Ingenious launch for a DWT20000 vessel

by song Tom Aug 08, 2011, 10:42PM EST

People who is familiar to airbag ship launching technology may know that in most cases there will be pulling system to prevent vessels from slipping before launch. But if the pulling system is not available due to practical limitation, can people launch vessels with marine airbags? The answer is yes. Once Eversafe Marine successfully launched a 20,000DWT ship on a no fixture ramp with marine airbags. This cargo ship is 170 meter long and 27 meter wide with 7800 tons light weight. It was built upon a 200 meter long concrete ramp on which there is no ground anchor. The vessel have to be launched before the coming typhoon so no time to build ground anchor for winch installation. The worse is beyond concrete ramp there are 20 meters silty riverside. How to start the ship launching and how to prevent vessel from slip before the launch are most concerned by Eversafe engineers. After several times calculation Eversafe technical teams made an ingenious launch plan that control the vessel's stop and start by adjusting vessel's tilted angle. Marine airbags can be inflated and deflated to work at different heights then people can adjust airbags' pressure to adjust vessel's tilted angle. When the slip force is bigger than friction force then vessel will start to move, otherwise it will stay in position. Only people know exactly the friction coefficient and can do exact control of marine airbags such plan can be performed. In low tide period, the mud of riverside was cleaned by excavator grab and some sand bags were placed to fulfill pits on the riverbed. To jack up vessel marine airbags at the stern were fully inflated and airbags at the bow only partly inflated, After the ship was totally lifted, people removed support blocks and adjust the ship to be slightly retroverted to ensure its safety. In high tide period, when water reached schedule one height marine airbags were adjusted carefully to low down the stern. As the water level went higher, people began to inflate airbags at the bow to make the ship tilt forward but not exceed the angle of 0.008 radian. When the water reached the scheduled launch level, an excavator grab began to push the bulbous bow to give vessel

a start force. When ship get a obliquely upward push force its tilt angle will easily exceed the 0.008 radian because of the flexibility of marine airbags,.Then ship started to slowly moved and went into the water smoothly with rolling airbags. The flexibility of marine airbags can remedy the practical limitations in some projects. By adjusting working pressure of marine airbags people can adjust ships tilted angle according to the need. If people want to get a bigger slip force they can lower the stern and lift the bow by giving different inner pressure to airbags. On the contrast If the angle of ramp is fairly big, people may do the reverse to reduce the slip force. The convenience and flexibility make marine airbags become the powerful tool for many engineering projects such as ship launching, landing, salvage, heavy conveying ,etc. News from : http://www.eversafemarine.com/media_details.aspx?cid=1&id=108

Seaxl Launches Innovative Marine Software Working Under Microsoft Excel

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 1Share

Seaxl Marine Software Limited is a company with a vast amount of hands on organisational experience within the shipping industry going back to over 40 years. They have introduced a new approach to maritime software that is easy to use, easy to implement with immediate productivity, downloadable, training free, ready-to-use out of the box and, software which is designed and tailored for the shipping industry. The five products currently available are CashFlow, Masters General Account, Ships Budgets, The Ship and Company Secretary. Seaxl Invest in Ships, a very dynamic evaluation of investments in ships, allowing you to assess how good a proposed investment project is, will be released during Q4 2011.

In this day and age who needs complications and snags in introducing any form of new technology to a shipping company? The usual questions being asked; what will be the cost, who will teach the staff on board the ships and ashore, how will we implement such technology with ease? Who will travel to the ships and implement the technology? Seaxl has developed all of their products with this in mind. The Microsoft Excel base has been used throughout which makes implementation easy and fast with minimum of fuss since this is a tool widely used across the industry. Seaxl software is downloadable from the internet and can be purchased through a secure credit card link and furthermore, all programs come with detailed user manuals. Seaxl CashFlow comes with a difference. If you have ever tried to assess very quickly and accurately how deal opportunities that cross your desk fit into your overall fleet cash flows and how they play with all of your other obligations and commitments such as loan repayments, new building projects, special surveys or you are busy buying or selling second hand ships then you will appreciate the need for the Seaxl CashFlow program. Although your team of financial experts and bankers will find this tool very useful and will not be able to do without it they will not be spending hours or days on end trying to tell you what the results might be and how your game plan is unfolding. It is a cash flow program designed specifically for the shipping industry and is very easy to use. All Seaxl Products have been developed under the Microsoft Excel platform for a reason. In all shipping offices and on board the ships staff is well acquainted with the Excel platform. The time required to attain sufficient skill to use is minimal as all data entry is laid out in a manner that shipping people are already familiar with. Preparing cash flow reports for any specific period (month, quarter, semiannual, annual) can be done by simply selecting the date range and applying the period increments. With such simple selection the program will automatically create a new cash flow scenario for you. Another great advantage is the ease with which you can consolidate different portions of your fleet by a simple selection of a Yes or No which will automatically exclude or include ships or companies in your calculations. This has great advantages when you want to assess a variety of options such as ship groups, financial groups and others. The program allows you to update your initial projections with the actual results as compiled by your accounting department and amend current market conditions going forward. This will ensure that your actual current status is always available and up to date.

Each Datasheet is a report on its own and can be quickly filtered to your specific needs. This together with the CashFlow Projections and six pre-defined visual presentations will ensure that are always current and up to date with immediate and multiple reports. In a newspaper article the Masters General Account was termed the dreaded Portage Bill as if Masters wanted to run away from it for fear that the damned thing would never reconcile. In many instances shipping companies create their own Excel based versions of the Masters General Account which usually will not function properly or will require continuous checking in all data cells to ensure that no one has tampered with the formulas or to ensure that the wage rates applied to each seaman have been correctly applied. Seaxl Masters General Account or Portage Bill has come to terms with all such problems that confront many shipping organisations. The work for the Masters on board the ships has been reduced to simply selecting entries from drop down lists therefore reducing the amount of typing required to an absolute minimum. Validation checks for the Master have been introduced on all data entry forms to prompt the user as to the integrity of the data entered. No matter who prepares the MGA all entries will be uniform as the libraries on which the drop down lists are based and the wage scales loaded are controlled from ashore and for the whole fleet. The system ensures that there is consistency across the whole fleet. Personnel Officers ashore that need to implement a variety of wage scales to cater for the mix of nationalities on board with differing rates of pay, bonus schemes, variety of pay currencies with resulting currency differences that one has to deal with have been taken into consideration and are centrally controlled with calculations made automatically. The Master simply allocates the wage scale applicable to each seaman and all calculations are immediately made available and payroll is calculated instantly. One major effort required by Masters in the majority of cases is to ensure that the closing and opening balances for the Crew Financial Position are correctly updated in each instance and transferred between accounts. This is done automatically by the Seaxl Masters General Account by simply clicking on the appropriate buttons. As for the accounting department all the relevant journal entries are automatically compiled reducing the departments work to a minimum allowing staff to act more as internal auditors ensuring that internal controls are applied correctly throughout the fleet rather than preparing tedious bookkeeping entries.

One of the major advantages of the Seaxl system is the Import/Export utility available and automatic naming and file location for all projects. The file sizes that are being transferred from ship to shore or vice versa are very small as only data is being transferred in each instance and the speed and reduced costs to any shipping company are an added major advantage. How do you go about setting targets for your daily OPEX and how do you monitor the performance of each department and each ship when it comes to costs, in an easy and understandable manner. Seaxl Ships Budgets is a tool which can be easily adapted to any department of any shipping company and introduces consistency throughout in an easy, clear and understandable manner. All the datasheets are clearly laid out so users can complete details by simply selecting titles and entering units, amounts, percentages, periods and such like and let the program do all the hard work for you instantly. Included are some very useful timesavers for instance, when it comes to computing payroll and overlap days, with immediate reports being made available from the few entries that you need to make. These shortcuts and decision makers really are very handy where you have a mixed crew complement with various nationalities on board paid in a variety of currencies and where duration on board is also mixed. You can view results and projections immediately on a daily, monthly and annual basis. Another useful tool is the compilation of the Technical and Repair costs. The Technical Detailed Jobs Datasheet allows you to build cost budgets for specific jobs methodically and in detail. Cost titles and cost centres are linked to preloaded libraries which are based with reference to an EU Study on Competitiveness and Benchmarking in the Field of Marine Equipment. Simple selection of cost titles and amounts on readily recognisable title headings quickly compile your budget projections. Of course if you wish to take further shortcuts you can simply enter the total amounts in the appropriate cells based on past experience or use both facilities; the detailed and the rule of thumb. Included in the program are many shipping-related datasheets where all calculations are performed for you by simply entering easily recognisable data. The moving highlighter bars that follow your every move and easy navigation and toggling between related datasheets and reports make the program very easy and a delight to use by anyone. Financial performance of a single ship or of the fleet as a whole is something that any shipowner would welcome to have available instantly on a single A4 sheet of paper.

Seaxl The Ship is appropriately named to give you this information simply as a photographic image of the history from the date you purchase the ship through to its final sale or scrapping. Information collected from source documents and updated in the program over the years builds an appropriate database that is useful not only to management but to many departments within the company. The information compiled will assist any manager or owner, accountant or financial officer to make effective decisions on information that is always current and consistent no matter who makes the updates. Easy to follow datasheets allow the user to make updates without difficulty. The many reports available will become a must for any accounts department which includes automatic calculations for depreciation, impairment costs, amortisation of special and intermediate surveys, profit and loss on sale and group fleet reports and others. Seaxl Company Secretary, the final program in our review and of the present Seaxl package, takes control of all your companies within your group whether they are active, dormant or shelf companies ready for use. In a very simple and effective way this program without much ado takes complete control of all the paperwork that is lying on the shelves of your offices and compiles the records that one always needs but never has readily available to keep abreast of what is what and who is who and where. The program compiles databases for all of your companies, shareholders registers, officers register, register of transfers, registered offices and agents and document tracker utility of where your documents have been distributed, when and with whose authority. All updates are made through specially designed data entry forms with ample pre-loaded document libraries that make it easy to use by simple selection and clicking reducing to an absolute minimum all typing which inevitably apply consistency throughout irrespective of who is in charge of keeping the records updated. The program is not only useful to shipping companies but also to law offices that handle many companies on behalf of their clients will also find it very useful and reduce the amount of work required in reporting to an absolute minimum. Conclusion

Seaxl Marine Software products is a collection of professionally and well designed puzzles that fit together and can be built one piece at a time or all together to give you an overall solution for each department and management reporting needs. There are a variety of useful ready designed and installed tools that come with all Seaxl products to assist you and make your work easier and more enjoyable. These include pre-loaded libraries and drop down lists to reduce typing, highlighter bars to ensure correct updating, import/export utilities that manage your file sizes, automatic file naming and file location to make your life easy, validation checks to ensure integrity of data, multiple well designed data sheets and reports that are laid out in shipping industry language and easy to understand, help and user manuals that guide you through at all times, forums that resolve any user problems and implementation guidance and much more. Their website where one can view all their products at www.seaxl.com is well worth a visit. You can see their video presentations and screenshots on all products which will give you a very clear idea of what is available. It is well worth the time spent and will give you a very comprehensive idea of the quality of the products presently available and the ease with which you will be able to implement them across your company. Fresh, innovative and simple!

Prospects for Gas/Air Turbine Powered Thermal Rechargeable Ship Propulsion

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 2Share

By Harry Valentine The history of ship propulsion began with the development of steam piston engines that were displaced by steam turbines engines on the largest commercial ships. Over time the steam engines gave way to diesel engines and occasionally gas turbine turbines that provide commercial maritime propulsive power. While navy services may favor gas turbine engines due to high output

from compact dimensions, such engines typically operate at optimal efficiency while delivering peak output. They generally operate at lower thermal efficiency than do diesel engines and especially so while operating at reduced output. New developments in the power industry has created potential for a thermally efficient, externally heated gas/air turbine engine to be adapted for commercial marine propulsion. The nuclear power industry is F) that canrC (1832rdeveloping high-temperature technology of up to 1000 activate highpowered, closed-cycle, externally heated turbine engines that flow either helium or carbon dioxide gas at extreme pressure. The low pressure upstream of the low-pressure compressor may be 7-bar to 10-bar (100-psi to 150-psi) and peak system pressure may reach 45-bar to 65-bar (650-psi to 950-psi) immediately upstream of the high-pressure power turbine. Possible Marine Turbine: Using highly pressurized gas within the turbine system gas allows an extremely compact engine to deliver very high power output. The ability to vary the pressure in the turbine system allows for variable engine output dropping to as low as 25% of maximum output, at very high efficiency. The outer dimensions of a closed-cycle, externally heated air/gas turbine engine of 20Mw to 50Mw output and capable of propelling a ship may theoretically fit inside the box of a delivery van. For marine service, the engine may operate using highly pressurized atmospheric air. Operating on the ocean allows for water-cooling of certain engine operations, such as the intercooler that cools the air between the low-pressure and highpressure turbo compressors. There may be additional need to cool the pressurized air within the turbine system immediately upstream of the lowpressure compressor. A recuperative air-to-air heat exchanger would transfer exhaust heat leaving the low-pressure power turbine to preheat compressed air flowing from the high-pressure compressor. That compressed air would be further heated to a much higher temperature in a high performance heat exchanger that sources heat from a thermal storage system. After passing through the high-pressure power turbine, the partially cooled air would be reheated in a second high performance heat exchanger connected to thermal storage, before passing through the low-pressure power turbine. Hot exhaust air from the low-pressure turbine would flow through the recuperative heat exchanger to preheat compressed high-pressure air, prior to being further cooled by seawater and recycled through the turbine system. The overall thermal efficiency of a variable pressure, closed-cycle, and externally heated 2stage turbine engine system would exceed 40% while driving electrical generating equipment to energize electrically driven propellers.

Thermal Storage: Researchers at several technical universities in Japan have been testing the performance of several thermal rechargeable energy storage systems. One system involves the decomposition of naturally occurring calcium carbonate into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide, when heated at F). When carbon dioxide encounters calcium oxide in arC (1490r810 pressure chamber, the ensuing reaction generates some 375-BTU/lb of heat F) that happens to coincide with the operatingrC (1832rat some 1000 temperatures of some new generation nuclear power reactors. Barium carbonate also occurs naturally and decomposes into barium oxide F) at atmospheric pressure. ItrC (2372rand carbon dioxide at 1300 appears possible for the decomposition to occur at lower temperature in a vacuum chamber. The reaction between barium oxide and carbon dioxide Crcan occur at near atmospheric pressure and generate heat around 1000 F) that could energize an externally heated, closed-cycle turbiner(1832 engine. When onboard ship, the metallic oxide would be carried in a storage-chamber and use an auger screw mechanism to push it to a reaction chamber. A separate tank would carry pressurized carbon dioxide. A third storage chamber would contain the spent fuel in the form of the metallic carbonate that would be transferred off the ship and on to railway cars when at port. Processing of the metallic carbonate into the oxide and carbon dioxide would occur away from port, perhaps at a facility that operates a micro nuclear reactor or a radiationfree fusion power system. The carbon dioxide tanks would be refilled during layovers at power. Depending on the size of the ship and the size of the onboard storage areas for the metallic oxide, the carbon dioxide and the metallic carbonate, it may be possible to develop a thermal rechargeable air turbine ship with an operating range of some 1000-miles (1600Km). Such ships may operate in regions where oil resources are either scarce or prohibitively expensive and where nuclear operations exist. Shanghai may become the likely center of operations for such ships that may likely carry freight to and from such ports as Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Manila and possibly Hong Kong. Alternative Energy Storage: The reversible reaction between carbon dioxide and certain metallic oxides represents one form of thermo-chemical energy storage. Steam will react with several metals that include barium and calcium to produce heat and a metallic hydroxide that may be decomposed at a higher temperature. Powdered metal may be carried in one tank while a battery of insulated pressure vessels may

carry saturated water. Some of the exhaust heat may serve to maintain temperature in the pressure vessels that may otherwise begin to cool. A third tank may carry the metallic hydroxide that may be transferred off ship while at port, when a fresh load of powdered metal in loaded onboard, along with saturated water. Hydrogen is known to react with certain metals to generate heat and produce a metallic hydride. However, the storage of hydrogen aboard ship may be problematic due to the tendency of the gas to permeate the chemical structure of several metals and reduce its structural strength. While heat of fusion thermal storage technology may be quite possible, such technology may best involve lower temperature applications that result in the production of superheated steam. Reversible reaction thermo-chemical technology may be well suited for high temperature thermal storage applications and also be compatible with evolving high temperature nuclear fission and radiation free nuclear fusion. Conclusions: As world oil prices rise over the long term, researchers will explore alternative transportation propulsion technologies. There is scope to adapt several developments from the grid electrical energy sector to commercial marine application. An externally heated, closed-cycle air turbine engine that operates at variable high pressure and sources heat from a rechargeable chemical thermal energy storage system, is one possible future marine propulsion option. Recharging of reversible reaction, thermal storage systems would be undertaken at specialized facilities using any of nuclear fission, radiation-free nuclear fusion or possibly concentrated solar thermal energy.

USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83)

by Dennis Bryant Aug 16, 2011, 7:00AM EST

The Mighty Mac Queen of the Lakes The US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WAGB-83) was the Coast Guards icebreaker on the Great Lakes from 1944 to 2006. It was built during the Second World War to expedite shipments of iron ore and other supplies on the Great Lakes during winter months. While it was modeled on the earlier Wind-class icebreakers, the Mackinaw was designed with a wider beam, longer hull, and less draft so as to work in shallow waters in portions of the Great Lakes and connecting waterways. Its wide beam (74 feet, four inches) prevented its passage through the Welland Canal, at least until the Canal was widened to 80 feet in 1959. Subsequently, the Mackinaw may several voyages on Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence Seaway. I was onboard as a cadet when it sailed to Montreal and served as part of the US exhibit at Expo 67. The Mackinaw was the most powerful icebreaker in the world when launched. Its six FairbanksMorse diesel engines powered electric generators that drove the Mackinaws three propellers, two aft and one at the bow. The Wind-class breakers had been designed with bow propellers, but these were eliminated when it was found that they were too weak to withstand multi-year Arctic ice. Construction of the Mackinaw was begun at the Toledo Shipbuilding Company, but finished by the American Shipbuilding and Drydock Company after the Toledo shipyard entered bankruptcy. The Mackinaw was capable of breaking through solid sheets of lake ice up to four feet thick and windrows in excess of 30 feet. During its 62-year career, the Mackinaw was known as the Queen of the Lakes. For that entire period, it was homeported in Cheboygan, Michigan. Immediately after it was decommissioned in 2006 and replaced by the new USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30) the cutter sailed to Mackinaw City, Michigan, where is continues to serve as a museum ship.

How Green Is Your Vessel?

Friday, July 8, 2011 1Share

Its not easy designing ships that are fuel-efficient, emission-compliant and reasonably priced. Todays naval architects are more than up to the task. By Kathy Smith

What drives naval architecture today is the same force that seems to drive everything else in the maritime business: the push to go green. As shipowners work to adhere to the growing number of changing regulations on everything from the disposal of ballast water to the mandate for a lower carbon footprint, naval architects are being challenged to create new designs in keeping with the requirement for more fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly vessels. "Clearly the focus on emissions has been driven in part by some of the customer base, says John Waterhouse of Elliott Bay Design Group in Seattle, which provides services to clients from single-boat owners to large corporations like Norwegian Cruise Line. He adds that shipowners are also looking at a wide variety of energy-saving initiatives such as recycled materials, LED light bulbs and variablespeed motors. Outside-the-Box Thinking Waterhouse is a firm believer in looking outside the marine industry to see what can be used or adapted from other sectors, for example, using items from the building industry or the on- and off-road trucking markets. Even equipment being built for the railroad industry may help develop some of the emissioncontrol technologies that will be used on the water one day. Durk Nijdam from New York-based D2G Maritime, a company experienced in European shipbuilding and sustainable green technology, agrees: We have to start looking outside the box. We can get much farther ahead by using other techniques, technologies and materials that are not really common in the industry. He is already busy applying green technologies from Europe to Americas Marine Highway program.

Building more fuel-efficient vessels also means weighing the cost of carrying cargo for longer periods of time versus the additional fuel burn. Some naval architects say ships are slowing down as owners realize speed can be costly. For green fuel alternatives, much of the focus right now is on LNG, but its currently still an expensive alternative. Darrel Harvey of Alan C. McClure Associates, a 30year-old naval architecture and marine engineering firm in Houston, notes: Compressed natural gas or CNG, which is the same as LNG but not cooled or compressed as far, is what were going to see as the big push in the not-toodistant future. The nice thing about it is you dont have all the cooling requirements, the bleeding, and the cryogenic tanks to store the gas in. You can just put the compressed natural gas in a properly designed and constructed pressure vessel and take the gas out as you need it. SOx and particulate matter emissions could be practically eliminated and NOx emissions reduced by 90 percent in gas-fuelled, lean-burn, 4-stroke engines, says a comprehensive report titled Technology Outlook 2020 written by DNV Research and Innovation in Norway. The report goes on to say that LNG-fuelled ships cost 10-20 percent more than their diesel-fuelled counterparts. CO2 emissions could be reduced by as much as 25 percent using natural gas, but unburned methane is a definite environmental problem. Storage costs, especially on longer hauls, and the limited availability of LNG in some ports are also a concern; however, bunkering terminals are predicted to increase. As the next tier of emission-control guidelines from the IMO dictates, the options for treatment of exhaust gases will include using either costly low-sulfur fuel or scrubbers. Jonathan Parrott, Vice President at Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants, celebrating 50 years in business, indicates some scrubbers are as big as some of the silencers on these engines. Youre talking about a threefoot-diameter by 10-foot-long tube that, on some of these smaller boats, is going to be very difficult to put in. Still, we have to look ahead for that type of technology. In fact, Wrtsil is in the process of developing its first commercial marine scrubber for short-sea carrier Containerships Ltd. Oy of Finland, to be delivered this August. Start Your Engines! Another factor to consider in the green equation is engine performance. Worn bearings and out-of-balance machines can contribute to considerable lost energy over time. Misalignment can sap four to five percent of a machines energy on average and in some cases up to 10 percent, depending on the degree of misalignment, says Rich Merhige, President of Advanced Mechanical Enterprises in Florida, a mechanical engineering firm that focuses on vibration analysis and laser alignment services in the marine industry. The company is currently using a sophisticated new tool developed by Windrock

Inc. specifically for diesel engine diagnostics, using vibration and ultrasonics. The Windrock system provides valuable information about the condition of the engine so that it can be tuned to optimize performance. Hybrid propulsion systems are also a green alternative but are not widely used as of yet. Robert Allan Ltd., located in Vancouver, B.C. and in business since 1930, recently partnered with Seattle-based Foss Maritime in the development of the worlds first hybrid tug, which is now working in the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It was a very successful project but ultimately subsidized by the port and the State of California an option not available for most shipowners. Those who are taking the first steps are paying a significant premium, Robert G. Allan says. The majority of the savings will be in reduced maintenance on the machinery on those vessels, but the additional cost of putting these complex systems into harbor vessels is significant. The Hull Factor When it comes to hull design for greener ships, naval architects can now predict hull resistance with more advanced tools than before so that hulls can function at optimum efficiency across the broadest range of conditions. Kenneth Humphreys of New Orleans-based Mino Marine, experts in offshore liftboat design, says Ship Constructor is one of the popular 3D modeling software systems. Other key software programs include Finite Element Analysis, which helps designers evaluate the structure in detail and reduce redundancies, hull weight, and construction costs. Computational Fluid Dynamics allows naval architects to accurately simulate fluid flow and perform comparative analyses faster than before and with a greater degree of engineering certainty. Scott McClure of Alan C. McClure Associates adds, The other part of that is to work on hull form efficiencies for the same speed to reduce fuel consumption and power demand. There has also been quite a bit of work done on coatings to eliminate or highly reduce marine growth as well. Advanced Mechanical Enterprises Merhige cautions, however, that the combination of lighter scantlings with higher engine power can make vessels more prone to vibration and alignment problems. With 3D CAD design continuing to evolve, naval architects are able to get a better feel early on for the volume, weight and performance of a ship. However, this adds another element to the decision-making process for the shipowner. At the start of a project they may know what kind of engine theyre going to use, but they may not know what kinds of pumps or HVAC systems they want. Essentially, the 3D-modelling aspect of design is now pushing the customer to make those decisions earlier. Simulation modeling is also more in demand. On a passenger vessel, says Elliott Bays Waterhouse, we have the tools now for

simulating the evacuation of a ship. Wind tunnels and simulators are also helping ship operators be confident about coming into and out of ports, and fire modeling is also becoming more prevalent. Looking Ahead DNVs Technology Outlook 2020 report elaborates on other technologies being used or considered in the unending search for green solutions: Skykites, for example, are easily installed but are wind-dependent and may conflict with cargo-handling and equipment. Renewable biofuels like biodiesel and crude plant oil have reduced emissions but are hard on piping, and fuel instability is a concern. Using nuclear power is a far-off possibility since storing and handling radioactive waste would be problematic, among other societal issues. Marine fuel cells are characterized by limited lifetime use and slower power response, while batteries can provide excellent power storage but require long periods to charge. Guido Perla, owner of Guido Perla & Associates in Seattle with European, Asian, and Latin American subsidiaries, points out that Diesel/electric is a proven technology that has been around a long time. With the use of properly sized batteries, we can enhance efficiency and operation through reduced emissions and fuel usage. Perla suggests that eventually a source of energy will be found that will (1) occupy a physical space equal to or smaller than what a gallon of fuel oil uses, (2) have the same or better calorific value, and (3) be priced competitively. Therefore the best investment for operators is to start applying and understanding the use of electricity to propel vessels, as that will keep them on the forefront of technology. John Korpi, General Manager of Dalian FKAB Marine Engineering in Shanghai, reports China has carefully been studying green technology development in Europe and has held many green ship conferences during the past year. Last August a LNG-fuelled tugboat modified by China Natural Gas was successfully tested in Wuhan, a reflection of Chinas national campaign for greener waterways. As technologies and tools change, naval architects must follow suit. They not only have to look at designing a ship for today but for its future mission profile. Jensen Maritimes Parrott says, It doesnt pay to have blinders on. You always want to look at the potential down the road. Discussions and innovations will no doubt continue toward further advances in green technologies for the maritime industry. As well, the human factor in the equation cannot be forgotten. Robert Allan adds, and its as good a summation as any: At the end of the day, the guy with his hand on the throttle is the most important influencer of fuel consumption and emissions. MarEx

Pipes, Pumps and Valves: All Systems Go

Friday, July 8, 2011 Share

Demand is increasing for the type of basic equipment that every vessel needs, but counterfeiting is a growing problem. By Art Garcia

The tide has turned for major manufacturers of marine pipes, pumps and valves, bolstered by a rebounding economy, increased commercial and military vessel construction, and a strengthened market for offshore support vessels. At the same time, makers of maritime sealants and safety products are fighting intrusion into their markets by producers of counterfeit parts streaming mainly from China, South Korea, India and other areas in Asia. Economic Rebound

The pickup in economic activity started last autumn and led to increased bookings in the fourth quarter of 2010 that brought us up to the level we had budgeted for 2010, a year that went according to plan, said Geir Olimb, Sales Manager in Norway for Allweiler AS, a business unit of U.S.-based Colfax Corporation. Volume has grown dramatically, he added, and 2011 looks very good so far and we have no reason to believe it should be less positive later this year. The companys main market is offshore support vessels, which Olimb described as very strong, both in newbuildings and services. Established in 1860, Allweiler has a long-standing reputation as a German manufacturer of pumps. Today it claims to be the market and technology leader with a product portfolio that includes centrifugal pumps, propeller pumps, screw pumps and progressive cavity pumps, as well as complete pump systems. It also makes hose pumps and macerators. Business for privately held CSD Sealing Systems in Gilford, New Hampshire was down last year as it was the year before. But sales picked up substantially in 2011s first period, reported Rick Casale, President and Chief Executive. He attributes the two flat years to a bunch of things, including the global economy and the moratorium on offshore drilling following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That really put a hold on things down in the Gulf. What triggered the turnaround in this years first five months? There were some additional U.S. Navy contracts released specifically for the Independence-Class Littoral Combat Ship, a $10 billion project, he stated. That and some nonmilitary contracts that hit at the appropriate time really helped. Its an up-and-down business in this game. You just never know. Work for the U.S. Navy has also been a boon for W&O Supply of Jacksonville, Florida, which bills itself as the largest marine-piping supplier in the U.S. with annual sales of about $150 million. W&O offers a wide selection of engineered products, pipes, manual and automated valves, and metric valves. Its a partner with the U.S. Navy, commercial shipping companies, barge owners, cruise lines and shipyards throughout North America and Europe. Its slogan, appropriately, is We are the right fit. And that it has been for naval work, generating about $60 million yearly with a goal of ramping up to $100 million in the next five years. The company is a supplier and distributor to shipyards that have contracts for work on U.S. Navy vessels. One obstacle W&O had to buck was the uncertainty over passage of the federal budget and how that might impact funding for the Navys ship repairs. The Navy continually has to maintain a readiness state for its ships, which have to go in for all types of repairs, upgrades and maintenance. One of the things thats been difficult this year is the timing of government funding by Congress, noted Sam Entirken, W&Os Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

Pipes, pumps and valves are used in every ship. They are continuously being replaced because they wear in their service duty and have to be kept in a readiness state, so every time a ship goes into drydock a lot of these are replaced, Entirken added. They have to be checked for integrity. Pumps wear out, pipes wear out and valves get corroded and wear out so they are constantly being replaced. The company is a global supplier of materials for both repairs and new construction to cruise companies and every other shipping segment from tugboats to barges to offshore vessels. It has offices in Rotterdam and Antwerp and plans to open another in Rio de Janeiro this month. PG Marine Group, known in Norway as Ing Per Gjerdrum AS, had a fairly good year in 2010. The financial crisis and the downturn in the market affected us, but we actually did OK, said CEO Roy Norum. We are very close to being back to all-time high figures. We had a fantastic first quarter this year, and the number of systems sold was very close to what we achieved in our best quarter in 2007, an all-time high. PG manufactures cargo systems for offshore supply vessels and tankers as well as utility pumps and pump modules and systems for the offshore oil and gas industry. The company was founded in 1982 by Per Gjerdrum as a pump supplier for the Norwegian maritime market. It has evolved into a designer and supplier of cargo handling systems for offshore supply vessels and has a major export business. Last month PG and a development partner, Techni, were presented with Spotlight on New Technology awards at the annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston for their innovative pump solutions. The awarding of contracts to General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding to construct the second Virginia-Class submarine was good news for Leslie Controls, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, because well be providing very specialized equipment on the vessels, said Leslies Maritime Sales Manager Rich Rochford. The Circor International subsidiary markets a wide range of commercial marine products including control valves, regulators, control pilots and ships whistles. For the Navy, it produces specialized valves. Were still working on a lot of development contracts we received for the new Ford-Class supercarrier, so weve been extremely busy, Rochford said. For privately held Maritime Diesel Electric in Tamarac, Florida, Last year was a good year and this year is going to be even better, stated Juan Jose Samaniego, Manager of Sales and Marketing. We have demand currently on the commercial side, specifically for new equipment and spare parts on offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Theres also a lot of growth in the cruise line industry, one of our biggest business areas, he said. Theres more equipment being bought and investment in equipment upgrades. Maritime Diesel does piping, fitting, refitting, modifications, installation of new equipment,

refurbishment of pipes, enhancement of compartments, installation of water parts, complete pump assemblies and water systems. It represents several European manufacturers in the U.S. and has additional offices in South America and Romania. Belgian-based Victaulic Company pioneered grooved piping as a method of joining pipe more than 80 years ago as an alternative to methods such as welding, flanging or threading. One of the benefits to the shipbuilding industry of installing grooved components is the considerable weight and space savings they offer compared with flanged systems. Victaulic manufactures and markets a full range of grooved products from couplings and fittings to valves and mechanical tees. A broad variety of vessels and rigs all over the world has already taken advantage of the benefits that come with using the technology in a wide range of applications, such as ballast water piping, sea and fresh water cooling, and lube oil and bilge systems, said Didier Vassal, Vice President for Maritime, OEM and Global Military Sales. He added that in an industry where time, costs, safety and sustainability are paramount, grooved mechanical piping technology offers unrivaled benefits as a welding-free joining method: Valve assemblies are typically constructed with flanged components, but this method can add unnecessary weight to a piping system. Installing grooved-end couplings and valves instead of a flanged assembly can reduce weight by 58 percent, resulting in considerable fuel savings. The Scourge of Counterfeiting Unfortunately, with the return of good times comes a corresponding rise in counterfeiters and other imitators looking to cash in on the windfall. According to Maritime Diesels Samaniego and others cited in this article, the copying of spare parts by counterfeiters, especially in India, China and elsewhere in the Far East, is a growing problem. They are benchmarking parts to reproduce and that is affecting a lot of original equipment manufacturers and companies that represent them, Samaniego explained. Buyers seeking to cut costs by bypassing OEMs are opening themselves up to safety liabilities. Its something we see a lot and its increasing. Its one of the biggest threats manufacturers and distributors see every day. This has been going on a long time and its getting worse. Thats the scary part. Its happening pretty much on the wholesalers side. We cant do anything about it because theyll beat us in price and, essentially, theres no regulation. How do you regulate that? CSD Sealings Casale added that counterfeit parts are a problem CSD faces on a daily basis, from the Far East especially. South Korea has been a major problem for us, one that is extremely difficult to combat and shut down at the

source. Its been a big problem and trying to enforce it within South Korea at the shipyard level is next to impossible. Counterfeit parts could create defaults on OEM equipment, a recent high-profile example being what happened on the BP platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Pumps and equipment that werent working. Quick fixes, pointed out Samaniego. There are reasons why OEM parts are designed and manufactured to be in compliance with the complete assembly. When you put in non-OEM parts that are not certified by the manufacturer, thats a huge risk. And if theres a liability claim, the manufacturer gets the short end of the stick. People who replicate spare parts are jackals. One effort to fight parts counterfeiting is to educate customers, who must be able to trust their companys purchasing department to assure that only legitimate OEM parts with correct serial numbers are ordered from reputable manufacturers. Sometimes the temptation to buy a duplicate part from a non-OEM provider stems from an OEMs delay in delivery. Its all up to the customer, to the end-user, to know and to request parts from the original maker, cautioned Themis Giachos, Managing Director at Maritime Diesel, who has been in the parts distribution business more than 40 years. Forged wholesale parts are being produced primarily in Mexico, South Korea, India and, lets not forget the big one, China. China is copying every single piece of machinery it buys, just as the Japanese used to do. Dont buy parts in the open market, Giachos warned. Buy from the manufacturer. MarEx

Lean, Mean and Green

Thursday, July 7, 2011 4Share

High-tech lubricants and low-sulfur fuels are making life easier for owners struggling to comply with strict new emissions protocols. By Jack OConnell

MARPOL Annex VI changed everything. The new protocol regulating airborne emissions from ships signaled formal recognition by the IMO that the maritime industry bore some responsibility for the global proliferation of greenhouse gases and that it had an obligation to help reduce them. No more indiscriminate burning of heavy fuel oil to the detriment of the planet! No sir. Not unless you have an exhaust gas scrubber installed to get rid of those nasty fumes. Annex VI took effect in May 2005 and was ratified by the U.S. three years later with an effective date of January 8, 2009 for all U.S. vessels and foreign-flag vessels over 400 gross tons operating in U.S. waters. Compliance is obtained through the issuance of an International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate (IAPPC), which certifies that a vessel meets MARPOL requirements for ozonedepleting substances, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, shipboard incineration and fuel oil quality. Separate (and more stringent) requirements apply to Emission Control Areas (ECAs), of which there are currently two the Baltic and North Seas. A third (North America, meaning Canada and the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii) goes into effect in August 2012. Further complicating matters are local requirements for certain EU ports and states like California, which can be tougher even than the ECAs themselves. Life isnt easy these days for global marine operators! Targeting NOx and SOx

Of primary concern for shipowners are emissions of nitrogen (NOx) and sulfur (SOx) oxides. From a baseline known as Tier I, Annex VI mandates that NOx emissions be reduced by 20 percent effective the first of this year (Tier II) and by a whopping 80 percent for ECAs by 2016 (Tier III). Engine makers have been quick to respond to the challenge, and marine engines meeting Tier II compliance requirements have been available for several years. Tier III is the bigger challenge, and companies like Wrtsil and ABB Turbocharging to name two are working on a range of technologies which, singly or in combination, will be capable of meeting Tier III requirements. Since approximately 75 percent of the output of a diesel or gas engine is attributable to the effect of turbocharging, ABBs developmental Power2 two-stage turbocharging system shows particular promise. The system relies on two turbochargers of different sizes working in tandem to enhance performance and reduce emissions. The other part of the power equation is valve control management (VCM), which allows variation of both valve timing and valve lift. Effective VCM can further reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. The biggest challenge of all comes with SOx reduction. The current standard requires maximum sulfur content for fuel of 4.5 percent. That drops to 3.5 percent next year and to a proposed 0.5 percent maximum by January 1, 2020. For ECAs, the current standard is 1.0 percent with a reduction to 0.1 percent by January 1, 2015. As Ravi Mehta, Director of Business Development for Det Norske Veritas (Americas) explains, There are three basic solutions: You can either switch to low-sulfur fuel, which entails substantially higher fuel costs and modifications to piping systems to segregate different fuels and enable fuel changeovers; install an exhaust gas scrubber, which maintains your current fuel costs you can continue to burn heavy fuel oil but requires available onboard installation space and a significant capital investment to purchase approved equipment; or switch to LNG fuel, which is the cleanest form of energy and can significantly lower fuel costs. LNG, however, requires a large capital investment and massive storage space onboard to accommodate the fuel tanks. (For a fuller discussion of LNG and its possibilities, see Art Garcias article elsewhere in this issue.) Mehta points out that the average sulfur content in fuel in ships operating today is 2.7 percent, well within the range required by next year. The Challenges of Low-Sulfur Fuel Switching to low-sulfur fuel, however, has its own set of problems, not to mention its high cost and limited availability. These include so-called bad fuel, potential engine and fuel system damage, low viscosity, reduced lubricity and incompatibility of fuel mixtures. According to Peter Pilon, President & CEO of Kittewake Americas, a leading global provider of monitoring and testing solutions, All of these side effects can cause a loss of power and even shutdown, as we have seen off California in recent years. To combat low

viscosity and reduced lubricity, Pilon recommends tungsten carbide-coated fuel injection pumps, or a fuel pump lubrication system. To help keep the viscosity above the minimum specified value, installing a fuel cooler at the fuel injection pumps can keep the fuel temperature below 40oC and ensure a gradual changeover to prevent thermal shock, he adds. Both Pilon and DNVs Mehta emphasize the importance of good recordkeeping and maintaining bunker samples both of which are IMO-mandated. Fuel samples must be retained onboard for a minimum of 12 months and until the fuel is substantially consumed, notes Mehta, and bunker delivery notes must be available for inspection and retained onboard for three years. Simply collecting and storing the samples properly can be a challenge in itself. Pilon points out that Suppliers of sampling equipment, such as Kittiwakes Bunker Sampling Storage Systems, provide abridged versions of the IMO guidelines with instructions and advice, making it much easier for the crew to sample correctly. Monitoring and fuel testing are also key to avoiding problems. Onboard testing, for example, provides immediate results and ensures, prior to the changeover, that the fuel will not cause problems. Kittiwakes sampling services and those from the likes of FOBAS and DNV provide both test results and thorough analysis, stated Pilon. Should problems arise, they are on hand to provide detailed technical support that is often beyond the capabilities of a hardpressed marine superintendent. Vessels entering and exiting ECAs must also maintain written procedures documenting how fuel changeovers are accomplished. Changeovers often take longer than expected to accomplish up to five hours and more and ship captains should make proper provision for this. DNVs Vessel Petroleum Service assists in the development of changeover procedures and endorses changeover calculations. DNV even offers an ECA Survival Kit for those who are thoroughly confused! Kittewakes Pilon adds that, for safety reasons, any fuel switching should be completed before entering ports or ECAs. Optimizing Engine Performance Marine Lubricants Being green doesnt mean you have to sacrifice performance. Concerned about fuel economy? Try slow steaming or variable speed propulsion to cut down on fuel consumption and maximize efficiency. The less fuel you burn, the fewer emissions you give off, and the more money you save. Todays nextgeneration diesel engines are far more efficient than their predecessors, burning less fuel and doing it more cleanly. Diesel-electric propulsion is another proven method of lowering power usage and fuel consumption and, thus, emissions. Lubricants play a major role in maximizing efficiency and reducing engine wear and tear. Castrol Marine, for example, markets a full line of biodegradable and

marine lubricants designed to enhance performance, minimize engine stresses and achieve measurable cost efficiencies. Because low-sulfur fuels require lubricants with lower alkalinity or base numbers (BN), the lubricants have to complement the fuel in terms of their ability to neutralize acidic species formed during combustion. Castrol offers a range of BNs in both its TLX Plus trunk piston engine oil product line and its Cyltech crosshead engine lubricant family. These lubes are specially formulated to maintain optimum viscosity and deal with the most severe demands of highly loaded engines with low oil consumption rates, a characteristic of todays modern engines. All of the major oil companies offer a full line of marine lubricants. Fairfax, Virginia-based ExxonMobil recently announced the introduction of Mobilgear SHC MT 68, a fully synthetic, extreme pressure marine gear oil formulated to optimize the performance of equipment operating under extreme conditions. Todays marine thrusters are operating under higher temperatures and under more stress, stated Shaara Blome, Global Marketing Manager for ExxonMobil Marine Lubricants. Mobilgear SHC MT 68s balanced formulation is specially engineered to meet these challenges, helping our customers optimize equipment performance, reduce oil consumption, extend oil drain intervals and reduce maintenance costs. Total Lubmarines Talusia Universal cylinder lube oil is the first to work with both high and low-sulfur heavy fuel oils, saving the shipowner the expense of changing marine lubricants when switching fuels and entering ECAs. One must admit that lubricants have not always been at the top of the priority list for shipowners, observed Patrick Havil, Global Marketing Manager at Total Lubmarine. When the North American ECA comes into force in 2012, it will affect 50 percent of maritime traffic. And the issue of which lubricant to use will be absolutely vital. Cleveland, Ohio-based Terresolve Technologies produces a full line of environmentally safe, readily biodegradable, non-sheening and nontoxic lubricants for the maritime industry under the brand name EnviroLogic. The high lubricity level of Terresolves products reduces friction and wear, which keeps equipment operating cooler and longer. We have maritime applications running for over nine years without a changeout of fluids, stated Terresolve CEO Mark Miller. By increasing overhaul interval time by even one year, a vessel can save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Miller adds that Terresolves readily biodegradable lubes (meaning they will break down over 90 percent within 28 days) do not leave a sheen on the water if spilled, a feature that sharply reduces or even eliminates the risk that a company will have to pay the environmental fines or clean-up costs associated with a spill. Putting It All Together

All of these products and procedures are designed to provide peace of mind to anxious shipowners and, more importantly, secure the all-important IAPP Certification for their vessels, allowing them to operate freely anywhere in the world. But sometimes it isnt as simple as that. The interpretation and application of regulations can vary from one port to another, and from one country to another. Achieving certification in your home port is the key, and that is not always a slam dunk. At a conference in Miami last month, Paul Bates, Chief of Inspections for the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Miami, offered good practical advice and emphasized the importance of getting to know your local OCMI (Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection). Their names can be found on the USCGs Homeport page (homeport.uscg.mil) along with other essential information for vessel operators. Bates also encouraged operators to ask questions and appeal rulings if they did not agree with them. In an ideal world, as DNVs Ravi Mehta only half-facetiously pointed out, all ships would run on LNG and be ballast-free, and DNV has in fact demonstrated the feasibility of such a vessel. Until then, however, shipowners must resort to expediencies like low-sulfur fuel, exhaust gas scrubbers, next-generation diesel engines, and high-tech lubricants to meet their performance and environmental requirements. Its not easy being lean, mean and green, but its well worth the effort. MarEx

Is LNG the Fuel of the Future?

Thursday, July 7, 2011 2Share

The economic and environmental benefits of LNG-fueled vessels are compelling and surprisingly affordable. By Art Garcia

Like most major industries, transportation contributes to the growing global problem of airborne emissions, fouling the air and resulting in major health problems in the U.S. and around the world. In the maritime sector, a big rebound in shipbuilding is expected with international ordering of new ships projected to jump 35 to 80 percent over the next several years, largely to replace aging tankers. More vessels means more air pollution, unless companies design newbuilds and convert existing vessels to reduce pollutant emissions. Whats the best solution to this global problem as operators face continued tightening of emission regulations that begin taking effect in the U.S. and Canada in August of next year? Many marine veterans and experts argue its liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Emissions Challenge U.S. shipping in 2008 emitted 3.6 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 2.1 million tons of sulfur oxides (SOx) and 127 million tons of CO2, reports Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the Norwegian classification company, in its February report entitled Greener Shipping in North America. The marine NOx emissions, it said, are comparable to the emissions from more than 200 million cars and the CO2 emissions to those from 24 million autos. The journal Environmental Science and Technology warns the global marine sector could be responsible for 60,000 deaths annually. In just the U.S., estimates the Environmental Protection Agency, shipping is responsible for between 8,100 and 21,000 premature deaths and 8.9 million cases of acute respiratory symptoms. With the broad backing of local and regional regulatory agencies around the world, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is toughening environmental requirements for the entire industry. The North and Baltic seas were designated as special Emission Control Areas (ECAs) last year, and ECAs will be introduced in the U.S. and Canada beginning in August of next year. Theres talk of extending ECAs to Mexico, Japan and the Mediterranean Sea. By 2020, there will be a number of areas where shipping is going to be trading within ECA areas, predicts Kenneth Vareide, Director of Operations for DNVs North American maritime operation in Houston. North American ECAs The IMO requires that, beginning August 2012 in the North American ECAs, fuel sulfur content be cut to below 1.0 percent and further reduced to below 0.1 percent beginning January 1, 2015. To comply, ships must either change fuel quality or fuel type or clean the exhaust gas to a corresponding emission level. After 2016, NOx emissions from newbuildings must be reduced by approximately

75 percent. The European Union has already introduced 0.1 percent sulfur as a maximum level for a ships fuel when in ports and on inland waterways. Emissions reduction requirements are being implemented gradually and will be in full force by 2015 and 2016, leaving shipowners a limited number of options for modifications to their ships so as to continue trading in North America, said DNVs Vareide. Shipowners and operators switch to low-sulfur fuelbasically have three options to choose from within the ECA areas, install scrubbers to remove the sulfur from the exhaust gas, or switch to LNG as fuel, he added. What do the ECA requirements mean for coastal shipping? DNVs report concludes the short answer is that shipowners need to do something to their existing fleet of ships to comply. This is a ticket to trade in the future. Leaning back, closing their eyes, hoping this will pass is the surest way out of business. The long-term answer, it emphasizes, is to turn to LNG-fueled engines as the best option. Heavy fuel oil is not an option. Alternatives have to be introduced, and LNG is the obvious choice to satisfy future ECA requirements, particularly for short sea shipping. LNG is here to stay, and short sea shipping is the most obvious place to start, noted Tor Svensen, DNVs President. Forerunners and Prototypes Proponents of LNG note that more than 20 vessels in operation in Norway have proven the technical feasibility of LNG as a fuel. The first ship with LNG propulsion was a ro-ro passenger ferry launched in 2001 to meet a requirement of the Norwegian government that a specific ferry route be operated by a gas-fueled ship. Next came an offshore supply vessel, followed by several more ferries and supply ships and three Norwegian Coast Guard patrol vessels. Current order books for ships running on LNG include ro-ro and passenger vessels, liquid bulk tankers, special-cargo ships and high-speed ferries. Washington State Ferries (WSF) in Seattle sails 21 ferries, soon to be 22, burning a No. 2 diesel on 15 of the craft and a B-5 bio-diesel blend on the others. Were very interested in exploring the LNG option, perhaps on our new construction and maybe on a retrofit, but were in the very early stages of exploring that option and the challenges associated with it, said Paul Brodeur, Director of Vessel Maintenance, Preservation and Engineering for the agency. Were in the fairly early stages of investigating the feasibility and practically of using LNG in this country, given that were 10 years behind the Europeans. Norway, with the largest fleet of LNG-fueled ships in the world, has a number of new LNG vessels coming online. Six of those in service are car ferries, the others passenger ferries and offshore supply vessels.

A study commissioned by WSF found that LNG use is both practical and costeffective. It said that although the capital cost of the LNG engines and tanks is high versus conventional diesel equipment, the fuel cost savings are estimated at $870,000 a year based on 2010 prices. For pure gas propulsion engines, NOx emissions would be reduced at least 90 percent and particulate matter and SOx emissions would be virtually eliminated, while CO2 would be trimmed by approximately 20 percent. Brodeur said WSF, which carries 23 million passengers a year, sees LNG as a path forward, not only for cost savings, with fuel costs the way they are, but also for green aspects, the emission benefits that come with gas. But there are some challenges, he admitted, regulatory for one, and also public perception of LNG, which is a really tough sell, with safety the number one consideration. WSF plans to get out ahead early and educate people within and outside the organization. I hope we can get some good momentum behind the issue because I believe LNG is the fuel of the future and youre not dependent on crude oil and the crude oil spikes that were currently seeing in the market place, he said. Its exciting. Gas-Fueled Engines Indeed, but is LNG, as Brodeur contends, really the fuel of the future? DNV maintains the technical feasibility of LNG is proven by the more than 20 ships in operation in Norway. And Wartsila, Rolls-Royce, MAN Diesel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produce gas-fueled engines currently available on the market. Rolls-Royce will provide natural gas engines and main azimuth thrusters for a double-ended passenger/vehicle ferry for Norwegian operator Fjord 1. It will be the worlds largest gas-engine ferry. Five ferries powered by Rolls-Royce gas engines fueled with LNG already operate these services. Nor Lines, operator of a fleet of liner vessels that serve ports in northern Europe and Russia, turned to Rolls-Royce for its planned fleet renewal program thats based on efficient vessels that meet current and future needs with a minimum impact on the environment. The ro-ro vessels operate in ECAs, so exhaust emissions are of prime importance. The company has signed on with Rolls-Royce for ship design and its gas-engine technology. The lean burn engine reduces CO2 by about 22 percent, said Rolls-Royce, and NOx by more than 90 percent compared with liquid-fuel engines, while sulfur oxides and particulates are negligible. Robert Loseth, Rolls-Royce Senior Vice President for Merchant Propulsion and Engines in Oslo, Norway, believes An Age of LNG is going to happen. Thats why we have invested in developing engines for burning LNG or gas from LNG. The company has manufactured 500 LNG engines, primarily for the land-based market, and 24 LNG engines are running on ships, mainly ferries. About 16

engines are in the order book, half ferries and half cargo vessels. A secondgeneration natural gas engine is being manufactured for two transport vessels for Bergen, Norway-based Sea Cargo. In 2009, Rolls-Royce invested 864 million in research and development, two-thirds of which was to improve the environmental aspects of its products, in particular emissions reduction. Captain Kevin Coyne, Executive Vice President of the Americas for Germanischer Lloyd classification society in Houston, definitely sees LNG as tomorrows fuel for the maritime industry, saying It makes sense on many fronts, first on an environmental front. Just the pollutants reduction alone is worth the change to LNG. When you look at the availability, there will be more LNG available in the future on a volume basis, although some innovative technologies will have to be employed. Were converting a small bulk carrier right now for dual-fuel usage, said Coyne, whos responsible for maritime and environmental compliance at GL. His company is working with Wartsila on conversion of a bulk carrier vessel to run on heavy fuel oil or compressed natural gas. He expects more progressive companies to look closely at dual fuel because that can be done with some existing engines. GL has developed prototype designs for a gas-fueled bulk carrier and has a design for a gas-fueled coastal container ship. For storage, the design calls for a dedicated place in either the cargo block for a container ship or bulk carrier or on the deck for a tanker. Its almost like a container rack that can be fitted and locked onto the deck, he explained. Youd have these modules fueled ashore and then brought to the ship. Its almost like putting batteries in and taking batteries out. Pay Me Now, or Pay Me Later An LNG-fueled propulsion plant might add about $3.6 million to the cost of a typical domestic cargo ship. But over the operating life of the vessel, at todays gas rates, LNG fuel would save more than $4 million over scrubbers and $12 million for low-sulfur fuel, reported Vareide of DNV. LNG is particularly attractive for vessels with a fixed trading ferries,pattern, which should fit well with the biggest segments offshore support vessels and tug/push boats, he said. Besides, much of the coastal trade in the U.S. is fixed in its trade pattern and we have been in contact with several companies that are considering LNG for newbuildings and conversions. If youre looking at a vessel for construction from 2015 on and youre not really seriously looking at gas, added Coyne, youre making a mistake. Take note, MarEx readers. MarEx

Advances in Lifesaving Equipment

Thursday, May 5, 2011 1Share

t all began with the Titanic. The sinking of the worlds greatest ship on April 10, 1912, taking with her 1,517 victims many of them rich and famous galvanized the media and focused worldwide attention on the issue of safety. The fact that the luxury liner was carrying just 20 lifeboats when she went down, enough for roughly half of her 2,227 passengers, only added to the uproar, stirring outrage and spurring demands for reform. Investigations followed on both sides of the Atlantic. They found that many safety rules were simply out of date, such as the requirement that the number of lifeboats on board be based on a ships gross tonnage rather than on the number of passengers it could carry. By this antiquated measure the Titanic complied with the lifeboat requirement which, when tragedy struck, proved woefully inadequate. Investigators also learned that the ship had sufficient lifeboat space for all first-class passengers but not for

the lower classes. In fact, most third-class passengers had no idea where the lifeboats were, much less any way of getting up to the higher decks where they were stowed. As a result of these and other findings, numerous safety improvements for oceangoing vessels were implemented, including updated lifeboat requirements, access throughout the ship for the movement of passengers, improved hull and bulkhead designs, new life-vest designs, the holding of safety drills, and better passenger notification in the event of emergency. Today, safety has become big business, and there is no shortage of companies offering the latest and greatest in lifesaving equipment. Here are a few of them. Fassmer More Than One Step Ahead Germanys Fassmer is a 160-year-old maker of everything from freefall lifeboats to housing for wind turbines. Its U.S. subsidiary, Fassmer Service America, is based in Miami, conveniently close to its biggest customers, and is run by General Manager Tim Klaybor. Klaybor says the SOLAS requirements for one- and five year inspections of lifeboat equipment and especially the allimportant onload release mechanisms are big business for his company. The U.S. subsidiary has established a Safety Management System to ensure that all work is done in accord with the highest standards and by certified personnel who are authorized to issue and sign the mandatory Certificate of Serviceability. We offer our customers peace of mind, said Klaybor, and more importantly, we save lives.

Added Hans-Christian Mornhinweg, Managing Director of Fassmer Services Germany, who is responsible for worldwide after-sales service, We like to stay more than one step ahead. For instance, you may have read that the IMO has pushed back the effective date for the implementation of new requirements for lifeboat onload release mechanisms. Well, our stainless steel hooks are already fully compliant with the newly drafted regulations, so our customers dont have to worry. The fifth-generation, family-run company outfitted the Norwegian Epic with 22 state-of-the-art lifeboats, each with a capacity of 292 passengers. These Space Age vessels are like nothing youve ever seen. On the Epic the loading and embarkation points for the lifeboats are the same, an unusual feature that makes it easier (and quicker) for passengers to board in time of emergency. In addition to lifeboats, Fassmer makes tenders and fast rescue boats, special ops vessels for the military, offshore survey vessels, and deck equipment like gangways, boarding systems, davits of all kinds and winches. Viking Global Safety Solutions

Denmark-based Viking bills itself as a market leader in marine and fire safety equipment, and its five manufacturing facilities churn out marine evacuation systems, offshore evacuation and crew transfer systems, liferafts, boats, lifesaving appliances, and protective clothing such as immersion suits, work suits, fire suits and lifejackets. Its an especially big supplier to the military, where its inflatables, chute and slide-based evacuations systems, and immersion suits are in high demand both on the water and in the air. The company recently received final approval from the U.S. Naval Air Force to supply up to 4,500 of its PS4049 Quick Donning Suits. Designed specifically for use by U.S. military flight crews, the innovative suits will be employed on the P-3, C-130, E-6 and the new P-8. "We've been working closely with NAVAIR to deliver a suit that greatly improves the safety of naval airmen," stated Kurt Bertsch, Sales Director for the Americas. Bertsch is based in Miami, where Viking Life-Saving Equipment (America) is headquartered. Liferafts are another big item. They come in all shapes and sizes, including self-righting, and can be easily entered from the water. Vikings six-person RescYou liferaft was instrumental recently in the rescue of a couple off the coast of New Zealand who had just completed a spectacular 10-1/2 month adventure cruising from Port Townsend, Washington across the Pacific Ocean. The couples Golden Wave 42 Kattywompus unexpectedly hit a reef, quickly started taking on water and capsized. With a little help from an EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon) and, of course, their Viking raft, the couple was located and quickly rescued. Vikings innovative Shipowner Agreement service contracts have been a big hit with customers. They offer fixed-price services covering the life of the contract for liferafts, immersion suits, lifejackets and other required safety equipment at any of the companys 270 servicing stations around the world. The latest to sign up was Stolt Tankers, a leader in the chemical tanker trade. The Stolt agreement provided for a liferaft exchange program to satisfy the carriers requirements for years to come. The transparency offered by fixed price contracts and the convenience of one-stop shopping for all of a customers safety needs are key selling points for the Shipowner Agreement, noted Bertsch.

Survitec Where Survival and Technology Meet Belfast-based Survitec has been around for more than 150 years. During that time, it has laid claim to a number of firsts: the first life preserver, the Mae West, in 1940; the first Submarine Escape Suit in 1952, and the first Marine Evacuation System in 1979. The company is built around a collection of market-leading brands like RFD, DSB and Beaufort. It serves a broad range of customers including the UK Ministry of Defence, the U.S. Navy, Shell, Lockheed Martin, Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises. Perhaps its most innovative products are Submarine Escape and Survival Systems and Marine Evacuation Systems (MES). The company pioneered the development of submarine escape technology in the 1950s, and its latest generation RFD SEIE (Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment) MK 11 an ingenious whole body suit and one-man liferaft enables free

ascent from a stricken submarine without hypothermia and provides extensive protection for the submariner upon reaching the surface. In the last 15 years more than 30,000 SEIE suits have been supplied to over 20 navies around the world. The MES, introduced in 1979, involves sliding down a chute to an enclosed raft and is a viable alternative to lifeboats. The best-known MES, the Marin Ark, was introduced about ten years ago and encompasses two fully enclosed chutes and four fully-reversible liferafts, each capable of carrying more than 100 passengers. The entire system can be stored in a single stowage unit.

Since its acquisition by private equity firm Warburg Pincus last year, Survitec has been in a growth mode. Its latest purchase was U.S.-based Revere Supply, a leading distributor of inflatable liferafts, lifejackets and immersion suits. Reveres product mix complements Survitecs nicely and will enable Survitec to expand its U.S. presence. ACR Electronics The Science of Survival The undisputed leader in the manufacture of EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons) and PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) is Fort Lauderdale-based ACR Electronics. The company notes facetiously that it has been Putting Vultures out of Business Since 1956 and that its vast selection of EPIRBs and PLBs represent Your Best Last Chance. Its products have been credited with helping to save thousands of lives over the years, including the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970. The company is, in fact, a major supplier to the military. Its survival beacons, hand-held VHF radios and Firefly emergency pocket strobes are standard gear for combat troops. For the marine market, in addition to EPIRBs and PLBs, ACR makes emergency VHF radios, manoverboard lights, strobe lights, and AIS (Automatic Identification System) and SAR (Search and Rescue) transponders.

ACRs products rely on GPS technology, which takes the search out of search and rescue. A worldwide network of polarorbiting and geostationary satellites, together with Russias Cospas spacecraft, makes up the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System known as Cospas-Sarsat, which has been credited with more than 28,000 rescues and relies on the 406 MHz frequency. The notification process from the time the first signal is sent to when rescuers are dispatched can take as little as three minutes with GPS embedded in the transmission.

ACR is part of $3 billion Cobham plc, whose stock is traded on the London Stock Exchange and whose best-known product is the Aegis surveillance and fire-control radar system used on the newbuild Arleigh Burke Class of U.S. guided missile destroyers.

AMVER Saving Lives at Sea Since 1958

No article on lifesaving equipment and search-and-rescue technology would be complete without mention of AMVER, whose initials originally stood for Atlantic Merchant Vessel Emergency Reporting system but today mean Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue system. AMVER is a unique, computer-based, voluntary global ship-reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to vessels in distress. More than 22,000 vessels of all sizes and shapes, from nations, are enrolled in AMVER, which is based at the U.S. Coast Guards Martinsburg, West Virginia facility. Prior to departure, these vessels file a voyage plan with the AMVER computer center and then report in every 48 hours until arrival at their destination. In an emergency, the AMVER coordination center can identify vessels in the vicinity of the stricken vessel, which are then dispatched to the scene.

AMVER began as an initiative of the U.S. Coast Guard, and it still remains under the Coast Guards umbrella. Its basic premise is to enable mariners to help mariners, regardless of nationality, and it couldnt really begin until the advent of the Computer Age. In fact, AMVERs history closely parallels the evolution of computer technology and, up until AMVERs founding in 1958, there was no global emergency reporting system for the worlds commercial shipping fleet or its burgeoning airline industry. AMVERs first computer, an IBM RAMAC (Random Access Method Accounting Control), relied on dead reckoning to determine the location of vessels. A Control Data mainframe followed in 1971 and from there the progression went roughly like this: vacuum tubespunch cardsprinted circuit boardmicrochip. This past September AMVER announced its most ambitious update yet a new system using state-of-the-art Blade server technology to replace its aging Hewlett Packard 9000 series. With the number of enrolled vessels doubling in the last decade and a tripling in the number of daily messages sent to AMVER each day, it is imperative to keep our system in line with technological advances, stated Ben Strong, AMVERs Maritime Relations Officer.

Weve come a long way from the Titanic, when ships passing within sight of the stricken vessel were unaware it had hit an iceberg and was sinking, added Strong. They apparently mistook distress flares for celebratory fireworks. Today we have satellite technology and GPS and EPIRBs and AMVER and, while we cannot prevent accidents at sea, we can maximize the efficacy of rescue operations.

Advances in Clean Marine Propulsion

Sunday, April 3, 2011

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Can LNG-fueled vessels save the planet? By Richard Carranza Mention propulsion to someone and they generally think of jet engines or a 12cylinder Ferrari. And while propulsion does mean power, it also means pollution, particularly when it comes to powering ships. Burning diesel and HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil) creates greenhouse gases, mainly SOx, NOx and CO2, that are emitted into the atmosphere. Propulsion systems, because they require seals and bearings to reduce friction, can also leak lube oil into the ocean when seals weaken due to harsh conditions and varying loads. These are among the issues being addressed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its continuing efforts to reduce maritime pollution worldwide. The IMOs Tier III regulations, scheduled to take effect in 2016, would require dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from ships, including a massive 80 percent in NOx when transiting designated Emission Control Areas. The Natural Gas Solution Faced with looming deadlines and high compliance costs, natural gas as an alternative energy source is looking more and more viable. For one thing, methane (the main ingredient in natural gas) has the potential to deliver large amounts of energy. During complete combustion, fuel plus oxygen are converted to carbon dioxide and water. The heat derived from combustion propels the ship. Compare the heats of combustion (kJ/g) for the following fuels (approximate values): methane, 55; propane, 50; gasoline, 47; diesel, 45; and ethanol, 30. Methane delivers more energy than any other fuel. Moreover, the combustion of natural gas is much cleaner. During complete combustion, the only byproducts are carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and water, both colorless. Natural gas is, in fact, a no sulfur fuel and can reduce NOx emissions by up to 90 percent and CO2 by up to 20 percent with little or no smoke. In the case of incomplete combustion, as occurs with other fuels, side reactions and other compounds (including carbon monoxide and elemental carbon) are produced and give off black smoke. Diesel has a tendency to produce smoke. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be used as a fuel in ships because it occupies one-six hundredth the volume of natural gas. In the 1970s LNG cargo ships were

propelled primarily by steam turbines, and the fuel used to generate the steam for propulsion was the LNG cargo itself. In the 1990s there was a paradigm shift in the industry, and LNG ships employed both diesel propulsion and dual fuel propulsion (engines with the capability to use either natural gas or diesel). Since the 1990s LNG has supplied the energy source for the dual fuel electric propulsion system. Despite the fact that the LNG cargo is insulated, heat transfer does occur, thereby resulting in vaporization methane gas is generated. The vapors are either liquefied via cryogenic refrigeration and returned to the storage system or collected and used to propel the ship. Wartsila Ship Power Solutions Wartsila, a Finnish company, is presently the market leader in large industrial maritime propulsion due to its ingenious dual fuel electric propulsion system that utilizes both natural gas and diesel. The system primarily works with natural gas but can be switched to diesel when necessary. The fuel is sent first to electric generators. The electricity is then used to drive electric motors, which are linked to the ship's propulsion shaft. Although the energy transfer undergoes one additional step by using the dual fuel electric propulsion model, the dual fuel system is preferred because the Wartsila engines are highly efficient. Variable frequency drives help keep the system operating at its optimum point as load conditions change, which is not possible under traditional fixed-speed motor installations. In other words, the dual fuel system actually provides higher efficiency. Moreover, the excess electricity is portable to other ship services, like cargo pumps. Tony Teo of the ship classification society DNV in Houston believes that duel fuel electric propulsion utilizing LNG should be applied to smaller vessels as well as large LNG carriers: The time is ripe for LNG to be used by ferries, offshore support vessels, tugs, and the Coast Guard. Growing in popularity on the Baltic and North Seas, today there are 21 vessels operating with LNG fuel and another 25 or so on order. These are all on short sea trading or coastal routes. Using LNG as fuel has big cost benefits and even bigger emissions benefits with the potential to reduce SOx completely, NOx by 80-85 percent, and CO2 by 20-25 percent. While acknowledging that small ship owners are concerned about the availability of LNG, Teo stated that The supply can be secured with many of the LNG terminals located along the U.S. coast. There is a huge potential market for new, small-scale LNG distribution systems in the U.S. We have spoken to several terminals and they are eager to sell their stock as LNG. They prefer not to compete with the pipeline gas market. Thordons Seawater-Lubricated Stern Tube Bearings

On the high seas a ship's propeller system is often put in peril. Fishing lines and fishing nets can get entangled in the propellers. If the ship is an ice breaker in the Arctic, then impact with ice can also place stress on the system. The net effect is that bending moments are exerted on the shaft that cause the stern tube seals and bearings to fail. Upon failure, lubricating oil is spilled into the sea. Governments around the world are concerned about oil releases originating from stern tubes. Oil spills can result in civil and criminal indictments, fines, and even imprisonment. Furthermore, unscheduled stern tube repairs are costly, both in terms of capital costs and lost time. In an effort of circumvent unscheduled stern tube repairs, Thordon Bearings of Canada offers a seawater-lubricated stern tube bearing system instead of the traditional oil-lubricated system. The bearings are made of elastomeric polymer instead of metal. The seawater is drawn from the ocean, pumped through the bearings and back into the sea. No oil is required. It should be noted that seawater-lubricated bearings may be more expensive than oil-lubricated. Since salt water is highly corrosive, bronze liners are required as well as corrosion protection for the shaft. However, since there is no lubricating oil present, the initial investment costs are recouped by lower maintenance costs related to seal maintenance, not to mention stern tube oil costs and the costs related to oil pollution. Offering bearing packages with reliability equal to or better than an oil and white metal system has made switching to pollution-free bearings an easy decision for many ship owners, stated Ryan Edmonds, Thordons Marketing Coordinator. Our in-house engineering team and distributor network in over 100 countries offer worldwide availability and technical support. Many ship owners are taking advantage of converting their ships with an existing oil-lubricated system to seawater-lubricated Thordon COMPAC bearings that have a predictable wear life and a 15-year guarantee for newbuilds. Caterpillar Marine Diesel Electric Propulsion Engines Although natural gas engines have a tremendous advantage when we look at emissions, new electric propulsion systems are allowing diesel fuel to maintain a strong position as well. Caterpillar is making significant advancements in the field of diesel electric propulsion and increasing the power efficiency relative to traditional direct drive diesel systems. In traditional diesel systems, the engine is connected directly to the propulsion line. In the electric propulsion systems, the engine is connected to an electric generator. The power is then relayed through a switchboard, transformer, frequency converter, electric motor and, ultimately, the propeller. The additional hardware adds about 10 percent energy consumption, but Caterpillars advanced technology reduces overall fuel consumption, increases efficiency and lowers CO2 emissions.

Caterpillar does this by utilizing an electronic unit injector fuel system (EUI) in conjunction with an ADEM III governor (controller). EUI does not rely on the mechanical synchronization of the injectors; rather, it uses electric solenoids to control fuel delivery. ADEM III controls the solenoids so that the timing and the length of fuel injection are matched perfectly with the speed and load requirements of the moment. ADEM III also has programmable features such as fuel/air ratio control. EUI, together with ADEM III, allows higher combustion efficiency, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions. Ships do not always run at full load or optimum efficiency level. Diesel electric propulsion gives the user the ability to run appropriately sized generators based on the current demand, as opposed to simply having a large engine drive a propeller. Considering that diesel electric propulsion vessels use multiple engines of different sizes, the end user can exploit this combination and allow the vessel to operate at its highest efficiency. In addition, the ability to put generators on and off line leads to a double cost benefit: less fuel consumption and less maintenance (since the engine is periodically rested). Maneuvering and dynamic positioning are essential aspects of the offshore business. In some traditional diesel systems, the engine is full-on at low thrust; low speeds are controlled with propeller pitch. Contrarily, electric propulsion systems apply variable frequency motors. In other words, electric propulsion provides zero RPMs when there is little or no thrust requirement. Energy savings can be as high as 15 percent. Diesel electric propulsion is suitable for a very large variety of applications: workboats, cruise ships, ferries, tankers, ice breakers and warships. Furthermore, special environmental certification from organizations like DNV and Lloyd's Register is available, and this can sometimes lead to lower harbor fees at some international ports. Luiz Pustiglione of Caterpillar Marine Power Systems added, When we analyze marine construction trends over the last three years, we see that investment in diesel electric propulsion vessels has doubled while the construction of purely mechanically propelled vessels has slowed. Toward a Greener Planet The future of the maritime industry is sure to see more inspections and regulations as the U.N., IMO and local governments unite to make the air and water cleaner. Oil leakage from ship machinery and air emissions from propulsion systems will be significantly reduced by implementing advanced technologies including increased use of LNG-fueled engines. Seawater-lubricated bearings reduce shaft seal maintenance, and electric propulsion reduces engine maintenance and fuel consumption all of which save money. Aside from saving the planet, it appears that tougher environmental regulations can also save the bottom line. MarEx