Economical Solution News

Retrofits of new features into existing ports cranes can produce operational efficiency and safety gains not included on cranes delivered 15-20 years ago, including Ship-to-Shore (STS) Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) and Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) types. Here, Dmitry Lapin, Knowledge and Development Manager, Port Services, Konecranes, looks at retrofit options proven in applications internationally.Sooner or later, the owners of ports cargo handling equipment are going to face a number of technical and organizational questions about the future.

With the projected increased adoption of LNG as a fuel in the marine sector, Alfa Laval plays a key role with its tech an knowledge in the area of boilers, which enables ships to deal with boil-off gas (BOG). Specifically, Alfa Laval’s dual-fuel boilers, Gas Combustion Unit (GCU) and services effectively form a portfolio of solutions for BOG safety.To use LNG as fuel, vessels must be able to manage boil-off gas (BOG), the evaporated gas that can increase tank pressure. Alfa Laval has long experience in BOG management on LNG carriers…

The U.S.-based provider of ocean freight transportation services Matson has begun the installation  exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) on six vessels deployed in its Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express services.The scrubbers installation is  part of its strategy to reduce fleet emissions in line with new worldwide regulations established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that take effect on January 1, 2020. Three of the vessels will receive the new equipment in 2019 and the remaining three in 2020.While new low-sulfur fuels designed to meet the new IMO emission standard have been in development for years in anticipation of the change, there is still uncertainty about their costs and availability.

French shipping engineering company Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) said that the new ship orders in 2018 surged on year to 50 from 21, making its sales hit a 10-year high, driven by demand from natural gas liquefaction units in construction, in particular in the US.GTT won 48 orders for LNG carriers and two orders for Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRUs)."Most of these LNG carriers orders are intended for natural gas liquefaction units under construction, in particular in the United States. All of the vessels will be equipped with GTT's recent technologies (NO96 GW, NO96-L03+, Mark III Flex and Mark III Flex+)," the company said in a press release.Announced in early 2018…

Dallas-based oil and gas company Sentinel Midstream is planning to develop a deepwater crude oil export terminal, located near Freeport, Texas. The completed facility will be capable of fully loading Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) vessels.Texas GulfLink will include an onshore terminal with up to 18 million barrels of storage, an offshore 42-in. pipeline, and a manned offshore platform to facilitate port operations with two  Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring (CALM) Single Point Mooring (SPM) buoys. Projected export loading rates will be up to 85,000 barrels per hour, with a nominal capacity of 1.2 million barrels per day over the course of a calendar year.“Texas GulfLink will provide the United States with an economical solution to clear the over-supply barrels destined for the Gulf Coast…

French liquefied natural gas containment system specialist Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), on the back of liquefied natural gas (LNG) market growth, reported 12% growth in revenues linked to royalties  for the first half of 2018.Growth in LNG fuel and new partnerships aided the company achieving a revenue of 127.2 million euros ($148.2 million) during the first half of this year compared to 113.7 million euros recorded in the first half of 2017.GTT said that it has received 21 orders  during the first six months of the year.Philippe Berterottière, Chairman and CEO of GTT, said: "The first half of 2018 was characterised by the growth in the LNG market, with a very satisfying number of orders for LNG carriers, which confirms the trends that began last year.

As the maritime world increasingly turns to unmanned and autonomous systems to carry out difficult and dangerous work, one drone innovator has received certification from a leading classification society to this end. Cyberhawk Innovations reports that it has been certified as an External Specialist by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in providing inspections for internal tanks using UAVs. Achieving ABS recognition means that the data captured by Cyberhawk’s UAVs can now be…

Dynagas LNG Partners LP has entered into a new long term time charter agreement with Gazprom Marketing & Trading Singapore Pte Ltd. for the employment of the 2007 built 150,000 cubic meter steam turbine LNG carrier Clean Energy. The Clean Energy is the Partnership's only non-ice classed LNG Carrier. The charter is expected to commence in July 2018 and will have a firm duration of about 7 years and 9 months. The gross contracted revenue from this contract is expected to be approximately $133 million over this period. Following the expiration of the existing time charter to Shell in the second quarter of 2017, Clean Energy will undergo…

In response to the new SOLAS regulations due to enter force on July 1, 2016, LCM Systems has launched a new fully SOLAS compliant container weighing system. The company said it has been supplying container weighing systems for around five years with more than 40 system sold to date, and have utilized this experience to design a flexible modular system that can be easily and quickly retrofitted onto straddle carriers, container cranes and telehandlers. The new system verifies the container weight in real-time to an accuracy of 1 percent of rated load…

Babcock Noell GmbH, a company of the Bilfinger Group, has designed and built various turnkey desulfurization systems, scrubbers for power plants and industrial plants during the past 40 years. This long-term experience is the fundament for developing a scrubber for ships. At Babcock Noell all engineering capacities are available to offer turnkey solutions also for the maritime industry. Being integrated in the Bilfinger Group, Babcock Noell can ensure services for maintenance and operation of the scrubber worldwide.

Fednav Limited, a Canadian operator of international ships in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, announced an order for 12 ballast water treatment systems to equip its ships currently under construction. According to the shipper, this makes Fednav the first shipping company in Canada and the Great Lakes to announce the installation of ballast water treatment systems, well before the regulatory requirement. "Our company is committed to stimulating trade and enhancing Canada's economy while protecting the Great Lakes against the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species…

This partnership between OBPA and QSL will create jobs and new maritime transportation opportunities by consolidating international trade in the Port of Ogdensburg. Quebec Stevedoring boosts the port's handling capacity with the expertise, equipment and credibility that has made its name in the maritime trade industry. " Stephen Mosher, Vice-president, NASCO. At its October 1st, 2014 Board meeting, the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (OBPA) unanimously approved an agreement to grant the management of the Ogdensburg (NY) port terminal to NASCO (NY), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quebec Stevedoring (QSL). The Port of Ogdensburg is the only US port on the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is also the northernmost port in the State of New York and one of the closest US ports to Europe.

Langh Ship received on July 17, 2014 final class approval from Germanischer Lloyd for its exhaust gas cleaning system on m/s Laura, a 1996-built a 6,500 DWT general cargo vessel equipped with a 6 MW main engine. “The technology had already been accepted earlier, but now the documentation is also finalized,” said Reino Verosaari, Senior Technical Adviser. Langh Ship is a shipping company that has developed its own closed loop scrubber. The system uses caustic soda to neutralize the SOx in the exhaust gas and cleans the process water so that it can be led to the sea.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) apprises that it has responded to changes in the marine bunker market with a campaign that aims to help shipowners get the best from their residual and distillate fuels. A consistent reduction in the quality of fuels available to shipowners, the need to comply with IMO and EU regulations on sulfur content and the adoption of slow steaming have created a ‘perfect storm’ of operational and compliance requirements, according to Jonas Östlund, Product Marketing Manager, Marine Chemicals, WSS. Taken together, he says these changes will have a profound impact over the next 10 to 15 years as refinery output shifts towards new fuels and the next wave of pollution regulations begins to bite.

Deltamarin Ltd. and Oy Langh Ship Ab have come together to offer a cost effective and reliable solution to the sulphur requirements with the scrubber that Langh Ship has developed. The new scrubber is delivered by a joint venture company DeltaLangh Ltd., and it can also be supplied on a turnkey basis. As the new sulphur directive in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) comes into force in 2015, shipping companies are forced to choose a method to tackle the challenge. The new scrubber solution offered by DeltaLangh…

Falmouth Scientific, Inc. (FSI) announce two new additions to their PLUS FAMILY of measurement instruments: the ACM-WAVE-PLUS and WAVE-TIDE-PLUS, which join the ACM-PLUS acoustic current meter that they say has set a new standard for cost-effective single-point current measurement. The new ACM-WAVE-PLUS provides current speed & direction, wave direction, wave height, and other wave statistics by combining FSI’s enhanced ACM-PLUS technology with a high- accuracy, micro-machined silicon pressure sensor, while the WAVE-TIDE-PLUS provides an economical solution for applications that only need non-directional wave height and tide characteristics.

Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering company Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) reports that construction of the AGOR 27 R/V Neil Armstrong is progressing according to plan at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) in Anacortes, Wash. A major milestone was achieved recently with the completion of the hull assembly after the stern block was set, followed by the installation of the pilot house. The complex vessels, AGOR 27 and sister vessel AGOR 28 R/V Sally Ride, also well under way at DCI…

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) was awarded a contract to deliver the Design, Regulatory Design and Production Engineering for two GPA 675J PSVs for Jackson Offshore Operators. The vessels will be constructed at BAE Systems in Jacksonville, Florida, under a contract that includes the option for two additional vessels. Throughout the design and engineering process, GPA worked closely with Jackson Offshore Operators to meet all operational requirements…

Hempel launches high-solids versions of their Globic, Oceanic and Olympic antifoulings, which offer optimised features and stronger ROI. The new versions, Globic 9000, Globic 6000, Oceanic+ and Olympic+, have been optimised to offer the benefits of high-solids. Reflecting Hempel’s commitment to investment in R&D, they offer optimised binder systems, polishing rates, biocides and solids levels. In addition, they also feature microfibre technology, which works like steel reinforcement in concrete to deliver superior mechanical strength and elasticity.

Hempel is launching high-solids versions of their Globic, Oceanic and Olympic antifoulings, which offer optimized features and stronger ROI, according to the company. The new versions, Globic 9000, Globic 6000, Oceanic+ and Olympic+, have been optimized to offer the benefits of high-solids. Reflecting Hempel’s commitment to investment in R&D, they offer optimized binder systems, polishing rates, biocides and solids levels. Globic 9000 is Hempel’s new top-end antifouling. An evolution of Globic NCT, it can be specified for 90-month docking intervals. Globic 6000 is a new product in the Globic series, which builds on the same technology as Globic 9000. It is suitable for 60-month intervals.

International environmental regulations for the shipping industry are being tightened and demand a reduction of the emissions of sulphur and nitrous oxides. In order to fulfill these demands, many of which come from the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), shipping companies are pushed to upgrade their fleets with emission reducing systems. Ship repair and conversion yards are now challenged to keep installation costs as low as possible for their clients. Damen Shiprepair Götaverken (Gothenburg…

Non-indigenous species were no match for the BALPURE electrolytic disinfection ballast water treatment system. The BALPURE®ballast water treatment system from Severn Trent De Nora successfully completed shipboard testing in December 2010, effectively neutralizing non-indigenous species. The BALPURE system surpasses requirements for IMO G8 Type Approval and IMO Ballast Water Convention D-2 Standards. Type approval of theBALPURE system is anticipated in the first half of 2011. Shipboard testing of the BALPURE system was undertaken on the California Maritime Academy training ship…

FBM Babcock Marine, in partnership with licensed shipyard partner Astilleros De Murueta, was awarded a contract for the construction of three 45 m (150 ft.) patrol vessels for the Coast Guard Command of the Armada de Ecuador (Ecuador Navy). The Armada de Ecuador announced that Astilleros De Murueta, using the FBM Babcock Marine Vigilante patrol vessel, was selected as their choice for their new fleet of patrol vessels. The Vigilante patrol vessel is a registered design from the FBM Protector class, designed as a reliable, capable but cost-effective patrol vessel.