Maritime Vessels Directory

On the night of February 8, 2000, the crew of the British research vessel, Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery, were braced for a storm.Wind speeds had been increasing over the previous night creating conditions no one onboard had ex-perienced before – or would want to experience again.From mid-afternoon on the 8th to mid-morning on the 9th, wave heights were topping 20 m in height and even reached 29.1 m – the equivalent to a ten-storey building – peaking around midnight.Even for 250 km west of Scotland, out in the North Atlantic, these were abnormal conditions.

Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has signed a vessel reservation agreement with Ocean Winds for the installation of the wind turbine generators at BC-Wind offshore wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea.The potential value of the contract to be negotiated during the pendency of the agreement is estimated to be between $49 million and $58 million.Under the vessel reservation agreement, Cadeler scope covers installation and transportation of around 30 wind turbines at the BC-Wind offshore wind farm.Cadeler plans to deploy one of its O-class vessels, with the project scheduled to be completed in 2028.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), have removed all the major components of the American Airlines regional jet and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter from the Potomac River.The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 airplane operated as American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan Washington National Airport and the US Army helicopter collided at 8:47 p.m. ET on January 29, 2025, killing 67 people.Prestaging operations began on January 31, and initial removal of large wreckage started February 3.

Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL) have signed a multi-billion dollar agreement for the construction of four new cruise ships.With a gross tonnage of approximately 226,000 tons, the new units will be the largest ever built for NCL.The ships will be built at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, with the first unit to be delivered in 2030 and the others to follow in 2032, 2034, and 2036.Fincantieri deemed the contract ‘very important’, which means its value exceeds $2 billion. According to media reports citing sources close to the matter, the value of the contract is over $9 billion.The firm order follows the letter of intent the companies signed in April 2024.

U.S. President Donald Trump will restore his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran and drive its oil exports down to zero, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz for traffic as a retaliation for Western pressure. That would shut down the region's trade and lead to a spike in oil prices.The Streit of Hormuz & OilThe strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles (three km) wide in either direction.