The Naval Architect – News

Barging into greener territory

Barging into greener territory

Tristar Eco Voyager, a new type of bunker tanker built in Turkey by Akdeniz Shipyard, was recently been delivered to UAE-based Tristar Eships. The company will deploy the vessel out of Fujairah, where it will be well positioned to meet the lube oil needs of vessels at the nearby anchorage.  The new hybrid, battery-driven lube […]

Low-NOx tug on order for New Zealand

Low-NOx tug on order for New Zealand

Damen Shipyards Group is to construct an ASD Tug 2312 unit for Port Marlborough New Zealand (PMNZ), which will use the newbuild to provide towage services at Picton Harbour, where approximately 3,000 vessels call annually. The tug, to be named Kaiaua, will work alongside an existing ASD Tug 2111 type, Kaiana, which Damen delivered to […]

Metal Shark fireboat to boost safety in Tampa Bay

Metal Shark fireboat to boost safety in Tampa Bay

Tampa Fire Rescue, Florida has taken delivery of a monohull fireboat, designed and built by Metal Shark of Louisiana. The newbuild is the first of two sisters for Tampa Fire Rescue, with the second vessel due for delivery in 2026. Both boats are of Metal Shark’s 38 Defiant NXT class, which features a length of […]

New firefighter signs up for duty in Singapore

New firefighter signs up for duty in Singapore

Naval architect and designer BMT and Singapore-based boatbuilder Penguin Shipyard International have delivered a fire and rescue vessel to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The Blue Dolphin MFV-R (standing for ‘multi-role fire vessels – rescue’) is the first of two 38m sisters for the SCDF, each featuring an aluminium monohull and an external firefighting […]

Ignored: the silent tide of suicide at sea

Ignored: the silent tide of suicide at sea

Maritime healthcare provider VIKAND has cited disturbing statistics from Gard’s 2025 Crew Claims Report to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding seafarer mental health. The Gard stats – based on 2024 claims data and feedback from more than 6,000 seafarers – indicate that, between 2019-2023, 11% of all seafarer deaths were due to suicide, […]

Bolidt solutions high on the decking order for RCI

Bolidt solutions high on the decking order for RCI

Dutch maritime decking specialist Bolidt recently completed its largest ever retrofit project, installing around 18,000m2 of decking on the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise vessel Allure of the Seas. The sheer scale of the project presented a number of challenges, which the company worked with the client, the shipyard – Navantia Cadiz – and other […]

UK USV developers fighting to thrive

UK USV developers fighting to thrive

The UK is poised to lead in uncrewed surface vessel (USV) development, backed by strong technical expertise and government initiatives like the Ministry of Defence’s NavyX programme. However, regulatory hurdles are stifling progress, says Matthew Ratsey, MD of Plymouth-based Zero USV, one of two key UK USV developers who spoke to The Naval Architect for […]

Sir Thomas Slade: Nelson’s naval architect

Sir Thomas Slade: Nelson’s naval architect

At the Battle of Trafalgar, nearly a quarter of Nelson’s fleet, bearing nearly a third of the fleet’s guns, was designed by Sir Thomas Slade (1703/4-1771), who is buried in Ipswich, Suffolk, writes Peter Turner. Thomas Slade was born into a well-established family of Ipswich and Harwich shipbuilders, while his uncle, Benjamin Slade, was master […]

A new ‘Guardian’ emerges – in CTV form

A new ‘Guardian’ emerges – in CTV form

The new North Eastern Guardian IV had to be extremely capable and based on a proven, sub-24m design. So, what better architecture than an established crew transfer vessel (CTV)? In fact, the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) had been planning a replacement for its forerunner, North Eastern Guardian III, for some years. As […]

Italian Navy orders two more PPA multipurpose combat ships

Italian Navy orders two more PPA multipurpose combat ships

The Italian Navy has placed a contract with Fincantieri to build two more PPA multipurpose combat vessels. The new vessels will replace those earmarked for transfer to Indonesia. The contract for the new vessels, managed by the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement, was placed with a consortium comprising Fincantieri as lead contractor and […]

BAE Systems expands Glasgow facility with Janet Harvey Hall

BAE Systems expands Glasgow facility with Janet Harvey Hall

BAE Systems has opened a new shipbuilding hall at its facility in Glasgow, in a bid to improve schedule performance while reducing typical times between ship deliveries. Named the Janet Harvey Hall, in memory of a female electrician who worked in shipyards on the Clyde during WW2, the 170m-long, 80m-wide new space has the capacity […]