Esvagt orders new design wind farm service vessel

Situated 50 km off the Belgian coast the Nobelwind project, together with the existing Belwind 1 project, will require a purpose built service operation vessel (SOV) to support the technicians working in the wind park.

Norway’s Havyard Design & Solutions has been commissioned to design the vessel and supply an equipment to the shipbuilder, Turkey’s Cemre Shipyard. which is set to deliver the vessel in the second half of 2017.

The vessel’s Havyard 831 SOV design is based on a ship and service concept, developed by Esvagt in synergy with MHI Vestas & Havyard Design, that draws on several years of experience in servicing wind farms further offshore.

For the past five years, Esvagt has provided the base for MHI Vestas Offshore Wind technicians servicing the 165 MW Belwind 1 project, and the new contract continues that partnership.

The new purpose build SOV will be 58.5 m in length, with a beam of 16.6 m and will be able to support up to 22 technicians in single cabins. It will be equipped with Esvagt’s unique safe transfer boats (Esvagt STB) to transfer technicians, tools and spare parts to the turbines.
“The market for big service vessels for offshore windfarms is a relatively new one, and, in cooperation with Esvagt, we have entered this market at an early stage,” says Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane, Senior VP Sales, Havyard Design & Solutions. “The windmills used to be serviced by small, fast-moving boats that transported personnel and equipment daily to and from the shore. More and more wind farms are now serviced by bigger ships where the service personnel work and live on board for prolonged periods and access the windmills by means of a gangway installed on the mother ship or small boats launched from the mother ship. This is a safer and more profitable way of servicing the wind farms, particularly those far offshore.”

“The Havyard 831 SOV was developed to fill a new niche in this market, namely smaller wind farms,” says Mr. Thrane. “The new design is smaller than the ships built so far. It is compact and efficient, but at the same time has ample capacity to transport service personnel and equipment. This design will make it profitable to service even smaller wind farms, and we see a potential to deliver many designs to this segment.”

The Havyard 831 SOV has a spacious and comfortable interior with sufficient capacity to accommodate wind farm service personnel in addition to the ship’s own crew. It has also been designed with good storage capacity for equipment and tools below deck and for containers on deck.

The ship is equipped with three small boats that can be launched to transport service personnel to the windmills.

The diesel-electric propulsion system ensures economical and environmentally friendly operation, both in transit and when the ship is in position at the wind farms. The hull has been designed to ensure low fuel consumption and to move in a way that ensures maximum comfort for the crew and service personnel on board.

The ship has sufficient fuel capacity etc. for at least 30 days’ operation between port calls.

Havyard has a long relationship with Cemre Shipyard. The Turkish yard has delivered the hulls for more than 30 of the newbuilds Havyard has delivered since 2005. In recent years, the shipyard has also delivered completed newbuilds for Norwegian and other customers, including cargo vessels, fishing vessels and seismic support vessels.Havyard says that the close cooperation built with Cemre through the hull deliveries will continue and develop now that the yard is to build its first Havyard design vessel.

 

Evoqua and Drew partner on BWMS compliance solution

DECEMBER 4, 2015 — Evoqua Water Technologies and Drew Marine, have announced a partnership to provide a full compliance package for ballast water management.   The partnership will center around Evoqua’s SeaCURE

Tenneco SCR gets two DNV GL AIP certifications

The certificates cover key components of the system, including the complete dosing and control system, injectors, load sensors and the human machine interface (HMI) remote monitor, as well as catalyst and reactor hardware configurations for IMO Tier III applications.

“We’re pleased to receive this important classification. Tenneco’s high horsepower SCR technology is designed to meet IMO Tier III NOx reduction requirements that take effect in 2016 and this classification further demonstrates our readiness to deliver these solutions for ships or vessels anywhere in the world,” said Jay Kedia, Tenneco managing director, large engine.

Tenneco’s SCR aftertreatment system features a complete dosing control solution specifically designed for marine engine applications up to 7,500 kW or 10,000 hp. The system is designed to enable propulsion and auxiliary engines to meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III regulatory requirements and provide precise and reliable delivery of liquid urea via a proprietary, high-performance injector design, a precision mechatronic fluid delivery pump and customizable remote monitoring and controls.

In the past year, the company has conducted a series of validation tests to demonstrate how the system’s form, fit, function and performance capabilities can be easily integrated into a vessel’s engine and control architecture.

Most recently, through a partnership with the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Tenneco conducted saltwater sea trials onboard the TS General Rudder in the Gulf of Mexico. Tenneco’s SCR system was installed on a 33-year old 800 horsepower, Tier 0 engine that was operational for the duration of the Academy’s summer cruise training period. Results demonstrated NOx reduction levels that kept the General Rudder compliant with today’s stringent U.S. EPA Tier 4 marine emission requirements under all operational conditions.

Tenneco conducted similar tests on a 224 ft\ training vessel in the Great Lakes in 2014. In a series of validation tests, including the ISO 8178 E2 cycle, when a similar engine was outfitted with Tenneco’s SCR system, the engine met all criteria for IMO Tier III, including NOx.
In addition to DNV GL classification, Tenneco’s high horsepower SCR system has been awarded product design classification from ABS, and is designed to meet the requirements of other major maritime classification societies including CCS, KR and Class NK.

SCR System Features

The SCR system’s modular design enables seamless integration for a broad range of engine sizes and works with electrically or mechanically controlled engines. It has been validated for durability and all components are easy to maintain and service without the need for special tools.

The fluid delivery system with dosing control software is capable of managing multiple injection points and sensors. The system can support urea flows up to 120 meters, which enables a wide array of installation options. Airless urea injection provides high dosing accuracy and consistency without the need for dedicated compressed air.

The system’s Human Machine Interface (HMI) can be accessed on the front of the fluid delivery box or remotely via a touch screen tablet. It features an easy-to-use interface to monitor and control all system parameters including but not limited to NOx reduction performance and urea concentration levels in real time. Onboard diagnostics are capable of monitoring more than 100 parameters including urea leakage, sensor faults and backpressure.

World’s greenest cruise ship to be unveiled at COP21

 

That’s the hope of the Japan based Peace Boat, an NGO that has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN and serves as an official messenger for projects including the UNISDR Resilient Cities Campaign.

Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008, Peace Boat’s main means of taking its message to the world is through its ship, currently the chartered in Ocean Dream (which was delivered in 1982 as Carnival Cruise Line’s first newbuild, the Tropicale).

Since its establishment in 1983, and using a variety of ships,  Peace Boat has organized over 80 voyages, carrying more than 50,000 people to over 180 ports.

Now, though, Peace Boat has scheduled a briefing that will be held December 5 in Paris during the COP21 conference. It will reveal more details of the design for its Ecoship, which it says will be the  world’s “greenest” cruise ship, along with its plans for the ship’s maiden voyage in 2020.

The plans for the future-ready 55,000 ton Ecoship have been developed by a team of over 30 engineers, scientists and thinkers from the fields of shipbuilding and  eco-technology (including renewable energy, architecture, and waste management).

With a hull form inspired by the whale, the vessel’s ecologically friendly features include 10 retractable solar-paneled sails and retractable wind generators, as well as a future-ready hybrid engine.

Peace Boat says that with its energy efficiency and projected cuts in CO2 emissions its Ecoship will be the flagship for green technology in passenger shipping, serving as a model for cruise operators worldwide.

“Peace Boat’s 2020 launch of the Ecoship offers a vision for a climate-friendly future and can lead the way towards a green cruising model that can also impact the wider shipping industry. The industry must adapt to the planet’s needs,” says Yoshioka Tatsuya, Founder and Director of Peace Boat.

“We are delighted to see wind propulsion being used on this innovative cruise ship design. The Ecoship will be a front runner in the design of lower impact cruise vessels and we will be working with the industry segment to help bring more wind propulsion solutions into the mix,” says Gavin Allwright, Secretary of the International Windship Association (IWSA), “IWSA has recently welcomed Peace Boat onboard as one of our newest members, and we look forward to working together over the coming years, helping to spread the message of low carbon, sustainable shipping worldwide.”

Alfa Laval adds inline PureSOx exhaust gas scrubber

Alfa Laval PureSOx has more reference installations than any other single SOx scrubber technology, and is already a leading choice for SOx compliance in Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

“Through open-loop, closed-loop and hybrid arrangements, PureSOx can be suited to any vessel’s sailing profile,” says René Diks, Manager Marketing & Sales, Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval. “By adding an inline scrubber design to the already flexible PureSOx platform, we’ve made PureSOx even easier to adapt to individual vessel constructions.”

The inline scrubber design, or I-design, builds directly on the proven PureSOx technology. It provides an additional alternative for vessels with more complex structural needs, such as certain cruise ships and RoPax vessels.

“While inline configurations should not be seen as a default,” says Mr. Diks, “they can make it easier to accommodate the specific challenges of certain vessels.” 

An important consideration in creating an inline PureSOx scrubber was the water trap, which is not formed naturally as it is in the existing U-design.

“Because the absorber section is located atop the jet section in the I-design, no water trap is created between the two,” says Mr. Diks. “A key focus was eliminating the potential for water backflow, which is done by means of an internal water trap combined with overboard arrangements.” As with the U-design PureSOx scrubber, the I-design scrubber can be configured with multiple inlets. This reduces space needs and installation costs by allowing one scrubber to handle exhaust gas from multiple sources, including boilers as well as the main and auxiliary engines.

A further alternative for inline PureSOx configurations is reflux. This option is especially attractive for cruise ships, RoPax vessels and other vessels that carry passengers, as it reduces the risk of dirty water droplets discoloring the ship’s deck. 

Reflux involves the creation of two separate loops: one for the jet and a second for the absorber. In the jet loop, clean water is evaporated by means of the waste heat in the exhaust gas. The vapor is then recondensed as clean water in the absorber loop. As a result, the water in the absorber stage is significantly cleaner and the risk of deck discoloration is greatly reduced. Since the soot is concentrated in the initial jet stage, the water cleaning unit has a lighter burden as well.

The water cleaning unit is a vital component of any closed-loop or hybrid PureSOx system. When the scrubber is in closed-loop mode, the unit removes soot from the circulation water, thus protecting the scrubber and enabling compliant discharge of bleed-off. 

The PureSOx water cleaning unit uses centrifugal separation, an Alfa Laval core technology, that is completely unaffected by pitch and roll. This sets it apart from other cleaning systems on the market. Like the reflux principle, it is a patented solution unique to Alfa Laval. 

“The water cleaning unit is one of many aspects that make PureSOx such a reliable choice for SOx compliance,” says Mr. Diks. “The PureSOx platform is built on a solid foundation of Alfa Laval core technology and scrubber experience, and the new possibility of inline configurations will give even more shipowners reason to choose it.”

IMO ballast water convention set to enter force?

 

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) says that the fixing of a definite implementation dategives shipowners some of the certainty needed to make important decisions about whether to refit the new mandatory treatment equipment or otherwise to start sending ships for early recycling.   

However, IMO has to finalize the much needed revision of its type approval guidelines for Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS).

The International Chamber of Shipping says that this revision is needed “as soon as possible, in order to ensure that shipowners can have absolute confidence that the expensive equipment they will soon have to install will be effective in treating ballast water conditions normally encountered during worldwide operations and be regarded as fully compliant during Port State Control inspections.”

In other words, the IMO Type Approval process currently in place doesn’t give absolute confidence that an IMO approved system will actually work. That, of course, is why the IMO approvals of BWTS have never been taken at their face value by the U.S., which has its own, tougher, approval system in place.

The International Chamber of Shipping has never been very happy about that and says that entry into force of the new IMO regime “does not resolve the extreme difficulties that still exist in the United States. There is still great uncertainty with respect to the more stringent United States approval regime for treatment equipment, which started to be enforced in January 2014 (the U.S. not being a Party to the IMO Convention). 

“The U.S. regulations require all ships that discharge ballast water in U.S. waters to use a treatment system approved by the Coast Guard. However, because no systems have yet been approved, ships already required to comply with the U.S. regulations have either been granted extensions to the dates for fitting the required treatment systems or else permitted to install a USCG accepted Alternate Management System (AMS), in practice a system type-approved in accordance with the current IMO Guidelines.  

“However, an AMS will only be accepted for operation for five years, after which time a fully USCG approved system must be installed.  But the USCG does not guarantee that an AMS will be subsequently granted full approval.  Hence shipowners that may have installed an AMS in good faith, at a cost of between  $1 million -5 million per ship, might then have to replace the system completely after only five years. This is a particular concern for operators that have installed ultra-violet (UV) systems.

“There are over 50 treatment systems approved under the current IMO regime, but worryingly fewer than 20 manufacturers have so far indicated their intent to submit their systems for U.S. approval.   The conflicting IMO and U.S. requirements, when combined with the complete lack of systems fully approved by the USCG, could produce an impossible situation in which some ships might not be able to operate in U.S. waters when the IMO Convention enters in force.”

Environmental Awards honor 1,601 ships

The average number of years operating without incident for ships and vessels that received awards is 6.9 years. Three hundred and sixteen of the vessels have logged more than ten years each of environmental excellence.

U.S. Coast Guard, RADM Paul F. Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy participated in the award ceremony in Washington, DC, and congratulated the award recipients and the industry as a whole for the extraordinary performance.

Kathy J. Metcalf, President of CSA said, “These awards celebrate the dedication to environmental excellence of our seafarers and the company personnel shore-side who operate our vessels to the highest standards. In today’s world, it seems our industry only gets front-page news when spills or other environmental problems occur. It is encouraging to see how many vessels go for years achieving environmental excellence. It should be clear to the American public that we in the maritime industry take our stewardship of the marine environment very seriously.”

The awards are open to all owners and operators of vessels that operate on oceans or inland waterways. The CSA Board encourages all operators and owners to take advantage of this opportunity to recognize their crew and shore-side operating personnel and encourages all operators and owners to consider participating in next year’s program.

Among companies owning multiple award winning vessels were Crowley Maritime Corporation and Foss Maritime.

You can download the complete listing of vessels receiving the awards HERE

NTSB: El Faro bridge found, VDR still missing

 The main wreckage of the TOTE cargo ship that went missing during Hurricane Joaquin was found by a search team on board the U.S. Navy tug USNS Apache on October 31, located at a depth of about 15,000 feet in the vicinity of the last known position near the Crooked Islands in the Bahamas.However, the bridge deck had become separated and the search for it — and the VDR — has continued since then.

Optimarin passes U.S. BWTS testing milestone

NOVEMBER 11, 2015 — Norwegian ballast water treatment system (BWTS) specialist Optimarin says it has become the first UV system supplier to meet the most stringent USCG marine water requirements, positioning it

Royal Caribbean orders another seven BWTS retrofits

 

The seven retrofit installations will bring the total number of Hyde Guardian and Guardian Gold systems fitted on RCL group vessels to twenty-seven, including both newbuilds and retrofits.

Hyde Marine has already completed retrofits on over ten RCL vessels, and the orders issued for this next series of vessels will ensure the supply of treatment systems through 2016 in accordance with the compliance dates for each vessel.

The cruise line is one of seven Hyde Marine customers that have installed ten or more Guardian systems.
“Hyde Marine has been a valuable partner in assisting us as we navigate the new regulatory requirements for ballast water treatment,” said Michael Jones, Vice President Supply Chain Management, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “Our crews are pleased with how easily and reliably the system operates, and with how seamlessly they integrate with existing automation systems.”

“Hyde Marine is very pleased to expand upon our successful partnership with RCL,” said John Platz, President Hyde Marine. “This clearly demonstrates our customer’s continued satisfaction with our products and service, and helps RCL to ensure compliance and commonality in their fleet.”

Hyde Marine has sold more than 430 of its ballast water treatment systems to date. The Hyde Guardian Gold BWTS uses space-efficient filtration and ultraviolet disinfection to treat ships’ ballast water to prevent the spread of invasive species from port to port.

LOAD MORE