Ships

The British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) polar research vessel RSS Sir David Attenborough came a step closer to going into service this week as its power systems came online for the first time and its advanced lifeboats were commissioned.

Japan wants to move towards a clean, hydrogen-based energy economy, but to make that happen, it'll need to import liquid hydrogen from elsewhere. Meet the Suiso Frontier, the world's first liquid hydrogen transporter. It runs on diesel.

The UK has announced that the Arrowhead 140 design will be the basis for the first of five general-purpose Type 31 frigates.

Norwegian cruise operator Hurtigruten is eyeing a greener future for its fleet, and recently achieved a maritime first by powering its hybrid MS Roald Amundsen ship through the water on battery power alone. ​

While historically it is perhaps the most common large warship, the US Navy hasn't a single frigate left in its fleet for the first time since 1943 ... and it's looking for a new one. So what will the frigates of the future look like and how will they affect future conflicts?

The third and last Zumwalt-class ship for the US Navy launched on Sunday at the General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine. One of the three largest destroyers ever built for the Navy, she was floated over a period of several days by moving her to a drydock, which was then slowly flooded.

The BAS's state-of-the-art polar research ship Boaty McBoatface was launched on Saturday July 14 at the Cammell Laird shipyards on the River Mersey. Okay, its name is actually RRS Sir David Attenborough after the NERC rejected McBoatface after it won a public vote in 2016.

To make ships and submarines slippier, Anish Tuteja, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, is working on an "omniphobic" coating that not only repels water, but many other substances, like oil, alcohol, and even peanut butter.

The competition to build the Royal Navy's next frigate moves forward as Babcock Team 31 shows off its proposed design for the Type 31e warship. Called the Arrowhead 140, the contender for the £1.25 billion (US$1.63 billion) program is based on a design in service with the Royal Danish Navy.

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is set to begin its new life as a floating luxury hotel this week. The last of the Atlantic liners, the 70,000 gross ton Cunard steamship will operate as a major tourist destination at Mina Rashid on the Dubai waterfront.

​Known as biofouling, the accumulation of barnacles and other marine organisms on ships' hulls greatly decreases their hydrodynamic efficiency. Thanks to a new paint, however, removing those greeblies may soon be as simple as periodically wiping the ship's hull with a sponge.

The British Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, has unveiled the government's plan to increase the size of the Royal Navy by embarking on a crash program to build a new class of frigate, called the Type 31e, costing no more than £250 million (US$327 million) each.