Vessel News

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has moved forward towards commercializing an offshore rocket launch and recovery vessel through a partnership agreement with Innovative Space Carrier (ISC) and Tsuneishi Solutions Tokyobay.MOL’s engagement in space-related business focuses on the offshore launch and recovery of rockets. Aiming for commercialization around 2030, its first step will be to develop a recovery vessel, followed by a feasibility study of the commercialization of an offshore launch vessel.By successfully developing and introducing such vessels…

Next Geosolutions Europe S.p.A., a marine geosciences and offshore construction support services company, and the Norwegian shipyard Green Yard Kleven announced a collaboration agreement for the conversion of the vessel named NG EXPLORER. The vessel will be converted to perform high-spec seabed surveys worldwide.The NG EXPLORER is 58 meters long and 14 metres wide, and has got a draft of 4.5 meters, which makes her suitable also for shallow water environments.Originally built in 2010 as an offshore vessel…

A hijack signal sent from a Panama-flagged petroleum products tanker off Iran was a false alarm, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.Ambrey first reported the incident south of the busy Strait of Hormuz shipping lane on Tuesday without naming the "UAE-linked" vessel. It said it took place some 51 nautical miles northwest of the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask.It dubbed the incident a "false hijack distress call" on Wednesday, adding that it "understands that…

The Mexican ship which crashed into New York's Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend did not make distress calls before ramming into the bridge, the head of Mexico's navy said on Tuesday, but rather called for support.Navy chief Raymundo Morales, speaking at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conference, said that the port pilot maneuvering the ship did not have much time to try and stop the ship, as there was a short distance from where it had been docked to the bridge."We cannot speculate at this time whether the port pilot used properly all measures available…

The Coast Guard has identified a recurring safety concern involving fixed gas fire extinguishing systems on vessels. In multiple cases, safety pins were left in the service or maintenance position after system servicing by certified technicians, rendering the system incapable of activating during an emergency.Typically, there are two pins on the activation head of most fixed gas fire extinguishing systems.One is a safety pin, as mentioned above, which prevents inadvertent discharge during transpor tor maintenance and which must be removed for the system to properly function.

The 2025 season for the voluntary NOAA and Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS) programs will begin on May 1 and conclude on December 31. BWBS and NOAA strongly recommend that all vessels 300 gross tons or larger reduce speeds to 10 knots or less in the VSR zones, identical for both programs, during this timeframe. Please reference the included map for the expanded Southern California zone in the new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.The previous 2024 BWBS season was greatly successful with the highest participation and cooperation levels since the inception of the program.

V., ship manager and marine services provider, has been awarded the full technical and crew management of six scrubber-fitted, dual-fuel (LNG) ready LR1 vessels by International Seaways, Inc. V., has been awarded the full technical and crew management of six LR1 vessels. Credit: V.The contract further strengthens V.'s partnership with INSW in which V.Ships UK manages 44 vessels in the INSW fleet, spanning VLCCs, Suezmax, Aframax, Panamax (LR1) and MR vessels.The six LR1 vessels, currently under construction at K Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

A dispute between state-run oil company Petrobras and steelmaker Gerdau will delay the first dismantling of an oil production vessel in Brazil by at least a year, people familiar with the matter said, in a setback for local shipyards.The operation had been hailed as a chance to reinvent Brazil's struggling shipbuilders as industrial recyclers, generating jobs as Petrobras plans to spend $9.9 billion in the next five years to retire another 10 ships of the same kind.The 45,000 ton production…

China's coast guard said on Thursday it had allowed a Philippine civilian vessel to deliver provisions to a warship "illegally grounded" at the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.The coast guard questioned and monitored the Philippine vessel throughout its supply mission, it said in a statement, urging the Philippines to work with China to manage the maritime situation.The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.China and the Philippines have traded barbs for months over manoeuvres at Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll within Mani

BRIX Marine launched a Bridge Cat 49 (4519- DCT), built for Bridgemans Services Group. The personnel transfer vessel, Bridge Cat 49 (BC49), accommodates up to 45 passengers plus three crew and is built to meet Transport Canada passenger vessel requirements for use in British Columbia, Canada.The BC49 is constructed with a 45-foot aluminum hull and an 18.5-ft. beam, powered by twin Cummins QSL9 405HP diesel inboard engines paired with ZF marine transmissions for smooth operation. The vessel has a 500-gallon fuel capacity and a lightship weight of approximately 43,000 lbs.

UK-based offshore vessel owner North Star this week held a naming ceremony for the Grampian Tyne service operation vessel (SOV) which will be deployed at work at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK.The vessel was named at a ceremony at Equinor’s Port of Tyne base in the North East of England (UK), ahead of its early handover to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.The traditional good luck celebration, involving the customary champagne bottle being smashed against the hull of the ship…

Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam has launched a design for a new offshore wind foundation installation vessel (FIV), called VERticale, in response to ever-growing wind turbines needing larger foundations."VERticale is developed for an optimized deck layout,"  says Kuno van den Berg, Department Manager Operational Engineering at Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam. ©Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam"The location of the offshore crane, motion compensated gripper, and position of monopiles are all fine-tuned for efficiency.

Offshore crew transfer company Windcat said Tuesday it had ordered two hydrogen-powered Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (“CSOVs”) from the Dutch company Damen Shipyards, with options for further vessels.The “Elevation Series” CSOVs have been designed by Damen Shipyards in cooperation with Windcat and CMB.TECH. The hydrogen-powered vessels will be 87 m long, 20 m wide, can accommodate 120 people on board. The first delivery is expected in 2025. Financial details were not disclosed.The CSOVs will be built at Ha Long Shipyard…

Australian offshore support vessel operator MMA Offshore has completed a subsea conversion program on the MMA Crystal vessel to support the Taiwanese offshore wind market.The new additions to the vessel feature subsea equipment including a work-class ROV, a 50Te A-frame, and a survey and positioning system.Following the conversion, the 70.5 meters long MMA Crystal is set to begin its journey to Taiwan where she will be engaged in supporting the offshore wind market.The offshore…

Offshore seismic data and services trio TGS, PGS, and Schlumberger's WesternGeco, have secured pre-funding for a 6,400 square kilometer multi-client 3D survey starting in October in the Sarawak Basin, offshore Malaysia.The survey is the first phase of a multi-year contract awarded by the Malaysian national oil firm Petronas in 2020 through competitive bidding to acquire and process up to 105,000 square kilometers of multi-client 3D data over a 5-year period in the Basin. The first…

Turkey's navy has issued an advisory late Sunday saying that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next ten days, a step likely to revive tensions with NATO ally Greece.Two other vessels, the Ataman and Cengiz Han along with Oruc Reis exploration ship will continue works in an area including the south of Greek island of Kastellorizo until Oct. 22, the maritime notice said.The two countries are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region.

As BBC Amethyst anchored in Porto do Açu, Brazil, she becomes the first vessel to make the big crossing from Antwerp to the Brazilian sea port."Quite an achievement for Port of Antwerp International and the local partners who invested in the Brazilian port, thereby promoting trade with Antwerp. Brazil, the biggest economy of Latin America and number 7 in the world, is a key trading partner for the Port of Antwerp," said a press release from the Europe’s second-largest seaport.A Siemens gas turbine, an essential component of the new thermoelectric power plant of GNA - Gás Natural Açu Ltda, which is a joint venture among Prumo (parent holding company Porto do Açu)…

Høglund, a global marine automation and system integration expert, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Yxney Maritime to launch an integrated vessel performance monitoring solution.The plug-and-play system will give ship owners and managers access to real-time fuel consumption data and analytics, allowing for better decision making and improved ship and fleet fuel efficiencies.Under the agreement, Høglund Marine Automation’s Ship Performance Monitor (SPM), which collects and stores accurate fuel consumption data for an individual vessel or entire fleet…