Computer News

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

A fabricated image of characters from the animated television series The Simpsons viewing a collapsed bridge and a large ship has been widely shared on social media with the false suggestion that the show predicted the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.The image shows signs of having been made with AI and an executive producer for the series told Reuters that the image is fake as the show never had an episode where a container ship hits a bridge.The Francis Key Scott bridge…

Ukrainian seafarers are experiencing increased levels of loneliness and depression amid fears of conscription if they return home as the war enters its third year, seafarer charity Stella Maris warns.Stella Maris regional port chaplains for Southampton and Southern ports, Charles Stuart and Gregory Hogan, who make multiple daily ship visits report Ukrainian seafarers are under increasing strain.“The initial stresses have been replaced by something else,” Hogan says. “At first…

Jennifer Carpenter joined The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry, in August 1990 and became its president and CEO in January 2020. She highlights some of the greatest focus areas for the 80-year-old trade group—simultaneously looking at both the present day and the road ahead.The towboat, tug and barge industry is in a period of rapid evolution. How is AWO—now in its 80th year…

Groke Technologies, the Finnish technology company behind the Groke Pro Situational Awareness System, has introduced a new solution designed to give ship managers shoreside an unparalleled view of the surrounding area of all the vessels in their fleet.Groke Fleet gives ship management teams more detailed information on which to better evaluate, enhance and control the navigational safety and efficiency of their vessels.Unlike traditional fleet awareness solutions, which tend to be based only on periodically updated AIS data…

Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark has unveiled Prowler, its new autonomous, amphibious, and semi-submersible military craft engineered to meet the current and near future warfighting requirements of the U.S. military and its allies. The company is also debuting Frenzy, a high-performance, low-cost, amphibious micro-USV (uncrewed surface vehicle) with a payload carrying capacity of up to 14 pounds.“Prowler represents the sum total of everything we’ve learned while building 400-plus autonomous and remote operated vessels for our military customers over the past decade…

Ascenz Marorka, a GTT Group company, has been granted a type approval for cybersecurity for its digital solutions by Bureau Veritas.The type approval highlights the ability of the Ascenz Marorka solutions to meet the cybersecurity challenges of the maritime sector with resilience and reliability. Benefiting from robust protection for its computer systems, encrypting the data used and being able to isolate the networks are some examples of approved functionalities. This approval demonstrates the Ascenz Marorka commitment to helping build a sustainable future…

Mohammad “Ali” Usman has been hired as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.Usman will serve as director in all areas of information technology (IT) and as the primary IT technical advisor to the Managing Director.He assumes his new duties effective immediately.“Well functioning, publicly accessible, and secured information systems are vital to being able to meet the mission of a government agency in the 21st Century. Mr.

The Coast Guard has struggled for years to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the non-partisan, fact-based arm of the Congress, has published multiple reports related to the Coast Guard’s workforce including recruitment and retention challenges. Three of these reports published in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in 17 GAO recommendations to address these issues, but as of today, 16 remain open and need to be addressed. Implementing…

Maritime technology company Orca AI has calculated that its automated situational awareness platform achieved significant operational gains for clients in 2023, including a 172,716-tonnes reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel savings.The drop was attributed to fewer sharp manoeuvres and speed drops, as well as an overall reduction in the number of potential incidents and collisions avoided.The analysis was carried out on 15 million nautical miles-worth of data collected in open waters by 267 customer vessels – comprising tankers…

Big data, advanced computers and AI are allowing vessel designers to prepare models that leave essentially nothing to chance.“Lastly, it may be of considerable importance to form from the draught a block model of the vessel from which a still more accurate judgment may be formed of the fitness and beauty of the body. And should any defect be discovered, farther alterations must still be made, till the draught and the model are perfectly approved of. These different alterations and repeated calculations may appear very tedious…

Shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S is experiencing computer network issues that are disrupting operations in some locations in the Americas, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.Maersk said there was "no indication" of malicious or cyber activity, the report said, citing an emailed statement.Maersk did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.(Reuters - Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

Boston-based Sea Machines, a developer of autonomous control systems and advanced perception technology for maritime vessels, announced it has secured $12 million from a group of capital investors.The funding round, led by cleantech venture capital specialist Emerald Technology Ventures, was joined by Nabtesco Technology Ventures (NTV), Chevron Technology Ventures, Ingram Industries, RKKVC, Level 2 Ventures and IMC Ventures. This adds to a financing in 2023 led by the Geekdom Fund.The company said the investments will help it to "hone its technological edge and grow its market presence".

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have released a final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy.The strategy builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development and was developed to support the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction.

In a climate of increasing complexity, with new regulations, environmental concerns and commercial considerations, how can owners and operators control their fleets, and futures, from dry land? NAVTOR’s Tor Håkon Svanes believes the answer lies in innovation and integration – developing solutions that evolve in line with the needs of a dynamic global industry.“There are smarter ways to do things.”Tor Håkon Svanes, the NavFleet Product Manager at NAVTOR, is referring to a recent chat with a new customer.The unnamed fleet manager…

Hapag-Lloyd reports it has initiated a conceptual study for a 4,500 TEU ship featuring a wind-assisted propulsion system.The German shipping company, which aims to be carbon neutral by 2045, is exploring the use of wind-assisted propulsion systems among a number of options to make its shipping operations sustainableThe company said its recent wind-assisted propulsion research is supported by Boris Herrmann and TEAM MALIZIA from the professional sailing sector and have now outlined a potential containership design. The vessel's design includes eight sails totaling 3,000 square meters.

ClassNK has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships dated December 22, 2023.ClassNK is constantly revising its Rules and Guidance in order to reflect the latest results from relevant research and development projects, feedback from damage investigations, requests from industry as well as changes made to relevant international conventions, IACS Unified Requirements (UR), etc. More specifically, some of the amendments made this time are as follows:Responding to requests from relevant industries…

A European project, led by one of Scotland’s leading tidal developers, has demonstrated that the cost of tidal energy could potentially be reduced by as much as 40 percent, and has produced findings that could redefine the boundaries on what can be achieved by tidal power globally. The $22m EnFAIT (Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal) Horizon 2020 project, brought together  seven partners including Scottish tidal developer Nova Innovation, who manage the world’s first offshore tidal array - the Shetland Tidal Array…

In the vast expanse of the world’s 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 (CO₂) 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 Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be available at the necessary scale until at least the 2030s…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Bourbon was awarded the Trophée de la Charte Bleue (Blue charter trophy) by Armateurs de France at the 18th conference of Les Assises de l'Économie de la Mer on November 28, in Nantes-France. Each year, this emblematic trophy is awarded to a maritime company that is committed to the energy transition and aim at an overall sustainable development that includes strong social responsibility issues.The jury, chaired by Guillaume Vidil, Managing Director of Marfret, chose to award the trophy based on Bourbon's Data Collection and Analysis for Operational Security…

NAVTOR, an e-Navigation and performance technology provider to the maritime industry, said Wednesday it was aiming to simplify CII compliance with the latest release of its NavFleet ship operations platform. Featuring an advanced Emissions Simulator, designed to help shipping companies predict and optimize environmental impact and performance across entire fleets, NavFleet 1.8 delivers operational insights built on high-quality, dual-validated data, the company said.The result…