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Carnival Splendor limps into San Diego
Things went wrong after an early morning engine room fire turned an “at sea” day into a nightmare of failed air conditioning, non-working toilets. And hours of waiting on line for a less-than-gourmet buffet of Spam and Pop Tarts dropped from a Navy helicopter.
Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald who was on the Carnival Splendor, blogged from the ship:
“There will be those who will say this has been ‘the cruise from hell.’ However, when you see the local news reporter with the huge hair talking to Mr. Angry remember that there are many many many many more who will tell you what they have been telling me and the crew and that is that Carnival as a company have done everything they can and continue to do so to help them through this difficult situation.
“One thing is for certain though … I doubt anyone onboard will ever ever want to eat a sandwich ever again.”
Still unanswered is the question of what caused the fire that broke out in the ship’s aft engine room at 6.A.M. Monday. The CoastGuard says that a preliminary investigation has been started and that the fire “was extinguished by onboard ship responders using installed systems. As a result, the ship’s generator lost power, disabling the vessel.”
Least likely cause? The one put forward by various blogosphere nuts who claim to have seen internal Russian security reports that the cruise ship was disabled by an EMP missile fired from a Chinese submarine.
November 12,2010
Marine Log Magazine
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Somali pirates hijack chemical tanker
Early this morning, Nov.11, the MV HANNIBAL II was pirated whilst on route from Malaysia to Suez. Eu Navfor says the 24,105 tonne chemical tanker, a Panamanian-flagged vessel ,was carrying vegetable oils
New inland waterways clean ship concept
Called the “M-factor,” the vessel is powered by Volvo Penta marine diesel engines both for propulsion and for the bow thruster.
The ship is 85 meters long, 9.6 meter wide and has a load capacity of 1,500 tons, and is a relatively small ship with a very large cargo hold.
The size of the ship and its limited height enables it to sail in almost all European inland waterways. As it is mainly designed for the smaller channels and rivers it will use a 750 hp Volvo Penta D16-750 hp as propulsion engine. Usually this size of ship would be equipped with an engine producing at least 1,000 hp.
Mercurius has been searching for the most fuel efficient engine at part load. In this application, the engine will be operating at part load for at least 80-90 percent of running time.
On part load, the Volvo Penta D16 outperforms the competition in this power range and was thus selected as main propulsion engine.
To reduce emissions, the engine will be equipped with the STT Emtec SCR and POC filter system as a standard even though this is still not required by legislation. The SCR system cuts NOx by 70 to 90 percent and the POC filter reduces the PM by 40 percent.
The prototype will be built at Mercurius Shipping’s own shipyard in Begej and will be ready in May 2011. The plans are to build at least 4-6 ships yearly, depending on the success of this unit. A contract for the second ship has already been given to the Volvo Penta Center Terlouw in Rotterdam. It will deliver the main propulsion engine D16-750, Twin Disk gearbox TD-5170 and SCR system as a complete package to the Mercurius Shipping Group.
A Volvo Penta D12-400 will be installed as a thruster engine. The thruster will be delivered as a complete package including engine from the local manufacturer, Verhaar thruster systems.
Seadrill orders two drillships at Samsung
The first two drillships are firm orders with deliveries from the South Korean shipbuilder set for the first and second quarter 2013.
Seadrill says the total project price per rig is estimated to be less than $600 million, which includes a turnkey contract with the yard, project management, drilling and handling tools, spares, capitalized interest and operations preparations.
In a regulatory filing, Samsung valued the contract for the first two ships at $1.08 billion.
The contract further includes a fixed price option, to be declared during the first quarter 2011, for further two drillships
The dual derrick drillships are of an improved design compared to the three previous drillships Seadrill has taken delivery of from Samsung, with further enhanced capacity related to water depth, technical capabilities as well as increased accommodation capacity.
The new dynamically positioned drillships will be capable of operations in water depths up to 12,000 feet with a hook load capability of 1,250 tons, suiting them for operations in challenging areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa.
The drillships will be the first newbuilds to be outfitted with seven ram configuration of the BOP (Blow Out Preventer) stack.
Seadrill says its decision to add another two ultra-deepwater newbuilds to the existing fleet is based on the continued strength of the offshore drilling market, the return that these investments are expected to deliver and the financial flexibility generated by the company’s contract backlog.
Ordering new drillships is considered financial superior to other alternative investments.
Alf C Thorkildsen, Chief Executive Officer of Seadrill Management AS, says: “Our commitment to establish Seadrill as a leading drilling contractor through investing in new high specification offshore drilling units built by quality yards has been well received by our customers and investors. With the most modern drilling fleet in the world and a total contract backlog of $11.5 billion, we have created a solid platform for further growth and a continued high return to our shareholders. These orders confirm our positive view on the market outlook as well as our good experience with this design and the Samsung shipyard.”
DOI IG says White House changed drilling moratorium report
Ms. Browner is Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change. A Department of the Interior Inspector General’s report says changes to the executive summary of a “30 Day Report” that followed the Deepwater Horizon incident made it appear that a group of industry experts had “peer reviewed” and approved a recommendation that a drilling moratorium be imposed.The version of the report made available to the public says an unnamed member of Ms. Browner’s staff made the misleading changes.
Eight experts made it very public, and very clear that they did not support the moratorium. A number of Senators and House members asked the IG report.
You can read the IG report HERE
November 10, 2010
MTU Detroit Diesel opens new Gulf Coast center
The new facility is dedicated to the growth of engine sales in the commercial marine industry. The center also houses parts and serves as a logistics hub for MTU’s marine defense customers.
The nearly 8,000-square-foot facility is located in the St. James Industrial Park just west of New Orleans.
“MTU is one of the world’s major providers of diesel engines and propulsion systems for ships, ferries, tugs, river push boats and offshore supply vessels,” says Jeff Sherman, marine sales manager for MTU Detroit Diesel. “This new location puts us closer to both new and current customers in the Gulf of Mexico and Inland Rivers.”
The new facility is in addition to a network of 25 MTU distributors and a dedicated marine service center near Alameda, Calif.
MTU Detroit Diesels is a Tognum Group subsidiary. Its marine power solutions include the Series 60, Series 2000 and Series 4000 Iron Men engines, specifically designed to meet the unique demands of workboats.
For the higher power needs of commercial and military vessels such as the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship or U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, MTU offers its Series 8000 and Series 1163 engines. The MTU marine product line up covers a power range from 350 to 12,200 bhp. MTU also offers complete marine control systems.
Suisun Bay ships to be recyled at Mare Island
They cover the cleaning and recycling of two Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet ships, the SS Solon Turman and the SS President. The two ships are scheduled to be towed from Suisun Bay to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard facility in December.
The award is the first made to Allied Defense,which has long been trying to resurrect Mare Island’s closed dry docks.
The two Suisun Bay ships could be delivered to two of the former naval shipyard’s dry docks as early as next month. But the Mare Island Strait must be dredged first.
The Reporter, Vacaville, Calif., quotes Jay Anast, Allied Defense Recycling business operations director as saying that dredging will begin soon after the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission grants a project permit,
The Reporter says the company received its overall environmental permits in recent months. It also signed a lease with dock owners Lennar Mare Island in August, and was qualified to bid on ship recycling contracts at the end of September.
The Maritime Administration offered Allied Defense Recycling a “no-bid” contract, citing delays and funding issues in its partnership with a Bay Area ship-cleaning facility that prepares ships for dismantling outside the area, according to The Reporter.
“The Obama Administration is running full-speed ahead in its commitment to cleaning up the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These contracts will help the local economy while advancing our mission of maintaining the Fleet in a safe and environmentally-sound manner.”
In October 2009, the Obama Administration called for expedited cleanup of the fleet site and improved protection of the unique marine environment and surrounding bayside communities, setting a goal of removing 57 ships by September 30, 2017. Eleven ships were removed in the past year, surpassing the planned schedule of removing 10 ships in 2010.
“This is further evidence of our commitment to clean up Suisun Bay,” said Maritime Administrator David Matsuda. “The Mare Island recycling facility will bolster our efforts to remove obsolete ships and reduce environmental risks to the Bay.”
MARAD currently cleans the hulls of obsolete ships before towing them nearly 5,000 miles through the Panama Canal to recycling facilities on the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coasts. Using the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard site will enable the ships to be recycled while avoiding the lengthy tow to ship recyclers in other areas.
In the past MARAD has sent ships for disposal to recyclers as far away as the U.K. provoking protests and headlines about “ghost ships” and “toxic ships.”
November 10, 2010
Maersk revenues rebound
“We are ready to take more territory, especially in emerging markets,” he adds.
Maersk Group revenue for the nine month period ended September 30, 2010 increased by 17 percent to $41.4 billion, primarily as a result of higher container shipping freight rates and higher oil prices. The net result for the period was a profit of $4.2 billion compared with a loss of $0.7 billion in the same period last year
“The result is exceptional, and we are very satisfied,” says Group CEO Nils S. Andersen. ‘Markets have been favorable, but first of all, our businesses are in excellent shape. Especially our container business has improved and is ahead of competition on profitability. We have moved from defense to the attacking zone, and we are ready to take more territory, especially in emerging markets.”
Container shipping and related activities turned a profit of $2,254 million (against a loss of $1,590 million in the equivalent period last year). The result reflected an increase in average freight rates of 34 percent, an increase in transported volumes of 7 percent and substantial savings per unit.
APM Terminals’ segment result was $668 million ($340 million), helped by gains on sale of an ownership interest in Sigma Enterprises Ltd. The number of containers handled increased by 3 percent despite discontinued activities at six terminals. The remaining terminals had an 8 percent increase in volumes.
Oil and gas activities turned in $1,339 million ($958 million), primarily due to a 35 percent increase in oil prices to an average of $77 per barrel. The increase more than compensated for a 17 percent decline in the Group’s share of oil and gas production to 103 million barrels. The Group’s exploration costs were $346 million ($466 million). Exploration activities led to two new discoveries in Norway in the third quarter. Planned maintenance of platforms in the North Sea was completed in the third quarter.
Maersk Tankers’ segment result was a loss of $103 million in the first nine months of 2010 (same period loss last year was $193 million). Maersk Tankers incurred impairment losses of $107 million in the third quarter of 2010.
Maersk Drilling’s segment result increased to $300 million ($168 million), positively affected by delivery of new rigs and a continued high level of contract coverage at attractive rates.
Group] free cash flow increased by $6.3 billion in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period of 2009. Cash flow from operating activities was $7.4 billion ($4.1 billion), while cash flow used for capital expenditure was negative by $3.2 billion (negative by $6.3 billion). Net interest bearing debt was reduced by $4.4 billion to $13.7 billion.
Group competitiveness was enhanced by further cost reductions and activity adjustments with an expected full-year effect of between $500 million and $1 billion.
Outlook for the full year 2010
The group is now expecting a result for the full year in the order of $5 billion, excluding an expected gain from Dansk Supermarked A/S’ sale of Netto Foodstores Limited, UK. That transaction is not expected to be completed until the first half of 2011.
November 10, 2011