United Kingdom (UK) News

Maritime UK has launched Version 7 of the Industry Code of Practice for Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems. The accelerating pace of change in maritime autonomy has required updated guidance for those owning and operating Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems (MASS). Whilst not a legal text, the Code has been used by manufacturers, service providers, and others as part of their day-to-day work. Many manufacturers have reported clients requiring compliance with the Code as a basis for contractual negot...

The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF), whose founding members include ABS, DNV, Lloyd’s Register, ClassNK, Japan’s Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and the U.K.’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, welcomed the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) as an associate member, further strengthening MTF’s collaborative approach to advancing safety and sustainability in the maritime industry. Globa...

ABS is working with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), a globally renowned offshore support vessel (OSV) operator with nearly 300 vessels, on its decarbonisation journey with greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services. ABS specialists have been working with the ECO team since 2022 providing a gap analysis for the ECO Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Framework. This led to a full sustainability reporting project i...

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Commission (EC) have announced a second phase of the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres Network (GMN) project, to upscale the work of the five regional centres, with a particular emphasis on pilot demonstrations aimed at achieving quantifiable reductions in GHG emissions. IMO Secretary-General - Kitack Lim and representatives of the European Commission (EC) formalized the agreement at IMO Headquarters (on 29 November), d...

The first three (3) ships in the series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts under construction in Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for Indian Navy were launched at CSL’s Kochi Yard. After the ceremonial pooja, the first vessel was launched by Smt Anjali Bahl - the second vessel was launched by Smt Kangana Berry, and the third vessel by Smt Zarine Lord Singh. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts The launching of the three (3) vessels was carried out in the presence o...

NorthStandard’s Strike & Delay class has introduced Weather Cover into its suite of risks, providing shipowners and charterers with the first-ever marine insurance protection to mitigate the threat posed to ships solely by adverse weather conditions. The global marine insurer has responded to market needs with a groundbreaking marine insurance product that offers up to eight days of cover against the risks of a ship being delayed in or outside a port due to bad weather, as part of its...

ClassNK has released "Guidelines for Cyber Resilience of on-board systems and equipment". The guidelines expound new IACS Unified Requirements (UR). For supporting the consideration of measures to ensure the cybersecurity of ships. Cyber resilience IACS has established UR E26 for ships and UR E27 for onboard systems and equipment as minimum requirements for cyber resilience, which is the capability to reduce the occurrence and mitigate the effects of cyber incidents due to cyber-attacks. The...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the Cargo Handling Systems (CHS) for four new medium gas carrier vessels, expected to primarily carry ammonia. The 45,000 m3 capacity ships are under construction at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) yard in Korea for UK and Singapore-based Purus. The order was placed by HMD and booked by Wärtsilä in Q4 2023. HMD is a key customer of Wärtsilä in the region’s medium gas carrier market, and the two companies have co...

ClassNK has released "Guidelines for cyber resilience of on-board systems and equipment". The guidelines expound new IACS Unified Requirements (UR). For supporting the consideration of measures to ensure the cybersecurity of ships. IACS has established UR E26 for ships and UR E27 for on-board systems and equipment as minimum requirements for cyber resilience, which is the capability to reduce the occurrence and mitigate the effects of cyber incidents due to cyber-attacks. The URs will be applie...

Cleantech start-up, CAPHENIA, has commissioned MAN Energy Solutions to build a Plasma Boudouard Reactor (PBR). This will form the core of CAPHENIA's first production plant, ‘GERMANY I’, located at Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt am Main, Germany where the company will produce its first renewable fuels in 2024. Renewable fuel production The CAPHENIA technology utilises biomethane, CO2, water, and sustainably-generated electricity to produce synthesis gas as a feedst...

The Port of València is already the first port in the world to use a ReachStacker or stacker capable of moving containers of more than 30 tonnes using hydrogen as the only fuel.  The European H2PORTS project, led by the Fundación Valenciaport, has organised this morning a public demonstration of the three pilots developed within the framework of this project, the ReachStacker (container stacker) and the 4×4 tractor unit propelled by hydrogen and the mobile supply statio...

Berg Propulsion has been selected to provide state-of-the-art control and propulsion technology for what will be one of the largest hybrid tugs ever delivered, after owner - Buksér og Berging AS (BuBe) agreed specifications with Türkiye’s Uzmar Shipyard for its latest newbuild. The project will showcase Berg’s roles as an integrator of electric propulsion technology and a supplier of high performance propulsion equipment. Berg offers full electrical power and control pa...

Ahlsell Danmark ApS has entered into an agreement to acquire all shares in Bacher Work Wear A/S, one of Denmark’s largest independent suppliers of workwear, profile clothing and uniforms. The company was founded in 1897 and has customers in all industries, in the public as well as the private sectors. The company has 75 employees and the turnover in 2022 amounted to approximately DKK 175 million. The head office is located in Copenhagen, while the central warehouse with administration, lo...

Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide its Fleet Electrification and Systems Integrator Services for a project to build the first zero-emission high speed ferries in the USA. The fully electric vessels will be built for San Francisco’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), the operator of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system. The project, and several others Wärtsilä will work on under this partnership, are a part of t...

Andrew Mueller has joined Crowley as vice president of government relations where he will be pioneering the company’s activities at the federal level with members of Congress and the Administration. His leadership will strengthen the company’s advocacy for laws, policies, and regulations that support the comprehensive array of Crowley’s business strategy and growth. Mueller's experience Mueller joins Crowley with more than 20 years of in-depth experience in federal a...

Babcock has been awarded two further contracts for work on the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarine worth a combined £120 million. This includes a 4.5-year £66 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide input into the development of the support solution for the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarines.  Knowledge and insights The new Class of submarine will replace the Vanguard Class in the early 2030s to maintain the Continuous At Sea Deterrent...

MAN Energy Solutions has announced that a dual-fuel version of its MAN 175D high-speed engine, capable of operating on methanol, will be available by the end of 2026. The new variant, designated MAN 175DF-M will be available both as newbuild and retrofit variants. MAN Energy Solutions states that the 175DF-M will be optimised for diesel-mechanical and diesel-electric propulsion to achieve the largest methanol share and best efficiency for various applications and load profiles. MAN 175D engine...

As the world moves to a more sustainable future, the need for lower carbon alternative fuels is required to lower GHG emissions. The offshore wind sector is looking to improve their green footprint by supplying vessels that are powered by greener fuel sources such as, batteries, ammonia, methanol and hydrogen. One such revolutionary project dubbed Project Verdant, supported by the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK and led by Orkney-based Green Marine, is aiming to retrofit a CT...

STC South Africa (STC Group), in collaboration with VSTEP, is launching a maritime simulation training centre in Cape Town, South Africa, in the first quarter of 2024. VSTEP takes great pride in providing STC South Africa with their state-of-the-art simulator, NAUTIS, to assist in provision of cost-effective training solutions across the African continent. Background Story STC SA is proud to partner up with VSTEP to enable learning by simulation on a larger scale in South Africa STC SA is pr...

Almost a thousand children from the Port of València have started their classes with the help of Aportem- Puerto Solidario València. As every year, these last few months have been particularly intense for the association. The campaign for the start of the school year for the children of the Maritime District has meant a total mobilisation of human and economic resources within this association for the promotion of Social Responsibility. Difficulty accessing clothing The campaig...

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, Japan, has held a christening and handover ceremony for a demonstration test ship to transport liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2). The ship will be used for the ‘CCUS R&D and Demonstration Related Project / Large-scale CCUS Demonstration in Tomakomai / Demonstration Project on CO2 Transportation’ (the demonstration projects) being conducted by Japan’s New Energy and Industr...

ABB has secured an order with Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company Navantia to supply the Spanish Navy’s forthcoming submarine rescue vessel, Poseidon, with high-performance, DC-based power and distribution. Following the delivery scheduled for 2026, the vessel will be the first of its kind equipped with this system. The ship will be responsible for executing and supporting submarine missions, including diving operations, intervention and rescue in accidents and shipwrecks and underw...

Raymarine is disrupting the commercial marine market with a cost-effective and easy-to-install, IMO-compliant solid-state X-band radar system – the Pathfinder Radar. Built on the brand’s proven and award-winning solid-state radar technology, Pathfinder is designed for CAT 2 and CAT 3 SOLAS vessels. Solid-state technology Available in CAT2 and CAT3 configurations, this revolutionary radar system is ideal for vessels up to 10,000 tons, including superyachts, megayachts, and OSV/deep...

Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters (HEMEXPO) has appointed a new Board of Directors following the association’s General Assembly Meeting on Tuesday 21 November 2023. Vice-President of HEMEXPO After completing the bi-annual election process, Mr. Konstantinos Fanouriadis, CEO of FARAD S.A., Mr. Athanasios Athanasopoulos, CEO of UTECO ABEE, and Mr. Ilias Mallios, Export Manager of SeaBright S.A. were re-appointed to the board, joined by Mr. Stefanos Chartomantzidis, Chief...

Tokyo-based ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a Blue Visby Solution developed by Blue Visby Services Ltd. The company describes Blue Visby Solution as a multilateral platform for reducing shipping GHG emissions by 15% by eradicating the practice of ‘Sail Fast, then Wait (SFTW)’ by overcoming the obstacles of implementing ‘Just-in-Time’ berthing. Collaborative technological and contractual platform It consists of a collaborat...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply its EnergoFlow and EnergoProFin solutions for ten Bird Class oil and chemical tankers owned by Hafnia – the Singapore head-quartered global tanker operator. The combination of the two Wärtsilä systems ensures an optimised waterflow over and after the propeller, thereby improving propulsion efficiency considerably. Wärtsilä booked the order in October 2023. EnergoFlow, EnergoProFin EnergoFlow is an innovat...

Babcock has been awarded a new contract to provide in-service support to airfield ground support equipment throughout France’s mainland and overseas military bases. The seven-year contract, awarded by the French Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Aeronautical Maintenance (DMAé), comprises the management and maintenance of a fleet of more than 2,500 pieces of equipment that are critical to airfield operations, and the provision of 1200 spare parts. The contract covers equipm...

Thordon Bearings’ ThorPlas-Blue grease-free bearings won the annual IBJ Environment Protection (Marine) Award 2023 during a gala dinner last night hosted by British comedian Hugh Dennis and International Bulk Journal publisher Ray Girvan. Thordon Bearings was also nominated in the Innovative Technology Award category for the same product. Designed and developed by Thordon, the polymer deck equipment bearings not only eliminate the risk of pollution from greasing systems, but also offer...

Earlier this week, BluGreens, a sustainable seaweed and harvesting small enterprise, successfully installed seaweed on marine assets within Cattewater Harbour. This pilot study, the first of its kind for the Cattewater, aims to examine how marine assets can be repurposed to provide a new farming solution for seaweed whilst also providing additional functionality during the winter months of, potentially dormant, assets such as mooring chains etc. Providing additional functionality Seaweed is...

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment, a global pioneer in maritime safety solutions, is launching an innovative range of lifeboats and davits which set new standards for compact and lightweight lifeboat-based evacuation solutions. By challenging traditional lifeboat design, the 40- and 52-person VIKING Norsafe Totally Enclosed Lifeboats (TELB) respond to a rising tide of industry demand for space- and weight-saving boats for typical crew capacities. ‘VNJY’ range of lifeboats Major shipbui...