Required Equipment News

Australia's Birdon Group announced its U.S. subsidiary has reached a deal to acquire Metal Shark Boats' shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Ala.Birdon America said it will utilize the 32-acre facility for vessel repair work as well as newbuild activity, including construction of the U.S. Coast Guard's $1.187 billion 27-vessel Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program awarded to Birdon in 2022.Birdon Group CEO, Jamie Bruce, said, “The investment in this facility will not only ensure we deliver on our promise to the U.S.

Last month, a Hydrex diver team carried out an underwater stern tube seal repair on a ro-ro ship berthed in Algeciras, Spain.The ship was suffering from an oil leak, making an on-site repair necessary. Using a Hydrex flexible mobdock, the team was able to carry out the entire operation on-site and underwater, saving the owner an expensive and time-consuming trip to drydock.Once the operation was approved, all preparations were handled swiftly and the lightweight equipment was…

The IMO is urging Member States to contribute equipment to help UN-led efforts to prevent a possible catastrophic oil spill from the FSO Safer, an ageing and rapidly decaying floating storage offshore (FSO) unit moored 4.8 nautical miles off the Red Sea coast of Yemen.A converted super tanker, the FSO Safer contains an estimated 150,000 metric tonnes (approximately 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil, four times the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989. It has been moored at Ras Isa since 1988 where it had been receiving…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntington District intends to award “Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contracts for Design Bid Build Marine-Based Construction Projects” in the Rivers Districts of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. This encompasses the Huntington, Louisville, Nashville, and Pittsburgh Districts.This is an unrestricted, $75 million contract with a target of five awards: a base period of one year and four one-year option periods.Requirements include the ability to mobilize “sizeable crews” to multiple sites and provide multimillion-dollar bonding.

Satellite communications provider Iridium Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service officially went live on Friday, December 11, ending a monopoly held by rival Inmarsat and enhancing the integrity of global safety communications for seafarers globally.GMDSS is an internationally regulated service, governed by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. It provides life-saving assistance to seafarers in distress and has required equipment on board more than 60…

Delta Offshore Energy (DOE), a company developing an offshore gas to power project in Vietnam, has signed a technology license agreement with Stena Power & LNG Solutions.Under the agreement, Stena will grant DOE a license to use its Jetty-Less LNG receiving and regas technology for the offshore LNG to power project located in the Bac Lieu Province in Southern Vietnam.DOE will employ Stena’s floating Jetty-Less Autonomous Transfer System (ATS) and Self-installing Regas Platform…

Hydrex frequently performs large, complex projects across the globe, but the company says its smaller projects are equally essential. Daily, its divers conduct smaller maintenance operations including installation or replacement of anodes, blankings, replacement of transducers, propeller cleanings and all types of inspections.InspectionsBuilding upon conventional technical skills and know-how while also taking advantage of the latest technology, Hydrex offers a unique hull monitoring service.

A collaboration between three of the marine sector’s major technology companies aims to make the use of liquified natural gas (LNG) fuel a truly viable option for ship owners and operators.By combining their expertise and experience, WinGD, Wärtsilä and GTT deliver an effective, streamlined approach for achieving compliance with environmental legislation.LNG fuel, considered a key enabler of ‘green’ propulsion for ships, has virtually no sulphur content, produces 80 percent less nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 30 percent less CO2 emissions than conventional marine fuels.

Hansa Heavy Lift  has transported a giant carousel together with eight reels, weighing a total of 3,508.7 metric tonnes, from Newcastle, United Kingdom to Lagos, Nigeria destined for the Egina Oil Field.The voyage took place on board the super heavy lift vessel HHL Lagos, which was mobilised in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to prepare the vessel with additional deck strength for the extralarge carousel, which weighed over 2,200 metric tonnes including spooled product and had a diameter of over 25 metres.“Close connection between the Hansa Heavy Lift engineering, superintendents and the vessels crew allowed for a fast deck reinforcement through the installation of additional underdeck stiffeners and a spooling platform…

Following a spate of stern tube seal failures, Antwerp-based Hydrex has reiterated its capability in carrying out repairs to stern tube seals during a ship’s routine port visit, saving the expense and loss of revenue of unscheduled drydocking. Stern tube seals can suffer undue wear or damage due to a variety of causes, causing water ingress and oil leaks. With ever-tightening environmental regulations resulting in heavy penalties for oil pollution, rapid and timely repairs are essential.

“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed,” is an observation from William Gibson, the luminary science fiction author, that sums up many of the problems with widespread adoption of technological solutions. This is certainly true of shipping. As we saw at Nor-Shipping this year, it is now expected for most businesses to have a data-driven element, and enthuse about how they are ‘embracing digital.’ But how much of this buzz around digital solutions results in better decision making on the ground?

Building upon conventional technical skills and know-how while also taking advantage of the latest technology, Hydrex offers a unique hull monitoring service to its customers. This gives shipowners total control of their ship's hull condition and consequently its performance, with only a minimum of work on their part. Underwater inspections represent a small investment and, if properly done, have the potential to save an owner a great deal of money. * Problems with the propeller such as bent or damaged blades (which can put undue strain on bearings), roughness due to fouling, cavitation damage or bad polishing which can reduce the propeller’s efficiency.

When industry players say “the handwriting is on the wall,” they aren’t just talking about the pending Subchapter M regulations, but also about the already existing demand for safety management systems (SMS) in general for the domestic towing industry. While the U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security work to finalize Subchapter M requirements, operators are already finding it harder to win bids without some level of a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) and ensuing proof of compliance. The oil majors, Mexico and many clients already insist on adherence to safety standards, and in some cases they are aggressively conducting their own audits of contractors and reminding them to use JSAs. That has spurred companies like McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc.

During its first commercial application, the newly developed Vibro Lifting Tool (VLT) of CAPE Holland has successfully installed four piles in up to 90m water depth. This installation is part of the pre-piling project for the Culzean Wellhead Platform jacket which will be installed next year. The VLT was used as a stabbing tool to install all four piles in one sequence to stable depth through a template without any tool change. Negating the need for a tool change meant it was possible to install all four piles in just one 12 hour shift to the predicted penetration depths, which resulted in a significant time saving. CAPE Holland’s CEO Laurens de Neef said…

In the offshore industry, time is always of the essence. Vessel owners make it a priority to keep the necessary yard visits as short as possible. To contribute to this short time priority, Heinen & Hopman has developed a containerized fan room that can be completely prefabricated and tested before delivery to the vessel. Due to this design, installation time onboard can be shortened tremendously. A modified cargo or offshore certified container is used as the base for this fan room. The size of this container may vary from 10 feet up to 40 feet in high cube execution.

Protestors rappelled off a bridge in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday hoping to delay Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic oil exploration this summer by blocking the return of a ship to Alaska that holds emergency equipment. Greenpeace said 13 protestors lowered themselves from the St. John's bridge in the early morning and 13 others on the traffic level of the bridge are assisting them. "Depending on the weather they can stay there for three to five days," said Cassady Sharp, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, which says Arctic drilling could be damaging to populations of whales, polar bears and walrus if there is an oil spill. The danglers have food and water and plan to sleep in hammocks suspended over the Willamette River, which provides shipping access to the Pacific Ocean from Portland.

Earlier this week, during its first commercial application, the newly developed Vibro Lifting Tool (VLT) of CAPE Holland has successfully installed four piles in up to 90 meters water depth. This installation is part of the pre-piling project for the Culzean Wellhead Platform jacket which will be installed next year. The VLT was used as a stabbing tool to install all four piles in one sequence to stable depth through a template without any tool change. Negating the need for a…

The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday granted Royal Dutch Shell two final permits to explore for crude in the Arctic this summer, but said the company cannot drill into the oil zone until required emergency equipment arrives in the region. The department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) conditionally granted Shell permits for exploration in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska, in a season which sea ice limits from July until October. But Shell must have emergency equipment to contain a potential blown-out well deployable within 24 hours before drilling into the oil zone…

Approximately three times a week, for six months of the year, trains depart from upstate New York, en route to one of three EPA-approved long-term disposal facilities. The trains, which are loaded with dewatered, PCB-containing sediments, represent the last leg of a complex environmental dredging project undertaken by General Electric Co. in New York’s Upper Hudson River. To keep these trains on schedule, GE relies on two purpose-built material handlers from SENNEBOGEN, an 870 R-HD and an 870 M…

DeepOcean was established in 1999 and is dedicated to subsea services and operations in deep waters, able to take on deep-water assignments anywhere in the world. The company is an integrated service provider for the subsea industry. DeepOcean has a global track record of subsea services including Survey and Seabed-mapping, Subsea Construction and Installation, Seabed Intervention, IMR, and Decommissioning. Since its entry into the Brazilian offshore market, DeepOcean has accumulated extensive experience in deepwater operation, having become a preferred partner to national operator Petrobras, which is one of the few super-majors still awarding long-term contracts for subsea IMR and subsea construction & intervention.

Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) and Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 767) have commenced Ice Exercise 2014 (ICEX 2014) in the Arctic Ocean, says Commander,  US Submarine Forces. "In keeping with the Department of Defense's Arctic Objectives, the Submarine Force uses Ice Exercises to prepare for a wide range of challenges and contingencies," said Capt. Paul Whitescarver, the camp's officer in tactical command and operations officer at Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is exploring an option to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a source of fuel for the Issaquah Class ferries. LNG is used worldwide and provides an opportunity to reduce fuel costs, and better the environment by decreasing emissions. Fuel is WSF's fastest growing operating expense; it burns more than 17 million gallons each year. Its fuel budget is over 30 percent of the FY11-13 operating budget, compared to 12 percent in FY00-01. The fuel cost savings moving from diesel to LNG is approximately 40-50 percent at today’s pricing.

Rowan Companies plc gives an update on notable events. EXL I:  Changed day rate to mid $220s (previously mid $210s) due to amortization adjustment. J.P. Bussell:  Rig is expected to be off rate for five days in 1Q 2013. Scooter Yeargain:  Rig is expected to enter the shipyard in January 2013 (previously March 2013) for 105 days (previously 135 days) for customer-required equipment upgrades. Gorilla VI:  Off rate time in 4Q 2012 was eight days instead of the previously expected 25 days. Cecil Provine:  Off rate time in 4Q 2012 was 49 days instead of the previously expected 57 days. Rowan Norway:  Rig is currently in the shipyard for contract requirements and is expected to commence operations early January 2013 (previously mid December 2012).