[The following are exerpts and paraphrasing from testimony given by Matthew O. Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), to Congress on the morning of February 26, 2025.]While maritime strength and shipbuilding historically have been a cornerstone of global power, shifting times and geopolitical pressures impact readiness and output.
New Zealand's Defence Minister on Thursday publicly criticised online trolling of the female captain of a naval vessel that sunk at the weekend, saying while the cause of the incident was unknown, it had nothing to do with the captain’s gender.The Manawanui, the navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, sank on Sunday on a reef off the coast of Samoa that it was surveying.
A Royal New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground and sank off Samoa but all 75 crew and passengers on board were safe, the New Zealand Defence Force said in a statement on Sunday.Manawanui, the navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu on Saturday night as it was conducting a reef survey, Commodore Shane Arndell
Cruise passengers are to set sail from Belfast on Monday on a three-and-a-half-year world voyage after being stranded in the city for months as the ship underwent unexpected repair works. Some plan to make it their forever home.Passengers of the Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey, described as the world's first continual cruise
The Canadian Coast Guard has called off a search for a crewmember believed to have gone overboard from one of its icebreaker vessels off Newfoundland's northeast coast. The CCGS Vincent Massey crewmember, who was reportedly last seen aboard the ship on Sunday evening, was reported missing at 8:15 a.m. on Monday when the vessel arrived in St. John's.
The U.S. Navy on Friday announced it has placed a $6.75 billion order with San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO for up to eight John Lewis Class (TAO-205) Fleet Replenishment Oilers. The ships are scheduled for delivery through January 2035.The Navy, which has been looking for ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency across its shipbuilding and repair programs
The pilot of a towboat that struck an industrial cargo pier near Saint Rose, La., last year had fallen asleep, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.The pilot of the Marquette Transportation owned and operated towing vessel John 3:16 was experiencing the effects of fatigue during his watch on September 12, 2023, while navigating the Lower Mississippi River.
Shipbuilding group Austal on Thursday announced that its inaugural chairman, John Rothwell, is retiring from his position of Chairman of the company to serve on the Austal board as a non-executive director.Former U.S. Secretary of Navy Richard Spencer will replace Rothwell as Chairman, and will also join the board of Austal USA.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) on Friday held a launch and christening ceremony for the ferry Long Island at its Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla.Scheduled to be delivered later this year, the new Subchapter H passenger and auto ferry is being built for Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, a subsidiary of McAllister Towing, for operations between Bridgeport, Conn.
Australia said on Saturday it had signed a A$2.2 billion ($1.4 billion) four-year contract with state-owned submarine builder ASC to upgrade the navy's Collins class submarines.The "sustainment contract" is part of a government pledge to keep the diesel-electric powered Collins-class fleet "a potent strike and deterrence capability", Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said in a statement.
Dr Katherine Clift has been appointed Australia’s new Inspector-General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports for five years with her term commencing on September 30, 2024. The appointment comes after the federal government made a commitment to strengthen animal welfare assurance and increase accountability and transparency in livestock exports at the last election.
Workers at Australian state-owned submarine builder ASC Ltd began on Monday a campaign of strikes for higher wages that could disrupt maintenance for Australia's submarines even as it prepares to build the nuclear-powered AUKUS fleet.Roughly 300 workers at ASC's Osborne shipyard in South Australia walked off the job for an hour on Monday