Category: Technology

US Navy ends the LCS experiment

The US Navy is drawing a line under the altogether rather 'frustrating' LCS experiment. It's not official yet, but we know, because it's been an agonising process for a long time. Now the nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships are probably destined for disposal. The most recent was commissioned in 2020, as the US Navy was never really happy with this experiment. The ships - USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) - are among the 24 Littoral Combat Ships...

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Frigate 126 receives naval gun OTO 127/64 Vulcano

As the main contractor for the F126 frigate, Damen Naval, announced in a joint press release with Leonardo, Leonardo has been commissioned to supply OTO 127/64 LightWeight (LW) Vulcano guns for the four F126 frigates. The contract also includes system integration and commissioning. The contract also includes logistical support for maintenance and the delivery of simulators for crew training. According to Leonardo, the naval gun with a calibre of 127 mm and a barrel length of 8,128 mm (64 x 127 mm) is the core of a fully digitalised system. In communication with the operators and the on-board combat centre, the...

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Russia: pressure on shipping is increasing

Marine engine manufacturer cuts ties with Russia The Finnish company Wartsila has stopped doing business with Russia. Due to the war in Ukraine, all deliveries and sales to Russia and Belarus have been stopped. This globally active manufacturer of marine engines and ship operating systems is not the only one to draw the consequences; its German partner MAN Energy Solutions is also reviewing contracts. The pressure on Moscow is increasing. The Russian maritime industry and shipping industry is already struggling with the sanctioning of other services, including the certification of ships, without which access to harbours and the conclusion of insurance policies is not possible. The imposition of sanctions also includes the...

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Preventing collisions with wind turbines

The Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands (MARIN) has tested three innovative barriers to prevent collisions between ships and wind turbines. This test was prompted by the incident involving the Julietta D on 31 January 2022. This drifting ship first collided with a tanker and then with a transformer platform and a wind turbine foundation of the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm currently under construction. The installed wind turbines could fall onto a ship in the event of a collision, posing a major risk to the crew, passengers, the ship itself and the environment. If there are an estimated 2,500 wind turbines in the North Sea by the end of 2030, the risk of...

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Better protection for the harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea

EU regulation to reduce by-catches in marine protected areas A new EU regulation to better protect harbour porpoises came into force at the end of February. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the harbour porpoise population in the central Baltic Sea is threatened with extinction and comprises fewer than 500 animals. The new regulation bans gillnet fishing in German marine protected areas for three months of the year, which is when harbour porpoises are most abundant. The aim of the regulation is to prevent harbour porpoises from dying as by-catches in gillnets. The measures of the new EU regulation (2022/303) apply to the German protected area "Pomeranian Bay - Rönnebank" and the protected area...

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