Manufacturing Site News

Höegh Autoliners announced it is partnering with Norwegian green energy provider North Ammonia for the supply, distribution, delivery and consumption of green ammonia, a carbon free fuel produced using renewable energy.Under the deal, North Ammonia—established by Grieg Maritime Group and Arendals Fossekompani in 2021—will supply Höegh Autoliners with green ammonia from its planned production facility in Arendal in southern Norway.Höegh Autoliners currently has on order eight ammonia…

Some equations just don’t add up. For example, storing 500 offshore wind turbine blades at a site with only space for 400 (and that’s only if you don’t store the other key elements required to build a full turbine). Elaine Maslin visited Siemens Gamesa’s blade manufacturing facility in Hull, UK, to find out more.Storage space is becoming a major challenge that’s looming for ports involved in the fast-evolving offshore wind industry. It’s already becoming a challenge for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at its blade manufacturing facility in Hull, on England’s east coast.

Siemens Gamesa and GRI Renewables Industries will invest more than $360 million into offshore wind manufacturing facilities in northeast England.Siemens Gamesa will invest a total of $258m to expand its blade manufacturing site located near Hull - Britain's largest offshore wind manufacturing facility - readying it for the next generation of offshore wind turbines and blades greater than 100 metres, the government said.Siemens Gamesa will add 200 workers to the 1,000 it already employs in the factory…

Shell will collaborate on a feasibility study to trial the use of hydrogen fuel cells for ships, the first of its kind for Shell and in Singapore.“This trial is an important step in demonstrating the applicability of hydrogen and fuel cells on ships,” said Nick Potter, General Manager of Shell Shipping and Maritime, Asia Pacific & Middle East. “We see fuel cells and hydrogen as a promising pathway for decarbonizing shipping and working with partners in this way will develop our understanding of this critical technology.”Shell…

Ecochlor opened a new factory in North Haven, Connecticut for production of the chlorine dioxide generator for its ballast water management system (BWMS).Due to a surge in orders, ProFlow, Inc., Ecochlor's manufacturing partner, was able to quickly increase production capacity and efficiency by simultaneously incorporating LEAN manufacturing procedures and maintaining itsISO 9001 certification. ProFlow's production space has surpassed 30,000 sq. ft. and the new factory will be exclusively used to manufacture the generators.ProFlow has been building the Ecochlor BWMS generator since 2001.

Danfoss said it has acquired Visedo Oy, expert in electric solutions for the off-highway and marine markets headquartered in Lappeenranta in Finland. “Acquiring new innovative technology is an important part of our investment in growth,” said Kim Fausing, Danfoss president and CEO. Visedo will be integrated into the Danfoss Power Solutions business segment. The acquisition includes all Visedo subsidiaries globally and a design and manufacturing site located at its headquarters in Lappeenranta.

General Dynamics NASSCO has invested several hundred million in capital projects as part of its efforts to increase efficiencies via  modular shipbuilding, including: two 300-ton cranes allowing shipbuilders the ability to increase the size of the erectable blocks; a block assembly line to optimize construction of commercial ship blocks; inverted block and grand block outfit areas to more fully install components and equipment on blocks; and a state-of the-art, environmentally-friendly blast and paint facility to paint blocks indoors with high capacity equipment.

BAE Systems in the U.K said it will take on 710 apprentices in 2015, the highest intake in the company’s history. Next year's intake surpasses the record set in the previous year by 142 places and includes 45 places for apprentices who will eventually join companies in BAE Systems' supply chain or work in local engineering companies. The latter are funded under the government's Employer Ownership Program. The new recruits - two-thirds of whom will be employed in engineering-related roles - will work across 14 of BAE Systems’ aerospace, security and defense sites around the U.K.

ACP informs that the Panama Canal Expansion has reached another important milestone with the transfer of the first gates to the new locks complex in the Atlantic side. "This is a very important operation because it involved the first movement of the gates from the special dock where they were unloaded to the lower chamber of the new locks," said Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. The Administrator explained that the process was carried out following rigorous safety measures to ensure that the more than 3,000-ton steel structures could be moved to the dry lock chambers using the pavement ramp built for this purpose. Eight of the 16 rolling gates that will be used for the new locks are already in Panama.

American Sensor Technologies, Inc. (AST) has received ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) Type Approval for its pressure instrumentation. Through a factory audit of its New Jersey manufacturing facility, ABS confirmed AST’s manufacturing site, quality management system and conformance to ABS standards. By receiving the approval, AST has broadened its portfolio for the marine and offshore instrumentation industry. AST's pressure transmitters are known as a cost effective, yet extremely reliable alternative to other transmitters available on the marketplace, the manufacturer said.

Birkenhead-based outfitter and manufacturer MPE Interiors has completed two contacts for Stena Line to redevelop the crew and officers' mess areas on two ferries. The contracts involved replacing the mess rooms on the 980-passenger ferries the Stena Mersey and the Stena Lagan at Twelve Quays in Birkenhead. Both ships operate the Birkenhead-Belfast route. MPE director Cliff Grainger said, “We can offer the complete outfitting solution from detailed concept design, to manufacture of furniture and structures to installation and maintenance.

Aker Solutions wins contract to supply drilling equipment packages for a series of six deepwater drillships for the Brazilian market. The six new vessels will be operated by Norwegian drilling operators Seadrill and Odfjell Drilling (3 each) under 15-year charter contracts from Petrobras. The drillships will be capable of operating at 10,000 feet water depth and drilling to depths of 40,000 ft. Aker Solutions' contract includes complete topside and subsea equipment (drilling riser and BOP) packages for six drillships, and an option for one further unit. The equipment will be delivered from Aker Solutions in Norway and Germany, as well as from the company's new site in Brazil.

Technip was awarded a 5-year frame agreement contract from Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the supply of around 1,400 kilometers of flexible pipes. The contract is effective today with supply starting in 2013 and orders are guaranteed for at least 50% of the total value, which is currently estimated to be worth around US$2.1 billion. The scope of the contract includes the manufacture of over 150 types and diameters of risers(1), flowlines(2) and associated equipment and accessories. Deliveries under this frame agreement will be spread over the contract period and order intake recognition will progress as specific work orders are confirmed.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), a world leader in deep-water and ultra-deep water oil production, has awarded GE Oil & Gas a four-year service agreement to deliver repairs, maintenance and retrofits on Petrobras’ fleet of subsea equipment installed in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. The scope of the agreement, valued at approximately $120M, includes service and repairs on over 300 exploration and 250 production tools, as well as retrofitting six subsea production trees each year with GE advanced technology. GE will conduct the service program from its Macaé Service Center, located in Rio de Janeiro state, which is currently undergoing a $30M investment refurbishment and expansion. The 91,000 sq.

Håkan Samuelsson (left), Executive Board Chairman of the MAN Group, and Li Changyin, CSIC President, signing the contract in Munich. The MAN B&W Diesel Group and the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) agreed upon comprehensive cooperation with regard to the development and production of large diesel engines. The frame agreement, which was recently signed in Munich, also provides for close cooperation in the purchase and production of components, personnel training and licence production of MAN B&W turbochargers. Signing of the agreement was the focus of a comprehensive programme organised for the visit of the CSIC Top Management to the MAN B&W locations in Copenhagen, Augsburg and Munich. “This agreement will deepen and extend our cooperation.

Two members of the Atlantic Strike Team deployed today to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a defunct manufacturing site in Cortland, N.Y. The strike team members will assist the EPA with health and safety oversight, contractor supervision and air quality monitoring at the Buckbee-Mears Company, which produced cathode ray technology for televisions and computers.