Actual Equipment News

Techcross recently opened the doors for its new training center in Athens, Greece, its 7th training center opened globally in major shipping hubs that offers training on actual equipment.An opening ceremony for the Greece training center, designated as a hub for training in Europe region, was held recently at the newly relocated ARGO NAVIS building. The ceremony was attended by nine representatives, including Park Seog-won, CEO of Techcross, and Ioannis Alevropoulos and Maximous-Ioannis Katsidimas…

It takes a thick skin to live in New York City, let alone to run its Staten Island Ferry service. James C. DeSimone, Deputy Commissioner, Ferry Division, New York City Department of Transportation, has been charged with running the ferry service for the last 16 years. We met with him for his insights on the challenges of keeping the iconic ferry running safely and efficiently.Jim DeSimone has led a maritime life, with his time equally split between the private and public sectors. His maritime affiliation is literally in his blood, as his father Guy J.

When James C. DeSimone, Deputy Commissioner, Ferry Division, New York City Department of Transportation, signed on to run the Staten Island Ferries in 2003, the organization was still in the aftermath of one of the most significant accidents in its history: the ferry Andrew J. Barberi allision of October 2003, an accident which included a number of fatalities and serious injuries. DeSimone, who had long-tenures in both the commercial and public end of the marine business, brought a unique perspective to the organization.“For the city to go outside the system to hire (me) was huge…

In May 2014 National Geographic wrote an in-depth article on shipbreaking operations in Bangladesh where they listed shipbreaking as one of the deadliest professions in the world. The images from these shipyards are well circulated among professionals in the shipping industry. Individuals without personal protective equipment cutting and grinding into a ship that was haphazardly beached and torn asunder by unskilled laborers. Pollution swirl in the nearby tidal area and soot belches into the air. Large sections of ships come careening off endless rows of vessels that litter the beach.

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

Capitalizing on big data is a hot topic within the marine industry, and skilled data scientists are one of the most sought after professionals in the job market. Hardcore data analysis knowledge materializes at expertise centers, where hundreds of ships sailing on the seas of the world are tracked, monitored and supported. Big data combined with analytics and human expertise results in optimized ship lifecycle efficiency – and better performance for marine industry players. Wärtsilä said it believes in the integration of hardware…

Wärtsilä will provide extensive technical support and advisory services for Singapore-based large cutter dredger Cassiopeia V. The five-year Technical Management Agreement includes Dynamic Maintenance Planning (DMP) and is complemented by Advanced Technical Support to ensure the reliability and availability of the vessel. The cooperation between Wärtsilä and Cassiopeia Five Pte Ltd, which owns and operates the vessel Cassiopeia V, began in 2015 with Wärtsilä's Advanced Technical Support. The Advanced Technical Support (ATS) covers extensive proactive technical information, service and advice to the ship crew by a dedicated Wärtsilä Services team. The new agreement expands the partnership between Wärtsilä and Cassiopeia Five Pte Ltd.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract to provide an integrated automation system to handle operations at Victoria International Container Terminal Ltd's (VICT) new terminal in Melbourne, Australia. According to the contract, Kalmar will be responsible for the delivery of the control systems of automatic stacking cranes (ASCs) and AutoShuttles, and terminal logistic system (TLS) as well as for the integration of the system components and terminal operating system (TOS). The value of this new automation contract is approximately EUR 15 million and it has been booked into Cargotec's 2014 fourth quarter order intake. The contract follows an order for 12 ASCs and 11 AutoShuttles received in September 2014. Furthermore, the TOS will be provided by Navis, part of Cargotec.

Two Ro-Ro ferries owned by U.K.-based Condor Ferries are to be retrofitted with Wärtsilä's new AQUARIUS READY ballast water management system (BWMS) solution. The AQUARIUS READY concept has been developed by Wärtsilä to prepare vessels for the fitting of BWMS, while minimizing vessel downtime, thereby enabling more efficient operations. The contract was signed in February 2014 and the final equipment delivery will take place within 12 months from the ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Convention. Preparation work has already been undertaken onboard the ferries.

Two Ro-Ro ferries owned by UK based Condor Ferries are to be retrofitted with Wärtsilä's new AQUARIUS READY ballast water management system (BWMS) solution. The AQUARIUS READY concept has been developed by Wärtsilä to prepare vessels for the fitting of BWMS, while minimising vessel downtime, thereby enabling more efficient operations. The actual equipment installation and commissioning will take place at a time convenient to the owners following ratification of the IMO Convention. Preparation work has already been undertaken onboard the ferries.

Safebridge will show a full working version of its ECDIS familiarisation course at SMM Hamburg. The full working version of the ECDIS familiarisation course will be linked via the web to the Safebridge online server and the original manufacturer’s own software. Having released the first course covering type-specific training on the Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine VisionMaster FT5 in May, Safebridge is now finalising courseware for its other manufacturing partners, which include Raytheon Anschuetz, Transas Marine, JRC, Imtech, ChartWorld, Sam Electronics and 7Cs. The Safebridge courses are true simulation conducted remotely and not using CDs or DVDs, which allow the student to study from anywhere with a good Internet connection.

Fairhaven Shipyards in Bellingham, Washington purchased a barge, Lucky Angel, with the intent of towing it from China to the U.S., refurbishing it and using it as a submersible dry-dock. The 435 ft long by 132 ft wide barge, renamed Faithful Servant, was loaded with an estimated 11,500 m3 – 19,000 m3 of ballast water from unknown Chinese coastal waters. The shipyard faced a dilemma:  conduct an open-sea exchange, easy but risky, or bring the barge into Washington state waters and proactively address aquatic invasive species prior to de-ballasting. They chose the latter.

Schat-Harding has seen offshore sector business boom on the back of a hundred new KISS systems ordered for projects world wide. Examples of recent contracts include six KISS800 boats and FAD 1000 davits and winches for Mexico's Pemex and two KISS boats and davits for Brasil's Petrobras. "KISS has been a huge success," says Hans Martin Hjelmeland, offshore manager for Schat-Harding. "Many offshore contractors want the robust simplicity that KISS offers. "Service and upgrading for the rig market has also been busy recently. We have been chosen for several contracts by Transocean, refurbishing old MCR lifeboats to the latest regulations and also to supply new MCB lifeboats for Transocean's Polar Pioneer and Transocean Artic," explains Hjelmeland.

Over the past six decades, there have been rapid developments in technology and marine operations. These have brought about significant changes in maritime education and training. Six decades ago, maritime education and training was a relatively straightforward process. Upon entry into the merchant marine, an individual served mandatory periods of minimum sea service between progressive grades of license examinations that were conducted by the appropriate licensing authority. Sea service provided the bulk of required practical experience and formed the basis for further instruction ashore. Long sea voyages, long turn-around times, large crews, and extensive apprenticeship and cadet programs all contributed to individuals learning the required practical skills while at sea.

The Port of Marseilles Authority has set up a simulator-based international training center in Fos for crane and equipment operators handling cargo such as containers and dry bulks. Responding to internal and external demand for competence training, the facility is currently focused on initial and refresher courses for PMA personnel but will be available to outside clients from next February. Training is largely based on a $2.3m latest generation simulator developed in association with Global-SIM. Featuring eight projectors, a 7-meter screen and an operator’s cabin, the system uses 3D images to replicate working scenarios for various equipment, weather conditions, vessel types and incidents.

As the first two Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) seaframes are taking shape, the first mission packages are being assembled and tested at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Panama City, Fla. LCS will be a reconfigurable, focused-mission ship that employs modular mission packages to counter anti-access threats in the littoral from mines, submarines and small, fast attack boats. “It has a very focused mission in a particular operating environment against very specific threats,” said Capt. Walt Wright, program manager for LCS Mission Modules in the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare. “We’re bringing a large number of individual systems primarily focused on unmanned platforms -- unmanned underwater vehicles…

Beginning in the mid-1980's via a brainstorm session for an innovative electronic charting system, by partners, Fosco Bianchetti and Giuseppe Carnevali, C-MAP has become a force in electronic charting. MR/EN recently traveled to the company's U.S. division, in the heart of historic Cape Cod in Mashpee, Mass. for a firsthand account of how C-MAP compiles its real-time, up-to-the minute charting information. While the advent of electronic charts is a historic shift in marine navigation — C-MAP has grown since those first years in the mid-80s as a leading provider of vector-based electronic charts and charting systems to recreational boaters.

The Aker Kvaerner subsidiary, Maritime Hydraulics AS (MH) in Kristiansand, Norway signed a contract with BP for the delivery of another two complete drilling installations for the ACG Phase 2-project in the Caspian Sea. The contract is worth NOK 250-300 million. The contract was won in international competition. Thunder Horse in the Gulf of Mexico and the ACG Phase 1-project in the Caspian Sea. respectively. of training and service follow-up in Baku, Azerbaijan. BP's drilling operations in the Caspian Sea will entail long term agreements that are very appealing to MH.