Babcock Signs $916M Submarine Infrastructure Deal with UK Defense Ministry
of the site-wide infrastructure upgrade programme at Devonport to enable the ongoing delivery of base maintenance periods and deep maintenance projects for current and future classes of submarine, including nuclear defuel.Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, said: “Maintaining the infrastructure that supports our world-leading submarine fleet is crucial. Delivering on our government’s priority to grow the UK economy, this significant investment will create and sustain more than a thousand UK jobs in the south-west, providing vital improvements to the dockyard that will be critical to ensuring our
Port of London Launches Fully-electric Survey Vessel
In a first for UK ports, the Port of London Authority (PLA) and University College of London (UCL) have launched a fully electric, remotely operated survey vessel.It will support a MSc Hydrographic Surveying course they have run in partnership since 1999.The state-of-the-art platform, manufactured by Maritime Robotics, was acquired by the partners, following a successful bid and award of an £263,000 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).The vessel features the most advanced sonar and scanning system from technology manufacturer NORBIT, called a WINGHEAD.
Markets: The Challenges of Developing Floating Wind at Scale
. We expect to see substructures in the 5,000-10,000 square meter range. The substructures will weigh each weigh a minimum 3-5,000 tonnes if made from steel and up to 20,000 tonnes if made from concrete. On a 1 GW wind farm, over 60 of these will be required in, most likely a two-year delivery window.Ports: Deep draft ports will be required to assemble, launch, support turbine integration, store and maintain structures that will feature turbines with rotor diameters over 220 meters. Floating wind ports will likely host large submersible barges, to transfer and launch substructures, as well as some
Tuas Port Phase 1 Reclamation Project gets Engineering Award Nod
For the engineering innovations behind the Tuas Port Phase 1 (TPP1) Reclamation, Wharf Construction & Dredging Project, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and project partners were awarded the 2022 World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) H.J. Sabbagh Prize for Excellence in Engineering Construction.Key design innovations included large-scale reuse of recyclable materials such as dredged seabed material and land-excavated materials, which accounted for more than half of the reclamation fill for TPP1. The reclamation filling, which included clay, was treated to ensure
VIDEO: Watch the Armach Robotics Hull Service Robot in Action
Armach Robotics, Inc. (Armach), recently passed a critical milestone during a trial of its Hull Service Robot in full over-the-horizon (OTH) mode.At the end of 2022, Armach’s hull service robot (HSR), in the water in Norfolk, VA, was monitored and controlled by staff at Armach’s command center in Plymouth, MA, using a 4G modem providing over-the-air connectivity. During the trial, the Plymouth-based operator was able to fly the robot from its launch point at the pier, and make a controlled approach to the side of the ship. Once successfully established on the ship’s hull, a short
New Marine Navigation System at Port Freeport
Port Freeport, located outside of Houston, is now fitted with a NOAA system that improves safe and efficient marine navigation. The technology is part of a nationwide network called Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System, or PORTS.Freeport PORTS is the 38th system in this network of precision marine navigation sensors. The integrated series of sensors track oceanographic and meteorological conditions as they unfold around the port. This will increase the navigation safety of vessels entering and exiting Port Freeport, the fastest-growing port in Texas.“Precision navigation is critical to our
Army Corps, Maryland DOT to Commence $4 Billion Chesapeake Bay Restoration Project
the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) signed a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) for the $4 billion Mid-Chesapeake Bay ecosystem restoration project at MDOT Headquarters, August 23, 2022.The PPA – signed by Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander, and MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. – outlines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations for both partners for the restoration of both James and Barren islands in Dorchester County, beneficially re-using material dredged from the Port of Baltimore approach channels and the Honga River, respectively.The first
Kongsberg Maritime Launches ScanFuse Powered by Qii.AI
Kongsberg Maritime’s Sensors and Robotics Division has released ScanFuseTMpowered by Qii.AI, a web-based software application that enables Civil Engineers to create comprehensive mosaics of maritime assets above and below the waterline by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning.Civil Engineers use sonar images to assess the structural integrity of waterfront facilities and structures such as port wharfs and berths, bridge piers and dams. These images assist engineers to determine whether hydraulic scour threatens the structure, identify degradation of the materials
Leveraging Unmanned Surface Vessels to Enhance the Effectiveness of Port and Harbor Security
USVs can be a powerful force multiplier in keeping up with security operations in ports and harbors.When most people think of globalization, they immediately think of the international trade that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty over the past few decades. As a former active-duty U.S. naval officer, that is where my focus has been for most of my professional life—on the high seas. That changed in August 2020 when deadly explosions rocked the harbor in Beirut, Lebanon. However, lost among the headlines that dominated the international news for weeks, was the importance of ports and
February 2024
