Hawboldt News

The Canadian Coast Guard has revealed big plans to invest in its fleet of small vessels.Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on Thursday announced $2.5 billion CAD (roughly $1.8 billion USD) for the construction of up to 61 new small vessels and the ongoing replacement of small craft, barges and workboats within the Canadian Coast guard fleet.“This is a critical investment that will help modernize the Canadian Coast Guard’s small vessel fleet,” Murray said.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) announced a pair of initiatives aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, including the start of a biodiesel testing project and the launch of the next phase in the construction of the Government of Canada’s first hybrid electric vessel.Earlier this month, following the award of a contract to procure biodiesel from Windsor, Ontario based Sterling Fuels, CCG became Canada's first government agency to trial a 20% biodiesel blend in one of its vessels, the navigation aids tender CCGS Caribou Isle.

Hawboldt Industries installed an ABB winch drive with in-built active heave compensation (AHC) software at the heart of a new winch and offshore crane for the research vessel Kilo Moana, giving University of Hawai‘i Marine Center scientists a reliable means of deploying water sampling equipment at depths up to 5,000 meters in even the roughest sea conditions.Kilo Moana is a 60-meter Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the University of Hawai‘i Marine Center, built to conduct a variety of tests at sea.

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has awarded BCS Automation Ltd. (BCS) a contract for work on the Government of Canada’s new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV).BCS has been in operation for 30 years and specializes in automated systems for the marine, offshore and cement industries. BCS represents one of almost 80 Ontario suppliers to date that Seaspan is working with to meet its commitments under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).BCS will supply a ship control and monitoring system for the OOSV.

A new research vessel for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has completed sea trials and is transiting to its home port in Virginia.The new vessel, the R/V Virginia, will support the institution’s fisheries research projects and greatly expand VIMS’ capability to perform general oceanographic research in the Chesapeake Bay as well as mid-Atlantic coastal waters. Interest in the new research vessel is already growing rapidly as next season is almost fully booked with science cruises.The 93-foot vessel was built by Meridien Maritime Reparation.

Seaspan Shipyards has contracted Hawboldt Industries to provide deck equipment for a pair of naval supply vessels it is building for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).Under the two contracts, which together are valued at $8 million, Hawboldt will design and build the anchoring and mooring packages and the primary cranes for the two Joint Support Ships (JSS) being built at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard.Seaspan began building the first JSS in June.

A third Nova Scotian company has secured a multimillion dollar contract with the Cape Sharp Tidal project, which has potential to be the first grid-connected tidal array in the world. Hawboldt Industries of Chester, Nova Scotia has been awarded a $4.7-million contract for the design and manufacturing of three heavy lift winches to be used on the OpenHydro deployment and recovery barge. Cape Sharp Tidal is a partnership between OpenHydro – a DCNS company – and Emera Inc. to develop a tidal industry in Nova Scotia. “We’re pleased to award another contract to a Nova Scotia company after a competitive tender,” said James Ives, OpenHydro Chief Executive.

Hawboldt Industries Ltd. announce that it has been chosen by Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards to supply the deck machinery for the new offshore fisheries and science vessels (OFSV) as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) for noncombat vessels. The contract is for the first of three planned vessels in the OFSV program now underway in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The OFSV are the first vessels to be built under the $8 billion NSPS program for noncombat vessels, awarded to Seaspan in 2011. The OFSV will replace aging vessels operated by the Canadian Coast Guard in the Pacific, Maritime and Newfoundland and Labrador Regions of Canada. These vessels are used for fisheries assessments and scientific ocean research.

Hawboldt Industries Ltd., a manufacturer of deck equipment and a member of the Timberland Group of Companies, announced the hiring of Reed Okawa as Business Development Manager, Marine Crane Division. Paul Phillips, General Sales Manager at Hawboldt industries said, “Reed brings over 35 years of experience in crane design sales and service to Hawboldt . . . Okawa joined Hawboldt in late January and is based near Seattle. Okawa will also be able to assist customers with Hawboldt’s core product lines, which include ROV, AUV and subsea drill launch and recovery systems, commercial deck equipment (anchor and mooring winches) and oceanographic products. Hawboldt manufactures cranes from 2 to 150 ton capacity in fixed, knuckle and telescopic versions.

Heeding the call to join “An Ocean in Common,” authors flooded the Oceans ‘13 MTS/IEEE San Diego technical program committee with a record number of abstracts in a single day. Special topics include an Ultra-deep track discussing current and prospective robotic technologies, plus a panel of scientists to consider research questions. Oceans2013 Chair Bob Wernli, and Co-Chair Kevin Hardy, developer of the unmanned landers for James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge Expedition, will be the session conveners. “James’ intention is to be certain the door remains open to other explorers,” Hardy said.

Lockheed Martin Canada, a major supplier of systems, software and professional services to the Royal Canadian Navy, will be in Saint John, Halifax and St. John’s this week to meet with companies that could become partners and suppliers on shipbuilding projects, including the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships and other future programs. In each location, Lockheed Martin officials will provide a briefing on how companies can prepare and position themselves for shipbuilding work through major contractors and then will conduct a series of one-on-one meetings to learn about the capabilities of many New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador based companies.

The CCGS Vladykov is the first of three new Near-Shore Fisheries Research Vessels to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard. Commissioned in August 2012, the vessel was constructed at Meridien Maritime Inc. in Matane, Quebec to a design developed by Robert Allan Ltd of Vancouver, B.C. The CCGS Vladykov and its sister vessels will conduct scientific research in the Newfoundland and Labrador region. Secondary missions include search and rescue, environmental response and the support of marine programs for other government agencies.

The first comprehensive research study released from the ABS Harsh Environment Technology Center (HETC), based at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), examines the challenges and management of water produced in association with energy operations in Arctic environments. Produced water represents the largest volume of waste from oil and gas operations and is associated with significant management costs. Professor Kelly Hawboldt of MUN and her research team explore the effects of produced water on the Arctic environment where cold temperatures, fragile ecosystems and unmanned operations pose unique challenges. The study titled “Review of Produced Water Management and Challenges in Harsh/Arctic Environments” examines produced water characteristics…