Technology Arm News

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine said Thursday it had completed work on the Maju 510 tug, its first autonomous vessel project."Capable of autonomous vessel navigation as well as collision detection and avoidance (CDCA), the Maju 510 tug, owned and operated by Keppel Smit Towage, is the first vessel in the world to receive the Autonomous Notation from ABS classification society," Keppel O&M said.According to Keppel O&M, the tug is the first in South Asia that can be remotely operated by joystick control.

Auxiliary wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower said it has signed a framework agreement with Keppel Offshore & Marine’s technology arm Offshore Technology Development (OTD) for rotor sail installations.Under the agreement, OTD can assist to provide the initial survey, design and engineering works, and organize the equipment installation for Norsepower’s rotor sails. Norsepower will deliver project management, delivery and installation supervision to support smooth installation…

Keppel Offshore & Marine has delivered its second newbuild LNG carrier, the Avenir Accolade, to Avenir LNG.The LNG carrier can also function as an LNG bunkering vessel (LBV), making it the third LBV that Keppel has delivered."The dual-fuel Avenir Accolade attests to Keppel’s growing track record in solutions for the gas value chain and reinforces Keppel’s Vision 2030 to seize opportunities in LNG solutions," said the company which in January announced it would exit the drilling rig building business.The 7…

Singapore-based shipbuilder Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) has delivered Singapore’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel, FueLNG Bellina, to FueLNG.Built in Keppel O&M’s Nantong shipyard, FueLNG Bellina is the second LNG bunkering vessel and fifth dual-fuel vessel delivered by Keppel O&M. Keppel said the delivery was in line with its Vision 2030, which includes seizing opportunities in LNG solutions and renewables.FueLNG Bellina will provide LNG bunker to LNG-powered vessels that call at the Port of Singapore.

Keppel Offshore & Marine has delivered its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, Avenir Advantage, to Avenir LNG. The vessel also functions as an LNG bunkering vessel (LBV), making it the first in South East Asia to do so, Keppel said.Avenir Advantage is the first of two such vessels that Keppel O&M is building for Avenir LNG. The 7,500m3 LBV was built at Keppel Nantong Shipyard in China and is equipped with engines that can run on both diesel and LNG. Keppel O&M’s technology arm…

Tug owners are cutting emissions and increasing automation. Subject to technology choices, ‘greener’ tugs are a global phenomenon today, while the autonomous tugs of tomorrow are starting to emerge. David Lee S,enior Account Manager, New Build, ABB Marine & Ports, discusses tugs of the future.Around the world, there is a growing appetite for hybrid and electric technology in tugboat operations. In the Asian and European towage markets, owners are responding to increasingly stringent regulations on air emissions in ports by investing in cleaner, more efficient propulsion.

Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel has hit the water in Keppel Nantong Shipyard in China. The vessel was moved from land to water on May 28, 2020.The news was shared earlier this week by the vessel-owner FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum."Construction of the 7,500m3 LNG bunkering vessel is progressing smoothly and is on schedule to be completed in 4Q2020," FueLNG said in a statement earlier this week.The LNG bunkering vessel…

When discussing the arrival of autonomous workboats, many – especially those developing the technologies that enable them – say it’s is not a matter of if, but when. In fact, autonomous harbor tugs are already being put to the test in Singapore, where authorities hope to establish the technological infrastructure to enable fully autonomous ship operations. In the U.S., an autonomous vessel was shown to be able to respond to marine oil spills.But is autonomy really the future?

ABB signs a landmark contract with Singaporean shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine to enable autonomous tug operation in 2020.ABB, in collaboration with Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech), will jointly develop the technology for autonomous vessels and retrofit a 32-meter harbor tugboat with leading-edge digital solutions, enabling autonomous vessel operations in the Port of Singapore at the end of 2020. Upon project completion, the vessel is anticipated to be South Asia’s first autonomous tug.During the initial phase of the project…

Singapore yard Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) said that its wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Singmarine will develop an autonomous tug that will be operated by Keppel Smit Towage.The tug is expected to be one of Singapore’s first autonomous vessels when the project is completed in 4Q 2020.To develop the autonomous tug, Keppel O&M has secured a grant of up to S$2 million from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT FUND).This follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Keppel O&M, MPA and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS) in April 2018 to jointly develop autonomous vessels for a variety of applications including undertaking harbour operations such as channelling…

European engineering and consulting company Elomatic has partnered with Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Group and NYK’s technology arm MTI to create the concept design for a futuristic emission-free pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), – the “NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050”.According to Elomatic, compared to current vessels, the NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 will reduce CO2 emissions by 100%. The energy-efficient vessel will also reduce energy derived from bunker fuels by approx. 70%.The concept design was unveiled by NYK Group in mid-November. Elomatic was responsible for the concept creation and visualisation. The development…

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), through its wholly-owned subsidiary KS Investments Pte Ltd (KSI), and BG Group plc (BG Group) have been selected to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker to vessels in the Port of Singapore. The joint bid submitted by Keppel O&M and BG Group for the LNG bunker supplier licence is one of the two top bids selected by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The awarding of the licence is in line with the Port of Singapore's plans to launch the LNG Bunkering Pilot Programme in 2017. Keppel O&M and BG Group will work on forming a 50/50 joint venture to deliver an end-to-end bunkering solution using LNG sourced from BG Group's diversified LNG portfolio and leveraging Keppel O&M's expertise in LNG vessel servicing.

Keppel Shipyard has signed its third contract with Golar Gandria for vessel conversion works. The $684 million contract to convert a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to a floating liquefaction facility (FLNG) with the subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Golar LNG will become effective by Sep 21, said Keppel. The contract will become effective upon the parties fulfilling certain conditions precedent by 21 September 2015. The award of the conversion of the Gandria marks the exercise of the second of two options, which were part of a contract awarded by Golar to Keppel Shipyard for the conversion of the Moss LNG carrier, HILLI, into a GoFLNG facility. The first option was exercised in December 2014 for the conversion of the GIMI, also a Moss type LNG carrier.

Keppel FELS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) is on track to deliver PV Drilling VI, a KFELS B Class jackup rig, to PV Drilling Overseas (PVDO), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services Corp (PV Drilling) on time, on budget and with a perfect safety record. It is the 100th jackup rig Keppel FELS has built since 1970, of which more than half are based on the KFELS B Class design. Developed by Keppel's technology arm, Offshore Technology Development, this design has a market share of about a quarter of all jackup rigs delivered since 2000.

Dutch engineering and construction firm Imtech is investigating allegations it operated a cartel to overcharge German energy company RWE for the building of a power plant in the Netherlands. The allegations, detailed in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and German newspaper Handelsblatt on Thursday, follow earlier allegations of accounting fraud at its German and Polish operations. The company put out a statement late on Tuesday in response to questions put to it by the two newspapers in which it mentioned "allegations of possible competition law violations" on "two projects in the energy sector" between 2008 and 2010 without going into further detail.

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has secured a contract from an affiliate of Clearwater Capital Partners (Clearwater) to build a pair of premium KFELS B Class jackup rigs. The total cost of the project is about $440 million (USD), which also includes owner furnished equipment and project management fees. The rigs are scheduled to be completed in 4Q 2015 and 1Q 2016. Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director (Offshore) of Keppel O&M and Managing Director of Keppel FELS said Keppel FELS has 49 KFELS B Class/Super B Class jackup rigs already delivered and 17 on order. The KFELS B Class jackup rig is able to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet, drill to 30,000 feet deep and equipped with offline standbuilding capability.

Keppel FELS has delivered a KFELS B Class jackup rig, to Constructora y Perforadora Latina (CP LATINA), a private Mexican company in the energy sector. The rig was named La Santa Mariaat a ceremony in Keppel FELS. Delivered on time and with a perfect safety record, it will be chartered to Pemex, Mexico's national oil company, for deployment in offshore Mexico. La Santa Maria  is the first of two high-specification jackup rigs that Keppel FELS is building for CP Latina. The second rig is on schedule to be delivered in 4Q 2013. Mr Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director (Offshore) of Keppel Offshore & Marine and Managing Director of Keppel FELS, said, "This on time and safe delivery is a demonstration of the win-win partnership we have developed with our new customer CP Latina.

Keppel FELS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has secured a contract to build a jackup rig worth US$206 million from repeat customer Grupo R, a Mexican drilling company. Scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2015, the jackup rig will be built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design. It will be added to the fleet of another four similar rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R. With this new contract, Keppel FELS currently has on order nine KFELS B Class jackup rigs from Mexican customers. Mexico's President, Enrique Pena Nieto, announced in March this year that the country's proven reserves of oil and gas at the start of 2013 has risen to 13.87 billion barrels of crude-oil equivalent.

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) is pleased to announce that PV Drilling Overseas (PVDO) is acquiring from the company a KFELS B Class jackup rig for approximately $210 million. Scheduled for delivery in 1Q 2015, the high specification rig will be the 19th KFELS B Class rig on order at Keppel, with 45 already delivered since 2000. Pham Tien Dung, Chairman of PVDO and CEO of PV Drilling said, "We are looking to catch up on the huge demand for offshore rigs and actively seize the opportunities coming. To meet this aim, we are pleased to be able to acquire a premium jackup rig with such an early delivery schedule. The KFELS B Class jackup design was developed by Keppel's technology arm, Offshore Technology Development.

Keppel delivers its 45th KFELS B Class jackup rig with another 18 such rigs on order. These KFELS B Class rigs make up more than 30% of the total jackups completed globally since 2000. The rig was delivered to Arabian Drilling Company (ADC) 14 days ahead of schedule, on budget and with a perfect safety record. Keppel FELS earning them an early delivery bonus of US$210,000. Named ArabDrill 50 at a ceremony, the rig will be chartered to Saudi Aramco for operations in offshore Saudi Arabia.

Keppel FELS delivered a second KFELS B Class jackup rig to offshore Mexican oil field services company, Integradora de Servicios Petroleros Oro Negro. Named Laurus at Keppel FELS today, the rig was delivered eleven days early and with a perfect safety record, Keppel noted. Laurus is the second of two high-specification jackup rigs that Keppel FELS has built for Oro Negro which will be chartered to PEMEX, Mexico's national oil company, for deployment in offshore Mexico. The first rig, Primus, was delivered in December last year. Mr. Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director (Offshore) of Keppel Offshore & Marine and Managing Director of Keppel FELS, said, "This delivery is the eighth by Keppel FELS this year, and in a year where we aim to deliver a record 20 rigs.

Keppel Offshore & Marine’s 2013 to-date total to $1.8 billion (USD). Mr. Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director (Offshore) of Keppel O&M and Managing Director of Keppel FELS said, "Falcon Energy entered the offshore oil drilling business when they ordered two jackup rigs from China in 2011 ... Falcon Energy has chosen the KFELS Super B Class design for their new high specification jackup rig, which will be built at our yard in Singapore. "So far this year, Keppel FELS has already delivered six rigs ahead of schedule, safely and on budget. For the latest delivery of AOD II, a KFELS B Class jackup, to Asia Offshore Drilling, we received a bonus of about US$2 million for completing the rig 62 days early.

Keppel FELS Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine has secured a contract to construct a KFELS B Class jackup rig, ENSCO 110, from Ensco plc. The construction cost, together with the commissioning, systems integration testing and project management is expected to be approximately $225 million (USD). It is the 61st KFELS B Class Jackup ordered since 2000. When completed in 1Q 2015, it will be the fourth KFELS B Class Bigfoot jackup rig in Ensco's fleet. Keppel has built a long-term partnership with Ensco having delivered 16 newbuild projects to them with another four on order, including this latest contract. The KFELS B Class Bigfoot rig is able to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet and drill to 30,000 feet deep.