COMMON SPIRIT

The global offshore wind industry has been picking up pace unabated by the global pandemic, with industry investments growing and offshore wind turbine makers competing on who'll build a larger turbine. With offshore wind turbines, bigger is better, Rystad said recently.Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa in May 2020 announced it was working on developing wind turbines with up to 15MW capacity and a 222-meter rotor - the world's largest in the making. The prototype is expected to be ready in 2021, with turbines commercially available sometime in 2024. The giant Siemens Gamesa turbines have already been ordered - conditionally - for projects in Taiwan and the U.S.

Captain Dianna Wolfson took the helm Friday as the 110th commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and first female leader in its 253-year history.Wolfson also holds the distinction of becoming the first female commander of any of the nation’s four public shipyards when she assumed command in June 2019 of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF).This marks her third NNSY tour, with previous assignments as Operations Officer and Project Superintendent for the USS Newport News (SSN 750) Engineered Overhaul.NNSY, a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command, is one of the oldest, largest and most multifaceted industrial facilities belonging to the U.S.

The United States on Friday sanctioned companies in Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and on three Iranian entities over conventional arms proliferation.They are the latest in a series of measures aimed at stepping up pressure on Tehran in the waning days of President Donald Trump's administration, which ends on January 20.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had sanctioned seven companies, including Chinese-based Jiangyin Mascot Special Steel Co. and UAE-based Accenture Building Materials, and two people for shipping steel to or from Iran.

Svitzer Australia recently took delivery of a new RAstar 3000-W series ASD tug, Svitzer North, from ASL Shipyard in Singapore.The vessel's design was developed by Robert Allan Ltd. in close cooperation with Svitzer’s operations team, to meet the unique demands of the Port of Geraldton, Western Australia. With over 400 ship visits per year, the port’s primary cargo is iron ore, with over 10 MTPA exported. The port is located in a sensitive environmental area, requiring the tug to be at the forefront of safety and reliability, and to ensure the safety of all ships entering and leaving the port.

Heddle Shipyards, the largest Canadian ship repair company on the Great Lakes, said it has hired Jared Newcombe as Chief Strategy Officer.Newcombe, an accomplished shipyard executive with over 30 years of experience in the industry, began his career and held various management positions at Irving Shipbuilding. In 2013 he joined Chantier Davie as Chief Operating Officer and then served as Chief Executive Officer from 2016 to 2019."I have spent my entire career in Canadian shipyards, and I am excited to join Heddle at a time when the company is on the verge of revitalizing the shipbuilding industry in Ontario.