The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Caterpillar Inc. have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to investigate using methanol as an alternative fuel source for four-stroke internal combustion marine engines. The collaboration supports efforts to decarbonize the marine industry, a hard-to-electrify transportation sector. Methanol... Read more →

Japan’s Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has ordered 3 × MAN B&W 7G50ME-C9.6-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) main engines in connection with the building of 3 × 81,200 dwt bulk carriers for Danish shipping company, J. Lauritzen. Each engine will feature MAN Energy Solutions’ proprietary EGRBP (Exhaust Gas Recirculation ByPass) emissions-reduction... Read more →

Stäubli Electrical Connectors, a leading global manufacturer of electrical connector solutions, has completed its agreement with SSA Terminals, LLC, a joint venture with Matson Navigation Company, to provide EV automated charging connections for 33 terminal tractors at the Port of Long Beach, California. (Earlier post.) Stäubli’s QCC Automated Connection Device... Read more →

Forum Mobility, a leading freight electrification provider, announced a new heavy-duty truck charging depot in the Port of Long Beach. This new depot will provide high-speed charging infrastructure for hundreds of drayage trucks per day, supporting the transition of the state’s drayage fleet to zero-emission. Drayage carriers are already reserving... Read more →

Wärtsilä has signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide its Fleet Electrification and Systems Integrator Services for a project to build the first electric high-speed ferries in the US. The fully electric vessels will be built for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), the operator of the San Francisco Bay... Read more →

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has awarded Type Approval to BeHydro, a joint venture between CMB.TECH and Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC), for its hydrogen-powered dual-fuel engine. It is the first Type Approval for a dual-fuel hydrogen engine. The new engine, which has a capacity of up to 2.7 megawatts (MW), offers shipowners... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions announced that a dual-fuel version of its MAN 175D high-speed engine, capable of operating on methanol, will be available by the end of 2026. The new variant, designated MAN 175DF-M, will be available both as newbuild and retrofit variants. MAN Energy Solutions states that the 175DF-M will... Read more →

Researchers from Cranfield University have designed a method of achieving greater thrust from the power of the waves by harnessing a vessel’s submerged flapping foils (wave-induced flapping foils) in an innovative way. An open-access paper on their work is published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The ocean waves have... Read more →

China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), the Shanghai-listed shipping giant and daughter company of China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI), has ordered a MAN B&W 7G80ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) main engine in connection with the construction of a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), marking the first such dual-fuel methanol order for... Read more →

An offtake agreement between A.P. Moller - Maersk and Chinese developer Goldwind, a global leader in clean energy, reaches into the next decade and marks the first large scale green methanol offtake agreement for the global shipping industry. This deal is a milestone for Maersk as it enables it to... Read more →

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India, has ordered 2 × 2 × MAN 12V175D-MEV variable-speed GenSets in connection with the building of two short-sea hydrogen-fueled feeder container ships for global logistics company, Samskip Group, headquartered in Rotterdam. (Earlier post.) Known as the SeaShuttle project,... Read more →

H2SITE has validated the first ammonia cracker to produce high-purity hydrogen for onboard power generation using a PEM fuel cell. An integrated membrane reactor has been installed and operated on board of the BERTHA B supply ship, sailing the shores of the Gulf of Biscay. Maritime transport is responsible for... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions is developing an oxidation catalyst for four-stroke engines that will significantly reduce methane slip. Called IMOKAT II and developed at MAN Energy Solutions’ headquarters in Augsburg, Germany, the research project is currently undergoing testing at the company’s Frederikshavn, Denmark facility. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for... Read more →

SWITCH Maritime LLC, a US-based company developing electrified, zero-emission ferries powered by battery and hydrogen fuel cell, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Nexus Development Capital to grow its fleet. Founded in 2018 by a veteran team of maritime energy transition leaders, SWITCH’s mission is... Read more →

Technology group Wärtsilä has introduced the marine sector’s first commercially available 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel. The ammonia solution is now commercially available as part of the Wärtsilä 25 engine platform, which was launched in September 2022. Wärtsilä’s new 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel enables a significant advance... Read more →

4 Gen Logistics, a trailblazer in sustainable logistics solutions, is making remarkable progress towards its commitment to operating a 100% zero-tailpipe emissions drayage fleet by 2025. The company is excited to announce the launched of construction for the first phase of the installation of 60 350 kW chargers at its... Read more →

Yanmar Power Technology (Yanmar PT), a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd, has made its first delivery of its newly commercialized maritime hydrogen fuel cell system, introduced in August 2023. This system was supplied to the passenger ship HANARIA, operated by MOTENA-Sea, a company backed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.... Read more →

SunGas Renewables announced it has been selected by Australian green hydrogen and methanol project developer, ABEL Energy, to supply green methanol for a new $1.4-billion facility in Northern Tasmania, Australia. Johnson Matthey, a leading methanol synthesis technology and catalyst supplier, was also selected to supply key technologies for the project.... Read more →

Kongsberg Maritime has selected Leclanché to provide a 5.2 MWh battery system for the newest Cadeler A/S F-class, jack-up vessel for offshore wind farm construction. The F-class vessel is being constructed in Qidong, China, by COSCO Heavy Industries and will sail under the Danish flag. The unnamed vessel will serve... Read more →

Neste is partnering with PTL Marine to provide Neste MY Renewable Diesel to the marine sector across California. PTL Marine, a division of Pilot Thomas Logistics, is a leading provider of maritime fuel and lubricants, supplies and last-mile logistics. Through this collaboration the state’s marine industry will have easier access... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $36 million for 11 projects to accelerate the development of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) capture and storage technologies. Funded through Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy’s (ARPA-E) Sensing Exports of Anthropogenic Carbon through Ocean Observation (SEA-CO2) program, these projects will support novel... Read more →

The Port of Brunswick is poised to become the top auto and machinery port in the US, with 264 acres of land for development according to Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch. Organic growth, a steady pipeline of new customers and the ability to take on new trade... Read more →

Airbus will renew the entire fleet of chartered vessels that transport aircraft subassemblies between production facilities in Europe and the United States with three modern, low-emission roll-on/roll-off vessels, supported by wind-assisted propulsion. Airbus has commissioned shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) to build, own and operate these new, highly efficient vessels... Read more →

Brazil-based Raízen, an integrated energy company with a broad portfolio of renewable products, and Wärtsilä, a global leader in technologies for the maritime and energy markets, signed a Decarbonization Agreement to advance the reduction of emissions from the maritime sector. By studying the application of ethanol as a marine fuel,... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) received authorization from the US EPA under the Clean Air Act for its 2020 At-Berth Regulation, which further reduces pollution from ocean-going vessels while docked at California’s busiest ports. (Earlier post.) The new regulation was passed by the CARB Board in 2020 and adds... Read more →

VARD, one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, has ordered 4 × MAN 12V175D-MEM GenSets in connection with the building of a new purpose-built, cable-laying vessel (CLV) for NCT Offshore, the Danish subsea specialist. The GenSets will form part of the vessel’s diesel-electric DP2 propulsion system,... Read more →

A new working paper from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds that newer Tier II engines have significantly higher NOx emission rates than older Tier I engines. Moreover, there was no statistical difference in NOx emission rates between unregulated Tier 0 engines and Tier II engines. Boxplot showing... Read more →

CMB.TECH and DBR are partnering to develop the first dual fuel hydrogen gensets for marine applications. DBR brings its expertise in reliable energy solutions for marine and offshore applications, and CMB.TECH focuses specifically on designing and building large marine and industrial applications that run on hydrogen or green ammonia. In... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions has announced a partnership with industry leaders and research institutes that will develop engine concepts for hydrogen-fueled, medium-speed engines in the maritime sector. Dubbed ‘HydroPoLEn’, the project is supported and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). It aims to transform... Read more →

Solid-oxide fuel cell company Elcogen announced that Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. (KSOE), a member of HD Hyundai Group, has signed a strategic investment in Elcogen of €45m with closing subject to, among other things, Elcogen obtaining the approval of its shareholders to the issue of the new... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD has secured the first approval in principle (AiP) for two-stroke engines fueled with ammonia. Lloyd’s Register awarded the AiP to WinGD’s X‑DF‑A dual-fuel range (earlier post), giving shipowners the assurances they need to realize vessel designs using ammonia-fueled main engines for the first time. Development... Read more →

China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) has ordered six MAN small-bore, seven-cylinder 21/31DF-M, methanol-burning GenSets in connection with the construction of 2 × 9,300 ceu (car equivalent units) PCTCs (pure car and truck carriers) for China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES). The business represents the first order for the new methanol-powered, MAN... Read more →

Leclanché SA has won another ferry electrification project, having been selected by Norwegian system integrator Brunvoll Mar-El AS to support the retrofit of a conventionally powered Norwegian ferry into a zero-emission vessel. The all-electric MF Rygerbuen passenger and vehicle ferry is owned and operated by Rødne Trafikk AS, Norway’s largest... Read more →

ABB will deliver a comprehensive power distribution system for two newbuild short-sea container ships of the global logistics company Samskip Group headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The vessels will be among the world’s first of their kind to use hydrogen as a fuel. Financial details were not disclosed. The order was... Read more →

CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp.) announced that Lufeng 12-3 Oilfield Development Project has begun production. The project is located in the eastern South China Sea, with an average water depth of approximately 240 meters. Lufeng 12-3 Oilfield is the largest jointly-developed oilfield in the South China Sea in the... Read more →

During a research expedition led by Linnaeus University and Stockholm University to the deepest parts of the Baltic Sea in the Landsort Deep researchers recently discovered an area with extensive emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane from the bottom sediments. The area where the methane leak was discovered is... Read more →

Heading into the fall boating season and preparing for the 2023 International BoatBuilders Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), Honda Marine announced the launch of the all-new BF350 outboard, the first Honda V8 motor to be available commercially. Honda Marine, an operating unit of Honda Power Sports & Products (a business unit... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD has signed a memorandum of understanding with KSS Line to explore X‑DF‑A engines for future newbuild projects. The companies will focus on 52cm- and 62cm-bore versions of the dual-fuel ammonia engines, suitable for midsize and very large gas carriers (VLGC). The agreement is the latest... Read more →

Researchers from North Carolina State University (NCSU) have genetically engineered a marine microorganism to break down plastic in salt water. Specifically, the modified organism can break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used in everything from water bottles to clothing that is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.... Read more →

TECO 2030 ASA and Pherousa Green Shipping AS (PGS) signed a green package supply agreement for up to six modern, zero-emission Ultramax dry bulk carriers of about 63.000 deadweight tons each. Each vessel will be equipped with 12 megawatts (MW) of TECO 2030 fuel cells for main propulsion onboard. Pherousa... Read more →

Leclanché SA has been selected for a second battery system project on behalf of Scotland’s Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL)—this time for a pair of roll-on, roll-off passenger and vehicle ferries (RoPax) which will serve three islands in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands. The contract for two 1.1 MWh Navius MRS-3... Read more →

Researchers at the USGS Pacific and St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Centers have developed new technology that provides imagery of complex three-dimensional seafloor features with unprecedented accuracy and geolocation. Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled components. The camera mounting mechanism aligns... Read more →

A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) and Equinor signed an agreement securing supply of green methanol for Maersk’s new methanol-enabled feeder vessel (earlier post) during its initial months of operation from September 2023 and into the first half of 2024. The naming ceremony for the Danish-flagged 172-meter-long ship will be held... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD and shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have agreed to cooperate on future fuel vessel applications with ammonia-fueled engines. The memorandum of understanding, signed during the Gastech conference in Singapore this week, indicates a strong intention on the part of SHI to install WinGD’s X-DF-A dual-fuel... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $30 million in funding (DE-FOA-0003162) to develop next-generation, high-energy storage solutions to help accelerate the electrification of the aviation, railroad, and maritime transportation sectors. Transportation is responsible for approximately 29% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually in the United States.... Read more →

To reduce the number of accidents in the global oil and gas industry caused by damaged pipelines, University of Houston researchers are developing an autonomous robot to identify potential pipeline leaks and structural failures during subsea inspections. The transformative technology will make the inspection process far safer and more cost... Read more →

Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, a provider of fuel cell power solutions for motive applications, is powering the hydrogen fuel cell reachstacker that Hyster has developed and shipped to the Port of Valencia in Spain. The reachstacker is part of the H2Ports project, which aims to introduce hydrogen-powered vehicles and equipment... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä selected Corvus Energy, the leading provider of zero-emission solutions for the maritime industry, to supply the battery systems for the Incat Tasmania lightweight Ro-Pax ferry. (Earlier post.) With more than 40 MWh of energy storage, it will be the largest battery system installed onboard a ship—four... Read more →

Technology group Wärtsilä will power the biggest battery electric ship yet built with its battery-electric propulsion system and waterjets. The vessel is a new ferry being built by Incat Tasmania and has been ordered by Incat’s long-term South American customer, Buquebús. With an overall length of 130 meters, the ferry... Read more →

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean, chartered by Cargill, is the first vessel to be retrofitted with two BAR Technologies’ WindWings—large wing sails measuring up to 37.5 meters in height that can be fitted to the deck of cargo ships to harness the power of wind. Produced by industrialization partner Yara Marine... Read more →