Environmentally Friendly Technology News

The Rhenus Group announced it has upgraded two canal push boats operated by Deutsche Binnenreederei (DBR) with new stage V engines.While the new construction of more sustainable hydrogen-powered vessels is a long-term project, the Rhenus Group is retrofitting its older vessels with modern and therefore more environmentally-friendly technology in the short term. The two canal push boats, RSPSB146 and RSPSB153, which were built in 1978 and 1979 respectively, are the first to undergo this process.It has taken about ten months to convert the two vessels.

Norwind Offshore, a Norwegian offshore wind-focused vessel owner has taken delivery of its first vessel - the Norwind Breeze - from Vard.The delivery took place Monday at 1 p.m. local time from Vard, Brattvåg, in Norway. Before the conversion, the service operation vessel used to be a platform supply vessel, previously known as MMA Responder.The vessel arrived in Norway in November 2021 where the rebuilding and outfitting process started.The vessel has been equipped with, among other, a larger and modernized accommodation (60 pax), and a large battery power system to reduce emissions.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group has ordered 10 MAN B&W 7G80ME-C10.5-GI engines in connection with the construction of 10 7,000-teu containerships for Seaspan Corporation, the world's largest, independent container vessel owner.The contract includes an option for five further vessels. Engine delivery is scheduled from October 2023 to 2024; Seaspan has  already chartered the ships on long-term contracts.Upon completion, the newbuildings will become the largest ME-GI-powered container vessels built by a Chinese shipyard.Thomas S.

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm BMT has introduced new passenger and cargo vessel designs to replace older tonnage in the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company fleet.Designed to replace the 44-year-old Scillonian III, a new 72-meter vessel Scillonian IV will carry 600 passengers over three decks with a contemporary, comfortable seating arrangement, onboard coffee shop and retail area. It will be capable of a speed of 18 knots, reducing journey time by 20%; anti-roll fins to improve the stability of the crossing…

Ahead of the G7 meeting at Biarritz from August 24-26, French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud, and Deputy Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition Brune Poirson, this afternoon has invited to the Elysée Palace representatives of the shipping industry including global leader CMA CGM.On this occasion, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, will…

MAN Energy Solutions has announced that its two-stroke, dual-fuel portfolio has now logged over 500,000 operational hours. The milestone stems from the confirmed 250+ sales the company has won within its entire portfolio of dual-fuel engines – all running on LNG or other, clean fuels such as LPG and methanol.MAN Energy Solutions’ ME-GI (-Gas Injection) and ME-LGI (-Liquid Gas Injection) engines form the core of its two-stroke, dual-fuel portfolio and have notched many notable industry-firsts since their introduction to the market…

Norwegian Electric Systems will deliver equipment in connection with the electrification of MF Norangsfjord and the charging station at Hollingsholmen ferry quay.Norway’s biggest ferry company Fjord1 has chosen Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to supply the electrical and automation package to be used in the modification of MF Norangsfjord. The modifications are scheduled for the last half of 2019. The ferry will serve the Aukra–Hollingsholmen route, where the quay at Hollingsholmen will be modified to include a complete charging system.

Largest Containership Built in U.S. Will Serve Hawaii. Matson, a U.S. flag carrier in the Pacific, and Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI), the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo: PHLY) christened the largest containership ever built in the United States in a ceremony at the Philly Shipyard on Saturday, June 30. The new vessel is named 'Daniel K. Inouye' in honor of Hawaii's late senior U.S. Senator, who was a longstanding supporter of the U.S. maritime industry and its important role in supporting Hawaii's economy. It is the first of two new ships being built for Honolulu-based Matson by Philly Shipyard at a total cost of approximately $418 million for the pair, and the first of four new vessels that Matson will put into its Hawaii service during the next two years.

As the global maritime industry steams toward ever-stricter fuel and emission rules, industry leaders such as MAN Diesel & Turbo and Hyundai continue to invest in facilities and technologies. In the most recent case, MAN D&T said today it will build a new test-engine facility in collaboration with its two-stroke licensee, HHI-EMD, the engine and machinery division of Hyundai Heavy Industries. The new venture -- located in Ulsan, Korea at HHI-EMD’s works and scheduled to open in 2019 -- will expand MAN Diesel & Turbo’s R&D test capacity and strengthen its development of dual-fuel gas engines.

Japanese cruise organization Peace Boat has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Finnish shipbuilding company Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc. Peace Boat director and founder Yoshioka Tatsuya, Esko Mustamaki, CEO from Arctech and Jon Rysst, Regional Manager North Europe, from Classification Society DNV GL, announced the agreement during Nor-Shipping. Yoshioka said, "We have agreed with Arctech to build the Ecoship, the most innovative and ecologically friendly cruise vessel ever.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has announced that its group company MOL Techno-Trade will start selling an upgraded version of its energy-saving Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF). MOL Techno-Trade has sold more than 3,100 PBCFs to ship owners all over the world. The new type of PBCF was jointly developed by MOL, Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen), and MOL Techno-Trade. The new design enhances propeller thrust and reduces torque thanks to refinements in fin shape and height. Tests of the new type PBCF on vessels in service confirmed an energy savings of around 5% compared to sister vessels not equipped with PBCF. The previous design showed an estimated 3% energy savings. The new PBCF design has already been patented around the world.

ABB shaft generators will raise the energy efficiency on two DFDS vessels which have been designed to meet the latest environmental regulations. Two shaft generators will be installed in each of the cargo Ro-Ro ships allowing the main engines to operate at a wider, more optimal speed range. The shaft generator system takes its power from main engines, thereby increasing safety if there is a failure on the auxiliary engine. The ships’ main engines will also be turbocharged by ABB’s latest generation technology.

Global ship management services provider Anglo-Eastern Ship Management has created a unique ballast water treatment (BWT) training facility at its Manila base in the Philippines. Working in conjunction with BWT specialist Optimarin and Saga Shipholding, Anglo-Eastern has built an essential resource for training crews in the wake of the ratification of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. The facility, which officially opened this month, features a fully functional Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) at its heart…

Shipping’s data revolution, its environmental responsibilities and its continuing reliance on ‘the human factor’ will be the focus of attention as the eyes of the maritime world turn once more to Rotterdam between 7th-10th November 2017, for the staging of the long-established, and always well-supported Europort event. Organised by Rotterdam Ahoy, Europort is the highlight of the maritime exhibition calendar in 2017, with a finely crafted programme expected to attract an estimated 30,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors. The Europort exhibition team has chosen three highly topical themes for the event this year. These are: Big Data; The New Environmental Age; and The Human Factor.

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) has completed the world’s first ME-GIE ethane-operated two-stroke diesel engine. The engines will be for propulsion of three ethylene carriers, which will also carry ethane as cargo. The Mitsui-MAN B&W 7G50ME-C9.5-GIE is the first engine in a series of three for installation in three LEG (liquefied ethylene gas) carriers of 36,000 m3 for Hartmann Schiffahrt of Germany and Ocean Yield of Norway, being built at Sinopacific Offshore Engineering (SOE) in China. MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that ethane was chosen as fuel, in preference to HFO, due to its more competitive pricing as well as the significantly shorter bunkering time it entails.

Ballast water treatment (BWT) system Optimarin has picked up an order covering 15 vessels from VARD shipyards. The vessels, VARD 9 21 Design specialist module carriers, will be constructed for ship owner Topaz at two shipyards in Romania - Vard Braila and Vard Tulcea – and one in Vietnam, Vard Vung Tau. “VARD knows our systems well, having installed some 55 units on their newbuildings across the world since 2011,” said Optimarin CEO, Tore Andersen. “They choose us for our expertise and commitment to absolute compliance…

Norwegian exploration travel company Hurtigruten, has signed a letter of intent for the construction of up to four new explorer ships with Norwegian shipyard Kleven. The order for delivery in 2018 and 2019 is a move to meet growing demand for adventure travel from travellers in the U.S. and across the globe. The order includes the construction of two new state-of-the-art vessels, which will be designed and customized specifically for adventure-rich expedition voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as along the Norwegian coastline. True to Hurtigruten’s commitment to sustainability, the new ships will be equipped with advanced environmentally-friendly technology to reduce emissions.

Nakilat, in association with Qatari LNG producers Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited and engine manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo, recently celebrated the success of the ME-GI project involving the retrofit of chartered Q-Max vessel, Rasheeda, with a gas-burning M-Type Electronically Controlled – Gas Injection (ME-GI) System, which has now been successfully commissioned. The Qatari-owned Q-Max vessel is the world’s first low-speed marine diesel engine to be converted to use LNG as a fuel. The retrofit modification meets the current known and future stated global emissions regulations. Nakilat’s Rasheeda built in 2010 is a 266,000 m3 LNG carrier with two MAN B&W S70ME-C HFO-burning engines, which have been converted to the dual-fuel ME-GI concept.

Scandlines is expected to be awarded EUR 6.3 million from EU for the installation of scrubbers and hybrid system on the two new vessels for the crossing between Rostock-Gedser and for environmentally friendly infrastructure in both port facilities. Scandlines has received contributions through the EU previously for the green conversion to hybrid operation for the so-called Beeline between Puttgarden-Rødby. The European Union's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) aims to promote more effective cross-border transport corridors. In 2013, as the first ferry operator in the world Scandlines introduced a hybrid system on a large scale, which can store excess energy in batteries on board. But Scandlines' visions of sustainable ferry services go even further.

Becker Marine Systems product presentation at the dutch Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo will put a strong focus on environmentally-friendly technology for the marine industry like the world’s first LNG Hybrid Barge HUMMEL. Recently, the Hamburg-based LNG Hybrid Barge successfully completed a programme of technical trials, right in time for the cruise ship season. With the use of to the new floating power plant, cruise ships will be supplied with clean energy produced from environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG) during their layovers at port.

Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) informed that Harvey Energy, the first LNG vessel operating in the United States—for Shell Upstream America’s deep water operations in the Gulf of Mexico—is fully in service. The first of six LNG OSVs being built for Harvey Gulf International Marine, Harvey Energy is the break-out vessel capable of operating on LNG or diesel and is the result of a forward-thinking operator, complex engineering and sophisticated building. Along with being able to operate on LNG, she also meets the strident criteria of the ABS Enviro+, Green Passport notation. When operating on only LNG, this vessel meets the new Tier IV sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations—part of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that its ME-GI engine has now received more than 100 orders. FLEX LNG announced on February 2 that two-stroke slow-speed ME-GI main engines will be used as the propulsion system for two LNG carriers to be built at Samsung Heavy Industries. The expected delivery dates of the vessels have been postponed from Q1 2017 to Q1 and Q2 2018. Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President Low-Speed Sales and Promotions, MAN Diesel & Turbo, said, “With our ME-GI order book now having passed the 100-unit milestone…

Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC made maritime history in North America last week by being not only the first owner/operator of a dual fuel offshore support vessel to bunker LNG as a marine fuel but to also successfully complete the first truck to vessel transfer of LNG and to power the M/V Harvey Energy on LNG. The Harvey Energy built at GCSG in Gulfport, MS is based on the Vard Marine 1 311 design and is 310x64x24.5ft powered by 3 Wartsila 6L34DF dual fuel gensets providing 7.5MW of power fueled by Wartsila’s LNGPac system. The Harvey Energy is US Flagged Subchapter I and L, SOLAS compliant and is classed by the ABS as +A1, OSV, +AMS, +DPS-2, +ACCU, UWILD, FFV-1, ENVIRO+, GP, GFS (Dual Fuel Diesel) E.