Cadeler takes delivery of its latest next-generation wind installation vessel, Wind Pace

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April 3, 2025

Delivered safely, on time, and within budget, Wind Pace becomes the seventh vessel in Cadeler’s growing portfolio of wind turbine installation vessels, further strengthening the company’s capacity to meet the increasing global demand for large-scale renewable energy solutions.

Wind Pace was officially named at a naming ceremony on the 12 March at the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (COSCO) shipyard in Qidong, China, where she was built.

After her delivery, Wind Pace will be deployed in the U.S. under a contract from Q2 2025 to Q1 2026, supporting a project at an offshore wind farm in the region, Cadeler’s second project in American waters.

Her sister vessel, Wind Peak, the first of Cadeler’s two newbuild P-class vessels, was delivered in August 2024, and has just embarked on her first installation project, the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, off the Yorkshire coast of the United Kingdom – one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world.

Wind Pace is specifically designed to handle the increasing size, scope, and complexity of next-generation wind farm projects as well as the most challenging offshore conditions.

The P-class vessels are capable of transporting and installing up to seven complete 15 MW turbine sets per load or five 20+ MW turbines, reducing the number of roundtrips required and significantly accelerating installation time while improving energy and cost efficiency. An advanced hybrid power system and cyber-secure operational infrastructure ensure high efficiency and enhanced safety.

“The P-class vessels set a new benchmark in offshore wind installation technology. With advanced crane capabilities, enhanced transit effectiveness, and reduced energy intensity, these vessels unlock new levels of efficiency for our customers. Wind Peak, the first P-class vessel, has already fully demonstrated this since her delivery last year. Likewise, we expect Wind Pace to play a key role in supporting our clients in the necessary expansion of offshore wind,” says Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler.

Being the largest vessels in the Cadeler fleet today, both Wind Peak and Wind Pace boast a deck space of 5,600 m², a payload capacity of over 17,600 tonnes, and a main crane capable of lifting 2,600 tonnes at 47 meters. Additionally, each vessel can accommodate up to 130 crew members and installation technicians.

“Cadeler has always looked for new ways to provide better solutions for our customers whilst remaining conscious of the increasing need for sustainability in our industry. The P-class vessels exemplify this commitment with a design prepared for future dual-fuel green-methanol operations and an electrical system that captures and stores excess energy for re-use,” Gleerup noted.

The P-class vessels are the result of close cooperation between Cadeler and its key partners on these newbuildings, including COSCO, GustoMSC, NOV, Kongsberg, Huisman, and MAN Energy.

Stena Line develops new concept vessel

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April 3, 2025

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One of Stena Line’s central goals is to reduce CO₂ emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The path to this goal involves a range of activities across many areas, not least the decarbonization of the vessel fleet. This is being done both by improving the efficiency of the existing fleet and by developing a new generation of vessels with optimized features and new technologies.

Stena Line’s latest concept for the new generation of vessels is Stena Futuro, a 240-meter-long RoRo vessel intended for transporting semi-trailers and cars.

“The mission is to develop the most efficient and competitive vessel possible for a specific cargo capacity, using today’s available technology. The goal is for the vessel to have the lowest fuel consumption on the market,” says Nicolas Bathfield, Project Manager at Stena Teknik, who has been involved in developing the concept.

The hull and superstructure have been optimized to achieve the most efficient use of cargo space possible. At the same time, low weight and optimized hydro- and aerodynamics are central to achieving low fuel consumption. Stena Futuro’s low and streamlined design is a result of these ambitions.

In addition to the vessel’s design, Stena Futuro will be equipped with technology to limit its environmental footprint. The vessel will have hybrid propulsion, batteries and engines with low fuel consumption that can run on several different fuels. The battery system makes it ready to partly operate the vessel on electricity alone, for example, when entering and leaving ports. Solar panels will also contribute to the ship’s electricity needs.

The hull of Stena Futuro will also be equipped with an air lubrication system, where small air bubbles are released beneath the waterline to reduce friction between the vessel and the water. A waste heat recovery system will make it possible to reuse the hot exhaust gases from the ship’s engines to meet other onboard heating needs as well as supporting electric power generation.

The developed concept for Stena Futuro also includes four 40-meter-tall wing sails, which can be retracted when needed — for example, when passing under a bridge. Recently, Stena’s developers, together with the Swedish research institute RISE, have conducted tests and simulations of the sails’ usage to document both energy savings and how the sails affect the ship’s maneuverability and safety.

“The tests showed that Stena Futuro’s sails could potentially result in as much as 15 percent fuel savings. We also confirmed that the vessel meets all requirements for stability and maneuverability in scenarios such as sudden wind shifts or quick course changes,” says Nicolas Bathfield.

The ship design will play a vital part for Stena Lines future tonnage planning the coming years. Currently, there is no finalized plan for the production of Stena Futuro.

“We aim to help lead our industry in achieving the global climate goals. We work toward this every day in our ongoing operations, but we also need to be at the forefront in developing tomorrow’s vessels. The Stena Futuro concept is an important step in that direction,” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.

Another sulphide deposit, “Gygra”, discovered on the NCS

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April 2, 2025

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“A sulphide sample was collected during an expedition along the Knipovich Ridge in December 2024. Further mapping of the area was conducted in March of this year, and we are now certain that we’ve discovered a new sulphide deposit,” says Hilde Braut, Assistent director of the new industries in the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.

Both expeditions were carried out by the RV Kronprins Haakon research vessel. The expedition that collected the sulphide sample was conducted on scientific survey licence 905/2024. The expedition that confirmed the “Gygra” sulphide deposit is part of scientific survey licence 911/2025.

Data collected by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate in previous surveys formed the basis for the survey of these selected areas.

The objective of the surveys was to acquire additional knowledge about the deep sea, and data concerning both geology and the environment was collected.

The inactive sulphide deposit known as “Gygra” was discovered as part of a broader survey in the area surrounding the previously proven “Jøtul” sulphide deposit. “Gygra” is located just over a kilometre southeast of “Jøtul”.

The “Gygra” deposit is situated at 2800 metres below sea level.

Geological samples were taken from “Gygra” in both expeditions, using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ægir 6000.

On the discovery expedition, a sample was collected using a grab sampler. On the delineation expedition, 53 samples were collected using the grab sampler. All sampling has been documented by video of HD quality or better.

To date, the collected material has only been analysed using handheld XRF (x-ray fluorescence) on board the ship. These analyses indicate that the material contains between 2 and 30 per cent copper. The presence of the mineral atacamite confirms a high content of copper.

Mud Army 2.0 urged to check with home owners before tossing things out

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April 2, 2025

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It is a daily ritual for millions of Australians, but if you have noticed the price of your morning flat white or soy latte increase, brace yourself — it is likely to get worse.

By the end of the year, coffee lovers will be paying up to $7 for a regular cup as cafes nationwide struggle to absorb growing overhead costs warned David Parnham, president of the Café Owners and Baristas Association of Australia.

“What’s happening globally is there are shortages obviously from catastrophes that are happening in places like Brazil with frosts, and certain growing conditions in some of the coffee growing areas,” Mr Parnham said.

“The cost of shipping has become just ridiculous.”

Key points:

Prepare to be paying up to $7 a cup by the end of the year
Shipping costs and natural disasters in coffee regions are being blamed for the price increase
Australians consume one billion cups of coffee annually, but cafe owners say an increase in price won’t change that

It’s nearly five times the container prices of two years ago due to global shortages of containers and ships to be able to take things around the world.

Frosts in Brazil have impacted supply.(Supplied: Melbourne Coffee Merchants)

The pain will be felt from the cities to the outback, but Mr Parnham said the increase was well overdue, with the average $4 price for a standard latte, cappuccino and flat white remaining stable for years.

“The reality is it should be $6-7. It’s just that cafés are holding back on passing that pricing on per cup to the consumer,” he said.

But roaster Raoul Hauri said it hadn’t made a dent in sales, with more than 300 customers still coming through the doors for their daily fix. “No one really batted an eyelid,” he said. “We thought we would get more pushback, but I think at the moment people understand.

“It is overdue and unfortunately it can’t be sustained, and at some point the consumer has to bear that.”

Paving the way for Australian producers

While coffee drinkers will be feeling the pinch, Australian producers like Candy MacLaughlin from Skybury Roasters hopes the increasing cost of imports will pave the way for growth in the local industry, allowing it to compete in the market.

“[In the ] overall cost of business, we haven’t been able to drop our prices to be competitive, so we’ve really worked on that niche base,” Ms MacLaughlin said.

“All those things will help us to grow our coffee plantation once more.”

Candy and her husband Marion produce 40 tonnes of coffee annually but they are prepared to scale up operations(Supplied)

She said the industry could eventually emulate the gin industry, with boutique operations cropping up across the country.

“I think the demand for Australian coffee at the moment is an ever-changing landscape and more and more Aussies are starting to question where their food comes from, who is growing it”

“What you will get is all these kinds of niche coffee plantations who develop a very unique flavour profile and then market in funky packaging and appeal to certain markets,” she said.

“That’s where I see the next stage of the Australian coffee industry going.”