Operations With Technology News

Crowley named Mark Coplen as vice president of project management for Crowley Wind Services, where he will be a key leader in advancing the company’s growth and market leadership in the offshore wind industry. In his role, Coplen will expand Crowley Wind Services’ project management capabilities to support customers in its offering of engineering, procurement and construction management for the offshore wind market. Coplen joins Crowley with extensive expertise in the sustainable energy sector leading offshore wind services…

Frank Coles, CEO, Wallem Group, is known to “call ‘em like he sees ‘em”. We caught up with Coles via video conference from Hong Kong last month to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on maritime, the future of digitalization and autonomy, and the shameful treatment of seafarers. “The only shock to my system that was at the same level was 9/11, because of its impact on the world,” is how Frank Coles puts the current COVID-19 pandemic in perspective. “That was a one-time thing on one-day…

Niels-Erik Lund began his passenger ship career in 1969 as a trainee in a Danish passenger shipping company, DFDS. In the nearly 50 years since, the passenger and cruise shipping industry has changed many times over, with consistent growth being the only similarity between then an now. Today Lund, President & CEO of Sunstone Ships, Inc., has an unfettered view of the expedition cruise sector that he helped to create. With the expedition and luxury cruise segments set for fast growth, Maritime Reporter spoke to Lund to help put the market in better perspective.

Boston-based smart ship technology company Sea Machines Robotics has hired Jim Daly as Chief Operating Officer. Daly was previously Chief Operating Officer and an early member of the leadership team at Rethink Robotics, where he scaled operations from technology concept through first and second-generation products. He most recently led the Sawyer robot product development project from conception through design, launch and global customer deployment. He held earlier senior leadership roles at startups Zeemote, Tea Forte and Handspring, and as a Division Manager at Solectron Corporation. Daly earned a BS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He serves on the Advisory Board for Robotics Engineering at WPI. Michael G.

Naval experts from around the world are meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, for the Operations and Technology (OPTECH) South 2017 conference. The event is being conducted by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Littoral Operations Center (LOC), supported by the Office of Naval Research-Global and the Colombian Naval Science and Technology Office and Swedish defense company Saab. The littoral is the complex “near shore” environment where hydrography, geography, commerce, fishing…

Vessel Technology has announced the launch of a new product, the DPSS Net. The new DPSS Net product aims to allow customers to reduce operating costs, time and risk associated with Dynamic Positioning operations. The DPSS Net allows network storm tests to be carried out to verify vessel control systems as well as identify any issues. David Milne, Director of Vessel Technology, said, “The DPSS Net compliments Vessel Technology’s DPSS product which has been warmly received into the industry where no similar solution is available.

The speaker line-up at the next annual Transas Global Conference confirms that the innovative digital solutions company is catching the mood at the cutting edge of vessel operations by suggesting that, properly harnessed, operations and technology can transform maritime safety as well as efficiency. “If vessels, shore authorities, ports, regulators and training facilities worldwide work together on technology on a common operating platform, there is the potential to achieve extraordinary gains in operating efficiencies, but also a step change in safety,” says Transas CEO Frank Coles.

Over the next decade the maritime sector is likely to see one of the largest changes since sail gave way to steam. Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) are now being considered for various marine roles and the drivers for rapid development are significant. Unmanned or autonomous vessels have passed through the trial and evaluation stage and are now being adopted for civilian and military applications. The maritime sector now has the opportunity to shape technology developments from legislative and end-user standpoints.

Frank Coles has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors for Transas Marine, a provider of equipment, software and system integration for the maritime industry. A maritime business professional, Coles brings to the position leadership experience in maritime operations and technology. Coles recently served as an advisor to a number of blue chip private equity companies on maritime opportunities. Before that, he was the President of Inmarsat Maritime, and was previously CEO of Globe Wireless.

Crowley Maritime Corporation awarded two Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial scholarships to United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) cadets Christopher Anthony and Thomas Treat during the 2013 Containerization and Intermodal Institute’s Connie Awards luncheon in Newark, N.J. yesterday. Both recipients were selected for their strong academic records, leadership capacity and financial need. Crowley’s Jonathan Christian, marine personnel supervisor, was in attendance and presented the scholarships to the students during the event.

American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS) announced that the Houston Pilots Association, Maersk Line, Limited, Un-Cruise Adventures and The Vane Brothers Company would be the recipients of the 2013 AMS Safety Awards. AMS is a nonprofit maritime trade association, which facilitates the maritime industry's compliance with international shipping protocols and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations. The AMS consortium is comprised of more than 400 vessel owners and operators. It is the leading maritime industry association specializing in regulatory compliance in the United States. Every year, the AMS Safety Advisory Committee presents member companies with Safety Awards in recognition of their dedication to preserving the marine environment and promoting safe vessel navigation…

Rising energy demand from Asia Pacific countries is a key factor driving the growth in regional offshore oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) activities. In response to this, The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Singapore, Innovation Norway in alliance with DNV and Norwegian Business Association (Singapore) is staging the Asia Offshore Technology Conference in Singapore. The conference will examine and draw practical conclusions about ‘The Challenges of Offshore E&P in Asia Pacific’. A specially commissioned report into the critical trends of the sector in the region will be unveiled at the half day event. The report, by consultants Douglas Westwood, was commissioned by leading Norwegian Classification Society Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Embassy, and Mr.

In an effort to ensure the next generation of career mariners is the best in their fields, Crowley presented four exemplary United States Merchant Marine Academy students with Thomas B. Crowley, Sr., scholarships Monday at the Containerization & Intermodal Institute's (CII) annual Connie Awards luncheon in Newark, N.J. The event, attended by approximately 300 guests, provided the backdrop for the scholarship presentations to Midshipmen Patrick Showell, Donald ("Buddy") Finnie, Joseph Gaudiano and Bradford Lawhon.

Continuing its support of students wishing to enter maritime, transportation and logistics fields, Crowley Maritime Corporation this week presented four U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) midshipmen with Thomas B. Crowley Sr. memorial scholarships totaling $10,000. Ira Douglas, representative of marine crewing for Crowley, recognized Midshipmen Sonha Bilunas, Lawrence Fioravanti, Eric Icke and Jeremy Maginot during the Containerization and Intermodal Institute's (CII) annual luncheon at the Newark Club in Newark, New Jersey. Crowley has provided scholarship aid to USMMA students since 1993.

The Dynamic Positioning Committee of the Marine Technology Society will hold its Annual Conference on September 16-17. The Conference will be held at the Westchase Hilton in West Houston, September 16-17, 2003. Based on the number and very high quality of abstracts submitted this year, the Conference Committee expects this to be an extremely technically strong conference. Topics include papers on environmental issues related to DP operations, new technology especially in sensors, DP applied to FPSO and shuttle tankers, workboats, thrusters, power and controls. The original material covered at the Conference will be of interest to both past conference attendees and newcomers, and particularly DP vessel operators, including supply, dive, drilling, shuttle tanker, FPSO and pipelay vessels.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) today announced 2003 fiscal year metrics, ending in September. These metrics indicate that the ACP's recent operational and capital improvements continue to yield positive results, with the Canal safer and more efficient than it has ever been in its 89-year history. Year-end statistics reveal an increase in tonnage flow through the Canal and a reduction in Canal Waters Time (CWT), the average time it takes a vessel to navigate the Canal including waiting time for passage. Furthermore, safety has improved on the waterway, with a significant decline in accidents in 2003, compared with those registered in 2002 and 2001.

Phoenix International, Inc., (Phoenix), a marine services company specializing in underwater operations and engineering, celebrates its tenth year of business this month. The company began with a staff of eight, conducting underwater ship repairs for the US Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. Phoenix continues to perform waterborne ship repairs for the Navy (and others), and has augmented its services to include underwater inspections and surveys, search and recovery missions, marine construction support, submarine rescue operations, and entertainment production assistance. In-house engineering expertise provides operations with technology and procedures to improve underwater work efficiencies.

“Moving Goods: More, Better, Faster, Safer” is the theme for the American Association of Port Authorities’ 2007 Operations, Information Technology & Safety Seminar, slated for April 24-26 in Jacksonville, Fla. The seminar will focus on the integration and cooperation required today among those challenged with maintaining and improving freight-handling operations at public ports. Rapidly increasing trade volumes, heightened security requirements and changes in technology can compromise freight handling efficiency and safety. This seminar will feature insights from players throughout the supply chain,] including those representing ocean, rail and motor carriers, who will discuss operational productivity, velocity and efficiency of goods movement at seaports.

Aker Kvaerner has awarded Kongsberg Maritime a Letter of Intent for integrated control systems for safety and process automation on board a semi-submersible production platform destined to be used on the Gjoa oil and gas field in the North Sea. Aker Kværner will be building the platform deck, attaching it to the hull and preparing the platform for operation. Gaz de France Norway will be operator of the field. Besides safety and automation systems, the contract covers the delivery of a process simulator, as well as integrated engineering for Aker Kværner. This contract requires the extensive use of so-called 'integrated operations', a technology and work process which make it possible to monitor and control large parts of the offshore operations from onshore.

CapRock Communications has appointed Bryan Olivier as the company's chief operating officer. Olivier, a telecommunications industry veteran, moves into this role from his former position as the company's chief technology officer. In the COO role, Olivier's responsibilities will include consolidating operations, information technology, project management, engineering and supply chain management into a single global platform. This approach will permit the company to continue serving customers by enhancing its comprehensive communications solutions, which include seamless service, support and technology integration around the world. Responsibilities of the chief operating officer were previously held by Errol Olivier, who is retiring after nearly seventeen years of service with the company.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. has granted the Stratos protest of a five-year U.S. Navy SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Inmarsat lease contract award to Comsat. The court ruled the contract awarded this past June was legally invalid, and required the U.S. Navy to retender its request for proposal for the five-year $111.9 million contract. The Court directed the Navy to conclude the recompetition by January 28, 2000. Stratos won phase one of the SPAWAR contract in August of 1998, and provided full-time Inmarsat-B 64 Kbps service to all deployed vessels in support of the Chief of Naval Operations' Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT-21) Project through July, 1999. IT-21 provides for the rapid exchange of information between Naval as well as Joint forces.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. has granted the Stratos protest of a five-year U.S. Navy SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Inmarsat lease contract award to Comsat. The court ruled the contract awarded this past June was legally invalid, and required the U.S. Navy to retender its request for proposal for the five-year $111.9 million contract. The Court directed the Navy to conclude the recompetition by January 28, 2000. Stratos won phase one of the SPAWAR contract in August of 1998, and provided full-time Inmarsat-B 64 Kbps service to all deployed vessels in support of the Chief of Naval Operations' Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT-21) Project through July, 1999. IT-21 provides for the rapid exchange of information between Naval as well as Joint forces.