Ships

As the shipping industry moves to decarbonize, huge sails could be making a comeback. The China Merchant Energy Shipping company (CMES) has taken delivery of a new supertanker, whose four large sails will cut down average fuel consumption by nearly 10%.

The construction of America's next-generation strategic nuclear missile submarine has formally begun as the keel was ceremonially laid for the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) at Electric Boat's facility in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has demonstrated the ability of air-dropped bombs to sink ships with the effectiveness of a submarine-launched torpedo at a fraction of the cost by sinking a full-scale vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.

Norway-based marine group Ulstein has introduced Thor, its concept design for a 149-m (489-ft) replenishment, research and rescue (3R) ship powered by a thorium Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) that can be used to recharge battery-driven cruise ships at sea.

The wreck of one of the most famous exploration ships in history has been located. Using a robotic submersible, the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has found Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, which was crushed in the Antarctic pack ice in 1915.

Shipping giant Maersk is teaming up with Danish energy company Ørsted to show off an offshore charging buoy that supplies power to ships moored overnight, with the first demonstration to take place at an offshore wind farm towards the end of the year.

In what is being described as a world-first, a 222-meter (728-ft) vehicle-carrying ferry has autonomously navigated a 240-km (149-mile) stretch of Japan's Iyonda Sea. The vessel even performed the docking procedures on its own.

A major shipbuilding program for the Royal Navy is now underway, with the first steel being cut for HMS Venturer, the lead ship of the Type 31 Inspiration class frigates, which will replace the navy's aging Type 23 frigates.

IBM's Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS400) has set sail across the Atlantic ocean without a crew or human control. The autonomous trimaran left Plymouth, England and en route to Plymouth, Massachusetts on a journey expected to take about three weeks.

Beyond making tires for fast but inefficient cars, Michelin has its hand in more sustainable endeavors. Its Wing Sail Mobility project aims to increase efficiency in shipping with an inflatable sail that deploys and retracts on demand.

When we hear about microplastic particles polluting the ocean, the usual suspected sources are degraded plastic goods and synthetic textile fibers. A new study, however, suggests that much of the blame lies with hull coatings on ships.

We've already seen electric motorboats and even ferries, but a considerably larger battery-electric vessel should soon be in operation. It's called the e5 tanker and interestingly enough, it will be used to deliver conventional fuel to other ships.