Telenor Maritime joins Podium’s growing connected community

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September 21, 2021

Today, StratumFive confirms Telenor Maritime’s ship data solution, Wave Access, has become Podium Connected.

The connection of new data sources to the Podium platform and its advanced contextualisation capabilities delivers efficiencies in tracking, routing, safety, security, fuel consumption and emissions. Configurability and adaptability to multiple use cases means the data relevant for each user can be displayed on one platform, no matter which function.

Telenor Maritime’s platform service offers flexibility and efficiency in the transmission of ship data and is backed by a global top ten mobile communications provider.

Ross Martin, StratumFive CEO, says:

“The growth of the Podium Connected community and the service Podium delivers to them, whether they be owners, managers, operators, OEM or others depends on the ability to transmit data effectively. For this reason we are delighted to welcome Telenor Maritime and look forward to advancing the digitalisation of shipping services with them.”

Toni Lindén, CPO, Telenor Maritime, says:

“We’re excited to partner up with StratumFive to grow our ecosystem of connected ships and to help our customers to turn raw data to business value. Together with StratumFive Telenor Maritime takes an important step in the digital transformation at sea by being able to provide an integrated end-to-end solution offered as a managed service.”

Waves Group wins Hollandse Kust Noord and West Alpha MWS contracts

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September 21, 2021

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This reinforces our excellent working relationship with TenneT, with work currently ongoing on the Hollandse Kust Zuid which is set to be completed in late 2021. The scope of work will include the installation of Hollandse Kust Noord and Hollandse Kust West Alpha export cables, with installation works scheduled to commence in 2022.

Hollandse Kust Noord is located some 18.5 km off the coast of The Netherlands near the town of Egmond aan Zee and will consist of 69 wind turbines (hub height of 125.5m and blades spanning 97m), each with a 11 MW generating capacity totalling 759 MW when fully installed. Once completed, the wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to supply more than 1 million Dutch households meeting the objectives of the Dutch Climate Accord and the EU’s Green Deal.

The West Alpha project is also located in the North Sea along the Dutch coast and when completed will contribute to over 40% of the Netherlands household energy needs.

The Hollandse Kust Noord and Hollandse Kust West Alpha export cable systems will consist of two 220kV AC cable systems each. These four cable systems will cover a total length of 210 km, connecting the wind farms to the onshore Dutch power grid near Beverwijk, just north of the port of Ijmuiden.

REWE Group and Ørsted sign power purchase agreement for future German OWF

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September 21, 2021

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Having procured electricity from renewable energy sources since 2008, the agreement with Ørsted represents REWE Group’s largest renewable energy offtake agreement to date and makes REWE Group the first German food retailer to purchase electricity from an offshore wind farm in the North Sea.

The 100 MW of green power from Borkum Riffgrund 3 equals the power consumption of 1,500 REWE stores. REWE Group has a goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040.

Lionel Souque, CEO of REWE Group, said:

“Our goal is to become climate neutral by 2040. It is obviously an ambitious goal. But it is also a goal that we will achieve. We must achieve it because energy plays a strategic role in our business: We are a green power pioneer in the German food retail sector. Our stores have been completely using power produced from renewable sources since 2008. Offshore wind energy has tremendous potential. We will take another step towards climate neutrality by using the first green power generated from the North Sea.”

The power purchase agreement with Ørsted was signed and will be managed by EHA Energie-Handels-Gesellschaft, REWE Group’s energy procurement arm.

Jan-Oliver Heidrich, Managing Director of EHA, added:

“By signing the power purchase agreement with the new wind farm, REWE Group is directly promoting the expanded use of renewable energies, is assuming process responsibility and is playing an even more active role in the energy transition.”

At Ørsted, the world leader in offshore wind, Rasmus Errboe, Head of Region Continental Europe, applauds REWE group for supporting the transition from fossil to green energy:

“The world urgently needs to shift to renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions. To achieve this systemic change, action is needed from governments, energy providers, and corporate energy customers. REWE Group has a long tradition of buying sustainable power, and by purchasing power from Borkum Riffgrund 3, they’re supporting the build-out of affordable new renewable energy at industrial scale.”

More than a decade ago, Ørsted started an ambitious transformation, moving from being one of Europe’s most coal-intensive energy companies to becoming a world leader in offshore wind and being named the most sustainable energy company in the world by Corporate Knights in 2019, 2020, and 2021. By 2030, Ørsted aims to install 50 GW of renewable energy capacity world-wide, including 30 GW of offshore wind and 17.5 GW onshore wind and solar PV.

Facts about Borkum Riffgrund 3

Borkum Riffgrund 3 is expected to become operational in 2025, subject to Ørsted’s final investment decision, which is expected by the end of 2021.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 will have a total export capacity of 900 MW and will be built in the German North Sea close to Ørsted’s existing offshore wind farms Borkum Riffgrund 1 and Borkum Riffgrund 2.
In the German offshore wind auctions, Ørsted was awarded the right to build the project with a bid of EUR 0 per MWh. This was made possible by a number of cost drivers, including the installation of next-generation wind turbine technology, very good site conditions and high wind speeds, and anticipated revenue-stabilising power purchase agreements with industrial customers such as REWE Group.

Minesto launches Dragon Class power plants for commercial scale-up

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September 21, 2021

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Leading marine energy developer Minesto introduces a new range of power plants – the Dragon Class – an upgraded design of the company’s Deep Green technology for predictable renewable electricity generation from tidal and ocean currents. Featuring increased performance and decreased manufacturing costs, the Dragon Class will be delivered and installed in all of Minesto’s ongoing projects as well as in the build-out of the company’s first array projects.

Dr Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto, said:

“The Dragon Class evolves from the systems we have installed and operated in our Faroe Islands’ project. Its increased customer value is straight to the point – maximise yield and minimise costs. This is the backbone product for our ongoing commercial scale-up.”

Using extensive CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling, ocean scale model testing and operational data from the grid-connected DG100 units in Vestmannasund, Minesto’s technology development team has been able to improve the energy conversion and at the same time refine the power plant by reducing the number of power plant subsystems and components. With the Dragon Class Minesto also strengthens its patent portfolio as innovations related to the upgraded design have resulted in new patent applications.

Martin Edlund said:

“The Dragon Class design results in significantly higher power production performance and by reducing the number of components we also decrease costs for manufacturing and assembly. In addition, it simplifies handling during installation and maintenance, which is crucial when we now scale up the technology to megawatt-sized power plants for commercial installations.”

The Dragon Class design scales effectively and will thus be available in different sizes and rated power tailored for maximum yield depending on site conditions such as water flow rate and depth.

Martin Edlund said:

“We are in the procurement and manufacturing phase for five Dragon Class power plants for utility-scale (1.2 MW) and smaller microgrid installations. These will be delivered and installed in our current projects in France, Wales, and the Faroe Islands. We are pleased with the progress being made in these projects and they are on time and budget.”

San Pedro Bay Ports announce new measures to speed cargo throughput

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September 21, 2021

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After consultation with multiple supply chain stakeholders and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have announced bold new measures to improve freight movement and reduce delays through the ports as they continue to experience record volumes. These measures will enhance the ports’ landside operations to help meet the unprecedented growth in cargo volume moving through the San Pedro Bay.

Specifically, both ports will expand the hours during which trucks can pick up and return containers. Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, announced that Long Beach will take the first step towards a 24/7 supply chain by maximizing nighttime operations. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka announced that the Port of Los Angeles will expand weekend operating gate hours. Dubbed “Accelerate Cargo LA,” the Port of Los Angeles’ program will operate on a pilot basis to ensure that gate availability meets cargo demands and provides greater transparency to improve efficiency. In addition, both ports have called on marine terminal operators to incentivize the use of all available gate hours, especially night gates, to reduce congestion and maximize cargo throughput capacity.

Port of Los Angeles Director Seroka said:

“These steps, in addition to what has previously been recommended, demonstrate that the Port of Los Angeles will continue to innovate in order to manage this historic cargo surge.”

Port of Long Beach Director Cordero added:

“The Port of Long Beach is prepared to take bold and immediate action to help the supply chain move the record cargo volumes that keep our economy moving, and we appreciate the support and leadership shown by the Biden-Harris Administration.”

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will work closely with the trucking community to ensure that all truck operators understand how to take advantage of incentivized gate hours as well as the expanded opportunities that will be created to move cargo during non-peak times. In addition to expanded hours and incentivized reservation priority, the ports urge terminals and the trucking community to consider other corrective measures.

Ports are critical gateways to the U.S. economy. Approximately 70% by tonnage of all U.S.-international trade moves by water through our nation’s ports. The San Pedro Bay ports move approximately 40% of all containerized cargo entering the U.S. each year and about 30% of all containerized exports. In addition to actions taken today, the ports are working closely with the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to alleviate bottlenecks and speed up the movement of goods to consumers, while expanding export opportunities for U.S. exporters, including agricultural producers.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are the two largest ports in the nation, first and second respectively, and combined are the ninth-largest port complex in the world. Trade that flows through the San Pedro Bay ports complex generates more than 3 million jobs nationwide.

Shell reports damage assessment of WD-143 from Hurricane Ida

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September 21, 2021

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Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has conducted a comprehensive damage assessment of its West Delta-143 (WD-143) offshore facilities from Hurricane Ida that revealed significant structural damage.

The company estimates that the WD-143 “A” platform facilities will be off line for repairs until the end of 2021, and that the facilities on its WD-143 “C” platform will be operational in Q4 2021.

The WD-143 facilities serve as the transfer station for production from Shell’s assets in the Mars corridor in the Gulf of Mexico to onshore crude and natural gas terminals.

Given the timeline for repairs to WD-143, Shell expects to resume production from the Olympus platform, which flows across the WD-143 “C” platform, in Q4 2021, and from the Mars and Ursa facilities, which flow across the WD-143 “A” platform, in Q1 2022. Shell’s Perdido asset in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was never disrupted by Hurricane Ida, and its floating production, storage and offloading vessel, the Turritella (also known as Stones), is on line. At this stage of the recovery, approximately 60% of Shell-operated production in the Gulf of Mexico is back on line.

Midstream joins The Climate Pledge to accelerate energy efficiency initiatives in ports

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September 21, 2021

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Midstream Lighting has announced that it has signed The Climate Pledge. By working alongside signatories, and in collaboration with port and terminal owners and operators, Midstream Lighting aims to support the reduction of carbon emissions in the maritime supply chain by improving the efficiency of lighting solutions.

The pledge highlights the importance that the shipping industry’s customers, like Amazon, are placing on improving the environmental performance across all touchpoints within their value chains. As Midstream’s LED lighting solutions are directly proven to increase energy efficiency by 70% in port and terminal applications, it is well-positioned to help operators improve their sustainability credentials to support their own business as well as complement their customers’ goals.

Midstream is also committing to improving the environmental performance of its own operations. Its initiatives include measuring and reporting its greenhouse gas emissions, implementing decarbonisation strategies in line with the Paris Agreement via its energy-efficient technology and neutralising any remaining to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040. As it stands, Midstream is already leading the way in this capacity, its ISO 14001:2015 certification, granted by DNV, highlighting how environmental management is at the core of its operations.

Yuli Grig, Commercial Director & Co-founder, Midstream Lighting, said:

“I strongly believe small, fast-growing companies such as Midstream are vital to helping make The Climate Pledge’s vision succeed. This cannot happen without the commitment and involvement of companies like Midstream that are at the cutting edge of energy reduction technologies.

“Improving the energy efficiency of global ports and terminals requires readily available, affordable and easy implementable solutions today. An often-overlooked element, inefficient lighting accounts for over 5% of global emissions and therefore must be considered as part of the global market’s roadmap to net-zero.”

The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019. It is a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. Other companies that have already signed up to the Pledge include PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, Visa, and many more.

Half of Carnival Cruise Line’s U.S. fleet back in service

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September 21, 2021

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Beginning with its return to guest operations on July 3 with Carnival Vista, the line is operating from seven U.S. homeports including Miami, Galveston, Seattle, Port Canaveral, Long Beach, Baltimore and New Orleans, providing guests with a wide range of options to get Back to Fun.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:

“Having half of our U.S. fleet back in operations provides positive economic impact in our homeports and port of call destinations, along with giving our guests their much-needed vacations and helping our crew support their families back home. We couldn’t have accomplished this without the support of our travel advisor partners, business partners and port and destinations partners.”

Carnival Dream became the third Carnival ship to operate year-round from Galveston when it departed this weekend on a six-day Caribbean cruise, while Carnival Glory is the first ship to set sail from the Port of New Orleans, operating a seven-day voyage to The Bahamas.

With 11 ships already in guest operations, including the introduction of Carnival’s newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, additional vessels will resume service throughout the fall and into early 2022 as the line’s successful restart of operations continues.

Valaris announces jackup contract awards

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September 21, 2021

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Valaris Limited has announced that it has been awarded a contract with TAQA offshore the Netherlands for VALARIS JU-123, a heavy-duty harsh environment jackup. The contract is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2021 with an estimated minimum duration of 60 days.

The contract is for the preparation of a wellbore for the Porthos CO2 transport and storage project. In conjunction with this contract, VALARIS JU-123 will be upgraded with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. When in operation, the SCR system will eliminate almost all NOx and SOx emissions from the rig.

The rig has also been awarded a one-well contract with Cairn Energy in the UK North Sea. The contract is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2022 with an estimated duration of 72 days.

Valaris has also been awarded a one-well contract with Carnarvon Petroleum offshore Timor-Leste for VALARIS JU-107, a heavy-duty modern jackup. The contract is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2021 with an estimated duration of 30 days.

Start-up raises €10.5M to boost development of wingsail technology

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September 20, 2021

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AYRO, an industrial start-up that designs and delivers Oceanwings®, a wind propulsion hybrid system for maritime transport, raises €10.5 million capital from Ocean Zero (USA), Bpifrance (France) and Mer Invest (France).

Founded in 2018 by Marc Van Peteghem and Nicolas Sdez as a spin-off of the famous French naval architecture firm VPLP, AYRO designs, manufactures and sells Oceanwings®, a wingsail technology that can decrease fuel consumption on major cargo ships by as much as 45%.

The Oceanwings® system can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and help shipping companies comply with new environmental regulations, including the International Maritime Organizations’ regulations that require a reduction in shipping emissions of 45% by 2050.

AYRO’s unique patented technology was originally developed by VPLP Design for the BMW Oracle racing sailboat that won the America’s Cup competition in 2010. Following a prototype from 2017 that tested the Oceanwings concept, two wings were installed on the catamaran “Energy Observer” in 2019. The boat is a floating laboratory that has been sailing around the world for the past 2 years promoting new propulsion technologies with zero harmful emissions.

Last year, AYRO signed a major contract for four Oceanwings363® wingsails to be fitted on the ship “Canopée,” a roll-on, rolloff vessel under construction and chartered by ArianeGroup that will be launched next year.

The funds raised in this investment round will be used to boost Oceanwings® development and industrialization, to start up a production facility in Caen-Blainville, Normandy, and to reinforce sales and marketing.

Stephen Petranek, operating partner of the lead investor, Ocean Zero fund, says:

“Chris Anderson, curator of the TED Conferences, created Ocean Zero to identify and support new innovative companies that have the potential to be game-changers in reducing maritime CO2 emissions, which are large contributors to climate change. AYRO is exactly such a company, employing world-class leading technology to assist ships at sea in significantly reducing fuel consumption. The AYRO system is simple, proven, computer controlled, and safe.”

Jason Bigeard, Investment Director at Bpi France, says:

“The environmental impact is a current topic, especially within the maritime industry. Through the ‘Plan Climat’ of Bpifrance, we assist companies in their ecological and environmental transition plan and support those with a significant impact on the environment.

Thanks to recent regulations and the evolution of stakeholder awareness on environment issues, the market for hybrid wind propulsion is going to take off very soon.”

Ludovic Gérard, CEO of AYRO, added:

“With shipping companies and shipyards increasingly interested in wind propulsion technologies, the market is expending fast. Thanks to this new funding, we will be able to answer that demand, demonstrate our unique technologies, and supply our flagship product, Oceanwings®.”

Eric Plantier, a partner at Blueprint Partners who lead the transaction, says:

“We are very proud to have supported AYRO’s management team in this fund-raising process. AYRO is leading the way in lowering the CO2 emissions of the maritime transport industry. With a great solution, a strong vision, a unique operational team, and highly dedicated and international investors, AYRO now has the ability to deeply impact the maritime industry and help achieve #netzero.”