Feb 15, 2018  -Boat handling technology from Vestdavit is playing a central role in The Royal New Zealand Navy’s drive to operate Realistic Working Environments (RWE) at its new Devonport Naval Base training facility, Auckland, which is set to open in March. 

Feb 14, 2018  -  Environmental organisation WWF-New Zealand is deeply concerned by suggestions from the new Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash that he might “scrap” plans to put cameras on fishing boats.

Dec 5, 2017  -  The grounding of one of the world’s biggest container ships off Southampton was caused by pilot error, an investigation has concluded.  In a report, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch found standards of navigation, communication and use of electronic charting aids “did not meet the expectations of the port or the company”. The 399m Vasco de Gama, at the time the largest ship under a UK flag, ran aground in August 2016 as it attempted a tricky turn to enter Southampton docks. Continue here to read the full article ||  December 5, 2017   |||    …

The Balex System solving common pain points felt with loading and unloading boats into the water through technology at a push of a button. Elly Strang in her article for Idealog quite rightly wrote that  anyone who's owned a boat or been out for a ride on one knows it's a bit of an awkward process actually getting a vessel into the water. But last year, Balex set out to change that with its invention of an hydraulically-powered automated boat loader that helps launch and retrieve boats from the water with the click of a button, while being three times…

NADI |  Local production drives down costs and gives boost to local economy. Bellingham’s decision to move production to Nadi is a win-win for the island nation and local developers. Nadi, Fiji – 18 September 2017 – The island nation of Fiji is thriving in its seventh straight year of economic growth. From textiles to sugar, one of Fiji’s fastest growing sectors is manufacturing. The country has now expanded into pontoon manufacturing with the announcement of the partnership between Bellingham Marine and Marine Structures and Consultancy (MSC) Limited. Two of the country’s best-known marine service operators, Hall Dredging and Bob…

Auckland, New Zealand – FUSION, the worldwide leader in marine audio engineering, announced today its partnership with Sea Pro Boats to offer their industry-leading purpose built marine entertainment systems, Signature Series Speakers and Amplifiers and True-Marine Speakers on all 2018 Bay Series and Center Console Deep V Series boats. “Sea Pro has been making serious waves with its The Next Wave-branded boats,” said Chris Baird, managing director, FUSION Entertainment. “At Fusion, it’s the next sound wave that we take seriously, and that’s why we are so excited to be able to offer Sea Pro customers our latest and greatest, state-of-the-art…

The path towards oligopolisation in container shipping took another step forwards with the proposed USD 6.3 billion sale of Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas International Ltd. (OOIL) to Chinese state-owned Cosco Shipping Holdings Ltd. (Cosco) and Shanghai International Port Group Co. (SIPG), announced a couple of weeks ago. On the completion of the deal, Cosco will hold 90.1% while SIPG will hold the remaining 9.9% stake in OOIL. The joint buyers said they will keep the OOIL branding, retain its listed status and maintain the companies’ global headquarters in Hong Kong along with all management. Employees will retain their existing compensation…

The captain of the 30,700 dwt containership Shansi was arrested in New Zealand for sailing the vessel while he was under the influence of alcohol. A pilot, who was assisting the docking of the ship, thought the captain of the ship appeared to be intoxicated as he was having trouble docking the vessel. The pilot contacted Maritime New Zealand, who subsequently asked the Whangarei Police for assistance on the matter. The police breath tested the ship’s captain, a 53-year-old Englishman from Devon, at Port Northland, Marsden Point. After the captain blew what was described as an exceptionally high reading, he…

New Zealanders have long been known for their love affair with the sea, but owning a boat is seen as an expensive exercise for most. Tauranga-based boat design company Hallmarine Design has come up with a solution: its Purekraft boats, which are flatpacked kitsets, a bit like IKEA furniture, making them far cheaper to ship around and easier to construct. Elly Strang writes in Idealog -  It’s a romantic notion that plays right into the Kiwi ideal of DIY and do it yourself ­– building a boat from scratch. However, aside from professional boat builders, most wouldn’t attempt to build…

The most radical of the new Ultime trimarans, the incredible Gitana 17 is designed to foil at over 50 knots and cross up to 900 miles a day, crewed by just one solo skipper. Elaine Bunting talked to designer Guillaume Verdier at the launch A revolutionary 100ft fully foiling oceangoing trimaran capable of covering more than 900 miles in a day and sailing at speeds of 50 knots was launched in Lorient this week. Designed by Guillaume Verdier, the foil genius behind the America’s Cup winning Emirates Team New Zealand, Gitana 17 is designed to be sailed solo and to…

Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) win of the America’s Cup is a tremendous sporting victory, but it is also a victory for brand New Zealand, particularly when it comes to shifting international perception of who we are as a country. While the common associations with beautiful scenery and amazing food are positive, we know that as a country, we have so much more to offer the world. The America’s Cup has helped position us as a smart and innovative nation, filled with entrepreneurs and world-leading tech companies. That’s’ because off the back of ETNZ’s incredible win, there’s an extraordinary story…