Maritime Reporter, June 1993

<BODY> <div> WE'VE JUST ADDED A FEW EXTRA POUNDS. The ALABAMA has a lifting capacity of 250,000 DWT or 50,000 tons displacement. • Normal maximum draft over six-foot keel blocks is 32 feet. • The Alabama has an overall length of 853' and a clear width of 164' between wingwalls. • Located in the Central Gulf Coast of the U.S.A. • Quality Workmanship • Cost Effective Performance. • On-Time Delivery • Fully Equipped Shops • Full Service Piers. • In Addition to the ALABAMA - A Dry Dock of 15,800 tons Capacity. • Over 5,000 feet of Berthing Piers for Dockside Work. Atlantic Marine, Inc.-Mobile P.O. BOX 3202 • MOBILE, ALABAMA 36652 PHONE: (205) 690-7100 • FAX: (205) 690-7200 Committed to Excellence. Diesel Diagnostic System Introduced By Macsea Macsea Ltd. of Stonington, Conn has announced the availability o DEXTER (Diesel Expert Test Engi neering Reasoner), an advanced ex- pert diagnostic system for improv- ing diesel engine performance and reliability. The PC-based computer system is designed to troubleshoot many diesel engine operating prob- lems without the need for open physi- cal inspections. DEXTER is the outgrowth of a five-year research and development project with the U.S. Maritime Ad- ministration and American Presi- dent Lines involving the application of artificial intelligence technology to engine diagnostics. Subsequent to the research, Macsea developed a commercial version of the diagnos- tic system and has recently begun marketing it to the marine industry. DEXTER's primary function is to determine the root cause of alarm conditions, thereby assisting the engine operator in taking necessary corrective actions. Its built-in diag- nostic functions conduct on-line en- gine measurements, evaluate engine performance, identify probable rea- sons for abnormal conditions, and suggest appropriate corrective main- tenance actions. The system also conducts automatic trending analy- sis on all monitored engine mea- surements and is able to predict future alarm conditions and prob- able engine problems. For more information on DEXTER from Macsea Ltd., 89 Circle 194 on Reader Service Card Circle 48 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News IMSA Provides Technical Support For Marine Designers The International Marine Soft- ware Associates (IMSA), formed in 1991, is an association to help ma- rine designers with technical sup- port on software. First presented to the 1991 SNAME Marine Computers Sym- posium, the IMSA Definition File (IDF), which is an ASCII-based stan- dard offering a unique solution for passing hull-related data between cross-platform and cross-product environments, has since been adopted by commercial marine soft- ware developers and end-users from around the world, such as the U.S. Navy, the Canadian Defense Dept., Draper Labs, Northstar Software and others. IMSA is currently composed of five companies, including HydroComp, Inc. of Durham, N.H.; Design Systems & Services, Inc., of Annapolis, Md.; Creative Systems, Inc.; Albacore Research Ltd.; and Ross-McNatt Naval Architects. Bender Shipbuilding of Mobile, Ala. has built a computer system based on IMSA software, Macola and in-house programming. "My relationship with the IMSA compa- nies are really more comprehensive than just as software suppliers," said Joseph H. Comer, design group manager at Bender. "They h been 110 percent responsive to s port and are eager to provide cus1 options and improvements wh other companies would not even knowledge the possibility." Established in 1982, HydroCoi Inc. is a leader in applied propuls design software. Its principal pr uct, called NavCad, is a compreh sive program for resistance and p< ering, and propeller calculations Design Systems & Services, I has provided naval architectu design and analysis tools to mc than 125 users in government a industry since 1983. Its prime product, Fast Ship, has been adopt by the U.S. Navy as the surfa modeling tool of choice. Creative Systems, founded 1972, was established to impro the efficiency and accuracy of stab ity calculations available to nav architects. Development began wi a product known as SCEND. Albacore Research Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, was e tablished in 1990 and now conduc its own research and developmen maintaining close affiliation wit the University of Victoria. For more information on IMSA Circle 43 on Reader Service Card </div> <span id="lblContents"></span> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.digitalwavepublishing.com/" title="Digital Magazine">Digital Wave Publishing</a> </BODY>