University Of Maine News

The government of Maine has selected a section of state-owned area on Sears Island as its preferred site for a port facility development that will support the floating offshore wind industry.The selection of the site, announced by the Governor of Maine Janet Mills, follows an extensive public stakeholder process led by the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Port Authority to consider the state’s primary port development options, including multiple potential sites in the Port of Searsport…

Offshore wind energy planners are giving close review to fixed-tower systems in order to extend lessons learned to floating wind towers, under development now. In the U.S., floating towers have been most closely associated with plans for new wind energy areas (WEA) in the Pacific, off of California and maybe Oregon and Washington. But important research is also taking place in Maine, at the University of Maine, because of deep ocean Atlantic areas there, and floating towers may also be used in the Gulf of Mexico.As most readers likely know…

Dirk Lesko will assume the role of President of Irving Shipbuilding Inc., effective September 1, 2022, the Canadian shipbuilder announced.Ross Langley, Vice Chairman of Irving Shipbuilding, will continue as interim President until Lesko joins the company.Lesko retired in April 2022 as a Vice President of the General Dynamics Corporation and President of Bath Iron Works (BIW). Lesko served as President of BIW from 2017 to 2022.A 32-year BIW employee and third generation shipbuilder…

Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean could yield new trade routes in international waters, reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint and weakening Russia’s control over trade routes through the Arctic, a study found.With climate change rapidly warming the world’s oceans, the future of the Arctic Ocean looks grim. Climate models show that parts of the Arctic that were once covered in ice year-round are warming so quickly that they will be reliably ice-free for months on end in as few as two decades.

Vessels fashioned in a 3D printer, rather than a shipyard, will be the subject of a presentation at a Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) event. The virtual gathering, Innovations in Ferry Design and Vessel Construction, will be held in conjunction with the presentation of awards inWFSA’s Annual Student Design Competition, now in its ninth year, to be held on May 18, 2022.The keynote speaker, Dr. Habib Dagher, from the University of Maine, Advanced Structures and Composites Sector, will talk about the Center’s design and construction of the world’s largest 3D printed vessels.

Online e-procurement portal for marine spares and equipment ShipParts.com is taking part in a project to investigate how additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, could revolutionize the way in which spare parts are procured and delivered.ShipParts.com has been operating for some five years, and has built up a client base of more than 1,800+ buyers and around 17,000+ sellers actively trading on the platform. Sellers are from all corners of the globe, including European…

Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News! Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back. An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today. History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades. Consider energy use, say, starting after World War II, from 1950 to 1975. There was power for everything…

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has completed the design review of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) documentation for the VolturnUS, a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT), developed by the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “UMaine is pleased that its innovative design became the first floating wind turbine concrete semisubmersible hull to be reviewed by ABS, and found to meet the ABS requirements,” said Dr. Habib J. Dagher, P.E, UMaine Composites Center executive director and principal investigator.

A new collaborative strategic plan has been published today which aims to continue accelerating the development of offshore wind energy in the United States. Announced by U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, the plan, entitled National Offshore Wind Strategy: Facilitating the Development of the Offshore Wind Industry in the United States, details the current state of offshore wind in the U.S., presents the actions and innovations…

Maine Maritime Academy Receives a $1.4 Million U.S. DOT Research Grant to Develop a Marine Engine Testing and Emissions Laboratory. The Marine Engine Testing and Emissions Laboratory (METEL) at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) is working on several initiatives to implement viable emissions reduction technologies for the marine industry. Funded by a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the METEL laboratory was developed to address environmental sustainability needs in transportation. Working with a Maine startup company, Sea Change Group LLC (SCG), the METEL team is helping to develop and implement a fuel that combines glycerin with diesel fuel to lower both operating cost and emissions for marine diesel engines.

As a part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the U.S. Energy Department today announced the selection of three pioneering offshore wind demonstrations to receive up to $47 million each over the next four years to deploy innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017. These projects – located off the coast of New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia – will help speed the deployment of more efficient offshore wind power technologies. Building…

With over 30 years service under his belt, Capt. John Bingaman has retired following a ceremony held at Bay Presbyterian Church in Bay Village, Ohio. Capt. Bingaman, who grew up in Greensboro, N.C., oversaw 6,000 Coast Guard active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary men and women serving at 77 subordinate units and on the District staff from the 9th District Headquarters at the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building in Cleveland. He is a Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Professional.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has approved in a 2-1 vote a term sheet for Maine Aqua Ventus’ pilot offshore wind energy project. The decision clears a hurdle for Maine Aqua Ventus in its path to receive electric ratepayer support as it tests new offshore wind technology developed at the University of Maine. (Maine Aqua Ventus is a consortium made up of Emera, Cianbro and Maine Prime Technologies LLC, a spin-off company representing UMaine). The Term Sheet agreed outlines the conditions under which Maine Aqua Ventus I will sell an estimated 43…

Overwelding is one of the most widespread problems in shipbuilding, causing significant distortion and associated rework costs in lightweight structural applications. In order to combat this problem, modeling and validation testing was performed by the project to determine possible changes to weld sizing design, as well as identify changes to standards which would alleviate the problems which lead to overwelding. This workshop will present the project findings and recommendations for changes to specifications.

Horizon Lines, Inc. has announced that William A. Hamlin has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Mr. Hamlin will continue to report to Sam Woodward, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hamlin joined Horizon Lines in March 2011 as Senior Vice President of Operations. His responsibilities include ocean transportation services, inland transportation, terminals, equipment management, maintenance, network management, labor relations, security, safety and environmental.

More universities and environmental groups are using underwater video systems to assist in their research and monitoring operations. These cameras can be very useful tools in studying benthic habitats and marine organisms, and to monitor the impact of pollution on the environment. Darling Marine Center is the marine laboratory at the University of Maine. Home to world renown research and education, the facility is situated on the shores of the Gulf of Maine with its diverse intertidal habitats.

A report by Christine Parrish in 'The Free Press informs that' the testing of a floating deep water wind turbine that was scheduled to take place two miles off Monhegan Island this summer has been postponed until 2013, according to Habib Dagher, the director of the University of Maine AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center. Dagher is at the forefront of an effort to develop deep water wind farms 20 to 40 miles off the coast in the Gulf of Maine. Dagher said that some permits were still pending for the Monhegan site, but that he expected them to be approved in the next two to three months, which will push the launch date to next summer. The turbine will be deployed at the test site for four months, then removed.

Howell Laboratories, Inc. announces the appointment of David T. Roberts as Director of Commercial Engineering, Marine Products. Roberts joins Howell from Bath Iron Works, where he was responsible for hull outfit systems for the Zumwalt destroyers. He had previously been a Senior Project Engineer for Fiber Materials, Inc. and Lanco Assembly Systems. He has over twenty-five years of experience in manufacturing, design and automation. Roberts is a graduate of the University of Maine with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. William J. Brennan, president of Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), announced that Captain Laurence “Larry” Wade, master of the college’s training ship, will retire in 2011. Brennan’s announcement came at the conclusion of the college’s 5th Annual Celebration of Achievement awards dinner held on the college campus. Wade and his wife, Deanna, were both present at the event. In his announcement, Brennan praised Wade for his contributions to the college’s at-sea training program and his ongoing commitment to the furtherance of the college.

The Office Of Naval Research awarded $9.2 million to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works to design and manufacture an advanced propulsion system for a technical demonstration vessel. Known as Advanced Hull Form Inshore Demonstrator (AHFID), the project directly supports the Navy's decision to implement electric drive in future naval combatants. The AHFID award is the culmination of the Office of Naval Research technology symposium for Maine businesses and educational institutions held in Portland during June 1999. In the AHFID program, the University of Maine will be furthering the technologically driven advanced materials engineering. The propulsion motor will be housed in a pod fabricated with advanced composite materials designed by the University.

The team of General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin said they strongly support the U.S. Navy's plan for the next generation of surface combatant ships referred to as DD(X). The Blue Team has developed technologies relevant to the DD(X) requirement and is preparing its response to the Navy's request for proposal (RFP). DD(X) will be a technology engine that will drive a family of combatants to transform the Navy. The Navy will use the advanced technology and networking capabilities from DD(X) in the development of both the future cruiser, CG(X), and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This strategy will provide a road map for the future Navy and a broader strategic framework within which transformation will occur.

President George Bush intends to nominate Joseph E. Brennan, of Maine, to be Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission for a five-year term expiring September 30, 2008. Mr. Brennan has served on the Commission since 1999. He previously practiced law at a firm in Washington, D.C. Earlier in his career, Mr. Brennan served the state of Maine as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and as Governor. He earned his bachelor's degree from Boston College and his J.D. from the University of Maine.

According to an Oct. 5 report from the Bangor Daily News, a budget bill that appears headed for final passage in Congress includes $5m for research and development of offshore wind turbines at the University of Maine in Orono. The appropriation is contained in the 2010 energy and water budget bill that already has been approved by the House of Representatives. (Source: Bangor Daily News)