Peak Performance News

During a seven-week Arctic transit aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB 20), researchers from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) will study the impact of the extreme environment on crew performance and potential mitigations, as well as advanced Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies in adverse sea conditions.The studies, which commenced with Healy’s departure from Kodiak, Alaska on Aug. 26, will be led by principal investigator Dr. Nita Shattuck, a professor in the NPS Operations Research (OR) department.

The maritime and scientific community have set themselves the ambitious target to map the entire ocean floor by 2030. Volvo Penta and Danfoss Editron will play a role by powering a novel fleet of unmanned surface robots for subsea exploration.The companies have been commissioned for the unique venture by Grovfjord Mek. Verksted (GMV) shipyard, to power the world’s first fleet of autonomous robot exploration vessels for commercial use. The seafloor analysis and oceanography company Ocean Infinity has invested in the ‘Armada’ fleet of super-advanced unmanned vessels.

Norsepower CEO and co-founder Tuomas Riski has put a new spin on some established technology, bringing wind power back to shipping in an undeniably eye-catching manner. Here Nor-Shipping’s latest ‘Ocean Action Hero’ explains the benefits of his firm’s unique technology, his plans for building global market presence, and the key role Norsepower’s sails can play in enabling a more sustainable shipping industry. “But isn’t there a problem that some people think it looks, you know… a bit odd?” Tuomas Riski laughs at a question that you quickly get the feeling he’s dealt with before.

Governors 1, a 400-passenger ferry built by Blount Boats delivered in 2019, provides service between Lower Manhattan and Governors Island, a park-like respite .5 nm away from the bustle of New York City.The 132' x 40' Governors 1 has dual 800 hp engines, so maintaining optimal air pressure and temperature is critical for peak performance and efficiency. Adequate airflow is also essential for crew comfort and safety.Specified by naval architecture and marine engineering services firm Glosten…

Navis, the terminal operating systems (TOS) provider and part of Cargotec, has announced the appointment of maritime industry veteran Simon Doughty as the General Manager and Vice President for the APAC region.Doughty had previously served as the CEO of Hong Kong based Wallem Group and brings over 30 years’ experience in international business management, leading transportation organizations in Asia, the Americas, Middle East and Europe.Doughty has a proven track record of driving top and bottom line growth through efficient operations, work processes and technology in the maritime industry and has had experience in supporting the complete…

Hybridization in the marine world is transitioning from the latest fad to a key part of vessel design and retrofits. Driven in part by a demand for increased efficiency and new waves of global legislation, hybridizing or electrifying a vessel is quickly becoming necessary for organizations. In fact, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules and guidelines for the marine industry call for reduced emissions globally, and some ports around the world have established ambitious…

Cranes and winches in particular can benefits from this practice.Early electric motors were operated at one speed, guided by available current and voltage and often drive belt and pulley systems that mechanically controlled system speed and power. As motors evolved, efficiency improved, mostly by changing output control from mechanical to electrical and eventually leading to the creation of modern adjustable speed drives (AC drives).Today, the largest potential for electric motor energy savings lies in system- and process-level optimization.

Gulfstream Shipbuilding launched a custom passenger/vehicle ferry for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 12, 2017. This 118 x 27 x 10.75 ft. crew boat-style vessel will be delivered in the fall 2017 to service the New York and Connecticut waters. The aluminum ferry will service the DHS Directorate of Science and Technology Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Orient Point, NY. The vessel is capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay.

In the world of maritime training, MSRC has carved a unique niche in the training of pilots. Founded in 2005, MSRC is a division of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots (CLSLP). The MSRC is a purpose-built simulator with a fully instrumented DNV Class “A” configured bridge with 330° visuals that exceed the requirements of the 1995 STCW Convention. MSRC’s Full Mission Simulator (FMS) is one of the most advanced simulators of its type and is continually being upgraded. The Center is also equipped with three fully instrumented ship bridges, with a horizontal view of 240°.

CWind, a provider of services to the offshore wind industry, informs that DONG Energy, one of the key energy groups in Northern Europe, has granted CWind a two-year extension to its existing three-year Crew Transfer Vessel contract at the West of Duddon Sands Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea. CWind, the offshore power focused business of Global Marine Group (GMG), will provide vessels for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) to the 108-turbine West of Duddon Sands site, including a summer campaign to ensure the site remains operating at peak performance throughout the busier summer months.

Gulfstream Shipbuilding’s Custom Aluminum Ferry: U.S. Department of Homeland Security awards Ferry Contract for vessel built specifically for Eastern Coastal Waters. In December, Gulfstream Shipbuilding was awarded a contract through the United States Department of Homeland Security for a passenger/vehicle ferry to service New York and Connecticut waters. This crew boat-style vessel will be capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. The vessel has an expected delivery date of April 2017.

KVH Industries, Inc. announced that Netherlands-based Vroon has extended its contract for KVH’s maritime satellite communications solution, choosing the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm network for connectivity services onboard more than 140 Vroon vessels. The multi-year contract also includes KVH’s IP-MobileCastTM service for news, sports, movie and TV delivery, as well as preventive maintenance checks to ensure peak performance on all fielded systems as part of the KVH OneCare program. The first installations of KVH’s 60 cm diameter TracPhone V7 systems onboard Vroon vessels took place in early 2011, after Vroon conducted a stringent selection process involving 22 different satellite communications providers. Today, more than 140 Vroon vessels employ the KVH mini-VSAT Broadband system onboard.

Gulfstream Shipbuilding won a contract through the United States Department of Homeland Security for a passenger/vehicle ferry to service the New York and Connecticut waters. This 118 x 27 x 10.75 ft. crew boat-style vessel will be capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. The vessel has an expected delivery date of April 2017. “Gulfstream Shipbuilding is not only familiar with the Eastern Long Island Sound waters…

Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has taken delivery of the Sauger III, a custom floating pump station by Damen Shipyards Group for supporting dredging operations. Situated 110 km inland on the River Elbe and with a tidal range of 3.6 meters, the Hamburg Port requires regularly dredging like most ports. 37 metres in length and 10 meters wide, the station features a powerful, dual pump installation and comfortable accommodation for the crew. The Sauger III was built to a completely new design following a European tender process that began with ten yards and was finally won by Damen.

W&O, a global supplier to the marine and upstream oil and gas markets for pipe, valves and fittings, valve automation, and engineered solutions, announced a new OEM partner, Tranberg. A member of R. STAHL Technology Group, Tranberg offers offshore, marine and helideck lighting control solutions. W&O will assume exclusive distribution responsibilities in North America for Tranberg’s nonhazardous lighting to include helideck and navigation. In addition, W&O will also offer Tranberg’s Circle and H systems and other marine lighting systems to the maritime industry. “W&O has been looking to offer marine lighting for some time,” said Michael Hume, President & CEO of W&O.

The U.S. Coast Guard is declaring 'Sea Area A1' service in certain areas off the coast of the United States based on the performance of the General Dynamics-built Rescue 21 system. The declaration is in accordance with provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and follows testing and analysis by the Coast Guard, validating that Rescue 21 provides more than 90 percent coverage for Very High Frequency (VHF) radio distress communications and digital selective calling. Sea Area A1 comprises more than 215,000 square nautical miles including the nation's eastern, western and Gulf coastlines (excluding Alaska) and extends 20 nautical miles out to sea.

Hapag-Lloyd has extended its longstanding maintenance agreement with ABB Turbocharging in Germany for a further year. The agreement extends a relationship that has existed since 2005. ABB announced that Hapag-Lloyd, one of Germany’s biggest ship owners and operators based in Hamburg, has extended its nine-year Maintenance Management Agreement (MMA) and technical support contract with ABB Turbocharging, the world leader in the manufacture and maintenance of turbochargers for diesel, gas and dual-fuel engines with power outputs from 500 kW to over 80 MW. The agreement, covering 253 ABB Turbochargers in 46 vessels across the fleet, is one of the largest between ABB Germany and a marine customer.

ABB announced that it has signed a five-year maintenance agreement with Prestige Cruise Holdings (PCH) to provide services, parts and support for all turbochargers installed on its fleet of eight cruise ships. The contract provides global access to maintenance services for the turbochargers to ensure their continued safe and reliable operation. Prestige Cruise Holdings is the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which serve the upper-premium and luxury segments of the cruise industry with over 6,400 berths.

Hosted Turnkey Solution to Provide Strategic Technology Enhancementsand Improved Efficiency. Tideworks Technology, Inc., a premier provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions, today announced it has been selected by Sea Star Line, LLC (Sea Star) to implement its suite of terminal operating system (TOS) solutions at its Jacksonville, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico terminals. Sea Star will leverage Tideworks’ complete turnkey solutions under a fully-hosted model.

Caterpillar Marine announced the first shipment of Cat 3500 series marine gas engines from its Lafayette, Indiana manufacturing facility. Five Cat G3516 marine engines were selected to power the Becker Marine Systems subsidiary, Hybrid Port Energy, LNG-Hybrid Barge, the world’s first LNG-powered barge in the Port of Hamburg. The LNG-Hybrid barge will provide clean and efficient shore power to cold ironing cruise ships and serve as a backup power provider for the local Hamburg electric power and heat grid. The G3516 is a spark-ignited, gas engine specially designed to operate in commercial vessel applications. The solution is compliant with the strict Marine Classification Societies requirements, SOLAS and is certified by Bureau Veritas.

Drydocks World, an international provider of maritime and offshore services to the shipping, oil, gas and energy sectors, completed major repair and refurbishment of National Drilling Company’s (NDC) self-elevated crane vessel Al Ghweifat at its Dubai-based shipyard. The 165 ft x 140 ft x 15 ft self-elevated crane vessel has undergone extensive maintenance related repair and refurbishment. Extensive maintenance performed on the three Truss type 260-feet long legs including the spud can, which would enable the vessel to attain peak performance at 157 feet of water.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) earlier this year, VEEM Ltd. has now agreed territories and principle responsibilities with the Italian marine equipment distributor SAIM Group. SAIM Group will be responsible for increasing awareness of the Australian engineering firm’s latest developments in gyro stabilization technology, whilst driving sales of the latest VEEM Gyro products across Central Europe. Both VEEM and SAIM Group have established enviable reputations within their respective fields for the development and distribution of high quality marine equipment.

Rolls-Royce will supply Petrobras with advanced maintenance and repair services to support fifteen Rolls-Royce RB211-G62 industrial gas turbine power generation units which are installed on four Petrobras oil platforms operating in the petroleum rich, pre-salt Campos Basin. The four Petrobras platforms, which together can produce over 500,000 barrels of oil per day, or 25 per cent of Brazil's entire output, are reliant on nearly 375MW of Rolls-Royce generated power to maintain a consistently high production output.