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Since ocean travel first began, the vision of stability in high seas, and high speed ocean transportation, has been the dream of maritime engineers, merchants and sailors. This dream has persisted ,to elude the designer, facing the formidable sea states of wind and storm, and the many other factors, such as fuel efficiency, metallurgy, mechanical stresses and load demands. Ships today, still travel at similar speeds, as they did in the times of Christopher Columbus. Even the most sophisticated cruise ships today, such as the Song of America, cruise at a respectable 22 knots in low sea-states; however, when in a Bueafort sea-state of just five or six, the ship must slow down, considerably. Of course, the same is true for cargo and freight ships, leading to transport times of weeks, and even months, to reach a destination port.
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Some 14 years ago, a designer in California, pondered this problem, while looking into an ocean bay, near Seattle. He watched a free floating cut timber (log) remain stable, in this windy, white capped sea. The log was two or three times as long as the waves, and the waves simply went over the log; no pitch, no roll, no heave. This began many years of research, math models, designs, computer analyses, and the construction of test models. One such operating, 600 pound, 27' long, 3/16"scale model, has survived the development program, and remains in storage today. Every step of the research and development work, has been verified by outside engineers, technicians, and a national Naval Architecture and Engineering firm. Designs were virtually tested, through "7-seas computer" simulations, as early as 1986, for every conceivable stress, at every possible speed and heading; the results only got better, and more refined. This technology was named H.A.R.T.H. (High Aspect Ratio Twin Hull), and is often shortened to simply, HARTHtm. The HARTH technology was completed in 1999 at a cost of 2.8 million dollars, from investment of 18 private party principals. Currently, as of the year 2000, investment totals 3.3 million U.S. dollars. The company formed to accomplish the research, demonstration, and partnership commercialization, is the Hydro-Lancetm Corporation.
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H.A.R.T.H. CHANGES THE RULES for all ocean surface transportation. With better fuel efficiencies, than any conventional ship, a Hydro-Lance ship will cruise in high sea-states at freeway speeds! What's more, there is little, if any (maximum + 3-5 degrees), of roll, no pitch or heave, and only then, in the maximum sea-state rating, given the platform size. Modest sized cruise, or cargo vessels, would be designed for a sea-state 7 or 8, and larger vessels, for stable passage in a sea-state 9-11, though the high speeds of these ships, will always allow the vessel to out run an approaching Hurricane or storm threat.
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The final step, therefore, is here and now; to design, build, and operate, one or more HARTH commercial ships, for operation, and a return on investment, one ship at a time. Accordingly, the purpose of the Company and this web-site, is to begin such a project with the first step; a feasibility study to analyze, a funded customer request, for a specific mission, and application operation. Conversions of certain existing ships, are now being considered, as the first step, since some construction cost savings could be realized. A customer feasibility form is on the following linked page, and will assist us, with customer/partner specifications, that will match the mission of a taraget market analyses. If you, or your company, has such interest, then please GO TO THE FORM and provide us, with this information.
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WHAT COMES NEXT, AFTER THE FORM IS FILLED OUT, AND SENT TO US?
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Proper design of a customer market specific, Hydro-Lance vessel will first require a feasibility study, as the very rules of sea travel, have been redefined. Specific interest has already been expressed, for the construction of several passenger fast ferry ships, one with open casino gaming, dining and observation seating, and another, for the conversion of retiring Boeing 727's, to passenger ferries...each suggested for Pacific Ocean and South Pacific duty. Design of any vessel, requires specific configuration; and to do that, all economic and market questions will first, have to be answered. The linked 'form' page denotes such questions to be answered, for any vessel, in order to begin a proper feasibility study, which then becomes the bases for definition, of the ship's appearence, architecture and engineering.
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The freeway cruising speed , of the Hydro-Lance ship, may even suggest, that two smaller vessels are more wisely constructed, than one large ship. For example, the distance from Los Angeles to Honolulu, is approximately 2,300 nautical miles, or approximately 34 hours in a Hydro-Lance ship. Consider, with added horsepower, that such transport time could be reduced even further, to say, 24 hours! That's quite different from the typical five (5) days required, on today's cruise or cargo ships. Instead of one large ship, perhaps two smaller vessels, would increase efficiency , since each ship could make two, or more, round trips per week (four-five total trips). In the later case, would the ship be designed with sleeping facilities, or simply plush reclining seats? Passenger prices may necessarily, have to compete with airlines (and could easily), rather than cruise ship prices. SEE MARKET FERRY STUDY SUMMARY What percentage of the ship, is to be designed for passengers versus cargo or freight, casino gaming or other commerce requirements? This equates to revenue, economics and transport profit, and must first be studied before the specific ship application is designed. Is Honolulu the only destination, or is the ship to go on to Asia? One 22 foot cargo container brings revenue of approximately $3,500, from Japan to California , and is a high volume shipping market. However, the trip back to Japan, or Asia, from the U.S, is a low volume shipping market, and the prices realized, for each container, are different, if not lower.
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The very first step toward ship construction is the feasibility study, which we can be started immediately, upon receiving the customer's need, market study, or a capability specification, payment and authorization. The cost of the feasibility study, is part of architectural and engineering costs, estimated with total costs. Actual total turn-key construction costs, cannot be known, until the architecture and engineering phases are completed. Since the Hydro Lance has approximately 30% more area of skin, ribs, etc., we therefore, know the material and construction costs, of one ship, will have about the same percentage of cost increase (lower in mass modular production), than a conventional ship. However, a four to five times increase of transport speed, and shorter turn-arounds, translates to four or five times the cargo and passengers transported, and revenue amounts, in the same time period, as one conventional ship reached it's first port-of-call. The rules of ocean transport, will have changed forever.
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