These New Products News

Somerset, N.J. based Mack Boring & Parts Co. has promoted Christopher Ponnwitz to the role of Chief Commercial Officer of Mack Sustainable Energy, a new division for the company.“I am very happy to announce that Chris has moved into this new role, where he will be leading our efforts to further expand and grow the electric marine market, particularly with the ePropulsion product line,” said Patrick McGovern, President and CEO of Mack Boring. “Chris has been an exemplary leader for our company, and he’s a fast learner who has been working relentlessly to promote electric propulsion.

Ballast water management systems (BWMS) manufacturer Techcross said it plans to roll out a variety of eco-friendly shipbuilding equipment lineups in addition to the existing BWMS at the Sea Japan 2024 maritime trade show."The optimal solutions provided, based on extensive engineering and installation experience, are expected to not only reduce costs for customers but also contribute to the protection of the Earth’s environment," the South Korean-based company said.Techcross said it will also officially begin sales of HYCHLOR 2.0, a non-filter type indirect electrolysis BWMS that received U.S.

U.S. based power transmission equipment manufacturer Twin Disc announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Katsa, a Finnish-headquartered manufacturer of power transmission components and gearboxes for industrial and marine markets, in an all-cash transaction valued at €21 million (approximately $23 million).The transaction is expected to close in the first half of calendar year 2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, Twin…

Big data, advanced computers and AI are allowing vessel designers to prepare models that leave essentially nothing to chance.“Lastly, it may be of considerable importance to form from the draught a block model of the vessel from which a still more accurate judgment may be formed of the fitness and beauty of the body. And should any defect be discovered, farther alterations must still be made, till the draught and the model are perfectly approved of. These different alterations and repeated calculations may appear very tedious…

Nippon Paint Marine appointed Gladys Goh as its President, effective immediately, making her the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. The marine division is the founding business for the 140-year-old Nippon Paint Holdings Group, a leader and pioneer in marine paint and Goh Gladys joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, driving the brand to become Malaysia's top coatings provider and subsequently led expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as Senior Vice-President…

As maritime faces transcendent changes in terms of decarbonization and automation, Juha Kytölä, Director of R&D and Engineering, Wärtsilä, discusses how this Finnish maritime technology powerhouse is investing in the technologies and facilities that will drive the maritime industry for the coming generation, including insights on its unique arrangement for a future fuel engine testbed onboard Wasaline’s MS Aurora Botnia.To start off, can you give a scope of the Wärtsilä R&D investment?We invest heavily in research and development, about 4.1% of our annual turnover.

“If we are to state our strategy in one word, it’s decarbonization,” said Juha Kytölä, director of R&D and engineering at Finnish tech company Wärtsilä. “What we are going toward is to supply the market with a portfolio of products that are ready for zero-carbon fuels.”In order to achieve its sustainability goals—including a 2030 target for carbon neutrality in its own operations—Wärtsilä has been taking big strides in research and development, having ramped up its investment on this front in recent years, Kytölä said.

Northern Lights Inc. (NLI) announced the launch of several new products hitting the market in 2024, including its new M4105 and M6105 genset series as well as the reintroduction of its Lugger propulsion engines with the L4105 and L6105 series.With kilowatt ratings from 125 to 245 at 60 Hz, the M4105 and M6105 series generator sets are built on Northern Lights’ robust base frame design for a clean, compact package sure to complement any engine room, the manufacturer said. Northern…

Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian maritime equipment and technology specialist, announced a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions on the 121-meter passenger vessel MS Richard With, which is owned by Hurtigruten, a coastal ship operator and adventure travel company.The vessel finished an extensive refit last summer using Kongsberg Maritime engineering and technology and has now completed its first year back in service.Last year, Kongsberg Maritime partnered with Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships to hybrid technology, promising reduced emissions and quieter operations.

Established in 1907 as the Industrial Revolution arrived to Seattle, Markey is the oldest privately-held winch manufacturer in the United States today. The company was formed in the Georgetown District of what later became known as King County, Wash. The Markey sign above its original manufacturing plant, on Horton Street, is still retained, although Markey has since moved to its current facility on 8th Avenue South.Markey was a major supplier to the U.S. Navy in both world wars…

We’ve had the means for a while, now we have the incentive to crush the data siloes that are holding back voyage optimization.Like kids in the sandpit, owners and charterers are being forced to share, perhaps more than they really want to. The IMO and the EU, for starters, are setting data-driven decarbonization rules, and those in the sandpit are having to respond.Ship managers and data analysis specialists are developing technical solutions to boost transparency with the aim of facilitating shared responsibility on CO2 emissions, but it’s no easy task.

Denmark-based marine pump specialist Svanehøj has taken over California-based Complete Cryogenic Services, a specialist in service and overhaul of submerged pumps on LNG tankers."The number of LNG tankers globally has grown by around 40% in the last five years, and 2022 was a record year with more than 200 new contracts signed. With this, an attractive service and aftersales market emerges, in which Svanehøj is determined to gain market share," the company said,Therefore, Svanehøj decided to acquire Complete Cryogenic Services (CCS) in Tustin…

Sofar Ocean is on a quest to extract and put to use data from the world’s waterways. Co-Founder and CEO Tim Janssen discusses how his team’s hyper-focus on data is helping to improve weather routing via Wayfinder.Tim Janssen and his Sofar Ocean team continue their ‘Epic Ocean Data Quest,’ remaining laser focused on doing its part to help extract and put to use increasing quantities of information from the world’s oceans. For its part, Sofar continues to build scalable networks to gather information premised on its Sofar Spotter buoy.

Hydra Service, manufacturer of Dynapower pumps, motors and turbine starters, announced it has been purchased by a local manufacturing investment group led by Mick Webber. According to the company, the new ownership and existing management are committed to servicing and replacing old equipment, developing new products, opening channels to market, and attracting different customer segments.“When I started Hydra Service in 1981, we were a four-man shop that primarily serviced oilfield equipment,” said former owner Rick Bentley.

Jörg Franzke, the newly appointed president of Scania U.S.A., Inc., is a company veteran, having been with the Scania group since 1995, building a wide experience in various positions such as Services, Truck Sales, R&D, Network Development and Quality Management. And prior to his current role, Franzke was the Head of Power Solutions at Scania Germany for 10 years.He weighs in on how Scania is helping customers meet their decarbonization agendas, and lays out challenges and opportunities on the path ahead.The commercial marine industry is seeing major changes in several key areas…

IMTRA, the New Bedford, Mass.-based manufacturer and importer of solutions and products for the marine, energy and transportation markets, recently underwent a change in ownership. But even under new owners, so much about the company, including its makeup and offering, will remain unchanged. And that’s because the new owners are the company’s existing employees.Eric Braitmayer, president and CEO, said IMTRA’s leadership—including vice president of recreational sales Chip Farnham…

Rolls-Royce is expanding its range of mtu NautIQ ship automation systems with three new products offering different levels of intelligent crew support, autonomous control and remote command capabilities.The new products—mtu NautIQ CoPilot, mtu NautIQ CoOperate and mtu NautIQ CoDirect—are the next step in the cooperation between Rolls-Royce and autonomous control and remote-vessel command systems developer Sea Machines Robotics, which was first announced in September 2021.The most advanced intelligent pilot assist system of the new product range…

Intellian Technologies and SES have unveiled two new user terminals approved for O3b mPOWER, the mP130 for fixed enterprise and the X130D PM for government vessels.This follows on from the multi-year agreement that was signed in October 2021, for Intellian to supply user terminals for SES's O3b mPOWER communications system. These user terminals are the first to be unveiled from the portfolio Intellian is developing, ranging from 85cm to 2.4m.According to Intellian, the mP130 and X130D PM have been engineered in close collaboration with SES and optimized for O3b mPOWER usage…

Paints and coatings company AkzoNobel announced it has opened a new £10 million global research and development center at its Slough site in the U.K.The facility, which joins a growing list of similar facilities opened by AkzoNobel globally to further advance the company’s product development, is home to 120 specialists and will act as a major hub within the company’s worldwide R&D network and help to further advance AkzoNobel’s innovation capabilities.“The inauguration of this…

Online valuation and data provider VesselsValue announced the appointment of Dr. Alexander Adamou to its board of directors.As an experienced mathematician and modeler in the shipping industry, Adamou will oversee the scientific research that underpins the company’s products in his new role as chief scientist. Adamou first joined VesselsValue in 2010, when he led the development of the company’s first asset valuation model.With a first class degree in Mathematics from Cambridge University and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Imperial College London…

Strategic Marine announced it has completed the acquisition of a significantly larger shipbuilding facility in Singapore in a move intended to boost the company's shipbuilding capacity and product range.Strategic Marine has acquired the fixed infrastructure as well as the lease of the shipyard at 5 Benoi Road and has completed the lease transfer from JTC Corporation, the lessor of the shipyard. Notable features of the facility include a 5,000 DWT Dry Dock (L: 105M x W: 18.5m x D: 8m) and a 6…

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, developer of autonomous command and control systems for commercial vessels, announced Thursday it has formed a strategic advisory board made up of industry experts to help steer strategic vision and growth.The Boston-based company said it has been growing rapidly and will rely on its new board as it develops new products and creates partnerships.Sea Machines’ advisory board is made up of Rear Admiral Mark Buzby, administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) and retired rear admiral U.S.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the commercially availability of its Iridium Certus 100 "midband" service for maritime, land mobile, IoT, aviation and government customers. Iridium Certus 100 provides a blend of capabilities for satellite connectivity, enabling small, low-profile antennas and battery-powered devices designed for maximum mobility, but with IP data speeds that efficiently support sending important pictures, emails and other vital information from remote places…