Mika As News

Aker Arctic, a Finnish engineering company specializing in the development of ice-going vessels, on Thursday announced it has appointed Mika Hovilainen as interim managing director and CEO following the departure of longtime CEO Reko-Antti Suojanen.Suojanen, who spent 19 years at Aker Arctic, including 10 as CEO, announced in December he would depart the company to explore new opportunities elsewhere.“I will pass the helm to Mika Hovilainen with good confidence. Mika has been working for a long time at Aker Arctic and has been leading our Ship Design activities…

Finnish cargo handling machinery manufacturer Cargotec on Monday announced its board of directors has appointed Casimir Lindholm to succeed Mika Vehviläinen as the company's president and CEO, effective April 1, 2023.A member of Cargotec's board since 2021, Lindholm has held CEO positions both in Eltel and Lemminkäinen and many board memberships.“I’m honored and excited to be leading Cargotec at such a pivotal moment in the company’s history, with a strong foundation and a clear vision into its next development phase of growth as we have communicated before.

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions held a steel cutting ceremony to mark the official start of construction for Spirit of Tasmania V, the second liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered car and passenger ferry for the world’s southernmost open sea route between mainland Australia and Tasmania.The production of the first vessel began in February 2022 and its keel-laying ceremony was held in late October. The design and construction of both vessels have proceeded according to schedule.

Cargotec announced on Tuesday that its board of directors received notification from CEO Mika Vehviläinen that he will retire in 2023, in accordance with the terms of his contract.The board has started its a search for a successor, the Finnish cargo-handling machinery manufacturer said.“It has been both a privilege and a pleasure to lead the transformation of Cargotec together with so many committed and talented colleagues. After 10 years as CEO of the company, I believe this…

One of the world's largest cruise companies Royal Caribbean Group announced it has signed a declaration with the aim to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland.The declaration, signed with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) and shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy, has been signed with the goal to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry's ecosystem, U.S.

Finnish shipyard Rauma Marine Constructions held a keel laying ceremony of Spirit of Tasmania IV, a car and passenger ferry being built for the Tasmanian TT-Line Company.TT-Line, which operates between mainland Australia and Tasmania, has commissioned two identical Spirit of Tasmania vessels from RMC. The large-scale project is the biggest individual foreign sale between Australia and Finland.”Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the design and production of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels have proceeded according to the agreed schedule.

Estonia's Port of Tallinn has implemented new rules requiring the collection of residue from underwater hull cleaning operations while in port.Ellen Kaasik, the port's environmental manager, said the measures are part of a major activity plan to decrease the environmental impact of the port and ships, and that the decision to collect all hull cleaning residue was made to help tackle eutrophication.Hull cleaning service in the Port of Tallinn can only be provided with permission from the Vessel Traffic Shift Manager…

Finnish engineering firm Konecranes and cargo handling machinery maker Cargotec plan to merge to help speed up innovation and reap savings, they said on Thursday, sending both of their shares sharply higher.The boards of the companies, which provide road and sea-cargo handling machinery and services to industries, factories, ports and terminals, said they had signed a plan under which Konecranes would be folded into Cargotec in a merger of equals.Cargotec shares jumped around 25%, while Konecranes stock was up around 17%, giving a combined market value of around 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy said it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the University of Turku, with the objective to develop and strengthen education and research in engineering.The partnership agreement increases student projects, theses, as well as teaching events, expert lectures and workshops between the university and shipyard. The employment opportunities offered by Meyer Turku in marine industry will become more visible on campus. This collaboration…

Kalmar, the provider of cargo-handling solutions and services to ports and terminals, has concluded a comprehensive software maintenance and support agreement with Australian terminal operator Patrick Terminals.The agreement, which covers the equipment automation systems at the company’s Brisbane and Sydney AutoStrad terminals, was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q4 order intake, with the agreement coming into effect from November 2019, said the Cargotec unit.Patrick Terminals is Australia's leading container terminal operator, handling over three million TEU annually. The company operates some of Australia's most technologically advanced terminals at four strategically located ports: Brisbane AutoStrad Terminal…

Finnish cargo-handling machinery manufacturer Cargotec said it has reorganized the businesses under its Kalmar brand and has appointed Stefan Lampa as President of Kalmar Mobile Solutions, in a move aimed at enhancing Kalmar's growth opportunities.Kalmar, a provider of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centers and heavy industry, will be reorganized into three strategic business units: Kalmar Mobile Solutions, Kalmar Automation Solutions and Navis, effective April 1, 2019. Cargotec's financial reporting structure based on three business areas Kalmar, Hiab and MacGregor will remain unchanged.Lampa has been appointed President of Kalmar Mobile Solutions and a member of the Cargotec Executive Board.

Rolls-Royce completed a nearly $65m upgrade and refurbishment of its thruster manufacturing plant in Rauma, Finland, consolidating production over a single site.The plan to overhaul the site started in 2016, and after nearly three years the refurbished site was officially opened on January 22,  2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr Mika Lintilä.“Our azimuth thrusters are one of our most important products, providing mission critical power and propulsion for some of the largest floating objects on the planet…

Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) has selected Konecranes to be the supplier of an Automated Stacking Crane (ASC) system for the second phase of the building of its container terminal in Khalifa Port: the Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT).This is an order for a total of 54 Automated Rail Mounted Gantry (ARMG) cranes. The parties involved have agreed not to disclose the value of the deal. The order will be booked in Q4 2018.Konecranes earlier successfully delivered 52 ARMG cranes, on time and on budget for the first phase of KPCT container terminal, which went live on 12/12/12. The second phase involves a large expansion of the terminal area, infrastructure, container handling capacity, and the delivery of 54 Konecranes ARMGs.

Scott Phillips has been appointed President of Hiab crane manufacturing division of Cargotec group as of 1 October 2018. He will be a member of the Cargotec Executive Board and report to CEO Mika Vehviläinen. Scott Phillips joins Cargotec from General Electric where he holds the position of Vice President and CEO Mining. Prior to that, he has during his 28 years' career held various global leadership positions in the construction and mining industries, working for Sandvik and Caterpillar Inc., among others. "I warmly welcome Scott to Cargotec and Hiab. He has a proven track record of leading global, multi-billion euro technology businesses in various geographies.

Meyer Turku shipyard said it will more than double its investments from €75 million ($89.6 million) to €185 million ($221 million) as it aims to boost steel production to fulfill its record order book stretching into 2024. The investments include a new plate cutting line, a new profile cutting line and a new panel line to the steel halls to be ready by end of 2018/start of 2019. Head of steel production of Meyer Turku, Mika Heiskanen, said, “We are rebuilding Turku shipyard into a modern ship assembly factory.

Cargotec Corporation said that the orders received for H1 for the period of January-June 2017 decreased 4 percent and totalled EUR 1.7bln (USD 1.9bln). The total sales declined 5 percent and totalled EUR 1,638 for the period. However, Cargotec reiterates its outlook published on 8 February 2017 and expects its operating profit excluding restructuring costs for 2017 to improve from 2016 (EUR 250.2 million). Cargotec's CEO Mika Vehviläinen said: "The development of our business continued to be positive during the second quarter of 2017. The operating profit, excluding restructuring costs, was the highest in Cargotec's history. "In Kalmar, the orders received declined compared to last year. Nevertheless, the customer interest in port automation solutions continued to be high.

Finnish collaborators have unveiled a new propulsion unit. Azimuth propulsion specialist Steerprop has rolled out its new CRP ECO LM propulsor featuring permanent magnet (PM) technology from The Switch. Steerprop has been developing propulsion units since 2001, while The Switch, a developer of advanced drive train solutions, has been using its technology to enhance performance in marine applications. The PM machine, currently in serial production, has a track record in the world’s largest wind turbines in rough offshore conditions.

The Switch received an order from WE Tech to deliver its permanent magnet (PM) shaft generators to two 18,600 dwt chemical tankers currently under construction for Sweden’s Ektank AB. Sweden's Ektank AB is family-owned with a modern fleet of five chemical tankers in size ranging from 13,700 DWT to 17,000 DWT. The PM-based shaft generator is a powerful proposition for today’s cost and environmentally conscious shipowners. This deal is an example of how PM technology is set to revolutionize the maritime industry.

The Switch is a 10 year old company working to advance the world with electrical drive train technology. It is still a relative new player in the global maritime sector with nearly four years of experience, but its first reference ships with The Switch technology onboard are starting to ply the world’s waterways – including one of MR’s “Great Ships of 2016,” Ternsund. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News met with Mika Koli, Business Development Manager, for his insights on The Switch and its future in maritime.

The Switch is targeting growth of 200 percent within the marine segment in the next five years, building on the momentum of a flurry of recent orders, its acquisition of Wartsila Drives and the financial muscle of its parent company, the EUR 3.3 billion turnover Yaskawa Electric Corporation. The Finnish headquartered business, a specialist in the development and supply of advanced drive train solutions, believes its permanent magnet (PM) and frequency converter technology can have the same transformational effect on marine as it has had in wind.

WE Tech Solutions (WE Tech), an energy efficiency solutions provider in the marine industry, has received an order to deliver its direct-drive permanent magnet shaft generator solution to two new 25,600 dwt dual-fueled handysize bulk carriers, with an option for two more. The Switch, a technology specialist of megawatt-class permanent magnet (PM) machines for advanced marine drive trains, will deliver the PM shaft generators to be used in the solutions provided by WE Tech. The vessels are owned by the Finnish ship owner ESL Shipping Ltd.…

Elomatic Ltd and Deltamarin Ltd have signed a tri-party engineering contract with shipbuilder MV Werften for the design of Star Cruises’ new Global Class “mega passenger ship,” which, once completed, will be the largest passenger vessel ever built in Germany. The new cruise liner will measure over 340 meters long, 45 meters wide and have a gross register tonnage of 200,001. The general arrangement plans for the Global Class cruise ships were completed with Foreship Oy (Foreship) in June following Genting Hong Kong’s purchase of the MV Werften shipyards in April.

WE Tech Solutions (WE Tech), an energy efficiency solutions provider in the marine industry, and The Switch, a technology specialist of permanent magnet machines for advanced marine drive trains, have been chosen to deliver their permanent magnet shaft generator solution to Australian Toll Shipping for a series of two 12,000 dwt RORO vessels. The Sinotrans & CSC affiliated Jinling Shipyard in China will build the ships. Delivery of advanced equipment solution from WE Tech and The Switch will commence in August 2017.