Becker MarineSystems

A ro-pax ferry exploded and caught fire while berthed at Weihai Port in Shandong, China.There were no passengers on board at the time of the blast, and no injuries have been reported.According to Chinese media, the 186-meter ferry Zhong Hua Fu Qiang had departed Weihai for Dalian on Monday night, but the vessel returned to port once smoke was observed coming from a truck on board. All passengers and crew members had been evacuated before the explosion occurred at around 11:40 local time on Tuesday.Firefighters and other emergency personnel are on scene fighting the blaze.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is embarking on a new chapter in its ocean research with the construction of a state-of-the-art ship, a vessel named in honor of MBARI’s founder, David Packard. The R/V David Packard will be capable of accommodating diverse expeditions in Monterey Bay and beyond to further the institute’s mission to explore and understand our changing ocean.It will measure 50 x 12.8 m with a 3.7 m draft, designed to  support a crew of 12, plus a science crew of 18. MBARI has selected Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, for the construction of the R/V David Packard.

The United States will join an effort by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in the global shipping industry, climate envoy John Kerry announced on Tuesday ahead of a climate leaders summit President Joe Biden will host this week."I want to announce that in support of the global effort to keep us in reach of 1.5 degrees Celsius and in support of global efforts to achieve net zero by no later than 2050, the United States is committing to work with countries in the IMO to adopt the goal of achieving net zero emissions from international shipping by no later than 2050," he told a conference hosted by the Ocean Conservancy.

SeaspanLNG said it has secured an approval in principle (AIP) with Bureau Veritas for the design of a 7,600 cubic meter capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel.The LNG bunker vessel has been designed for ship-to-ship LNG transfer as well as well as coastal/short sea shipping operations by Seaspan Ferries’ partner Vard Marine Inc. Seaspan Ferries’ class of dual fuel hybrid electric ferries were developed by Vard in 2014 and included a new method of bunkering the vessels. This relationship led to the creation of a new line of Vard 9 series LNG bunker vessels, focused on safe

Aluminum boatbuilder Brix Marine said it has delivered the 45’ by 18’4” passenger ferry Hat Island Ferry, which recently entered service for the community of Hat Island, Wash.A small, private island community in Snohomish County, Wash., Hat Island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano Islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. Its residents' requirements are reflected in the ferry design which received widespread community approval, according to the vessel's designer and builder Brix Marine (formerly Armstrong Marine USA), based in Port Angeles, Wash.