Technical Centre News

A climate neutral island supply vessel has been launched for the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) to service the Marshall Islands.GIZ is implementing the bilateral project financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) together with the government of the Marshall Islands. The ship, which was developed by the ship design office Kostec Co. and the shipyard Asia Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Busan/Geoje, South Korea, together with the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and the Hamburg design office SDC…

Silverstream Technologies appointed Catriona Savage into the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Savage will lead the continued development of the innovative Silverstream System and will further develop the technical centre-of-excellence built by Silverstream Technologies. The new role will lead on Product Development and Application Engineering and all aspects of product quality, safety and performance.Savage joins Silverstream following a career at BMT as Technical Assurance and Capability Director…

Classification society DNV said it awarded an approval in principle (AIP) certificate to Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for its ammonia-fueled 7,000 CEU car carrier design.Ammonia is emerging as a promising alternative fuel option for shipping to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.SDARI's new ammonia-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) design is said to be the first from China. It design contains other clean features such as Shore Power, Battery/Hybrid, and NOx Tier III, to minimize emissions.

APM Terminals’ new Global Core Competency Centre (GC3) will ensure that the company not only continues to lead in terms of technology, but will proactively re-think how technology can drive company growth.The GC3 commenced in July with more than half of its employees already onboard, but launched officially this month in Algeciras, Spain.“The vision is to create an internal technical centre to meet the demands of our business in the areas of Terminal Operating Systems (TOS), Asset Digitization and Workforce Management,” explains Richard Ventre, Global IT Director at APM Terminals. “As this team matures, we will have an unrivalled internal…

The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships' satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop back-up systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. Ships use GPS (Global Positioning System) and other similar devices that rely on sending and receiving satellite signals, which many experts say are vulnerable to jamming by hackers. About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea and the stakes are high in increasingly crowded shipping lanes.

Shipping services that support Russia's attempts to extract oil from remote parts of the Arctic will run into difficulties as banks scale back energy financing due to Western sanctions, increasing transport costs for the frontier sector. Sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and European Union over Ukraine have targeted the delivery of oil technology, goods and services, aiming to make it impossible for Moscow to access new oil sources. The world's largest energy exporter, Russia relies on oil and gas exports for about half its federal budget.

Europe’s latest Galileo navigation satellite has arrived at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) technical centre in the Netherlands for testing, as the previous two satellites are prepared for shipping to French Guiana for launch this summer. ESA explains that the new satellite arrived at ESA’s Technical Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, in the Netherlands, safely enclosed within an air-conditioned and environmentally controlled container from manufacturer OHB of Bremen, Germany. Meanwhile, the previous two Galileo satellites have completed their long test campaign and are being readied for shipping to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, for launch together by Soyuz. Europe’s first four Galileo satellites are already in orbit, the minimum number needed for achieving a position fix.

Atlas Elektronik increased the reach of its torpedoes substantially, setting a new range record. At a test-firing in March 2012, the heavyweight torpedo SeaHake mod4 ER (Extended Range) achieved a range of over 140 km. SeaHake mod 4 is the latest advancement of the DM 2 A4 heavyweight torpedo, which is in service with the German Navy as well as the navies of Turkey, Pakistan and Spain. By fully exploiting the system’s unique propulsion and battery technology, it became possible…