Damaged vessels at risk of sinking could soon benefit from a new system being developed by a consortium led by BMT Group, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy.
Using technology originally developed for submarine rescue, the research team is developing a system that can be used in a wide range of maritime applications. These include salvage, emergency sub-division of Ro-Ro ferries, self-righting buoyancy for fishing vessels in the event of capsize and emergency buoyancy to stabilise ships with holed compartments.
The new solution uses Kevlar reinforced balloons that can be rapidly inflated to provide extra buoyancy, expelling water and keeping the vessel afloat until repairs or other emergency measures are implemented. By preventing damaged ships from sinking, the technology could help minimise the risk of major loss of life at sea.
The team consisting of researchers from nine companies spread throughout Europe call the system SUSY (Surfacing System for Ship Recovery) and were inspired by submarine rescue technology from ASTRIUM and ideas proposed by the German firm, BALance Technology Consulting.
"While we may not be ready to raise the 'Titanic', the SUSY project team is developing a system which will allow us to salvage or stabilise damaged vessels more efficiently than we do today," said Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at BMT Group.
"The potential environmental, safety and financial benefits of SUSY are enormous, providing us with the first tools to assess and advise on the impact of using buoyancy systems to stabilise or resurface ships."
The research team at BMT Group secured a EUR2.65 million (US$3.49 million) grant from the European Commission for the consortium to carry out the research.
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