Center Of Excellence News

Saipem and Fincantieri have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to evaluate commercial and industrial opportunities for cooperation in the field of autonomous subsea vehicles (AUV) and their integration with surface and underwater units.The MoU is among the initiatives aimed at promoting and developing Italy’s national excellence in the underwater sector.The agreement aims to enable the two companies to participate in major programs in the Italian and international markets in the area of surveillance and control of critical underwater infrastructure and rescue activities…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (COE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The designated COEs consist of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry.“Our country depends on a highly-skilled mariner workforce to strengthen both our economy and our national security,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set out plans to invest $4.75 million to establish a new national center of excellence to accelerate offshore wind deployment across the United States.The Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst with approximately 40 partners, will focus on workforce development, targeted research, and partnerships and strategies to advance offshore wind development.As offshore…

The Zero Emission Adriatic Ship (ZEAS) project has commenced, with 13 partners from various European Countries. The overall project grant from EU Horizon is over EUR 13.5 million, where over EUR 2.3 million is reserved to TECO 2030’s deliverable of 1.2MW of fuel cells for full vessel propulsion.The project focuses on a full-scale demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered system on a ship, tailored for operation in the Adriatic Sea's delicate marine ecosystem. Key activities include the design and construction of the ship…

The Borders, Trade, and Immigration Institute, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, led by the University of Houston, announced the creation of the annual Port of the Future Award for “Excellence in Port Communications and Community Relations.”  Each year, this award will be presented at the annual Port of the Future Conference, held the first week of April, in Houston, Texas. Finalists may be invited to participate on the Conference panel “Port Communications and Community Relations.”  This year’s Port of the Future Conference will be held April 2-4…

Navico Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation, announced a multimillion-dollar investment in its Lowell, Mich. facility to create two Centers of Excellence in metal fabrication and electrification. The investment is intended to increase quality, capacity and efficiency, as well as improve product manufacturing capabilities, the company said.“Navico Group is committed to being a leader in metal fabrication and electrification for the industries we serve, and this investment is a testament to that” said Brett Dibkey, Navico Group President.

Austal USA Advanced Technologies is working with the US Navy on technical solutions that will power the next-gen of navy assets. Don Hairston recently took the helm of the AAT team, and discusses how additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence are powering the future of naval asset design, construction and lifecycle maintenance.Don, what specifically attracted you to the position as GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies?I liked Austal USA as an up-and-comer; it offers tremendous growth opportunities.

Towage provider Svitzer has selected Kongsberg Digital to deliver new simulators in support of crew training at its Port of Newcastle base in Australia. The contract with Kongsberg will help create a training center of excellence for the deployment of Svitzer’s new TRAnsverse tug vessels entering service in Newcastle in early 2025.The contract comprises the delivery of a training suite in Q2 2024. The delivery encompasses a full-mission 360° K-Sim Navigation simulator configured as a tug bridge, and a part-task 180° K-Sim Navigation ship’s bridge simulator.

Canadian shipbuilding group Davie announced it has finalized its acquisition of Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard Oy, which has struggled to gain new business due to Western sanctions against Russia.The deal has been nearly a year in the making, starting from December 2022. By March 2023, Davie exercised an exclusive option to purchase the assets of Helsinki Shipyard. In April a business purchase agreement was signed, and on July 4 Davie secured a new 50-year land lease from the city of Helsinki.Financial terms of agreement were not disclosed…

Companies from across the U.K. maritime sector and numerous government departments are coming together to develop a vision for making the country a global center of excellence for cruise lines looking to repair and refit their vessels.Britain’s maritime engineering industry already feeds into the cruise industry but sees significant untapped economic opportunity within the £2.36 billion global market for cruise ship refit and repair, particularly as demand for cruises rebounds…

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is expanding its partnership with a local technical college in an effort to advance the maritime manufacturing industry and meet growing workforce demand within the region.In fall 2022, FBS and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) designed a specialized training program for FBS employees to advance their welding and ship/pipe-fitting techniques. Since the launch, 97 participants have successfully completed this five-week course offered through the NWTC Sturgeon Bay campus.

Construction on the U.K. Royal Navy's future HMS Birmingham has officially commenced at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Glasgow.Work on the first three Type 26 ships is well under way with HMS Glasgow now at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard to have her complex systems installed, HMS Cardiff currently being assembled and HMS Belfast in its early construction phase. HMS Birmingham is the first ship to be constructed under a £4.2 billion contract for the remaining five ships secured in November…

Shipbuilding group Chantier Davie Canada announced it has exercised an exclusive option to purchase the assets of Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard Oy, which has struggled to gain new business due to Western sanctions against Russia.The deal remains subject to financial, regulatory and legal considerations, as well as final decision making by Davie, the company said.Davie president and CEO, James Davies, said, “If the acquisition is successful, it would combine two historic and highly…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, introduces the Novo1 motor line by Ward Leonard, the newest AC induction motor line for naval vessels.Described by the manufacturer as "durable" and "reliable", the Novo1 motor line is modular in design, has a commonality of parts, and has a variety of mounting configurations, speeds, and enclosure types available to meet any shipboard requirements. It is manufactured in FMD's vertically integrated facility in Thomaston, Conn.

Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW), a family-owned boat repair and construction facility, is pleased to announce that 30 of its boatbuilders recently graduated from MGBW’s in-house Welding Certification Program. The Welding Program was launched in 2021 with support from a Small Shipyards Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD). In total, $859,250 was spent to develop the curriculum, secure an instructor, equip the welding classroom and…

Easton, Penn. based Victaulic, a producer of mechanical pipe joining solutions, announced it has promoted Gary Moore to executive vice president and chief revenue officer.Moore began his Victaulic career 35 years ago in sales for Canada and progressed to the role of president of Victaulic Company of Canada, Limited. Later he joined the executive team at Victaulic’s U.S. corporate headquarters and served as the executive vice president responsible for building and driving the global sales team.As CRO…

Engineering firm Waterford Energy Services Inc. (WESI) and vessel owner/operator LeeWay Marine are collaborating to bring hydrogen fuel supply to Atlantic Canada for marine applications.The two Canadian companies said early front-end engineering and design (E-FEED) has commenced for a Phase 1 Pilot. The collaboration has identified strategic locations for the provision of shore-based hydrogen fuel supplies. In addition, vessels of opportunity have been surveyed for fuel conversion feasibility.

The integrity of the marine transportation system as a key plank in a country's economic prosperity is in heightened focus today, with logistics snarls contributing to fast rising inflation. Maintaining the integrity of the vast U.S. inland waterway system - with more than 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways including 218 lock chambers at 176 sites - is the focus of the Maritime Risk Symposium 2022, a 2.5-day conference scheduled for November 15-17, hostd by Argonne National Laboraty's TCS Conference Center.On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, James P.

A £25 million maritime center of excellence development project has been proposed to focus on innovation, engineering, R&D, entrepreneurship and training within the heart of Wirral Waters in the U.K.Peel L&P has formally submitted a planning application to Wirral Council to build the proposed Maritime Knowledge Hub, which would provide a high-level industrial and maritime facility, supporting the region’s £5 billion maritime ecosystem where research and innovation will focus on areas such as decarbonization of the maritime industry as well as technology transfer from other industries.

U.K. port bosses are scratching their heads as to how to meet demand as offshore wind, including new floating projects, ramps up around the country’s coastline.The U.K. government is pushing this source of energy and has a 40-gigawatt (GW) by 2030 target—ramping up from around 30 GW today—for offshore wind. While fixed bottom projects continue to roll out, through some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, a pipeline of 15 GW of floating offshore wind is also on the cards…

Inland waterways, sometimes called ‘nature’s superhighways’ provide a strategic advantage related to security, economics, and trade for any nation whose geography, topography, and climate enable this natural infrastructure. Economic benefits are realized in small rural areas through large urban communities that utilize the system for efficient transportation and improved markets. However, deliberate operational, resource, and policy efforts, along with broad stakeholder integration, are required to maintain and operate such a system.

Ballard Power Systems announced it has received Europe’s industry-first type approval from classification society DNV for its marine fuel cell module FCwave.Ballard said its high-power FCwave module is a flexible solution that can support the energy needs of various vessel types as well as onshore power. The scalable 200kW power module offers a plug-and-play replacement for conventional diesel engines.The type approval process is extensive, involving a series of simulations and tests which were carried out at Ballard’s global Marine Center of Excellence in Hobro…

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.”In Arkansas…