经济学人301:船舶技术 探索未知之旅

 　　Science and technology

　　科学技术

　　Marine¹ technology

　　船舶技术

　　A voyage of discovery

　　探索未知之旅

　　New technology can make ships more versatile², more efficient and cleaner, too

　　新技术使轮船更万能、更高效、也更环保

　　IN THE days when Norsemen pillaged³ their way around the monasteries⁴ and villages of Europe, Norwegian shipwrights⁵ were at the forefront of naval⁶ architecture.

　　早在北欧人大肆掠夺欧洲的修道院和村庄时 ，挪威的造船工人就已在造船技术方面跻身前列。

　　They still are.

　　现在他们仍然处于世界领先水平。

　　Norway is an important centre of marine innovation and several foreign companies have operations there, too.

　　挪威是重要的船舶创新中心，一些外国公司也在这里设有分公司。

　　One such is the marine division of Rolls-Royce, a British firm, which is collaborating⁷ with Farstad, a shipping⁸ company based in Alesund, and STX OSV, a shipbuilder.

　　其中一家便是劳斯莱斯公司在这里设立的海运部，这家英国公司与总部设在阿雷松德的Farstad航运公司以及STX OSV造船公司都拥有合作关系，

　　The result of their efforts is Far Solitaire, the first of a new class of vessels¹⁰ which bristle¹¹ with novel technology that promises to make shipping safer, cleaner and cheaper.

　　而他们三强通力合作的成果便是远航明珠舰。它是一批新式轮船中第一艘运用大量创新技术的船，这些技术使得船运更安全、更环保/清洁、更低廉。

　　Far Solitaire has been designed as a platform-supply ship for the North Sea's oil and gas industry.

　　远航明珠舰是为了发展北海石油和天然气开采业而设计的一艘平台供给轮船。

　　This means she is not a large vessel⁹.

　　这意味着它的体型并不大。

　　She is 91 metres long, has a deadweight of 5,700 tonnes and cost about 70m.

　　它长91米，载重量为5700公吨，总造价约7000万美元。

　　But some of the innovations she uses should be applicable to vessels of all sizes.

　　但是设计该船时所运用的一些创新技术却适用于任何大小的船只。

　　At the moment she is being fitted out by STX OSV at its Langsten shipyard on Tomrefjord.

　　目前这艘轮船还停泊在Tomrefjord的Langsten造船厂由STX OSV公司完成装配工作。

　　In October she will be delivered to Farstad, who will use her to supply rigs in the region's notoriously heavy seas.

　　今年十月，它将被交付给Farstad公司，该公司会用它在波涛汹涌北海运送钻探设备。

　　Crucially, she has to be able to hold her position while transferring cargoes¹³ that include various noxious¹⁴ materials which are employed in drilling or pumped into wells to improve the process of extraction.

　　最关键的是，它必须在转移货物时保持平稳。这些货物包含了各种有毒物质，将用于钻井或用泵注入油井中以优化石油提取过程。

　　These have to be delivered to and removed from the platforms.

　　它们必须由船只运到钻井平台上，使用完后再运离平台。

　　Such transfers are potentially hazardous¹⁵ for the people involved and for the environment.

　　这种运输过程对参与者以及环境都存在着潜在的危险。

　　One of Far Solitaire's most important innovations is her wave-piercing hull¹⁶. Below the waterline her bow has the bulbous drag-reducing nose that has become a familiar feature of modern ships.

　　远航明珠舰所使用的最重要的一项创新技术就是它的穿浪型船体。该轮船的吃水线下面有一个球形的“大鼻子”用来减少波浪带来的阻力，这对现代轮船来说并不是什么稀奇的特点，

　　Above it, however, things are all new.

　　但它球鼻上方的构造却是十分新鲜。

　　Where a standard ship's bow would have a flat foredeck, Far Solitaire's flows up and over the vessel.

　　按标准结构来说，轮船的船头通常都有一块平坦的前甲板，而远航明珠舰的船头却向上突起，高过船身。

　　This means that instead of riding the waves, as most ships do, she can penetrate¹⁷ them.

　　这意味着与其它的乘浪行驶的轮船不同，远航明珠舰能破浪行驶。

　　That is a crucial change.

　　这是一个十分重要的改变。

　　When a ship rides the waves her engines slow down and then surge as her hull rises and falls.

　　当一艘船乘浪行驶时它的引擎转速会随着船体的上下颠簸而加快或变慢/它的引擎会随着船体的上下颠簸或减速或加速。

　　By piercing the swell¹⁸, Far Solitaire will be able to maintain her engines at a constant speed.

　　远航明珠舰能破开涌动的海浪从而使它的引擎维持常速工作。

　　This will cut fuel consumption, reduce wear and tear, and make life for the crew safer and more comfortable.

　　这一改变能降低轮船的油耗，减少轮船的磨损，同时使船员更加安全舒适。

　　Future shipshape

　　未来新船舶技术

　　Far Solitaire is powered by a conventional diesel-electric system consisting of three engines connected to generators¹⁹ that run electric motors.

　　远航明珠舰由一个传统的柴电推进系统驱动，该系统由三个引擎组成，而这三个引擎又与运行着马达的发电机相连接。

　　The thrusters which those electric motors drive, however, are anything but conventional.

　　但是那些马达所驱动的推进器却远非寻常。

　　The main pair are stern-mounted Azipull propellers²¹. These are similar to the azimuth thrusters already used on some vessels: propellers on pods that can be rotated to push the ship in different directions, making a rudder unnecessary.

　　其中最重要的一对是安装在船尾的Azipull螺旋桨，它们与一些轮船已经在使用的方位推进器有点相似：分离舱上可旋转的螺旋桨能够推动船驶向不同的方向，这样就不必再使用船舵。

　　But the Rolls-Royce Azipull has the propeller²⁰ at the front of the pod rather than the back.

　　但是劳斯莱斯公司将Azipull螺旋桨装在了分离舱的前端而非尾部，

　　That means the propeller operates in a smoother flow of water, which improves efficiency and assists steering²².

　　这意味着螺旋桨能在更平稳的水流中工作，从而提高效率，方便轮船的行驶。

　　This design has been made possible using computational fluid dynamics²³ to perfect the shapes of the blades and pods.

　　设计师通过计算流体力学完善舵叶与分离舱的形状，使得这种设计成为可能。

　　Further control is provided by two bow thrusters. These are propellers mounted in transverse tunnels in the hull, to help position the craft and hold her stable while alongside a rig.

　　其他操控设备还有船首侧推装置，它是安装在船体横向通道中的两个推进器，用来帮助轮船进行定位并在船上装载钻探时保持船体平稳。

　　And there is also an azimuth thruster that can be swung down from the forward part of the hull if an extra push is required.

　　另外在需要额外推力时还有方位推进器可从船体前方摆下。

　　All of these propulsion systems are handled by moving one of the joysticks next to the captain's chair in a bridge with a 360° view that looks more suitable for the starship Enterprise than what is, after all, a souped-up freighter.

　　船长只要移动驾驶室座椅边的操纵杆就能控制这些推进装置，这个拥有360°全方位视角的驾驶室看起来更适合进取号星舰，而不仅仅是普通的货船，因为后者只不过是加了马力的船舶而已。

　　The consequences of moving the joystick can, fortunately, be practised on shore without risk to ship or platform, courtesy of a new 360° bridge simulator in Rolls-Royce's marine-training centre in Alesund.

　　幸好移动操控杆的效果能在阿雷松德船舶训练中心进行试验，劳斯莱斯公司在这里建有一个360°全方位视角的模拟驾驶室，有了岸上的训练就能避免给轮船和钻井平台带来危险。

　　The captain can also call on the assistance of an electronic positioning system that uses a combination of data from satellites, gyrocompasses, and wind and motion sensors²⁴ to operate the thrusters automatically.

　　另外，船长还能从电子定位系统中获取帮助，该系统能结合卫星、回转罗盘、风能和运动传感器三者的数据自动操控推进器。

　　Solid freight is carried on a deck that has an area of 1,020 square metres.

　　固体货物会被安置在一个面积达1020平方米的甲板上，

　　Liquids, meanwhile, are stored below deck in tanks, each of which is fitted with its own pumping system, in order to avoid the risk of mixing substances best kept separate.

　　而液体货物则会被存储在甲板下的液货舱中，每种液体对应相应的抽运系统以避免不宜混合放置的液体搅拌在一起。

　　Borge Nakken, who is in charge of technology and development at Farstad, expects Far Solitaire to use about 40% less fuel than a conventional vessel of the same size that is carrying out similar tasks.

　　Borge Nakken是Farstad公司技术与发展部门的负责人，他预期，在执行相似任务时，远航明珠舰的耗油量将比同样大小的传统型轮船少40%，

　　This is a remarkable²⁵ saving, and although she is a small, specialist vessel, many of her features, particularly the new bow and the more efficient system of propellers, could help reduce fuel consumption and emission²⁶ levels in larger ships as well.

　　其耗油量的减少是十分显著的。尽管远航明珠舰是一艘专用型小轮船，但它的许多性能特别是新的船头以及更加高效的推进器都可以同样利用在大型船只上以减少耗油量与排放量。

　　Stricter regulations on ships' emissions²⁷ are on their way—including, in particular, new controls for vessels in the North Sea and the Baltic, and off the coast of North America.

　　有关部门正在制定更加严格的轮船排放标准，特别是针对北海、波罗的海和北美沿海的船只。

　　That means shipowners who wish to ply¹² these waters will have to stop using bunker fuel to power their vessels because burning it produces too much sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and soot²⁸.

　　这意味着船主想要在这些水域航行就必须停止使用船用燃料油因为它们在燃烧过程中会释放过多的二氧化硫、氮氧化合物和煤烟。

　　That gives extra impetus²⁹ for technology of the sort being tested in Far Solitaire.

　　这给远航明珠舰上所试用的那种新技术的发展带来了额外的推动力。

　　And this time no villages will have to be pillaged to pay for it.

　　而这次，没有村庄会因此再遭受掠夺了。

　　1.collaborate³⁰ with 合作，与敌人合作

　　Stimulate³¹ interaction between segments of the company that traditionally don't connect or collaborate with each other.

　　促进公司中那些传统上来说没有联系与合作的部门的交流。

　　And to collaborate with others on the web.

　　并且与网络上的其他人合作。

　　2.promise to 承诺

　　Last year he campaigned for governor with the promise to shake up state government.

　　去年他凭借要彻底改变州政府现状的承诺参选纽约州州长。

　　France has postponed³² its promise to balance its budget, from 2010 to 2012.

　　法国承诺2010年平衡预算，但现在已经推迟到2012年。

　　3.fit out 供给…以必需品；装配

　　Retail³³, banking³⁴, fit out or relative projects experience.

　　具有零售、银行或相关项目的装修经验。

　　He started to fit out a ship in secret.

　　他偷偷地着手装备一条船。

　　4.pump into 注入，灌输

　　Clip the pump into the bracket.

　　将泵卡入支架。

　　Minutes earlier, he had said taxpayers³⁵ could expect a return on the enormous sums of money the government is planning to pump into banks to ease a credit crisis.

　　在此之前几分钟，他说将从政府计划投入大量的金钱给银行来平息这场危机，纳税人将从这个措施中得到相应的回报。

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

3 pillaged   

v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They are to be pillaged and terrorised in Hitler's fury and revenge. 在希特勒的狂怒和报复下，他们还遭到掠夺和恐怖统治。 来自辞典例句
• They villages were pillaged and their crops destroyed. 他们的村子被抢，他们的庄稼被毁。 来自辞典例句

4 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

5 shipwrights   

n.造船者，修船者( shipwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

10 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

12 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

13 cargoes   

n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负

参考例句：

• This ship embarked cargoes. 这艘船装载货物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The crew lashed cargoes of timber down. 全体船员将木材绑牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 noxious   

adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals.重工业产生的有毒化学品会污染我们的河流。
• Many household products give off noxious fumes.很多家用产品散发有害气体。

15 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

16 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

17 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

18 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

19 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

21 propellers   

n.螺旋桨，推进器( propeller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The water was thrashing and churning about under the propellers. 水在螺旋桨下面打旋、翻滚。 来自辞典例句
• The ship's propellers churned the waves to foam. 轮船的推进器将海浪搅出泡沫。 来自辞典例句

22 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

23 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

24 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

25 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

26 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

27 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

28 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

29 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

30 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

31 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

32 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

33 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

34 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

35 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。