Houthi rebel drone attacks on vessels traversing the Red Sea and Suez Canal route, accounting for 10% of global trade, have exposed the shortcomings of current ship alert systems.

Vard has announced that the contract signed December 15, 2023, for the construction of a state-of-the-art cable laying vessel, was with the Swedish company NKT HV Cables AB. The value of the contract is between EUR 200 - 250m. NKT HV Cables AB is a turn-key power cable manufacturer and installation company with its main office in Karlskrona, Sweden.

The latest stats from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform found that a total of 298 ships with alternative fuel propulsion were ordered in 2023 – an 8% increase year on year.

DeepOcean has entered into a long-time charter agreement for the Island Condor – to be re-named Island Ocean multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) – following conversion and upgrade.

2024 is off to a good start with the successful delivery of a second Damen Combi Freighter 3850, Violet to Baltnautic Holding B.V, following the handover of the first vessel, named Indigo, just nine days earlier. The ceremony took place on the 11th of January in Shanghai, China.

Without doubt, 2023 was a landmark year for Miros, with the company welcoming a new chief executive, securing numerous contracts, and expanding its presence in key geographies and markets.

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment, a global leader in maritime safety solutions, has acquired rights to manufacture and supply ‘Undertun’ marine evacuation systems (MES). The solution commands a leading position in part of the small ferry market due to its easy installation and use.

In 2023, Bernhard Schulte Offshore ordered the design and construction of two such vessels from Ulstein, a contract which included options for two + two vessels. These options have been transferred to institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, who declared the first two.

On January 13th, Damen Shipyards Sharjah (DSS) celebrated its tenth anniversary. Starting out in 2012 on undeveloped ground, DSS has grown into a state-of-the-art shipyard covering 200,000m2. It features large construction halls and eleven repair berths, including one covered berth.

Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, a provider of fuel cell power solutions, has signed a formal technology development agreement with HELINOR Energy, a Norwegian scale up technology and production provider of next generation hydrogen fuel cell and fire suppression modules.

James Fisher and Sons plc (James Fisher) has christened its latest LNG dual-fuel 6,000 dwt chemical tanker, as part of the next phase of its ‘fleet of the future’.

NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations will hold two hiring events in the Gulf Coast region to recruit professional mariners to work aboard NOAA’s ocean research ships. The first event will be in Mobile, Alabama on Jan. 23 and the second is in New Orleans on Jan. 25.

Marlink, a smart network and digital solutions company, has upgraded the smart hybrid VSAT installation on the seismic research vessel Ramform Hyperion to provide an uplink speed of more than 250 megabits per second (Mbps) using GEO VSAT.

Jumbo Offshore Installation Contractors B.V. (“Jumbo Offshore”) has been awarded a contract by MODEC Guyana Inc. (“MODEC”) for the pre-installation of the mooring spread of the FPSO Errea Wittu, which will be located offshore Guyana.

Invasive species are organisms that spread to areas outside their native range posing a threat to native flora and fauna and are seen as a major cause behind the global decline in biodiversity.

Nekkar’s subsidiary Techano Oceanlift has been awarded a contract by Sefine Shipyard to deliver an offshore crane to a newbuild subsea IMR/survey vessel.