Improved Functionality News

The R/V Connecticut operated by the University of Connecticut (UConn) Marine Sciences program was recently lengthened from 76 feet to 90 feet, giving scientists and crew on board the oceanographic research vessel some much needed extra space. The 1998-built R/V Connecticut had been operating at its original length of 76 feet since its construction, but the vessel required additional staterooms and lab space. “Things were pretty cramped at the old length,” said Turner Cabaniss, the program’s marine operations manager.

Ships of the future will have to be lighter, smarter, cleaner, more reliable, more efficient and safer. Sounds like a tall order, but that’s where the industry is headed. Experts like DNV GL and Rolls Royce concur: technologies available today will combine with those just around the corner to enable a better class of ship in the very near future. This emerging reality is already allowing owners and regulators to demand just such ships. CEO Arnstein Kjesbu of Eltorque, manufacturer of electric valve actuators…

Eltorque, a Norwegian supplier of electric valve control, has launched a new super-compact valve actuator. “The market has requested a compact and cost-effective actuator for small valves and in tight spaces. With the QT50, Eltorque has responded to that request by developing the smallest actuator in its class, at 2/3 of the weight and 1/3 the volume of competing products,” said Eltorque CEO Arnstein Kjesbu. The most compact actuator Eltorque has ever offered, the QT50 still delivers the same performance as other Eltorque products: maintenance free…

Businesses are operating in tough economic times, with budgets being significantly cut during the current industry downturn. Unfortunately, when lowering costs is a key priority, learning and development budgets have historically been one of the first areas to take the hit, yet projects still need to be completed and delivered to the highest possible standard. It’s well-proven that investing in learning and staff development is essential to ensure immediate and long-term business objectives are met…

General Dynamics’ four-channel Digital Modular Radios (DMR) are being upgraded with high-frequency dynamic routing (HFDR) software to turn the radio’s four channels into eight virtual channels. In addition to HFDR, the new high-frequency virtual channel exploitation software expands the DMR’s communications capacity to 16 virtual channels when operating in the high frequency (HF) line-of-sight and ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications frequencies. With the two new software upgrades, the U.S. Navy has four-times more capacity for secure HF communications without adding additional hardware or changing the configuration in space-constrained shipboard radio rooms.

DP World Australia completes next phase of TOS standardization & centralization with Navis N4 Go-Live in Melbourne, following on from successful implementations at Port of Botany & Fremantle, with a fourth scheduled for Brisbane in Q1 2014. Navis inform that DP World Australia has reached a major milestone, completing Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS) upgrades on three of four planned DP World sites. DP World Sydney, DP World Fremantle and, now, DP World Melbourne have concluded essential TOS implementations and are fully operational…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) plant the 555 mt island aboard 90% complete US carrier 'Gerald R. Ford'. HII celebrated significant progress as the 555-metric ton island was lowered onto the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. The island will serve as the command center for flight deck operations aboard the first of the next-generation class of aircraft carriers. Susan Ford Bales, daughter of the late President Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford, serves as the ship's sponsor and participated in the event.

American Cruise Lines announce plans for an upcoming travel agent portal, the first of many new features to be added to the company’s new website. ▪ Promotional/Marketing Tools – Letterhead shells, email blast archive, product PDFs, etc. “We highly value our travel agent partners and continuously aim to provide them with the best resources possible,” said Susan Shultz, Director of Sales for American Cruise Lines. “Dedicated entirely to agents, the new portal will allow them to both master and promote our products in a way that will maximize their selling ability.” Agents working with American Cruise Lines can typically earn between $1,000 and $2,300 per booking, depending on the selected stateroom and itinerary.

District energy specialists Mittel launches new version of its advanced leak detecting system Stateview. Swedish district energy infrastructure specialists Mittel Group announced the launch of a new version of Stateview, the group’s advanced system for detecting leaks in district energy systems. Among improvements in the new Stateview System II is a ten-fold increase of the wireless reach to 1,000 metres, giving field workers a much improved work environment. Stateview is a portable diagnostic tool for district energy pipe networks.

BMT ARGOSS, a subsidiary of BMT Group, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced a partnership with Tension Technology International (TTI) to develop improved functionality of the OPTIMOOR mooring analysis computer programme. OPTIMOOR is an easy-to-use tool for use by vessel and terminal personnel, as well as port designers and naval architects. It uses the OCIMF recommendations and procedures and includes OCIMF wind and current coefficients for tanker moorings.