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Marine Design News

06 Nov 2024

Almacam Helps Cut Shipyard Waste, by Design

Image courtesy Almacam

Almacam is a leader in nesting-CAM software for shipyards. Philippe Rouzeau, Manager of the Shipyard Team, Almacam, explains how it solutions can help shipyards shave production costs and increase efficiency.Almacam is a 45-year-old, employee-owned company created by researchers that were mono-focused on developing nesting algorithms in a laboratory of Grenoble University, France, aiming to bring this nesting algorithm tech to the industry.According to Rouzeau, it is the world's only independent CAD-CAM software publisher offering CAM solutions across industries…

30 Aug 2023

Insights: Maritime and an Honest Discussion About AI

Copyright Kras99/AdobeStock

The maritime industry is often criticized as being slow to adopt new technologies. While ship building is an age-old industry, it is also varied: fishing, commercial, inland, marine construction, energy, passenger, recreation, defense, and the list goes on. Each sector serves a different purpose, and bespoke vessels fulfill different missions, operate in different environments, and are subject to different regulatory profiles. As a result, our industry abounds with unique solutions…

28 Feb 2023

Interview: Five Minutes with Robert Ekse, President, EBDG

Robert Ekse, President, Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG). Photo courtesy EBDG

Late last year we caught up with Robert Ekse, President, Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), for his take on how the Future Fuels debate is effectively shaping maritime technology development and vessel investment.Most reading these pages know the EBDG name, but can you give us a quick update?Elliott Bay Design Group has been around for a long time, [at first] primarily focused on ferry design and refurbishment. We've branched out over the years in many different directions, including tugs and barges and other workboats.

27 Feb 2023

"Only One Stupid Thing at a Time"

Copyright Cartoon Resource/AdobeStock

This story spans a long period of time, but begins with a note I received recently on an earlier column from a reader named Allan Berger. He commented on the OODA loop concept in my “Pondering Truths in Design” column in the September MREN issue.He provided his approach that closely follows the OODA loop concept, which follows the principle of always gathering all the facts before speaking. That led to a discussion on decision making. Decision making is an extremely important concept that sets the course of human development, and is central to effective engineering.

31 Jan 2023

Marinetrans jois TU Delft Hydro Motion Team

Image courtesy Delft Technical University

Supporting hydrogen propulsion and foiling technologies development to reduce emissionsLogistics provider Marinetrans is now partner of the foiling hydrogen boat project of Delft Technical University. Together with other maritime companies Marinetrans now supports this diverse team of students to compete with a foiling hydrogen-power boat in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, a project to exhibit viable sustainable propulsion solutions.At Marinetrans, several emission-reduction schemes are currently unfolding…

13 Sep 2022

Back to the Drawing Board: Pondering Truths in Design

“The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will f

In producing a column for the Marine Design issue, I considered a number of subjects, but in starting to write about them, somehow my mind connected to “Beam is Cheap.” I have a faint memory of being made aware of this during a discussion of a ship design by a design luminary very early in my career, but I don’t remember who it was.When first putting pencil to paper on some design, I always think about that when I make my first rough sketch. It is a very powerful truism, and over…

25 Aug 2022

Eye on Design: Flipping Small High-Speed Powerboats

Copyright deanz/AdobeStock

Naval Architects can predict many things with great certainty. But the sea is an unpredictable task master and there are still a number of areas where it is difficult to get a technical handle on the problem.High speed planing boat stability is one of those areas.Planing hull design is incredibly complicated and dynamic behavior is actually more difficult to predict than the dynamic behavior of airplanes. (Let me say it again: Aerospace engineering (I am one) is sandlot compared to Naval Architecture).Meanwhile thousands…

14 Jun 2022

Optiwise HORIZON Project Aims to Improve Ships with Wind Power

Image courtesy MARIN

MARIN, joined by the consortium outlined below, has successfully initiated the project Optiwise, an EU funded research and innovation project aiming to improve and demonstrate energy savings using wind propulsion and hydrodynamic improvements in propulsion.Partners working together in this MARIN coordinated project:MARIN, CORE IC, SSPA, AYRO, CHANTIERS DE L'ATLANTIQUE, FLIKKEMA INNOVATION MANAGEMENT & CONSULTANCY, WARTSILA NETHERLANDS, UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA, EURONAV…

13 Apr 2022

Tech File: Incat Crowther "Digital Shipbuilding" for new 35m Catamaran

 © INCAT CROWTHER

Construction has started on a 35m Catamaran for CTM Deher of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. The Incat Crowther 35 is being built by PT Kim Seah Shipyard Indonesia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s publicly listed Penguin International Limited, using Incat Crowther’s Digital Shipbuilding solution, a process that is designed to bring the designer, shipyard and owner together in one cohesive process, from concept through delivery.A feature of Incat Crowther’s Digital Shipbuilding solution is a 3D digital model of a ship…

10 Dec 2021

Fishing Boat Design: New Crab Boat from Gaspé Yard

Image courtesy NAVANEX /Cummins

With the regulated catch quotas of contemporary fisheries, design versatility for a fishing boat can be important. A new 19.8 x 7.3-m (65 x 24-ft.) combination crab trap and groundfish trawler designed by NAVANEX for building by Chantier Naval Forillon, both of Gaspé, Quebec, Canada is a fine example of this. Owners, Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, anticipate accepting delivery in April of 2022.The steel-hulled vessel will have a raised fo’c’sle design with an aluminum pilot house. When crab fishing, the clear, aft deck will be capable of carrying up to 150 collapsible, 100-pound crab pots.

06 Dec 2021

Eye on Design: Where Are the Transportation Macro Designers?

Figure 1: Design Spiral, Evans, J. Harvey (1959), “Basic Design Concepts,” Naval Engineers Journal, Vol. 21, Nov.

As naval architects and marine engineers we are familiar with the design spiral. While design is not truly a spiral, we use the concept to remind ourselves that all pieces of a ship design interact. The design spiral is not a standard figure and can be simplistic or overcomplicated.A Google search image summary provides dozens of interpretations, all investigating different variables, with the only commonality that all spirals start with the “mission” variable.Figure 1 is an old…

19 Oct 2021

Ferries V2.0. Post COVID Opportunities

Since the 1980s there has been a remarkable revival of ferry services in many U.S. waterfront cities, but COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the most profitable component of these services: the commuter runs. With post-COVID work-at-home arrangements and part-week in-office work, these ferry services have suffered a tremendous loss of income. But there are glimmers of hope that a recovery is likely, although in a different form, in a different world.Commuter runs are often the bread and butter portion of a ferry services…

14 Sep 2021

SafeSTS, Gall Thomson Launch PTX to Improve STS Transfers Safety

Image courtesy of Gall Thomson

Unexpected mooring breakouts are a risk during offshore STS operations. SafeSTS and Gall Thomson aim to offer a solution, launching the Protective Transfer System (PTX). Using the flip-flap marine breakaway coupling technology used within other Gall Thomson products for more than 20 years, the PTX is designed to provide rapid, safe, on-demand release within the marine hose transfer system.An ultra-compact system which includes its own HPU and transport and reset skid, the PTX is located directly over the vessel’s manifold drip tray…

14 Sep 2021

Marine Design: Multi-Physics Simulation (MPS) & Decarbonization Walk Hand-in-Hand

“We can all understand the potential of alternate fuels in shipping’s push to achieve a sustainable footing ... however we see the potential of MPS, sitting as it does at the intersection of data, digital and decarbonization, as another, less heralded, advance with the potential to make a significant contribution.” Chris Wiernicki, CEO, ABS. Photo courtesy ABS

Chris Wiernicki, CEO, ABS, discusses the evolution of multi-physics simulation and its importance in reaching decarbonization goals through 2050.As the pace of technological evolution rapidly quickens, shipowners are increasingly forced to embrace change to ensure their fleets stay in compliance with new regulations and stave off obsolescence.Going forward, efficient, cost-effective delivery of goods from ‘point A to point B’ must be done in a more environmentally benign manner…

17 Aug 2021

What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate…. in Ship Construction!

The 17th Century ship Vasa. © warasit/AdobeStock

My brother, who is the executive editor of my favorite boating magazine (Soundings), and I occasionally send strange tidbits to each other by email. For some reason he sent me an email about the 17th Century ship Vasa and focused on one of the causes of the vessel’s failure to float properly.This is the Wikipedia paragraph he focused on:"The use of different measuring systems on either side of the vessel caused its mass to be distributed asymmetrically, heavier to port. During construction both Swedish feet and Amsterdam feet were in use by different teams.

13 Jul 2021

History: Japan’s First Containership Recognized by JASNAOE

Photo courtesy NYK

Hakone Maru, a container carrier formerly owned and operated by NYK, has been recognized by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE) as "Japan's first new container carrier that realized efficient maritime transportation."This honor is given to vessels that have historical, academic, and technical value, promote public understanding, and are seen as symbols of cultural heritage for future generations. Another NYK vessel, Hikawa Maru, a historic ocean liner permanently berthed as a museum ship in Yokohama…

28 Jun 2021

Ship Design: Pure 3D Process Deployed for US-built Advanced Rotortug

ABS, Robert Allan, Signet and USCG use purely 3D process to celiver commercial vessel.  Image courtesy of Robert Allan Ltd

The evolution of commercial ship design and construction now includes a first in the U.S.: the first commercial U.S. vessel designed, built and verified using an end-to-end 3D design process, a project coordinated through ABS, Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), Signet Maritime Corporation (Signet) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).Designed by RAL, the Advanced Rotortug (ART), which is designed to escort vessels and offshore assets at the Port of Corpus Christi, will receive its Certificate of Inspection from the USCG and will now be built and operated by Signet to ABS Class…

04 Mar 2021

Royal Doeksen Acquires Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam from Royal IHC

Photo courtesy Royal IHC

Royal IHC and Royal Doeksen reached an agreement on the acquisition of all shares in Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam, a continuation of IHC's plan hatched in mid-2020 to return its core business and divest itself of pieces that did not fit. The decision was taken that Vuyk, among others, would be divested.According to the companies involved the management of Vuyk was involved during the divestment process and is pleased to be a part of theRotterdam based Royal Doeksen. Vuyk Engineering was founded in 1979…

27 Sep 2020

BMT Wins Isles of Scilly Steamship Design Deal

Photo courtesy BMT

BMT won a contract with The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) for new vessel designs for the Isles of Scilly, replacing the iconic Scillonian III.The ISSG require a vessel design solution to run between the harbors of Penzance and St Mary’s, in addition to an onward freight supply chain from St Mary’s to the off islands of St Martins, Tresco, Bryher and St Agnes.“The designs will maximize passenger and crew comfort, will be capable of operating in the challenging conditions of the Atlantic ocean route…

03 Aug 2020

Ship Emissions: ABS Spearheads the Future of EEDI for Ships

© Tryfonov/Adobe Stock

A team led by ABS has been awarded a contract by the European Commission (EC) to explore future directions for the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for ships.The landmark study will look at ways to improve and accelerate the integration of low-carbon fuels and innovative technologies into the requirements of the index, which was originally created to reduce emissions from ships by promoting design improvements and the adoption of more energy-efficient power systems.The EC…

10 Jun 2020

Hyundai Heavy Industries Inks Deal with CADMATIC

CADMATIC CEO, Jukka Rantala (Photo: CADMATIC)

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Finnish software firm CADMATIC signed a technical cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of next-generation design systems.Through the MOU signed in April, the two companies will carry out cooperation while maintaining the technology partnership to develop next-generation design systems that will be applied to the latest technologies, such as AI, Big Data analysis, advanced modeling and drawing automation.

19 Nov 2019

New System Measures Shock Mitigation

Photo: CDG

CDG Coast Dynamics Group, Ltd. introduced KINETIX, a vessel and crew monitoring program for high-speed craft, designed to enable  maritime agencies to optimize their shock mitigation strategies using more complete data, more easily comply with legislation, and keep their personnel and assets safer.KINETIX consists of lab-quality, marine-grade sensors that integrate with the vessel’s shock mitigation seating, while specialized software records data in a compact, marinized housing.

01 Nov 2019

Interview: Cory Wood, VP, Bristol Harbor Group

“You still have to come up with a concept, and literally it can come to us on the back of a napkin. Wherever the idea starts, it must then be boiled down to the specifics. CAD has obviously helped to speed that process along, but in my mind, the implementation of 2D and 3D CAD hasn’t really shortened the entire design process, but it’s allowed us to get a better product.”
Cory Wood, Vice President, Bristol Harbor Group, Inc.

Born at the University of Michigan in the early 1990s, Bristol Harbor Group (BHG) has grown into a diverse and widely respected naval architecture and marine engineering firm. Cory Wood, Vice President and one of the four co-founders of BHG, discusses the companies past and design drivers to power its future.The University of Michigan runs one of the most prestigious naval architecture and marine engineering programs in the country, but when Cory Wood entered U of M, he did so with the intent of becoming an aerospace engineer.