CVN 78 sea trials delayed

The Navy and shipbuilder, Newport News Shipbuilding had scheduled a delivery date of March 31, 2016 for the ship. That will now likely slip  to mid- or late-May.

In its statement yesterday, the Navy said “the sea trial schedule will be delayed about six to eight weeks. The exact impact on ship delivery will be determined based on the results of sea trials.The Navy called the delay a “prudent step” providing “the most affordable path to delivery. All the work and any associated schedule delays are being managed within budget and below the $12,887 million cost cap.”

The Navy did not say what particular part of the test program has gotten behind schedule.

It did note that significant progress to date has been made on CVN 78, including:

CVN 78 is 93% complete.

Cat offers C280 engines that meet EPA Tier 4 limits

 

The EPA Tier 4 standards applied to all new U.S. flagged vessels starting in January 2014. IMO III standards will apply to all new vessels entering IMO NOx Emissions Control Areas (NECA) starting in January 2016.

The C280 engines are available in eight, 12 and 16-cylinder models spanning a power range from 2300 ˗ 5060 kW as main engines – conventional and diesel electric – and also as auxiliary generator sets. Caterpillar says that the latest models offer significant benefits over earlier units. As well as reduced emissions, they consume less fuel and have lower through-life owning and operating costs.

According to Nathan Kelly, Caterpillar Marine production definition engineer, the choice of SCR over other NOx reducing technologies, was made based on the Caterpillar commitment to customers to offer solutions that provide the highest uptime and minimize overall total lifecycle cost.

“SCR was a clear choice for us,” explains Mr. Kelly. “We have more than 160,000 Tier 4 Final and Interim engines in land-based operations using various NOx-reduction technologies. In marine applications, we specifically chose the best technology to fit the needs of our industry. We view SCR as the preferred option for the commercial marine industry. “

“The C280 is already renowned for its high uptime, reliability and durability,” he continued, “but for these Tier 4 engines our priority was to achieve the lowest lifecycle owning and operating cost. We have succeeded in this by improving engine fuel efficiency. Unlike previous emissions tiers, our Tier 4 engines can run at optimal fuel efficiency because the SCR system is in place to reduce the higher NOx output.”

He says that any concerns about the cost of the urea based Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) used in SCR technology are more than offset by the improved fuel efficiency delivered.

“Unlike some other NOx reduction technologies, our engines operate without interruption even in the event of SCR failure or running out of DEF,” adds Mr. Kelly. “There is no effect to engine operation.”

Election result renews Greek shipowner tax fears

Mr. Tsipras first became Prime Minister of Greece when he led Syriza to victory in the general election of January 25, 2015, on a platform of resisting overseas lenders’ demands for austerity. But with debt deadlines getting nearer and the prospect of being forced out of the Eurozone, Tsipras came to an agreement with lenders that saw him agree to a number of unpopular increases in taxes and cuts in cherished spending programs. A large number of his supporters gagged on it and he called an election.

Now, to the surprise of pollsters, he’s back in office and it looks likely that the deal with creditors will be fulfilled. It will more likely include raising taxes on shipowners. What Greek owners probably fear most is the imposition of capital gains taxes on profits from the sale and purchase of tonnage. It’s arguable that over the years, more Greek shipping fortunes have been made from wheeling and dealing on the S&P market than have been made from actually operating ships.

Vancouver puts out the welcome mat

Apart from Eurozone finance ministers, nobody would be more delighted if such a tax were introduced than the Vancouver International Maritime Center. Funded by a $3 million dollar war chest from the government of British Columbia,it wants to beef up shipowners’ presence in Vancouver, BC, and has been pitching Greek owners in particular with what it call’s “Canada’s unique value proposition” under recent amendments to Canada’s international shipping tax regime:

Vancouver International Maritime Center kicked off its marketing campaign with two events earlier this month, the first during London International Shipping Week hosted by the High Commission of Canada  in Trafalgar Square, London. It was followed by a second launch in Athens, Greece, hosted by the Embassy of Canada on Monday, September 14.

It held its hometown launch September 18 and announced what it proclaimed as its first success. It did not, however, come from Greece. Singapore headquartered AAL Shipping is to open a Vancouver office.

“We are really excited to be in Vancouver. It is an extremely welcoming jurisdiction and offers international shipping companies like AAL great opportunity for growth and development,” said Bernard Huizenga, Business Manager for AAL Canada.AAL is a global multipurpose shipping operator, serving the breakbulk, dry bulk, heavy lift and project cargo markets. It is owned by Limassol, Cyprus, based Schoeller Holdings Ltd,

Crowley helps provide LNG training in Jacksonville

The the first-of-its-kind training was developed by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) in conjunction with the Florida State College  specifically for Port of Jacksonville stakeholders including Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Departments, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville and area law enforcement.

The Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange (JMTX) worked closely with U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville to seek out potential members of the funding collaborative and get support from representatives of the local Area Contingency Planning (ACP) community.

Crowley was one of several Gas Technology Institute (GTI) funding collaborators taking part. As Crowley currently supplies LNG to Puerto Rico via barge and will take delivery of two LNG fueled ConRo ships in 2017, the company was proactive in participating in the training endeavor.

“As a company, we take safety very seriously,” said Crowley VP Cole Cosgrove. “As we and other companies in the Jacksonville area continue to embrace the LNG market, it’s of utmost importance that we work with our local community to make sure we are all educated in safe handling of this new, environmentally beneficial marine fuel. This training was a first step to ensure all stakeholders have a unified approach to emergency response and clean-up should we ever experience an incident.”

Training attendees were introduced to the basic characteristics and properties of LNG, its usefulness as a fuel, its hazards and safety precautions to take when working around the product. The group also learned basic and advanced firefighting techniques including identification of ignition sources, and what types of extinguishing agents exist and when to use them in varying situations.

On completion, attendees satisfied basic LNG awareness  requirements as defined by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).

“The goal of this training is to keep the excellent safety record maintained by the marine transport of LNG in the past and apply it to the safe bunkering process as we fuel new LNG fueled vessels into the future,” said Mark Marien, Crowley’s manager, regulatory training.

New thruster targets inland waterways market

Among innovations incorporated into the WST-14 are its space-saving compact design, an integrated slipping clutch that provides a cost competitive solution for maneuvering when combined with a fixed pitch (FP) propeller, and the ability to maintain and service the propeller shaft and steering seals without requiring a complete overhaul of the thruster. It has a straightforward, reliable design and is ice-class rated.

By combining the 6-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 20 engine with the WST-14 thruster, a solution package that is well-suited to the specific demands of river and inland waterway operation can be offered. It also attractive for other marine applications, such as tugs, where maneuvering in harbors and/or ice conditions is required.  

Wärtsilä says that, compared to conventional fixed pitch (FP) and controllable pitch (CP) propeller drive line solutions, the WST-14 thruster enables a greater load capacity for the vessel. This offers increased revenues for the owner/operator since more cargo can be transported.

“This project began two years ago and we are delighted to announce that the WST-14 is now available to the market. This introduction fills a particular need in the inland waterway vessel sector, and it is already attracting interest from owners and yards in Asia, Europe and America. Wärtsilä is now able to offer a complete and highly efficient propulsion package for this specific market,” says Arto Lehtinen, Vice President, Propulsion, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

The WST-14 will be featured at the Neva exhibition to be held in St.Petersburg, Russia, September 22-25, 2015.

Wärtsilä 20 engine with the WST-14 thruster

WST14 W6L20

Chinese crane ship completes repairs at Damen Dunkerque

The massive 3,000 tonne lift capacity mounted on the stern and the ship’s unconventional hull form meant that the shipyard had to make special dock bed arrangements to accommodate her.

A total of 225 blocks were required, along with an additional 56 steel pillars of up to 7 m in length to support the stern. Wooden wedges also had to be added to the lateral blocks to take account of the unusual hull shape and to ensure complete stability in the dry dock.

The scope of work over the 10 day period included, along with the standard work for class survey, blasting and painting the hull and the overhauling of the internal and overboard valves. The scope of the electrical works was extensive given the tight time frame, with a large number of motors removed and transported back to the workshop for overhaul before being returned and refitted. The last ones were fitted and tested on the same day of the vessel’s departure.

Wei Li Crane2The starboard propeller blades were also rebuilt. This required re-welding tips onto each of the blades followed by a full polish for both propellers.

Six generator coolers were removed for overhauling, as were their bearings, and some major repairs were made to the accommodations.

Cooperation with the project team from owner Shanghai Salvage was excellent; thanks in part to the assistance of a local Chinese national attending a nearby university who helped smooth the language differences.

“Ensuring that the Wei Li was properly supported in the dry dock was a complex project in itself,” commented Khalil Benjelloul, head of marketing and sales at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque. “With all the blocks and pillars, plus the positions of the vessel’s thrusters, it was not easy to position her in the centerline of the dock. Once all this was accomplished, however, the work proceeded smoothly and after 10 days of hard work around the clock she was on her way again. It was a pleasure to work with Shanghai Salvage and its representatives.”

The Wei-Li was delivered by shipbuilder Zhenhua Heavy Industries in 2010 and this summer was involved in the installation of the 11,000 tonne jacket for the Ivar Aasen project in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

 

Deltamarin and Aker Arctic develop Arctic Aframax design

The concept ship combines Deltamarin’s expertise in affordable, energy efficient cargo vessels with Aker Arctic’s arctic vessel expertise to deliver cost efficient and reliable tanker operation both in open water and in ice.

The Arctic Aframax tanker is intended for crude oil and oil product transports. It is strengthened to ice class PC5 level (equals approximately Russian Maritime Register of Shipping category ARC6) and is capable of continuously breaking thicker than one-meter level ice.

It can operate on the Northern Sea Route during the extended summer months, and with assistance even longer. During the winter months the vessel can operate in other sub-arctic sea areas such as the Baltic Sea or Sakhalin.
Deltamarin’s experience in designing cost efficient cargo vessels with track record of hundreds of contracted vessels is utilized in minimizing the newbuilding and operating costs.

According to Deltamarin’s Director of Ship Design, Markku Miinala, and Aker Arctic’s Project Manager, Riku Kiili, “the design integrates optimized ice breaking and open water performance as well as the latest energy efficiency features applied together with the Polar Code requirements. This unique combination results in an affordable building and improved transport economy by cost efficient operation. The design can be fine-tuned according to the customer’s wishes.”

The bow and hull shape of the vessel combine the optimum balance of open water performance with icebreaking capabilities. The specially designed hull strengthening improves safety in operations in the arctic waters. The hull is equipped with an Ice Load Monitoring System, which measures ice loads from the hull and provides online support to the officers ensuring safe operations. The system will also help the shipowner in the long term by analyzing the data and creating information for the optimal operations.  The emphasis has also been on winterization for cold climates in all aspects of the concept design.

The vessel is equipped with two CP-propellers and shaft lines directly coupled with slow speed diesel engines. The vessel can also be fitted to run on LNG with dual fuel engines. Further there is a possibility for two bow thrusters and shaft PTO/PTI (Power Take Off / Power Take In) systems.  A special focus has been on developing an improved command bridge, where the new Aker Arctic ARC Bridge Concept was used. The visibility from the bridge is excellent in all directions and good ergonomics including access and passages to command posts is created.

Arctic Aframax 118,000 DWT Crude Oil Carrier
Main Dimensions:

Hull and Performance:    

Kleven to build advanced cable layer for ABB

The vessel will be custom built to ABB specifications, with Norway’s Salt Ship Design working closely with ABB, the shipyard and MAATS Tech of the U.K., which is responsible for the integration of the cable lay mission equipment in the design development. The resulting SALT 306 design, says Salt, is “very comprehensive and fit for purpose.”

“This next-generation vessel incorporating state-of-the-art ABB technologies will be a key differentiator for our high-voltage cable business, enhancing flexibility and execution ability,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Systems division. “It will also improve operational efficiency and customer focus, supporting profitable growth in line with our Next Level strategy.”

The new ship will deploy many of ABB’s own leading marine technologies. The award-winning Onboard DC Grid and power distribution solution, for instance, will use a single DC circuit for ship propulsion to reduce power consumption.

The vessel will set new standards for reliability and accuracy and will be equipped with roll-reduction tanks and the subsea operations will be executed and monitored by a remotely operated vehicle using cameras and sonar, avoiding the need for divers.

The vessel will also feature a complete ABB Integrated Automation System and three Azipod propulsion units. Together with an energy storage system for marine applications it will cut fuel consumption by 27 percent and reduce maintenance compared to traditional AC systems.

Sensors, monitoring hardware and software will enable data to be sent to shore via a satellite link, to allow the onshore technical support centers to work closely with the ship as part of ABB’s Integrated Marine Operations solution. Advanced advisory software for motion monitoring, forecasting and decision support will also be on board.

Thanks to dynamic positioning technology to DP3 class, the ship will be able to maintain its position with a high precision.

It is constructed in such a way that fire and flooding can be contained and will not compromise positioning and other essential systems.

With experience dating back to 1883, ABB is a global leader in high-voltage cable systems with an installed base across applications such as integration of renewables, city center in-feeds, oil and gas platform power supplies, and subsea interconnections. ABB has commissioned more than 25 high-voltage direct current links and hundreds of high-voltage alternating current links around the world.

cable layer Aft 2

ABBcablevesselcrosssection

Maersk Tankers orders nine for $300 million

 

They will be built by shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries, which will deliver them from its Ningbo shipyard in China in 2017 and 2018.

Claus Grønborg, Maersk Tankers VP and head of business development, said the ships “will support our Taking the Lead strategy in the product segment and maintain our strong focus on cost effectiveness. The renewal of our fleet will help us to stay environmentally efficient, competitive and better equipped to meet our customers demands.”

Cuba cruise and ferry services get a little nearer

 

They will take effect on Monday, September 21, 2015, when they are published in the Federal Register. Coincidentally, or probaby not, that’s the day before Pope Francis arrives in Washington, DC, from Cuba.

The Pope is widely credited with initiating the dialogue that led to the new direction in U.S.-Cuba relationship.

A fact sheet issued by the the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Commerce includes the following regulatory changes:​

While there’s no explanation as to how spacecraft got in there, the “temporary sojourn” authorization should be particularly useful to Carnival Corporation’s start up brand fathom. It intends offering cultural exchange voyages to Cuba starting in May 2016, using the 704 passenger cruise ship as a “comfortable home base” during travelers stay on the island.

Cruise lines and ferry operators are now waiting for the Cuban permissions needed to initiate service.

Read the Treasury backgrounder HERE

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