September 24, 2015Hilton Stamford Stamford, CTMarine Casualty Scenario Thursday September 24, 2015 Take part in a provocative and highly interactive tabletop exercise. This session brings maritime industry experts into a
In a stock exchange announcement, the company noted that in its FY2015 results it had reported experiencing schedule and margin pressure on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 6, the first that it is building as the prime contractor.
“Austal is building multiple LCS in parallel,” said the announcement, “with the impact of cost and schedule performance on LCS 6 continuing to impact LCS 8 and LCS 10 – both of which are in an advanced state of completion.
“Austal’s ability to apply lessons learnt and productivity enhancements from LCS 6 to vessels in advanced construction, namely LCS 8 and LCS 10, has been more limited than anticipated. As a result, FY2016 earnings from Austal’s U.S. shipyard are expected to be lower than in FY2015, with U.S. shipbuilding EBIT margin expected to be in the range of 4.5% to 6.5%. [Its U.S, shipbuilding EBIT margin was 5.2% in 2015 and 6.6% in 2014]
“Austal’s other major vessel program at its U.S. shipyard, the Expeditionary Fast Transport program (formerly called the Joint High Speed Vessel), has reached construction program maturity, with shipbuilding margin stable”.
Austal CEO Andrew Bellamy said that, while there were flow on effects from LCS 6 onto LCS 8 and 10, vessels at earlier stages of construction would benefit from the lessons learnt on LCS 6 to increase future US shipbuilding margin.
“The LCS program is maturing more slowly than we had expected, however we are working hard to manage the risks and expect an improvement across the program after delivery of LCS 10,” Mr. Bellamy said. “The ongoing strong performance of the US$1.6 billion Expeditionary Fast Transport program at our U.S. shipyard is a great illustration of the efficiencies we can deliver once a vessel program reaches the mature production phase and we are confident the LCS program will be no different.
“Austal has a strong balance sheet and is generating good cash flow, which is enabling further investment in the business during the 2016 financial year to best position the company to win additional contracts and service work to build our order book, revenue, and earnings into the future.”
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The False Claims Act suit alleges that Bollinger misrepresented the longitudinal strength of patrol boats it delivered to the Coast Guard that resulted in the boats buckling and failing once they were put into service. Bollinger Shipyards is located in Lockport, Louisiana.
“Those who expect to do business with the government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is essential to public safety and our national defense.”
In 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard contracted to lengthen the Coast Guard’s existing fleet of 110-foot patrol boats to 123 feet and to make other modifications. Bollinger was the subcontractor that performed the 123-foot patrol boat design and conversion work. An essential element of the conversion was that the modified boats have sufficient longitudinal strength to meet the performance requirements set forth in the contract.
The United States alleged Bollinger provided the Coast Guard with engineering calculations that falsely represented the longitudinal strength of the boats and was two times greater than their actual longitudinal strength. The United States alleged Bollinger ran the calculations three times and only provided the Coast Guard with the highest and most inaccurate, of the three calculations. The United States further alleged Bollinger also failed to follow the quality control procedures that were mandated by the contract that would have ensured against such engineering miscalculations.
The case was handled jointly by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Louisiana.The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
BMT Asia Pacific and BMT ARGOSS will assist the development and validation of the planned canal’s design and operations through a structured framework.
“Our study will seek to articulate a solution that minimizes canal excavation while ensuring adequate canal capacity and safety,” says Dr. Richard D Colwill, Managing Director, BMT Asia Pacific. “A crucial part of that solution involves sophisticated navigation and transport simulation, which will set the basis for identifying a design that balances excavation CAPEX with operational safety, efficiency and capacity.”
BMT’s proprietary simulator, REMBRANDT, is widely recognised by the shipping sector for its accurate and detailed recreations of the navigation environment. Its What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) output provides a platform that helps engineers and mariners investigate different design geometries.
“Through REMBRANDT BMT will provide early and decisive insight on potential marine constraints, enabling us to identify appropriate mitigation and optimization measures – be it physical or operational in nature,” says Captain Paul Morter of BMT ARGOSS.
Besides carrying out operational assessments, BMT will also update the business case for the canal’s Pacific and Caribbean ocean ports. BMT will use its experience in port masterplanning and port strategy to help HKND identify the ports’ potential competitive positioning.
“The Nicaragua Canal system will see a large variety of vessels and wide range of vessel movements along the canal, within the inland ports, and between canal, port and ocean approaches,” says HKND Executive Director K.W. Pang.”These activities occur with differing metocean conditions, transit speeds/directions, and transit modes, etc. Recognizing this complexity, we are seeking to access BMT’s global network of subject matter experts to assemble a highly capable, technical team to address the canal’s marine safety and traffic challenges from all angles.”
DECEMBER 9, 2015 – Put-in-Bay, OH, headquartered Miller Boat Line has awarded Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, OH, an order to complete the five-year USCG inspection of its ferry William Market along with
The World Shipping Council (WSC), the TT Club, the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA), and the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) today jointly released a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to address issues arising from the new regulations.
The amendments were adopted by IMO (International Maritime Organization) to enhance maritime safety and reduce the dangers to containerships, their crews, and all those involved in container transport throughout the supply chain. The FAQs have been developed by the industry coalition in response to numerous questions from shippers, carriers, forwarders, and terminal operators about the steps they must take to ensure successful implementation of the new regulations.
This initial FAQs document seeks to clarify how the SOLAS container weight verification requirements will function in various situations. It identifies commercial and operational arrangements that will have to be addressed, and it flags issues that must be dealt with by national governments.
The FAQs are based on actual questions from affected stakeholders, and they will be expanded as new issues emerge.
Stakeholders are invited to approach any of the collaborating organizations with additional questions that may come up.
Contact details of “subject-matter experts” from each of the organizations can be found at the end of the FAQs document.
The coalition says that container safety is a shared responsibility, and all parties have an interest in improving the safety of ships, the safety of cargo and the reduction of the risks to the lives of ships’ crews and others throughout the containerized supply chain.
Access the FAQs document HERE
Identical diesel-electric systems, comprising four Cat Propulsion MTA-523 1500 kW azimuth thrusters driven by electric motors and soft starters as well as eight Cat C32 generator sets, will be delivered for each vessel.
“As a comprehensive power and propulsion solutions provider for the marine industry, we’re pleased to continue to integrate our full portfolio of offerings in our customers’ operations,” said Wang Xiaohua, Caterpillar Propulsion sales manager. “China remains an area of strategic importance for us and this particular order is significant because it is the first time in China that we have supplied a full diesel-electric propulsion solution, including engines, propulsion systems and main switchboards.”
The two vessels, designed by Shanghai Bestway Marine Technology Development Company Ltd, are being built for Chinese owner Mekers Offshore Company Ltd and are due for delivery in summer 2016.
Over the course of 2016, Caterpillar will also supply all of the other components in the electric power system.
In addition to the main switchboard, Caterpillar will provide power management systems, central monitoring and alarm systems, transformers, uninterruptible power supplies and variable frequency drives.
MTA azimuth thrusters incorporate a number of key features to support effective vessel operation. They are hydro-dynamically optimized for good in-water performance. Available in both L-drive and Z-drive configurations, MTA azimuth thrusters can be supplied with controllable or fixed pitch propellers. Blade and hub materials are either bronze or stainless steel and the complete structure is designed to minimize the cost of through-life maintenance and to maximize the duration of in-service operation.
Built for reliability in harsh conditions, C32 generator sets have high efficiency and a minimized environmental footprint integrated into the design. The units can accept 100% load rate in one step and their integrated control system protects the power supply and offers scope for remote monitoring. Cat C32 generator sets are available in a power range from 830 ekW to 940 ekW.
Today, Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIND) reported that it has signed definitive agreements with Nichols Brothers Boat Builders for the new build of two U.S. flagged coastal vessels. The 100 guest ships will be built at the Nichols Brothers shipyard on Whidbey Island, WA. The first completed ship is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2017 and the second vessel is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2018.
Lindblad had previously signed a non-binding letter of intent with Nichols Brothers for these new builds and paid a $4 million non-refundable slot fee during the third quarter of this year to reserve the shipyard’s capacity, which will be charged against the second vessel’s cost.
The definitive agreements provide for Nichols Brothers to construct the two new build vessels at a purchase price of $48.0 million and $46.8 million, respectively, payable monthly based on the value of the work performed (offset by the $4.0 million slot fee previously paid).
Jensen Maritime is serving as the naval architect on the project with interior design work provided byTillberg Design International. Building of the vessels will commence this year.
“These new ships mark an exciting step in the long-term growth of the company, and enables us to capitalize on the substantial demand for our expeditions. With our significant resources we can continue to deliver on our promise of expedition travel at its best, and can now expand our unique offerings in the Americas where we have very strong demand,” said Sven Lindblad, President and CEO of Lindblad. “We are pleased to be working with Nichols Brothers in Washington State on this project given their long history in shipbuilding, including having built our current U.S. flagged ships, the National Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird.”
“This is an important milestone in the company’s history as we enter the 50th Anniversary of the birth of expedition travel begun by my father, Lars-Eric Lindblad, with the first laymen expedition to Antarctica in 1966,” Mr. Lindblad added.
Some key features of the new vessels:
For shipyards and at installation, the system provides potential efficiency gains of as much as 20 percent compared to traditional three-layer coating systems. For shipowners, it provides the widest chemical resistance and the longest carriage time on the market of more than 3,400 cargoes, delivering maximum flexibility to the product tanker trades.
Building on more than 40 years of practical experience, PPG designed the new Phenguard Pro system as a premium tank coating solution for use on IMO II and III chemical/product tankers typically in the 30,000–60,000 dwt range.
Sijmen Visser, PPG global marketing manager, marine, says the new system is “truly a game changer for the product tanker market, offering shared benefits to both the shipyard and owner/operator by combining over 20 percent efficiency gains on application at newbuild and/or maintenance with trusted and proven performance for the owner. Based on our 40-plus-years track record on more than 1,500 vessels with this product technology, PPG has again delivered a top-quality product that also represents best value to all stakeholders in the IMO II/III product tanker segment.”
The Phenguard Pro system uses Phenguard phenolic epoxy product technology by PPG, a benchmark in the chemical-tanker market for more than 40 years.
PPG identified market demand in the IMO II/III product/chemical tanker segment for a two-layer phenolic epoxy system offering maximum cargo flexibility with improved efficiency at installation. The result is the Phenguard Pro system, engineered and launched for both newbuilding and refurbishment projects.
Mr. Visser says that the Phenguard Pro system achieves in two layers of 125 microns what other tank linings can only achieve in three. The coating system can be applied in temperatures as low as 5 C (41 F), he says, making it a year-round solution that helps reduce costs related to heating for winter application.
The Phenguard Pro system provides a smooth finish that is easy to clean, thus saving time and labor for cargo switching and tank cleaning. Mr. Visser says that shipowners will also benefit from well-documented guidance and procedures for cargoes requiring prewash, thus extending the coating life.
