October 13, 2015 — Liberian Registry, EfficientShip Finance launch Eco-Upgrade Financing Initiative (Extended coverage from Marine Log’s October 2015 issue). To remain competitive with the new generation of Eco-ships, ship owners of
A new multigas carrier design uses the successful B. Delta bulk carrier hull from Finland’s Deltamarin to carry gas in new-generation cylindrical gas tanks developed by Vard affiliate Brevik Technology AS.
The design can be utilized for LNG, LPG, LEG and ethane carriers.
“Up to now gas carriers have been complex and expensive to design and construct. This is not the case anymore as Brevik Technology has developed cylindrical steel tanks, which are separate from the vessel hull,” says Brevik Technology’s Managing Director Øystein Kristoffersen Sæther.
Brevik Technology’s independent gas carrying method challenges the traditional and expensive way of building the vessel and the tanks as one entity. The patented containment design has already been approved by classification societies.
The cylindrical tank design allows the tanks to expand in all directions without putting stress on the vessel hull. The independent containment system, which can be built into a vessel as is, results in better possibilities to utilize the existing well-proven ship design.
“This is where the shipowner can get significant benefits by choosing a readily available and highly efficient B.Delta hull design already proven in operation”, says Deltamarin’s Managing Director Mika Laurilehto.
The design based on the B.Delta is actually a bulk carrier design equipped with cylindrical tanks for the gas cargo.
“As a bulk carrier, the vessel is easier and cheaper to build compared to a traditional gas carrier, and there may be many new potential shipyards capable of constructing such a vessel,” says Mr. Laurilehto.
The new design is now available for the market for smaller-scale gas carriers of 31,000 cu.m, with similar designs for medium- and larger-scale vessels to follow.
The design will also be available for retrofit vessels, such as the conversion of a bulk carrier to gas carrier.
OCTOBER 9, 2015—This past September, Wärtsilä signed an order to supply its new medium-speed Wärtsilä 31 engine for a new generation icebreaker currently under construction at the PJSC Vyborg Shipyard in Russia.
Construction on the two Jones Act vessels officially began in the shipyard’s fabrication shop when guest of honor Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack pushed the button on the shipyard’s plasma cutting machine. The first steel plates that were cut will later become part of the engine room.
At the ceremony, the shipbuilder’s President and CEOI, Steinar Nerbovik, said: “With construction underway on these two product tankers, we celebrate the capstone of an exciting eight tanker series that is part of Philadelphia’s contribution to the energy landscape of this country. The 1,100 men and women working at the shipyard will be busy for years to come completing these tankers and the other vessels we have under contract.”
“We are very pleased to be working with the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard on the construction of four, LNG-conversion-ready tankers, and the start of construction of these two vessels marks a milestone for our expanding fleet,” said Robert Kurz, Vice President of Kinder Morgan Terminals and President of APT. “There continues to be a strong demand for domestic marine transportation of petroleum products and crude oil, and these tankers will provide Kinder Morgan with additional new tonnage to better service our customers.”
The next generation 50,000 dwt product tanker is based on a proven Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) design that incorporates numerous fuel efficiency features, flexible cargo capability, and the latest regulatory requirements. When completed, each of the 600-foot tankers will have a carrying capacity of 14.5 million gallons to transport crude oil or refined products.
Also under construction at the shipyard are three 50,000 dwt product tankers for Crowley with planned deliveries through 2016, the first two 50,000 dwt tankers for APT with planned deliveries in 2016 and 2017, and two containerships for Matson Navigation Company, Inc. with planned deliveries in 2018.
The engine is the first of two 8S70ME-C8.2-GI units for delivery to VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, MS, for installation in the two 2,400 TEU ConRo ships it is building for Crowley Maritime Corporation.
The vessels will be two of the world’s first LNG-powered ConRo ships, with container Lift-on/Lift-off (LO/LO) and vehicle Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) loading. Designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots, they will be 219.5 m long, 32.3 m wide and have a deep draft of 10 m. In addition to carrying 2,400 TEU of containers they will be able to carry nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Roll-on/Roll-off garage.
Crowley ordered the ME-GI engines, along with three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines for each vessel, in early-2014. The company selected the high-pressure, Diesel-cycle ME-GI engines because of their high efficiency and power concentration. The ME-GI’s ability to avoid derating, and its negligible methane slip, also contributed to its selection.
Crowley reports that the newbuildings will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions attributable to each container by approximately 38%.
The ships will meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and will have the CLEAN notation, which requires limitation of operational emissions and discharges, as well as the Green Passport, both issued by DNV GL.
The ME-GI engine
The ME-GI engine is the culmination of many years’ work, and gives shipowners and operators the option of utilizing fuel or gas depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations.
The ME-GI uses high-pressure gas injection that allows it to maintain the numerous positive 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 multiple de-ratings, fuel-quality adjustments or large methane-slip issues that have been seen with other dual-fuel solutions.
MAN Diesel & Turbo sees significant opportunities ahead 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. Its negligible methane slip makes it even more environmentally friendly
An ME-LGI counterpart that uses LPG, methanol and other liquid gases is also available, and has already been ordered.
Factory Acceptance Test attendees pictured in front of the ME-GI engine at MES’s Tamano Works
In 2013, Matson subsidiary Matson Navigation Company, Inc. signed a contract with Aker Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. (APSI) to build the two new ships for a price of $418 million for the pair (see earlier story). Since signing the contracts, engineering, planning and procurement work have been underway.
The shipbuilder is expected to deliver the ships in the third and fourth quarters of 2018.
The 850-foot long, 3,600 TEU vessels will be Matson’s largest ships and the largest Jones Act containerships ever constructed. Despite their size, they are designed to accommodate future needs by being able to navigate safely into some of Hawaii’s smaller ports.
They will also be faster, designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots, helping ensure timely delivery of goods in Hawaii.
The new vessels will incorporate a number of “green ship technology” features including a more fuel efficient hull design, dual fuel engines that can be adapted to use liquefied natural gas (LNG), environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks and fresh water ballast systems.
“These new ships are the future for Hawaii shipping and will bring a new level of efficiency and effectiveness to our service,” said Matt Cox, president and CEO, Matson. “The substantial investment in new technology underscores Matson’s long-term commitment to Hawaii and our desire to serve the islands in the best, most environmentally friendly way into the future.”
The first ships to be delivered by Aker Philadelphia were four Jones Act containerships for Matson delivered between 2003 and 2006.
“We are excited to partner with Matson again and return to our construction roots building containerships,” said Aker Philadelphia President and CEO Steinar Nerbovik. “It’s an exciting time to be a shipbuilder as we embark on simultaneously building containerships and product tankers, fulfilling our commitments to customers and shareholders.”
TGE Marine is a leading provider of engineering services for the design and supply of gas carriers, fuel gas systems and offshore units. Its deliver turnkey solutions for engineering, design, procurement and construction supervision (EPCS) of marine gas handling and storage systems as well as vessel designs. It specalizes in the containment and handling of cryogenically stored gases and is a market leader in the ethylene carrier and small LNG carrier segment.
It is a pioneer in LNG fuel gas systems and LNG bunkering. Most of its customers are commercial shipyards that build gas carriers.
MES says that with the demand for small-to-medium sized carriers for LNG, ethane and ethylene gas, and LPG expected to increase it is currently engaged in the development and sale of medium sized multi-gas carriers. And with the increasing focus on environmentally friendly marine fuel, it has been engaging in the development and sale of electronically-controlled dual fuel gas injection diesel engines (ME-GI) and high-pressure compressors for fuel gas supply systems that can use not just heavy oil, but also natural gas as fuel.
The technology and the engineering and construction knowhow and strong customer bases at both MES and TGE are expected to be highly compatible with each other and, by bringing all of this together, MES believes the two companies will be able to establish an excellent market position in the global small-to-medium sized gas carrier market and offer high value-added solutions to their customers. Furthermore, MES offering its core gas fuel products, such as engines and high-pressure compressors, is expected to produce significant synergies with TGE’s fuel gas supply system.
The agreement duration is from three to five years.
Wärtsilä says that demand for predictive analytics and advisory services is increasing. By analyzing the data collected from GasLog’s vessels, Wärtsilä is able to provide valuable information regarding the condition of the equipment, enabling GasLog to optimize maintenance and asset performance.
Utilization of the data collected via satellite allows GasLog to maximise intervals between maintenance periods, streamline logistics for spare part deliveries and ensure that main generating engines are operating optimally, lowering operating costs and minimizing fuel consumption. This will help GasLog in ensure minimal emissions, lowering the environmental impact of its ships.
The services covered by the agreement include proactive condition based maintenance, maintenance management services, performance monitoring and remote online support that enhances the safe and reliable operation of GasLog’s vessels. Workshop services for all 28 Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines in the GasLog fleet are also part of the packagel.
“We have been extremely pleased with Wärtsilä’s cooperation and are happy to expand the agreement to cover these LNG vessels,” says GasLog fleet manager Miltos Zisis. “We are certain that both GasLog and our customers can benefit from optimized availability, increased lifecycle efficiency and in turn, reduced operating costs. We believe that Wärtsilä’s technology, global presence and local support will help us to achieve these efficiencies and will ensure that we can continue to meet our aim of first class customer-service in the chartering of GasLog Vessels.”
“We are proud to deepen our cooperation with GasLog even further. By working closely together we can fully utilize the benefits that increased online services will bring to the optimization of marine maintenance services. For example, with remote online support, the crew can keep the operational performance of the engines at optimal levels, thus increasing the efficiency of these vessels, no matter where in the world they are operating,” says Yiannis Christopoulos, Wärtsilä’s Service Unit Director, Greece and Cyprus
The semi-submersible is the central processing facility (CPF) for the Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG Project offshore Western Australia,
The 150 m x 110 m central processing facility (CPF) processes the product received via flexible risers from production wells, separating it into gas and condensate.
A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility receives the condensate which it stores and offloads onto tankers for shipping and export.
The gas is delivered via pipeline to an onshore gas liquefaction plant that extracts condensate and LPG then cools and liquefies the remaining gas.
Inpex President Director Australia Seiya Ito called the successful launch of the CPF one of the project’s most significant achievements.
“To see this enormous facility in the water is a testament to those who have worked for years to make it a reality,” Mr. Ito said. “This milestone is a clear demonstration that the Ichthys LNG Project is making good progress and that we are working in an excellent spirit of cooperation with our Korean contractors.”
“The operation was completed within two days in the safest conditions,” said Managing Director Ichthys LNG Project Louis Bon. “The CPF is now berthed quayside at the shipyard where work is continuing to lift and install the living quarters and integrate and commission all equipment in preparation for the CPF’s sail away. All teams are working together in a very efficient manner to achieve our next targets.”
Once completed, the CPF will be towed 5,600 kilometers to the Ichthys Field in the Browse Basin, where it will be permanently moored for the life of the Project – more than 40 years.
Time lapse video of CPF under construction
ICS, whose membership comprises national shipowners’ associations from 37 countries representing more than 80% of the world merchant fleet, has some key messages for government negotiators on the progress shipping is making to reduce its carbon footprint.
According to ICS, the global industry is already delivering carbon neutral growth having reduced total CO2 emissions by more than 10% since 2007, despite an increase in maritime trade.
CO2 emissions from international shipping now represent just 2.2% of the world’s total CO2 emissions compared to 2.8% in 2007 (UN IMO Green House Gas Study, 2014).
“These are genuine reductions through fuel efficiency, without the need for complex virtual measures such as carbon offsets,” said ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe. “With bigger ships, better engines and smarter speed management, the industry is confident of a 50% CO2 reduction by 2050 when the entire world fleet will comprise super fuel-efficient ships, many using clean fuels such as LNG.”
But in the run-up to the Paris Conference, the shipping industry recognizes that governments expect more.
IMO has already set a mandatory target whereby all ships built from 2025 (including those in developing nations) must be 30% more efficient than ships built in the 2000s. This applies to over 95% of the world merchant fleet, under new regulations that came into force worldwide in 2013.
ICS says that IMO is the only place that can ensure that the entire world fleet will continue to deliver further CO2 reductions, regardless of a ship’s flag, while respecting the United Nations Framework – Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principle of “Common But Differentiated Responsibility.”
ICS stresses that the 10% CO2 reduction achieved since 2007 is across the shipping sector globally, not just ships registered in richer countries which are the only nations required to make commitments for land-based CO2 reductions under the current Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
“The entire world fleet is about 20% more efficient than in 2005. With the support of the shipping industry, IMO has already achieved a great deal and is the only forum that can deliver further significant CO2 reductions from international shipping,” said Peter Hinchliffe.
A new ICS fact sheet “Delivering CO2 Emission Reductions: Shipping is Part of the Solution” can be downloaded HERE
