Power Management Systems News

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

Corvus Energy announced its newly developed containerized battery room solution has received Type Approval from DNV, confirming suitability for a range of marine applications.The Corvus BOB (Battery-On-Board) is a standardized, plug-and-play battery room solution available in 10-foot and 20-foot ISO high-cube container sizes designed for easy integration with existing ship systems. The A60 battery room container comes with batteries, a battery management system (BMS), HVAC, Thermal Runaway Exhaust…

Hurtigruten Norway announced it has launched its first environmentally-upgraded battery-hybrid powered ship as part of a €100 million seven vessel refit program aimed at significantly reducing both CO2 and NOx emissions.MS Richard With has gone through extensive upgrades, having been retrofitted with two large battery packs (1,120kWh each) and new, more efficient Norwegian-made engines and new propulsion systems at Myklebust Yard in northwestern Norway. The vessel also received new switchboards and power management systems…

Kongsberg Maritime has launched EcoAdvisor, an intelligent and dynamic decision support system for optimizing a range of offshore vessel operations. "EcoAdvisor is an outcome of a joint ‘Intelligent Efficiency’ research project between Kongsberg Maritime, vessel operator DOF Subsea AS (DOF), Sintef, NORCE, and Innovation Norway, with the aim of developing technologies to monitor and reduce the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions during vessel operations," Kongsberg Maritime said.It monitors the vessel operation and its environment…

Integrated automation and energy specialist Høglund announced it has been commissioned to supply advanced, fully integrated hybrid, automation, and digital solutions to two asphalt carriers to be built in Wuhu shipyard, China. The owner, Continental Bitumen, is an integrated procurement, logistics and distribution company supplying bitumen in Europe, Africa and Middle East. The technical manager and operator of the vessels is Tipco Asphalt.The central part of this delivery is the hybrid electric system…

U.S.-based Spear Power Systems said it will provide its Trident marine battery systems for SeaBubbles' 100% electric, hybrid hydrogen and batteries flying boats. The first-of-its-kind water vehicle designed by France-based manufacturer SeaBubbles has been developed to help alleviate heavy congestion in cities close to bodies of water.The SeaBubbles flying boats have already completed test runs in Geneva, Paris and the Mediterranean basin, and have subsequently been chosen to receive funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

The first MV7000 drives for the LSS FLOTLOG program has successfully passed their Factory Acceptance Tests at GE Power Conversion Nancy Factory, reaching a first milestone for the new fleet of logistic support ships (LSS) of the French Navy.It follows the contract signed in 2020 between GE Power Conversion and Chantiers de l’Atlantique to provide systems for the four LSS to be built by the Shipyard for the French Navy, under the contract management of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR)…

Finland-based marine equipment and technology provider Wärtsilä will upgrade Siem Offshore's platform supply vessel ‘Siem Pride’ for hybrid engine and battery propulsion. The upgrade will enable the vessel to reduce the number of engines in use during operations and lower its energy and fuel consumption. "Central to the conversion will be the Wärtsilä HY Module, which is a containerized solution on the deck of the vessel," Wartsila said.The energy management system acts as the overall brain for the system, and creates a high level of interaction with the ship’s other onboard systems.

Kongsberg Maritime (KM) said it has been commissioned to deliver an integrated equipment and systems package for an environmentally-responsible new bulk carrier project.The gas-powered ship – which can be fueled using either zero CO2 emission liquefied biogas (LBG) or conventional liquefied natural gas (LNG) – is being built for the Norwegian short sea shipping company Seaworks, utilizing a design which originated with Norwegian naval architect Polarkonsult.The mechanical aspects of KM’s scope of delivery encompass steering and reduction gear…

The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…

China’s Chengxi Shipyard has delivered the first of twin self-unloading transshipment newbuilds for Germany’s largest bulk carrier owner Oldendorff Carriers.Juha Koskela, Division President, ABB Marine & Ports, said the newbuilds are the first bulk carriers to feature Azipod propulsion.The delivery saw two 1.9-MW Azipod units installed on each of the 21,500-DWT transshipment bulkers as part of a package of electric, digital and connected solutions from ABB. The scope of supply also included diesel-electric power plant…

North America is increasingly adopting energy storage systems (ESS) to use in combination with combustion engines or as the sole energy carrier in fully electric-powered systems.We clearly see a transition from ‘consideration’ to ‘execution’ of hybrid and all-electric maritime projects. Stakeholders want to explore how to make vessels more energy efficient and less polluting. Corvus Energy has deployed over half of the ESSs aboard vessels globally, totaling over 300 megawatt hours (MWh).In North America, Corvus has deployed 24 MWh of energy storage capacity, and there are 13 vessels under U.S.

Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel has hit the water in Keppel Nantong Shipyard in China. The vessel was moved from land to water on May 28, 2020.The news was shared earlier this week by the vessel-owner FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum."Construction of the 7,500m3 LNG bunkering vessel is progressing smoothly and is on schedule to be completed in 4Q2020," FueLNG said in a statement earlier this week.The LNG bunkering vessel…

Wärtsilä won the deal to engineer, supply, and commission a hybrid propulsion system for an offshore sector vessel for Norway's Eidesvik.Wärtsilä willcarry out the upgrade project on ‘Viking Neptun’, a construction vessel, and this order follows two similar hybrid upgrade contracts awarded to Wärtsilä in recent months.The 15,900 DWT ‘Viking Neptun’ was built in 2015. It is fitted with Wärtsilä engines and Wärtsila’s Low Loss Concept (LLC) electrical systems. By choosing Wärtsilä’s battery hybrid solution…

Aspin Kemp and Associates Inc. (AKA) and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN) are working together on the delivery of the propulsion package for 1+1 230-meter-long RoPax vessel for TT-Line, a German ferry operator. The vessel is to be built at Jiangsu Jingling shipyard in China. The MAN/AKA power and propulsion package includes eight MAN 51/60DF dual fuel engines, propellers and gearboxes, a fuel-gas supply system and HyProp ECO – a hybrid propulsion system. The newbuild TT-Line ferry will have the capacity for 800 passengers and over 200 articulated trucks.

Innovation is driving advanced monitoring and control technologies for environmental and safety compliance in the marine sector, says Gérard Baldellou, marine business unit manager at CMR Group.The marine diesel power sector continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where emissions resulting from combustion inside engines, along with fuel consumption levels need reducing. Escalating operating costs, tighter margins and pressures in the oil and gas sector signal challenging times for ship owners and fleet operators.

When it was time for France Pelagique to start renewing its fleet, an electric-power alliance of Dutch and Scandinavian yard interests formed up and delivered. The result was the first installation aboard a trawler of NES’s Odin’s Eye, a DC grid solution to integrate another first for trawlers — quiet-running permanent magnate, or PM, propulsion.Where to begin a fleet modernization that ends with green credentials and richer harvests? Well, there are multiple points of contact…

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Singmarine Pte Ltd, has secured a contract from FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel O&M and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, to build South East Asia's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering vessel valued at approximately S$50 million. Scheduled for completion in 3Q 2020, the dual-fuel LNG bunkering vessel will have a capacity of 7,500 cubic metres. FueLNG will receive a grant of up to S$3 million as part of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) LNG Bunkering Pilot Programme (LBPP). Mr Andrew Tan, CEO of MPA, said, "We are pleased that FueLNG, Keppel and Shell are taking the lead in growing the LNG bunkering infrastructure in Singapore.

MAN Diesel & Turbo and AKA have received an order in connection with the building of a multi-purpose supply vessel for a federal Russian agency. Delivery is scheduled for March 2018 in St. Petersburg and marks the first successful collaboration between the two partners since MAN Diesel & Turbo bought a 40% share in AKA – the electric-and-hybrid-systems company – in June 2017. the drive control and power-management systems. "This specialist vessel, with its unique operational demands…

Caterpillar Marine has unveiled its new Multi-Engine Optimizer (MEO) tool, which leverages proprietary performance data and patented control algorithms to provide intelligence for power management systems. MEO works by advising power management systems on which engines to operate and enables the use of dynamic asymmetric loads to drive the combination of engines and loads to create the lowest possible fuel consumption. “MEO is designed to operate in conjunction with any system, new or retrofit,” said Theodore Wiersema, business process manager for Caterpillar Marine.

Growing options emerge for ever-increasing data and Comms demand. In the United States alone, 625 million tons of cargo is transported along the more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways each year, moving vital commodities to and from 38 of the nation’s 50 states. The advent of subchapter M has raised the bar significantly for as many as 5,000 inland vessels, both in terms of safety and the need to document and more closely control this tonnage. At the same time, domestic coastal transport and offshore energy support vessels also face growing communications requirements.

An upgraded version of the Wärtsilä 20 diesel engine features greater power density thanks to increased cylinder output. The new engine will receive its officially launch at the Marintec conference and exhibition in Shanghai, China from December 5 to 8. According to the manufacturer, the increased maximum output of the new Wärtsilä 20 will enable vessels to accommodate greater payloads or achieve faster speeds with almost the same low fuel consumption as the current version, and will also improve bollard pull capacity for tugs and support vessels.

Growing interest in hybrid-electric power systems is expanding the search for new propulsion and energy-storage systems in the workboat sector, where compliance with emerging environmental regulations and a relentless pursuit of operational efficiency are driving change. To meet demands for cleaner more efficient power, owners are examining the potential for less conventional methods of energy generation and storage – such as fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, super-capacitors, flywheels, wind and solar – to propel their vessels.