General News

STN Atlas Marine Electronics has received orders for eight Ship Control Centres (SCCs) which integrate and automate basic navigation, communication and ship operation for centralised bridge management.The orders cover systems for three…

Odfjell ASA’s decision to order two chemical tankers at Kvaerner Floro is described by the Norwegian yard’s president Bjorn Lillelien as "the best recent news we have had". The contract is valued…

Marinet Systems and Globe Wireless have merged to combine their satellite and high frequency (HF) radio operations. Products will include least-cost routing for E-mail and data transfer. Together, the companies provide services…

If shipowners want the cheapest fuel possible they have to accept that it may be of variable quality. Residual fuels are not going to get any better. The oil majors point out…

FastShip Inc looks a step nearer to realising its goals with the announcement that it has signed a letter of intent with the USA’s National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (Nassco) for the…

Spliethoff Bevrachtingskantoor`s new multi-purpose freighters will be fitted with Kelvin Hughes radar sets. The 10 ships will each feature a Nucleus2 6000 arpa split radar system with display; a Nucleus2 5000 True…

Emissions control in Norwegian waters has lead to the introduction of gas engines. In a joint building venture the German yard of Kroger Werft and the Norwegian yard of Langsten Slip are…

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is continuing with plans to further expand its fleet and has announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Lloyd Werft shipyard for another cruise ship.…

Orskov Christensens Staalskibsvaerft is to rent nearly half of the Danyard site in Frederikshavn. The agreement will come into force on December 1, once Danyard has delivered its final Stolt Nielsen newbuilding.…

Alfa Laval has launched its Separation Unit range which is a complete package comprising separator, a sludge removal kit, control cabinet and ancillary components mounted on a single base. In addition to…

Jurong Shipyard (JSL) has entered into an agreement to buy SML Shipyard (SML) for S$12 million from sister company SembCorp Logistics. SML is an ISO9002 certified yard involved mainly in repair and…

Operators of both ropax vessels and freight roros are opting for newbuildings which carry more freight, and offer faster passage and turnround times. Within Europe pressure is growing to move more freight…

Unitor has added a liquid soot remover to its range. The product is injected into the exhaust manifold downstream of the turbo-charger and contains metals that act as a catalyst to burn…

Turkey`s Gemak is modifying Geco-Prakla`s seismic ship Geco Gamma to allow it to navigate rivers en route to its next charter in the Caspian Sea. Sponsons are being added to reduce draft,…

Further demonstrating the current enthusiasm of Greek shipping companies for the cruise market, Piraeus-based Festival Cruises took delivery of its newly-built 47,900g flagship, Mistral, from the Saint-Nazaire Chantiers de l`Atlantique yard on…

Two new marine engines, the 1013 and 1015, have been added to the Deutz range. Both are marinised versions of established distillate-burning engines with power outputs (for genset use) of 80 to…

Unithai is soon to sign a contract for a newbuild floating dock for its yard at Laem Chabang. The 33 x 200m dock will be built in China. Though it will be…

Although several shipyards in South America are acquiring new skills, economic conditions and the lack of a clear shipbuilding strategy make further progress uncertain. Well known for their expertise with small ships…

As predicted by The Motor Ship in October 1998, Brunvoll has delivered the first of its resiliently mounted ‘super silent’ tunnel thrusters to Chantiers de l’Atlantique to be fitted to the Millennium…

The latest design for a low-speed engine aimed at smaller, but relatively fast, ships has led to wide consultation. Wartsila NSD has added the RTA60C to its low-speed engine range. The 60cm…

Gullco has developed a heavy duty version of its automated Moggy welding robot which can be used with submerged arc and MIG welding equipment. The unit can be used with any make…

Paving the way to consolidation An increasing number of shipowners and operators are forging new partnerships. With the international shipping industry taking care of more than five billion tonnes of the world’s…