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news 10MTRSeptember 2011Offshore Ship Designers will design a series of six new seismic support/chase vessels ordered by Bourbon to be built at Dubai?s Grandweld Shipyards. The 53 m ves- sels will have a fuel efficient hybrid propulsion system delivering a flexi- ble economic solution for the varied conditions required to support seis- mic survey vessels including transit speed, slow speed escort and support work and a high degree of maneuver- ability. ?We worked closely with Grandweld during the tender period and following their selection as one of the short-listed bidders, we assisted them technically during the success-ful contract negotiation process, and are pleased to have been entrusted with the design of these new vessels,? said Neil Patterson, managing direc- tor, OSD-IMT. The vessels will be chartered by Bourbon to CGGVeritas with deliv- ery of the first vessels set for the end of 2012. They will be used to support the fleet of CGGVeritas seismic sur- vey vessels operating all over the world, providing them with services including crew change, fuel delivery, storage, assistance and support during at-sea maintenance operations.Operational requirements of the design include:Key feature of the hybrid propul- sion system are: Two main marine diesel propul- sion engines, two controllable pitch propellers in nozzles, two main gear- boxes each with a PTI electric propul- sion motor and three diesel driven generating sets, and two electricallydriven bow tunnel thrusters. Diesel-mechanical mode using main engines only used for the transitoperation.Diesel-electrical mode with main engines declutched using PTIpropulsion motors powered by the gensets for chase and slow speed oper- ation.Boost mode with main engines and PTI propulsion motors (powered by the gensets) engaged used for tow- ing operation.Automatic push button selection between the different propulsion modes.OSD: Seismic Support Boats for BourbonSmart Buoy Deployed in Chesapeake Bay AXYS Technologies Inc. (AXYS) deployed its tenth ?smart buoy? into the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS). The 1.7m diameter AXYS WatchKeeper buoy was deployed August 17, by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel near Virginia Beach. It transmits near real-time data on winds, air and water temperature, barometric pressure, waves, currents, and water quality. This data is used by weather forecasters, maritime safety personnel, coastal decision-makers, and recreational boaters and fishermen. Scientists and educators also use data from the buoys in the curriculum for innovative online activities that bring the science of the Chesapeake Bay to life. CBIBS was cre- ated by NOAA as an information system focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding estuarine environment to provide information on current marine conditions for educational and scientific purposes. Learn more about CBIBS and access live data from all ten buoys at http://buoybay.noaa.gov MTR#7 (1-17):MTR Layouts 8/29/2011 1:53 PM Page 10