Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Ships Monthly

PORT NEWS The only ocean seaport in the American state of Oregon, the Port of Portland, has announced that on 1 October 2024 it intends to suspend container operations at the port, putting 1,500 jobs at risk across the region. The decision follows the collapse of talks with a potential third-party operator. Without finance, the port had no choice but to suspend container operations as the State of Oregon was unwilling to support these with $10 million needed from the State. During the pandemic, Portland, which is 100 miles from the Pacific up the Columbia River, saw a rapid growth in containerised traffic, in part due to increased volumes using the larger west coast ports, as shippers sought alternative ports of entry. Since then, Portland’s financial problems have grown as…

CSOV NEWBUILD On 6 April the Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) Olympic Boreas was launched at Ulstein Verft in Norway. The vessel is based on the novel Twin X-Stern design, which is described as a ‘four-wheel-drive’ solution for the seas. Olympic Boreas, yard number 318, is the first of two sister vessels being built for Olympic. CSOVs assist in offshore energy construction projects and service assignments. The state-of-the-art CSOV vessel is equipped to undertale sustainable operations. The general outfitting work includes the electrical, piping and mechanical installations. The vessels are powered by dies-elelectric propulsion with variable speed and large battery energy storage systems. The contract for the new ships was signed between Olympic and Ulstein in 2022 and includes the construction of two CSOVs at Ulstein Verft. The hulls are…

NEONYX CRUISES After almost four years in lay-up, first under Costa Cruises ownership, but latterly with Greek ferry operator Sea Jets, Mykonos Magic (ex-Costa Magica) is heading for a new career in the Greek Islands. At the beginning of April she moved from her lay-up in Elefsis to a dry dock in Icdas, Turkey. The Costa fleet was the part of Carnival which suffered the most as a result of the pandemic, with the loss of Costa Luminosa, Costa Firenze and Costa Venezia to Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Atlantica to Bahamas Paradise in conjunction with Margaritaville, Costa neoRomantica to Celestyal Cruises (and then scrap) and Costa Victoria to scrap. The disposal of Costa Magica, the first 100,000+gt ship to change hands, was a surprise. As Goddess of the Night, she…

UKRAINE NAVY Two former Royal Navy ships, transferred to Ukraine in 2022, are to be based at Portsmouth naval base for the foreseeable future. The Sandown class minehunters, Cherkasy and Chernihiv, have relocated from Scotland, where their crews have undergone 18 months of training with the RN’s Fleet Operational Standards and Training unit. The Ukrainian vessels will take part in Exercise Sea Breeze 24, an annual joint countermeasure exercise with the Royal Navy and US Navy, which will improve the ability of Ukraine’s navy to better operate alongside NATO navies. The ships are currently unable to sail for the Black Sea due to the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which restricts passage of military vessels through the Bosphorus Strait at times of war. The pair are key to the…

EUROPEAN NAVIES Several European navies are investigating incidents of weapons and combat system issues, some during recent missions against hostile action from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. A report from the captain of the Danish frigate HDMS Iver Huitfeldt highlighted an inability to launch ESSM missiles for 30 minutes, during an engagement, due to compatibility issues with the Dutch APAR radar and the Danish C-FLEX Combat Management System. He also complained that half of the 76mm rounds fired exploded prematurely, close to the ship. The Chief of the Defence staff was sacked for not informing the government of the shortcomings. Meanwhile, two SM-2 missiles fired in error at a US MQ-9 Reaper drone from the German frigate FGS Hessen also failed to work correctly, while the deployment of the…

WIND POWER Over half a year ago two BAR Technologies-developed WindWings were installed on MC Shipping’s 2017-built Kamsarmax bulk carrier Pyxis Ocean to see how much fuel could be saved. Over that period the 80,962dwt ship sailed the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the North and South Atlantic, and passed Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope while operating under charter to Cargill’s Ocean Transportation division. It was found that, in near-optimum sailing conditions, the ship achieved fuel savings of 11 tonnes per day, while average savings over the entire test period were about three tonnes. These performance results were consistent with what had been initially predicted. However, it is anticipated that up to three WindWings will be installed on the next Kamsarmax vessel to be retrofitted, which is…

CONTAINER SHIPS Stena Bulk has sold its fleet of three LNG carriers. Stena Blue Sky was handed over to Asian-based owners in late April, and while she was in Singapore she was renamed Blue Dragon 1. The sale of the 145,000m3 capacity vessel follows the sale of sisterships Stena Crystal Sky and Stena Clear Sky to BW LNG. Built in 2011, the 174,000m3 capacity tri-Fuel Diesel Electric (TFDE) vessels were handed over in late March, and they were renamed BW Enn Crystal Sky and BW Clear Sky. The sale is part of Stena Bulk’s strategy, as the company explores new avenues of growth within the fleet. Stena Bulk also owns Stena Power & LNG Solutions, which offers jettyless solutions for liquid cargoes, and is in dialogue about selling the business unit.…

NEWBUILD China’s Huanghai shipyard has delivered the refrigerated container ship Seatrade Chile (18,680gt) to Antwerp, Belgium-headquartered Seatrade as the first of six 172m by 28m Country class vessels which are equipped with 640 reefer plugs. This corresponds to a 1,278TEU reefer capability, with an overall container capacity of 1,800TEU. The vessels are being built with the latest optimised hydrodynamic hull designs that incorporate an S-Bow and a twisted bulb rudder at the stern. Both main and auxiliary engines are Tier 3 compliant, with a methanol-prepared notation, and provide a service speed of 18.7 knots. The next five ships in the series, beginning with Seatrade Peru, due in September, are to be fitted with multiple deck cranes. Founded in 1951, Seatrade is one of the world’s largest reefer operators and currently…

Eighty years ago a vast armada set out from ports along the English coast destined for the beaches of German-occupied France. Still the largest amphibious operation ever conducted, the Allied assault on the Normandy beaches successfully secured a narrow foothold that would ultimately give rise to the liberation of Western Europe and speed the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. Rightly regarded as one of World War II’s major victories, it was arguably the wartime Anglo-American alliance’s major achievement. OPERATION NEPTUNE The events of D-Day were long in the planning. Initial studies of a major cross-Channel operation commenced in the course of 1942. By the following year, it had been determined that landings along the Normandy coast in the Bay of the Seine offered the best prospects of success. This…

The ship at Newhaven in 1975, behind the ferry, is Hardwick Grange, owned by Houlder Brother Line. Built in 1959 by Hawthorn Brothers of Hepburn, the 10,262grt ship was used to transport general cargo from the UK to the River Plate, Montevideo and Buenos Aries, and meat and dairy products back to the UK. She had a straightforward career, not like her sister Roystone Grange, which had the misfortune to be sailing out of River Plate for the UK on 11 May 1972 when she collided, in fog, with the Liberian-registered crude oil tanker Tien Chee at around 05:30. Roystone Grange hit the tanker’s portside No.6 and No.7 tanks. The tanker caught fire, and the fire quickly spread to Roystone Grange. It is believed that gas from the vast refrigeration…

ISLANDER Profile of Condor’s latest ferry running to the Channel Islands, which arrived last year, after a decade crossing the Cook Strait. PLUS HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH The history of HMS Queen Elizabeth, first of a class of battleships which became known as the ‘Super Dreadnoughts’. NEW MARINE TECHNOLOGIES New technologies introduced to the maritime sector will radically change it over the coming decades. PADDLER SPOTLIGHT Two well-known English paddle steamers celebrate their centenaries in 2024: Kingswear Castle and the larger Medway Queen. AMBASSADOR CRUISES Profile of the newly founded Ambassador Cruise Line, which operates two ships on itineraries mostly around the UK. ON SALE 21 JUNE 2024…

NEWBUILD Hong Kong-headquartered CY Shipping and Amsterdam-based BigLift Shipping are increasing the size of their combined fleet of four Heavy Transport Vessels (HTVs) by ordering two new HTVs from China’s Jing Jiang Nanyang Shipbuilding Co, the first to be delivered in 2025 and the second in mid-2026. Both ships will measure 180m by 43 while the cargo deck will measure 140m by 43m, giving a fully unobstructed space of 6,020m2. As the twins will not be semi-submersible, cargoes will be loaded and discharged over the stern using a roll-on/roll-off method, or skidding. They will have similar frame spacing, depth, ballasting (12,000m3/hr) and tidal compensation capacity as BigLift’s exisitng MC-Class heavylifters, BigLift Barentsz and BigLift Baffin, but will have more deck length and stern-loading capability. CY Shipping and BigLift Shipping combined…

PADDLE STEAMER The paddle steamer Waverley has been awarded the prestigious status of National Flagship of the Year for 2024 by National Historic Ships UK. The award recognises the breadth and geographical coverage of the 1947-built twin funnelled vessel’s extended sailing programme, which starts during May with a record-breaking 70 ports and piers to be visited. Waverley will fly a special flagship pennant and receive an engraved brass plaque marking the current Flagship status, an award made by National Historic Ships since 2009. She heads west to the Bristol Channel in June and one of the summer highlights will be a late August return to the south west and River Dart, where she will have a first meeting with Britain’s other operational paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, celebrating her centenary this…

SHORTSEA CARGO The sixth vessel in the 6,800dwt series of shortsea cargo vessel being built for Arklow Shipping at the Royal Bodewes shipyard in Hoogezand, near Groningen, was launched on 23 April. This follows the fifth vessel in the series, Arklow Resolve, which undertook sea trials off Eemshaven in the Wadden Sea a month earlier. In total, seven Eco-Trader ships in series have been ordered, with the four already in service, Arklow Racer, Arklow Rally, Arklow Rambler (all 2023) and Arklow Ranger, being joined by Arklow Resolve in the fleet. Arklow Shipping are constantly mdoernising, with four other smaller vessels, each of 5,150dwt, entering service last year. The fleet currently stands at 59 ships.…

NEWBUILD South Korea’s HMM, formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine, has ordered four multi-purpose heavylift ships from China’s Huangpu Wenchong shipyard, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), for delivery in 2025-26. Designed by China’s Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), the vessels will be equipped with two 400-ton capacity cranes and one 200-ton capacity crane serving three cargo holds fitted with hydraulic folding hatch covers. To be capable of handling a diverse range of cargoes, from dry bulk and oversized cargo to containers, the 38,000dwt ships will join the four smaller 30,000dwt multi-purpose heavylift vessels which have already been operating within the combined HMM fleet. WATERFRONT • www.shipsmonthly.com • The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL • t > 01959 541444 • e >…

POSITIVE POLAR One of seven near-sisters built by Stocznia Szczecinska at Szczecin, Poland in the 1980s, Ocean Atlantic, as she has been known for the past decade, has found a new lease of life. Built as Konstantin Chernenko for the Far East Shipping Company of Vladivostok, she was operated between that port and Japan and South Korea. By 1989 she had been renamed Russ and undertook charters. By 1997 she operated for LS Redereja between Stockholm and Riga. She later operated between Odessa and Haifa. Sold in 2007, she was renovated in Italy, becoming SC Atlantic in 2010 for S Continental. In 2012 she was acquired by International Shipping Partners and renamed Ocean Atlantic. In more recent times she has been used by both Quark Expeditions and Albatros Expeditions. She…

NCL With four more ships due for Norwegian Cruise Line, and Allura scheduled for delivery to Oceania Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings has placed orders for eight more ships, subject to financing, for delivery between 2026 and 2036. The shipyards of Fincantieri have been chosen to build all eight vessels, four of which will be for the NCL fleet, with deliveries at two-yearly intervals, beginning in 2030, following the completion of the last four ships in the Leonardo class. Currently, the largest ships in the fleet are Norwegian Escape, Bliss, Joy and Encore, dating from 2015-18, all of which have a gross tonnage of around 168,000 and carry about 4,000 lower berth passengers. The new ships will be larger, at 200,000gt, and have a lower berth passenger capacity of around…

CUNARDER Cunard’s newest cruise ship, Queen Anne, made her maiden arrival at her home port of Southampton on 30 April. The 2,996-passenger ship was watched by hundreds of people occupying vantage points along the shores of the Solent and Southampton Water as she made her debut on the south coast, coming from the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, where she had been formally handed over to Cunard on 19 April. The impressive new ship, the company’s first new cruise ship in 14 years and the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, joins Cunard’s fleet of Queens – Queen Mary 2 (2003), Queen Victoria (2007) and Queen Elizabeth (2010). This is the first time since 1999 that the Cunard fleet has featured a quartet of Queens. BUILD TIMELINE The…

FRENCH NAVY Like the UK and US, France has begun construction of a new generation of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. A steel-cutting ceremony for the so called ‘Sous-marin nucléaire lanceur d’engins de troisième génération’ (SNLE 3G) was held at Naval Group’s Cherbourg shipyard on 20 March. The as-yet-unnamed submarine is the first of four SNLE 3G boats that will replace the current Le Triomphant class from the mid-2030s, and will be armed with the same number of M51 missiles. Naval Group is prime contractor for the submarine design, build and integration, with Technic Atome responsible for the development and production of the new K22 pressurised water reactor. Compared with their predecessors, the 3G SSBNs will be slightly larger and feature a range of technological advances such as upgraded stealth coatings…

PERUVIAN NAVY HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has sealed a contract worth US$463 million for the design and construction assistance for four warships for the Peruvian Navy. The warships are a 3,400-tonne frigate, a 2,200-tonne Offshore Patrol Vessel and two 1,500-tonne landing ships. All are to be built locally by the Peruvian state-owned shipyard Servicios Industriales de la Marina (SIMA Peru) in Callao, for delivery by 2030. Peru’s selection of Hyundai Heavy Industries puts the South Korean company in prime position to secure future orders. The Peruvian Navy is aiming to modernise its ageing fleet and has a requirement for as many as 23 newbuilds in total over the next 15 years. Their main priority is the replacement of six Lupo class frigates, the youngest of which has been in service…

COMPANY NEWS Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has continued acquiring ships. During April the company concluded the purchase of a pair of container ships from MPC Capital, the 1,496TEU AS Ragna and the larger 3,586TEU capacity AS Nadia, for an undisclosed fee. So far, the company has reportedly acquired 11 container ships during 2024, while in the past four years the Aponte-owned company has added over 350 ships. Earlier in the year, the company acquired the sisterships Buxcoast and Buxcliff (both 2001/72,760gt) en bloc for $45 million from the German-based NSB Group. With a huge order book of ships yet to be delivered, MSC looks set to account for over 20 per cent of the global container ship capacity over the coming year. However, it is expected that some older units…

BULKERS Norwegian companies OSM Thome and Pherousa Green Shipping have entered into a Letter of Intent (LoI) outlining their collaboration on a series of six 63,000dwt zero-emission bulk carriers that Pherousa will order and OSM Thome will manage. The ships are being designed by Finland’s Deltamarin using an existing ultramax design, but modified to include ammonia-cracking technology developed by Pherousa that employs ammonia as a hydrogen carrier to facilitate zero-emission propulsion. Once completed, the ships will serve the global copper industry.…

USS Hornet was the third of the Yorktown class of aircraft carriers and the US Navy’s seventh vessel to carry the name. Hornet was ordered on 30 March 1939, launched on 14 December 1940, and commissioned at the Norfolk Naval Station on 20 October 1941, 42 days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She was undergoing sea trials when the attack took place and, even though she had a relatively young and inexperienced crew, she was ordered to the Pacific in March 1942. From Hornet’s decks the famous Doolittle Raid on the Japanese mainland took place on 18 April 1942. She later played a pivotal role in the Battle of Midway, with her aircraft helping to sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma. Hornet also saw action during the fight for…

Originally founded in 1988 by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Crystal Cruises soon established itself as a leader in the luxury cruise travel sector, with its first ship, Crystal Harmony (49,400gt), entering service in 1990. Its success led to the order of a second, slightly larger, ship, Crystal Symphony (51,044gt), which joined the fleet in 1995. The third vessel, larger and modified, was the flagship Crystal Serenity, which entered service in 2003. Over time, the trio acquired sterling reputations for their excellent service, accommodations, cuisine and far-flung itineraries. In 2006 Crystal Harmony was transferred to parent company NYK, being renamed Asuka II, as which she still sails. In 2015 NYK sold Crystal Cruises to Malaysian-based Genting Hong Kong, the $550 million deal closing in May of that year. Two…

Alfred and Philip Holt established the Blue Funnel Line in 1853 and Ocean Steamship Company (Ocean) in 1865 to operate steamships from Liverpool to Asia. In the 1930s Ocean acquired the competing Glen and Shire Lines, and also Elder Dempster & Co (EDL), serving West Africa. Whereas frequent switches of ships took place between the Blue Funnel Line and Glen/Shire Lines fleets, there was little or no interchange of ships with the EDL fleet until 1971. However, for various reasons, the frequency of transfers between the Lines rapidly increased from 1971 onwards, and the ships featured in this article are some of those that were transferred. Some of the main reasons for the interchange of vessels included the following:  a) For trading reasons To supply ships to meet demand, avoiding…

SHIPS MAIL LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FOR THE CRUISE INDUSTRY Letter of the month Through Ships Monthly I have previously raised concerns that cruise ships are too large to be safe, and I disagree with the rationale that, in an emergency, ‘ships should be their own lifeboat’. Last month the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) published a report into the Viking Sky major incident. The report is freely available online. A Star Class cruise ship built in 2017 by Fincantieri, Viking Sky was registered in Bergen, Norway and operated by Viking Ocean Cruises. On 23 March 2019, with 1,300 people on board, she suffered total loss of propulsion and steering during a storm in the Hustadvika area of Norway. It took 39 minutes to restore power, by which time the…

HISTORIC SHIP While nuclear energy is again being examined by the maritime industry as a potential force for powering commercial vessels, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) is continuing to search for an organisation to preserve the world’s first nuclear powered merchant ship, the 1962 commissioned NS Savannah. Built as a demonstration vessel to show the peaceful use of nuclear power, the 13,599grt passenger/cargo liner was originally outfitted to carry 60 first-class passengers, but after carrying over 800 passengers on voyages totalling 900,000 miles in the early 1960s the ship was converted to all-cargo operation by the mid-1960s and, after travelling over 450,000 nautical miles on 163 pounds of uranium, was laid up in 1970. While she spent 13 years were on static display at Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah has since…

LNG BUNKERING On 13-14 April the world’s first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel, the 2017-built Green Zeebrugge, made a second visit to Southampton. The vessel had arrived from Zeebrugge and was in Southampton to bunker two P&O Cruises vessels, Iona (2020) and Arvia (2022), which were also in port during the weekend. Built as Engie Zeebrugge by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction in 2017, the 5,200m3 capacity vessel was renamed Green Zeebrugge in February 2021 after being chartered by Titan LNG in a deal which sees the vessel used to supply LNG to larger LNG-fuelled vessels in Northern European port. The 7,403gt ship services a wide variety of craft. The LNG is loaded at Fluxys’ LNG terminal in Zeebrugge, where small LNG carriers with capacities from 2,000m3 can dock. Titan LNG…

PORT NEWS The Port of Poole hosted two newbuild cargo ships on 23 April. The multipurpose dry cargo ship JSP Samsoe made her first Northern European port call to discharge 12 containers, having departed Las Palmas on 13 April. Built by Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry of China and delivered on 5 February, the Portuguese-flagged 3,850gt JSP Samsoe is the latest of several 5,200dwt mini-bulkers ordered by Jebsen Shipping Partners in collaberation with Lubeca Marine. Each measures 90m by 15.45m. The new ships feature maximum fuel efficiency with a cargo capacity of 270,000ft3. Meanwhile, the combi freighter Bellsund Fin, the 17th vessel in the improved Damen CF3850 series, arrived from Pasajes, Spain. Chinese-built at the Damen Yichang shipyard for Blue Fin Shipping, she operates under charter to the Baltic Shipping Co.…

NEW PSVS Oslo-headquartered Green Ships Invest (GSI) has signed a contract to purchase a carbon-free ammonia-to-electrical power system developed by New York-based Amogy for a new series of environmentally-friendly 82m long platform supply vessels (PSV) to be operated by Norway’s Bourbon Horizon. Under the contract, GSI will design the PSVs which will be equipped with 2MW of clean energy capacity through the integration of ten of Amogy’s pioneering 200kW ammonia-to-electrical power units. The onboard systems will feed liquid ammonia through a cracking process to create hydrogen-on-demand for power generation via fuel cells without any carbon emissions. However, the vessels will also be equipped with diesel generators to ensure operational reliability and allow for 100 per cent marine gas oil (MGO) operation if necessary. Amogy is currently retrofitting a tugboat at…

P&O FERRIES The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company fast craft Manannan (1998/5,743gt) made history on 13 March when she became the first vessel to use Liverpool’s new Mersey terminal for Isle of Man services, after crossing the river from Camell Laird’s West Basin at Birkenhead. Taking up to 865 passengers and 200 cars, the 95.5m Manannan was built at Hobart in Tasmania and joined the Steam Packet in May 2009. This followed a varied early career, which included crossings from Port Melbourne, Australia to Hobart for Transport Tasmania, and then time on New Zealand inter-island services for Fast Cat Ferries. After a brief period laid up, the vessel had a stint of troop carrying with the US Marines, running under the name Joint Venture until 2008, when the charter…

CAL MAC While she was being refitted by Cammell Laird on the Mersey, the Cal Mac ferry Caledonian Isles (1995/5,221gt) was found to need additional steelwork beyond what was originally planned and will have to remain in dry dock for an estimated further 16 weeks. Built for service to Arran on the Ardrossan-Brodick route at the Richards Shipyard in Lowestoft and carrying 1,000 passengers and 120 cars, the vessel has a service speed of 15 knots from twin Mirrlees diesel engines with an output of 4,265kW. In a statement released in April, Cal Mac said: ‘This year the need for a significant level of steelwork has emerged during the overhaul process and a carefully defined plan will be developed for repairs on a staggered basis, as doing them all at…

CHANNEL ISLANDS Although Condor Ferries have a contract to serve Guernsey and Jersey until the end of 2025, the Island Authority has come up with a memorandum of understanding covering future ferry services which is causing interest among major operators, with DFDS Seaways and Brittany Ferries already sending vessels on berth-testing trips. DFDS were the first off the mark, with freight ro-ro Finlandia Seaways (2000/11,520gt) appearing at St Peter Port, Guernsey, in December 2023. However, the exercise was not entirely successful, with the China-built vessel striking the quayside as she was departing. Brittany Ferries left nothing to chance and had two tugs on stand-by when their ro-pax vessel Barfleur (2000/11,530gt) appeared at St Helier in Jersey on 26 March. She is larger than vessels that are normally accommodated in Jersey,…

WINDSTAR With a bit of a chequered history, Windstar Cruises, founded in 1984, seems to have settled under the umbrella of Xanterra Travel, itself a subsidiary of Anschutz Corporation, and is acquiring two further ships, both from the Portuguese shipowner Mystic Invest. At a little under 10,000gt, the first will join Windstar at the end of 2025, and will be the newbuild Star Seeker, originally destined for Mystic’s North American operation Atlas Ocean Voyages. The second ship is the 2019-built Star Explorer, currently on charter to Quark Expeditions as World Explorer. Windstar’s first ship was Windstar, delivered in 1986. Holland America Line acquired 50 per cent of Windstar in 1987 and HAL was bought by Carnival in 1989. In 2007 Carnival sold Windstar to Ambassadors International, and Xanterra later acquired…

AMERICAN CRUISE American Cruise Lines was founded in 2000, and since then has built up an impressive fleet of coastal and river cruise ships, with almost all of its vessels from the associated Chesapeake Shipbuilding yard at Salisbury, Maryland. Including this year’s deliveries, the fleet consists of nine coastal cruise ships and ten river cruise ships of various types, with a further ten ships covering both types on order. That total has recently been enhanced by the purchase at auction of the four riverboats from the failed American Queen Voyages for a total amount of $6 million. The single most expensive item in that purchase was the largest American riverboat ever built, American Queen, which cost just $2.19 million at the auction. At those prices, one wonders if these ships…

INDONESIAN NAVY The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has announced procurement deals with different European defence contractors on the same day for the acquisition of new warships and submarines. They have become the fifth export customer of Naval Group’s Scorpène class submarine, with orders for two so-called Evolved Full Lithium-Ion battery (LiB) submarines. They are to be built locally by the PT PAL shipyard, through a transfer of technology and technical assistance. Lithium batteries are the latest must-have technology in diesel-electric submarines. They allow a greater range of deliverable energy and a reduced charging time compared with conventional batteries. In a contract worth €1.18 billion, the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is to supply a pair of Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) multi-purpose Offshore Patrol Vessels. In order to facilitate quick delivery, the ships…

NEWBUILD South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean and classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) are jointly developing a 270,000m3 capacity gas carrier with a 55m beam that would be fitted with five cargo tanks and a reliquefaction system, as well as an X-DF type dual-fuel engine. Most conventional gas carriers have a capacity of 174,000m3, while the largest, Qatar’s Q-Max series, have a capacity of 266,000m3. Thus if the Hanwha Ocean/BV ships are built, they will become the world’s largest. In February the Korean company received an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design from classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) after Bureau Veritas performed 2D local scantling and 3D cargo hold finite element analysis to assess the longitudinal strength of the hull as well as the potential yielding and buckling within…

Two well-known Caledonian MacBrayne ferries celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2024. The Norwegian-built Suilven and the Edinburgh-built Pioneer, which not only entered service in the same year, but went on to became reliable and dependable vessels within the Cal Mac fleet, both met unfortunate ends after having been sold abroad. SUILVEN (1974-2015) Suilven was purchased by Caledonian MacBrayne for the Stornoway to Ullapool route as a replacement for the 1964-built Clansman. A new direct link from Stornoway to Ullapool had commenced in March 1973, in what was the first year of Caledonian MacBrayne’s operations. Clansman proved unreliable due to mechanical breakdowns, and was not a long-term solution to the route, so the new company looked for additional tonnage. In December 1973 they came across a Norwegian ship, the keel of…

Over the past several decades cargo ships have changed considerably, with a variety of factors influencing new designs. Part one of our survey of modern cargo ships (SM, May) covered container ships, con-ro carriers, ro-ro vessels, multipurpose ships and car and vehicle carriers. This part covers deck carriers, heavylift ships, bulk carriers, Capesize bulkers, crude carriers, parcel tankers and gas tankers. DECK CARRIERS The continuing development of multipurpose ships has been driven somewhat by the need to accommodate wind energy cargoes, including towers, turbines and blades, but such has been the growth of these components in size and weight that a completely new ship type, the Deck Carrier, has been introduced. Classification society DNV created a new class notation for these ships just over a year ago once it was…

APRIL’S MYSTERY The Appledore Shipbuilders Robert Cock and Sons specialised in building smaller vessels, up to coaster size. During a period from 1922 to 1924 they built four coasters, but had difficulty finding owners for them all. The vessels were War Wharfe for the Shipping Controller, and Orleigh, Orchis and Orenie, the latter being the mystery ship. Cock’s yard was operating the ships themselves but within a few years sold them on. Orenie went on to become Rockville and traded until 1952. The yard went out of business but was taken over by P.K. Harris and Sons, until 1963, when it became Appledore Shipbuilders. John Jordan Cloyne, Co Cork THIS MONTH’S MYSTERY SHIP This month’s mystery shows a an old coaster under way. Her name cannot be made out, but…