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October 2011www.marinelink.com 41JHSV 1 ChristenedThe Military Sealift Command joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), the first of 10 Navy joint high-speed vessels designed for rapid intra-theater transport oftroops and military equipment, prepares forits Sept. 17 christening ceremony at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The 338-ft.-long alu- minum catamarans are designed to be fast, flexible and maneuverable even in shallow waters, making them ideal for transporting troops and equipment quickly within a theater of operations. (U.S. Navy photo Courtesy Austal USA/Released) Design of Aquarius SolarPower Array Starts Another step forward in the development of the Aquarius System was made recently when work begun on the detailed design of the wind and solar sail panel. This panel or rigid sail will be used to harness wind andsolar energy which will then be used to help power a ship thereby reducing fuel con- sumption and the emissions. The rigid sails are being developed by Eco Marine Power in co-operation with a number of development partners. The rigid sails will form part of an array which will allow ships to tap into renewable energy at sea, at anchor or even when a ship is in harbor. Each sail panel will be positioned by a computer control system being developed by KEI System Pty Ltd of Osaka, Japan, and the sails can be lowered and stored when not it use. When wind con- ditions are not favorable they can also be positioned to offer little wind resistance and yet still collect solar energy. Recent advances in solar module technology mean that it is now feasible to use a combined rigid sail and solar energy collection device and Eco Marine Power is at the forefront of developing this technology. Using solar modules mounted on a rigid but movable sail panel offers many ad- vantages over simply mounting solar panels on the deck of ship and Eco Marine Power believes the Aquarius System will also offer an attractive return on invest- ment (ROI) for shipping lines. www.ecomarinepower.com MARINE DESIGN - NOTESPolarcus Alima takes the Northern Sea Route An X-BOW vessel designed by ULSTEIN, the seismic vessel Polarcus Alima, recently transited to Asia-Pacific via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), making it the first known passage of a 3D seismic vessel along the Northern Sea Route. Polarcus Alima is an ultra-modern 12-streamer 3D seismic vessel of the SX134 design. MR Oct.11 # 5 (34-41):MR Template 10/5/2011 12:53 PM Page 41