Marine Log
Lloyd's Register has published the first dedicated set of rules for stern-first ice-class ships. The release of the rules comes as more and more ships are being ordered with options such as podded propulsion systems and azimuthing thrusters – products that can improve icebreaking capability and reduce resistance -- allowing them to navigate stern first through ice.
"These practical rules are answering a growing demand in the market and include the use of standard operational scenarios to provide designers with a basis for prescriptive rule applications that have been validated with designers and operators of these specialist ships," said Robert Tustin, Lloyd's Register's Technical Manager for New Construction in Asia.
Lloyd’s Register has had a long involvement in the development of this class of ships. Mastera and Tempera – two 106,000 dwt "double-acting" tankers owned by Neste -- were built to its class in 2002 and 2003 at Sumitomo's yard in Japan. The ships were deployed to the Baltic, where they often operate stern first in heavy ice conditions, independent from icebreakers.
Other tankers, such as Sovcomflot’s Mikhael Ulyanov and Kiril Lavrov, were designed and built for operating stern-first in ice in the Arctic. These ships, dual classed by Lloyd's Register and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, were designed to eventually shuttle crude from the Prirazlomnoye platform in the Pechora Sea to a floating storage and offloading unit moored off Murmansk.
The development of Lloyd's Register's new rules were supported and validated by leading ice-class tanker designers, key regulators and operators.
The interpretation of regulatory and other rule requirements -- and validation of strength levels for the hull and propulsion units -- were confirmed by a review of the current fleet of double-acting ships, ensuring that practical experience supported the rules' development.
They offer the following key interpretations:
- The ship is considered as a bow-first and stern-first vessel for application of ice-class rule requirements for hull and machinery
- It is also considered as a stern-first ship for the application of navigation-related rules and regulations
- In other cases, the rule applies to bow-first ships only
The rules also include a framework for alternative-load scenarios when unusual operations are envisaged, as well as interpretations of international regulations and classification rules based upon industry precedents, said Tustin.
April 20, 2012
Scottish offshore service provider MarineCo UK has placed an order at Damen Shipyards for two more High Speed Support Vessels (HSSVs). The newbuilds are to be delivered in May and October 2012. The contract includes options for two further vessels.
MarineCo took delivery of Damen's first two HSSV 2610 Twin Axe offshore wind farm support vessels - the MarineCo Shamal and MarineCo Mariah - in June and December last year.
"I truly believe that this vessel will become the mainstay of the wind farm industry in the years to come," says MarineCo Managing Director Mike Conafray. "It is the best boat in generations!"
Recently, MarineCo took a client out to visit Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm in rough seas with 1.5 to 2 m waves. Mr. Conafray says:"All the other crew transfer vessels were laid up awaiting better weather, but ours had no problem docking at the monopiles."
With the second vessel already on a long term charter at a German wind farm, the two latest newbuilds will also be committed to wind farm supply and maintenance.
"We receive emails all the time from potential charterers," says Mr. Conafray. "The Marineco Mariah was contracted for a three-year charter deal before she was even launched!"
Damen implemented several design changes for the new series in close cooperation with the client. The goal was to enable the HSSV (based on Damen's Fast Crew Supplier 2610) to stay out in the field for up to four days at a time.
Mr. Conafray says: "We always wanted the vessel to fulfill four functions: to be able to provide fuel supplies, to carry out survey work, diving and support work and to be able to clean monopiles. This vessel can do all four."
Noticeable design adaptations are a larger, 20,000 liter fuel tank to comfortably travel 1,200 nm and transfer fuel to wind turbines, increased fresh water capacity (4,000 liters), 50 percent more accommodations and a larger bridge.
January 23, 2011
OCTOBER 19, 2012 — Euroferries of the U.K. plans to launch an express cross channel ferry service between Ramsgate in the U.K. and Boulogne, France, starting in February next year.
Euroferries has entered into an agreement with shipbuilder Austal, securing a newly built 102 m trimaran on a long term charter agreement for operation on the high-speed service.
Austal yesterday confirmed that it has entered into an agreement with Euroferries Limited for a four-year charter of the 102 me trimaran stock vessel Austal Hull 270 and had received a security enabling further work to be undertaken to prepare the vessel for the charter.
Euroferries says the vessel will arrive in January 2013, with the service becoming fully operational between Boulogne and Ramsgate during February 2013. The service will offer four daily crossings, catering for passengers, cars and luxury coaches. The vessel is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 40 knots thus enabling Euroferries to provide one of the fastest channel crossings available.
JANUARY 29, 2013 — BP today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has accepted the company's plea resolving all federal criminal charges against the company stemming from the Deepwater Horizon accident, oil spill, and response. The company offered its plea to the Court and was sentenced in connection with the agreement BP reached with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on November 15, 2012 (see earlier story).
As previously announced, BP will pay $4 billion over a period of five years and will serve a term of five years' probation. Pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement, the Court also ordered certain equitable relief, including additional actions related to BP's risk management processes as well as several initiatives with academia and regulators to develop new technologies related to deepwater drilling safety. In addition, as outlined in the company's November 2012 agreement with the DOJ, BP will appoint a process safety monitor and an ethics monitor, both with a term of four years, and an independent auditor will report annually on BP's compliance with the remedial terms of probation.
At the hearing today, Luke Keller, a Vice President of BP America Inc., addressed the Court, the families of the deceased, and other victims of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and reiterated the company's deep regret and apology for its role in the Deepwater Horizon accident.
DEBARMENT
The charges to which BP pled guilty included one misdemeanor count under the Clean Water Act, which triggers a debarment following today's sentencing. By operation of law, conviction of a misdemeanor or felony under the Clean Water Act triggers a statutory debarment, also referred to as mandatory debarment. Mandatory debarment prevents a company from entering into new contracts or new leases with the U.S. government that would be performed at the facility where the Clean Water Act violation occurred. A mandatory debarment does not affect any existing contracts or leases a company has with the U.S. government.
BP's says that the mandatory debarment applies following sentencing and is not an indication of any change in the status of discussions with the EPA. BP has been in discussions with the EPA for some time now regarding BP's present responsibility and eligibility for new federal contract and lease awards from the U.S. government, and BP continues to work with the EPA in preparing an administrative agreement that will resolve suspension and debarment issues.
The EPA announced a temporary suspension of numerous BP entities in November 2012 following BP's entry into the plea agreement with DOJ. That temporary suspension prevents these entities from entering into new government contracts, grants and other covered transactions with the U.S. government. BP says that following today's court action, this temporary suspension may be maintained or converted into a proposed discretionary debarment of these entities (in addition to mandatory debarment of the violating facility itself), to preserve the status quo and continue the ineligibility of those entities while negotiations with the EPA continue. The process for resolving both mandatory and discretionary debarment is essentially the same as for resolving the temporary suspension.
While BP's discussions with the EPA have been taking place in parallel to the Court proceedings on the criminal plea, the company says that its work toward reaching an administrative agreement with the EPA is a separate process, and it may take some time to resolve issues relating to such an agreement.
BP's guilty plea was accepted, and the sentence was imposed, by U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance of the Eastern District of Louisiana. During the guilty plea and sentencing proceeding, Judge Vance found, among other things, that the consequential fines imposed under the plea agreement far exceed any imposed in U.S. history, and are structured so that BP will feel the full brunt of the penalties. She also noted that the agreement provides just punishment and significant deterrence, requiring detailed drilling safeguards, monitors and other stringent, special conditions of probation so that BP's future conduct will be closely watched.
JULY 28, 2012—The day before christening the ninth Landing Platform Dock ship in the San Antonio Class, Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, MS, was awarded a $1.514 billion fixed-price-incentive modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-2222) for the procurement of the detail design and construction of Landing Platform Dock ship (LPD 27).
Huntington Ingalls will build the entire San Antonio Class. The LPD 17-class ships are 684 feet long and 105 feet wide and displace about 25,000 tons. Their principal mission is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades.
The ships can carry up to 800 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing crafts, augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the MV-22. The ships will support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.
The LPD-27 will be completed by June 2017.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,800 guests turned out for the christening of the Somerset (LPD 25), the ninth LPD-17, at the HII's Avondale shipyard near New Orleans on July 28. LPD 25 is named to honor the passengers and crew members who fought 9-11 terrorists for control of United Airlines Flight 93. The plane subsequently crashed in an open field near Shanksville in Somerset County, PA, killing all aboard. Many believe the terrorists intended to crash the plane either into the Capitol or the White House. The heroic efforts of the passengers and the crew could well have saved hundreds of lives.
Additional family members of the Flight 93 heroes were in attendance, as well as several residents of Somerset County.
Mrs. Mary Jo Myers, wife of Gen. Richard Myers, U.S. Air Force (Ret.),
former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, broke the ceremonial bottle across LPD 25's bow at the culmination of the ceremony, officially christening LPD 25 as Somerset.
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