Machinery Layout News

In 2011, Ocean Pioneer and Ocean Perfect, the first two RAmparts 3200 CL tugs developed by Robert Allan exclusively for Cheoy Lee Shipyards, Hong Kong were delivered to Ocean Sparkle Limited, the largest Indian tug owning and operating company with more than 80 tugboats under its fleet. Since then, 33 sister tugs of this CL series have been constructed by the same builder for their clients around the world. It is very rewarding to see Ocean Sparkle Limited returned to Cheoy Lee Shipyards, ordering two more units of the same series of this constantly improving design from this highly experienced and competent shipbuilder. The two newly built tugs, Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy left Hong Kong for their home port of Mumbai recently.

BMT Nigel Gee (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, has announced its latest partnership with Ares Shipyard to design and build six 18m patrol boats from advanced composites, for the Bahrain Coast Guard which have a maximum design speed in excess of 35 knots. The contract also has an option for an additional six vessels. Undertaking the full detailed design including hull form optimization, structural design and machinery layout, BMT’s team of naval architects has worked closely with the shipyard to develop a design which meets the customer’s explicit desire to maximize living space below decks…

Brazilian state oil company Petrobras has awarded Brazil Offshore Services (BOS) long term charters to operate one vessel under the Petrobras 12 000 contract and another under the Petrobras 15 000 contract. BOS is a Brazilian joint venture company owned 50/50 by Farstad of Ålesund in Norway and Petroserve of Brazil. BOS in turn has selected Rolls-Royce design and equipment packages worth altogether about NOK 270 million for the two vessels. Both will be to the UT 722L design, but specifications vary to suit the two operating contracts, each of which has an eight year period. Estaleiro Itajai in Brazil has been chosen as the builder of these vessels, which will be of a very high standard. Deliveries are scheduled for 2005.

A new shape in navy warships is quickly taking shape in the U.K., as Vosper Thornycroft (VT) has completed structural work on the 321 ft. (98 m) Trimaran Warship demonstrator being built for the U.K.'s Defense Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). The upper bow structure, weighing approximately 25 tons, was maneuvered into position on the RV Triton, which is scheduled for launching this month. The ship will be delivered to DERA in August before starting the initial phase of a trials program that will determine whether trimaran hulls will be considered for the Royal Navy's Future Surface Combatant. BT has built the ship using mega-blocks weighing up to 200 tons each. Five mega blocks have been fabricated and extensively fitted out before consolidation.

In a bold move to simplify and expedite the entire ship surveying process, Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has implemented a new, information technology (IT) tool for use by its stations around the world. Heralded as a revolutionary step forward in surveying, the customer-driven initiative is known as TRON, and is intended to replace complicated, time-consuming correspondence with a largely electronically-based surveying process linked to the GL intranet. The value of TRON should be best realized when used in conjunction with 'fleet online', GL's Internet portal. The powerful new instrument of service and operations enables the necessary survey information…