Navatek, NEB Launch Sea Blade 35
Navatek, the naval research and design company based in Hawaii and Rhode Island, and NEB, a leading builder of high-tech composite and aluminum boats based in Portsmouth, R.I., announce the launching of the Sea Blade 35, a 35-foot rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) with a top speed of 60 knots. The Sea Blade line of powerboats features a patented hull form designed by Navatek founder and Chairman Steven Loui, a native of Hawaii. The stabilized monohull design has a slender center hull with two stabilizing amas, which form entrapment tunnels between the main hull and amas. Hull panels of 0 or +50-degree deadrise are arranged in longitudinal steps starting with a pad keel.
U.S. Provides $9.98 Million to Strengthen Shipyard Competitiveness
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $9.98 million in grants to 15 small shipyards throughout the United States to pay for modernizations which will increase productivity and help the country’s small shipyards compete in the global marketplace. “In cities and towns across America, shipyards are creating jobs and keeping our nation's economy growing," said Secretary LaHood. The U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grants Program provides equipment and technical skills training for America’s maritime workforce…
FAST 2011: Focuses on Future of Fast Sea Transportation
Naval Architects and marine engineers from around the world gathered in Honolulu in September for the 11th International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation (FAST 2011). The four-day biannual symposium promoted world-wide cooperation among scientists and engineers involved with all aspects of the high-speed maritime industry. FAST 2011 was the Fast Foundation’s 20th anniversary. Kjell Holden of the Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology and FAST International Standing Committee…
FAST 2011: Addressing Speed on the Water
FAST 2011 is the 11th International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation. Started in Trondheim, Norway in 1991, FAST conferences take place every two years and are the world’s leading conferences addressing fast sea transportation issues. Recent FAST conferences were held in Athens, Greece (2009), Shanghai, China (2007), and St. Petersburg, Russia (2005). According to Todd Peltzer, director of programs for Honolulu-based Navatek, FAST 2011 will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, from September 26 to 29, 2011, at the Regency Ballroom Convention Center of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki hotel. Registration for the conference is available through the FAST website: http://www.FAST2011.com/registration.htm.
The Ice Strengthened, Twin Hulled Susitna
The M/V Susitna is an Office of Naval Research (ONR) platform demonstrating variable geometry/variable draft capability in a twin hull marine vessel. Tests and trials of this first of class vessel will demonstrate its ability to operate as a deep draft, high speed vessel capable of carrying large payloads in high sea states with a stable ride, then transition to a shallow draft, beachable, landing craft mode capable of delivering Expeditionary Forces to the beach. M/V Susitna is an ice strengthened, twin hulled marine vessel.
70 Shipyards Awarded ARRA Grants
The Department of Transportation has announced 70 grants totaling $98m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will be used to improve small shipyards throughout the United States. The funds, awarded through the Maritime Administration’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program, will help create and preserve jobs, provide valuable employment training and make much needed improvements to shipyards across the country. The Small Shipyards Grant program provides up to 75 percent in ARRA funds for a project and requires the remainder be matched by the shipyard. A detailed list of the grantees is as follows. • Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc., Philadelphia, PA: $2,312,614, for the first year of training program.
US Marine Repair Joins Lockheed Martin LCS Team
The Lockheed Martin LCS Team is adding United States Marine Repair to its group of core teammates supporting the Sea Blade LCS solution. Using an open business model, the Lockheed Martin LCS Team is recruiting "best of breed" technical specialists from the U.S. and overseas in its bid to win this important transformational Navy program. "A key focus of Lockheed Martin's LCS proposal is to find the best companies, in the U.S. and abroad, to deliver to the Navy the most affordable and effective ship possible," said Fred Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin's Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems. "Our team is harnessing world class expertise in a wide range of disciplines. United States Marine Repair provides ship repair and logistics services experience to the team.
