Ship-Design

USCG to Test Autonomous Vessel for Its Missions

The US Coast Guard will soon acquire a new autonomous vessel for testing and evaluating the capabilities of available autonomous vessel technology, as part of its regulatory changes for the development of autonomous maritime systems. Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics announced it has partnered with Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark Boats, to supply the USCG’s Research and Development Center (RDC) with a…


Maritime Partner Delivers Norway’s Largest Ambulance Boat

On 12-October-2020 in Ålesund, Norway, Maritime Partner AS delivered to Loppa Legeskyssbåter AS the MV Thea Jensen, a Loppa Ambulance boat. After four months of outfitting at Maritime Partner’s shipyard in Ålesund, Norway’s largest ambulance catamaran has been handed over to shipowner Loppa Legeskyssbåter. It is Maritime Partner’s build number 2168. She will be stationed in Øksfjord in the North…


Scrubbers have a Lower Climate Impact than Low-Sulphur Fuels, MARPOL Study Finds

CE Delft issued a new study, in which it finds that scrubbers have a lower climate impact than low-sulphur fuels. Specifically, the study finds that the CO2-emissions associated using a scrubber vary between 1.5% and 3% for a number of representative ships. In many cases, the emissions caused by the production of low-sulphur fuels for these ships are higher, depending…


Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly to Equip and Operate 2 Zero-Emission Autonomous Vessels

Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly (a Kongsberg Wilhelmsen joint venture) have signed contracts with the leading Norwegian grocery distributor ASKO to equip two new vessels with autonomous technology, and to manage their operations at sea. With Norwegian companies delivering around 60% of the investment, this is a major milestone for the growth of sustainable maritime operations in Norway. The fully electric…


Combined Operations Effectiveness Integrations Appraisal Study (COEIAS) on a Newly Acquired Frigate by the Philippine Navy

INTRODUCTION Warship design originates from the following order of priority: Doctrine development in regard to the manner in which the Navy will address the strategic concepts of responding against the challenges of threat. The Naval Staff & Circular of Requirements are parameters desired by the Navy in the development and design that will lead to shape the performance and capabilities…


World’s First Full Scale Ammonia Engine Test to Begin

The technology group Wärtsilä, with Knutsen OAS Shipping, Repsol, and Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre, will commence the world’s first long term, full-scale, testing of ammonia as a fuel in a marine four-stroke combustion engine. The testing is made possible by a 20 MNOK grant from the Norwegian Research Council through the DEMO 2000 program, a statement said. “This is a…



First Crewless Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship to Commence Trials in 2021

Many companies are taking part in Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ship Project (DFFAS Project), which aims to realize a domestic coastal shipping business supported by crewless maritime autonomous surface ships. Accordingly, the project will move towards the standardization of technology and the establishment of systems and infrastructure as well and plans to carry out a long-distance demonstration trial…



What is the Bulbous Bow For?

Ships are extraordinary designs, which even with just their size can amaze. But there is one specific element of a ship’s design that stands out, and what is more, not many know what it does exactly. We are talking of course, about the bulbous bow. The bulbous bow is that strange protrusion at the ship’s forward end, sticking out below…


Drones: From Trials To World’s First Drone Safety Standards

The era of digitalization has made room for Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUV) to take place and become a powerful tool for ports and the overall shipping industry, playing a major role in a variety of ‘shipping duties’, such as surveillance, safety, accident and pollution reporting, representing the importance of technology in shipping and making us wonder whether drones will be…


Marine Autonomy vs. Autopilot: Know the Differences

It’s no secret that today’s autopilot technology is an invaluable tool to both recreational boaters and commercial mariners. Autopilot systems enable a vessel to hold a course in light-to-moderate sea conditions. This functionality increases vessel course predictability, while reducing operator fatigue, a major causal factor in marine incidents. Like autonomous systems, autopilots are indefatigable and have an unlimited attention span…


India Joins the Hong Kong Convention

The Indian Union Cabinet approved the proposal of entering to the Hong Kong International Convention for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, being the 14th country to join the convention, following the most recent member, Germany. India is a leader of the global ship recycling industry, with a share of more than 30% of the market. The industry being…


Timor-Leste Government chooses Damen for RoPax delivery

Recently, the Republic of Timor-Leste and Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract agreeing provision of a new RoPax Ferry 6716. The vessel will operate a route between the Timor-Leste capital Dili, the Oecusse enclave, and the island of Ataúro, providing regular transportation of passengers, vehicles and goods on the north coast of the island. The contract was signed at the…


10 Tips to Improve Ship Recycling

Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore urged the shipping industry to adopt higher standards in ship recycling. Thus, BVS provides insight into meeting ship recycling requirements, as well as 10 tips to achieve compliance. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform issued its Q3 2019 results noting there were 122 ships broken, of which 73 were sold to the beaches of South Asia…




Damen Installs Solar Panels at Dutch Shipyards

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Damen Shipyards Group is having solar panels installed at a number of its Dutch yards. Collectively, the installations will provide approximately 11 MWh clean electricity per year. Damen Project manager, Gerard Kornet explains, “At Damen, we always take a long-term view. It’s part of our culture as a family company. We want…


Seabourn Unveils Passenger Submarine Design

Seabourn, the world’s finest ultra-luxury cruise line, is preparing to take travelers into the depths of the ocean for the first time by revealing the design and details for its custom submarines that will operate excursions for an additional charge from the line’s two upcoming ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ships. Both Seabourn Venture and her yet-to-be-named sister ship will sail to…


Surface Ship and Submarine Area of Operations within Philippine Maritime Jurisdiction

INTRODUCTION This article was derived from the World Meteorological Organization Wave Statistics on various sea areas within Philippine Maritime Jurisdiction. It provides information on prevailing sea state conditions that can serve as valuable tools of information for naval operation of surface ships and submarines. Philippine Sea Areas of Responsibility Wave Environment The Philippines lies on the boundary between “Global Wave…


MARINA Pushes for Phasing-Out of Wooden-Hulled Ships

ILOILO CITY – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), together with partner government agencies and private stakeholders, visits boat operators and associations in Iloilo and Guimaras to discuss the modernization of the domestic shipping industry through an institutional mechanism workshop on the replacement of wooden-hulled passenger ships with technologically-improved hull materials. MARINA urges boat operators and associations, specifically in the Iloilo…


MacGregor Builds First Fiber Rope Offshore Crane

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has completed the construction of the first fiber-rope offshore crane on the market. The company says that its new FibreTrac crane is able to exploit its full lifting capacity because fiber rope weighs virtually nothing in water, so no additional load is experienced by the crane, regardless of the length of rope used during load handling…


Ørsted and WindServe Order more Workboats for U.S. Wind Farms

Offshore wind farm company Ørsted and U.S.-based offshore wind support operator, WindServe Marine, are partnering to build two new crew transfer vessels (CTV s) for the budding Jones Act wind market. CTV’s are the workboats that carry workers to and from offshore wind towers for construction, maintenance and operations, and the new builds will be the second and third of…


Russia Launches Poseidon-Capable Belgorod Submarine

Russia’s Sevmash Shipyard launched the special-purpose submarine Belgorod (KS-139) at Severodvinsk in a restricted ceremony held on 23-April-2019. The Kremlin hid most of Belgorod from public view during the launch. Belgorod started construction in July 1992 and was initially to be part of the Project 949AM submarines, also known as the Oscar II-class guided missile submarine. In 2012, the decision…


Submarine Communications and Sensor Systems

INTRODUCTION This article is an attempt by the author to relate the basic concept of submarine design parameter with respect to operation and understanding how the submarine operates at the surface of the sea, below the surface of the sea, and at the bottom of the surface of the sea, in an upright position. A submarine operation consists of horizontal…