The past few years have seen regulators warm to nuclear power’s potential, but a major challenge remains: persuading investors to fund nuclear-powered commercial ships. This was the main theme of the roundtable Is Nuclear the Missing Piece in Maritime Decarbonisation?, hosted by classification society IRClass during London International Shipping Week in September. Gihan Ismail, director […]
Installing wind-assist propulsion (WAP) technology could help shipowners to reduce energy consumption and fuel costs – but getting the best out of WAP systems (WAPS) necessitates integrating them with the other onboard propulsive components, rather than installing and utilising these WAPS in relative isolation. As Henrik Alpo Sjöblom, VP for business concepts at Kongsberg Maritime, puts […]
The third ship in Royal Caribbean’s behemothic Icon class, Legend of the Seas, has undergone a float-out ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, in advance of her Q2 2026 delivery. The Icon class features a length of 365m, a breadth of nearly 50m and a gross tonnage exceeding 248,600, granting it the title […]
A collaboration between class society Lloyd’s Register (LR), nuclear battery manufacturer Deployable Energy and naval architect Seatransport aims to realise a 73m-long, hybrid-powered stern landing vessel (SLV) incorporating two modular micro reactors (MMRs), in what may prove a step forward for the use of nuclear energy at sea. The SLV project was given renewed focus […]
MPC Container Ships reports that it has installed Berg Propulsion’s green-fuel technology aboard its 150m, dual-fuel sister vessels NCL Nordland and NCL Vestland. As part of the contract, Berg also acted as “co-designer” for each ship’s engine room layout and propeller arrangement, comments Mattias Hansson, senior global sales manager at Berg. Built this year by […]
The Naval Architect recently caught up with Mikal Bøe, CEO of CORE POWER, for an exclusive, in-depth interview focusing on the potential adoption of nuclear power within the commercial shipping sector. Since its formation in 2018, CORE POWER has pushed the development and deployment of advanced nuclear energy technologies, specifically modular molten salt reactors (MSRs) […]
One of the most significant shifts in the maritime sector has been the consideration of nuclear energy as a potential fuel for commercial vessels. In just six to seven years, this idea has transformed from an unlikely prospect to one gaining considerable support in various circles. A fuel energy comparison produced by class society Lloyd’s […]
Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) says it plans to use Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service as a tool to accelerate licensing processes for nuclear in maritime applications. The idea is to use the Azure OpenAI platform to analyse historic nuclear licensing data, which should help licensing engineers to draft new permit documents far more quickly, LR […]
As something of a stellar year for ship production, 2024 saw a 38% year-on-year increase in orders for alternative-fuelled newbuilds, totalling 515 ships, according to data released by DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform. The AFI data suggests that container ship orders led the charge, with 69% of these orders opting for alt-fuels, predominantly (67%) […]
Manufacturers of wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) are reporting a surge of interest in their products in the wake of new greenhouse gas policies and the industry’s wider decarbonisation efforts. As well as supplying newbuilds, these manufacturers are noting an upswing in retrofit orders. One such WAPS manufacturer is BAR Technologies, whose CEO, John Cooper, says: […]
Dutch builder Thecla Bodewes Shipyards has delivered the first vessel in its new SALMO multipurpose vessel series to Appingedam-headquartered short-sea shipping operator Transtal Shipping. Christened MV Iana, the vessel features a hybrid diesel-electric powertrain but has also been future-proofed for the addition of e-fuels including hydrogen, ammonia and methanol. MV Iana was designed in-house by Thecla […]
Stena RoRo has taken delivery of the 12th vessel in its 15-strong E-Flexer class, a series distinguished by the inclusion of multi-fuel, battery-hybrid propulsion. Constructed by Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai), this latest delivery, christened Guillaume de Normandie, has been placed on a 10-year charter with French operator Brittany Ferries, and will enter service on […]