Faster Broadband at Sea
Broadband for applications at sea is an area that is experiencing rapid growth and one that demands increasingly fast data transfer speeds. Levels of use are blossoming as communication, control and monitoring are increasingly being carried via onshore operative nodes. Inmarsat and Iridium, the two transmission systems currently in use, have reached their saturation point, and the next generation of satellite communication for the maritime industry is now starting to take shape. Several satellite operators are on the verge of launching global capacity to cover the world's seas.
Sulzer RT-flex engine completes its first year
The first Sulzer low-speed engine with common-rail fuel injection has successfully completed one-year's service. This Sulzer 6RT-flex58T-B engine, of 11,275 kW output, is installed in the 47,950 dwt bulk carrier "Gypsum Centennial". It was recently inspected at Tampa, Fla., during the ship's guarantee drydocking after 5295 hour's operation. During this first year of operation, the engine ran successfully. Although the engine has not been without its problems, they were all 'teething' problems and have all been overcome. There has not been any problems with the concept and the very few major faults were largely mechanical with easily-defined solutions.