Technology Gaps News

Energy companies Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies, Gassco and classification society DNV have commenced a new joint industry project (JIP) to develop low-pressure solutions for the transportation of CO2 by ships. The CETO (CO2 Efficient Transport via Ocean) JIP will carry out the technology qualification of a low-pressure ship design and identify solutions to scale CO2 transportation volume, while reducing the associated risks, to support the development of opportunities in CCS. CETO is funded by the project partners and GASSNOVA through the CLIMIT program and is expected to be completed in 2023.

A new European research project seeks to revolutionize the shipbuilding sector by replacing steel with composite materials for the construction of more efficient large length ships. FIBRESHIP is an ambitious project that will allow for the construction of light commercial vessels, passenger and leisure transport and oceanographic vessels more than 50 meters in length using fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials. It is one of the largest innovation projects funded by the EU with a budget of €11 million, of which €9 million is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. The project involves 18 international entities representing the European shipping and shipbuilding industry from 11 countries including Cyprus…

Corvus Energy Inc. said it has been awarded funding from the National Research Council of Canada's Industrial Research Assistance Program for the development and expansion of the company's next generation Orca energy storage system (ESS) product line. Corvus Energy, a Canadian manufacturer of lithium-ion based battery systems, will receive up to $469,500 in non-repayable funding from the Government of Canada. This investment is made through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) which supports numerous small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada every year in the development and commercialization of technologies.

Registration for the All Panel Meeting of the National Shipbuilding Research Program 2015 scheduled to be held at Charleston, SC from March 10-12, 2015 is now open. The All Panel Meeting is a biennial event that brings together all eleven panels of the National Shipbuilding Research Program to: present results from recently concluded and ongoing R&D projects; discuss technology gaps in the areas of ship design, construction, and modernization; and share best practices being applied across the shipbuilding enterprise. The Registration Agenda is available on: http://www.nsrp.org/6-Presentations/apm/2015/registration_agenda.pdf To Register go to: http://surveys.scra.org/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=7lMK887 More information: http://www.nsrp.org/6-All_Panel_Meeting.html

The 2015 NSRP All Panel Meeting will be in Charleston, SC at the Charleston Marriott March 10 – 12, 2015. The All Panel Meeting is a biennial event that brings together all eleven panels of the National Shipbuilding Research Program to discuss the results of recently concluded and ongoing R&D projects; discuss technology gaps in the areas of ship design, construction, and modernization; and to share best practices in the ship building and support enterprise. The 2013 All Panel Meeting was attended by approximately 300 people from industry and Navy, and included presentations on over 40 NSRP and ManTech projects.

Control valve engineering specialist, Severn Glocon Group has strengthened its presence in the subsea oil and gas market with the acquisition of HPHT downhole tools company Calidus Engineering. Now renamed Severn Subsea Technologies Ltd, the company will provide research, development and test facilities to enhance Severn Glocon’s subsea valves capability. A former subsidiary of Badger Explorer (Norway), Calidus is a multi-discipline engineering firm developing innovative subsea and downhole technologies for harsh HPHT environments.

Despite the present economic woes, the Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) business is underpinned by compelling long-term fundamentals and is poised to become a major growth sector, with forecast expenditure of $23b expected over the period to 2016, according to Douglas-Westwood. Announcing the results of, “The World FLNG Market Report 2010-2016”, Douglas-Westwood’s latest study, at the Commercializing FLNG Conference in Singapore, Steve Robertson stated that, “The last twelve months have been difficult for the sector, however, any delays in project sanctioning have largely been attributed to the project structures and changes in upstream partners rather than any technology gaps.