K Line Conducts 1,000 Mile Autonomous Voyage Trial
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K LINE) and the Nippon Foundation have demonstrated autonomous navigation on a roro for a round-trip route of approximately 1,000 miles (1,600km) between Hitachi Port and Kushiro Port.The 11,413gt Hokuren Maru No. 2 sails the route routinely in service for operator Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen. Three autonomous voyages have been undertaken since October 1, 2023.“We confirmed that recognition, analysis, and decision making by the autonomous navigation system are executed with a high degree of accuracy in coastal navigation,” said K Line in a statement.
Dogger Bank Produces First Power
The first phase of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm has started exporting electricity to British consumers.The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being constructed in UK waters 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers, 80 miles) off the coast of Yorkshire in the UK’s North Sea in three 1.2GW phases known as Dogger Bank A, B and C.Dogger Bank will occupy an area almost as large as Greater London and nearly twice the size of New York City. When fully complete, its 3.6GW capacity will comprise 277…
PHOTOS: First Dogger Bank Offshore Substation Reaches Norway
Following a long journey from Thailand, an offshore substation built for the massive Dogger Bank offshore wind project in the United Kingdom arrived at Aibel's yard in Haugesund on Saturday, aboard BigLift Shipping's heavy transportation vessel BigLift Baffin.The substation is the first of three platforms that Aibel will deliver to the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank, which is located in the North Sea, 130 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast.The platforms…
Aibel's Yard in Thailand Wraps Work on Dogger Bank A Topside
Norwegian engineering and construction firm Aibel's yard in Thailand has completed the construction of the Dogger Bank A wind farm substation topside, in what is the first ever HVDC converter platform exported from Thailand.Loaded on a BigLift heavy transportation vessel, the topside is now en route to Haugesund, Norway where further equipment will be installed ahead of the installation at its final offshore location at what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, the Dogger Bank…
World's First: Methane Oxidation Catalyst System Gets AIP
A methane oxidation catalyst system developed by Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), and Yanmar Power Technologies Co. (YPT) has received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK).The system reduces methane slip by placing a methane oxidation catalyst in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel engine and oxidizing the methane. This is the first time in the world that a methane oxidation catalyst system has received…
Japanese Trio Connects on Project to Reduce Methane Slip by 70%
As the global shipping industry is under the microscope to reduce emissions, three Japanese leaders in the maritime space: Hitachi Zosen, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.(MOL) and Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd. (YPT), have targeted methane slip as an area of study via its "Development of Methane Slip Reduction Technology from LNG Fueled Vessels by Improving Catalysts and Engines", with Hitachi Zosen serving as the managing company in the "Development of Next Generation Vessels Project"…
Alfa Laval Tallies LPG Fuel Supply Systems Order in Japan
Alfa Laval said it has won an order for three units of the Alfa Laval FCM LPG, the low-flashpoint fuel supply system (LFSS) developed in partnership with MAN Energy Solutions.The LFSS order was signed in December 2020 with IMEX Co., Ltd., which builds MAN Energy Solutions licensed engines in Japan as a subsidiary company of Hitachi Zosen Corporation. The order comprises three Alfa Laval FCM LPG systems that will be installed on three Japanese LPG carriers.According to Alfa Laval…
Cummins QSK95s: Big Electric Power for Conversion of Ariake to FPSO
Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels are essential tools in the search for oil in deeper waters, further from shore-based facilities. Typically, the large FPSO is stationary with a number of wells feeding oil into its holds. The oil can then be pumped off to shuttle tankers that transport it to shore side tanks and refineries.FPSOs are big expensive pieces of equipment. Some of them are converted from ocean going oil tankers. Such is the case with the 333 by 60-meter, very large crude carrier, VLCC Ariake, which was purchased for conversion to an FPSO.
ADS Crude Carriers Sells Another VLCC
Oslo-listed ADS Crude Carriers has signed a memorandum of agreement to sell the Very Large Crude Carrier ADS Serenade.ADS said Tuesday the vessel would be sold for $25.5 million. The company did not say who the buyer was."The vessel is expected to be delivered to the new owners before the end of October," ADS Crude Carriers said.The ADS Serenade is one of three Japan-built sister VLCCs delivered to the company in 2018. It was built in 2002 by Hitachi Zosen Corporation.The 329…
Heerema's Aegir Heavy Lifter in Drop Fall Incident Offshore Taiwan
The article has been updated to include a statement by the Heerema Marine Contractors' spokesperson.Heerema Marine Contractors' heavy lift vessel Aegir has earlier this week experienced a drop fall incident off the coast of Taiwan where it is working on an offshore wind project."There were no injuries as a result of the incident, and no environmental impact has occurred. The piling frame and pin pile have only suffered minimal damage," the Dutch company said. "Work had just started on this project, and currently, foundation installation has been temporarily paused pending investigation.
Mitsubishi Installs Marine SOx Scrubbers
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding announced that its DIA-SOx R, , the marine SOx scrubbers, installed on two ultra large containerships recently gained approvals from the the flag states.The first 2 units of the scrubber retrofitted onboard ultra-large container ships got approvals from the classification societies, Lloyd's Register and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, respectively after confirmation of the excellent result of sea trials and consequently also got approvals from the Flag States, Panama and Singapore.Those 2 ships, whilst continuously using the existing heavy fuel oil, can conform the new SOx emission regulation requirement even after being strengthened as from January 1…
Mitsubishi Begins Shipments of Marine SOx Scrubber System
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a member of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) Group, based in Yokohama, has increased production capacity for its marine SOx scrubber system that reduces sulfur oxide (SOx) from the exhaust gas of ships, and begun shipments of the DIA-SOx C Series tower and DIA-SOx R Series tower from partner fabricators in China and Taiwan, respectively. The C Series tower shipped this time is designed to be fitted on LPG carriers and large oil tankers…
MN100: ABB
At the very cutting edge of clean, modern and ultra-efficient propulsion and automation solutions, ABB takes its rightful place amongst MarineNews' prestigious 2019 MN100 winners.The Case:ABB believes that modern ships will be built on the foundation of electricity. This expands their range of viable energy sources beyond traditional fuel to for instance batteries and fuel cells. The electrical backbone, integrated with automation and control systems, will also transform the industry…
Floating Windpower Partnership Formed
Japanese engineering giant Hitachi Zosen Corp and French marine renewables technology outfit Naval Energies will work together in the field of floating wind power.The French marine renewables specialist said in a press release that the two companies will design and build floating wind turbines with a capacity of several hundred megawatts off the Japanese coast using Naval Energies' semi-submersible floating solution, which is a concrete, steel or a hybrid combination fixed to the seabed by an anchoring system that controls its movements.The project between the two companies is based on a feasibility study to jointly design and build…
Asian Ports to Use Handheld XRF Analyzer
Port authorities in Asia are getting ready to enforce IMO 2020 with the help of Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science’s X-MET8000 handheld XRF analyzer.The Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation informed that it has recently delivered X-MET8000’s to both the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as they get ready to enforce the IMO’s (International Maritime Organization) MARPOL Annex VI regulation that will come into force on 1 January 2020.The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, required a fuel oil sulfur content test kit, awarded Hitachi High-Tech the contract for supply of…
Voser Steps in as Interim CEO at ABB
ABB Chief Executive Ulrich Spiesshofer has quit the Swiss industrial group as the board and major shareholders look for a speedier turnaround at the maker of industrial robots and supplier of factory automation.Spiesshofer’s abrupt exit follows the launch of the biggest overhaul in ABB’s 31-year history to reposition the company more toward digital industries and agreeing to activist shareholder demands to sell its power grids business.But the latest revamp by the former management consultant failed to revitalize ABB’s stock…
Navios Acquisition Disposes Oldest VLCC
Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, an international shipping company, said that it has sold the oldest vessel of its fleet, the C. Dream.According to a press release from the US-listed, Greece-based company, the 299,000-dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) C. Dream (built 2000) is sold for $21.75m.The 323,967 cbm vessel, with a length of 332 meters and a width of 60 meters, was built in Hitachi shipyard in Japan.Navios Acquisition is an owner and operator of tanker vessels focusing on the transportation of petroleum products (clean and dirty) and bulk liquid chemicals. Its fleet includes approximately 38 double-hulled tanker vessels, aggregating approximately four million deadweight tons (dwt).
Ocean Geo-Frontier Tallies Survey Contract
New joint venture company Ocean Geo-Frontier (OGF) on Monday signed a consignment service agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for geophysical surveys to be conducted by a three-dimensional geophysical survey vessel.OGF was established in December 2018 to meet an expected demand increase for offshore surveys after Japan’s Cabinet Office approved the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the development of domestic resources, including oil and gas…
PGS Offers Seismic Vessel to Japan
Norwegian seismic services provider Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) has offered to sell the Ramform Sterling vessel to the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC).The seismic services that help oil companies to find oil and gas reserves offshore worldwide said in a press release that it had been informed that JOGMEC, an incorporated administrative agency of Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, is the preferred tenderer and that negotiations would be initiated with the aim of concluding necessary contracts."PGS has now been informed that the Company is the preferred tenderer, and negotiations will be initiated with the aim of concluding necessary contracts. A final award to PGS will only take place if and when all contracts have been concluded.
Japanese Offshore Wind to Hit 4GW in 2028
Japan's nascent offshore wind industry is expected to increase dramatically over the next ten years, according to energy analysts Wood Mackenzie, who predict that by 2028 the island country will boast upwards of 4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore capacity, a 62-fold increase on 2018 figures.As nuclear power falls out of favour in the aftermath of 2011’s Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear disaster, Japan has struggled to bring its nuclear reactors back on the grid. Only nine reactors have successfully come online, bringing operational capacity to 9 GW last year.Wood Mackenzie estimates that Japan will face a power generation shortfall of more than 10 GW by 2030…
LNG Majors Okay MHPS Gas Turbine
The engineering and manufacturing giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group (MHI Group) said it has completed successive technical qualification, conducted by oil majors and engineering companies on Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems’ 120MW H-100 Gas Turbine.To date, major LNG players, including ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, along with key engineering contractors such as Bechtel, have all completed extensive qualification studies on Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems' 120MW H-100 Gas Turbine for use as the mechanical driver in conjunction with well-proven compressors of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation."Acceptance of our LNG Solution by customers around the globe is a real boost for the MHI team"…
MOL Conducts Test of Class Survey Using Drones
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that it participated in a demonstration test of ship class survey using aerial drones to inspect an MOL-operated coal carrier in service, along with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), Hitachi Systems, and Mitsui Co.According to MOL, the demonstration test included a simulated ship inspection inside the cargo hold and ballast tank (which holds water used to balance the ship when it is not carrying cargo), using video shot from an aerial drone.The test verified the effectiveness of using drones to monitor rust, corrosion, and the presence of cracks, it said.ClassNK has conventionally conducted visual inspections…
Wilhelmsen, Hitachi Deliver XRF Analyzers
Signing a supply agreement with Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science (Hitachi High-Tech), Wilhelmsen will supply Hitachi High-Tech’s industry-leading handheld XRF analyzers to the maritime market, enabling vessel crews to accurately and efficiently test the sulphur content of their fuel, on the spot.With the International Maritime Organization’s 0.50% global sulphur cap on marine fuels set to come into force on January 1, 2020 and discussions on enforcement strategies and potential penalties for non-compliance gathering pace…