Le Groupe ALMACO Expands Québec Network to Support Shipbuilding Programs
Le Groupe ALMACO is strengthening its local operations across Québec through increased hiring and expanded contracting of regional suppliers and subcontractors. The initiative supports upcoming accommodation and cabin work for vessels under construction at Chantier Davie Canada Inc. in Lévis.This was demonstrated through the completion of the mockup cabin project in March 2026, a prototype initiative aimed at validating cabin design, layout, materials, and technical solutions for the Polar Max program.As part of this mockup cabin project…
Freire Shipyard Lays Keel for Aquaculture Harvest Vessel
Freire Shipyard has celebrated the keel laying of the Tauriko, the new harvest vessel being built for the Norwegian group Napier. The vessel will become the largest in the Nordic company's fleet and the world's largest harvest vessel of its kind within the aquaculture sector. Delivery is scheduled for 2027.Designed in collaboration with Salt Ship Design, the Tauriko represents the next generation of Napier vessels for the Norwegian aquaculture industry, enhancing the performance of the current Tauroa and Tautiki vessels in terms of speed…
Sanmar Shipyards Wins Orders for 10-Tugboats
Sanmar Shipyards won new build contracts for up to 10 tugboats, a milestone agreement that coincide with the shipbuilder's 50th anniversary.The contracts include fleet expansions for long-standing partners SAAM Towage and HAISEA Marine, as well as a landmark inaugural agreement with FAIRPLAY TOWAGE GROUP.On Wednesday, May 20, Sanmar formalized a new agreement with long-term partner SAAM Towage for five new vessels: four RAmparts 2400SX-MKIl tugboats and one RAstar 2900SX tugboat. Since 2018, the collaboration has been rooted in a shared commitment to sustainable, high-performance operations.
Fincantier Holds Steel Cutting For Crystal Grace Cruise Ship
The first steel cutting ceremony for Crystal Grace, the new ship for the cruise line Crystal, took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for spring 2028 and will be followed by two sister ships.Attending the ceremony were Cristina Levis, CEO Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group (AKTG) for Crystal, Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ships Division of Fincantieri and Marco Lunardi, Director of the Marghera shipyard.Crystal Grace will have a gross tonnage of 62,000 tons and will accommodate 650 passengers.
Fincantieri Delivers "Viking Mira" Cruise Ship
Fincantieri and Viking celebrated the delivery of “Viking Mira” at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona.The ceremony was attended by Jeff Dash, Viking’s Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development, Giorgio Gomiero, Senior Vice President Operations of Fincantieri and Gilberto Tobaldi, Director of the Ancona Shipyard.With a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 tons, “Viking Mira” features 499 staterooms and can accommodate up to 998 passengers. The vessel, which will offer itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe…
Damen to Deliver Multi Cat 2712 to Protunus
On May 21, Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with Protunus for the delivery of a Multi Cat (MuC) 2712. The vessel will strengthen the operational capabilities of Protunus and Pro Liquid and will support both in-house operations and international charter activities.As a result of Damen's stock building program, the Mud 2712 was already under construction at the shipbuilder's vard in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, when the order was placed. Damen will deliver the Mud 2712, which will be named Protunus…
Trump Urged by US Senators to Remain Steady During Chinese Shipbuilding Talks
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Monday urged President Donald Trump to hold fast to trade remedies proposed by his administration to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding and not offer concessions when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mark Kelly of Arizona, as well as Republicans Tim Scott of South Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana, told Trump in a letter sent on Monday that China's decades-long effort to "decimate American shipbuilding" demanded the use of U.S.
Fincantieri Beats Contract Targets, Revises 2026 Guidance
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri revised upwards its 2026 guidance for revenue, core profit and net profit on Monday after it signed large new contracts early this year which beat its full-year target.In the past year, the group has been focusing on defence and high-margin naval contracts amid rising geopolitical tensions, while also benefiting from a recovery in cruise-ship demand, as part of a broader push to improve profitability and cut debt.The state-controlled group said revenue at the end of this year would be between 9.3 billion euros and 9.4 billion euros ($10.9 billion-$11 billion), s
ABS, HD KSOE Collaborate for Digital Shipbuilding, Vessel Intelligence
ABS and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on digital technologies to strengthen safety and performance in shipbuilding.The agreement establishes a framework for the organizations to collaborate on Digital Threads, secure and integrated flows of data, across the entire vessel value chain. Areas of focus will include digital engineering, autonomous vessel systems and integrated cybersecurity tools.The two organizations…
Damen Shipyards to Delivery of Two Tugs to Albayrak Group
Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Türkiye's Albayrak Group for the delivery of an ASD Tug 2111 and ASD Tug 2813. This is the first contract between the two companies.The Albayrak Group is one of the largest businesses in Türkiye and is active in the construction, industrial, and logistics sectors. The latter includes the management of Alsancak Port, Izmir;Trabzon Port, Türkiye; Conakry Port, Guinea; Mogadishu Port, Somalia; Pointe-Noire Port, Congo; Banjul Port…
Orca AI, Samsung Heavy Industries Join Forces to Advance Autonomous Vessel Technology
Maritime AI company Orca AI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), a leading shipbuilder, to jointly accelerate the development, deployment and scaling of next-generation autonomous vessel technologies in real-world operations.The phased collaboration will combine SHI’s autonomous solutions with Orca AI’s AI-powered maritime operations platform, enabling the scaled deployment of AI-assisted navigation, berthing, and speed optimization across both newbuild vessels and existing fleets.As part of the partnership…
US Unveils Details of $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget
The Pentagon on Tuesday unveiled more details of President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request for fiscal year 2027, by far the largest year-over-year increase in defense spending in the post-World War Two era.In a new wrinkle, the Pentagon has created a category it is calling "presidential priorities," covering Golden Dome missile defense, drone dominance, artificial intelligence and data infrastructure, and the defense industrial base, Pentagon officials told reporters.Last year…
C&C Marine and Repair Hold Keel Laying Ceremony for Hybrid Escort Tugs
C&C Marine and Repair held a keel laying ceremony at its Belle Chasse shipyard, marking a milestone in a new series of four hybrid escort tugs being built for Green Tug Towing (GTT). The vessels will support LNG carrier operations at Woodside Energy's Louisiana LNG terminal in Calcasieu Parish.The GTT series joins a separate series of four hybrid escort tugs already under construction at C&C, bringing the shipyard's active tugboat program to a total of eight vessels. Together…
PSA Marine Receives 16th Z-Tech 6000 Tug
In 2024, Cheoy Lee Shipyards of Hong Kong delivered the first boat of Robert Allan Ltd.’s new Z-Tech 6000 design, the PSA Gemini, to PSA Marine of Singapore. Less than two years later the 16th and final boat of that contract, the PSA Nebula, has left the shipyard for its home in the Port of Singapore. The various boats of this series are now operating successfully in PSA Marine’s fleet, with seven in Singapore, six in Thailand, one in Peru and two in Panama. They add to the fleet…
Fincantieri Wins $30m US Navy Contract for Four Vessels
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said on Wednesday its Fincantieri Marine Group unit has won a $30 million contract with the U.S.
Freire Shipyard Launches Armada Diving Support Vessel
The Spanish shipyard C.N.P. FREIRE, S.A. (Freire Shipyard) held the launch ceremony of the diving support vessel, hull number 739, built for the Armada Logistics Support Command: A22 Proserpina in Vigo. Delivery is scheduled for later this year.The ceremony was presided over by the shipyard's General Managers, Marcos and Guillermo Freire, accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Armada (AJEMA), His Excellency Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez. Also in attendance were civil and military authorities.
Damen Launches Multi-Purpose Vessel for the Portuguese Navy
Damen Shipyards Group has launched the NRP D. João II a Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) 10720 for the Portuguese Navy. The vessel entered the water at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on April 7. The launch event took place in the presence of Vice Admiral Pires on behalf of the Portuguese Navy, Rear Admiral Neculae representing the Romanian Naval Forces, His Excellency Paulo Alves Cunha, Ambassador of Portugal in Romania, and Her Excellency Mrs Willemijn van Haaften, Ambassador of…
Novatek Establishes Company to Build Vessels, Floating Facilities Amid Global Tanker Shortage
Russia's largest producer of liquefied natural gas Novatek has set up a company to build its own vessels and floating facilities, according to the state's registry of authorised companies, amid a shortage of gas tankers due to sanctions.Ilya Lushchikov, who is also head of Novatek's Murmansk LNG project, is in charge of the new company, called Severny Inzhiniring, or Northern Engineering, which was set up on March 25, according to the registry.Novatek did not reply to a request for comment.Western sanctions imposed in 2022 significantly limited the availability for Russia of ice-class tankers
Sanmar Shipyards, Med Tugs to Expand Mediterranean Tugboat Fleet with Newbuilds
Sanmar Shipyards and Med Tugs have officially entered into a strategic agreement for the construction and delivery of two tugboats. Executed through the joint venture company SVS—comprising Vernicos Scafi, Spanopoulos, and Lyboussakis—the project marks an investment in the future of Greek maritime infrastructure.The vessels, scheduled for delivery in September 2026 and September 2027, will be stationed at the Port of Piraeus. Designed to handle the increasingdemands of one of Europe’s busiest maritime hubs…
Robert Allan Ltd. Develops RApide 1800 Design for Brazilian Bunkering Operations
Robert Allan Ltd. in conjunction with Indústria Naval Catarinense Ltda. (INC), has announced the development of a new pushboat design. The vessels will support Transpetro’s bunkering operations at terminals in Brazil and form part of a newbuild program for pushboats and barges serving the fuel logistics market.This project marks Robert Allan Ltd.’s first vessels designed for Transpetro, part of Brazilian Oil and Gas major, Petrobras. The program represents a step in Transpetro’s expansion into barge-based fuel transportation…
Polar Max Project Celebrates Start of Construction
The Polar Max project reached an important milestone as Davie and ALMACO officially marked the start of construction with a project kickoff ceremony at Davie’s shipyard in Lévis, Québec. The event signaled the formal transition from planning and design into full execution for one of Canada’s most significant shipbuilding programs under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.Polar Max is a next‑generation icebreaking vessel designed to strengthen Canada’s Arctic and maritime capabilities.
Port Authority of Puerto Quetzal to Receive Damen ASD Tug 2312
Damen Shipyards Group client Arrendadora Continental has been awarded a contract by the Port Authority of Puerto Quetzal to operate an additional tug, making a total of six tugs operating in the harbor on Guatemala’s Pacific coast. To fullfil its contractual responsibilities, the company will take delivery of a Damen ASD Tug 2312 later this year. The company is the largest tug operator in Guatemala. When this latest vessel is delivered, Arrendadora Continental will operate four vessels in the country.
Damen Signs Contract to Deliver Combi Freighters (CF) 3850 to the Polidano Group
Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Polidano for the delivery of two Combi Freighters (CF) 3850. The Malta-based company will use the vessels primarily for the transport of aggregates for its construction business. The new vessels will be named Denise P and Julia P in honor of Polidano family members.Polidano approached Damen due to the reputation of the CF 3850 in the market. The company will use the vessels to replace a single vessel it currently operates, thereby significantly increasing its cargo capacity.Polidano typically transports aggregates from Montenegro to Malta.