Vessel efficiency extends far beyond maximum speed. By combining detailed route analysis with tailored waterjet selection and design, engineers can optimise performance across an asset’s entire operating profile. The approach reveals new methods for balancing competing demands, unlocking fuel savings, operational efficiency and smarter propulsion decisions in practice today onwards.

Real-world performance data is reshaping understanding of passenger ship efficiency in heavy weather. By analysing full-scale operational measurements, researchers quantify the combined impact of wind and waves through an added-power methodology. New insights into aerodynamic drag on large topside structures could improve voyage planning, energy efficiency and design decisions globally.

Floating offshore wind is moving from demonstration to deployment, creating new demands for naval architecture, marine operations and port infrastructure. This review examines construction, towing and installation challenges, alongside stability, certification and maintenance considerations. The insights highlight practical strategies to reduce project risk, costs and lifecycle uncertainty at scale globally.

Remote drone-based inspection is transforming offshore asset assurance by enabling detailed survey work without confined-space entry. Lessons from a successful FPSO crude oil tank inspection highlight the importance of planning, stakeholder coordination, class-approved procedures and tank preparation, demonstrating how UAV technology can reduce risk, cost and inspection time significantly today.

Reliability-Centred Maintenance is proving vital to maximising fleet availability and operational performance in challenging economic conditions. Using real-world experience from the Maldives’ essential ferry network, this work demonstrates how data-driven maintenance optimisation can reduce downtime, improve reliability and lower costs, offering valuable lessons for diverse maritime fleets worldwide at scale.

Advanced modelling is improving confidence in the structural design of high-speed craft. By combining computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis and drop-test validation, researchers compared impact loads with conventional design rules, uncovering critical differences and optimisation opportunities. The findings provide practical reinforcement guidance for achieving robust, compliant performance today onwards.

Innovative LNG transfer infrastructure is improving safety, efficiency and operational flexibility across maritime energy operations. By examining specialised manifold design, transfer interfaces and ship-to-shore integration, the work addresses key engineering challenges in fuel handling. Insights highlight opportunities to streamline LNG logistics, strengthen reliability and support evolving low-carbon maritime energy networks.

Offshore transportation of large energy infrastructure demands rigorous stability assurance throughout loadout, transit and installation. Examining heavy transport vessels and cargo barges, this research explores advanced ballast management, damage stability analysis and enhancement measures such as sponsons and pontoons, offering critical lessons for safer, more resilient marine operations worldwide.

Big data and machine learning are transforming high-speed craft operations by turning real-world performance data into actionable fuel-efficiency insights. Advanced predictive models tackle the challenges of dynamic operating conditions while delivering real-time optimisation guidance to crews. The approach promises lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and smarter vessel performance management today.

Exploring the rise of French naval power under Colbert, this article examines how shipyard modernisation transformed warship design, blending engineering innovation with striking aesthetics. Through the story of the Royal Louis, it reveals how naval architecture, craftsmanship and state ambition combined to project influence, prestige and power globally at sea.

The widely cited claim that 80% of failures stem from human error is challenged through a fresh examination of safety and automation. By testing the concept against realistic scenarios, this analysis reveals why mature systems naturally attract higher human-error attribution and identifies more meaningful measures of operational risk today onward.

Finite Element Modelling is enhancing the design of ice-class vessels by enabling detailed analysis of bow structures exposed to extreme ice and hydrostatic loads. Applied to the conversion of a tanker into a research vessel, this approach demonstrates how structural optimisation can improve strength, reduce weight and support reliable performance in demanding polar environments.