New electric ferry to operate on an Icelandic route known for its harsh weather conditions will benefit from efficiency and sustainability enabled by ABB’s technology. ABB will supply integrated power and electric storage solutions to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s new ferry that will take 3,600 annual trips in the rough waters between Landeyjahöfn on the mainland and the…
Finland’s Norsepower wind propulsion solution, the Rotor Sail, has received the first-ever type approval design certificate granted to an auxiliary wind propulsion system on-board a commercial ship. DNV GL granted the type approval following a design assessment of Norsepower’s 30m x 5m Rotor Sail. The certification means that vessels operating with the Rotor Sail are technically capable of navigating all…
Plans for what would be Australia’s first offshore wind farm, the massive 2000MW Star of the South off the coast of Victoria, have taken a small step forward this week, after the project finally got the green light from federal government for site exploration. The federal Coalition said after months of delay, that it had approved a deed of license…
It’s not really white gold metal but rather, an energy source the entire world could use a gas that is clean, environmentally green, and self-replenishing. The Philippine Trench as well as the Philippine Rise is breeding grounds of the endangered Pacific Blue Fin Tuna, but speculators also say that lying at the bottom of the Philippine Trench is the world’s…
Air pollution from cars and factories has been regulated in much of the world since the 1970s. When it comes to the smoke-belching ships that carry global trade, the rules have been a lot looser. Big changes start next January, though, when long-debated standards from the International Maritime Organization mandate steep cuts of sulfur emissions associated with respiratory disease and…
Asahi Tanker and partner Exeno-Yamamizu Corporation Tokyo have developed the new domestic shipping tanker design, which incorporates “zero emission electric propulsion.” In anticipation of future adaptations to regulatory conformity, ClassNK has been appointed to provide technical advice on ship design and electric propulsion. Commercial model development of e5 design is underway for all bunker supply vessels trading in Tokyo Bay….
Modern ships are capable of carrying larger and larger loads while the number of crew aboard remains approximately the same. This means that Seafarers are more exposed to the dangers of confined space entries than ever before. What is a Confined Space? The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines enclosed spaces as having limited openings for entry and exit, inadequate ventilation…
The technology group Wärtsilä has signed an agreement with the international shipping company Hagland Shipping AS for a hybrid retrofit installation. The project will take place onboard the ‘Hagland Captain’, a general cargo vessel owned by Hagland Shipping. It will be the first project of its kind ever in short-sea shipping applications. The agreement was signed in December 2018. The…
The shipping industry is ramping up its efforts to decarbonize by exploring the use of alternative fuels and technologies. Last week, a study led by Lloyd’s Register reveals that zero-emission vessels need to be entering the world fleet by 2030 if the industry is to come close to achieving the IMO 2050 GHG emissions reduction target. Shipping’s decarbonization will not…
The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (Consortium), the first federally funded public-private partnership focused on advancing research and development to accelerate the offshore wind industry in the United States, today announced the release of its first Research and Development Roadmap (Roadmap) to advance offshore wind technology, drive wind innovation and combat climate change. Established in response to industry-led…
The Fjords is to add another all-electric, zero emission passenger vessel to its fleet. The Legacy of The Fjords is under construction at Brødrene Aa and will join the hybrid Vision of The Fjords and all-electric Future of The Fjords once complete. Legacy of The Fjords will employ a specially constructed Power Dock, an innovative, floating, charging solution originally designed…
Automation is only going one way. How will it impact you? It’s estimated that tens of thousands of dollars could be saved each day by introducing automation to a single container vessel – but is this realistically on the horizon? We’ve spoken at length about drones being used in the future, but what about ships and ports? Ports. Container cranes…
Detroit’s LIFT, “Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow,” a Manufacturing USA institute, announced the creation of a new process which introduces the opportunity for shipbuilders to save production costs and improve build time — all while reducing distortion of lightweight materials. The Joining-3 Project, led by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division, with partners in government, NSWC-Carderock Division, NAVSEA and industry, including…
A container straddle carrier with an autonomous navigation system is helping improve operational efficiency during its final testing phase. Developed by China-headquartered Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (B), the straddle carrier can undertake self-repositioning, handling, stacking, loading and unloading, as well as transporting empty containers. The benefits of automating these tasks include energy savings, lower maintenance costs, environmental protection…
INTRODUCTION Don Felix B. Padilla was the first Filipino to graduate as a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA). Don Felix returned to the Philippines to share his learning and knowledge with his country and established the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Institute (NAMEI) in 1947. He wanted to give his fellow Filipinos…
On 16-May-2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) –responsible for regulating international shipping– began efforts on the regulation of autonomous ships with the 99th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 99). The MSC began looking at how the safe, secure and environmentally sound operation of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) may be introduced in IMO instruments. With a myriad of…
Reflecting on Last Year’s Conference The inaugural Disruptive Technology for Defence Transformation conference took place in London on 24-25 October 2017 and examined how disruptive technology will transform defense capability and operations. It was attended by: senior military from many countries; NATO: technology firms such as Google and QinetiQ; leading aerospace and defense companies including Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems;…
The role of Inmarsat as the sole provider of satellite technology performing to Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) standards is set for advancement after an IMO Sub-Committee decided to greenlight consideration of both FleetBroadband and Fleet One for formal approval. To date, Inmarsat is the only company that has received approval from the International Maritime Organization to provide…
A fully electric zero-emission passenger vessel, Future of the Fjords, has been launched in Norway. It is the result of a collaboration between several industry partners that wanted to develop an environmentally conscious, no emissions vessel. Comprising an electric propulsion system and a Power Dock floating charging station that can take on grey and black water to ensure no sewage…
With 114 journeys every day, the Svanhild ferry has a heavy workload in transporting passengers and cars between two Swedish islands. The roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel makes 57 return trips between the islands of Lilla Varholmen and Bjorko, west of Gothenburg. Each journey on the 900m route takes around five minutes, but with such a busy schedule, time is of…
Wärtsilä, a global technology group headquartered in Finland, announced on March 19 that it had acquired Transas, an innovative digital solutions provider headquartered in the UK. This acquisition is a recognition of Transas’ strong position in the maritime technologies market and its technological leadership. The transaction will allow Transas to work within a global maritime company in delivering its solutions,…
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are the future. They’re where the maritime industry is heading and more and more companies are already beginning to embrace the opportunities they bring to improve safety, reduce costs, speed up processes and collect more accurate data. UAS have particularly huge potential when it comes to inspections, surveys and maintenance. As well as eliminating the need…
On 19-December-2017 in Southampton UK, Laurence Dagley, Director, CEMEX UK Marine Limited signed a contract with Frank de Lange, Regional Sales Director of the Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of the first Damen Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD). The vessel, which will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, is designed to extract sand and gravel from the seabed…
Transas has launched its first package of applications built on THESIS, a unified cloud-based platform for managing operations across the full breadth of the maritime ecosystem. The A-Suite package sets a new precedent by utilizing the latest in machine learning techniques to reduce the potential for human errors on the bridge or poor decisions elsewhere in the vessel operational chain….
UAS advancements are increasingly impacting our everyday lives, from agriculture and filmmaking to security and communications down to the products we have delivered. Its advances present major changes for the future of the maritime industry. As disruptive as the smartphone has been to the world, the use of drones will revolutionize the landscape of ship operations for years to come….