and commercial shipping sectors…

A grounding incident was avoided thanks to swift action by a team of harbor tugs and pilots aboard a Panamanian registered containership that lost power in Southampton, U.K., according to a local pilots group.At around 11 a.m. on January 26, the 20,000 TEU containership MOL Treasure departed the Port of Southampton bound for Le Harve, amid good, though gusty, weather conditions, with clear visibility and calm seas. But not more than an hour into the passage, the 400-meter-long MOL Treasure developed a significant reduction in engine power.An escort tug was already present…

As COVID continues to create business hurdles globally, the SMS Group, based within the Port of Southampton in the UK, announced that it has recorded its busiest year in company history. Traditionally a ship repairer, SMS Group invested in a team of industry professionals to establish, develop and deliver in the challenging interior outfit and marine refurbishment sector within the cruise industry – and 2021 was the defining year.Dan Lockyer, who heads up the team, said: “2021 was our year. It’s the fourth year on this journey, and ironically the 22nd year that I’ve been in this industry.

British special forces stormed a Greek-operated oil tanker in the English channel on Sunday to wrestle control of the vessel from seven stowaways who had threatened the crew in a suspected hijacking.Troops from the Special Boat Service, a navy special forces unit whose headquarters in just a few miles away from where the vessel began showing signs of distress, boarded the Nave Andromeda near the Isle of Wight off southern England.Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel authorized the armed forces to board the ship “to safeguard life and secure a ship that was subject to suspected hijacking”, the defense ministry said.“Armed forces have gained control of the ship and seven individuals have been detained,” the ministry said.

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft shipyard last Friday delivered to P&O Cruises the cruise ship Iona, dubbed the largest cruise ship ever built for the UK market.Apart from being the largest, with 185,000 tonnes, 345 meters in length with 17 guest decks, Iona is also the first British cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). It features four low-emission dual-fuel engines from Caterpillar, which can be operated 100% with LNG at seaand in port.The cruise ship had…

SMS Group said it is relocating its Southampton headquarters to become the only ship repairer based within the Port of Southampton.The business will move to Western Avenue, within ABP Southampton’s footprint adjacent the King George V drydock.The move represents a strategic decision to move the business closer to its core customer base, and at the same time improve its geographical location, says Ben Rowe and Dave Chaffers, who head SMS Southampton. The location will also improve the company’s quayside presence…

UPDATE [April 23]: This event has been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be held October 6, 2020. More information is available here.Devices, apps and digital are coming fast at sea. As simple and cost effective technology solutions become available for boats, the NEXT GEN Shock Mitigation Workshop brings decision makers together to highlight the burning issues today and identify viable solutions for the future.Repetitive Shock and Whole Body Vibration (RS & WBV) has kept scientists busy in recent years.

UK ship repairer SMS Southampton said it has completed a dredger refit in the port of Southampton for Tarmac Marine.Work on the 1997-built City of Chichester was completed in a dedicated, controlled berth alongside at Williams Shipping’s berths in Southampton. SMS took ownership of the site, to include permits-to-work and site security, as well as the program of repair works.The program included the feeder hopper refurbishment (completed in SMS’s nearby workshops), the discharge grab replacement…

Svitzer has announced the purchase of the Dutch tugboat Mercurius, which has been renamed to Svitzer Mercurius and reflagged to the UK.The tug will be deployed in the Port of Southampton, where the tug increases the company’s fleet in Southampton to six vessels with a collective bollard pull of 415 tons.Built by Damen in 2014, the ASD 3212 tugboat has a strong bollard pull of 82 tons and a top speed of 14 knots, powered by two main and two auxiliary engines supplied by Caterpillar.

The Department for Transport (DfT), in partnership with ABP’s Port of Southampton, launched UK’s first Port Economic Partnership (PEP).PEP is an innovative initiative to create stronger links between ports and Government, to maximize long-term trade and economic growth. The Partnership will be launched at an event at London International Shipping Week, on board the NLV Pharos lightship.As part of its strategy, ‘Maritime 2050 – Navigating the Future’, launched in January 2019, the Government outlined the creation of Port Economic Partnerships as one way of creating a strong business environment for ports to thrive, in turn, boosting trade…

The Port of Southampton has celebrated the inaugural call of Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess, one of 11 vessels to be making their maiden visit to the UK city this season.A traditional plaque and key ceremony took place on board the ship to mark her first call to Europe’s leading cruise turn around port. Alastair Welch, Port Director, and Craig Barbour, General Manager, took part in the official exchange with the ship’s Captain.The plaque and key ceremony is a tradition for all vessels on their maiden call to the port. It has its roots in the medieval history of Southampton, when visiting ships bringing business to the city were given the keys to the city walls.

On May 15, 2019, the naming ceremony of the new Damen-built tug ‘Buffalo’ took place in the Port of Southampton, UK.Kotug Smit Towage has taken four newly-built Damen tugs into service for its European harbor towage activities, in 2017 and 2018. The latest of this quartet, the ‘Buffalo’ is currently operating in the Port of Southampton.The ‘Buffalo’ is an ATD Tug 2412 Twin Fin. With her 72-tonne bollard pull, the tug combines compactness with maneuverability. The naming ceremony of the tug ‘Buffalo’ was performed by Lady Sponsor Mrs. Petra Hille Ris Lambers, the spouse of Mr.

MSC Cruises took delivery of the MSC Bellissima on February 27, 2019 at the site of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, in Saint-Nazaire (France). The ship departed the same day to reach the port of Southampton. MSC Bellissima is the second Meraviglia Class ship to join MSC Cruises’ fleet. With a length of just 315 meters, she has been designed to be able to access most of the world’s cruise ports.

3 One Day Workshops - Southampton UK April 2-4, 2019As the digital age rapidly arrives all around us, it (or IT) may have overlooked that safety at sea is still all about people. To meet the changing requirements of modern fleets, smart organizations and specialist equipment manufacturers now need to work together to blend traditional safety methods with innovation.A unique program of three specialist safety days for the sub IMO / sub 80 feet professional sector is being held back-to-back at the Grand Harbor overlooking the port of Southampton UK this April.

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth has left Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr) following a 12-day repair and refit program. She is the most recent addition to the Cunard fleet, having been delivered in 2010.The program was highly intensive with a series of major systems being overhauled or installed. On arrival the ship was placed in Damen Shiprepair Brest’s drydock number 3, one of the largest in Europe at 420 meters, and the relevant manufacturers began immediately on maintenance to her stabilizers…

Three one-day workshops - Southampton, U.K. - April 2-4, 2019NEXT GEN 2019 is a series of specialist one-day workshops run back-to-back on April 2-4, 2019. The program combines hot topics and international maritime experts with dynamic panel discussions. The Grand Harbor is a conference venue overlooking the historic port of Southampton, U.K. Workshop Lead John Haynes said, "In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry.

The latest stage of a GBP 50 million (USD 65.44 mln) expansion of automotive trade at the ABP-owned Port of Southampton has begun, said a press release from the port.Work on the latest  GBP 15 million multi-deck storage facility in the Eastern Dock will take 9 months and will create 3,000 additional spaces for vehicles to be stored. This is the eighth multi-deck at the port and this significant investment will further strengthen the port’s position as a global hub for automotive trade.Representatives from BMW Group, one of the main automotive customers for this facility at the port, and Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure, the contractor appointed for the construction…

European harbor towage operator Kotug Smit Towage named two of its newest tugs Rotterdam and Beagle during a ceremony Wednesday at the Port of Rotterdam, where both tugs are currently operating.The new vessels were constructed by Dutch shipbuilder Damen. The Rotterdam is an ASD Tug 2913 with a bollard pull in excess of 80 metric tons, and the Beagle is an ATD Tug 2412 Twin Fin with 72 metric ton bollard pull.During 2017 and 2018, Kotug Smit Towage has taken four newly-built Damen tugs into service for its European harbor towage activities.

Southampton headquartered ship repairer and marine engineering services provider SMS has completed a major refit within the U.K. Port of Southampton at Williams Shipping’s specialist repair berth for the Isle of Wight operator Red Funnel.SMS has completed the build and installation of a two new 17-metric-ton aluminum passenger lounges on board the Red Eagle ferry in partnership with its sister co. the Wight Shipyard Company.Chris Norman, the Managing Director of SMS, said, “This project is a great example of our in-house capability.“Seventeen [metric ton] of aluminium…