Optimum Level News

The Netherlands-based VETUS has introduced in the U.S. what it claims is the world’s most powerful DC thrusters.Unveiled at this year’s Miami International Boat Show, the new BOW PRO Boosted 300 series are the highest output thrusters yet in VETUS’s lineup of advanced BOW PRO units, which boast innovative DC-to-DC charging technology, quiet operation, precision proportional control and long runtimes.Chris DeBoy, U.S. President, VETUS MAXWELL, said, “The BOW PRO Boosted units combine features like the unlimited runtime…

A new innovative device has been engineered to improve docking safety.Designed to be installed on quay walls, the Dynamic Protective Barrier features a novel mechanism to dissipate energy for short duration impact caused by docking vessels.Matthew Czerniatewicz, founder of Dynamic Protective Barriers (DPB), said other solutions available on the market today typically absorb and accumulate the kinetic energy at the point of docking, which can cause micro and macro damages to the port infrastructure and as well as the ship.

Cathelco have won orders to supply hull corrosion protection systems for three FPSOs. Two of the systems are being supplied to MODEC, while the third will be installed by Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong yard in Singapore. The FPSO Cidade de Campos dos Goyatacazes is being built by MODEC for deployment off Brazil by Petronas. It will be capable of processing 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day, 176 million cubic feet of gas, and have a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels. Due for delivery in late 2017, it will be positioned in the Campos Basin, 125 kilometers from Macae.

Press release -Cathelco have won orders to supply equipment for two projects which are being undertaken by Keppel yards in Singapore. The first is to provide marine growth protection systems (MGPS) for a KFELS semi-submersible drilling tender (Project B374). The Cathelco MGPS system will eliminate blockages in sea water pipework caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels. A total of four seachests will be protected, each with flow rates of 1,160 m3/hr. This involves fitting two copper anodes and one aluminium anode in each of the seachests which are wired to a control panel. In operation, the copper anodes produce ions which create an environment where barnacles and mussel larvae do not settle or breed, but are carried through the system to discharge.

To optimize vessel’s engine performance and efficiency, LUKOIL Marine Lubricants has developed the iCOlube system, which had its U.K. official launch on September 8, 2015 in London. According to LUKOIL, the iCOlube cylinder oil lubrication unit tailors the alkalinity reserve to engine load and fuel. The feed rate always stays at optimum level, while only the fuel sulphur content needs to be entered. This way, it maintains better engine conditions, reduces oil costs, saves fuel and is environmentally friendly, the manufacturer said.

Press Release - Giving produce exporters a better way to maintain the quality of perishables in transit, Hamburg Süd, one of the top refrigerated container carriers worldwide, recently added 400 refrigerated containers equipped with Carrier Transicold’s XtendFRESH atmosphere control system. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. To slow ripening and help preserve produce quality, the XtendFRESH system actively manages oxygen and carbon dioxide levels within refrigerated containers and removes ethylene.

A contract has been signed with the Tianjin Dredging Company, part of the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) and the recently founded Dredging Group, under which Wärtsilä will supply the engines and all essential ancillaries for a new self-propelled cutter dredger. The vessel will be one of the largest and most advanced vessels of its type in the world, and will become CCCC Tianjin's flagship. The ship is being built at the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries shipyard in China. The contract was signed in June. "We have a strong relationship with Wärtsilä and we are confident that they can provide the technology and support needed to make this project a success," says Mr G.M Liu Chang Yun, Ship New Building Management Department, Tianjin Dredging Company of CCCC.

DeltaLangh has been assigned to deliver Deltamarin Floating Construction Ltd. with an exhaust gas cleaning (scrubber) system to be installed onboard the Ro-Ro vessel M/V Bore Song of Bore Ltd. The delivery consists of a combined closed and open loop scrubber system for 12MW engine output with the patented water treatment and dewatering plant. M/V Bore Song operates in the English Channel which is a part of the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA). From January 2015 all ships operating in the SECA area must limit their emissions to correspond to the use of fuel with a sulphur content of less than 0.1%. With the help of the DeltaLangh scrubber M/V Bore Song will meet these requirements.

Kongsberg Seatex announced the launch of a new generation of Blue Force (BF) Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), the AIS 300BF. The unit, which supersedes the current AIS 200BF, offers outstanding secure mode abilities alongside unique AIS receiver sensitivity and robustness – refinements made possible by Kongsberg Seatex’s involvement in a number of pioneering AIS space projects. The AIS 300BF is tailor-made for vessels undertaking demanding coast guard, antipiracy, navy and boarder police operations.

Boatracs announces strategic partnership with Maritime Compliance Internationa (MCI)l to provide Subchapter M compliance solution. The two companies are collaborating in the development of a new electronic forms software product for the workboat market designed specifically for compliance management of the upcoming Coast Guard 46 CFR Subchapter "M" regulation. The new product is based on Boatracs' industry leading electronic forms platform, Boatracs BTForms. BTForms is currently in use on almost 200 vessels to simplify the process of collecting accurate vessel data for dispatch, Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE), maintenance and management.

Over the last couple of months several owners of fixed route passenger vessels have chosen Ecospeed as the preferred coating to protect their vessel’s underwater hull for its entire sailing life. Among the vessels coated with Ecospeed are the largest Ro-Pax ferry in the world, a newbuild ferry in Croatia, and one of the vessels that provides ferry services across the Delaware Bay on the East Coast of the United States. These vessels will all benefit greatly from the fuel optimizing possibilities Ecospeed offers…

A prototype for a series of Russian floating nuclear power stations will be protected against hull corrosion with a Cathelco impressed current cathodic protection system (ICCP). Designed to provide nuclear power in remote regions of the Arctic, the hull of the floating power plant is being constructed at the Baltiysky Zavod yard in St Petersburg. It will then be installed with two nuclear reactors providing up to 70 megawatts of electricity – enough to serve a city with a population of 200,000.

A series of fast response cutters being built for the U.S. Coast Guard will be protected against hull corrosion and marine pipework bio-fouling with a system manufactured by Cathelco Ltd. The Sentinel Class cutters, measuring 154 ft in length and capable of speeds of more than 28 knots, are being constructed at the Bollinger Shipyard’s facility in Lockport, La. The order for the Cathelco equipment has been won by Russ Equipment Co. Inc., Cathelco’s agent based in New Orleans.

Cathelco is supplying an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system for the FPSO Okha which is being converted by Single Buoy Moorings. After conversion, the Okha will be operated in oil fields off the North West Shelf of Australia by Woodside Energy Ltd, replacing the FPSO Cossack Pioneer. Conversion work will take place at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. During the installation of the ICCP system, local support will be provided by Cathelco S.E.A., also based in Singapore. “Before designing the system a study was undertaken by Force Technology, using computer modeling, to determine whether interference from the sacrificial anodes on the riser column would have an effect on the performance of the ICCP equipment…

Jumbo Shipping’s latest newbuild, HLV Jumbo Jubilee, completed its maiden voyage after successfully loading, transporting and installing two 1250 t shiploaders for FL Smidth in challenging circumstances. The Jumbo Jubilee started her first voyage from her home port Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She set sail for Vitória, Brazil, where two shiploaders were waiting, each with a processing capacity of 16,000 t iron ore per hour. With ample clearance between crane jib and cargo and enough lifting height to clear the conveyor belt at the centre of the pier, the loading operation was relatively easy.

The first joint venture project between Cathelco and UMC International has been completed at the Yonderberry fuelling jetty at Torpoint in Plymouth. Earlier this year, the two companies created an alliance enabling the specialist diving services of UMC International to be used for the installation and maintenance of corrosion protection systems supplied by Cathelco. The Yonderberry jetty project, commissioned by Babcock, has involved installing a new sacrificial anode system that will protect the steel piles of the north and south ‘dolphins’ used for mooring vessels during refuelling.

Exxon Mobil Marine Fuels (EMMF) has paid tribute to the vital contribution made to its flawless safety record by its staff and by a network of contractors throughout the world. EMMF is the world's largest supplier of marine fuels. It has a supply presence in over 300 ports in more than 70 countries, through which more than 15m tons of marine fuel are supplied annually. Last year it operated with an unblemished record - no fatalities, no lost time, no recordable incidents, no delivery vehicle accidents, no spills. Joe Rud, general manager of fleet purchasing, business development and e-commerce at EMMF, says, "We are very proud of our record. To perform over 18,000 individual truck and barge operations without incident, as EMMF did last year, confirms the high priority we place on safety.

In the ever cost conscious energy markets of today, improving profitability and ensuring high levels of availability are both vital targets for every power and marine application. No matter what size or type, a planned approach to Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) is the solution for today's energy producers and users. As a response to this demand, Wärtsilä has updated its Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) package. In addition to users receiving regular CBM reports, they can also connect to Wärtsilä online services where they can access the latest CBM information as well as service bulletins, technical manuals and spare parts. The CBM process is applicable both to marine and power plant applications.