ITF Safety Film

I was browsing around looking for interesting contributions regarding technology, instead I came across the following article regarding an installation of a support system to aid our seafarers in enhancing their awareness about onboard safety. I thought that even the newest and most advanced technologies used in any ship would help, without making our seafarers be more aware of maintaining a safe environment aboard ship.

Shiptalk News - 24 March 2008

The ITF is set to roll out a new onboard safety film (21st March).

Made following consultation across the industry, the 20 minute multi-language DVD has been designed to support and equip on-board safety representatives and is being distributed by ITF inspectors as well as being offered to ship operators to show on their vessels, following its successful preview at the latest IMO STW 39 (Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) meeting, where it was well received by maritime administrations.

Called Working Together for Safety on Board, the DVD sets out the safety structure laid out by the ISM Code and ILO Maritime Labour Convention, and the role of the on-vessel safety representative within it. It is aimed at seafarers of all ranks and comes with the following language options as standard: English, Russian, Chinese, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesian.

John Bainbridge, Assistant Secretary of the ITF Seafarers' Section and its representative at the IMO, commented: "This is a new tool, a small addition to the armoury of all those who want to better understand the important role the safety representative plays and support him or her in their mission to build a safety culture."

He concluded: "We are delighted to have had excellent access for filming provided by V Ships and Frontline, as well as advice from, among others, the IMO, ILO, ICS and ISF."

Earth Hour

On March 21 last year, the Australian city of Sydney saw its energy consumption drop by 10.2 percent. This was achieved through a single act: more than 2,100 business establishments and over 2.2 million city residents switched off lights in offices and households to emphasize that coal-fired electricity was the biggest cause of global warming. A year later, 24 cities around the world are participating in Earth Hour, which Filipinos marked at 8 pm tonight by switching off lights for an hour. The message is that every little step counts in dealing with global warming. Breaking habits that are taken for granted can go a long way.

Love Mother Earth, she is the only one we have.

Mitsui-MAN B&W Diesel Engine Achieves World Record

Friday, March 28, 2008
This world record is established when MES completes the construction of Mitsui-MAN B&W 6S50MC-C Mark 7 at its Tamano Works (Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture) for Sanoyasu Hishino Meisho Corporation (with president Mr. Shinich Kimura), who will install such engine to a chip carrier of 4.35 million cubic feet (shipyard No. 1260) to her owner, Mitsui OSK Lines.
In the wake of growing demand for new shipbuilding boosted by active ocean cargo transport, the production of diesel engine by MES is significantly increasing recently. Only after two years and five months since MES achieved 50 million horse power production in October 2005, it establishes accumulated 60 million horse power record since it produced the first engine in 1928.
The annual production in fiscal year 2006 was 4.01 million horsepower and will be 4.63 million, the record high annual production, in fiscal year 2007.

IMO To Develop New Ship Recycling Legislation

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has called for an instrument to provide legally-binding and globally-applicable regulations covering international shipping and recycling facilities.
An MEPC meeting in July approved a draft resolution setting out the organisation’s commitment to develop this new IMO ship recycling instrument which, the committee agreed, should include regulations for the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling. However, it was underlined that the proposed regulations should not compromise: the safety and operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling (certification/reporting requirements).
MEPC further agreed that the instrument should be completed in time for its consideration and adoption in the period 2008 to 2009.

For more information: http://www.imo.org/home.asp

Gulf Region Turning into Hub for Ship Repair Services

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Gulf region is fast turning into a major hub for ship repair services and conversion projects, with Dubai Drydocks in the UAE and the Arab Ship Repair Yard (ASRY) in Bahrain experiencing a significant increase in business volumes, as reported.There are several reasons for the growing interest of ship owners and management companies in GCC-based ship repair yards, the most important being the cost factor.
It is but obvious that ship owners will always seek the best deal possible when negotiating repair operations. Labor and steel parts are the most important components of any basic repair operation, and therefore hold the key to competitive pricing.
The GCC region enjoys a significant advantage in this regard largely due to easy availability of affordable & experienced labour from close traditional maritime markets of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Phillipines.
The cost of repair in the Middle East is estimated at 100 to 105 compared to 250 in Japan, 140/150 in Europe, 110/115 in Turkey and Balkans. China and Indonesia though offers repairs on a scale of 50/65 and about 60/75 respectively in comparison.
Despite the low repair costs in Far-East based ship repair yards, what works towards the advantage of UAE and Bahrain is the large number of 'westbound traffic' out of the Gulf region. The region has been constantly witnessing a substantial increase in maritime trade and a large number of cargo ships, which traditionally sailed through to the Indian Sub-continent and beyond to South East Asia, are now choosing to turnaround at the Middle East ports instead, and rely on feeder vessels to carry cargo for the regional deliveries. What this essentially means is that demand for repair services for the large number of mother vessels and feeders plying in the region is on the rise.
It is but a fact that ships prefer drydocking on the routes on which they trade. Given the fact that drydocking is a highly expensive operational exercise, most shipowners prefer to drydock their vessels within the confines of the routes on which they operate. Deviation is avoided as it would further add to repair costs and operating expenses.

Laser-GMA Hybrid Welding

Laser-Gas Metal Arch (GMA) hybrid welding is an increasingly accepted technology for a variety of commercial applications, from industries as diverse as shipbuilding to automobile manufacture. As applications become more widespread, there is a growing need to understand the relationship between the numerous process parameters and the process results, including weld quality and distortion. To build upon the body of knowledge supporting this two separate experiments are performed.

In the first, hybrid welds are performed with a 2.6kW Nd:YAG laser and sensors are used to monitor GMA voltage and current, as well as the arc-plasma electromagnetic emissions in both the ultraviolet and infrared regions. Process perturbations, such as fluctuations in GMAW voltage and wire speed, laser angle of incedence, and laser/GMAW torch head separation distance, are introduced to study their effect on sensor output.

Finally, thermal finite element models are developed and used to quantify the varying heat input per unit length when compared with conventional GMAW and laser welding processes, particularly as applied to joining of thin steel structures. The onset of buckling during weld fabrication has been shown to be strongly dependent upon the heat input used to produce the weld. A thermal model of the laser-GMA hybrid welding process is developed to serve as a representation of this complex process.

Green Energy Supply for Ships

Environmental Protection has become a major concern in the shipping industry for the past years. Two thirds of worldwide cargo transport goes by ship. Ships are responsible for two percent of global CO2 emissions, up to 15 percent of NOx and about six percent of SOx. I came across this article from the WorldMaritime News issued March 25, 2008, which to my mind reflects the awareness of innovation that is geared towards pro-environmentalism. A group of Scandinavian and German companies are cooperating on a research project, with support from Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Following the successful conclusion of the concept phase, now for the first time in the world a ship is being fitted with a high-temperature fuel cell for operational trials. The fuel used will be liquid natural gas (LNG). The HotModule fuel cell from CFC Solutions features an electrical efficiency of 47 percent and is nearly free of harmful emissions. A test version will be installed by the end of 2008 in a gas-powered supply ship called the "Viking Energy" in order to test the suitability of fuel cells for the clean generation of onboard supply of electricity and power on ships of up to 320 kilowatts of total requirements. By using the fuel cell, a vessel could avoid an annual 4,755 tons of CO2 and 33 tons of SO2 as well as 180 tons of nitrogen oxides emissions - equivalent to approximately 20,000 car emissions.

Philippines to Ban Single-Hull Vessels

Monday, January 28, 2008

The Philippines will ban single-hull oil tankers from its waters from April, two years earlier than planned, after the worst oil spill in the country's history and a separate leak in South Korea. Vessels carrying "black" petroleum products such as crude oil and bunker fuel won't be allowed to dock at ports from April 1 without a double hull, said Transportation Undersecretary Len Bautista in a phone interview from Manila. The single-hull crude oil supertanker Hebei Spirit caused the worst spill in South Korea's history last month after it was struck by a crane causing it to lose 66,000 barrels of crude oil, about 1/3 the size of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. In August 2006, the tanker Solar 1 leaked 2.19 million litres of marine fuel, killing marine life and fouling the coastline of the Philippines's Guimaras islands. The country has yet to schedule a ban on single-hull tankers that ship gasoline, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products. At least one crude-oil tanker, the Atora, is sailing toward a Philippine port. The double-hull carrier built in 1991 is due to arrive at Bataan January 26, according to AISLive on Bloomberg. Two double-hull refined petroleum tankers, Petro Celine and Kirana Dwitya, are also sailing for the country's ports. Source: Bloomberg

Cosco Busan Pilot To Face Charges Under the Clean Water Act

Update and additional info re a previous blog:

March 21 2008, SeaTradeAsia
The pilot of the container ship Cosco Busan that crashed into a bumper of the Bay Bridge and spilled approximately 58,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay in November has been charged with criminal negligence and violating environmental laws, reports the New York Times. Under the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, John Joseph Cota has been charged with the negligent discharge of oil and the killing of migratory birds.

Which shows that consequences of marine pollution is far-reaching and not to be taken lightly.

Alternative Inventions....

THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE LINEAR CRANKSHAFT AND ACTUATOR


The conventional pendular crankshaft, being of the same design now as it was for over 200 years ago and still being the prevailing and only power transmission method in piston engines, causes considerable vibrations and wear, by oscillating masses and generating side forces on the piston.
In a normal combustion engine, the crank mechanism alone stands for 20% of the fuel consumption! For these reasons, rotating piston machines, such as f.ex. the Rotary Vane and the Wankel, have been developed, but for higher loads, like in a combustion engine, they cannot compete with the sealing potential of a reciprocating circular(!) piston.
Many inventors have tried to find another way of power transmission, but their inventions failed because they could not omit sliding components, causing excessive friction at other locations. This is why such designs never became commercial - except for the cross-head in high-load, low speed engines (ship-diesels).
My linear crankshaft design actually eliminates side forces on the piston, by using rotating elements only, that generate a linear motion and without introducing additional friction with sliding components elsewhere.

i came across this article..... would this be applicable on large vessels????

Spanish Navy enters new era with BPE launch

Spanish Navy enters new era with BPE launch

Source: Jane's Defence Weekly
Source Date: 19th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.13.
Summary:
The 27,000-ton amphibious Strategic Projection Ship, the largest ship in the Spanish Navy, was launched on 10 March at Navantia's Ferrol shipyard.

Asians in European Shipbuilding - invasion started?

Asians in European Shipbuilding - invasion started?

Source: Europort Bulletin
Source Date: 18th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The world has been witnessing the signs of growing Asian influence on the global economy over the last three to four decades. It all seems to have started off with the impressive growth of Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturing in the last century, while nowadays, people speak of China as ‘the manufacturing powerhouse of the world’. Are Asians also set to take over European shipbuilding and repairing?

Captain’s error seen in collision at Tagbilaran port

"CEBU CITY, Philippines -- A passenger fast craft appeared to have been in error when it slammed into a barge at the Tagbilaran City port on Saturday evening.
William Isaga, Tagbilaran City Coast Guard station commander, said their initial investigation on Monday showed that the Oceanjet 3 captain was apparently taking a shortcut when it hit the LCT Valerie, a barge carrying sand and gravel from Hindang, Leyte.
"My initial findings showed that Oceanjet vessel made a shortcut. Oceanjet was supposed to enter between beacon 7 and 8, but it turned out that it entered the beacon number 5 vicinity. So there was an attempt to shortcut, which they normally did," Isaga said.
But Ocean Fast Ferries Inc., owner of the fast craft, denied this."

By Jhunnex NapallacanVisayas BureauFirst Posted 18:19:00 02/04/2008

wow, a Short Cut????
any reaction from our group????

Chinese Tracking Technology

Homegrown Chinese technology has been used for the first time to provide real-time monitoring of container shipments in the country's commercial hub, Shanghai. If the two- to three-month pilot program, supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Communications in China, is successful, it will help better fight terrorism, stowaways and food contamination in containers.

Initially, 10,000 containers will be sealed with a special e-tag, which can be re-used on the shipping line between Shanghai and Savannah in the US state of Georgia. The e-tag that uses radio frequency identification technology will show a container's status in the logistics chain, and send warnings if it is opened without authorization. If an e-tag shows a container has not been opened on the way, it will help a cargo owner save the time he has to spend for Customs and quarantine checks at ports.

US and European firms have been studying the technology, too, but "China is the first to mobilize resources such as ports, shipping companies, cargo owners and the Customs and put the technology into use on a commercial shipping line". The country's container throughput reached a record 100 million TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) last year. And Shanghai handled 26.15 million TEUs, second only to Singapore across the world.

Star Bulk buys Supramax for $72 million

Star Bulk buys Supramax for $72 million
March 14, 2008 1:42 PM ET
NEW YORK (AP) - Greek drybulk shipper Star Bulk Carriers Corp. said Friday it's agreed to acquire a 2005-built Supramax carrier for $72 million, bringing its fleet to 11 vessels.
The 53,489-ton vessel will be financed through a combination of company cash and bank debt. The carrier is scheduled to be delivered in April. The company said it expects to have the carrier under charter by the time it arrives.
Supramaxes typically weigh about 52,000 tons and are among the smallest drybulk vessels on the seas.
Shares fell 19 cents to $11 in afternoon trading amid declines in the broader market.

Ferry sank because of ‘distracted’ crew

Ferry sank because of ‘distracted’ crew

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.26.
Summary:
A report by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, into the sinking of the ferry Queen of the North off the British Columbia coast late at night on March 22, 2006, has determined that the ship sank because the crew did not follow "sound navigational practice" while sailing down a narrow channel during a storm.

MEPC ‘could delay’ pollution rules approval

MEPC ‘could delay’ pollution rules approval

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.4.
Summary:
A senior oil industry executive has said he believes the Marine Environment Protection Committee could delay its approval of revisions to Marpol Annex VI, due to be given in April, until it meets again in October for MEPC 58. The MEPC was expected to make a final decision at MEPC 57 on a strategy to reduce SOx and NOx emissions after being given three alternatives by the International Maritime Organization’s Bulk, Liquids and Gases sub-committee in February.

Zero tolerance warning on Baltic Sea spills

Zero tolerance warning on Baltic Sea spills

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.5.
Summary:
The director general of the Danish Maritime Authority, Jorgen Hammer Hansen, has warned shipowners that the industry faces a renewed crackdown in the event of a maritime spill in the sensitive Baltic Straits.

Technology for Water Ballast Management System

New Hyde Marine Ballast Water Treatment System

Hyde Marine, Inc. recently introduced a new and more powerful shipboard Ballast Water Treatment System. The system design is based on component testing during two different independent research projects. It also benefited from lessons learned from five previously installed systems and from discussions with various regulators including the USCG, IMO, and several US states.
The first new design Hyde system was installed aboard the cruise ship Coral Princess with a ballast pump flow rate of 250 m3/hr. The installation and commissioning was completed in the spring of 2003.
Hyde Marine teamed with Aquionics, the most experienced manufacturer of medium pressure U.V. technology in the world, to offer a robust and powerful UV system as part of the redesigned and higher performance Hyde Marine BWT System. The single chamber Aquionics in-line UV is the most suitable technology for ballast water applications and was proven effective during shipboard trials on the Cape May. It also requires less space than comparable low-pressure UV units.
The Hyde Ballast Water Treatment System (HBTS) also incorporates a reliable and efficient Arkal Galaxy automatic back flush filter. The filter was supplied with both 50 and 100-micron disks, which performed exceptionally well in the Great Lakes project full-scale tests. The recently adopted IMO Ballast Water Control and Management Convention requires removal of virtually all organisms larger than 50 microns as an interim treatment standard.

(Website: http://www.hydemarine.com/whats_new/)

International Maritime Organization must set new pollution standards, ICC says

Paris, 12 February 2008

ICC's Committee on Maritime Transport has called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt new emissions standards for ships in the coming months.

Stricter global standards are urgently needed for the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and for assessing technology to curb sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulates. These substances are known to contibute to acid rain, harm biodiversity on land and in coastal waters, and are major contributors to rising amounts of ground-level zone.

ICC advised that measures to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), are also necessary. New, more effective environmental standards must also take into consideration fuel availability for ships.

The IMO, a UN agency charged with developing a regulatory framewok for the world's shipping industry, is in the final stages of reviewing ways to adopt tigher standards. But to avert the proliferation of regional and local emissions regulations, the IMO must act now, ICC urged. Ohterwise, a patchwork of varying regulations would lead to operatinal difficulties, varying fuel standards, and higher costs across the board in the shipping industry, ICC warned.

Air pollution from oceangoing ships is one of the most important issues for the international maritime and port industries, especially in major ports and busy coastal areas.

Modern High Seas Piracy - An Update

Warning to ships passing the Somali Coast and other piracy-ridden waters:

Last Updated: Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 03:07 GMT

No vessel is safe from modern pirates
By Nick Rankin
BBC World Service

Pirates are not just mythological characters with peg legs, parrots and pistols. They now carry AK-47s and use speedboats to rule the high seas of the world.

Piracy is a major problem off the Somali coast
Robbery of the high seas is not confined to 18th-Century history and literature or Hollywood films - it is still very much alive today.
Ninety percent of the world's trade is still moved by sea, so it is not surprising that piracy against cargo vessels remains a significant issue.
It is estimated that seaborne piracy costs the world tens of millions of dollars a year.
Piracy peaked in 2003 with 445 attacks around the world and since then, they have more or less steadily come down.
In 2006, there were 239 attacks. Last year, the number increased slightly to 249.

technological innovations in the exploration and production sector of natural gas

3-D and 4-D Seismic Imaging - The development of seismic imaging in three dimensions greatly changed the nature of natural gas exploration. This technology uses traditional seismic imaging techniques, combined with powerful computers and processors, to create a three-dimensional model of the subsurface layers. 4-D seismology expands on this, by adding time as a dimension, allowing exploration teams to observe how subsurface characteristics change over time. Exploration teams can now identify natural gas prospects more easily, place wells more effectively, reduce the number of dry holes drilled, reduce drilling costs, and cut exploration time. This leads to both economic and environmental benefits.

Port places £10m crane order

A post taken from World Maritime News (edited version)

By Gareth Lewis

Tuesday 4th March 2008

SOUTHAMPTON container port has placed an order for two new super-cranes - worth a combined £10m- as it struggles to get its operations back to normal after January's crane accident. The super post-panamax gantry cranes - which are able to span vessels 22 boxes wide - will come into operation in August 2009. One of the new super-cranes will replace crane 8, which collapsed on to the Kyoto Express on January 18. They are in addition to the two supercranes that will be commissioned into operation in June. It will bring SCT's total number of super-cranes to four.

The Port of Felixstowe, in Suffolk, was left with a reported £1m damage bill after the enormous cranes were blown over in fierce 80mph (128km/h) winds. A part of the port was closed after a ship delivering new cranes broke free of its moorings and crashed into cranes on the quayside on Saturday. It's understood the costly accident won't have a major impact on operations, with 26 cranes still operational.

Global Ballast Water Management Convention

Newsbit on the IMO's "New Convention" of interest to worldwide shipping.

All ships, including those built before 2009, will be required to have a system that is compliant to the Convention rules by as early as 2009.

The full text of the Convention is available to purchase from IMO www.imo.org (choose 'Publications', 'Purchase IMO Publications Here', in field box enter 'I620M'.)

IMO's High-level Action Plan For The Next Two Years - An Emphasis

Excerpts from the World Maritime News

IMO Strategy, Budget Approved
Thursday, December 13, 2007
IMO's Strategic Plan for the next six years and High-level Action Plan for the next two years were updated by the Organization's highest governing body, the Assembly, when it met for its 25th regular session from 19 to 30 November, 2007. The Assembly also approved the Organization's budget for the next two years, elected a new Council, confirmed the re-appointment of Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos for a further term and adopted a wide range of technical and other resolutions.
IMO's high-level action plan sets out in detail the planned "outputs" for the biennium and links them to the six-year strategic plan. The new strategic plan supersedes the previous version, and identifies strategic directions that will enable IMO to achieve its mission objectives in the years ahead. Among the new challenges for IMO in the updated plan are to place a greater emphasis on contributing to international efforts to reduce atmospheric pollution and address global warming, and to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

US$2M Car

Crowley Transports US$2m Car
Friday, February 22, 2008

Antique car enthusiasts in Puerto Rico were given a special treat this past weekend during the annual Gran Feria de Autos Antiguos when they got to see an extremely rare 1936 Duesenberg V-12. The vehicle is worth $2m and there is only one known to exist worldwide. It was on display at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Hato Rey Feb. 16 through Feb. 18.

Human Influences on Marine Ecosystems

Study Shows Extent of Human Influences on Marine Ecosystems
02/26/2008

More than 40 percent of the world’s oceans are heavily impacted by human activities, including overfishing and pollution, according to a new study that was scheduled to appear in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
Dr. Kenneth Casey, with NOAA’s National Oceanographic Data Center in Silver Spring, Md., and co-author of the study “A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems,” joined a team of researchers that combined 17 data sets of different human activities – from fishing and fertilizer run-off, to commercial shipping and pollution – and analyzed their effects on marine ecosystems, continental shelves and the deep ocean.
The results, highlighted on a map, revealed the most heavily affected waters include the East Coast of North America, North Sea, South and East China Seas, Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Bering Sea and areas off the western Pacific Ocean. Least affected areas are near the poles.

Undersea specialists ride high on oil price

Undersea specialists ride high on oil price
Source: Financial Times

Source Date: 5th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.3.
Summary:
The soaring price of oil and gas and the rapid depletion of existing fields are propelling the industry into deeper and more hostile environments, spelling boom times for the UK's specialists in underwater extraction. So-called subsea engineering uses seabed drilling and extraction structures that can be attached to surface vessels to winkle oil out of the most inhospitable corners of the world. As the price of oil has risen, there has been a surge in demand for the sophisticated but highly expensive equipment.

Links:
http://www.ft.com

Brussels threatens IMO over CO2 action plan

The European Commission has warned that it is "ready to move" if the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee meeting next month does not come up with a satisfactory plan for reducing CO2 emissions. The commission has given the IMO until next year to come up with concrete proposals on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

Source:Lloyd's List 05/03/2008 p.1.

Ship Fined for Oil Pollution

From the World Maritime News at marinelink.com
March 5, 2008

Ship Owner to Pay $2m for SF Oil Spill
Monday, March 03, 2008
Agents for the owner of a cargo ship that dumped oil into San Francisco Bay have agreed to pay $2 million to the city of San Francisco, the AP reported Thousands of birds died, beaches closed and the crabbing season was delayed after the 900-ft. Cosco Busan sideswiped the Bay Bridge. The crash cut a gash in the hull, and 54,000 gallons of oil were spilled. The agreement was reached with Hudson Marine Management Services of Pennsauken, N.J., acting on behalf of the ship's Hong Kong-based owner, Regal Stone Ltd. Source: AP

All ships, beware! Marine pollution bring woes.

Kongsberg Maritime simulators with DNV approval

The pace or rate of technology advancement in the shipping industry has become too large, that the need to equip our Filipino seafarer’s with the knowledge and skills to become more competitive in the labor market is important. Perhaps, we could extend that possibility, if our maritime schools and training centers would invest more to improve their facilities, so as to equip our seafarers, both young and old and hopeful cadets with those knowledge and skills by providing more updated versions of simulation tools or equipments.

I have come across this article about a Kongsberg Maritime Neptune Engine Room Simulator (ERS) and Cargo Handling Simulator (CHS) that has already received new Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Statement of Compliance in January 2008. These new products could provide simulations in an appropriate level of physical and behavioural realism in accordance with recognised training and assessment objectives. It can be deployed in a variety of ways such as desktop, web-enabled or full mission configurations. Says Harald Kluken (Neptune Product Manager of Kongsberg Maritime), "This latest Approval is vital as it ensures that our products offer only the highest levels of performance, which is something that the maritime training institutes that use Neptune ERS and CHS have to offer their customers and students to ensure the best possible training experience."

Simulation equipments like these can be helpful in achieving that level of competency among our seafarers in the international level.

Learn More About Telaurus Maritime Communications Solutions

Telaurus Communications is a worldwide satellite maritime communications company and creator ofse@COMM--the world's first kilobit priced maritime data communications service for Iridium and Inmarsat. Telaurus is a reseller for both Iridium and Inmarsat networks and uses Iridium and Inmarsat to provide a varietyof voice, data, fax, and value added maritime communication services to its customers.
Telaurus Communications was founded by experienced mariners and communications business professionals in need of cost efficient and reliable maritime communications services. Telaurus is dedicated to the maritime communications industry and only provides effective communications solutions that better maritime businesses and the lives of the people who work for them. and the lives of the people who work for them. Telaurus is both an Iridium and Inmarsat developmentpartner as well as an Inmarsat Service Provider. Telaurus Communications has a dedicatedresearch and development center in Munich Germany that is dedicated to creating cost efficientdata communications technology for Iridium and Inmarsat satellite communications systems.

EBS-RAD(TM) LLC Provides Maritime Industry Verticals On NetSuite's ERP/CRM Platform

Leveraging the SuiteFlex Development Platform, EBS-RAD(TM) LLC has Developed i-Seaports(TM) Management SaaS Application for Harbour Mastery(R), Inc. to Meet the IT Management and Security Monitoring N...
By PR Newswire
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- EBS-RAD(TM) LLC today announced that it has extended NetSuite's(R) One System Architecture from NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N) with new capabilities to help meet the needs of businesses in the maritime industry market. EBS-RAD LLC develops products for its clients, such as Harbour Mastery(R), Inc., which provides services to the Tampa Port Authority. EBS-RAD(TM) LLC has received greater interest from potential customers since becoming a partner of NetSuite's SuiteFlex Developer Program.
NetSuite's SuiteFlex(TM) development platform allows third-party applications to integrate transaction data - orders, invoices, website transactions, shipping records, time tracking, and payroll data - with their applications. Because NetSuite holds critical business data of a company, the applications that are built on it using SuiteFlex can provide key tools for managing a company's business. For example, i-Seaports(TM) Management, developed by EBS-RAD(TM) LLC, is one of these applications.
At the opening session of the annual NetSuite Partner Conference in San Francisco, October 23 - 26, 2007, NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson presented i- Seaports(TM) Management as an example of a vertical for the maritime seaports and port authorities management that provides a virtually integrated command and control center for traffic management, security monitoring and communications coordination.

A New Design for Gas Tankers

I came accross an article of a new design of a gas tanker (Clipper Hebe - Gas Tanker), for we all know that gas tankers are also booming in ship building and contruction.

"The Clipper Hebe (hull no 653) is the first in a series of four LEG/LPG carriers being constructed by the German Meyerwerft shipyards for the Norwegian shipping company Solvang ASA. The vessel was launched from the Papenberg yard in August 2007.
The tanks and cooling systems have been designed to allow the ship to be versatile enough to carry a variety of other chemicals including vinyl chloride monomer, ammonia or propylene oxide.
Following the successful delivery of the Clipper Hebe, the delivery of the Clipper Helen, the second ship in the series, occurred in November 2007. A further two tankers are to follow in May and November 2008."

1st Maritime Advancement Conference - PMMAGS

hey guys and gals,
let us congratulate one another for hosting and attending such event, we would like to encourage everyone to pass an article for our forth comming PMMAGS school paper and see you on the next conference.