A UK-based outboard manufacturer has placed a demonstrator boat in service while construction continues on a polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. A Florida operator has selected a Washington builder to supply a new pilot boat as a Russian operator discloses plans for a fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Lastly, a Dutch firm has unveiled a concept design for a floating dry dock capable of accommodating ships of up to Panamax dimensions.
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev expects Project 10510 Lider nuclear-powered icebreakers to enter series production after 2030.
In an interview with Vesti on October 21, Likhachev contrasted the programme with project 22220, whose icebreakers are already being built in series. He said the Lider design, "is now already being implemented at what is effectively the final stage of construction at the Zvezda shipyard in the Far East," according to the broadcaster.
The lead vessel, Rossiya, is under construction at Zvezda in Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Krai. Atomflot said in June that the icebreaker is scheduled to be launched in March 2028 and handed over in December 2029. The designer's original programme had listed 2027 for delivery of the lead ship.
First steel for Rossiya was cut in July 2020, and her keel was laid on November 24 of that year.
Dutch naval architecture firm Conoship International has completed the concept design for a floating dry dock (FDD) developed with Elegant Exit Company (EEC) based in Woerden.
The FDD is intended for shipbuilding and modular assembly; maintenance, repair and overhaul; and the dismantling of end-of-life vessels. Conoship said the combination would let an operator adjust its focus among construction, maintenance and recycling in response to market demand.
The completed dock will have an LOA of 250.4 metres, a pontoon length of 230.4 metres, an overall beam of 68 metres, a clear beam of 56 metres between the inner walls, and a depth of 23 metres. It is sized for Panamax vessels, with space retained for equipment staging, cutting and assembly.
A 20-metre overhang will serve marine logistics while a high-capacity gantry crane will run the full working length of the dock.
Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon, Washington, has been contracted to build a new aluminium boat for the Tampa Bay Pilots Association in Florida.
The 57-foot (17-metre) boat was designed by UK-based Camarc. Upon completion, it will accommodate up to five pilots in addition to its crew.
The vessel will have a beam of 17 feet, five inches (5.31 metres) including fendering, a full-load displacement of 61,000 pounds (27,000 kg), and a fuel capacity of 790 gallons (3,000 litres).
Propulsion will be provided by two Caterpillar C18 diesel engines, each rated at 715 hp (530 kW) at 2,100 rpm. The engines will drive conventional propellers through Twin Disc MGX5136 reduction gears.
Seaspan Shipyards held a ceremonial keel-laying for the Canadian Coast Guard's (CCG) future polar icebreaker CCGS Imnaryuaq at its Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on Wednesday, October 14.
The ceremony marked the placement of the ship's first constructed section.
Seaspan has described the IACS Polar Class 2 heavy icebreaker as the largest icebreaker of its kind ever designed and built in Canada. She will be built to operate self-sufficiently in the high Arctic throughout the year and support a 12-month Canadian presence in the region.
The vessel will have a length of 158 metres, a beam of 28 metres, a design displacement of 26,036 tonnes, and accommodation for up to 100 personnel. Her diesel-electric propulsion arrangement will have a total installed power of 47 MW and will use ice-classed azimuthing thrusters.
Outboard manufacturer Cox Marine has commissioned Miranda, a 12-metre workboat powered by twin Cox 300hp (220kW) V8 diesel outboards, as a platform for engineering, validation, sea trials and customer demonstrations.
The boat will also be used for training.
“By bringing together propulsion, steering, control and navigation technologies, Miranda demonstrates how these systems can work together as an integrated package,” Cox Marine Chief Executive Officer George Bramley said.
Miranda is constructed from HDPE and pairs an enclosed wheelhouse with a broad working deck. Cox identified patrol, defence, offshore support, law enforcement, harbour operations and search and rescue among the professional applications suited to the design.