Invaluable Tool News

Like so many other industries in transportation, the marine industry is being challenged on multiple fronts—from a shortage of manpower and emerging digital technologies to sustainability requirements. In the face of these growing pressures, ship designers increasingly rely on digital transformation to stay competitive and deliver higher-quality products. Digital transformation offers many solutions across a ship’s lifecycle, from design and crew training to interconnectivity and automation…

Major changes are occurring in the ocean. Climate change and subsequent melting sea ice are not necessarily good changes. Why are acoustic Doppler current profilers an invaluable tool to get a complete picture of the Arctic’s changing wave conditions in the context of climate change?In the Arctic, the end-of-summer sea ice extent in 2020 was the second-lowest in the last 42 years.“The ice used to melt out in June or July. Now it melts out in May. It used to come back in September or October.

A new forward looking sonar (FLS) from marine technology company Sonardyne International Ltd. supports collision avoidance capability for vessels.Vigilant FLS offers mariners subsurface situational awareness, providing live and past vessel track, detailed 3D bathymetry out to 600 meters and automated warnings of unseen collision hazards on and beneath the waterline out to 1.5 kilometers.Compact in size and with mounting options for both new build and retrofit, Vigilant is suitable for naval, commercial, passenger and private vessels of all sizes and types.

GPLink is the most capable remote diagnostic tool available for high horsepower systems. Globally, GPLink helps vessel owners and fleet managers by remotely plotting asset locations while also monitoring engines & critical systems. GPLink remotely monitors fuel consumption, idle time, engine hours, speed, engine load and more. Comprehensive reporting allows vessel managers to identify abnormal or wasteful behavior patterns. The firm has 15 employees. Using dual band technology with both GSM and Iridium satellite networks…

gplink is the most capable remote diagnostic tool available for high horsepower systems. Globally, gplink helps vessel owners and fleet managers by remotely plotting asset locations while also monitoring engines & critical systems. gplink also helps to secure & protect high horsepower assets. Customers receive instant notification of alarm conditions or unauthorized movement. Proactive diagnostic & repair services keep customers assets on the water. Technicians can view & respond to alarm conditions remotely, in near real-time.

BIMCO & Fathom have joined forces to provide comprehensive information on ballast water treatment, to help shipowners make wise decisions in advance of new Ballast Water Management Regulations which are likely to be implemented in 2014. The publishers explain that the Guide will give shipowners and operators full understanding of how ballast water management regulations and options affect their operations. Regulatory requirements and what they mean. A technical breakdown of ballast water treatment technology. Key considerations - planning for compliance.

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT), a provider of fleet optimization services and onboard voyage management software, today announced the latest version of its fully customizable fleet management system with the release of Fleet Decision Support System (FleetDSS) Version 2.0. In addition to being suitable for use within a company's IT network, FleetDSS has new tools, including an ETA confidence tool and a comparative vessel type performance graph, making it easy for operators to closely monitor the efficiency of their fleets.

Van Heck revealed its newest world premiere, a complete pump system that enables the controlled, contained, fast oil recovery after incorrect or off-spec fueling and in the event of grounding or calamity at sea. The pump, named Sea Trophy, ensures a fast, easy and well controlled solution for the removal of oil which will limit, or even eliminate any or all economic and environmental damages, not to mention the possible depredation of company image. Van Heck’s Sea Trophy underlines the motto “intervene…

When doing business in the maritime industry, someone will inevitably file a legal claim against your company, or you will file a claim against someone else. Although litigation is always good for your legal team, it is often not good for the litigants. Litigation forces a company to utilize resources that could be working on more productive areas of your business. While the litigation process progresses, you will have to use your employees’ time to respond to written discovery requests, participate in the deposition process, all while paying your legal team’s attorney fees and costs.

The following is a look into the overhaul of a MAN B&W 6S50MC main engine onboard a tanker berthed in the Bahamas. The overhaul was performed by Transmarine Propulsion Systems,  (TMPS) during a docking, the first major overhaul of the vessel’s engine which had 22,140 running hours. The objective of the overhaul was to make sure that all the cylinder units, once inspected and overhauled, would perform another trouble free period of ~20,000 running hours. Engine maintenance was conducted on the basis of two different methods of approach…

Long Beach Police Department takes delivery of Coda Octopus Underwater Inspection System (UIS™) system. The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest seaport in the United States and is a major gateway for trade with Asia, handling over six million containers annually. The UIS™ which includes Echoscope® real-time 3D sonar technology will be used primarily for underwater inspections of the port's 10 piers and eighty berths and other critical infrastructure. It will also be used for preventative maintenance such as keeping the shipping channels clear of dangerous debris and other objects.

London – Fathom and Lloyd's Register, the maritime classification society and independent risk management organization, have announced the launch of Emission Control Areas: THE GUIDE. Emission Control Areas, or ECAs, in Europe and North America are set to have a profound effect on how vessels are operated, including hugely impactful implications on the cost of fuels when operating within ECAs. The 111-page guide, which is accompanied by an onboard ECA manual, details the full scope of challenges of operating within an ECA,  from analysis of compliance options to the practical steps of implementing ECA measures onboard, and capturing and recording data for Port State Control requirements.

Following the success of the inspection and maintenance training courses delivered in 2011, Reflex Marine will be hosting a new program of courses this year. The first week long course will run in Aberdeen starting on the 26th March 2012. These training courses have been growing in popularity as more and more companies recognise that proper inspection and maintenance of their FROGs helps to maintain their working integrity over their whole field life. The aim of the inspection…

Commercial ships are the most cost effective and fastest means of transporting goods globally but pirate activity is a significant threat that costs the world economy between $7 and $12 billion annually according to a recent estimate by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a coalition of 22 nations led by the United States, is now engaged in efforts to promote security and stability in response to the growing threat of piracy across approximately 2.5 million square miles of international waters in and around the Arabian Sea. However, executing effective strategies against piracy, terrorism…

The United States Navy received a second major shipment of Fiobuoys, made by Fiomarine, a small company based in Tasmania, Australia. The shipments are part of a two-year supply contract. The contract represents a 340 per cent sales growth for Fiomarine in less than three years. The order for its Fiobuoy underwater retrieval system is Fiomarine’s largest to date, and makes the U.S. the chief user of the technology. Fiomarine is now pursuing other U.S. markets, beginning with an exhibition at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans in December.

Botany Bay was replicated for an Australian-first marine emergency training exercise that Sydney Pilot Service commissioned for four of its pilots. The wholly owned subsidiary of Sydney Ports Corporation recently conducted the new commercial Advanced Manned Model Pilot Training program at the Australian Ship Handling Centre at Port Ash. Participants had to pilot model ships, 1/25th the size of an actual ship, through simulated emergencies within the replicated Botany Bay. The bay was recreated using buoys, beacons, piles and temporary wharf lines.

Xantic has announced the signing of a Software Cooperation Agreement with HSE Global. This mutually beneficial strategic alliance will provide the shipping industry with an invaluable tool for the efficient control of chemicals and hazardous materials onboard vessels. Maintenance systems for ships have been in existence for several decades, and in electronic format for the past 20 years or so. Chemicals are often used in relation to the maintenance and operation of ships. A typical cargo vessel will use 100 to 150 chemicals, while a passenger ship may carry over a thousand such products. All too often, however, these chemicals are not actively integrated into the vessel’s operational and maintenance planning processes.

Sailors salute while manning the rails of USS Trayer (BST 21) during the commissioning ceremony for the Navy's newest simulator. Trayer, along with Battle Stations 21, is the culmination of all training received at the Navy's only boot camp. The simulator is a grueling 12-hour test of a recruit's skills in several shipboard evolutions, including fighting fires and stopping floods. The final evolution, now held entirely in the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer simulator, marks a recruit's final rite of passage into the Navy. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Scott A. By Scott A. The Navy's newest and largest simulator, USS Trayer (BST 21), was commissioned here June 18.

Shell International Trading and Shipping Company (Shell) has obtained Green Passports for all 25 of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in its managed fleet. The Green Passports were awarded by Lloyd’s Register, following the necessary surveys and audits and a review of the relevant documentation. Shell and Lloyd’s Register have led the way in the application and adoption of the Green Passport – Shell’s LNG carrier Granatina was the world’s first vessel to be awarded this recognition. The Green Passport is a document that contains an inventory of all the materials onboard a ship that require careful handling or special awareness. The record accompanies the ship throughout its operational life and is updated as necessary.

The U.S. Navy has created a new way to better manage surface ships by type or class. New "class squadrons" are being established, known as CLASSRONs to coordinate the support of ships by type, wherever they may be home ported. Eight CLASSRON Implementation Teams were established on Oct. 1, as an initiative of the Navy's new Surface Warfare Enterprise (SWE). The CLASSRONs will be located in Norfolk, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; Ingleside, Texas; and Mayport, Fla. (see chart). The Implementation Teams have begun staffing, defining roles and establishing procedures that will lead to CLASSRONs achieving full operational capability in the spring of 2007. According to Vice Adm.