Naval Architectural News

How technology can bring data to life, from design through to operations, helping improve efficiency and reduce emissionsOver the last year, climate change – or more appropriately climate action – has emerged as the critical issue impacting the future of global industries. Companies are under pressure to outline plans to transition to a more sustainable way of doing business – and the shipping and maritime communities are no exception.Transportation emissions – which typically include road, rail, air and marine – are responsible for an estimated 24% of the world’s carbon emissions.

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…

Robert Allan Ltd. is a consulting naval architectural firm, established in Vancouver, Canada in 1930. Mike Fitzpatrick has been a driving force in the company’s growth since joining the firm in 2003. As a key member of the initial employee ownership group, he was named president and CEO in 2015, responsible for corporate direction, business development, management of senior project managers, and project priorities, schedules and profitability. Fitzpatrick is a 1995 graduate of the University of New South Wales in Australia, with a Bachelor of Engineering in naval architecture.

In March 2020 the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) announced the awarding of the status of Fellow to Hans Muhlert of Robert Allan Ltd. This significant distinction is: “Accorded exclusively to individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to naval architecture, marine or ocean engineering, or allied disciplines through significant achievements in design, research, production, operation, education, or associated management.”Hans Muhlert has been a faithful and highly dedicated senior staff member of Robert Allan Ltd. for 50 years.

Abu Dhabi Ports has signed an agreement with Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd to develop the world's first fully autonomous commercial marine tugs.The tugs will undertake operations with SAFEEN, Abu Dhabi Ports’ maritime service arm.One of the primary advantages of the innovative design includes greater capability, as shifting the human element from on-board to on-shore, will allow such vessels to operate in far more adverse weather conditions. Furthermore, the new technology will help increase efficiency and enhance operational safety.Abu Dhabi Ports will work closely with one of Canada’s oldest privately-owned Naval Architectural and Marine Engineering firms on the research and development of remotely-controlled marine tugs that will be fully unmanned…

Canadian naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) announced that  the TOR Group  shipyard in Tuzla Bay (Istanbul) has delivered the Ben Owusu-Mensah, the third of three RAstar 3300 tugs for Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA).The new tugs are equipped to fulfill a multitude of missions for the GPHA, including but not limited to ship-assist, fire-fighting, and pollution response, said a press release from the ship designer."Driven by high speed engines and Z-drive propellers, the Ben Owusu-Mensah and its sisters comfortably meet all contractual performance requirements, including the achievement of 82 tonnes of bollard pull and speeds in excess of 14 knots on trial…

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem has hosted the naming ceremony of a Damen Stan Patrol (SPa) 2005 for the Dutch National Police. The new vessel – named P64 – marks the second vessel in a six-ship contract between Damen and the Dutch Police.The Dutch Police will use the new SPa 2005 for deployment on the Netherlands’ extensive inland waterways. The vessel’s aluminium hull and FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) superstructure will provide the lightweight means required for fast and effective police patrol operations.

Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard in China has delivered Yong Gang Xiao Tuo 60, a dual fuel RAstar 3800-DF tug, to Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company Ltd.According to a release from the naval architectural firm Robert Allan, this first ever RAstar 3800-DF tug is the 10th custom designed vessel by Robert Allan Ltd. in close collaboration with Ningbo Port Company. The vessel is also the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed dual-fuel tug to operate in China.The new RAstar 3800-DF tug is powered by a pair of Niigata 8L28AHX-DF dual-fuel engines, each rated for 2,389 kW at 800 rpm, and driving Kongsberg US 255 CP 2.8 meter diameter controllable pitch Z-drives. Bollard pull recorded on trials met all expectations and is certified as 80.3 tonnes ahead.

Canadian marine engineering services firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) said that it has been awarded a contract by Modutech Marine Inc. of Tacoma, Washington to design a new version of the commercially successful RAscal 1800-Z tugs for the United States Navy.According to the consulting naval architectural firm, this award builds on the success of Robert Allan Ltd.’s Z-Tech 4500 design for the US Navy which currently operates six, identified as the YT 802 Class, and has another six tugs, identified as the YT 808 Class, currently under construction.The new RAscal tug (with an option for one more) will be built by Modutech Marine Inc at their…

Danish naval architectural consultancy Knud E. Hansen has released its newest design, a 154-meter RoPax ferry that can transport up to 1,500 passengers and 440 cars.The vessel also offers an additional 657 lane meters for trucks and trailers, said the marine engineering company.The vessel has a service speed of 25 knots and can operate close to optimum engine load even at slow speeds due to its diesel electric propulsion plant and azimuthing pods. The four engines have a combined power of approximately 48 Megawatts and are fueled by marine diesel oil (MDO). There are also two tunnel thrusters located at the bow which, combined with the azipods, allow the vessel to move laterally without any forward or aft motion, a very desirable feature for mooring.

Prominent on this year's prestigous MarineNews MN100 list is Robert Allan Ltd. Robert Allan Ltd. is a recognized world leader in innovative Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering with a particular focus on harbor and seagoing tugs, shallow draft towing vessels and fireboats for major world ports. Robert Allan Ltd. has won many awards for their design work from a variety of publications and other organizations.The Company:Robert Allan Ltd. is Canada’s most senior consulting Naval Architectural firm, established in Vancouver, B.C. in 1930.

Canadian naval architectural firm Robert Allan (RAL) announced they have been awarded the contract from Ocean Industries to design a new generation of Ship Handling tugs.The new tugs are to be built at the Ocean Industries Inc. shipyard at L’Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec for the Royal Canadian Navy, said a press release.According to the release, four tugs are to be built, with two delivered to each of Canada’s major naval bases, at Esquimalt, BC and Halifax, NS.Known as the Naval Large Tug (NLT) project, the new IMO Tier III vessels are based on a proven Robert Allan Ltd. RAmparts 2400 design which has been built in large numbers by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey as well as three additional international shipyards.Varying power levels of this design are available.

Canada's oldest privately owned consulting Naval Architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) announced that Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey started the construction of a new series of RAstar 3200-SX tugs in March of 2019.The tugs which are named by Sanmar after a large river in Turkey as the Kocaçay series, are exclusively designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for construction by Sanmar and are key additions to the line up of Sanmar built tugs.This wide range of tug starts at the highly capable 15 m RAscal 1500 line-handling tugs up to 34 m long RAstar 3400 escort tugs all finished to impeccable quality standards. The first two vessels are currently…

Finnish maritime software provider NAPA has become the first service provider for ClassNK-owned Ship Data Centre’s Internet of Ships Open Platform (ShipDC IoS-OP).NAPA will provide ship performance analytics and voyage optimisation capabilities for the universal platform developed to share vessel operational data between stakeholders.The aim of the ShipDC IoS-OP is to create a new, digital maritime cluster by securely minimizing the costs of data ownership and portability for owners and operators, while allowing yards and manufacturers to access the rich data necessary for far-reaching innovation and research.This goal aligns closely with NAPA’s proven ability to combine big data and hydrodynamics expertise to create powerful performance optimization tools.

FPSO and marine integrity management specialists, Marine Technical Limits (MTL) has welcomed a senior naval architect to its team.Paul Allan, who has more than 10-years’ experience in delivering naval architecture and marine warranty surveying (MWS) to the oil and gas industry, has been appointed to the position of Senior Naval Architect by the Kintore-based firm.The chartered engineer will be supporting the MTL team developing systems and procedures, driving MWS and supporting the company’s global FPSO and marine activities.MTL…

Maersk Tankers, owned by A.P. Moller Holding, uses the methodology Bunker Adjustment to distribute payments to pool partners based on the bunker consumption of their vessels compared to the pool average.The methodology has now been reviewed by Lloyd’s Register, confirming its conformity to recognised industry quality standards, said the product tanker company operating 164 vessels, one of the largest fleets in the product tanker industry.The Bunker Consumption methodology calculates how much fuel each pool vessel consumes in relation to the pool average and allows Maersk Tankers as a pool manager to distribute payments to pool partners accordingly…

Designers OSK, owners Rederiaktiebolaget Gotland and builders Guangzhou Shipyard International jointly celebrated the delivery of MV VISBORG  the first vessel in a series of two intended to ply the waters between Gotland’s largest city Visby and the ports of Nynaeshamn and Oscarshamn in mainland Sweden.OSK Group has played a significant role in the development and design of the powerful dual fuel RoPax ferry. OSK-ShipTech has had a dual role being consulting naval architects for…

The advent of U.S. offshore wind also brings the need for the quality and quantity of built-for-purpose vessels needed to sustain its momentum.As the long-awaited advent of offshore wind finally arrives on this side of the big pond, one question which continues to dominate the conversation is where (and when) the fit-for-purpose tonnage necessary for this great leap forward will come from. Just as important, stakeholders need to have confidence in the availability of proven vessel concepts, as they continue to explore opportunities and justify investment decisions in the growing sector.First Out of the GateRhode Island-based shipyard Blount Boats, in June, announced that it had signed a sublicense agreement with Marine Applied Physics Corp.

NAPA, a leading maritime software, services and data analysis provider has announced that it has signed an agreement with MOL (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.) to provide performance analysis and reporting for 80 of MOL’s time-chartered bulk carriers with NAPA Fleet Intelligence.NAPA Fleet Intelligence combines NAPA’s naval architectural expertise and proprietary data modelling with open source data and MOL’s own reports to produce industry-leading analytics and actionable insights with zero onboard installation.

Rhode Island shipbuilder Blount Boats said it has signed a contract with the nation’s largest state power organization to construct an icebreaking, all-welded-steel, diesel-powered, double screw tugboat.The new vessel for the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will be built to operate in seasonal ice near the entrance to and within the upper Niagara River. This vessel will replace existing vessels in the NYPA fleet currently used for the installation, removal, and maintenance of…

Danish naval architectural firm Knud E. Hansen has signed a contract with the Technical University of Denmark's DTU Aqua (National Institute of Aquatic Resources) on consultancy assistance for a project study and concept design of a 65M multidisciplinary marine research vessel to replace the aging R/V DANA IV from 1981."Knud E. Hansen signed the contract on the basis of our references in designing fishing vessels and in-depth know how in marine research vessels and icebreakers for scientific operations, like the RSV NUYINA for the Australian Antarctic Division," said a press release from the Danish company.The concept study will clarify design drivers and evaluate on the preliminary construction, requirements and budget for a new R/V DANA V.

Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corporation, a naval architecture and marine engineering firm specializing in AT/B or Articulated Tug/Barge design announced that it is now a member of the Hyperion Marine Engineering Group headquartered in Portland, Maine with offices in India, Dubai, Norway and the Netherlands.CT Marine & Buoyancy Consultants formed Hyperion three years ago recognizing a need for an integrated naval architectural & marine engineering firm to serve the inland and offshore tug and barge industry that incorporates a capability for conceptual through highly detailed production design, all under one corporate roof. With over seventy engineers who span the globe…

Scotland based MacDuff Ship Design reports it has had another busy summer and autumn with the delivery of a number of new vessels, work continuing on existing contracts and several new design contracts won. Alongside this has seen the continuation of the companies bureau work in naval architectural consultancy and the steady expansion of MacDuff Marine Surveyors. A new 25.5m Aquaculture Support Vessel has entered service on the West Coast of Scotland having been delivered in September 2017 to owners Inverlussa Marine Services.