Richard Hepworth News

Trelleborg said its marine and infrastructure operation in North America has recently moved into its new sales office in Houston, Texas, in a move aimed at meeting the growing demands across all North American markets and providing more localized and coordinated customer support for its complimentary product offerings, which include marine fender systems, docking and mooring equipment, transfer link systems, and navigation and piloting solutions.The new 8,600-square-foot office located on the west side of Houston places Trelleborg in the heart of the Houston metro area.

Swedish global engineering group Trelleborg AB said that its marine and infrastructure operation has announced that it is to collaborate with Danish water environment specialist, DHI, enabling marine consultants and port owners to more realistically simulate vessel movements in ports and increase port efficiency.AutoMoor, Trelleborg’s rope-free automated mooring system which uses smart technologies to enable a faster berthing process and improve safety within the port environment, will be integrated into DHI’s MIKE 21 Mooring Analysis Software (MIKE 21 MA) over a five-year period.The integration will give port operators the ability to…

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has launched DynaMoor, a safety focused dynamic mooring solution that actively maintains constant tension in mooring lines to dampen vessel movements, eliminating the effect that passing ships and long-period waves have on moored vessels.This means DynaMoor can increase port and terminal throughput by allowing operations to continue in a wider range of conditions, while improving safety and reducing operational costs. DynaMoor actively dampens vessel motion…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation and Australasian engineering consultancy Synertec have formed a strategic partnership to meet demand for more accurate and efficient liquefied natural gas (LNG) custody transfer. Under the new agreement, Trelleborg will distribute Synertec’s LNG custody transfer system across its global sales network.LNG custody transfer, the transfer of the ownership of LNG from one organization to other, has long involved fiscal risk given significant uncertainties in traditional tank measurement.

Trelleborg has hailed the recent test of the Universal Transfer System (UTS) conducted with Connect LNG and Gas Natural Fenosa, as tangible evidence of the new applications that its suite of products for jettyless LNG transfer can unlock in this challenging field. The UTS transferred LNG from the Skangas-chartered LNG carrier Coral Energy to the onshore terminal at the Norwegian port of Herøya on October 7 and is now in full commercial operation. A ‘plug and play’ solution, the UTS requires no modifications to the LNG carrier – instead…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has supplied a suite of products to Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility, the largest offshore facility ever constructed. Prelude, which is 488 meters long, 74 meters wide, and made with more than 260,000 tons of steel, will extract and liquefy natural gas from a site in North West Australia. Trelleborg supplied its gas transfer technology and SafePilot navigational and piloting systems for Prelude. “Our SafePilot solution, SSL, ESL and radio ESD for tandem condensate offload have been used on Shell’s Prelude FLNG…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has supplied the Association of Maryland Pilots with SafePilot Portable Pilot Units (PPUs) and a Port System server solution to facilitate consistent, real-time information sharing between almost 70 pilots. The SafePilot system is part of Trelleborg’s Smarter Product Portfolio, which its marine systems operation is evolving to support the ‘Port of the Future’. The Association of Maryland Pilots serves the Chesapeake Bay, the longest pilotage route on the East Coast of the United States, with its nearly 200 miles of waters. The scale of the waters put particular demands on the operational battery time the piloting equipment requires.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has again supported the U.S. Coast Guard by delivering a third training session in ensuring the safe, secure and clean transportation and use of liquefied gas in U.S. waters. As liquefied gases become a major commodity across the U.S., there is a critical need for the coast guard community to understand the systems used on board liquefied gas ships and how these work with onshore facilities. Richard Hepworth, President, Trelleborg Marine Systems, explained, “The liquefied gas industry is now well-established in the U.S, particularly along the Gulf Coast. Understanding how to carry out ship to shore connections for both liquefied gas carriers and fueling operations is essential for all coast guard personnel…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation hosted an exclusive one-day seminar for port authorities and consultants in partnership with the company’s exclusive agent for Greece, Seamark Marine on 1st March at the Metropolitan Chandris Hotel in Athens, Greece. The free seminar saw experts at Trelleborg discuss a range of key industry issues including marine fender selection, infrastructure regulation, the latest in docking and mooring technology, and floating fender and buoy design. In addition, the importance of rubber compound composition in the whole-life performance of fender systems was also on the agenda. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has passed a milestone with the shipment of its 600th SeaTechnik Ship Shore Link (SSL) system for the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Industry. The SeaTechnik SMART SSL system will be installed on a 174,000m3 LNG Carrier (Hull number 2411), being built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) at its Okpo ship yard, Goeje Island, South Korea, for Teekay shipping Limited. The majority of the world’s LNG cargo fleet and terminals are equipped with SSL technology…

Trelleborg has launched its fifth annual Barometer Report, which calls on the views of 200 port owners, operators, consulting engineers and contractors. This year’s report takes a look back over the last five years to see how attitudes to investment, maintenance and quality have changed over time. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, says: “In previous years, the Barometer Report has examined the issues helping and hindering port performance over a 12 month period.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has launched two new webinars discussing the current state of the port environment, and the opportunities arising for facilities looking to take steps toward more strategic investment and supplier support. As part of a four part series, the first webinar features Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, discussing the current situation facing ports globally, how ports are performing and the obstacles that facilities worldwide must overcome to best prepare and protect themselves for the future.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has been awarded the contract to supply complete tandem mooring systems to two floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels in Angola, West Africa. The Angola-based FPSO tandem mooring projects demanded solutions capable of performing demanding offshore applications, while adhering to project quality documentation processes and Class rules, Trelleborg said. In addition, the projects also required the long-term provision of technical and field support services.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has received a patent for its innovative ‘slide in, slide out’ or ‘SISO’ marine fender system, which is now in operation in Dampier, Western Australia, in addition to a number of other sites across the region. The system has been designed to make fender maintenance more straightforward and less time consuming, by utilizing removable sliding panels, reducing the time taken to complete a fender wear pad change-out. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine operation…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has opened a new American headquarters in Berryville, Virginia, U.S. The new site houses a 36,000 square foot manufacturing facility for foam-based marine fenders and buoys and 9,000 square foot sales and business development office. All employees from Trelleborg’s previous site in Clear Brook, Virginia, have now made the move to operate from Berryville and Paul Welling, previously regional director for the Middle East and Africa has moved over to take on the regional president’s role in the U.S. Paul Welling, President for the U.S.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has added to its range of Quick Release Hooks (QRHs) with the new ReadyMoor range, a standardized solution that provides a fast lead time for commercial applications, where bespoke solutions are not required. Thanks to this ready-made approach, the ReadyMoor range provides a solution that offers the safety and operational benefits of QRHs, while passing on commercial benefits to the customer. The series is available with average delivery of just 12 weeks, the time it takes to assemble, test and ship the product.

Trelleborg’s marine operation is in the process of building and installing a custom-made high-speed test rig, capable of testing both rubber and foam fenders. The rig is being built in Trelleborg’s new Berryville facility in Virginia, U.S., and represents a substantial investment for the business. When complete, it will be the biggest fender test rig in operation in the industry capable of testing fenders up to the largest commercially available sizes. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine operation, said: “Amongst quality conscious customers, in the U.S.

The latest Barometer Report from Trelleborg, which discusses the issues impacting ports and terminals around the globe, has revealed that 74% of port owners and operators are still suffering unscheduled downtime. Fender damage was the most frequently cited cause, with 20% of owners and operators having suffered downtime due to damage to their systems. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, said, “The high incidence of fender damage and the subsequent downtime may be due to a lack of awareness on how to specify a truly quality system…

The latest 'Barometer Report' from Trelleborg's marine operations business sector, discusses the issues impacting ports and terminals around the globe, and reveals the most optimistic outlook on investment since the annual industry survey began in 2010, with 93% of port owners and operators expecting capital expenditure budgets to increase over the next twelve months and 88% expecting operational expenditure budgets to grow too. An overwhelming 98% of consultants and contractors also said they expect capital and operational expenditure budgets to increase. So, despite other challenges revealed by the report, the overall picture is optimistic.

The latest Barometer Report from Trelleborg has revealed a huge gap in the maintenance requirements of port owners and operators, and the support that suppliers are able to provide. While 75% of those surveyed think that it’s essential or important to have the supplier involved in the maintenance and audit of jetty based equipment, it is also seen as suppliers’ weakest area. Trelleborg believes the findings point to the need for more supplier involvement across the whole supply chain, with engagement essential at every stage.

DP World, UAE Region, has incorporated Trelleborg’s rubber quality standards into their fender specification for the Quay four refurbishment project at Terminal 1 of Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. Working on the project with DP World since 2011, Trelleborg has supplied 60 super cone SCN 1300 fenders to protect berths 18 and 19, which have been fully installed this past April. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine operation, says: “We’ve been working on raising awareness of the issue of rubber quality for a while…

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation announces plans to open a new sales and business development office in Houston, Texas, U.S. Trelleborg said it will establish a local “feet on the ground” presence in the area and confirms the company’s commitment to the global oil and gas industry. Citing growth in the region as a strategic priority, Trelleborg Marine Systems will relocate its USA President, Faiyaz Kolsawala, to operate from Houston as well as a number of its global sales team, including a specialist docking and mooring representative and a dedicated oil and gas transfer and vessel technology salesperson to provide a closer relationship with customers in the area and the reassurance of a face-to-face presence.

Trelleborg has launched its regular Barometer Report survey, designed to gather the latest insights and opinions from across the marine industry. Port owners, operators, contractors and consultants are invited to tell Trelleborg about their experience, and enter a free draw to win an iPad. Last years’ report found infrastructure strained as ports struggled to keep up with new developments such as expanding container traffic, increasing vessel sizes and the rapid growth of emerging sectors, such as LNG.