Professional Mariner – May/June 2025

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries leads initiative to commercialize onboard 3D printing

The world’s largest shipbuilding company has developed an onboard 3D printing shop capable of creating metal parts while underway on the ocean. South Korea-based HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) said it successfully tested its printer in a simulated offshore environment. This new technology, which is expected to go into commercial operation in December, represents a tipping point for maritime additive manufacturing, or fabricating a…

Gunderson to build 4 barges for Tidewater operations on Columbia River

An Oregon-based fabricator has partnered with the largest inland marine transportation company west of the Mississippi River to build four new barges. Vancouver, B.C.-based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals recently finalized a contract with Portland, Ore.-based Gunderson Marine and Ironworks for the construction of four new liquid refined product barges. Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, the new barges will…

Partnership aims to create long-range electric-hybrid ships

A multinational ship owner and operator and a U.S. marine battery manufacturer have partnered to develop the world’s longest-range plug-in hybrid-electric vessel. AET, a Southeast Asian-owned operator of crude and clean petroleum tankers, recently signed an agreement with Alabama-based Fleetzero, a modular-marine battery manufacturer, to retrofit a lightering support vessel (LSV) with its plug-in hybrid-electric system. While there’s been a flurry of…

Crowley marks milestone in LNG service to Puerto Rico

The first U.S.-flagged LNG carrier has begun transporting U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas to Puerto Rico. The Crowley-owned American Energy, a 900-foot, 34.4 million-gallon capacity LNG tanker, has begun operations with regular service between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico. Crowley has entered a multiyear agreement with Naturgy; Crowley will supply the Spanish multinational utilities company’s facility in Penuelas, Puerto Rico.…

Canada contracts 2 new heavy polar icebreakers

In early March, the Canadian government announced the planned construction of two new polar icebreakers as part of the country’s long-term renewal of its Navy and Coast Guard vessels via its domestic shipbuilding sector. The Canadian government awarded a $3.15 billion contract to Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver, B.C., and $3.25 billion to Chantier Davie Canada in Quebec to build two 500-plus-foot heavy polar…

Gladding-Hearn delivers 10th launch to Virginia pilots

A Massachusetts shipbuilder has delivered yet another pilot boat to an East Coast association. In late March, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp. delivered a brand-new, all-aluminum, 58-foot-long-by-18-foot-wide high-speed pilot boat to the Virginia Pilot Association. It’s the 10th vessel built by the Somerset, Mass.-based Gladding-Hearn since 1983. The new launch, named Old Dominion, was designed and outfitted for service at the VA Pilot Association’s Hampton Roads harbor station…

MIT Maritime Consortium partners with industry leaders to modernize commercial fleet

A collaboration between the maritime industry and one of the world’s leading science and technology universities aims to develop new technology to lower emissions in global shipping. The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and several leading players in the maritime industry have joined an initiative with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to “address critical gaps in the modernization of the…

Former submariner nominated to head MarAd

The Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) Office of the Administrator, which has been vacant since mid-January, may soon have a new occupant. In late March, President Trump nominated Brent Droste Sadler, a 26-year U.S. Navy veteran, former submariner and author, to head MarAd. Sadler’s nomination came with relatively little fanfare compared to other government nominees. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology — which oversees the…

Deep-sea mining could be a boon for the maritime industry, but environmental agencies are holding the reins

The transition to cleaner energy will be done through billions of batteries. Because of this, the International Energy Agency is forecasting that the demand for lithium will increase by more than 800 percent by 2040. The IEA also predicts surges in demand for nickel, cobalt and rare- earth metals. As a source of these materials, nations and technology companies are…

Air lubrication systems offer efficiency, but is the investment worthwhile?

A scientist working in the maritime sphere of sustainability and climate change believes air lubrication system (ALS) technology is key to the shipping industry’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and maximize fuel efficiency. “I firmly believe that ALS is poised to be a pivotal technology in decarbonizing the maritime industry,” said Andrew Spiteri, Ph.D., who manages the unit responsible for…