GeoLocation
Navantia UK said a temporary cover developed with production teams in Belfast has cut welding time on sections with drainage openings by more than half. The yard said the fix lets robots weld straight across the openings without stopping and reduces manual finishing work.
Harland & Wolff has secured what Navantia UK called its largest investment in a cruise ship revitalisation project at the Belfast yard since acquisition. Margaritaville at Sea’s flagship Beachcomber will be transformed there, with the work expected to generate about £40 million for the Belfast region.
Navantia UK has taken on 21 new apprentices at its Methil yard, lifting the site total to 75. The intake forms part of 121 apprentices hired across the company this year, as Methil also works on the Navantia UK Seahorse and a new export vessel contract.
Concordia Damen has signed a contract to build two CDS River Cruise 135 vessels for TUI River Cruises. The ships will be built at the Dutch yard and delivered in 2028, with each vessel set to carry 188 guests in 94 cabins.
Strategic Marine and Mainprize Offshore signed a protocol of delivery and acceptance for the MO15 and MO16 vessels. The agreement follows the Seawork 2024 multi-vessel contract and comes after deliveries of MO10, MO11 and the first two MO12 and MO14 Supa Swath vessels earlier this year.
Strategic Marine has signed contracts with Mainprize Offshore for two 33 metre Supa Swath crew transfer vessels. The order takes the total number of Supa Swath vessels delivered and on order to 10, with the first two units due in Q3 2027.
Strategic Marine has delivered the first two Supa Swath vessels to Mainprize Offshore under a six-vessel programme signed at Seawork in June 2024. The contract includes options for a further six units, and the vessels are intended for offshore renewables work in Europe.
Derecktor Shipyards has delivered CREST’s DC1, a 12-meter offshore crew vessel built at its New York shipyard and developed with Chartwell Marine and Volvo Penta. The catamaran is certified to USCG Subchapter T and is fitted with twin Volvo Penta IPS D6-500 systems.
Penzance Dry Dock said it marked four years since the current owners took over the facility on 7 July. In that time, the yard said it completed the freehold, stabilised the footprint with 134 piles, 110 tonnes of steel and 4,000 tonnes of concrete, and raised more than £5.3m in investment.
Penzance Dry Dock has laid 60 tonnes of steel for a new workshop floor after removing the old one and driving more than 130 piles. Half of the yard’s new 300mm-thick floor is now in place, with columns and rails to follow for four KONE gantry cranes supplied by Technical Cranes.