Osaka University News

To say this book is a collection of research would be an understatement. “Contemporary Ideas on Ship Stability: Risk of Capsizing” is more like a preservation of knowledge covering the last nine years.Dr. Vadim Belenky, a naval architect in the Simulations and Analysis Branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, was the editor in chief for the book, the chapters of which are papers from engineers, naval architects and professors from around the world. Belenky himself co-authored four of the papers…

The International Maritime Prize for 2016 will be awarded to former Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Koji Sekimizu for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. The Council unanimously decided to award the Prize to Sekimizu, IMO Secretary-General Emeritus, in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the work and objectives of the organization and the international maritime community as a whole. Sekimizu held a long and distinguished career with the organization, culminating in his four-year stewardship as Secretary-General from 2012 to 2016.

Dr. Toshiyuki Shigemi has been appointed as Executive Vice President as well as Executive Director of ClassNK, effective March 7, 2016. Yasushi Nakamura has stepped down as Senior Executive Vice President, and has been appointed as an Advisor to the Society. Dr. Shigemi joined ClassNK in 1981. After a career including roles in plan approval, ClassNK’s research institute, and on-site surveys, he took up the position of General Manager of the Development Department in 2008, where he was responsible for overseeing ClassNK’s rule development activities for over one decade…

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. reported that it is about to develop a practical technology to convert natural gas into a solid for low-cost maritime transportation. The planned natural gas hydrate (NGH) technology is expected to become practical in fiscal 2008, Mitsui Engineering said in a joint report with such concerns as Osaka University and the National Maritime Research Institute to an international study forum in Tokyo. Mitsui Engineering is also developing a special transport ship in time for the practical application of the NGH technology. NGH is an ice-like solid formed from a mixture of water and natural gas and is easy to handle due to low combustibility.

NKK Corp. has developed an ax-shaped bow that allows a reported 20 to 30 percent reduction in ships' sea margin compared with conventional bows. The company will fit the new bow to a 172,000-dwt Capesize bulk carrier which is currently under construction at the yard's Tsu Works, being built for Mitsui OSK Lines. As ship operators increasingly demand more efficient operation, particularly under rough conditions, NKK decided to focus on how to reduce a ship's resistance on the bow above the still water surface. In 1996, teaming with Osaka University marine engineering researchers, the company developed a sharp-edged bow, which proved effective in cutting through waves and reducing sea margin.

Considerable effort, particularly following the oil embargo of the 1970s, has been placed on reducing the fuel oil consumption of ships, a task readily handled by a series of improvements in hull shapes, the fitting of energy savings devices, and improvements to the performance of main engines. A group of engineers from the Tsu Research Laboratories — Koichiro Matsumoto, Kazuyoshi Hirota and Kenji Takagishi - however, noted that while performance in still water was gaining, other factors, namely wave resistance was taking its toll. Thus a study was launched to develop new ship shapes in order to reduce the resistance increase due to waves, in order to lower sea margin. NKK Corp.