Marine Engineering Systems News

Texas A&M University at Galveston has taken over a new training ship, the TS Kennedy.The 540-foot vessel will enhance year-round training for Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets in ship navigation and marine engineering systems, maintenance, safety and security.State maritime academy training ships are federally owned vessels operated by the six state maritime academies to serve cadet-training purposes. Successful legislative efforts in Washington, D.C. secured the transfer of the TS Kennedy from Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) this year and a new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel…

SUNY Maritime College on Monday announced three major construction projects totaling $24.8 million that will enhance and build on the campus’s state-of-the-art facilities for students pursuing the global marine transportation industry. Ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies today with state and local leaders celebrated Maritime College’s new Student Learning Center and its fully renovated Marine Engineering Systems Laboratory, made possible through significant New York…

Crowley recently honored four U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) cadets with Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships during the Containerization and Intermodal Institute’s Connie Awards on December 6 in Newark, N.J.Cadets Breanna Frank, Nathan Mathes, A.J. Poznanski and Erin Roberts were awarded the memorial scholarship based on their interest in pursuing a career at sea, as well as their service during their sea year aboard a Crowley-owned or -managed vessel.Midshipman First Class Breanna Frank, from Sidney, Mont., is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in maritime logistics and security.

U.S. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding announced a change of leadership. Todd Thayse, who began working at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding more than 37 years ago and he has spent the last 10 years as the vice president and general manager, has decided to retire.“The timing of one’s retirement is not an easy decision,” Thayse said. “Especially when you enjoy what you do and the people you get to work with every day.”Thayse will remain at FBS through mid-January to help enable a smooth transition with the incoming VP and GM, Craig Perciavalle.

Video marks Academy's 75th year and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.Alumni of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) released an inspiring video to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the institution and memorialize midshipmen who have died in service to the nation. Over the summer, the USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation (USMMA-AAF) has been executing a multi-faceted campaign to mark the federal academy's decades of service and the foundational role it plays…

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (USMMA) said its Bachelor of Science degree programs in Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management, and Marine Engineering Systems have been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. The accreditation assures the academic programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies…

SNAME announced the recipients of the Graduate Scholarships awarded for year 2015-16. Wilbur N. Landers Scholarship Award goes to Alyssa M. William M. Kennedy Scholarship Award has been won by Michael T. Recipient of Tommy L Richards Scholarship Award is Russell George Forthuber, 2009 Marine Engineering Systems graduate of the U.S. Alan C. McClure Scholarship Award has been bestowed on James McNeill Landreth, 2008 graduate of the U.S. John V. Frederick H. The winner of the David A. O'Neil Scholastic Award is Anthony Donato Nigro, 1991 Marine Engineer graduate of S.U.N.Y. Maritime College,  to study in Master's of Marine Engineering program at the U.S.

Crowley Maritime Corporation awarded two Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial scholarships to United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) cadets Christopher Anthony and Thomas Treat during the 2013 Containerization and Intermodal Institute’s Connie Awards luncheon in Newark, N.J. yesterday. Both recipients were selected for their strong academic records, leadership capacity and financial need. Crowley’s Jonathan Christian, marine personnel supervisor, was in attendance and presented the scholarships to the students during the event.

Severn Trent De Nora, a leader in electrochlorination technology appoint Delmar Marine as its exclusive sales representative in Turkey. Severn Trent De Nora, a leading provider of electrolytic water disinfection solutions, has appointed Delmar Marine as its exclusive sales representative in Turkey for the Type-Approved BALPURE® ballast water treatment system and MARINER OMNIPURE® marine sewage treatment system product lines. As a leading commercial marine company headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, Delmar provides services to the Turkish shipping and yachting industry including ship design, ship construction and operation, shipbuilding methods and management, marine engineering systems, high-quality equipment and system supplies.

Having detailed instructions for each shipbuilding task and precise sequencing of the workflow is creating efficiencies and reducing rework at shipyards on the east and west coasts of the US. The work packs that Senesco Marine’s tradesmen are working from provide instructions—including checks and balances and dimensions—for each step of the process. “The person cutting the angles to go on panels has a cut sheet with instructions on how to cut every angle,” explains Joe Bush, VP Operations at Senseco Marine in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Crowley's commitment to provide scholarship opportunities to deserving students continued on Dec. 7 as four U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadets were presented Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships at the Containerization and Intermodal Institute's Connie Awards luncheon in Newark, N.J. Cadets John Buehler, Patrick Delargy, Andrea Morrison and Kyle O'Connor were awarded with Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial scholarships based on their exemplary academic records and financial need. Midshipmen Marie Ebers was also awarded the Containerization & Intermodal Institute's Richard A.

Gryphon Technologies, LC, has been awarded a competitively bid $337m contract by the U.S. Navy to provide expert professional engineering services to the Naval Sea Systems Command Engineering Directorate. Gryphon will provide technical and engineering support in the areas of advanced ship and vehicle concept development, future fleet force concepts, ship design standards, new-construction concepts, naval architecture, marine engineering, systems engineering and other lifecycle support for surface ships, aircraft carriers and submarines. "This is a big win for us!" said P.J. Braden, President of Gryphon Technologies. Gryphon Technologies…

Austal announced the promotion of to Vice President of Operations for Austal’s shipyard. Perciavalle has been working with Austal as the Director of Operations since November of 2007 Perciavalle began his maritime career at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at , graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering Systems.  Craig also actively served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve for eight years. He has fifteen years of experience in the shipbuilding and repair industry and has worked at several shipyards.

Continuing its support of students wishing to enter maritime, transportation and logistics fields, Crowley Maritime Corporation this week presented four U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) midshipmen with Thomas B. Crowley Sr. memorial scholarships totaling $10,000. Ira Douglas, representative of marine crewing for Crowley, recognized Midshipmen Sonha Bilunas, Lawrence Fioravanti, Eric Icke and Jeremy Maginot during the Containerization and Intermodal Institute's (CII) annual luncheon at the Newark Club in Newark, New Jersey. Crowley has provided scholarship aid to USMMA students since 1993.

Continuing its tradition of supporting academic excellence, Crowley Maritime Corp. recently presented Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to two midshipmen from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. Mark Miller, director of corporate communications for Crowley, presented scholarships to Jeffrey Jaskot and Audrey Meyers. Midshipman Jaskot, of Orlando, Fla., is a senior majoring in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation and plans to attain a U.S. Coast Guard Unlimited 3rd Mates License. He also is in the process of achieving a Tankerman PIC Rating as well as Crude Oil Wash and Inert Gas Endorsements. Upon graduation, Jaskot plans to use his license and go to sea. He interned at Crowley in the summer of 2003.

A major step forward in tanker operation safety was taken as ABS announced technical guidance for inert gas systems for ballast tanks. Compliance to the guidelines leads to the class notation IGS-Ballast. ABS is the first society to set standards and offer a notation for complying with design criteria and procedures for inerting ballast tanks on double hull tankers. The timely introduction of the ABS Guide For Inert Gas System For Ballast Tanks addresses industry concerns regarding the potential leakage of volatile gases from oil laden cargo tanks into the ballast or void spaces. This concern has been further heightened as double hull tanker configurations become the standard with mandated phase in by 2010.

A major step forward in tanker operation safety was taken as ABS announced technical guidance for inert gas systems for ballast tanks. Compliance to the guidelines leads to the class notation IGS-Ballast. ABS is the first society to set standards and offer a notation for complying with design criteria and procedures for inerting ballast tanks on double hull tankers. The timely introduction of the ABS Guide For Inert Gas System For Ballast Tanks addresses industry concerns regarding the potential leakage of volatile gases from oil laden cargo tanks into the ballast or void spaces. This concern has been further heightened as double hull tanker configurations become the standard with mandated phase in by 2010.

Albacore Research Ltd. (ARL) announced the introduction of ShipConstructor into the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Systems Design three-year diploma programs at the Fisheries & Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MI) in St. John’s, Canada. ShipConstructor is the easy-to-use, AutoCAD-based 3D product-modeling software for the design and fabrication of complete ships and offshore structures. Akin to the University of New Orleans’ implementation of ShipConstructor for an industry-focused approach to education, even more students will now have a working knowledge of ShipConstructor upon graduation, a significant advantage when entering the job market.

Austal USA announced the appointment of Joe Rella to the position of Chief Operating Officer for Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard. Mr. Rella most recently led the sales and marketing team of Jeffboat, LLC in Indiana as Vice President. Mr. Rella has more than ten years of experience at shipyards on the Gulf Coast, including both Atlantic Marine in Mobile, Alabama, and Ingalls in Mississippi. Mr. Rella started his maritime career by enlisting in the U.S. Navy and graduating from the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. While in the U.S. Navy, he received his appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y. and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering Systems. He also earned an MBA from Spring Hill College here in Mobile.

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has created a Summer Naval Surface Ship Design program in cooperation with the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. The program will run from May 1 to June 16 and will include professors from the University of Michigan, the Naval Postgraduate School, Virginia Tech and instructors from NAVSEA’s Engineering Future Concepts and Surface Ship Design, Ship Costing, and Combat Systems Groups. The new series of courses is being offered at the graduate level on the unique aspect of naval ship design. The seven courses taught are: Naval Architecture Overview…

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has created a Summer Naval Surface Ship Design program in cooperation with the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. The program will run from May 1 to June 16 and will include professors from the University of Michigan, the Naval Post Graduate School, Virginia Tech and instructors from NAVSEA’s Engineering Future Concepts and Surface Ship Design, Ship Costing, and Combat Systems Groups. “A large part of the Navy’s civilian naval architects and engineers will be retiring in the next decade. We will face a shortage of these skilled professionals and we need to ensure that we recruit a new generation of architects and engineers with the right skills to design and build warships for the 21st Century Navy…

When MR/EN traveled up to the New England coast this past fall as part of a New England shipyard swing, we were expecting to meet the great one himself — Luther H. Blount — who could be informally known as the "father" of New England shipbuilding. Blount began his career so many years ago with the construction of a 77-ft. steel catamaran, was the first of many greater and more technologically innovative vessels that would later earn the designation as Blount crafted. Over the years, Blount oversaw the daily operations of his yard, managing to get his hands dirty on the overall production process. Carefully designing every vessel to a tee with a pencil and sketch pad…

Crowley Maritime Corporation presented the Thomas B. Crowley Sr., Memorial Scholarships to three midshipmen from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. Mark Miller, director of corporate communications for Crowley, presented scholarships to Allison Bennett, Casey Benefield and Jared Leigh at a Containerization & Intermodal Institute lunch. Midshipman Bennett, of Arlington, Texas, is a senior majoring in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation. She was recently named a national alternate for the British Marshall Scholarship, and is currently competing for a Fulbright Scholarship to further her maritime education in the U.K. Allison aspires to involve herself in the formation of global maritime infrastructural standards.