Aerospace News

Born at the University of Michigan in the early 1990s, Bristol Harbor Group (BHG) has grown into a diverse and widely respected naval architecture and marine engineering firm. Cory Wood, Vice President and one of the four co-founders of BHG, discusses the companies past and design drivers to power its future.The University of Michigan runs one of the most prestigious naval architecture and marine engineering programs in the country, but when Cory Wood entered U of M, he did so with the intent of becoming an aerospace engineer.

Lloyd's of London report stated that the cyber-attack on major ports across the Asia-Pacific could cost losses of up to $110 billion would occur in an extreme scenario in which a computer virus infects 15 ports.Despite the high costs to business and international trade, the report showed that the global economy is under-prepared for such an attack with 92% of the total economic costs uninsured, leaving an insurance gap of $101bn.An attack via a computer virus carried by ships could scramble the cargo database records at major ports and lead to severe disruption…

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…

At one time the most powerful lighthouse in the United States was Twin Lights in Highlands New Jersey. Today it is a wonderful little museum and right now it has a very interesting show of paintings by Maarten Platje on the War of 1812. One painting is called the Great Chase and it tells this amazing story of the US Frigate Constitution being becalmed off the New Jersey coast and becoming engaged in a rowing race to keep out of range of a powerful British Squadron. The Constitution escaped and went on to have her amazing victories that year…

Avoiding the requirement to drain down pipelines for repair work or to carry out maintenance can save a considerable amount of time and potential loss of product.Qwik-Freezer Pipe Freezing System eliminates the need to drain pipework by creating a freeze plug. Available from the Pipestoppers Division of Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT Qwik-Freezer is a very cost effective and quick way to perform pipeline maintenance without draining the system, meaning very little or no system downtime.Luke Keane…

Global investment firm The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) and private equity firm Stellex Capital Management today announced they have closed on their acquisition of Vigor Industrial LLC and MHI Holdings LLC. In addition, Carlyle and Stellex announced they have appointed Jim Marcotuli as CEO of the newly created company comprising Vigor and MHI, effective today.Marcotuli brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the defense and manufacturing industries. He has served in a number of executive and operating roles with Carlyle portfolio companies and in industries spanning defense…

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies will act as a technology partner in the Pa-X-ell2 project. The goal is to develop a new generation of fuel cells for use on seagoing vessels. For the future project on sustainable, CO2-free mobility at sea, the largest shipyard for the construction of cruise ships – Meyer Werft in Papenburg – and the global technology specialist Freudenberg Sealing Technologies intend to equip future generations of cruise ships with fuel cell propulsion. Besides Meyer Werft…

Seaspan Shipyards, Canada’s non-combat shipbuilding partner for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Hargreaves as Vice President, Strategy & Business Development.David brings to Seaspan over 25 years of experience in complex system engineering and a track record of growth-oriented industrial development, building long-lasting customer relationships and establishing strategic partnerships.Leveraging Seapan’s world class modern infrastructure…

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to a conceptual design for carbon fibre LNG fuel tanks, in what it describes as a ‘milestone’ for a project to adapt space industry technology to small-scale LNG fueling.SpaceTech4Sea project sees ABS, OceanFinance and Cimarron Composites joining forces to adapt composite technologies developed for the space industry to LNG shipping.Backed by EUR1m funding from the European Union, the project explores whether composite technology, which is lighter and more cost-effective…

Aerospace solutions provider Airbus Defense and Space has upgraded its digital maritime service to detect and track vessels around the globe.First launched in 2018, OceanFinder leverages Airbus’ advanced constellation of optical and radar satellites, combined with real-time global Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, and the latest in automated analytics, to support a broad range of critical applications across defense and security, shipping, oil and gas, and insurance…

A new report commissioned by Maritime UK and the UK’s Center for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has recognized the contribution of the UK maritime sector to the country’s economy. The report notes that the sector facilitates 95 percent of all UK trade and that it is larger than both the automotive and aerospace transportation sectors, contributing a total of £46.1 billion ($56.8 billion) to the UK’s GVA in 2017, an £8.3 billion increase over 2010. The sector’s direct GVA contribution in 2017 was £17 billion ($21 billion), a 25 percent increase on 2010 (£13.6 billion or $16.8 billion).

Merseyside UK shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird has appointed a new quality assurance manager to forge closer relationships with suppliers and bring best practice from other industries to his new role.Gordon Maxwell is the new QA manager heading up a team of 19 striving to deliver the company vision of getting it right first time.He said he is looking to take a more proactive approach to quality assurance as he draws on his experience of working for the likes of television parts manufacturer Philips Components and central heating manufacturer Baxi.

Veecraft Marine, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Maritime Holdings and African-based global aerospace and technology company Paramount Group,  opened its new premises at a ceremony held in Cape Town. Veecraft Marine has manufactured more than 60  maritime platform solutions in various classes since its inception in 2002, totaling more than $130 million of contracts. Leveraging its specialization in the construction of 20 to 30 meter vessels, the company has secured an order book valued at more than $13.5 million.

In one a dramatic U.S. shipbuilding and repair move it was announced today that The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) and private equity firm Stellex Capital Management signed a definitive agreement to acquire and merge Vigor Industrial LLC, an infrastructure, defense, and maritime services company based in Portland, Oregon, and MHI Holdings LLC, a ship repair, maintenance, and other ship husbandry services company based in Norfolk, Virginia.The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions…

Imagine conducting ship checks and training aboard a ship without ever leaving your office. At Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), this has become a reality thanks to virtual reality.NNSY's Radiological Control Special Projects and Refueling Division (Code 105.26) has collaborated with the Nuclear Fluid Systems and Mechanical Engineering Division (Code 2320), the Nuclear Refueling Engineering Division (Code 2370), and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) to create laser scans of vessels…

Every few years I am handed a high-speed container transport proposal. Generally it consists of some type of high speed vessel design that would be able to move containers at high speed and thereby attract a new market by taking a chunk out of the air cargo market and the premium ocean market. Occasionally we are asked to look at the economics for potential investors, and it always falls short of being economically viable. While it is possible to move containers a little quicker over the ocean with faster vessels…

The state-owned enterprise Space Norway signed a NOK 618 million (USD 71.5 million) contract with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) for the delivery of ground station services to provide satellite-based broadband in the Artic.Space Norway owns 50% of Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), a company that reads data from satellites that are observing the Earth from space.The contract is related to Space Norway’s newly announced cooperation with the satellite operator Inmarsat and…

Samson, a worldwide leader in performance cordage, announces the appointment of Christian Rheault as CEO, effective July 1, 2019.Rheault comes to Samson with a strong combination of multinational experience. Most recently he was CEO of Greene, Tweed, a US-based global supplier of custom sealing engineered solutions for aerospace, oilfield, semiconductor, petrochemical, and power. Prior to that, he was CEO of C&D Technologies, a company that manufactures systems for energy storage in standby backup power systems.

Silicon Sensing Systems is to expand its MEMS foundry in Japan, moving into a new purpose-built facility, allowing the company to meet significantly increased demand for its MEMS inertial sensors and sputtered thin film PZT MEMS device wafers.The new facility will increase floorspace to 3,000m2, immediately more than doubling current wafer throughput and delivering scope for a five-fold increase in output over the next five years, in line with current market growth predictions.

Foss Maritime departed the Port of Everett enroute to the Port of Los Angeles to pick up two gantry cranes for use at the Port’s modernized South Terminal.The $57 million South Terminal Modernization project will ensure the Port’s facilities are ready to support the next generation of over-dimensional cargo, including aerospace parts for the new 777X. The two cranes are a critical piece in this loading and unloading efficiency.“The completion of this upgrade will add another full-service berth at the Port to accommodate project…

The Liebherr Group notched up a company record turnover of $11.8 million in 2018, representing an increase of $828 million, or 7.5 %, compared with the previous year.Despite a slight decline in overall economic growth, revenues from construction machinery and mining equipment rose by 10.8 % to $7,761 million, with especially strong contributions from the Earthmoving, Mobile Cranes and Mining divisions. In the other product areas, which include Maritime Cranes, Aerospace and Transportation Systems…

The developer of augmented and mixed reality technology Kognitiv Spark will be providing the Royal Canadian Navy with the opportunity to test drive a Mixed Reality Remote Assistant Support (MIRRAS) system, as part of a project that aims to improve maintenance and repairs aboard active naval vessels.The project aims to validate technology adopted from Kognitiv Spark, whose software is designed for use with the Microsoft HoloLens.The software leverages Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality…

Chairman & CEO, Campbell Transportation Company.Peter H. Stephaich is Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company. Currently, he is also Chairman of the Board of the Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI). Peter also serves on the Board of Directors of Blue Danube, a position that he has held since 1982. Serving the barge industry for over 30 years in a number of key roles, he also counts among his many qualifications his tenure(s) as Past Chairman and Past Treasurer of the American Waterways Operators (AWO)…