Strainstall News

With the July 1 implementation of the new SOLAS container verified gross mass (VGM) regulations fast approaching, Strainstall, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, is today launching a white paper to assist those affected by the new rules in charting a pathway to compliance, clarifying the technical and commercial options and presenting a cost-effective, robust and accurate solution. With less than six months remaining before the implementation of the amended Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) rules requiring – with no exceptions – that shipping containers must have their VGM declared before stowage on any vessel, Strainstall is publishing a white paper outlining the pitfalls, options and opportunities of compliance for the worlds ports, terminals and cargo handling industries.

Strainstall designs and delivers a load measurement solution for the world’s largest floating wharf at Port of Dampier. Strainstall, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, was commissioned to design and deliver a load monitoring system for the Dampier Floating Deck - the world’s largest floating wharf at the port of Dampier, Western Australia. The wharf, located in some of the most challenging marine operational conditions, is a new concept in jetty extension and Strainstall’s bespoke…

Strainstall, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, announced the completion of the world’s first Intelligent Fender System (IFS) trial with energy companies SSE and RWE at Suffolk-based wind farm, Greater Gabbard. The IFS is an in-house developed technology which aims to provide accurate and recordable data to improve safety and increase operational efficiency for vessel and offshore wind farm operators during transfer operations. The Greater Gabbard trial enabled Strainstall to…

James Fisher Marine Services’s (JFMS) multipurpose wind farm support vessel, Dart Fisher, has been formally named by the vessel’s Godmother Maria McCaffery MBE, CEO of RenewableUK at a dedication service held at Griffon Hoverwork, Southampton. The service, attended by customers, partners and The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Southampton, Councilor Sue Blatchford was delivered by Mission to Seafarers chaplain John Attenborough and marks the completion of significant investment…

Strainstall’s Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) has been successfully installed on a vessel running trials for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) program, a joint industry program aiming to reduce the cost of offshore wind by 10% for UK Round 3 sites. The OWA trial focuses on turbine access systems, proving and de-risking design concepts. VMMS is supporting the Carbon Trust during prototype testing phases to quantify vessel conditions during personnel transfers.

Strainstall UK Limited has been selected to work alongside SBM offshore on the prestigious Shell Stones project, which is an ultra-deep Oil and Gas development in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently the deepest production facility in the world at approximately 2,900 meters. The project involves the use of an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Off loading) which has a forward mounted turret with a disconnectable buoy (Buoyant Turret Mooring or BTM) allowing it to weathervane in normal conditions and disconnect from the FPSO upon the approach of a hurricane so that the FPSO can sail to a safer area. The unique BTM design required six specially designed load pins to measure the forces between the Buoy and the FPSO as they are an integral component of the detachable buoy system…

Strainstall Marine, a part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has secured a five-figure order to supply stress monitoring systems for Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) to be fitted aboard a new 405m floating drydock. The floating drydock hull number S708 is owned by Qatar Petroleum, the State-owned oil company and the monitoring systems are scheduled for installation in February 2014. The systems to be fitted are Strainstall Marine’s StressAlert HSMS and Torsional monitoring technology, which has been developed using their 40 years’ experience at the leading edge of load measurement, strain and stress determination. Hull structural integrity is continuously monitored and displayed…

Strainstall Marine, a part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has recently secured an order to supply their StressAlert Hull Stress Monitoring system (HSMS) to Hyundai Heavy Industries for their new 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) carrier. The container carrier is owned by China Shipping Container Lines and installation of the HSMS is scheduled for October 2014. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) earlier this year won a $1.4 billion order to build five 18,000 TEU class and five 14,000 TEU class containerships from the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) on August 29.

Strainstall Marine U.K. announced the award of a contract for the supply of an Integrated Marine Monitoring System (IMMS), from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of Korea. The IMMS is for the Moho Nord Tension Leg Platform (TLP), of which HHI is the constructor and Total Oil the principal operator. The Moho Nord platform is to be located offshore Congo, West Africa. The multi-million dollar project is one of the largest contracts of this type awarded to Strainstall Marine, and is an example of the ever-developing integration capabilities of the company. The project has a wide brief with many integrated systems providing critical monitoring data to the platform operating team.

Since its recent launch, Strainstall’s Container weighing system has already become established in the Intermodel/Ports industry. It is currently being used at numerous key U.K. Ports in the U.K. including Port of Felixstowe and Tilbury – as well as being considered for integration throughout ports and terminals within Europe, Chile, U.S. and Canada. The system was developed in response to recent talks within the IMO calling for mandatory verification of container weights and utilizes Strainstall’s 45 years of designing standard and bespoke load measurement solutions. It has been specifically developed to enable port authorities, shipping companies and couriers to establish the exact weight of containers, as well as the ability to detect eccentric loads.

Strainstall, a part of James Fisher and Son plc, announced the opening of a new production facility based in Bembridge, Isle of Wight. The new 10,000-sqft. facility produces the full range of mooring hooks and mooring units including a bespoke service specific to customer requirements. It is fully equipped with a 7.5te pendant controlled overhead crane, fork lift trucks and high load racking to ensure maximum efficiency and optimum product turnaround. The facility also houses a test rig that can test hook units up to 350te.The rig electronically records all hook data during testing and downloads to a document that gives the customer instant access to the test data. Full testing is carried out in house before being despatched to their customer’s sites.

MAATS Tech Ltd is a specialist ship design organization with expertise in the provision of turnkey carousel systems and associated equipment that are installed in special purpose vessels used for laying flexible pipe, umbilicals and power cables. On such vessels, the cable or pipe is fed through a tensioner before being loaded to and from the carousel system as part of the laying process. Maintaining the correct tension in the pipe or cable is crucial to achieving its successful seabed deployment, as well as for the avoidance of equipment malfunction and associated downtime.

Strainstall Marine undertake vessel motion monitoring trial on an offshore wind farm transfer vessel off the UK East Coast. The company's new Vessel Motion Monitoring System™ (VMMS™) provides accurate motion monitoring for wind turbine transfer vessels to improve safety during transfer operations, as well as impact load measurement combined with a data logging capability. An accurate motion monitoring system can increase the operational window considerably during critical personnel and equipment transfer manoeuvres by allowing the user to monitor all motion parameters…

New Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) – developed by James Fisher group company Strainstall Marine – provides accurate motion and impact load monitoring with a  data logging capability; Increases safety and operational efficiency during  personnel and equipment transfer manoeuvres involving offshore wind farm  support vessels; MMS is now undergoing trials on board Tidal Transit’s ‘Eden Rose’ during normal operations off the UK’s east coast. Strainstall’s VMMS  product significantly…

New offshore wind safety product Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) achieves excellent results in first tests. Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) developed to provide accurate motion monitoring, improves safety during vessel transfer operations. Offers real time impact load measurement combined with additional data logging capability to support health and safety analysis and investigations. Successful testing has been carried out by Submarine Technology Ltd (STL). James Fisher and Sons plc group companies Fendercare and Strainstall Marine have received excellent results following work with sub-sea and offshore development experts Submarine Technology Ltd (STL) to test and validate their new Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS).

New offshore wind safety product Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) achieves excellent results in first tests. Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS) developed to provide accurate motion monitoring, improves safety during vessel transfer operations. Offers real time impact load measurement combined with additional data logging capability to support health and safety analysis and investigations. Successful testing has been carried out by Submarine Technology Ltd (STL). James Fisher and Sons plc group companies Fendercare and Strainstall Marine have received excellent results following work with sub-sea and offshore development experts Submarine Technology Ltd (STL) to test and validate their new Vessel Motion Monitoring System (VMMS).

Following talks within the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) to introduce mandatory weighing of containers, Strainstall have utilised their 45 years of experience in providing industry leading measurement solutions to develop their own container weighing system. The system is designed for low impact installation and enables operators to view live loadings via an in-cab display or log/transmit data for analysis at a later stage. Various integration options are available…

James Fisher and Sons plc announces the launch of two new exciting products to assist in the safe transfer of personnel during offshore wind farm operations. Fendercare Marine and Strainstall, members of James Fisher and Sons plc, in conjunction with Maritime International have launched two new products – the Eco-Fender range and the Vessel Motion Monitoring System, both specifically targeted  to assist in the safe transfer of personnel during offshore wind farm operations. Fendercare in conjunction with Strainstall…