Machinery Department News

Ship owners weighing future marine fuel choices after the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2020 0.5 percent sulphur cap should also consider oil company expectations that up to 30 percent of commercial shipping will gravitate back to high sulphur fuel oil by 2030, according to naval architecture and engineering consultancy Foreship. With just over 100 ships running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) today, the number in service is likely to remain below 500 by 2020. At the same time…

ClassNK granted type approval to the new 28AHX-DF dual-fuel engine built by Niigata Power Systems Co., Ltd. Whilst the adoption of emerging maritime technologies can prove challenging due in part to the time required to gain approval, ClassNK’s streamlined approval process has allowed it to complete the design approval, trial operational testing, and the overhaul inspection of the 28AHX-DF in just a couple of months before granting type approval on December 24. General Manager of ClassNK’s Machinery Department Yukihisa Shibata said, “At ClassNK we aim to promote the use of innovative technologies for the benefit of the greater maritime industry.

Classification society ClassNK has granted approval to the design of the new 28AHX-DF dual-fuel engine developed by Niigata Power Systems Co., Ltd. The new engine is slated to be used as the main engine on a new LNG-fuelled tugboat being built by Keihin Dock Co., Ltd. for NYK Line. The vessel will be Japan’s first LNG fuelled vessel, excluding LNG carriers. New regulations for Emission Control Areas (ECA), including new stricter limits on sulfur emissions as well as the IMO’s Tier III NOx emission limits, are driving demand for new engine and emission control technologies.

LOC Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of SCUA Middle East Consultancy with effect from April 1, 2013. This acquisition combines LOC Middle East and SCUA Middle East to form a team of nearly 30 staff, including marine engineers, master mariners, naval architects and civil/structural engineers with wide-ranging skills and knowledge. SCUA Middle East will become part of LOC Middle East, which will continue to respond to all types of marine insurance claims, casualty, loss prevention, engineering and energy issues in the shipping, oil and gas markets.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) names Shunichi Miyanaga as the company's new President. The new president is currently an MHI Representative Director and Senior Executive Vice President. Hideaki Omiya, MHI's current President, will become Chairman of the company succeeding Kazuo Tsukuda, who will become Senior Corporate Advisor. Oct. Oct. 2000        President of MHI-HITACHI Metals Machinery, Inc. Apr. 2002        President of Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, Inc. Jun. 2002        Retired from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Mar. 2006        Retired from the post of President of Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, Inc. Apr. 2006        Senior Vice President, Deputy Head of Machinery Headquarters, 
 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Apr. Jun. Apr.

Classification society ClassNK has announced that it will reorganize its Board of Directors as part of a larger corporate reorganization, effective July 1, 2011. As part of the reorganization, ClassNK’s four current Managing Directors -- Shosuke Kakubari, Koichi Fujiwara, Takuya Yoneya, and Yasushi Nakamura -- will be promoted to Executive Vice Presidents and take up positions alongside current Executive Vice Presidents Hiroshige Kitada and Toshitomo Matsui. In addition to the promotion of the four executives, ClassNK will also establish a new second tier of Operating Officers who will oversee the day to day operations of the 110 year old classification society. ClassNK General Affairs Department General Manager T. Agata, Finance Department General Manager M.

The rise and fall of the Brazilian shipbuilding market is well-known, having plummeted from the top of the world list in the early 1980s to the bottom by 1999. Today, Brazil is storming back, an amazing revival of the nearly defunct shipbuilding industry driven by the sudden influx of orders from major offshore oil & gas players, namely Petrobras. Today the shipbuilding market in Brazil has in excess of 100 firm orders for ships in a variety of shapes and sizes, in addition to a large number of drill rigs and production unit orders. In addition, companies from around the globe are flocking to Brazil to set-up shop and engage in the industry’s renaissance.

Ten years ago, a RoRo passenger service called Sealink, commenced in the Bahamas — operating from Nassau to port of Governor's Harbor on the adjacent island of Eleuthera. The vessel that performed this service was an aging 14-knot Greek ferry, which established a solid market within the RoRo sector. Despite its healthy growth spurt, the venture ceased in 1993 resulting from rising repair costs and maintenance, specifically in the machinery department, as some engine parts had since been discontinued. Then a group of local businessmen purchased an Australian RoPax catamaran to re-enter the Eleuthera trade. This vessel, which incidentally is also named Sealink, is from the Sea Transport Solutions (STS) design studio in Queensland, Australia.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center uses Adams software to simulate USN ship hull and deck equipment. The technology is used for conceptualization and design-for-manufacturability simulations. As a result, design cycles have been slashed by 50 percent. Hull and deck machinery equipment - such as watertight closures, cargo/weapons elevators, embarkation equipment, cranes, boat handling equipment, and habitability - is an integral part of a U.S. Navy ship mission. Whether moving ammunition or providing helicopter access, these systems must be fully operational when called upon. In addition, they must be safe to operate, maintainable by the ship crew, and affordable to the Navy throughout the equipment lifecycle.