Ham News

Dutch dredging contractor Van Oord reports it is carrying out dredging works in the Port of Krishnapatnam, India.The depth of the port channels must be restored after a severe cyclone Michaung caused siltation in the port area. The Port of Krishnapatnam, now owned by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited, selected Van Oord for the project.Van Oord said it is deploying trailing suction hopper dredger HAM 318 to dredge the navigation channel of the port to the required depth…

Aberdeen Harbour Board has awarded two new contracts for the construction of the South Breakwater and Crown Wall, with a total value of £60 million (USD 83,5 million)Dutch marine and offshore contractor Van Oord will act as the principal contractor for the 550-meter-long South Breakwater, and Scottish-based construction firm Beattie FRC will build the concrete Crown Wall along the length of the North Breakwater.Both structures will provide critical protection for vessels and operations within the Harbour expansion, ultimately protecting the port from a one-in-300-year storm.

Dutch-based dredging contractor Van Oord said it  has signed a contract with the U.K.'s Environment Agency to continue to protect the Lincolnshire coast for the next four years.The deal, which continues on the work Van Oord has been undertaking there since 2015, encompasses beach nourishment over the length of 20 kilometers and requires around 400,000 cubic meters of sand each year.Van Oord said it will also be providing technical advice to the Environment Agency in relation to the implementation of their flood risk management strategy.

Around midnight on February 23, Eulalio Bravo, a marine electrician, was dozing in his rack aboard the San Ramon, an oil tanker anchored off the coast of Venezuela.Suddenly, he heard footsteps pounding along the passageway outside. His captain, Jaime Herrera, cried for help."Be still!" an unfamiliar voice ordered.A gun fired.By the time Bravo and eight other shipmates emerged to see what had happened, the captain lay dead, a gunshot in the back of his head. Herrera's stateroom had been pillaged, drawers flung open, his bunk overturned. The killers were gone, as were thousands of dollars the captain kept under lock and key, according to crew members interviewed by Reuters.The murder…

Together with Shell, Van Oord is testing the use of biofuel on its fleet. The biofuel reduces CO2 emissions by more than 40% compared with conventional marine fuel. This test fits in with the ambitions of both parties to reduce the CO2 emissions in the maritime industry. The first pilot will take place during a dredging project in Germany on Van Oord's trailing suction hopper dredger HAM 316.The shipping industry is being faced by major sustainability challenges. By 2050, global shipping will have to emit an average of 50% less CO2 than in 2008.

The electrical capacity of the APM Terminals Barcelona has also been improved, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 600 tonnes per annum, said the international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague.As part of a broader Port of Barcelona’s programme for alternative fuel use, APM Terminals is also working with LNG services provider HAM, technology provider IDIADA and Naturgy Iberia, on a pilot to convert an existing straddle carrier to natural gas.Natural gas burns a lot more cleanly and efficiently than diesel. The straddle carrier’s two 150 kW diesel-based motor engines are currently being converted to natural gas while maintaining the same level of performance.

In just over two weeks, MSC Cruises will christen their newest cruise ship. MSC Seaview. MSC Seaview is the second Seaside class ship from the cruise line. With just 15 days until the Christening of MSC Cruises’ new state-of-the-art flagship MSC Seaview, the leading cruise company in Europe announced  that Michelle Hunziker will host the glamorous event as the Master of Ceremonies in Genoa on June 9th. Born in Switzerland and now a popular star in Italy, the talented actress, TV presenter, model and singer embodies the international spirit of MSC Cruises. Screen-legend and Godmother of all MSC Cruises ships since 2003, Sophia Loren will be present to perform the traditional cutting of the ribbon to name the ship.

British shipyard and engineering company Cammell Laird said it plans to unleash an “aggressive exports drive” in 2017 after one of its busiest years for commercial marine work, which saw it land the biggest shipbuilding project in the U.K. for a generation. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret said the winning of the £150 million contract to build the Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel for the U.K. Government “threw open” a new global market to build a range of high value polar vessels from research to cruise ships.

More than a century after first-class passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic ate grilled mutton chops and custard pudding in an elaborate dining room, the ship's last luncheon menu is expected to fetch up to $70,000 in an online auction, a curator said on Monday. The luxury cruise liner sank in the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. Tuesday marks 30 years since the wreckage of the ship, which had been dubbed unsinkable, was discovered on the ocean floor by a team of researchers.

Subsea Tooling Services (STS)’s new subsea dredging system has ‘exceeded all expectations’ in trails at The Underwater Centre’s Loch Linnhe site at Fort William – moving around one tonne of rocks per minute. The Predator Subsea Dredger, a new concept in the world market, has exceeded all expectations in terms of efficiency and performance having moved nine tonnes of 50-60mm rocks on the seabed in between eight and nine minutes in its trials. The Predator Subsea Dredger, a new concept in the world market, underwent a number of trials while fitted to the Triton XL26 work class ROV used for training and trials at The Underwater Centre’s Loch Linnhe site in Fort William.

AVEVA Marine and AVEVA Bocad software licenses will be deployed in Korean Universities and schools to encourage the ongoing development of the local marine industry. Students will be introduced to the ship design process through hands-on experience with essential engineering and design disciplines. "We welcome AVEVA’s support to bring critical job skills to our students," said Professor TaeWan Kim, Seoul National University. "By working closely and training the professors and teachers on the software…

Damen delivered and installed a new main engine for the stationary dredger RezougYoucef. The cutter suction dredger has been built by De Groot Nijkerk in 1988. It has worked in an Algerian reservoir for quite a while and badly needed an engine overhaul. The entire job has been successfully completed locally by a Damen Field Service Engineer and the crew. TheRezougYoucef is a cutter suction dredger with a discharge pipe diameter of 650 mm. It was built by De Groot Nijkerk in 1988 for a Dutch dredging contractor named HAM for a large Tunisian job. The former De Groot Nijkerk now is part of the Damen Group under the name “Damen Dredging Equipment”; therefore all as-built drawings were available.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it coordinated the rescue of three sailors aboard a sinking sailboat approximately 50 miles south of Balboa, Panama, at approximately 5:23 p.m., Sunday. The sailors, whose vessel was reportedly taking on water for several days, were rescued by the 600-foot motor vessel Glenda Meryl, an AMVER system vessel. Watchstanders from the 11th Coast Guard District rescue coordination center in Alameda, Calif., were notified at approximately 4:15 a.m. Sunday of a distress signal from a U.S.-registered 406 MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) that was traced to the 42-foot Even Star. Search planners contacted the family of the owner who said the vessel had three U.S. citizens aboard and were on a voyage from California to Panama.

Alewijnse Marine Systems performed electrical repairs and modifications on the flexible fallpipe vessel Stornes within a challenging timeframe. The vessel has left Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen after just three weeks of repairs, modifications and the commissioning of its electrical systems by a team of 40 Alewijnse technicians. Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen subcontracted the electrical repairs and modifications to long-standing partner Alewijnse Marine Systems, which has a permanent representation at the shipyard.

By John A. The western African states have said clearly they do not have the naval, coast guard or customs resources to deal with the piracy evident in the Gulf of Guinea. Further, they do not say, but it is clear, they do not have the money to do it. Piracy is now confined to one principal area. But piracy is similar to blood — a little spilled goes a long way. Piracy will spread elsewhere when and if strong emphasis is put on the Gulf of Guinea. Let us look at the hard facts in this hard business.

Subsea UK and OPITO have each been awarded part of a £2million fund aimed at attracting vital new entrants into the industry and helping people to diversify their skills. Scotland’s leading diver training facility, The Underwater Center in Fort William, has also secured a share of The Energy Challenge Fund, set up to help tackle the current skills shortage in the oil and gas industry. The Fund, managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), will support employers’ skills needs to build on the talent pool in Scotland’s burgeoning energy sector. The training is aimed at helping people to gain the qualifications necessary for working in oil and gas, including the subsea sector, as well as renewables and micro-renewables.

Scottish subsea testing and training facility is preferred choice for multi-national companies. A multi-national offshore technology company has chosen a leading subsea testing and training facility in Scotland to test and photograph its latest product, which was launched earlier this week. Cygnus Instruments decided to use subsea trials and training centre, The Underwater Centre, based in Fort William, to test their new metal thickness meter because of its unique replication of offshore facilities that are not available elsewhere.

At 99 million tons, in the first nine months of the year throughput in the Port of Hamburg advanced by around 11 percent. This excellent, above-average result on throughput enabled the Port of Ham-burg to recover market share in competition with the major ports in Northern Europe. Totalling 6.8 million TEU (20-ft standard containers), throughput in Hamburg grew at a double-digit (15.3 percent) rate and hence distinctly faster than in the West ports of Antwerp (up 3.1 percent) and Rotterdam (up 7.7 percent). The upward trend in the Port of Hamburg’s seaborne cargo throughput was also maintained in the third quarter of 2011 with a total throughput of 99 million tons.

In March this year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area was adopted by IMO, the International Maritime Organization. The North American ECA is a key part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Which are the time schedules of upcoming emission regulations? How are marine engine manufacturers preparing for the tighter air emission limits being adopted? Henrik Segercrantz explores.

The Norwegian vessel Kvannøy is the world’s first fishing vessel to benefit from Humid Air Motor technology. Humid Air Motor is abbreviated to HAM. The purse seiner/trawler and factory vessel Kvannøy, which was built in 2002, has an advanced ship design and sophisticated propulsion technology. Examples are a reduction gearbox with two-step PTO, floating frequency, a large PTO/PTH shaft alternator/motor with a power boost function – where auxiliary engine power can be added to the propeller at peak requirements.

The Underwater Centre has picked up a top award at the inaugural Energy North Awards Ceremony held in Inverness, Thursday, September 29. The Centre triumphed in the Best Oil and Gas Industry Service Supplier category. The Best Oil and Gas Industry Service Supplier award recognizes those companies that are involved in the oil and gas industry in the HIE region. The Underwater Centre’s primary focus is on providing industry specific skills and competency training for commercial divers and ROV pilots…

A mammoth trailing suction hopper dredger, built by IHC Holland NV in cooperation with Van de Giessen - du Noord, was launched earlier this year to rave reviews, and was anticipated to be delivered and working this month. The vessel, which joins the company's 16 other trailing suction hopper dredgers, measures 557.7 x 105 ft. (170 x 32 m) and boasts an installed power of 28,500 kW, with a hopper capacity of 23,000 cu. m. and a maximum dredging depth of 364 ft. (111 m) — all numbers which easily rank it as the king of the HAM fleet and make it more powerful and capable by a factor of two. Rotterdam-based HAM is one of the world's leading dredging companies…

The Rev. Michael Hammett, the newest addition to the staff of the Ministry on the River team of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), said that he wants to make a big poster that reads, “Your chaplain is here for you.” After completing a two-week chaplaincy training program in Houston, TX, the Louisiana native began work last month, overseeing a ministry to workers on America’s inland waterways in the lower Mississippi River region. Hammett has worked inside and outside the walls of churches as an ordained United Methodist Church minister for 25 years.