Main Machinery News

Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has awarded Seaspan Corporation and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) in collaboration with Foreship an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design of a 15,000 TEU ammonia-powered container vessel.Ammonia is seen a promising alternative marine fuel. However, there are currently no ships capable of sailing on ammonia, ABS said.In 2022, Seaspan and the MMMCZCS jointly initiated a project to better understand the challenges and opportunities of designing a large ammonia-fueled container vessel.

As the traditional offshore oil and gas markets continue to struggle, the renewable offshore wind market is hot and getting hotter.As the cumulative maritime, offshore, port and logistics marketplace gears up for offshore wind energy on a huge scale, World Energy Reports (WER), in its report “2021 The Year When Offshore Wind Takes Off in the United States,” shows the anticipated growth trajectory. Service Operations Vessels (SOVs), which can commission and/or maintain turbines…

Geraldton-based Dave Perham, an operator from Australia’s Western Rock Lobster fishery, has taken delivery of a new lobster boat from Dongara Marine designed to have much lower fuel consumption than comparable vessels.Completed in late April 2020, some 12 months after contracts were signed, Force of Nature is a 22.4-meter Southerly Designs monohull which, like other recent Dongara Marine fishing and pilot boat newbuilds, combines an aluminum hull with a composite superstructure.The new boat is an upgrade from Perham’s current vessel…

Hines Furlong Line currently has a trio of identical 6,000-horsepower towboats on order at C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La.The timing is right to order the high-power newbuilds, said Kent Furlong, president and founder of Hines Furlong Line (HFL), citing the long-term implications of Subchapter M and the industry’s aging higher horsepower line haul fleet as key drivers behind the decision. “Many of the high-horsepower vessels in the HFL fleet are among the oldest,” he said.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a shipbuilder based in Panama City, Florida, has recently launched the RApport 2400 tug C.D. White, a ship-assist / escort tug for E.N. Bisso & Son Inc. of New Orleans LA.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. it is first of two tugs of the same design being built by Eastern for E.N. Bisso. The tug is designed and built to USCG Subchapter M.Though very similar to the tug Gladys B, delivered in to E.N. Bisso in 2016, the design incorporates modifications in order to better accommodate the owner’s operational requirements, regulatory changes and different main machinery."The vessel has been designed to the highest standards of outfitting for an operating crew of up to six.

Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. has started operating two new pusher tugs custom-designed by Vancouver, Canada based Robert Allan Ltd, pushing barges containing bulk products along the Amazon River system. This HB PIRARARA shallow-draft pusher tug and sister vessel HB PIRARUCU have a Robert allan RApide 4000-Z3 tug design and were constructed by Estaleiro Rio Maguari in Belem, Brazil.Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were used in the early phases of the design work to optimize the hull shapes and minimize total convoy resistance…

A new shuttle tanker concept developed by the world’s largest shuttle tanker services provider, Teekay, will offer a new level of innovation, says Wärtsilä, whose smart technology solutions will be featured on the new vessels. To date, Teekay has ordered four of these ‘next generation’ ships, each to be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in South Korea. According to Wärtsilä, the newbuilds will feature a broad assortment of its latest technology innovations, all of which are central to the concept’s overall performance gains.

A two-year project to dismantle and recycle the decommissioned U.S. Navy vessel USS Ranger (CV-61) has recently concluded. Ordered in 1954 and commissioned in 1957, the Ranger was the first U.S. carrier vessel built as an angled-deck ship from inception. She served in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, and earned 13 battle stars for her service in the Vietnam War. During her 37 years of service, she also appeared in blockbuster films such as Top Gun and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has reimbursed a marine surveyor accused of negligence by the owner of a ferry which sustained significant machinery damage while being towed to a shipyard. The ferry, which operated in North American waters, was due to be towed to a shipyard to undergo a refit. A marine surveyor was engaged by the shipyard to undertake a ‘fit for tow’ survey and to provide a certificate of approval confirming that the towage arrangements between the tug and the ferry were satisfactory. The surveyor completed his survey and issued the certificate of approval. Three days later, however, the ferry took on water during the course of the tow and sustained considerable damage to its main machinery compartment.

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.

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with shipyard Astilleros Gondan in Spain to design and equip a second Service Operation Vessel for ship owner Østensjø Rederi. The repeat order is for a new ship design from Rolls-Royce developed specifically to support operations in shallow waters at offshore wind farms. The new vessel order follows on a wind farm vessel construction contract to Astilleros Gondan announced in October 2015. Both vessels will support wind farm operations for DONG Energy, serving as the base for technicians while they perform maintenance work on offshore wind farms.

U.S. shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works held a keel-laying ceremony on November 16 for the Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), the company’s 36th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is a multi-mission combatant that offers defense against a range of threats, including ballistic missiles. It operates in support of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups, providing an array of anti-submarine (ASW), anti-air and anti-surface capabilities. Designed for survivability, the ships incorporate all-steel construction and have gas turbine propulsion. The ships feature an AEGIS combat system…

Østensjø Rederi AS has placed an order for the construction of a new offshore wind farm support vessel for maintenance operations at the Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm in the U.K., following the award of a service operation vessel (SOV) contract awarded from charterer Dong Energy. The vessel will be built at Astilleros Gondan’s Figueras shipyard in Spain. Gondan is currently building three vessels for the same Norwegian shipowner, and with this new project will tally 12 vessels built with Østensjø Rederi.

This week, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated two milestone events for the Arleigh Burke-class program. On October 30, Bath Iron Works held a keel laying ceremony for the Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), the company’s 35th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. The ship is named for Sgt. Rafael Peralta, U.S. Marine Corps, who was deployed to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was killed November 15, 2004, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in house-to-house urban combat at the age of 25. Sgt.

The continued maturation of Offshore Service Vessel design is embodied in recent contracts and deliveries. Ulstein Verft subsea newbuild Island Performer was built for Island Offshore to be a flexible, RLWI/IMR vessel, destined to serve its first five years for FTO in the Gulf of Mexico. “The vessel is customized to suit the scope of work in the FTO contract, in which RLWI (Riser-less Light Well Intervention) and IMR (Inspection/Maintenance/Repair) are the main tasks. She is able to perform operations at depths down to 3,000m,” said Håvard Ulstein, Managing Director, Island Offshore.

The Ulstein Verft subsea newbuild, Island Performer, was delivered today to shipowner Island Offshore. The flexible, state-of-the-art RLWI/IMR vessel will serve her first five years for FTO in the Gulf of Mexico. “The vessel is customized to suit the scope of work in the FTO contract, in which RLWI (Riser-less Light Well Intervention) and IMR (Inspection/Maintenance/Repair) are the main tasks. She is able to perform operations at depths down to 3,000 meters, and the contracted work start at year’s end,” said Managing Director Håvard Ulstein, Island Offshore.

Sinopacific's Dayang shipyard in China, contracted to build four advanced specification Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels for Femco Group. The four AHTS’ will have 12240 bhp and 150 tons bollard pull, and are of Sinopacific’s own SPA-150 design to BV class. Main engines, shafts, CPP propellers, thrusters and DP system will be supplied by Rolls-Royce. The rest of the main machinery will be provided by Norwegian and European manufacturers. All vessels will have DP-2 system, two vessels will be equipped with FI-FI 1 and two with FI-FI II and Oilrec systems.

Royal Navy Type 23 frigate 'HMS Somerset' returns to sea for the first time in 9 months following an extensive modernization. The Type 23 frigate has a new lease of life as one of the most advanced fighting ships in the fleet due following docking and upgrade in her home port, Devonport Naval Base,  in partnership with Babcock Marine. The warship’s fighting capability is now among the most advanced in the world, while the living arrangements and main machinery have been improved and overhauled.

The Bit Viking is reportedly the world's first vessel in service whose main machinery has been converted to burn LNG as fuel. She is also the largest commercial vessel which is not an LNG tanker, to use LNG as fuel. After the conversion which was undertaken under the supervision of classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL), the 25,000 dwt product tanker successfully completed sea trials. Owned by Sweden's Tarbit Shipping, "Bit Viking" now qualifies for lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission taxes under the Norwegian government's NOx fund scheme…

HMAS Newcastle has handed over security operations for Operation SLIPPER in support of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in the Middle East to HMAS Melbourne. Newcastle has provided maritime security around the Horn of Africa, conducted counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations in the Gulf of Aden and executed counter-terrorism activities since May 28, 2013. The Guided Missile Frigate handed over to sister ship HMAS Melbourne on September 24, 2013. HMAS Newcastle's Commanding Officer…

GL issued the vessel with a Statement of Compliance confirming that the data submitted by owner Tarbit Shipping meets the requirements of the Index, an essential step for ensuring the usefulness and transparency of the data provided for the new project. GL was authorised to perform verification checks for the CSI in March and shortly thereafter undertook the verification of the Bit Viking. "The CSI is an important step in the growing process whereby the shipping industry moves to reduce its impact on the environment.

Incat Crowther  announced the successful completion of the re-fit of the 43m Catamaran Ferry Seastreak Wall Street. Seastreak Wall Street was the third of four such vessels built by Gladding Hearn in Massachusetts, and was launched in 2003. The vessels were originally fitted with four Cummins KTA50 main engines, each producing 1424kW. The engines drove a quartet of KaMeWa A50 water jets. The original propulsion package was chosen with emphasis on speed for the Atlantic Highlands to Manhattan service, delivering speeds in excess of 38 knots and four-engine redundancy.

Deputy Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, pay a visit to 'USS Makin Island' (LHD 8). Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus met recently with several flag and general officers in the area on board USS Makin Island (LHD 8) for a leadership breakfast and to tour the ship. Following breakfast, the guests were taken on a tour of Makin Island and were able to meet many of the sailors who help to keep the ship fully mission capable. Lt. Cmdr. Brian Ponce, Makin Island's main propulsion assistant, led the group on a tour of Nr.