Technology

Soil command

Soil command

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 […]

Going down in style

Going down in style

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, […]

Gone fission

Gone fission

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 […]

It’s all connected

It’s all connected

Faced with enormous efficiency and compliance challenges, the shipping industry is increasingly turning to digital tools and services to help balance the complex needs for performance monitoring, meeting regulatory requirements and commercial agility. The capability of traditional satellite networks to meet these demands is being tested, leading to the emergence of hybrid networks that combine […]

ClassNK ups support for zero-emission transition

ClassNK ups support for zero-emission transition

In light of the acceleration in initiatives toward zero-emission shipping, Japanese classification society ClassNK has been stepping up its services to help customers involved in the maritime transportation business manage their reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG). Restructures in the organisation have seen the establishment of a Zero-Emission Transition Center and Marine GHG Certification Department, and […]

Atlantic independence

Atlantic independence

On 14 March this year, the Caribbean island of Martinique received an unusual visitor. Arriving on the beach in Le Lorrain was an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), which had made its own way across the Atlantic from Spain, fuelled purely by solar power – a journey spanning some 4,300nm. What’s more impressive is that the 4m USV, […]

Compact snaps

Compact snaps

  Australian robotics specialist Advanced Navigation is preparing to roll out its Hydrus submersible drone in Q4 this year. The Hydrus has been designed as a simple-to-use, compact tool for undersea research, survey and exploration, weighing 6.7kg and measuring 470mm x 260mm x 260mm, making it possible for a single user to launch it by hand.   […]

Getting to grips with IMO’s cyber resolution

Getting to grips with IMO’s cyber resolution

With the introduction of MSC.428(98), Maritime Cyber Risk Management in Safety Management Systems at the start of 2021, IMO mandated that member states should take into account cyber protection and safeguards for every vessel over 500 gt, consistent with the requirements of the ISM Code and reflective of the reality that most modern ships are, […]