Transmission Technology News

The first phase of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm has started exporting electricity to British consumers.The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being constructed in UK waters 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers, 80 miles) off the coast of Yorkshire in the UK’s North Sea in three 1.2GW phases known as Dogger Bank A, B and C.Dogger Bank will occupy an area almost as large as Greater London and nearly twice the size of New York City. When fully complete, its 3.6GW capacity will comprise 277…

Mainprize Offshore, an offshore services company, is installing Reygar's BareFLEET vessel monitoring system on seven of its semi-SWATH crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to make its growing fleet more efficient and improve its operational performance. Following a successful proof-of-concept trial on one vessel, MO6, in October, additional installations are now planned, with a out expected across the new build fleet as the vessels arrive. BareFLEET will be used to monitor key vessel measurements, including navigational activity, vessel motion sickness, and stability during passenger transfers, plus the performance and fuel efficiency of engines and other critical machinery.

Global supplier of wind propulsion, Anemoi Marine, believes Rotor Sails - which are unique, tall cylindrical sails that can be installed on the deck of commercial vessels - offer an immediate and compelling solution for shipowners working to reduce vessel emissions.Anemoi estimates that a VLCC with six Rotor Sails would reduce fuel and emissions by approximately 14.9% (c.1,889 tonnes fuel and c.6,058 tonnes of carbon) per year, based on a Bonny-Ningbo round trip.When considering fuel savings for bulk carriers…

Veth Propulsion’s portfolio of products, including azimuth rudder propellers, thrusters and marine electronics, will now be fully available across North America, parent company Twin Disc announced. The equipment will be offered through Twin Disc’s Authorized Sales and Service Providers.“Increasing the availability of Veth Propulsion’s products in North America strategically expands our market opportunity within the marine industry,” said Tim Batten, vice president, sales, Twin Disc, provider of power transmission technology for marine and land-based applications.

The electric ferry Suloey is about to dock at the Hareid ferry terminal in Norway following a trip made in headwinds that required high energy usage.“There is a need for proper charging after such a trip,” states the captain of the ferry, which has been fitted with equipment for propulsion, automation and charging by Norwegian Electric Systems (NES).With a simple touch on the charging display, the charging tower on shore connects to the ferry within a few seconds. Close to five million watts of charging power ensures that the batteries on board get recharged.

Dr. Dirk Jürgens heads R&D at Voith Turbo Marine, a part of the family owned Voith conglomerate which employs more than 19,000 people in 60 countries. Voith Rudderpropellers were chosen as the propulsion system for the three new Staten Island Ferry vessels, and Dr. Jürgens discusses the evolution of the system.The ‘Voith’ name is a well-known one in the maritime industry, but to start please provide an overview of the product and service you offer to the maritime industry.The…

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes of operation are entering the underwater domain for oil and gas operations and…

Twin Disc, Inc. a provider of power transmission technology and equipment for marine- and land-based applications, announced today that it has completed the €52.1 million (approximately $60.8 million), acquisition of Veth Propulsion Holding, B.V. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“Veth Propulsion”), a global supplier of main and auxiliary marine propulsion products. The closing price included net cash and working capital adjustments. The acquisition of Veth Propulsion establishes Twin Disc as a leading power control business for the global marine industry and expands Twin Disc’s presence in the market by adding complementary products and powerful new technologies. In addition, Veth Propulsion enhances Twin Disc’s engineering talent and product development capabilities.

U.S. based power transmission technology and equipment manufacturer Twin Disc, Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Netherlands based marine propulsion products supplier Veth Propulsion Holding, B.V. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.Twin Disc said the purchase price is approximately $58.6 million plus net cash, with potential adjustments based on Veth Propulsion’s working capital as of the closing date, and will be financed through a combination of cash and new debt facilities.

The new Simrad V3100 Class B Automatic Identification System (AIS) is designed to meet the needs of light commercial vessels and workboats operating in high-traffic areas.Complete with Self-Organized Time-Division Multiple Access (SOTDMA) technology and increased output power to provide improved transmission reliability and range, the new V3100 is a cost-effective package for vessels that require greater performance than standard Class B AIS, but do not require a full Class A solution.The Simrad V3100 incorporates the same SOTDMA technology found in Class A systems.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, continues its long-term cooperation with DP World Australia, the country's largest stevedore, with orders of 38 new machines for its new logistics arm, DP World Logistics Australia. The orders include 7 Kalmar reachstackers, 11 loaded and 20 empty container handlers. 22 units have successfully been delivered to DP World Logistics Australia's Botany Intermodal terminal with the remaining equipment to be delivered by September 2017. The order was booked into Cargotec's 2017 first quarter intake. The new machines add to DP World Australia's existing fleet of Kalmar rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), straddle carriers and terminal tractors and will serve operations in Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle and DP World Australia's semi-automated terminal in Brisbane.

A walk through the ZF Friedrichshafen AG marine propulsion system manufacturing plant in southern Germany does nothing but confirm the commonly held perceptions of German engineering prowess: the facility is clean to a fault; the equipment is modern and well-maintained; the employees are orderly and efficient. While the ZF marine propulsion systems business – which generated a turnover of $336 million in 2013 – is but a sliver of the company’s overall 2013 sales of $22.4 billion…

ABB recently entered a partnership with international energy company Statoil to develop power solutions for subsea oil and gas production. A key challenge they identify is to develop reliable long-distance power transmission technology and to build components that can function for several decades at depths of up to 3,000 meters. The subsea industry has gained worldwide importance as oil companies strive for increased recovery and venture towards remote and deep waters in the hunt for new oil and gas fields.

ABB commissions world's highest capacity HVDC Light underwater power link, a 500 MW HVDC inter-connection between Ireland and the UK enables leveraging of wind energy and facilitates power flows between the two countries. ABB has delivered the East West Interconnector to EirGrid, the Irish transmission system operator. The 500-megawatt (MW) transmission connection is the highest capacity link of its kind, based on voltage source converter (VSC) technology, to go into commercial operation. The interconnector establishes an important link between the Irish and U.K.

KVH Industries, Inc. provides 60% more capacity for EMEA region of mini-VSAT broadband network. The company has just completed a major upgrade to the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm network that will provide customers in Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa (EMEA) with a 60% increase in satellite capacity. The added capacity was provided by consolidating bandwidth covering two separate regions into one powerful unified beam, and by implementing Variable Coding, Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) technology provided by ViaSat, Inc., (Nasdaq:VSAT ), KVH's partner in the mini-VSAT Broadband network.

ZAO “Polarnet Project” of Russia (www.polarnetproject.ru) has announced a tender for the supply of  the Russian Optical Trans Arctic Submarine Cable System (ROTACS), which will connect Europe and Asia via the shortest possible geographical route across the Arctic, opening a new chapter in the history of global submarine telecommunications. Construction of ROTACS is expected to commence in 2H 2012. ROTACS will provide the best-in-class latency route between the UK and Japan/China, and will be the  first system to be built along the unique trans-Arctic geographic route. Furthermore, the design of  the system will use the latest developments in optical transmission technology…

Raytheon Anschütz has now introduced new features for its Standard 22 gyro compass. Among the new features the most important improvements are independent transmitting magnetic compass and individual speed error correction functions. Standard 22 will now be equipped with a modified distribution unit, which is enhanced by an independent transmitting magnetic compass (TMC) path. Thus, a failure in the distribution unit or even in the compass system will not affect the processing of the magnetic compass heading.

Globalstar, L.P. brought its next-generation strategizing to fruition with the release of full commercial access of its mobile satellite service in the U.S. through its distributor Globalstar U.S.A. With the recent demise of Iridium, and ICO Global Communications' ongoing recovery from bankruptcy, Globalstar's entry into the market is seemingly ideal. Vessel owner/operators increasingly rely on state-of-the-art communication tools to ensure safe, efficient operations. Much as has transpired in consumer markets, the wider availability of communication technology — and subsequent drive-down of equipment and airtime pricing — fuels airtime usage.

The evolution of podded propulsion systems has gained steam in recent years, as a number of notable new systems have entered the market with new options. The era of podded propulsion is here and now, and despite some technical glitches with the systems - notably faster than anticipated bearing wear - it is safe to assume that the system's popularity will only grow with experience. Pods, obviously, are not the single solution for every marine application. As with any other technology, limitations exist. However, podded propulsion solutions have opened more marine technological avenues than they have closed as Harri Kulovaara, senior vice president of fleet operations and newbuilding…