MODERNIZED TSL-UNDERWATER ROBOT

Modernized TSL-underwater robot for tunnel and shallow-waterinspectionAgeev, M.D.; Boreyko, A.A.; Gornak, V.E.; Matvienko, Yu.V.; Scherbatyuk, A.P.; Vanlin, Yu.V.; Zolotarev, V.V.Underwater Technology, 2000. UT 00. Proceedings of the 2000 International Symposium onVolume , Issue , 2000 Page(s):90 - 95Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/UT.2000.852521Summary:TSL (tunnel sea lion) is a specialized self-propelled underwater vehicle with data-command link to operator on a support ship by fiber-optical cable. The autonomous use of TSL is possible. TSL is designed for sonar and video inspection of extended water-filled tunnels and for shallow-water applications. A modernized version of TSL that is currently used also as a carrier of sensors and equipment for execution of different scientific programs and students projects is described in the paper


TSL (tunnel sea lion) is a specialized self-propelled underwater vehicle with data-command link to operator on a support ship by fiber-optical cable. The autonomous use of TSL is possible. TSL is designed for sonar and video inspection of extended water-filled tunnels and for shallow-water applications. A modernized version of TSL that is currently used also as a carrier of sensors and equipment for execution of different scientific programs and students projects is described in the paper

Thrane & Thrane receives FleetBroadband 250 approval

Thrane & Thrane has become the first manufacturer to supply terminals for both of the FleetBroadband 500 and 250 services.
The company has received Inmarsat Type Approval for its SAILOR 250 FleetBroadband terminal and expects to ship the first units before the end of January 2008.
Following the April 2007 launch and September 2007 market introduction of the SAILOR FleetBroadband products, Thrane & Thrane says it has experienced an "overwhelming interest" and has already received a number of orders for the terminals.
The first consignment of SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband was shipped on December 14th 2007, with some of these terminals having already been made fully operational at sea.
SAILOR 250 FleetBroadband offers data speeds up to 284 kbps with an antenna that is smaller than today's Fleet33 system, with a diameter less than 30 cm and weighing just 5 kg.
"The fantastic interest in SAILOR FleetBroadband makes us confident that these products will be very successful in the market, especially as more and more operators see the inherent benefits that FleetBroadband can bring to operation," said Casper Jensen, manager maritime global marketing for Thrane & Thrane.

Shipping's Impact on the Air

Quick facts about the shipping industry:
• Ships consume at least 2 billion barrels of oil a year;
• They emit 20 percent of all sulphur dioxide emissions;
• 30 percent of all nitrogen oxide emissions;
• As much as 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide;
• Ships are responsible for at least 60,000 pollution-related deaths a year

Up until very recently, conventional wisdom held that shipping was a minor player in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. That all changed in October last year. Leaked details of a report by the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) got into the press, and revealed an uncomfortable truth about the shipping industry -- its emissions could be double the amount everyone previously believed.

And that would make it's carbon footprint double that of the aviation industry.
The aviation industry emits around 650 million tons of greenhouse gases every year, representing around 3 percent of the global total.
If the leaked documents from research submitted for the Interanko report are to be believed, the shipping industry's contribution is more than twice the amount previously believed (600 million tons) -- which would mean ships emit as much as 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases a year.

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/20/eco.about.ships/index.html?section=cnn_latest

REMUS (Remote Environmental Measuring Units) System for Underwater Research and Training

Hydroid, LLC, a leading manufacturer of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, announced today that it has delivered on its contract for a REMUS 100 AUV from the Naval Postgraduate School. The contract called for a second specially configured REMUS 100 system to be used by the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering department’s NPS Center for Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Research. The two vehicles will be used as a part of the Office of Naval Research research program in advanced control initiatives including multiple vehicle operations and undersea docking experiments.
Hydroid's REMUS AUVs can be fitted with a number of different types of sensors and cameras and have been used to aid in hydrographic surveys, harbor security operations, debris field mapping and scientific sampling and mapping. Hydroid’s AUVs are currently being used by many navies around the world, including the U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Singapore Navy, NATO Undersea Research Centre, Royal New Zealand Navy, Belgian Navy and German Navy Test Lab.

Windows 7, which was previously named Vienna and Blackcomb, is scheduled to be the next major version of Microsoft Windows, a video of which has been available in YouTube in the past couple of days. Well, it is supposed to succeed Windows Vista, which was an apparent failure in marketing and in system reliability. Windows did not comment on the accuracy of the Youtube version, but it is availiable for both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The server counterpart which will succeed Windows Server 2008 will be exclusively 64-bit.

Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning Windows 7. The first-known build of Windows 7 was identified as a "Milestone 1 (M1) code drop". Features described include Gadget being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Recycle Bin, improved media features, and a new XPS Viewer. An included feedback tool reportedly lists the ability to store Internet Explorer (IE) settings on a Windows Live account, Windows Presentation Foundation versions of Calculator, Paint and WordPad, and a 10 minute install process. Leaked information from people to whom M1 of Windows 7 was forwarded also provide some insight into the feature set. On the other hand, no mention was ever made of the new system’s ability to prevent from being pirated, so we just wait and see. The top wished-for features in a list in Neowin were recently leaked to the public and have popped up at various sites. Accordingly, Microsoft must have developed Windows 7 to suit these wishes.

Radio Holland commissions first Fleet Broadband

Rotterdam, 15-1-2008

Sailor-500 Fleet broadband terminal. In December 2007 Radio Holland installed and commissioned the first Fleet Broadband terminal on MOV Van Kinsbergen. Radio Holland Netherlands was contacted by Stratos to arrange the installation of a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR-500 Fleet Broadband terminal on board this vessel of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The installation is part of a field test into the new maritime broadband service. About the SAILOR-500 Developed in close co-operation with Inmarsat, the SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband system is the next generation of Inmarsat services for a multitude of safety and operational benefits. The SAILOR 500 provides speeds up to 432 kbps with ISDN capability, which is almost seven times faster than current generation Fleet77 systems. It utilizes an antenna smaller than the mid-range Fleet55, with a diameter of less than 60 cm, weighing just 16 kg. Simultaneously having access to voice and high-speed data services on a global basis, the SAILOR-500 will revolutionize data access at sea. ECDIS information, online weather data, route-planning and crew calling can all be undertaken at the same time, greatly increasing information efficiency onboard.

Harnessing kite power to a ship

By Erik Kirschbaum Reuters

Published: January 20, 2008

BERLIN: Oil at more than $90 a barrel is concentrating minds in the shipping industry. Higher fuel costs and mounting pressure to curb emissions are leading modern merchant fleets to rediscover the ancient power of the sail.

The world's first commercial ship powered partly by a giant kite sets off on a maiden voyage from Germany to Venezuela on Tuesday, in an experiment that the inventor Stephan Wrage hopes can wipe 20 percent, or $1,600, from the ship's daily fuel bill.

"We aim to prove it pays to protect the environment," Wrage said in an interview. "Showing that ecology and economics are not contradictions motivates us all."

The MS Beluga SkySails, which will use a computer-guided kite to harness powerful ocean winds far above the surface and support the engine, combines modern technology with know-how that has been in use for millennia.

But if Skysails is a relatively elaborate solution, another development shows that the march of progress is not always linear: Shipping companies seeking immediate answers to soaring fuel prices and the need to cut emissions are, simply, slowing down.

Underwater city could be revealed

Sonar, underwater camera and scanning equipment will be usedBritain's own underwater "Atlantis" could be revealed for the first time with hi-tech underwater cameras.
Marine archaeologist Stuart Bacon and Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, will explore the lost city of Dunwich, off the Suffolk coast.
Dunwich gradually disappeared into the sea because of coastal erosion.
"It's about the application of new technology to investigate Britain's Atlantis, then to give this information to the public," Professor Sear said.
Mr Bacon, director of the Suffolk Underwater Studies, first located the debris of the lost city in the 1970s.
Technical advances
"I know the site like the back of my hand because I have dived on it about 1,000 times," said Mr Bacon who has been working on the medieval site since 1971.
"We have found three churches and one chapel."
There is diving evidence of debris from lost chapels and churches but high silt levels in the water means visibility is only a few centimetres.

Dunwich has been dubbed the UK's 'Atlantis'
Mr Sear, professor in physical geography at the University of Southampton, said: "Technical advances have massively improved our ability to create accurate acoustic images of the seafloor."
The expedition will use the latest sonar, underwater camera and scanning equipment to build up a picture of the ancient sunken city, that lies between 10ft (3m) and 50ft (15m) down.
Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1,500 years ago.
Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast and it was eventually reduced through coastal erosion to the village it is today.
Mr Bacon and Professor Sear hope to begin exploring the seabed in June.
The expedition will cost £25,000 - £20,000 of which has already been raised through a donation from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Maps and images of the lost city will be exhibited at the Dunwich museum.
A dive of the site will take place later in the year.

Explosion in Hanjin Shipyard (Subic)

What could have caused it?
How did such accident happen again?
How many workers are they planning to hire, 15,000?
Will it happen again in the future?

Read more about it in the following link:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080118-113358/2-workers-die-in-Hanjin-shipyard-blast-in-Subic

Edge Tech's New Side Scan Sonar System

EdgeTech’s New Side Scan Sonar System

01/10/2008

In response to customer requests and military requirements, EdgeTech has designed a new side scan sonar system that is capable of providing very high resolution imagery at increased ranges and tow speeds. The new 4700-DFX is a dual frequency 300/600 kHz system that combines EdgeTech’s Multi-Pulse technology (for high tow speed capability) with dynamically focused transducers, which provide high resolution imagery at increased ranges; as much as 20 – 30% over conventional technology side scan systems.
Using dynamically focused transducers the 4700-DFX will provide very high resolution imagery at a range of 250 meters/side at 300 kHz and 125 meters/side at 600 kHz. While operating in Multi-Pulse mode at the 600 kHz frequency the system can be towed at speeds of up to 14 knots while still maintaining 100% coverage. The combination of these factors makes the 4700-DFX an ideal tool for Mine Countermeasure (MCM) surveys.

Hybrid Ship-to-shore Cable Connection

An innovative hybrid MV (medium voltage) ship-to-shore connection cable that enables ships berthed in port to cut their engines and plug in to the local power grid, as well as providing an integrated data and telecommunication link has recently been developed by Nexans. Since environmental issues are now a key priority for the shipping industry and port authorities, this cable will help large ships to make use of AMP (alternative maritime power) systems that effectively eliminate the production of greenhouse gases while in port. It will also reduce noise emissions and help save on fuel costs.

Branded "Rheyfirm (RS)" by Nexans, the new hybrid ship-to-shore connection cable is aimed mainly at the new generation of large container vessels, LNG tankers, ferries and cruise ships, which require vast quantities of electric power (typically 1 to 5 megawatts (MW) and currents of over 300 amperes (A)) to support heating, air conditioning and necessary auxiliary ship's systems. There is increasing political pressure on shipping operators and port authorities worldwide to improve air quality in ports, especially as they are often located in densely populated cities, and this newly developed cable will help ensure rapid compliance with those goals.

NOAA to ensure GPS accuracy

01/10/2008

NOAA will lead an international effort to pinpoint the locations of more than 40 global positioning satellites in Earth orbit, which is vital to ensuring the accuracy of GPS data that millions worldwide rely upon every day for safe navigation and commerce.
NOAA personnel will compile and analyze satellite orbit data from 10 analysis centers worldwide to ensure the accuracy of GPS information. For the next four years NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey will serve as the Analysis Center Coordinator for the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service, a voluntary federation of more than 200 organizations that provide continuous global satellite-tracking data.
The Global Navigation Satellite Systems, which include the U.S.-based Global Positioning System, the Russian GLONASS system, and the upcoming European Galileo system, are used for accurately determining the geographic position of any point on Earth.

Hi-Tech Low-Cost GPS Unit

Want a low-cost but extremely accurate GPS Unit?
The C-Nav GPS Division of C & C Technologies (Lafayette, Louisiana, USA) announced the release of the C-Nav1010, a new GPS receiver that uses the C-Nav Global Satellite GPS Correction Service. The new receiver provides sub-meter performance by tightly integrating Precise Point Positioning (PPP) correction data with single-frequency GPS measurements. PPP previously required a high-end dual frequency receiver. The new C-Nav1010 is unique because it contains an L1 GPS package. Clients who can accept a reasonable compromise in accuracy are rewarded with a substantial reduction in hardware cost.
The system comprises a high-sensitivity single-frequency (L1) GPS receiver integrated with an L-Band demodulator operating on a single antenna. This demodulator receives GPS corrections, QC, and integrity data from a constellation of six high-power Inmarsat communication satellites. This constellation provides 200 percent coverage from latitudes 72° North to 72° South. A separate L-band antenna is required for areas of extreme latitudes and the C-Nav1010 is capable of using WAAS, EGNOS, and external RTCM correction data. This package is purpose-built to maximize precision and stability in noisy and hostile environments such as on offshore vessels and when close to large structures. C-Nav1010’s access to multiple communication satellites reduces outages when operating in these challenging situations.

Air Cavity System to Save Fuel

As of today, Force Technology of Denmark is conducting sea trials of a new air cushion technology that may be able to reduce the energy consumption of large container vessels and freighters and limit CO2 emissions. The Air Cavity System (or ACS) as the new technology is called, is developed by the Danish inventor, Jørn Winkler (DK Group). This new technology is based on pumping compressed air into an elongated cavity under the vessel’s hull, creating a cushion of air that reduces the frictional resistance between the hull and surrounding water. Based on model tests of 8m scale models at Force Technology, Division for Maritime Industry, the ACS technology indicates savings of 10-15% in calm weather conditions, which for a 300,000 DWT VLCC corresponds to annual fuel savings of approximately DKK 3.5 million, and reduced CO2 emissions of approximately 6,000 tons per year.

This technology will surely reduce fuel consumption, irrespective of the ship's engine and propulsion design.

Source: http://www.marinetalk.com/infodesk.asp?category=TU