Page 74: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2003)

Read this page in Pdf, Flash or Html5 edition of November 2003 Maritime Reporter Magazine

reach.

HHI's investment in R&D activities is set to rise to about $ 102.4-billion in 2003, equating to 1.4-percent of project- ed sales revenues, up from $85.7-billion, or 1.2-percent of sales, in 2002.

The scale of the endeavor, which relates not only to the group's shipbuild- ing activities, but also to its role as a producer of marine engines, offshore and industrial plant, electrical systems and construction equipment, is implicit in its maintenance of four in-house research centers, including the Hyundai

Maritime Research Institute.

In a shipbuilding and engineering con- text, expansion of the research budget is driven by market requirements, by a desire to increase technological and product self-reliance and competitive- ness, and by a bid for increased business in the higher value-added category. The rise of China as an industrial power- house with a low labor-cost base is one of the spurs to technological advance.

The disposition towards a long-term strategy was earlier underscored by the $35-billion, 10-year R&D program, which resulted in the home-grown,

Himsen medium-speed diesel engine class. At the time of this writing, the

Himsen series had attracted orders for over 200 engines in shipboard and land- side generator applications, and the first unit for marine propulsion duties is set to be installed in a patrol vessel new- build.

Over the 2003 first-half, HHI's ship- building division secured contracts for 64 vessels worth $3.2-billion, exceeding the target for the whole year. By the end of July, the orderbook stood at an aston- ishing level of 172 newbuilds, with a combined value of about $9-billion.

Knowledge Interchange

The increasing interplay of commer- cial marine and naval disciplines has found new expression in the appoint- ment of Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) to class the largest, and most complex ship ordered to date by the

Italian Navy. RINA introduced special rules for naval vessels at the end of 2002, and the society will now apply its expertise to the newbuild project for the 26,700-ton displacement aircraft carrier

Andrea Doria, ordered from Fincantieri for commissioning in 2007.

Construction of the carrier has been assigned to the group's Riva Trigoso yard.

Measuring 776 ft. (236.5 m) the vessel will be built from high-tensile, anti-bal- listic steel, and will have a maximum speed of 28-knots. RINA's selection to class the vessel reflected its experience with state-of-the-art, high capacity cruiseships and fast craft.

The society's CEO, Ugo Salerno said, "RINA has established a reputation for project management skills, safety, quali- ty and service in classing highly com- plex commercial ships, and looks for- ward to bringing those standards of excellence to such a major project in the warship sector." "We also expect the commercial sector to benefit from the high technology we can transfer from the military newbuild- ing program," he stated, adding that "This is a win-win situation for the navy and for our cruiseship clients."

The orderbook of Fincantieri's naval vessel business unit is currently worth around $2 billion, and includes a series of Horizon-class frigates and two

U212A-type submarines for the Italian

Navy, besides the Andrea Doria. A fol- low-on. large batch of multipurpose frigates are envisioned for construction at Fincantieri's shipyards in Liguria for service entry between 2008 and 2017.

Thales Seeks to Simplify Security

The Tracs-Ships' Security Alert System (SSAS) launched by Thales Navigation Ltd is designed to overcome a problem being faced by port authorities worldwide. The unit is based on a

Thales Inmarsat-C tracking unit that has been refined to exceed the IMO specifications for

SSAS units. As a result, the Tracs-SSAS intro- duces a unique feature that can provide land- based security organizations with ship move- ment information that has been unobtainable until now. The SSAS specifications have been created by the IMO to help protect seafarers and their vessels against piracy and acts of terrorism. Between July and December 2004 all SOLAS registered vessels must be fitted with a SSAS unit that automatically transmits an alarm mes- sage via Inmarsat-C from anywhere in the world when a button is pressed. Once activated, the

Thales SSAS unit will continue to transmit the vessel's GPS location so that it can be tracked and, hopefully, intercepted by the security authorities.

The Thales Tracs-SSAS exceeds these capabilities by tracking and storing the vessel's loca- tion continuously regardless of whether an alarm button has been pressed. As with conven- tional SSAS units, the vessel location information will only be transmitted to the designated authority when it has been activated. However, the stored information can be called-up and made available to the shipping company for its own management purposes and, more signifi- cantly, it can also be called-up by a Coast Guard or security organization wanting to verify the ship s port of origin. The Tracs-SSAS unit functions continuously without any operator input and maintains a continuous record of the ship's position and speed for up to two years.

Circle 22 on Reader Service Card

BURRARD HEAVY DUTY ^ DECK MACHINERY

TOWING WINCHES, ANCHOR WINDLASSES, MOORING

CAPSTANS, CARGO WINCHES, HYDRAULIC OR ELECTRIC

DRIVES

BURRARD IRON WORKS LIMITED • Burrard heavy duty double drum towing winch as supplied to: 220 Alexander Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1 C1

Delta Linda, Delta Carey, Delta Deanna, Millennium Falcon, Telephone: (604) 684-2491 Fax: (604) 684-0458 ^^^MJMenniumStara^^

Circle 223 on Reader Service Card

Harbormaster Propulsion Systems

Outboard Drives and Thrusters designed to your specifications for use in boats & barges.

Economical & dependable units based on 60 years' experience.

Outboard Drive units

Standard models from 50 to 200 HP.

Higher HP on _ . 3 . , Tunnel Thrusters custom order. 100to1000HP

Fully integrated power-and-control For unassisted maneuvering systems. Easily installed & moved. in tight quarters, dynamic

Eliminate need for separate pushboats positioning and precise or permanently installed propulsion systems. vessel control.

Harbormaster Marine, Inc. 31777 Industrial Road

Livonia, Ml 48150 USA (734) 425-1080 Fax (734) 425-1850

Website: http://www.harbormastermarine.com

Never use anything but

GENUINE Harbormaster Parts!

They are built to original Harbormaster or Murray & Tregurtha design spec's, so your unit can maintain peak performance and reliability. Contact our knowledgeable staff for genuine parts & technical support.

Circle 266 on Reader Service Card

November 2003 71

Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.