Business Innovation News

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft reports it has secured its first order within the growing offshore converter platform business.The Papenburg shipyard—part of the Meyer Group, known primarily for building cruise ships—will carry out the majority of the steel work for converter platforms for the DolWin4 and BorWin4 offshore connections as well as BalWin1 and BalWin2, all destined for the North Sea."This order is a milestone for us in our entry into the construction of converter platforms, which we will also build at Neptun Werft in Rostock in the future.

Yacht building and digitalization are strongly interconnected at Oceanco. For the Alblasserdam-based company it is even a precondition to continue to perform at top level."Our ambition is to build the owner’s perfect yacht and realize all their wishes, no matter how complex they may be. During the entire term of a project - from contract to delivery - the owner can still propose changes. To make that possible, you need an advanced system that helps with these processes," said Hans Bink…

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has appointed Alexander Prokopakis as its new Executive Director.Joining the IBIA team on September 1 with Edmund Hughes, the recently appointed IBIA IMO Representative, Prokopakis will be instrumental in navigating the association through the evolving challenges and opportunities in the marine fuel industry.Well-regarded within the IBIA community, he brings a strong background of active association membership. His recent leadership…

Meyer Group has appointed Bernd Eikens as Group CEO starting in December 2023.Eikens has worked in different management positions for UPM-Kymmene for 25 years, since 2013 as a member of the group executive team. His international career includes positions in the US, China, Germany and Finland. Most recently, he headed the successful implementation of a pulp mill project in Uruguay with an investment volume of $3.5 billion.He has been a member of the Meyer Turku advisory board since 2019 and…

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) operates hundreds of boats all the way from a 7-meter Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) to a 78-foot patrol boat, as well as construction equipment such as cranes, bulldozers, pumps, cranes, vehicles and chain saws and Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) equipment.Maintaining all of it comes under the watchful eye of Force Maintenance Director Dave Noel.“I’m the guy that fixes the equipment we buy,” Noel said. “Once it’s fielded, it’s our job to keep it operational…

Greensea's open architecture technology on Remotely Operated Vehicles furthered by Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grantGreensea Systems, Inc. creator of OPENSEA, an open architecture robotics platform for the marine industry, won a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) ASAP grant totaling $1,100,000, with option for additional funding, for the continued development of Standoff Command and Control of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division…

The United States' Department of Navy (DoN) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Experimentation Cell (DoN SEC) connects SBIR innovators with the DoN experimentation community to deliver innovative solutions for the warfighter.“Our mission is to support the SBIR community from the first idea to experiment execution by offering beginning-to-end facilitation, mentoring, and training in all aspects of experimentation,” said Scott Bartlett, the DoN SEC program manager,Naval experimentation can validate or inform concepts of operations…

FPSO operator BW Offshore has reached a settlement with the New Zealand government over the FPSO Umuroa, which has been stuck at the Tui field, around 50 kilometers off the coast of Taranaki, for months.BW Offshore has been unable to remove its FPSO from the Tui field following the contract termination, client liquidation, and the country's court and environment regulator intervention.Client Tamarind Taranaki in October 2019 said it wouldn't extend the FPSO contract after December 31…

Global maritime charity Sailors’ Society announced Sara Baade has been appointed as its new chief executive officer, starting in September 2020.Baade has a strong background in management and strategic policy and brings extensive experience in leading an international welfare charity from her current role as CEO of The Army Families Federation. Her career also includes working as a senior civil servant for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, a directorship at the charity UK Skills and substantial experience in investment banking.Sailors’ Society’s Chair of Trustees…

Reygar announced that its BareFLEET remote monitoring system is now in use on 100 vessels worldwide. The growth is in step with a general migration to digital solutions across the maritime sector, and the milestone is punctuated as Reygar expands its control system capabilities across dynamic positioning, autonomous vessels and consultancy, with two new engineering hires and a larger premises in Bristol: James Cook and Richard Crowder. Cook joins the business from Rolls Royce…

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport has joined the 401 Tech Bridge innovation initiative in the state of Rhode Island.“The Warfare Centers recognize that to be successful, whether it is on a submarine, on a ship or solving a technical challenge, you need a good team,”  NUWC Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Mike Coughlin said. “We realize that Expanding the Advantage means reaching out beyond our Navy partners, Warfare Centers and traditional defense contractors.

Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Société de Remorquage et de Travaux Maritimes (SNRTM) for the delivery of one Damen STu 1606 that shall operate in the Mediterranean Sea in Toulon, France.According to a press release from the manufacturer tugs and workboats, high speed crafts, ferries, offshore vessels, pontoons, the contract was signed in the Netherlands at Damen’s headquarters, between Eric Arnal, Managing Director of Société de Remorquage et de Travaux Maritimes and Arnout Damen, Chief Commercial Officer of Damen Shipyards Group.Société de Remorquage was founded in 1968 by Yves ARNAL (Mr. Eric Arnal's grand-father).

Damen Shipyards Group has achieved second place in the maritime & aviation sector in this year’s MT500 rankings of the top 500 companies and institutions in the Netherlands. It also came twentieth out of 500 in the overall ranking, its best ever result.In the ratings breakdown, Damen achieved the full five stars for product leadership and employment practises. The winner in the maritime & aviation category was national airline KLM, with the Port of Rotterdam coming third.The MT500 is the result of an annual survey of business decision makers that asks them to assess and rank companies in the same and related sectors as their own businesses on product leadership, customer focus and excellent execution.

The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in container shipping, has signed a strategic partnership with Infosys, a world leader in consulting, next-generation technology and services. The goal of this seven-year partnership is to simplify and transform CMA CGM's IT applications and improve customer service excellence. As part of this partnership and at the request of CMA CGM, Infosys will open a center for development and innovation in Marseilles, which will become a reference center of expertise, making Marseilles a high place of expertise. Infosys will also take over the CMA CGM IT development center in Dubai, allowing it to strengthen its presence in the Middle East. Infosys will provide CMA CGM with the skills needed to maintain its applications and develop its SAP projects.

The Buchan Alpha oil production vessel has arrived safely in Lerwick, Shetland for disposal. A semi-submersible moored floating production vessel, weighing 12,000 tonnes, Buchan Alpha was built in 1973 as a drilling rig and converted for production purposes in Stornoway between 1978-80. The vessel commenced production in 1981 from the Buchan field, located in blocks 21/1A and 20/5A, and has subsequently also produced the nearby Hannay field. Production ceased, as planned, on 12 May 2017 having produced around 148mm barrels of oil. The contract for disposal was internationally tendered and awarded to Veolia working with their strategic partner in decommissioning, Peterson, who have a proven safety and environmental track record in the decommissioning of oil and gas assets.

Cyberhawk Innovations, the world leader in aerial inspection and survey using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, has welcomed Oil & Gas UK’s new guidelines on the use of drones in offshore environments. Cyberhawk played a key role in the drafting of the ‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Management Standards and Guidelines’, which were produced by Oil & Gas UK in conjunction with a working group. As well as Cyberhawk, this group included duty holders who have used UAS, industry and aviation safety experts and a limited number of additional UAS operators. Cyberhawk were the first company to operate UAS in the North Sea back in early 2012, and has been one of the most significant contributors to the development of the guidelines.

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or “drones” in common parlance, are not a part of the historical maritime vocabulary. At least not yet. While the term “drones” may conjure images from science fiction, the reality is that companies are designing commercial UAS for the private sector, and they are gradually permeating our daily life. Henry Ford is rumored to have opined on his invention of the automobile that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said “faster horses.” In the case of UAS…

She’s tough—capable of punching through 30-foot waves and riptides or smashing into rocks and reefs. But she’s also tender, providing hope to those in peril. Meet EMILY the robotic lifeguard—officially known as the Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard—a remote-controlled buoy that recently was used to rescue nearly 300 Syrian migrants from drowning in the waters off the Greek island of Lesbos. Created with support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), several EMILY devices…

A flight demonstration using a hand-held tablet has shown how unmanned air and ground vehicles can be supervised together by a single operator, and how big and small businesses can work together. The demonstration was conducted on March 26, 2014, at Kaman Aerospace in Bloomfield, Conn., involving a Kaman K-MAX helicopter equipped with Lockheed Martin’s mission management system operating in the unmanned mode, and a Neya Systems UxInterceptor unmanned all-terrain vehicle. During the medical casualty response and resupply scenario…

Statoil appoints new chief financial officer (CFO), and launches business area for New Energy Solutions (NES). Three new executive vice presidents (EVPs) are appointed as members of the corporate executive committee (CEC). CFO Torgrim Reitan is appointed EVP for Development & Production USA (DPUSA) after Bill Maloney decided to not prolong his contract with Statoil. Hans Jakob Hegge is appointed new EVP and CFO. Hegge comes from the position as senior vice president for Operations North in Development & Production Norway. Irene Rummelhoff is appointed EVP for New Energy Solutions, and Jens Økland new EVP for Marketing, Midstream & Processing (MMP). Rummelhoff and Økland start in their new positions 1 June 2015. Reitan and Hegge will start in their new positions 1 August 2015.

DNV GL developed a new unmanned floating LNG concept that it claims overcomes many of the challenges faced by operators looking to unlock the potential of remote offshore gas fields. Called Solitude, DNV GL said the concept demonstrates how technological advances can be combined into a solution that offers an estimated 20% reduction in annual OPEX, only adding a few percent increase in CAPEX and at the same time increasing overall safety. Foreseeing the need for more remote projects to be able to overcome even more challenging cost barriers…

The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of the U.K. maritime engineering sector, and its Chief Executive John Murray is the very public and indelible face of the organization. SMI promotes and supports the interests of organizations with activities and interests in this sector both to its membership and the wider world. In total it is a trade association of more than 150 organizations across the maritime, offshore energy, subsea, naval and academic sectors, and the society has been busier than ever, as a number of drivers have buoyed the prospects of all matters maritime in the U.K.

Wärtsilä launches an innovation contest, Wärtsilä Marine Mastermind, aimed at start-up companies and entrepreneurs, in connection with the start-up event Slush. The purpose of the contest is to find new and unique digital services for the marine industry. The contest is open for existing companies as well as for aspiring entrepreneurs. The winner of the contest will get to further develop the idea together with Wärtsilä's experts and Shift Actions, specialised in agile concept and product development. Wärtsilä is a globally known pioneer in the utilisation of digital technologies in the marine and energy industries. With the innovation contest…