Technology Leaders News

Designed for military use but now available commercially, OPENSEA Edge is designed to be a modular edge computing module with perception support for autonomous underwater robots based on Greensea’s OPENSEA open architecture software platform, advancing ocean robotics into the next generation.Greensea launched its latest product which the company says promises to bring true autonomy to ocean robotics.Based on Greensea’s open architecture platform OPENSEA, OPENSEA Edge offers the next level of operator capability.

Alfa Laval and Swiss engine designer WinGD have established a joint program in which Alfa Laval will develop the fuel supply system for WinGD methanol engines. The agreement was signed on September 8 at the SMM exhibition in Hamburg, Germany.To support shipping decarbonization, WinGD has announced that its engines will be able to run on methanol as of 2024. In making that promise reality, the company has turned to Alfa Laval for the development of a fuel supply solution. Alfa…

DNV signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundi Heavy Industries (HHI), AVIKUS and Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) to collaborate on autonomous ship technology developments.The Hyundai intelligent Navigation Assistant System (HiNAS 2.0) is an AI-based navigation solution that covers all steps for voyage from detection to situation analysis, planning and control. The system assists in safe navigation by displaying AR (augmented reality) images of detected ships and navigation information.

A pair of hybrid-electric crew transfer vessels (CTV) being built for Danish operator MHO&Co will be powered by propulsion systems manufacturer Volvo Penta and electrification specialist Danfoss Editron.The 35-meter CTVs were designed by MHO&Co in cooperation with Incat Crowther in the U.K. and Australia and are being constructed at the Afai Southern Shipyard in China for delivery in 2021.Volvo Penta marine gensets will help power these vessels – the electric propulsion power for the driveline will come from five variable speed Volvo D8 gensets.

When discussing the arrival of autonomous workboats, many – especially those developing the technologies that enable them – say it’s is not a matter of if, but when. In fact, autonomous harbor tugs are already being put to the test in Singapore, where authorities hope to establish the technological infrastructure to enable fully autonomous ship operations. In the U.S., an autonomous vessel was shown to be able to respond to marine oil spills.But is autonomy really the future?

ONE SEA, an industry alliance bringing together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology, has made a significant addition to its growing membership, after signing up Awake.AI - a company led by an experienced team of maritime digital innovators.Awake.AI is aiming to create a new platform and ML models (Machine learning) based on transparent data sharing to break down the barriers between ships, ports and other actors in the maritime logistics chain. The ‘virtual infrastructure’ will be vital if ports are to handle autonomous ships successfully from pre-arrival…

New digitization solutions, such as big data, blockchain, automation, drones, and robotics, are enabling the maritime freight industry to introduce game-changing approaches that will significantly reduce or eliminate non-value-added activities. Over the next five years, maritime suppliers across the value chain will increasingly adopt solutions to address security, overcapacity and accurate cost models, according to new research from ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies. "Along with consolidation and pressures on profits, long-standing players must adapt and work with partners within and outside the industry…

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced it has partnered with a company specializing in 3D printing technologies in a move that aims to transform naval shipbuilding in the U.S.Huntington Ingalls’ Newport News Shipbuilding division will work with 3D Systems to develop additive manufacturing technologies expected to accelerate the adoption of metal 3D printing for building components of U.S. warships.The joint effort, which comes amid a significant technological transformation underway at Newport News…

New regulations on limiting sulphur and nitrogen oxides emissions and a burgeoning global infrastructure are adding to the growing momentum for the more widespread adoption of LNG as a marine fuel. “Green Corridor”, a new joint industry project (JIP) signed recently in Singapore, looks to capitalize on this opportunity to drive the development of the market. Under the JIP, partners BHP Billiton, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Rio Tinto, SDARI, Woodside and DNV GL will assess the commercial potential of LNG fueled vessels in a “green corridor” between Australian and China…

DNV GL has initiated a joint industry project for the design of a state-of-the-art next generation LPG carrier. LPGreen aims is to develop a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and safer vessel for the transportation of LPG products, taking into account existing and future trading patterns and ensuring the overall competitiveness of the concept. The project will incorporate the latest advances in hull form optimisation, cargo handling systems, engine technology and fuelling options. The resulting concept design will be compliant with the new IGC Code. DNV GL has brought together experts from across the industry for this project…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, will introduce yet another port industry first during the upcoming TOC Europe exhibition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. On 9 June, ONE is coming. Automation is widely accepted as the way towards improved productivity, safety and competitiveness in today's container terminals. However, it is often perceived as a difficult task that requires terminal operators to integrate multiple complex systems. "We believe that the port industry is at the start of the next big wave of automation. Kalmar and Navis, as global technology leaders in this field, are strongly contributing to this transformation and addressing the industry's challenges.

Switzerland's Hoerbiger technology group & Germany's L’ Orange GmbH establish a new company, D'Blue, to serve the Asian market. Hoerbiger and L’Orange GmbH, Stuttgart, a subsidiary of the Tognum Group, are working together to enhance their product portfolio for the equipping of two- and four-stroke engines in the power class of 100 kW per cylinder and higher. Under the name D’Blue, the two companies will be acting as a system supplier for injection and control technology for large engines with compression ignition—e.g. for ships and locomotives. Hoerbiger and L’Orange say they are using their position as technology leaders to meet growing…

Industry experts share views on key Arctic R&D issues. ABS, a provider of classification services to the global offshore industry, offers a series of Arctic workshops that aim to help define the region’s most pressing research and development (R&D) needs. The next workshop on the agenda takes place March 19-20 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where approximately 70 Arctic specialists from industry and academia will brainstorm challenges and potential solutions to operating in harsh and frontier areas and identify new joint research opportunities. Over the last year, ABS has organized a series of invitational workshops where technology leaders from industry and academia have gathered to chart a way forward together.

Development of a "Full Warship Trainer" at the focus of the cooperation. Thales Germany and Transas Marine International signed a cooperation agreement to develop and market a Full Warship Trainer (FWST). This modular simulation solution, which will be offered in various configurations, is the first of its kind to create a virtual simulation of an entire warship for training purposes: this encompasses the ship's control from the bridge, the work in the engine room, CMS (Combat Management System) training, realistic doorgunner exercises for helicopter missions or weapons training for boarding teams. Thales Germany contributes to this cooperation its years of experience developing generic tactical and strategic trainers…

“We continue to be successful in world markets and have also found new customers in attractive niches in 2011. At the same time, our regular customers are now again ordering not only in the newbuilding segment but precisely also in the retrofit area,” said Dr. Alexander Nürnberg, Chairman of VDMA Marine and Offshore Equipment Industries, at a late 2011 press conference held in Hamburg. The German maritime economy is an essential industrial sector, which — particularly in the rather…

The VDMA (German Engineering Federation) has noted an upsurge in orders for German marine equipment and offshore suppliers, despite a six percent drop in sales in 2010. “We continue to be successful in world markets and have also found new customers in attractive niches in 2011. At the same time, our regular customers are now...ordering not only in the newbuilding segment, but...in the retrofit area,” stated Dr. Alexander Nürnberg, Chairman of VDMA Marine and Offshore Equipment Industries, at the association press conference held in Hamburg on Wednesday. “2010 was a difficult year for marine equipment suppliers in production, as there were few new orders from shipbuilding in 2009. Nevertheless, we have retained our staff.

MAN Diesel & Turbo has reached agreement with TGE Marine Gas Engineering, specialist in the design and construction of cargo-handling systems for cryogenic gases, regarding their future cooperation. In particular, the agreement centers on MAN Diesel & Turbo’s medium-speed, dual-fuel engines and the mutual benefits arising from a collaboration with TGE’s gas systems to offer optimum customer solutions for gas-fuelled ships. With the imminent arrival of the strict IMO NOx and SOx emission regulations, gas has potential as a solution to marine fuel requirements.

RWO Marine Water Technology, a part of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, has received an order for three of its ballast water treatment systems CleanBallast from the Japanese shipyard Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering Co. Ltd. (SHI-ME). The shipyard located in Yokosuka, Japan, has built in excess of 1,300 ships. Specialising in medium-sized tankers with high added value SHI-ME has a reputation in the industry as one of the technology leaders. The ballast water…