French shipowner LD Armateurs (LDA) has launched Spirit of Toulouse, the first of three ‘low-emission’ RoRo vessels chartered to Airbus. The three vessels will each be equipped with six 35-metre-high rotor sails from Norsepower and two dual-fuel engines that can run on methanol or marine diesel oil (MDO). They will also feature efficient propellers, low-friction anti-fouling coatings, smart power management and heat conversion systems, as well as weather routing software. The ships, which will transport aircraft components for Airbus, are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% on a yearly basis compared with the previous generation of ships, according to […]

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) is back on the vessel procurement trail with an order for eight LNG dual-fuelled 18,600 TEU vessels which will be constructed at New Times Shipbuilding Co. in China. Announcing the order, Maersk said it is part of its ongoing fleet renewal programme. Anda Cristescu, Head of Chartering & Newbuilding at Maersk, also noted that: ‘Deployment flexibility has been a key factor in our decision-making. ‘Although these vessels are large, they offer greater flexibility than the largest ships currently being built in our industry. This provides us with multiple deployment options across both our current and […]

A plate cutting ceremony has been held at the Austal Philippines shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, for a hydrogen-ready high-speed ferry being built for Sweden’s Gotlandsbolaget. As previously reported by ship.energy, the 130-metre catamaran ferry, part of Gotlandsbolaget’s Horizon X programme, is designed to carry up to 1,500 passengers and 400 vehicles and cargo and will be capable of operating on multiple fuel types, including hydrogen and other low-emission alternatives. According to Austal, the vessel – which represents the largest ever contracted to the shipbuilder – will be constructed using lightweight ‘green aluminium’, manufactured through ‘energy-efficient processes to support reduced embodied […]