Monitoring Center News

“If we are to state our strategy in one word, it’s decarbonization,” said Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and engineering at Finnish tech company Wärtsilä. “What we are going toward is to supply the market with a portfolio of products that are ready for zero-carbon fuels.”In order to achieve its sustainability goals—including a 2030 target for carbon neutrality in its own operations—Wärtsilä has been taking big strides in research and development, having ramped up its investment on this front in recent years, Kytölä said.

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) said it has delivered the final vessel in a series of four new tugs for Foss Maritime.The ASD-90 tractor tugs Jamie Ann, Sarah Avrick, Leisa Florence and Rachael Allen were completed and delivered between April 2020 and June 2021. Foss, a division of the Saltchuk company, will station two of the vessels in Los Angeles/Long Beach, while the other two vessels will be in the San Francisco Bay providing escort and assist services to large tankers and containerships calling on the California ports.The series' fourth vessel…

Foss Maritime’s newest vessel will be the first U.S.-flag harbor tug to integrate autonomous systems in real-world commercial operations.Launched on April 29 and scheduled for delivery in May 2021, the newly built 90-ton bollard pull Rachael Allen—the fourth in a series of ASD-90 Z-drive tractor tugs being built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, in Freeland, Wash.—will feature Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomous-command and -control system. The system's capabilities include transit autonomy…

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan explains why the global trade association is poised to take its work to the next level.While I respect the mantra of cautious optimism, I can’t help feeling genuinely excited that 2019 could prove to be a milestone year in the continuing growth of Interferry’s influence as the global voice of the ferry industry. We’ve come a long way since our US origins in 1976 as what was essentially a networking movement, but developments in recent months already suggest we are on course for yet more enhancement of our present-day worldwide networking and lobbying relationships.

Foss Maritime will centralize fleet management and operations with Helm CONNECT. The announcement comes as Foss progresses to better organize and streamline operations across core business units and wholly-owned subsidiaries along the U.S. West Coast, and in Hawaii and Alaska.As part of the agreement with Helm Operations, Foss will centralize its vessel dispatching, billing, maintenance, compliance and personnel management in the Helm CONNECT software platform.“At Foss, we’re constantly looking at new ways to improve our business.

Krill Systems Inc. said it has completed its phase 2 product development cycle with the recently introduced Krill Regasification Monitoring Center (KRMC). Krill identified this phase of its business plan as the ability to supply a comprehensive range of energy monitoring products which deliver solutions to many the aspects demanded by the oil and gas industry to control energy operating costs. In phase 1, Krill said its focus was on developing Vessel Fuel Management Systems (VFMS) with high accuracy, reliability and features demanded by professional offshore and on shore commercial operators. The basic VFMS system was further developed…

With an eye towards environmental compliance, operational efficiencies and the bottom line, the Marine News top propulsion providers touch all bases. Sitting down to select the best engine and propulsion manufacturers in the workboat marine space isn’t necessarily the easiest task in the world. Nor is it a linear exercise. On the other hand, these Marine News featured firms – Caterpillar Marine, Volvo Penta and Yanmar – all have more in common than you might think. With a laser focus on their collective customer’s bottom lines and addressing that concern through technology, environmental compliance and economical but powerful performance, each satisfies the niche in its own particular fashion. See if you don’t agree.

CargoSmart Limited, a shipment management software solutions provider that leverages big data for greater visibility and benchmarking, announced that COSCO Container Lines Co. Ltd. (COSCON) has started to implement CargoSmart’s online customer service and ocean carrier analytics solutions. The customer service solutions provide COSCON with process-oriented documentation and visibility tools for its customers to manage their shipments online. The carrier operations solutions help COSCON to optimize their vessel operations. Using predictive analytics, COSCON leverages CargoSmart’s global vessel and route data to improve planning, marine operations, and cost savings. Increased visibility to vessel operation exceptions and potential disruptions enables COSCON to respond faster and save costs.

Installed and on the water, Yanmar’s 6AYA-ET engines are already providing value on the U.S. Gulf Coast. This fully mechanical engine is anything but low-tech. More than 60 years of worldwide experience plus an engine designed specifically for the United States market has made a winning combination for YANMAR’s new EPA compliant commercial engine application. The Push boat Sherry L, owned by E Squared Marine Services, LLC from Texas and repowered by Laborde Products, now operates even more quietly and with better fuel consumption thanks to its new 6AYAM-ET engines. That’s only part of the story, however. With a need for 24 hours of continuous operation each day pushing inland barges from Channelview to Galveston and on Gulf intercoastal waterways…

“Set it and forget it” may work well for rotisserie cookers, but that approach can be disastrous for shipboard HVAC systems. It’s not uncommon to find that the last time an HVAC system’s settings were checked on board is when it is was first set – upon installation. Typically, claims energy advisory firm utiliVisor, the ships’ engineers set the parameters and then go on their merry way. “A lot of marine companies mostly look at engine and generator performance, but no one is taking a look at chilled water…

SC-integrity, Inc. (LoJack SCI) and Contguard Ltd. announced a strategic alliance designed to provide their customers with security and real-time visibility of supply chain assets and cargo on a global basis. LoJack SCI will exclusively offer the Contguard CMU (Cargo Monitoring Unit) service for the North American market. Working together, LoJack SCI, with its SC iOn Command Center web-based user portal and 24/7 monitoring center specialists, and Contguard, with its unique container tracking solution…

Videos and images of the submarine world are important for the maritime industry. Researchers from Fraunhofer IGD will show how underwater images can be improved and evaluated at this year’s SMM in Hamburg, Germany, from September 9-12. The submarine world is becoming more transparent. Due to refraction effects and the optical properties of water, underwater images are usually distorted, noisy and contain color casts. These effects often render underwater images useless for industrial applications.

Wärtsilä says it has signed a long-term Technical Management Agreement with Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC (Harvey Gulf). This five-year agreement covers Condition Based Maintenance & Dynamic Maintenance Planning for 8 offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels – 6 liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled platform supply vessels and 2 offshore construction vessels powered by diesel fuel. The signed agreement ensures ideal running conditions and optimized maintenance for Harvey Gulf’s new vessels. It ensures that their engines – 18 Wärtsilä 34 dual-fuel engines and eight Wärtsilä 32 engines – always run at the optimal level, with optimized fuel economy and maintenance costs. Technical management is based on continuous condition monitoring data and periodical inspections.

Maritime security firm Phantom Services now offers global Security Concierge Services, providing 24/7 monitoring, tracking and recovery of vessels exclusively for customers with onboard marine security, monitoring and tracking systems from leading supplier GOST (Global Ocean Security Technologies). Phantom Services is a yacht security, recovery and antipiracy training firm headed by maritime security expert Tony Sparks. “GOST supplies the most comprehensive and reliable tracking systems on the market.

World crude production may rise and fall, but the historical trend shows a steady increase in the price of a barrel of oil, and with it, the price of a ton of fuel. Add the demands of shareholders and charterers to increase operational efficiency and profitability, as well as increasing international pressure to reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. It is no wonder that ship owners have seen a steady rise, as well, in the availability of technologies — from ship design to propulsion and HVAC systems to hull coatings — that are purported to reduce fuel consumption.

Unusually thick sea ice on Laizhou Bay in east China's Shandong Province strands coastal ships. Zheng Dong, chief meteorologist at the Yantai Marine Environment Monitoring Center under the State Oceanic Administration informs that the ice this year is the worst the area has experienced in three years, and the expanding ice field has expanded to 291 square km and is expected to grow, according to Xinhua. Local aquafarmers are concerned that the ice is thicker than in years past, which may lead to heavy losses, as the they are unable to penetrate the ice to provide adequate ventilation for sea cucumbers and other aquatic organisms. Coastal police warn that the ice may cause damage to vessels passing through deeper sea areas near the Bohai and Yellow seas.

Dresser-Rand has established RECON, a performance and condition monitoring solution to keep rotating equipment operating at peak efficiency. RECON's knowledge-based system helps clients make decisions about operation, maintenance, upgrades and outages for lower ownership costs and increased profits. RECON integrates all condition monitoring technologies and services provided by D-R, and decades of OEM engineering experience. Among them are RECON Equipment Monitoring Services, an advanced system for collecting, analyzing, diagnosing and reporting information from remote equipment. These technologies are particularly important to owners and operators of equipment in locations not easily accessible to experts…