Technology Facilities 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…

The Duclos family is iconic in boatbuilding circles, as the Somerset, Mass.-based Gladding-Hearn, Duclos Corporation, has built a strong heritage in the pilot boat and fast ferry sectors, and in total more than 425 vessels have been delivered since it was founded in 1955. Today a trio of second-generation siblings run the yard, brothers and co-presidents John and Peter Duclos with sister Carol Hegarty serving as CFO. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News visited the yard recently…

TeamSurv, the crowd sourcing project to create better nautical charts, has won support and endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC). TeamSurv has won a call by ESA to enter their Business Incubation Centre (BIC) at Harwell, Oxford. This provides TeamSurv with finance, with business and technical support, and with office space for the next year to enable a plan for a sustainable future, and to grow with the number of vessels and the amount of data produced.

Austal USA has arguably been one of the more progressive and aggressive U.S. shipyards in its investment in technology, facilities and people. Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle took the helm a little more than six months ago, and Maritime Reporter was able to catch up with him recently for insights on pressing matters of the day. You have been in the president’s chair at Austal USA for more than half a year; how is your mission different today than from when you were named to the top spot last December? Honestly my mission has not changed much since December.

The speed sailing boat smashes the current record in Walvis Bay, off the coast of Namibia. The new world record of 59.23 knots (109kph) set the best average time over 500m and broke the previous mark of 55.65 knots with a peak speed of 63 knots (119kph). Two days later the team improved this speed with a 59.38 knot run which peaked at exactly 120kph (64.78 knots). During the same run the team also smashed the nautical mile world record* with an average of over 55 knots. The ink was barely dry on the first record.

According to a Sept. 22 report from The National Post, the Government of Canada (GOC) is planning to build $40b worth of ships over the next 20 years. Davie Yards Inc., the largest shipyard in Canada, recently announced a deal with Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding Inc. The companies agreed to co-operate by sharing technology, facilities, and capabilities. They also proposed that the Government select Irving to build combat vessels and Davie to build commercial ships. (Source: The National Post)

Davie Yards Inc. (TSX:DAV) introduced its proposal for the implementation of a National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy aimed at renewing the federal fleet and building world-class shipbuilding capability in Canada, while providing more predictable work for the maritime industry. "Davie's proposal is based on our belief that Canadian yards can achieve a competitive position vis-à-vis European yards in building complex ships. In order to create such competitiveness, we are proposing that major federal shipbuilding projects be allocated to a select number of yards that will develop expertise and thus make it possible to secure the right costs and prices for the fleet renewal program," explained Steinar Kulen, President and Chief Executive Officer at Davie.

The annual Ship Production Symposium had as many as 600 attendees, many from the shipbuilding and repair industry, academia and government, gathered at Boston’s Westin Copley Place hotel for the September 25-26 event. concurrently with the Symposium.. Evidence of considerable interest in and support for the shipbuilding/repair industry and the NSRP collaboration was seen in not only the size of the crowd in attendance, but also in its composition. all the Nation’s largest shipyards were joined by top officials from the Defense Department, U. S. Navy, Maritime Administration and American Bureau of Shipping. repair industry’s importance to the Nation, and cited valuable advances in the industry that have been made possible through the government/industry collaboration enabled by NSRP.