This week Steller Systems welcomes Nick Chilvers to the team as a Senior Marine Engineer. Nick is a design and marine engineer with seven years’ experience in the marine industry including four in small boats design. Nick also has extensive experience in the yacht industry as captain, engineer and crew.
Nick joins our growing team in our office in Hamble on the south coast, and will be working on our projects in the surface ship and uncrewed vessel sectors, including on our designs for combatants, amphibious ships and fast craft.
Last week we were delighted to welcome our local MP Siobhan Baillie to Steller Systems Nailsworth office. Siobhan is as passionate as we are about developing skills and experience. She congratulated two of our staff Ali and Michael for their recent completion of the UCL Submarine Design course.
We discussed a lot of the innovative work that we are doing for defence, the skills we develop, our wonderful team and some of the challenges of managing risks in innovative solutions to give our forces the equipment they need and deserve.
Steller Systems is delighted to have joined UKNEST.
Steller Systems’ Managing Director, Rob Skarda, said: “Steller Systems are pleased to have joined UKNEST as we are passionate about providing the capability that the Royal Navy and Royal Marines need. This involves inspiring the next generation to follow STEM careers and head into Naval Engineering, and the enterprise to be an exciting and rewarding place to work. We look forward to getting engaged in making a difference”.
We look forward to helping UKNEST achieve its mission of enabling the UK naval enterprise to be the best in the world through great people, collaboration and superior technology.
Steller Systems’ Managing Director, Rob Skarda, will be presenting at Undersea Defence Technology 2024 at ExCeL London on Tuesday.
Rob’s presentation, “Future Littoral Operations – a Conundrum” will explore current open source threat information and the platform choices that will be available to provide possible solutions in a System of Systems approach.
If you’re visiting UDT then catch Rob’s presentation at 1600 Tuesday April 9th in the Keynote Theatre.
Steller Systems has recently built and trialled a 6m concept demonstrator of our 19m Offshore Insertion Craft. The demonstrator has successfully proven the innovative features of the full-scale craft proving an ocean-going hullform can be capable of providing stern-to landing and quick egress whilst delivering war fighters “fit-to-fight”.
Our 19m Offshore Insertion Craft is designed to be the ultimate multi-role vessel, capable of delivering personnel and equipment over large distances with minimum fatigue. The novel design combined with a large stern ramp and configurable payload area allow the craft to be a high performing, low signature, all-round platform to meet the current and future demands of the littoral combat zone. Developed using HullTune® by Steller Systems, the novel instep hullform delivers maximum offshore performance with minimal draft to allow high-speed extended transits in high seastates with low wading depth.
The demonstrator craft, shown being put through its paces below, was built over the summer by our in-house team here at Steller Systems.
Steller Systems’ groundbreaking hull optimisation solution merges Deep Learning Technology with naval architecture. HullTune® revolutionises ship design by finely adjusting hull shapes to meet specific operational and functional requirements, consequently reducing engine size, build costs, running expenses, and emissions.
This cutting-edge technology offers modules focusing on resistance, intact stability, damage stability, and seakeeping. The core module, HullTune® Resistance, utilises Deep Learning to craft optimal, low-drag hull forms, whilst maintaining payload volume, leading to significant reductions in resistance and operational costs. Recent tests showcased impressive resistance reductions, aligning with industry goals for net-zero shipping.
HullTune® modules extend to intact stability and damage stability, leveraging Deep Learning to maximise stability while minimising design complexity and build costs. For instance, HullTune® Damage Stability optimises bulkhead positions to enhance stability in case of damage, leading to significant savings in build and operational costs.
Moreover, HullTune® Seakeeping ensures optimal seakeeping performance while minimising resistance, addressing various performance areas and mitigating project risks.
Steller Systems’ HullTune® represents a transformative approach to ship design, driving the maritime industry towards sustainability and efficiency. Contact us to learn more.
Steller Systems is excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Navy Leaders Combined Naval Event 2024. The event, which incorporates conferences on Future Surface Fleet, Surface Fleet Technology, Submarine Technology and Underwater Defence & Security, takes place in Farnborough, UK from 21st to 23rd May 2024.
This year’s event is expected to attract more than 1,500 attendees from over 50 countries.
We look forward to welcoming our current and future customers and partners at stand B06.
Join us on a journey where innovation meets precision and let Steller Systems be your partner in the world of naval architecture and marine engineering.
At Steller Systems we take pride in being a leading independent consultancy practice, specialising in solving our clients’ naval architecture and marine engineering problems, delivering robust solutions across the surface ship, submarine, and uncrewed vehicle domains.
Steller Systems is not just a consultancy; it’s a commitment to excellence. Our small yet highly focused team is dedicated to achieving the best results for our customers. As a Corporate Partner of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), we uphold and maintain the highest professional standards.
If you’re attending the Annual Maritime Engineering Conference of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors (RCNC), which starts today in Bristol, then don’t miss Steller Systems’ presentation with BAE Systems at 1530.
Steller Systems’ Alastair Wallace and BAE Systems’ Nicola Paterson will be presenting their paper “Optimising the Future Fleet using Deep Learning Tools” which describes how high-speed computing combined with a subset of Artificial Intelligence called Deep Learning is taking ship design optimisation to new levels in terms of both speed and performance results.
BAE Systems is already harvesting the rewards of this new technology by being able to offer better performing and more affordable ships. A future frigate hull design has been optimised so significantly that the resistance has been reduced by 29% at cruise speed and 22% at top speed allowing smaller engines to be fitted whilst improving stability.
Last week Steller Systems conducted an internal Finite Element Analysis (FEA) training course, run by Steller Systems’ Lester Talbot and Richard Burrows.
Continuous Professional Development is an important principle in Steller Systems, but it also provides an opportunity to engage in some fun interaction between colleagues and a chance to bring staff from Steller Systems’ two offices together, taking advantage of our newly expanded office in Hamble.
The entire session was based on two different vessels which Steller Systems are currently working on, bringing context and real-time application to the tutorial. It also provided an opportunity for invaluable Learning from Experience.
Once the presentation was complete, the team were then assigned a modelling task to create an assembly and apply a specific load to analyse the deflection. This included some additional learning opportunities but primarily served to consolidate the day’s learning.
