Page 67: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2012)

Tampa / Florida. The SeaStriker 22 is a 22 meter fast pa- trol and interdiction craft designed to counter asymmet-ric threats and to support various littoral security missions such as anti-piracy, offshore and near-shore in- terdiction, protection of harbors and offshore structures, anti-smuggling operations, police duties as well as searchand rescue tasks. Whereas the ships needs to cope with various, potential rapidly changing missions and also to interact with other afloat and airborne platforms, as wellas C2 elements ashore, there is the need for an integrated bridge solution that takes limited bridge space and small crew size into account. The vessel is equipped with a first fully operational Command Bridge. Finely Focused on Naval Ship Design Rolls-Royce announced that it has broadened its capa- bility in ship design with the establishment of a new team dedicated to the development of naval ship designs. The new team will aim to develop vessels for navies, coast guards and other maritime agencies, including variants of the Environship merchant ship concept, will leverage technologies from commercial Rolls-Royce ship designs and products, adapted and integrated for the specific re- quirements of naval operations. One of the Rolls-Royce designs includes a replenishment ship for refueling andsupplying naval fleets and is available in the 9,000 to 25,000 dwt range. The design is based on the Rolls- Royce Environship concept, featuring a wave piercing bow and hybrid electric propulsion system which in- creases operation efficiency while reducing fuel con- sumption. The design team will focus on offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), survey ships and support vessels, rather than combatant ships such as frigates and destroyers. In a separate but equally relevant announcement, the company said it will develop a new mini waterjet de- signed to propel unmanned surface craft for the US Navy. The new water jet will be the smallest Rolls- Royce design to date, with a diameter of just 100 mm,and will be designed to quietly propel the craft throughthe water on remotely controlled missions that include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Rolls- Royce will develop the water jet part of the innovative small propulsion system, part of a US Government funded Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) proj- ect led by Candent Technologies Inc. ?Unmanned craft are a fast growing and exciting part of naval marine technology and we?re delighted to be working with Candent and the US Navy in developing this groundbreaking propulsion system,? said Dennis Duke, Rolls-Royce, Advanced Programs Director - Naval Marine Inc. ?We are developing and adapting our world-leading water jet technologies as part of a highly efficient propulsion system which will enable these ad- vanced craft to go about their duties criss-crossing wa- terways and oceans, often for months at a time.? Known as MUSCL, the US Navy?s Modular Un- manned Surface Craft Littoral, is an X class unmanned surface vessel, designed to reduce risk to manned forces and perform tedious and repetitive surveillance tasks. The water jets will provide thrust to move the craft at speeds in excess of 25 knots as well as sustaining a cruise speed of 15 knots.November 2012www.marinelink.com 67Production on New Finnish OPV Late last month STX Finland Oy?s Rauma Ship- yard started the production of next generation off- shore patrol vessel to be built for the Finnish Border Guard. The start of production at the Rauma Ship- yard was carried out following traditions. Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, Lieutenant GeneralJaakko Kaukanen pressed the launch button. The event held in the steel construction hall was wit- nessed by the representatives of the Finnish Border Guard, the Finnish Environment Institute, STX Fin- land and the classification society Germanisher Lloyd. In addition to border safety and frontier su- pervision missions, the offshore patrol vessel, scheduled for delivery in November 2013, can be used for search and rescue, military national de-fense and various underwater assignments both in- dependently and in collaboration with otherauthorities. The ship will also feature substantial oil recovery capacity with important meaning for mar- itime oil recovery capabilities of Finland and the Baltic Sea region. The vessel measures 96 x 17 m and incorporates the latest technologies and envi- ronmentally friendly innovations in accordance with the Government decision-in-principle on sus- tainable public procurement. The ship is equipped with machinery using liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel as fuel. MR#11 (66-73):MR Template 11/4/2012 11:34 AM Page 67