Maritime Directory

For Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), the year has had a strong start. Today, a significant milestone was reached in the Squadron 2020 project with the start of production of the fourth multi-purpose corvette and the keel-laying of the third one. This also means that all four multi-purpose corvettes of Pohjanmaa class -- ships that measure 117 x 16.5m with a 5m draft and a crew of 70 -- are now simultaneously under construction at the RMC shipyard. Moreover, preparations are in full swing for the production of the two icebreakers ordered by the United States at the end of 2025.The year 2026 is expected to be particularly interesting and significant for the Rauma shipyard.

A newly built very large gas carrier (VLGC) was named Lucent Pathfinder at a ceremony held at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Sakaide Works, marking the seventh dual-fuel LPG carrier using LPG ordered by NYK.The vessel, which will be chartered by United Arab Emirates-based LPG trader BGN INT DMCC, is designed for the global transportation of liquefied petroleum gas and is capable of operating on both heavy fuel oil and LPG.The naming ceremony was attended by around 30 stakeholders. Takayuki Koike, LPG director at BGN, named the vessel, followed by a ceremonial rope cutting performed by Wendy Jungsuk Kwon, an LPG trader at BGN.

The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, four sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington consolidates control of oil shipments in and out of the South American country.The U.S. military and Coast Guard have seized five vessels in recent weeks in international waters that were either carrying Venezuelan oil or have done so in the past. The seizures were part of Washington's campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power that culminated in U.S. forces capturing him on January 3.

Three Greek-managed oil tankers were hit by unidentified drones in the Black Sea on Tuesday as they were on their way to load crude at a terminal on Russia's coast, sources told Reuters.The attacks come as Kazakhstan's oil production, most of which is exported via the terminal, cratered in early January.It was not immediately clear who was behind Tuesday's strikes. Ukraine did not immediately comment. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the terminal where the tankers were due to take on board cargoes, declined to comment on the attack.

Vard, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has signed a new contract with existing customer Ocean Infinity for the design and construction of four Multi-Purpose Robotic Vessels (MPVs).The contract, whose value exceeds $230 million (€200 million), also includes a comprehensive scope of supply from Vard Electro, which will deliver the full suite of SeaQ systems for remote operations.Also, Vard Interiors, responsible for the complete interior solutions, will combine innovative design with energy-efficient systems to ensure crew comfort and operational excellence.Seaonics will provide the Launch and Recovery System (LARS), enabling advanced handling of ROVs and geotechnical units.