Seaplace acquires FORAN V70 Licenses
The Spanish engineering company Seaplace has recently acquired new licenses of the CAD/CAM FORAN System, to be used in its marine projects. The scope of the new agreement includes the packages of Forms, Naval Architecture and Advanced Design and Drawing of the version V70 of FORAN. These licenses are added to the ones Seaplace already had. “FORAN System efficiency allows us to be very competitive in…
Incat Crowther Launches 27.6m Catamaran Crewboat
Incat Crowther has announced the launch of a second 27.6m Wave Piercing Catamaran Crew Boat, Topaz Zephyr. Based on the innovative Topaz Zenith, launched in June, Topaz Zephyr has been optimized to provide 24-hour support to offshore oil and gas operations. The vessel differs from the earlier design by having a full width superstructure allowing greater accommodation space. Together with increased fuel capacity, this allows the vessel to operate uninterrupted over a 24 hour service pattern.
WASSP Multibeam Sonar Aiding in Rena Salvage
A WASSP Multibeam Sonar is being used by hydrographic surveyors at the grounding of the 236m-cargo vessel MV Rena on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of New Zealand, to locate lost containers. Marine electronics manufacturer WASSP Ltd, a world leader in multibeam sonar technology has provided one of their WASSP sonar systems for the salvage effort. Within 48 hours of the WASSP arriving in Tauranga…
DryShips to Announce 3Q 2011 Results
Announcement to include Third Quarter 2011 Results Release, Conference Call and Webcast. DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) (the "Company" or "DryShips"), a global provider of marine transportation services for drybulk and petroleum cargoes, and through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW Inc., of off-shore contract drilling oil services, announced today that it will release its results for the third quarter 2011 after the market closes in New York on Monday, November 7, 2011.
ESAB Introduces Vision T5c Control for Retrofits
ESAB Cutting Systems introduces the Vision T5c Control for retrofit onto cutting gantries. This updated version of ESAB’s Vision T5 CNC is re-packaged for quick and easy installation in place of existing Vision controls on ESAB cutting gantries. Designed for ease of use and improved productivity, the Vision T5c features an ergonomic, wide-screen layout and an advanced touch-screen interface that offers twice the display area of other CNC controls…
IMCA Puts DP in the Spotlight
As befits the 50th anniversary of the advent of dynamic positioning (DP), the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has turned the spotlight on this invaluable technology. Earlier this year ‘Guidance for developing and conducting annual DP trials programmes for DP vessels’ (IMCA M 190) was published. Now a complementary publication ‘Example of an Annual DP Trials Report’ (IMCA M 212) is available for free download from the IMCA website.
Smart Shipping 2011: A Different Viewpoint
Wilhelmsen Ships Service’ (WSS) was a sponsor of last month’s Smart Shipping event in Singapore, with Business Director Ships Agency Frederic Fontarosa describing…
GIS Marine selects MarineCFO
MarineCFO Inc. said that GIS Marine, Inc. has chosen to implement the full MarineCFO Enterprise software suite. GIS Marine is now providing a fleet of supply vessels and crew boats to support oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. GIS was founded in 1948 with a minimum of personnel and an emphasis on boat repairs. Through the years, GIS has continued to grow in the oil and gas industry. GIS…
USCG Works to Save Energy, Emissions
Alaris Companies last month announced it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to help it decrease energy use and emissions via its fleet energy management program. Maritime Reporter recently visited with Alaris CEO, Bobbi Wolff, and Executive VP of Engineering, Michael Gaffney, to discuss the company, its system and the global trend to minimize maritime’s carbon footprint. Alaris recently won a contract to help the U.S. Coast Guard decrease energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Offshore Renewable Energy: Servicing North Sea Wind Turbines
A boat with suspension, a giant robotic arm and a vessel resembling a seahorse are just three of the innovative concepts shortlisted by the Carbon Trust as part of a competition to solve the problem of transferring engineers and equipment safely on to wind turbines as far as 300km offshore in wave heights up to around three meters. The project aims to improve the economics of offshore wind by keeping…
Bulkhead Shaft Sealing: IT Really is Rocket Science
Midé Technology Corp., founded in 1989 by MIT PhD. Marthinus van Schoor, is a company created around the design and engineering of smart material based systems and solutions.
Port Ops and Vessel Efficiency
According to the United Nations, the world’s population which currently stands at just over 6.7 billion could reach over nine billion by 2050. This staggering figure will no doubt create a surge in consumerism and a subsequent increase in demand for much larger ships, in order to be sufficiently equipped to support the global trade economy. Furthermore, the need for bigger vessels is being driven by the shipping companies’ desire to reduce costs…
ROBOBOATS: Autonomous Boats Aid Maritime Security
The theme of the 4th International RoboBoat Competition, sponsored by The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), was “The Four Elements.” Teams of students designed and built autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that faced challenges involving earth, air, fire and water. The competition was held at The Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach…
Brazil Shipbuilding: Soaring to New Heights
The recent growth of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, with the construction of more than 20 new shipyards and efforts to modernize older shipyards, has highlighted…
Braving the Human Element in Safety
The maritime industry is notorious for braving the elements. One element however — the human one — poses greater safety risk than rough seas or gale-force winds…
Castrol Calls for Clarity on Polar Lubricants Usage
As Polar shipping movements increase, Castrol Marine suggests that greater attention should be paid to the environmental credentials of lubricants used on board…
Opening the Artic for Business: The Risk-based Approach to Polar Code
The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) is working on a mandatory Code for ships operating in Polar waters — widely known as the Polar Code, to…
The Art of Seafarer Competency
The first International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention) was adopted in 1978. It proved to be…
Eye on Design: Cooperative Research Ships
There can be few organizations that bring together so many sectors of the maritime industry in a non-competitive environment. Cooperative Research Ships (CRS), 40+ years and still going strong, tackles problems of common Interest and furthers research. The practical knowledge and tools that emerge from CRS are then used by its members. Initiated by MARIN in 1969, the organization is a true cooperative.
Deepwater Horizon Lingers
It has been more than 16 months since the Deepwater Horizon incident on April 20, 2010 which resulted in the deaths of 11 and injuries to 17 men working on the platform…
