Fusion News

DNV has presented HD Hyundai with a general approval for ship application (GASA) for a new high-strength composite hybrid support system for independent tanks on liquefied gas carriers.In a world-first, HD Hyundai’s concept is fabricated with a fusion of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) with a tensile strength 10 times greater than steel, significantly enhancing structural stability.The new system offers robust structural supports, enabling independent tanks to withstand upward force from floatation in case of hold space flooded.

Finland-headquartered maritime tech company Groke Technologies (Groke) is working with BAR Technolgoes (BARTech) design and develop of situational awareness systems for the U.K. marine engineering consultancy’s WindWings wind propulsion technology.The companies have signed a partnership agreement following the debut installation of two 37.5 m (123 ft) tall WindWings sails on board MC Shipping-owned and Cargill-operated Kamsarmax bulker Pyxis Ocean. Groke’s camera and imaging solutions were also installed.Groke Technologies’ CEO Juha Rokka said…

The Indian Navy on Friday rescued the crew of a merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea and said it had not found any pirates on board.An Indian Navy warship intercepted the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk bulk carrier less than a day after it had received a report that the vessel had been hijacked about 460 nautical miles off Somalia.About five to six armed people boarded the vessel on Thursday, according to a report received by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency…

Austal USA Advanced Technologies is working with the US Navy on technical solutions that will power the next-gen of navy assets. Don Hairston recently took the helm of the AAT team, and discusses how additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence are powering the future of naval asset design, construction and lifecycle maintenance.Don, what specifically attracted you to the position as GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies?I liked Austal USA as an up-and-comer; it offers tremendous growth opportunities.

Maersk Training has announced a strategic alliance with SynergyXR to strengthen its ability to create extended reality training solutions. Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term that covers all immersive technologies, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR).With the addition of SynergyXR’s advanced capabilities, Maersk Training promises a more interactive, deeper learning experience. Learners can enjoy delving deep into realistic scenarios…

Three bulk carriers were robbed in the Singapore Strait earlier this week, a Singapore-based regional maritime security centre on Friday. One of the busiest commercial waterways in the world has seen a spike in piracy in recent years. The incidents of "petty crime" happened between Aug 8-9, when the ships were in the Phillip Channel in the Singapore Strait, said the Information Fusion Centre, which is a regional facility hosted by the Singapore navy. One of the ships was flagged to Cyprus, while the other two carried Liberia flags, the center said in a statement.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has claimed an industry first with the verification of its autonomous navigation technology on a container ship sailing between South Korea and Taiwan.The company installed its remote autonomous navigation system (SAS) and smart ship system (SVESSEL) on a 15,000 TEU class large container ship built at its Geoje shipyard. Fom June 26 to July 1, the vessel departed from Geoje and passed Jeju Island to Taiwan, demonstrating its autonomous navigation technology by operating about 1…

Propspeed, manufacturer of underwater foul-release coatings, announced it has promoted Marcus Hamilton from the international sales director to the position of CEO.Hamilton comes to the position with more than 10 years of experience in the marine industry, working with global marine business such as Fusion Entertainment, Garmin NZ and Propspeed International. In these 10 years Hamilton has held positions of international marketing manager, VP of sales and operations Americas,…

ClassNK granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to an object recognition system on machine vision and sensor fusion called Groke Pro developed by Groke Technologies Oy.In order to promote the spread and development of innovative technologies, ClassNK has offered Innovation Endorsement as a swift certification service in cooperation with technological front runners to establish appropriate evaluation criteria. Among the certification categories, "Products &…

Hepburn and Sons LLC announced it has officially joined forces with MELD Manufacturing Corporation, developer of the patented, solid-state metal additive manufacturing process and provider of MELD 3D printing machines. The companies have been working together since 2021 to introduce the Navy and other military services and DoD agencies to MELD, also known as additive friction stir deposition.Hepburn and Sons LLC is a small business founded in 2010 whose initial focus was to provide expert consulting…

Pemamek LLC, a North American subsidiary of Finland-based Pemamek Ltd., has developed an automated semi-narrow groove welding solution with proven success in welding exceptionally thick plates ranging in size from 2 inches to 6.5 inches. Called Semi-Narrow Gap Welding, this SAW process uses significantly less consumables over the length of the operation resulting in a strong bond in less time and with fewer costs.Based on submerged arc welding (SAW), the LSO process employs a welding head equipped with 5/32-inch wires.

AVIKUS, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, is nearly ready to bring to market its autonomous navigation solution for the pleasure boat market, and plans demonstrations later this month at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS). There the company will introduce and showcase Neuboat, an autonomous phase-2 navigation solution for leisure boats featuring the Avikus Navigation Assistant System (NAS) and Docking Assistant System (DAS).Avikus NAS is…

EUNAVFOR Atalanta and both the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Center (RMIFC/Madagascar) and the Regional Coordination Operations Center (RCOC/Seychelles) conducted their first joint operation from September 21 to 24. This first Operation, named MARLIN, was aimed at strengthening maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean through sustainable collaboration between the States of the region and international partners. It contributed to the implementation of the cooperation agreement signed between EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA and the two regional centers in December 2021…

A race is being run by nuclear scientists and ship designers. The prize? “Decarbonization’s” holy grail — believed to be a “small” thorium-fueled, molten-salt rector’s unlimited power to propel sea trade. At the same time, a recently revived discussion among leading marine-nuclear thinkers revolves now around how to put an ultra-modern, as-yet non-existent marine reactor aboard a modern commercial vessel. As with nuclear power generally, shipborne reactors produce national discussion first, then discovery.

In August, 2021, after years of delays, cost overruns, and rising tensions, the Australian government canceled a A$90 billion order with France’s Naval Group for 12 conventionally powered submarines intended to replace the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s aging fleet of six Collins-class attack subs. Overnight, the future of the RAN’s undersea warfare capability was cast into uncertainty. The very next month, however, the United States and the United Kingdom announced a plan to help Australia fill the void…

Armach Robotics, the robotic hull-cleaning subscription service company launched last year as a Greensea spin-off, has launched its first post-prototype Hull Service Robot.Armach said that the robot is a disruptive technology in hull cleaning, being man-portable at under 66lbs (30kgs) and around 34 inches (86cm) long, greatly reducing deployment costs and increasing convenience. The robot was recently launched for its first in-water trials at Plymouth, Massachusetts.James Truman, Armach’s VP of Engineering says: “My favorite job in this industry is working on next-generation systems.

Melding advanced software, intelligence, robotics and navigation, Armach Robotics – a spinoff of Greensea Systems – leads a step change in ship hull cleaning and maintenance with its Robotics as a Service model. Ben Kinnaman, the CEO of Greensea Systems, explains.Ben, to start us off, please give us a background on Armach Robotics? Where did the idea come from and where are we today?Greensea Systems is a software company, well-known for our software platform on ocean robotics. We're also well-known for our unique navigation and autonomy solutions.

Rolls-Royce is expanding its range of mtu NautIQ ship automation systems with three new products offering different levels of intelligent crew support, autonomous control and remote command capabilities.The new products—mtu NautIQ CoPilot, mtu NautIQ CoOperate and mtu NautIQ CoDirect—are the next step in the cooperation between Rolls-Royce and autonomous control and remote-vessel command systems developer Sea Machines Robotics, which was first announced in September 2021.The most advanced intelligent pilot assist system of the new product range…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Technical Solutions division announced today the successful integration of its advanced autonomy solutions with Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomy product. The integration of these autonomous capabilities supports complex mission planning and collaboration between unmanned systems.The demonstration, which took place late last year in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Virginia Beach, involved overlaying HII’s collaborative autonomy and…

Parts fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) – also known as 3D printing – and installed on an oil tanker for operational testing have been validated to be in good working condition, marking a significant step for the technology's implementation in the marine industry.The project involving ABS, ConocoPhillips Polar Tankers, Sembcorp Marine Ltd and 3D Metalforge started in February 2021 with the fabrication and lab-testing of functional additive manufactured parts, which were then installed on board the oil tanker Polar Endeavour.

Sea Machines Robotics and HamiltonJet have launched a new intelligent voyage control product, named JETsense, that uses autonomous navigation, multi-sensor fusion, and computer vision "to move waterjet vessels to the forefront of 21st-century navigation and utility."JETsense utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced autonomy to perceive the domain and maintain precise control of steering and speed during a voyage and re-route to avoid traffic and obstacles while enabling a new level of streaming data to improve on-water operations…

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine said Thursday it had completed work on the Maju 510 tug, its first autonomous vessel project."Capable of autonomous vessel navigation as well as collision detection and avoidance (CDCA), the Maju 510 tug, owned and operated by Keppel Smit Towage, is the first vessel in the world to receive the Autonomous Notation from ABS classification society," Keppel O&M said.According to Keppel O&M, the tug is the first in South Asia that can be remotely operated by joystick control.

Marine software pioneer Greensea Systems Inc. has launched spin-off company Armach Robotics, that capitalizes on Greensea’s digital expertise to offer a subscription model robotic hull cleaning system using autonomy, intelligence and data fusion to tackle biofouling.Armach Robotics is not a technology company and does not sell robots; it is a service provider offering a subscription for clean hulls and hull intelligence. Its resident cleaning robots to ships, ports, harbors and…