US News
In a significant move in March, the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson made an historic port visit to Vietnam, the first by an American carrier since the end of the Vietnam War in 1973.
The carrier took part in multi-national exercises under the auspices of the Pacific Partnership mission which includes co-operation with Canadian, British, French, Peruvian, Japanese and Australian forces in the region.
The American organisation DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) handed over the first prototype of what the US Navy hopes will be an autonomous sub hunting surface ship on 30 January. Sea Hunter is the result of the US Navy’s Anti Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program and is likely to create a whole new class of naval vessels that could remain at sea for months at a time without humans onboard. Sea Hunter is a trimaran hulled vessel with a displacement of 140 tons and capable of speeds up to 27 knots. As a prototype, the vessel carries no weapons, but is capable of carrying out surveillance over a large ocean territory.
German News
The German Navy recalled the latest class of frigates after they failed first of class sea trials and had to be sent back to the shipbuilders. Baden-Wurttemberg class ships are designed to replace the 1980’s era Bremen class in service. Sadly, the ship is the first vessel ever to be refused to be accepted by the German Navy from its shipbuilders following the discovery of a large number of faults and problems.
Around ninety percent of the systems onboard the frigate are new as well as the computer software designed to control them. The Atlas Naval Combat System, built by Atlas Electronik GmbH of Bremen, has reportedly, been particularly troublesome. Furthermore, the ship lists to starboard slightly and is overweight and its propulsion systems cannot get the ship to its designed top speed.
Indian News
The third of a planned class of six French designed Scorpene class attack submarines for the Indian Navy, Karanj, was launched on January 31.
The submarine was built by Mazagon Dock Limited and the ceremony was performed by Reena Lanba, wife of the Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.
South Korean News
The first of the new FFX-II class guided missile frigates Daegu was delivered on 1 February.
At 122 metres long the new frigate was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering. She is the first of eight such vessels on order and is an enlarged version of the earlier Incheon (FFX-I) class ships that entered service from 2013.
Photographs of lifeboats dating from the turn of the 20th Century are the centrepiece of a new RNLI exhibition that
The vehicle carrier Makassar Highway, 17,735gt, of the Japanese company K Line, ran aground off the Swedish coast on the
The trailing suction hopper dredger UKD Orca, 3,087gt, of UK Dredging, of Cardiff, arrived at Ipswich in August for its
The next generation of port technologies that will help to keep the British industry trading are being jointly developed by
One of the largest barges ever handled at Lowestoft was safely moved out of the port early in July on
The first offshore cleaning system was to be installed last month in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located halfway between
At the end of July, the new container/roll on-roll off cargo ship El Coqui, 36,796gt, of the Crowley Maritime Corp,
This month, a new floating clean-up system to tackle what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was due
On Oct 1, the Panama Canal Authority will lift its daylight and encounter bans on LNG vessels to offer more
The proposed joint demonstration project by four Japanese organisations relating to the safety of vessels’ auto berthing and un-berthing has
A new record for crossing the Northern Sea Route was set up in July by the icebreaking LNG carrier Christophe
The South Korean company Shinil Group said it has found the wreck of a Russian cruiser that was sunk 113
British News The assault ship HMS Albion, at time of writing, had just completed a five day visit to Tokyo
British News The latest survey vessel to join the Royal Navy was commissioned into service at her homeport of Devonport
British News The first four of Britain’s next generation F-35 Lightning supersonic fighter jets touched down in the United Kingdom
Russian News
Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, will be refitted to prolong the warship’s operational life.
British News Ahead of the American led missile strikes against suspected chemical weapon manufacturing plants in Syria in early April,
In response to growing market demand, Stena Line has upped freight capacity on the popular Belfast – Liverpool route.
Brittany Ferries has celebrated the second milestone in the build of its next ship Honfleur with the keeling laying - the
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley has announced that the Incat 91 wave piercing catamaran Incat 046, otherwise known
Wightlink is celebrating the entry into service of its new 8,041gt hybrid ferry, Victoria of Wight.
On the north east coast of England, it was Sunderland’s proud claim that more ships had been built here than
At the end of May, a Tall Ships fleet met at Liverpool.
The organisers of the charter barges working from Ipswich are worried by plans to build a road bridge across the
Two German schooners based at Hamburg are regularly making voyages under sail with general cargoes across the Atlantic.
Thanks to Orkney Image Library for this view of the RFA Pearleaf.
A recent addition to my book collection is Sea Change, a commentary on the battle for the Falkland Islands and
I was interested to learn that Marine engineering specialist SeaKing has recently completed extensive upgrade work on three shortsea ferries
In my ‘Message From the Bridge’ in August’s edition of Sea Breezes, I mentioned the burgeoning cruise market in the
In my Message From The Bridge in the August edition of Sea Breezes I highlighted the Firth of Forth.
In the past I have been fortunate in that I have been on a cruise to a number of the
An exciting opportunity for an owner looking to build one of the finest explorer yacht projects available has presented itself.
Behind the construction of every great yacht there is a story and in the building of Meira, it is one
A keel-laying ceremony was held on June 20 2017 for Hanseatic Nature, the first of two expedition cruise ships being
Loved and hated in equal measure by those who exhibit at the Cannes Yachting Festival, as it is correctly known,
