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April 08, 2010
MAR Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, Port Hueneme, for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the M/V Independence, including providing research, development, testing, and evaluation of undersea surveillance systems, load handling systems, acoustic array systems, cable system components, cable and system survivability studies, installation methods, test vessel support, and training range establishment and maintenance. Work will be performed in Port Hueneme, Calif. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of April 2015. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured as a 100 percent small business 8(a) set-aside via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with one proposal received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62583-10-D-0363). General Dynamics, National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $10,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2229) for System Design Part 2 efforts associated with the Mobile Landing Platform program. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (58.2 percent); Beloit, Wis. (7.3 percent); Busan, South Korea (5.7 percent); Pittsburgh, Pa. (5.6 percent); Houston, Texas (5.0 percent); Annapolis, Md. (4.0 percent); Norfolk, Va. (2.0 percent); Belle Chasse, La. (0.7 percent); Mobile, Ala. (0.5 percent); New York, N.Y. (0.4 percent); Deerfield Beach, Fla. (0.2 percent); Georgetown, S.C.(0.2 percent); Houma, La. (0.2 percent); Clovis, Calif. (0.1 percent); New Orleans, La. (0.1 percent); Rochester, N.Y. (0.1 percent); Stevensville, Md. (0.1 percent); Ogden, Utah (0.1 percent); Old Saybrook, Conn. (0.1 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (0.1 percent); and other various locations. Work is expected to be completed by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
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April 07, 2010
Wärtsilä has received several orders for propulsion systems from Russian organizations recently. The most recent contracts include repeat orders for integrated electro-propulsion packages for new state-owned Multipurpose Salvage Vessels, which are part of a national program to develop Russia's transportation system over the next five years. Last year, Wärtsilä was contracted to deliver an integrated electro-propulsion package for a state-owned Multipurpose Salvage Vessel (MPSV) being built at the Nevsky Shipyard in Schlisselburg, close to St Petersburg. Wärtsilä has now received repeat orders for similar propulsion packages for two more identical MPSVs. The newbuildings have been contracted by the Nevsky Shipyard in accordance with an order placed by Federal State Enterprise "Gosmorspassluzhba". The design for the new vessels was developed by the Marine Engineering Bureau - Design - SPB and the ships are being built to the classification requirements of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. They will have an overall length of 239.5 ft, a beam of 54.5 ft and a design draught of 14.7 ft. With a service speed of 15 knots, an oil recovery capacity of 766 cubic metres and a bollard pull of 70 tonnes, they will be used for marine pollution control, salvage and diving operations, offshore standby and rescue services. Delivery of the first MPSV is scheduled for November 2010. Wärtsilä's scope of supply for each MPSV includes four Wärtsilä 20 generating sets, each with an output of 1370 kW, and medium-voltage electric propulsion (main generators, electric motors, frequency converters, PMS). When selecting a partner for this project, Wärtsilä's ability to supply an integrated total propulsion system was an important consideration. Other significant factors included Wärtsilä's ability to meet the MPSV's unique technical requirements, and a willingness to work closely with both the vessel's designers and the customer during equipment engineering.
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March 31, 2010
On March 31, 2010 the roof at the HDW Shipyard in Kiel, Germany slid open to reveal to the daylight the what is claimed to be the world’s largest solar powered vessel, a wavepiercer catamaran named Planet Solar. Appearing small against the back drop of the giant crane hoisting her to the water and the enormous ship building halls she was assembled in, the 101.7 ft long, 52.5 ft wide carbon fiber craft was launched a few hours later into the Kiel fjord, floating to her lines and looking more like a misplaced space ship than an ocean going yacht. Penned by New Zealand’s LOMOcean Design (formerly Craig Loomes Design Group) and constructed by Knierim Yachtbau of Kiel, this unique craft is intended not only to serve as the ultimate ‘green’ motoryacht, but also - under the auspices of the eponymously named Planet Solar organization - to be the first vehicle of any kind to circumnavigate the globe under solar power alone. Over the course of its eighteen month gestation period, the project has served to highlight not only the capabilities of current photovoltaic solar cell technology, but also the state of the art in wavepiercer catamaran hull design, of carbon fiber propellers and efficient electric motors, plus the best of advanced composite shipbuilding and the latest in lithium ion battery technology. The combination of these technologies allows the 85 tonne craft to run at a passagemaking speed of approximately seven knots from just 20kW of installed power. To put it into perspective, imagine a 100-ft yacht of any kind being propelled at seven knots by just a 25 hp outboard motor. Of significant importance to her owner was that this boat should be supportive of passengers and crew in relative comfort – Planet Solar is not a stripped out race boat, optimized solely for the circumnavigation - rather she is a spacious motor yacht, with an interior arrangement offering six double cabins, each with ensuite bathroom, a large saloon and dining area plus a spacious aft deck and separate crew quarters. Sunbathing space is however at a premium, with over 5,380 sq ft of the deck surface covered in solar cells, with just a blister style wheelhouse breaking the expanse of blue-black paneling. Fitting of the side and transom solar panels and dockside commissioning will occur in coming weeks. The circumnavigation is scheduled for mid 2011.
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