Robotic Hull Cleaning Advances in Dutch Ports
Recent acceptance to operate in Rotterdam and proof of sustainability claims after more than 500 hull cleaning operations help propel ECOsubsea, the robotic hull cleaning system.The Dutch national regulatory body Rijkswaterstaat gave the Norwegian company the green light to start offering hull cleaning services to vessels at all Dutch Ports including Europe’s biggest port, the Port of Rotterdam, a move that is helping the firm solidify its position in Europe following similar permissions in Antwerp…
BHGE Launches Multimodal Facility in Angola
Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) announced the inauguration of its multimodal facility (MMF) for oil and gas in Luanda, Angola.The facility, with its additional capabilities across multiple product lines, will deliver a suite of products and services across the oil and gas value chain. It will serve as a hub to support customers and projects in Angola and Southern Africa region, and will also serve customers on a global scale.The strategic location for this multipurpose facility puts BHGE in close proximity to serve important projects in the region. This will enable BHGE to provide faster response and mobilization to customer sites, and reduced product and service delivery costs based on economies of scale of a one-stop shop.
Offshore: Ulstein and the First U.S. Built X-Bow
Veteran Norwegian designer and builder Ulstein will, for the first time, build one of its signature X-Bow hull designs in the U.S., Maritime Reporter has learned. Edison Chouest Offshore’s LaShip shipyard in Louisiana is keen to build, and has found a Norwegian partner to share the risk. Judging by ever-evolving Ulstein business models and Jones Act strictures, Ulstein’s U.S. foray could lead to series production of the SX 165 offshore construction vessel. The U.S.-built combined light well-intervention and inspection, maintenance and repair vessel will be the second of the type.
Cruise Ship Technology: Azipod Efficiency Gains 2%
One of the original creators of podded propulsion solutions -- a technology routinely featured on the world's largest cruise ships -- for the maritime market announced another breakthrough which improves efficiency further. ABB reports that recent modifications to its Azipod propulsion unit frame design have seen hydrodynamic efficiency improved by more than two percent. The modifications include a newly optimized Azipod fin shape and a new pod cap structure, called Xtail. The revised fin structure receives water flow from the propeller at a new…
ABB Azipod Efficiency Improved Again
Continuous effort to improve Azipod energy efficiency. ABB, a power and automation technology group, has announced that recent modifications to its Azipod propulsion unit fr ame design have seen hydrodynamic efficiency improved by more than two percent. The modifications include a newly optimized Azipod fin shape and a new pod cap structure, called Xtail. The revised fin structure receives water flow from the propeller at a new, less acute angle, and its new curved design redirects the flow more efficiently.
OSHA Standards Applicable on Uninspected Vessels
There has been much ado over the recent Supreme Court ruling that a commercial uninspected drilling vessel must comply with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards since the vessel was not regulated by under the USCG inspected vessel standards. Those in the know within the industry do not regard this ruling as anything of great consequence, but rather a return to nationally uniform rulings of the law. The case Choa V. Mallard Bay Drilling, Inc. involved an explosion onboard the inland drilling barge RIG 52 in June of 1997. The RIG 52 was in Louisiana waters and was nearing completion of a well when an explosion occurred killing four crewmen and injuring two others.
