Integrated Systems News

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.

Birdon America, Inc. on Tuesday announced it has awarded the first wave of major subcontracts in support of its $1.187 billion contract to design and build 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCC) for the U.S. Coast Guard. This announcement follows a successful initial Program Management Review (PMR), the first major milestone of the WCC program.The subcontracts range in value from $10 million to $50 million and are firm-fixed price (FFP), indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) for design, development, manufacturing and delivery.

Vard Electro’s SeaQ Integrated Bridge solution is being implemented in the offshore wind sector for the first time, following installation on Rem Offshore’s newbuild construction service operation vessel (CSOV) Rem Power to assist in optimizing environmental performance.“We are making strong investments in new low-emission technologies to cut the environmental impact of offshore wind operations in line with increasingly stringent regulations and requirements from clients, banks and other stakeholders…

WTIVs have always been fuel-hungry. Now they are being tasked with installations that are further, deeper and heavier.Offshore wind farms continue their march into deeper water, further from shore, with turbines that can now reach more than 270 meters high with blades 120 meters long. Designers and OEMs are pushing efficiency to new levels to contain OPEX on the new-generation jack-up WTIVs taking them up there.Danish ship design firm Knud E. Hansen has chosen specialization for its Atlas A-class WTIV, a smaller derivation of its massive C-class design.

The U.S. Department of Defense's research and development agency is moving into the second phase of a project to to build and demonstrate a new seagoing unmanned surface vessel.The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on Monday announced  it is moving into Phase 2 of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, which seeks to build and demonstrate a revolutionary new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) that can go to sea and perform missions with unprecedented reliability and availability, while carrying a significant payload.

Brunswick Corporation announced the formation of Navico Group, which will replace its current Advanced Systems Group (ASG). Navico Group will continue to be led by Brett Dibkey and represents a complete organizational integration between the legacy ASG business with two key acquisitions that were completed in late 2021 – Navico and RELiON Battery LLC.The newly formed Navico Group will be comprised of numerous brands that serve the marine, RV, specialty vehicle, and industrial markets.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has proposed to construct an artificial island dedicated to large-scale production of green hydrogen from offshore wind – called "BrintØ" - in the Danish part of the North Sea. According to CIP, one of the world’s largest dedicated fund managers within greenfield renewable energy investments, the Hydrogen Island is expected to be able to produce one million tons of green hydrogen per year once fully built and will thus be "a crucial step…

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in Hamburg in 2028.

Kongsberg Maritime (KM) said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Norsepower Oy Ltd. to integrate wind propulsion systems into its power and propulsion systems offering.Under the MoU, ship owners and shipyards will be able to choose between fully integrated systems, or solutions incorporating stand-alone products. KM, which already delivers integrated equipment packages comprising advanced propellers, power management, energy optimization, propulsion drive train products…

Brunswick Corporation entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Navico for $1.05 billion, bringing to Brunswick's Advanced Systems Group (ASG) well-known marine electronics brands such as Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP."The acquisition of Navico and its award-winning brands will immediately accelerate Brunswick’s ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification and Shared-Access) strategy, and support our vision to deliver distinctive new products and technology-enabled experiences,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO.

Furuno USA said it has hired John Bozzelle as commercial business development manager, based in Jean Laffite, La.Bozzelle will be tasked with establishing and developing business relationships with Furuno dealers and commercial ship owners, operators and builders around the Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard to promote the Furuno product line.Furuno USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Furuno Electric Company of Nishinomiya, Japan. With two offices in the U.S., a subsidiary company in Panama City…

Ship designer and builder VARD said it has delivered a second expedition cruise vessel to Coral Expeditions of Australia.The newbuild, Coral Geographer, is ready to sail after arriving from Vard Vung Tau, VARD’s shipyard in Vietnam. Her maiden voyage with passengers will start from Cairns, Queensland, at the end of March.The vessel is the second VARD 6 01 ship ordered as part of Coral Expeditions' fleet expansion, following delivery of the sister ship Coral Adventurer in 2019.Developed by Vard Design in Norway in cooperation with the customer…

Autonomous vessels are quickly gaining acceptance across the maritime sector, but especially in government and military applications where the technological and safety advantages are most pronounced.On Monday, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) System, a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting loitering munitions to address targets at sea and on land.The weapons system will be tiered and scalable…

In a move that further expands its unmanned systems capabilities, Huntington Ingalls Industries acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS) which has proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions.SIS’s unmanned systems solutions — including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception — have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types. They have supported multiple development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime…

The evolution of marine design is increasingly influenced by three drivers: New three-dimensional design tools, the increasing complexity of power systems, and new access to high-latitude shipping routes. While new digital design tools are a natural progression of the current Information Age, new propulsion energy requirements and Polar shipping routes are reactions to the legacy of the ebbing Industrial Age. Three-Dimensional Design WorkflowsA young naval architect recently stated…

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

The latest lifeboat to join the fleet of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the main sea rescue service in the UK and Ireland, is the waterjet-propelled Shannon class, which the organization says is its most agile and maneuverable all-weather lifeboat yet to be deployed. Designed entirely in-house by RNLI engineers, cutting-edge technology has been used in this new boat to meet modern-day rescue service demands following the lead taken with the RNLI’s introduction of the Shannon’s sister lifeboat class…

Harvey Energy, the first platform supply vessel (PSV) to be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) will become the first PSV in the Americas to be hybrid retrofitted. The vessel's owner, Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf International Marine, has ordered an energy storage solution from the technology group Wärtsilä to significantly enhance Harvey Energy's efficiency and environmental performance.The installation of a Wärtsilä 1450 kW battery hybrid solution will reduce the ship’s exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and noise level.

ABS has rolled out comprehensive guidance providing the marine and offshore industries a goal-based framework to enable data-driven decision making based on smart technology.The ABS Guidance Notes on Smart Function Implementation support data infrastructure development, enabling health and performance monitoring, and augmenting vessel operations leading to more informed decisions in support of fast-moving environmental requirements.The guidance sets an actionable framework for owners, operators and equipment manufacturers to take smart steps today in preparation for an environmentally sustainable future.“Spurred by increases in connectivity…

As of 2020, Rolls-Royce will launch a range of completely integrated MTU hybrid ship propulsion systems onto the market. The propulsion systems will be made available for yachts, workboats, ferries and patrol boats in a power range extending from around 1,000 kilowatts to 4,000 kilowatts per powertrain.“The combination of diesel engines and electric motors, in addition to batteries, will offer our customers significant benefits in a variety of marine applications. The most important being efficiency…

John Canada founded Ocean 5 Naval Architects in 2007, arguably the worst time in history to start a maritime company as the industry was just entering the worst downturn in a generation. But more than 10 years later, and with the industry still in recover mode, Canada and his company are still standing. Ocean5 has become synonymous with sportfish, luxury, performance and composite high speed small craft naval architecture, and the company’s international presence is founded on patrol craft…

Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, announced that Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider to support its digital transformation.Samsung Heavy Industries is turning to AWS’s expansive infrastructure, unmatched performance, scalability, and industry-leading services to gain competitive advantage in the smart shipping industry.Samsung Heavy Industries leaves the heavy lifting of its infrastructure to AWS, the world’s leading cloud, so that its team can rapidly innovate on its autonomous shipping platform, a system that enables self-piloting of large container ships, LNG carriers, and floating production systems.Samsung Heavy Industries will continue to expand its smart shipping capabilities using the breadth and depth of AWS’s services…

V.Group, the leading global marine and offshore vessel management and support services provider, has announced the launch of its groundbreaking Fleet Cell of the Future, a prototype for the future of technical management and marine support services.This new design of operation rethinks and redesigns the traditional Fleet Cell model, the building block of technical management at V.Group. With market-leading performance design and an open-plan layout based on the latest in ergonomic research, it enables a shift away from single user focus to full team problem-solving.The Fleet Cell of the Future acts as a test bed for innovations, where the technical management team can measure operational…