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Rigged News

06 Dec 2023

Paris MoU Trials New Inspection Strategy

Source: Paris MoU

From July 10 to August 9, 2023, the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control conducted a Focused Inspection Campaign on pilot transfer arrangements.The campaign was part of a trial of an alternative approach to the regular Concentrated Inspection Campaigns by conducting several short, targeted inspection campaigns referred to as Focused Inspection Campaigns. In the coming months more such campaigns are scheduled. After completion of the trials, the results…

05 Sep 2023

Repairs to Carrier's Anchor Windlass Completed in Record Time

Sailors aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) complete work on the carrier's anchor during an availability in 2015 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Kofonow)

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees and ship’s force worked together to repair the anchor windlass on USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in about a third of the time it took previously.The anchor windlass is comprised of motors, gears and other parts responsible for the controlled lowering and raising of the chain and anchor, which can weigh up to 200,000 pounds on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. It's a difficult job that requires much planning and complicated execution.According to Shawn Carragher and Zac Malone…

21 Aug 2023

The Internet is Not As Useful As We May Think

Image courtesy Martin & Ottaway

I was discussing torsional stiffness in ship’s hulls with one of our intern engineers and pointed out a torsional stiffness problem with a certain hull design section since it could not inscribe a decent sized circle.I expected it to be a comment that would be confusing to a young engineer and proceeded to explain that torsional stiffness is related to gyradius which is powerfully related to radius and radius is related to circles. Inherently the stiffest shape in torsion is a…

02 Aug 2023

Port of Klaipeda Orders Fully Electric Waste Collection Tanker

(Image Baltic Workboats)

The Port of Klaipėda has placed an order worth roughly €11 million for the design and construction of a fully electric tanker that will collect waste from other vessels arriving at the port.The project marks the first large collaboration between Baltic Workboats and Western Baltija Shipbuilding, a subsidiary within BLRT Grupp. The 42-m long and 10-m wide tanker will carry up to 400 m3 of liquid waste. The vessel will have a fully electric propulsion system with 2,000 kWh of batteries installed on board, meaning she can sail at 8 knots continuously for 8 hours without charging.

01 Aug 2023

Keel Laid for Young Endeavour II

Source: Young Endeavour

Construction of Young Endeavour II has officially commenced at the Birdon shipyard in Port Macquarie, Australia.The Australian Commonwealth Government has ordered the vessel to replace the brigantine Sail Training Ship (STS) Young Endeavour. This vessel is now 35 years old and has been delivering sail training voyages in Australia since 1988.The new sail training ship, to be built over the next three years, will be a barquentine rig, with square sails rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft sails rigged on the fore…

18 Jul 2023

MAIB Concerned Pilot Ladder Incidents are Under-Reported

© Matvejs / Adobe Stock

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its 2022 annual report which includes details of its investigation into pilot ladder safety.The MAIB canvassed 105 UK Competent Harbour Authorities, and this revealed that almost 700 marine pilots conducted over 96,000 transfers underway using a pilot ladder, during which there were over 400 incidents or accidents.Just over half of these were reported to the MAIB, the most serious of which resulted in the pilot suffering…

15 Jun 2023

Everett Ship Repair Completes Refrigeration Refit on the MV Excellence

(Photo: Everett Ship Repair)

Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair said it recently completed hull repairs and upgrades of the MV Excellence, a steel-hulled mothership processing vessel built in the 1970s in Japan. The vessel, measuring 367.5 feet in length and 56 feet in width, is undergoing extensive upgrades to the onboard ammonia-based refrigeration system. The modernization of this system will provide additional refrigeration capacity to the vessel, without an increase in power demand.The new refrigeration equipment was installed in a large opening cut below the waterline, necessitating drydocking.

24 May 2023

Tall Ship Topples Over in Drydock

(Photo: Bark EUROPA)

A 112-year-old tall ship has toppled over during a drydock maintenance period in South Africa.The Netherlands-registered Europa fell over during an attempt to transfer the steel-hulled barque back into the water from drydock at a Cape Town ship repair facility, leaving one crewmember with minor injuries."The injured sailor is receiving the necessary medical care and is doing well, given the circumstances," the ship's operator Bark Europa said. "He is currently in stable condition…

22 Mar 2022

Eye on Maritime Design: Can Wind Propulsion Work by Keeping it Simple?

Copyright evannovostro/AdobeStock

While it is starting to look like some clever wind/power sail technologies are starting to appear, too often I have looked at the cargo cranes of geared bulkers and wondered if it makes sense to rig some sort of sail on them.I think the fancier approaches fight the “build a little, test a little, learn a lot” engineering maxim in new technology development, and maybe doing more simple stuff may be a better way to achieve lasting results quicker.A recent conversation with a sustainable propulsion advocate compelled me to run a few numbers.I found a bulker with a GA for a 2010 era 25…

13 Jan 2022

New Guidance Aims to Curb Maritime Pilot Transfer Fatalities

(Photo: ICS)

A guide to maritime pilot transfer safety has been updated amid industry concerns about poorly rigged ladders causing severe injuries or fatalities.The ‘Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements’, produced by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in partnership with the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), features a new section with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s guidance on combination embarkation platform arrangements. Provisions for a ‘trapdoor arrangement’ in combination ladders…

10 Dec 2021

Fishing Boat Design: New Crab Boat from Gaspé Yard

Image courtesy NAVANEX /Cummins

With the regulated catch quotas of contemporary fisheries, design versatility for a fishing boat can be important. A new 19.8 x 7.3-m (65 x 24-ft.) combination crab trap and groundfish trawler designed by NAVANEX for building by Chantier Naval Forillon, both of Gaspé, Quebec, Canada is a fine example of this. Owners, Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, anticipate accepting delivery in April of 2022.The steel-hulled vessel will have a raised fo’c’sle design with an aluminum pilot house. When crab fishing, the clear, aft deck will be capable of carrying up to 150 collapsible, 100-pound crab pots.

16 Jul 2021

Sailing Cargo Ship 'Ceiba' Comes to Life in the 'Jungle Shipyard'

Photo courtesy SailCargo Inc.

Danielle Doggett, founder and CEO of SailCargo, updates the project to build  Ceiba, a true sailing cargo ship taking shape in the jungles of Costa Rica.Danielle Doggett and her co-founders have been on a mission since 2014 to prove the viability of truly emission-free shipping courtesy of the construction of its $4.2m flagship Ceiba, a three masted sailing cargo vessel being built in Costa Rica.“The name Ceiba comes from a type of tree, also called the kapok or silk tree and it is recognized by the Mayan people as a spiritual tree that connects this world with the next…

23 Mar 2021

US Navy Recovers Downed Helicopter from Record Ocean Depth

An MH-60S on deck of contracted salvage vessel off the coast of Yokosuka, Japan on March 18, 2021, having just been pulled from the depth of 19,075 ft by NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, (SUPSALV) at the request of the Navy Safety Center to facilitate accident investigation. This depth, a SUPSALV record, achieved using the ROV CURV 21 (painted yellow in background), deep ocean lift line and heave compensated Fly Away Dive System (red equipment behind helicopter). (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy last week retrieved one of its crashed helicopters from 19,075 feet below the surface of the North Pacific, setting a record for the deepest aircraft recovery at sea.The helicopter, a twin engine Sikorsky Seahawk, crashed off the coast of Okinawa, Japan last year while operating from the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). The air crew was able to escape the MH-60S before it sank and no lives were lost in the accident.Responding to a U.S. Pacific Command Fleet request…

31 Jul 2020

Sea Cloud's New Tall Ship is Taking Shape

(Photo: Sea Cloud Cruises)

Sea Cloud Cruises' third tall ship, Sea Cloud Spirit, is taking shape in Vigo, Spain. Interior outfitting is underway as specialists from the Polish shipbuilding company Chorén have erected the approximately 54-meter-high aft mast for the 138-meter-long, three-masted sailing ship due to enter service later this year. Raising the aft mast is an important prerequisite for the completion of the Sea Cloud Spirit, says Daniel Schäfer, Managing Director of Hamburg-based Sea Cloud Cruises The mizzenmast not only carries the sails…

02 Jun 2020

US Sanctions Four Shipping Firms for Transporting Venezuelan Oil

© Fotos von Schiffen / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday said it had sanctioned four shipping firms for transporting Venezuelan oil, the latest escalation in Washington's effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro by cutting off the OPEC nation's crude exports.Marshall Islands-based Afranav Maritime Ltd, Adamant Maritime Ltd and Sanibel Shiptrade Ltd, as well as Greece-based Seacomber Ltd, all own tankers that lifted Venezuelan oil between February and April of this year, the Treasury Department said."These companies are transporting oil that was effectively stolen from the Venezuelan people…

24 Jun 2020

Fourth Iranian Tanker Docks in Venezuela

The Venezuelan navy said it escorted a fourth tanker bringing Iranian fuel through its waters on Thursday, while the United States called the shipments to the gasoline-starved country a distraction from problems facing President Nicolas Maduro.The oil industries of Iran and Venezuela are both under U.S. sanctions. Iran is providing its fellow OPEC member up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components to help ease an acute shortage, the result of the near-complete breakdown in its refining network as well as the sanctions.Washington has said it is weighing a response to the shipments.Venezuela's military has escorted each tanker through its exclusive economic zone.

26 May 2020

Eye on Design: A Titanium USS Enterprise (NCC-1701 that is)

Revenue Cutter Bear before WWI. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Dennis Bryant provided a link to a story about the USCG Cutter Bear in his March 18, 2020 newsletter. It is a great story about a great ship with a great Captain (Michael Healy) and a great crew. It shows that the right combination of ship and crew can perform miracles.This one ship, its Captain (and his wife who often shipped with him), and its crew did so many things so well that it has become the stuff of legends. I will not further discuss these adventures; some can be found in the article and the rest can be easily Googled.

16 Jan 2020

Subsea Robots in the Splash Zone

New model tool: the iCon inspection robot searches for cracks. CREDIT: OceanTech

From their base deep within a former World War II U-boat pen, Norwegian outfit, OceanTech, is developing a set of robot tools that cling to offshore structures in order to effect inspection, maintenance and repair, or IMR. Old submarine anchorages are now subsea testing and training sites, but the North Sea is still the target. Hundreds of aging platforms and subsea structures require IMR that’s too costly, complex or hazardous for divers or remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs.As he walks us through Dora II…

15 Aug 2019

SeaBird Faces Delays in Seismic Surveys

SeaBird Exploration, a global provider of marine 2D and 3D seismic data and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry, has estimated that its ongoing seismic surveys in West Africa and Americas will both be completed about two months later than originally planned.The the ongoing niche 3D survey in West Africa utilizing the “Nordic Explorer” and a 2D survey in the Americas employing the “Harrier Explorer” are rigged with the ”Digistreamer” technology and both surveys are affected by difficulties with availability and lead-time of select seismic streamer equipment parts relating to this technology.This includes a significant increase in the repair period for streamer sections compared to historic experience caused by the service offering…

17 Jul 2019

Interview: Douglas Prothero, CEO, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Douglas Prothero, CEO, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Photo credit: The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection

As privately owned, luxury yachts near the size of the average cruise ship, behold a new option, which is anything but commonplace: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. At 624 feet and 11 decks, her exterior profile resembles a sleek superyacht design, not a cruise ship on the horizon. Launched in October 2018 at Hijos de J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the flagship of the new brand is now in outfitting and interior finishing. The project was co-managed by The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Marriott and Tillberg Design of Sweden.

23 May 2019

Catching Cruise Off-Guard: Norway’s zero-emissions fjord cruises

Sail, solar … and battery power: a frontrunning design for n fjord-going, zero-emissions cruise ship. CREDIT: NCE Maritime CleanTech

Norway on Jan. 1, 2026, will begin a ban on cruise ships powering through the Unesco-listed heritage fjords on anything but zero-emissions propulsion. For now, that means battery power, but few of the 190 cruise ship calls to these fjords are made with that kind of electro-chemical fuel on board. From now until 2026, you can still cruise the fjords on a closed-loop, or in-line, scrubber system, but few cruise ships have these installed. The new rules mean cruising elsewhere, finding…

12 Apr 2019

SeaBird to Buy BOA Offshore Vessels

Norwegian seismic acquisition company SeaBird Exploration said  it is in an exclusive process to acquire the seismic vessels BOA Galatea and BOA Thalassa owned by BOA Offshore in a transaction which values the vessels at NOK 185 million ($22 million).The BOA Vessels are well suited for source and 2D operations, as well as EM seabed logging, for which BOA Thalassa is currently contracted with EMGS ASA until September 2019 with options for EMGS ASA to extend for three periods of six months each.In order to finance the acquisition of the BOA Vessels, as well as to finance an upgrade of BOA Galatea to high end 2D / source capability, the Company is contemplating a private placement of new shares  in the Company raising gross proceeds of minimum NOK 225 million and maximum of NOK 250 million.

28 Mar 2019

Queens of the Oceans Come for Hamburg's Port Anniversary

Four magnificent tall ships  will come to Hamburg for the 830th Hamburg Port Anniversary from 10 to 12 May – Alexander von Humboldt II, Kruzenshtern, Sedov and Mir.The Queens of the oceans will participate in the grand arrival and departure parades in the heart of the city, on the Friday and Sunday respectively, and invite visitors to look around on board, said a press release from Germany's largest port.Alongside these amazing tall ships, the Hamburg Port Anniversary will be a meeting place for some 300 vessels of all kinds, including many classic sailing vessels that will also be open to visitors.The Alexander von Humboldt II is currently Germany’s largest operational sail training ship, with length overall 66 metres.

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