The global expedition cruise fleet continues to grow at a brisk pace and at the high end of the market the cruise yachts that some hotel groups are introducing mark further diversification of the cruise industry. The switch to clean fuels poses challenges for both, but these are felt more in the expedition segment. Both […]
German startup has disruptive ambitions for cloud-based 3D ship design platform As a notoriously conservative industry it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that ship design and construction wasn’t exactly among the pacesetters when it comes to cloud-based collaboration. However, a German startup company is hoping it can seize the advantage where other […]
British-led Team Resolute, comprising BMT, Harland & Wolff and Navantia UK, has been appointed as the preferred bidder to deliver three support ships to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The £1.6 billion (US$1.9 billion) contract to build the vessels providing munitions, stores and provisions to the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates deployed at […]
In October 2022, Austal Australia took possession of a decommissioned Armidale-class patrol boat, the former HMAS Maitland, from the Commonwealth of Australia, to commence planning, modification, and test and evaluation of autonomous and remotely operated systems. The Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT) is a collaboration between Austal, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre […]
BAE Systems Naval Ships has provided Warship Technology with an insight into concept development activity intended to establish the key characteristics and attributes required for a future highly configurable, multi-mission warship optimised for littoral strike and lethality. Known as the Adaptable Strike Frigate, the concept has been evolved to deliver a flexible ‘system of systems’ […]
Unmanned surface and above-water units are changing the nature of naval classification. Novel technologies in the naval defence space, from uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to advanced offshore patrol vessels (OPV), are changing the game for classification societies, and require a more sophisticated approach to risk assessment and validation than ever, as Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) naval […]
New digital technologies, supported by developments in connectivity and the ability to transfer data in greater volumes between ship and shore, promise significant gains for ship and fleet performance. However, the deepening of onboard and onshore interconnectedness and the mixing of shipboard IT and operational technology (OT) systems also opens up new avenues for security […]
Facing increasing pressure to reduce opex as much as is safely possible, offshore operators are warming to drone technology as a support tool for complex, dangerous and time-consuming tasks. While most AUVs are deployed in the oil and gas segment, where they are commonly used for seabed and pipeline inspections, demand for these bots is […]
Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) will be a fuel option for the recently launched Fugro Quest, a hybrid-ready geotechnical vessel developed for deepwater operations. The 86.2m x 19.7m ship is intended for surveys of potential offshore sites, with a special focus on soil sampling and analysis. The ship commences work this month at the site of […]
Submarine tenders are one way to wow your guests, but how about inviting them aboard an actual submersible yacht? The 37.5m Nautilus concept, unveiled by Dutch builder U-Boat Worx at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, aims to finally realise a vessel inspired by Jules Verne’s 1870 sci-fi/adventure novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea – namely, […]
What a difference a year can make. In Ship & Boat International January/February 2022 (pages 28-30), we looked at nuclear power and its potentially game-changing contribution to clean marine propulsion. Back then, we wrote: “It would be unwise to write off nuclear power, given the uphill struggle the industry faces in meeting IMO’s emissions targets […]
The GCE Blue Maritime cluster comprises more than 100 Norwegian ship designers, yards and OEMs. Recently, it has set out a new strategy of fully decarbonising, and becoming “the world’s full scale net-zero maritime cluster,” explains Daniel Garden, CEO of GCE Blue Maritime. “Throughout the pandemic, we made up a new strategy called the new […]