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.
The Ballyglass RNLI lifeboat had an unusual vessel to deal with on the evening of May 14.
A search could be mounted early next year for one of the most famous ships in British Antarctica exploration, the
Norway's new polar research vessel Kronprins Haakon is due to be operational this month, according to Norway’s Institute of Marine
The second heavy cargo of equipment for the refitting of the Centrica power station at King’s Lynn arrived at the
The Saudi Arabia flag tanker Abqaiq, 302,977dwt, was hit by a shore-launched anti-ship rocket fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia in
To operate in California, ports must have a master plan approved by the California Coastal Commission that guides their development
Under the 2,232 page omnibus spending measure signed into law by President Donald Trump, the US Maritime Administration is to
A large heavy lift ship carrying four of the largest container cranes for the US West Coast sailed through Puget
The first of four conversion periods that will see the two Orca class rollon, roll-off vessels of Tote Maritime Alaska
Kotug Australia has acquired the Teekay Shipping Australia half of their joint towage venture KT Maritime Services.
The South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has received approval in principle from the Londonbased classification society Lloyd’s Register
The one ship that can’t be missed is the first for a new container line formed by three Japanese owners.
The collision between the US Navy destroyer John S McCain and the Greek owned oil/chemical tanker Alnic MC, 50,760dwt, in
The first four of nine giant cranes for the DP World Australia container terminals at Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle
British News Ahead of the American led missile strikes against suspected chemical weapon manufacturing plants in Syria in early April,
Japanese News It has been a particularly busy period for the Japanese with a number of new vessels being accepted
Russian News By 2027 the Russian Federation Navy is expected to have acquired a total of ten Alexandrit class minesweepers
Danish News On 11 December, in a ceremony held at Naval Station Korsør, the Royal Danish Navy commissioned the third
The Hamnavoe, Hrossey and Hjaltland had previously been chartered by Transport Scotland from Royal Bank of Scotland and operated by
At last, after much delay, subsequent to the construction of the new airport on St Helena, the island’s namesake ship
Maersk is making what seems to be a clever, though now very obvious, step to take for a far seeing
I am not normally drawn to such films as the latest Dunkirk release, but on my recent viewing it proved
The issue of ferry operation, subsequent to the UK leaving the EU, will rather, regretfully, but unavoidably, continue to feature
Thanks to Orkney Image Library for this view of the RFA Pearleaf.
A collection of fine images of coastal tankers delivering fuel to the Southern Scottish town of Kirkcudbright took my eye.
The Anna (see the print edition for details), like all Dutch craft, has a band around the outside of her
The Dutch 27.7m steel ketch Gallant, was built as a ‘logger’ in 1916 for the North Sea herring fishery.
The Scandinavian connection this month, continues with the welcome reappearance of the magnificently versatile Severn Sea 147gt of Bideford seen
The news of the Isle of Man Government’s acquisition of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company announced in May,
Good positive news from Southampton where marine engineering services firm SMS is, presently, midway through a contract to build three
In this, the second decade of the 21st century, I am still often astonished, saddened and angered by the treatment
Norway is a country which takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and is at the vanguard of changes to reduce
In 2017, I had the pleasure of visiting Wight Shipyard Co’s famous Columbine Yard in East Cowes (Isle of Wight)
The steady stream of superyachts being launched in Holland is a very visible sign of the prominence of the Dutch
With the cessation of hostilities after the end of WW2 in 1945, a number of Immigration Schemes were introduced by
Cruise passengers on a vessel that includes Hong Kong within their itinerary, may have witnessed Hong Kong’s ‘A Symphony of
There will be many readers who, for the last decade, have followed the fortunes of the Queen Elizabeth 2.
The future of superyachts and how they may develop over imminent years, keeps superyacht commentators, like me, amused for hours.
