Longitude Launches New PSV Design to Target Cost Efficiencies
Design and engineering consultancy Longitude has launched a compact “D-Flex” platform supply vessel (PSV) design, the second design in its IMT Isca series.The D-Flex design is an evolution of the IMT 984 (G-Class) design and a smaller, cost-efficient addition to the series for shipowners that seek long term economic value. The D-FlexThe D Flex is designed as a compact PSV tailored for offshore energy operations in Asia…
NYK Signs Long-Term Charter Agreement for New LNG Carriers with Cheniere
NYK Line, in partnership with Ocean Yield AS, has signed multiple long-term charter contracts for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with Cheniere Marketing International LLP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, Inc., a US LNG producer.The vessels will be built at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. in South Korea and will be delivered from 2028.The vessels will be equipped with a next-generation X-DF2.1 iCER*…
Saronic Completes Multi-Day Corsair Deployment with 24/7 Operations
Last month, the Saronic team completed a continuous, week-long, day and night test operation designed to push the limits of Corsair, their 24-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel currently under contract with the U.S. Navy.Conducted and funded by the company as part of ongoing independent research and development efforts, this exercise ran 24/7 with the goal of accomplishing two things:Deeply understand how our vessels perform at — and beyond — their operating limits in real-world environments…
SDHI Inks Deal to Build RNO Training Ship
Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI), India’s largest shipbuilding and heavy fabrication company, won a defense export order from the Government of Sultanate of Oman to supply a state-of-the-art training ship. The vessel that will support the Royal Navy of Oman’s (RNO) advanced naval training and maritime operations, is expected to be delivered within 18 months.Measuring 104.25 x 13.88m and displacement of up to 3500T…
Fincantieri, WSense Partner on Underwater Monitoring Systems
Fincantieri has signed a strategic agreement with Italian deep-tech company WSense to jointly develop and commercialize advanced wireless technologies for underwater applications, strengthening the shipbuilder’s position in subsea monitoring and protection systems.The agreement covers both the co-development of wireless underwater communication solutions and a commercial framework for deploying the…
Latest BC Ferries’ Island Class Vessel Completes Sea Trials
Damen Shipyards Group announced the completion of sea trials for the latest Island Class ferry for BC Ferries. The seventh Island Class vessel in a series of ten undertook trials during weeks 49 and 50 last year in the Black Sea.Damen is currently constructing four Island Class vessels for the Canadian ferry operator. Upon delivery, the vessels will fulfil an important function, connecting coastal communities along the British Columbian coast…
WCI Confers Leadership Awards
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Chairman of the House Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, was presented with Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) 23rd Annual Leadership Service Award on February 4, for championing the Nation’s inland waterways and the Chickamauga Lock project. The award was presented at a Capitol Hill reception."Throughout his tenure in Congress…
Longitude Unveils Compact PSV Design Aimed at Cost Efficiency
Maritime design and engineering consultancy Longitude has launched a new compact platform supply vessel (PSV) design D-Flex, aimed at improving cost efficiency for shipowners.The D-Flex PSV is the second design in Longitude’s IMT Isca series and is positioned as a smaller and more cost-efficient addition to the range. The design is an evolution of the operationally proven IMT 984, also known as the G-Class.The DP Class 2 vessel is designed for offshore energy operations in Asia…
Sallaum Lines Adds LNG-fueled PCTC to its Fleet
Global operator of roll-on/roll-off carriers Sallaum Lines has taken delivery of the MV Ocean Legacy, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) that has joined its Ocean Class fleet.The delivery follows the recent entry into service of the MV Ocean Explorer and forms part of Sallaum Lines’ Ocean Class program, which focuses on fleet renewal, operational efficiency and lower-emission maritime operations.The…
MacGregor Nets AHC Subsea Crane for Floating Wind Farm Vessel
MacGregor has been selected to supply a substantial 400-tonne Active Heave Compensated (AHC) subsea crane for a new 127-meter Floating Wind Farm Construction Vessel (FWCV).Purpose-built for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market, the new vessel is a significant development for the industry and requires one of the largest subsea AHC cranes ordered in recent years.The order is booked into MacGregor's first quarter 2026 order intake.The contract for MacGregor is with Chinese shipyard…
Seabourn Passengers Set Carnival Record
Seabourn Venture became the most southerly ship on the Antarctic Peninsula as she crossed the Antarctic Circle this week, reaching 70° South, the most southerly point in Seabourn and Carnival history.The vessel also achieved the first-ever Seabourn exploration of George VI Sound and toasted with Champagne on the ice at the most southerly point any Seabourn guest has ever reached.“Congratulations to Captain Simon Bishop and his team and Expedition Leader Luqui Bernacchi.
Op | Ed: Stop Studying and Build Ships
Maybe it is a human trait, or maybe a Washington, D.C. trait, but when confronted with a difficult problem with unpalatable solutions, there is usually an impulse to delay the moment of difficult decision by ordering a study. The U.S. merchant marine industry is the poster child for this behavior. The industry has been studied and studied, and is currently being studied, but studies don’t build ships -- shipyards build ships.Going back to the Lynch Committee in 1870, the U.S.
GTT, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to Advance VLEC Design
GTT announced the signing of a Joint Development Project (JDP) with the shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries focused on a 102,000 m³ Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) featuring GTT’s Mark III Slim membrane containment system. This new project paces the way towards an optimized membrane-tank integration to enhance hull design and vessel’s overall performance.GTT’s Mark III Slim technology, an ethane-optimized cargo containment system…
HII Newport News Shipbuilding Completes Builder’s Sea Trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has successfully completed builder’s sea trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.Kennedy returned to NNS after testing important ship systems and components at sea for the first time.The sea trials brought together NNS shipbuilders, John F. Kennedy sailors and Navy personnel…
Norway Socialist Party Withdraws Support for LNG Electricity Project Opposition
Norway's Socialist Party has withdrawn its support for a proposal to block Equinor's Hammerfest liquefied natural gas plant from receiving a planned onshore power connection, clearing the way for the grid development to proceed.Parliament is due on Thursday to vote on an opposition proposal seeking to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion is likely to fail without backing from the Socialist Party.The government approved the connection in 2023 to cut greenhouse gas
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration over Panama Canal Ports Contract Ruling
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison said on Wednesday its Panama Ports Company unit has started international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country's top court annulled its licences to operate two Panama Canal ports, in a case that could take years to resolve.Panama's Supreme Court last week ruled the contracts violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions.It is unclear how long the arbitration proceedings could take…
Fifteen Migrants Dead After Boat Collides with Greek Coast Guard Vessel
Fifteen migrants died after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel, capsized and sank off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea late on Tuesday, the coast guard said, in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in Greece in years.The incident occurred after a migrant boat sailing towards Chios with its navigation lights switched off ignored signals from a coast guard patrol vessel and changed course…
Oil Prices Rise on U.S.-Iran Tensions
Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after rising earlier in the session after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S.-flagged vessel, rekindling fears of an escalation in tensions ahead of planned talks.But a broader selloff of software equities, which often move in tandem with oil prices, capped gains.Brent crude oil futures were up around 0.1% at $67.38 a barrel by 1423 GMT. U.S.
ClassNK Fleet Cost Simulation Receives "Best Project Innovation Award'"
The service "ClassNK Fleet Cost Simulation" provided by ClassNK has been honored with the Best Project Innovation Award at the Saudi Maritime Awards, hosted by Robban Assafina, the maritime media platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The award ceremony took place on January 29, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.The Saudi Maritime Awards, in partnership with the Transport General Authority of Saudi Arabia…
U.S.-Flag Shipping on the Great Lakes Down in 2025
U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) carried 71.3 million tons of cargo in 2025, an 8.9 percent decrease from a year ago. 2025 cargo movement on the Great Lakes was 8.1 percent below the fleet’s 5-year average.Except for salt shipments, which increased by 4.1 percent, all commodity shipments decreased in 2025. Iron ore shipments were down 10.8 percent from 2024 to 39.1 million tons. Coal cargos declined to 6.5 million tons, a decrease of 12 percent.
