The Shipping Industry Embraces Battery Power
The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…
Seaspan Ferries to Trial Corvus' New Blue Whale ESS
Canadian operator Seaspan Ferries Corporation said it will be the first to trial Corvus Energy’s new Blue Whale ESS, featuring a unique rack-free design of stacking modular blocks to provide higher volumetric battery room energy density and, consequently, maximized passenger or payload capacity.The new large-scale energy storage system (ESS)—a battery system designed for large ships with high zero-emission energy demand, such as cruise ships, large Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries and cargo ships—will be installed on board Seaspan Reliant…
Hydro Deck Delivers Ichthys LNG Project Modules
AG&P ALE Ventures Pty Ltd., an Australian-based consortium says it has successfully deployed its proprietary mobile port solution, the Hydro Deck, to deliver the first modules to the Northern Territory’s largest-ever construction project, the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project. Over the course of the project, the Hydro Deck will offload more than 200 large, pre-fabricated modules from sea to ground, overcoming Darwin’s twice-a-day, up to eight metre tidal variations. Measuring 140m x 40m x 12m, the Hydro Deck uses a water ballast and air tank system to provide buoyancy control, which allows it to compensate for both rapid tidal variations and load balancing as modules move across its deck.
Intergraph Introduce Module Fabrication CAD Control Package
Las Vegas-based provider of enterprise engineering software for the process, power and marine industries, Intergraph, says it has released Intergraph Smart Production powered by NESTIX, the offshore and shipbuilding industries. Stephen Furze, Intergraph Process, Power & Marine's executive vice president of Industry Solutions, said, "Intergraph Smart Production powered by NESTIX brings the principles of digital shipbuilding and offshore construction to fabrication shops. This specialized solution controls all aspects of the parts and module/block production process in ship and offshore yards into one integrated package. A new solution within its next-generation Intergraph Smart Yard offering…
CD-adapco Release New Engineering Software Update
CD-adapco release STAR-CCM+ v8.02, a major new version of its integrated solution for multidisciplinary engineering problems. CD-adapco is the world's largest independent CFD focused CAE provider. "The STAR-CCM+ v8 releases are specifically aimed at increasing engineering productivity, making the software even easier to use and interact with, and significantly reducing the time required to get a high-quality solution," said Senior VP Product Management Jean-Claude Ercolanelli. Parts Based Meshing allows users to associate mesh definitions with geometric entities, resulting in greater control, better automation and reduced turnaround time.
GMN WebXaccelerator for Ship-to-Shore Comms
Global Marine Networks introduced the GMN webXaccelerator for ship-to-shore and remote communications needs for the commercial fishing, marine transport, cruise ships, offshore oil rigs, and first-response communications coordination markets. The webXaccelerator is a data accelerator and control router that gives users of satellite and other wireless data systems control of their satellite data installations, while providing data speeds up to five times faster than uncompressed rates.
CAD/CAM: Producing Better, More Cost Efficient Ships
The advent of software solutions has infiltrated nearly every sector of the maritime market - from propulsion performance monitoring packages to personnel. It arguably has had no greater impact, though, than in the design and construction of new vessels. CAD/CAM/CAE programs are invaluable assets to the designer, builder and operator of vessels of all sizes and dimensions. Not only do advanced programs allow for the creation of the an efficient and cost effective ship structure and outfitting, they provide for enhanced manufacturing practices and techniques, and increasingly help devise a life-cycle maintenance and care plan which can tack profitable years onto a vessel's life.
