Long Service News

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has presented the next generation of military vessels - the VARD Resilience series.To answer the Norwegian Navy’s demands for the new vessels, VARD has developed VARD Resilience series with a design that meets the request for standardization, modularization, adaptation to the customer's needs and purpose of the vessel.According to Vard, the Resielince series has been designed with a long service life in mind.“One…

Denmark-based marine pump specialist Svanehøj said Wednesday it can now offer a high-pressure pump solution for two-stroke engines as demand for LNG-fueled vessels remains high.The company describes its solution as a compact unit with three combined cold ends designed for optimal flow and longer service intervals.High-pressure LNG engines offer lower fuel consumption and significantly reduced methane slips. This is driving a surge in demand for crucial components for LNG high-pressure fuel supply systems…

The new Orca Class heavy-lift vessels being built at China's Wuhu Shipyard for the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance will be propelled by SCHOTTEL ControllablePropellers (SCP).The four-bladed controllable pitch propellers type SCP 129 will feature an input power of up to 8,810 kW and a propeller diameter of six meters.Jumbo-SAL-Alliance is a commercial joint venture between German shipping company SAL Heavy Lift and Netherlands-based Jumbo Shipping. Their new Orca Class, which includes four firm and two optional vessels…

By now, it is a well-known fact that the marine industry contributes significantly to the greenhouse gasses causing climate change—and the impact is predicted to rise as the demand for shipping by sea increases. Action is needed now, and the majority of ship operators are adopting or planning zero-emission solutions to accommodate upcoming emission reduction targets.A key zero-emission technology that will be a critical enabler for decarbonizing the marine industry—now and in the future—is hydrogen fuel cells.Today…

The Shipowners’ Club, a P&I insurer in the smaller and specialist vessel sector, announced Simon Peacock will take over as CEO in 2023.Current CEO Simon Swallow will be stepping down on May 25, 2023 before starting his retirement on August 3, 2023. The current Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Simon Peacock, will be the incoming CEO on May 25, 2023. Marcus Tarrant, currently Director and Chief Actuary of the Club’s management company, will become the Club’s CFO.Swallow joined the Shipowners’ Club in July 1991 and after a spell as Underwriter he assumed the role of Director of Underwriting.

Scottish ship repair, fabrication and engineering service provider Dales Marine Services on Thursday announced plans to grow its workforce to support its expansion.Mark Massie, HR Manager at Dales Marine, said, "We are pleased to be in a position to market new positions to Dales Marine Services. Attracting candidates for these positions will be invaluable as the company expands."The vacancies are located at its dry dock facilities in Aberdeen, Leith and Greenock. Current openings include H&S Advisor…

Associated British Ports (ABP) has taken delivery of a new fast response RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) installed with the CXO300 diesel outboard engine from Cox Marine. Designed to be both fast and agile, the patrol craft Swift has already entered service in Southampton, one of the UK’s busiest ports. Built by Berthon, Cox’s UK distributor based in Lymington, the 7.8m Commercial Grade RIB will be used by the ABP Southampton team to enforce harbor by-laws and to carry out other harbour duties by its safety security patrols.

Propspeed, an innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, received an endorsement from FarSounder, a pioneer in navigation and obstacle avoidance systems, which has tested the Propspeed Foulfree foul-release coating and recommends it for application by their customers, dealers and partner shipyards.“Our unique, patented technology is designed to paint a clear picture of what lies ahead underwater and along the bottom,” said Cheryl Zimmerman, CEO, FarSounder. “Marine growth on our transducers could limit the effectiveness of our products and potentially put a vessel in a hazardous situation.

ABB’s newly launched C-CAMs marine automation solution applies to vessel systems, power management, cargo control and tank gauging, designed to improve efficiency and safety by enabling faster troubleshooting and maintenance as well as enhanced situational awareness. It also features a mobile application overview of system data, with the ABB Ability Edgenius Operations Data Manager providing access to the alarm and monitoring data regardless of the user’s location onboard.“C-CAMs…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

UK's Unite union's Scotland unit on Tuesday said talks to prevent industrial action at Sullom Voe Terminal have ended with no movement on the part of Shetland Islands Council (SIC) to resolve the dispute over a long service award.Unless the Council accepts liability, around 40 towage workers employed by SIC are set to begin an overtime ban on July 5, which will continue over a seven-week period, the union said.The ban would hugely disrupt the multi-million-pound contract to bring oil tankers on to the shore for oil processing and also on production for the Brent and Ninian fields, it added.

Following the delivery of the expedition cruise vessel Hondius in 2019, Oceanwide Expeditions ordered a second vessel from Croatian shipyard Brodosplit, due for delivery by the end of 2021.Hondius and the new sister vessel Janssonius are said to be the first vessels in the world to be built according to the LR PC6 class, which meets the latest Lloyd’s Register requirements for Polar Class 6 vessels.SCHOTTEL, which offers a series of ice-strengthened propulsion systems, said it has been selected again to supply highly reliable main and auxiliary propulsion units.

Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft has contracted the compatriot supplier of marine coolers for all types of vessels, Hydroniq Coolers, to deliver the seawater cooling system to the cable laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Aurora.The Pleat coolers will provide cooling of the vessel’s main engine and auxiliary systems through the use of seawater. Hydroniq Coolers has not disclosed the value of the contract.The patented Pleat is a module-based titanium cooler for seawater to freshwater, with design pressure 6 bars and design temperature of 0-95°C.“Users of the Pleat benefits from long service intervals, which is an advantage for vessels that operate offshore for long periods at a time.

Established following the February 2019 merger of EMBRON subsidiaries Hatteland Display and Elektronix AS, the new Hatteland Technology will unveil a compelling new product and integrated solutions portfolio with focus on control, monitoring and the maritime Internet of Things (IoT) at Nor-Shipping 2019 this week (June 4-7, Norway Trade Fair, Lillestrøm, Norway).The all-new Series E panel computer range is explicitly designed to offer a dependable all-in-one solution for diverse maritime applications.

New Research Doubles Service Life Estimate of Marine Workboat Engines, Reveals Big Opportunities for Diesel Emissions Reductions. New Research also Underscores Cost-Effective Opportunity to Upgrade to New Diesel Engines and Reduce Emissions for Vulnerable Communities. Commercial workboat engines, which are essential for maritime commerce, are staying in service more than two times longer than predicted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to new research from the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

A maritime consortium, including ABS and Sandia National Laboratories, recently proved the viability of a hydrogen fuel cell ferry designed for operations in the environmentally sensitive San Francisco Bay area. The IMO’s mandate to cap the sulfur content in marine fuel at the start of next year may be the biggest regulatory change in shipping since the requirement for double hulls, but the challenge will fade in comparison to its future goals to reduce green-house gases (GHG).A year ago (April 2018)…

Marine propulsion manufacturers are not just responding to but are anticipating tighter performance demands from the U.S. EPA  and the IMO by introducing both new and upgraded systems based on state-of-the-art propulsion technologies. Tom Mulligan reviews the latest engine product launches.AIP for MAN cryo Liquid Hydrogen Fuel-Gas systemMAN Cryo, a subsidiary of MAN Energy Solutions, has developed a marine fuel-gas system for liquefied hydrogen in cooperation with Fjord1 and Multi Maritime 0f Norway.

Leslie Controls, a CIRCOR International brand, and a worldwide manufacturer of valves for the power generation, industrial, marine and oil and gas markets for over a century, features its K-Max Eccentric Plug Rotary Control Valve, one of the most versatile and robust valves of its type. The K-Max incorporates the cam-action, low-friction plug operation that provides tight shutoff over a long service life in a variety of flow control applications, including high and low-pressure steam systems; clean, dirty, and corrosive liquids and gasses; and erosive and abrasive slurries.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) group seafarer manning company Magsaysay MOL Marine (MMM) held a Family Day for Filipino seafarers at an amusement complex in Manila, drawing about 3,250 seafarers and their families.MOL also held a long-service awards presentation ceremony for Filipino seafarers who work for MMM in Manila. MOL Chairman Koichi Muto, MOL Senior Managing Executive Officer Akihiko Ono, MOL Managing Executive Officer Masanori Kato, and executives of MOL group's ship management companies attended both events.Family Day was held at an amusement complex in Manila, drawing about 3,250 seafarers and their families. MOL Chairman Koichi Muto expressed his gratitude to the seafarers and their families for their support of safe operations…

A new fleet of pusher tugs and barges for Louis Dreyfus Company have recently begun construction in Brazil, all to customized designs from Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada. The vessels will transport bulk grain products on the Amazon River system, with an expected delivery in 2017. During the early phases of design, extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to optimize the hull shapes to minimize total convoy resistance. In all cases, the z-drives are fitted in customized tunnels designed to optimize flow and propulsion efficiency while reducing draft.

DNVPS has warned that cat fines levels are increasing year by year. Lower sulphur marine fuels have even higher cat fines levels than typical heavy fuel oils (HFO). The ExxonMobil MobilGard lube oil monitoring service, concludes that 43 percent of all ships “have a potentially catastrophic issue with cat fines,” based on testing more than 400,000 marine diesel oil samples. So, cat fines are a very serious threat to every ship burning heavy fuel oils. What is the solution? Many have studied this serious problem, and all have come to the same basic conclusion: eliminating the 3 to 5 micron cat fines (and larger) will prevent the cat fines from damaging fuel injection pumps, fuel injectors, piston rings, pistons, cylinder liners, exhaust valve seats and stuffing box seals.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that its group seafarer manning company Magsaysay MOL Marine, Inc (MMM) held a long-service awards presentation ceremony for Filipino seafarers who work for MMM in Manila on November 3, and hosted a Family Day event the following day. MOL President & CEO Junichiro Ikeda, MOL Managing Executive Officer Masanori Kato, and executives of MOL group's ship management companies attended both events. Awards and recognition went to seafarers with 15 years of service aboard MOL-operated vessels, and a total of about 60 award recipients and their families attended. President & CEO Junichiro Ikeda expressed his appreciation to the recipients for their longstanding efforts to realize safe vessel operation…

Rolls-Royce said it has been contracted to deliver Kamewa waterjet propulsion units and MTU engines for three 42m high-speed, lightweight carbon fiber ferries for operation between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. The vessels will be built at the Brødrene Aa shipyard in Norway. The same shipyard has also ordered Rolls-Royce propulsion for two similarly-sized ferries to serve routes in the north of Norway. As well as Kamewa steel-series waterjets from Rolls-Royce, all five vessels will be powered by MTU series 2000 diesel engines.