OceanCraft RC

A floating wind turbine off Spain is being used as a real-scale test site for marine aquaculture and biodiversity.

The AQUASATH project has installed ropes, nets and collector systems beneath the DemoSATH platform to test whether oysters, clams, mussels and green algae can be cultivated alongside floating offshore wind operations.

The submerged structure also includes shell- and mussel-filled habitat elements designed to create additional surfaces where marine organisms can feed, shelter and grow.

MacGregor is supplying a 165-tonne active-heave-compensated crane for a new Ulstein SX121 offshore construction vessel ordered by Jan De Nul. The vessel is under construction in China, with delivery planned for February 2028.

The crane uses Active Heave Compensation, which continuously adjusts the winch as the vessel moves up and down. This helps keep a suspended load controlled during offshore lifting operations instead of allowing waves to transfer the vessel's motion directly to the load.

AI data centers in seven U.S. states reportedly use around 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater each year. 💧🖥️ The water is mainly used for cooling the servers and supporting the electricity generation needed to keep large computing systems running.

Unlike a normal bridge supported by foundations on the riverbed or seabed, a floating bridge rests on giant concrete pontoons that support the roadway from below.

The pontoons move with changing water levels while anchors and connecting structures help keep the bridge aligned. This approach is especially useful where the water is too deep for conventional bridge foundations.

The proposed Strait of Messina Bridge would have a 3,300-meter central span, supported by two 399-meter towers and four massive suspension cables, each 1.26 meters thick.

Its 60.4-meter-wide deck is designed to carry six road lanes, two service lanes and two railway tracks. The official design also states it is engineered to withstand an earthquake up to magnitude 7.1 and winds exceeding 200 km/h.

However, despite the project approvals and design work, construction had still not started as of late August 2026, with legal, environmental and financial issues continuing to affect the project.

During Exercise Obangame Express 2026 in Cameroon, U.S. Navy Seabees developed a floating-pier capability specifically designed to support the launch and recovery of unmanned surface vessels (USVs).

The idea is to create a portable operating base in locations where traditional port infrastructure is limited or unavailable, allowing autonomous boats to be staged and operated closer to their mission areas.

This is part of the Navy's broader push to integrate unmanned vessels into maritime operations.