130m-long vessel to be fitted with a 40MWh battery energy storage system that will power a series of electric propulsion system and waterjets In a significant change to earlier plans, Australian shipyard Incat Tasmania has announced that the 130m lightweight inland ro-pax ordered by Uruguayan operator Buquebús, first announced in 2019 and already under construction, […]
The August 2023 edition of the official journal of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ Australian division, The Australian Naval Architect, is now available free of charge. As well as the usual round-up of section news, meetings and activities, you’ll find coverage of Incat Tasmania’s latest delivery, the 76 m high-speed passenger catamaran El Dorado […]
Hull stress monitoring has been a feature of commercial shipping since the 1990s, but according to Terje Sannerud from marine structural monitoring specialist Light Structures, it is today finding applications for improving ship design, insightful maintenance and potentially extending the period between dry-dockings allowing for cost savings without compromising ship safety. Ships can become damaged, […]
The recently decided decarbonisation targets from the IMO will no doubt be leading shipowners to target renewable fuels more so now than ever. Not least because the agenda set out at MEPC80 obligates member states to a minimum commitment to ensure the uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030. One company poised […]
For the 10th instalment of its Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry, spanning 2022-2023, the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) shook things up by introducing a new stipulation for the participating teams. Although previous years’ contests had called for ferry designs to meet specific operational demands, the panel of judges had […]
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 […]
Now under new ownership, the Gibraltar shipyard finds itself in a good place, as favourable market conditions generate increased volumes of business. Last year marked the start of a new era for Gibdock as it was taken over by the UK-based The Balaena Group in May 2022. Since then, the yard has gone from strength […]
Both San Giorgio del Porto (SGdP) and Chantier Naval de Marseille (CNM), sister companies within the Genova Industrie Naval group, maintained healthy volumes of business during 2022 The past year at SGdP and CNM witnessed similar trends to 2021, as the yards sustained their recovery after the pandemic. In particular both yards were able to […]
The new Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry, the Manxman, has finally been delivered after delays due to gearbox problems. The vessels began the long voyage home from Ulsan, South Korea, to Douglas, Isle of Man in May. The company says that the issues with the new £78 million ferry have been resolved. A gearbox […]
Stena Line, one of Europe’s leading ferry operators, has announced that it is constructing two hybrid propulsion vessels designed to run on methanol for its Belfast-Heysham route. The move is in response to increasing customer demand. Construction of the NewMax vessels will begin shortly with launch on the Irish Sea in 2025. Between them, the […]
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 […]
Fjord Line to convert LNG-powered ships to dual fuel The Norwegian ferry operator Fjord Line has decided to turn two of its vessels back from single fuel LNG to dual fuel as a result of unsustainable cost pressures For many years LNG has been seen has one of the primary answers to the need to […]