Water Systems News

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) will receive $73.77 million from the federal government to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project, which will provide a gateway for cargo movement on U.S. inland waterways including the Mississippi River.The U.S. Department of Transportation has alerted Congress that it intends to award this funding through its MEGA Grant Program, which will support the first phase of the overall $1.8 billion project’s construction and is in addition to significant funding commitments from private industry partners and Port NOLA.

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled the latest vessel in its Compact Tugs product platform called the ASD Tug 2111.Siebe Cieraad, Damen Product Portfolio manager says: "As sea-going ships continue to increase in size, new challenges are arising in ports. Tugs are required to operate – safely – with less space, at the same time needing increased power to perform. This 21-metre harbour tug with 50 ton bollard pull is therefore a very exciting addition to our portfolio.”According to Damen Shipyards…

Late last year we caught up with Robert Ekse, President, Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), for his take on how the Future Fuels debate is effectively shaping maritime technology development and vessel investment.Most reading these pages know the EBDG name, but can you give us a quick update?Elliott Bay Design Group has been around for a long time, [at first] primarily focused on ferry design and refurbishment. We've branched out over the years in many different directions, including tugs and barges and other workboats.

Norwegian offshore drilling contractor Island Drilling has contracted Ecochlor to install their new EcoOne Container Unit on board the Island Innovator semi-submersible rig.Vidar Vik, Technical Section Leader at Island Drilling, said: "Our research in choosing a BWMS for the Island Innovator was a very difficult process because of the unique ballasting needs for offshore rigs. "We were interested in the EcoOne Container Unit because it was filterless, which allowed for a very simple installation…

The Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands (MARIN) will combine its defense-related expertize as of July 1 in a new Defense department. MARIN said the aim was to properly coordinate defense activities MARIN-wide with Dutch, NATO and EU Defence partners, to optimally contribute with MARIN's knowledge contributes to an effective navy of the future. Pepijn de Jong, currently team lead Navy in the Ships department, will lead the new and growing department.Bas Buchner, president of MARIN: "A good organisation of defense work fits in with our mission and strategy.

Oil major Shell expects its Prelude FLNG unit in Australia, the world's largest unit of the type, will remain shut for most of the first quarter of 2022.The world's largest FLNG facility had in January 2021 resumed LNG cargo shipments, almost one year after a shutdown caused by an electrical trip, only to be shut down again in December 2021 after a sudden loss of power, and subsequent failed attempts to re-establish reliable power aboard.At a Q&A Thursday, as part of Shell's results presentation…

The persistent eutrophication (being too rich in nutrients) of the Baltic Sea prompted the IMO’s Baltic Member States to tackle shipping’s < 0.1% contribution by designating the Baltic Sea as the first Special Area under Annex IV of IMO’s MARPOL Convention [1]. Passenger ships must give sewage to wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) ashore via the port reception facilities (PRFs) or operate a nutrient removal sewage treatment plant (STP) on board prior to discharge. It has been perceived as a positive move. But how special is the Special Area?Rules at sea vs.

Australian oil and gas industry safety regulator NOPSEMA has ordered Shell to keep the giant Prelude FLNG facility off W. Australia shut until it can convince the regulator that it can keep the facility properly powered and that the safety systems are operational.The order comes after production from the floating facility was shut earlier this month after a sudden loss of power, and subsequent failed attempts to re-establish reliable power aboard.In its report on Thursday, NOPSEMA said: "At around 22:40 on 2 December 2021…

The GEF-UNDP-IMO Glofouling partnership (2017) is a global initiative to counter the environmental issue of invasive aquatic species (IAS) and the resulting harmful ecological and financial damage that can occur when such invasion events are introduced through the medium of biofouling on ships hulls and other marine structures such as those found in the oil and gas industries.One of the key objectives of the Glofouling project is to develop a Global Knowledge Hub and also identify…

The U.K. Royal Navy recently trialed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at sea to counter supersonic missile threats.The operational experiment was carried out on the Type 45 Destroyer (HMS Dragon) and Type 23 Frigate (HMS Lancaster), using the AI applications Startle and Sycoiea as part of Exercise Formidable Shield, which wrapped up on Thursday off the coast of Scotland.As part of the Above Water Systems program, led by Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists…

The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV is being revised to confirm the lifetime performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). This may finally bring about grey water regulation – a necessity that is long overdue.Black Water and Grey WaterA ship’s sewage (black water) is collected from toilets, urinals and hospitals. The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV prohibits its discharge, except when treated by an STP or discharged at > 12nm from the nearest land. A ship’s grey water, collected from showers, wash basins…

The Danish company Bawat A/S, specializing in the treatment of ballast water aboard ships and in ports, has just finalized the provision of capital equal to more than $2.94m from new and existing shareholders.The new shareholders include Selfinvest Family Office as a key stakeholder, and previous TORM CEO and current SKULD chairman Klaus Kjærulff. Former Sondex owner Åge Søndergaard of SonFlow A/S joins the new shareholders. Their engagement represents considerable support of…

The global downturn in offshore energy is well recorded, a downturn which has had impact on various arms of the energy and marine supply chain. While Goltens has felt the downturn like many other companies, it is reporting 'cautious optimism' in the Middle East premised on new international regulation and the need for shipowners to upgrade ships.Almost all the offshore vessels in Dubai are operating, and many have come in from Asia to do the same, but following the offshore crash in 2016, operators are delaying maintenance.

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä is launching a new, digital version of its Operim (Operational Performance Improvement & Monitoring) offering as a key feature of Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine vision. By digitally augmenting physical products through the addition of data collection capabilities and cloud based analytics, Operim enables improvements in operational performance through continuous monitoring and reporting of the key performance indicators and virtual instrumentation.The collected data is delivered to the system’s user in real-time, thereby allowing appropriate and timely manual or autonomous decision-making in a predictive or adaptive manner.Since a vessel is only as efficient…

The European Investment Bank is providing EUR 155 million to finance two new passenger and vehicle ships for the Irish Continental Group (ICG) subsidiary Irish Ferries.The two ferries will increase passenger and cargo capacity on routes to Ireland, replace older and smaller vessels and significantly reduce emissions from the Irish Ferries fleet.The new ferries are expected to be used on both the Dublin-Holyhead and Dublin-Cherbourg routes to reflect demand for a greater choice of services from Ireland to Britain and direct to continental Europe.The announcement was made as the W.B. Yeats cruise ferry made its maiden commercial voyage from Dublin to Holyhead this morning.The largest ever EIB support for Irish shipping was announced during a visit this morning by Andrew McDowell…

Norwegian oil and gas firm Equinor has entered into a long-term agreement with Malaysia's Global Petro Storage for a terminal and storage for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) volumes in Port Klang, in South-East Asia.According to statement from the petroleum and wind energy company, GPS will build a new facility to execute this agreement with startup of operations planned for mid-2021. Equinor will bring LPG to the terminal and sell into the domestic market in Malaysia as well as selling volumes to markets like Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.Equinor is already a significant LPG player with around 10 percent of…

The Coast Guard Marine Safety Center received its 20th application for Ballast Water Management System type approval for the Aquarius UV Ballast Water Management System manufactured by Wärtsilä Water Systems Ltd.MSC will review the application for compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations in 46 CFR 162.060. Once it has been determined that the application meets the requirements, the MSC will issue a type approval certificate.BWMS type approval applications and approval certificates are posted on MSC’s website.

The new system BOS Natural Ballast set to launch at the SMM trade fair in Hamburg has been engineered to ensure that ballast water discharge standards are met at all times during the uptake and discharge. Generally, most ballast water systems involve methods of filtering off bacteria and pathogen cells larger than 50 microns in the first stage, and then follow by the processes of actively killing the remaining bacteria and pathogens with treatment options such as UV light, electrochlorination…

Inspired by yacht owners and crews and to coincide with World Environment Day, AMELS announced that it is designing drinking water purification systems into all new AMELS Limited Editions yacht projects. These systems can tackle the global plastic waste problem, while providing pleasant-tasting and safe drinking water. The new drinking water system is a great way to reduce the plastic footprint of yacht ownership.The AMELS yard has now designed remineralization and purification systems into its new Limited Editions yachts, to give crews and guests access to carbonated or chilled water – made by the yacht itself – wherever in the world they are. Remo Mayer, build captain of the 242 New Secret Yacht, said, “On NEW SECRET we came up with a system so we can drink our own tap water.

Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) said it has ordered a new cruise ferry set to be the world’s largest in terms of vehicle capacity, due for delivery in 2020. The new €165.2 million ($199.4 million) cruise ferry is being built by German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co.KG (FSG), specifically for Irish Ferries’ Dublin - Holyhead services. It is expected to replace the schedule of the MV Ulysses, which in turn will replace the chartered-in vessel MV Epsilon. This will allow for the deployment of the W.B. Yeats (arriving mid 2018) full-time on the direct Ireland - France route alongside the MV Oscar Wilde. ICG said the new 67,300 gross ton cruise ferry will increase Irish Ferries’ freight and tourism carrying capacity on the fast-growing Dublin - Holyhead route.

Langh Tech’s new generation of water treatment systems has been launched with upgraded membrane technology to increase water cleaning capacity. In 2017, Langh Tech launched a second generation of water treatment systems based on a new type of membrane filter elements. With the new elements, Langh Tech said a 50 percent increase in water cleaning capacity can be reached compared to the previous elements, without increasing the size of the water treatment units. The new membrane elements has been tested onboard Langh Ship’s M/S Marjatta from the first half of 2017…

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Friday it would challenge in court the Norwegian company Wilhelmsen Maritime Services' plan to buy smaller U.S. rival Drew Marine Group. The FTC said the $400 million proposed deal would reduce competition in the market for marine water treatment chemicals, used in a ship's boiler water and engine cooling water systems. If Wilhelmsen closed the deal with New Jersey's Drew Marine, the FTC said the company would have 60 percent of the market for marine water treatment chemicals, while its closest competitor would have 5 percent. "We disagree with the FTC's evaluation and will continue to work towards a positive outcome," Wilhelmsen spokeswoman Benedicte Teigen Gude told Reuters.

On the implementation of the 0.5% sulphur cap for ships’ bunkers from 2020, International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) is promoting the consideration of transitional issues such as the availability and safety aspects of compliant fuels, and incidents of non-availability of low sulphur bunkers at certain ports. INTERCARGO encourages the effective implementation of the “2020 Sulphur Cap” regulation yet with a pragmatic approach. A reasonable and measured enforcement of the Regulation during an initial transitional period would thus be welcome instead. INTERCARGOraises its concerns about the practical - technical and operational - challenges faced by shipowners in achieving compliance from 01 Jan 2020, given the bunkers’ supply landscape and widespread uncertainty.