An exhibition of ship models depicting vessels built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company (Troon and Ayr) in the 19^th and 20th centuries opens at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Irvine Harborside today (Friday, February 21).

The collection of six detailed ‘builder’s models’, which are on long-term loan from South Ayrshire Council, were crafted by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company’s model-making department between 1909 and 1975.

The vessels depicted include a 10-gun brig built to seize illegal slaver ships in the 19^th century, steamers destined for Brazil, a Mexican Navy patrol vessel, a ferry commissioned by the company that pioneered the roll-on roll-off ferry after World War II, and an anti-submarine frigate built in 1943.

The models, displayed in the Museum’s Linthouse alongside new interpretations created by the curatorial team, were delivered by the previous stewards, Troon Community Council.

After a year of preparing the ship and crew, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) has completed its first science expedition to Antarctica. The three-week expedition, which ended in early January, was ambitious in its science scope and required operational refinements to navigate safely in unfamiliar environmental conditions.

“Operating our ship in the Southern Ocean marks a significant milestone in Schmidt Ocean Institute’s history,” said Eric King, senior director of maritime infrastructure. “R/V Falkor (too) performed exceptionally well, our crew gained a tremendous knowledge and experience, and the expedition prepared us well for future explorations around this part of the global Ocean in the coming decade.”  

R/V Falkor (too) is a certified Class C polar vessel, which means it can operate in austral summer when there is light sea ice, also known as first-year ice. The ship received its polar certification from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in October 2024. It was operationally supported by EYOS (Expeditions, Yachts, Operations, and Support Services), an internationally known polar expedition organization. EYOS aided in mission planning, permitting, and more. King said two ice pilots also…

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has started working on the new deep-water port in Senegal, which will be able to accommodate two of the world’s largest container ships simultaneously.

Jan De Nul is responsible for dredging the five-kilometer access channel and will create an 89-hectare platform for maritime services and container storage.

In total, the works are expected to take two and a half years to complete.

The Port of Dakar is nearing its maximum capacity, and the surrounding area is fully saturated. To address this challenge, DP World – a global giant in logistics and trade and the current operator of Dakar’s container terminal – is developing a new port in Ndayane, located 50 km south of the capital.

The project will significantly enhance Senegal’s container handling capacity.

“This is no easy task, as the seabed in the channel consists mainly of hard rock and the conditions in the Atlantic Ocean can be rough. You need a powerful dredger that is also large enough to continue working in challenging wave conditions. That is why we deploy our largest and most powerful cutter suction dredger, the Willem Van Rubroeck, to get the job done,” said Dominique Bombaert, Area Manager for Senegal at Jan De Nul.

Once…

The Singapore trading arm of U.S.-based refiner Phillips 66 has recently leased a new floating storage vessel along the Singapore and Malacca Straits for storing fuel oil, market sources told Reuters.

The 300,000 metric-tons capacity Southern Emperor is the latest addition to 19 existing fuel oil floating storage vessels along the Straits chartered by various market participants, said sources.

So far, Phillips 66 has been partially renting the EM Splendour for fuel oil storage.

The Singapore and Malacca Straits are a key location for fuel oil storage in Asia, with traders building inventories of the fuel around the world’s largest bunkering port of Singapore.

Total volume of fuel oil in floating storage on the Straits is estimated at over 2.6 million tons, based on data from shipping analytics firm Kpler this month.

The number of tankers used for storing fuel oil on the Straits is expected to hold largely stable into this year, market sources said.

(Reuters – Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

Investment group Eurazeo has made a $73.1 million investment in MPC OSE Offshore, a joint venture established by MPC Capital and German offshore services firm O.S. Energy, with the aim of building and managing new service operations vessels (SOVs) for offshore wind farms.

Eurazeo made the investment through its Eurazeo Transition Infrastructure Fund (ETIF), a fund with a sustainable investment strategy focusing on the transition of essential infrastructure to a low-carbon economy.

This represents the seventh investment of ETIF allowing it to participate in the development and growth of the European offshore wind sector. This operation benefits from support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.

The OSV platform was initiated by a joint venture of MPC Capital and O.S. Energy, named MPC OSE Offshore, to develop, build and manage service vessels which are specifically designed to operate in offshore wind farms.

“We are very pleased to work together with top-tier investors which have a dedicated focus on infrastructure investments related to the energy transition.

“It is a perfect fit, as we can offer a unique investment platform in a structural growth market. We look forward to making our investment platform a great success and jointly…