-
CTO in Focus: “Stop, Listen & Think” - One-on-One with Shepard Smith, XOcean
From his nearly three-decade career at NOAA to hiking the Appalachian Trail, Shepard “Shep” Smith brings a broad base of experience and expertise to his new post as Chief Technology Officer of XOcean. We checked in with Smith for his insights on technical drivers in the ocean exploration space, as well as what to expect from XOcean in the coming years.Shep, to start us off, please give an overview of your 28-year career at NOAA.I was with the Commissioned Officer Corp part of NOAA.
-
Obituary: Captain Brian A. McAllister Passes Away
Capt. Brian McAllister, a prominent member of the American maritime industry and a true New York area maritime industry icon, has passed away.The following was posted on the mcallistertowing.com website:"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Captain. Brian, who changed the future of McAllister Towing when he bought the company with his brothers and cousins, passed away peacefully this morning at his home.
-
VIDEO: One-on-One with Pieter van Oord, CEO, Van Oord
Pieter van Oord is candid in discussing the future growth of his storied company’s activities in offshore wind with specific insights on challenging current jobs, Van Oord’s recent order of a massive and groundbreaking Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, and the company’s future working in the United States.Pieter, to start, can you give a ‘By the Numbers’ look at your company today using the metrics of your choice?Well, 2021 was a disappointing year for us.
-
Tech Feature: Next-Generation Maritime Electrical Solutions Today
Asbjørn Halsebakke of Yaskawa Environmental Energy/The Switch discusses the application in maritime for the company’s new generation DC-Hub with its unique Electronic DC Breaker (EDCB) and Electronic Bus Link (EBL).Your company is starting to talk about its new generation DC-Hub. Can you give an overview of this product evolution with insight on what makes it unique?I think one of the key features with maritime products and with DC-Hub is that you need to think first about personal safety.
-
MASSA: Innovation Inside its DNA
From designing the world’s largest transducer; to lobster-like surf crawling robots to detect and destroy mines; to creating a new bowling score system; to designing, building and delivering sonar systems used by the most powerful navy on the planet, Massa Products Corporation represents nearly eight decades of invention and innovation. Dawn Massa Stancavish shares her insights and experience as a female…
-
Armach Robotics Set to Take the Pole Position on Ship Hull Maintenance, Intelligence
Melding advanced software, intelligence, robotics and navigation, Armach Robotics – a spinoff of Greensea Systems – leads a step change in ship hull cleaning and maintenance with its Robotics as a Service model. Ben Kinnaman, the CEO of Greensea Systems, explains.Ben, to start us off, please give us a background on Armach Robotics? Where did the idea come from and where are we today?Greensea Systems is a software company, well-known for our software platform on ocean robotics.
-
ESAB Innovation Aims to Make Shipyard Welding More Efficient, Accurate
Jeff Chittim, ESAB’s North American Senior Product Manager for Heavy Industrial Products, discusses how WeldCloud online applications and the ESAB Heavy Industrial Product Line are a powerful tandem to help shipyards improve weld quality and efficiency.While automation has gone a long way in making shipyards more efficient, today shipbuilding remains a hands-on endeavor, with a dearth of ‘welders and fitters’ being a common lament.Technology companies such as ESAB…
-
Digitalization: From Stem to Stern, Ship Design in 3D Digital
3D digital design can save ‘dollars on the deck plate’ during construction while maintaining safety, says to Patrick Ryan, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology, ABS.Last year ABS, Robert Allan, Signet and USCG collaborated on a project that would be the first commercial vessel in U.S. history to be produced using only 3D models in design and construction for all structures. While the process used to deliver this RAL-designed Advanced Rotortug (ART) is historic…
-
Ship Emissions: MIT Takes the Lead Toward Net Zero
The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) launched a new research consortium—the Future Energy Systems Center—to address the climate crisis and the role energy systems can play in solving it. Randall Field, Executive Director, discusses current research and the challenges ahead for the maritime sector.The reputation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is such that it can take mammoth issues — such as driving the world to net zero — head-on…
-
VIDEO: "Things are about to change in a big way" for U.S. Offshore Wind
In a recent interview with Maritime Reporter TV, Philip Lewis, Director of Research, Intelatus Global Partners, breaks down the U.S. Offshore Wind market 'By the Numbers.'Let's look at the world . There's around 75GW of offshore wind farms, either operational or being built in the world today. By comparison, the U.S. currently has 42MW of operational offshore wind farms, and there's one wind farm for 800MW that's finally under construction.
-
Shipbuilding Interview: Rusty Murdaugh, President, Austal USA
Austal USA has been investing mightily, more than $600 million to expand its repair and services business for both commercial and military customers; and in the opening of a state-of-the-art steel panel line in Mobile to complement its established aluminum shipbuilding operations. Rusty Murdaugh, President, Austal USA, discusses the rationale behind the investment as Austal USA drives quickly toward a $500m services model.Most of our readers know the Austal USA brand…
-
In the Shipyard: Austal USA Opens Ship Repair Business in Mobile
Known best for its construction of U.S. Navy warships, Austal USA in September 2020 acquired waterfront property along the Mobile River and established a commercial ship repair facility. Mike Bell, Austal’s VP Operations and Harley Combs, Director, Austal West Campus Ship Repair discuss the plan. Austal USA’s long-established shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Ala., is a modern ship manufacturing factory, one of the largest aluminum warship builders in the world producing new ships for the U.S.
-
Interview: Five Minutes with Susan Ludwig, President, Coast Guard Foundation
COVID has presented numerous challenges, particularly to the members of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Foundation has stood strong throughout to assist, as Susan Ludwig discussed with Maritime Reporter TV.Susan, when COVID effectively shut down the world in 2020, everyone had to make adjustments. How did the Coast Guard Foundation respond?We did what everybody else did; we planned for the worst on a weekly basis.
-
INSIDE THE DATA BARGE: Silicon Valley Meets Maritime in the Making of NDT's Barge-based Data Center
Nautilus Data Technologies (NDT) and Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) provide an interesting new twist to the maritime digitalization discussion, with the design, manufacture and delivery of an innovative 7MW data center housed on a refurbished 240-ft. deck barge. Jim Connaughton, CEO, NDT & Michael Complita, PE – VP Strategic Expansion, EBDG, discuss the strategic and environmental advantages as well as the future of housing massive computer banks on barges.When one says “Silicon Valley”…
-
Interview: Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK
While the maritime industry faces a long ‘to do’ list for the coming three decades, Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, sees decarbonization as the definitive trend that will most dramatically impact the design, construction and life-cycle operation of ships.“It is decarbonization.”Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, is definitive when asked to discuss the biggest challenge facing shipowners today. “Decarbonization will change the structure of seaborne trade…
-
The Satcom ‘Highway’ will Enable Maritime Digitalization & IoT Solutions
Global maritime communications powerhouse Inmarsat earlier this year announced a pair of new tech offerings – ORCHESTRA and ELERA – that are touted as ‘the communications network of the future.’ We caught up with Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime, for additional insights on how these services will power the future of maritime IoT.As digitalization and IoT continues to drive innovation across the maritime sector…
-
Profiles in Leadership: Yuri Sakurada, HR Director, DNV Maritime
Educated and trained as an engineer, Yuri Sakurada shares insights on her path to a leadership role at DNV.While many careers in maritime start with a passion for the sea, this was not the case with Yuri Sakurada, HR Director, DNV Maritime, who fell into maritime by chance following her engineering studies at the University of Osaka. “But I must say that my passion for the industry has grown since I started to work for DNV as a surveyor for new maritime projects in Japan…
-
Michael Johnson, Sea Machines: MTR's #3 Ocean Influencer
Sea Machines’ leaderships in the maritime autonomy space lands Michael Johnson, Founder and CEO, as MTR’s #3 Ocean Influencer in the 2021 “MTR100”.Michael Johnson is the founder and CEO of Sea Machines, a company that is helping to fast track the age of autonomy in the maritime space. “Technology is not something new for our space,” said Johnson, “be it from the lumbering packet ships to heavily canvassed clippers then back to the lumbering, smoking, yet consistent steamers and then on and on.
-
Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D.: MTR's 2021 #1 Ocean Influencer
Richard (Rick) W. Spinrad, Ph.D., was sworn in on June 22, 2021 as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the 11th NOAA Administrator. Dr. Spinrad has a long and distinguished career, and he certainly needs no introduction to the MTR audience, or explanation for our rationale in making him our Number One Ocean Influencer of 2021.Rick to start, please give a “By the Numbers” overview of NOAA today.I have to start with the workforce…
-
Profiles in Maritime Leadership: Ulla Nielsen, MD, V.Ships Germany
As a former master mariner with Maersk Line and currently the Managing Director of V.Ships, Germany, Ulla Nielsen was a natural choice to kick off Maritime Reporter & Engineering News’ profiles in maritime female leadership in the run up to the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association’s (WISTA) annual conference, scheduled to be held in person October 12-15, 2021 in Hamburg, Germany.Ulla…