Back to 16/2008

From melting ice to complex maritime communication

Old habits die hard, specially the good ones, and as we have done so many times before at this time of the year, we will introduce you to the latest and most interesting news in Maritime Technology.

"Will it be possible to reduce the distance
between Europe and the Far East
to almost half of what it is today?"

Let us begin in the north. Will it be possible – due to climate change and melting of the arctic ice – to open the Northern Sea routes in the Arctic and reduce the distance between Europe and the Far East to almost half of what it is today? Very likely yes.
  Let us remain in the more or less icy waters for a while and have a look at how new technology has revolutionized winter shipping. We will be introduced to the double-acting vessels, ice-classed tankers with Azipods and a new generation of multipurpose icebreakers.
  Most of us have heard and red about monster waves. But what is fact and what is fiction? What is the difference between freak waves and tsunamis? How are they created and where can we expect to find them? All these questions will be answered in due time.
  There are ways to get around the most terrible weather. With Octopus Onboard, a modular decision support system for operation in waves, the officers get information from wave measurements, weather forecasts, speed, route and loading conditions that increases safety and economic performance of the ship.

We will also look into digital prototyping solutions. They have been on the market for quite some time, but today the tools for turning ideas into reality have become more complete and less expensive. By using simulations in a digital environment trial-and-error work on board can be avoided.
  Let us leave the digital world for a few minutes and refresh our memories when it comes to knowledge of the International Load Line Convention and other rules and regulations that are in force.
  Alien species in coastal waters are one of the major treats to the flora and fauna in the sea today. In the last years we have seen quite a few ways to eliminate the dangerous organisms that are travelling across the oceans in ballast tanks and invading foreign coasts when pumped out of the ship. We will present you with one ballast water treatment system that has got an IMO approval.

But do we really need the ballast water? Yes, and maybe no. We will show you a ballast-free ship concept with a ship that lets the ballast water flow through the hull instead of transporting the water from one part of the world to another.
  Maritime communication has developed explosively since Inmarsat was established a quarter of a century ago and we will be served a comprehensive summary that will help us understand the complex world of satellite communication.
  The total freight at sea is growing, the number of ships and the sizes of them are increasing and, as a result, the risk of collision is constantly growing. How can the ship design contribute when a grounding or collision has occurred? One question asked is if the new and innovative design of sideshell structures will make ships ‘collision resistant’?
  Anchor handling is a specialized offshore operation and modern anchor- handling techniques also introduce additional elements of risk. High-quality training is of outmost importance and we will show how simulation technology is being stretched to new boundaries. In the maritime world there are several bottlenecks. When the market calls for higher efficiency they are asking for less time for loading and unloading. The big challenge is to improve efficiency and at the same time improve safety. The question asked, and answered, is if there is a discrepancy between them or if they are two sides of the same coin?
  The number, complexity and sophistication of modern ship systems continue to increase. To meet the demands several shipyards are using collaborations of globally distributed resources for the system design and specialist suppliers for turn-key systems and integration solutions. The challenge is to manage and consolidate system design data from all the different sources. Means to achieve this is already on the market.

The Tier 2 regulations are ready and will be launched in 2011. The new regulations will tighten limits on the emission of NOx and SOx and Tier 3, due in 2015, will tighten emissions even further. There might be several ways to meet the new demands. One way of doing it is described in this magazine.
  Last, but surely not least, we are presenting the final report of the research study of the sinking sequence of MV Estonia. The ro-ro passenger ship sank rapidly, stern first, on September 28, 1994.

I am convinced that everyone will find a lot of interesting and inspiring reading in the 2008 edition of the Yearbook of Maritime Technology and hopefully learn something from the distinguished authors who so generously share their knowledge and experience with the readers.

Robert Hermansson, Editor.

Latest update 29-08-2008

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