Work Boat World

Workboat News Roundup | September 20 – Chinese and Spanish pilot boats, hydrogen demonstrator vessel and more

Baird Maritime

Deliveries include a new large training ship for a US maritime academy, a pilot boat for a Spanish port, and a custom workboat for a Norwegian operator. In China, orders are placed for new pilot boats while a hydrogen testbed is launched into the water for the first time.

Chinese builder secures local orders for new pilot boats

Signing ceremony between Shanghai Port Pilot Station and Jianglong Shipbuilding, September 19, 2024

China's Jianglong Shipbuilding has been awarded contracts for the construction and delivery of two new pilot and traffic control boats in a series for the Shanghai Port Pilot Station.

The monohull vessels will each measure 18 by 4.6 metres and will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 24.3 knots.

The boats will be operated in the waters of the Port of Shanghai and the Yangtze River.

Custom workboat handed over to Norwegian operator

HMT Thor

Norwegian boatbuilder Salthammer Båtbyggeri (SHB) recently delivered a new custom workboat to Norwegian marine services provider Hansen Maskin and Transport.

HMT Thor was built to a design developed by Norwegian naval architecture firm Tomra Engineering in close cooperation with the owner. The boat has a length of 26.1 metres, a beam of 15 metres, two cranes, and an open forward deck that can accommodate various payloads.

SHB said the vessel can be operated in support of customers in the aquaculture and marine construction industries.

New hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator vessel launched in China

Haida Qingneng Shipbuilding (Dalian) of China recently floated out a new demonstration vessel fitted with hydrogen fuel cells.

Lihu Weilai ("Lihu Future") was designed by Dalian Maritime University. It will be operated by local company Wuxi Lihu Turbocharging Technology as a research testbed and as a personnel transport.

The vessel has all-aluminium construction, an LOA of 20.5 metres, a beam of 5.2 metres, and space for up to 20 people. Two 110kW hydrogen fuel cells will deliver a speed of 15 knots and a range of 200 nautical miles.

US Maritime Administration's newest large training ship formally named

Christening of the national security multi-mission vessel Patriot State, September 9, 2024

A new large training vessel that will be operated by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) on behalf of the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) was formally named in a ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, September 9.

New pilot boat delivered to Spain's Port of Ferrol

Delivery of the new pilot boat Punta Do Cruceiro to the Port of Ferrol in Spain

Irish boatbuilder Safehaven Marine recently handed over a new pilot boat to the Port of Ferrol in northwestern Spain. Punta Do Cruceiro was designed for operation even under challenging conditions in the waters in that region of the Atlantic.