Maritime Dynamics News

When cargo and crew need to get to an offshore platform fast, Seacor Marine delivers with its new Seacor Panther and Seacor Puma. Part of its CrewZer Class of state-of-the-art transport vessels, the 187' x 41' high-speed aluminum catamarans reach 40 kts—a dramatic speed improvement over traditional FSVs (fast support vessel). This blazing-fast speed is due to an innovative hull design, and high-performance Twin Disc QuickShift marine transmissions coupled with HamiltonJet waterjets.Built by Astilleros Armon shipyards in Burela…

USA Naiad Maritime Group, Inc. and VT Group plc (VT) announced Naiad Maritime Group’s completion of the acquisition of the collection of businesses known as the VT Motion Control Group, including Naiad Marine Systems, Maritime Dynamics, Vosper Motion Control and Vosper Stabilizers. The acquisition was led by John Venables, former Group President of the VT Motion Control businesses, with 27 years in various engineering and executive capacities at the companies. Venables will continue to lead the business as President & CEO of Naiad Maritime Group. Naiad Maritime Group, Inc. is comprised of Naiad Dynamics US, Inc., Naiad Dynamics UK, Limited, and Naiad Dynamics Holland, BV. It has operations in Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Australia.

FBM Babcock Marine Ltd has appointed Nick Pearson as commercial manager and Craig Patrick has joined the company as sales manager for commercial vessels. Nick Pearson has joined FBM Babcock Marine from Three Quays Marine Services where he was business development manager. He is a Master Mariner who has spent his career in the marine industry, working with P&O, Stena Line, SWATH International and Samsung Heavy Industries. He brings with him a wide experience in the high-speed craft industry and will be responsible for FBM Babcock Marine's sales team and commercial operations. Craig Patrick has joined FBM Babcock Marine from Maritime Dynamics where he was their sales manager.

VT Halmatic announced a new Marine Products Spares Team to co-ordinate, support and process VT Halmatic spares orders. Based at Portchester Shipyard, the new dedicated team of specialists will focus on handling customers and owners requirements in a timely and cost effective manner. The team has many years experience in handling VT Marine Products equipment world-wide and has an industry leading reputation in keeping numerous naval, and government agencies working and maintaining serviceability of equipment fitted to many high speed ferry services. VT Halmatic expects its support to be faster and more competitive and now offers the full VT Halmatic…

In the fall of 1999, the situation in East Timor was tense. The United Nations mission was cut off from reinforcement and resupply, with 430 miles of open ocean between the chaotic Indonesian island and the UN's nearest supply base in Darwin, Australia. Then the Royal Australian Navy's Jervis Bay, a fast ferry built by INCAT Australia Pty., Ltd. and chartered by the Navy, came to the rescue. Making hundreds of crossings in an average of 11 hours for each trip, with an average speed of 43 knots fully loaded, the 292-ft. wave-piercing catamaran's performance "stunned" the United States Seventh Fleet representatives attached to the UN mission, according to RAN personnel.

Fast ferry and military craft motion control specialists, Maritime Dynamics, Inc. (MDI), have added Bureau Veritas to the classification approvals for their Ride Control System with Autopilot. MDI, part of the U.K.’s vosper Thorncroft Group, already has approval form Det Norske Veritas and the American Bureau of Shipping for its RCS and Autopilot. The RCS monitors vessel attitude and automatically positions effectors to reduce accelerations arising from pitch, roll and heave motions. The additional MDI integrated autopilote provides commands to the vessel’s steering system to dampen yaw motions and provide heading control. Over 100MDI RCS have been supplied to fast craft throughout the world.

The American Shipbuilding Association has long bemoaned the level of U.S. Navy funding, arguing that the amount of spending on new ships would, in the future, leave the force woefully under-equipped to handle its duties of defense. Though the ASA is but the lobbying voice of the country's "Big Six" shipbuilders — by consolidation now reduced to, in effect, the Big Two — would be the primary beneficiaries of a spending splurge, it now seems the arguments presented were visionary, as the U.S. enters a gray area in international relations with the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the resultant war in Afghanistan.

The largest passenger catamaran to be completed by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders - at 144 ft. in length and with a 450-passenger capacity - was delivered to Catalina Cruises. The four-engine, 36 knot vessel is planned for service between Long Beach, Calif. and Catalina Island. Catalina Jet employs four Caterpillar 3512B, electronically controlled, 1,950-hp diesel engines to power MJP J550 DD waterjets supplied by Ulstein Bird Johnson. Power is transmitted through unique ZF gearboxes with diagonal offset, 1.42:1 ratio reduction gears. An active ride control system was supplied by Maritime Dynamics, to smooth out the passage on the Catalina Channel. The system includes trim tabs and "T-foils" beneath the twin hulls to counteract the pitch and roll motions induced by the sea surface.

The latest catamaran to pierce the waves from Incat Tasmania is Milenium, which was delivered to Transmediterranea for operation in the Mediterranean. Launched this past April from Incat's Coverdales shipbuilding facility at Hobart's Prince of Wales Bay, the 315 ft. (96 m) vessel entered service this past May. Milenium offers a total of 330 truck lane meters at 3.1 x 4.3 m clear height, making it suitable for heavy road transport vehicles, and 370 car lane meters at 2.3 x 2.1 m. The vessel's control station is equipped with the most innovative electronic, navigation and communication equipment to comply with High Speed Craft Code Sea Area 2…

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

Kongsberg Maritime Inc. has been awarded a contract to supply the Class 2 Dynamic Positioning Systems for six Gulfcraft crewboats (hulls 462-467) currently in production at Gulfcraft Shipyard in Patterson La., for SEACOR Marine. Kongsberg Maritime will be supplying its latest K-POS 21 DP2 system with a back up joystick, 2 DGPS systems and a Radius 1000. Radius is the latest in relative positioning systems developed for operation in the harsh and demanding environments that crewboats operate in, utilizing radar technology. The crewboats will range in power and size with two 190 ft. vessels, two 175 ft. vessels, one 165 ft. vessel and a 165 ft. catamaran. They will be the first DP2 class crewboats and the first DP2 class catamaran crewboat delivered in the world.

Incat recently delivered a new 321-ft. (98 m) wave piercing catamaran to one of Spain’s largest shipping companies, Acciona Trasmediterránea. Milenium Tres is the sixth Incat high speed catamaran to join an Acciona Trasmediterránea fleet which already includes the 314-ft. (96 m) Milenium and the 321-ft. Milenium Dos, both of which have been operating on the Spanish mainland-Balearic Islands links since 2000 and 2003 respectively, and also the 96 metre Alborán on the Gibraltar Strait’s busy Algeciras – Ceuta crossing. In addition, this summer saw Incat’s K-class catamaran Incat K3 in operation on the new route from Alicante to Palma and Ibiza.

Subsequent to various tests by the U.S. military, the 315-ft. (96-m) experimental vessel HSV-X1 Joint Venture that had been delivered by the U.S. Army to Bollinger Morgan City, was successfully drydocked at the yard on October 31, 2002 for routine maintenance and periodic regulatory inspection. Upon completion of sea trials on November 14, the vessel was then delivered to the U.S. Navy for additional operational testing of its military capabilities. The project, which was managed by Bollinger Morgan City, also encompassed the coordination of a variety of subcontractors including Incat Tasmania, Caterpillar and Maritime Dynamics - interfaced with SupShips New Orleans - the government's project manager.

The North American high speed ferry market has been slow to develop compared with other areas such as Australia, Europe and the Far East. However, recent developments show the U.S. market is gathering momentum - not only in respect of the number of orders, but also with regard to the speed and sophistication of the ferry designs. This trend was emphasized when, in September 1997, one of the world's largest high speed ferry operators, Buquebus, placed a contract with Derecktor Shipyards in Mamaroneck, N.Y. for a high specification, 300 passenger ferry with a maximum speed of more than 50 knots. The specification for the ferry required a maximum contract speed of over 50 knots and a high level of seakeeping and passenger comfort.

Nichols Brothers, based in Whidbey Island, Wash., recently delivered a 144 ft., 450-capacity passenger catamaran for Catalina Cruises, dubbed Catalina Jet. The vessel, which is the largest passenger catamaran to be constructed by Nichols, will run between Long Beach and Catalina Island at a speed of 36 knots.Employing four Caterpillar electronically controlled 1,950-hp diesel engines, to power Ulstein Bird Johnson waterjets, Catalina Jet is constructed with an active ride control system for comfortable sailing along the Catalina Channel. The system, supplied by Maritime Dynamics is comprised of trim tabs and T-foils beneath the twin…

In terms of new deliveries, the West Coast ferry industry will probably not see another period to match the past 18 months for some time. All three of the large government-operated ferry systems in the Pacific Northwest - Washington State, BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway System - received new tonnage, as did a number of smaller operators along the coast. Still under construction are two high-speed vehicle-carrying catamarans for BC Ferries and a single passenger-only high-speed cat for Washington State. In addition, the Nichols Bros. yard at Freeland, Wash. is completing a 40-knot catamaran for operation between southern California and Catalina Island, and a second 35-knot cat for deployment in Alaska by the Brad Phillips organization.

With faster speeds and lighter hulls, ship builders and owners require lightweight equipment. Maritime Dynamics will be incorporating weigh saving features into its ride control system to address this challenge. The first measure has been to design the ride control hydraulics system to operate other onboard equipment. Maritime Dynamics offers hydraulic packs, which, in addition to the ride control system, operate the propulsion waterjet steering, and reversing system. During docking maneuvers, the power packs can operate car ramps, capstans and anchor winches. This summer, Maritime Dynamics will install its first commercial computer-based ride control system with an embedded Microsoft Windows operating system.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. on the deck, 39 ft. abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs. The vessel's forward windows, for example, are vertical to allow for more interior space than sloped forward windows generally found on most fast ferries today.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. on the deck, 39 ft. abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs, the ferry's stylish lines resemble a modern megayacht. The architectural style was deliberate, says Peter Duclos, who heads the shipyard's business development.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. (43.4 m). on the deck, 39 ft. (11.8 m) abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs, the ferry's stylish lines resemble a modern megayacht. The architectural style was deliberate, says Peter Duclos, who heads the shipyard's business development.

Measuring 175 ft. in length, dinner cruise vessel Starship was recently delivered to Starship Cruise Lines of Biloxi, Miss. Boasting a mega-yacht style, the vessel was designed by Naval Architects Dejong & Lebet of Jacksonville, Fla., and constructed by Freeport, Fla.-based Freeport Shipbuilding. Plachter-Vogel Design provided interior architecture. USCG-Certified under Subchapter K for 600 passengers, plus 30 crew, Starship carries a Stability Letter for Partially Protected waters. The vessel is designed to have a 5-5.6 ft. full load draft enabling it to access some of the Biloxi area's more shallow waterways. The hull features tunnels to allow large enough propellers while minimizing the draft.

Derecktor Shipyards is putting the finishing touches on a 134.5 ft. high-speed catamaran for the Woods Hole Steamship Authority at the yard's facility in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Delivery is slated for May of 2000. The other bidders for the contract included Dakota Creek Shipyards, Halter Marine and Pequot River Works. The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Steamship Authority, the oldest of its kind in the U.S., provides the only year-round passenger and vehicle ferry service to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Service is provided from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven, and Hyannis to Nantucket. Seasonal service is also provided from Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.