Products & services

RINA acquires Finland-based Foreship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 18 June 2025 18 June 2025

RINA, the multinational engineering consultancy, inspection and certification group, has acquired the entire share capital of Foreship, a renowned Finnish company specialising in naval architecture and marine engineering, from Vaaka Partners and company’s managers. The acquisition marks a further expansion of RINA’s marine engineering consulting offering worldwide, while strengthening its presence in Northern Europe.

Foreship, with 2024 revenues of €15.2 million is headquartered in Helsinki and employs over 90 professionals across eight offices globally, including the USA, UK and Estonia. The company is best known for its high-profile work in cruise ship design, energy-efficient vessel innovations, and sustainable marine technologies. Its unique and distinctive experience in naval architecture offers high synergies within RINA Consulting and opportunities to increase market share in the maritime consultancy sector, particularly in complex retrofits, new fuel integrations, and digital transformation.

“Foreship offers unique competence which is highly appreciated by its clients,” said Ugo Salerno, Executive Chairman of RINA. “It brings an exceptional track record and a depth of expertise in naval architecture that complements our own consulting engineering capabilities. Together, on a shared path of growth, we will deliver even greater value to the global shipping industry, advancing sustainability, digital innovation and ship lifecycle services”.

“We are proud to welcome into our group a company that shares our core values of independence, innovation, and engineering excellence” said Carlo Luzzatto, CEO of RINA. “This acquisition aligns with our strategic plan to become an increasingly essential reference point for our clients, supporting them with our broad-based knowledge. Foreship’s solid reputation and global customer base, including major cruise lines and shipping companies, make it a natural fit for our fast-growing marine consulting business. Foreship reputation as a trusted independent advisor is seen as a core asset that RINA aims to preserve and enhance.”

Lauri Haavisto, CEO of Foreship, commented, “Foreship’s vision is to lead in sustainable passenger ship conversions, new builds, and consultancy. Joining forces with a global partner like RINA will accelerate our growth, expand our knowledge, and strengthen our client relationships, while continuing to foster the close collaboration we value.”

In line with RINA’s governance and organizational model, Foreship operations will be part of RINA Consulting.

Lazard assisted RINA as financial advisor. RINA was also supported by Bain & Company, which assisted RINA in the commercial due diligence, and by PwC, which assisted in the financial and tax due diligence. Borenius Attorneys acted as legal counsel to RINA in connection with the transaction.

Bolidt acquires Boteka to consolidate leading position in cruise industry

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 11 June 2025 11 June 2025

Bolidt has acquired a majority stake in Florida-based Boteka, in a move intended to consolidate Bolidt’s leading position in the global cruise industry.

As a specialist in prefabricated elements for cruise ships, Boteka has worked exclusively with Bolidt products during a 14-year relationship that has seen the two parties serve major operators including Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Group, and Celebrity Cruises. The collaboration has covered both newbuild and retrofit projects.

In line with Bolidt’s ‘all-under-one-roof’ principle, the acquisition will allow the Dutch company to accelerate its development of custom-made solutions while enhancing its efficiency, planning, and flexibility in cruise ship projects. It also strengthens Bolidt’s presence in the United States and increases its manufacturing capacity with an additional production facility in Miami.

“We are delighted to welcome Boteka into the Bolidt Group as we move forward with our strategy for growth – expanding our portfolio to provide total solutions for our clients,” said Rientz-Willem Bol, CEO of Bolidt. “Boteka possesses considerable technical expertise and customer insight that can inspire our R&D efforts, further optimise internal processes, enhance employee learning, and provide added value for our global cruise clients.”

Under the terms of the expanded cooperation, Boteka will continue to develop prefabricated synthetic elements at the Miami production facility and oversee their installation, inspection, and measurement on board the vessel, while Bolidt remains exclusively responsible for sales activities.

Langh Tech launches batteries at Nor-Shipping

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 June 2025 09 June 2025

Langh Tech held last week the official product launch of its new battery system at the Nor-Shipping trade show in Oslo. The product was presented during a brunch event in the morning, with a speech by Managing Director Laura Langh-Lagerlöf.

The aim in the product development has been to bring to the market a reliable and affordable battery solution. The process started in 2023 to create an alternative for shore power connection when meeting the upcoming regulation of vessels not being allowed to use auxiliary engines in EU ports.

The Langh Tech battery system is designed to provide the vessel with reliable electrical power for shore-side operations and to assist in or fully provide propulsion during cast-off — ensuring seamless, efficient, and environmentally conscious manoeuvring. A battery string consists of up to twenty connected battery packs, with the number of strings flexible up to sixteen units per battery room, giving an energy storage capacity of 5 MWh.

The system includes several features to ensure a high safety level, also evident in the IP68-rated protection level. Each battery pack includes a dedicated off-gas duct, safely channelling gases out of the battery space to maintain a non-toxic and non-flammable environment. Fire protection is additionally ensured through early-stage threat detection. Cell-to-cell isolation prevents the spread of thermal runaway, significantly enhancing onboard safety and system resilience. An integrated liquid cooling features provides a stable and cozy environment for the cells, which is more accurate and efficient compared to air cooling. LFP chemistry offers superior thermal resistance and eliminates risk of thermal runaway, outperforming both traditional lithium-ion (e.g., NMC) and lead-acid batteries in safety, longevity, and environmental impact.

The system is engineered for easy installation and maintenance with minimized operational disruption. An active balancing software optimizes performance and extends battery life, with constant health check on cell and pack level. In the unlikely event of a pack failure, manual string cut-off will ensure continued operation.

Langh Tech’s sister company Langh Ship’s three 1200 TEU newbuildings have been designed with battery room, and battery system installations are in progress for these vessels.

Lloyd's Register signs strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 June 2025 09 June 2025

Following its full classification services for Adora Magic City, China’s first domestically built large luxury cruise ship, LR has entered strategic cooperation with China Cruises, leveraging both local project experience and global technical expertise.

With a market share exceeding 40% in the global fleet of operating and newly built large cruise ships, LR has maintained its leading position in the industry for nearly two decades.

LR operates four Cruise Centres of Expertise in China, the UK, Italy, and the US, and has a global team of over 220 dedicated cruise surveyors, providing end-to-end technical support throughout the design, construction, operation, and management phases.

Francesco Ruisi, VP Global Passenger Ship Segment Director at LR, said: “By drawing on LR’s global experience and technical expertise in the cruise sector, we aim to support China’s independent development and construction of large cruise ships. We will contribute to the integrated growth of the cruise industry supply chain, and play an active role in helping China’s cruise sector advance toward high-end global positioning with a firm commitment to green and sustainable development.”

Li Ming, General Manager of China Cruises and Chairman of Adora Cruise, said: “We are pleased to establish a strategic partnership with Lloyd’s Register. This collaboration will further strengthen our technical capabilities and international operations, while fostering deeper cooperation in cruise safety, sustainability, and technological innovation.”

Almaco Group delivers provision stores and refrigeration machinery for Utopia of the Seas

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 06 June 2025 06 June 2025

Almaco Group has announced the delivery of a comprehensive project for Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida. Delivered in June 2024 at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the project included the supply and installation of provision stores and refrigeration machinery. Almaco’s project size on the vacation brand’s ultimate short getaway consisted of approximately 3,000 m² of provision stores, including cold rooms, freezer rooms, and refrigerated stores.

The provision stores onboard Utopia of the Seas are a critical part of the vessel’s operations, ensuring the safe and efficient storage of food and beverages for guests and crew. Almaco supplied and installed extensive cold rooms, freezer rooms, and refrigerated stores, all designed to meet the highest quality and hygiene standards. As an area inspected by USPH (United States Public Health), delivering the provision stores with the expected quality level was a key focus. Furthermore, these spaces were required for the first sea trial to accommodate food storage for crew and technicians, a challenge that the Almaco team successfully met by completing all areas in time for the sea trial.

In addition to the provision stores, Almaco was responsible for the engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning of the refrigeration machinery. The scope included cooling units, air coolers, piping, control system and SCADA ensuring optimal operation of the refrigeration plant. The team’s expertise in delivering high-quality solutions played a vital role in the project’s success.

The strong cooperation between Almaco Group, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and Royal Caribbean was essential in achieving these great end results. Vincent Querard, Head of Projects Management, praised the teamwork, stating, “The fantastic end-result of this project reflects the dedication and cooperation of all parties involved. Completing all provision store areas before the sea trial was a significant achievement.”

Samuel Teyssier, Project Manager, added, “The successful delivery of the refrigeration machinery was a result of thorough planning and collaboration. We are proud of the outcome and the quality of our work. A thank you to everyone involved in making this a successful project.”