Lloyd's Register is to play a major role in a two year program to test the suitability of bio-diesel for use in powering marine engines  The feasibility study will take place on board the Maersk Line container ship, Maersk Kalmar.

An exhaust gas treatment system that uses water with increased alkalinity is showing impressive results. Singapore-based Ecospec Global Technology Pte Ltd. reports that ABS issued a statement on February 8, 2010 verifying the results of sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) removal from the emissions of a trading 100,000 dwt Aframax tanker installed with the Ecospec CSNOx gas abatement system.

As restrictions on marine fuel sulfur content grow, shipowners are looking more closely at gas scrubbers as an alternative to using low sulfur distillate fuel.

Now fluid handling systems supplier Hamworthy has acquired Krystallon Limited, the company that pioneered the development of gas scrubbers as a commercially viable way to comply with new IMO MARPOL Annex VI regulations on emissions.

Thermoboat of Sydney BC, Canada introduces the line of Powertrain Couplings to the U.S. and Canadian markets. Manufactured by Powertrain Europe AS of Norway, the all-new Powertrain Coupling is used to connect marine transmissions to propeller shafts and can correct shaft-to-transmission misalignment by as much as 8 degrees without the need of a mounting bulkhead. Conventional rubber couplings, by comparison, only allow for .05 degrees of deflection.

In the wake of the tragic Estonia accident, NMD invited the industry to develop new concepts.
Together with Undertun Industrier AS, Koppernæs Brude Safety AS developed a dry-shod evacuation system which also automated the evacuation procedures. The system is released from the bridge and does not require human operators. The maximum capacity per station is 450 persons. The evacuation height is limited to 4,0 meters, which is suitable for conventional ferries and passenger catamarans. To date we have installed more than 100 Kopas evacuation systems on ships in the Norwegian market.

FloScan monitors installed on the car ferry Wenatchee showed that reducing the vessel's speed from 18 knots to 16 knots in off-peak runs between Bainbridge Island and Seattle saved about 1,500 gallons of fuel each day. (Courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation) 
With diesel engine manufacturers focused on keeping pace with ever-tightening emissions standards, talk of fuel efficiency is often lost amid the progress. The reality is that for most vessel operators, the technological gains that have resulted in cleaner emissions have not translated into a reduction in fuel consumption.

Marine Electronics Ltd of Guernsey, U.K., has released some more details of a grounding avoidance sonar installed aboard the 46,803-tonne oil tanker, British Tenacity for BP Shipping earlier this year. The See Echo system was developed by Marine Electronics in cooperation with the ship owner to provide a three-dimensional image of the sea up to one kilometer ahead of the vessel. It is now undergoing a trials program that if successful will result in its installation aboard other ships in the company's substantial fleet.

ZF Marine Group, provider of marine propulsion technology, has added bow thrusters to its pleasure craft product range. The innovative design incorporates counter-rotating propellers in a patented tunnel design which increases efficiency while reducing noise. In addition, the bow thrusters can operate for long periods with heavy duty cycles.

Lifeboat and davit manufacturer Schat-Harding has delivered the world’s largest lifeboats, complete with unique davit systems, to the Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas.

The Oasis of the Seas is equipped with eighteen of Schat-Harding’s unique, 370-person CRV55 lifeboats and LS45 davit systems. The CRV55 has a catamaran hull, which provides excellent sea-keeping capability and maneuverability.

In 2006, Aries Propulsion Research Labs (APR Labs) introduced a new method of propulsion technology labeled Omni-Directional Propulsion (ODP). The method was created by designer Chris B. Hewatt and was first published on the United States Patent and Trade Organization (USPTO) Web site as publication 20060230847.