Conventional Steel News

Called the Generalized Bearing Life Model (GBLM), its development will ensure that SKF customers and distributors choose the right bearing for the right application, every time.Until now, it has been difficult for engineers to predict whether a hybrid bearing will outperform a steel one in a given application, or whether the possible performance benefits that hybrid bearings enable are worth the extra investment they require. The conventional equations engineers use to calculate the rating life of a bearing do not reflect the real-world performance of hybrid designs.To rectify this issue…

DNV GL has launched a new standard that allows operators to choose thermoplastic composite pipes (TCP) instead of steel or traditional flexibles, enabling substantial cost reductions throughout the project lifecycle.After the successful and wide adaptation of the recommended practice (RP) DNVGL-RP-F119 by the industry for qualification of TCP for various applications from dynamic to static applications since its publication in 2015, the RP has now been converted to an official DNV GL standard DNVGL-ST-F119.

The Harris Pye Engineering Group is currently engaged in turnkey scrubber installation packages for major cruise line companies. On August 3, 2016 Harris Pye completed the installation of an Advanced Emission Purification System, fully automated, which was duly DNV GL certified which met with MARPOL regulation 14 of Annex V1 for the control of emissions complying to regulations 14.1 or 14.4. The design package for open and closed loop systems was utilized to model and fabricate all piping systems, hardware integration, and major/minor steelworks. Along with new exhaust tail pipes, sea chests were installed with the vessel in service along with the associated overboard discharges.

Naval architecture and marine engineering design consultancy BMT Nigel Gee said it has secured a project through an international tender process to design two 70-meter aluminum-hull catamaran RoPax ferries for Rederij Doeksen. BMT will be responsible for concept through to production design, and the exterior and interior styling will be performed by Vripack. Both vessels, which will be built in Vung Tau, Vietnam by Triyard Holdings subsidiary Strategic Marine, and will serve the Friesland Islands connecting Harlingen…

IE has repaired the deck of a Ueushuk Fisheries Ltd owned fixed gear vessel, the Atlantic Optimist. The existing steelwork on board the vessel was badly corroded, access tight and a crop-and-replace repair was an unattractive option. When IE personnel arrived in Canada in mid-April, the 40msq of deck requiring steel reinstatement had already been grit blasted. Solid perimeter bars that form the boundary of the cavity and top plates were welded into place and the resulting cavity…

ClassNK has issued approval for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation’s newly developed corrosion resistant steel (NSGP-2) for use on the upper deck and/or inner bottom of crude oil tanker cargo oil tanks (COT). Following earlier approvals of steels for the inner bottom plating of COTs, this marks the first time that approval has been granted for corrosion resistant steels for both the top and bottom parts of the COT, providing owners and shipyards with a practical alternative to coating systems. In order to reduce COT corrosion and improve crude oil tanker safety, new amendments to the SOLAS Convention were issued in May 2010 requiring oil tankers over 5…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced the world’s first use of highly ductile steel plate NSafe-Hull, developed by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation on a merchant vessel. The ship featuring this new safety-enhancing feature, a large-size bulk carrier, was launched on August 2. The NSafe-Hull’s highly ductile steel reportedly absorbs side impact to the hull three times more effectively than conventional steel plate, reducing the risk of cracks in the hull and significantly increasing the safety of the vessel, MOL said.

Gibdock says that its versatility has been in full demand across a wide range of vessel types in the year to the end of April 2014, proving, they say, that 'variety is the spice of life' for the geographically well-placed ship repair and conversion specialist. Visitors have included both conventional steel ro-ro and ro-pax ferries, as well as aluminium high speed craft, dredgers, tankers, containerships, yachts, seismic survey ships and offshore support vessels. In addition the yard docked the large cruise ship, Saga Ruby, for an extensive package of refurbishment works. “You can see we have had almost the full spectrum of vessel types in the yard,” says Richard Beards, Managing Director.

The introduction of new and larger vessels, Q-Flex and Q-Max, and new, often more exposed terminals becoming operational have changed mooring dynamics. The need to maintain workers’ safety at all times, whilst delivering maximum operational efficiency through lower costs and faster turnaround times remains unchanged. DSM Dyneema, a close partner to the LNG industry, has done a study which concludes that these industry trends are changing the performance demands for LNG mooring lines. In parallel to DSM Dyneema’s investigation, in 2011 members of the LNG community created a Users Group to further investigate HMPE mooring line failures which TTI (UK) was asked to facilitate. DSM Dyneema is part of the Users Group, while at the same time continuing its own investigation program.

Dry Docks World announced that Denis Welch has been appointed CEO of Drydocks World South East Asia and will be based in their Singapore Office. Following the recent acquisition of two significant ship repair, shipbuilding and rig building companies, based in Singapore and Batam, Mr. Welch will oversee the expansion of Drydocks World operations in the region. The South East Asian group now encompasses the ex-Pan United Maritime ship repair and ship building facilities in Singapore and Indonesia, and also the Ex-Labroy ship building and rig building yards in Batam. Work is also underway on Batam Maritime Centre, a large repair and ship building facility, which will be established on a 175 hectare plot on the island of Batam.

The abolition of tax-free sales on ferries in intra-EU traffic forced shipowners to find new sources of revenue. A declining number of passengers can be countered by converting ships to carry more cargo: for example, by reconfiguring car decks or exploiting former passenger cabin and amenity areas to accommodate more trucks and trailers — and fewer cars. • Continual search for higher profitability from existing assets rather than investment in new tonnage dictates maximization of cargo capacity and optimisation of handling to speed traffic flows and shorten times in port. A conversion to allow loading and discharging on two levels may be considered, for example, and the retrofit of auto-mooring equipment.

Aker Kvaerner has been awarded two out of the 14 Spotlight on New Technology awards at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). The Spotlight on New Technology, first introduced last year, is a program that serves as a stage to highlight the most innovative and significant offshore developments during the year. "These recipients demonstrate the increasing technical edge that is required to explore and produce in ever-increasing water depths, and more remote and hostile environments. Aker Kvaerner Engineering and Technology in Oslo, Norway, has received an award for the technology design of the patented Stepped Diameter Tendon. The tendon…

Lloyd’s Register, in conjunction with Intelligent Engineering, Ltd, has developed a set of provisional Rules for new construction and ship repair using steel sandwich construction. Entitled Provisional Rules for the Application of Sandwich Panel Construction to Ship Structure, the Rules were approved in early 2006 by a specially convened sub-committee of Lloyd’s Register’s Technical Committee, comprising independent experts drawn from across the industry. Sandwich Plate System (SPS) is a technology created by UK-based Intelligent Engineering Ltd in which two metal plates are bonded to a solid elastomer core. The elastomer provides continuous support to the plates and stops local plate buckling, eliminating the need for stiffeners.