A navigational buoy that includes a finned, hollow, transparent, spherical shell that floats on water. A multi-wheeled motor-unit sits inside the shell, and ballast weights attached to the motor unit cause it to rest on the bottom of the shell. A biasing structure attached to the motor unit, lights, and other aspects are included in some embodiments.

A multi-tank/vessel buoyancy system for use in deploying and connecting tendons or other elongate members between subsea anchors and floating/semi-submersible platforms. The vessels are interconnected at axially spaced locations toward their upper ends and lower ends, there being an equalizing system proximate the top ends of the vessels to permit ingress and egress of air into the vessels and a lower water equalizing system to permit free-flowing ingress and egress of water into the vessels. There is at least one clamping system operatively connected to the multi-vessel system, the clamping system, like the valving systems, being remotely, acoustically operable from a PLC on a work barge or the like.

A multi-tank/vessel buoyancy system for use in deploying and connecting tendons or other elongate members between subsea anchors and floating/semi-submersible platforms. The vessels are interconnected at axially spaced locations toward their upper ends and lower ends, there being an equalizing system proximate the top ends of the vessels to permit ingress and egress of air into the vessels and a lower water equalizing system to permit free-flowing ingress and egress of water into the vessels. There is at least one clamping system operatively connected to the multi-vessel system, the clamping system, like the valving systems, being remotely, acoustically operable from a PLC on a work barge or the like.

A life raft system for an aircraft, comprising a storage container; an inflatable life raft that is stored in the storage container in normal operation mode, an inflation device for inflating the inflatable life raft in an emergency mode, and a control unit for activating the inflation device in the emergency mode; wherein the control unit comprises a floatable control buoy with an activation member that is operable for activating the inflation device, wherein the floatable control buoy is provided for operation at a predetermined distance remote from an associated aircraft in an emergency mode.

A life raft system for an aircraft, comprising a storage container; an inflatable life raft that is stored in the storage container in normal operation mode, an inflation device for inflating the inflatable life raft in an emergency mode, and a control unit for activating the inflation device in the emergency mode; wherein the control unit comprises a floatable control buoy with an activation member that is operable for activating the inflation device, wherein the floatable control buoy is provided for operation at a predetermined distance remote from an associated aircraft in an emergency mode.

Artificial-intelligence-based river information system. In an embodiment, a first training dataset is used to train a travel time prediction model to predict a travel time along the waterway for a given trip. In addition, a second training dataset is used to train a river level prediction model to predict a river level along the waterway for a given time. For each of a plurality of trips, a request is received that specifies the trip and a time of the trip, and, in response to the request, the travel time prediction model is used to predict a travel time for the trip, and the river level prediction model is used to predict a river level of the waterway at one or more points along the trip. Then, a voyage plan is generated based on one or both of the predicted travel time and the predicted river level.

Artificial-intelligence-based river information system. In an embodiment, a first training dataset is used to train a travel time prediction model to predict a travel time along the waterway for a given trip. In addition, a second training dataset is used to train a river level prediction model to predict a river level along the waterway for a given time. For each of a plurality of trips, a request is received that specifies the trip and a time of the trip, and, in response to the request, the travel time prediction model is used to predict a travel time for the trip, and the river level prediction model is used to predict a river level of the waterway at one or more points along the trip. Then, a voyage plan is generated based on one or both of the predicted travel time and the predicted river level.

A marine vessel fuel control system may comprise an interface to receive data identifying the vessel and data identifying a voyage to be undertaken by the vessel. The control system may also comprise a memory to store program code to implement a predictive model and parameter values for the model, the values resulting from an optimisation of the model using historical data for marine vessels and voyages. The control system may also comprise a processor arranged to execute the program code to: instantiate the model using the values; supply the data identifying the vessel and the data identifying the voyage to be undertaken to the model; and apply the model to determine a fuel consumption estimate for the vessel for the voyage. A fuel supply system determines an amount of fuel to be supplied to at least one fuel tank of the vessel based on the fuel consumption estimate.

A wingsail for a powered watercraft comprising a first aerofoil element, a second aerofoil element, and a third aerofoil element, wherein each of the aerofoil elements is rotatable about an axis and has an aerofoil section with a centre of area which is closer to its leading edge than its trailing edge, and the aerofoil elements are movable to a configuration in which flow from the trailing edge of one of the first or third element is directed toward the leading edge of the second element, and flow from the trailing edge of the second element is directed toward the leading edge of the other of the first or third element.

A wingsail for a powered watercraft comprising a first aerofoil element, a second aerofoil element, and a third aerofoil element, wherein each of the aerofoil elements is rotatable about an axis and has an aerofoil section with a centre of area which is closer to its leading edge than its trailing edge, and the aerofoil elements are movable to a configuration in which flow from the trailing edge of one of the first or third element is directed toward the leading edge of the second element, and flow from the trailing edge of the second element is directed toward the leading edge of the other of the first or third element.