This Week In Technology WatchStander Non-Lethal Antipiracy System WatchStander LLC has released an automated system that has

been designed to prevent pirates from boarding ships. This system also records incidents and saves them for transmission to the shipowner for training purposes. This system combines intelligent software with non-lethal counter measures like high resolution radars and other systems used to respond to threats. Ohmsett Training Ohmsett has come together with the Texas A&M National Spill Control School to begin offering Oil Spill Response and Tactic Training, a course designed to develop skills in order to make quick and informed decisions in the event of an oil spill and to assist in the speed of oil spill response. It also provides hands-on spill-response equipment handling and oil recovery training. All of these tactics are taught using full-size equipment and using real oil in the Ohmsett test tank. New LNG Export Ports Several LNG export ports have been have been proposed, but, due to the oil-based nature of the offshore drilling platforms, few have been built. Current LNG import terminals will have to use insane amounts of capital in order to convert them to export terminals. Creating new terminals would be less constraining than trying to retrofit old terminals. Several terminals are at the planning stages, but these facilities would require billions of dollars to be built. However, the money and environmental costs saved in the long run would far outweigh current costs. These terminals are likely to pop up anywhere that has shore- and land-side access as long as the lots also hold the additional space for processing and storage. The idea of these ports shows the possibility of a huge boom that may be experienced. Smart Winches More automation in the winches, which are mainly used on tugboats, helps reduce operator error. These double-drum winches have drums that have 450 of 9 soft line. The Super Series 220 winch has an 18-ton line pull and a line speed of 100 per minute. Both drums feature active heave compensation, which helps to keep a constant tension on the line. The 512 winch features an auto-abort system in the form of a button that must be lifted instead of pushed, making it much harder to accidentally activate the system. Also new to the business is the Auto Tow System for Series 500 winches. This protects the winch from surges. It relieves tension on the towline and brings it back to its original set tension point. It also integrates GPS technology with units on both the barge and the tug. The GPS tells you what the real distance is between the tug and the tow. An alarm alerts if the tug is too close or too far from the barge. If the tow breaks loose, the barge can be easily found using the GPS system. A normal winch often shows a readout on the winch showing the real line pull. However, it does not take into account the turning force. This system now takes the readout and calculates the compound angle, which gives the real turning forces on the tug. If the tug shows that it is about to flip over, the line will abort the barge to save the tug. It also adds another safety level in that the tug helps prevent

over-speeding and reengages the drive as the heat goes down. A tug, because of this, can be put in high-speed maneuvers without the operator having to clutch out or clutch back in. This NexGen system is nearly hands free. The tugs captain can set the brake tension and there is a water-cooled slip break. This system will make it a little bit easier on the gear and rigging. Resources Crowley, Michael. Smart Winches. Work Boat. January 2014: 54-55. Print. Horn, Kevin. Inland Insider: New LNG export ports. Work Boat. January 2014: 14. Print. Ohmsett Training. Marine News. December 2013: 56. Print. WatchStander Non-Lethal Antipiracy System. Marine News. December 2013: 56. Print.