New Technology

Caterpillar Marine has unveiled a new hybrid thruster concept which it claims can offer dramatic cost. Caterpillar Marine has announced that the first Cat Marine Hybrid Thruster system will be delivered to an undisclosed shipyard in Singapore and will be commissioned this year.

This new propulsion setup is claimed to outperform a straight diesel mechanical drive system in all partial load conditions and offers improved fuel economy and substantial through-life savings for a variety of offshore support vessels. Caterpillar claims that for vessels spending long periods of time in standby or DP (dynamic positioning) service, the annual fuel savings by adopting this hybrid system could be as high as 35% calculated across the entire operating profile of the vessel.

Continue reading “Caterpillar Marine unveils new hybrid thruster in pursuit of efficiency”

Rolls-Royce know a thing or two, having been a world class manufacturer for many years. So, whilst it may be easy to become obsessive with the onslaught and possibilities of new technology, clearly the subject of autonomous ships is not going to go away. It is becoming apparent that such vessels will become part of our everyday lives – and perhaps a lot sooner than most of us realise.

The Rolls-Royce led Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) project recently presented its first findings at a conference in Helsinki, expressing high hopes for vessel automation in commercial service and predicting that it will arrive soon.

Continue reading “Expect the first commercial autonomous ships by 2020 say Rolls-Royce”

Every five years, DNV GL publishes its Technology Outlook. This keenly awaited report is primarily intended to give customers and stakeholders a basis for discussion and insight into the technology landscape of the next decade within selected industries.

“It may be hard to believe we’re on the cusp of a technological revolution at a time when the global economy as a whole is slowing. But our view in DNV GL is that we are indeed entering a new ‘renaissance’ in industrial progress, with the accelerated uptake of cyber-physical systems,” says Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO.

Continue reading “DNV GL’s Technology Outlook 2025 looks ahead to the next ten years”

Dr Gerd-Michael Würsig is Business Director LNG fuelled ships at DNV GL – Maritime. In this news article he assesses some of the current issues being faced by the LNG industry and gives an overview of what DNV GL is doing to support growth in this growing important market sector as LNG looks set to become ever important as a fuel choice.

“The main drivers, in order of importance for LNG fuelled ships, are price, availability, and of course legislation. LNG as a fuel has the potential to become the most important fuel solution for environmentally sustainable shipping over the next few years,” explained Würsig.

Continue reading “What’s next for LNG fuelled ships?”