Category: Technology

ASPIDES: Participation of Belgian frigate delayed

ASPIDES: Participation of Belgian frigate delayed

Posted by | 18 Apr 2024 | , , , | 0

The integration of the Belgian frigate "Louise-Marie" (F931) into the European naval operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES to protect shipping against attacks by Houthi militias in the Red Sea will have to wait. According to a statement from the Brussels Ministry of Defence on 12 April 2024, the frigate will now remain in the Mediterranean for training purposes and will postpone its passage of the Suez Canal scheduled for that day until technical faults have been rectified. The frigate of the former Dutch M-class left Zeebrugge on 10 March for a deployment in the Red Sea lasting several months. While the official statement does not go into the causes, the error is said to have occurred during a test firing of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile system,...

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Maritime fact check for the 2021 Bundestag election - Party programme of the Free Democrats (FDP)

Maritime fact check for the 2021 Bundestag election - Party programme of the Free Democrats (FDP)

Posted by | 2 Aug 2021 | , , , , | 1

On Sunday, 26 September 2021, Germany will elect its 20th Bundestag - a good occasion and now a tradition for our blog #meerverstehen to take a closer look at the parties' election manifestos in terms of their maritime content! It is a truism that everything is connected to everything else: The modern global economy cannot do without maritime transport routes, energy production and supply are often dependent on free access to the seas, which is therefore one of the most important security policy issues in international politics. The current commentary "Between fine words and reasons of state" in marineforum online points out the importance and interconnection of various maritime issues for Germany as well...

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Procurement for the navy - looking ahead to the 2021 federal election

Procurement for the navy - looking ahead to the 2021 federal election

Posted by | 2 Jun 2021 | , , , , | 7

Berlin, the navy & procurement The year 2021 continues to promise excitement: in the second year of a global pandemic, there are signs of noticeable change and transformation in the political firmament of the republic in view of the upcoming Bundestag elections in September. It is understandable that Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) are endeavouring to get as many of the planned military procurement projects signed and sealed: A total of 31 so-called €25 million submissions - if an armaments project exceeds this price threshold, it must be submitted separately to the parliamentary budget committee - are to be approved in the last two weeks of the parliamentary session before the summer break (23 & 25....

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Maritime fact check - Baden-Württemberg state election 2021

Maritime fact check - Baden-Württemberg state election 2021

Posted by | 3 Mar 2021 | , , , | 0

The election for the 17th state parliament of Baden-Württemberg will take place in around two weeks' time. The state currently governed by Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) is not only criss-crossed by the important rivers Rhine, Neckar, Danube, Kocher, Jagst and Tauber, but also has a large number of lakes with their influence on nature, people and the economy in addition to Lake Constance. As if that were not enough, the importance of the industry based in the state for the maritime economy and shipbuilding in particular can be expressed in concrete figures (emphasis added by the editors): Germany's maritime supply industry (shipbuilding and offshore) is largely characterised by medium-sized companies. The industry not only produces in...

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1TP5Understanding the sea: Container jumbos with LNG propulsion in Hamburg

Posted by | 18 Dec 2020 | , , , | 0

The world's two largest container ships currently powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) have arrived in Hamburg for the first time on their maiden voyage between the Far East and Northern Europe. The "CMA CGM Jacques Saade" moored at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg on 8 November 2020, followed by the "CMA CGM Champs Elysee", which entered the Elbe on 7 December 2020. Both ships are around 400 metres long, 61.5 metres wide and have a slot capacity of 23,112 standard containers (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, TEU). Liquefied natural gas propulsion is a step forward in container shipping, both technologically and ecologically. In addition to greater energy efficiency, the use of LNG also reduces local emissions. Compared to conventional oil-based propulsion fuels, 20 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2), 99 per cent less sulphur dioxide (SOx) and soot particles and up to 85 per cent less nitrogen oxides (NOx) are emitted. Noise emissions are also significantly reduced. Nevertheless, there is also criticism of this technology: the production and storage of LNG is very energy-intensive and also highly controversial in terms of its environmental impact. Text: Eurogate/Steffen...

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