Nordic Tugs announced that it will temporarily close its Burlington, Wash., manufacturing plant on Tuesday.

Most employees will be furloughed, according to a company statement, but a skeleton staff will remain to field customer inquiries and maintain the plant to keep it prepared to resume production when business improves.

The action “has been forced by the ongoing effects of the Great Recession and the reluctance of customers to order new boats,” according to the manufacturer.

Nordic Tugs was founded in 1979 and builds tug-style yachts ranging from 26 to 54 feet that are sold through dealers in Europe and Asia, and across the United States.

Cakewalk, Largest Yacht Ever Built in the U.S.

On August 8, Derecktor Shipyards launched the 281-ft motor yacht Cakewalk, the largest yacht (by volume) ever built in the U.S. The six deck, 2,998 gross ton vessel floated off Derecktor’s new 4000 ton dry-dock into the waters of Bridgeport harbor, after several years and many thousands of skilled labor hours.

Cakewalk was designed by Tim Heywood Designs with Naval Architecture by Azure Naval Architecture. Interior design was by Dalton Designs, Inc. Literally dozens of subcontractors from engineering firms to security specialists participated in the project. “We certainly could not have done it without them” commented Gavin Higgins, VP of Business Development at Derecktor. “Some of the world’s most experienced and skilled specialists put their expertise into this job. You cannot successfully build a yacht of this size and complexity with having that sort of talent available.”

The yacht will remain at Derecktor for the next few weeks undergoing final outfitting and sea trials. She is scheduled to make her much-awaited debut at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in October.

Specifications:
Length, o.a. 281 ft
Length, w.l. 248 ft
Beam 46.9 ft
Draught 13.1 ft
Gross tonnage 2995
Propulsion 2x 16V400M71 @ 2465BKW (3306HP)@200 RPM MTU
Propeller 2x 5 Blade Rolls Royce Single Pitch
Speed 17 knots / 15 knots
Fuel capacity 97,000 gal
Range 5000NM @15 Knots
Power Generation 2x MTU 2000 series V12 M-40B @660EKW
2X MTU @60 550 Series @ 350 EK
Emergency Pack 1x MTU S60 400 Series @275 KW
Stabilizers 4x Quantam Zero Speed
Bowthruster Jastrom 400 KW
Windlasses Steen
Interior design Elizabeth Dalton, Dalton Designs, Inc.
Exterior Design Tim Heywood Designs
Naval Architecture Azure Naval Archititects
Engineering Design BMT Nigel Gee and Associates, Gibbs and Cox
Tenders Riva, Vikal, Intrepid, Zodiac
Classification Lloyds Maltese Cross 100A1SSC yacht (P) mono G6
Construction Steel Hull, Aluminum Superstructure

Container ship deliveries to hit record in July

Deliveries of new containerships will hit a record monthly high of 200,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July, extending a year long influx of capacity that may stall the recent rise in ocean freight rates, a leading analyst said.

The previous record was set in April 2008 when deliveries totaled 156,000 TEUs, according to Alphaliner, the Paris-based container shipping research consultancy. The surge in new vessels hitting the market in July follows on deliveries totaling 747,000 TEUs in the first half of the year. This will take deliveries for the first seven months to 950,000 TEUs, or 7.3% of the current fleet, according to figures released by Alphaliner.

The new deliveries include a number of ships which had already been completed in 2009, but were mothballed at shipyards. Alphaliner estimates deliveries will reach 1.45 million TEUs in 2010, with slippage and cancellations limited to only a small part of the container ship order book. This represents 11.1% of the world fleet at the beginning of January 2010. The record July deliveries will include at least eight vessels of over 10,000 TEUs, compared to only seven similar sized ships delivered in the first six months of the year.

Mærsk reactivates laid up container vessels

A.P. Møller-Mærsk has reactivated all six container carriers that have been laid up in Scottish Loch Striven for more than a year. The rates for container transportation have increased and there is now a huge demand for container carriers. Five of the laid up units are B-class vessels, this type is capable of a service speed of 30 knots. The units have now been deployed in various services in the Maersk Line network between the Far East and Europe. The B-class vessels are the Maersk Baltimore, the Maersk Boston, the Maersk Bentonville, the Maersk Brooklyn and the Maersk Beaumont. The latter is one of the three units sold earlier this year to Nordea Sweden and registered in the Swedish ship registry. The sixth container ship carrier laid up in Loch Striven was the Sea-Land Performance, which has now been re-flagged to the Marshall Islands. The vessel will be recycled at the Jiangyin recycling plant in China.

Lakes Iron Ore Trade Up 106% in May

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 6.3 million net tons in May, an increase of 16.4% over April, and an increase of 106% compared to a year ago. Shipments were also up 4.6% compared to the month’s five-year average. May loadings at U.S. ports increased 118% compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian ports rose 38%.

Year-to-date the Lakes ore trade stands at 15.8 million net tons, an increase of 140% compared to the same point last year. The end-of-May total is also within striking distance of the five-year average for the January-May timeframe. Shipments from U.S. ports are up 162% compared to a year ago. Loadings at Canadian ports are 32% ahead of last year’s pace.

NORDIC TUGS INTRODUCES THE NORDIC TUG 39

Burlington, WA, (May 12, 2010) – Nordic Tugs®, Inc., has unveiled the newest model in its range of pilothouse trawlers, the 2011 Nordic Tug 39. Successor to the popular Nordic Tug 37, the new 39 is built on the same Lynn Senour-designed hull as that of its predecessor, but features a number of significant refinements, many of these in response to suggestions from current owners. The new cruiser is on track to complete sea trials prior to its public debut at the Nordic Tugs rendezvous, June 10th-13th, in Anacortes, Washington. Press previews will be scheduled for June 10th and the morning of the 11th.

Nordic Tugs President and CEO Andy Lund described the new vessel as an evolutionary advancement developed to offer a better cruising experience. “We began with an enormously successful design, and then contacted our many Nordic Tugs 37 owners for their feedback on how we could improve it,” he said, adding that many of the features offered in the new 39 are in direct response to customers’ suggestions.

Most evident among the changes are larger windows at salon and pilot house levels, designed to offer passengers a more expansive view and to improve sightlines from the helm. A look inside the salon reveals a new U-shaped settee with enhanced cushioning and a pull-out berth similar to that of the 37. Facing the settee is an optional overhead-mounted flat-screen HDTV. In the galley, a Force 10 electric cook top, Sharp convection microwave oven and top-loading freezer are now standard. To help improve ventilation, a new Dutch door and two larger sliding windows, all by Diamond Sea-Glaze, are integrated into the salon. In the pilot house, the helm console has been expanded to accommodate large chart plotter and radar display screens. A standard Llebroc captain’s chair has been specified to provide improved comfort, important for proper watch-keeping during lengthy passages.

Below, the guest cabin of the new Nordic Tugs 39 offers a pull-out lower berth that serves as a settee during the day, and a wide bunk at night. The re-designed head features a new Tecma toilet, a fully molded shower stall with a bench seat, and an innovative sliding door that glides open and closed on a space-saving curved track.

Like all Nordic Tugs models in the company’s 2011 line-up, the new 39 will feature LED lighting, including interior lights from Imtra, selected for their warmer tone compared to the harsher blue cast of earlier fixtures. LED lights, Lund noted, use about one-fifth the electricity required by halogen lamps and produce considerably less heat. LED navigation lights, he added, typically last ten times as long as incandescent bulbs. Other new features for 2011 Nordic Tugs (32’ and up) include a Maretron NMEA 2000® network extending from stem to stern and including the engine room, helm station and signal mast. The network offers “plug-and-play” installation of electronics, gauges and equipment ranging from chart plotters and rudder angle indicators to ultrasonic tank level indicators, depth sounders and the GPS. The system is compatible with the most popular electronics brands for display on the Maretron monitor at the helm.

Standard power is a single 380 hp Cummins QSB 5.9 common-rail diesel paired with the Cummins Vessel View helm display for continuous monitoring of engine and generator operating status.

“Together, these refinements deliver a higher level of comfort, safety and utility,” Lund concluded, “especially on the longer cruises that our customers typically enjoy. Measured by the number of units we’ve built and sold over the years, the 37 was a tough act to follow, but the new Nordic Tug 39 is a worthy successor.”

NORDIC TUG 39 — SPECIFICATIONS

LOA:	40’ (with roller)	12.19 m
LWL:	37’ 4”	11.4 m
Beam:	12’ 11”	3.9 m
Draft:	4’ 4”	1.3 m
Power: Cummins QSB diesel	380 hp	283 kw
Weight (dry, approx.):	22,600 lbs	10,273 kg
Weight (full load, approx.):	26,000 lbs	11,793 kg
Fuel:	320 US gal	1,211 L
Range (approx):	1,000 nm @ 8 knots Varies with load and cruising conditions
Fresh Water:	144 USG	545 L
Black Water:	32 USG	121 L
Grey Water:	9 USG	34 L

Evergreen plans to purchase 100 new cargo ships amid recovery

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) The chairman of the Evergreen Group, a Taiwan-based shipping conglomerate, has confirmed that its maritime shipping unit will order 100 new ships to modernize its fleet amid the global economic recovery.

“It will take at least 10 years to have the 100 boats built, but the first will be delivered in 2013, ” said Evergreen Group Chairman Chang Yung-fa in an interview with the Chinese-language United Daily News published Wednesday.

Chang said Evergreen Marine Corp., Asia’s second largest container line, hopes to order 32 container ships this year with a capacity of 8,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) each.

The company is thinking of purchasing 10 of the vessels from South Korea and another 12 from Taiwan’s CSBC Corp., Chang said, but their prices have yet to be finalized. The remaining ships may be ordered from either Korean or Japanese shipyards.

The report said that at Chang’s insistence, the new ships will be environmentally friendly and not cost more than US$10,000 per TEU.

The plan, regarded as the world’s largest order for new boats, has drawn the attention of all major shipbuilders, test centers and equipment suppliers around the world, the report said.

Bloomberg News reported last month, when Chang first announced the new order plan, that Evergreen Marine is the only shipping line among the world’s 20 biggest without any new ships on order.

VanDerHeijden Steelyachts Dynamic 1700

For what it’s worth, the Dutch have been building boats for a very long time…

This exciting new project was conceived as a way to provide those who like the Island Pilots – their style – their performance – their economy – with something big enough to house an extraordinary master and roomy VIP staterooms.

The result is the IP535. She’ll have a layout similar to the 1SR – except that the galley/great room forward of the helm will be split level with both the galley and the dining area. A day head is located just forward of the dinette.

Forward of the great room is a VIP stateroom with ensuite head and shower. Aft of the great room is the master with ensuite head and shower. A full-height door opens from the master into the stand-up engine room.

The deck house is 3 feet wider and 3 feet longer – and since no dining is planned here, has a full-sized convertible U-shaped settee and easy chairs, along with the lower helm station.

The after cockpit is larger, too – in both directions. An L-shaped stairway leads to the bridge – also king-sized with seating for 12.

Under the cockpit are a pair of the IPS II 900 drives. This way, Island Pilot will continue to give you the performance (30 knots plus) and economy (45 gph or .6 NM/Gal) – both unheard of in a cruising yacht of this size. The NM/Gal is more in line with cruising yachts the size of the IP435! There will be a real WOW factor to the IP535. Contact us for more info.

Island Pilot introduces the IP535 performance cruising yacht

The Island Pilot 535 will debut at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show. Pre-construction pricing is now in effect.

Island Pilot 535 Specifications

Length on Deck:	53’ 6”
LOA:	57’ 0”
LWL:	47’ 0”
Beam:	16’ 9”
Draft:	4’ 0”
Hardtop height:	19’6” (radar arch folded)
Displacement (full load):	54,500 lbs.
Power:	Volvo IPS900
Fuel:	600 U.S. gal. in three tanks
Water:	200 U.S. gal.
Holding Tank:	100 U.S. gal.
Generator:	Mastervolt 11kW

(more…)

See also: Greenline 33 Hybrid