While the global offshore wind market continues to thrive, support vessel operators are still under pressure to reduce overall Opex alongside reductions in emissions and fuel consumption. One proposed solution has been the creation of a ‘halfway house’ between traditional crew transfer vessels (CTVs), which carry the turbine technicians from shore to offshore site and […]
For a compact uncrewed vessel, the Oceanus12, developed by Zero USV, promises an extensive reach when it comes to truly autonomous, AI-supported missions in high sea states, writes Stevie Knight. To start with, Zero USV has initially committed to a fleet of a dozen fully autonomous boats, but these will be ‘guns for hire’: the […]
Late March saw the ‘end of an era’ of sorts – not to mention, a new beginning – as UK offshore wind CTV operator Tidal Transit purchased what it intends to be its last ever diesel-powered crew carrier, in line with its plans to transition to a fully electric fleet. The 27m x 9m newbuild, […]
If the subsea deployment of ROVs, AUVs and UUVs can reduce Opex and emissions, it makes sense that using an uncrewed vessel to launch and recover these drones could boost operational efficiency even further. That’s the rationale behind the design of the Ocean Aurora: a remotely operated ‘drone launchpad’ conceived by offshore survey/inspection services provider […]
Singaporean boatbuilder Penguin International has received an order for a fast supply vessel (FSV), placed by offshore operator O3S-Oil Senegal Support Services. Designed by Incat Crowther, the FSV will measure 36.4m length overall (or 32.4m on the waterline) by 10m in beam, and will carry up to 28 offshore service personnel and 20tonnes of cargo. […]
Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics plans to launch a diesel-electric USV workboat class this summer, developed for tasks including search and rescue, surveying and environmental studies, in crewed or uncrewed mode. The first unit in the new Selkie series, the Selkie 7, will feature a length of 7m, a breadth of 2.35m and a 0.4m draught, […]
Electric and hybrid marine drive manufacturer Torqeedo has announced that it will build its future propellers from “100% recycled ocean plastics”, as a small but firm step towards addressing the plastic pollution crisis. Torqeedo’s Advanced Engineering Team is currently testing recycled ocean-bound polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) plastic pellets, which, the team claims, could […]
UK boatbuilder Diverse Marine has announced that it will integrate Hefring Marine’s AI marine solutions into all its newbuilds “as standard”, following the signing of a strategic partnership between the two groups. Iceland-based Hefring Marine’s main product is IMAS, an AI-driven onboard system developed to capture vessel data for real-time decision support, which has found […]
South Hampshire College Group (SHCG) – a ‘consortium’ of three Further Education colleges from Southampton, Eastleigh and Fareham, UK – confirms that it has ordered a pair of remotely controlled ‘digital training vessels’ (DTVs). The DTVs will enable students to learn skills related to remote surveying, patrolling, monitoring and even search and rescue (SAR): both […]
Introducing viable alternative fuels for vessels comes with plenty of challenges, mostly related to performance, availability and cost. However, the maritime sector has identified another potential problem: the need to update Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) requirements to ensure that crew are adequately trained in the handling and storage of these […]
Whatever happened to the tidal energy sector? Given the relatively muted press coverage, compared to the column inches devoted to offshore wind farms, you’d be forgiven for thinking that tidal energy capture projects had tailed off somewhat in the past few years – though this is far from being the case. Perhaps wave turbines are […]
New boat sector non-profit the International Electric Marine Association (IEMA) has launched a manifesto pledging its commitment to the adoption of electric vessel propulsion, emphasising “knowledge exchange, educational outreach, research and development, industry representation and cultural/environmental considerations” among its key objectives. The manifesto has been endorsed by nine national association signatories, including: the Electric Boat […]