View non-flash version
Buying Into The Future: U.S. Industry Changing To Compete But the real benefit, he believes, is the program's focus on commer- cially viable products. "(With this project) we're not focused on build- ing a product for the government; we are building a product for the commercial market which also fits the government's needs." WEMD Takes Two TRP Awards The Westinghouse Electro-Me- chanical Division (WEMD) was the first privately owned design and manufacturing facility devoted ex- clusively to the production of criti- cal components for nuclear reac- tors. Formed in 1952, the division is fully owned and operated by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, in Cheswick, Pa. The initial focus of the facility was to provide reactor main coolant pumps with integral motors for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. WEMD sup- plied the main coolant pumps for the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the U.S.S. Nautilus. ARPA received more than 80 pro- posals addressing shipbuilding and provided five awards. Of these five awards for the shipbuilding indus- trial infrastructure category, WEMD received two: Development of the Submerged Electric Cargo Pumping System, and Demonstra- tion of the Integral Motor/Propeller Propulsion system for commercial ships. According to WEMD, a sub- merged electric drive pump would be a major step forward in liquid cargo handling technology for prod- uct tankers and liquid chemical car- riers. The critical issue of opera- tional safety has been thoroughly addressed in the design. The WEMD concept has received positive feed- back from shipyards, ship opera- tors, maritime architects and con- sultants. The WEMD Submerged Electric Drive cargo pump would be a direct substitute for either of the currently available technologies: submerged hydraulic pumps or deck-mounted electric deep well pumps. The de- sign was conceived to provide ad- vantages, including: eliminating the hydraulic power supply and high-pressure deck manifold of the submerged hydraulic system, and eliminating the long shaft and mul- tiple bearings of the deck-mounted electrical system. Foreign Partnerships: importing Technology = Exporting Ships The Maritime Administration has entered into a cooperative agree- ment with Bath Iron Works (BIW) to develop the capability to construct competitive ships for export. The two-year, $13.9 million project is in essence designed to transfer man- agement and production process technologies to create a globally com- petitive shipyard. Specifically, tech- nologies to be transferred could in- clude computer-aided design and process simulation, advanced auto- mated fabrication processes, flex- ible automation/robotics, real time measurement systems for process control, production planning, mate- rial control and estimating, and pol- lution abatement. These process technologies, it is maintained, will help improve both production of com- mercial vessels and warships for the U.S. Navy. Of the total $13.9 million cost, the government will provide up to $4.5 million, with Bath Iron Works and its partners contributing $5.7 mil- lion in cash and $3.7 million in in- kind services. Partners in the project include Great American Lines, Inc. and American Automar, Inc. Also participating are Kvaerner Masa- Yards and Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding. The TRP award is just one piece of BIW's attempt to modify technol- ogy, modernize facilities and de- velop human resources to become a competitive commercial ship- builder, according to Joseph Fortin, director of commercial ship- building. According to him, BIW had a five-year plan to commercial- ize before TRP. The primary goal of the program was, and is, to save jobs and retain a skilled workforce. The end goal of the five-year plan is to build RoRo-type ships, said Mr. Fortin, a vessel type chosen be- cause of the complexity factor. "BIW's strength is in our ability to outfit complex ships," he said. The goal at Bath is to be in a position by Now there's a comprehensive way to assess a tanker's hull structural condition, along with its machinery and operating equipment. It's our ABS SafeHulf Condition Assessment Services. Surveyors can cany out an on-board Condition Assessment Survey and Verification of Gaugings to assess the tanker's physical condition. Then, using advanced design criteria and software, an ABS SafeHull Structural Evaluation is performed. This is done to assess real-life dynamic loads. Using the gaugings data and historical trading profile information, identification of critical areas and suggested enhancements are made. AQQ MARINE SERVICES, INC. AN AFFILIATE OF THE AMERICAN BUREAU OF SHIPPING Houston 713 873-2101 Piraeus 30 1 429-3804 London 44 71377-4422 Singapore 65 732-3230 ABS SafeHull Condition Assessment Services help manage the risk of structural failure. They can help lower life cycle maintenance and repair costs. Technological evaluation helps inform underwriters and charterers and may boost resale value. And only ABS SafeHull offers you a technical analysis that incorporates fatigue evaluation as part of a condition assessment service. You can ask for the Condition Assessment Survey, Verification of Gaugings and the ABS SafeHull Structural Evaluation, or just the structural evaluation alone. For more information about ABS SafeHull Condition Assessment Services, contact your nearest ABS Marine Services office. Circle 203 on Reader Service Card May, 1994 23
