Research Technology News

BAE Systems announced construction has begun on a new Applied Shipbuilding Academy at its Scotstoun shipyard on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, as the company bolsters its efforts to develop future talent.Designed to support the development of the entire workforce, from apprentices to senior leaders, the Academy will comprise of a Modern Trade Hall and a Flexible Learning Hub. It will also serve to upskill the existing workforce while attracting new talent.A historic industrial building will be retrofitted to become the Modern Trade Hall…

Ireland's new research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, has arrived in Irish waters and is currently docked in the Port of Galway before embarking on its first survey towards the end of July and then making its way to Dingle in advance of its official commissioning due to take place in Autumn 2022. The vessel has been named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned seaman and explorer from Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century.The RV Tom Crean…

A study, led by maritime design and applied technologies company Artemis Technologies has been awarded £533,000 to investigate transformative solutions to decarbonize crew transfer vessel (CTV) operations in the offshore wind sector.The grant, announced at London International Shipping Week, has been awarded as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.Artemis Technologies is partnering with CTV owner and operator Tidal Transit…

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is embarking on a new chapter in its ocean research with the construction of a state-of-the-art ship, a vessel named in honor of MBARI’s founder, David Packard. The R/V David Packard will be capable of accommodating diverse expeditions in Monterey Bay and beyond to further the institute’s mission to explore and understand our changing ocean.It will measure 50 x 12.8 m with a 3.7 m draft, designed to  support a crew of 12, plus a science crew of 18.

The Realization and Demonstration of Advanced Material Solutions for Sustainable and Efficient Ships (RAMSSES) project recently reached a key milestone. On July 18, at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding’s (DSNS) location in Vlissingen-East, the Netherlands, the project’s partners unveiled the recently assembled full scale composite ship’s hull section they have been developing these past three years. This, entitled Custom Made Hull for Offshore Vessel, represents one of 13 demonstrators that make up the RAMSSES project.

A consortium of maritime industry and academic partners have been awarded EU funding for a project aimed at reducing fuel consumption and lowering emission levels for shipping.The SeaTech project consortium, led by technology group Wärtsilä, has been formed to develop two symbiotic ship engine and propulsion innovations that when combined, could lead to a 30% reduction in fuel consumption. At the same time, the project envisions 99% reductions in emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)…

The Annual General Meeting of Gasum Ltd elected Torbjörn Holmström as a new member to the Board of Directors.The new member of the Board, Torbjörn Holmström (b. 1955, M.Sc Mechanical Engineering) has over 30 years' experience in the Swedish commercial vehicle industry, a press note from the integrated gas company located in Espoo, Finland said.Holmström is Senior Advisor of Volvo Group, Research & Technology since 2017 and before that he has held several high-level executive positions, including CTO, within Volvo Group which he has been with since 1979.The Board's current members Juha Rantanen, Stein Dale, Elina Engman, Päivi Pesola, Elisabet Salander Björklund and Jarmo Väisänen were re-elected.Juha Rantanen was re-elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

A new European research project seeks to revolutionize the shipbuilding sector by replacing steel with composite materials for the construction of more efficient large length ships. FIBRESHIP is an ambitious project that will allow for the construction of light commercial vessels, passenger and leisure transport and oceanographic vessels more than 50 meters in length using fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials. It is one of the largest innovation projects funded by the EU with a budget of €11 million, of which €9 million is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. The project involves 18 international entities representing the European shipping and shipbuilding industry from 11 countries including Cyprus…

Qatargas and Shell have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will lead to the two companies jointly researching liquefied natural gas (LNG) logistics. Through this joint logistics research collaboration, Qatargas and Shell aim to develop new ways to optimize supply chains to deliver to LNG global markets. The research will be conducted at the Qatar Shell Research & Technology Centre at the Qatar Science & Technology Park. The MOU was signed by Faisal Al Suwaidi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Qatargas Operating Company, and Andy Brown, Managing Director of Pearl GTL and Qatar Shell Country Chairman. Faisal Al Suwaidi said:“We are pleased to be able to be a partner with Shell in this research project.

IOMAXIS, provider of technologies and mission-focused solutions for the intelligence, defense and civilian government markets, said it has been awarded a seat on an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract valued at up to $245 million to give technological support and assistance to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Through opportunities under this contract, IOMAXIS will provide research, development and technical support to strengthen the NRL’s initiatives in defense, intelligence and security technologies. “We are honored to have this opportunity to work with the Naval Research Laboratory,” said Dennis Kelly, CEO of IOMAXIS.

U.S. High-ranking government officials, policy influencers, port authority CEOs and senior staff from throughout the Western Hemisphere, along with a host of maritime industry leaders will converge on Washington, D.C., April 4-6, to participate in the 2016 Spring Conference of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) – the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas. Among the conference highlights will be a keynote luncheon address by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx on April 6…

In his opening address at the Sustainable Ocean Summit 2015 held in Singapore today, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Mr Andrew Tan called for an integrated approach bringing together the science, the research, technology and different disciplines to understand the various eco-systems within the oceans and uncover more of the nexus between land and sea and how each affects the other. Tan's speech also underlined four principles to ensure an enduring Blue Economy that fulfils the twin goals of growth and sustainability, i.e. good governance, long-term vision, good execution, and strong partnerships.

The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR) unanimously approved the Oil Pollution Research & Technology Plan (OPRTP) for FY2015-2021 at the committee’s quarterly meeting Sept. 29, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. The purpose of the plan is to provide current assessments of the nation’s oil pollution research needs and priorities. This is the first update to the plan since 1997. "The research needs focus on the tools and technologies employed by the Coast Guard On-Scene Coordinators to address oil spills in the marine environment," said Bill Vocke, who works for the Coast Guard's incident management and preparedness policy directorate at Coast Guard Headquarters and also serves as ICCOPR’s executive director.

Ten years ago, Rolls-Royce partnered with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Marintek Research Centre to create a unique research centre in Norway. The partners have renewed their agreement in Trondheim, Norway, pledging to continue to develop high-tech solutions for the maritime sector, focusing on improving ship performance in rough seas. The research centre follows a model that Rolls-Royce has developed with universities worldwide: the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC).

Willard Marine, a manufacturer of aluminum and fiberglass commercial and military boats, will present at the High Speed Boat Operations (HSBO) Forum in Lisbon, Portugal from May 4-6. The HSBO Forum, gathers professionals from around the world to discuss new development, research, technology, operational procedures and equipment for high speed boating. Willard Marine Director of Sales, Bob Beck, will present Operational Risk Management procedures and a method to evaluate risk using a customary U.S. Coast Guard model. Beck will also discuss procedures used by the U.S.

Department of Navy leaders at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) EXPO in Washington D.C., February 5 called for investment in new ideas and scientific research to keep the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps technologically superior in increasingly uncertain times. Sean J. Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said tight budgets at home and technological advances by other nations must be met with a powerful response grounded in innovation from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps S&T community.

When the Institution of Naval Architects was formed in 1860 it became one of the bastions of Victorian engineering, enabling and encouraging the exchange of knowledge, information and good practice in the field of naval architecture. The basic principles laid down in the early days saw the Institution thrive as a body representing all the maritime nations of the world and this was recognized in its incorporation by Royal Charter in 1910 as the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA).

DNV GL has opened a new office in Nanjing, China, covering most of the Jiangsu Province and following the Yangtze River upstream to Chongqing and Sichuan. Headed by area manager Chen Keng, DNV GL Central China aims to support business growth in the area and act as center for operations in Central China. “Central China is home to dozens of shipyards, many industry manufacturers and is therefore one of the most important areas for DNV GL to focus on in China,” said Torgeir Sterri, Vice President and Regional Manager for Greater China at DNV GL.

Named for the first American woman launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, the Research Vessel Sally Ride was commissioned August 9 at Dakota Creek Industries (Anacortes, Washington). Sally Ride is a U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research sponsored Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research Vessel (AGOR-28). The vessel’s advanced deck machinery will be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography personnel during extended scientific missions upon the seven seas.

Dr. Michael A. Alfultis, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, and the director and chief administrative officer of the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus, has been named as the next president of the SUNY Maritime College. Dr. Alfultis’ appointment was affirmed today by the SUNY Board of Trustees who met in Buffalo. He will begin his Maritime presidential duties on Monday, July 14. With more than 20 years of undergraduate teaching experience and 13 years of progressive academic administrative responsibility at both military and civilian institutions of higher education…

An interview with Rear Adm. Matt Klunder, U.S. What are your near term, mid-term and long term science and technology (S&T) objectives? It’s critical that our Sailors and Marines never go into a conflict as a fair fight. Whether it’s a near-term threat we’re trying to address, or a long-term leap-ahead technology, we need to make sure that we’re investing in cutting edge technologies that are going to give our Sailors or Marines that decisive technological advantage. Across everything we do…

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) will expand its fleet with new super-efficient container vessels, prepared for “dual fuel” through a later LNG Fuel Gas Supply System (FGSS) retrofit after the delivery of the vessels. Through a technical cooperation with Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) and IHI Corporation (IHI), Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI), the shipbuilder for UASC intends to obtain an Approval in Principle (AiP) from UASC’s designated classification society, DNV-GL, for the FGSS and the LNG fuel tank.

OceanGate Inc. announced the completion of the initial carbon fiber hull design and feasibility study for its next generation manned submersible – Cyclops. Under a contract issued to Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T), OceanGate, the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington (APL-UW) and Boeing have validated the basic hull design for a submersible vehicle able to reach depths of 3,000 meters. With its large 180-degree borosilicate glass dome, the new vehicle will offer clients a chance to examine the environment…