Latest news with #Squadron
Business Wire
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rauma Marine Constructions: The First Multi-Purpose Corvette Built at Rauma Shipyard Has Been Launched
RAUMA, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first multi-purpose corvette built for the Finnish Navy's pivotal Squadron 2020 project was launched at Rauma shipyard on Wednesday 21 May 2025. This is a significant milestone and an indication of RMC's ability to successfully realise demanding building projects. RMC's capability is based on excellent engineering expertise, capable project management and a commitment to delivering complex and high-quality vessels. Share The Squadron 2020 project is proceeding on schedule. The building pace will accelerate as work on the second and subsequent multi-purpose corvettes progresses. The direct employment impact of the Squadron project in Finland is equivalent to more than 3,600 person-years. 'We have increased the capacity of Rauma shipyard purposefully while strategically implementing significant investments in the shipyard area. Rauma shipyard is now in peak condition', says Mika Nieminen, CEO of RMC. RMC's capability is based on excellent engineering expertise, capable project management and a commitment to delivering complex and high-quality vessels. The ability to build different types of ships from high-efficiency commercial vessels to warships and icebreakers designed for extreme conditions emphasises RMC's extensive technical expertise and adaptability. 'The newly launched vessel is a strong indication of the close and goal-oriented co-operation between the Finnish Government, the Finnish Defence Forces, the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Institute, the Finnish Navy, Rauma Marine Constructions, Saab and all our industrial partners', states Timo Ståhlhammar, Project Director of RMC's Squadron Project. RMC will be building a total of four Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose corvettes for the Finnish Navy. The Pohjanmaa class is one of the most capable vessel types operating in the Baltic Sea region. They are designed to operate year-round in all Baltic Sea conditions. Significant investments have been made in Rauma shipyard throughout the 2020s to strengthen the shipyard's shipbuilding infrastructure and independent production capacity. The closed multi-purpose hall designed for the construction of the multi-purpose corvettes ensures good working conditions, high quality results and the implementation of the required safety measures. In addition, investments have been made in steel production, a launching barge and heavy transfer ramps. 'The building of these corvettes will advance the shipbuilding industry and technological know-how in Finland. RMC is ready to utilise the capabilities acquired through the Squadron 2020 project both in Finland and internationally', says Mika Nieminen, CEO of RMC. Key dimensions of the multi-purpose corvettes: Length: 117 m Beam: 16.5 m Draught: 5 m Crew: 70 Link to photos and videos.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Birmingham Squadron tips off library tour
HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) — With another season in the books, the Birmingham Squadron is now hitting the books. The franchise is on a summer library tour. It kicked off at the Homewood Public Library on Monday. That is the first of the 10 stops in the Birmingham area the Squadron will make over the summer as part of the tour. The Squadron said it's all part of an effort to promote youth literacy. Former MLB players play at Greystone to help preserve Rickwood Field 'Some books that we're reading are 'The Pelican Can!'' said Squadron community outreach coordinator Alyssa Ryals. 'This is fun to empower kids to learn a little more about birds, especially the pelican. And then we'll also be reading 'Aliya Can' that is written by one of our previous Squadron players and his wife, who's in the WNBA. They have been empowering their daughter Aliya, so they wrote a book for her called 'Aliya Can.'' In addition to listening to the books, children who attend the summer series can take home Squadron merchandise. For more information on the Squadron's summer events, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Gas producers question whether Coalition's energy plan will cut consumer prices
Gas industry leaders have expressed confusion and concern about a Coalition plan to force them to sell more of the fossil fuel in Australia and cast doubt over whether Peter Dutton's target to cut gas prices can be delivered. Speaking at an Australian Domestic Gas Outlook conference in Sydney, several executives argued the policy to create what the opposition leader called an 'east coast gas reservation policy' could exacerbate future gas supply issues in southern states. Dutton has said he would require east coast gas exporters to add 10% to 20% to available gas supply for Australian homes and businesses, and that it could lead to wholesale gas prices falling from $14 to $10 a gigajoule before the end of the year. The Coalition has not explained how the policy would work, but has promised to release modelling to back up the claims. Squadron's executive general manager of operations, Stuart Davis, told the conference it was a 'good question' if his company would survive if wholesale prices fell to $10 a gigajoule. 'That was a comment from a political party that's not in power and there's no policy to back that up yet,' he said. 'I think $10 gas would be a challenge for many in this room to foresee happening.' Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter The Shell Australia chair, Cecile Wake, said there was confusion in the industry about what the Coalition's proposal would mean. 'There are not very many details about either party's policies, so we don't really know what the price outcome [is] that is trying to be achieved,' she said. Wake said she was concerned that the policy could 'potentially push more supply into the market than there is actual demand … and when that happens, it has the effect of potentially driving prices even lower than the $10 [a gigajoule], potentially to the point where future investment decisions are not economic.' But she said even if this happened, it was not guaranteed lower prices would be passed on to households and businesses. 'There are a lot of intermediaries that sit between the export projects and the ultimate consumers, so it is difficult to predict what the final price to consumers will be,' she told the conference. Industry leaders said they were desperate for more detail about the policy, which Dutton announced last week in his budget reply. Wake told Guardian Australia she learned of the proposed policy when the opposition leader addressed parliament. 'It is the first that we heard of the specific policy announcement,' she said. 'Not very much detail was announced on Thursday night last week. We don't have detail on exactly how it's going to work. Like everybody else, we're listening to the announcements as they come, we're expressing some of our concerns.' Wake said controlling exports was the 'easiest lever' in the federal government's control, but that was 'not a good reason to pull that lever harder'. 'This does not increase supply, it simply redistributes it, and when coupled with price caps [as introduced under Labor] and other market interventions, it can impede investment and actually exacerbate the challenge,' she said. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion About three-quarters of the gas extracted in Australia is exported. The gas price on the country's east coast has been tied to international prices since the export industry at Gladstone expanded significantly in 2014. It led to a charge jump in coal and gas prices – and power bills – after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Some analysts have said opening new gas basins was unlikely to significantly reduce prices, in part because most cheap gas in Australia has already been extracted. They have also warned it would lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions given gas is methane, a fossil fuel, and it releases carbon dioxide when it is burned. They have said while some gas will likely be needed for decades to come, locking in more gas use than is needed was likely to slow the shift to zero-emissions energy. Several gas industry experts have said rather than address a gas shortage, the country needs to find a way to get more of the gas extracted in the north rather than the south before a projected annual shortfall from 2029. This was not the view of most gas executives at the conference. Beach Energy's managing director, Brett Woods, described the Coalition's proposal as the potential 'expropriation of Queensland's gas resources'. He said there were 'many positive elements within the opposition's energy policies' for the gas industry – listing promises to approve developments faster, reduce 'activist lawfare' and offer funding for gas infrastructure – but that 'reducing LNG exports and deliberately oversupplying southern markets has a large risk of being a negative'. Chevron Australia's managing director, Mark Hatfield, said energy security was 'an easy target to be a political football' and political partisanship was not good, 'not just for producers but for consumers of gas'. 'Some of the things we're seeing right now are maybe some short-term fixes that could have long-term implications with negative outcomes,' he said. Wake also said energy policy was too significant an issue to be decided in the heat of an election campaign. 'There is a danger that if it gets caught in the dynamic of an election … then we can have unintended consequences that are very difficult for anybody to walk back [from] or to modify,' she said. The industry bosses largely did not raise the role gas played in driving the climate crisis, or the scientific evidence that gas use needed to be limited to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Providence center Josh Oduro records rare performance in G League
Josh Oduro stuffed the stat sheet on Thursday, finishing with his ninth double-double of the season to help lead the Birmingham Squadron against the Windy City Bulls in the G League. Oduro produced 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots in the 102-100 loss at Now Arena. He finished by shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in 32 minutes as the Squadron dropped to 7-15 in the regular season. The undrafted center from Providence is one of two players to record at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game this season in the G League (Kylor Kelley). Only three assists shy of a triple-double tonight for JO📈 — Birmingham Squadron (@GleagueSquadron) February 28, 2025 Oduro was an All-Big East Honorable Mention last season after averaging a career-high 15.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, two assists and 1.3 blocks on 52.7% shooting from the field with the Friars. He ranked 10th in the conference in scoring and seventh in rebounds and blocks. The 24-year-old played with the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Summer League, averaging four points, six rebounds and three assists in two appearances. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team in October and was eventually waived and sent to the Squadron. Oduro is averaging 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 blocks on 54.3% shooting from the field in 34 games with the Squadron. He ranks 20th in total rebounds (268) and 28th in blocks (39) among players with at least 20 appearances in the G League. This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: G League: Josh Oduro records rare performance with Birmingham Squadron
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
RAF tests new drones in the skies over Lincolnshire
New RAF surveillance drones are being tested across the skies of Lincolnshire. Controlled remotely from RAF Waddington, the Protector is being tested over a large part of the county, including the Wolds, Louth, Market Rasen, Wragby, Horncastle and Woodhall Spa. A routine temporary danger area (TDA) was activated on 17 February and will remain in place until 6 August to allow the testing. The RAF said the UK had invested in 16 new surveillance drones for the UK, based at Waddington, which will be capable of operating in both UK and European airspace. The Protector will be tasked with tracking threats, counter-terrorism and supporting the coastguard on search and rescue missions. The building and initial testing of the aircraft was completed by engineers from 31 Squadron, and the test and evaluation programme is being led by 56 Squadron. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. MP 'committed' to keeping Red Arrows in action New RAF drone takes first flight in UK skies Fighter jet canopy dumped in mid-air emergency RAF Waddington
