Marine Business Unit News

Danfoss Drives on Monday announced the formation of a dedicated marine business unit.The company said the move will allow it to provide tailored solutions for its customers in the marine industry“This organization allows Danfoss to delve deep into the intricacies of maritime applications and understand the nuances of ship propulsion, control systems and electrification in ways that broader, more diversified companies might not,” Danfoss said in a statement.In addition to product experts in the field…

Ecospray has informed that RINA has confirmed that the CO₂ reduction achieved by the new Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) technology for Carbon Capture (CC) in shipping, developed by Ecospray, matches the expected targets announced by the company at the beginning of the project.Ecospray chose to use bio-LNG as fuel for the MCFC technology. The MCFC can be fueled with hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, fossil LNG, but the use of a CO2 neutral - or negative- fuel represents a plus in the application of this technology…

Tore Hoem, adventures director at Hurtigruten Svalbard, has lived on Svalbard, the remote Norwegian archipelago just a few hundred miles from the North Pole, for more than two decades, long enough to witness the sea ice retreat significantly and more rain creep into the early and late snow season.These alarming effects of climate change are among key drivers behind the Hurtigruten Group’s sustainability efforts, including a new hybrid-electric excursion vessel recently put into service in Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s largest inhabited area.

Johan Inden heads Volvo Penta’s global marine business unit as part of the company’s executive management team. “I have global strategy responsibility, global product responsibility, direct commercial responsibility for everything except North America; we have our own commercial setup with our local president there, Fredrik Högberg. Of course, we collaborate very closely, but we have in our DNA to be very close to customers, so we think we need a dedicated commercial organization in North America as well…

High-latitude tourism company Hurtigruten Svalbard has launched a first-of-its kind hybrid-electric excursion vessel in Longyearbyen, just 800 miles from the North Pole.The 14-meter vessel, Kvitbjørn, runs on a hybrid-electric propulsion system developed by Volvo Penta in partnership with Swedish boatbuilder Marell Boats and Hurtigruten Svalbard.The new 12-passenger aluminum vessel, which will take sightseers on wilderness tours around Svalbard during the local tourist season from May through October…

Volvo Penta and Danfoss’ Editron division have signed a partnership agreement that will drive the transformation towards sustainable power solutions within the marine industry.Volvo Penta and Danfoss' Editron division announced a partnership agreement to take the industry’s electromobility development to the 'next level.'“We’re excited to officially join forces with Volvo Penta,” says Kimmo Rauma, vice president of Danfoss’ Editron division. “Ultimately, we want to create a sustainable solution and find the ideal fit for the market.

Thordon Bearings has promoted Scott Groves to Vice President – Sales, with a mandate to “grow profitable sales” and build upon the company’s leading position in the global pollution-free bearings and seals markets. He officially started in his new role on March 11, 2021.Terry McGowan, CEO and President, Thomson-Gordon Group, Thordon Bearings’ parent company, said, “I am very pleased to announce that Scott has accepted the VP Sales position. As interim sales director, he has thrown himself into the role, helping us navigate uncertain and challenging times.

Mathias Rusch, Director of the Marine business unit at SKF explains what trends are currently shaping the industry, what future challenges are emerging and how operators can manage the flood of data that is coming out of the digitalization revolution.Two major trends that shipowners and operators are currently dealing with are persistently low freight rates, which have been significantly depressing shipowners’ earnings for a number of years and the requirements concerning emissions into both air and water that continue to grow.

Innovation is driving advanced monitoring and control technologies for environmental and safety compliance in the marine sector, says Gérard Baldellou, marine business unit manager at CMR Group.The marine diesel power sector continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where emissions resulting from combustion inside engines, along with fuel consumption levels need reducing. Escalating operating costs, tighter margins and pressures in the oil and gas sector signal challenging times for ship owners and fleet operators.

The new facility has dedicated transmission and thruster repair facilities, and larger warehouse and training areas. ZF Marine has a long standing presence in Louisiana, opening their first location in the city of St. Rose in 1996. The ever increasing customer base combined with the addition of the commercial thruster product line in 2009 resulted in the need to create a larger physical presence in the region. A comprehensive search of the region resulted in ZF finding a new home at 677 Time Saver Avenue in Elmwood, Louisiana. ZF Marine’s new facility is three times the size of its previous location. The new facility not only houses dedicated transmission and thruster repair facilities, but also a significantly larger warehouse area.

ZF Marine, the marine business unit of the global ZF Group, said it has secured a new location for its Gulf of Mexico/Inland Waterway sales and service operations. The company opened its wholly owned location in the greater New Orleans area in late 1996, the first satellite location outside of ZF’s North American marine headquarters. The location was established to provide close support for the commercial vessel industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Twenty years later, ZF Marine’s growing presence in the Inland Waterway…

EMC has taken orders to supply VSAT equipment and services for seven platform supply vessels in the North Sea as part of a four-year fleet agreement with GulfMark (Norway). The scope of supply for each vessel includes a 60-inch Ku-band stabilized antenna and below-deck terminal interfaced with the ship’s network and third-party GSM voice system. EMC will also provide the satellite airtime for crew welfare and mission-critical voice and data communications. The installations will take place over the next 12 months as the vessels become available. “GulfMark’s vessels operate in an extremely demanding market segment with rigorous requirements for uptime, connectivity, bandwidth, data throughput and content,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial marine business unit.

The Spanish company SENER, Ingeniería y Sistemas S.A has closed a contract with U.K.-based BAE Systems PLC for the integration between FORAN CAD/CAM System and PTC’s Windchill PLM System to be used in the design and manufacturing activities of Type 26 Program. According to the contract, FORAN-Windchill Integration (FWI) will be implemented in BAE Systems Naval Ships in Scotstoun and Portsmouth. FWI is being deployed following a phased approach. Key milestones include publishing and synchronization of Type 26 items and components (July 2015), change management (December 2015) and configuration management (December 2016). BAE Systems Naval…

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit has been selected to design and supply gyrocompass navigation systems for 12  Kingston Class coastal defence vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy, as a subcontractor to SNC-Lavalin Defence Programs Inc. The contract will include Dual NAVIGAT X MK1 gyrocompass systems, NAVITWIN IV Heading Management Systems and a complete suite of Heading Repeaters. Installation will start in June 2015 and extend through early 2017. Six of the vessels being upgraded are based in Esquimalt…

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is among the sponsors of  the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST), a registered charity whose mission is to promote the integration of people of all physical abilities, including injured and recovering servicemen and women, through the challenge and adventure of tall ship sailing. As part of its sponsorship, Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit replaced the navigational electronics on the Lord Nelson, one of JST's two tall ships. This update included the main gyro compass system originally fitted in 1985. Since the JST was established in 1978, they have welcomed more than 40,000 people on board, of whom 15,000 have had a disability and 5,500 have been wheelchair users.

Effective September 1, 2014, Daniel Härter assumes the responsibility as CEO of ZF Marine Propulsion Systems. Härter will be based out of ZF Marine’s headquarters in Padova, Italy. Benz has been promoted to the Head of Corporate Key Account Management at the global ZF Group level. Härter comes to ZF Marine from ZF’s Industrial Technology Division in Passau, Germany where he previously held the position of Vice President Materials Management. Härter completed his studies in Business…

Inspired by the motto "The Power of Shipping", MAN Diesel & Turbo will showcase its products and services at the SMM international maritime trade fair in Hamburg next week. The company’s motto relates both to the importance and the consistent, innovative force of the shipping industry: "No other form of transport has transformed globalization and global trade as much as commercial shipping," said Dr. Stephan Timmermann, Executive Board Member at MAN Diesel & Turbo. "This was as true in the days of Christopher Columbus as it is now, and in the future too, shipping will remain a major pacesetter for the world's economic development. That said, commercial shipping is facing considerable challenges. To live up to its responsibilities, it needs to improve its ecological footprint.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by Peter Dohle Schiffahrts-KG to supply the Integrated Bridge Systems, including navigation, voyage data recorders and radio systems, to seven new bulk carrier ships. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit will supply the equipment to Jiangsu Hantong Shipyard in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. The full Integrated Bridge System package will include VisionMaster FT Radars, VisionMaster FT ECDIS, Magnetic Compass System, Echosounder…

Teekay Tankers Ltd. announced the appointment of Mr. Kevin J. Mackay as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Teekay Tankers, effective June 20, 2014. Mr. Mackay will join Teekay Tankers from Phillips 66 Corporation (Phillips 66), where he is currently head of the global marine business unit for this industry-leading downstream company. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of marine transportation, including chartering, operations, demurrage, strategy & freight trading, business improvement and marine risk management. He held a similar role as the General Manager, Commercial Marine at ConocoPhillips from 2009 to 2012 before the formation of Phillips 66. Mr. Mackay started his career working for Neptune Orient Lines in Singapore from 1991 to 1995. He then joined AET Inc.

Organized every two years among the FORAN users, the Eight FORAN Users Meeting (FORUM 2014) took place from June 11-13 in the Parador de la Granja, Segovia. The event started on Wednesday, June 11, with a guided visit to the Royal Palace and Gardens of La Granja, and with a welcome reception to the nearly hundred participants that arrived from all over the world. On Thursday, June 12, Rafael de Góngora, General Manager of SENER Marine Business Unit, welcomed the attendees thanking…

The Eighth FORAN Users Meeting (FORUM 2014) took place June 11-13, 2014 in the Parador de la Granja, Segovia, and when it was over the organizers proclaimed it a great success, recording the highest number of participants ever. On Thursday June 12, Rafael de Góngora, General Manager of SENER Marine Business Unit, welcomed the attendees and encouraged an open sharing of experience in using the FORAN System. Miguel Ángel Rojí, from Navantia (Spain), presented about the optimization of the design and production in the Spanish shipbuilding group of reference.

Transas Group has announced today the appointment of Andrey Belentiev as the Group's Director of the Marine Business Unit. Andrey Belentiev, former Managing Director of Transas (JSC), Russian marine business entity, is now in charge of the Transas marine business worldwide. Centralized strategic governance, technology development and financial management will contribute to a better overall performance of the Transas Group and its marine business. Ralf Lehnert, Managing Director, Transas Marine International continues running international part of the Transas marine business.

Jeanne Usher has been named managing director of the Sperry Marine business unit, effective immediately inform Northrop Grumman Corporation. Usher succeeds Alan Dix, who recently retired following a distinguished career with the company spanning 33 years. In her new position, Usher will have responsibility for all Sperry Marine's commercial and defence programmes and products worldwide. With its headquarters in New Malden, the Sperry Marine business unit operates in more than 15 countries and is a leading global provider of navigation solutions…