Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2011)

6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

EDITOR’S NOTE

I have often made the observation that the maritime industry is inher- ently conservative. Admittedly, this is a broad characterization, par- ticularly given that the “industry,” from our perspective, includes from: inland towboats to oceangoing tankers; small passenger ferries to mammoth cruise liners; fast patrol RIBS to aircraft carriers; and nearly every- thing in between.

While the adoption rate of new technology still pales in comparison to other modes of transport, particularly air, I can see a marked and rapid change un- derway; an acceleration and incorporation of technological development driven primarily by emerging regulations relating to the environment, training & education, and mar- itime security. Simply put, maintaining ‘business as usual’ could easily result in ‘out of business’ for those who staunchly resist change for no good reason.

Industry leader Maersk is the perfect embodiment of this, as the company is no stranger to accept- ing the challenge of scouting, developing, adopting and incorporating advanced marine technologies into its fleet of ships and business practices. As most of you may already know, the company made his- tory late last month with the order for 10 (with an option for 20) 18,000 TEU containerships for de- livery between 2013 and 2015. The order with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. is significant for a long list of reasons, particularly as it comes on the heels of the worst economic crisis in a generation. The “Triple E” (Economy of scale; Energy efficiency; Environmentally improved) class is covered in this edition starting on page 8, and you can be sure of continued coverage in these pages as the vessels take shape in South Korea.

As most of you already know, the proliferation of Software Solutions – designed to make operations safer, more efficient and cost-effective – in the maritime sector is now starting to pick-up pace, driven in part by continued tremendous advances in computing powered, coupled with the rapidity with which information can be sent to and from vessels on the move, and in no small part due to the acceptance by shipowner/operators young and old. Our Software Solutions roundtable this month presents in- sights from a diversity of product and service providers. The feature, which starts on page 46, by my own admission runs a bit long, but quite frankly there is so much meat on this topic that I made the call to dedicate a few extra pages to the effort, so as to not leave out such juicy bits as SpecTec CEO

Giampiero Soncini’s call out to the industry to “WAKE UP! We are in 2011, not 1911!”

Technical issues aside, all eyes personal, political and corporate are one the rapidly evolving situa- tion in the Middle East, analyzing how initial instability and change evolve to affect our business. In late January I was in Dubai for a whirlwind week of visits with local companies, getting first-hand in- sights as the workings and opportunities of business in and around the Middle East. At the time of the visit, all indications pointed to a resurgence of maritime and offshore activities, tempered with a still recovering economy and the region-wide effects of UN sanc- tions on Iran on the maritime companies that service that coun- try. In this edition are intial reports, with much more to come.

Founder: John J. O’Malley 1905 - 1980

Charles P. O’Malley 1928 - 2000

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No. 3 Vol. 73

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ON THE COVER

Pictured on this month’s cover a rendering of the mammoth 18,000-TEU containership ordered by Maersk from Daewoo. See the full story on this huge ship, including details on its innovative propulsion arrangement, starting on page 8. (Image Courtesy MaerskGroup)