Technology Design News

The U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security will hold a hearing to discuss delays in the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) shipbuilding and acquisitions programs.The hearing, announced by the subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) on Wednesday, will take place on May 7. It will examine the USCG's shipbuilding and acquisitions process, the state of efforts to modernize the service’s fleet and ways in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can facilitate faster turnaround times for USCG acquisitions programs…

A 27-meter harbor tug equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities has been put through its paces at the Port of Singapore, demonstrating functions such as smart navigation and collision avoidance which are key to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) goal to enable autonomous ship operations within the world’s busiest transshipment hub.The IntelliTug project, led by technology provider Wärtsilä and marine services firm PSA Marine, is a collaboration with classification society Lloyd’s Register…

The technology group Wärtsilä, in collaboration with PSA Marine, has achieved a breakthrough in its IntelliTug project.Following the successful installation of a first-of-its-kind Dynamic Positioning (DP) system onboard the harbor tug ‘PSA Polaris’, trials are now being carried out in the Port of Singapore under real-world conditions. This phase of the project implementation, which has been approved by Lloyd’s Register, moves the bar higher on safety standards for vessel automation and autonomy.

Recently I was attending the United Nations Science Technology and Innovation conference (STI Forum). While I attended to present on Wave Energy Conversion, the main subject at the conference was STEM education and STEM gender inequality. Almost every country in the world reports a lack of available STEM educated workers, and also reports that they have had problems engaging the non-male population in STEM professions.The discussions were extremely far and wide ranging, but when all was said and done…

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that the Beluga Ace, the first ship of its "FLEXIE series" next-generation car carriers, and both the Sunflower Satsuma and Sunflower Kirishima ferries, which are operated by its group company, Ferry Sunflower Limited, have received the "Ship of the Year 2018," and "Large Passenger Ship Sector Award," respectively.It marks double awarding for the group companies, said a press note."This is MOL's sixth Ship of the Year Award, and marks the second year in a row that MOL has received honor; its 20,000 TEU containership MOL Truth won for 2017," it added.The Ship of the Year Award…

Norwegian shipbuilder VARD has secured a contract worth approximately NOK 250 million ($29.5 million) to build the world’s first autonomous and electric container vessel, Yara Birkeland. VARD will deliver the groundbreaking ship for launch in early 2020, and the vessel will gradually move from manned operation to remote-controlled voyages and then fully autonomous sailing by 2022.Yara Birkeland is the result of a partnership between Norwegian chemicals company YARA and technology firm KONGSBERG…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)  announced that 20,000 TEU containership, MOL Truth(Note), one of the world's largest containerships, has received the "Ship of the Year 2017" award from the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE). The award is given for the highest levels of technology, design, and social responsibility among vessels made in Japan by JASNAOE. The MOL Truth earned high evaluations as a cutting-edge "eco ship" that not only exemplifies MOL's safe operation and environmental conservation policies, but also makes full use of the most advanced telecommunication and IoT/AI technologies. In addition, the judges regarded her as a historic milestone in Japan's shipbuilding industry because Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that a series of three MOL-operated 50,000 DWT methanol carriers — the Taranaki Sun, Manchac Sun, and Cajun Sun - received the "Technology Special Prize" in the Ship of the Year 2016 awards sponsored by The Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE). Every year, the Ship of the Year judges select the made-in-Japan vessels that represent the highest levels of technology, design and social responsibility. The Technology Special Prize goes to the most technologically advanced ships, and only four vessels, including the series of three MOL methanol carriers selected this year, have received this award.

London – 7 March 2016 - The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (“SSI”), a pioneering coalition of companies from across the global shipping industry, today launched its Roadmap, a set of key milestones and priorities which must be met in order to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040. The development of the Roadmap embodies the core attributes and values of SSI’s membership in working together to evaluate and establish the tangible change that will be needed to create a sustainable industry. “Our members have shown considerable commitment, as well as investing their knowledge and expertise to define a Roadmap, which truly encapsulates what needs to be delivered to create a more sustainable industry.

Market volatility for the petroleum sector provides a backdrop to an evolving Merger & Acquisitions environment for the Offshore Sector. In the 3Q edition of Maritime Professional, this series of articles examined the overall evolution of maritime and offshore M&A activity since 2010, tracing the flow of deals in the post-financial crisis era. In this edition, we take a closer look at relevant U.S. offshore energy industry deal flow and market movements as they relate to oil prices over time, and highlight some recent middle market transactions.

Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc. was the recipient of the Technical Innovation award at the 2014 Lloyd’s List North American Awards dinner held February 19 in Houston, Texas. The award celebrates the shipping industry’s ability to create and recognizes groundbreaking technology, design and service. Terragon earned the award for its novel technology, the Micro Auto Gasification (or simply, MAGS), an appliance designed to use shipboard solid waste and sludge oils as fuel to create useful energy that can be integrated back onboard the vessel.

A special contract signing ceremony between Bin Nowiran for Trading & Contacting Co-(BINCO) (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Damen Shipyards Group (The Netherlands) has taken place on October 1, 2013 during the Seatrade Middle East Workboat & Offshore Marine exhibition in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The vessels will be operated by BINCO in Kuwait to serve SPM operations of Saudi Arabian Chevron’s marine export facility at Mina Saud in the PNZ. BINCO has already been operating successfully in this field for 30 years and with these new vessels…

BP signs agreement with Maersk Drilling to develop designs for a new breed of advanced technology offshore drilling rigs. The agreement is part of BP’s Project 20KTM, a multi-year initiative to develop next-generation systems and tools for deepwater exploration and production that are beyond the reach of today’s technology. BP and Maersk Drilling will collaborate on concepts for deepwater drilling rigs that can operate in high-pressure and high-temperature reservoirs up to 20,000 pounds per square inch and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. A jointly staffed engineering team will be located in Houston, with back-office support from Maersk Drilling’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed legislation yesterday authorizing proceeds from the sale of $48 million in bonds for Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ship Systems sector to expand and modernize the company's Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss. As part of the partnership with the state, Northrop Grumman is allocating $96 million in capital funds to the project at Ingalls Operations and also its Gulfport Operations in Gulfport, Miss. The ceremony for the bill signing was held aboard Pinckney (DDG 91), one of the Aegis guided missile destroyers being built at Pascagoula. "The image of Mississippi in 2003 is unlike anything anyone could have imagined," Gov. Musgrove said.

The 14,000-TEU container ship was named 'APL Temasek' by Mrs Mary Tan, wife of the Republic’s President at a Singapore ceremony. APL Temasek is the first in a series of ten 14,000-TEU vessels on order by the Singapore-based shipping and logistics group. She is also the largest container ship to be registered in Singapore. “Today, we celebrate a landmark in NOL’s history,” said NOL Group Chairman Mr Kwa Chong Seng. “We are modernizing our fleet, improving our cost structure, and investing in the future.

MagnaShear oil shear motor brakes and Positorq oil shear winch tension control brakes from Force Control Industries are ideal for marine applications because they eliminate normal maintenance and adjustment, operate smoothly, and last up to 10-times longer than standard brakes. High grade castings, marine duty coatings, stainless steel fasteners and accessories make these brakes the ideal solution for onshore and offshore marine applications. Their varied ship-board and in-port applications include use on anchor winches…

Kvaerner Masa-Yards has delivered the $375 million, 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle, to Carnival Cruise Lines - its 20th Fun Ship - in the traditional handover ceremonies in Helsinki. For anyone who has ever had the privilege to attend such a delivery, seeing a new cruise ship rolled out in the middle of the Finnish winter is truly an awe-inspiring, if not one of the most ironic, sights. However, it is a testament to accrued cruise industry expertise and a stable infrastructure of equipment and system suppliers that keeps the shipyard at the forefront. Carnival Miracle is the sixth cruise ship in the Spirit class series of new Panamax-size cruise ships for Carnival Cruise Lines (four ships) and Costa Crociere (two ships).

Students glimpse the U.S. On April 25 2013, my family and I went to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), Ship Systems Engineering Station (SSES), for national “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” Most of the people who work there are engineers. Personnel at SSES design and create extremely technological naval ships and submarines, while figuring out new means of power besides oil. Throughout the day, children and parents were put into nine groups, and each group visited nine stations throughout the facility.

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) will present the SNAME 2008 Annual Meeting October 15-17, 2008 in . This technical meeting will features new and expanded conference programming. In 2008, SNAME will celebrate its 115th anniversary. The theme of the SNAME 2008 Annual Meeting is ”Celebrating our Past, Engineering our Future”. A part of the conference programming will take a retrospective look at the range of changes and innovations that have taken place in the profession and industry over these past 115 years. The SNAME 2008 Annual Meeting educational programming will build on the strengths of SNAME’s technical integrity. In addition to these formal educational sessions the new 2008 Annual Meeting format will also include opportunities for peer-to-peer networking.

Cambridge Consultants completes new trials on Iridium-based global push-to-talk radio system; Successful trials of new components of US Department of Defense Distributed Tactical Communications System. Cambridge Consultants, a technology design and development firm, today announced it successfully completed initial trials with Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) of new key components of the world’s largest push-to-talk (PTT) radio system – the US Department of Defense (DoD) Distributed Tactical Communications System (DTCS). DTCS enables soldiers in isolated areas to communicate without the need for ground infrastructure – and in locations where they often can’t pick up a geostationary satellite’s signal unless they move to higher ground.

Cruise ships operating in Southeast Alaska now have access to an interactive training CD-ROM detailing Coast Guard regulations and procedures in the region. The release of the CD marks the first time that a comprehensive resource of this kind has been made available in a repeatable and professional format that cruise ship officers may access at their own pace. Created through collaboration between United States Coast Guard Sector Juneau and Holland America Line, the course is designed to educate cruise ship personnel about regulations enforced by the Coast Guard. "We are grateful to Holland America Line for their commitment and help on this project," said Captain Mark Guillory, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Juneau.

Aker Kvaerner has been awarded two out of the 14 Spotlight on New Technology awards at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). The Spotlight on New Technology, first introduced last year, is a program that serves as a stage to highlight the most innovative and significant offshore developments during the year. "These recipients demonstrate the increasing technical edge that is required to explore and produce in ever-increasing water depths, and more remote and hostile environments. Aker Kvaerner Engineering and Technology in Oslo, Norway, has received an award for the technology design of the patented Stepped Diameter Tendon. The tendon…