Research News

ABS and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) have signed a research agreement to investigated ammonia as fuel, ship electrification, carbon capture and sequestration, trusted artificial intelligence (AI), and safety of industrial wearable visualization technologies, among other topics.The research agreement is part of the continuing collaboration between ABS and Texas A&M which includes a recent endowment establishing the ABS Ocean Engineering Department Chair. The…

Australia’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina has been conducting sea trials in Hobart’s River Derwent as part of familiarization exercises with TasPorts pilots after returning from Singapore for repairs.The 160-meter vessel was built by Damen Shipyards in Romania and delivered in October 2021. In Singapore, issues identified with couplings that connect the propulsion shafts with the clutches were rectified under warranty.Nuyina will now depart Hobart for Macquarie Island research station in early May for cargo delivery and science support.

United States Coast Guard service is a family legacy for Dan Keane, who today serves as the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London, CT."My dad was in the Coast Guard (for nearly 37 years), so this is a way of life for me,” said Keane in explaining that a Coast Guard career “was just something I always knew I wanted to do … it’s a family tradition for me.”The Coast Guard R&D center in New London is “relatively small with just over 80 people here at the RDC” said Keane…

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and Hydronalix, Inc. of Green Valley, AZ, signed a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) entitled AISUM Prize Challenge Hardware Support. Agreement number: NCRADA-NSWCCD-21-419. NSWC Crane is hosting an Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuver (AISUM) Prize Challenge with contestants from industry and academia. With the strategic goals of developing software that can be supported by a variety of hardware, non-proprietary robotic autonomy baseline component architecture and software were required.

A group of prominent shipping nations and organizations are calling for a $5 billion research fund to help launch zero-emissions vessels by 2030, in a move aiming to accelerate the industry's efforts to decarbonize maritime transport.A proposal by governments including Georgia, Greece, Japan, Liberia, Malta, Nigeria, Singapore, Switzerland is being submitted Wednesday to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO), in a bid to establish the IMO Maritime Research Fund using mandatory contributions from shipping companies…

Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology laboratory is examining opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from marine vessels in Canada.Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) said Monday it has been awarded a contract by Transport Canada to develop an assessment tool to examine clean technologies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the release of other pollutants from vessels. Using what is known as CNL’s Marine-Zero FuelTM (MaZeFTM) Assessment Tool…

Search & Rescue algorithm identify hidden “traps” in ocean waters, helping to more quickly identify regions where objects — and missing people — may have converged.The ocean is a messy and turbulent space, where winds and weather kick up waves in all directions. When an object or person goes missing at sea, the complex, constantly changing conditions of the ocean can confound and delay critical search-and-rescue operations.Now researchers at MIT, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)…

Research by HR Wallingford at the SeaGen tidal power project site at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland has shown that the impact of tidal power turbines on marine wildlife may be significantly lower than previously estimated.As questions are asked about the impact of turbine blades on marine wildlife, scientists have developed a sophisticated fish collision model for the burgeoning tidal power industry.The model, developed by HR Wallingford, predicts collision rates more accurately than ever before by incorporating the real swimming behaviors of different species of fish for the first time. The journal of ‘Renewable Energy’ has just published a study using the model…

The global marine and offshore engineering group Sembcorp Marine and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) have agreed to deepen their research and development (R&D) collaboration for the offshore marine and clean energy sectors.By signing a master research collaboration agreement (MRCA) the two parties aim to “shorten the development cycle and time-to-market of new offshore, marine and clean energy solutions achieved through their research efforts”.Sembmarine and A*Star will set up Joint Lab@TBY, a research laboratory and work space at Sembmarine Tuas Boulevard Yard that will facilitate the test-bedding and commercialization of new digital design solutions…

Heriot-Watt University researchers are to map out the UK’s best sites for carbon capture by studying the geology of depleted gas fields in the North Sea.The team led by Professor John Underhill will use data from industry regulator the Oil and Gas Authority's (OGA) National Data Repository (NDR), which was opened up to access for the first time in 2019.Professor John Underhill said: “The Southern North Sea faces three of some of the UK’s largest carbon emission areas: the industrial hubs of Teesside, Humberside and the Thames estuary.“It also has a number of depleted gas fields that could be re-purposed to store carbon.“We are going to systematically examine the geology of these sites and determine which critical factors allow carbon to be safely stored over long…

UK’s new polar research ship being built at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead RRS Sir David Attenborough has achieved another important milestone with the commissioning and testing of the ship’s lifeboats and lifeboat davits.The lifeboats, each capable of carrying 90 people, are now in position on both sides of the vessel, along with the operational davits that allow for the safe deployment and recovery of the boats.RRS Sir David Attenborough is the first International Maritime Organisation’s Polar Code-compliant ship to have been built in the UK. These regulations extend to the ship’s lifeboats and davits, all of which are capable of operating at the Polar Service Temperature of -35ᵒC.British Antarctic Survey and Norsafe worked closely to develop the equipment…

Danish developer Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind has signed a research partnership  with Rutgers University, the University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to support academic research activities related to offshore wind.The group is set to launch the Ecosystem and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (ECO-PAM) project.Ørsted signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Rutgers University in May 2019 to support academic research activities related to offshore wind. The ECO-PAM project will be in addition to this initial funding agreement.The company plans to apply the project’s learnings to develop tailored processes and procedures to better protect the North Atlantic right whale during survey, construction and operation phases of their U.S. offshore wind farm portfolio.

Companies  in the oil and gas sector are optimistic about their ability to achieve their financial targets for 2020, according to a survey from standards agency DNV GL.While the sector’s growth hangs in the balance for 2020, oil and gas leaders are optimistic that they will weather the storm, drawing on hard-earned cost efficiencies from the past five years to make margin.Some 64% predict their organizations will hit profit targets this year (largely consistent with 62% in 2019), and nearly half (46%) say their companies would still achieve acceptable profits if the oil price were to average less than USD50 per barrel. This is a large proportion…

Shipping associations have proposed creating a research fund with $5 billion raised by the industry to develop technology to help the sector meet U.N. targets on cutting emissions."The global maritime transport industry has submitted a proposal to form the world’s first collaborative shipping R&D program to help eliminate CO2 emissions from international shipping," said a press note from International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).The proposal include a new non-governmental Research & Development organisation to pave the way for decarbonization of shipping. The other highlights of the proposal are thec ore funding from shipping companies…

Naval Group launched an R&D center in Singapore for strategic naval defense research topics.This international collaborative platform of exchanges located in Singapore will respond to a triple objective: boost innovation in new strategic domains such as Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, create a supply of innovative technologies for the regional market as well as supporting the joint effort led by both Singapore and France regarding R&D investments.With this center, Naval…

Brazil’s Petrobras is on track to become the world’s largest oil producer among publicly listed companies by 2030, based on Rystad Energy’s latest data and forecasts.Brazil’s biggest-ever oil auctions in November were generally deemed to be disappointing, receiving muted interest from international exploration and production companies.However, national oil company Petrobras could not have asked for a better outcome. The world’s fastest growing oil producer gained nearly full control of more than eight billion barrels of oil in the Buzios field, where a sixth floater is being planned.To develop these and other resources off the coast of the South American country, Brazil is set for a whopping $70 billion offshore capital investment spree between 2020 and 2025, solely on field development.

Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has published results of a project undertaken by the UK-based marine consultancy  ABPmer, to develop a method to assign values to shipping cargo.The resulting mapping and information will improve the evidence base used in developing marine plan policies.Monty Smedley, maritime sector lead at ABPmer said “This was an exciting and novel project for us. The UK maritime sector plays a critical role in the growth and development of the country, enabling the import and export of goods and providing additional value through maritime and business services.We are very pleased to have developed a methodology providing the MMO with additional information to underpin the development of marine plan policy.”Robert Merrylees…

U.S. shale operators are on track to grow 2019 oil production by around 16% over 2018 thanks to impressive operational execution so far this year.The third quarter earnings season revealed that shale companies increased their oil production by about two percent, all while cutting the midpoint guidance for yearly drilling and completions expenses, according to Rystad Energy.The energy research and consulting firm headquartered in Norway said that U.S. shale operators will continue expanding in the fourth quarter, growing oil production by at least 1.3 percent on a quarterly basis.“The actual results so far this year reaffirm our optimistic expectations for the remainder of the year.

Taiwanese ocean shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation takes a hit with a net loss of about USD 42 million for the third quarter and sees signs of "weaker demand" in the container market.Yang Ming said that according to analyst firm Alphaliner’s latest projections, annual capacity growth is forecast at 3.7% and global throughput growth for 2019 is estimated at only 2.5%, which suggests a softer market demand than was previously expected.Meanwhile, the container shipping market remains vulnerable to trade uncertainties and geopolitical tensions. It is unclear the extent of potential impact those tensions and uncertainties will have on demand.Despite unpredictable market conditions…

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, benefiting from rapid technology improvements and about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world.Europe in particular has fostered the technology’s development, led by the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018, says 'Offshore Wind Outlook 2019',  a report funded by the governments of Denmark and Germany.Yet today's offshore wind market doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets, offshore wind…

The Asian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market stood at over $81.4 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% to cross $109 billion by 2024, as increasing demand for LPG  as a fuel for power generation in remote and off-grid locations in comparison to its less environment-friendly alternatives like coal, diesel and fuel oil.Increasing demand for LPG used to run vehicles (Autogas)  is being witnessed as it is a comparatively cheaper automotive fuel and can be used in vast applications related to transportation, said a report by ResearchAndMarkets.Of the overall LPG consumed across the globe, nearly 87% is used for residential/consumer use.By source, the Asian LPG market has been categorized into Refinery, Associated Gases & Non-Associated Gases.

Global small-scale LNG market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 29.31 billion in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 49.66 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 6.81% in the forecast period of 2019-2026.Increasing demand for the LNG is the major factor for the growth of this market, said Data Bridge Market Research.The small scale LNG is especially used for the places where there is less production of LNG and they also don’t require large plants. They usually use tanker, ships and trucks.These small LNG has production capacity of 500000 TPY and are usually used where there is requirement of LNG by the consumers.

The chemical tanker earnings for the third quarter of 2019 was impacted by the usual seasonal slowdown in volumes while rates remained stable, said Odfjell Group.According to the company specializing in worldwide seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids,spot rates were stable to slightly stronger on the front haul routes but strong competition and seasonally lower volumes on the back-haul routes had a negative impact on the overall market.A high share of plant turnarounds and the attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia disrupted feedstock for chemical plants and refineries in September, and led to a slower recovery after the summer slowdown than normal.The global chemical tanker orderbook stands at 8.3% of the current fleet.