Cape Town naming for offshore diamond mining support boat

They are being built to carry out supply and support work for the De Beers Group’s offshore diamond mining activities and this first vessel was named Aukwatowa by Mrs Jenny Coltman, spouse of the Chairman of De Beers Group Services.

The Shoalbuster multi-purpose workboats are designed for inland and coastal waters. The 30 m 3009S has a bollard pull of 24.5 tonnes and is fitted with a crane with a lifting capacity of up to 1.7 tonnes, making it suitable for towage, buoy-laying, pushing and all-round support duties.

The two vessels ordered by Smit Amandla will operate out of Port Nolloth in South Africa’s Northern Cape. The shallow waters of the port make it accessible only to vessels with drafts of 2.8 m or less, so the Shoalbuster’s minimal draft was an important factor in Smit Amandla’s selection of the class.

The Aukwatowa was delivered on time and to budget. The trainees in Damen Cape Town’s highly-regarded Apprenticeship Program played a significant role in the project, with all of them getting the opportunity to exercise their newly-acquired skills as the vessel took shape.

The Apprentice Training Program recently received official recognition when the South African Minister of Trade & Industry, Dr. Rob Davies MP, visited the yard to present certificates to nine apprentices who have achieved Artisan status.

The training program makes an appreciable contribution to creating jobs and raising skills levels both locally and in the South African marine industry. Since 2010, 63 young people, including 19 women, have benefited from the program. The shipyard’s efforts also contribute to the South African Government’s economic change initiative, known as Operation Phakisa, one element of which is the development of the country’s maritime sector.

Meanwhile, the build of the second Shoalbuster for Smit Amandla is proceeding smoothly and on schedule for delivery in 2016. Throughout both builds, the Cape Town shipyard has had the full cooperation of Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld in the Netherlands, the yard behind the development of this class. The Dutch yard has transferred the necessary technology and provided full support to ensure a top quality end result.

“We quickly established an excellent relationship with the Smit Amandla Marine project management team,” said Damen Cape Town’s project manager Craig Trethewey. “As a result the project has gone smoothly and is on schedule. We are really pleased with progress and look forward to seeing the second vessel in the water in February next year.”

Sam Montsi, Chairman of DSCT said: “We at Damen Shipyards Cape Town believe that the economic development of our country is a shared responsibility between Government and the private sector. We are therefore proud to be part of this co-operative effort with Smit Amandla and De Beers in having the two vessels built here in Cape Town. The vessels have been built within the budgets and times agreed. We look forward to more cooperation with Smit Amandla and other vessel operators in our country.”

Damen Shoalbuster 3009

shoalbuster

Crowley’s David Ridge awarded company’s top honor

Crowley’s Chairman, President and CEO Tom Crowley Jr., the grandson of the company’s founder, presented the award before more than 70 employees and senior leaders including two past recipients of the award, Bruce Harland, vice president, marine solutions, and Craig Tornga, vice president, government relations.

Mr. Ridge, a 30-year Crowley employee, was selected for the award because of his reputation for high performance. In his nominating letter, Crowley’s Captain Rod Jones, general manager, marine services, wrote: “David has proven his competence, loyalty and exemplary performance time and again, both aboard the vessels and in the office. Whether commanding Crowley assets half-way around the world or facilitating a training seminar in Valdez, his commitment to the core principles of safety, integrity and high performance have never waned. He projects an aura to those around him that not only instills confidence in his ability, but also trust in his judgement – a tireless and effective manager, who demonstrates daily the leadership skills he has honed over years of decision making in stressful situations.”

Mr. Ridge joined Crowley in 1984 as a mate, subsequently working aboard a variety of vessels operated by the company, including oil and cargo barges, offshore towing tugs, and ship assist and tanker escort tugs. In 1986, he was assigned master for Crowley’s military support service operating out of Sasebo, Japan, before transferring aboard Crowley’s harbor ship assist and tanker escort tugboat fleet in San Francisco Bay in 1987. He continued working aboard company tugs until 1996, when he changed roles again, as master of tow operations of Crowley’s 450 series barges transiting U.S. West Coast oil terminals. He came ashore as port captain in Seattle in 2005, and was later assigned to manager, marine operations, in Valdez, Alaska, for the ship assist and tanker escort contract with Alyeska SERVS in 2007. In 2014, he was promoted to his current position of director, marine operations, in Valdez.

“It’s not often that we see a tug captain come ashore,” said Mr. Crowley, on presenting the award. “It’s a difficult transition … I can’t think of a more difficult place to work [than Valdez.] Dave has taken a true leadership role there … in making sure the customer has confidence, that we are there to get the job done and to work with a great team. I congratulate him on his efforts.”

“I am honored to have received this award, but the recognition really should go to my team,” said Mr. Ridge. “Crowley is the most unique and worthwhile company I have ever had the pleasure of working for and it’s the people I work with who make me who I am. I share this award with them.”

The Thomas Crowley Award was created in 1985 and only 60 of the company’s more than 5,300 employees have received the award which symbolized by a limited edition bronze sculpture, which depicts company founder Thomas Crowley ferrying goods to and from ships on San Francisco Bay in the early 1890s.

Crowley’s David Ridge awarded company’s top honor

Crowley’s Chairman, President and CEO Tom Crowley Jr., the grandson of the company’s founder, presented the award before more than 70 employees and senior leaders including two past recipients of the award, Bruce Harland, vice president, marine solutions, and Craig Tornga, vice president, government relations.

Mr. Ridge, a 30-year Crowley employee, was selected for the award because of his reputation for high performance. In his nominating letter, Crowley’s Captain Rod Jones, general manager, marine services, wrote: “David has proven his competence, loyalty and exemplary performance time and again, both aboard the vessels and in the office. Whether commanding Crowley assets half-way around the world or facilitating a training seminar in Valdez, his commitment to the core principles of safety, integrity and high performance have never waned. He projects an aura to those around him that not only instills confidence in his ability, but also trust in his judgement – a tireless and effective manager, who demonstrates daily the leadership skills he has honed over years of decision making in stressful situations.”

Mr. Ridge joined Crowley in 1984 as a mate, subsequently working aboard a variety of vessels operated by the company, including oil and cargo barges, offshore towing tugs, and ship assist and tanker escort tugs. In 1986, he was assigned master for Crowley’s military support service operating out of Sasebo, Japan, before transferring aboard Crowley’s harbor ship assist and tanker escort tugboat fleet in San Francisco Bay in 1987. He continued working aboard company tugs until 1996, when he changed roles again, as master of tow operations of Crowley’s 450 series barges transiting U.S. West Coast oil terminals. He came ashore as port captain in Seattle in 2005, and was later assigned to manager, marine operations, in Valdez, Alaska, for the ship assist and tanker escort contract with Alyeska SERVS in 2007. In 2014, he was promoted to his current position of director, marine operations, in Valdez.

“It’s not often that we see a tug captain come ashore,” said Mr. Crowley, on presenting the award. “It’s a difficult transition … I can’t think of a more difficult place to work [than Valdez.] Dave has taken a true leadership role there … in making sure the customer has confidence, that we are there to get the job done and to work with a great team. I congratulate him on his efforts.”

“I am honored to have received this award, but the recognition really should go to my team,” said Mr. Ridge. “Crowley is the most unique and worthwhile company I have ever had the pleasure of working for and it’s the people I work with who make me who I am. I share this award with them.”

The Thomas Crowley Award was created in 1985 and only 60 of the company’s more than 5,300 employees have received the award which symbolized by a limited edition bronze sculpture, which depicts company founder Thomas Crowley ferrying goods to and from ships on San Francisco Bay in the early 1890s.

MAIB issues report on RO/RO engine room fire

As the 1991-built RO/RO ferry, the Pride of Canterbury, was approaching Calais, says MAIB, it became apparent that the starboard controllable pitch propeller was not responding, so the starboard shaft was declutched and the two starboard main engines were stopped.

Prevailing weather conditions were such that the master was content to proceed using one shaft and one bow thruster. As the ship approached its berth, a pipework joint in the starboard controllable pitch propeller system ruptured, spraying oil on to the exhaust uptakes, starting a fire.

The main engine room was evacuated, the general emergency alarm was sounded and the passengers were mustered at emergency stations. The ferry berthed safely, the fire was extinguished using the ship’s Hi-fog system and a fire hose, and the passengers and cargo were disembarked normally.

The investigation determined that the back pressure valve in the starboard controllable pitch propeller hydraulic system had jammed shut, resulting in the return line oil pressure rising to the point where a flanged pipework joint failed. The failed joint, along with others in the system, was not shielded to prevent a spray of oil in the event of joint failure. The back pressure valve was found to be worn and had not been tested for functionality during its 23 years of service.

Safety issues emerging from the incident were:

ACTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

P&O Ferries has completed a program of modifications to Pride of Canterbury and its three sister ships as they attend refit.

The CPP system was designed and manufactured by LIPS, which became part of Wartsila in 2002. Wartsila has issued a technical bulletin specifying back pressure valves should be replaced after 15 years and the vessel’s classification society, Lloyd’s Register, has been recommended to propose to the International Association of Classification Societies a unified requirement for high pressure alarms to be fitted in controllable pitch propeller systems.

Download the full report HERE

TSB investigates passenger boat capsize in which five died

Five lives were lost in the incident in which the vessel, the Leviathan II, operated by Jamie’s Whaling Station, capsized. One person is still missing.

Prelimary information released yesterday by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said that most of the passengers and crew were on the top deck on the port side of the vessel when the incident occurred. This would have raised the center of gravity, affecting the vessel stability.

The sea conditions were such that a wave approached the vessel from the starboard quarter. The vessel broached (tilted up and rolled) and then capsized.

One life raft deployed and was activated. At least two hand flares and one parachute rocket were fired.

Since arriving on scene, the TSB team has met with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to review the information collected during, and immediately after, the rescue operation. It has also conducted interviews with the crew and some of the survivors to confirm certain facts during the time of the capsizing; and coordinated efforts to salvage the vessel so that the team can access it and start the physical examination.

Today, the team planned to examine the vessel, and determine how to recover any electronics onboard that may help identify the exact position of the vessel at the time of the occurrence. They also planned to examine the vessel to understand its condition at the time of the accident and review stability information at the time of its construction, examining any modifications made since that may have affected its stability.

The team will examine the various weights and their position onboard at the time of the accident to allow TSB naval architects to assess the vessel’s stability at the time of the occurrence. The team will also look at the maintenance and inspection records of the vessel, including life-saving appliances.

VESSEL OPERATOR STATEMENT

The vessel operator posted a statement on its web site October 26 saying it would be working closely with the Transportation Safety Board to determine exactly what has happened and to assist with the investigation in any way it could.

“To the best of our knowledge there was no distress call,” wrote the company’s Director of Operations, Corene Inouye. “From what we know at this stage it appears that the incident happened so quickly, the crew didn’t have an opportunity to send out a mayday.

“We have learnt that the crew was able to access emergency flares that are a part of the safety equipment on board the boat, and deployed them from the water. Local Ahousaht First Nations fishermen were the first to see this, and rushed to the scene to come to the assistance of our passengers and crew.

“As soon as the radio reports of an incident came in we immediately sent out all available vessels to assist in search and rescue efforts and liaised with RCMP, the Coast Guard as well as our local hospital and rescue volunteers.

“We can tell you that the skipper of the MV Leviathan II has over 20 years whale watching experience in these waters – 18 years with our company. The other two crew have five years and three years of experience. All are licensed by Transport Canada and go through rigorous training as well as bi-weekly safety drills and exercises.”

New LNG containment system makes progress

  The joint venture group comprises Braemar Engineering, Honghua Group EnTX and Jamestown Marine Metals.

The FSP system – a new flat-panel, semi-membrane, prismatic-shaped LNG tank-containment system Type B – uses new flat plate technology to overcome the issues associated with partial filling and sloshing. The system employs  the ‘riction stir welding technique, used in the aerospace industry, for optimum integral strength. 

FSP can be used in a wide range of applications: Floating Production and Storage (FPSO); Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU), LNG transportation and LNG marine fuel tanks. It can also be used as offshore storage. 

The new Type B containment system has been designed to be constructed, outfitted, insulated and tested off hull and lifted complete onto the platform. The use of on shore construction facilities ensures the highest standards of quality care and repeatability.

In a joint statement, Chairman Zhang Mi, Chairman and President of Honghua Group, and Geoff Green, Managing Director of Braemar Engineering, said that “substantial progress has been made to date, and this is expected to continue going forward”. 

They added that GDA and Tank Specific Approval are moving forward in parallel, and that approval, construction and test-completion of an initial tank is projected for March 2016.

Concept LNG fueled mega box ship would be COGAS electric

The partners in the study — LNG containment system specialist GTT, containership operator CMA CGM (and its subsidiary CMA Ships) and classification society DNV GL — say the concept that has the potential to offer a more efficient, more flexible and greener box ship design than current 20,000 TEU two-stroke diesel engine driven ultra large container vessels.

They have dubbed the vessel the “Piston Engine Room Free Efficient Containership” (PERFECt).

Essentially, the concept ship takes advantage of the flexibility of electric drive to use space previously occupied by the main to carry cargo, more than offsetting the extra volume required by the LNG fuel tanks in comparison with conventional HFO tanks.

A comprehensive analysis with the DNV GL COSSMOS tool simulated components of the power production and propulsion system to analyze the COGAS system, making it possible to get detailed data for the calculation of the overall fuel efficiency for a complete round voyage.

Using a global FEM analysis, the project partners also evaluated the impact of the changes that were made to the general arrangement.

The two 10,960 cu.m LNG fuel tanks are located below the deck house, giving the vessel enough fuel capacity for an Asia/Europe round trip.

With the gas and steam turbines integrated at deck level within the same deck house as the tanks, space normally occupied by the conventional engine room can be used to increase cargo capacity significantly.

The dissociation of electric power generation from electric propulsion allows the electric power plant to be moved away from the main propulsion system, giving a great deal of flexibility. In fact, say the partners “an engine room is not needed any more.”

The three electric main motors, which are arranged on one common shaft, can be run fully independently of each other providing increased redundancy and reliability and a high level of safety.

With gas turbine-driven power production utilizing a very clean fuel as well as electric propulsion, the ship’s machinery systems will be simplified and more robust. This approach is also expected to lead to new maintenance strategies, already common practice in aviation, that would enable shipping companies to reduce the ship’s engine crew and save costs.

The study also suggests that optimizing the power plant through minimizing the steam turbine size, reducing power capacities, condenser cooling, and using a two-stage pressure steam turbine and steam generator will increase the system’s efficiency further. The next phase of the study aims to optimize the propulsion system and ship design to attain even greater efficiency and increased cargo capacity.

THE PRICE TAG

As part of the analysis, costs for additional and reduced systems to the base case ship (CMA CGM’s 20,000 TEU Marco Polo) were considered.Additional costs included:
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Costs that could be eliminated or reduced in compared to the two-stroke engine system included:ƒƒ

At the end, the CAPEX (capital expenditure) for the COGAS ship are seen as being to be 20% to 24% above those for a conventionally-fueled vessel.

The OPEX (operating expenditure) costs largely depend on the difference in fuel price, the additional income related to the additional containers which can be transported and the savings related to a possibly higher system efficiency.

On the basis of the current gas price in Europe, which is nearly the same as the HFO price a business case in comparison with a two stroke ship using HFO plus scrubber as a reference therefore “needs compensation either by a larger difference between gas and LNG price or by additional benefits from efficiency improvement and additional revenue from additional container slots.”

Still, the partners say that the results of the feasibility study, including the CAPEX and OPEX calculations, encourage them to plan a more detailed evaluation of the overall system in a follow-up project.

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Perfect GA

Nakilat retrofits QMax’s main engines to LNG fueling

 

The project involved retrofitting two MAN B&W S70ME-C HFO-burning engines in the chartered Q-Max vessel Rasheeda with gas-burning M-Type Electronically Controlled – Gas Injection (ME-GI) Systems, which have now been successfully commissioned.

The retrofit modification meets all current and foreseen global emissions regulations.

Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) carried out the conversion at its Erhama bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard facilities in the major Qatari port of Ras Laffan Industrial City.

The project collaborators, including MAN PrimeServ, installed the ME-GI system on the vessel at the shipyard in June 2015. The partner for the ME-GI fuel supply system is TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH,

Christian Ludwig, Head of Retrofit and Upgrades, MAN PrimeServ, said: “This is a fantastic milestone in our company’s history. It is a lighthouse project, and there has been a remarkable partnership and cooperation through this historic conversion. Our ME-GI order book now stands at 140 orders – for different vessel sizes and applications, which we see as a compelling case for our technology to be designated the industry standard.”

Nakilat Managing Director Eng. Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, said, “The success of the ME-GI project is the culmination of years of cooperation with Qatargas, RasGas and MAN Diesel & Turbo as turnkey project manager. In late 2013, Nakilat worked with our charterers to implement a pilot conversion on Q-Max Rasheeda, the first retrofit ME-GI project ever to be implemented in the marine industry. This is a milestone moment for all involved parties.”

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that the vessel’s ME-GI units have displayed a seamless change between fuel-oil and gas operation – a key characteristic of the ME-GI technology.

The Qatar fleet comprises 14 Q-Max and 31 Q-Flex LNG carriers, all using dual MAN Diesel Turbo’s S70-ME low-speed diesel engines for propulsion.

THE ME-GI ENGINE

The ME-GI engine gives shipowners and operators the option of utilizing oil or gas fuel depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations.

The ME-GI uses high-pressure gas injection, allowing it to maintain the attributes of MAN B&W low speed engines that have made them the default choice of the maritime community.

The ME-GI is not affected by the derating, fuel-quality adjustment or methane-slip issues that have been seen with other dual-fuel solutions.

MAN Diesel & Turbo sees significant opportunities for gas-fueled tonnage as fuel prices rise and exhaust-emission limits tighten. Research indicates that the ME-GI engine delivers significant reductions in CO2, NOx and SOx emissions, with its negligible methane slip makes it the most environmentally friendly technology available.

An ME-LGI counterpart that uses LPG, methanol and other liquid gases is also available and has already been ordered.

 

APL in $9.8 million False Claims Act settlement

Scottsdale, AZ, based APL is a wholly-owned American subsidiary of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines Limited.

The Department of Defense contract required APL to affix a satellite tracking device to each shipping container transported from Karachi, Pakistan to U.S. military bases in Afghanistan when the Department of Defense (DOD) requested the tracking services.

The United States alleges that APL billed the DOD for tracking services despite knowing that the tracking devices completely or partially failed to transmit data, or were not affixed to shipping containers. The government also claims that APL attached a single satellite tracking device to two shipping containers despite being required to affix one device to every container.

“Today’s settlement demonstrates our commitment to ensure that contractors doing business with the military perform their contracts honestly,” said Principal Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to ensure that there are appropriate consequences for those who knowingly fail to live up to their bargain and misuse taxpayer funds.”

“Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many U.S. law enforcement professionals, APL is today being held accountable for their actions,” said Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit.

“I applaud all those responsible for their continued pursuit of those who attempt to take advantage of the U.S. military through false claims for services that were not provided.

The settlement with APL was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of California, Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit; DOD’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command and DOD’s Defense Contract Audit Agency.

The Justice Department notes that the claims resolved by the civil settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

Barge mounted solution brings LNG to challenging locations

The Wärtsilä Mobile LNG solution has been developed for challenging locations where pipelines and large-scale LNG receiving terminals are not feasible, or where the quantities of LNG needed are smaller. It is well-suited for shallow water areas where access for larger vessels would not be possible without major jetty constructions or dredging operations.

The all-in-one solution includes a jetty-based LNG receiving system receiving system, LNG storage and a regasification barge. The barge can be used in combination with a fixed or floating power plant with an installed capacity of up to 250 MW, which is ideal for many medium-sized communities. Its capacity can be ramped up by floating a second barge next to it

Compared to constructing conventional land-based terminals in difficult soil conditions and areas with an undeveloped infrastructure, the barge can mean a significantly lower capital investment (capex) and faster delivery. And, being mobile, it can be easily re-located giving it a high resale value.

The Wärtsilä Mobile LNG solution will make LNG available to new consumer segments, and will benefit both utilities and end-users. The flexibility of location it provides can bring clean energy to areas that have only limited or no access to a national electrical grid.

“Wärtsilä’s solutions support the entire gas value chain, from drilling and production, to delivery, liquefaction, regasification, storage, and power generation. This latest innovation is one more important step towards completing our LNG infrastructure offering. Most existing facilities are geared for larger-scale users, whereas the Wärtsilä Mobile LNG offers a flexible and mobile option for small to medium requirements,” says Timo Koponen, Vice President, Flow and Gas Solutions, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

The LNG is transferred by a small scale LNG carrier.

mobile LNG 2

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