Marine Log
MAY 17, 2012: Incat Crowther reports the launch of ASP Tyne and ASP Thames, two 18 m catamaran wind farm service craft at Topaz Marine's Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., shipyard.
Built for ASP Holdings in the U.K., ASP Tyne and ASP Thames are the latest in a line wind farm service craft designed by Incat Crowther to offer excellent efficiency and seakeeping, combined with practical and rugged operation.
The vessels have dual cargo zones forward and aft, allowing maximum operational flexibility. The aft cargo deck can carry a 10 foot sea container, typically fitted with support equipment for the vessel’s turbine maintenance operations. The forward cargo deck carries supplies and parts to be transferred to the turbines. A Palfinger PK4501M crane is mounted to the port side of the forward cargo zone to facilitate transfer of this cargo to the turbines. Handrails are also fitted forward, allowing for safe transfer of personnel.
The vessels are fitted with a rugged replaceable bow appendage featuring vertical d-shaped fenders. Substantially stronger than the industry standard, this appendage allows ASP Tyne and ASP Thames to dock against turbines in rough conditions without risk of structural damage.
Inside, large suspended seats accommodate 12 personnel, with a galley and mess space opposite. Two wet rooms are provided aft, one with lockers and a bench to allow personnel to change out of wet clothes, whilst the other houses a WC and shower. Overnight accommodation is provided in the hulls for the four crew.
ASP Tyne and ASP Thames are fitted with Scania DI16 42M main engines, each producing 503 kW. The vessels are driven by 5-bladed propellers. They have a maximum speed of 26 knots, and a service speed of 23 knots.
ASP Tyne and ASP Thames are designed and built to Det Norske Veritas’ new Wind Farm Craft rules, and will enter service under UK’s MCA code.
Additional wind farm specific vessels are currently under construction to Incat Crowther designs at several shipyards and are due to be launched shortly. For shipyards and operators looking to enter this market with reduced technical barriers, Incat Crowther offers wind farm vessels in aluminium kit form.
Incat Crowther continues to use its experience and expertise to support the growing wind farm service industry. ASP Tyne and ASP Thames represent the latest technology and offer class leading efficiency, ruggedness and flexibility.
OCTOBER 8, 2012 — Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has installed its first installation of its Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS) on a ship with a slender hull form and has confirmed a better than 5 percent improvement in fuel consumption.
MALS is MHI's proprietary technology that reduces frictional resistance between the ship hull and seawater by introducing a layer of air bubbles blown from the ship's bottom.
The verification experiment was conducted at sea using the ferry Naminoue.
The 8,072 gt Naminoue is 145 m in length, 24 m wide and has a design draft of 6.2 m. Built at MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works it went into service on September 27 on A-Line Ferry Co.'s Kagoshima-Amami-Okinawa route in southern Japan.
MHI says that service results have verified that MALS is also applicable to high-speed, slender ships as an effective way to reduce fuel consumption and reduce environmental burdens, further extending the range of ship types for which MALS is suited.
In 2010 MHI installed MALS for the first time on two module carriers operated by NYK-Hinode Line, Ltd. and confirmed significant energy savings. To expand MALS' application range, MHI next proceeded to develop a system applicable to high-speed, slender ships, which have a comparatively smaller flat area at the ship bottom and are therefore considered technologically difficult to apply MALS effectively. Installation of the system on the Naminoue was realized thanks to the full cooperation extended by A-Line Ferry Co., Ltd.
During the speed trial test at sea, a fuel consumption improvement (reduction in propulsion power required) exceeding 5 percent was confirmed even with waves as high as 2.5 m -3 m. These results verified reduction of frictional resistance by MALS even when installed on high-speed, slender ships. The level of fuel consumption reduction is sufficient to offset the fuel consumption increase such a ship's marine diesel engine requires to comply with tightened controls on NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions. As the air bubbles function as a cushion, noise and vibration are also reduced, enabling improvements in passenger comfort.
MHI says it will continue to monitor the operational conditions of the Naminoue and to verify MALS' effectiveness in both energy saving and CO2 reduction.
The verification experiment using the Naminoue was supported by Class NK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai) as a joint research project.
Note: A slender hull-form ship refers to a ship with relatively small block coefficient (Cb). Cb = volume of displacement divided by the volume of the block defined by a ship's length x breadth x draft. Ships with a comparatively large Cb value are known as "full hull-form ships."
Crowley Maritime company Titan Salvage, in collaboration with Italian marine contractor Micoperi, has won the contract to salvage the Costa Concordia, Costa Cruise Lines announced April 21.
The salvage plan, which must be approved by Italian authorities, involves refloating the cruise ship in one piece and towing it to another Italian port. Any subsequent decision on the wreck will be taken in compliance with the requirements of the Italian authorities.
The operation is planned to begin in May and is expected to last a year.
Costa Cruises said that protection of the environment will be given maximum priority in the operation. Once the main work is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted.
Costa said the plan also includes measures to safeguard the economic and tourist activities on the island of Giglio. The operational base will be outside the island, close to Civitavecchia, where equipment and materials needed for the operations will be based, so as to avoid any impact on the activities of the port of Giglio.
The plan was chosen by a technical evaluation committee composed of experts representing Costa Cruises, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P & I Club.
Although all salvage plans submitted by the deadline of March 3, 2012] were of high quality, says Costa, the technical evaluation committee preferred that submitted by Titan Salvage / Micoperi because it responded best to the main requirements: complete removal of the wreck; little risk as possible; least possible environmental impact, conservation of tourist and economic activities of the Giglio ; maximum safety of interventions.
April 21, 2012
JULY 20, 2012 — Jensen Maritime Consultants recently began designing a new tugboat, the Eric M. McAllister, for McAllister Towing. The 5,150 horsepower, twin Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) vessel will be built by Senesco Marine LLC of North Kingstown, R.I. It will be the tenth Jensen-designed and first Tier 3 tugboat in McAllister's fleet.
The tug will be the third in a series of similar McAllister tugboats designed by Jensen, a Crowley Maritime Corporation company, following the Andrew McAllister and Rosemary McAllister, both built in 2008. It will be operated in the New Bedford, Mass., area, where it will primarily perform ship escort work in Buzzards Bay, Mass. The Andrew McAllister is now operating out of Portland, Maine, and the Rosemary McAllister is currently under charter.
"We are pleased that the longstanding partnership we have with McAllister has given us the opportunity to design another environmentally responsible tugboat for use on the East Coast," said Jensen VP Johan Sperling,
Jensen says the design will not only give McAllister improved performance over the previous two designs, but also an environmentally friendly tug with lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 3 marine emissions regulations. Tier 3 standards require a 50 percent reduction in particulate matter and a 20 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide.
At 96 feet in length and 34 feet in width, the Eric M. McAllisterwill be powered by two, Caterpillar 3516CHD Tier 3 engines and two Schottel 1215 Z drives. The package will provide an estimated running speed of 12 knots and a bollard pull of 67 tons.
The tug's firefighting system will produce 11,967 gallons per minute through a pair of FFS 1200LB remotely controlled monitors. The water is delivered through a single FFS SFD 300-400 pump powered by a Caterpillar C32 engine. The monitors will have a 1,500 gallon tank, foam capability and a deluge system.
Towing machinery includes a JonRie 250 Escort winch with full render/recover on the bow and a JonRie 512 tow winch with a spool capacity of 2,100 ft. of 2 ¼" wire on the stern.
The tugboat is expected to be delivered in mid-2013.
DECEMBER 13, 2012 — Austal USA has promoted Senior Vice President of Operations Craig Perciavalle to President.
"I am pleased to see Craig Perciavalle take the helm," said Austal USA Chairman Rear Admiral Dugan Shipway, "He is a true American shipbuilder who will deliver on our existing naval contracts."
Mr. Perciavalle is currently serving as Senior Vice President of Operations. He joined Austal USA in 2007, serving in a number of senior management positions while overseeing Austal's transition from a small, conventional commercial shipyard to an efficient, modular manufacturer of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship and Joint High Speed Vessel.
"Craig helped design, build and staff Austal's American facilities" said Andrew Bellamy, Austal's Chief Executive Officer, "he is uniquely prepared to transition this shipyard into serial production and manufacture ships at a pace unmatched in the United States today."
Austal USA Interim President and Chief Financial Officer, Brian Leathers, was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Perciavalle is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering Systems. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
He has twenty years of experience in the shipbuilding and repair industry and has worked at several Gulf Coast shipyards, including: Bender Shipbuilding & Repair in Mobile, Alabama; Atlantic Marine in both Mobile, Alabama and Jacksonville, Florida; and Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana. Mr. Perciavalle has held various senior management positions successfully overseeing commercial and government new construction and repair programs of diverse vessel types; most recently the Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV) and Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), both high-speed aluminum vessels presently being built by Austal for the U.S. Navy.
Currently, Mr. Perciavalle serves as an Executive Control Board Member of the National Shipbuilding and Research Program (NSRP) focusing on reducing the cost of acquiring, operating and maintaining Navy ships.
Mr. Perciavalle lives in Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife and two (2) children.
More Articles...
Page 4 of 46
