Technology Innovation News

EDGE and Fincantieri have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU), deepening their cooperation through joint venture Maestral, which will be focused on the design, development and creation of unmanned systems for critical underwater infrastructure protection and seabed mapping, next-generation submarines, drone-carrier ships, and lightweight torpedoes.The MoU is based on both companies collaborating to develop underwater technologies, supporting the United Arab Emirates…

The Port of Oakland is excited to announce the kick-off of its 2025 paid Summer College Internship Program.Qualified applicants can competitively apply for summer internships in a variety of professional fields at the Port including Aviation, Communications, Engineering, Environmental Programs & Planning, Governmental Affairs, Human Resources, Technology & Innovation, Legal, Maritime Logistics, and Utilities.The Port has proudly supported internship opportunities for college students for nearly 20 years.

In 2011 the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter VIGILANT was on patrol in the Caribbean when it came upon a suspected maritime narcotics smuggler. As the chase ensued, the suspected smuggler jettisoned bales of what turned out to be cocaine. The VIGILANT crew marked the position on their radar and gathered the latitude and longitude for the bales, then went in pursuit of the suspect vessel. After the suspect was apprehended, the VIGILANT returned to the original position in search of the bales…

Global solar deployment to add 3.8 TWac of new project capacity by 2033 compared to 1.6 TW of wind power, while 640% growth is forecast for energy storageFrom 2024 to 2033, developers will bring more than 5.4 terawatts (TWac) of new solar and wind capacity online, increasing the cumulative global total to 8 TWac, as the world endeavours to electrify economies and meet decarbonisation targets, according to latest analysis by Wood Mackenzie.Energy storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro) will grow by more than 600%, with nearly 1 TW of new capacity expected to come online in the same period.

Louisiana-based maritime financing company Maritime Partners on Monday announced it has completed its acquisition of e1 Marine, a company that produces hydrogen generation technology for the marine sector.Originally formed as a partnership between Maritime Partners, Element 1 and Ardmore Shipping, e1 Marine provides clean energy technologies, including advanced methanol-to-hydrogen generation products, which provide an alternative, cleaner fuel source for marine vessels. The technology comes from Element 1.…

The consortium consisting of UK and Canadian companies, led by Aqua superPower and BlueGrid, have launched the first transatlantic vessel-to-grid (V2G) project that will deploy bi-directional chargers and electric vessels in U.K.’s Plymouth and Canada’s Halifax.The $2.3 million (£1.8 million) CanUK V2G project will feature bi-directional charging technology which lets electric vessel batteries both receive and supply energy, cutting carbon emissions, slashing e-vessel costs, boosting grid flexibility…

When Bertrand Charrier worked with Jacques Cousteau four decades ago on the development of a revolutionary sail for the maritime industry, the time for widescale adoption of wind power wasn’t right. Now, he argues, there’s simply no time to waste.“Sometimes the best discoveries are rediscoveries.”Bertrand Charrier is a champion of simplicity. Sitting in a comfortable chair overlooking the rolling fields of rural France, he delivers frank observations backed by a blend of common sense and scientific expertise.The maritime industry…

The developer of an innovative towboat engineered to run on hydrogen generator technology has signed a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) with the U.S. Coast Guard, helping to clear the regulatory path toward the vessel's eventual entry into service.The first-of-its-kind vessel, Hydrogen One, is being produced by Maritime Partners, the Metairie, La.-based maritime financing company that unveiled plans for the groundbreaking towboat in 2021.Designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group…

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a parcel layout concept for a hydrogen-fueled multi-purpose vessel developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), MOL Drybulk Ltd. (MOL Drybulk), Onomichi Dockyard Co., Ltd. (Onomichi Dockyard), Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Kawasaki), Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG). This is the world’s first AiP certification for a ship equipped with a large low-speed two-stroke hydrogen-fueled engine as the main propulsion engine.Demonstration…

Fincantieri, reactor developer newcleo and class society RINA have agreed to carry out a feasibility study for nuclear applications to the shipping industry, including newcleo’s lead-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs) technology.The deployment of newcleo’s lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) for naval propulsion would involve placing a closed mini reactor on vessels as a small nuclear battery producing a 30MW electric output. This would require infrequent refuelling (only once every 10-15 years)…

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

U.S.-based global communications company Viasat has completed the acquisition of its UK-based rival Inmarsat."The combined company enhances our scale and scope to continue to drive growth in the increasingly dynamic and competitive satellite communications industry. The company’s assets, once fully integrated, are expected to increase the pace and scope of innovation in the global satellite connectivity sector, offering new and improved capabilities to customers that will address the ever-increasing speed…

More than remote witnessing, more than remote data analysis, remote survey techniques are now going to aid the shift to full vessel autonomy.The technology that enables a robot to safely navigate an environment it has no prior knowledge of is called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). “It is the key to autonomy for any aspiring can-do inspection robot.” That’s according to ScoutDI, a participant in the REDHUS project led by DNV which is developing a prototype inspection drone.SLAM is not a specific, copyrighted piece of technology.

BYD-Naval Architects has secured a contract to develop the design for a new electric 27-meter passenger catamaran for Ottawa Boat Cruises as part of their initiative to continue delivering zero emissions tourism to Canada.Robert Taillefer, president of Ottawa Boat Cruises, said, “Ottawa Boat Cruises is a leader in sustainable technology innovation. They built the first certified 100% electrical boat in the world in 2016. Their second electrical boat was built in 2022 and they are now building two new electrical vessels.

ClassNK issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia-fueled gas carrier which has been jointly developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding and Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding.Ammonia is expected to be used as a ship fuel for decarbonization since it does not emit CO2 when combusted. While still in development, some project that it will be the dominate 'alternative fuel' starting in the mid-2030s.In the meantime, adequate safety measures are imperative as it has been pointed out that ammonia is toxic to humans and corrosive to materials.

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

VARD, a subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri, said it has won a contract worth approximately €200 million ($205.3 million) to design and build a new cable laying vessel for Prysmian Group.Scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2025, the new vessel will be similar to Leonardo da Vinci, which was delivered from VARD to Italy-based Prysmian in 2021. Once operational, the new vessel will be dedicated to the execution of important projects such: as Dominion Energy…

Finland-based naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy Foreship has appointed Shaun White as Managing Director of its new UK subsidiary Foreship UK.White heads Foreship UK from offices in Southampton, with the city selected for its significance as a global center for pioneering marine science, research, and technology and as the UK’s acknowledged ‘cruise capital.’ "Shaun joins Foreship UK from Spear Power Systems, where he led on the electrification and energy solutions of the marine business as Senior Project Manager.

Classification society DNV said it awarded an approval in principle (AIP) certificate to Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for its ammonia-fueled 7,000 CEU car carrier design.Ammonia is emerging as a promising alternative fuel option for shipping to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.SDARI's new ammonia-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) design is said to be the first from China. It design contains other clean features such as Shore Power, Battery/Hybrid, and NOx Tier III, to minimize emissions.

German renewable energy industry giant RWE, in partnership with Commercial Rib Charters (CRC), is building "a world-first" amphibious vessel for reaching offshore wind farms in shallow waters."The unique crew transfer vessel has initially been designed to reach turbines at Scroby Sands [wind farm in the UK ], which have become stranded by the natural rising tide of the sandbank on which it is built. The fully seaworthy vessel, which can also drive on land, provides a unique access solution for some of the industry’s first-generation assets affected by very dynamic seabed conditions…

Energy giant Shell is partnering with French engineering firm GTT with the aim to develop "breakthrough, cutting-edge technologies" to enable maritime transport of liquid hydrogen (LH2).The cooperation agreement between Shell International Trading and Shipping Company and GTT is part of Shell's strategy to develop a hydrogen energy supply chain by creating scalable and safe liquefied hydrogen shipping technologies. This includes the development by GTT of a preliminary LH2 carrier…

POSCO, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Lloyd’s Register and the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry have set out to jointly develop liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers to meet the demands of increased global carbon storage and utilization technology.Through their recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), POSCO will develop new steel material and relevant technology for storage tank, which are core technologies for the large size of LCO2 carrier…

Liquefied natural gas shipping firm Golar LNG and the engineering giant Black & Veatch on Thursday said they would expand their long-standing FLNG relationship, and start working on projects involving floating ammonia production, carbon capture, green LNG, and hydrogen.Golar LNG said that the partnership's first area of interest was floating ammonia production with carbon capture and storage - Floating Blue Ammonia. The two companies plan to jointly publish a thought leadership paper on Floating Blue Ammonia by the end of the year.After this, the companies plan to jointly publish their thoughts "as we focus in on the technical and commercial…