Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Kmy News

10 Oct 2003

Kvaerner Masa-Yards Licenses Shipbuilding Atomation

cooperation partner Esab. opened a new era in the shipbuilding process. times have been reduced to zero and no CAD models are needed. technology allows even unmanned production (in night shift). record level arc and utility time ratios have been achieved. resulted in improved and stable quality and productivity. structures, not only for those of cruise ships. Automation Group Oy and Lappeenranta University of Technology. National Technology Agency of Finland. instead of off-line or pre-programmed systems. input from machine vision. components. high productivity and high return on investment. fabrication and sub-assembly.

16 Jun 2004

Aker Yards Signs Residence Ship Contract

Kvaerner Masa-Yards Inc. (KMY), signed a conditional contract with FS Ocean Club Ltd., managed by Ocean Development Group, to design, construct and deliver an approximately 42,500 Gross Ton luxury residential ship to be branded, managed and operated by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. The ship, to be named the M/S Four Seasons, will be approximately 200 meters in length and will feature approximately 100 spacious residences varying from 125 square meters to 320 square meters. "KMY is excited to have the opportunity to work with both Four Seasons and Ocean Development Group on this new project," said Mr. Yrjö Julin, President and CEO, KMY.

12 Dec 2001

KMY Delivers Carnival Pride

MS Carnival Pride, newbuilding no. 500, was delivered to Carnival Corporation at the Kaverner Masa-Yards’ Helsinki shipyard. Carnival Pride is the third cruise ship in a series of new Panama-Max size cruise ships under construction for Carnival Corporation and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Crociere. The first ship in the series, MS Costa Atlantica was delivered in June 2000 and the second ship, MS Carnival Spirit, in April this year. Production began in winter 2000, and the assembly of the hull begun in the covered newbuilding dock the following summer. Carnival Pride was launched in late March this year, after which the cruise ship was transferred to the outfitting quay in front of the yard’s outfitting terminal. The successful sea trials took place in October this year.

15 Jun 2000

Marine Innovations

In extending its adherence to delivering cost-efficient and safety driven technologies, DNV has introduced a new means of quickly and accurately determining steel thickness can speed ship surveys. It is especially valuable in inspecting old and corroded steelwork. Present-day methods, based on ultrasonic thickness measurements, are said to have dubious reliability on heavily corroded plates, and for large vessels are also considered too slow. The basic technological challenge was to transmit 100 percent of the signal energy through corroded steel plates, and receive and interpret the reflected signal to give an accurate thickness measurement. The basic principles of the new measuring method (half-wave resonance) have been known for 40 years.

03 Aug 2000

Passenger Vessels With Pedigrees

Italian prowess in the field of passenger vessel design, outfitting and technology is near legendary status in the international marine community. Even as the grip on these high-value, niche vessels loosens — largely due to cost-cutting competition from the Far East — a quick peak a the world orderbook and recent deliveries of cruise ships quickly tells who currently reigns supreme in the cruise shipping market. Evidence of Italian influence in the passenger vessel segment is undeniable, and over the years the country's shipbuilders have catered to some of the world's most discerning and quality demanding customers, such as U.S.-based Disney Cruise Line.

03 Aug 2000

Behemoth in the Offing?

Attuned to the liner shipping industry's unerring drive for economies of scale, classification society Lloyd's Register (LR) has developed a conceptual design of container vessel incorporating a 12,500-TEU capacity. Although some 55-60 percent greater in slot capacity than the biggest cellular vessels ordered to date, the envisaged Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS) would be able to transit the Suez Canal and access key ports. LR considers that there are no insurmountable technical challenges to vessels of 12,500 TEU, and believes that it is only a matter of time before such tonnage makes its appearance in deep sea trade. The next five to 10 years could see the uptake of the envisaged new breed of behemoths by the container shipping industry.

03 May 2001

Carnival's New Spirit

The latest testament to Finnish cruise ship building prowess is embodied in the recently delivered Carnival Spirit, a ship that will become well-known not only for what it contains within, but for what it does not let out. Carnival Spirit, newbuilding no. 499, was built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards' Helsinki New Shipyard for Carnival Cruise Lines, and is the second ship in a series of "Panamax-Max" size ship. (The first, Costa Atlantica for Costa Crociere, was delivered in June 2000). Interestingly, the ship is unique because of its similarity to other vessels. The joint development of the Spirit-class series actually started in the mid-1990s, with KMY presenting its "Project 8000" vision to Carnival in 1994.

09 Jul 2001

Podded Propulsion Goes Beyond the Cruise Realm

Compelling design and operational arguments in favor of podded electric drives can be expected to transcend any negative impressions formed from the recent clutch of problems and complications experienced with such systems in certain cruise ship and ferry applications. Experience has shown that technical innovation in the maritime field has invariably been accompanied by early setbacks in some shape or form. In an industry where conservatism is the order of the day, and understandably so where assets are subjected to the rigors of the elements as well as the vicissitudes of the markets, those operators willing to be the standard bearers with new technology provide a beacon for the wider maritime community.

01 Sep 1999

Podded Propulsors Gain Wider Acceptance

The growing uptake of integral electric-driven, podded propulsors in the most capital-intensive sector of the cruise shipping industry, has forever altered the established position of conventional propulsion systems in an important segment of the market. Having established a foothold in the offshore sector, the concept will no doubt find increasing application with the next upswing in investment by the offshore oil and gas industry. Once conservatism has been overcome in various quarters of the shipping business, and once the net acquisition costs of such systems reach more acceptable levels for a broader band of the shipowning community, usage of the technology will no doubt spread to other spheres.

29 Nov 1999

The Eagle Has Flown: Royal Caribbean's Voyager Of The Seas Raises The Bar For The Cruise Industry

Slipping out through the Finnish archipelago on a Sunday morning at the end of October, Voyager of the Seas cut a figure of unprecedented scale in the passenger ship sector, symbolizing both the surging growth in the cruise market and the fertility of the Finnish maritime technology cluster. The 137,200-gt cruise ship, whose towering superstructure and an air draught of 208-ft. (63.5-m) belies a relatively tender draft of just over 28-ft. (8.8-m), marks a new highpoint in the industry's unerring endeavors to foster long-term sustainable business development in the seagoing leisure sector. Although the shipbuilding price from Kvaerner Masa-Yards was around $500 million…

07 Dec 1999

Great Ship - Voyager of the Seas

Slipping out through the Finnish archipelago on a Sunday morning at the end of October, Voyager of the Seas cut a figure of unprecedented scale in the passenger ship sector, symbolizing both the surging growth in the cruise market and the fertility of the Finnish maritime technology cluster. The 137,200-gt cruise ship, whose towering superstructure and an air draft of 208-ft. (63.5-m) belies a relatively tender draft of just over 28-ft. (8.8-m), marks a new highpoint in the industry's unerring endeavors to foster long-term sustainable business development in the seagoing leisure sector. Although the shipbuilding price from Kvaerner Masa-Yards was around $500 million…

29 Feb 2000

KMY Wins Two-Ship Order From RCL

Kvaerner Masa Yards won a $1.09 billion contract to build two ships for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). The Eagle-type cruise ships are scheduled to be ready for delivery in 2002 and 2003. "The intentional agreement has been signed under the conditions that the yard can finance construction of the ships," Kvaerner said. "Even though Kvaerner has decided to pull out of shipbuilding and concentrate its operations in other fields -- and the process to find a new ownership structure for Kvaerner Masa Yards is ongoing-- we welcome the deal," Kvaerner Chief Executive Kjell Almskog said. Almskog said the deal boosted the yard's current order book to 19.9 billion crowns from 10.8 billion crowns.

03 Feb 2000

Finnish Innovation Ascends New Heights

The Finnish shipbuilding industry has been in a state of flux for much of 1999 and entering 2000, with the Kvaerner shipbuilding pullout dominating the headlines. But while the search for new owners of the company's yards in Finland has kept the boardrooms busy, the business of pulling in valuable new orders to keep the facilities busy and building top-quality ships has not missed a step. The big and modern shipyards in Helsinki and Turku are world-renowned for the production of high-value, technically advanced ships, and this reputation and accrued expertise will surely remain well after the Kvaerner nameplate comes down. Whereas Kvaerner's exit from shipbuilding has been top news throughout the year, foreign investment and ownership within Finland is hardly a new topic.