Mooring Equipment News

Aurora Botnia - RoPax Ferry + Greentech Proving Ground

Built by Rauma Marine Constructions, in Rauma, Finland, and launched in 2021, the 150-meter-long Aurora Botnia boasts a long list of onboard equipment that help it to earn its “green” designation, a label that is confirmed via a Clean Design notation from classification society DNV. The ship is also compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target.Wasaline CEO Peter Ståhlberg describes Aurora Botnia as “a masterpiece of cooperation” and noted that the vessel is over 80% domestic made."I'm really proud of the Aurora Botnia.

ClassNK Amends Class Rules

ClassNK has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships dated December 22, 2023.ClassNK is constantly revising its Rules and Guidance in order to reflect the latest results from relevant research and development projects, feedback from damage investigations, requests from industry as well as changes made to relevant international conventions, IACS Unified Requirements (UR), etc. More specifically, some of the amendments made this time are as follows:Responding to requests from relevant industries…

Ship Traffic Halted After Power Outage Hits Welland Canal

Vessel traffic through Ontario's Welland Canal has ceased after a power outage damaged equipment in two of its locks, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) said.The not-for-profit corporation, which manages and operates the Canadian assets of the St. Lawrence Seaway, said the outage occurred at 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, damaging hands-free mooring equipment in Locks 1 and 7. "SLSMC took immediate steps to ensure the safety of the public, personnel, vessels, infrastructure and the environment…

Survival Technology Provider Survitec Opens New Service Center in Southampton

Survitec, a survival technology solutions provider, has opened a new service center in the Port of Southampton, boosting its UK servicing capability.The 10,000 sq. ft building, newly fitted out with equipment and facilities for the servicing and repair of liferafts, lifejackets, immersion suits and other safety equipment, will deliver increased capacity and faster turnaround times when meeting the needs of customers in the cruise, defense, Border Force and commercial shipping sectors…

Scana's Seasystems to Deliver Mooring Equipment for Offshore Project in West Africa

Norwegian company Scana said Monday that its subsidiary Seasystems had signed a sizeable contract for the delivery of an anchoring system to an FSO project offshore West Africa."This is a sizeable contract for Scana, valued close to NOK 50 million [currently around $4,8 million]," Scana said.Under the contract, with an unnamed client, Seasystems will deliver mooring equipment such as dual-axis chain stoppers and chain handling systems. The delivery is expected for the first quarter of 2024.“Seasystems has worked systematically to develop hardy and cost-effective mooring solutions…

Deteriorated Bollard Caused Drillship Breakaway and Collision

A deteriorated bollard led to a Valaris drillship breaking away and colliding with a bulk carrier in Pascagoula, Miss. last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On March 12, 2022, the mobile offshore drilling unit Valaris DS-16 was in the process of being reactivated at the ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore Shipyard (STEHMO) when it broke away from the dock in strong winds, drifted across the Bayou Casotte channel and collided with the bulk carrier Akti.

Mooring Equipment Failure Led to Barge Grounding in Alaska -NTSB

A fatigue crack ultimately led to a fishing tender barge breaking loose from its mooring buoy and grounding during a storm near Ekuk, Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a recent marine investigation report.On August 30, 2020, the fishing tender barge SM-3 broke free from the buoy it was anchored to and began drifting. The six-person crew deployed two emergency anchors, but the barge continued to drift and grounded on the beach. No injuries were reported. There was a 3-mile debris field on the beach.

ClassNK Amends Its Shipbuilding Class Rules

Japan-based classification society ClassNK has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships dated December 27, 2021.ClassNK is constantly revising its rules and guidance in order to reflect the latest results from relevant research and development projects, feedback from damage investigations, requests from the industry as well as changes made to relevant international conventions, IACS unified requirements (UR), national regulations…

Samson Rope’s Training Materials Now Available on OTG’s Platform

Samson and Ocean Technologies Group (OTG), a global learning and operational technology company serving the maritime industry, have agreed to collaborate to provide seafarers with on-demand access to Samson’s comprehensive set of online courses in rope handling, inspection, fabrication, and installation.The courses will be available on OTG’s Ocean Learning Platform, which was specially created to deliver blended learning, assessment, and competency management solutions that ultimately connect e-Learning and hands-on activity to improve knowledge…

Trelleborg Opens Houston HQ for Marine Solutions

Trelleborg said its marine and infrastructure operation in North America has recently moved into its new sales office in Houston, Texas, in a move aimed at meeting the growing demands across all North American markets and providing more localized and coordinated customer support for its complimentary product offerings, which include marine fender systems, docking and mooring equipment, transfer link systems, and navigation and piloting solutions.The new 8,600-square-foot office located on the west side of Houston places Trelleborg in the heart of the Houston metro area.

Trelleborg Names Nilsson as New CFO

Fredrik Nilsson has been hired to take over as the new Chief Financial Officer of Sweden-based engineered polymer solutions company Trelleborg Group, replacing Ulf Berghult who is leaving the role to take a position outside the company.Berghult, Trelleborg's CFO since 2012, will stay on until Trelleborg's 2020 year-end report is completed, leaving Nilsson to assume the position during the first quarter of 2021.Nilsson most recently worked at vegetable oil company AAK for nearly 14 years, holding the position of CFO for the past seven years.

Scana Offshore Wins Offshore Wind Contract

Kvaerner ASA awarded Scana Offshore AS a contract for the supply of mooring equipment to Hywind Tampen, Equinor's new floating wind farm. The contract is Scana Offshore's first hardware contract in the floating wind power market.The delivery from Scana Offshore will consist of 33 hull brackets, which are used to attach anchoring lines to the hulls on the 11 offshore wind turbines that make up the Hywind Tampen wind farm. The company will also provide ROV tools for possible replacement of the anchor lines.“We have a long track record of deliveries to the oil, gas and aquaculture market.

Polymer Pioneer Wins Sperry Award

Thordon Bearings’ founder and polymer materials pioneer George A. (Sandy) Thomson has been awarded the global transportation sector’s most distinguished accolade, the Elmer A. Sperry Award 2019 for “Advancing the Art of Transportation”.Thomson joins a long list of Sperry Award recipients, which was established in 1955, including Donald Douglas, Ferdinand Porsche, Sir Geoffrey De Havilland, Christopher Cockerell, Leonard Hobbs, Perry Pratt, Josef Becker and Malcom McLean.“I am deeply honored and humbled to win this award…

​​​​Trelleborg Relocates to Accommodate Growth

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has relocated its headquarters and Dubai marine fender sales operation to Jafza One, a new, premium commercial complex in the heart of Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai in the UAE.The move to a larger office space follows the formation in quarter one 2019 of Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation, formerly Trelleborg Marine Systems. In addition to its marine solutions, the operation has widened its remit to include Trelleborg’s infrastructure operation as well as its Qingdao-based sales office and manufacturing facility…

Trelleborg's Automoor for Port of Tallinn

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has been awarded a contract to install its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, at the Old City Harbor at the Port of Tallinn, which is the biggest harbor in Estonia and one of the busiest passenger harbors in the world.In first quarter of 2020, Trelleborg will install six units of its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm at the Old City Harbor’s Berth 13 cruise ferry wharf to facilitate faster berthing processes and improve safety levels within the port environment.

Wilhelmsen’s Rope Solution for Mooring Safety

Despite the industry’s best intentions, such as designating hazardous snap-back zones on mooring decks, or the drawing up of detailed line management and mooring plans, mooring remains an incredibly high risk task. Serious, often fatal, accidents continue to happen with depressing regularity, with seemingly no end in sight. Until now. Proving impossible to accurately calculate or predict just how fibre ropes will behave when they fail and snap, Wilhelmsen Ships Service have instead developed a unique solution which dramatically reduces a rope’s recoil…

Samson Launches Solution to Streamline MEG4 Transition

Samson, the developer of high-performance synthetic rope solutions and global market leader in commercial marine applications, has launched a new integrated technology and service solution, Icaria, designed to facilitate the transition process to MEG4 operational best practices.OCIMF’s release of the fourth edition of its Mooring Equipment Guidelines marks a significant change in how mooring systems will be designed, selected, maintained and retired. In addition, terminology has been clarified…

Eliminating The Risk From Docking & Mooring

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has launched a new whitepaper and on-demand webinar outlining design and compliance requirements in docking and mooring equipment, and a new best practice approach to specification.The whitepaper, entitled The Quest for Quality, examines the relationship between cost and quality, explaining why low cost equipment could prove costly for port owners and operators in the long term.Hani William, Sales and Marketing Manager at Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, said, “The mooring operation is high risk.

Ship of the Year: MOL FSRU Challenger

MOL FSRU Challenger is Maritime Reporter & Engineering News' Great Ships of 2017. The World’s Largest Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU Max). Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) in middle of October, took delivery of MOL FSRU Challenger the world largest floating storage and regasification unit (called FSRU Max vessel) from South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. The state-of-the art FSRU Max vessel has a variety of valued functions…

Vryhof Expands Its Global Footprint

Vryhof, a provider of anchoring and mooring solutions, said it is expanding its global footprint with its companies Deep Sea Mooring (DSM) opening a new office in Aberdeen and Vryhof Anchors appointing Singapore-based Franklin Offshore as its exclusive representative for selling Vryhof solutions in a number of Asia Pacific countries. “In an industry that has seen considerable negativity over the past year, this is a real statement of intent by Vryhof on our ambitions to expand our products and services in new markets and meet increased demand,” said Wolfgang Wandl, CEO of Vryhof.

Vryhof Makes Two Senior Appointments

Anchoring and mooring solutions provider Vryhof has made two senior appointments: Evan Zimmerman as Vryhof’s new Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and Clément Mochet as new Commercial Director for Vryhof’s business unit, Vryhof Anchors. Based in Houston, Zimmerman has been tasked with pushing improvement within Vryhof’s technology, management systems and engineering capabilities. In particular, he will support Vryhof in strengthening its mooring equipment technologies…

MN100: Schoellhorn-Albrecht Machine Co., Inc.

Schoellhorn-Albrecht is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of Mooring Equipment and Systems including Capstans, Anchor Windlasses, Deck Fittings and Vessel Access Systems. In addition to standard products, the firm specializes in designing and manufacturing castings, fabrications, and specialized machinery. Products can be designed and certified to ABS, LLOYDS, MIL, ISO, NAVSEA, ASTM, JIS, OCIMF, and NVR as required. The firm has 35 employees. Schoellhorn-Albrecht has engineered and implemented a Programmable Control System designed for mooring and positioning into dry docks.

Big Tankers' Need for Retrofit Slows Use of New Panama Canal

The promise that some oil traders and brokers saw for an expanded Panama Canal to become a new route for large tankers will take longer to realize than expected because many ships must first undergo inconvenient retrofits to transit through the new locks, shipping industry experts said. The modifications to these bigger oil carriers - which mostly involve fittings such as chocks and bollards that secure the ship's dock and tow lines - are needed because the new locks that opened in June use tug boats rather than locomotives to pull vessels.