Potential Applications News

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) held an informal public hearing examining impacts from attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 7.Opening the hearing, Commissioner Carl Bentzel, voiced concern about safe access through both the Suez and Panama Canals.“What is at stake is severe international economic disruption. The United States is still recovering from the aftershock of the pandemic induced supply chain disruption that that saw 30% increases…

Samsung Heavy Industries has received basic certification for a floating CO2 storage unit (FCSU) from DNV.The FCSU, jointly developed by Samsung Heavy Industries and MISC, is 330 meters long and 64 meters wide, and has a high-pressure tank capacity that can store 100,000 cubic meters of liquefied CO2 at -50 degrees Celsius or less.The injection module mounted on the upper part of the hull secures the ability to send five million tons (MTPA) of CO2 per year to the depths of the seabed.

Designed to meet challenges of long range autonomous ops, the ‘Pentamaran’ design has been optimized to reduce fuel consumption and increase flexibilityBMT recently released details of its next generation ‘Pentamaran’ platform for autonomous applications, vessels that can be custom configured for military, patrol, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and hydrographic survey work.The Pentamaran has been designed to reduce drag as much…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has issued new guidance about how it will assess the reasonableness of detention and demurrage regulations and practices of ocean carriers and marine terminal operators (MTOs) under 46 U.S.C. 41102(c).The final rule, “Docket No. 19-05, Interpretive Rule on Demurrage and Detention under the Shipping Act”, will become effective upon its publication in the Federal Register.Under the new interpretive rule, the Commission will consider the extent…

Improved data quality offers enormous financial benefits and can even increase work satisfaction, says Dutch shipbuilding software firm Shipbuilder.“Nevertheless, we see that many maritime companies do not work on data quality and that costs a lot of money and time. Some millions of euros (and a lot of man-hours) slip away while problems, caused by poor quality of your project data, are being solved,” says Geert Schouten, Director at Shipbuilder.Einte Kamstra, New Business & Sales Manager at Shipbuilder…

Looking back through articles on autonomous shipping, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s becoming the nuclear fusion of maritime; always seemingly five or 10 years away but never quite arriving. In 2018, numerous commentators predicted that by 2030, autonomous vessels would be commonplace. With the lifecycle of most ships making this very difficult, barring a massive program of scrappage and new building, this is now looking less likely. As an industry we have undoubtedly learned much from the trials of autonomous ships and the advances in big data that have stemmed from such trials.

There is a new buzzword in the ocean science/sensing community. The word is eDNA, an abbreviation for environmental DNA. This refers to DNA that can be extracted from environmental samples without first isolating any target organisms. In the maritime community such samples are taken from water. All living organisms leave traces of DNA in their environments which is an indicator of their presence over time. This DNA is released into the environment through the biological process of living animals or by the decomposition of dead organisms.

Looking back through articles on autonomous shipping, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s becoming the nuclear fusion of maritime; always seemingly five or 10 years away but never quite arriving. In 2018, numerous commentators predicted that by 2030, autonomous vessels would be commonplace. With the lifecycle of most ships making this very difficult, barring a massive program of scrappage and new building, this is now looking less likely. As an industry we have undoubtedly learned much from the trials of autonomous ships and the advances in big data that have stemmed from such trials.

BAE Systems has demonstrated for the first time how Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) can be fully integrated with operational Royal Navy warships to extend their reach beyond the horizon and reduce sailors’ exposure to danger.The unmanned Pacific 24 Rigid Inflatable Boat (P24 RIB) is integrated with the combat system of HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate, in a series of waterborne demonstrations in London’s Docklands at DSEI 2019, the international defence and security event.At 7.8 metres long, the P24 RIB has a speed of 38 knots and can operate for up to 45 hours at patrol speed or 100 nautical miles in pursuit mode, while being controlled remotely or operating autonomously.Its integration with an active warship has potential applications across a range of missions…

Rotterdam Port Fund has invested in remote inspection robotics company ExRobotics, specialising in robots to operate in high risk environments such as oil and gas facilities.The Dutch robotics firm manfacturers modular robots that can carry out remote inspections of oil and gas facilities more efficiently and with a lower safety risk than those carried out by humans.ExRobotics will be working on the further development of this technology in close collaboration with knowledge institutes in the Netherlands and abroad.The participation of the Rotterdam Port Fund creates new opportunities for ExRobotics to increase its production capacity…

New holographic technology is set to revolutionize training procedures, fleet management, ship performance and engineering maintenance in the maritime sectorHave you ever wished you could move around your fleet of ships, in full 3-D, without ever moving from your desk? Have you ever wanted to be able to delve into the complex inner workings of one of your vessels and inspect its internal structure while sitting in your office? Have you ever been performing maintenance work within…

U.S. shipbuilder Metal Shark has joined forces with autonomous vessel technology developer ASV Global to introduce a range of high-tech autonomous vessels.The Louisiana based shipbuilder said it is now offering autonomous technology called Sharktech on its entire portfolio of custom configurable vessels for military, law enforcement, fire rescue and the full spectrum of applicable commercial markets, which range from 16’ to over 300’ in aluminum, steel and composite.“The industry has watched and waited as autonomous technology has matured from its fledgling stages…

Ideol and STX Europe Offshore Energy, the well-known EPCIM supplier of substations to the bottom-fixed offshore wind industry, announce the development of a breakthrough floating substation. This one will be compatible with both bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind farms. Their universal and modular solution is expected to impact the market of offshore substations and aims at being market-ready for France’s upcoming floating commercial tenders. Based on Ideol’s patented and shallow-draft Damping Pool® concept and designed to operate in the world most extreme environments, this universal floating substation is currently being designed and engineered with a target of maximum standardization and modularization that allow cost reduction.

If you’ve been working in the marine insurance industry lately, you will have heard about “blockchain” at some point; it is the electronic, distributed ledger, notoriously known for enabling the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether. But the blockchain technology’s utility goes beyond cryptocurrencies, potentially offering creative ways to solve other real-world problems. Within blockchain ledgers, the use of ‘smart’ contracts essentially converts contractual obligations into lines of computer protocols, which facilitate, verify, or enforce its performance.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced establishment of the Smart Shipping Office (the Office), effective December 1. WhileICT(*1) has rapidly been growing and potential applications at sea and between sea and shore are expanding, the Office will not only contribute to more advanced vessel operation and ship management by combining MOL Group’s expertise and the underlying seed technologies of ICT, but also make shipping services more convenient for customers by adding new value to shipping. In addition, the Office will work to realize one of new technological development project concepts, “Advanced support technologies for safer vessel operation,”(*2) with the ultimate goal of autonomous sailing.

New research solves a mystery behind the gunk that sticks to the bottoms of ships. The coating of barnacles and other growth along the bottoms of vessels is more than just an eyesore. Biofouling, as it is known, slows down ships and impedes the readiness of emergency response and military vessels. “Biofouling is an economic issue,” said San Diego State University biologist Nick Shikuma. A new study by Shikuma identifies key developmental steps these waterborne organisms must take to metamorphose from their larval to adult state.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has published revised guidelines for onboard operational use of shipborne automatic identification systems (AIS), as Resolution A.1106(29). These are operational guidelines, developed to promote the safe and effective use of AIS, and in particular to inform crews about their operational use, limits and potential applications. They should be taken into account when operating AIS. Shipowners and managers should make sure that crews fully understand the guidelines and become familiar with operating the equipment and how to correctly interpret the data. A description of an AIS system, including components and connections, can be found in Appendix 1.

Since the boom of the NdFeB magnets industry, the usage and potential applications for permanent magnet machines have grown exponentially to the detriment of traditional induction systems. In special applications like elevators, cranes, hybrid vehicles or renewable energy, permanent magnet machines have already become the preferred technology. In the marine sector, they are now starting to be the main competitor to mainstream solutions. The development of permanent magnet materials has progressed quickly during the past few decades.

ABB announced at the UN Climate Summit in New York today that it is joining the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL). The company will provide expertise on energy efficient motors and transformers to help governments devise policies that accelerate energy savings. “ABB is excited to be part of the United Nations initiative and to contribute to decoupling economic growth from energy consumption and emissions,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB. “ Many cost- and energy-efficient technologies are already available. Electric motors account for about 28 percent of global electricity consumption. Many motors are bigger than they need to be and most are running at full speed, even when they don’t have to.

The tube bending machine innovator Unison said it is moving the technology forward again, with the completion of a groundbreaking all-electric machine that is capable of bending tubes and pipes up to 9 inches/225 mm in diameter. The availability of all-electric machines at this new size level brings the benefits of instant set-up and right-first-time precision bending to many new applications in sectors including shipbuilding, powergen and oil, gas and chemical processing. According to Unison…

Teekay Couplings is launching its new Teekay Plastlock Pipe Coupling on September 9, the first day of the SMM marine trade fair in Hamburg, Germany. Enabling simple, rapid and permanent joining of plain-ended plastic pipes, the product will greatly increase the ability of the marine industry to specify plastic pipes in builds and therefore realise the cost, time, space, weight and simplification benefits of the material. Key to the new product’s capability is its patented dynamic axial restraint system…

American Power Group Corporation (APG) announced they will be working with Marine Fuel Conversions, LLC (MFC) to evaluate potential applications and opportunities for APG’s dual fuel solution specifically in marine applications including on-board prime and ancillary power as well as port based stationary power applications. MFC which is based in Glasgow, Scotland will be responsible for funding and coordinating all feasibility and beta testing activities necessary to determine how APG’s innovative Turbocharged Natural Gas dual fuel system  can be commercialized in Europe for marine applications. The feasibility/beta testing period is anticipated to run between nine to fifteen months.

The announcement that the federal government will stop bulk lithographic printing of nautical charts brought some understandable angst, however NOAA say they may be changing the chart production process but they will NOT stop the production of paper charts. The Agency explain they are working with private companies to make them better: printed in brighter colors and available for fast delivery to the door. Most importantly, they are up-to-date to the moment ordered. These improved paper charts are NOAA-certified print-on-demand (POD) nautical charts created by NOAA Coast Survey cartographers.