Protection Systems News

The maritime industry accounts for more than 90% of global trade and employs over 3 million people in the United States, and like other modes of transportation, our industry encounters unique risks. Waterfront workers are exposed to various hazards such as heavy machinery, hazardous substances, extreme weather and long hours. If not properly managed, these hazards can result in serious injuries, illnesses and even fatalities. That is why ensuring the safety of waterfront workers is a top priority for all of us who work in the maritime industry.

In August, 2021, after years of delays, cost overruns, and rising tensions, the Australian government canceled a A$90 billion order with France’s Naval Group for 12 conventionally powered submarines intended to replace the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s aging fleet of six Collins-class attack subs. Overnight, the future of the RAN’s undersea warfare capability was cast into uncertainty. The very next month, however, the United States and the United Kingdom announced a plan to help Australia fill the void…

Seaway 7 announced that it won a "sizeable" [between $50-150m] contract for the transport and installation of inner-array grid cables on an offshore wind farm project in the U.S.The scope includes the transport and installation of around 160 km of 66 kV subsea power cables and respective cable protection systems.The contract award is subject to client reaching Financial Close by end of 2022. This is the second U.S. project awarded to Seaway 7, after the Coastal Virginia demonstrator project, which was completed in 2020.

Underwater foul-release coatings company Propspeed said it has partnered with Marine Protection Systems to educate and provide solutions to prevent corrosion and minimize damage to vessels and the marine biosphere.The insulative properties of Propspeed combined with correct anode solutions greatly improve efficiencies, reducing fuel burn and operational costs, while also minimizing the environmental impact that corrosion and coating loss has on the oceans. Propspeed and Marine…

Global Offshore, part of Global Marine Group, has won a contract for the installation and burial of 27 array cables at Parkwind’s Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in the German Sector of the Baltic SeaGlobal Offshore will be responsible for the project management and marine engineering; cable protection systems supply and installation, pre and post lay surveys, cable loading and laying, cable burial, and post-burial survey.OceanIQ, Global Offshore’s sister company, will provide route engineering services for the project.

Victaulic appointed Rick Bucher as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John F. Malloy, effective January 31, 2021. Dr. Bucher was named President of Victaulic in April of 2020, following a June 2019 appointment as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Victaulic in 2009 as Vice President of Engineering, Dr. Bucher worked for 15 years for W.L. Gore, a manufacturer of technologically advanced composite materials. Dr. Bucher received a B.S. and M.S. in engineering from Rice University and a Ph.D. in material science from Virginia Tech.Dr.

Two Pure Safety Group leaders have taken on roles with industry standards organizations.Mathew Moreau, product manager of dropped tools and FME at Pure Safety Group (PSG), has been named chairperson of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Standards Committee for Dropped Objects Solutions. The committee is the first ever to focus exclusively on preventing dropped object hazards in general industry, construction and other sectors that involve work at height. In 2018, the committee set the first U.S.

On March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a petrochemical transport and storage company, was seeking approval to modify terminal operations in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If approved, MMP would expand its liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene.Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year.

UK-based Tekmar Energy  has secured a contract award from French cable installation specialist Louis Dreyfus TravOcean, to supply TekLink cable protection systems (CPS) for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm (OWF).According to the developer and manufacturer of sub-sea cable protection systems, the Parc du Banc de Guérande OWF (Saint-Nazaire) is a 480MW offshore wind farm set for construction on France’s Atlantic Coast and owned by EDF Renewables and Enbridge.Saint-Nazaire will be the first commercial-scale project installed in French waters and marks a significant milestone for the French offshore wind industry.Saint-Nazaire also marks Tekmar Energy’s first offshore wind project in France and the company's first contract with La Ciotat based Louis Dreyfus TravOcean.Tekmar Energy will sup

From their base deep within a former World War II U-boat pen, Norwegian outfit, OceanTech, is developing a set of robot tools that cling to offshore structures in order to effect inspection, maintenance and repair, or IMR. Old submarine anchorages are now subsea testing and training sites, but the North Sea is still the target. Hundreds of aging platforms and subsea structures require IMR that’s too costly, complex or hazardous for divers or remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs.As he walks us through Dora II…

Tekmar Energy, the developer and manufacturer of sub-sea cable protection systems for the renewable energy industry, announced that international marine contractor Van Oord has selected the patented Tekmar Cable Protection System (CPS) TekLink Mechanical Latch for Windpark Fryslân.According to a press note from the Tekmar Group Company, said Windpark Fryslân is a 382MW near-shore windfarm comprising 89 wind turbines. It is located six kilometers off the Frisian coast in the Netherlands.Once constructed it is expected to power around 500,000 households in the region and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm in inland water.Tekmar Energy is providing 167 cable protection systems for the infield array cables…

UK-based offshore technology services provider First Subsea has delivered beach landing cable protection for three export cables on the 120MW Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind farm in Taiwan.According to the Lancaster-based company, the contract was awarded by  Jan De Nul Group, EPCI contractor for delivery and installation of the project’s cables and foundations.Three systems, each 250m in length were contracted in Feb 2019 and delivered on time at the end of March 2019. The protection system is designed for an export cable diameter of 158mm with a bending radius of 2.37m.First Subsea project manager, Ross Carrington, said, “The delivery…

UK-based Tekmar Energy has been selected as the cable protection system (CPS) and hang off supplier for the 120-MW Formosa I Phase II offshore wind project in Taiwanese waters.A press note from the company announced that it has received the order from subsea power cable provider JDR Cables, part of TFKable Group.Tekmar will be providing approximately 60 cable protection systems and a further 60 hang off clamps which hold the subsea cable in place within the turbine transition piece.Formosa 1 Phase 2 is a project located 6km from the shore of Taiwan, consisting of 20 turbines and will provide a total of 122 MW in water depth of approximately 15-30m.

Tekmar Energy, a provider of protection systems for subsea cable, umbilical and flexible pipes and offshore engineering services, said that it has secured a contract by Boskalis to provide cable protection systems (CPS) for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm (OWF) in the UK.Triton Knoll is located 32 kilometres off the coast of Lincolnshire and consists of 90 turbines in water depth of 15-21m. The project will provide a total of 860 MW providing sustainable renewable energy to over 800,000 homes in the UK when complete.Russell Edmondson, Managing Director of Tekmar Energy said: “We are delighted to continue our trusted relationship with Boskalis following many years of success together.

The cleantech solution company Evac has acquired the  provider of ballast water treatment systems for ships and offshore platforms Transvac Systems.This is another important step forward for Evac who expanded their global operations by acquiring Cathelco, the UK manufacturers of equipment for ships in May 2018.Evac continue to build their reputation on the supply of integrated water and waste management systems for ships, offshore platforms and buildings worldwide resulting in sales of around 160 MEUR in the last financial year.One of Transvac’s key strengths is a long history as a supplier to the Royal Navy in the UK as well as many…

Subsea 7 associate Seaway Offshore Cables has won a contract to supply and install array cables for the 12-megawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) projects in the U.S."SOC in combination with Subsea 7, has been awarded its first US offshore wind project by Ørsted Wind Power North America who are constructing the project for Dominion Energy. This turnkey cable supply and cable installation contract for CVOW Project marks the continued success of a global renewables strategy for Subsea 7 in the U.S.," said a press release from the German company.The submarine cable installation, repair and maintenance company said that the multi-million-dollar contract will see SOC…

The subsea cables and engineering services provider Tekmar Energy announced that international marine contractor Van Oord has selected the patented Tekmar Cable Protection System (CPS) TekLink Mechanical Latch for the Borssele 2 (site III and IV) offshore wind farm.According to a press release from the offshore wind cable protection systems company, Borssele 2 consisting of 77 turbines and a total of 731.5 MW, will go into construction off the coast of Zeeland, the Netherlands in 2020.James Ritchie, CEO of Tekmar Group plc, said: “We are delighted that Van Oord has chosen Tekmar for Borssele 2. This continues our trusted relationship together following the successful award from Van Oord for Deutsche Bucht and BorWin3 earlier in 2018…

ABB has won orders worth more than $150 million from Danish energy company Ørsted to supply technology to transmit wind energy from the 1,400 megawatt (MW) Hornsea Project Two, slated to be the world's largest offshore wind farm.The orders were booked in the second quarter of 2018 and are the first tranche of a global five year frame agreement for the supply of electrical and automation equipment for offshore and onshore wind power connection and integration to the grid, ABB said.ABB will supply its Static Var Compensation (SVC) Light technology with ABB Ability MACH control systems…

Evac, the world’s leading provider of integrated waste, wastewater, and water management systems for the marine, offshore, and building industries, is to acquire Cathelco, a leading global manufacturer of equipment for ships and offshore installations.Cathelco customers include Evac’s current marine and offshore customer groups, including ship owners, shipyards, fleet managers, rig owners and operators, oil companies, navies, and designers.The acquisition gives Evac the opportunity to further expand its cleantech solution portfolio to its customers with the addition of new systems, while also opening up new business opportunities in terms of ballast water treatment systems.

Evac announced it will acquire Cathelco, a  manufacturer of equipment for ships and offshore installations, a synergistic move for Evac as Cathelco customers include Evac’s current marine and offshore customer groups, including ship owners, shipyards, fleet managers, rig owners and operators, oil companies, navies, and designers. The acquisition gives Evac the opportunity to further expand its cleantech solution portfolio to its customers with the addition of new systems, while also opening up new business opportunities in terms of ballast water treatment systems.

The remarkable success of autonomous and remotely-controlled vehicles on land and in the air and the interest in this technology being shown within maritime circles suggests that it is only a matter of time before autonomous ships are deployed at sea. Although the fuel costs represent, by far, the majority of shipping costs compared to onboard crews, there are yet substantial benefits to be reaped from autonomous ships. The potential economic benefits are too great to ignore this emerging technology.

Shipbuilder Fincantieri said it has partnered with Mapei, a producer of adhesives and chemical products for the construction sector with a business line of shipbuilding industry products, in the field of research and innovation. According to Fincantieri, the strategic cooperation agreement will help it to optimize installation times, reduce the weight of certain materials, improve acoustic insulation by using specific products, develop and extend the use of adhesives products in some shipbuilding applications. Mapei will aim to carry out projects, leading to exploitable solutions in its operational field. The cross-joint research issues will mainly concern the development of innovative products in a wide range…

Darlington based product manufacturer and global supplier of fire, blast and heat protection systems Mech-Tool Engineering Ltd (MTE) said it has delivered a fully certified ABS fire rated wall system for a Chinese turnkey EPC contractor in offshore construction. The company’s stainless steel A60 fire rated wall system will offer the ultimate protection to personnel on the deep-water semi-submersible rig, BT4000, should they need to use the evacuation lifeboats during an emergency.