Test Site News

ORPC, an marine renewable energy developer whose power systems harness the energy of free-flowing rivers and tides, has signed a contract with Shell Technology – Marine Renewable Program to initiate a Modular RivGen Power System demonstration project in the Lower Mississippi River.The collaborative project represents an opportunity to showcase how the next generation of ORPC’s hydrokinetic technology can provide predictable baseload electricity to help decarbonize onshore assets.

Corvus Energy, a producer of battery systems for the ocean space, opened a new test area for hydrogen fuel cells at its production site in Bergen, Norway.As part of the H2NOR project, Corvus is working toward the development and production of sustainable, large-scale maritime-certified hydrogen fuel cell systems, with Toyota on board as key partner and supplier of mass-produced fuel cell technology.In March the project received Approval in Principle (AiP) by DNV and the test area is an important part of the prototype testing and validation.

The European Commission has chosen Technip Energies, X1 Wind, and a consortium of ten international entities, to deliver the NextFloat project, a program aimed at accelerating industrial-scale floating wind.NextFloat project's main objectives are to demonstrate a competitive, sustainable, and integrated floating offshore wind solution optimized for deep waters and to accelerate the industrial-scale deployment of floating offshore wind. The integrated solution relies on X1 Wind's floating offshore wind technology…

Danish offshore vessel company Maersk Supply Service has installed six mooring lines and six anchors for the DemoSATH floating wind project at the BIMEP open sea test site in the Biscay Bay off the coast of Armintza, Spain.SATH Technology is based on a concrete platform concept with a plug-and-play Single Point Mooring, the same technology used for FPSOs. This anchoring system allows an easy connection so the platform can be disconnected and taken ashore for O&M. The platform can rotate freely around this single point like a weathervane…

The U.K.’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has granted £10 million for the design and construction of a new floating wind turbine demonstrator off the coast of Scotland.The SENSE PelaStar project will feature SENSEWind’s turbine self-installation system, the PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP) floating foundation from Glosten and Subsea Micropile anchors. The SENSE concept will be put through its paces on a fully operational 2 MW floating wind turbine…

Introducing a new class of warship can be fraught with pain, and the first ship is always the hardest – almost always behind schedule and over budget. And trying something new and transformational is even harder.The U.S. Navy knows this from experience. That’s one reason why the Navy is opting for a lower risk design for its next class of guided missile frigates (FFGs).Just about every new class has experienced a rough start. Although the USS Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) today represent the largest and most successful class of warships…

Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems has opened a new test bench for mtu engines at the company’s location in Suzhou, China. The R&D test bench can accommodate mtu engines with a power output of up to 3,600 kW and will be used to test parts, engines and complete systems for power generation and industrial applications.Eugenia Valente, President Rolls-Royce Solutions Greater China, said, “The new R&D test bench is a testament to our strong commitment to the Chinese market. It allows us to do all product qualifications in China…

Offshore vessel operator and installation services firm Bourbon Subsea Services has recently completed the installation of the 3.6 MW TetraSpar floating wind turbine prototype at a test site in Norway.The TetraSpar Demo project is developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE and has been described as the world’s first full-scale demonstration of an industrialized offshore foundation.The TetraSpar foundation concept is the modular “building block” arrangement: each foundation is assembled from tubular steel modules…

Europe's biggest utility Enel has agreed to work with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to find ways to use green hydrogen in ports and long-range sea transport."The two companies intend to exploit their expertise and know-how in their respective sectors to identify possible sustainable and innovative solutions," they said in a statement on Thursday.Fincantieri and Enel Green Power Italia will in particular study the supply of green hydrogen to naval, submarine and surface vessels and industrial users in port areas and look into storage systems.Enel’s Eugenio Montale power plant in the town of L

Philippines and Singapore-based crew specialist CF Sharp has established its own COVID-19 testing center in Manila to speed up its crew change process amid mounting coronavirus case counts and ongoing logistical challenges for seafarers and ship managers globally. Sharp, which earlier this year repatriated more than 12,000 crew members from cruise ships around the world, is now pitching in to assist with crew changes for commercial vessels docked off the Philippine coast and has…

Biofouling control measures for ships are usually selected to match their operational profiles, and so what happens when constant service ships become idle for prolonged periods or operate at slower service speeds? Will they become vulnerable to fouling, and what measures can be taken to reduce the risk? These questions can best be answered by understanding the biology of the waters in which the vessels are located, the ecology of the different immersed parts of the ship, the biofouling control methods that have been applied or in use…

Mocean Energy, global wave energy player, has teamed up with energy major Chrysaor, subsea energy storage experts EC-OG and AUV specialist Modus in a project to look at using renewables for subsea power.The project, funded by the partners together with the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), will look to use Mocean Energy’s Blue Star wave energy converter and EC-OG’s HALO subsea energy storage system to power subsea tiebacks or residential AUVs.If industry feedback is positive, the partners will press ahead with a technology field trial using a Mocean Energy prototype in the seas off Orkney later this year.Once proven, these technologies could provide vital backup power in case of umbilical failure…

The St. Louis Regional Freightway has compiled a summary of the major developments over the past year that either elevated the St. Louis region’s global status as a world-class freight hub or will help to advance the region’s position as the country’s freight nexus in the year ahead.“From mega projects breaking ground and global companies choosing to invest here, to newly formed partnerships that strengthen the bi-state region’s role in national and global supply chains, there was much to be excited about in 2019…

Swedish marine energy developer Minesto AB has renewed the collaboration agreement with National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) to explore the potential for Minesto’s Deep Green technology in Taiwan.The renewed collaboration agreement with NTOU's Center for Ocean Energy System (COES) was signed at a ceremony in Taipei by Minesto’s CEO Dr Martin Edlund and Professor Chen-Chou Lin, Director of COES.The collaboration between Minesto and COES builds on a phase-staged approach to go from a joint demonstration project at a test site in Keelung to full-scale ocean deployment of Minesto’s Deep Green technology in Taiwan. It strives to encompass both commercial and research-related objectives such as developing the marine energy market in Taiwan and neighboring countries…

Ireland-based SSE Renewables, a renewable energy subsidiary of Airtricity, is set to conclude decommissioning of the Hunterston National Offshore Wind Turbine Testing Facility (NOWTTF) by blowing up in a controlled explosion.The 177m-high (580ft) turbine had been used as a test site for offshore wind farms such as the massive Beatrice field in the Outer Moray Firth. The other turbine on the Hunterston site was dismantled by a crane last year."The turbine is scheduled to be brought down by controlled explosion on Thursday 19 September subject to suitable weather conditions," SSE  said.The original intention was to dismantle the components of the Siemens turbine by crane. However, a suitable method of safely dismantling the turbine by crane could not be established.

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes of operation are entering the underwater domain for oil and gas operations and…

Global certification group DNV GL has launched its first LiDAR verification site in Asia to cater for the growing windpower market.The world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body said in a press release that the site, based in the near-shore facility, in Youngkwang, South Korea, provides optimal wind conditions for the verification of wind systems.LiDAR measurement verifications are vital to subsequently conduct measurement campaigns for power performance testing of wind turbines as well as site assessments with LiDAR measurement systems.The facility has “optimal conditions” for wind power benchmarking…

Marine organisms such as barnacles and zebra mussels have been a long-standing nuisance to ship hulls, causing exterior damage, increased power and fuel consumption and environmental concerns. While anti-fouling coatings help to prevent biofouling,  a new research study suggests that an innovative approach to marine coatings may solve the problem of barnacle and zebra mussel fouling, an approach stems from the MOSI (Marine Organism Sensory Interference) concept. MOSI uses a unique coating tech to interfere with the sensory ability of juvenile barnacles…

Spanish tidal energy developer Magallanes Renovables is testing its tidal technology on a test site at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.The successful installation of their second generation (2G) 2MW tidal platform ‘ATIR’ took place on 16th February and marks a major milestone in the Ocean_2G project, which aims to test, validate and pre-certify Magallanes’ device, said a release from EMEC.The ATIR was built and launched in Vigo, Spain in 2017, where it underwent a structured test programme to optimise the system, ensuring the device performs at its best.After this successful period of testing, the ATIR was towed from Spain to Orkney in September 2018.After months of careful planning and close working between the project partners…

The Coast Guard has developed two separate mitigation system prototypes specifically designed for inland and offshore environments and tested them in the Kalamazoo River and Lake Huron.Whenever there is a need for oil, there will always be a risk of oil spills. This is no less true for bituminous sands, commonly known as oil sands or tar sands. Oil sands are mostly found in Alberta, Canada, and comprised of bitumen, sand, clay and water. They are typically viscous, with a texture similar to peanut butter.

A first-of-its-kind floating ocean cleanup system is undergoing a final round of testing before it begins removing plastic pollution from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch halfway between Hawaii and California.The system developed by the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup was launched from San Francisco Bay on September 8 and towed 350 nautical miles by the vessel Maersk Launcher to an offshore test site. System 001 will now undergo two weeks of trials before continuing its journey to start collecting debris at the world’s largest accumulation of ocean plastic some 1…

Diverse Newbuild & Repair Business Buoys 2018The year 2018 is off to good start at Vigor. The Harbor Island facility welcomed a new drydock christened the Evolution. The $20 million Evolution is the third drydock at Vigor’s Seattle facility and largest in the Puget Sound region, measuring 640 x 115.5 ft. with a lift capacity of 22,000 LT.Other investments in Seattle include a buildout of a dedicated aluminum production facility which greatly expands Vigor’s fabrication capabilities and capacity for workboats…

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has provided a series of metocean data sets to be used in a new Scottish open innovation competition aiming to stimulate creative thinking and data science to design new data products for the benefit of the marine environment, communities and economy.Organized by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Data Lab, Scotland’s Blue Growth Data Challenge will make available data sets from 2015 in-situ observations and numerical modelling from EMEC’s wave and tidal energy test facilities in Orkney.The data sets include wave conditions at EMEC’s Billia Croo wave test site; meteorological observations in two locations adjacent to EMEC’s wave and tidal test sites…