Condition Monitoring System News

Brunvoll has signed a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries for the delivery of comprehensive thruster and control system packages for nine DP2 shuttle tankers. The order includes a total of 45 thrusters, making it the largest contract in Brunvoll’s history in terms of both scope and value. The vessels, owned by Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd., will be placed on long-term bareboat charter to Transpetro, a logistics subsidiary of Petrobras.Brunvoll’s delivery for each vessel consists of three retractable azimuth thrusters, and two tunnel thrusters.

Brunvoll won another contract with Myklebust Shipyard for the delivery of a comprehensive thruster package, an additional vessel for REM Offshore, the option originally announced in May 2024. Like the previous contract, this agreement also includes an option for a third additional vessel.Brunvoll’s thruster package consists of two propulsion azimuth thrusters, two retractable azimuth thrusters, and a tunnel thruster. This configuration is the same as the previous vessel announced in May, except that this vessel with be equipped with a slightly larger tunnel thruster.

Schottel won an order to supply azimuthing thrusters for four new escort tugs for Seattle-based Saltchuk Marine, the beginning of the renewal of the Saltchuk fleet for operations on the US West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska.To be built by Eastern Shipbuilding, the vessels are a RApport 2600 design by Canadian naval architect Robert Allan and will measure 25.6 x 12.8m with a 5.5-m draft. Accommodation will be provided for eight persons, and they will be operated by Foss Maritime.Each tug will be equipped with two azimuthing Schottel RudderPropellers of the type SRP 510 each.

A series of four zero-emission and autonomous ferries, to be built by Turkish Tersan shipyard for Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1, will be propelled by Schottel’s EcoPellers.The double-ended vessels will be the first of their kind in the world, with Norwegian HAV Design tasked to deliver the ship design and an engineering package.Two electrically driven Schottel EcoPellers type SRE 340 will be installed in each of the 120 meter long and 18.60-meter-wide vessels.The L-Drive variant or “embedded L-Drive” significantly reduces the installation height of the thrusters…

Representing a breakthrough in the evolution of a ship’s propeller shaft line, Canada’s Thordon Bearings has unveiled the Thordon-Blue Ocean Stern Space (T-BOSS), a new solution designed to meet the propeller shaft requirements of the sterntubeless ship design proposed by the Blue Ocean Alliance.The Blue Ocean Alliance is a consortium of industry partners – ABS, Thordon Bearings Inc, Wärtsilä, SDARI, and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) – that have collaborated…

Brunvoll has been contracted to deliver the propulsion, maneuvering and autonomy systems for two hydrogen powered ferries for Torghatten Nord AS.The ferries will operate the harsh route to and from Lofoten in Norway, the Bodø-Verøy-Røst-Moskenes route. The hydrogen fuel cell ferries were designed by The Norwegian Ship Design Company AS. Both ferries included in the contract will be delivered from Myklebust Yard in 2026.The Brunvoll contract includes two azimuth propulsion thrusters, BruCon Propulsion & Thruster Control System, BruCon Auto-Crossing system and BruCon Condition Monitoring System.

Danish offshore vessel owner ESVAGT and Norwegian ship designer HAV Design have selected Brunvoll as the supplier of a propulsion and maneuvering system for another Service Operations Vessel (SOV). The delivery will be a repeat of the contracted vessel from last year, known as "The world's first green fuel SOV". Both vessels are built by Cemre Shipyard and will enter into a 10-year charter for Ørsted at their UK East Coast Hub.The delivery from Brunvoll consists of a complete propulsion and maneuvering system…

NYK and MTI Co., Ltd. received approval from ClassNK for a new condition-based maintenance (CBM) method implemented on NYK-owned coal carrier Noshiro Maru. The certified CBM is a method for monitoring the condition of bearings of large marine diesel engines through temperature data, a method that was adopted in the "CBM Guidelines, Second Edition"4 issued by ClassNK in 2021.In addition, the Diesel Engine Main Bearing Condition Monitoring System, which visualizes bearing temperature data that can be obtained through sensors installed on the main bearings and ship operation data…

ZF is unveiling the hybrid version of its ZF AT 80 thruster system at this year’s SMM marine trade convention as the company aims to electrify its broad portfolio of marine technology. The hybrid solution is suitable for a wide range of professional vessel types with a performance range of approximately 900 kW to 1.600 kW.“Providing green driveline solutions is a core goal and competence across our whole group, from automotive to marine technology and everything in between. The new hybrid AT 80 thruster closes the performance gap in more sustainable propulsion for a wide array of vessels…

Norwegian ship propulsion specialist Brunvoll will supply azimuth propulsion and maneuvering system for Esvagt's green fuel SOV, to be built in Turkey.The vessel, a HAV Design 833 SOV, will be built at Cemre Shipyard. The Danish vessel owner Esvagt has said that the vessel will be "the world’s first service operation vessel that can operate on green fuels."Brunvoll's delivery will be propulsion azimuth thrusters, retractable azimuth thrusters, tunnel thruster and BruCon condition…

Thordon Bearings has debuted a new propeller shaft seal for the commercial shipping industry featuring a unique Safe Return to Port (SRTP) design.Completing the COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system, Thordon's new BlueWater Seal is described by the manufacturer as a cost effective, commercial grade axial lip seal specifically designed for merchant shipping fleets. It incorporates Thordon’s emergency SRTP capability, first used in the company’s TG100 and…

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in Hamburg in 2028.

Digitalization is expediting and maximizing the safety and economics of structural stress and fatigue measurement technologies. Terje Sannerud, Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian fiber optic condition monitoring system developer Light Structures explains.Yet to be mandated by the IMO or included in any SOLAS regulations, structural stress and fatigue monitoring systems have in fact been used for providing real-time safety warnings on large and specialist vessels for more than two decades.

UZMAR Shipyards has chosen Steerprop to deliver six SP 20 WD azimuth propulsion units for a series of three Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAmparts 2300_UZM tugs being built.The contract for the six SP 20 WD azimuth propulsion units, delivering 1,610 kW of power each, was signed in April 2021 and will be delivered in the third quarter of 2021.“The Robert Allan designed RAmparts 2300_UZM tugs with 50+ ton of bollard pull are very efficient and agile tugs, providing a lot of performance in a compact package,” said Donato Agostinelli, Sales Manager at Steerprop.

Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro), an independent supplier of condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery, has been acquired by NSK, a global organization specializing in researching, designing and manufacturing motion and control solutions.NSK’s portfolio of products and technologies enhance automotive performance and industrial productivity, while reducing energy consumption. As the leading supplier of bearings in Japan and the third largest supplier in the world by market share, NSK employs approximately 30,000 people in more than 200 locations across 30 countries, alongside a vast network of joint ventures and partnerships.NSK has been developing condition monitoring systems (CMS) for internal and field use for decades.

Finland-based propulsion specialist Steerprop has recently won a contract to deliver azimuth units as the main propulsion and steering system for a shallow-draught ice-breaking vessel being built for offshore oil operations in the Russian Far East.The 75.9 meters long, 14 meters wide vessel is being built by the Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander for the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola.The walk-to-work vessel will operate all year round in harsh ice conditions, transferring service technicians and equipment to and from offshore platforms off the Sakhalin Island.

Jan De Nul has ordered a heavy lift crane vessel capable of lifting 5,000 metric tons from the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China. The vessel, to be named Les Alizés and due to enter service in 2022, will be equipped with a full SCHOTTEL propulsion package, including four rudderpropellers, two retractable rudderpropellers and two transverse thrusters.The main propulsion system of the crane vessel consists of four electrically driven SCHOTTEL Rudderpropellers type SRP 610 FP – each with an input power of 3,000 kilowatts and a propeller diameter of 3.3 etersm – installed at the stern.

SKF has gained hazardous area approval for its QuickCollect sensor. The new approval allows the sensor to be used in places that would previously have required a ‘hot work’ permit.The certification opens up applications in a range of sectors, including the petrochemicals, mining and marine industries. It also brings digitalization of data into hazardous areas, which up to now is a relative rarity.The sensor is certified to both the international IECEx and European ATEX standards, for use in Zone 1 hazardous areas.

German wind turbine builder is carrying out a condition monitoring campaign at the 402MW Veja Mate offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.The rotor blade condition monitoring system or fos4X “retroX” system, consisting of a sensor platform and intelligent software, was installed on strategically selected 10% of the wind farm’s turbines."The system enables structural condition monitoring of the rotor blades, recording of loads during turbine life time as well as the detection of yaw and pitch misalignment," said a press note from the specialist in fiber optic measurement technology and sensor technology.A further aspect of the joint project carried out by fos4X is the monitoring, consolidation and orchestration of the entire turbine and subsystem data.

Marine propulsion systems company ZF has introduced an intelligent Condition Monitoring System for thrusters. The technology monitors the status of the thruster system and helps shipyards, shipping companies and fleet operators maintain the safety and efficiency of their ships as well as extend the service life of the propulsion system. In addition to that, a new oil cleaning system ensures oil quality and prolongs oil service life.ZF’s Condition Monitoring System is equipped with various sensors and an intelligent electronic evaluation unit.

SCHOTTEL said it has secured a contract to provide propulsion units for two new vehicle ferries ordered by North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, which operates the second largest state-run ferry system in the United States. The US-flag vessels designed by Elliott Bay Design Group are under construction at Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La., and will be equipped with a total of nine SCHOTTEL Twin Propellers type STP 150 L. The ferries are scheduled for delivery in 2020.Each…

Offshore marine logistics company, Topaz Energy and Marine has entered into a long-term agreement with the GE company Baker Hughes (BHGE) for its proprietary lubricant condition monitoring system, VitalyX.The two firms will collaborate on boosting the maintenance and upkeep of Topaz’s fleet of vessels and increase the field time for each vessel.VitalyX is expected to be deployed on the entire module carrying vessel (MCV) fleet for Topaz in late 2019 and is the largest single collaboration with the technology since being first unveiled at BHGE’s Annual Meeting in January.Utilising the Internet of Things (IoT) by combining the latest sensor hardware with condition monitoring software…

At the 15th Maritime Industry Exhibition in early May in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, ZF Marine Krimpen will debut its Condition Monitoring System. ZF's system is designed to help shipyards, shipping companies and fleet operators maintain the safety and efficiency of their ships. It is equipped with various sensors and an intelligent electronic evaluation unit. The system measures vibrations which indicate the condition of the bearings and gears in the thruster's upper and lower gearbox.