Research Program News

Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths.

U.S. research is advancing on the potential to change fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option, documents showed Wednesday, even as the program's funding is at risk in Congress.In order to lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, the U.S. government has been exploring since 2018 how to use low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as fissile material in weapons.The U.S. research…

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

Future Energy Exports CRC, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation, Low Emission Technology Australia, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), and Osaka Gas have executed a project agreement for the "LP Technology R&D Project" to conduct research and development to demonstrate the technical feasibility and operability of low-pressure and low temperature solutions for the bulk transport of CO2 by ships.The LP Technology R&D Project will involve studying behaviour and boil off characteristics of liquid CO2 under dynamic operating conditions and the impact of non-CO2 components.

Thomaston, Maine based Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding announced it has built and delivered a new workboat for the University of New Hampshire.The new 33-foot-long aluminum landing craft was commissioned by the university's School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering for work in its aquaculture research program in the Gulf of Maine.Operators can land the boat on rocky beaches without damaging the hull, while the wide-open bow functions as a stable and uncluttered work, cargo, or passenger space.

Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had completed a live trial of autonomous shipping technology in Bornem, Belgium, demonstrating the company's progress in fully autonomous systems.The test vessel, Zulu 4, an inland waterway barge owned by Blue Line Logistics NV, is equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.As part of the test, Zulu 4 maneuvered and navigated on unrestricted waterways, and it demonstrated berthing and unberthing capability.

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had successfully demonstrated a range of remote and autonomous technologies on a cargo vessel operating off the coast of Norway.The test cruise has been named one of the most complex autonomous journeys at sea so far, Kongsberg Maritime said.The Eidsvaag Pioner is one of the two vessels that are equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.Owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company…

Three marine industry partners are working to develop a concept for a high-speed internal combustion engine for ships that can run on green methanol in a CO2-neutral manner.Rolls-Royce, Woodward L’Orange and WTZ Roßlau have been working since the beginning of 2023 on the new joint project “MeOHmare”, which is receiving eight million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.Dr. Daniel Chatterjee, responsible for technology strategy and sustainability at alliance coordinator Rolls-Royce Power Systems…

Hepburn and Sons LLC announced it has officially joined forces with MELD Manufacturing Corporation, developer of the patented, solid-state metal additive manufacturing process and provider of MELD 3D printing machines. The companies have been working together since 2021 to introduce the Navy and other military services and DoD agencies to MELD, also known as additive friction stir deposition.Hepburn and Sons LLC is a small business founded in 2010 whose initial focus was to provide expert consulting…

Austal USA Vice President of Engineering, Tom Perrine, has retired after eight years of service with the company and over 40 years in the shipbuilding industry. During his tenure, Perrine led Austal USA’s engineering department overseeing the work of over 250 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff and overseeing the department’s shift to include steel design and construction.During Perrine’s tenure with the company, Austal USA delivered 23 surface combatants and auxiliaries to the U.S.

Climate change advocates and seafarers recently gathered for a small conference at the Hudson Valley Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y., to discuss the shipping industry’s struggle to achieve sustainability and environmental compliance.The setting, the hamlet of Rondout, N.Y. (within Kingston), holds significance as it was, ironically, a Hudson River port once considered the largest coal port in the world (yes, the world). In 1828, the opening of the Delaware and Hudson Canal enabled coal to be delivered from Pennsylvania to New York City.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) reached the North Pole Friday after traversing the frozen Arctic Ocean, marking only the second time a U.S. ship has reached the location unaccompanied, the first being Healy in 2015.Healy, a medium icebreaker, and crew departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Sept. 4, beginning their journey to reach latitude 90 degrees north. The cutter and crew supported oceanographic research in collaboration with National Science Foundation-funded scientists…

For the first time, a portable laser shock peening system has been developed for and demonstrated in a shipyard environment and on board a U.S. Navy warship to combat aluminum cracking.On June 24, 2022, through a 2020 National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Research Announcement Project, Hepburn and Sons LLC, teamed with LSP Technologies, Vigor Industries and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) was able to demonstrate for the first time ever the use of a portable Procudo LSP system both in a shipyard facility and onboard USS Cape St. George (CG-71).

Tom Perrine, Austal USA vice president of engineering, was recognized by the University of Michigan as the 2022 Rosenblatt-Michigan Award recipient. The award is presented annually by the University of Michigan College of Engineering’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in recognition of outstanding professional achievement, integrity and devotion to excellence and innovation in ship design.The award honors the name of its first recipient, Lester Rosenblatt…

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a research grant to a consortium aiming to contribute to the transition to emissions-free inland waterway shipping.The PATH2ZERO (PAving THe way towards Zero-Emission and RObust inland shipping) project, led by Alex Kirichek, will see researchers, companies and social organizations start developing sustainable business models and action perspectives for partners in the inland navigation chain, such as skippers and shippers, to make use of.As part of the project…

Edward Heerema is founder and president of Allseas, which brought the world’s largest construction vessel, Pioneering Spirit, to the market. The company, which also brought innovation to the pipelay sector, has added its latest trick to Pioneering Spirit – its jacket lift system. But Allseas is also targeting deepsea mining and has its sights on the offshore wind market. Elaine Maslin caught up with Edward Heerema to find out more.The first time I met Edward Heerema was at the company’s offices in Delft, in the Netherlands.

Dutch marine and offshore energy services firm Boskalis said Monday it would convert vessels within its Offshore Energy division into hybrid vessels through the retrofitting of Energy Storage Systems, or ‘power packs’. "The conversions, which entail a sizable capital investment, will reduce the vessels’ fuel consumption and associated carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by an average of up to twenty percent. The systems also provide a power supply and energy storage facility while the vessels are docked and contribute to quieter and more efficient operations offshore…

Two award-winning skippers are attempting to circumnavigate the globe westabout against the prevailing winds and currents in 122 days to break the current world record.The Use It Again! duo, Romain Pilliard and Alex Pella, commenced their voyage from Lorient, France on January 4, setting sail aboard an 18-year-old refurbished trimaran, in an attempt to help promote and develop the circular economy. The skippers are sailing aboard Ellen McArthur's legendary B&Q Castomara, which…

The UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has secured funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which will take robot submarine ‘Boaty McBoatface’ around end-of-life oil and gas fields. The Autonomous Techniques for infraStructure Ecological Assessment (AT-SEA) project, led by the NOC will trial the concept of using submarines like Boaty for high-tech, low-impact monitoring to pick up any potential environmental impacts at these sites, NOC said.The NOC has received £670…

The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) has announced the election of new officers to its Executive Control Board (ECB).Tom Perrine, Vice President of Engineering at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. has been elected as ECB Chair for a two-year term, effective May 2021. Perrine earned his undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture from the University of Michigan and is a licensed professional engineer. He succeeds Don Hamadyk, Director of Program Development and Integration at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division in Newport News…

Kristal Ambrose, a PD candidate at the World Maritime University, is the recipient of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize 2020. The award is the world’s foremost environmental prize and honors outstanding environmental activism through community and citizen participation on critical sustainability issues facing the planet.Ambrose founded the Bahamas Plastic Movement in 2013 to develop solutions to plastic pollution and to educate young people on the importance of a clean and healthy ocean.

There is  increasing pressure for shipowners to sharpen their environmental performance, driven by an IMO target to halve greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050, regional regulations and market pull from charterers, banks and investors.“This represents a whole new ball game for the industry. Optimization of ship operations has traditionally been dictated by the efficiency of delivery around the globe that has typically meant being able to sail at full speed, thereby burning more fuel, to minimize costs for the charterer.

A new smartphone app created in the U.K. enables the fishing industry to report accidental wildlife catch (bycatch) alongside standard catch reporting and will help to record bycatch of important marine species such as dolphins and porpoises, seals, seabirds, sharks, skates and rays.The app's developer, AST Marine Sciences Limited, part of Applied Satellite Technology Ltd, says it hopes the technology will be used by scientists and the fishing industry to help understand which…