German Navy Helping Norway Protect Offshore Oil Rigs, Pipelines
The German navy is helping Norway to protect critical maritime infrastructure such as oil rigs, undersea cables, and pipelines, and is ready to do the same off the Danish and Swedish coasts, its head said on Thursday. Bordering Russia in the north, Norway is Europe's biggest producer of natural gas and oil and has an extremely long coast that is hard to protect. It operates an extensive network of pipelines that connect the country with Britain and Europe. NATO has pledged to…
Kongsberg to Equip Three Polish Navy Warships with Hugin AUVs
Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract award with Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding SA (RSB) to supply three shipsets of Kongsberg Hugin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems and related HiPAP positioning and communication systems for three newbuild warships for the Polish Navy.The total contract value exceeds €10 million, with the Kongsberg equipment planned for the next three ships in the Kormoran II Mine-Countermeasures (MCM) vessel program (#4, #5, and #6).These three ships will be delivered between 2026 and 2027.
Yara Marine to Supply Shore Power Systems for Three Finnlines Vessels
Ro-ro and ro-pax operator Finnlines has inked a deal to install Yara Marine’s shore power solution on board three vessels to reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise in port. The installations are scheduled for completion in 2022.The turnkey solution will allow these vessels to connect to the local power grid when in port, switching to electricity rather than using auxiliary engines running on fuel.Thomas Doepel, COO of Finnlines, said, “Finnlines is committed to providing sustainable and responsible transportation options in the Baltic and North Seas.
Fairplay Towage Order Ice-class Workboat from Damen
Fairplay Towage Polska has ordered a Shoalbuster 2711 ICE vessel from the standardized workboat portfolio of the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group. The company will use the newbuild to perform Designed with extremely shallow draft capability, large cargo capacity and 45 tonne bollard pull, the vessel will be built in Poland and used for diverse operations, including in the offshore wind industry, in the Baltic and North seas.Despite the standard nature of the design, Damen is able to tailor the vessel to the requirements of its clients.
Offshore Wind Turns Shipping to Green
Offshore wind and the shipping sector can reinforce each other to reach the Green Deal targets, says WindEurope.The European Wind Energy Association said that wind energy currently makes up 15% of Europe’s energy mix. The majority of this is onshore. Offshore wind is just 2% at the moment. But it’s growing rapidly thanks to decreasing costs and improving technology."So offshore wind will be a major player in the future. But collaboration with the shipping sector will be key to delivering this," it said.Offshore wind is already an important part of the European shipping industry. It uses boats such as jack-up ships and roll-on roll-off vessels to install and operate wind farms and cables…
Wärtsilä to Equip LNG-fueled RoLo Newbuilds
Wärtsilä announced on Friday that it will supply the main equipment for three liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled short-sea Ro-Lo (roll-on, lift-off) vessels to be operated by Finland based Bore Ltd., an affiliate of the Dutch Spliethoff Group.The ships have been ordered and are being built at the WuHu Shipyard in China. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in December.Wärtsilä said it has worked in close collaboration with both the owner and the naval architect to develop a vessel optimized integrated LNG system.
Wijnne Barends Orders LNG-fueled Newbuilds
The Netherlands-based Wijnne Barends Chartering, an affiliate of the Dutch Spliethoff Group, has ordered four new next-generation short-sea cargo vessels from the WuHu Shipyard in China.The newbuilds will feature liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion and storage systems provided by Wärtsilä, making the vessels among the first of their type to be powered by LNG fuel.Because of space restrictions on short-sea cargo ships, Wärtsilä developed a customized solution in close cooperation…
EMS Offshore Chooses Damen Shoalbuster 271
Damen Shipyards Group has won an order from maritime services company EMS Offshore Service GmbH & Co. KG for a Shoalbuster 2711. The 2711 is the latest addition to the Shoalbuster range, having made its debut in June this year.The new Shoalbuster 2711 design changes will enable it to comply with new MLC regulations stipulating additional accommodation capacity. By increasing the width of the existing Shoalbuster 2709 by two meters, Damen has boosted the accommodation capacity from six to seven personnel.
EU Targets 450 GW Offshore Wind by 2050
The EU Commission’s big goals for offshore wind – between 230 and 450 GW by 2050 – are achievable provided the right investments in electricity grids and Governments take the right approach to maritime spatial planning, said a report.According to the WindEurope report examines where 450 GW of offshore wind could be deployed most cost-effectively around Europe, bearing in mind there is only 20 GW today. 450 GW of offshore wind is part of a European Commission scenario to deliver climate neutrality by 2050.The report is a remit from the Energy Ministers of the 10 ‘North Seas’ countries who coordinate their work on offshore wind with each other and the Commission.The report concludes that 212 GW should be deployed in the North Sea…
Global Offshore Wind Market Grows 30%
The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, benefiting from rapid technology improvements and about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world.Europe in particular has fostered the technology’s development, led by the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018, says 'Offshore Wind Outlook 2019', a report funded by the governments of Denmark and Germany.Yet today's offshore wind market doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets, offshore wind…
Third Hybrid LNG PCTC for UECC
Short-sea RoRo company UECC has confirmed an option with China Ship Building Trading Co., Ltd and Jiangnan Shipyard Group Co. Ltd. for a third hybrid-battery LNG vessel, this time for use on UECC’s Atlantic short-sea trade routes.“This order is another step in our commitment to cleaner shipping,” said Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC. “Our experience with LNG dual-fuel vessels has been good, and we want to keep moving forward to expand our sustainable fleet.”The company’s two first…
Gagarin Prospect Wins Award
Gagarin Prospect, an LNG-fuelled Aframax crude oil tanker owned and operated by Sovcomflot (SCF Group), has won Next Generation Ship Award 2019, which was announced at Nor-Shipping 2019.President & CEO of Sovcomflot Sergey Frank has received the award from Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjørn Røe Isaksen in the presence of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway.With a focus on innovation, the Next Generation Ship Award honors the most promising design for ships that will be at sea in the coming decade, according to Nor-Shipping.Gagarin Prospect is the lead ship in the ‘Green Funnel’ series of 114,000-dwt Aframax crude oil tankers designed to use LNG as a primary fuel.Switching to a cleaner-burning fuel enables to significantly reduce vessel emissions…
Gazprom, Sovcomflot Pact on LNG Bunkering
Russian shipping company Sovcomflot and compatriot oil producer Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker have signed an agreement to cooperate on projects for bunkering ships with LNG fuel.The agreement was signed by Igor Tonkovidov, Executive Vice President and CTO/COO of Sovcomflot, and Andrey Vasiliev, CEO of Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker.Sovcomflot said that the agreement reinforces the mutual interest of both parties regarding their cooperation in the bunkering of Sovcomflot’s tankers with LNG fuel.Compared to conventional marine fuels, the use of LNG fuel allows to significantly reduce emissions of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide…
Volvo Penta Launches IMO Tier III D8 Engine
Designed for heavy duty propulsion and genset applications, Volvo Penta has revealed a D8 engine and after treatment system that meets the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III at the Nor-Shipping international exhibition and conference in Norway.Volvo Penta is launching a new D8 engine and after-treatment concept to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III standards. The IMO Tier III regulation will stipulate a reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted of around 75 per cent – depending on engine size – when compared to current IMO Tier II levels.
Shell Quits Gazprom-Led Baltic LNG Project
Royal Dutch Shell has decided to withdraw from the Baltic liquefied natural gas (LNG), its joint project on the Russian Baltic coast with Gazprom after the Russian gas holding decided to change the concept of the project’s development.“Following Gazprom’s announcement on March 29 regarding the final development concept of Baltic LNG, we have decided to stop our involvement in this project,” Cederic Cremers, Shell Russia’s chairman, said in a statement.According to Reuters, the development comes as Western firms struggle to expand in Russia because of pressure from sanctions imposed by the United States, while for Gazprom it could mean limited access to Shell’s technology as well as the need to fund the project without the help of the Anglo-Dutch major.Shell…
Milestone LNG Bunkering for Shell and Sovcomflot in Rotterdam
Shell delivered its first ship-to-ship bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from specialized LNG bunker vessel Cardissa in the Port of Rotterdam on Tuesday, marking a number of key milestones as the maritime sector increasingly turns toward cleaner burning LNG fuel.The bunkering of the Sovcomflot's Aframax tanker Gagarin Prospect with LNG is the first operation under a fuel supply agreement between Shell and Sovcomflot signed in 2017, which helped pioneer the expansion of LNG fuel into the tanker industry and…
All in a Day’s Walk
Just over the horizon, a new ‘Integration Strategy’ promises offshore safety and efficiencies. Kongsberg’s Walk-to-Work technology is just the beginning. Maritime technology has come on in leaps and bounds since the turn of the century. We have the technology to keep an offshore support vessel on station within a 0.5-meter radius, even in the most severe weather conditions and sea states. We have the technology to manage power output, and control drives and thrusters to the ‘nth’ degree, providing safety and reliability for all ship handling operations. And we have the technology to deliver gigabytes of data to shore without paying for a helicopter or a mid-ocean drop off of hard drives or DVDs. So, what’s next? Arguably, the ‘big’ topic is unmanned vessels.
The Impact of Lower Oil Price on LNG Vessels
Opec study on the impact of lower oil price assumptions on the penetration of LNG vessels has released. In light of the regulations on sulphur emissions issued by the IMO the prospect of using LNG as an alternative bunker fuel was explored. It was concluded that LNG had the potential to become an important marine bunker fuel in the long-term. This year the subject is re-considered in light of recent market and price developments, as well as the continuing uncertainty surrounding the implementation of new IMO regulations. These new regulations are supposed to be implemented at a global level on all shipping vessels by 2020. It obliges shipping companies around the world to either install exhaust scrubbers or switch to more expensive low sulphur (0.5%) gasoil.
Aviator & Engineer: Lawrence Burst Sperry
The U.S. Navy, and the aeronautic field in general, has benefited enormously from the genius of more than one Sperry. Lawrence Burst Sperry, the second son and third child of gyrocompass inventor Elmer A. Sperry was a pioneer in instrumental flight and famous inventor in his own right, launching the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Co. at 26, and earning 23 patents before his untimely death at the age of 31 in 1923. It was no exaggeration. Like his father before him, Sperry’s engineering brilliance more than made up for his lack of a college degree…
Classification Leaders Weigh in on Marine Propulsion
When talk turns to marine propulsion and the host of surrounding topics – emissions, efficiency, fuel consumption – we turn to class for answers. While there are just two questions, the ensuing answers from leaders at ABS, BV, ClassNK, DNV GL, LR and RINA are voluminous & enlightening. The stricter environmental regulations and rising fuel costs lead to technology development in design, size, propulsion and operations. This goes well beyond LNG as fuel, and we believe we will see a more diversified mix, with batteries, hybrids, methanol and so on.
Oil Majors Push Offshore Players for 30% Cuts
30%That’s the minimum level of capital expenditure cuts facing owners and operators of offshore rigs, vessels and various support services, as they scramble to keep equipment working and their heads above water during one of the worst oil downturns in 30 years. From a high of $108 per barrel in June of last year, prices plummeted roughly 60% as supply surpassed weakening demand, crashing in November to around $44 a barrel. The pricing collapse caught all sectors of the industry and financial markets by surprise, pulling down with it market valuations, quarterly earnings and day rates.
Wärtsilä's' Scrubber Systems for Dutch RoRo Vessels
Royal Wagenborg, the Dutch ship owner and operator, has ordered Wärtsilä scrubber systems to clean the exhaust emissions from two of its RoRo carriers, the 'Balticborg' and 'Bothniaborg'. These will be Wärtsilä's first deliveries of its scrubber systems to Royal Wagenborg. The contract was signed in March. "We have enjoyed a successful business relationship with Wärtsilä for many years and have selected Wärtsilä solutions for many vessels in our fleet. This relationship was one of the reasons that we decided that Wärtsilä would be the supplier for these scrubber systems," according to Egbert Vuursteen, CEO of Royal Wagenborg. By installing Wärtsilä scrubber systems…
New Oil Tanker Series RS Classed
Two river-sea oil tankers of project RST 22M are to be built to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) class. A relevant agreement is signed by RS with Armada Shipyard that will construct the ships for the Palmali Group of Companies. At present, RS experts are engaged in the plan approval of the ships. According to the agreement, RS will render classification of the newbuildings and survey under construction for compliance with applicable statutory requirements. RS experts will perform survey of hull construction and the installation of machinery, electrical and automation equipment, and will check the ship compliance with approved technical documentation, all the applicable international and national requirements, as well as participate in the mooring tests and trials.