FEBRUARY 8, 2018 — Wärtsilä Corporation subsidiary Eniram has launched Eniram SkyLight 3.0 for fleet performance monitoring. Eniram says SkyLight 3.0 is a significant update to its subscription-based fleet performance monitoring service.
FEBRUARY 6, 2018 — Helsinki, Finland, headquartered software specialist NAPA reports that South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has selected 3D model-based NAPA Steel software to streamline its design processes.
JANUARY 25, 2018 — ERP software solution provider BASS, Lysaker, Norway, reports that it has implemented six modules from its BASSnet Fleet Management System in Jadestone Energy (Australia) Pty Ltd’s (Jadestone) office
JANUARY 11, 2018 — Classification society ABS has announced a major release of its Nautical Systems (NS) Enterprise fleet management software that includes NS Insight, a new business intelligence module. The NS
JUNE 14, 2017 — Issa Odeh, CEO of New York based iMarine Software reports that Gregg McNelis, former CEO and President of TBS Ocean Logistics, a dry bulk shipowner and pool operator,
MAY 18, 2017 — ABB has added a certified MRV module to its decision software suite. It will enable customers to monitor vessel emissions in accordance EU Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV)
FEBRUARY 9, 2017—ClassNK has just released the latest version of its design support software PrimeShip-HULL (HCSR) Ver.4.0.0, developed in response to the IACS Common Structural Rules for Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers
POSSE, the naval version of the HECSALV naval architecture software package from Herbert-ABS Software Solutions LLC, is being used by the UK MoD Salvage & Marine Operations Team for Heavy Lift to monitor these complex heavy lift operations and ensure the blocks arrive safely at the assembly yard. MoD and the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage have supported the development of new POSSE tools for drydocking and heavy lift analysis for a number of years, and the new features have proven their value on these complex block movements around the UK.
Lower Block 04 (LB04), a large aft block weighing 11,200 tonnes and measuring 86m x 38m x 23m, was rolled onto a barge in Govan, Glasgow using 498 SPMT (Self Propelled Modular Transporter) axles. A detailed POSSE model that included both the barge and the roll-on loads was used to evaluate the heavy lift plan and to monitor the on board operation every step of the way. This lift was in a tidal zone, so the timing of ballast operations, roll-on, and the tide were critical. MoD needed a tool to evaluate the lift if the planned timing could not be maintained because of tide prediction errors, SPMT problems, pump failures, and other unforeseen issues. As axles of the SPMTs came aboard during a rising tide the team quickly evaluated the current state of the operation by entering the current ballast, roll-on position, and observed drafts into the POSSE system to make sure the operation was on schedule and working within a safe zone. The MoD team also used POSSE’s recent time sequence tool enhancements to quickly look ahead to make sure the operation would be safe until completion.
The barge with the block fastened securely was then towed to the float-off site near the Rosyth assembly yard. The barge had to ballast down, ground the stern for stability, and fully submerge its deck to a draft deep enough to float the large block off. Stability becomes very critical in these operations as the heavy lift barge’s main deck submerges and the barge loses waterplane area. POSSE was used once again by the MoD team to evaluate and monitor the operation. The float off procedure was analyzed using POSSE’s new 2-body heavy lift tools using a model that included detailed LB04 geometry, detailed barge geometry, and a simplified model of the support blocks and the ground. The pumping sequences to ground the barge were pre-modeled, and the on-site team was able to rapidly rerun the sequence during all stages of the operation to evaluate any last minute changes to the plan and react to unforeseen problems.
Herbert-ABS sets the standard for leading edge stability, load management and emergency response software solutions for the marine and offshore industries. A joint venture between Herbert Engineering Corporation and the American Bureau of Shipping, Herbert-ABS supplies marine and offshore software products that include LMP-Offshore (offshore load management), CargoMax (shipboard trim, stability and loading) and HECSALV (salvage engineering and design). Herbert-ABS is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Glasgow, Shanghai, Singapore and Busan.
To mitigate the shipping industry’s contraction, Spanish engineering firm GHENOVA Ingeniería, Seville, Spain, has seized opportunities in the high-growth markets of Latin America. A key project enabling them to establish a strong foothold is the design of a fleet of LPG tankers for Transpetro, using AVEVA Marine.
According to Ignacio Grau, GHENOVA’s Head of Marketing and Communication, the naval sector has been GHENOVA’s core market since the company’s founding. However, several projects signed in Brazil, both for naval engineering and energy, are now expanding the company’s client base. As a Spanish company, GHENOVA has a head start.
“For us, expansion into Latin America was a natural choice,” says Julián Fontela, GHENOVA’s Manager of Business Development. “We have fewer linguistic or cultural barriers to entry than equivalent North American or other Anglophone companies.”
The depressed shipping market following the slump in 2008 especially impacted GHENOVA’s customer base in Europe and in the naval sector; the company recognized the need to pursue new opportunities in high-growth markets. “Our main office in Latin America is in Brazil, and from there we are orchestrating our expansion into the rest of Latin America,” explains Julián. “Projects executed from the Brazilian office are of strategic importance for us, because each one demonstrates both the high quality of our work and our long-term commitment to our customers in the region as a whole. This strategy really represents a key ingredient for the growth of the company.”
Adds Ignacio, “The focus on both Europe and Latin America has meant intensified activities and a resulting notable staff increment, which are cornerstones of a longer-term growth strategy: we want to reach EURO 50 million in annual revenue and significantly increase our workforce by 2018.”
LPG tanker engineering
In September 2011, a year after GHENOVA first entered Brazil, success came with the signing of a EURO 7 million contract with the STX Promar shipyard (now Vard, part of the Fincantieri group) to carry out the engineering of eight LPG tankers for Transpetro. A subsidiary of Petrobras, Transpetro is Brazil’s largest oil & gas distribution company. It stores and transports oil, ethanol, biofuels and natural gas, and has a network of more than 11,000 kilometers (7,000 miles) of pipelines.
“Our Brazil office is very strong on the marine side and the LPG project is a great reference case,” says Julián. “It clearly demonstrates our capabilities to neighboring countries who are also important oil & gas players on the global stage. We hope that this project will be a springboard for GHENOVA to foster relationships with other oil & gas producers in the region.”
The project consists of the detailed engineering and purchasing support for the prototypes of three LPG carrier designs. A design for four vessels with a pressurized capacity of 7,000 m3 has already been delivered. The first three are already in fabrication. The first vessel in the series has been christened Oscar Niemeyer and will be delivered in December 2014. A further vessel design for two LPGs with a smaller pressurized capacity of 4,000m3 is also complete; at the time of writing, both vessels are being constructed and will be delivered soon. GHENOVA is now working on a design for two semi-pressurized vessels that will each have a capacity of 12,000 m3. GHENOVA is responsible for all the detailed engineering of the structures, piping, equipment and outfitting, the electrical, instrumentation and electronics systems, and HVAC and accommodation. The Brazilian team are using AVEVA Hull, AVEVA Outfitting, and AVEVA Cable Design, collaborating with their colleagues at the Spanish headquarters with the help of AVEVA Global.
The business opportunity
This high-profile project provided an excellent opportunity for GHENOVA to establish a reputation with Petrobras. A link to Petrobras is an endorsement of GHENOVA’s capabilities and sends a strong message to other organizations in the region. Furthermore, GHENOVA has established a connection with this Brazilian oil & gas giant at a crucial time in Petrobras’s history. The offshore Santos Basin discovery means that Petrobras will invest in fleet expansion and renewal to support its future increase in E&P activities and, as a result, there will be opportunities for further projects.
Another key factor that will push forward growth in this market is the Certificado de Registro e Classificação Cadastral (CRCC) certificate, which is awarded by Petrobras to companies that meet all the requirements to become an approved services provider. The CRCC specifically certifies GHENOVA’s ability to carry out comprehensive shipbuilding and tanker-ship projects.
This document allows GHENOVA to tender and participate in bids for work from Petrobras and, combined with the LPG project, marks a significant step forward. GHENOVA describes it as its “passport” into the Brazilian market.
Selecting the right tool for the job
To make the most of this business opportunity, GHENOVA needed the best tool for the job. With previous experience with Tribon, GHENOVA had successfully adapted to AVEVA Marine several years ago and is very happy with the result; their designers and engineers were able to adjust quickly and smoothly to the new system. Their AVEVA deployment forms part of a suite of applications that enables GHENOVA to meet a wide range of client- and project-specific requirements. As a result, GHENOVA selects the design software on a case-by-case basis. “Our business is engineering, first and foremost,” says Julián. “Each of the different types of software that we use is one system within a diverse toolkit. Every client has different requirements and meeting those requirements is key. We don’t only design ships; among other things we also design thermal power plants, so our choice of software for any particular project is usually dictated by the nature of the project and the client’s requirements.”
As a result, AVEVA Marine was chosen specifically for this project because it best matched Transpetro’s needs and was consequently mandated by Vard Brazil. “This is an entirely new project for us, so it was essential to select a 3D engineering and design tool that could deliver true strategic value,” explains Francisco Cuervas, General Director of GHENOVA. “AVEVA Marine met all the requirements that the client set out, making it the ideal choice for such an important project. The integrated AVEVA Marine applications have helped us to save many hours during the design phase, allowing an efficient and accurate model to be delivered to our customer.”
Rui Miguel de Sousa, GHENOVA Brazil’s Branch Director, says, “The AVEVA solution was subjected to a rigorous tender process and its integrated hull and outfitting design capability stood out against the competition. It will enable us to efficiently create clash-free, production-oriented design. We are confident this will help us achieve reduced rework and deliver the highest quality designs. With concurrent global project execution we can also ensure that all sites and users have access to the latest approved data, right down to attribute details.”
“We will continue to use AVEVA Marine as part of an overall service offering as we continue to seek out opportunities in both our European client base, and our expanding new client base in Latin America,” says Julián.
JULY 3, 2014—Danish container shipping giant Maersk Line has begun a pilot program to test classification society DNV GL’s ShipManager software on five of its ships for use in procurement, crewing, and