Source: MHI

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) today announced a new system that improves the stability of damaged ships, reducing the risk of capsizing.  The newly patented system, called the “Righting Moment Recovery System”, was proprietarily developed by MHI in 2009 following the strengthening of SOLAS regulations on ship stability primarily for vessels such as RO/RO ships, pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) and ferries.

If a ship’s hull is damaged, the Righting Moment Recovery System enables the quick transfer of seawater into voided spaces located in the bottom of the ship’s hull, thus reducing the risk capsizing by lowering the ship’s center of gravity while at the same time increasing the vessels righting momentum.

The system makes use of the voided spaces typically allocated to other functions such fin stabilizer rooms, duct keels and ballast water tanks, and therefor does not sacrifice vehicle carrying capacity.  In fact, MHI insists that system eliminates the need to divide the vehicle deck area into small compartments as a result of the strengthened regulations and facilitates smoother vehicle maneuvering within the ship.

MHI says that it is focusing its marketing activities to attract new orders for the system from high-end shipowners and one order has already been placed by Japan’s Nippon Shipping Co. The order calls for a 170-meter-long RO/RO capable of carrying about 170 trailer chassis and 100 passenger cars. The vessel will MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works and is slated for delivery in March 2013.

MHI hopes that this, along with two other promising technologies the company is rolling out, will contribute to expansion of MHI’s engineering business for both new ships and the conversion of existing ships.  The two other technologies include “Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System” (MALS) and a proprietary ballast water treatment system.

History is littered with bridges designed to do the impossible. One example, Euroroute (pictured above), would literally take drivers through the White Cliffs of Dover to an island five miles into the English Channel where a tunnel would bring drivers the twenty remaining miles to France. This bridge designs was never built of course but the dream existed.

Today bridges are being designed that would cast shadows over Euroroute’s proposed span. Here’s what is being planned.

The Bridge Designs

Fehmarn Belt Bridge

Fehmarn Belt Bridge: Germany and Denmark have agreed upon building a 19km long bridge in between the two countries in the Fehmarn Belt region, and in that way shorten the trip between Scandinavia and central Europe. The construction of the bridge will be financed mostly by Denmark, with 4.8 billion euros, and Germany with 800 million Euros. The bridge will have two levels, one for road traffic, and one for rail. The start of construction is expected in 2011, and its opening in 2018. (Source: Javno)

Bering Strait Bridge

Bering Strait Bridge: The 55 mile long bridge across the Bering Strait would connect Asia and North America for the first time since the continents touched each other. At an estimated cost of 15 to 25 billion dollars this proposal is not only expensive but fraught with challenge. Ice breakup after each winter is violent and would destroy normal bridge piers. Specially shaped massive piers along the ocean floor would be needed to keep the bridge stable. (video – Map)

Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge

Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge: Being situated at the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary, is a large sea crossing linking the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province and Macao Special Administrative Region. The functions of the bridge is to meet the demand of passenger and freight land transport among Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macao, to establish a new land transport link between the east and west coasts of the Pearl River, and to enhance the economic and sustainable development in the three places. (Source: Hong Kong Highways Dept.)

Strait of Gibraltar Bridge

Strait of Gibraltar Bridge: One of the great challenges to the bridge and structural engineering profession is the design and construction of a fixed bridge spanning the Strait of Gibraltar. Several engineers have advanced designs for the Gibraltar Bridge on various alignments and with differing structural configurations but it was Professor T.Y. Lin’s proposal that captured the attention of the world. This design is different. With its 14km length, deep piers, and unprecedented 5000 meter spans Lin’s proposed crossing is innovative but, considering an estimated cost of over 15 Billion dollars and the lack of approval for this nearly 10 year old design, we doubt it will ever be built.

Straight Of Gibraltar Island Bridge

Straight Of Gibraltar Island Bridge: Eugene Tsui, a US architect has an alternative idea for the Straight Of Gibraltar, in fact it could become the longest bridge in the world spanning the Strait of Gibraltar and connecting the continents of Europe and Africa. This revolutionary design does not resemble any existing bridge and features an original floating and submerging concept while creating a three mile wide floating island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. From this newly created island a person could view both the European and African continents for the first time in human history. If construction ever begins it will be the biggest architectural project in the world. (Source: tdrinc

The following bridge proposals are in so new that we could not locate any design drawings but you don’t need the drawings to grasp their awesome size:

Sunda Strait Bridge

The Sunda Strait Bridge is a planned road and railway connection between the two Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. After years of discussion and planning, eventually in October 2007 the Indonesian government gave the initial go-ahead for what will become the world’s longest suspension bridge, across the 26km (16mi) Sunda Strait. The $10bn project is for a series of bridges carrying a six lane highway and double track railway traversing three islands. The project’s greatest challenge is the fact that the strait lies in one of the world’s most dangerous earthquake zones. Sumatra is frequently rocked by significant tremors and more than 230,000 people were killed when a 9.0-magnitude quake in December 2004 triggered a tsunami. Many active volcanoes lies in the area, including Krakatoa only 40km away. (Source: Wikipedia – Map)

Qatar Bahrain Friendship Bridge

Look at a map of the world, and Qatar and Bahrain are so close that you would assume there was a ferry crossing between the two gulf countries. In fact, there is no way to enter the country except for a round trip through Saudi. The Bahrain-Qatar bridge, at 40 kilometres long, will be the longest bridge in the world, and it is estimated that it will take over four years to complete. Due to its length, the causeway will not consist of a single bridge but of a number of roads on dams connected by individual bridges, with a central island in the middle of the causeway. The has been planned for many years, but talks and plans have been moving ahead in recent months and work is now planned to start in May 2008. (Source: Qatar Visitor | Feasibility Study)

Millau Bridge

While these bridges are challenging, expensive and some are unlikely to be constructed the most impressive of the bunch is already built! Meet France’s Millau Bridge:

Millau Bridge: Towering 1,125ft above the Tarn Valley in southern France, driving along the Millau Bridge, the largest cable-stayed vehicular bridge in the world, is said to feel like flying. This Foster + Partners marvel is slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower, took three years to build and opened to the public in 2004. While it may provide picturesque views of the valley below, once the mist descends it is not a route for the faint hearted! The Millau Bridge has a total length of 8,071ft with the longest single span at 1,122ft and a maximum clearance below of 886ft; in short the bridge is massively impressive both on paper and in real life. The deck is lofted on 7 pylons and weighs 36,000 tonnes. A series of 7 masts, each 292ft tall and weighing 700 tonnes, are attached to the corresponding pylons. (Source: Frikoo | Construction Photos)

If you were lucky enough to be the owner of a multi-million dollar luxury superyacht, what kind of toys would you want to have on it to show off to your not so lucky friends.  A pair of jet skis? Child’s play.  A nice power boat?  Way too typical.  A heli-pad?  You’re starting to get the picture.  How about a full ocean depth winged submersible?  Now we’re talking.

Hawkes Ocean Technologies is now offering their new Deep Flight Super Falcon for sale to private owners.  The duel cockpit, duel winged, and duel tail fins allow the Super Falcon to literally “fly” underwater for up to five hours at speeds up to 6 knots.  Capable of diving to a depth of 1,500 feet, you can do barrel rolls alongside a school of dolphins while exploring deep unchartered territory.

With Deep Flight, Hawkes Ocean Technologies has successfully engineered the required fundamental advance in the basic way submersibles operate, making the leap from “underwater balloons” (sinkers) to underwater flight, an intrinsically safer, simpler and dramatically more efficient means of moving through the water.

The Deep Flight Super Falcon is the newest vehicle in the Deep Flight series of submersibles and was designed specifically for the superyacht market. Advanced comfort, state-of-the-art control systems and various safety features of the Super Falcon are highly attractive to those that can afford the reported $1.3M price tag.

The first client for the Super Falcon is venture capitalist Tom Perkins, for use on his mega yacht the Maltese Falcon.

A little too rich for your blood? Hawkes Ocean Technologies offers The Deep Flight Sub Sea Aviation School, a 3-day course where you can be trained and licensed to fly a Deep Flight winged submersible, with classes starting this summer.

For more information on the Deep Flight Super Falcon and other submersibles, check out Hawkes Ocean Technologies website or download this brochure (PDF)

More Photos:

Photos courtesy of Hawke Ocean Technologies

Frequently passing under bridges for a living and over them in the family sedan we, like most mariners, have a fascination with bridge design. In fact one of the most popular posts on gCaptain is “The 5 Most Ambitious Bridge Designs Of Today“. Today we bring you a great link from the Bridge and Tunnel Authority of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania titled “A Spotter’s Guide To Bridge Design“. Here’s a preview:

A cantilever is a structural member which projects beyond its support and is supported at only one end. Cantilever bridges are constructed using trusses, beams, or girders. Employing the cantilever principles allows structures to achieve spans longer than simple spans of the same superstructure type. They may also include a suspended span which hangs between the ends of opposing cantilever arms.

Some bridges which appear to be arch type are, in fact, cantilever truss. These may be identified by the diagonal braces which are used in the open spandrel. A true arch bridge relies on vertical members to transfer the load to the arch. Pratt and Warren bracing are among the most commonly used truss types.

The classic cantilever design is the through truss which extends above the deck. Some have trusses which extend both above and below the deck. The truss configuration will vary.

oobject.com brings us this story on 10 of the world largest floating cranes.

10 enormous floating cranes

Aside from their spectacular size, what makes floating cranes unusual and interesting objects is that they are essentially boats. As such, they don’t exactly conjure up the idea of stability, which is the primary requirement for lifting things. They also look weird since boats usually consist of large hulls with smaller superstructure, here the arrangement is reversed making them seem very ungainly. Some of these cranes can lift tens of thousands of tons, at sea, and are engineering wonders.

The Port of New York and New Jersey have recently announced that the raising or replacing of the Bayonne Bridge could be upwards of $2B.  The bridge, which stands 151 ft over the Kill Van Kull at its highest point, is too low for the next generation of massive container ships.  The bridge is the largest obstacle facing growth in the port.  Traffic World Online tells us:

Richard Larrabee, the port authority’s port commerce director, spoke Monday at the bistate port’s 8th Annual Port Industry Day. Earlier estimates had been that the project would cost about $1 billion.

“The Bayonne Bridge is the Number One issue in the port,” Larrabee said. The authority expects to complete a study by next summer on how to replace or raise the bridge, which crosses the channel to container terminals in the Port Newark-Elizabeth complex in New Jersey and New York Container Terminal on Staten Island.

The Port Authority is currently in the midst of a study to decide what is the most efficient way to solve this problem, whether it is raising the height or replacing the bridge, or or building a tunnel under the Kill Van Kull.

The Bayonne Bridge, at 8640 ft, is currently the third longest steel arch bridge in the world and was the longest when it was completed in 1931.  Built by the Port Authority of New York, it was constructed to allow vehicle traffic from Staten Island to reach Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel.

MarineBuzz points us to Norway’s plan to build a One Nautical Mile long tunnel for ships. Reuters tells us:

Norway has drawn up plans to build the world’s first shipping tunnel which would save time and money for vessels passing through a coastal area known for its dangerous seas.

Strong winds, high waves and powerful currents in the area of Stad on the southwest coast of Norway cause long delays while ships wait for calmer conditions.

The tunnel, estimated to cost around $310 million and take five years to build, would cut through a peninsula, saving ships the risky journey around the coastline. Continue Reading…

While the concept isn’t new, France has been building tunnels for barges since the 19th century, this is the first tunnel of it’s size. Head over to Marine Buzz for more photos and information.

A Mobile Offshore Base (MOB), in theory, is a number of independently propelled semisubmersible modules that can be easily deployed to areas in need of military assistance. It’s primary functions would be providing a landing platform for fixed and rotary wing aircraft and stowage and transport of military cargo and personnel.  The size of the base would be virtually unlimited since each module is completely self-sustaining with personnel housing, equipment maintenance functions, cargo space, and logistical support.  An full MOB platform could range from a single module to a number of them.  GlobalSecurity.org tells us about the assembly:

Each module consists of a box-type deck supported by multiple columns on two parallel pontoons. When transiting between operational sites, the module is deballasted and travels with the pontoons on the surface much like a catamaran. When on site, the module is ballasted down so that the pontoons are submerged below the surface wave zone, thereby minimizing the wave-induced dynamic motions. The decks, which store rolling stock and dry cargo, are all located above the wave crests. The columns provide structural support and hydrostatic stability against overturning.

Well, seems like a good idea, but is it a realistic and cost effective solution?

To answer these tough questions, a program was set up in 2000 by the Office of Naval Research that would test the technological feasibility and estimate the cost of such large structures.

The program was able to determine that existing shipyards in the U.S. did have the capabilities to produce MOB’s up to 2 kilometer’s long and cost of such bases would be about $1.5B for a single module, with the entire 2k platform ranging from $5B to $8B.

In 2001, it was finally concluded that while it was technically possible to develop 2 Kilometer long MOB’s, it was not a cost effective solution.  Alternatives such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers were favored.

Looking into the future, given cost-reducing technological advancements, we’ll just have to see if the concept of a Mobile Offshore Base will ever be put into production.

Read the full article from Global Security HERE

These are just a few excerpts of the September 23 press release from Wärtsilä:

Wärtsilä has received major orders for its recently established Wärtsilä Ship Design unit. The orders were received from customers in China, India and Germany. The Ship Design unit was set up following the acquisitions of the ship design companies Vik-Sandvik and Schiffko. The most recent acquisition, the Singaporean based Conan Wu & Associates will also be part of the Ship Design unit.

The orders call for Wärtsilä to design a Deepwater Engineering Survey Vessel, a Multi-Purpose Support Vessel, a Diving Support Vessel, and an Emergency Towing Vessel. Each of these contracts comes as a result of successful bids to design sophisticated tonnage.

Now let’s hear about the vessel’s.

The Deepwater Engineering Survey Vessel design is for China Oilfield Services Ltd, and represents a 4300-dwt vessel capable of drilling operating at deep water for geotechnical surveys and geophysical surveys. To date, most of China’s oil exploration has been in relatively shallow waters, but there is now a need to probe deeper.

The Chinese state-owned Shanghai Salvage Company has ordered its Multi-Purpose Support Vessel design from Wärtsilä in order to carry out year-round tasks along the coastline of China. The key requirement is for multi-purpose flexibility since the vessel will be required to carry out a multitude of different operations, including salvage, offshore engineering services, diving and ROV operations, fire-fighting, anchor handling, ship supply, environmental protection, and route clearing.

The 4500-dwt Diving Support Vessel design has been ordered by India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), and will provide a stable platform for saturation and air-diving operations. In addition to diving operations and construction work, the vessel is to provide field support and will, therefore, be fitted with sophisticated fire-fighting and oil recovery equipment.

In Europe, Wärtsilä has completed an Emergency Towing Vessel design for the German company ARGE Küstenschutz. Because the vessel is intended for North Sea operation, the main criteria in producing this ultra-modern design have been manoeuvrability, and the capability of maintaining position effectively in harsh weather conditions.

You can find the full press release from Wärtsilä HERE.

Gizmodo points us towards the Russian navy’s Zubr Class hovercraft.  Now this is not a new design.  There have been three in service with the Russian Navy since 1988, with 2 more in the Ukraine navy and even more with the Greek navy.

The vessels are designed for military transport with the capacity to carry nearly 130 tons of cargo including multiple tanks, equipment and troops with the unique ability to deploy them directly onto land.  The Zubr can cruise at max speed of 60 knots for 300 miles.

Naval-technology.com tells us about its propulsion systems:

Three upright ring shrouds, housing the air propellers and standing upright at the back of the ship, give the Zubr its distinctive appearance. The four bladed propellers which are provide the ship with a top speed of 60 knots. High-temperature gas turbine engines provide the power to drive the air-cushion blowers and the air propellers. The craft has four blowers model NO-10, fitted with axial operating wheels of 2.5m diameter, to generate the air cushion. The air thrust for movement is powered by three four-bladed, reversible, variable-pitch air propellers, 5.5m in diameter. The air propellers are mounted inside ring shrouds. The Zubr is equipped with two electric power plants. Each power plant has two gas turbine generators, each rated at 100kW. Control of the ship and systems is carried out from a main control station, a central control room and through various remote control panels.

Now let’s take a look at this thing in action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Note:  The Bora is larger, but not considered a true hovercraft since its side structure reaches the water.