Technology Developer News

Independent laboratory testing reportedly confirmed there is no decrease in the thickness of hull coatings from the use of Shipshave’s In-Transit Cleaning of Hulls (ITCH) solution, according to the company.The Endures laboratory in the Netherlands was enlisted by Norwegian technology developer Shipshave to perform tests to investigate the impact on the thickness and roughness of anti-fouling coatings from repeated brushing with the ITCH system.A number of coated panels treated…

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have completed the initial design of an ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for vessels powered by WinGD’s X‑DF‑A ammonia-fueled engines.The AFSS design is the first result of a wide-ranging partnership announced last year that will develop solutions for ammonia engines and fuel systems that can be applied across a range of vessel designs.The project will now proceed to the detailed design phase…

Technical inquiries to SRC Group ramped up after it received Approval in Principle (AIP) for a concept which ‘reinvented methanol fuel storage’ on board ships. Delivering the answers has seen technical talk converting into project discussions        ‘Green’ methanol has the ability to one day run vessels almost emission-free, and commercial shipping increasingly investigates. Derived today principally from natural gas, methanol is nonetheless available, relatively easy to handle and predictable.

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has, following a recent private placement, become a shareholder in Odfjell Oceanwind, a Norwegian floating wind technology developer."The transaction generates significant capital which will be used to further strengthening Odfjell Oceanwind’s position as a global leader and frontrunner in floating offshore wind technologies. Odfjell Technology Ltd. combined with the Odfjell family’s direct investment will remain the largest shareholder in the company…

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a partnership on ammonia-fuelled vessels.The project will see WinGD applying its X-DF-A ammonia-fuelled engines to a range of vessel designs, with Mitsubishi both designing the vessels and completing the fuel chain with its ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS).Manabu Kawakado, Head of Marine Engineering Centre, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Testing, inspection and certification specialist Bureau Veritas and nuclear power technology developer ThorCon have entered an agreement for the technology qualification and the subsequent development of a 500-megawatt (MW) molten salt nuclear power barge for operations in Indonesia.The concept developed by ThorCon is a molten salt fission reactor that operates at low pressure and uses liquid fuel. The liquid fuel enables much higher operating temperatures, leading to greater…

Swiss based marine engine technology developer WinGD has expanded its global training network through a partnership with DCS POWER PTE LTD in Singapore to deliver training for optimizing engine performance and preparing crews for the fuels of the future.Located in Singapore, the new training partnership was commemorated on February 22. Preparing crews for the new future-fuel ready vessels will be delivered through a variety of both virtual and classroom-based training courses.

Hydrogen is touted as an inevitable green fuel of the future. Tell that to the people who'll have to ship it across the globe at hyper-cold temperatures close to those in outer space.Yet that is exactly what designers are attempting to do.In the biggest technological challenge for merchant shipping in decades, companies are beginning to develop a new generation of vessels that can deliver hydrogen to heavy industry, betting plants worldwide will convert to the fuel and propel the transition to a lower-carbon economy.There are at least three projects developing pilot ships that will be ready to test transporting the fuel in Europe and Asia within the next three years…

Autonomous vessels are quickly gaining acceptance across the maritime sector, but especially in government and military applications where the technological and safety advantages are most pronounced.On Monday, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) System, a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting loitering munitions to address targets at sea and on land.The weapons system will be tiered and scalable…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) will run an autonomous patrol boat through its paces to gauge whether the innovative technology installed on board can be used to support personnel in executing Coast Guard missions.The vessel to be tested is a Metal Shark welded-aluminum 29 Defiant craft, the latest product of the Louisiana-based shipbuilder’s “Sharktech Autonomous Vessels” division to be equipped with the SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm technology from Boston-based autonomous technology developer Sea Machines.

Water quality monitoring technology developer Rivertrace Limited said it established a new, web-based calibration portal that will enable complete transparency of compliance and inspection paperwork related to water monitoring equipment.The free-to-access digital portal was developed by Rivertrace in conjunction with development partner Intellore. Hosted on the AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud, the portal can be retrieved at any time via desktop and mobile browsers, allowing Rivertrace’s network of staff…

Autonomous vessel technology developer Sea Machines Robotics announced Wednesday it has closed a new $15 million financing round with significant participation by America's largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).The Boston-based tech company said it expects the investment and associated partnership with HII will accelerate the deployment of self-piloting technologies for unmanned naval boats and ships as the defense shipbuilding and technology giant continues…

When discussing the arrival of autonomous workboats, many – especially those developing the technologies that enable them – say it’s is not a matter of if, but when. In fact, autonomous harbor tugs are already being put to the test in Singapore, where authorities hope to establish the technological infrastructure to enable fully autonomous ship operations. In the U.S., an autonomous vessel was shown to be able to respond to marine oil spills.But is autonomy really the future?

A first-of-a-kind commercially-ready offshore wave power generation device is soon to be completed thanks to the experts from Finnish-based wave energy technology developer AW-Energy. The team has deployed its WaveRoller device offshore at Peniche, a seaside municipality and a city in Portugal.Extended sea trials are being used to fine-tune the WaveRoller’s control system to maximize its performance and yield. Engineers are also monitoring the device’s performance using the company’s…

Chelsea Technologies, a leader in the design and manufacture of sensors for the maritime sector and a Sonardyne company, has announced the appointment of Elizabeth Paull as its new managing director. Paull, who joins the company from leading subsea technology developer Sonardyne International, has been appointed to further develop Chelsea Technologies as a market leader in environmental sensing technology across a variety of industry sectors, and particularly in maritime where…

AW-Energy Oy, a Finnish wave energy technology developer, received an “approval” for AW-Energy’s patent application from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).The patent [PCT/050485] provides AW-Energy with broad IP protection of its latest generation WaveRoller device including a range of operating improvements made to the device’s system and infrastructure, particularly on fail safe operating improvements to protect against extreme weather conditions.“This is a significant and exciting decision by the USPTO…

Kongsberg Maritime has launched its new global training website – www.training.km.kongsberg.com. The new portal improves functionality for selection and booking of Kongsberg Maritime’s diverse training course portfolio, which is available at modern training centres in 11 countries. With the launch of the new portal, Kongsberg Maritime’s global training schedule is now accessible to all visitors with a fresh design and easy navigation that allows courses to be booked in minutes. Kongsberg Maritime’s new training portal provides information on course content, pre-requisites and assessment information, as well as duration and cost. Courses can be searched by location or course category and dates can be viewed in list view, along with availability.

The 10,000th Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for Kongsberg Maritime’s AutoChief propulsion control system took place at Kongsberg Maritime Korea in Busan on Friday, April 27. The AutoChief 600 system tested will be installed on a new LEG carrier featuring a 2-stroke MAN B&W engine being built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (Hull 8258), for owner Solvang ASA. HHI-EMD, HMD and Solvang were represented at yesterday’s FAT alongside experts from Kongsberg Maritime in Norway and Korea.From…

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…

Subsea technology developer Sonardyne International Ltd. said it has acquired maritime and marine science technology specialist Chelsea Technologies Group Ltd. as part of a long-term growth strategy that includes market diversification.In acquiring Chelsea (also known as CTG), Sonardyne said it looks to strengthen its presence in the maritime, marine and ocean science sectors and create new opportunities in the water environmental, defense and process control markets. Chelsea will gain access to Sonardyne’s considerable research…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark will be showcasing an array of new products and technology at this year’s International Workboat Show in New Orleans.Perhaps most notably, Metal Shark has selected this year’s Workboat Show to give the public it’s first look at the U.S. Navy’s newest patrol boat, the imposing “40 PB.”“In 2016, the Navy’s PBX Industry Day was one of most talked-about events of the Workboat Show,” said Stickles. “At last year’s show, the award of the contract to Metal Shark following the Navy’s multi-year selection process had just been announced…

The Dutch Topsector Energie-TKI Wind op Zee recently awarded a subsidy to Dutch wind energy technology developer Ampyx Power and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR).The two organizations are undertaking a joint project aimed at optimizing the design of an aircraft that will be used to generate wind energy at high altitudes. The grant marks a new phase in the development of a scalable Airborne Wind Energy System (AWES) capable of generating several megawatts of electricity.Thanks to its relatively small size, such a system can be implemented in locations that are currently unsuitable for wind energy development due to high costs or unfavourable wind conditions. Examples include sites located far inland or, conversely, far out at sea.

Crowley Maritime Corporation has entered into strategic partnership agreement with South Korean-based green technology developer Panasia Co., Ltd. for ballast water treatment systems to be installed during retrofitting of its ATB fleet. The agreement also includes technical services, engineering, integration, commissioning, training, scheduled delivery and spare parts. Panasia GloEn-Patrol treatment system utilizes a filter to remove 50 micron or larger size organisms and medium-pressure UV lamps to disinfect smaller organisms.