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New Caterpillar thrusters are hybrid compatible

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Caterpillar Marine has announced a new generation of azimuth thrusters, the MTA v3.

Based on the existing v2 design, the MTA v3 is designed with hybrid systems in mind and aims to boost fuel efficiency and give customers the best operational modes for their performance needs.

The v3’s hybrid interface means it can switch between mechanical and electric power easily, allowing users to achieve high average engine loads by running only the necessary engines or generator sets needed to meet the desired operational mode.

Users can select between standby and low-speed transit, high-speed transit and light towing, full power and firefighting modes.

The new line builds on its predecessor with a 20% lighter weight, 27% decreased oil volume, increased power density of 25% and a 3% bollard pull increase. Auxiliaries such as the hydraulic power pack, gravity tank, cooler and clutch hydraulics are integrated into the azimuth unit itself, giving it a smaller footprint overall.

Thrusters from Cat’s 3500 range including the MTA 524, MTA 627 and MTA 628 are available in MTA v3 versions at power ranges from 1,500 kW to 2,525 kW.

Caterpillar Marine’s tug and salvage segment manager Jorgen Karlsson said “The addition of the new MTA v3 to our marine product programme really completes our offering to the tug segment and provides a leaner, simpler and more efficient integrated solution to our customers.”

Source:osjonline

Maersk leases oil storage in Singapore ahead of 2020 regulations

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Maersk Oil Trading has leased oil storage space in Singapore, indicating a push into the Asian bunkering hub, especially as we get near to the 2020 sulphur cap.

As Reuters reported, the company has leased 120,000 cubic meters of space for fuel oil for six months. Until now, Maersk Oil Trading did not have its own storage tanks in Singapore for the supply of  fuels to its customers, including Maersk.

This development comes at a time when the shipping industry is trying to decide the best way to comply with the 2020 regulations.

A few months before, Maersk got into a deal with Royal Vopak to launch a 0.5% sulphur fuel bunkering facility in Rotterdam. This will meet around 20$ of Maersk’s demand for IMO 2020 compliant fuels.

The lease also comes at a time of an unbalanced market, something that made many suppliers not to renew their fuel oil storage contracts in Singapore.

This situation becomes even more difficult considering the high fuel prices, which are challenging traders to recover the costs of storage.

Source:safety4sea

BHP to use drones to improve its freight operations

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International resources company BHP, announced that it will be using drones in its freight operations. The drones will conduct inspection of holds, while they will be tested to improve the safety, time and cost of ship draft readings.

The drones are still in the trial phase, BHP’s Vice President of Marketing Freight, Rashpal Bhatti said, but he believes that they have big potential as they have artificial intelligence that provides captains a digital view of their ship.

According to the company, in the ocean freight business, drones can inspect holds and take draft readings. They can also advise the ship’s bridge on the water position of the rudder.

Hold inspection reports will still be independent assessments, but drones can reduce inspection times per hold from an hour to 15 minutes.

The drones will also be tested for their ability to improve the safety, time and cost of ship draft readings.

This is usually done from a boat when the ship is berthed and ready for a cargo.

However, one of the logistical challenges that drones have to overcome is to get them on ships when they are offshore at anchorage, as distinct from being berthed.

Source:safety4sea

South Korea to Fund LNG-Fueled Ship Construction

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South Korea's state-run Korea Ocean Business Corp. (KOBC) has announced $122 million in guarantees for local shipping companies to build LNG-fueled ships and to purchase other vessels.

The companies include Korea Line, SK Shipping, H-Line Shipping and Polaris Shipping, reports Yonhap News.

KOBC was established in July this year as part of the government's efforts to revive the nation's shipping and shipbuilding industry. On launching, it announced support for 10 small to medium shipping lines which included sale and lease back assistance for 10 vessels. The recipients include Daebo International Shipping, Dong-A Tanker and DM Shipping, and the financing is expected to be completed by November.

In September, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) announced that it has placed firm orders for 20 eco-friendly container ships. The orders are divided evenly amongst South Korea's "Big Three" shipbuilders – Samsung Heavy Industries (five 23,000 TEU vessels), DSME (seven 23,000 TEU vessels) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (eight 14,000 TEU vessels). All will be delivered by mid-2021. 

HMM nearly went into bankruptcy in 2016, but is now recovering and expanding as a result of significant government support. Reports this week indicate that the shipping line will receive $5 billion to fund both the shipbuilding orders and also terminals.

South Korean shipyards are leading the global order book in September, for the fifth consecutive month, according to Clarkson Research Services. The nation's order backlog now exceeds 20 million compensated gross tonnage, with the nation's yards receiving 28 orders out of 75 globally in September. Competitor China won the second-largest amount, 17 orders.

Earlier this month, the government announced plans to build smart shipyards equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a move expected to boost the cost competitiveness of the nation's small to mid-size shipbuilders. 

BusinessKorea reported that the government will begin a feasibility study this year. Around $360 million will be spent on the Korean Smart Shipyard (K-Yard) project which aims to first develop a smart shipyard simulation model and set up a virtual reality-based production platform to track production flow using the internet of things. Two shipyards are expected to take part in testing between 2020 and 2025. The production models developed would then be rolled out across other yards.

The government is specifically planning to win back the mid-size bulk and tanker markets from China, reported BusinessKorea, and hopes to increase productivity by 20 percent and lower production costs by 10 percent with the project. 

Source:maritime-executive

Chevron Becomes First Major to Exit Norway’s Offshore Sector

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American oil major Chevron has decided to leave the Norwegian continental shelf in favor of new prospects in other regions. The firm is transferring its last stake in a Norwegian offshore license – a 20 percent share of Arctic lease block PL859 – to Oslo-listed DNO ASA for an undisclosed sum. 

According to correspondence obtained by Reuters, Norway's oil ministry has agreed to approve the sale and Chevron's departure from the nation's oil sector, on condition that Chevron agrees to fund its share of the decommissioning of the aging Draugen field. The ministry said that the decision means that Chevron will leave the NCS "permanently."

The sale is among Chevron's many other moves to exit the maturing North Sea region. It sold its 40 percent operating share in the UK offshore Rosebank project to Equinor (Statoil) last week, and it is seeking buyers for most of its other assets in the UKCS. It also sold its last interests in the Danish sector of the North Sea to Total last month.

The only UKCS asset that Chevron has expressed an interest in retaining is the Clair field, where it holds a stake of about 20 percent. Lead partner BP is just finishing the development of an expansion at Clair and expects that first oil from a new pair of platforms will begin this year. "Clair is a key advantaged oilfield . . . a giant resource whose second phase is about to begin production and which holds great potential for future developments,” said BP Upstream CEO Bernard Looney in July. 

Heading for shore

Chevron will likely redeploy its capital from North Sea assets to onshore E&P investment. The firm is very active in the Permian Basin shale fields, where it aims to produce 650,000 bpd by 2022. It also holds a 50 percent interest in the supergiant Tengiz field in Kazakhstan: this 25-billion-barrel reservoir is among the world's largest, and it puts out about 450,000 barrels per day. It also generates high volumes of naturally occurring hydrogen sulfide (sour gas), which is presently removed in processing as solid sulfur. The multi-million-tonne storage piles for this waste product may be seen from space, and they have been a source of tension with Kazakh regulators and local residents in years past. 

Chevron is investing billions of dollars in a new reinjection system that will put the sour gas back into the reservoir, which in turn will raise production by another 250,000 barrels per day. This next phase of Tengiz's expansion, dubbed the Future Growth and Wellhead Pressure Management Project, will cost Chevron and its partners an estimated $37 billion, including an allowance for contingencies.  

Source:maritime-executive

USCG Conducts First Rescues of Hurricane Michael Response

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On Wednesday, as Hurricane Michael neared shore in the Florida Panhandle, Coast Guard servicemembers near Fort Myers Beach, Florida rescued two sailors from a 50-foot sailing yacht after she ran into trouble with weather. It was the second marine rescue the USCG has made due to the far-reaching effects of the storm. 

At 2143 hours on Tuesday evening, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a mayday call from the master of the Old School (audio below) at a position off Boca Grande, about 220 nm to the southeast of the storm's center. The skipper reported that the vessel was beset by heavy weather and needed assistance. 

Wave height on scene was eight feet, below gale conditions. A Station Fort Myers Beach 45-foot boat crew responded to the scene and transferred the two people from the sailboat back to shore. There were no reported injuries. 

"We cannot reiterate it enough – this storm is dangerous," said Cmdr. William Walsh, the deputy commander for Sector St. Petersburg, in a statement Wednesday. "Even though the hurricane passed, mariners must monitor the weather and take small craft advisories seriously."

Coast Guard prepares for disaster response

As Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida, Coast Guard teams began preparing for the response effort that will follow in its wake. At Air Station Clearwater, aircrews prepared Hercules long range SAR aircraft and the service's iconic rescue helicopters to surge into the affected area (below).

Coast Guard helicopters staged at Air Station Clearwater, Florida (USCG)

In Kings Bay, Georgia, Coast Guard boat crews brought out their shallow-water rubber rescue boats to make sure that their equipment was ready to go when needed. At Station Yankeetown, Florida, small boat crews inspected their rescue launches in preparation for emergency response calls. And at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama, just across the state line from the Florida Panhandle, helicopter aircrews from Corpus Christi, Houston and New Orleans staged to surge in if their services are needed. 

Source:maritime-executive

 

Asia Leads in Container Shipping Connectivity

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China remained the trading nation best connected to others by sea in 2018, according to UNCTAD’s latest Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), released alongside the Review of Maritime Transport 2018. 

The LSCI is an indicator of a country’s position within the global liner shipping networks. It is calculated from data on the world’s container ship deployment: the number of ships, their container carrying capacity, the number of services and companies and the size of the largest ship.

China's LSCI number has increased by 88 percent since UNCTAD first compiled the index in 2004.  The best-connected territories for seaborne trade were all in Asia, with Singapore (2), Republic of Korea (3), Hong Kong (4) and Malaysia (5), each with a score of more than 100 according to the index’s metrics. 

At the other end of the table, the worst-connected territories, meaning trade in shipped goods remained problematic with knock-on economic effects, were Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Tuvalu. 

The top five territories that increased their score in the index in 2018 compared to the year before did so by the following percentage growth rates. 
• United Arab Emirates (179 percent)
• Maldives (125 percent)
• Mauritania (77 percent)
• Eritrea (73 percent)
• the Federated States of Micronesia (69 percent)

By contrast, the following economies experienced the sharpest percentage decreases in the 2018 index as compared to 2017:
• Ukraine (-61 percent) 
• Albania (-49 percent)
• Montenegro (-48 percent)
• New Zealand (-43 percent)
• Northern Mariana Islands (-35 percent)

Since the index was first published by UNCTAD, Morocco has had the highest LSCI growth among African countries, with its number increasing by 661 percent between 2004 and 2018. In South-East Asia, Vietnam’s LSCI number increased by 435 percent during the last 15 years, the highest growth in this region. In Latin America, the highest surge was recorded by Peru, at plus 196 percent. The strongest decline in their LSCI numbers in the last 15 years was recorded by Venezuela and Yemen. 

Around 80 percent of global trade by volume and over 70 percent of global trade by value are carried by sea and are handled by ports worldwide. Global maritime trade in 2017 was supported by an upswing in the world economy, expanding at four percent, the fastest growth in five years. However, UNCTAD warns that downside risks such as increased inward-looking policies and the rise of trade protectionism are weighing on the outlook. An immediate concern is the trade tensions between China and the U.S., the world’s two largest economies, as well as those between Canada, Mexico, the U.S. and the E.U. “Escalating trade frictions may lead to a trade war that could derail recovery, reshape global maritime trade patterns and dampen the outlook,” states the report.

Other factors driving uncertainty include the ongoing global energy transition, structural shifts in economies such as China, and shifts in global value chain development patterns. If leveraged effectively, game-changing trends, such as digitalization, electronic commerce (e-commerce) and the Belt and Road Initiative, the exact impact of which is yet to be fully understood, are expected to have a positive effect on global seaborne trade.

Source:maritime-executive

US Navy ships rescue fishermen in South China Sea, Indian Ocean

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The US Navy ships recently rescued distressed crews of two fishing boats in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

On October 7-8, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) provided assistance to seven mariners whose fishing boat had suffered an engine malfunction, rendering the vessel inoperable.

Decatur was conducting a routine patrol in the waters south of Sri Lanka on October 7 when watch standers sighted a fishing vessel with fishermen onboard frantically waving rags in the air. After pulling alongside the fishing vessel in a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB), two of the fishermen were brought onboard Decatur. The fishermen stated that their vessel had experienced engine trouble and was unable to return to shore.

The Decatur crew immediately offered to provide medical and towing assistance. The fishermen requested for the ship to contact the Sri Lankan authorities. Decatur provided food and water to the fishermen while they waited for the arrival of the Sri Lankan Off-Shore Patrol Ship SLNS Jayesagara (P 601) which arrived on October 8.

In a separate case, the crew of Military Sealift Command’s fleet ordnance and dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) rescued five Filipino fishermen off an adrift and distressed boat in the South China Sea, on October 8.

According to the rescued individuals, all personnel from the boat survived despite being adrift for approximately five days.

Wally Schirra was conducting a routine mission when the watch officer and lookout spotted the individuals in apparent distress on an adrift boat.

“The individuals were waving their arms and a flag in the air. They were also flashing a white light that was previously thought to be a fishing buoy. The watch officer notified me, then the chief mate of a possible rescue situation,” civilian mariner Capt. Keith Sauls, USNS Wally Schirra’s master, said.

According to the fishermen, their boat sank October 3 after the hull was punctured by the bill of a blue marlin, estimated at 6-feet long and about 200 lbs.

“The fishermen salvaged what they could from the rapidly sinking boat, removing the outriggers and planks to turn it into a raft with floats and barrels underneath for floatation,” civilian mariner Leon Hadley, chief mate, USNS Wally Schirra, said.

As the Wally Schirra closed the distance with the distressed boat, the fishermen entered the water and swam toward the Wally Schirra.

A rigid-hulled, inflatable boat and search and rescue swimmers deployed off the Wally Schirra and pulled the fishermen to safety. Aboard the Wally Schirra, an initial medical assessment and security search of the individuals and their possessions were conducted.

“We received the clearance to go into Subic Bay and the fishermen were transferred to the Philippine Coast Guard while at sea,” Sauls further said.

Source:Navy

Chinese launch offshore installer

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Chinese company Ouyang Offshore has launched a new wind turbine installation vessel at Dayang Offshore Equipment's shipyard in Jiangsu, China.

The OuYang 1 is a self-elevating, four-legged, DP1, self-propelled vessel with a working depth of 50 metres and accommodation for up to 75 people. 

Ouyang Offshore deputy general manager Chen Lin said: “We are very pleased with the launch of the OuYang 1 wind turbine installation vessel. It has been completed on time, at the right quality and on budget, with safe execution throughout the project.” 

The company has also awarded Norwegian consultancy Aqualis Offshore a contract to supervise the construction of a second wind turbine installation vessel, which will be named OuYang 2.
 
Aqualis supervised construction of the OuYang 1 to ensure that all work was carried out in accordance with the contract specifications plus flag and class requirements.

The work was managed from Aqualis's offices in Shanghai and Singapore, which will now take on the same role for OuYang 2. The value of the new contract value has not been disclosed.

Aqualis Offshore director Asia-Pacific Phil Lenox said: “To be trusted with another construction supervision contract is the strongest confirmation that Ouyang Offshore is pleased with our performance on OuYang 1. ”

“Ouyang Offshore is an ambitious and fast-growing company and we are proud to support them at another wind turbine installation vessel project.”

Source:renews

MarTID 2019: Autonomous Operations and the Future Mariner

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The second annual global Maritime Training Insights Database survey examines the impact of the autonomy trend in maritime operations on the training of future “seafarers”

The Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) steering group is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the 2019 MarTID survey, which this year focuses on the trend toward autonomous vessel operations and its impact on training current and future mariners.

MarTID is a non-commercial, joint initiative of the World Maritime University, New Wave Media and Marine Learning Systems. Its core principles include ethical integrity, objectivity and confidentiality. It was launched in 2018 with the completion of the inaugural survey and publication of the 2018 Training Practices Report (which can be found at. The steering group takes this opportunity to thank again the many respondents to the first survey.

This MarTID initiative is an important one, the first of its kind in the world. There is broad agreement that roughly 80% of maritime accidents involve human factors causes. As such, vessel operators and maritime training centers are pouring significant resources into creating best practice and innovative training programs. The MarTID database, which will grow in breadth and depth annually, shines a bright light on the training approaches and successes of global vessel operators and training centers. For example:

•What are the global trends in training budgets?

•What is the average training amount spent per seafarer?

•What training technologies are considered effective and which training models are growing in their adoption?

•How confident are vessel operators and training centers in the training methods they employ?

All of these and much more are answered in the 2018 Training Practices Report.
With the information in the annual MarTID reports, training leaders are able to benchmark their own results, learning from the successes and failures of others, rather than independently inventing and designing their own training approach in isolation.

Without the ability to monitor and measure past efforts – to learn from the approaches others have tried – trainers cannot continually improve. The annual MarTID survey and report is designed to enable this continual improvement in maritime training.

The 2019 survey, to be launched in the fall of 2018 and closed early in 2019, is designed to further the mission of MarTID: to provide a global picture of maritime training that is not currently available. While last year’s survey was designed to collect a broad set of foundational training data, this year’s survey will be shorter and consist of two foci.
The first section of the survey will focus on collecting benchmark data tracked annually, revealing trends in core training issues. These include training budgets, training models, training staffing, the use of technology, major training initiatives, and seafarer demographics.

The second section will focus on this year’s special topic: the impact of autonomous vessel operations on maritime training. It would be hard to identify a maritime industry topic which is receiving more attention than the move toward an increasing level of autonomous operations. Differences in data collection, decision support, bridge manning levels, and human involvement in navigation will all greatly impact the need for and the type of training required. This trend has already begun to impact operations and the need for training. If the automobile industry is any predictor of how quickly this might move, then it is incumbent upon maritime training professionals to consider the emerging needs deeply and without delay. The 2019 MarTID survey will enable this process with data upon which decisions can be made and will explore the perspectives of vessel operators/managers, maritime administrators, maritime training experts and seafarers.

The MarTID 2019 Survey
As was the case in 2018, the 2019 survey will be followed by a series of publicly-available reports, broadly published. These reports will provide both high-level and deep-dive information covering both broad trends as well as deep coverage of the 2019 special topic. We believe that these reports will grow to be a highly anticipated source of information each year.

Your Opinion Matters
Although this initiative was founded and run by the three partner organizations, it requires community involvement to succeed. You will be hearing more about the 2019 MarTID survey in the coming weeks and months, but right now, we need your help. Specifically:

•If you work at a vessel operator/manager or maritime training facility, please make your senior training administrator aware of this important survey by sharing this article with them.
•If you are a senior training administrator of a vessel operator/manager or training facility, a maritime administrator, or a seafarer, we need you to complete a survey on behalf of your organization. Please send your contact information to info@MarTID.org and we will reach out to you early in November once the 2019 survey is launched.

We believe that the annual collection and analyses of training data will help the global maritime community gain insights that can lead to enhanced policy-setting, decision-making, benchmarking and operational optimization by industry operators and regulatory authorities at all levels. We hope that the survey data and its analyses will become an important and authoritative source of knowledge for the global maritime community. Therefore, we thank you in advance for contributing to this important body of knowledge.

Source:marinelink

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