Optimum Solution News

French UV-C water treatment specialist BIO-UV Group said it has received an order to supply a low-flow BIO-SEA L-Series ballast water treatment system (BWTS) for retrofit installation to the 1,268 GT expedition vessel Quest.The 49-meter-long, 60-passenger capacity vessel is the fifth passenger ship operating under Cruise Management International [CMI] to have specified a BWTS from BIO-SEA by BIO-UV Group partner TECO2030.Maxime Dedeurwaerder, business unit director, BIO-UV Group’s maritime division…

Thordon Bearings’ authorized distributor in Mexico, TZ Industrias, has secured an order to supply the Canadian company’s TG100 shaft seals, equipped with a safe return to port (SRTP) emergency seal, to a quartet of shrimpers operated by Pesquera Axel, one of the country’s leading fishing vessel operators.TZ Industrias will deliver four 127mm (5in) diameter mechanical seals to the Mazatlán-based repair yard Constructora y Reparadora de Buques for installation this June to the 7m (23ft) long fishing vessels Kukulkan…

Baggerbedrijf De Boer B.V. (Dutch Dredging B.V.) has ordered two custom, special-purpose tugs to be built at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld in the Netherlands through the subsidiairy De Boer Remorquage SARL. The tugs are for a 10-year contract with Grand Port Maritime de Guyane in the ports of Cayenne and Kourou in French Guyana. Their primary functions will be assisting vessels entering and leaving port, and rendering help in the event of emergencies including fire-fighting. An important secondary role for both vessels will be assisting with maintenance dredging operations in both ports.

Royal IHC has signed a contract for the design, construction and delivery of a 4,200m3 trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) with Administración Nacional de Puertos (ANP) in Montevideo, Uruguay. The contract was signed by Mr Alberto Diaz Acosta, President of the Board of Directors of ANP, Mrs Gladis Liliana Peirano Rivero, Interim General Secretary of ANP and Mr Hans Hesen, IHC Area Sales Director, in the presence of Mr Victor Rossi, Minister of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay and Mr Andre Mechi, Senior Project Manager IHC Latin America. An important criterion for the award of this contract, as defined by the country’s Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, was to comply with the local content regulations, ensuring close participation of the local marine industry.

Thordon Bearings’ US West Coast Distributor, Pacific Marine Equipment has successfully completed the installation of a pair of TG100 mechanical propeller shaft seals to Hornblower Cruises & Events’ 1000-passenger capacity twin screw flagship, Inspiration Hornblower. Hornblower, one of the leading river cruise operators in the U.S., operates a fleet of 70 sightseeing and dinner cruise vessels in several cities across the Golden State, the United States and Canada. Todd Terry, President, Pacific Marine Equipment, Thordon Bearings’ U.S.

Rolls-Royce signed a contract with Fincantieri to provide MT30 gas turbines to power the Italian Navy’s new multi-purpose amphibious vessel. The Derby-based company will supply two of its MT30 gas turbines to power a 20,000-tonne landing helicopter dock vessel, which will be the second largest ship in Italy’s navy. Based on Rolls’ Trent 800 jet engine used on aircraft such as the Boeing 777, the MT30 is already installed on the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and is due to be used in Type 26 frigates when work on them begins. The ship will be built by Fincantieri under the Legge Navale ‘Naval Law’ – a major investment programme to renew the Italian naval fleet.

Hempel will take part in the Danish Maritime Days (DMD) event next week and make presentations at the DMD Technical Conference, which is being held in cooperation with Danish Maritime, on the 7 & 8 October. Fouling Control Marketing Manager, Claes Skat-Roerdam, will discuss “How and why hull coatings can improve your bottom line” on Wednesday 7 October, highlighting Hempel’s latest innovative technology and products. Claes Skat-Roerdam believes that what is key for shipping operators is “Finding the right product for the individual ship. For each vessel, we must take into account the typical sailing speed, sailing route, lay-up periods, idle periods and activity level. Hempel’s aim is to provide and develop coatings that deliver the optimum solution for all our customers’ activities”.

ZF Marine penetrates domestic inland waterway markets – enjoying good success with two U.S. majors. The prospects for an even brighter future hinge on the performance of its early entries. So far, so good. It’s no secret that the domestic, inland marine business can be conservative in its approach to adopt new technologies, but then, this can probably be said of the global waterfront, as well. But the market is changing, driven by larger corporate entities moving into these tightly held markets, as well as a myriad of legislative and operational conditions – namely the rapidly rising cost of fuel. ZF Marine – or more specifically ZF Marine Krimpen b.v.…

When German industrial manufacturing giant ZF bought Holland Rudder Propeller nearly five years ago, it was a strategic addition to its ZF Marine portfolio that is now reaping big rewards as it is enjoying strong penetration of its azimuth thruster systems in the U.S. towboat market. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News visited with Frank van der Vegt, Sales Manager, Commercial Craft Thruster Systems, at the ZF Marine Krimpen B.V. factory in The Netherlands for an update. The marine business…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has gained a breakthrough order to supply ten straddle carriers to Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) Durban Pier 2, a dedicated straddle carrier operation in South Africa currently handling a throughput of 2.4 million TEU. TPT is a division of the government-owned Transnet SOC Limited currently pursuing a R300 billion capital investment programme over seven years and now in its third year of execution. The order was booked into Cargotec's first quarter intake 2014 with deliveries scheduled to be completed by October 2014. Anton Burchell, Managing Director, Kalmar South Africa, said: "We are delighted to be selected as the preferred supplier on this important contract, in spite of considerable competition.

Rolls-Royce says it has won a £50m contract to deliver deck machinery for four large anchor handlers for Edison Chouest Offshore. The vessels are designed by North American Shipbuilder Inc. and will be built in Brazil by Estaleiro Navship LTDA. The four vessels have been specially developed to operate in Brazilian waters under an eight year long contract with Petrobras, but will meet all demands for world-wide operations. The deck machinery delivered by Rolls-Royce will include low pressure high torque winches, stern rollers, anchor handling cranes and anchor launch and recovery systems (A-LARS). All mechanical, hydraulic and electric systems are included in the package.

The Port of Felixstowe has welcomed the first call at the UK’s largest container port of Evergreen’s CES (China Europe Shuttle) service. The 8,452 TEU Ever Laden launched the service from the Port of Britain in late May. The CES Service links North Europe to Asia with calls in Taiwan as well as China. The service has recently been calling at ports in continental Europe only. Commenting on the decision by Evergreen to introduce a UK call at Felixstowe, Clemence Cheng, Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited Chief Executive Officer, said, “The decision by Evergreen to call at the Port of Felixstowe underlines our position as the port of choice for container lines in the UK.

Implications on U.S. The next round of emission regulations will bring significant impacts to the design, construction, and operation of U.S. commercial and government vessels starting in 2014. The impending EPA Tier 4 regulations directly apply to high and medium-speed diesel engines used in workboats, ferries, small cargo ships, and government vessels. These regulations represent the most significant reduction of marine emission levels to date, specifically in the form of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Natural gas fueled engines present one path to compliance, but not the only path.

Recent severe storms in the U.K. North Sea have resulted in a number of floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) being shut down in order to assess and repair the damage caused. Notwithstanding the possible safety implications for operations crew, oil and gas majors are facing weeks, if not months without a critical asset which in turn, is having a significant impact on future production. The design and operation of an FPSO in remote locations requires detailed information on the structural response of the vessel within the local environment offshore.

A new manual from classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL), presented at Nor-Shipping 2013 shows how owners can make use of a suite of retrofitting solutions to ensure that existing vessels remain economic. Today's newbuildings now consume up to 20 to 30% less fuel than vessels built only three to five years ago, which is leaving owners searching for solutions to remain competitive in the market. "Retrofit technologies offer the comparatively young fleet of existing ships the chance to remain active and economically attractive to owners and operators," said Jan-Olaf Probst, GL's Global Ship Type Director. These eco-efficient technologies not only benefit the bottom line, but will have a positive impact on the ecological impact of the entire shipping industry".

BMT JFA Consultants (BMT)  supports the Shire of Esperance, Western Australia in its plans to construct a granite seawall & headland. BMT was originally commissioned to help develop the required technical specifications for the production of sufficient quarry rock to construct a granite seawall and headland as part of the Esperance Foreshore Protection & Enhancement Project. BMT’s support rapidly expanded to encompass the construction specifications and to review and finalise the detailed design of the structures. Part of this work has entailed the production of a detailed design report, which provides a basis for ongoing engineering support during the construction and post-construction management phases.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The initiative aims to combine MHI's technological capabilities, as in the development of energy-saving vessels, and Imabari's strong cost competitiveness, in order to establish an advantageous framework for competing in the international shipbuilding market. By effectively utilizing the shipyards of both companies, together MHI and Imabari will become capable of flexibly accommodating bulk orders - e.g. construction of multiple ships of the same design - thus strengthening and expanding their respective business for high-value-added container carriers. The three-year collaboration agreement…

Aluminium Boats Australia (ABA) announced that General Manager Stuart Pascoe won the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Leaders of Innovation 2010 award. Selected for his individual ability to enable innovation and create commercial value, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman announced Stuart as winner of the award for the product innovation category. In 2009 Aluminium Boats Australia delivered the first of its Eco Jet waterbus catamarans to Transit Systems for operation around the south Moreton Bay islands. Eco Jet concept that ABA is now building its fifth vessel for the customer.

Austal is pleased to announce a contract for a 67 metre high speed vehicle-passenger catamaran for Virtu Ferries of Malta adding to an already healthy order book for the West Australian shipbuilder. The new vessel is scheduled for delivery to Virtu Ferries in time for the European 2005 summer season and will have the capacity to carry 600 passengers and 65 cars or 95 lane metres of trucks plus 35 cars. Commenting on the contract Austal’s Managing Director, Mr Bob McKinnon said, “This latest order for a mid-sized car ferry is particularly pleasing in that it adds another important customer to our extensive list of clients. Established in 1988 Virtu Ferries operates fast ferry services between Malta and Sicily.

A&P Group are delighted to have the opportunity to bid for packages of work on the CVF Future Carrier Program. With the possibility of five super blocks to be constructed, the A&P Dry Docks at Hebburn, Southampton and Birkenhead offer ideal facilities for a portion of this work. In particular, the Hebburn facility with major fabrication capability alongside the dry dock, makes A&P confident that they can play a significant role in supporting the DPA to achieve an optimum solution for the build strategy. A spokesman for A&P Group said the “CVF program will provide the Royal Navy with their two most important surface vessels for the next 50 years and will require commitment from many areas of industry to deliver these vital ships.

Caterpillar announces an all-new electronic engine and transmission control system which is now available for worldwide distribution. The new Cat® Multi Station Control System (MSCS) is ‘the intelligent solution to engine and gear control requirements’. The system allows up to 8 primary control and 8 full redundancy back-up stations on board and enables the full control of single or synchronisation of dual engine installations. Features include control of throttle and transmission (ahead, neutral, astern), station activation, slow vessel and sync-cruise mode activation and operation, trolling mode and transmission security lockout. The…

NorShipping 2001, held in Oslo, Norway in early June, once again proved to be a dynamic exhibition complete with some of the more influential personnel in the marine business on-hand for the week long event. As usual, marine manufacturers used the platform of NorShipping to launch new products, systems and services to the international market, some of which is detailed in the following report. Wärtsilä Corp., the ubiquitous propulsion system manufacturer announced that it had received a contact to supply the complete marine power system for the first of a series of environmentally safe 40,000-dwt chemical/product tankers building at the San Marco shipyard in Italy. For the 40,000-dwt tankers, Wärtsilä will be just that, as it is responsible for the complete functionality of the system.