Capital Equipment News

When talk turns to autonomous ships, a first question always centers on how routine and emergency repair and maintenance will be conducted. Trey Taylor, Director of Digital Innovation, Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), discusses FMD’s research and development on next-gen engine room robotics.The FMD team that Trey Taylor leads is relatively new, kicking off in 2019 with a baseline product that was looking at monitoring equipment, “being able to provide that information back to our…

The U.S. Navy's engineering systems command has awarded a $2.8 billion contract for the construction of a new concrete dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF).The $2,839,880,250 firm-fixed-price task order, which falls under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract, was awarded by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific to a joint venture between Dragados, Hawaiian Dredging and Orion. Four…

Gall Thomson has launched an innovative new automatic actuation system, promising to minimize safety risks associated with the manual emergency release of mooring systems during FPSO tandem offloading ocean towage, heading control, positioning and decommissioning-"PODx minimizes the risk of personnel injury, damage to equipment and subsequent downtime by remotely releasing mooring hawser chains under full load, quickly and safely," the company said.According to Gall Thomson, PODx utilizes release bolt technology that automatically separates on demand…

Thordon Bearings, manufacturer of water-lubricated and grease-free polymer bearing technologies, has appointed Anthony Hamilton as its new Technical Director. Reporting directly to CEO Anna Galoni, Hamilton will lead the Burlington-headquartered company’s engineering, CAD and New Product Development teams.“We are delighted to welcome Tony to the Thordon family as we look to strengthen the company's product portfolio in existing and new markets,” said Galoni. “Tony is a seasoned solutions-based leader having held senior technical positions in the marine…

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $500-million design contract for the modernization of two of its shipyards in Hawaii and Washington.The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architecture-engineering contract awarded to Honolulu, Hawaii-based WSM Pacific SIOP by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) on September 7 is for structural and waterfront-related projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) in Hawaii and Puget…

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) awarded a $1.7-billion construction project, an effort toexpand and reconfigure a dry dock complex at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine, to increase the shipyard's capacity to maintain, modernize, and repair the Navy's attack submarines and return them to the fleet on time.The seven-year project, part of the Navy's comprehensive Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), will construct an addition to Dry Dock 1 within the existing flood basin area…

Ecochlor announced the addition of Michael "Mick" Madely to fill a newly created position of Vice President of Global Service. Madely has had a full career in the global maritime industry with over 25 years of experience in senior management positions in both Commercial and Technical roles. He has extensive experience in Asia and the Middle East with a hands-on approach in leading sales and operations of world class capital equipment and engineering providers. For the past 10 years…

Saudi-based International Maritime Industries (IMI) has announced that it had signed a licence agreement with GustoMSC, a subsidiary of Houston rig and equipment builder National Oilwell Varco (NOV).The agreement entails a new GustoMSC drilling jack-up design which will utilize the modern manufacturing capabilities currently planned for at IMI, said a press note.As a result of the agreement IMI will be fully prepared for its first production operations anticipated in 2021.Fathi K Al Saleem, CEO of IMI, said: "This is a major step for IMI in securing the required knowledge and getting the best rig design which will be tailored to our state of the art construction capabilities…

Innovation is driving advanced monitoring and control technologies for environmental and safety compliance in the marine sector, says Gérard Baldellou, marine business unit manager at CMR Group.The marine diesel power sector continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where emissions resulting from combustion inside engines, along with fuel consumption levels need reducing. Escalating operating costs, tighter margins and pressures in the oil and gas sector signal challenging times for ship owners and fleet operators.

Ship owners and operators, machinery OEMs and regulatory entities are embracing much needed technological innovation as demand grows in protecting machinery and communications on maritime assets. Cognitive analytics is a game-changing technology that is now more widely available to the maritime sector. This is the latest evolution of data analytics: from the “days of yore” of logging data in a logbook, to sensing data and connecting to a central console, transmitting data ashore and using artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced tools to develop a deep understanding of how machines behave.

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee, delivered the first in a series of scheduled remarks aimed at making the case for growing the U.S. Navy fleet to 355 ships, a goal shared by President Trump. Wicker’s speech focused primarily on shipbuilding and the capacity of the submarine industrial base to meet the Navy’s requirements. “President Trump wants a 350-ship Navy, which aligns with the Navy’s requirement for 355 ships. Right now, we only have 275 ships in the battle fleet.

In the United States, transportation infrastructure is the bedrock of our supply chains. Ports and waterways in the United States moved over 2.3 billion tons of goods in 2014. A robust maritime infrastructure to support such ports and waterways helps goods to move freely and aid in more flow of trade and ultimately greater economic stimulus. Port authorities and waterways commissions are always seeking better ways to increase cargo volume and subsequently aid their surrounding states and regions - which all benefit the overall commerce of our nation.

Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) has managed to create two companies in Europe in joint collaboration with foreign companies, says Mohammad Saeidi  IRISL managing director. He didn't provide the details of establishment of the two Iran-Europe shipping companies, but said that the companies have already started cooperation schemes with their European partners. Saeidi emphasized that the same cooperation schemes are expected to facilitate the shipping services between Iran and Europe. He also said that Iran plans to establish several new shipping lines within the next six months. They, he added, include two separate lines to North America and South America and another to East Asia.

Ross Glendinning was appointed Senior Vice President, Service Division of Alfa Laval Inc. in January 2016. Glendinning is charged with driving consistent profitable growth, and developing new sales opportunities for the service business of Alfa Laval in the U.S. His responsibilities include leading parts sales, reconditioning services, field services and technical support activities. Glendinning joined Alfa Laval in 1982 as Marine Engineer for the company’s military products group.

Kongsberg has been selected to deliver a complete Electro, Instrument & Telecom (EIT), propulsion, safety, automation and dynamic positioning package for two new Gusto NG-2500X DP II design, offshore construction Jack-Up vessels. The vessels are owned by Vahana Offshore Pte Ltd in Singapore. The contracts were awarded by builder Eversendai Offshore RMC FZE (Shipyard) in RAK Maritime City, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The Kongsberg scope of supply includes engineering and integration services.

In many of the key deepwater markets, estimated to be worth $72bn by 2018, E&P and OFS companies alike are exposed to challenging local content requirements, remarks Douglas-Westwood in their 'DW Monday'. Local content agreements are typically are motivated by a desire to stimulate industrial development, and promote technology transfer. A typical local content agreement stipulates that E&P companies must procure a minimum percentage of equipment and services from local contractors. Recent examples can be seen in countries such as Brazil (Petrobras new-build FPSO units to use domestically-built hulls), Angola (BP partnering with Sonangol) and Nigeria (Total utilising a 90% local work force for the AKPO FPSO).

National Oilwell Varco Inc, the largest U.S. oilfield equipment provider, said orders fell by nearly a quarter in the first quarter and it expects demand for new offshore rigs to slow during the second half of the year. The company's shares fell about 7 percent. Demand for contract drilling is softening as rigs ordered during boom times are being delivered now. Large oil companies are tightening spending after a decade of double-digit increase in budgets as oil prices stagnate and project costs rise.

Chart Industries, Inc., an independent global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment used in the production, storage and end-use of hydrocarbon and industrial gases, today announced that Chart Ferox, a.s., a member of its Distribution and Storage (D&S) segment in Europe, has been awarded a contract by Hybrid Port Energy Gmbh & Co. KG (HPE), a subsidiary of Becker Marine Systems Gmbh & Co. KG, to provide LNG fuel storage and processing equipment for an LNG-Hybrid Barge, which will operate in Hamburg's HafenCity. The LNG-Hybrid Barge is a unique project between HPE and cruise liner operators and will provide power to cruise liners…

More than 530 potential suppliers from across Canada gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 for Irving Shipbuilding’s AOPS Supplier Development Session. Invitations were sent to the almost 2,000 companies included on Irving Shipbuilding’s online supplier registry with the goal of ensuring potential suppliers were informed of business opportunities within the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) Program, the first set of combat vessels to be built under the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). With participation from several of Irving Shipbuilding’s Tier One Subcontractors, including Lockheed Martin Canada and GE Canada…

The forecasts and business strategies of carriers and manufacturers of transport-oriented capital goods indicate the industry is bracing for an era of higher energy prices and increased regulations, according to 'Transportation Outlook', a study conducted by Forbes Insights on behalf of CIT Transportation Finance. “This study highlights the fact that transportation executives are preparing for a future of uncertainty, both in terms of fuel prices and regulations,” said Jeff Knittel , President of CIT Transportation Finance . Fuel prices and rising energy costs are impacting the global economy: More than eight out of 10 (81%) executives say uncertainty surrounding energy policies is hampering global economic recovery.

GE Oil & Gas was awarded a contract to provide Korean shipbuilding firm Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) with turbomachinery equipment and services for a new oil and gas production platform being built to support the production activities of Statoil Petroleum AS and its partners Total S.A. and Det Norske in the Gina Krog field in the Norwegian North Sea. Gina Krog (previously known as Dagny) is located 30 kilometers (km) northwest of the Sleipner field and approximately 250 km southwest of Stavanger, Norway. The development of Gina Krog will be among Statoil's major new developments with an estimated 225 million barrels of oil and gas. For the project, GE is supplying DSME with an integrated topside turbomachinery solution featuring products from several GE businesses.

LOC Group Ltd (incorporating London Offshore Consultants) – a leading global marine engineering consultancy – has secured a minority external investment from Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC). Financial details of the investment were not disclosed. Established in 1979, LOC Group operates from 30 offices located around the globe across six continents and is owned by its employees using a quasi-partnership model. Headquartered in London, LOC employs over 400 staff including master mariners, naval architects, and marine and structural engineers. In its energy division, LOC is a top three global provider of marine warranty surveys for the transport and installation of offshore capital equipment with customers comprising oil & gas majors, independents and national oil companies.

Intelsat S.A  has introduced the Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform, a new series of satellites based upon a high performance, open architecture design. Intelsat EpicNG will be deployed for wireless and fixed telecommunications, enterprise, mobility, video and government applications requiring broadband infrastructure across the major continents. The Intelsat EpicNG platform is an innovative approach to satellite and network architecture utilizing multiple frequency bands, wide beams, spot beams and frequency reuse technology. A complementary overlay, Intelsat EpicNG will be fully integrated with Intelsat's existing satellite fleet and global IntelsatONESM terrestrial network.