Successful applicants for grants being offered under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) will have an opportunity to trial their
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MARCH 30, 2017 — A new intermodal container terminal on the lower Mississippi River is being developed “from the ground up” that will accommodate both the largest Post-Panamax containerships and innovative new
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 — The first of the four Navigator Gas ethane/ethylene midsize vessels, Navigator Aurora, was delivered to Navigator Gas last month by China’s Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. With a length
“Orders are drying up. We are faced with an unimaginable situation at which our dock may soon be empty,” wrote Choi Kil Seon, Chairman of the world’s largest shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, in a letter to employees this past March. Complacency had set in during the boom years of the 2000’s, he said, despite strenuous efforts to compete with Chinese shipbuilders.
His stark warning has been echoed around shipbuilding halls across Asia. Chinese shipbuilding is undergoing massive retrenchment with the closure of many second-tier shipyards and massive state aid for those still in business. Meanwhile, Japanese shipyards fear a slump that could prove worse than the crash that followed the 2008 financial crisis. Shipyard executives fear the worst as current projects come to an end and have no pipeline of business to speak of.
About 5,000 miles away, workers in the high-tech Kleven Shipyard just outside Ulsteinvik on Norway’s west coast may or may not be aware that their counterparts in Asia are staring into the abyss. And they would certainly not recognize the term complacency in any aspect of shipyard operation.
A combination of effective marketing, chunky investment in automation and robotics, clever use of the country’s export credit arrangements, and close cooperation with Rolls-Royce ship designers who work just across the fjord, has enabled the family-owned shipyard to build up an order book now potentially worth more than $1.8 billion.
Early in July, the yard announced its latest contract for the construction of two—with an option for an additional two—ice-strengthened expedition ships designed by Rolls-Royce (rendering pictured at right) for Norway’s Hurdigruten. Hurdigruten operates a fleet of cargo and passenger vessels around the country’s 15,700-mile coast. The order, worth billions of Norwegian krone, is the largest in Hurdigruten’s history and is a major coup for the shipyard and Rolls-Royce which, in addition to vessel design, will supply about $15 million of equipment for each ship.
Together with the yard’s existing 16-ship order book, Kleven now has work for the rest of this decade. Ships under construction include six anchor handlers for Maersk Offshore, four high-tech stern trawlers of Rolls-Royce design for German, French and Spanish owners, the world’s most advanced cable layer with the highest DP3 position-keeping for ABB, two Rolls-Royce design live fish carriers, a deep-sea mining vessel for de Beers, and two luxury megayachts for a New Zealand entrepreneur. Talk about a diverse order book.
How has the yard been able to buck the global trend, particularly in one of the most expensive parts of the world? Certainly the Norwegian Export Credit Guarantee Agency has played an important role by making attractive financing terms available for foreign owners and vessels to be deployed overseas. But the yard’s management has spent almost $60 million on upgrading yard facilities over the past five years.
The robotic welding process, using lasers, continues to evolve, with a vision control system recently installed and developed by the University of Trondheim. The automated process allows welding rates of more than 300 feet per hour transforming manual rates of a typical eight feet per hour. “This is how we believe we can stay ahead of our competition and be competitive on price,” said a yard representative recently.
However, while the Kleven story may be exceptional—other yards in Norway’s usually bustling Sunmøre region are wrestling the challenge of an unprecedented offshore downturn—the design and shipbuilding innovation evident in northern Europe still facilitates construction of some of the world’s most sophisticated vessels.
In a radius of just a few miles from Kleven, there are several Vard yards, now owned by Fincantieri, the Havyard and across the fjord, next door to Rolls-Royce is Ulstein. Between them, these shipbuilders have completed some of the most sophisticated vessels ever built. They include the latest generation seismic survey ships, light well intervention vessels, offshore construction vessels and ultra-sophisticated cable layers.
Norway is not alone, however, in blazing a shipbuilding innovation trail. Finnish ship designers have unmatched expertise in ice-class design and construction, likely to be in heavy demand as warming seas enable navigation through the Northern Sea Route. Presumably with this in mind, Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation completed the acquisition of what is now called Arctech Helsinki Shipyards at the end of 2014.
Sited adjacent to the ice model test basin now known as Aker Arctic Technology Inc, the Helsinki shipyard has undergone various changes in ownership over the years, but has always focused primarily on ice-class design and construction. More than 500 ships have been built since it was established 151 years ago and more than 60% of the icebreakers now in operation around the world were built there.
The Helsinki yard has pioneered a range of ice-class innovations over the years, often with others. These include ‘double-acting’ vessels, which can break ice by bow or stern, azimuthing propulsion for ice operation, heeling and air-bubbling systems, shallow-draft icebreaker designs for inland waterways and coastal seas, and nuclear-powered icebreakers.
The shipyard continues to innovate. In 2014, the shipyard delivered the first “oblique icebreaker” to Russia’s Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport. The Baltika has an asymmetric hull and three azimuthing thrusters with a total installed power of 9 MW. She can break ice ahead, astern or sideways and can open up a 160-foot channel in two-foot thick ice.
The shipyard’s most recent delivery is the first dual-fuelled icebreaker to be powered by LNG and diesel. The Polaris, with a bollard pull of 200 tonnes, is powered by two 6.5 MW stern Azipods and one 6 MW unit, all supplied by power and automation company ABB. She is the Finnish Transportation Agency’s eighth icebreaker.
Polaris will be powered by Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel engines capable of operating on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low sulfur diesel fuel. Wärtsilä’s scope of supply consists of one 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF, two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF, and two 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF engine. Additionally, Wärtsilä secured a five years maintenance agreement for all engines and generators including spare parts, remote online support, CBM monitoring and training services.
The EURO 123 million ($136 million) vessel, classed by Lloyd’s Register, also has an emergency response and oil spill recovery capability and completed sea trials successfully in June. Her 800 m3 of LNG storage will provide an endurance of up to 30 days when operating in the Gulf of Bothnia.
Norway has led the way in the development of gas-powered ships and Rolls-Royce has been one of the pioneers. Designed by NSK Ship Design, the gas-powered cargo ship M/S Høydal features a Bergen gas engine, Promas combined rudder and propeller, and a hybrid shaft generator from Rolls-Royce. The ship was built at Tersan Shipyard in Turkey and delivered to NSK Shipping. The DNV GL class Høydal transport fish feed manufactured by BioMar to the numerous salmon and trout farms of northern Norway.
Boaty McBoatface lives on
Rolls-Royce engineers are also designing the 128m polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, which will be built at Cammell Laird’s site in Birkenhead on Merseyside, England. As you might recall, the project drew worldwide attention and almost blew up the internet when the public overwhelmingly chose the name “Boaty McBoatface” for the £200 million vessel during a “Name Our Ship” campaign held by Britain’s Natural Environmental Research Council. The council saved face—pun somewhat intended—by choosing the fourth most popular name submitted, “Sir David Attenborough,” after the famous British naturalist.
NERC says a remotely operated vehicle used by the Sir David Attenborough in its research will be named Boaty McBoatface instead.
The project is the biggest commercial shipbuilding contract in Britain and one of the biggest for more than a generation. When delivered in 2019, the Sir David Attenborough will carry out oceanographic and other scientific work in both the Antarctic and Arctic as well as transporting supplies to Antarctic research stations.
The research vessel will be Polar Code 4 ice class, with an endurance for voyages up to 19,000 nautical miles, space for a total of 90 people and a large cargo capacity. The vessel is also designed to generate very low levels of underwater radiated noise and minimize the risk of pollution. Onboard laboratories will allow the prompt analysis of samples.
As part of its £30 million contract, Rolls-Royce will supply the diesel electric propulsion system which will include new Bergen B33:45 engines, two nine-cylinder and two six-cylinder engines, and two 4.5m diameter Rolls-Royce Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP). The powerful, efficient and compact engines and strong propellers will be able to push the vessel through approximately one meter thick level ice with extremely low underwater radiated noise, avoiding interference with survey equipment or disturbing marine mammals and fish shoals.
According to Jørn Heltne, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President for Sales in Ship Design & Systems, Rolls-Royce will also deliver automation and control systems, including its Dynamic Positioning system and Unified Bridge.
Also, Rolls-Royce deck handling systems will support a wide range of tasks, such as towing scientific equipment for subsea acoustic survey equipment using up to 12,000m of wire, or deploying equipment over the side or through a moonpool to collect seawater and seabed samples at depths of up to 9,000m.
OEMs capitalize on new era of ‘smart shipping’
Rapid advances in satcom technology is finally enabling shipping to go digital and make the most of ship-shore connections. While a handful of companies have wired up their ships over the last few years—notably the world’s largest container line, Maersk, high-throughput broadband now facilitates 24/7 connectivity and introduces a new era of remote monitoring, diagnostics, predictive maintenance and shore-side support.
Other transport modes have been using these technologies for some time, but satellite coverage across the world’s oceans has remained a challenge. Many thousands of unconnected ships still provide manually prepared noon reports for managers ashore, an asset monitoring procedure which some from outside shipping can scarcely believe.
Rolls-Royce, through its TotalCare service, has been monitoring the performance of thousands of jet engines for years. Instead of signing service agreements and charging customers for call-outs, spare parts and attendance at unexpected breakdowns, the company’s “power-by-the-hour” concept is aimed at keeping planes in the air and avoiding any downtime.
Earlier this year, London-listed Inmarsat launched Fleet Xpress, a high-throughput broadband service available through its Global Xpress network on its latest satellite constellation. As well as enabling a completely new range of ship-shore connections including internet, email, social media and video conferencing, third party app providers can procure bandwidth on Fleet Xpress to provide their own “smart” services (see accompanying feature, “Fleet Xpress brings ‘smart’ ship tipping point,” for more details).
Systems similar to the Rolls-Royce TotalCare service are now being introduced in shipping. Wärtsilä recently paid EURO 43 million ($47.5 million) for Finnish energy management and analytics firm Eniram which has sensor and analytics equipment installed on about 270 vessels and a turnover of EURO 10 million ($11 million) in 2015. The Helsinki-based firm has established a sound track record in raising vessel efficiency by optimizing trim, engine load and speed, thereby saving fuel and cutting emissions.
The acquisition will strengthen the company’s recently launched Wärtsilä Genius service in which key components are monitored in real time, exceptions noted, and maintenance procedures optimized. A virtual service engineer will also be available as part of the service and the company plans to make more details available at this year’s SMM in September.
Competitor ABB is preparing to open its fourth “Integrated Operations Center” in the United States later this year, probably in Houston. The company has already opened a facility for its offshore clients in Billingstad, Norway, and two similar centers for shipping customers in Helsinki and Singapore.
A fifth center is also likely to be set up in China. By mid-year, ABB had established real-time connections between the centers and clients’ ships, enabling ABB personnel to track performance and provide shore-side support if necessary. Meanwhile Rolls-Royce Marine is also in the process of setting up connections to monitor its equipment in operation at sea.
Following a successful remote monitoring pilot project, Radio Holland recently struck a deal with China Navigation Company for the maintenance of its navcom equipment onboard the owner’s newbuild, multipurpose vessels and bulk carriers.
“The maintenance agreement with Radio Holland has been designed to dovetail with the end of the warranty period for our newbuildings,” says Martin Cresswell, Fleet Director, China Navigation Co. Pte., “and is a continuation of the excellent cooperation that we have built over the last few years. The agreement incorporates remote monitoring, which we believe will significantly reduce out of service periods, increasing operational safety.”
MAN Diesel’s largest two-stroke engine yet
Just this past June, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) acquired Wärtsilä’s 30% shareholding in Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD). WinGD, Winterthur, Switzerland, will continue as an independent, international company to develop and innovate its two-stroke low-speed marine engine portfolio serving all merchant markets and customers worldwide.
WinGD was one of the earliest exponents of diesel technology. It started the development of large internal combustion engines in 1898 under the “Sulzer” name.
“With the transfer of the shares in WinGD from Wärtsilä Cooperation to CSSC, we will be able to establish even closer cooperation with one of the leading global shipbuilding conglomerate CSSC enabling us to accelerate the development of reliable, efficient and innovative two-stroke low-speed engines meeting the market demands of merchant shipping of the future. WinGD will continue to work with the Wärtsilä Corporation Service Network to serve our customers for after-sales support,” says Martin Wernli, CEO of WinGD.
In other news in the two-stroke diesels, this past May, the 19,437-TEU MSC Jade was delivered by Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) with what is the largest and most powerful engine yet from MAN Diesel & Turbo. Built by Doosan Engine in Korea under license from MAN Diesel & Turbo, the MAN B&W 11G95ME-C9.5 two-stroke engine is rated at an impressive 75,570 kW (103,000 hp).
The G95 is a popular choice in the large containerships (9,000 to 21,000 TEU), with 68 sold in the segment since August 2013.
“We attribute the G95’s popularity in this segment to its ability to provide sufficient power for such vessels to reliably achieve their desired operating speed,” says Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President Low-Speed Sales and Promotions, MAN Diesel & Turbo. “Here, the G95’s rpm ensures that a propeller of optimal size can be employed, in turn delivering a low fuel-oil consumption for an optimal fuel economy.
Japan’s Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, another MAN Diesel licensee, completed the world’s first ME-GIE ethane-operated two-stroke diesel engine. The Mitsui-MAN B&W 7G50ME-C9.5-GIE will be installed in the first of three 36,000 m3 liquefied ethane gas carriers being built by Sinopacific Offshore Engineering in China.
MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that ethane was chosen as fuel over HFO because of its competitive pricing as well as the significantly shorter bunkering time it entails. As a fuel, its emissions profile is also better than HFO, as it contains a small amount of sulphur, 15-20 lower CO2 and emits signficantly fewer particles during combustion. The ME-GI engine can also easily be converted to run on methane, if the operator desires.
JUNE 8, 2016 — The U.S. marine industry is condemning a measure proposed by Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) that would exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act – which requires waterborne cargo
FEBRUARY 29, 2016—As we reported on February 25, the 160,000 m3 Asia Vision left Sabine Pass in Texas loaded with U.S.-produced LNG destined for Petrobras in Brazil. Craig Jallal, Senior Data Editor,
Last year, General Dynamics NASSCO earned the bragging rights for building and delivering the world’s first LNG-fueled containership, the Isla Bella, to Jones Act operator TOTE Maritime. The San Diego shipbuilder capped off that technological achievement last month by delivering the 764 ft Perla del Caribe, sister ship to the Isla Bella, two months early.
The two ships were built under a contract signed by TOTE in December 2012. The investment by TOTE in the two ships was $375 million.
TOTE President and CEO Anthony Chiarello, says that the “Isla Bella is already serving the people and communities of Puerto Rico and we are excited to introduce the Perla Del Caribe into the trade next month.”
GD NASSCO designed the ships in partnership with DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), located in Busan, South Korea.
The design is based on proven containership-design standards and includes DSME’s patented LNG fuel-gas system and a MAN ME-GI dual fuel, slow-speed engine. The 8L70ME-GI engine was built by Korea’s Doosan Engine under license from MAN Diesel & Turbo.
Burning LNG will allow the Marlin Class ships to be fully compliant with strict emissions regulations while operating in both the North American Emissions Control Area and the U.S. Caribbean ECA.
The Isla Bella made its first trip from Jacksonville, FL, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 24.
On January 9, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico successfully loaded LNG bunkers aboard the world’s first LNG powered containership, MV Isla Bella. Approximately 100,000 LNG gallons transported by 12 TOTE-owned LNG ISO containers were loaded on schedule. The bunkering was conducted under strict U.S. Coast Guard oversight while Isla Bella was also undergoing cargo operations.
The LNG was transferred from the ISO tank containers using a specially developed transfer skid developed by TOTE’s partner Applied Cryogenics Technologies (ACT) of Houston, TX. The transfer skid is designed to allow four ISO tanks to be transferred to Isla Bella at once, dramatically reducing transfer time.
The LNG was sourced by TOTE’s partner, JAX LNG, LLC, from AGL Resources’ LNG production facility in Macon, GA. Genox Transportation, a specialized LNG trucking partner of TOTE, transported the fuel to Jacksonville. Pivotal LNG, a subsidiary of AGL Resources, also provided transfer expertise to TOTE Maritime with its highly trained LNG experts, ensured the operation was conducted safely and in accordance with best industry practices.
Oversight of the operation both at shipside and on shore was provided by TOTE Services, Inc. (TSI), TOTE Maritime’s sister company that manages the vessels.
“We are very pleased with the results of this initial LNG bunker event and know that the use of LNG in our Marlin Class vessels will provide unprecedented environmental benefits both here in Jacksonville and in Puerto Rico,” says Tim Nolan, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico. “We are indebted to USCG Sector Jacksonville for their diligent oversight and assistance that was invaluable and helped make this event a success. Our partners ACT, Pivotal LNG and Genox were also major components of our success. Our sister company, TSI, has developed significant expertise in LNG as a Maritime fuel and ensures that our vessels operate safely and efficiently using this environmentally superior fuel.”
Applied CryoTechnologies, Inc. (ACT) is the premier equipment supplier for cryogenics in North America. ACT is proud to be the first to market with this type of bunkering equipment for the marine industry. Leveraging ACT’s innovative style and unrivaled experience in LNG equipment is sure to bring success to any LNG fueling project.
Pivotal LNG brings liquefied natural gas to companies and industries throughout the United States through reliable, flexible and cost-effective solutions.
TOTE Maritime provides safe, reliable transportation at the fastest speed possible for the Puerto Rican and related Caribbean trades.
Meanwhile, Crowley Puerto Rico Services, Inc., Jacksonville, has selected Eagle LNG Partners as LNG supplier for the company’s new LNG-powered, Commitment Class ships, which will be delivered in 2017 for use in the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico trade. To support Crowley’s LNG needs, Eagle LNG will build an LNG plant offering a capacity of 200,000 gallons per day (87,000 gallons per day initially) in Jacksonville. The state-of-the-art facility is slated to be operational by early 2017. The decision to partner with Eagle LNG was made by Crowley in part because of the companies’ shared commitment to the environment.
“Crowley is proud to take a leadership position in the industry’s shift to cleaner-burning, natural gas fuel solutions,” said Crowley’s John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. “The partnership with Eagle LNG is an important first step in developing sustainable supply infrastructure to ensure these highly technical, environmentally friendly vessels operate to their full capability.”
“The marine sector represents a significant opportunity for LNG fueling in the U.S., and Eagle LNG is well-positioned to build the necessary infrastructure and provide the specialized logistics to facilitate this energy transformation,” said Dick Brown, CEO, Eagle LNG. “It takes companies like Crowley to lead that wave of change. Eagle LNG is proud to work with such a pioneering organization.”
“This project is an important investment in our community from both economic and environmental perspectives,” said Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. “It clearly demonstrates the leadership role our region is playing in LNG development and progression, while strengthening our commitment to leaving a smaller footprint through cleaner-burning fuel.”
The supply agreement between Eagle LNG and Crowley will provide LNG fuel for the El Conqui and Taino, which are expected to be in service in the second quarter and fourth quarter of 2017 respectively. The Jones Act ships will replace Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously and with distinction since the early 1970s. These new ships, will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company’s diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility – benefits customers have enjoyed for nearly 60 years. The LNG plant is separate from the previously announced Eagle LNG Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) export terminal located along the St. Johns River, in Jacksonville, which will continue to focus on export markets in the Caribbean and Atlantic Basin.
DUAL FUEL BULKERS BUILT TO NEW DNV GL CLASS
ESL Shipping’s new dual-fuelled bulk carriers will not only be the first large LNG-fuelled bulkers, but the first vessels constructed to the new DNV GL rule set. Due for delivery in early 2018, the two highly efficient 25,600 dwt vessels are optimized for trading in the Baltic Sea region.
“It is fitting that the first vessels that will be constructed to the most forward looking set of classification rules are themselves at the cutting edge of maritime innovation,” says Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime. “We have created these rules to be ready for the future and we have long pioneered the use of LNG as a ship fuel. To see these two come together in a double first for the industry is a remarkable moment. We look forward to working with ESL, Deltamarin, Sinotrans & CSC Qingshan Shipyard and all the project partners to make this project a success.”
“We are proud to be the world’s first shipyard applying the new and innovative DNV GL rules for a newbuilding, just two months after DNV GL has launched its new rules in October this year,” said Liu Guangyao, Deputy General Manager of Sinotrans & CSC at the Marintec China Trade Fair recently. “We appreciate the support that DNV GL has committed to provide on the project during both the design and construction phase, especially in a project with many advanced extra class notations. We are looking forward to a close cooperation and a successful delivery.”
Featuring the Deltamarin B.Delta26LNG design, the two highly efficient ships will feature dual-fuel main and auxiliary machinery, resulting in CO2 emissions per ton of cargo transported half that of present vessels. The bulk carriers will be built to the new DNV GL rules for general dry cargo ships with DNV GL ice class 1A and will have type C LNG tanks of approximately 400 m3 capacity enabling bunkering at several terminals within the Baltic region. The B.Delta26LNG has a shallow draft of maximum 10 m, an overall length of 160 m, and a breadth of 26 m.
“We are very excited to have been selected to take part in this ground breaking project,” says Morten Løvstad, Business Director Bulk Carriers at DNV GL. “Being asked to work with such an innovative team as the classification partner is a testament to the creativity and hard work that so many colleagues at DNV GL have invested in the new rule set. These vessels will set new standards for efficiency and environmental performance. They are an important step forward in showing how shipping can be a force for sustainability today and in the future.”
FIRST PURE LNG FERRY FOR GERMANY
Germany’s first LNG-fueled ferry, the MS Ostfriesland, has now been operating for AG Ems between Emden and Borkum Island on the ecologically sensitive Wadden Sea, since June 2015.
Originally built in 1985, the vessel was converted to dual fuel propulsion in a conversion that saw it fitted with a complete new aft end, construction of which got underway at German shipyard Brenn – und Verformungstechnik Bremen GmbH while the ship remained in service.
The new aft section, which extended the vessel’s length from 78.7 m to 93 m, houses the new machinery space and LNG fuel system/tank with the vessel now being propelled by two electrically powered Schottel STP Twin thrusters, each rated at 1,150 kW at 1,480 rpm.
While the prime movers are two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel generating sets, for navigating within harbors, the vessel uses two Mitsubishi auxiliary generators.
Switching to LNG fuel means providing against various unlikely malfunctions, such as an ignition failure resulting in an unburned mixture of gas and air in the exhaust. This could cause uncontrolled combustion and an increase in pressure the next time ignition takes place, putting a substantial strain on the pipe components.
To protect against this, the Mitsubishi auxiliary generators are protected by a Q-Rohr flameless venting system by German manufacturer Rembe GmbH that ensures that the reaction is vented directly at the exhaust.
Both the flame and the pressure are absorbed by the stainless steel mesh filter of the Q-Rohr, providing optimum protection for the pipe components and the environment.
JANUARY 28, 2016 – The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the domestic maritime industry, has released a statement pointing to “the sheer number of factual errors” in a recently published
DECEMBER 31, 2015—As the world rings in the New Year—whether it is by cramming into Times Square to watch the nearly 6-ton Waterford crystal ball drop or soaking up the spectacular fireworks
