KR Rolls Out New Digital Service Platforms
KR has released two digital platforms, KR-DAON (Digital Application Online Network) and Nexawave, alongside the launch of its enhanced fleet management system, KR e-Fleet V3.The KR e-Fleet V3, an upgraded version of the existing fleet management system, focuses on enhancing operational efficiency through increased speed and simplification. It features an integrated vessel status display with survey and audit information, a new Thickness Measurement (TM) menu for tracking hull corrosion, and PSC Guidance with VR technology (KR-Real360) to assist in customer responses.
Xeneta Appoints Luykx as Chief Revenue Officer
Ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and intelligence platform Xeneta has appointed Tonia Luykx to spearhead its journey to drive revenues through an industry data revolution.Luykx, who has a track record for building and scaling SaaS and tech businesses including Sift, Google, Dropbox and Amazon, has now set her sights on global logistics in the position of Chief Revenue Officer at Oslo-based Xeneta.She said, âI have always worked in organizations that challenge the status quoâŚ
Sails and Satellite Navigation Could Cut Shipping Industryâs Emissions By Up to a Third
In the vast expanse of the worldâs oceans, a transformation is underway.The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (COâ) roughly equivalent to the entire country of Germany.Our research emphasises the need for immediate action. Reducing shipping emissions by 34% by 2030 is necessary to stay on course with the Paris Agreementâs 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be available at the necessary scale until at least the 2030sâŚ
US Army Mariners Rescue Man Overboard
U.S. Army Mariners assigned to 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) aboard the LCU 2032 Palo Alto rescued an overboard fisherman 10 miles off the western coast of Obi Island, Indonesia Sept. 1, 2023.Sgt. Seth Leonard, a watercraft engineer, was on the bridge of the ship when he observed the typical calm waters in the path of the ship were more active than usual.âI noticed what looked like someone waving their arms, which is the signal for distress in water,â said Leonard.
The Internet is Not As Useful As We May Think
I was discussing torsional stiffness in shipâs hulls with one of our intern engineers and pointed out a torsional stiffness problem with a certain hull design section since it could not inscribe a decent sized circle.I expected it to be a comment that would be confusing to a young engineer and proceeded to explain that torsional stiffness is related to gyradius which is powerfully related to radius and radius is related to circles. Inherently the stiffest shape in torsion is aâŚ
Deep-sea Mining: A New Gold Rush or Environmental Disaster?
In the depths of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, trillions of potato-shaped rocks are scattered across the seabed - containing minerals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese vital for new green technologies in the global energy transition.In this ocean region - the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) - an abundance of the rocks, known as polymetallic nodules, is increasingly fuelling debate about the mining of metals needed to produce technology such as batteries for electricâŚ
Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China
On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll thatâs home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the shipâs crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named âBig Wave,â according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubComâŚ
Remote Survey is the New End-Game
More than remote witnessing, more than remote data analysis, remote survey techniques are now going to aid the shift to full vessel autonomy.The technology that enables a robot to safely navigate an environment it has no prior knowledge of is called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). âIt is the key to autonomy for any aspiring can-do inspection robot.â Thatâs according to ScoutDI, a participant in the REDHUS project led by DNV which is developing a prototype inspection drone.SLAM is not a specific, copyrighted piece of technology.
Towboat Pilot Failed to Report Bridge Strike -NTSB
A Louisiana towboat struck and damaged a bridge in 2021, but the vesselâs pilot never reported it to authorities, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.In the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2021, the 86-foot-long Miss Mollye D, then operated by Deloach Marine Services (DMS), was pushing six hopper barges on the Intracoastal Waterway to New Orleans, when the pilot lost control of the tow. While navigating the channel, the 676 foot long tow, began to swing to port. When the pilot realized the tow was not positioned well, he put the engines in reverse.
Marine Power - CEO in Focus: Chris-Marineâs Jens Groth
Malmö, Sweden-based Chris-Marine is long-tenured in the business of keeping engines running smoothly, efficiently. Led by its energetic young CEO Jens Groth, this 60-year-old- company finds itself in transition: firmly rooted in its traditional business of creating the tools and technique to keep commercial ship engines running smoothly, but at the same time transitioning its revenue to include services, particularly as ships at sea increasingly run with fewer, less experienced crew.
KR Unveils Port State Control Mobile App
Classification society Korean Register (KR) has launched the 'KR PSC ADVISER' mobile app to help customers prepare for Port State Control (PSC) inspections. The new service is designed to reduce the risk of PSC detentions by providing the latest PSC information in real-time and allowing seafarers to easily keep abreast of PSC checklists with a single app.Available for both iOS and Android devices and downloadable from Google Play and the App Store, the newly released KR PSC ADVISER is designed to maximize user convenience by displaying the world map as the main screenâŚ
Training Gen Z in the Marine Industry
Gen Z is looking for a place to fit in the workplace. They are looking for a way to enhance their story while they are making a difference in the world. And you are looking for someone to fill a position. How does your need dovetail with their needs?Before we get into the training aspect, it is worth understanding who you are going to be training. What are your companyâs core values? Are the people that you are hiring in line with them?What are core values? They are the beliefs and principles that drive your business.
Electrical Failure Led to Collision-causing Steering Loss -NTSB
A vesselâs loss of steering led to an estimated $6 million in damages when it contacted a barge near New Orleans, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On July 12, 2021, the bulk carrier Jalma Topic was transiting upriver on the Lower Mississippi River when it lost steering and struck a stationary barge that was being used for office space. No injuries were reported.During the voyage, the rudder became stuck at port 10 degrees. According to the report,âŚ
Grace Hopper Subsea Cable ups Capacity
One year after Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) established a new subsea fiber route between the U.S. and France, the company is increasing network capacity and diversity, investing in a fiber pair on Grace Hopper, a subsea cable system spearheaded by Google, between New York and Bude, Cornwall in the U.K. The Grace Hopper system will use Lumen landing station and infrastructure services at both locations."Data flow and capacity demands don't know boundaries. The bandwidth explosion across continents is real and we're meeting it head on by investing in new subsea cablesâŚ
Back to the Drawing Board: Pondering Truths in Design
In producing a column for the Marine Design issue, I considered a number of subjects, but in starting to write about them, somehow my mind connected to âBeam is Cheap.â I have a faint memory of being made aware of this during a discussion of a ship design by a design luminary very early in my career, but I donât remember who it was.When first putting pencil to paper on some design, I always think about that when I make my first rough sketch. It is a very powerful truism, and overâŚ
Singapore and Rotterdam Port Authorities to Establish Green and Digital Corridor
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the worldâs longest Green and Digital Corridor to enable low and zero carbon shipping.Signed by Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of MPA, and Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on the sidelines of the biennial World Cities Summit, the MoU will bring together stakeholders across the supply chain to realize the first sustainable vessels sailing on the route by 2027.
The Port Logistics Challenges of Offshore Wind
Some equations just donât add up. For example, storing 500 offshore wind turbine blades at a site with only space for 400 (and thatâs only if you donât store the other key elements required to build a full turbine). Elaine Maslin visited Siemens Gamesaâs blade manufacturing facility in Hull, UK, to find out more.Storage space is becoming a major challenge thatâs looming for ports involved in the fast-evolving offshore wind industry. Itâs already becoming a challenge for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at its blade manufacturing facility in Hull, on Englandâs east coast.
Strong Outdraft and Wind Contributed to Tow Striking Guide Wall
The contact between a tow and a section of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton, Ill., was caused by the pilot of the towing vessel not effectively compensating for a strong outdraft and wind, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On March 19, 2021, the 177-foot-long towing vessel Kevin Michael was pushing 15 barges down the Mississippi River when the tow struck the bull nose of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam upstream main lock chamber guide wall, resulting in the tow breaking apart and damaging the dam gates. No injuries or pollution were reported.
Eye on Design: Where Are the Transportation Macro Designers?
As naval architects and marine engineers we are familiar with the design spiral. While design is not truly a spiral, we use the concept to remind ourselves that all pieces of a ship design interact. The design spiral is not a standard figure and can be simplistic or overcomplicated.A Google search image summary provides dozens of interpretations, all investigating different variables, with the only commonality that all spirals start with the âmissionâ variable.Figure 1 is an oldâŚ
Subsea Mining: All Eyes on Marine Minerals Offshore Norway
Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focusâŚ
Dredging: Important Developments Will Impact Business
For dredging company officials, the first quarter of 2021 was a pretty good start to a new year. In a tough business, challenges and pitfalls are always expected. But from a bigger picture perspectiveâmarkets, regulations and policiesâcompany officials couldnât be faulted if a bit of optimism infused their worldview.There are a number of reasons for this. Many are well known and donât need to be detailed here. Just quickly, though, WRDA 2020 would be at the top of the list. WRDAâŚ
Man in Hamster-like Floating Wheel Washes Ashore in Florida after Failed Attempt to Reach New York
A man in a hamster wheel-like vessel washed ashore near the Old Salt Park beach approach in Flagler County, Florida. He said he was on the way to New York. "[The vessel's] sole occupant was with the vessel and advised that he came to shore because he was missing some of his equipment," Flagler Sheriff's report from July 24 reads. In a tweet on Saturday, Flagler Sheriff said the occupant of the vessel was safe with no injuries. "The occupant advised he left the St. Augustine area [the day before] to head to [New York]âŚ
UN Deep-sea Mining Rules Unlikely to be Completed by 2023 Deadline, Latam Countries Say
Regulations governing deep-sea mining will take longer to finalize due to the global pandemic, a group of Latin American countries said, creating uncertainty for companies looking to mine the sea bed for metals, including cobalt and nickel.The delayed negotiations also pose a potential difficulty for companies seeking financing from investors to mine the sea floor.The U.N.âs International Seabed Authority (ISA) is working on global rules covering sea bed mining, which is not allowedâŚ