IIMS News

Record-breaking heavy lift executes job in record time

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A ship approaching harbour
A ship approaching harbour

Much publicity has accompanied the story of Allseas’ giant decommissioning and pipelaying vessel Pioneering Spirit. After a test heavy lift and first commercial removal of Repsol’s Yme platform in the Norwegian North Sea it has more than passed its first real test with removal of Shell’s 24,200t Brent Delta platform topsides. Now details about its part in the record-breaking lift of this decommissioned oil platform topside have been revealed by Kotug International BV.

Five years of engineering and study work preceded the operation yet it took a mere ten seconds for Pioneering Spirit to heavy lift the topside clear of its jacket. Preparations included strengthening the topside’s under-deck and the cutting of the connection between the two.

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New underwater mountable thruster from Schottel launched

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The underwater mountable thruster
The underwater mountable thruster

Schottel has further expanded its portfolio with the addition of a new underwater mountable thruster designed for offshore vessels, rigs, cable laying vessels, offshore construction and crane ships.

The 5.5 MW SRP 800 U rudder propeller is a underwater mountable thruster that can be installed afloat and is ideal for vessels that cannot be docked easily due to their size or area of operation.

“As a result of customer requests, Schottel decided to further develop the robust, well-proven rudder propeller technology in the power range up to 5.5 MW,” said Roland Schwandt, sales director tug & offshore energy, Schottel.

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New subsea crane that can handle both wire and fibre is breaking new ground

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Rolls-Royce is involved in a subsea crane refit that can handle both wire and fibre
Rolls-Royce is involved in a subsea crane refit that can handle both wire and fibre

A refit that’s turning a PSV into a ROV support vessel is taking advantage of a very new subsea crane that can handle both wire and fibre, providing flexibility in a challenging market.

The 76.7m platform support vessel CBO Manoella is one of a pair that’s being transformed into RSVs. As a Rolls-Royce UT715 design that first went into service in 2009, this vessel isn’t exactly old: however the market has changed dramatically during its lifetime. Despite that, this series of ‘North Sea standard’ PSVs were designed to be practical, flexible workhorses with a fair sized deck and good sea keeping characteristics, so it’s no surprise that Manoella’s adaptability has found it work in other segments.

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Grant awarded to Teignbridge Propellers for research into propeller efficiency

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A purpose designed 14m catamaran will allow Teignbridge Propellers to test propeller efficiency
A purpose designed 14m catamaran will allow Teignbridge Propellers to test propeller efficiency

Teignbridge Propellers received a £3m grant to research propeller efficiency last year with much of the work to be carried out from a new vessel due to be launched later this summer.

The grant to Teignbridge Propellers from the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) comprised 50% from industry finance and 50% from the UK Government and will enable the company to look for energy and CO2 savings of 8% in the UK’s heavy-duty vessel fleet.

Testing of a range of propellers for various vessels is due to begin in the Autumn. And while initially this will be for ships, the efficiencies will inevitably filter down to the pleasure industry says Teignbridge Propellers MD Mark Phare.

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Beneteau announces details about the new generation of Oceanis sailing yachts

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Oceanis 51.1 by Beneteau was designed by Olivier Racoupeau and is the first of the next generation
Oceanis 51.1 by Beneteau was designed by Olivier Racoupeau and is the first of the next generation

Beneteau has announced the first of a new generation of Oceanis sailing yachts which promise to be faster than previous models and feature up to 35% additional sail area.

Fitted with an extra-long carbon or aluminium mast, the customisable Oceanis 51.1 was designed by Olivier Racoupeau and has a stepped hull which creates additional interior space without changing the shape of the bottom.

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Sam Newington, son of Fairline founder, passes away peacefully

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Picture of Sam Newington
Picture of Sam Newington

Sam Newington, the man who built Fairline into one of Britain’s leading boat manufacturers, has died peacefully at home aged 82. The family’s involvement with the marine industry began in 1964 when Sam’s father Jack Newington converted a gravel pit in Oundle, digging a trench to link it to the River Nene. Oundle Marina was created, the basis for a small inland waterways and marina business that hired and repaired boats. It was originally something of a hobby alongside the family’s main business of frozen foods. In 1966 Jack bought a mould for a 19ft glass fibre boat from a failing company. That boat became the Fairline 19 and Fairline was born.

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Colombian tourist ferry capsized

Posted on by News Hound
Photo credit: Juan Quiroz/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images
Photo credit: Juan Quiroz/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images

Content reprinted from the Associated Press

Nine people died and 28 were missing after a tourist ferry packed with about 170 passengers capsized on Sunday 25 June on a reservoir near Medellin, officials said.

A major rescue effort involving Colombia’s Air Force and firefighters from nearby cities searched for survivors at a reservoir in Guatape where the four-story boat, El Almirante, sank. As it went down, recreational boats and Jet Skis rushed to the scene to pull people from the ferry and deliver them safely to the shore, avoiding an even deadlier tragedy.

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Global Industry Alliance launched to support low carbon shipping future

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13 leading shipping and marine organisations have come together to support the progress towards a low carbon shipping future
13 leading shipping and marine organisations have come together to support the progress towards a low carbon shipping future

Leading shipowners and operators, classification societies, engine and technology builders and suppliers, big data providers, and oil companies have signed up to a new Global Industry Alliance (GIA) to support transitioning shipping and its related industries towards a low carbon shipping future.

Thirteen companies have signed up to launch the GIA, under the auspices of the GloMEEP Project, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-International Maritime Organization (IMO) project aimed at supporting developing countries in the implementation of energy efficiency measures for shipping.

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Safety warning issued by MAIB following a fatal boiler explosion on ship Manhattan Bridge

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Safety warning issued by MAIB following a fatal boiler explosion on ship Manhattan Bridge. Photo credit: Ron van de Velde
Safety warning issued by MAIB following a fatal boiler explosion on ship Manhattan Bridge. Photo credit: Ron van de Velde

The engine room oiler, Manhattan Bridge, suffered fatal injuries and the second engineer suffered severe burn injuries when a furnace explosion occurred on the vessel’s auxiliary boiler. The oiler and engineer were attempting to restart the boiler after it had suffered a flame failure cut out.

The boiler had tripped out several times due to flame and ignition failures earlier in the day and had been successfully restarted by the second engineer.

Following the accident, waxy deposits, sufficient to cause intermittent fuel supply problems, were found in the boiler’s distillate fuel supply filter.

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Ditch the rudimentary liquefaction can test advises the Association of Bulk Terminal Operators

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The Association of Bulk Terminal Operators has warned about the use of the can test method
The Association of Bulk Terminal Operators has warned about the use of the can test method

The Association of Bulk Terminal Operators has called for a complete overhaul of the cargo sampling and liquefaction testing protocols for raw ores and less common cargoes, such as nickel ore, fine wet coal and bauxite.

Professor Mike Bradley, a member of the advisory panel to the Association of Bulk Terminal Operators and head of Greenwich University’s Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, said the current measures in place to test cargoes for potential liquefaction are inadequate, especially for raw ores and variable materials being loaded in ports where conditions are inclement.

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MAIB publishes report into grounding and evacuation of domestic passenger vessel Surprise

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A tug boat surrounded by lifeboats
Photo credit: Mark Harcum

Summary of the incident
At 1135 on 15 May 2016, the passenger vessel Surprise suffered hull damage and started flooding when it grounded at Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly. All 48 passengers were safely evacuated to shore. The flooding was contained by the passenger vessel Surprise,  own bilge pumps and it returned to harbour under its own power.

Resulting safety issues
A passage plan had not been prepared for the trip. Passage planning is essential for every voyage to ensure all navigational hazards are identified and avoided.
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The world’s first fully electric air supported vessel picks up the award for the electric and hybrid propulsion system of the year

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BB Green is the world's first fully air supported vessel
BB Green is the world’s first fully air supported vessel

BB Green, the world’s first fully electric air supported vessel by Green City Ferries has been awarded the ‘electric and hybrid propulsion system of the year’ at the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo Conference 2017 in the Netherlands.

The fourth annual Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards took place in Amsterdam where a judging panel made up of leading international marine journalists, industry experts and academics, honoured the world’s finest engineers and innovative products in the electric and hybrid marine arena. The BB Green is used as a commuter ferry for up to 99 passengers on the inland waterways around Stockholm.

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