Damen has reported its 69m superyacht support vessel, Game Changer, has completed her sea trials in the North Sea, with an 11.3m tender, 10.5m RIB and U-Boat submersible on her aft deck throughout.
The second hull in this particular range by Damen, Game Changer was designed in-house and constructed from a steel hull and aluminium superstructure.
She follows on from support vessel 6911 Intrepid, and is now the 11th superyacht support vessel to have been built by Damen.
The Marine Safety Forum has issued a report about two separate reported incidents within the last month. Limit switches not operating as intended on two chartered vessels has caused damage and opened up the potential for serious injury.
The incidents
The first incident with limit switches occurred in early March to an Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV). The vessel had been carrying out a period of close standby cover so had its port FRC lowered to the embarkation position ready for immediate deployment. Once the work parties had finished for the day, the vessel departed the 500m zone and commenced hoisting the FRC ready for sea-fastening. This davit operation was carried out by a trainee under the supervision of the Boatswain.
Drawing on extensive experience in the field of rigid sail development, France’s VPLP Design has developed a two-element wingsail for commercial craft which is furlable, reefable and entirely automated.
Called Oceanwings, this new automated sailing system has been tested on small sail craft but is being developed for use as a sail assistance system for shipping.
VPLP Design’s interest in rigid sails started in 2010, when they were involved in the design of high performance America’s Cup sailing Continue reading “VPLP design launches Oceanwings”
From steam to diesel and now electricity: Finland’s oldest ferry has become the nation’s first all-electric passenger vessel after being fitted with Visedo power.
The City of Turku has seen the historic Föri ferry relaunched, complete with a new zero-emission electric drivetrain that will deliver greater efficiency, less noise and reduced operating costs.
The Föri initially entered service in 1904 after the City of Turku commissioned local shipyards Aktiebolaget Vulcan to build a city commuter ferry to take passengers across the Aura River to Åbo.
Umoe Mandal in Norway has unveiled a new design, the Wavecraft, a series of high-speed, all-composite service vessels designed for fast crew transport. The company says the high-speed craft offers offshore operators “a long range economical, commercially feasible and safe alternative to helicopters.”
The company says the Wavecraft “delivers substantially Continue reading “New CTV unveiled by Umoe Mandal”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued the first part of its incident investigation report, regarding the loss of propulsion of the passenger cruise ship Norwegian Star on 10 February 2017 off Cape Liptrap, Victoria.
The incident
On 9 February 2017, the passenger cruise ship Norwegian Star, with 2113 passengers and 1017 crew on board, departed Melbourne, Australia, on a scheduled cruise to Dunedin, New Zealand. On departure, the starboard propulsion unit (Azipod ) was operational and the port Azipod was under repair. At about 0134 on 10 February, the vessel was about 18 nautical miles south-west of Cape Liptrap, Victoria, when the starboard Azipod failed. Propulsion power could not be restored and two tugs were deployed from Melbourne to tow Norwegian Star back to Melbourne. The vessel arrived back without further incident at about midnight on 11 February 2017.
Continue reading “ATSB issues report into propulsion failures on Norwegian Star”
BMT Ship & Coastal Dynamics (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced a new contract with the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), acknowledged as a world leader in ship electronic evidence gathering, including VDR data recovery and interpretation. BMT has installed its industry leading marine navigation and manoeuvring REMBRANDT simulator and will provide ongoing specialised training, to allow MAIB personnel to benefit from its unique attributes.
Richard North, Technical Manager at MAIB comments: “REMBRANDT simulator is a well-regarded and trusted solution, widely used by a broad spectrum of stakeholders including pilot organisations, shipping companies on-board and ashore, naval architects, civil marine engineers and port authorities, therefore it was a natural choice for us. A key and unique attribute of REMBRANDT is its ability to automatically input a broad range of VDR data including 3D, Radar and bridge audio to deliver a more enhanced and accurate visual Continue reading “MAIB contracts with BMT Ship & Coastal Dynamics for their REMBRANDT simulator”
AIMEX, the Australian organisation that supports and promotes Australian marine exporters to succeed in global markets has called on the Federal Government to change restrictive legislation holding back Australia’s superyacht industry after an economic impact study revealed its high value to the Australian economy.
The AEC Group study found the Australian superyacht industry contributed a total of A$1.97 billion ($1.5 billion) to gross domestic product (GDP) in the 2016 financial year.
Continue reading “AIMEX calls for legislation changes for Australian superyacht industry”
Conducting around 900 surveys per year in the port of Hamburg, Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) requires high-end products for their multi-sensor systems and survey vessels.
The vessel ‘Deepenschriewer IV’ is the smallest survey vessel of Hamburg Port Authority and intended to carry out multibeam surveys for depth control and documenting in shallow water areas. For this purpose, MBT, MacArtney Germany, has done supply, installation, and setting-to-work of a dual head multibeam echo sounder system suitable for hydrographic survey applications.
Continue reading “Hamburg Port Authority adds a dual head multibeam survey system”
‘It’s blooming marvellous on the waterways’ is the theme by the Canal & River Trust about the green fingered boaters and waterside gardeners in the UK. The charity is launching its first-ever ‘Boats in Bloom’ awards to say thank you to the many people who bring the waterways in Britain to life with plants and flowers.
Starting in May, the Canal & River Trust will be presenting colourful certificates to anyone whose boat or waterside planting is putting a smile on the face of passers-by. The charity is also calling on people to share photos of blossoming boats and waterways to create an online gallery to inspire and delight others.
Continue reading “Canal & River Trust launches its first ‘Boats in Bloom’ Awards”
Hull one, also known as Dolce Vita, was delivered to a European client and hull two was delivered to Hong Kong says Turkish superyacht builder Numarine. Both interior and exterior design for the hulls were delivered by Can Yalman and featured a distinctive sporty exterior.
Speaking about the hardtop design, Yalman commented, “The Numarine HT design language involves gill shaped glass elements in the superstructure. Previously we have used this in the ceiling panels, but in the 105HT this has been taken to the extreme and the complete side glass has this gilled, scaled structure emphasising the power within.”
Continue reading “Numarine delivers its first two 105HT superyachts”
Statistics released at the International Union of Marine Insurance Annual Spring meeting in Hamburg have raised a series of issues that will continue to challenge marine underwriters for the foreseeable future.
The frequency of major vessel casualties rose again in 2016 for the second consecutive year reports the International Union of Marine Insurance. They had enjoyed a year-on-year decline until 2015 when they recorded a sharp upturn which was continued in 2016.
Instagram Posts from the IIMS @iimsmarine