UK boatbuilder Diverse Marine has been contracted to build the initial run in a series of robotic vessels, monikered the Hydronaut class, for Houston-based Nauticus Robotics (formerly Houston Mechatronics). In order to comply with the terms of the US’ protectionist Jones Act, some of the 18m vessels will be constructed by Diverse Marine’s partner yards […]
Over the past 75 years on Ship & Boat International, we’ve profiled more than a few innovative and off-the-wall yacht concepts, ranging from superyachts based on the aircraft from TV show Thunderbirds to floating tennis courts (see the March/April 2022 issue, page 54, for an example of the latter). However, a yacht design based literally […]
Poorly designed enclosed spaces are proving to be actual death traps for seafarers and port stevedores alike – and, depressingly, these fatalities are dangerously close to becoming accepted as an ‘inevitable’ part of maritime and offshore operations. The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has calculated that, since January 2018, 12 seafarers and 16 dockers have […]
Love it or loathe it, cryptocurrency is making steady inroads into the superyacht and megayacht segments. Since the beginning of the year, there’s been a notable increase in the number of brokers, and now boatbuilders, willing to take crypto payments for services and new orders. As one example, brokerage SuperYachtsMonaco recently represented the buyer of […]
(image: Southern Ocean Laboratory) China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has launched what may be the world’s first remotely operated drone carrier. Zhu Hai Yun will function primarily as a research vessel, specialising in oceanography, but will also have the capacity for naval operations in the South China Sea. The vessel was ordered by the […]
Ship & Boat International eNews: July August 2022 Work has commenced on this year’s edition of Significant Small Ships, profiling newbuilds sized between 5-100m and officially delivered in 2022 (with the exception of prototype models). Significant Small Ships of 2022 welcomes any submissions from naval architects, boatbuilders and designers. We cover all vessel types, including RIBs, patrol / […]
June sees the launch of a new partnership between UK boatbuilders RS Electric Boats and Cheetah Marine, who will collaborate on the development of two new series of electric craft, comprising workboats and adventure catamarans. In a statement issued in late May, the British companies announced their intention to identify synergies between Cheetah Marine’s […]
(images: Simon McDonnell) Since 1967, South Africa’s volunteer-run National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has been saving lives in both its coastal and inland waters, operating from base stations along the SA coastline and on inland dams, 24/7. In addition to this superb work, the charity is proactive in educating the public – and especially […]
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, […]
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. […]
Growing global demand for sustainable offshore fish farms (see, for example, Ship & Boat International March/April 2022, page 44) is necessitating fit-for-purpose aquaculture support vessels capable of handling large nets and cables and loading/offloading significant caches of fish and shellfish. This booming sector has attracted the attention of Damen Shipyards Group, which has been working […]
It’s unlikely that many readers of the first issue of Ship & Boat International, published in 1947, could have envisaged a world of solar-powered ferries, unmanned tugs and offshore wind farms capable of powering tens of thousands of homes. Similarly, the abilities to conduct virtual reality walkthroughs of vessel plans, prior to construction, and to pay […]