New Center News

This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 – across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime – AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBM’s programming advances in the 1940s.

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is launching a global ABS Electrification Center in Singapore to support maritime decarbonization projects.Comprised of ABS engineers and technical specialists, the center will support a range of cutting-edge electrification projects for shipowners, shipyards and other stakeholders across the Asia Pacific region and around the world, ABS said.The center will also provide support for the electrification of harbor and coastal craft aligned to the initiatives from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) is set to open a new office on campus that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion through programs, events and student support initiatives.MMA's Office of Intercultural Engagement named its new office the Captain Paul Cuffe Center for Inclusion, in honor of the master mariner, philanthropist, abolitionist and education advocate. Approved by unanimous vote of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees, the Cuffe Center is housed…

DNV and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) have established a Future Ship Joint Innovation Center in Shanghai.The Center will allow both companies to cooperate on ship and offshore field technical innovation. The Center will set up three joint work groups on decarbonization, digital twin/digital ship, and smart shipping, focusing on developing future-proofed vessel holistic solutions.The Center will be established and operated by SDARI and DNV China following the Strategic…

Paints and coatings company AkzoNobel announced it has opened a new £10 million global research and development center at its Slough site in the U.K.The facility, which joins a growing list of similar facilities opened by AkzoNobel globally to further advance the company’s product development, is home to 120 specialists and will act as a major hub within the company’s worldwide R&D network and help to further advance AkzoNobel’s innovation capabilities.“The inauguration of this…

West creates a Charterers and Traders team as a new center of excellence within the Club, further enhancing the West’s popular tailor-made liability insurance products.The West of England P&I Club announced the creation of a dedicated Charterers and Traders product team to manage its Charterers Comprehensive Cover, which provides bespoke cover for charterers and traders.Suumit Madhu will lead the new team with support from Nicola Goff, Christina Anderson, Chris Ward and Paul Kaye…

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Singapore (BV) has launched a new Center of Excellence - the innovation Center of Alternative Renewables Energy (iCARE), supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).Aligning itself with Singapore’s goal of driving innovation to increase competitiveness in maritime, iCARE as a Center of Excellence (CoE) will drive sustainable growth and new technology in Singapore. By creating an enabling environment for value innovation in the industry…

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft said it has commenced operations in its new automated shipyard logistics center, enabling the flow of goods to be managed completely automatically and bundled into one place.The investment in the new center with its fully automated high-bay warehouse for 25,000 storage units amounted to more than €35 million ($41.7 million) and took around two years to complete.The 30-meter high high-bay warehouse stores 25,000 load units of all material that has standard dimensions, i.e. fits on a standard euro pallet.

Classification society RINA said it has opened its Fleet Operating Center (FOC) in newly expanded offices in Piraeus. The move, together with the relocation of the Deputy EVP for the Marine Business, Massimo Volta, to Athens, is part of the company’s long-term strategy to further strengthen its presence in Greece.The new center will make it possible to integrate, in real time and on a single platform, ship records and certificates, ship plans, manuals and calculations, with data from the shipboard automation and meteo-marine information…

With much of North America still reeling from the pandemic, HGG Profiling Equipment continues to grow, responding to immediate and anticipated customer demand for profile-cutting machinery. Since opening its new 6,500-square-foot facility in Houston in this spring 2020, HGG has added an area manager to its sales and support team, three new customer service and support specialists, and two new service technicians.HGG recently expanded its North American sales coverage by adding Todd Wellens as Area Manager for eastern and midwestern US and Canada…

Wärtsilä said it has established its latest Expertise Center (EC) in Singapore to provide support functions, including operational support and dynamic maintenance planning, for marine and energy customers.Together with nine other Wärtsilä EC units around the world, the new center supports Lifecycle Solution agreement customers with advice and recommendations based on the analysis of data from monitoring the condition and performance of the specified machinery.Based within the company’s Acceleration Center facilities…

The new Marine Service Center builds on a decade of local ABB services in support of ice-going vessels and relies on a strong core of engineering expertise in Murmansk. In 2009, ABB’s engineers operating from smaller scale service facilities in Murmansk supported 15 vessels featuring the group’s equipment; in 2019, the number of ships has exceeded 50, with projects covering over 100 Azipod propulsion units. Responding to the needs of a growing customer base, ABB has expanded its service capabilities by opening a new…

Military Sealift Command hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to signify the opening of its new Center for Excellence located on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, March 25.The Military Sealift Command Center for Excellence provides MSC-centric basic training for newly employed civil service mariners (CIVMAR).“Ultimately, the new Military Sealift Command Center for Excellence is replacing the MSC training center in Earl, New Jersey,” said Military Sealift Command Total Force Management Director Mike Morris, who co-officiated the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Wärtsilä has inaugurated its new Hybrid Center, a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to enabling further development and deployment of the Wärtsilä HY hybrid power module. The new center, located in Trieste, Italy, will also be used to train crews and provide hands-on experience for technicians, while at the same time providing customers with the possibility to experience the benefits of the Wärtsilä HY.The center houses an engine, batteries, power drives, a propeller load simulator utilizing an electric motor…

The new Vessel Electric Propulsion Training Center at the Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University in Russia will help to prepare seafarers for work on vessels equipped with Azipod propulsion systemsThe center will be used to train MSUN cadets, as well as to provide advanced training to commissioned officers of the merchant fleet. It is also planned to conduct research, including scientific and experimental activities, in the area of automation of electric propulsion and vessel power supply.The establishment of the center follows the trilateral research…

Wärtsilä is building a new center of research, product development and production, in Vaskiluoto, Vaasa. As of 2020, all of Wärtsilä's functions and personnel in central Vaasa will transfer to the new Smart Technology Hub, along with the logistics and maintenance workshop operations from Runsor.As a part of the project, Wärtsilä will invest 83 million euros in modern testing and production technology for the hub. The total investment in the Smart Technology Hub will be in the region of 200 million euros…

The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification, the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system.ISO 9001 certification helps organizations ensure they offer consistently high-quality services to the satisfaction of customers, management and employees. It also ensures the continuous improvement of the business.The certification coincides with the launch of the MNTB’s new Center Recognition service, which recognizes quality training centers in the U.K. and abroad with an MNTB kitemark.“The MNTB wanted to prove to the industry that our new Recognition Service is underpinned by strictly controlled quality processes and procedures.

NCE Maritime CleanTech business cluster is establishing a new Norwegian catapult center to build up expertise and testing facilities for its partner organizations. The center aims to be at the forefront in making the Norwegian marine industry greener, smarter and more innovative.NCE Maritime CleanTech’s initiative Sustainable Maritime Norwegian Catapult Center was announced as one of the three winners among the 15 business clusters that applied to Siva, the Industrial Development Corporation of Norway, to fund a new catapult arrangement.

d’Amico Group will build a new fleet digital operating center in Rome, Italy that will help the dry cargo and tanker shipping company to boost efficiency and safety across its fleet through increased collection of performance details and data from its ships.The new center, which is being created through a partnership with RINA and Telemar, is part of the trend toward increasing digitalization within the maritime industry. In addition to providing d’Amico Group with intelligence about operations on which to base strategic business decisions and operational improvements…

Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) said it has completed its new training center in the North American Corporate Rental Center in Bridgeview, Ill., allowing the company to further develop employees’ skills and knowledge of the service, function and proper care and maintenance of LGH rental stock equipment.The new center will be utilized to train LGH employees and customers in a quiet, temperature controlled and classroom-style environment. It can seat up to 12 people, including the instructor…

Royston Diesel Power has doubled the size of its UK engineering facilities to support continuing global growth in its marine engine service business and new technology development. As part of a £500,000 ($676,000) investment program the company has opened an additional 15,000 sq. ft. of engineering workshop premises alongside its existing headquarters on the banks of the River Tyne. As well as increasing the company’s engine repair and maintenance capability, the new center will also provide a focus for a range of other technical support functions.

The new center, which is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will focus on developing competence including qualification, certification and training for additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing. While AM is raising more and more interest in various industries, as the benefits of speed and cost against traditional product manufacturing become apparent, the adoption level in the O&M sector is still low due to challenges in qualification and certification.

Yaskawa Corporation is making a multimillion-euro investment to strengthen the R&D capabilities of The Switch and purchase new equipment at the company’s factory in Lappeenranta, Finland.The investment will enable drive train testing of up to 15 MW. The Switch will now become Yaskawa European’s Environmental Energy Division, leading the Japanese company’s global business in the marine, wind and turbo/industry segments.This latest investment provides The Switch with the capability to test high-power machines…