Ship Technology News

One of its most significant initiatives in the Japanese shipping industry's push toward net zero is e5 Lab Inc., a consortium comprising Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd., Exeno Yamamizu Corporation, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corporation, with the purpose of developing renewably powered commercial ships.e5 Lab  recently unveiled ROBOSHIP – a design for a biomass fuel carrier, powered by a fully standardized, electric propulsion system to attain zero emission operations at harbour.

SHI reports that it has successfully developed an 'Onboard Carbon Capture' system which can be applicable to LNG fueled vessels with PANASIA, an eco-friendly and energy system expert, and received Approval in Principle from KR, Korean classification society, for the first time in Korea.This approved green technology separates and collects carbon dioxide among exhaust gas of LNG, which is burned in a ship engine or generator, using an Amine based liquid absorbent. SHI and PANASIA have jointly developed the technology since 2020…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the “Marine-based CO2 Capture System”, in order to verify the equipment’s use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line, at MHI’s Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama Dockyard…

Retrofit of air lubrication technology achieves verified performance of 6.6% net savings during initial testing.Silverstream Technologies' air lubrication system, the Silverstream System, has reportedly delivered 6.6% fuel and emissions savings during testing on the Shell-chartered 170,000 cbm LNG carrier Methane Patricia Camila.The Silverstream System is designed to enable fuel and emissions efficiencies by producing a thin layer of microbubbles along the full flat bottom of the vessel, reducing frictional resistance between the water and the hull.

Citing a spike in second-wave COVID-19 infection numbers SMM, where the world meets in Hamburg every two years for the latest updates on shipbuilding and ship machinery technology, has opted to take the event planned for February 2021 digital.SMM 2020 was originally scheduled to be held live in September 2020, initially postponed to early 2021 as a hybrid live and digital event. But in the face of a rampant second wave of COVID-19 infections and the decision by several governments…

Framo introduced a customizable oil skimmer based on its TransRec platform. The new solution allows customers to specify a range of options to tailor their systems to fit their operational requirements.The system contains essential equipment and features required for an effective oil recovery operation in most operational conditions - including a portable electric remote-control panel that allows operators to be positioned for the best view of the operation. On top of this operators…

ABS has published the latest trends and projections on carbon-reduction strategies for shipping as the industry looks to meet decarbonization ambitions.Setting the Course to Low Carbon Shipping examines new fuels, technologies and operational measures and matches that with forecasts for the world’s key trade lanes to envision what shipping may look like in 2030 and 2050.The second of two ‘Outlook’ documents – the first was published in June 2019 – it applies what ABS currently…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and United Arab Emirates electronic firm Marakeb Technologies, have agreed to form a global partnership in the field of autonomous technology.The agreement was signed by Basel Shuhaiber, Chief Executive Officer of Marakeb Technologies, and Giuseppe Giordo, General Manager of Fincantieri Naval Business at the 2020 Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.The agreement is intended to initiate a cross-evaluation of Fincantieri’s current automation solutions and Marakeb Technologies’ patented unmanned technology, as well as to jointly develop applications on various vessel types in Fincantieri’s portfolio.The global partnership aspires to establish future commercial opportunities in regional and international markets…

French LNG containment specialist  Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) has acquired 100 percent of the share capital of the Icelandic smart shipping specialist Marorka.Based in Iceland and specialized in Smart Shipping, Marorka designs maritime energy monitoring and optimization systems for vessels, allowing them to reduce their environmental footprint. The company’s systems have been installed on more than 600 vessels.The shipping industry has started its environmental transition in January 2020, when a new IMO regulation entered into force, imposing significant reductions in sulfur oxide emissions. The IMO has furthermore announced a long-term “low-carbon” strategy…

Norwegian technology firm Kongsberg announced it will install and test autonomous ship technologies on two vessels in Europe's inland waterways and short sea coastal shipping routes.The AUTOSHIP project will aim to test and further develop key technology linked to fully autonomous navigation systems, intelligent machinery systems, self-diagnostics, prognostics and operation scheduling, as well as communication technology enabling a prominent level of cyber security and integrating the vessels into upgraded e-infrastructure…

Hurtigruten’s new hybrid battery powered expedition cruise ship MS Fridtjof Nansen has completed sea trials and will be completed earlier than expected. As a result, Hurtigruten is adding a series of shorter pre-inaugural voyages.MS Fridtjof Nansen is packed with green technology and large battery packs and is, alongside her sister ship MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first battery-hybrid powered cruise ship.The Vessel is set for delivery by the end of 2019, well ahead of her April 1 inaugural voyage from Hamburg to the Norwegian coast.Departing from London (March 7)…

Lasse Stokkeland has decided to leave his position as general manager of Havyard Ship Technology AS (HST), and the Board has appointed Erlend Hatleberg as the new general manager.Hatleberg, 43, grew up in Leirvik in Sogn and now lives in Dale in Sunnfjord.He graduated as an engineer in 2003, and has worked amongothers in Fundo. He started working in HST's technical department in 2009.Hatlebergbecame project manager 2011, and has  been responsible for deliveries of PSV ships, construction vessels and icebreakers for Russian ship-owners and now for Fjord1's new series of ferries.In connection with the management change in HST, Stig Breidvik will become new production manager. Stig is 52 and lives in Leirvik in Sogn.

Navis, the provider of maritime software solutions for cargo and vessel performance and compliance,  announced that its MACS3 loading computer will be installed on two newbuilding series of container vessels owned and operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine Corporation.Navis, a part of Cargotec Corporation, said that due to the owner’s decision to have this loading computer installed, they are moving to support safer and more effective onboard cargo handling.The newbuildings are currently being built at two different Chinese shipyards. The Jiangnan shipyard is currently building four container ships with a capacity of 2,500 TEU, which will be delivered between February and November 2020.Two other 1…

Unique pasteurization treatment system sails through new tougher type approval process to give shipowners better peace of mindBAWAT, the Danish manufacturer of a unique opex-neutral ballast water treatment system, has been granted IMO Type Approval for its technology that uses only a ship’s own waste heat to kill off invasive species.Type Approval certification has been issued by Lloyd’s Register on behalf of the Danish Maritime Authority and makes the BAWAT system one of the first to be tested and issued with approval under the new toughened mandatory requirements of the IMO’s BWMS Code…

Havyard is taking the next step towards a hydrogen system pilot for large ships. The company is entering the approval phase and has signed agreements with suppliers of  hydrogen tanks and fuel cells.If large vessels are to sail zero emission at high speed over long distances, battery solutions does not contain enough energy. Fuel cells running on hydrogen is a solution to this, and the Havyard Group, with Havyard Design & Solutions and Norwegian Electric Systems, is now conducting…

MSC Cruises, a global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva, has held a steel-cutting ceremony for its first new-generation World-Class ship at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.The first of five liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships on order, MSC Europa is the first LNG ship to be built in France.On the occasion of the cutting of the first steel ceremony held in Saint-Nazaire, MSC and Chantiers de l’Atlantique unveiled a groundbreaking R&D project named PACBOAT.The project focuses on the integration of a new fuel cell technology demonstrator onboard the first of four MSC Cruises’ World Class of vessels, due for delivery in 2022.

International technology giant IBM has joined a global consortium of partners, led by marine research organisation ProMare, that are building an unmanned, fully-autonomous ship that will cross the Atlantic on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage in September 2020.A new Mayflower will set sail 400 years after the historic voyage, this time using AI and other advanced technologies, the American IT major said.The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM’s AI, advanced servers, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Damen Shipyards, an international shipyard group,  has partnered with the global IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the development of an integrated IoT platform, with  its eyes firmly on the future."With this, Damen vessels become increasingly connected and Damen is able to gather and analyze data from the 10-15,000 sensors on board its vessels," the  Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate said in a press release.The results of this are significant, offering predictive maintenance, remote services access and savings in fuel consumption.Furthermore, this is a platform with which Damen can collaborate - sharing its knowledge…

Maritime autonomous surface ship (“MASS”) technology continues to advance at a rapid pace around the globe. Although it’s not being embraced as quickly in the United States commercial market as other parts of the world, U.S. industry professionals and regulators look forward to continued development and implementation as a means to improve efficiency and safety.OpportunitiesThe U.S. Maritime Administration (“MARAD”) hosted “Achieving Critical MASS: Spotlight on the U.S. Vessel Automation Industry” July 22 and 23, 2019, encouraging discussion between U.S.

ONE SEA, an industry alliance bringing together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology, has made a significant addition to its growing membership, after signing up Awake.AI - a company led by an experienced team of maritime digital innovators.Awake.AI is aiming to create a new platform and ML models (Machine learning) based on transparent data sharing to break down the barriers between ships, ports and other actors in the maritime logistics chain. The ‘virtual infrastructure’ will be vital if ports are to handle autonomous ships successfully from pre-arrival…

Kongsberg and MAN Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the purpose of exploring the potential for collaboration on a common data infrastructure for the maritime sector.The collaboration will broaden the value offering to vessel operators, improve return on investment in digital solutions and increase the adoption of secure connectivity.Under the MoU, MAN Energy Solutions is set to investigate the possibility of using Kongsberg Digital’s data-infrastructure solution…

South Korea’s container shipping giant Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and compatriot shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) have joined forces on the research, development and innovation in the field of smart ship technologies.Under a Memorandum of Understanding, the parties would conduct research on real-time service system based on IoT (Internet of Things), design on-shore platforms for optimized fleet operation, develop automated warehousing systems for ship materials and development economic navigation solutions.HMM plans to promote the innovation of smart ship technologies underway of directly reflecting and testing operational data to its own container vessels.In fact, certain part of smart ship solution related to optimized ship operation has already been compl

Saudi Arabia’s International Maritime Industries (IMI) has signed a vessel purchase agreement (VPA) with the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) and a subsequent sub-contract agreement with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to build one very large crude carrier (VLCC).Hyundai Heavy will transfer architectural designs and related technological know-how for the building of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to IMI. It will build one 319,000 DWT Class Crude Oil Carrier  with delivery expected in October 2021."This project award further strengthens the business relationship between IMI and its shareholders…