Microwave News

$2 million for Suffolk County Community College to stimulate workforce training and redevelopment. At a recent meeting of the Corporate Committee of the Long Island Council of the Navy League of the United States, US Navy Command Master Chief Joshua Sturgill who is Command Senior Enlisted Leader for Team Submarines, announced a $2 million grant for Advanced Manufacturing Scholarships supported by the Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base. The $2 million grant was awarded to Suffolk…

Metal Shark delivered a welded-aluminum 45 Defiant crew boat to Anchorage Launch Services Company, an Oregon-based operator providing launch, line, pilotage, and cargo services to vessels on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.Designed in-house by the Metal Shark engineering team and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La., production facility, the 47 x 12 ft. twin-diesel waterjet-powered “Triumph VII” is now in service.“Our captains, crew, and passengers have all been very impressed with the capabilities of our new vessel,” said Alex Scott, COO of Anchorage Launch.

Videos of U.S. military personnel stopping drug-smuggling boats are exhilarating and frightening. They are not Hollywood movies but real-life, dangerous encounters on the high seas. In each of those instances, the use of force applies. The High Power Microwave (HPM) Weapon Systems Division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) makes those encounters safer for everyone involved.“A significant portion of what we do focuses on vessel stopping,” said Kevin Cogley, HPM Weapon Systems Division head.

Miros AS announced it has signed an agreement with energy and telecom cable systems company Prysmian Group for the installation of its IoT dry-sensor WaveSystem including Miros Cloud Services, delivering real-time wave and current data on board the cable layer Leonardo Da Vinci delivered earlier this year.“A key area in our discussions with Prysmian was the ease and availability of real-time data accessible through our cloud-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) Miros.app. We believe…

While maintaining the integrity of power supply, digitalization and the integration of data have been prioritized in the energy transition process, ensuring a robust telecommunications infrastructure is essential for operational success. A well-designed and integrated telecommunications solution is critical in driving offshore wind operations and plays an integral role in connecting hundreds of physical assets and vessels. ABB Energy industries’ Ian Holden explains.Across the world and in many seas, new technologies are being harnessed to meet our power needs.

Aluminum boatbuilder Brix Marine said it has delivered the 45’ by 18’4” passenger ferry Hat Island Ferry, which recently entered service for the community of Hat Island, Wash.A small, private island community in Snohomish County, Wash., Hat Island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano Islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. Its residents' requirements are reflected in the ferry design which received widespread community approval…

Swedish maritime internet service provider AecorLink said it has been appointed to deliver highspeed Internet to Wasaline´s brand new ferry - Aurora Botnia.Wasaline has been using AecorLink broadband service since 2017, on the ferry Wasa Express. Wasaline has had the first long distance shore to ship, satellite free, highspeed internet connection to a ferry. AecorLink will provide an updated version of the shore to ship microwave system to match the stable, low latency and highspeed internet services offered to passengers on the new top modern ferry Aurora Botnia.

There are many hallmarks of great civilizations, but perhaps none so universal as their desire to push the boundaries of human achievement through innovation. A key source of American pride has always been our ability to dream big. When it comes to ships, there is no more powerful example of this than the SS United States.“America’s Flagship” was more than a symbol of our nation’s post-war strength and global reach. She remains a singular and unrivaled marine engineering and design achievement.Curiously…

Research scientist and entrepreneur Sverre Dokken believes laser-based remote sensing has big potential in the maritime domain. But what is LADAR, who’s it for and what are the key benefits?“Our mission is to be the world leader in innovative maritime sensor products that enhance the safety and security of shipping and all manner of offshore activity,” says Ladar Ltd (LDR) principal Sverre Dokken.In the sensor vanguardEssentially a laser-based navigational aid, LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) combines long-distance object detection with high-accuracy measurement…

AecorLink has been granted a new patent on its company's communication platform. The patented technology will further enhance the capacity for shore-ship communication via microwave links. The salient advantage with the patent allows the networks to further improve the capability providing high-speed and stable data connections.AecorLink AB a Swedish internet service provider targeting the maritime industry. A leader in providing microwave shore to ship connectivity, the company is operating techniques stretching from Wi-Fi, LTE4G to different satellite solutions.

There is much talk among maritime professionals about how automation and autonomous vessels will make the industry safer. In truth, innovation will be driven by the bottom line and will take time before it is commonplace in the industry. Early examples are likely to be limited to smaller vessels and coastal waters. Autonomous ships are predicted to reduce human error, a major driver of accidents, but crews will still have an important role on board vessels for the foreseeable future.Recent TrialsIn December 2018…

The Miros RangeFinder sea state monitoring sensor has been certified with Atex IEC Ex  for use in Zone 1, clearing it for use in explosive atmospheres. This breakthrough opens for unrestricted use of RangeFinder in offshore oil and gas production environments. The motion compensated version of the Miros RangeFinder, WaveFinder, is also certified for use in Zone 1.The RangeFinder is said to offer up to 15% higher operational availability and increased operational safety, the Miros sensor is a high-frequency vertical microwave radar that provides sea level…

WORK Microwave has announced the results of its technology demonstration with Intellian and Telesat to increase the reliability, performance, and throughput of broadband for maritime applications. Recently, the companies successfully tested a high-throughput data link from Mount Jackson, Virginia to Pompano Beach, Florida using WORK Microwave's AX-80 wideband modem, the Intellian v150NX 1.5m Ka-band wideband antenna, and the Telesat T19 VANTAGE High Throughput Satellite (HTS).

The 40’ x 13’ research vessel Nanuq recently entered service for the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. In a competitive solicitation process last year, the University selected Armstrong Marine’s proposal to design and build the vessel.Nanuq is customized for research and teaching operations. The monohull features 28 – 32 knot cruise speed, hydraulic A-frame, overnight accommodations for five, full-service galley, head, Northern Lights 5kW diesel generator…

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has delivered a custom welded-aluminum pilot boat to the Brazos Pilots Association in Freeport, Texas.The new vessel, “Brazos Pilot,” is a 64’ x 19’ Defiant-class monohull pilot boat designed by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard. This new pilot boat is intended to replace the pilots’ smaller, single-engine 40’ pilot boat, improving safety for crews while enhancing service to operators and providing around…

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) announced that in partnership with its subsidiary, ITC Global, it has been awarded a four-year contract by TUI Cruises for connectivity services to two new-build cruise ships, Mein Schiff 1 and new Mein Schiff 2.The agreement establishes communication capabilities onboard the vessels serving guests and crew, enhancing the user experience during the cruise line's travels across international waters. Germany-based TUI Cruises is a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. Headquartered in Hamburg, TUI Cruises voyages sail across the globe from the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas in Europe…

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) increases efforts to improve the city’s air quality. Container transporters powered by lithium-ion batteries will move the containers at HHLA Container Terminal Alternwerder (CTA) between ships and the yard in future. The use of green energy prevents any CO2, nitric oxide or particulate matter from being emitted and the vehicles are also three times more efficient than their diesel-powered predecessors. Another benefit is that during their time at the charging station, the container transporters can contribute to the stabilisation of the grid by precisely extracting or feeding energy. The Ministry…

As Congress wrestles with the budget, there is at least a bipartisan consensus that defense spending should grow, and that includes growing the Navy’s fleet. The current goal is 355 ships, an admirable goal, but an objective that faces many cost hurdles. The surface fleet (which excludes submarines and aircraft carriers) needs to grow in capability and capacity. The numbers of ships being procured or envisions would increase as the total n umber of ships increases, but the number in this story represents current program status.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) won a contract from the U.S. Navy through the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) to develop advanced, high energy density capacitors for use in High Power Microwave (HPM) systems. GA-EMS is applying advanced technologies to create high energy density capacitors that will enable the deployment of HPM systems on smaller and more tactically relevant Navy platforms. GA-EMS is leading the research, development and demonstration of high energy density capacitor technologies that enable more powerful, compact system designs for a broad range of next generation land and sea-based platforms and directed energy applications.

Speedcast International Limited,  provider of fully managed remote communication and IT solutions, has signed a reseller agreement with Tampnet for 4G/LTE services in the Gulf of Mexico. The agreement marks Speedcast as the first service provider to partner with Tampnet for its high capacity offshore network in the region. Tampnet announced in March that it has reached 25 percent of its planned coverage for the Gulf of Mexico. Upon completion at the end of 2018, Tampnet will have a low latency, high capacity fiber and microwave network made up of more than 60 base stations that they estimate will cover 98 percent of all manned offshore assets. Tampnet currently owns a similarly designed offshore low-latency network in the North Sea which has been in operation since 2001.

As of August 14, Arctic sea ice extent is tracking third lowest in the satellite record, according to the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The southern route through the Northwest Passage appears to be largely free of ice. Despite a rather diffuse ice cover in the Chukchi Sea, it is unlikely that Arctic sea ice extent this September will fall below the record minimum set in 2012. As of August 14, Arctic sea ice extent was 5.61 million square kilometers, the third lowest extent in the satellite record for this date and slightly below the two standard deviation range.

Lerwick Port Authority have inaugurated a new Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) which utilises the latest technology to improve the handling of ship movements at the busy Shetland port. Transas, a world-leader in providing harmonised integrated solutions to the maritime industry, has installed the system across four sites covering the port area – port control in the main building and three remote stations, at Rova Head north of Lerwick and Maryfield and Kirkabister, on the island of Bressay, monitoring the northern approaches, inner harbour and southern approaches, respectively. Fibre and microwave links supply data back to port control. The completion was marked on Friday 19 August, 2016 with invitations extended to port users to view the new system.

Developing the capability to discriminate between ships and icebergs in northern latitudes is a common interest shared by Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) and the oil and gas industry. For DND, the focus is on ship detection for maritime security, whereas oil and gas companies are interested in detecting icebergs to ensure primarily the safety and also the productivity of offshore exploration and production operations. The Polar Epsilon and Polar Epsilon-2 applied…