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 […]
Ahead of last November’s 77th session of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 77), Japan joined calls to make international shipping carbon neutral by 2050, supporting a proposal by the US, the United Kingdom, Norway and Costa Rica for IMO to raise the bar on its ambition and bring the regulator […]
Spanish shipbuilding and systems group Navantia has delivered the first of five Avante 2200 corvettes built for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under a contract signed in 2018. HMS Al Jubail was handed over and commissioned into the Royal Saudi Naval Forces at La Carraca naval base in San Fernando, Cádiz. The ship and its […]
French designer and shipbuilder Naval Group is to provide three ‘FDI’ vessels to the Hellenic Navy, with a suite of above- and underwater sensors from Thales Group. Greece and Naval Group signed a contract for the frigates, plus one optional unit, along with an in-service support package for the vessels in March 2022. Two frigates […]
Naval architecture firm Vripack and boatbuilder Van der Valk Shipyard have devised a conceptual design for the fast weekender market, monikered the Meteor. The first example of this concept has already been snapped up by an anonymous client. Yoeri Bijker, head of sales and marketing at Van der Valk, says: “There is an ongoing trend for […]
The shipbuilding industry in Northern Europe is under pressure, and the region’s high costs mean that potential orders have been lost to Asia. However, a new design concept from Dutch design and engineering company Conoship International Projects (CIP) looks set to give the industry a boost, while also reducing CO₂ emissions from shipping. Based in […]
Seaspan Shipyards of North Vancouver, Canada has officially launched its HoloShip facility. Described as “an immersive visualisation system”, the facility incorporates digital twin technology, enabling ship designers and engineers to virtually ‘walk through’ their newbuild plans and general arrangements before the first steel is cut. The HoloShip facility houses a 3D theatre room, in which a […]
At first glance, ballast tanks might not seem the most obvious fit for RIBs and powerboats, typically being the preserve of larger, ocean-going vessels. However, switch the ballast tank’s key role from guaranteeing hydrostatic stability to preventing slamming at high speeds, and its utilisation aboard smaller craft makes a lot more sense. Excessive slamming […]
The Naval Architect March 2022
The fortunes of the Finnish shipbuilding cluster have started to brighten in the aftermath of Covid-19, writes Kari Reinikainen.
Warship Technology March 2022
USNS John Lewis (TAO 205), the lead ship in a class of new fleet replenishment oilers for the US Navy, has completed initial builder’s trials. The trials were initiated on 4 February 2022.
The forthcoming Dutch training vessel Ab Initio is on schedule to be delivered in August this year, builder Concordia Damen has confirmed. The 67m x 8.2m ship will provide training to future crew and ship’s masters, doubling as a field lab in which companies can trial new equipment and technology on board, in collaboration with the students. […]
The Naval Architect February 2022
Built for UECC, Auto Advance delivers significant gains in energy efficiency and emissions reduction.