On Board Equipment News

Moises DelToro at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, discusses how deploying a Ship’s Electric Grid is a flexible way to accommodate growing energy demands for naval and coast guard vessels.A new age of electrificationWe’re in a new naval era and it is reshaping views about fleet mixes and capabilities. Modern fleets need to be mission-configurable, highly capable for military advantage, adaptable for technology insertion, but still affordable. The growing demand for vessel power is increasingly an enabler for mission systems, not just for platform propulsion.

MSC Group’s Cruise Division on Wednesday officially took delivery from shipbuilding group Fincantieri of its new flagship MSC Seascape, said to be the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever built in Italy.The vessel is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a €7 billion investment package for 10 ships. The shipyard will also build six new vessels for MSC’s luxury travel brand, Explora Journeys.The 170…

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.

Marlink has unveiled BridgeLink, a technology agnostic solutions portfolio designed to interconnect on board Operational Technology (OT) within a standardized data structure.BridgeLink addresses compatibility and interfacing challenges by providing an open, technology agnostic platform for unifying on board equipment and sensors with network infrastructure and satellite IP connectivity, so that data from any system can be accessed, collected and shared in a single interface at sea or ashore.Providing access to data from OT such as radar…

Seafast Marine has named its renewables service vessel (RSV) Isle of Jura at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld in The Netherlands.Isle of Jura is a newbuild vessel, constructed at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, and is the second vessel built to a new Damen Renewables Service Vessel design.The RSV, according to Seafast Marine, is for use in the offshore and onshore wind industries. As a business based in Ross-shire in Scotland, Seafast Marine was happy to see it painted in the colors of the country’s Saint Andrew's flag.The Damen RSV 3315, evolved from the Multi Cat, is a powerful multi-purpose working vessel, designed to work in shallow as well as deeper waters. It features four azimuth thrusters, a DP2 4-point mooring system, two large cranes, hydraulic shark jaws and an AHT winch.

Damen Shipyards Group has announced that it will be presenting its new design of Shoalbuster to the maritime market during the upcoming Seawork Marine and Workboat Exhibition in Southampton next week. Damen has developed the new 27 meter long, 11 meter wide vessel in response to recent Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) changes concerning crew accommodation capacity.Damen introduced the first Shoalbuster 25 years ago with a view to combine the bollard pull of a Tug with the shallow draught of a Multi Cat.

The satellite communications provider Marlink is introducing an all-encompassing new hybrid communication service, called Sealink Global 4GThe Sealink Global 4G, as a turnkey solution it provides everything needed to leverage fast, low-latency mobile services when in network range while complementing VSAT connectivity when in regulated regions.Devised as a single global capability with full predictability on performance and costs, Sealink Global 4G is a ready-to-go solution bringing a new dimension of low-latency and flexible connectivity to Marlink’s global multi-band maritime network.The subscription is part of Marlink’s suite of 4G…

Marine automation systems developer Seastema said it has signed an agreement with cybersecurity firm Haruspex to develop cybersecurity solutions as an answer to rising demand in naval defense markets.Seastema, a Fincantieri Group company, said the agreement has the specific goal of jointly develop competencies for security assessment and real-time monitoring; these fields being an ideal deployment ground for Haruspex products, due to their built-in ability to model possible lanes for cyberattacks and mitigate their effects and protect networks, instruments and on-board equipment.The collaboration will operate on two complementary fronts: cybersecurity tools will…

Hatteland Display, a global provider of display and computer solutions for naval and professional maritime applications will show its new 20 inch XRD (Xtreme Rugged Marine Display) during Sea-Air-Space 2018. Hatteland Display’s latest tested and approved naval displays join a suite of established innovations on its booth, including the unique Series X 55” Ultra High Definition Tactical Table and 32" Series X Multi Vision Display, both of which feature high quality 4K resolution, large format panels capable of displaying data from diverse sensors and systems at the same time.

Pat Folan, a partner at Tug & Barge Solutions, weighs in on all things tugboat – with a focus on Subchapter M. Pat Folan is a partner in Daphne, Ala.-based Tug & Barge Solutions, a company that focuses on Subchapter M compliance for towing companies. The company also performs surveys of towing vessels and barges, manages safety management systems for towing companies and trains people on towing vessels and in offices. A professional mariner, he has operated towing vessels from Maine to Corpus Christi, Texas, including the Alabama Rivers, Lower Mississippi, Great Lakes and Erie Canal.

In today’s marine-scape of declining newbuild activity, many boatbuilders are seeking to buoy up productivity by reducing time to market. But how do you go about contracting intricate concurrent design and production flows without loss of quality, let alone the risk of production spiraling out of control? The general tendency is to overlap design phases. However, this potentially creates a greater number of uncertainties. Ship design includes multiple disciplines and specialties in spiraling activity cycles.

While the cruise industry grows globally in earnest, this maritime niche is under the microscope like no other, operating high profile, high design billion dollar ships in and out of some of the most pristine places on the planet. Tasked to keep the company’s ships running efficiently and environmentally sound is John Haeflinger, VP of maritime policy and analysis, who directly oversees the sustainability team at Carnival Corp. Haeflinger shares with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News his insights on the tech and technique to keep today and tomorrow’s fleet running clean and efficient.

“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed,” is an observation from William Gibson, the luminary science fiction author, that sums up many of the problems with widespread adoption of technological solutions. This is certainly true of shipping. As we saw at Nor-Shipping this year, it is now expected for most businesses to have a data-driven element, and enthuse about how they are ‘embracing digital.’ But how much of this buzz around digital solutions results in better decision making on the ground?

A newly built Damen Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 650 has completed sea trials in Shanghai and is now underway to new owner, Gippsland Ports in Australia on her own keel. The TSHD, named Tommy Norton, is the first Damen dredger built for Australia. Having left Shanghai on July 14, a Damen team is sailing Tommy Norton approximately 5,000 nautical miles over a period of approximately 30 days to reach Australia. Along the way, the vessel will stop off in Guam for bunkering and to enable the crew to take on supplies of fresh water and food.

Large shipping losses have declined by 50 percent over the past decade, mostly driven by the development of a more robust safety environment by ship owners, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s (AGCS) fifth annual Safety & Shipping Review 2017. In 2016 there were 85 total shipping losses reported, down 16 percent from 101 a year earlier. The number of shipping incidents declined slightly year-on-year by 4 percent with 2,611 reported, according to the review, which analyzes reported shipping losses over 100 gross tons.

Rolls-Royce has announced the latest stage in its research and development plans to make remote and autonomous shipping a reality and reap the benefits of increasing digitalization in the marine industry. The company said it is looking to develop partnerships and opportunities with other organizations around the world to, create the capability, competencies and jobs to supply the technology and components required. Today, the latest part of that program has been confirmed with the announcement, in Finland, of a significant research grant by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation.

Model testing ship-ice interactions in the St. In a cavernous room in the heart of a research center in St. John’s, Newfoundland at 8 am, the air temperature is -20 C while the water temperature is hovering at zero. National Research Council of Canada (NRC) staff are preparing the Ice Tank to test the integrity of a newly designed ship’s hull and propulsion system by subjecting a model to a battery of maneuvers and encounters with ice. One of the largest in the world, the Ice Tank is 90m long, 12m wide, and 3m deep.

Marine energy transportation, storage and production company Teekay will continue to utilize Marlink’s Sealink VSAT solution across its entire shuttle tanker fleet, following a recent contract extension and upgrade. Teekay, the world’s largest owner and operator of shuttle tankers, has employed Marlink’s high bandwidth global Sealink VSAT solution for its entire shuttle tanker fleet since 2011. The latest contract extension and upgrade secures Teekay’s ability to benefit from remote operations and support crew welfare…

In the next few years, demand for bandwidth on the high seas will grow, in no small part due to technology that is making operations more efficient and keeping crews and passengers healthy, happy and connected. Just a few years ago, a cruise-going family might have brought a single laptop computer and maybe a cell phone aboard. Today, cruise companies find that the average family shows up with 10 connected devices. And within the commercial maritime sector: crew members, away at sea for months at a time, are hungry for a robust connectivity experience to stay in touch with family and friends.

Rickmers Group will migrate to multiband VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) from Marlink Maritime VSAT for its fleet of 90+ vessels including containerships, bulk carriers and heavy lift vessels, in a move  that aims to improve operational efficiency through better integration of ship and shore side networks in addition to providing internet connectivity for crew welfare. High bandwidth availability on Marlink’s Ku-band ‘Plus’ maritime VSAT services will enable Rickmers to significantly enhance on board IT opportunities while introducing the possibility of live monitoring…

Bestobell Marine has secured an order for its cryogenic globe and check valves for the second LNG carrier in the Yamal series of vessels being built at DSME shipyard in South Korea. After winning the contract to supply cryogenic valves to the first vessel that will be owned and operated by Russian company Sovcomflot, the company proved it had the expertise and capabilities to supply the second Yamal vessel, which will be owned and operated by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).

Shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries is collaborating with technology service provider Accenture to design a ‘connected smart ship’ that aims to enable ship owners to better manage their fleets and achieve potential operational savings through the application of digital technologies. Using a network of sensors that will be built into new vessels, ship owners will be able to capture a range of ship voyage information including location, weather and ocean current data, as well as on-board equipment and cargo status data. By applying real-time analytics to new and historical fleet data and using data visualization technology to present the insights…

The U.S. Executive Branch has declared that the cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, and that America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on effective cyber security. Before the maritime industry sounds the danger signal, it needs to monitor other industries and branches of the government and take proactive preventative measures. There is no better place to prepare future and current mariners for these challenges than in maritime simulators.