Key Technologies News

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

MAN Energy Solutions has announced a partnership with industry leaders and research institutes that will develop engine concepts for hydrogen-fueled, medium-speed engines in the maritime sector.Dubbed ‘HydroPoLEn’, the project is supported and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. It aims to transform propulsion systems within shipping and develop key technologies such as injection, ignition and advanced tribological systems, while part…

Fukui Seisakusho and ClassNK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning a joint study on a safety relief valve for a cargo tank of liquefied hydrogen carriers at the "Gastech2023" held in Singapore.To combat global warming, attention is growing towards hydrogen as an energy source that does not emit CO2 at the point of use. The realization of a hydrogen-based society necessitates the establishment of a secure and efficient supply chain that distributes hydrogen produced in an environmentally friendly manner to consumption areas.

Norway-based company Amon Maritime has launched Amon Offshore - a new company focused on the offshore oil and gas market – with plans to operate carbon-free platform supply vessels. The ship has already received approval in principle from DNV and preliminary flag approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority, Amon Maritime said. Amon Offshore has been created to build, own and operate a fleet of ammonia-powered supply ships for the Norwegian Continental Shelf. "The ships have been developed to meet oil companies’ current and future offshore logistics needs…

Cummins said Thursday that Tom Linebarger will end his term as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Jennifer Rumsey, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), will assume the role of President and CEO.Rumsey will be the seventh CEO and first woman to lead the company since it was founded in 1919. "Linebarger will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and in an Executive Chairman role, working directly with Rumsey on specific initiatives that position the company for continued success…

The floating offshore wind industry, currently at its beginnings, is set for massive growth in the years to come, which has now led the classification society DNV GL to released the first integrated rule set for floating offshore wind structures."The rules provide both new entrants and experienced stakeholders a set of well-tested rules and standardized processes for these new structures," the company said.According to forecasts in the Carbon Trust’s new Floating Wind Joint Industry Projects report…

Surface plating is widely used to repair or salvage critical components in the marine industry. As many components need disassembly, the repair process is typically carried out when the ship is in dry dock. Due to the nature of the plating process, this work is usually performed by plating or machine shops off-site. In a quest to add value through reduced downtime and labor costs, many shipyards are looking to bring this service in-house. Mark Meyer, Sales Manager North America at SIFCO ASC…

Fincantieri risks an EU antitrust veto against its bid for Chantiers de l'Atlantique because of the difficulty of addressing regulators' concerns, people familiar with the matter said, in what would be a setback to Italy's industrial ambitions.Italy sees the deal by Europe's largest shipyard as an opportunity to create a European industrial champion in the shipbuilding industry to stave off competition from Asia and other regions.EU antitrust enforcers however are concerned that…

A new report says shipping companies failing to push for the critical technologies required to reduce their carbon footprint, such as emission-free ships.CDP, an international non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, said that the world’s shipping heavyweights are not investing in key technologies to reduce their carbon footprint, with the sector at risk of not meeting the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.Against the backdrop of the IMO’s recent strategy to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2050…

Swedish company Alfa Laval  has won an order to supply Framo pumping systems to an FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) vessel to be built in China.The provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling said in a press release that the order has a value of approximately SEK 70 million ($7.72 mln).It was booked late September in the Pumping Systems unit of the Marine Division, with deliveries scheduled for 2019.The order comprises marine pumping systems for crude oil offloading, slop, produced water, off-spec oil and ballast pump duties."I am pleased to announce this order for our Framo pumping systems.

The shipping industry is set on a serious decarbonization course and the search is on for credible, viable and cost-effective solutions to meet the IMO’s initial strategy challenge to peak GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible and to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008.Wind propulsion technologies can help cut fuel costs significantly, make vessels compliant with existing and impending emission regulations…

Speedcast International Limited, the provider of remote communication and IT solutions, and Danaos Peripherals announced a strategic alliance agreement under which the two companies will combine maritime communications with advanced application management developed by Danaos. Within 2017, the two companies will jointly release a remote and autonomous IT system on board a vessel, leveraging key technologies such as big data analytics, internet of things (IoT) and cyber security. The system will enable the remote deployment of third party services and applications, allowing for the swift and simple implementation of new capabilities to a ship.

Heat transfer, separation and fluid handling technology specialist, Alfa Laval, has expanded its Test & Training Center in Aalborg, Denmark with a new gas testing facility. At the same time it continues developing new technologies in the areas of ballast water treatment, sulfur oxide emission control, touchscreen boiler control, fuel efficiency automation for inert-gas systems and methanol booster systems. Alfa Laval, a global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on the key technologies of heat transfer…

Marine electronics manufacturer FarSounder, Inc. announced that Michael Mathewson has joined the company in a newly-created position of Director of Global Sales, charged with addressing the continued growth in the international marketplace for FarSounder key technologies for commercial, defense and private luxury yachts. He will report to CEO Cheryl M. Zimmerman. A mechanical engineer by training with expertise in the marine science, technology, engineering and international marketplace…

The last barrier to robotic shipbuilding has just fallen. What comes next will be truly exciting. It wasn’t too long ago that SSI and Wolf Robotics demonstrated some co-development which automatically drove a fully autonomous welding robot to weld several ship panels. SSI develops Autodesk based solutions for the shipbuilding and offshore industry including ShipConstructor software, an AutoCAD based CAD/CAM product line; and EnterprisePlatform, a tool for sharing product data model information. For its part, Wolf Robotics has been integrating robotic welding and cutting systems since 1978. The collaboration was part of a National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Computer Aided Robotics Welding (CAR-W) project with U.S. shipyards.

Norway plans to buy four submarines and Germany two in a bid to strengthen strategic partnership, says a report in Reuters. Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide confirmed that the the government plans to invest in four new subs from Thyssenkrupp (TKMS). The Nato member is expected to sign a joint contract with Germany in 2019, however, the final sum of the new  subs was not specified. "Cooperation and joint purchasing with Germany are the best choices," Ms Soreide said. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense said Norway will now enter into final negotiations with German authorities and once a government-to-government agreement is in place, a German-Norwegian negotiation with German submarine-maker Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) will start.

Aker Solutions and Fjords Processing have formed an alliance to develop technology and capabilities for advanced, cost-effective wellstream separation and treatment solutions for the subsea and topside oil and gas industry. The WellSep alliance will apply Aker Solutions' subsea processing experience and testing facilities and Fjords' topside and onshore separation technologies to provide complete solutions. "This is a great opportunity to further develop our key technologies with one of our most important partners, Aker Solutions," said Rune Fantoft, chief executive officer of Fjords Processing. "The alliance will further strengthen our wellstream separation technology portfolio, testing and in-house capabilities," said Alan Brunnen, head of subsea at Aker Solutions.

Forced by regulation to clean up, ship owners have never been so keenly aware of the exact emissions coming from their ships. And when it comes to cleaning up, Alfa Laval is there every step of the way, as Peter Leifland, President, Marine & Diesel Division, Alfa Laval, explains. Alfa Laval can be found on many ships worldwide, at work with a wide variety of applications and processes. As a global supplier with a full network of service and support, it provides strong technical competence in diverse areas…

With progress being made against piracy off Somalia, it seems that other maritime security issues are becoming top line issues for shipowners. The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), is a global focal point for maritime security matters, and is well placed to highlight the current maritime security concerns, those which are over the horizon and the initiatives which are being rolled out to counter the threats and mitigate the risks. While there has been a degree of containment of Indian Ocean piracy…

Teufelberger is a dynamic group of companies working with three key technologies in three divisions with 220 years of experience. In addition to Synthetic Fiber Rope, Teufelberger produces Steel Wire Ropes as well as Extrusion. The firm’s towing, mooring, and general purpose marine lines provide an array of options for commercial marine industry professionals. Whatever your need, Teufelberger has a line for it – on time and on budget. Teufelberger’s Commercial Marine product line is engineered to provide strength…

ABB is celebrating today its 125th anniversary in Finland. Founded in 1889 in Helsinki by entrepreneur and inventor Gottfrid Strömberg, ABB Finland is today an innovative automation and power technology company with more than 5,000 employees in 30 locations, with sales of 2.3 billion euros in 2013. “ABB Finland has been driving innovation in power and automation technologies for 125 years. Today, ABB Finland is one of our most dynamic and successful country organisations and we continue to invest substantially in innovation and production facilities” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. “I would like to thank our colleagues in ABB Finland for their long standing excellent results and confirm our strong commitment to grow together in the future,” Spiesshofer added.

New research from Lloyd's Register Energy explores the drivers for technology and innovation in the global oil and gas industry. The Technology & Innovation Radar survey results are released today, May 5, 2014, from booth #2173 at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston by Lloyd’s Register Energy. It provides insight into the adoption and development of new technologies which are fundamental for the advancement of the Oil and Gas sector in addressing the global demand for energy, and to cope with the environmental challenges in the decades ahead.

The next hacker playground: the open seas - and the oil tankers and container vessels that ship 90 percent of the goods moved around the planet. In this internet age, as more devices are hooked up online, so they become more vulnerable to attack. As industries like maritime and energy connect ships, containers and rigs to computer networks, they expose weaknesses that hackers can exploit. Hackers recently shut down a floating oil rig by tilting it, while another rig was so riddled with computer malware that it took 19 days to make it seaworthy again…