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Van Hemmen News

21 Aug 2023

The Internet is Not As Useful As We May Think

Image courtesy Martin & Ottaway

I was discussing torsional stiffness in ship’s hulls with one of our intern engineers and pointed out a torsional stiffness problem with a certain hull design section since it could not inscribe a decent sized circle.I expected it to be a comment that would be confusing to a young engineer and proceeded to explain that torsional stiffness is related to gyradius which is powerfully related to radius and radius is related to circles. Inherently the stiffest shape in torsion is a…

12 Jun 2023

Eye on Design: Prying Gas Stoves from Dead Fingers

Copyright alexanderuhrin/AdobeStock

When Greg Trauthwein offered me a column in Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, I received little direction with regard to subjects. I have not yet tested his boundaries of my subjects, and maybe, some day, I will try to slip in a column on the role of nautical fiction in the development of modern literature.So far, I have tried to stick with engineering subjects, although recently I may have pushed the boundaries with discussions on decision making, esthetics and OODA loops.It…

27 Jan 2021

Op/Ed: SS United States, the Maritime Thoroughbred

(Photo courtesy SS United States Conservancy)

There are many hallmarks of great civilizations, but perhaps none so universal as their desire to push the boundaries of human achievement through innovation. A key source of American pride has always been our ability to dream big. When it comes to ships, there is no more powerful example of this than the SS United States.“America’s Flagship” was more than a symbol of our nation’s post-war strength and global reach. She remains a singular and unrivaled marine engineering and design achievement.Curiously…

23 Apr 2020

Insights: Contracts are Overrated in Maritime

© Vittaya_25/AdobeStock

My company has been around since 1875, and today we actually still do things that were being done in 1875. We still get calls from underwriters to attend on disasters all over the place, and we are still asked to provide values on ships on a moment’s notice.Moreover, some of the companies that ask us to attend to those issues, in some form or another, also have been around since 1875.That results in a very smooth operational routine, where we get a call from one of those clients in the middle of the night, we pull our pants on, step into the car and go out to see what is going on.

09 Apr 2020

Kline Joins Martin & Ottaway

James “Jim” Kline

James “Jim” Kline, USCG (Ret)., has joined Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan, Inc. as an engineering and surveying consultant.Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan, Inc. is a New York area maritime consulting firm that has been in continuous operation since 1875. The firm provides engineering, operational, and financial analysis/ship valuation services to the worldwide maritime community. Each year the firm performs hundreds of projects related to new construction, ship surveys…

24 Oct 2019

Ship Design & The Inevitability of Change

A paintings by Maarten Platje called the Great Chase  tells this amazing story of the US Frigate Constitution being becalmed off the New Jersey coast and becoming engaged in a rowing race to keep out of range of a powerful British Squadron. The Constitution escaped and went on to have her amazing victories that year, but if she had been caught, today we would have never heard of her. Credit Maarten Platje

At one time the most powerful lighthouse in the United States was Twin Lights in Highlands New Jersey. Today it is a wonderful little museum and right now it has a very interesting show of paintings by Maarten Platje on the War of 1812. One painting is called the Great Chase and it tells this amazing story of the US Frigate Constitution being becalmed off the New Jersey coast and becoming engaged in a rowing race to keep out of range of a powerful British Squadron. The Constitution escaped and went on to have her amazing victories that year…

11 Jul 2019

Will High-Speed Container Transport Ever Work?

Figure 2 is a first pass sketch of what it may look like (I already see various areas for improvement on this sketch, but for illustrative purposes it will do). Photo credit: Martin & Ottaway, Inc.

Every few years I am handed a high-speed container transport proposal. Generally it consists of some type of high speed vessel design that would be able to move containers at high speed and thereby attract a new market by taking a chunk out of the air cargo market and the premium ocean market. Occasionally we are asked to look at the economics for potential investors, and it always falls short of being economically viable. While it is possible to move containers a little quicker over the ocean with faster vessels…

30 Apr 2019

Efficient Wave-Generated Power … Really!

SurfWec Artist Concept. Images Courtesy:  SurfWEC LLC.

Wave-generated power could be considered the Rodney Dangerfield of offshore renewable energy sources; it gets no respect. There have been a number of high-profile, expensive failures that have conspired to give the sector a poor reputation despite a number of engineering advances. A new entrant is SurfWEC offering a patented “surf-making” Wave Energy Converter which has been in development since 2007. Its developers promise it will stand out from the field and perform where others have failed. How?

22 May 2017

Vancouver: Maritime’s New Home Address

Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, Executive Director of the VIMC (Photo: VIMC)

The Vancouver International Maritime Centre (VIMC) is on a mission to grow the city and port into one of the world’s premiere maritime centers. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently spoke with Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, Executive Director of the newly re-established VIMC, for her insights on the pace and direction of the initiative. Let’s start out easily. Why Vancouver? Why now? Why Vancouver? Projections and studies indicate that global trade will increase and shift to the Pacific due to the demand of resources by China and India.

02 Jul 2014

Dredger Shipbuilding Yard Gets Dutch Royal Accolade

Historic Dutch specialist shipyard IHC Merwede says it has been awarded the honorary title of Koninklijk (Royal) by the His Majesty the King. In light of this honour, the company has decided to change its name to Royal IHC and will also include the royal crown in its revised corporate identity. The company explains that the Royal title is an award granted to companies or organisations that meet certain conditions. To qualify, the nominated company must have been in existence for at least 100 years and should have prestige with regard to its image, size and reliability. It must be of national importance to and have prominence in The Netherlands – preferably with an international outlook – and the size of the company…

20 Jun 2014

IHC Merwede Changes to Royal IHC

His Majesty the King has awarded the honorary title of Koninklijk (Royal) to IHC Merwede. In a special ceremony today, the Mayor of Sliedrecht, Mr van Hemmen, presented this accolade to IHC Merwede’s CEO, Bram Roelse. In light of this honour, the company has decided to change its name to Royal IHC and will also include the royal crown in its revised corporate identity. The Royal title is an award granted to companies or organisations that meet certain conditions. To qualify, the…

29 Apr 2014

Working Harbor Committee to Present Salvage Program

In a special program in Manhattan on May 6, the Working Harbor Committee presents a timely, educational and entertaining program that answers the question: What happens to a ship after it sinks? Unfortunately, some ships come to grief. Witness the tragic sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol on April 16, or the doomed cruise ship Costa Concordia that ended up on the rocks off Giglio, Italy in 2012. When there is trouble on the water the marine salvage industry arrives with divers…

07 Jan 2014

New York Shipping Conference Adds Speakers

Blaine Collins

Examining areas of change and growth in shipping is the focus of the 20th annual Hellenic-American and Norwegian-American Chambers of Commerce conference, often called the New York Shipping Conference. Entitled “Today’s Vision- Tomorrow’s Reality”, the conference will present a Macro Shipping and Economic Overview, a look at Shipping 2020, the challenges of balancing safety, regulatory compliance and costs, the current outlook and sources of dry bulk demand and supply, sourcing ship finance, and the commercial impacts of decisions regarding trade routes, chartering and futures.

24 Jul 2002

Luard Joins Martin, Ottaway, Van Hemmen & Dolan

John F. Luard has joined the firm of Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan, Inc., as a consultant. Luard was the owner of Luard & Company until 1998 and is an experienced cargo surveyor and consultants on the east coast. From the New Jersey office, Luard will provide worldwide cargo consulting and surveying services. After serving as a Deck Officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, Luard joined his father’s firm in 1971, which he built into a multiport organization over the next 27 years. During that period he provided consulting services to all the major underwriters and shipowners and has provided assistance on some of the largest and most complex cargo claims.