PEARSON COMPOSITES

As SOLAS Deadline Nears, More Composite Use is Expected

By Robert Lee Gordon Director of Purchasing, Ocean Development Company Composites have been utilized in various applications in the shipbuilding industry in order to meet countless requirements of shipyards and ship owners. Composites have found their way into areas such as hull design for smaller vessels to modular bathroom units on larger vessels. Research and development with composites has also created Trevira fabric. Composites continue to evolve along with the shipbuilding industry, and one should expect to see more wide spread use of this material in years to come. In order to better understand composites one must review the creation of this modern material, and then one can examine the uses of this product. The general definition for composite material is the combination of two or more materials in order to create a completely new material. For example, fiberglass, which is the combination of plastic resin and glass fibers, is a common composite. However, in the marine industry composites take on a completely different meaning. Composites in the marine industry refer to a material that has two outer layers with a core material that is sandwiched between these two layers. In hull construction, composites are commonly two layers of glass and resin with a middle layer of either foam or balsa. In other applications, or where water intrusion is a concern, the core material can be aluminum or some other water impervious material

Ashland Names Piiroinen to European Marine Manager

Olli Piiroinen has been named industry manager for the European marine market within Ashland Composite Polymers, a business group of Ashland Performance Materials, a division of Ashland Inc. Piiroinen will manage Ashland’s composite marine business for Europe. Previously he was Ashland’s technical service representative for composite marine products in Europe. “Olli’s technical expertise, coupled with his broad knowledge of the European marine manufacturing market

Vessel Sinking Sullies Prince William Sound

A fishing ship that sank last week and is leaking diesel fuel has caused the biggest spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, posing a threat to the area's wildlife, state environmental officials said. The Seattle-based Windy Bay was loaded with about 35,000 gallons (133,000 liters) of diesel fuel when it struck a rock and sank on Saturday in the northern part of the sound about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the port of Valdez.

Professional Society Honors Navy Engineer

The National Society of Professional Engineers selected Dr. Eugene Camponeschi as a top ten finalist as part of its 28th Annual Federal Engineer of the Year Award Program. NSPE recognizes him for achievements in the field of composites and structures research. Accomplishments include contributing to development of the successful advanced enclosed composite mast, now appearing on USS San Antonio (LPD 17) Class amphibious ships

Conoco and Aker Kvaerner To Establish DeepWater Composites

Conoco and Aker Kvaerner, part of Kvaerner, the international oil services, engineering and construction, pulp and paper and shipbuilding group, announced the establishment of a new company, DeepWater Composites AS, that will manufacture and sell composite products for use in the deepwater exploration and field development segments of the oil and gas industry. Conoco and Aker Kvaerner will each hold 50-percent interest in Deepwater Composites AS.

Ingalls Gulfport Facility Reaches Milestone

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced  its Ingalls Shipbuilding division achieved a milestone in the construction process of the composite hangar that will be used on the U.S. Navy's second Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer, Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001).   Recently, the shipbuilders at the company's Gulfport, Miss., facility turned the inverted hangar to an upright position, or ship-shape, which is an important and necessary feat in the construction schedule of this component

'Boat School' Trains Students in Use of Composites

By Bret Blanchard Washington County Technical College There's been a lot of disposable income produced in the country during the past few years. This is one of the reasons the boatbuilding industry is enjoying a strong market. A majority of the industry is utilizing composite technology to construct high-quality boats. This has caused a real labor shortage of quality hires. Quality products require quality employees

Lürssen, Townsend Bay Alliance Announced

At the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October, Townsend Bay Marine (TBM) and Lürssen Yachts formally announced the business relationship that the companies forged quietly several months ago, when Lürssen became the majority shareholder in the Port Townsend, Washington-based shipyard. In addition to allowing the two firms to share technical expertise and resources, the alliance adds a composite shipbuilding component to Lürssen's unparalleled capabilities as well as providing

Salvage of Ownerless Stranded Freighter Continues

Cutting  & removing sections of 202-ft freighter 'Jireh' continue in preparation for final removal of vessel from Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The Jireh ran aground on Mona Island June 21, 2012 with 84 passengers and crew. Investigators have not been able to find the owners of the Honduran-flagged Jireh or what caused the crew to run the vessel aground. Response crews working to patch and plug the grounded freighter found extensive damage to the ship’s cargo hold

UMaine Developing Offshore Wind Turbines

Universtiy of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center granted up to $4 million to fund offshore windmill project. Habib Dagher, the director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, is busy planning the first phase of a “potential $93.2 million deepwater offshore wind demonstration project by the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE held a competition to screen proposals for clean energy that would jumpstart wind farms in the United States