GENERAL Archives - Page 43 of 68 - SHIP IP LTD

A huge shipwreck lying at the bottom of the sea just a few miles off the UK coast was discovered, and now, more information has been uncovered about it. Just off the East Yorkshire coast, below the waters, is a gigantic steel structure that was an ocean liner long back.

Below 100 feet the murky waves is a wreck that was once one of Europe’s finest vessels, per HullLive. Dubbed ‘Poland’s Titanic’, MS Pilsudski sank 30 miles off the Humber coast and has now become one of the UK’s largest, but least known shipwrecks.

Weighing over 15,000 tonnes and measuring beyond 500ft in length, the vessel sank in November 1939. It was one of the significant shipping losses of the opening months of the Second World War.

Named after Jozef Pilsudski, the proud founder of modern Poland, MS Pilsudski was his joy and pride. In 1935, following her maiden voyage, she went to complete her sails from Europe to America, the Caribbean, and Canada — and each time was completely booked.

She reportedly hosted a 350-member and boasted an art-deco style with dining halls, gymnasium, cocktail bar, and smoking rooms. On the deck, she also had a swimming pool, sports and sun decks, and a tennis court. But, her fate was sealed by the outbreak of the Second World War back in 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

The Pilsudski was on its way back from New York to Gdynia when her passengers suddenly heard on the radio that their country was at war, leaving them more desperate for more news from family members back at home.

A M Cohen associated with the Newcastle Jewish Board of Guardians informed the reporters that the passengers left it in Newcastle. But on picking up her passengers, the luxury fittings were stripped off in Newcastle. The Pilsudski was then transformed into a mere troop transport.

By mid-November, her first orders were announced. She had to sail to New Zealand and Australia to pick up Commonwealth soldiers and bring them back to the UK. Now the elegant liner turned into a warship.

She left Newcastle on 25 November 1939 with captain Mamert Stankiewicz. There were over 150 crew members onboard.

However, sometime after 5.30 am a huge explosion took place under the keel and the ship right away started listing to port. It was sailing alone, and most crew members were fast asleep except those on the bridge and in the vessel’s engine room. The lights went all out and electrical power was reportedly lost. The radio operator tried to send an SOS but failed. In the dark, crew members helped those who were injured when portions of the decks collapsed.

Then two minutes after the first, a second explosion rocked The Pilsudski and she began sinking. Captain Stankiewicz ordered to abandon the ship. Soon, lifeboats were lowered into the sea.

However, Captain Stankiewicz was on board. The survivors saw him on the deck. He was refusing to leave until he was sure that the crew members escaped into rafts and boats. He dived into the waves and was dragged to safety by the other survivors.

The raft was spotted finally by a Royal Navy destroyer. The men somehow managed to get grip of the nets to safety. Captain Stankiewicz, who was suffering from exhaustion, shock, and exposure, however, could not manage to grasp the ropes. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly afterward. Later on, for his bravery, he was awarded the Virtuti Militari Cross, which is the Polish equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

It’s considered that over 171 individuals were rescued. There were reports a 16-year-old boy’s body was recovered, even though this is not confirmed. Whether the Pilsudski sank with other men trapped below is still not clear even though initial reports mentioned that seven continued to be missing. Remarkably, The Pilsudski lay undiscovered for 40 years. In 2008 the forgotten wreck was visited by Polish divers. They explored and filmed the vessel but did not have enough information or proof to suggest what resulted in her sinking.

The Pilsudski is rotting on the seabed. Her bow is intact even though broken away and lies at an angle. On the other hand, a part of her stern has reportedly collapsed. The decks where her guests would dine, laugh, and dance are there but collapsing into each other from the huge water pressure.

The Polish National Maritime Museum has to say that the cause still remains a big mystery. However, it is also now believed that she was sunk by explosions from two magnetic German mines in the Humber region, and not due to torpedoes.

But while physical remains will not remain, her memory, especially in Poland, remains bright. The vessel’s former home port of Gdynia reportedly screened a film charting the ship’s loss, history, and wreck site, last week. The film was produced by Koncept Kultura, a cultural and historical organization that has been shown in Warsaw. A dedicated website exclusively devoted to the Pilsudski is in the making. It will help future generations learn more about The Pilsudski.

Source: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/giant-shipwreck-discovered-at-the-sea-bottom-a-few-miles-off-the-uk-coast/

Jointly developed by CRAIN and its partner REEL (Rationnel Economique Esthétique Léger), the SW270 is a solid thick wing, fitted with a rear flap.

As explained, grids located on both sides of the wing section create a suction force that draws the air stream around the wing section from the outside to the inside of the wing. The wing is mounted on a structural foundation which contains the suction fan required to operate the system.

Based on the principle of boundary layer suction, the concept delivers a very high lift coefficient, which reduces the size of the device needed to achieve a given pull force.

Thanks to the shape of the system, the drag remains moderate. Therefore, the lift-to-drag ratio provides a good performance in upwind conditions and for ships sailing at relatively high speeds, using the wind to propel the ship in combination with the main engine, the developers said.

Furthermore, the wing section can rotate around a vertical axis to adjust to wind direction and optimize performance.

While the suction wing concept can be derived in a range of sizes in order to fit various vessel sizes, the device considered in this AiP was a wing with a span of 27 metres.

According to CRAIN, this AiP assures that the technology can be safely used and is ready for the next phase of its development and installation on board.

Laurent Leblanc, senior vice president of Technical & Operations at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: “The suction wing concept appears to be a very promising option to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cargo ship operations. We are pleased to deliver this AiP to CRAIN, and we are proud to help build trust for innovative wind propulsion solutions, which are a key component of shipping’s decarbonisation transition. We look forward to seeing the system in operation.”

“Suction wing SW270 is an innovative wind-assisted propulsion solution that is suited for a large range of cargo ships. Developed using technologies already widely used by the naval industry, it delivers great power proportionally to its surface and is easy to install and use on ships”, says Philippe Pallu De Barriere, CEO of CRAIN.

“Our collaborative work with the Bureau Veritas team based on their new Wind Assisted Propulsion rules enables us to move on to the next step, providing specifications for the industrialization of SW270 by our partner.”

Source: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/crain-technologies-suction-wing-gets-green-light-from-bureau-veritas/

The first grain ship to leave a Ukrainian port in wartime passed through the Bosphorus Strait on Wednesday en route to Lebanon for a delivery that foreign powers hope will be the first of many to help ease a global food crisis.

The Razoni left Odesa on the Black Sea early on Monday carrying 26,527 tonnes of corn and anchored at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait on Tuesday night.

The shipment was made possible after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain and fertilizer export agreement between Moscow and Kyiv last month – a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a drawn-out war of attrition.

The ship entered the Bosphorus Strait around 1130 GMT, following the completion of the inspection by Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel working at a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in nearby Istanbul.

Ukraine said it had 17 more vessels loaded with agricultural products awaiting approval to set sail.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ihor Ostash, said the Razoni was expected to arrive in Tripoli port in four to five days.

Three ships a day
The JCC said the ship was cleared after a three-hour inspection. Information from the crew about the Razoni’s journey will be used to fine-tune procedures to continue the safe passage of commercial vessels under the deal, it added.

The U.N.-brokered deal relaunched the export of grains from one of the world’s top producers after they were stalled for more than five months after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. The agreement aims to help ease shortages and rising prices.

After the first successful departure, a senior Turkish official, who requested anonymity, said three ships may leave from any of the three Black Sea ports of Odesa and nearby Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk every day, instead of the previously planned one.

The 120-day deal will be extended by a month at a time if exports are not completed due to the weather or problems with inspections, the official said, adding that the initial period appeared sufficient for Ukrainian silos to be emptied.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that more outbound movement was being planned from Ukraine on Wednesday, adding that about 27 ships were covered by the export deal.

Denys Marchuk, deputy chair of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, said at a briefing on Wednesday that Ukraine would like to include ports in the Mykolaiv region, to the east of Odesa, into the deal.

“The infrastructure ministry and the agriculture ministry are beginning to actively discuss with the coordinating council in Istanbul that it might be worth involving other ports, in particular in the Mykolaiv region,” he said.

Marchuk said Ukraine had exported 5-6 million tonnes of grain per month via its sea ports before the war but it was not possible to reach that level with the conflict and not all ports in operation.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/first-ukraine-grain-ship-cleared-passes-498490

Severe underwater biofouling slows the affected ship and can increase its fuel consumption by as much as forty per cent, boosting emissions. In addition, the accumulation of marine life may cause the spread of invasive aquatic species in environments they’re transported to, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem health and the livelihoods of coastal communities. It’s something that regulators, ship operators, port authorities and conservation bodies are increasingly concerned about.

Clean Hull Initiative

The environmental NGO Bellona Foundation has now launched the Clean Hull Initiative (CHI) to address the biofouling issue.

‘The CHI brings together a growing number of stakeholders in both the private and public sectors and aims to develop an industry-wide recognised and accepted standard for proactive hull cleaning which currently does not exist,’ says Bellona’s project manager Runa Skarbø. ‘We believe the standard is an important means to establish proactive cleaning as part of the biofouling management toolbox and will also drive innovation and the market for commercial proactive hull cleaning solutions.’

Frederic Hauge, founder of the Bellona Foundation, adds: ‘Together we will seek to sort out the regulatory barriers currently in the way of solving the biofouling issue. Also, we want to reduce barriers for the further uptake of emerging proactive hull cleaning technology as a preventative tool.’

Focus on proactive cleaning

There are of course other collaborations and initiatives that seek to tackle the biofouling issue, but Skarbø points out the CHI is unique in the sense that it is addressing proactive cleaning issues. She says regulatory inconsistencies worldwide create a major barrier to ship operators wanting to manage biofouling proactively, and for in-water cleaning (IWC) providers operating in multiple locations.

Compounded by the absence of any international regulation or standard for hull cleaning, today there is no international regulating body for ports and anchorages where IWC takes place. Local biofouling and/or IWC management guidelines vary hugely, if they exist at all.

Revision of IMO biofouling guidelines

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is currently revising its biofouling guidelines.

Sveinung Oftedahl, specialist director in the Norwegian Ministry of climate and environment: ‘The revision of the guidelines is currently being undertaken by a dedicated sub-committee and the work is progressing well, with completion targeted next year.’

According to him, the key goal is to increase uptake and effectiveness of the guidelines: ‘The intention is to make the guidelines clearer and less general meaning “specific recommendations on what to do, how to do it, when to do to it” as well as include user-specific guidance and allocate clearly the responsibilities of various stakeholders. Moreover, the guidelines are to reflect chronological sequence from ship design to end of service life.’

CHI stakeholders

The CHI stakeholder members currently include Jotun, iKnowHow, Armach Robotics, Notilo Plus, Hapag-Lloyd, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, DNV, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, Litehauz, Port of Antwerp Bruges, ShipShave, VesselCheck, LimnoMar, Endures, CleanSubSea, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (Alliance for Coastal Technologies and Maritime Environmental Resource Centre, ACT/MERC) and University of Strathclyde.

Source: https://swzmaritime.nl/news/2022/08/03/ngo-bellona-launches-initiative-to-tackle-biofouling-through-proactive-cleaning/

SWITCH Maritime’s landmark Sea Change hydrogen-powered ferry project got a lot of attention at Marine Log’s FERRIES 2021 held last November along the New York Harbor. This year, the conference heads to the West Coast on November 1-2, where the ferry is on the water in the San Francisco Bay.

Up to 75 attendees will get the chance to tour and ride the innovative new ferry. Guests are encouraged to register soon, as the tour will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. The conference agenda and registration info can be found here.

SEA CHANGE

Launched in August 2021 at All American Marine, the Sea Change is a 70-foot catamaran ferry designed by Incat Crowther, equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system from Zero Emissions Industries (ZEI), which includes 360 kW of fuel cells from Cummins and 242 kg of hydrogen storage tanks from Hexagon Purus, and a 600 kW electric propulsion system from BAE Systems that includes 100 kWh of lithium-ion battery storage from XALT. The Hornblower Group led the construction management.

The 75-passenger ferry received gaseous hydrogen into its 242 kg tanks on the upper deck. It uses that hydrogen in fuel cells producing electricity to power electric motors for distances up to 300 nautical miles, and speeds up to 20 knots—similar capabilities to diesel-powered vessels—with the added benefits of zero exhaust smoke or other emissions and very little vibration and noise.

The Sea Change project is managed and financed by SWITCH Maritime, an impact investment firm building the first fleet of exclusively zero-carbon maritime vessels for adoption by existing ship owners and operators. Sea Change was the first vessel in the larger zero-carbon ferry fleet that SWITCH planned to construct in 2022, in partnership with municipalities and shipowners aiming to transition to carbon-free vessels. In making the transition, they were able to leverage government grant funds related to transportation decarbonization activities targeted by the landmark U.S. infrastructure bill.

GREEN HYDROGEN

Though Sea Change is not the world’s first hydrogen-fueled ferry, it is the first to use gaseous hydrogen in a fuel cell, rather than burning liquid hydrogen in an internal combustion engine. Among the advantages of using gaseous hydrogen is its availability. This is underscored by the fact that the fuel loaded in the Sea Change’s tanks includes green hydrogen, produced in California by an electrolyzer powered with renewable solar power, so that zero carbon emissions result from the production of the fuel.

ZEI, formerly Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine, is responsible for the design and development of the Sea Change’s first-of-its-kind maritime hydrogen and fuel cell system as well as the vessel’s unique fueling system that allows it to be fueled directly from a hydrogen truck, and was responsible for the successful regulatory approvals of all hydrogen-related aspects onboard. ZEI is a hydrogen technology company that develops and sells turnkey hydrogen power systems, advanced fuel cell balance of plant sub-systems, fueling systems, and proprietary safety systems for a range of applications.

SPONSORS

While it is expected that many more will sign on, FERRIES 2022 already has nearly 30 sponsors.

Platinum sponsors are ABB and Cummins. Gold sponsors include Glosten, Marine Jet Power, Moteurs Baudouin, SailPlan, and Wärtsilä. Silver sponsors are Christie & Grey, Elkon, Elliott Bay Design Group, EMS Marcon, GL Power/Twin Disc, Karl Senner, Kongsberg, BAE Systems, MTU – A Rolls-Royce Solution, NCP Coatings, and Thrustmaster. The event’s bronze sponsors so far include MOPS, Rigidized Metals, RocketRez, The Shearer Group Inc., United Safety & Survivability Corporation/Fireboy, and VenTek International.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/passenger/ferries/tour-the-sea-change-ferry-at-marine-logs-ferries-2022/

Leading provider of secure maritime data communications software, GTMaritime, announces three new appointments as the company continues to expand its product development and support expertise.
Jigar Shah has been appointed as the new Product Specialist at GTMaritime, bringing 10 years of experience in developing and delivering satellite communications and maritime software solutions for Fortune 250 companies and SMEs.
Starting his career as a Maritime Product Engineer at Inmarsat, Jigar progressed to Senior Solutions Engineer where he was responsible for enhancing user experience and worked closely with third parties to develop satellite network-based services which added value to maritime communications.
From that point on, the satcom and maritime software market became a key focus, and Jigar went on to become a Senior Consultant at SES A.S. where he focused on cutting-edge solutions facilitation and deployment. Since 2015, he has held Technical Manager positions, deepening his understanding of the issues surrounding connectivity at sea and providing him with opportunities to work with emerging technologies such as cloud-based and IIoT infrastructure within the maritime industry.
GTMaritime has also appointed Patrick Berry to the development team and Joseph Burthem as Customer Support Specialist, each of whom will support growing demand for reliable and secure maritime software solutions. The appointments follow GTMaritime’s earlier announcement that its solutions are now installed on over 10,000 vessels worldwide as the company experiences an influx in demand for solutions that can effectively and securely support increasing data traffic between ship and shore.
Jamie Jones, Operations Director at GTMaritime said: “We are delighted to welcome Jigar, Patrick and Joseph to the GTMaritime team. Jigar will be responsible for taking GTMaritime solutions to the next level, supporting customer engagement as our services continue to evolve, and contributing to the ongoing development and innovation of the GTMaritime portfolio; while Patrick and Joseph will contribute to the development, deployment and management of our future-proof maritime solutions. As vessels become ever more connected GTMaritime remains committed to investing in our people and to delivering reliable solutions which help alleviate the challenges of communication and connectivity at sea.”

Jigar Shah commented: “It’s a momentous time in the maritime communications space as a greater degree of connectivity at sea is expected and required to support ship operations and the adoption of new technology. GTMaritime offers innovative, reliable, secure and easy-to-use solutions to address the day-to-day challenges of maritime communications. I look forward to helping ship owners and operators unlock the full potential GTMaritime’s solutions can deliver in an increasingly connected maritime industry.”

Source: https://www.seanews.co.uk/maritime-events/gtmaritime-finances-talent-in-product-development/

Galveston, Texas, headquartered Callan Marine recently launched the hull and set the house on the 32-inch cutter suction dredge (CSD) General Arnold. Under construction at the C&C Marine & Repair shipyard in Belle Chasse, La., the vessel is on schedule for delivery in 2023 and will join Callan Marine’s existing 32-inch CSD, General MacArthur.

At 290 feet in length and 72 feet wide, the General Arnold will have a maximum digging depth of 97 feet and a dredge pipe diameter of 31 inches, the diesel-electric driven General Arnold will boast 24,000 horsepower. It will also feature advanced production automation and monitoring systems.

“Callan Marine continues to build dredges that meet the needs of our coastal partners and ongoing maintenance dredging needs across the nation,” said Maxie McGuire, president of Callan Marine. “The General Arnold will have an impressive capacity for work and will join the 32-inch CSD General MacArthur as a powerful leader in our fleet.”

The General Arnold will be the sixth cutter suction dredge in Callan Marine’s asset inventory. Other dredges include the 32-inch General MacArthur, the 28-inch General Bradley, the 18-inch General Pershing, the 16-inch General Patton, and the 12-inch General Eisenhower. The 18-inch CSD General Marshall remains on the company’s construction timeline.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/dredging/new-callan-marine-csd-marks-construction-milestone/

As the automotive industry looks to electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, the shipping industry is having to devise ways to deal with uncertainty over the potential fire risks of transporting these vehicles, and the unfamiliarity with any associated fire characteristics.

As more EVs are being manufactured and shipped, the instances and severity of fires on car carriers and roll on/roll off passenger (ro-pax) vessels has gone up in tandem.

At a webinar organised by Safetytech Accelerator, Established by Lloyd’s Register and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Head of Maritime Engagement Rich McLoughlin said that while EVs are the automotive industry’s response to decarbonisation calls, recent fires on car carriers point to emerging risks surrounding EV carriage.

McLoughlin said: “We’re certainly seeing a huge push around decarbonisation, and the car industry has led in the development of battery technology and alternative fuel vehicles for this purpose.

“We have seen governments taking steps to ban combustion engine cars within certain timeframes and that is leading to an interest in the growth of EVs and alternative fuel vehicles. There has however, been some concern with the rate of change, whether with infrastructure or with safety systems. We have seen some of the risks around car fires and we have seen losses or damage to vessels which have been carrying vehicles.”

As the EU Parliament backs a phasing out of combustion engine cars by 2035, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) recently published guidance for the safe carriage of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in Ro-Ro spaces of passenger and cargo ships to tackle this emerging challenge.

Each year, the EU imports 3.7 million vehicles and in 2021, there were over 16.5 million EVs on the road, tripling from 2018.

North of England P&I Club’s Director of Loss Prevention, Colin Gillespie shared his observation that from the club’s interaction with PCC operators, more EVs are being shipped, and vessels could carry both EVs and vehicles that still run on conventional internal combustion engines.

Gillespie added that in the five years before Covid-19 hit in 2020, North P&I Club noticed more fires in PCTCs, and the primary cause was electrical faults. Such fires declined in the early wave of the pandemic, as movement restrictions impacted on vehicle demand. However, the Felicity Ace loss occurred as vehicle shipments recovered.

Martin Carlsson, Fire Safety Project Manager at Swedish shipping group Stena’s technical unit Stena Teknik, said that the numbers of EVs being carried on ro-pax vessels are still in the single digits as a percentage of vehicles carried.

He said, “That doesn’t reflect the proportion of vehicles on the street, because people don’t trust infrastructure overseas, so they are reluctant to bring their EVs abroad.”

Carlsson suggested that as Covid-19-related travel restrictions are lifted, more people will resume travelling and more EVs may be shipped on ro-pax vessels. While Stena does not ask passengers to declare the type of fuel powering their cars, Carlsson does not rule out doing so in future, if this could mitigate fire risks.

He added that PCTCs would also have to be modified to make allowances for increasingly upsized cars, such as having more decks for heavier vehicles.

Carlsson said: “Cars are bigger and include more fire energy compared to 25, 30 years ago.”

Paul Christensen, founding director of Lithiumionsafety.org, a consultancy focusing on lithium-ion battery safety, emphasised that such batteries, which power EVs, are highly flammable and fires from these can be challenging to extinguish.

He explained: “The gas that comes out from lithium-ion batteries is extremely toxic… If it ignites, you get long rocket-like flames. The drencher in the ships may protect surrounding vehicles, but because the batteries are at the bottom of the vehicles, they’re hidden from view.”

This is where technology, particularly visual analytics, comes in.

Osher Perry, CEO of maritime analytics specialist ShipIn discussed some of the solutions which technology could bring, for example sensors and AI which can be used to detect fire hazards.

He said, “This combination allows the development of solutions. When it comes to visual analytics, it’s about what methods of automation are we able to bring to give a response which can minimise damage, to get ahead. We keep talking about the fact that the vessels keep getting bigger, the challenges on the crew in terms of what need to be done increase, both in terms of tasks, administration, regulatory requirements, keep increasing. We have not yet provided the solutions, the digital tools that crews need to do their jobs in a safer and more productive way.

While the experts believe that the relevant regulations, such as the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, could be up for refinement, Gillespie thinks regulatory changes should be phased.

Gillespie said: “We’re looking at vessels that are not designed to carry EVs and alternative fuelled vehicles… The crew may not be trained in recognising or dealing with those sort of fires… it’s on the industry, the operators and the people who support the vessel operators to try and move forward on those sort of things and work together in an industry standard way so that we get a common approach to recognizing and fighting the fires. If we sit around and wait for the IMO, wait for legislation, it’s maybe six or seven years down the line before those changes go through and take effect.”

McLoughlin concluded the webinar with a call to action for vessel operators and managers, supply chain members, port operators and tech companies to come forward to potentially join the next Safetytech Accelerator innovation challenge in this particular area.

Contact the Safetytech Accelerator here: https://safetytechaccelerator.org/contact/

Watch the full webinar recording here: https://safetytechaccelerator.org/events/safe-carriage-of-vehicles-ferries-and-roro/

UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography today announced that naval architecture and marine engineering company Glosten has been selected as the naval architect for the university’s new California coastal research vessel (CCRV). The new vessel will be an innovation in the maritime industry with a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-hybrid propulsion system.

With this selection, Glosten will provide the preliminary design, contract design, and detailed design for the research vessel to be operated by Scripps Oceanography. Glosten is a consulting firm of naval architects and marine, electrical, production, and ocean engineers with expertise in providing design and engineering support to the oceanographic research community. The firm was selected after participating in the university’s request for proposal process.

“This vessel will be the first of its kind, and the selection of the naval architect is a major milestone for Scripps,” said Bruce Appelgate, associate director and head of ship operations at Scripps Oceanography. “Fundamentally, our ships have to be reliable and capable in order to support the innovative research our scientists conduct at sea. On top of that, the ship we envision needs to demonstrate that zero-emission power systems work effectively under demanding real-world conditions. It’s the job of the naval architect to provide the necessary engineering, design, and integration skills needed for this project to succeed on every level.”

California legislators allocated $35 million towards the design and construction of this vessel last summer. When complete, the vessel will serve as a platform for education and research dedicated to understanding the California coast and climate change impacts to the coastal ecosystem.

The hybrid-hydrogen design of this new vessel represents an innovation in the maritime industry. Currently, emissions from diesel engines on ships contribute to greenhouse gases and pollution. Development of this and subsequent zero-emission vessels is essential to the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative, the goal to be carbon neutral by 2025.

This new vessel will feature an innovative hybrid propulsion system that integrates hydrogen fuel cells alongside a conventional diesel-electric power plant, enabling zero-emission operations. The design is scaled so the ship will be able to operate 75 percent of its missions entirely using a non-fossil fuel—hydrogen—with only pure water and electricity as reaction products. For longer missions, extra power will be provided by clean-running modern diesel generators. The vessel represents a major step in advancing California’s pledge to reduce global climate risk while transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy.

The proposed 125-foot vessel will be equipped with instruments and sensing systems, including acoustic Doppler current profilers, seafloor mapping systems, midwater fishery imaging systems, biological and geological sampling systems, and support for airborne drone operations. These capabilities, along with state-of-the-art laboratories, will enable multidisciplinary research, advancing our understanding of the physical and biological processes active in California’s coastal oceans. This new vessel will be dedicated to California research missions, with the capability to study issues vital to the California economy such as the health of marine fisheries, harmful algal blooms, severe El Niño storms, atmospheric rivers, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and oxygen depletion zones.

Scripps Oceanography has worked with Glosten previously, initially more than 60 years ago on the design of Research Platform FLoating Instrument Platform known as FLIP. Glosten was also involved in the midlife refit of R/V Roger Revelle, a $60 million renovation that advanced the scientific capability and service life of Scripps’s largest ship.

The anticipated schedule for design and construction of the hydrogen-hybrid research vessel includes one year to complete the basic design. Following U.S. Coast Guard approval of the design, the university will select the shipyard where the design will be constructed. Construction and detail design will likely take an additional three years.

When completed, it will join the fleet of vessels managed by Scripps including the Navy-owned research vessels Sally Ride and Roger Revelle, which conduct global oceanographic research, and the R/V Bob and Betty Beyster, a nearshore scientific workboat. All research vessels are stationed and maintained at the university’s Nimitz Marine Facility in Point Loma.

Source: https://www.marinelog.com/shipbuilding/naval-architecture/glosten-to-design-new-california-coastal-hybrid-hydrogen-research-vessel/