Offshore

ESNA granted R&D funding for Surface Effect Ships

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ESNA has won funding to research the next generation of Surface Effect Ships
ESNA has won funding to research the next generation of Surface Effect Ships

Sørlandet Knowledge Foundation and the Regional Research Council Agder has granted ESNA funding to develop the next generation of Surface Effect Ships for offshore service operations. ESNA, an independent naval architects and ship design company for high speed vessels, specialises in air cushioned catamaran Surface Effect Ships.

ESNA operates at the crossroads between advanced military and commercial high speed craft technology and the market for offshore renewable energy and maritime operations. The company develops designs with outstanding performance, seakeeping and comfort, higher speed and with lower power consumption and emissions for a greener future.

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Machinery and its problems for the underwriter

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A ships systems - Machinery and its problems for the underwriter
A ships systems – Machinery and its problems for the underwriter

We are haemorrhaging money! This article talks about machinery and its problems for the underwriter. Machinery incidents amount to over 40% of the overall claims paid by underwriters. To give some background, insurers cover the cost of replacing machinery which has broken as a result of negligence by the crew providing such loss or damage has not resulted from want of due diligence by the
insured, owners or managers. This is very wide coverage and effectively acts as warranty insurance for the machinery. Obviously it is open to abuse and insurers trust the owners to be open and honest when presenting a claim for machinery damage.

I have been in the insurance industry for over 30 years and have benefited from the Braemar’s, previously the Salvage Association, monthly reports. The top four causes of casualty are always machinery, grounding, fire and collision in that order. This is also backed up by the International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI), where the data is kindly provided by Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

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MCA issues MGN 543: Safety of Navigation: Offshore Renewable Energy Installations

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Offshore Wind turbines
Offshore Wind turbines

The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency has issued guidance note MGN 543 to highlight issues that need to be taken into consideration when assessing the impact on navigational safety and emergency response (search and rescue, salvage and towing, and counter pollution) caused by offshore renewable energy installation developments. It applies to proposals in United Kingdom internal waters, Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone.

Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREI) include offshore wind farms, tidal energy converters (including tidal range devices), wave energy converters and any associated infrastructure with the potential to affect marine navigation and emergency response, proposed in United Kingdom (UK) internal waters, Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

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First vessel to comply with IMO polar code approved by DNV GL

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First vessel to comply with IMO polar code approved by DNV GL
First vessel to comply with IMO polar code approved by DNV GL

After a successful survey, DNV GL and the Danish Maritime Authority have confirmed that the AHTS Magne Viking, owned by Viking Supply Ships, is the first vessel to comply with IMO polar code approved.

“Having followed the development of the Polar Code for some years, it is a great achievement to finally survey the first vessel to comply with the Code,” said Morten Mejlænder-Larsen, who is responsible for Arctic and Polar activities at DNV GL – Maritime.

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Scotland chosen as the location for the first floating wind farm

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Visualization of how offshore wind turbines would work
Visualization of how offshore wind turbines would work

Statoil has announced that it will build the world’s first floating wind farm called The Hywind pilot park offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The Norwegian operator in gas, oil and new energy, Statoil, will install a 30-MW wind turbine farm on floating structures at Buchan Deep, 25km offshore Peterhead, harnessing Scottish wind resources to provide renewable energy to the mainland.

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Next generation wind turbine foundations being researched

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The next generation of wind turbine foundations is being researched by HR Wallingford in association with DONG energy
The next generation of wind turbine foundations is being researched by HR Wallingford in association with DONG energy

HR Wallingford is working with DONG Energy as part of a project to develop the next-generation of wind turbine foundations. Work underway in HR Wallingford’s Fast Flow Facility will help inform the design of a novel suction bucket foundation, and will ultimately lead to more cost effective seabed foundation solutions for the renewable energy industry.

As offshore wind farms move into ever deeper water, developers are exploring alternatives to the traditional monopile foundation in order to reduce costs and keep the technology competitive within the energy marketplace. HR Wallingford is helping DONG Energy refine the design of one such alternative – the suction bucket foundation – as part of a research project to determine how these structures interact with, and impact upon, the hydrodynamic conditions and the seabed.

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Van Oord installs Gemini wind project’s first monopile

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Gemini ship on a dry dock
Gemini ship on a dry dock

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.

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Surveying large crewed yachts

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Surveying large crewed yachts requires a different skill set to the norm argues Phil Duffy
Surveying large crewed yachts requires a different skill set to the norm argues Phil Duffy

Article by Phil Duffy MIIMS
Principal Surveyor at Interface Marine Yacht and Boat Surveyors France

The focus of this article is on the process and the logistics involved in surveying large crewed yachts, rather than on the practicalities of the survey. The areas of inspection are basically the same as on any pre purchase survey, albeit larger and with regard to machinery systems can be more technically involved, the time frame of course is much longer.

One question I often get asked is how to get the business, or how to make the jump from surveying small pleasure craft to larger vessels…. As always, the client will need to trust your ability to carry out the job, and for that you will need to prove your track record with references etc. It can be a chicken and egg situation, unless you have worked for one of the larger surveying companies or are able to assist on some large yacht surveys and gain an insight that way. In my case it was quite an easy transition, as during my career at sea I have held both Engineer and Captain Positions of large yachts.

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Helm Operations report pinpoints workboat and OSV safety shortcomings

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Some 50% of crews working on offshore support vessels are willing to compromise safety rather than say ‘no’ to clients or senior management says a new report 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 says a new report by Helm Operations

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.

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Two new windfarm service vessels enter service with Esvagt

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Esvagt has taken delivery of two state-of-the-art windfarm service vessels
Esvagt has taken delivery of two state-of-the-art windfarm service vessels

The Danish shipping company, Esvagt, is now introducing the first SOV vessels especially constructed for servicing windfarms.

The first vessel, “ESVAGT FROUDE”, went on contract on Wednesday February 18th, while her sister ship, “ESVAGT FARADAY” is contracted to start at the beginning of April. In both cases they will work as windfarm service vessels for Siemens Wind Power.

The German energy company has provisionally chartered “ESVAGT FROUDE” for a five year contract to service the field and transport personnel during the constructing and operation of the offshore windfarm Baltic 2 and the “ESVAGT FARADAY” for similar jobs for the Butendiek project in the northern part of the Germany provisionally for a 10 year contract.

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South Asia still the preferred end of life location says NGO Shipbreaking Platform

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South Asia still the preferred end of life location says NGO Shipbreaking Platform. Photo: NGO Shipbreaking Platform
South Asia still the preferred end of life location says NGO Shipbreaking Platform. Photo: NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform has released a complete list of all ship owners and their ships sold for breaking last year and list shows that South Asia still the preferred end of life location.

The Statistics

Out of a total of 1026 ships dismantled globally in 2014, 641 – representing 74% of the total gross tonnage (GT) scrapped – were sold to substandard facilities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where ships are dismantled directly on tidal beaches. None of the South Asian yards comply with international standards for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.

End-of-life ships contain toxic materials such as asbestos, heavy metals, PCBs, oil residues and organic waste within their structures – these pollutants can not be contained or safely removed on a tidal beach. The demolition of the largest movable man-made structures is hazardous and must be conducted in a controlled manner using adequate infrastructure such as cranes as well as necessary health and safety provisions – in 2014 the Platform reported 23 deaths and 66 severe injuries due to accidents such as explosions, workers crushed under steel plates and falling from heights on the South Asian beaches.

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Mariners Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS)

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Mariners Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS)
Mariners Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS)

What is MARS?

There is an important free resource available to the whole of the shipping industry that makes a major contribution to safety and that surveyors can help to improve. This is the Mariners Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS) operated by The Nautical Institute. MARS is a free resource and The Nautical Institute hopes that surveyors will help to make its existence known to the maritime world. The Nautical Institute wants as many mariners and, indeed, as many in shipping as possible, to benefit from lessoned learned from accidents and near misses. Surveyors can spread the word to let mariners and companies know the resource is there.

The background to MARS is known to all; across the major transportation modes and in many other fields, human error looms as the leading cause of both accidents and incidents. In recent years, the definition of human error has been expanded to include concepts such as unsafe supervision and organisational influences (e.g. resource management and operational processes). In the maritime industry approximately 90 percent of accidents can be traced to human error despite the promotion of regulations, training and quality management systems.

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