One of Britain’s most iconic boatbuilders is back, after a short hiatus – and creating a new generation of battery-powered sports boats ranks among its top priorities. Formed by Norman Fletcher in 1960, Fletcher Boats began life as a model shop in the West Midlands, before turning to real boat construction – firstly as a […]
Electric boatbuilder Candela reports that it has set a new world record, using its Candela C-8 hydrofoiling craft to cover a distance of 420nm within 24 hours – described by the company as “the equivalent of travelling from London to Amsterdam and back” within this timeframe. The previous record was set by a Voltari 260 […]
The offshore wind business is growing rapidly as more companies seek to make investments in the sector. This has created numerous opportunities for manufacturers to supply equipment. Latest among these is Swedish-Swiss owned multinational ABB, which has received an order for a comprehensive package of equipment for two new vessels. The large wind turbine installation […]
A new green energy consortium launched in Singapore hopes to answer the Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA’s) call for electric harbour craft operations within its waters. The consortium is being led by Singaporean company Cyan Renewables, which has stated its intention to own and operate a fleet of modern offshore wind farm support vessels worth […]
Chinese shipping company COSCO Shipping Development continued its move to invest in renewable technology with the launch of the first of two 700teu electric vessels. The first vessel, currently known as Hull N997, was launched at the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry yard in Yangzhou, China, in July. Powered by portable container-sized batteries, the 10,000dwt NN997 […]
Sports car manufacturer Porsche and Austria’s Frauscher Shipyard have announced that they aim to put a limited-edition electric day cruiser on the water next year. Set for an initial release of 25 units, the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air will borrow features from Porsche’s Taycan electric sport saloon series while incorporating the drive technology […]
Baltic Workboats and BLRT Grupp subsidiary Western Baltija Shipbuilding are to develop an all-electric waste collection tanker for the Port of Klaipeda in Lithuania. The contract, valued at nearly US$12 million, will see the creation of a 42m x 10m tanker with the capacity to carry up to 400m3 of liquid waste and rainwater collected […]
Archipelago Yachts and Chartwell Marine’s catamaran concept makes a convincing case for an environmentally sound yet long-range leisure vessel, writes Stevie Knight The new Archipelago zero.63 is a methanol fuelled, 18.3m conundrum, combining a number of elements that you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a single vessel. So, how – and why – have very disparate […]
With 17kW of peak solar power at its disposal, and a wingsail designed for optimal wind capture, the new ZEN50 catamaran series is set to bypass the need for the ‘obligatory’ backup diesel genset The forecast’s for sunshine for builder ZEN Yachts, which has confirmed the pre-sale of the first four units in its solar-powered, […]
Danish operator NCT Offshore has ordered an upgraded version of Vard’s 9 01-class cablelaying vessel (CLV) type, with delivery scheduled for Q4 2024. The ship’s hull will be built at the Vard Tulcea facility in Romania, with final outfifting, commissioning and delivery to be overseen by one of Vard’s yards in Norway. The new Vard […]
Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon is building a dozen hybrid monohull passenger ferries for Italian operator Liberty Lines, with deliveries scheduled to run from this year until 2026. Each newbuild in the series will measure 39.5m x 8.3m and feature a depth of 4m and a draught of 1.8m. The aluminium ferries will be kifted out […]
Xin Sheng Tai: Shanghai’s supercharged solution for short-hop ferry runs Late 2022 saw the delivery of Xin Sheng Tai, an electric ferry designed by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and built by Yaguang Technology Group. The ferry will provide public transport to commuters between Changxing Island and Hengsha Island, on the Yangtze River […]