A nine-partner Japanese consortium has commenced work on a 30MW+ floating wind farm, situated approximately 25km off the coast of Akita Prefecture. The consortium, working under the banner of ‘The Southern Akita Floating Offshore Demonstration Project Aimed at Overseas Expansion via Cost Reductions’, will install two floating wind turbines, each rated more than 15MW, in […]
Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) developer Forum Energy Technologies (FET) reports that its subsea division has been contracted to supply an ROV to the Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) unit of the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD). The vehicle is scheduled for delivery to SALMO in 2025, and accompanying sea trials are planned in UK waters. […]
As Svitzer CEO Kasper Nilaus underlines, there is no “one-size-fits-all solution” to meet the company’s decarbonisation targets: the way forward must lie in tailored design, writes Stevie Knight. That’s certainly true of Gothenburg’s new battery-methanol tug, as it has to meet both the port’s and the operator’s agendas. And, it seems, a changing remit. Slated […]
The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is trialling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a fossil-free marine fuel for two of the country’s Royal Research Ships (RRS): the 89.2m James Cook and the 52m Discovery. The trial is being funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which owns both vessels, to […]
Introduced in 2016, the Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset (followed by the 2019-launched HoloLens 2) has made it possible to interact with digital content in 3D environments, overlaying virtual objects onto the ‘real world’ for enhanced end user experiences. As such, the HoloLens platform has been utilised by sectors ranging from industrial to healthcare for training, […]
A £1.4 million UK project is currently trialling the use of new artificial intelligence (AI) control systems for autonomous underwater robots, dedicated to offshore wind farm repairs and maintenance. The project, dubbed Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies (UNITE), is an Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Prosperity Partnership programme, led by Heriot-Watt University, […]
The City of Kiel Fire Department, Germany has taken delivery of a firefighting and rescue boat with a twist: the newly built Rescue 1500-class vessel comes equipped with a hybrid waterjet propulsion system. Constructed by Finnish shipyard Kewatec, and christened Dat Füürschipp, the 16m x 4.8m boat has been developed for firefighting, disaster response, civil […]
Austal Australia has entered into a strategic commercial partnership with Greenroom Robotics, in which Greenroom will develop new services and technologies for Austal-designed and built patrol boats, with the goal of enabling remote and autonomous operations – thus reducing crewing levels and lowering the risk of harm to human personnel, especially when conducting missions in […]
The 4,200km River Niger was the backdrop for the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA’s) 11th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry. Having previously encouraged student naval architects, designers and engineers to devise workable, safe and affordable ferry solutions for waterways including the Amazon, the Brahmaputra, the Pasig River, the Chao Phraya […]
Is nuclear energy shedding its unfairly earned reputation as a dirty, dangerous alt-fuel? Perhaps the maritime industry, mainstream media and public are still not completely sold on the concept –but, compared to when we covered the topic two years ago (see Ship & Boat International January/February 2022, pages 28-30), attitudes appear to be softening. The […]
Methanol has several known benefits as a marine fuel, including the significant reduction in NOx, SOx and particulate matter emissions when burned, compared to traditional HFO/MGO. Producers can also create ‘green’ methanol through renewable sources and ‘blue’ methanol through carbon capture and storage. However, methanol has a lower energy density relative to conventional marine fuel […]
Washingtonian boatbuilder All American Marine (AAM) has been contracted to build a research catamaran for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Jointly developed in partnership with New Zealand’s Teknicraft Design, the 22m x 8m aluminium vessel will be used to conduct scientific missions, including oceanographic surveys and marine mammal monitoring, and to offer educational […]