Service Station News

Australian Pump Industries (Aussie Pumps) has launched a 4-inch NiAl bronze self-priming pump with hydraulic drive.The new pump, called the B4XRA/B HYD34, produces 2,200 lpm and can operate at up to 42psi. It can also lift water through a vertical suction lift of 6m.Aussie Pumps Chief Engineer John Hales said: “The pumps self-prime. You can see from the big tank that’s designed into the body. When the product is properly primed it will have no trouble fulfilling its suction responsibilities in any installation.”“Most vessels today have hydraulic capabilities.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin following the engine room flooding and foundering of the stern trawler Piedras (FD 528) which led to the failure of a liferaft to inflate. A second liferaft was successfully launched, and the crew were rescued.Both liferafts exhibited deficiencies that raised servicing and certification concerns and are likely to have contributed to the failure, says MAIB. The port liferaft was never recovered, but inspection of the starboard liferaft found that it had not been correctly serviced since manufacture in March 2007…

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC John Patterson to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 179th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 53rd Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC John Patterson will be the fourth of six FRCs to be homeported in Sector Boston.Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. The cutter’s namesake, John C. Patterson, was born in New Jersey in 1834. In 1870, after serving in the U.S.

Operating on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from day one in service, the MV George III, the first of Pasha Group’s two new ‘Ohana Class’, Jones Act-qualified containerships, features a state-of-the-art engine, an optimized hull form, and an underwater propulsion system with a high-efficiency rudder and propeller. George III is the first LNG-powered vessel to fuel on the West Coast and the first to serve Hawaii. The 774-ft. Jones Act vessel surpasses the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2030 emission standards for ocean vessels.

Renewable energy company RWE has selected Port of Thorsminde from which to carry out the operation and maintenance of its Thor offshore wind farm. With a planned capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) Thor will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. The wind farm will be built off the Danish west coast - approximately 22 kilometers from the port of Thorsminde. RWE in late 2021 won the rights to build Thor via a lottery systemAccording to RWE, Port of Thorsminde offers both the shortest sea and fastest air routes to the Thor offshore wind farm.

U.K.-based safety and survival solutions provider Survitec said it has completed its acquisition of Blue Anchor Fire & Safety, a Scottish provider of survival solutions to the fisheries, maritime and offshore energy industries.The investment, part of Survitec’s expansion strategy, follows the acquisition in May of Norway’s Hansen Protection, a provider of personal protective equipment.Baba Devani, Chief Executive Officer, Marine, Survitec, said, “We are delighted to announce this acquisition…

Classification society DNV has verified Survitec's fire foam testing process onboard maritime vessels or offshore structures.Survival technology specialist Survitec said its new Produced Foam Live Test method uses ultrasound technology to verify the effectiveness of fire-fighting foam, according to the mandatory requirements set out in IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432 9.2.4.The ruling applies to any vessel or offshore structure that has a deck foam system, a high expansion foam system (engine…

Savannah-based Colonial Group Inc. has announced a new era of leadership as it prepares to mark a major milestone in the company’s history in 2021.Christian B. Demere (Demere) has been named chief executive officer, succeeding his father, Robert H. Demere, Jr. (Demere Jr.), who had been in the position since 1986. Colonial Group has continued to operate as a privately held business since 1921 through the chairmanships of its founder, Raymond Demere; his son, Robert H. Demere Sr.; and Robert’s son, Demere Jr.“The time has come to pass the torch to the fourth generation,” said Demere Jr.

As domestic traffic from coast-to-coast continues to worsen, ferry operators are seeing a steady growth in passenger demand. As passenger demand grows, so does the demand for efficiency and hybrid technology to be incorporated into fleets. But what innovations support a fleet’s number one priority – safety? Will efficiency and the latest green technologies support these critically important vessels in an emergency situation? Is the crew aware of how much time they have to evacuate all passengers?Traditional ferry evacuation systems require passengers to be loaded onto lifeboats on deck…

Kalmar  has supplied Shantou China Merchants Port Group Co., Ltd. with eight Essential Range Empty Container Handlers.According to a press note from the Cargotec group unit, the handlers have been delivered respectively to Huagang Container Branch and Container Service Branch under Shantou China Merchants Port Group Co., Ltd.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q1 order intake, it said.China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd., a world-leading port developer, investor and operator, has established comprehensive port network covering the main hub ports along the coastal area of China, including the container hub ports distributed in Hong Kong…

Intermarine UK struck an agreement with a Chinese manufacturer to make the Port of Portland one of the UK’s centers for scrubber installation.Intermarine President Slawomir Kalicki signed the agreement at Norshipping in Oslo with counterpart DB Wang deputy general manager of the Shandong Pure Ocean Technology based in Renhe Town in the Shandong province. The deal will see Intermarine act as an agent to Shandong and offer to install its scrubber systems to a wide variety of vessels to help them meet tough new environmental regulations.

Germany based engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions opened a new service station/workshop on Liuheng Island, Zhoushan, China. The 560-sqm PrimeServ workshop is located within Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard Co., Ltd, the largest privately-owned shipyard in China, and was officially opened on on July 18, 2018.Jeffrey Ang, Managing Director of MAN Energy Solutions China and Head of Asia Pacific Engine & Marine Systems, and Xia Songkang, General Director of Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard Co.…

Maritime safety equipment and servicing provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment is kicking off its presence at Sea Japan 2018 (April 11-13) with a boosted liferaft offering. On one hand is the company’s ability to supply VIKING S30 extended service interval SOLAS liferafts; on the other is a recent Japanese Government approval for VIKING to supply liferafts to Japanese flagged vessels and carry out final liferaft assembly in Japan. This is the first such approval awarded to a non-Japanese manufacturer…

On 29 November 2015 at about 7.50 pm, the Indonesian registered, Batamfast passenger ferry MV Sea Prince, while enroute from Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, Batam, to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Singapore, was immobilised at about 0.24 nautical miles (444 metres), northwest of Nongsa. Investigation revealed that the Master of Sea Prince had deviated from his original planned route after leaving the demarcated navigational channel and went aground. Due to the grounding, Sea Prince sustained damages that immobilised the engines and resulted in flooding of the steering gear room. Two inflatable life rafts were launched for evacuation of passengers but the first life raft deflated slowly while the second life raft began to take in water.

ABB Turbocharging said it has made major investments at key service locations through 2015 resulting in tangible enhancements to its global maintenance and repair network for 2016 and beyond. The company opened completely new service locations in Amman, Jordan, as well as Montevideo, Uruguay. Service Stations were also upgraded in Australia; and facilities enhanced for customers in China, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and the U.S. “Maximizing availability and uptime for customers’ applications is a core ABB Turbocharging service commitment.

Kongsberg Maritime has established a new country office in the Republic of Panama. Opened in January 2016 and situated in the ‘Canal Zone’ close to Panama City, Kongsberg Maritime Panama will service merchant fleet customers transiting the Canal and the extensive tug sector in the region, in addition to providing support for ongoing or planned land reclamation dredging and new port and terminal construction projects. Kongsberg Maritime Panama expands the Norwegian headquartered maritime technology company’s global presence to 65 offices…

Abu Dhabi Ports celebrated the groundbreaking of Schmidt ME Logistics’ new facility in Khalifa Port’s industrial, trade and logistics zone, Kizad. The ceremony officiated by Dr. Wolfgang Hoppmann, CEO of Schmidt ME Logistics along with senior representatives from both companies took place on May 27, 2015. Schmidt ME Logistics specializes in the packaging, product handling and intermodal transportation of dry bulk products in addition to providing services to include patent technologies exclusive to Schmidt Logistics.

Supplier of integrated solutions for navigation, communication and connectivity PRONAUTAS has expanded its European and Asian operations into North America with a new office located in Charlottesville, Virginia with main service station in Houston. The official launch will take place at CMA Shipping 2015. According to PRONAUTAS, the opening of the new office reflects its continued global growth and demonstrates the company’s commitment to ensuring local assets are available throughout the American shipping industry. PRONAUTAS provides integrated solutions for navigation, communication and connectivity with more than 200 connectivity contracts, more than 330 newbuilding projects and more than 120 vessels on service and maintenance contracts.

Boa Offshore has chosen ABB Turbocharging’s Maintenance Management Agreement for servicing of turbochargers aboard four of its vessels, ensuring on-time servicing at agreed prices with a minimum of administration. ABB Turbocharging has announced a further success for its MMA Maintenance Management Agreement, which gives turbocharger end users desiring close service support the chance to reduce their administrative and technical workloads substantially. The new MMA will last for three years and covers the servicing of turbochargers aboard four ships owned by Boa Offshore AS…

Natural gas-fueled engines, touted as a clean, low-cost alternative to diesel, continue to struggle for acceptance in the U.S. transportation sector despite a surge in gas production that has sent the alternative fuel's domestic price plunging. U.S. natural gas prices closed on Friday at $3.766 per million British thermal units, down 42 percent since February. At its current levels, natgas is about $1.50 a gallon cheaper than diesel fuel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For U.S. railroads alone, which consumed 3.6 billion gallons of diesel in 2012, the potential savings are huge. Yet more than a year after Warren Buffett's BNSF Railways Corp generated big headlines with a plan to test a handful of natgas locomotives…

ABB Turbocharging is celebrating its 25th anniversary in UAE. Established in 1989 in Dubai, ABB has grown to become a fully-fledged service station capable of carrying out all repair works with 27 employees in three locations. ABB Turbocharging Dubai provides customers with turbocharging solutions for land-based diesel power plants with a strong focus on the marine segment in both seaports and offshore anchorages at Khorfakkan, Fujairah, and major shipyards Dubai drydocks + ASRY, Bahrain. The service station has a very important regional role with several key countries being supported in Middle East including Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq and Yemen. Dubai is also responsible for area management of the turbocharging business in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan.

TURBOMED S.A. has established a new service station in Shanghai, China as a move to expand its presence in the worldwide marine industry. Furthermore, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, Owner of TURBOMED S.A., decided to instate in Shanghai a Greek mechanical engineer, Nikos Paraskevopoulos, to represent the company as the authorized superintendent of all the operations concerning turbocharger service. Paraskevopoulos has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and is a specialist in turbocharger maintenance and repair.

The New Fitzwright Liferaft is now available in Canada. FitzWright Survival Inc., has been recognized for over 30 years as one a high quality manufacturer of Life-Saving Equipment in Canada. FitzWright is proud to announce that it has expanded its product offering under the FitzWright Brand to bring a far greater variety of products to the market. The showcase of this new Life-Saving Equipment Program launch is FitzWright’s NEW Transport Canada and SOLAS Approved Liferafts. The FitzWright Liferafts have been designed and built to not only meet the challenging approval requirements, but also to meet the needs of customers. Taking a Performance and Safety first approach, FitzWright has been able to find the perfect balance which will bring cost effective solutions to its customers.