Technology Applications News

Crowley announced it will pilot carbon capture technology on board one of its containerships under the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) program.The Jacksonville, Fla. based shipping company said it has reached an agreement with Sana Monica, Calif. based Carbon Ridge and MARAD to operate, measure and optimize the technology’s effectiveness in actual maritime environments at port and ultimately at sea. The collaboration includes the engineering…

Digitalization in the maritime industry continues to grow. Technology is constantly evolving, providing organizations with new ways to transform and manage their operations with adoption of technology creating first-mover advantage and future relevancy, and positivity impacting margins. The offshore services industry has been a major driver in the trend towards utilization of remote inspection and monitoring technology for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) of critical assets and infrastructure.

The United States is offering up to $1.5 million to aid projects that demonstrate low carbon energy and technologies on board domestic commercial vessels.The Maritime Administration (MARAD) in June issued a request for proposals (RFP) under its Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) program seeking single or multiple projects that demonstrate low carbon fuels or technology applications for propulsion or auxiliary systems used on vessels in the U.S. fleet. Applicants must be able to verify low carbon operations of the technology during the project demonstration…

Kongsberg Digital has launched its Industrial Work Surface, which aims to "fundamentally change how carbon-intensive industries operate by enabling the company’s software users to work within a single digital environment.""By providing end-to-end user workflows, Kongsberg Digital’s customers will benefit from cleaner, more efficient, and lower cost operations, reinforcing the company’s proven technology already deployed across the energy and maritime sectors," Kongsberg Digital…

Ecochlor and SINOTECH have announced a new agreement to advance long-term sales, marketing and technical assistance and to foster mutual maritime relationships worldwide.The recent signing of a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), has formalized the alliance between Ecochlor, Inc. (USA) and SINOTECH, CCS Co., LTD (China) in sales, marketing, after-sales support and technical assistance in engineering for the SINOTECH carbon capture and storage (CCS) unit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations (AMO) said it has accepted delivery on the last of 52 new coastal interceptor vessels.The new boat was contractually accepted by the agency on December 15, and it will arrive at AMO’s San Diego Air and Marine Branch in early 2022.AMO, which set out to streamline its aircraft and vessel acquisition and installation of technology applications as part of its Vision and Strategy 2030, has been replacing and upgrading its fleet of Midnight Express vessels.The acquisition contract…

Classification society ABS said it has awarded AET the SMART (INF) Notation for the 152,700 DWT DP2 shuttle tanker Eagle Passos, which was built and delivered by South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI).The first shuttle tanker to be granted an ABS Smart Notation, which recognizes the vessel’s data communication and network infrastructure, Eagle Passos will also be granted the Operational Performance Management (OPM) and Crew Assistance and Augmentation (CAA) class record comments in recognition of the optimization…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ABS to renew its partnership in maritime research, development and innovation. The signing was witnessed by Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs, at the Singapore Maritime Institute’s SMI Forum 2020 themed “Future of Port and Shipping”.Under this agreement, MPA and ABS will collaborate on projects relating to decarbonization, AI-driven decision support tools…

A team led by ABS has been awarded a contract by the European Commission (EC) to explore future directions for the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for ships.The landmark study will look at ways to improve and accelerate the integration of low-carbon fuels and innovative technologies into the requirements of the index, which was originally created to reduce emissions from ships by promoting design improvements and the adoption of more energy-efficient power systems.The EC…

The Marine Technology Society (MTS) announced that its membership has elected Dr. Josh Kohut, a professor at Rutgers University at the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, to serve on its Board of Directors as the Vice President of Education, from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022.The Vice President of Education ensures that the Society develops and maintains positive and productive relationships with academic institutions, laboratories—both public and private—and research institutes and helps develop opportunities for students.“Josh has a great record of working with students in our Marine Technology Camps and students sections, and he is experienced in leading research teams of graduate and undergraduate students in the field,” said MTS President Dr. Rick Spinrad.

A new guide published by ABS aims support the development of smart functions and condition-based approach to optimized performance that will help marine and offshore owners and operators capitalize on their operational data.Through the analytics that they provide, smart functions can proactively manage asset health and performance, providing a mechanism for sustainability and improved uptime. Smart functions can also lead to increasingly condition-based approaches to maintenance…

ABS published the Guide for Smart Functions for Marine Vessels and Offshore Units (Smart Guide) to help marine and offshore owners and operators capitalize on their operational data.The Smart Guide introduces a unique class approach leading to the marine and offshore industries' first set of notations to help owners and operators qualify and utilize smart functions. Through the analytics that they provide, smart functions can proactively manage asset health and performance, providing a mechanism for sustainability and improved uptime.

Bureau Veritas has issued a broad swathe of approvals to GTT, expert in membrane containment systems and liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology applications.Bureau Veritas experts have been working with GTT to approve two new containment systems: the Mark III Flex+, an evolution of the Mark III but with a lower boil-off rate (BOR), and the GTT MARS, a containment system developed for LPG carriers that is adaptable to any size of tank or ship.Approval in Principle (AiP) has been provided for a 6…

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced that crude oil and natural gas production has begun at the Jack/St. Malo project in the Lower Tertiary trend, deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Jack/St. Malo is a key part of Chevron's strong queue of upstream projects and was delivered on time and on budget. The Jack and St. Malo fields are among the largest in the Gulf of Mexico. They were discovered in 2004 and 2003, respectively, and production from the first development stage is expected to ramp up over the next several years to a total daily rate of 94…

An international association has been created to facilitate and promote wind propulsion for commercial shipping worldwide. The founding members of a new association for the shipping industry have announced the establishment of the International Windship Association (IWSA), an association that will encourage, advise and advocate for the use of wind propulsion technologies in the shipping industry. IWSA, established in the U.K. as an unincorporated, not-for-profit entity, will facilitate and promote the technology…

Infrastructure firm CG/LA Infrastructure announced the winners of its coveted Project of the Year award as voted upon by infrastructure industry insiders. “These transformative infrastructure investments are critical to our economic security and worldwide competitiveness,” CG/LA Infrastructure President and CEO Norman F. Anderson said. Project of the Year awards are given in five categories covering strategy, financing, engineering, job creation and the environment. All projects have specific business opportunities to be realized in the next three to 18 months. The winners – announced at the 5th Annual North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum at the historic Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The trade association event takes place in Malta from October 5-9 with an agenda dominated by safety issues. Insights on how the aviation industry builds and maintains safety culture will come from special guest speaker Jarle Gimmestad of Norway-based operational safety consultancy Gimmestad AS. He was previously with Scandinavian airline SAS as a captain and then as human factors and crew resource manager, which included working with the accident investigation group. Pointing to the continuously improving safety record of air travel, he noted, “There is a significant tendency - while undesired events used to be caused by technical insufficiency, we now realize that most are contributed by human error. We have left the myth of perfection. Human error is a natural part of human behavior.

Navy, Industry partner for research; sharing costs, risks, and rewards to reduce total ownership costs . America’s shipyards are fierce competitors, but they can also be close collaborators. The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) is a cooperative effort for American shipbuilders and the U.S. Navy, with the aim of improving efficiency and economy to reduce the cost of Navy ship construction and repair in American shipyards. According to the Navy’s NSRP program manager Connie Bowling of the Naval Sea Systems Command…

ITF, a global oil and gas technology facilitator, announced the challenges that its membership of operator and service companies want to see tackled as priorities in 2012. Up to 100% funding will be available for the right solutions to some of the industry’s most pressing challenges and ITF aims to secure around £50 million investment directly from its members over the next three years. A Subsea Technology Challenge Workshop will take place in Aberdeen on September 6, 2012, which will aim to drill down further into the issues and develop a roadmap to allow focus on the key subsea gaps that can be tackled collaboratively. Neil Poxon,…

SCRA announced a contract award totaling $1.7 million for the Shipbuilding Center of Excellence. The Center, known as the Center for Naval Shipbuilding Technology (CNST), is a Navy ManTech Center of Excellence, chartered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop advanced manufacturing technologies and deploy them in U.S. shipyards. CNST is managed and operated by SCRA affiliate ATI (Advance Technology International). The initial, two-year contract was awarded in August of 2009 and allowed for three follow-on, one-year extension options. The most recent award represents the first of the three potential option years and will be spent on Center operations and project development and management.

According to Germanischer Lloyd (GL), Offshore service vessels (OSV) are becoming larger, more specialized and technically sophisticated as a result of the rising demand for more complex deepwater field developments, including the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, there are some 2,500 OSV worldwide, with a steady growth projected from now through 2020. All this has led to an expanded definition of OSV which refers to "not only traditional supply boats, but also anchor handling tug/supply ships, well stimulation ships, and standby ships" and even those "built to carry hazardous and noxious substances, to fight fires, or to occasionally recover oil," said Stephen Gumpel, Area Manager North and Central America at GL.

Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE:SAI) announced it won a contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) - Pacific to evaluate emerging technologies for shipboard navigation, sensors and systems. This single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a three year base period of performance valued at $33m, two one year options, six six-month award terms, and a total potential value of more than $94m if all options are exercised. Work will be performed primarily in San Diego. Since 1997, SAIC has provided engineering and management services to SSC Pacific for navigation, Global Positioning System (GPS), command and control, and navigation warfare systems development.

Collegegrad.com named Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) a ‘Top Entry Level Employer” Jan. 30. This honor was announced on the Collegegrad.com website. Tony Gibert, Recruiting Director for NAVSEA’s Warfare Centers, agrees. "New college graduates are a very important part of our workforce. They not only bring a 'new' perspective coupled with global knowledge of technology applications and communication tools, but also show a contagious enthusiasm, work energy and initiative,” said Gibert. According to Collegegrad.com, entry level employers are increasing their hiring by 11.8% in 2008. Three hundred forty entry-level positions are expected to open at NAVSEA and its affiliated warfare centers in 2008. This is an increase from 200 new entry-level hires in 2007 according to Collegegrad.com.