Marine Log
OCTOBER 18, 2012 — U.K.-based Turbine Transfers has awarded Austal a new contract worth about GBP 10.5 million (about $17 million) for the design and construction of three offshore wind farm support vessels.
The 27 m catamarans will be used by UK-based Turbine Transfers to support wind turbine installation and maintenance activities in European waters. Austal will build them at its shipyard in the Philippines over a period of approximately nine months, commencing in March 2013.
The new Wind Express 27 catamarans will be able to transport 12 personnel and 10 tonnes of equipment/stores to and from turbines. This includes containerised items on forward and/or aft decks.
Powered by four Caterpillar C18 diesels and propelled and steered by Rolls Royce Kamewa waterjets, they will be able to operate at in excess of 27 knots. An Austal integrated monitoring, alarm and control system with touch screen interface will be configured to make all vessel functions are available from a central location on the bridge.
Austal's Z-bow hullform coupled with high tunnel clearance allows the Wind Express 27 to maintain higher speeds in waves than competing catamarans, reducing both exposure to seasickness and service times per turbine. A ride control system consisting of forward T-foils and transom interceptors is fitted to further reduce unwanted motion and provide dynamic trim control.
The vessels will normally operate with a crew of two, however the design includes four single berth cabins which makes it possible to operate around-the-clock with two crews of two. The cabins are in the superstructure, which is resiliently mounted to reduce noise and vibration transmitted from the hull.
The catamarans are being designed and built to Det norske Veritas +1A1 HSLC Windfarm Service 1 R1 classification and United Kingdom MGN 280 Area Category 1 requirements.
Commenting on the new contract Austal's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bellamy, said: "Austal decided to pursue the growing market for wind farm boats in mid-2010. Having spent the first year working hard to better understand the market's expectations we signed our first contract in July last year.
"During that initial 12 month marketing period we did a lot of research and design development and also confirmed that Austal needed to regionalize its manufacturing base in order to be successful. The company acquired a shipyard in the Philippines last November for that very reason.
"Now, as our contracts demonstrate, Austal has the vessel designs customers want and the right production cost base to successfully leverage that intellectual property. Our strategy has been so successful that the Philippines shipyard now employs over 220 staff, continues to grow and is currently fully utilized into the first quarter of next financial year."
Mr Bellamy said that Austal can still take on further projects and provide prospective clients with high quality vessels in short time frames.
"The capacity and efficiency of our Philippines shipyard means we are still able to meet market demand for vessels delivered in the first half of 2014. We continue to aggressively pursue further projects for wind farm boats, ferries and other commercial vessels," he said.
This is Austal's third new project for Turbine Transfers in a little over 15 months. Three 21 m catamarans were ordered in July 2011 and delivered to Europe earlier this year. Construction of a 27 m TRI SWATH ordered in January 2012 is nearing completion at the Philippines shipyard.
Managing Director of Turbine Transfers, Captain Mark Meade said his company was using Austal technology to support the next phase of wind farm development which would see a much larger number of turbines installed farther offshore and in other areas with rougher sea conditions.
"Our experience with Austal to date, including bringing our first three Wind Express catamarans into service, has demonstrated the benefits of Austal's vast experience and knowledge in all aspects of commercial vessel design, manufacture and support," Captain Meade said.
"I am pleased to once again work with Austal to develop a further three high-quality wind farm service vessels which will join our existing fleet which will soon have 30 boats. Our operational knowledge and Austal's skills will once again combine to deliver better boats to the industry."
NOVEMBER 6, 2012 — Wärtsilä is to supply the engines and complete propulsion systems for two Kuwait Oil Company newbuild vessel projects. The order includes a total of 28 engines for 14 vessels being built at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania: Nine 80 ton BP tugboats powered by Wärtsilä 26 engines and five 50 ton BP tugboats powered by Wärtsilä 20 engines.
The contracts were signed in August 2012, and delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for 2014 and 2015. The ships will be used for port operations at the Kuwait oil terminal.
In addition to the engines and propulsion systems, the contract includes Wärtsilä's Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) systems for each of the 14 vessels. CBM provides remote condition monitoring of the engines, and enables accurate and cost-effective predictive maintenance. Of the 28 engines ordered to power these vessels, the eighteen 80 ton BP tugboats will be powered by Wärtsilä 26 engines, and the ten 50 ton BP tugboats by Wärtsilä 20 engines.
"This is a momentous contract for Wärtsilä," noted Aaron Bresnahan, Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Power, Sales, in announcing the deal. "It is one of our largest orders from the Middle East. More importantly, it is further evidence of our ability to provide competitive, integrated propulsion systems that meet the highest quality, efficiency, and reliability demands of today's marine sector customers."
Wärtsilä's condition monitoring and CBM services assist in meeting the technical, economic, and environmental performance goals for modern machinery installations. By utilizing the latest communications technology, the equipment operation parameters can be fine tuned. This involves taking into account the operating profile, the ambient conditions, the type of fuel used, and other factors that affect lifecycle performance.
CBM has become an integral part of maintenance planning for marine applications and power plant installations around the world. By identifying trends and changes in operating parameters before they might compromise performance, maintenance can be performed only when needed. This in turn optimizes equipment safety, operational availability, and productivity.
The Wärtsilä 20 has proven its robustness and reliability with over 4,000 engines delivered since its introduction to the market in the early 1990s. The engine can switch from MDO to HFO and vice versa smoothly without power interruption at any engine operation load.
The Wärtsilä 26 combines fuel economy and low exhaust emissions with excellent fuel versatility. The engine has a compact profile and requires a minimum of space in the engine room.
JUNE 3, 2013 — BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an $8,970,338 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00024-11-C-4408) to definitize the USS Gridley (DDG-101) fiscal 2013 selected restricted availability. A selected restricted availability includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. This modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $9,233,934. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 9, 2013. Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy and Fiscal 2013 Other Procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $8,970,338 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $5,338,137 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
JUNE 12, 2013 — Saint John, NB, Canada, headquartered Atlantic Towing Limited (ATL) has purchased a new state-of-the-art Anchor Handling Offshore Supply vessel from Singapore's Jaya Holdings, and is expected to take delivery of the vessel during the first quarter of 2014. Atlantic Towing will generate twenty-four new jobs to crew the new ship.
The vessel, the Atlantic Merlin, is a Wärtsilä designed VS 4622 CD anchor handling offshore supply vessel and is the sister ship to the recently acquired Atlantic Kestrel which is currently serving off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Atlantic Merlin has 16,300 brake horsepower from its main engines and the new ship is also Ice Class 1A giving it the ability to navigate in moderate level ice conditions and northern regions. The ship has been designed to Norwegian Maritime Directorate standards and carries the Clean Design (CD) designation from DNV.
Features include:
- 400 tonne anchor handling/ towing winch
- Anchor handling tools (centering devices, rail cranes)
- Oil recovery capability
- DP2 dynamic positioning system
The new vessel is designed specifically for offshore support and is capable of oil rig towing, oil rig positioning and anchor handling, offshore oilfield supply, stand-by rescue, and iceberg towing/ ice management. It is capable of carrying large quantities of cargo to offshore installations with a large deck area and deck strength as well as a high volume of cargo tank space.
"This is the only 1A ice class offshore supply vessel currently under construction in the world today and further enhances our capability to pursue and serve emerging offshore oil and gas projects in harsh conditions and Arctic waters. The size and overall capability of this ship will enable Atlantic Towing to access new markets and continue to grow with our existing customers," said Wayne Power, Vice President of Atlantic Towing parent company Irving Transportation and Logistics.
Detailed vessel specifications:
Length: 85.20 m
Beam: 22.00 m
Deck Area: 750 sq.m
Winch: 400 tonne, double drum waterfall
Deadweight: 4,400 tonnes
Main Engine: 2 x 8150 bhp
Bollard Pull: 211 tonnes
Ice Class: 1A
Fire Fighting Class: 1 with 2 x 1200 cu.m/hour plus self-protection deluge
Anchor Handling equipment (cranes, centering devices)
CP propeller propulsion system
Electric motor drive transverse tunnel thrusters – bow and stern
JUNE 11, 2013 — Topaz Marine Engineering's Nico Craft shipyard in Abu Dhabi recently delivered a catamaran fast ferry boat.
The vessel, designed and built under a contract signed in the summer of last year, has a length overall of 18 m, a beam of 7.5 m and able to carry up to 40 pax. with a maximum speed of 25 knots powered by two CAT C18 each of 750 HP.
The Sharjah Government commented: "Topaz Marine Engineering has done an excellent job in completing the construction of our ferry and delivering it within the timeframe requested. We look forward to working with them again in the future. We are proud of having this kind of high technology shipyard in the region to support the development of the UAE at an international level"
Jacques Moreau, Shipyard Director, said: "International recognition, experience, quality of work and commitment for on-time delivery at Topaz are some of the strengths that helped us win this contract and have a high quality product delivered on time as per client expectations."
Nico Craft has been part of the Topaz Group since 2005.
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