The latest news from across the industry that ‘got us talking’
Welcome to our weekly news round-up! Take a look at ‘what’s got us talking’, a collection of topical industry news from both our marine and industrial sectors.
Britishvolt receives £1.7 billion in funding from UK government
The UK government has announced that it has put forward an offer in principal to Britishvolt (BV) for £1.7 billion ($2.3 billion) in private funding
The funds will be supported by the Automotive Transformation Fund and delivered by the Advanced Propulsion Centre. The money will be used to support the construction of BV’s full-scale gigaplant factory which will manufacture electric vehicle battery cells.
Located in Northumberland, in NE England, on the site of the former Blyth Power Station, the gigaplant will produce enough low-carbon cells for more than 300,000 EVs each year. Currently, this amounts to 25% of UK production.
It is reported that the new plant will create up to 3000 new direct jobs, plus a further 5000 indirect positions in the wider UK supply chain.
Enormous superyacht squeezes under Dutch bridges
It’s not every day that you spot an 80-meter superyacht squeezing under a bridge with just a few inches of clearance. So it’s no wonder that the sight of this gigantic vessel from Heesen making its way through the narrow canals of the Netherlands drew a large crowd.
The maiden voyage of Galactica, formerly known as Project Cosmos, took place earlier this month, with painful precision.
During the operation, which took around four to five days, the vessel was pulled and pushed by expert tugboats through narrow locks and under at least six bridges.
The timing was hugely important. Heesen had to wait for a “calm day with no wind” before attempting to get the vessel through a tight lock in Macharen with only 15 centimetres of clearance on each side!
Galactica, which is fitted with a beach club, as well as a helideck that transforms into a cinema, reached Harlingen safely on January 12 and is set to begin sea trials shortly.
ScotWind offshore auction raises £700m
An auction of seabed plots for major offshore wind projects around the Scottish coast has netted £700m.
Seventeen projects covering a total of 7,000km2 have been chosen in the first such leasing round in a decade.
They have a combined potential generating capacity of 25GW – well above the expected auction outcome of 10GW.
Scottish Renewables said the announcement was “an exciting and significant moment in Scotland’s renewable energy story”.
However, RSPB Scotland criticised the announcement, claiming it could “accelerate some seabird species towards extinction in Scotland”. Whilst Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) raised concerns about what the projects would mean for their industry.
New Dana Planetary Drives
The new planetary drives offer output torque ratings from 80-130 kNm.
Dana Incorporated announced the introduction of three planetary drives with wide ratio ranges, better power density, and modular designs that expand the company’s Spicer Torque-Hub support for tracked and wheeled vehicles, as well as Brevini winch applications.
Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship from CFPO given the Green Light
A new fishing apprenticeship has been given the green light and people looking for a career at sea will have the opportunity to start an 18-month Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship, a process which has been led by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO)
The Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship will be rolled out by training providers from 2022.
“It’s ambitious, but it has to be,” said Chris Ranford, CEO of the CFPO. “We are training the future of the industry, and want to have that in mindset from the start.
The 18-month level 2 Fisher apprenticeship represents a step-change for the industry by carving out a clear professional pathway into the industry.