China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has taken delivery of Asia’s first tugboat Hai Yang Shi You 525, designed to operate solely on liquefied natural gas as ship’s fuel.
Hai Yang Shi You 525, the first of two tugs built by the Zhenjiang shipyard for CNOOC, features a propulsion package based on twin Rolls-Royce Bergen C26:33L9PG engines and a pair of highly reliable Rolls-Royce US 205 CP azimuth thrusters to ensure the tugs have rapid manoeuvring and strong bollard pull capabilities.
Sailors’ Society, located in Southampton, UK, has launched a Crisis Response Centre in Durban, South Africa, to support seafarers directly affected by piracy action.
Durban-based facility will provide 24-hour response and trauma counselling for survivors of piracy attacks and other disasters at sea throughout South Africa, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique and Reunion.
The recent Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) report on the State of Maritime Piracy reported that at least 5,000 seafarers were attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, the Western Indian Ocean, and Southeast Asia in 2014, and drew attention to West Africa noting that “Gulf of Guinea piracy continues at unacceptable levels”.
Continue reading “Seafarers affected by piracy action to be aided by Sailors’ Society in Durban”
Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL) has made an order for methanol powered carriers as part of its overall environmental strategy, the company has announced.
According to reports, three carriers will be built by Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co Ltd.
The vessels are expected to be delivered in 2016 and will be chartered to Waterfront Shipping Company Limited under a long-term contract.
Continue reading “MOL orders world’s first methanol powered carriers”
Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Aeolus has successfully installed Gemini wind project’s first monopile. The offshore wind project, one of the largest in the world, will consist of 150 monopiles. The project is expected to be fully operational by 2017 generating clean and renewable energy for 1.5 million people in the Netherlands.
Gemini is being built in the North Sea. The project consists of two areas of 34 km2 and is located 85 km off the coast of Groningen. Each monopile is designed for its specific location in the wind project. Depending on water depth, they vary in length from 59 to 73 m. The monopiles have a diameter of 7 m, and a wall thickness of 7 to 11 cm. During the three-year construction period, a wide range of equipment including Van Oord’s specialized offshore wind vessels will be deployed. An estimated workforce of 500 will be involved on the project.
Continue reading “Van Oord installs Gemini wind project’s first monopile”
As British Marine unveils a strong new identity, National Boat Shows (NBS) has also re-branded to become British Marine Boat Shows. This aligns it with the new British Marine brand.
The British Marine Boat Shows’ portfolio contains two world-leading events: the Southampton Boat Show, which this year takes place 11-20 September, and the London Boat Show, taking place at ExCeL, 8-17 January 2016. The new look is the result of a year-long re-brand exercise which has been undertaken in-house.
Continue reading “National Boat Shows rebrands as British Marine Boat Shows”
New policies making it easier for foreign flagged vessels to explore the coastlines of Australia have inspired DYT Yacht Transport to schedule its largest semi-submersible yacht carrier, the 686-foot (209-metre) Yacht Express, to deliver yachts to the South Pacific. The trip coordinates with the end of the Mediterranean charter season, starting in Genoa (Italy) in November to accommodate private luxury yachts and charter vessels departing from the Mediterranean Sea. Operating with its unique float-on/float-off method, the ship will make additional port calls in the Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica, and Tahiti before arriving in Sydney and Auckland by the end of January.
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Shipping will require an additional 42,500 officers by the end of 2019 to cope with the expected growth in the main cargo carrying fleet, equivalent to 7% growth over the five year period. But the persistent shortage of officer crew is receding, according to the latest Manning report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.
Current officer supply is in the order of 615,000 and there is a nominal shortfall of approximately 15,000 officers, which is expected to remain the case until 2019. In the main the shortfall is made up by officers working longer shift patterns.
In a shocking study by Helm Operations, some 50% of crews working on offshore support vessels are willing to compromise safety rather than say ‘no’ to clients or senior management, while nearly 80% believe commercial pressures could influence the safety of their working practices. These findings and more come from a new report on workboat and OSV safety commissioned by operations and maintenance management software specialist Helm Operations.
The chilling findings, released to coincide with this week’s International Maritime Organization Maritime Safety Committee meeting, come from a new report on workboat and OSV safety commissioned by operations and maintenance management software specialist Helm Operations.
Continue reading “Helm Operations report pinpoints workboat and OSV safety shortcomings”
The Finnish electric drive train specialist Visedo has been selected as the sole electric-system supplier for the world’s largest fully electric ferry to be built by the Danish shipbuilder Søby Shipyard Ltd. The ferry will be introduced in June 2017 for transportation of vehicles and passengers between the island Ærø and the mainland in Denmark.
As one of the top 5 projects in the EU Horizon 2020 initiative, a program with a total budget of 21 million euros, this initiative is part of the Danish Natura project, which guarantees local people green transportation in these areas. The ferry will be a state-of-the-art design and will achieve efficiency gains by optimizing weight by integrating lighter materials and equipment. It will reduce the CO2 emission by 2000 tons and NOx emissions by 41,500 kg per year.
Continue reading “Electric drive train by Visedo to equip world’s largest electric ferry”
LR’s experience with large battery installations is captured in a new guidance document aimed at facilitating a risk-based approach to battery use. The guidance describes the key hazards to consider when installing battery technology, and gives an overview of our non-prescriptive approach to approval. The guidance also covers battery chemistry and industry standards.
The guidance starts at the beginning of a battery system’s life cycle when the cells are being manufactured, and goes on to consider how an installation affects or is affected by a vessel’s power system, placement on board, ventilation, fire-fighting, electrical protection and maintenance. The guidance aims to help industry consider the hazards associated with large battery installations but is not specific to a particular cell chemistry.
Continue reading “Lloyd’s Register issues new guidance on large battery installations”
Following a number of incidents involving small workboats operating in the wind farm sector during 2012 and 2013, a need was identified to set out the elements of competence required for crews operating and working on small workboats. ‘Guidance on Competence Assurance and Assessments: Marine Roles for Small Workboats’ (IMCA C 017) has now been published by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
“For the purpose of our new guidance a small workboat is any vessel less than 200 gross tonnes,” explains IMCA’s Technical Director and Acting Chief Executive, Jane Bugler.
Continue reading “Guidance for marine roles for small workboats published by IMCA”
Superyacht designer, Christopher Seymour, has revealed his latest creation entitled Double Century. At 200m, Double Century would become the laregst superyacht in the world if she is built – some 20 metres longer than Lurssen’s Azzam.
Working together with Florida based brokers 4Yacht to market and promote the concept and project, Seymour has set out to create a design that would be an evolution of the gigayacht. Achieving a sleek design that doesn’t result in an aesthetic more in line with a cruise ship is not an easy task. Nevertheless, Seymour has managed to create a sleek exterior despite having nine decks and stretching 27m above the waterline.
Continue reading “Largest ever superyacht concept, Double Century, is unveiled”
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