Navigation, communication and electronics News

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...

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...

At Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG’s (HHLA) Container Terminal - Altenwerder in Hamburg, the AGV fleet is now fully battery-powered. With this step, HHLA has continued its efforts to gradually replace the last vehicles running on fossil fuels with battery-powered alternatives. In the fourth quarter of 2023, CTA decommissioned the last diesel-powered container transporter (automated guided vehicle – AGV). From now on, the new AGV fleet consists of 95 battery-powered vehicles that run...

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...

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...

DNV-classed rig, Transocean Norge, has become the first semisubmersible rig to be awarded DNV’s Abate (Power+) notation following significant upgrades designed to lower its greenhouse gas emissions during operation. The Abate (Power+) notation is designed to reflect the best industry practices in greenhouse gas abatement for offshore units. Enhancing sustainability While the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulates carbon intensity for sea vessels, offshore installations do n...

Babcock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hanwha Aerospace to offer enhanced capabilities across land, air and sea domains, by bringing together the companies’ combined skills through a collaborative range of products, services and integrated solutions. Under the agreement, which was signed during the President of Korea’s recent visit to the United Kingdom (UK), the companies will work together to pursue global business development opportunities, with an initial fo...

Regional cluster organisation, Mersey Maritime is pleased to announce the appointment of Marketing and Events Apprentice, Phoebe Martin-Jackson. Phoebe brings her creativity and enthusiasm to Mersey Maritime, contributing to the organisation’s commitment to nurturing talent and embracing the digital evolution within the sector. Mersey Maritime hires new Marketing and Events Apprentice As part of Phoebe's apprenticeship, she will be completing her Level 3 and Level 4 Digital Marketing Di...

Oceania Cruises, the world’s renowned culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, announced that its 1,250-passenger ship, Marina, will undergo an all-encompassing refurbishment in May 2024. The refurbishment will include the addition of three new dining options: Aquamar Kitchen, the new wellness-focused dining venue, which debuted on Vista this year; an expanded poolside ice cream parlour serving milkshakes and smoothies, plus inventive flavours from artisan ice cream company - Humphr...

Malta Inc., a pioneer in long duration energy storage (LDES), announces that its German subsidiary was awarded a grant to support a €9-million effort to accelerate the German energy transition. Malta Hochtemperatur Wärmepumpen Stromspeicher GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Alfa Laval, and Siemens Energy were awarded funding by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) to support Germany’s efforts to achieve Paris Ag...

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India, has ordered 2 × 2 × MAN 12V175D-MEV variable-speed GenSets in connection with the building of two short-sea feeder container ships for global logistics company, Samskip Group, headquartered in Rotterdam. Known as the SeaShuttle project, the vessels will be among the first of their kind globally to be powered by individual 3.2 MW hydrogen fuel-cell-based energy systems. The MAN GenSets will act as...

The completion of the pilot Single Window for Facilitation of Trade (SWiFT) project has been marked with a ceremony to hand over a newly developed generic Maritime Single Window (MSW) platform to the Port of Lobito in Angola. Maritime Single Window platform The new Maritime Single Window digital system allows the electronic submission, through a single online portal, of all information required by various agencies to ensure efficient clearance of ships during port calls.  The handover ce...

Global automation technology pioneer Emerson has made a strategic investment in Frugal Technologies, which will use Emerson's global organisation to accelerate sales of its fuel-saving AI technology for ships. With a control system based on artificial intelligence (AI), Frugal Technologies (Aalborg, Denmark) has helped shipping companies such as Uni-Tankers, Christiania Shipping, and Royal Arctic Line to reduce fuel consumption on their ships by up to 15%. Strategic investment Frugal Technolo...

International law firm CJC has appointed Charlotte Ward to the role of Head of Marketing. Based in London, Charlotte will lead the firm's marketing, communications, and events functions. She joins the company with more than 13 years of marketing experience in the maritime and shipping industry, having held senior marketing roles with the Bahamas Maritime Authority, Braemar Shipping Services plc, and the BMT Group. Responsibilities Charlotte will be responsible for elevating the firm's brand p...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a Cyclone Type Microplastic Collection Device “HQ-100/HQ100B” developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and MIURA CO., LTD. (MIURA). HQ-100/HQ-100B The companies describe that Cyclone Type Microplastic Collection Device “HQ-100/HQ-100B” efficiently collects microplastics (MPs) without blocking the vessel’s piping, by centrifugally separating MPs in seawater with a cyclone separat...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply its latest simulator technology for a new maritime training centre in Finland. The order has been placed by the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) and the Joint Authority of Education of Kotka-Hamina Region (Ekami). It was booked by Wärtsilä in November 2023. The simulator will be installed in Xamk's new campus in Kotka, Finland, where also part of Ekami´s maritime training will take place in the...

Satellite communications and technologies specialist - Tototheo Maritime has passed the 1,000-ship mark in Fleet Xpress terminal installations, in a significant milestone for its collaboration with Inmarsat that reinforces the appeal of high-speed maritime broadband services.   Tototheo has worked closely with Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, for over 30 years and has played a key role in supporting commercial shipping’s uptake of the Fleet Xpress service since its launch...

MAN Energy Solutions has announced that it is developing an oxidation catalyst for four-stroke engines that will significantly reduce methane slip. Called ‘IMOKAT II’ and developed at MAN Energy Solutions’ headquarters in Augsburg, Germany, the research project is currently undergoing testing at the company’s Frederikshavn, Denmark facility. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action, the new project will investigate the operational experience...