China summoned the Philippines’ ambassador on Friday to express its objection to two new laws in the Southeast Asian nation asserting maritime rights and sovereignty over disputed areas of the South China Sea, its foreign ministry said.

China made “solemn representations” to the ambassador shortly after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act into law to strengthen his country’s maritime claims and bolster its territorial integrity.

The Maritime Zones law “illegally includes most of China’s Huangyan Island and Nansha Islands and related maritime areas in the Philippines’ maritime zones,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, using the Chinese names for Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands respectively.

Beijing has rejected a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said its expansive maritime claims over the South China Sea had no legal basis, in a case that was brought by Manila.

The United States, a Philippine ally, backs the court’s ruling.Marcos said the two laws he signed, which define maritime entitlements and set designated sea lanes and air routes, were a demonstration of commitment to uphold the international rules-based…

French engineering company GTT has received an order from a Korean shipyard for the tank design of a new floating storage regasification unit (FSRU).

The FSRU is being built for the Asian shipowner.

GTT will design the tanks of this FSRU, with a total capacity of 204,000 m3.

The tanks will be fitted with the NO96 GW containment system developed by GTT.

The delivery of the vessels is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group, has secured a ‘substantial’ contract from ScottishPower Renewables for the transport and installation of the inter-array cables of the East Anglia TWO offshore wind project.

Seaway7’s scope of work for East Anglia TWO includes the engineering, supply and installation of the 64 inter-array cables.

Execution of the scope will be led from Seaway7’s Aberdeen office in the UK, with offshore activities scheduled to commence in 2027.

Although the exact value of the contract has not been specified, Subsea7 defines a substantial contract as being between $150 million and $300 million.

ScottishPower Renewables $5.2 billion East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm will be located around 33 kilometers from the east coast of England in the Southern North Sea.

Successful in the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6 in September 2024, it will contribute up to 960 MW of renewable energy to power the equivalent of almost one million homes.

It is one of three consented offshore wind farm developments that, together with the operational East Anglia ONE, will form the East Anglia Hub, which will ultimately deliver 4,000 MW of renewable energy generation capacity.

ScottishPower Renewables recently hired…

EDGE and Fincantieri have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the design, development, and creation of advanced manned and unmanned underwater systems solution capability through their recently launched UAE-based shipbuilding joint venture MAESTRAL.

The preliminary agreement will pave the way and boost for developing sophisticated solutions tailored to the unique underwater needs of navies worldwide.

The collaboration marks EDGE’s first venture into underwater domain, enabling both organizations to share expertise and leverage extensive technical and production resources to develop a range of innovative, interoperable manned and unmanned products – further advancing the UAE’s sovereign capabilities in cutting-edge defense technologies, for the benefit of the UAE and other navies worldwide.

“This agreement between Fincantieri and EDGE underscores a commitment to pioneering advancements in underwater technologies, combining engineering excellence with a forward-thinking approach. The underwater domain presents unique challenges, from fluid dynamics to communication and autonomy, which demand innovative and resilient solutions.

“Together, we aim to develop systems that meet the highest standards of interoperability,…

Dominion Energy has installed 78 monopile and four offshore substation foundations for as part of the first offshore construction campaign for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.

CVOW, the largest offshore wind project under construction in the United States, will consist of 176 turbines that will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes and is expected to generate fuel savings of $3 billion for customers during the first 10 years of operation.

With the completed first installation campaign, Dominion Energy exceeded the initial objectives of at least at least 70 monopiles set into the sea floor 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

DEME Group’s heavy lift vessel Orion has been tasked with the installation of the monopile foundations, with the first being installed in May 2024.

According to Dominion Energy, CVOW construction remains on-budget and on schedule to be complete in late 2026, with 43% of the project already completed.

For the next few months, the company will focus on installation of the first offshore substation, continued export cable lays and onshore transmission construction, and placement of transition pieces on top of monopiles in preparation for turbine installation starting in…

St. Johns Ship Building this week announced a deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to construct two (2) 140′ x 32′ x 7′ Stop Log Barges. The contract is St. Johns Ship Building’s first new construction project for the U.S. Government.

“The new Stop-Log Barges will support the Army Corps’ major maintenance fleet working on the navigation system, locks and powerhouses, and the flood control lakes located within the Tulsa District,” according to a USACE statement.

St. Johns Ship Building (SJSB) specializes in Jones Act-compliant new construction and repair of aluminum and steel vessels, including crew boats, ferries, tugs, deck and tank barges, landing crafts, and general cargo ships. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides essential public engineering services across a wide range of projects, including water infrastructure, flood risk management, and environmental restoration. The Corps plays a critical role in supporting the nation’s navigation and safety infrastructure.

Mobile, AL-based Blakeley BoatWorks has announced the completion and delivery of Hull 107, formally named M/V Claire Ellen, to Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations.

Designed by Farrell and Norton and built by Blakeley BoatWorks, the 70-foot long, 28-foot wide, 1,600 horsepower vessel is fully compliant with the latest United States Coast Guard Subchapter M regulatory requirements.
 
The new pushboat is the sixth 70 foot workboat delivered by Blakeley to to Cooper Marine-Louisiana. Powered by two (2) Caterpillar C32 800 HP Tier 3 diesel marine engines and coupled to two (2) Twin Disc MGX5222 gears, the vessel’s electrical power is supplied by two (2) Caterpillar C4.4 Tier 3 generators.

In addition to the delivery of M/V Claire Ellen, Blakeley BoatWorks has also begun construction on a seventh 1,600 horsepower vessel, Hull 113, for Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations.

Situated on 26 acres in heart of the port of Mobile and with capacity to simultaneously service up to 15 towing vessels and barges, Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) is equipped with a 1,900-ton floating dry dock, 660-ton travel lift, and four covered fabrication shops. Cooper Marine’s operations are powered by 42 towing vessels, 450 hopper barges, and one of the country’s largest fleet…

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released an interim report into the grounding of the passenger ferry Aratere in Titoki Bay, Picton, on June 21, 2024, citing lack of knowledge about the steering system.

The Aratere had been in service for about 26 years, and in May 2024, KiwiRail installed a new steering control system in four of the five command consoles on the bridge. It wasn’t installed on the autopilot console, which was part of the original track pilot integrated bridge navigation system by a different manufacturer. In the three weeks following wet docking, Aratere completed 83 Cook Strait crossings.

For Aratere’s 2120 Picton to Wellington sailing on June 21, 2024, the bridge team comprised:

• Pilot: Master (the Refamiliarisation Master) re-acquainting themselves with the ship after some time commanding other vessels.

• Co-pilot: the Night Master, in command.

•Helmsman: a Deck Rating at the central helmsman steering console.

• Assisting as required: Officer Of the Watch (OOW) and a Deck Rating on lookout duty

Timeline:

2119: departure Aratere left its berth at Picton. The re-familiarisation master, piloting and controlling the engines, asked the helmsman to steer for the first waypoint off Mabel…

Yanmar Power Technology has successfully completed a land-based demonstration test of a pilot-ignition hydrogen 4-stroke high-speed engine designed for power generation in coastal vessels.

The 6-cylinder engine operates by using a small amount of diesel oil as the ignition source (pilot fuel) to burn a premixture of hydrogen and air. The engine achieved the world’s highest hydrogen fuel ratio and an output of approximately 500kW (according to Yanmar’s research).

Yanmar Power Technology is developing a similar pilot-ignition engine that will achieve zero emissions by co-firing a small amount of biofuel for ignition with hydrogen and a spark-ignition engine that will burn hydrogen exclusively. Land-based demonstration tests using this pilot-ignition 6-cylinder hydrogen engine are scheduled to begin in 2024, with demonstration operations planned for 2026.

The current trial was conducted as part of the Nippon Foundation’s zero emission ship demonstration experiment. This project focuses on the development of hydrogen-powered, zero-emission ships, and supports related technology development.

In addition to hydrogen engine development, the project is currently working on a hydrogen engine-compatible hybrid electric propulsion vessel, combining…