6. September 2006 P/F

While there is no consensus on what will be the maritime 'fuel of the future', developers across the world are for the first time testing the use of hydrogen to power ships as the maritime industry races to find technologies to cut emissions and confidence grows the fuel is safe to use commercially.To reach goals for the shipping industry set by the United Nations, industry leaders say the first net-zero ships must enter the global fleet by 2030. Ships powered by green hydrogen could help meet the target.Made from electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable energy, green hydrogen is emissions free.

A naming ceremony was held October 20 for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier jointly ordered by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping), at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (Hudong).The vessel is the last in a series of four newbuilding conventional LNG carriers for the Yamal LNG project announced at the end of June 2017, and was named LNG Megrez after a star in the constellation Ursa Major.MOL has been operating 14 LNG carriers built in China for other projects, and LNG Megrez will become the 15th LNG carrier built at Hudong to join the MOL fleet.

Turkish boat builder Sefine Shipyard has won a contract to supply Norwegian operator Boreal with five electric ferries – each supported by two Volvo Penta D13 MG IMO III generator sets (gensets). The ferries will operate to-and-from the islands in the inner Oslo fjord and run scheduled services throughout the day. The Multi Maritime-designed vessels will each have a length of 35 meters, a beam of eight meters, and two passenger decks capable of accommodating up to 350 people.The ferries will be built under DNV-GL classification regulations.

MAN Energy Solutions announced Thursday it has won the contract to supply complete propulsion packages to two OPV-45 offshore patrol vessels currently under construction at one of the largest privately owned shipbuilding and repair facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean.Israel Shipyards in Haifa is constructing the new patrol boats for an undisclosed African navy. The vessels are designed for a wide range of missions, including protection against the increasing threat of piracy in the region.The OPV-45 has an overall length of 45.7 m, a displacement of some 300 tons. They are capable of sustained speeds above 24 knots and have maximum range of over 3,500 nautical miles.

The Marine Group’s Harbor Management Division has expanded its dredging capabilities with the recent completion of its bespoke built water injection dredger CMS Seaka. Following the deployment of CMS Innovation, The Marine Group invested in the development of a more powerful and highly efficient machine that adopts the same environmentally friendly water injection technology.The Marine Group purchased CMS Seaka as a Multicat in 2018. The vessel was then comprehensively redesigned by OSD-IMT and modified by the original builders, GRA ltd and the company's in-house team of engineers, Cardiff Diesel Services.