Elcome Opens Algeciras Office
Elcome International, provider of maritime systems integration, technical support and shipboard service, announced the opening of another office in Europe. Based in the Spanish port city of Algeciras, the facility will offer sales and technical support for the company’s growing portfolio of ship navigation, communication, satellite connectivity and coastal surveillance systems. Shipboard services will include annual radio surveys and annual testing of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS)…
Poland’s Maritime U.
Polish officers have earned respect in the engine rooms and on the bridges of the international shipping fleet. With more than 4,000 full or part-time students and about 600 graduates per year the AkademiaMorska in Szczecin, Poland, is assuring the continuity of this reputation. In addition to Polish students, the Maritime University is serving international members of the maritime community with a number of English language programs. They also offer specialized courses tailored to the specific needs of individual shipping companies.
Liftboats: Unique Above the Sea
\While most boats have to find shelter or tough it out in heavy weather, the lift boat simply jacks up her hull and avoids the waves. Conventional vessels are often defined by their hull length, but it is the length of the jacking legs that is the significant number for lift boats. Having recently delivered a lift boat with massive 320-foot legs, naval architect A. K. Suda, Ltd. are currently overseeing the construction of two of their latest designs. The larger of the two has 300-foot lift legs.
33% GROWTH FOR COSTA CRUISES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: ALMOST 9 MILLION PASSENGER MOVEMENTS IN 2011
Genoa, March 14 2011 – Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s no.1 cruise company, has confirmed its undisputed leadership in the Mediterranean; this region, which enjoys one of the highest growth rates in the global cruise industry, will be the focus of attention at Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami 2011. It is estimated that this year, with about 2,800 calls in 92 destinations, there will be almost 9 million passenger movements in Mediterranean ports for the ships in the Costa fleet, all of which are Italian-flagged; this amounts to a 33% increase compared to 2010.
Wärtsilä Engines To Power Queen Mary 2
Wärtsilä Corporation will deliver four Wärtsilä 46 EnviroEngines totaling 67.2 MW power output for Cunard Line's new luxury transatlantic liner, Queen Mary 2. These engines will incorporate the latest common-rail fuel injection technology for operation without any visible smoke. Due for delivery in late 2003 by the French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, the "Queen Mary 2" will be the world's largest passenger vessel. Measuring 345 m long by 40 m beam and drawing 10 m, the 150,000 grt liner will have a maximum speed of about 30 knots. Electrical power for propulsion and all shipboard services will be generated by a 115.5 MW combined diesel- and gas turbine-electric power plant.
Cruise Lines Win Partial Victory on HMT
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the value of a cruise fare for purposes of the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) only includes the fair market value of the shipboard services. In the instant case, the Customs Service had assessed the HMT based on the full price paid by individual passengers. That full price included such things as airfare, travel agent commissions, port taxes, and Customs/INS fees. The court ruled that such inclusion was inconsistent with the HMT statute. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc. v. United States Source: HK Law
Enter the LNG-Fueled Supply Ship
A landmark decision to use liquefied natural gas (LNG), instead of diesel oil, to fuel a new class of offshore support vessel has taken operational form on the Norwegian continental shelf after a three-year development process. The platform supply ship Viking Energy is the result of a concerted effort to provide a versatile, sophisticated vessel promising much reduced environmental impact. The project emphasizes the Norwegian coastal industrial community's propensity for innovation, and for working together to bring new ideas to fruition. Although bunkering on LNG has meant a higher capital outlay on the newbuild project, the vessel is expected to yield about 200-tons less in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions every year compared to a ship burning oil.
The Answer is Blowing in the Wind
It is little secret that efforts to develop and harness new forms of clean power is an ever-present global task to serve the dual purpose of ensuring a cleaner environment and to be less taxing on non-renewable resources. The wind has emerged as a viable, if sometimes unreliable and often more costly*, option to generate power. Plans to build the U.K.'s largest offshore wind farm, to provide electricity for 50,000 homes in Wales, has been given the green light. The North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm will feature 30 wind turbines, located five miles off the Welsh coast between Prestatyn and Rhyl in North Wales. There are currently two additional major offshore wind farm projects under consideration for the UK…
