AEU Announce Addition to Staff
Mike Lapeyrouse, President and CEO of The American Equity Underwriters (AEU) said that Andrea Mills has joined the AEU staff effective May 6, 2013. Andrea has been a broker for 25 years and for the last eight years has served as Vice President, Client Advocate at Willis – Mobile. She joins AEU as Senior Vice President – Director of Strategic Business Development. www.amequity.com
750 Strike at Australian Shipbuilder Forgacs
At least 750 workers at a shipbuilding company elected to strike today at Fogracs in an effort to obtain better working hours and conditions, the Australian Associated Press reported.
Two Vessels Grounded off Scotland Coast
Two ships ran aground Tuesday off the west coast of Scotland, according to Herald Scotland. The first vessel, the 87-meter passenger cruise vessel Serenissima, was lodged on sand and gravel at a spot known as the Corran Ledge in Oban Bay Tuesday night as it made its way from Ireland to the port of Oban, Herald Scotland reported. Aboard the ship were 61 passengers and 51 crew members. With help from the ship’s crew and the Oban RNLI lifeboat team…
SENER Hires New GM for Engineering Business Unit
Rafael de Góngora Escrivá de Romaní has been appointed Head of the Marine Engineering Strategic Business Unit (MaSBU) and director of the Department of Engineering and Marine Systems of SENER, an engineering and technology group that has a workforce of more than 5,000 professionals, offices in four continents and a turnover of 1.16 billion euros (2011 figures). Rafael de Góngora leaves the position…
Colfax to Supply Pumps for Massive Heavy-lifting Ship
Colfax Fluid Handling, a business of Colfax Corporation, was awarded a contract as the exclusive supplier of hydraulic pumps for a ship capable of lifting the topside structures from offshore platforms. With a lifting capacity of up to 48,000 tons, the ship will remove topsides in one piece and transport them to land for deconstruction. The screw pumps are valued at €600,000 and are specially designed to deliver the high pumping capacity needed for the project.
PPG Begins Protective/Marine Coatings Production at Poland Facility
PPG Industries announced it has started manufacturing protective and marine coatings (PMC) at the company’s facility in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland. The facility, which previously produced architectural coatings and was part of PPG’s January 2012 acquisition of Dyrup A/S, now produces PMC products for the construction, petrochemical, shipbuilding and energy industries. “The Ostrów manufacturing plant is a key part of our strategy to grow and expand in this region…
Rolls-Royce has a Gas with Bergen Engines
March 2013 saw Rolls Royce collect the Green Ship Technology Award at the Green Ship Technology Conference in Hamburg for its Environship concept, which has lean burn Bergen Engines gas power units at it core. The Environship combines a range of Rolls Royce technologies (Bergen Engines is a subsidiary business) in a cargo ship model that, set against comparable vessels using diesel power engines, offers CO2 reductions of up to 40% (alongside 92% reductions in NOx and 100% less SOx emissions).
Atlantic Offshore and Ocean Response
Multi-role Rescue Vessel (MRV) and Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) specialist Atlantic Offshore recently took its active fleet number to 19 vessels (six newbuilds are also under construction), with the delivery of the Ocean Response (pictured). Built by nearby Bergen shipyards, the vessel is the first of its kind to use a configuration of varying sized Wärtsilä engines (two of the Wärtsilä 6L32 models and two 6L20 generating sets) to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
IHC Merwede Delivers New Backhoe Dredger
IHC Merwede delivered the Alberto Alemán Zubieta to Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP) in Panama City. The formalities were handled by ACP’s Contracting Officer, Mrs. Regina Donelson, after a successful trial period of 30 continuous days on the Panama Canal. IHC Special Dredging Equipment, part of IHC Merwede, specializes in the design and construction of special vessels, such as backhoe dredgers – has completed the contract with ACP for the design…
NES Powers Up in Competitive Market
Last year Bergen’s Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) made a bold claim. The designer and manufacturer of diesel electric and hybrid electric systems for the maritime sector, established in 2009 and already past NOK 1 billion in sales revenues ($171m), revealed that it had produced the largest ever low voltage marine diesel electric system. The 690v 60Hz system was created for the 125m long, 7,500 dwt OSV Grand Canyon (pictured)…
UK P&I Club Pocket Guide for Safe Carriage of Solid Bulk Cargoes
When bulk cargoes shift, liquefy, catch fire or explode as a consequence of poor loading procedures, the consequences can be massive. Ships may capsize, lose stability…
Grieg Star & DNV’s Crane Collaboration
Saving money and the planet, it’s the Holy Grail for today’s cost and image conscious shipowners. Bearing that in mind, fellow open hatch cargo vessel operators should sit up and pay attention to the findings of a new research project conducted by Grieg Star, in partnership with DNV Research & Innovation, and supported by the Research Council of Norway. Grieg and DNV have been investigating the potential of hybrid battery/diesel solutions for powering onboard cargo cranes.
Unconventional Wisdom from Dolphin Geophysical CEO
Atle Jacobsen, the CEO of Dolphin Geophysical, is, in many ways, a bit of a paradox. An experienced, no-nonsense, veteran of the marine seismic surveying industry, he is also disarmingly easy to “talk shop” with, engaging and has an obvious thirst for new ideas and technology. But the core contradiction lies in his approach to business. This is a man that shows no qualms about ripping up the rulebooks and making brave decisions…
Monohull Crewboat Swissco Cheetah Delivered
Incat Crowther launched Swissco Cheetah, the first of a pair of 36-meter crewboats built by Cheoy Lee Shipyards of Hong Kong. Capable of carrying 50 tons of deck cargo, the 70-passenger vessel was delivered by Cheoy Lee’s Zhuhai shipyard to Singapore-based operator, Swissco Offshore. Representing the first of this type of vessel built by Cheoy Lee, the Swissco Cheetah is the latest in a long line of collaborative efforts between builder and designer…
Strategic Marine Delivers Two Windfarm Service Vessels
Specialist boatbuilder Strategic Marine delivered the Njord Puffin to offshore windfarm service fleet operator Njord Offshore for deployment in Northern Europe. “The Puffin is the sixth in a series of eight vessels ordered, a strong signal of our commitment to the global windfarm industry,” said Rodney Davies, Operations Manager at Strategic Marine. “Last week we delivered the fifth, the Njord Petrel. Vessels seven and eight are due for delivery in early 2014.” www.strategicmarine.com
AWO Urges Industry Awareness on National Maritime Day
The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association of the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, is using National Maritime Day to remind Americans about the many significant contributions of the nation’s domestic mariners. Established in 1933, National Maritime Day was created to honor U.S. merchant mariners for their dedication to promoting commerce and protecting the nation. “This is a modern, vibrant industry that is moving the commerce of our nation safely and efficiently,” Mr.
Eco Marine & KEI System to Launch Aquarius MAS
Robust automation, control and management system for marine renewable energy solutions. Eco Marine Power (EMP) and KEI System Ltd (KEI) of Osaka, Japan, announced today that they will release later this year, the Aquarius Monitoring and Automation System or Aquarius MAS – a marine computer system capable of monitoring and/or controlling equipment on ships including wind and solar power devices plus being able to monitor fuel consumption.
New R&D Project to Help Enhance Maritime Safety
Almost 80% of collisions and groundings occur due to a failure of bridge systems and their usage. A new three-year European research project, part funded by the…
Hermes Datacomms Wins Two-year African Support Contract
Hermes Datacommunications International Ltd., a company providing Wide Area Network communications to the upstream oil and gas industry, won a contract to support Tullow Oil plc. for their operations in Africa. The 24-month deal sees the company use its pan–African satellite platform to provide a connection from Tullow Oil’s data center in London to its Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa, extending core services to the continent and growing the current services in Kenya.
MHI: Notice Regarding Dividends
At a meeting of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) Board of Directors held, a resolution was made to submit a proposal concerning distribution of dividends…