Page 61: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1999)

yards has helped to dispel the perception that U.S.-based yards could not be com- petitive on, for example, the cruise mar- ket. While it is safe to assume that

European shipbuilders — which contin- ue to hold a commanding dominance on the cruise shipbuilding front — are hardly quaking in their boots, it was a highly significant event when earlier this year American Classic Voyages Co. announced the signing of a contract with

Ingalls Shipbuilidng to build up to three ships for $1.4 billion. Phil Calian, pres- ident and CEO of AMCV, and his com- panies have single-handedly injected enthusiasm and many dollars into U.S. shipbuilding circles, with the signing of this contract and another lower valued, but highly coveted deal to build histori- cal replication cruise vessels with

Atlantic Marine.

Another project which has stoked con- siderable intrigue is the Fast Ship pro- ject, which recently took another step towards reality with the signing of a

Memorandum of Understanding with

National Steel and Shipbuilding Com- pany (NASSCO), a subsidiary of Gener- al Dynamics, to build the first genera- tion high-speed vessels that will make up the FastShip trans-Atlantic trans- portation fleet.

Under the agreement, NASSCO will construct the first four revolutionary vessels in the FastShip fleet. The agree- ment establishes a timeline to finalize a construction contract that will include definitive pricing, delivery schedule and performance guarantees. Moreover,

NASSCO has agreed to consider a financing commitment to FastShip, Inc.

FastShip will be powered by five marinized aero-derivative gas turbines.

Each turbine will drive one Kamewa water jet, delivering in total 250 MW, or 335,000 hp — roughly equivalent to the takeoff power of two 747s. This propul- sion package will enable the 860-ft. (262.1 m) vessels, carrying a 10,000-ton payload, to make the passage from

Philadelphia to Cherbourg, France, in less than four days, and to attain speeds of up to 40 knots. The hull form, cou- pled with the propulsion package will enable the ship to maintain those speeds even under adverse weather conditions.

Once in port, the ships will be loaded and unloaded in six hours.

Repair & Conversion

While U.S. yards cannot offer the bar- gain basement labor rates traditionally associated with successful ship repair and conversion operations, primarily in

Asia, the U.S. yards do offer excellent facilities and unsurpassed technological know-how and tools. It doesn't hurt, either, that they happen to reside in the country that attracts the most shipping business.

One of the more interesting repair &

August, 1999 conversion projects was the re-activa- tion of LNGC Matthew at Baltimore

Marine Industries. The ship — original- ly El Paso Howard Boyd — was built by

Newport News Shipbuilding in 1978.

When the decision was made to bring the vessel out of moth balls, owners

Cabot LNG Inc. realized that a signifi- cant engine room upgrade would be necessary. Enter G. R. BOWLER, Inc.,

Marine Systems Integrators of Moore

Process Automation Solutions' APACS

Systems, which completed an engine- room, automation upgrade of all sys- tems aboard the LNG/C Matthew.

Using ABS Type-approved, Moore,

APACS systems hardware and Process-

Suite HMI software, the G.R. Bowler

Inc. configuration includes control, monitoring, alarm and data management functions for the main propulsion machinery and engine room auxiliaries.

The operator interface employs more than 50 Windows NT® 4.0-based, graphic screens that can be displayed on any of the four, 20-in., industrial, color monitors. The seamless architecture of control hardware and communications software renders the systems ideally suited for the LNG vessel's complex, dual-fuel strategies.

Atlantic Marine Inc. - Mobile, contin- ues to prove its ship repair expertise,

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