Analytical Tools News

NAVTOR has teamed up with Danelec in a partnership that will help shipowners and operators translate onboard data into business value, unlocking enhanced commercial and operational decision making.The agreement will bring together the wealth of data collected by Danelec’s advanced internet-of-things (IoT) vessel infrastructure with NAVTOR’s NavFleet performance management and optimization platform. This combined collection and analytics solution will, the partners explain, allow users to empower new standards of sustainability…

e1 Marine said it has appointed David Lim to the newly created role of vice president of application engineering. Based in Asia, David will focus on engineering efforts for e1 Marine’s marine fuel cell generators and providing product support alongside the other partner companies.Previously vice president of business development at partner company, Element 1, David Lim has an impressive background in the product and business development, and production of renewable energy products including fuel cell technology such as fuel reformers, and fuel cell system products.

For dredging company officials, the first quarter of 2021 was a pretty good start to a new year. In a tough business, challenges and pitfalls are always expected. But from a bigger picture perspective—markets, regulations and policies—company officials couldn’t be faulted if a bit of optimism infused their worldview.There are a number of reasons for this. Many are well known and don’t need to be detailed here. Just quickly, though, WRDA 2020 would be at the top of the list. WRDA…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has set up a new online resource intended to help U.S. ports plan, evaluate and finance freight transportation projects.The new Marine Highway module of the Port Planning & Investment Toolkit (Toolkit) was produced as part of a cooperative agreement between MARAD and the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and is designed to be easy-to-read, easy-to-understand and easy-to-execute, helping to guide ports toward fruitful investments.The goal of the Port Planning & Investment Toolkit is to provide U.S.

In a few short months, the mayhem wrought by coronavirus has changed the world. Our response to the epidemic [more than the virus itself] has the potential to permanently alter the balance of the global economy. But it might be the kind of Black Swan event that we need to trigger real change in the shipping industry – and in particular its approach to digitalization of vessel operation.Like the worldview bubbles created by social media algorithms and fake news, the maritime industry is living in its own digitalization fantasyland - one fueled by vendor delusion and media misinformation.

Connectivity is the backbone of modern maritime operations as ships and boats at sea increasingly become connected. We recently met with Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO, KVH, to discuss the evolution of communication in the maritime sector and so much more, as KVH is diverse and engaged in a number of markets -- including autonomy for 10 years with work on about 30 different  platforms for self-driving vehicles.To start, give us a “State of KVH” today.We started originally in the leisure market…

The airline industry has long employed flight data to monitor navigational and operational practices for evaluation and feedback to pilots using a system called Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA). Now a similar concept is coming into the shipping industry. Danelec Marine, a well-known manufacturer of VDRs and ECDIS products, this month unveiled a new Bridge Operational Quality Assurance (BOQA) system. To learn more, we talked with Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec, a Danish…

Statoil is establishing a digital center of excellence and launching a roadmap with seven specific programs for digitalization in the company towards 2020. Towards 2020 Statoil expects to invest $120 to $240 million in new digital technologies, accelerating the digital roadmap work. Digital technologies will also be part of other Statoil technology and research projects. “Aiming to be a global digital leader within our core areas, we are now stepping up our efforts to capture opportunities provided by the rapid development within digital technologies,” said Eldar Sætre, Statoil’s CEO.

Analysts say intelligent analytics could give firm an edge. A young Israeli technology company believes the expertise it has built up in tracking ships for governments and security agencies could help it break into the much larger market for providing information on seaborne commodities. Windward, founded just over five years ago by two former Israeli navy officers, plans to launch a maritime information service later this year for banks, investors and trading houses, its chief executive Ami Daniel told Reuters in an interview. About 90 percent of global trade is transported by sea, but there is little visibility on what ships are doing and what cargo they carry.

Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) and DNV GL have launched a new Fuel Analytics solution. As part of DNV GL’s ECO Insight fleet performance management portal, the tool will enable a systematic assessment of the impact of fuel quality on vessel performance. The Fuel Analytics solution is the result of an ongoing close cooperation between VPS and DNV GL. “We have been the largest fuel testing services provider since our inception in 1981,” said Gerard Rohaan, CEO of VPS. “And as a result we have the world’s largest fuel sampling database – over two million tested samples.

Simulations indicate diesel electric propulsion can be a fuel efficient solution for LNG carriers under realistic operating conditions. Power and automation technology group ABB has disclosed details of a study from DNV-GL R&D examining the potential for efficiency improvements of dual fuel diesel electric (DFDE) propulsion. The study found it is possible to improve overall vessel efficiency and thus asset competitiveness in certain vessel and configuration cases, demonstrating furthermore that an optimized DFDE LNG carrier can be a highly fuel efficient solution for the specific case and boundaries of the study. ABB requested DNV-GL R&D to undertake an analysis of DFDE propulsion under realistic operating conditions for LNG carriers…

Press release - Accidental release of cryogenic liquids such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) poses a significant risk to personnel and assets on oil and gas installations. In addressing these risks, Lloyd’s Register Energy has developed a guidance note that provides a consistent methodology to establish cryogenic exposure. Lloyd’s Register Energy’s newly launched guidance note provides a methodology to establish risk-based cryogenic exposure based on a probabilistic approach. It is applicable to any unit where hydrocarbon and refrigerant cryogenic hazards are relevant, but offers special guidelines on how to handle leak scenarios specific to LNG plants.

University Partnership Symposium spotlights research that aims to contribute to sustainable solutions for industry. Classification society ABS has revealed technological advances at its recent University Partnership Symposium in Houston. ABS said the research it is funding through some of the top universities around the world will lead to disruptive technology that will impact the role of classification. Academic leaders from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Michigan, George Washington University and the State University of New York Maritime College presented at the ABS-hosted event, which engaged participants from academia and industry.

Hydrocomp’s newest release of PropCad incorporates 3 years of enhancements. Propellers are surprisingly complex devices, especially considering most are a solid piece of metal with no moving parts. The variation in vessels and operational requirements leads to wildly different designs, from noise-sensitive propellers for luxury cruiseliners to wide-blade sets for tugs. With different combinations of diameters, pitches, blade styles, and blade counts, there is no limit to the design alternatives available.

BMT ARGOSS (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, has announced the award of a number of metocean assessments for Tullow Oil Plc., including comprehensive overviews of meteorological and oceanographic conditions in West Africa and South America, to help support the company’s offshore oil and gas exploration and operating activities. Colleen Abell, Senior Environmental Remote Sensing & GIS Specialist at Tullow Oil Plc commented, “Tullow have been engaging with BMT ARGOSS with regards to their metocean and regional reporting capabilities.

A new ocean exploration vessel, 'SeaOrbiter' which the designer claims will provide permanent and continuous observation and research operations at the heart of the ocean is almost fully funded, ready to be built. Jacques Rougerie describes himself as a visionary architect who aims to deliver a new vision of underwater exploration with his SeaOrbiter, the culmination of over 30 years of research dedicated to bionic marine architecture and exploration of the undersea world. Internationally renowned…

AnTech Ltd, an engineering company that provides directional coiled tubing drilling (DCTD) services, announced that it has secured a substantial investment from Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV) and London-based Calculus Capital, following an initial investment from eCORP, which operates a considerable amount of shale deposit acreage in Europe. The funding is being used to launch AnTech’s new DCTD service capability so that it can use its bespoke systems to deliver highly cost-effective directional drilling solutions to the oil and gas industry.

Participants at a workshop exploring the use of titanium structure for ships found that it is not only possible to construct a ship hull from titanium—or Ti, it could be cost effective. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and hosted by the University of New Orleans, where an ONR research program on titanium ship structures is being conducted. Representatives of the shipbuilding industry, titanium suppliers, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force labs, and academia discussed and examined materials, processes and applications. Most ships today are primarily made from steel.

Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies (KOGT) signed an agreement to supply a flexible risers and umbilicals installation system for the ‘Capstan Reel Installation System’ (CRIS), to the Offshore Installation Group (OIG). The patented CRIS design simplifies the subsea installation process, enabling a reduction in installation time and risk, which translates to significant cost savings. The CRIS is a sophisticated new product that will address the risk, safety and cost factors of offshore installations as production moves to deeper waters, further offshore.

Major new project increases safety and reduces risk of flow line installation. Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies (KOGT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, has signed an agreement to supply a flexible risers and umbilicals installation system for the ‘Capstan Reel Installation System’ (CRIS), to the Offshore Installation Group (OIG). The patented CRIS design simplifies the subsea installation process, enabling a reduction in installation time and risk, which translates to significant cost savings.

Veson Nautical, the US-based developer of proven software solutions for the commercial maritime community, announced that Neste Oil Corporation has purchased Veson Nautical’s Integrated Maritime Operations System (IMOS) Trading Module for Neste’s Shipping Division. Veson Nautical IMOS Trading provides a solution for monitoring and managing physical and Forward Freight Agreement (FFA) positions and risk. Currently, Neste’s Shipping Division utilizes Veson Nautical’s IMOS Chartering, Operations and Financials modules to manage all commercial shipping activities for its 30-vessel fleet. Ports of call include the Baltic, the North Sea and the North Atlantic Region; the company transports about 40 million tons of crude oil, oil products and chemicals annually.

Veson Nautical, which delivers chartering, operations and accounting solutions for cargo transportation, introduced IMOS Trading, a complete system module for handling Forward Freight Agreements (FFAs), Options and Freight Exposure. “Commercial maritime organizations need to implement strong risk management processes to protect their business from volatile markets. Many have outgrown the Excel spreadsheet method and in fact, need a much more sophisticated, automated system,” said John D. Veson, President of Veson Nautical. “After listening to the needs of our customers, we developed IMOS Trading. Our solution provides access to powerful analytical tools that promote intelligent business decisions.

Maritime Administrator Capt. William G. Schubert has designated two educational organizations as National Maritime Enhancement Institutes (NMEI). They are the Consortium for Navigation Support and Analysis (CNSA) at Marshall University in Huntington, WV, and the Global Maritime and Transportation School (GMATS) at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. The CNSA, under the direction of the Nick J. Rahall II Appalachian Transportation Institute at Marshall University, is composed of six academic, research and professional organizations. It addresses maritime policy and implementation issues critical to efficient functioning of the industry through workforce training programs tailored for inland navigation…