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58 st / March 2016 www.sea-technology.com First All-Electric Ferry in North America Art Anderson Associates and part- ner EESImarine have been developing concepts for an all-electric ferry and are now teaming up to generate funding for the implementation of the concept for Skagit County's Guemes Island-An- acortes passenger and car ferry replace- ment in Washington. Art Anderson Associates proposed to the Skagit County Board of Commis- sioners the all-electric ferry as a viable replacement for their aging ferry, with additional benefts of less lifecycle costs and environmental impacts than a tradi- tional diesel ferry. The Skagit County Board of Commis- sioners signed a resolution directing its Public Works Department to conduct an all-electric ferry feasibility study with Art Anderson Associates. The all-electric ferry being devel- oped will be a practical alternative for operators of shorter-run ferries through- out the world that want to accomplish zero emissions and achieve a reduction in overall costs of operations. It is pro- jected the all-electric ferry will reduce owner costs by up to $170,000 per year and provide an overall breakeven cost after fve years of operation compared to an engine-driven vessel. The vessel's propulsion and power would be supplied by two battery banks using low-maintenance technology. The battery banks can be easily arranged around required structural support, signifcantly simplifying vessel arrange- ments due to the elimination of many engine and fuel support systems. The power system design requires no exotic hull materials or design and can also be used to retroft an existing ves- sel. New all-electric vessel construction costs are estimated at approximately 5 percent more than an engine-driven version. This design concept has the potential to be a true differentiator in the marine industry as an alternative form of vessel propulsion. With demonstrated perfor- mance and future advances in battery technology, this propulsion system can be scalable and ultimately contend with other means of propulsion for cost of construction and operation, and having zero environmental impact. If successful, this project would be the frst all-electric, battery-powered vehicle ferry in North America. Integrated Wireless Charging/ Mooring to be Developed An agreement has been signed be- tween Wärtsilä and Cavotec to jointly develop the world's frst combined in- duction charging and automatic moor- ing concept. Wärtsilä has developed a wireless charging system based on inductive power transfer. Cavotec pro- vides automated mooring systems for various types of vessels, as well as shore power and reel systems. By combin- ing the strengths and expertise of the two companies, an integrated wireless charging/mooring concept is to be de- veloped for use in Wärtsilä's ship de- signs. Wireless charging eliminates the cable connection between the vessel and shore, thereby securing and facili- tating safe connections and disconnec- tions. It also reduces maintenance since wear and tear to physical connection lines is eliminated. Similarly, damage to electrical outlets caused by seawater, snow and ice is also avoided. The new project's integrated system will be capa- ble of transferring more than 1 MW of electrical energy. This is some 300 times more than that of current chargers used by electric cars. APOS Survey Installed On Bibby Offshore Vessel Kongsberg Maritime Ltd., the U.K. division of Kongsberg Maritime, has completed the frst ever APOS Survey installation on Bibby Offshore's long- term charter vessel, the Olympic Bibby. Launched in December, the new APOS Survey operator station enables sur- veyors to leverage the power of Kongs- berg Maritime's HiPAP High Precision Acoustic Positioning system to deliver accurate survey results simultaneously while the HIPAP is still used as a DP po- sition reference. APOS Survey station offers full LBL and SSBL, quicker mobilization times and is designed for both permanent and temporary installation on vessels, negating the mobilization cost and time associated with over-the-side portable transducers. APOS Survey communicates di- rectly with the HiPAP transceiver, which enables the surveyor to operate independently of the bridge. Acoustic interrogations are interleaved or run simultaneously with the DP system updates, without making changes to the vessel's APOS software or installa- tion parameters. With APOS Survey, the surveyor can interface local survey- grade sensors, IMU, gyro and GNSS, set up lever arms and load sound velocity profles independent of the vessel, thus unlocking the full potential of HiPAP for survey operations. DNV GL Acquires Gothia Power Gothia Power, a Swedish power system analysis company, has been acquired by DNV GL. This establishes DNV GL's technical and strategic power system services in the Swedish and Bal- tic energy markets. Gothia Power's 28 power system ex- perts work out of offces in Gothenburg, Malmö, Västerås and Oskarshamn. The company offers advanced analysis and measurements for power production, power transmission and power con- sumption. DNV GL's strategy is to address the energy trilemma of reliability, afford- ability and sustainability in the energy industry, aligned with the technological and business-related opportunities the company sees in the future. Seatronics Reaccreditation as Valeport Calibration Facility Seatronics is the frst to sign up for enhanced accreditation as a supplier of third-party calibrations to the ROV and survey communities globally. The en- hanced accreditation is provided by Va- leport, a U.K. manufacturer of oceano- graphic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrumentation. Seatronics has established calibra- tion facilities in Aberdeen, Singapore and Houston. The original calibration facility was established in Aberdeen in 2003 to manage Seatronics' extensive range of Valeport assets. Since then, the facility has been extended to handle in- creased throughput and to support the growing demands of Seatronics' cus- tomers requiring local third-party cali- brations. Following the success of the operation in Aberdeen, Seatronics rep- licated the facility in Singapore in 2005 and in Houston in 2008. ST marine electronics