Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2011)

6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

EDITOR’S NOTE

W ith pleasure we find 2011 to be starting on much firmer foot- ing than 2010, and I believe it time now to officially retire the phrase “global economic meltdown” from our lexicon. Un- doubtedly in the coming year there will be some financial or political dis- turbance – at the least an untimely casualty or disaster, man-made or natural – that will shake the foundation upon which we sit. But at the moment, most signs point to a positive – though always challenging – business en- vironment in 2011 and beyond.

The focus of this edition is navies, and in this regard I am pleased to offer here some unique insights on five global navies, including: Australia, Colombia, Italy, Japan and Turkey. Jurrien Noot, a for- mer naval intelligence officer for the Royal Netherlands Navy is the author that again provides MR readers with intelligence on the budgets, fleets, projects and plans of some navies of which you may not be intimately familiar.

Edward Lundquist delivers his usual complete package of insights on the plight and plans of the

U.S. Navy, and I think the headline: “Reaching 313-Ship Goal is Not Smooth Sailing” neatly sum- marizes this effort. As most of you well know, the U.S. Navy continues its historic transformation, re- defining its stable of physical assets to ensure that it is adequately outfitted and armed to carry out its missions today and tomorrow. In the summer of 2010 I had the honor of spending a few hours with

United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead. The premise of the din- ner at the Admiral’s residence at the Washington Navy Yard was a discussion on unmanned underwater systems, and it was here that it became crystal clear of his intentions to move forward quickly the use of robotics and unmanned systems in tomorrow’s Navy. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that

Admiral Roughead has accepted from us the 2011 “Seamaster Award” – an annual award presented by MR sister-publication Marine Technology Reporter, which will be personally presented at a re- ception in his honor at the OceanTech Expo, May 17-19 in Newport, RI.

Beyond navies, there are numerous business opportunities to explore in 2011 and beyond. As doc- umented on the previous page, Dockwise’s delivery for the Koniambo Project shows there will always be the need for engineered solutions to unique maritime problems. In our interview with Roberto

Monteiro, CFO of OSX Shipbuilding in Brazil, you can read how $1.7 billion will be invested to cre- ate, from the ground-up, what is intended to be the most modern and efficient shipbuilding facility in this hemisphere. And as the offshore oil and gas business comes back to life, IMA reports that the floating production sector looks “very promising” (see story, page 12).

Founder: John J. O’Malley 1905 - 1980

Charles P. O’Malley 1928 - 2000

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ON THE COVER

Pictured on this month’s cover ... is the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is underway in the Arabian Sea in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom. Abraham Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsi- bility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the re- gion. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Eric S. Powell/Released)