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Technology Development News

28 Feb 2024

ClassNK Greenlights Multi-Functional Floating Wind Support Vessel Design

MFSV for floating wind farms (Credit: K Line Wind Service)

ClassNK has awarded an approval in principle (AiP) for the design of a multi-functional floating offshore wind farm support vessel (MFSV) developed by K Line Wind Service, together with Japan Marine United Corporation, and Nihon Shipyard.The MFSV is designed to perform full moorings work scope for the installation of floating offshore wind turbines, including transportation, deployment and anchor tensioning of the mooring system.According to the companies, the vessel also features a multi-functional concept…

22 Feb 2024

Virtual Marine: Simulator Training is the Real Deal

(Photo: Virtual Marine)

In the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, effective training practices are an absolute must. While hands-on, in-the-field learning will always be a vital component of any mariner’s training, marine simulation has become a welcome enhancement to the education process. And in some cases, it’s seen as a safer alternative to traditional survival craft and rescue boat training.A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in Newfoundland and Labrador.

27 Dec 2023

Japanese Shipbuilders Go Forward with LCO2 Carriers for Large-Scale Transport

Conceptual image of the LCO2 carrier (Credit: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group and Nihon Shipyard, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsui & Co on the collaborative study for ocean-going liquified CO2 (LCO2) carriers for large-scale international transportation from 2028 onwards.With the plans for LCO2 carries the companies aim to accommodate the carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) business led by Japanese government.Utilizing the technologies and construction know-how of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Nihon Shipyard…

20 Dec 2023

WinGD Adds Mitsui E&S Tamano Factory to Engine Building Network

(L-R) Dominik Schneiter, CEO, WinGD; Hiroyuki Takumi, President, MESDU (Source: WinGD)

WinGD has concluded an agreement with Mitsui E&S Diesel United (MESDU), part of the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding group, that will see WinGD engines being built at its main Tamano works for the first time.The agreement adds considerable engine building capacity and enables WinGD to meet growing demand in a leading shipbuilding market with a reputation for delivering sophisticated, high-quality vessels.WinGD engines have previously been built only at the company’s Aioi Factory, which was acquired from IHI Group when the Diesel United business was sold to Mitsui E&S earlier this year.

13 Dec 2023

NYK, JERA, Resonac to Study Supplying Ammonia as Fuel to Vessels

NYK is conducting research and development of a tugboat equipped with a domestic ammonia-fueled engine (A-Tug) together with other partner companies. Image courtesy NYK

NYK, JERA Co., Inc. and Resonac Holdings Corporation signed an agreement to jointly study the supply of ammonia as fuel to ships.As part of the Green Innovation Fund Project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), NYK is conducting research and development of a tugboat equipped with a domestic ammonia-fueled engine (A-Tug) together with other partner companies. As part of this initiative, in conjunction with the completion of the A-Tug scheduled for next June…

12 Dec 2023

Interview: Juha Kytölä, Director of R&D and Engineering, Wärtsilä

Juha Kytölä, Director of R&D and Engineering, Wärtsilä. Image courtesy Wärtsilä

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.

04 Dec 2023

AUKUS Defense Ministers Agree to Bolster Security

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, United States Secretary of Defence, the Hon Lloyd J. Austin III, and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps.

AUKUS defense ministers have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.A statement was released after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California on December 1.AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia…

01 Dec 2023

JIP to Advance Offshore Wind Concrete Floater Standards

Concrete grout testing for reinforcement of steel structures-fullscale testing. Image courtesy DNV

DNV secured partners to launch a new project to enhance technology development and prepare for scale/industrialization of concrete substructures for floating offshore wind.The new Joint Industry Project (JIP) called Concrete FLOW will optimize requirements for concrete floaters (floating or semisubmersible structures, generally moored to the seabed, used as foundations upon which equipment can be mounted), specifically tailored for floating offshore wind farms.At the kick-off…

28 Nov 2023

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Christens Liquefied CO2 Ship

Source: MHI

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has held a christening and handover ceremony for a demonstration test ship to transport liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2).The ship will be used for the "CCUS R&D and Demonstration Related Project / Large-scale CCUS Demonstration in Tomakomai / Demonstration Project on CO2 Transportation" being conducted by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture…

19 Oct 2023

Hydrogen-fueled Ship Earns AIP

Image of Hydrogen-fueled Multi-Purpose Vessel (D/W 17,500 M.T.). (courtesy of J-ENG)

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a parcel layout concept for a hydrogen-fueled multi-purpose vessel developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), MOL Drybulk Ltd. (MOL Drybulk), Onomichi Dockyard Co., Ltd. (Onomichi Dockyard), Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Kawasaki), Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG). This is the world’s first AiP certification for a ship equipped with a large low-speed two-stroke hydrogen-fueled engine as the main propulsion engine.Demonstration…

13 Oct 2023

ClassNK Contributes to Social Implementation of MASS

Image courtesy ClassNK

ClassNK is taking a leading role in the implementation of safe and efficient maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) through a program of research, rule-development, technology trials and certification.While the regulatory framework covering MASS remains a work in progress, it is clear that autonomous ship technologies are already having a transformative effect on shipping.By autonomously executing certain functions that would typically be performed by crew – especially tasks…

25 Sep 2023

Japanese Shipping Companies Partner on Liquefied Hydrogen

Concept image of 160,000㎥ liquefied hydrogen carrier provided by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Japanese shipping companies, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), have agreed to join JSE Ocean, a subsidiary of Japan Suiso Energy (JSE).JSE remains the majority shareholder with 50.2% of stock, whilst the shipping companies hold 16.6% each.Japan’s Basic Hydrogen Strategy, revised by the Japanese government in June 2023, identifies hydrogen as the alternative to fossil fuels as it targets decarbonisation. In the Strategy Japan commits to a target of 3 million tons/year of hydrogen by 2030…

11 Sep 2023

Japan's MOL Invests in TouchWind's Innovative Floating Wind Turbine Tech

Credit: MOL

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) will invest in a floating wind technology start-up, TouchWind.TouchWind is developing the tilting angled one-piece rotor wind turbine which is expected to reduce wind interference between wind turbines that tends to occur in large wind farms and improve overall wind farm power generation efficiency. In addition, MOL said, its unique design enables the wind turbines to operate in strong winds, reduces the weight of the wind turbine and floating parts…

25 Aug 2023

Meyer Appoints Group CEO

Bernd Eikens

Meyer Group has appointed Bernd Eikens as Group CEO starting in December 2023.Eikens has worked in different management positions for UPM-Kymmene for 25 years, since 2013 as a member of the group executive team. His international career includes positions in the US, China, Germany and Finland. Most recently, he headed the successful implementation of a pulp mill project in Uruguay with an investment volume of $3.5 billion.He has been a member of the Meyer Turku advisory board since 2019 and…

25 Jul 2023

Energizing Naval & Coast Guard Missions

US Navy’s DDG 1000 destroyer (image credit, US Navy)

Moises DelToro at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, discusses how deploying a Ship’s Electric Grid is a flexible way to accommodate growing energy demands for naval and coast guard vessels.A new age of electrificationWe’re in a new naval era and it is reshaping views about fleet mixes and capabilities. Modern fleets need to be mission-configurable, highly capable for military advantage, adaptable for technology insertion, but still affordable. The growing demand for vessel power is increasingly an enabler for mission systems, not just for platform propulsion.

18 Jul 2023

Op/Ed: Technology Manufacturers’ Input More Critical than ever for Effective Maritime Regulations

Dr Stelios Kyriacou, Chief Technology Officer, ERMA FIRST

Next year marks a crucial milestone for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, with all ships required to meet the D2 standard for ballast water management by 8 September 2024. D2 specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged. In most cases, it requires the installation of a ballast water management system (BWMS) on board the vessel.2024 will be a pivotal moment for the ballast water market and while it is true that the retrofit market will diminish and leave behind only a small newbuild market…

03 Jul 2023

DNV Releases Shore Power Class Rules for Tankers

Source: DNV

DNV has introduced new class rules for electrical shore connections specifically tailored for tankers.The need for new rules emerged following amendments to the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth Regulation, requiring tankers to have emission control strategies in place at specific ports from January 2025. As a response to these regulatory changes, DNV, on behalf of the Western States Petroleum Association, conducted a comprehensive assessment…

23 Jun 2023

Subsea Cable Laying, Protection Innovation Funded in Japan

Copyright aapsky/AdobeStock

NYK, as a member of a consortium of four companies (also including: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.; Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.; and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.) has been selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in an open call for applications related to the "Development of basic technologies for a multi-purpose and multi-terminal high voltage direct current transmission system,” in addition to the “development of construction methods for the installation of cable protecting system…

21 Jun 2023

MOL Trials BioLNG

Source: MOL

MOL and partners have completed a trial of bioLNG (liquefied bio-methane or LBM) derived from cattle manure on the domestic LNG fueled general cargo vessel Ise Mirai.Teaming up on the project with MOL were Air Water Inc., Techno Chubu Company, Kyoudou Kaiun,The trial, conducted in Ise Bay, was Japan's first bunkering of carbon-neutral LBM derived from biomass. The vessel was jointly built by MOL Coastal Shipping, Techno Chubu, and Kyoudou Kaiun, and was delivered in December 2020.

07 Jun 2023

ABS Approves LNG Containment System from LNT Marine and SDARI

John McDonald, ABS Executive Vice President and COO, with Kjetil Sjølie Strand, CEO of LNT Marine (Photo: ABS)

LNT Marine and Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) received approval in principle (AIP) from ABS for the latest variant of their LNT A-BOX liquified natural gas (LNG) containment system, which is more than three times the size of the previous design.The new design is for a 175,000-cubic-meter (m3) LNG carrier, a significant increase in capacity from the earlier 45,000 m3 design installed on the pioneering ABS-classed Saga Dawn carrier for Saga LNG Shipping.The LNT A-BOX system features self-supporting IMO Type-A tanks mounted within an insulated hold space.

22 May 2023

Volvo Penta Unveils New IPS Professional Platform

(Image Volvo Penta)

Volvo Penta has unveiled its new Inboard Performance System (IPS) professional platform, the next evolution in its fully integrated helm-to-propeller offering. Building upon the existing Volvo Penta IPS range, the new, larger and versatile platform is designed as a powerful and flexible solution for professional vessels and superyachts from 25 to 55+ meters with top speed from 12-40 knots, the manufacturer said.“Our passion, experience and history of proven results with Volvo…

25 Apr 2023

LR Grants AIP for Ammonia FSRU

(Photo: Lloyd’s Register)

A new ammonia floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), the first of its kind in Korea, has been awarded approval in principle (AIP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR), the classification society announced Tuesday.Developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), the ammonia-FSRU will store liquefied ammonia transported from production areas and can perform regasification to supply to shipowners and operators. FRSUs are an increasingly…

18 Apr 2023

MOL's Second LNG-Fueled Ferry Enters Service

Sunflower Murasaki, source MOL

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that the second of Japan's first two LNG-fueled ferries, the Sunflower Murasaki, has entered service.The vessel is owned by MOL and operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower. The vessel is a sister ship to the Sunflower Kurenai, which began operation in January, and will sail the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal (Osaka) and Beppu International Tourist Port (Oita) as a replacement for the existing vessel Sunflower Cobalt.The 17…