In the first in a regular series, RINA historian Mark Barton looks at some of the figures who helped shape naval architecture Up until the Napoleonic era shipbuilding remained a conservative affair; those responsible for ship design would usually begin life as shipwright apprentices, and learn their craft from their masters and hope to rise […]
The ‘polluter pays’ principle is starting to hit shipowners where it hurts – in the pocket – when it comes to ballast water pollution of our oceans. Ships plying US waters have recently been slapped with heavy penalties and this can be the shape of things to come for shipping with wider regulatory enforcement to […]
The sinking of the Titanic was a tragedy that shook the world. The widespread outrage over the disaster led to sweeping changes on the requirements of lifeboats on board a vessel and the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) which still governs maritime safety today. It […]
Andorra-headquartered AYK Marine batteries is emerging as one of the prime disruptors in the marine battery industry thanks to innovation in design, safety and driving down production costs. AYK, established by marine battery pioneer and electrical engineer Chris Kruger in 2018, is seeing a surge in demand since opening a new state-of-the-art automated manufacturing plant in […]
The UK shipbuilding industry has been experiencing a resurgence lately. This is driven by ambitious developments at iconic shipyards such as Harland & Wolff and the cutting-edge innovations spearheaded by BAE Systems. These key players are reshaping the industry and contributing to the nation’s maritime prowess in an era of global challenges and opportunities. Nestled […]
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) has published the methodology for its life cycle assessment (LCA) for calculating the GHG intensity of maritime fuels, in what it hopes will be a turning point in arriving at a standardised approach. Although by no means a problem that’s unique to shipping, it’s generally […]
By Mark Barton, RINA Historian For towns it is rare we know the exact day they came into being but that is the case for Devonport, the Royal Navy’s main home in the South West. By Royal Decree the town came into being on the 1st January 1824. This marked a step in the development […]
By Mark Barton, RINA historian In the maritime industry, we’re used to large elements of infrastructure being constructed to support dockyards, and regular disruptions to the global supply chain regularly highlight the importance of assuring that infrastructure remains resilient. 2023 marked the bicentenary of a project that was designed to do both of those but […]
Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft will build two new Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) for J.P. Morgan under the terms of a deal announced on 5th January. The CSOVs, which will be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system and methanol ready. They will be built to an adaptation of the Ulstein SX222 design platform, utilizing Ulstein’s […]
Damen Naval and its partner NVL Group have commenced construction of the German Navy’s first F126 frigate. A steel cutting ceremony for the first F126 frigate took place on 5 December 2023 at NVL Group’s Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast. Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany Siemtje Möller said, “With the […]
Construction of the first of four Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes has started at Rauma shipyard (Rauma Marine Construction, RMC), a major project for the Finnish Navy that has been significantly delayed. A contract was awarded to RMC to build the corvettes in 2019, but in late 2021 the yard announced that it would need up to […]
Trials of the largest uncrewed aircraft ever launched from a UK Royal Navy aircraft carrier could pave the way for the next generation of UK naval air power. The specially modified aircraft – operated remotely by a ‘pilot’ at a computer terminal, codenamed ‘Mojave’ – took off and landed safely on HMS Prince of Wales […]