Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract for the sale of six sets of controllable pitch propellers to Hyundai Heavy Industries. The propellers will be installed on six new 94-metre offshore patrol vessels for the Philippine Navy. Each propulsion set will consist of twin Kongsberg Kamewa controllable pitch propeller 86 A/5 D-B systems, as well as […]
In early April 2023, UK Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk attended the ceremony to officially begin construction on the future HMS Birmingham at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Glasgow. The steel cutting, marking the official start of build on the fourth of eight Type 26 frigates, was carried out by apprentice burner, Ciaran Baillie, […]
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) held a launching ceremony in April 2023 for the Korean Navy’s first ‘3,600-ton class’ frigate, Chungnam. The ceremony took place at the company’s Ulsan headquarters. Chungnam is the first ship of six Ulsan-class Batch-III frigates. The vessel is 129m long with a breadth of 15m. It is equipped with a multi-function […]
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) has confirmed that its subsidiary ST Engineering Marine Ltd has been awarded a contract by the Singapore Ministry of Defence for the detailed design and construction of six Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCVs) for the Republic of Singapore Navy. ST Engineering will be responsible for the procurement and integration of […]
Huntingdon Ingalls Shipbuilding (HHI) has confirmed that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a US$1.3 billion modification to a previously awarded contract from the US Navy for detailed design and construction of amphibious transport dock LPD 32. The resulting fixed-price-incentive contract totals US$1.54 billion. The ship will be the 16th in the San Antonio-class and the third […]
On 29 March 2023, the first of the 12 mine countermeasure vessels in the Belgian-Dutch Robotic mine countermeasure (rMCM) programme, M940 Oostende, which is intended for the Belgian Navy, was floated out in Concarneau. The launching ceremony took place in the presence of Ludivine Dedonder, Belgian Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, Dutch Minister of Defence, and […]
By David Foxwell Two analyses of unrelated recent events could suggest a great deal about the way naval technology is evolving, and about how it is evolving a country that presents a potential threat to regional and Western forces. In the first, Ukraine used uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to inflict […]
Uncertainty surrounds the start of construction and a delivery date for the US Coast Guard’s flagship Polar Security Cutter A delivery date for the first of the US Navy’s trio of Polar Security Cutters (PSC) remains unclear following testimony given to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation in April […]
The governments of Australia, the UK and US have set out a staged plan to deliver to the Royal Australian Navy a new fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) under the framework of the tripartite AUKUS alliance. Announced on 13 March 2023, the so-called Optimised Pathway outlines a phased approach to the acquisition and […]
Ongoing efforts to improve safety on US Navy ships whilst they are undergoing maintenance should be enhanced, Government Accountability Office (GAO) says. The US Navy reported more than US$4 billion in estimated damage from fires that occurred onboard ships undergoing maintenance from May 2008 through December 2022, but it does not have a process for […]
A contract to build the first ship is due to be awarded in early 2024, but cost-to-complete funding is required for the first of class The cost of the US Navy’s T-AGOS 25-class ocean surveillance ships has soared as a result of rising shipbuilding costs, including direct material inflation, supply chain challenges, and increased non-recurring […]
Croatia’s Iskra Shipyard has completed construction of SAR 1, the first of six new ‘unsinkable’, high-speed search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation boats ordered for Croatia’s Emergency Maritime Medical Service (EMMS). The order stems back to Q4 2021, when the country’s Ministry of Health signed a HKR76.4 million (US$11.3 million) contract for the six […]