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Vard Marine Inc. has been contracted to develop a classification design package for review and approval by Bureau Veritas for Seaspan ULC for 7600 m³ LNG Bunker Vessels.

The 2 + 1 vessel build contract has been awarded to Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (SOE), a subsidiary of CIMC Enric Holdings.

Vard Marine and Seaspan ULC have been working closely over the past two years to develop the latest in LNG bunkering solutions. The vessel will incorporate emerging technologies, and improve operational emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions while considering underwater radiated noise. The design is focused on safe, efficient and economical refueling of multiple ship types as well as an ability to transfer to and from a wide range of terminals, and will engage in ship-to-ship LNG transfer as well as coastal/short sea shipping operations.

Seaspan ULC is a group of Canadian companies primarily involved in coastal marine transportation, shipdocking/ship escort, ship repair and shipbuilding services in Western North America.

SOE will build the 7600 m³ LNG bunkering vessel at their shipyard in China. SOE is one of the most experienced small scale gas carrier shipbuilding yards having delivered more than 30 gas carriers for LNG, LEG and LPG.

Over recent years, Vard Marine has completed a series of LNG bunkering solutions from 1,200 m³ to 15,000 m³. Most recently for Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, a second LNG Bunker Barge was developed for a previous client, Polaris New Energy.

“LNG as a marine fuel is being adopted in North America and around the world at an exponential rate,” said Darren Truelock, Vice President of Vard Marine’s Houston operations, “and Vard Marine is proud to be a part of this evolution."

The vessel dimensions will be 113 m overall length, 18.6 m beam, and have a depth of 8.4 m. This project plays a leading role in developing the North American bunkering capability to provide LNG as a marine fuel to domestic and foreign LNG fuelled vessels. It will be the first and largest dedicated LNG bunker vessel designed and built to date for operations in North America.

Vard Marine Inc. (Vard) is delighted to congratulate Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) and the US Coast Guard (USCG) on commencing construction of the fourth Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) – the future USCGC RUSH (WMSM 918).

The OPC is based on the VARD 7 110 Offshore Patrol Vessel design. Vard has supported ESG on the OPC program for the past 11 years, beginning with Concept Design, continuing through Preliminary and Contract Design phases to Detail Design and Construction, awarded in late 2016. It continues to provide engineering support to ESG during construction of the first three OPCs and will continue to do so with Hull 4.

“Vard Marine is proud to be part of the ESG Team and this OPC Program,“ said Darren Truelock, Vice President Houston, Vard Marine. “Through the OPC, our team is committed to enabling and expanding the Coast Guard’s capabilities to conduct offshore missions safely and effectively.”

 “We are honored by the U.S. Coast Guard’s confidence in our team. We thank our valued partners, like Vard Marine, who have been with us since the beginning. Together, we utilized state of the market technology and innovation in the design to offer a more capable vessel than legacy assets currently in service,” said Joey D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc.

Vard Marine Inc. is pleased to announce that Kristin Jovel, current Corporate Business Manager, has been appointed the position of Vice President Business Operations for its North American offices effective immediately.

Kristin joined the Houston office in 2010 after serving as a Director of a top-tier service management company. Over the past 11 years, she has successfully led various strategic development initiatives aligned to the company’s business operations and corporate governance. Her breadth of knowledge and leadership has been instrumental in expanding the team and improving processes and policies.

“I am honored to accept this new role, to continue leading and serving the corporate team I love, for a company I so passionately care for,” said Kristin. “With this being an exciting time for our company and industry, I’m looking forward to our continued growth and success with our industry partners.”

“Kristin’s extraordinary ability to identify gaps and solve problems has enabled Vard Marine’s rapid development over the past decade,” said Wade Carson, President, Vard Marine. “Her diligence and leadership have greatly contributed to building our highly skilled team. Kristin is a valued and welcome addition to our executive team.”

Vard Marine Inc. and ILS Oy are delighted to announce an agreement to work together to develop design solutions for the global icebreaker market and to address the challenges of ice-capable shipping worldwide. The two companies are world-leaders in this highly specialized field, with an extensive combined design portfolio and an impressive client base. Together, we are uniquely positioned to help shipbuilders, ship owners and operators in developing fit-for-purpose and sustainable vessel designs for both public and private sectors projects. 

One area of cooperation will be the further development and implementation of ILS’ patented Detachable IceBreaking Bow (DIBB) in new markets. The ILS DIBB, with its independent power plant allows icebreaking to become a modular capability that can be added to new and existing ships as and when required, rather than being built into the vessel with all the size, weight, cost and efficiency impacts that this implies. While detachable bows are not a new concept, the DIBB’s unique capabilities overcome many of the drawbacks of earlier approaches. 

While the agreement is new, both companies have long respected each other’s corporate cultures and achievements. Most recently Vard Marine has developed the conversion designs for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Medium Icebreakers (MIBs) from an original ILS hull design. These ships are now some of the Coast Guard’s most powerful and effective assets. 

Vard Marine’s CEO, Wade Carson notes “Our agreement with ILS Oy will assist both companies in helping current and new clients in identifying their needs and in providing the designs that address these. The two companies’ shared values include putting our clients first and providing objective and unbiased advice.” 

ILS’ CEO, Kristian Lehtonen says, “During the last five years, we have done design and consulting work for paying customers in 14 different countries. Cooperation with the highly skilled professionals of Vard Marine will further expand our horizons. We are pleased and honored to work with Vard Marine, as we share with them the same belief in hard work and commitment.” 

About Vard Marine Inc: Established in 1983, Vard Marine is an independent naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy headquartered in Canada and is today a wholly owned subsidiary of Norway's Vard Group AS and in turn owned by global shipbuilding giant Fincantieri S.p.A.  Since the company's inception Vard Marine has become one of North America’s leading designers of specialized ships, including ice-capable vessels and icebreakers for the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards, The South African, Chilean and New Zealand Navies, and commercial clients worldwide. The Canadian government has just announced that two polar icebreakers will be built in Canada to VARD’s 9 206 design. 

About ILS Oy: ILS Ship Design & Engineering was established in 1988. Its track record in icebreaker designs includes well-known vessels such as the Fennica, Nordica, Botnica, the Tor Viking class, Finnish Navy’s OSRV Louhi, and the new LNG-fuelled icebreaker Polaris operated by Arctia. ILS has also designed several icebreaking harbor and oil export terminal tugs. ILS designed prototype DIBB recently completed ice trials in Finland, after a development program including extensive model tank testing. The DIBB operated its first winter 2020-21 in East Finland’s lake district. Its icebreaking capability and maneuverability were proven excellent, and its abilities have received praise from the masters of the merchant ships being assisted, and from pilots.