Cutting a SWATH through rough seas

British fast ferry specialist FBM Babcock Marine has unveiled an innovative new high speed passenger ferry which it claims will deliver high speed capability in rough conditions. The FSPV vessel is said to be the first high ferry to successfully incorporate Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) technology with waterjets, permitting speeds of up to 40 kts to be maintained in sea conditions beyond a significant wave height of 3m. A three-year test programme has resulted in a SWATH hull shape able to accommodate waterjets without imposing penalties on drag. The design requires no special crew training to operate and is said to remain stable in all directions as wave height increases, allowing the vessel to operate at full speed with low roll angles. The SWATH form resembles a catamaran but with two submarine-like lower hulls submerged below the surface and connected to the bridging raft by relatively thin vertical struts. The submerged profile and high raft clearance enables the craft to smoothly ride over rough surface waves. The aluminium design can be powered by two diesel, gas turbine or CODAG engines and is capable of carrying up to 400 passengers.

Statistics update

The annual Digest of Engineering Statistics (2002), recently published by ETB and EC (UK), is a wealth of engineering facts and figures. The sixth in a series of annual statistical digests, it is intended as a valuable reference tool for everyone interested in the engineering and technology community. Each year more data has been added in the areas of education, labour market and economic statistics. The full Digest of Engineering Statistics is available as a downloadable pdf by clicking here.

A study into the effects of sloshing in partially-filled prismatic LNG tanks claims it is possible to both increase the authorised filling range and decrease the upper limit to 70% of tank height. A typical four-tank design with a capacity for 140 500m3 was used for the study, which showed good results for filling levels below 10% of tank length and over 70% of tank height. It concludes that the proposed new limitation allows any amount of cargo to be carried in such vessels by suitable distribution between tanks. Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Gaz Transport & Technigaz (GTT) jointly commissioned Marintek to carry out the study, which used a 1:60 scale model to determine the pressure loads from sloshing-induced impacts. The model testing built on previous work to identify potentially critical load cases for a typical
140 500m3 LNG carrier. It was modeled on the behaviour of a No 2 tank, which is considered to be the tank most exposed to potential sloshing damage. The tank was tested for a full range of filling levels. LR and GTT have agreed to carry out additional testing to confirm the loads that were predicted during these tests for filling below 70% of the tank height.

Viking Energy, the world’s first ever LNG-driven cargo/supply ship, was recently delivered to owners Eidsvik and Mokster Shipping from the Kleven Maritime shipyard. This innovative vessel features the first ship-based dual fuel engines and first ever gas engine below both deck and cargo. The designers claim that by using LNG as an alternative to marine diesel reduces CO2 and NOx emissions by 20% and 85% respectively. The use of gas on the Viking Energy will apparently reduce NOx emissions by about 200t per year. In addition, DNV and the Norwegian Maritime Authority have developed the world’s first guidelines for the construction of gas-powered cargo ships.

More funding secured for NERC’s rapid climate change programme

The British National Environment Research Council’s ‘rapid climate change’ (RAPID) thematic programme has recently secured approximately £11M for proposals that were submitted in response to the RAPID Science Plan. The six-year programme aims to quantify the probability and magnitude of future rapid change in climate, with a main – but not exclusive – focus on the role of the Atlantic Ocean’s thermohaline circulation. About £5M of the fund is targeted at a commitment to design a system to continuously monitor the strength and structure of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. This design effort if being matched by comparative funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) for projects reviewed jointly with the NERC proposals. Dr Merik Srokosz, the science co-ordinator for the programme and Dr Christine Gommenginger, the assistant sciene co-ordinator, have established a RAPID project office at the Southampton Oceanography Centre, UK.
Contact: Dr Catrin Yeomans, NERC by email at cvy@nerc.ac.uk

The IMarEST have recently accredited their first marine science courses at Plymouth University. The courses awarded accreditations are the MSc course in Hydrography and the MRes in Geomatics. There will be an IMarEST presentation on 9th July at the Postgraduate Day, Sherwell Centre, Institute of Marine Studies, University of Plymouth.
Contact: marketing@imarest.org for further details.

Get ready, get SET

The Student - Science, Engineering and Technology Awards 2003 (supported by IMarEST) are Britain's most prestigious awards for science and engineering undergraduates. Dr Phil Sayer - Stratclyde University/IMarEST is on the panel of judges for the Best Maritime Technology Student Award. Students can enter the awards before 25th July with details at www.setawards.org. The Awards ceremony will take place later this year on Tuesday 9th September at London Guildhall.

Below is the current list of events organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology itself: