NEXT GEN Workshops Address Burning Issues in a Changing World Southampton UK – 24 25 26 October 2017

Tuesday, 25th July 2017

A series of one day NEXT GENERATION Workshops are being held ‘back to back’ at the Grand Harbour Southampton on 24 25 26 October 2017.

The NEXT GEN programme combines a group of dynamic international presenters with panel discussions. Opening sessions for each Workshop feature expertise from heads of UK Border Force and UK Ministry of Defence, along with the Design and Engineering team from UK search and rescue provider the RNLI.

Workshop Lead, John Haynes, said, ‘In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry. Our focused one day Workshops are designed to deliver a unique mix of sessions that are highly relevant to all sectors. The feedback from recent NEXT GEN Workshops has highlighted hot topics for further discussion. In recent weeks, I have personally asked a number of organisations what are their most current and burning issues. These suggestions have been used to develop the October Workshop programme.’

The Shock Mitigation Solutions Workshop theme considers ‘How Shock Mitigation By All Means Improves Efficiency.’ Topics look beyond simply complying with vibration directives or unrealistic health and safety objectives that are hard to apply in the maritime workplace.

The RIB and High Speed Craft Workshop theme looks at ‘Boat and Equipment Procurement in a Changing World.’ Topics include Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) solutions, through life support of fleets and balancing the need for speed with reliability and durability.

The Systems Safety and Equipment Workshop focuses on ‘Identifying and Avoiding Single Points of Failure at Sea.’ Improving situational awareness is an emerging theme. Design led redundancy is essential for critical tasks including power, navigation and communications.

The fast moving Workshop style programme brings together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the sub IMO / sub 24 metre maritime sector worldwide and highlight potential solutions. The unique knowledge gained from NEXT GEN presentations and panel discussions helps to shape decisions that lead to improvements for in-service equipment and procurement.

John Haynes added, ‘Having trained over 100 organisations we know that when groups of maritime professionals get together their shared knowledge and experiences can improve both the performance of their organisations and the seafarer workplace. For example, recent activity has been driven by a need to identify which European laws will still apply in the UK with or without Brexit. Our objective is to look beyond this and identify genuine best practice across all maritime sectors without being stifled by bureaucracy.’

NEXT GEN Workshop days are relevant to workboats, pilot boats, patrol boats, search & rescue, survey vessels, wind farm support, superyacht tenders and training vessels. Attendees include professional and military organisations, boat builders, equipment manufacturers, service providers, classification and standards organisations. Supporters of the event include British Marine, Shipbuilders & Shiprepairers Association, UK Maritime Pilots Association, Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute, University of Southampton.

Feedback from a recent NEXT GEN Workshop attendee sums up the objectives, ‘Whilst I was there I was bombarded with new and interesting ideas, facts and outlooks. Your infectious enthusiasm for these subjects is clearly rubbing off on all those who were present!’

Workshops Information www.shockmitigation.com
Workshops Event Manager – Julie Arthur julie@shockmitigation.com

VOS Start W2W vessel departs Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf following major upgrade

Tuesday, 25th July 2017

Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf (Oranjewerf) has bid farewell to VOS Start, Vroon BV’s first DP2, subsea-support, walk-to-work (W2W) vessel. The 80m VOS Start arrived at Oranjewerf on 1 June from her build yard in China for the installation of a motion-compensated gangway system – the first of its kind – by Barge Master and Bosch Rexroth, the extended installation of a Kongsberg reference system (including a ‘windfarm module’), and an active heave-compensated crane from SMST. In the eight weeks that she was in the yard, the vessel also underwent a wide range of other upgrades and preparations for her first charter.

The VOS Start is the fourth in a series of new vessels for Vroon that they have brought to Oranjewerf for finishing off following their initial build in China. However, this is the first time that Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf and Vroon have worked together on a W2W vessel and, with Barge Master and SMST both Dutch companies, it was logical to do the final installations in the Netherlands with all the necessary expertise and support close by. Other local specialist suppliers also contributed to what has been, owing to the W2W element, the most complex upgrade yet for a VOS subsea support vessel at Oranjewerf.

These specialists included Niron Staal Amsterdam, another member of the Damen Shipyards Group, which fabricated two boat landing ladders which were then installed by Oranjewerf. Other equipment installed include a Lightweight Taut Wire, Radius and a Hipap position reference system, all manufactured by Kongsberg. The mountings necessary for up to eight temporary living units, supplied by H2M, were also fitted, along with many other modifications.

"As always, completing the works within the time allowed was a challenge," says Jeen van der Werf, Commercial Manager at Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf. "Detailed planning prior to the vessel’s arrival ensured that no time was wasted and everyone worked efficiently and effectively. Double shifts were worked when needed and on occasions activity continued around the clock to ensure that progress remained on schedule. Oranjewerf is particularly well-suited for this project, due not just to the capabilities of its workforce, but also to the extensive craneage on its berths and space on the quays for the largest mobile cranes." The VOS Start was also placed in Oranjewerf’s 135m floating dock for a period to allow the installation of the boat landings.

A key element in the success of this project was the excellent cooperation between Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf and Vroon Group BV / Vroon Offshore Services, represented on-site by senior newbuilding superintendent Foppe Molenaar. "We returned to Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf based on the good experience that we have had over the years with them," he commented. "We bring our uncompleted vessels here as the yard has proven its ability to undertake complex work quickly and handle all the last-minute surprises that are typical of these projects. Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf is also very open to working with external suppliers; at times we had a lot of people working in a small area, but it all went smoothly with no problems.

"With the VOS Start a lot of extra work was added during the project," he continued, "and as this is a new ship type for the Vroon fleet its progress received a good deal of attention from across the Group and from maritime renewable market representatives and potential charterers. So we needed a yard that we could depend on, and in addition to this we had a charter deadline to meet, so speed was essential. For us, working with Oranjewerf feels like being part of a single, integrated team and the end result has been most satisfactory."

VOS Start’s first project will be a charter to MHI Vestas Offshore Wind for the construction of the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea. There she will provide logistics support, accommodation and W2W capability.

Valeport secures highest international quality standards

Friday, 21st July 2017

Valeport reports that it continues to demonstrate proactive compliance with the highest international quality standards.

In July, Valeport, a leading UK manufacturer of oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrumentation underwent a number of ISO audits, successfully updating the firm’s certifications to ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management and ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management. For the first time in 2017, Valeport is also now certified to BS OHSAS 18001, the internationally applied British Standard for occupational health and safety.

ISO 14001:2015 is the latest standard which sets out the criteria for an environmental management system. Certification to this standard evidences Valeport’s work to measure and improve the subsea supplier’s environmental impact.

ISO 9001:2015 is a standard to support organisations to meet the needs of customers, stakeholders, as well as statutory and regulatory requirements. ISO 9001 particularly examines customer focus, the motivation of Valeport’s management, their process approach and drive for continual improvements, which ensures that quality management is at the heart of Valeport’s activities.

This year, Valeport were also audited to BS OHSAS 18001 for the first time. This new accreditation formally recognises Valeport’s commitment to occupational health and safety across the company’s processes and systems.

Kevin Edwards, Valeport sales and marketing manager, commented: “Our accreditation has been supported by ACS Registrars and all the team at Valeport. We are delighted to be able to continue to assure our customers and supply chain partners that Valeport provides only outstanding products and services.”

Valeport designs and manufactures instrumentation for the oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric communities with a worldwide customer base that includes: defence, environmental, oil and gas, renewable energy, construction, dredging and civil engineering sectors. See www.valeport.co.uk

DLM sweep up another award

Friday, 21st July 2017

It was a night to remember for Dynamic Load Monitoring (DLM) at this year’s South Coast Business Awards, where DLM won the Sustainable Business of the year at the glitzy black tie event held at the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton at the start of the month.

The Daily Echo awards aim to reward the best in local business and recognise the achievements of companies and individuals across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Sustainable business of the year award sponsored by Meacher’s Global Logistics were looking for a company who achieved a sustainable business growth model, embrace sustainability and embedded it within their company culture, demonstrated how customers have engaged with the sustainability policy and demonstrated an innovate sustainability model.

DLM entered the awards back in April by submitting an application to the Daily Echo’s online portal. DLM were delighted to hear they had been shortlisted along with three other companies. They were asked to do a 30 minutes presentation to three judges, from the category sponsor Meachers Global Logistics; award sponsors Santander and overall sponsors Trethowans. The judges visited the DLM offices in Nursling, where DLM were able to expand on answers given in the first application and demonstrate examples of their sustainable habits within the workplace.

Jeff Halford, Director at DLM, comments ‘We are thrilled to have won this award. It really is a great achievement for us. We have recently expanded our business to encompass a brand new office space, showcasing the latest in sustainable equipment such as LED lights, motion censored lighting system and eco-friendly air conditioning. We also enlisted the help of Sustrans, national sustainability charity to promote cycling to work which helped us to support the staff who wanted to cycle. We now have over half the staff cycling to work on a daily basis.’

‘ We are passionate about the environment and always looking at ways we can improve, so to be regonised as sustainable business of the year is fantastic. I’m very proud of the team here at DLM, lets keep up the good work!’

DAMEN to open up “NEW FRONTIERS” at the Monaco Yacht Show

Thursday, 20th July 2017

On 10 July DAMEN launched its latest vessel NEW FRONTIERS – a new evolution in the Dutch shipbuilder’s Yacht Support range. For the first time, the 55-metre vessel debuts dedicated Owner and guest accommodation plus a host of yachting enhancements that distinguish the YS 5009 from its predecessors.

The exciting new build is scheduled for delivery in September and has been confirmed to appear at the Monaco Yacht Show from 27 – 30 September.
NEW FRONTIERS will take her Owner into new territory with a combination of adventure and superyacht support functions, explains Commercial Director Rose Damen.

“NEW FRONTIERS is ripping up the rule book. It’s still a Yacht Support vessel, but you can’t put this vessel into one category or another – and that reflects exactly the wishes of our clients. They want their holiday to be about freedom and spontaneity – NEW FRONTIERS makes that possible. Whether it’s a weekend dive adventure trip away from their superyacht or enjoying two locations at once linked by helicopter, it’s all about unforgettable experiences and freedom. We’re very excited to introduce NEW FRONTIERS in Monaco.”

DAMEN is now the established leader in the rapidly developing superyacht support vessel niche. In total 11 DAMEN Yacht Support vessels have been delivered or are in build.

DAMEN Product Director Mark Vermeulen comments: “A Yacht Support vessel offers superyacht owners more luxury yachting fun than ever, but at a much lower Total Cost of Ownership than acquiring more capability with a larger yacht. Plus, they get all the benefits of flexible operations, straightforward maintenance and privacy. That’s why we call it the Smart Stretch.”

While NEW FRONTIERS shares its semi-displacement DAMEN Sea Axe platform with previous Yacht Support vessels like FAST & FURIOUS, Damen’s design team have raised the bar with a new layout and hundreds of enhanced yachting features.

NEW FRONTIERS key features
• Owner Suite on Main Deck
• A total of 3 suites accommodating 6 guests
• Lounge and dining approx. 30 square metres
• Sun Deck approx. 50 square metres
• Aft Adventure Centre with large stores/dive and sports centre
• Extra accommodation for 4 staff, pilots, security, guides
• Helipad and Main Deck area of approx. 190 square metres with standard fittings for modular tender cradles and containers (Total deck area 240 square metres)
• Reduced draught for operations in shallow waters
• Low noise and vibrations in guest areas
• Updated installations for smooth marina operations
• Enhanced yachting AV and navigation systems
• Performance knuckle-boom deck crane with capacity of 12 tonnes (6 tonnes at 11.50-metre outreach)
• Technically ready for A-frame installation (to launch and retrieve submersibles)

Key specifications
• Length 55.30 metres (181 ft)
• Beam 9 metres
• Draught 3.20 metres
• Gross Tonnage 496
• Speed 20 knots
• Range 5,000 nautical miles
Helicopter 3,700 kg maximum take-off weight

2017 sees the Launch of Active Winch

Thursday, 13th July 2017

Active winch is a joint venture between two long established leaders in the manufacture and control of winch projects, North Sea Winches and MJR Controls.
Active winch has been established to provide solutions to an expanding market, providing safe, efficient and reliable machinery and controls for offshore, marine, Oil and Gas, renewables, oceanographic and equipment handling markets.

An Active Winch package is a single solution that integrates a patented Active Heave Compensation control with a purpose-built winch, this purpose-built approach enables our customers to benefit from all the key features of both the winch and the control.

North Sea Winches and MJR Controls recently designed, manufactured, commissioned and support a state-of-the-art quadrant handling system for offshore contractor DeepOcean.

Working closely with DeepOcean the 2 companies supplied equipment including a 20Te Active Heave Compensation winch, a 5Te Constant Tension Winch and three 110KW HPU’s to operate the two winches and an over boarding A-Frame.
The new equipment which is the core of the Active Winch evolution has greatly improved cable lay times, being able to complete two cable lays in a 24-hour period, while the active heave function meant working through what would have been hold points in poor weather conditions.

The new joint venture enables a focused delivery of active heave and constant tension solutions to the offshore and marine markets.

Load Cells Keep Offshore Mooring Project Afloat

Thursday, 13th July 2017

French maritime engineering specialist Iroise Mer, based in Brest on the country’s northwestern coast, used a 50t Straightpoint Radiolink plus (RLP) load cell during a refit of a tanker mooring system located 500m off the Corsica coast, recently.

Iroise Mer accepted a scope of work to update the site, comprising four different mooring lines, complete with anchors, chains and concrete deadweights. All existing components had to be removed and new ones installed. The RLP was used to measure pre-tension up to 30t to check new anchors were properly installed into the seabed.

The RLP was positioned between the anchor line (or chain) and the towing cable on a vessel, attached with two Green Pin shackles. Straightpoint does have a product for measuring tension on lines, the Running Line Dynamometer (or TIMH), specifically built with dockside, marine, offshore, towage and salvage applications in mind.

However, as David Mullard, SP business development manager, explained, "the TIMH wouldn’t have been suitable because anchor chain was being used rather than wire rope. Wire rope can bend, allowing it to pass through the sheaves of the TIMH so that a tension measurement can be calculated. The large dimension chain wouldn’t have allowed the same thing to happen," he said.

Pierre Recoules, project manager at Iroise Mer, who was aboard the nearby boat, took Readings on a Handheld Plus. He explained that safety was improved, as there was no need to put personnel in the towing line where the load cell was attached.

He said: "The buoy is the extremity of the mooring line, where the tanker will be connected. The tug was then connected to the buoy for pre-tensioning. We encounter this kind of work only once or twice a year and when the need arises, utilising a load cell will add efficiency and safety to any scenario where we need to calculate force on lines, anchors, cables or other maritime equipment."

Mullard added: "The application shows how the RLP is well suited to any form of weighing, tension measuring and monitoring applications, combining simple operation and strong wireless connection. Waterproofing wasn’t an issue as the RLP stayed clear of the water but it could have been left permanently rigged with no problems."

The new anchors and chains were manufactured in France before being shipped to Corsica, a mountainous French island that is actually close to the west coast of Italy. The jobsite was off the coast of Solenzara on the island’s east.
Iroise Mer, founded in 2002, has been part of the Thomas Services Maritimes (TSM) group since 2013. Iroise has a fleet of six vessels, ranging from 10m to 41m in length, all of which boast cranes, winches and shallow drafts, suiting them to lifting and towing projects. TSM has a fleet of 20 additional vessels, predominantly tug boats for harbour towing operations.

Two vessels, TSM Molène and TSM Penzer, were used for the Corsica project, which are 21m and 27m in length respectively. Tension was applied via the vessels’ thrusters. Recoules led a 10-person team, who completed the work inside a calendar month.

Straightpoint serves the French marketplace through its local distributor Traction Levage (www.traclev.com), which has six facilities across the country.

Damen Shiprepair Brest completes maintenance on LNG carrier GDF SUEZ POINT FORTIN

Tuesday, 11th July 2017

Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr) has completed a two week maintenance programme on the 290-metre, 101,000 GT LNG carrier GDF SUEZ POINT FORTIN. DSBr is one of the most experienced European yards in the repair and maintenance of LNG carriers. In addition to its expertise and facilities, Operator MOL LNG Transport (Europe) Ltd and ENGIE as charterer selected DSBr because it is one of the first European yards capable of performing modifications works on board LNG carriers when ‘gassed-up’.

The works took place in the second half of May and included a full, in-water survey conducted by divers, changing of the mooring cables from wire to rope, and full Class surveys carried out on the main boilers. A radar dome was also replaced.

Given the constaints imposed by working on an LNG carrier when gassed-up, an extensive programme of preparations was required before the maintenance could get underway. These included obtaining the necessary permissions from the port authority and agreeing the scope of works with the client prior to arrival. Good communications between all the parties involved ensured that the yard was ready for the vessel on the due date and the works completed within the scheduled time. As of June, the GDF SUEZ POINT FORTIN was back at sea and fully operational.

DSBr’s track record in maintaining and repairing LNG carriers of all sizes includes a renewal survey maintenance programme carried out on the 290-metre Gaselys earlier in 2017. Prior to that, the yard has also worked on the Gaselys’ sister ship the Provalys and on other LNG carriers such as the Global Energy and the Tellier.

Aluminium Marine Consultants deliver MO4 to Mainprize Offshore

Thursday, 6th July 2017

After a record build time Aluminium Marine Consultants handed over MO4 to Mainprize Offshore this week for work as a Windfarm Support Vessel carrying both cargo, equipment and personnel out of the port of Hooksiel to the German windfarm sector on an eight-year contract with Deutsche Windtechnik on the Nordergründe windfarm.

Bob Mainprize commented “We chose Aluminium Marine Consultants because of their flexibility and the company’s attention to detail and workmanship, this now means that MO4 will start to pay back four months earlier than any other builder could offer.”

MO4 took a break from sea trials to attend Seawork where she showed off her expansive deck and cabin area, with the ability to increase to 24pax. She would require a small alteration that has been designed into the construction and layout of the saloon. Therefore, a quick and simple change over to 24pax-a joint venture approach between Mainprize offshore, AMC and Walker Marine Design to ensure all regulations were covered in full.

With huge amounts of deck space both fore and aft MO4 can carry up to 30,000 litres of fuel or 20,000 litres of water and has provision for 4 x 20′ containers and 30t of deck cargo, and has been designed for shallow water work with a 1.4m draft.

MO4 is fitted with twin Caterpillar C32 diesel engines driving fixed pitch propellers that gives the vessel a service speed of 26 knots, even when fully loaded.

Bob added “On trials, following some fine tuning she reached a top recorded speed of 30.7kts with 12T of fuel and payload.”

AMC are delighted with the completion of MO4. “Mainprize Offshore are an innovative ground-breaking company, they have an impressive track record and are respected throughout the industry. We wish them every success with MO4.”

Aqualiner signs contract for four Damen Waterbus 2407 vessels

Thursday, 6th July 2017

New vessels will support innovative transportation scheme in the city of Antwerp

Recently, Aqualiner signed a contract with Damen Shipyards for four Damen Waterbus 2407 vessels. The waterbuses will provide public transport services in the Belgian city of Antwerp, as part of a wider transportation programme also including land-based public transport services and road improvement schemes. This is the first order for the new Waterbus 2407.

Damen Sales Manager Jelle Meindertsma, said, "We are very pleased to have secured this contract for the new Waterbus 2407, so soon after its introduction. We are very confident in the capabilities of this new vessel type and expect that the Antwerp-based waterbuses will serve as a strong reference for the model."

Although new, the Waterbus 2407 is based on proven solutions developed by Damen’s in-house R&D team. The first vessel was delivered from stock, and the additional three will be built at Damen Shipyards Antalya in Turkey, the group’s composite specialist. As composite vessels, the waterbuses are not only lightweight and efficient; they are also free from corrosive properties and offer very low maintenance.

Aqualiner and Waterbus from the Netherlands have already proven that fast, modern passenger vessels can significantly contribute to urban mobility. Mr. Gerbrand Schutten, has led this operation over the past 8 years and is responsible for the success of the waterbus system in the Rotterdam area. When this operation began, Damen delivered eight vessels to the company, all of which are still in service.

One of the key factors in Damen being awarded the contract, following a tender process by the Port of Antwerp, was the company’s philosophy of building standard vessels for stock. Mr Schutten, Director of Aqualiner, explained: "As part of the contractual agreement we wanted to present Port of Antwerp and the city with a working waterbus in a very short timeframe. As Damen had one of these vessels on stock at the time, this was easily accomplished."

"We are also impressed by Damen’s track record in waterbuses," stated his business partner, Mr Maurice Swets. Underlining the thinking behind Damen’s international footprint and global service coverage, he continued, "It also helped that Damen is so close by in the Netherlands. Having Damen personnel in such close proximity and on hand at all times gave us a great deal of confidence that we can easily access support even after the vessels have entered service."

The first Waterbus will operate a service connecting the centre of Antwerp with the southern reaches of the city. It will later expand with a similar service to the north. When the four waterbuses are in operation, both services will be able to offer half-hourly transportation.

This full scope will be achieved very quickly thanks to the processes in place at Damen’s Antalya yard, Mr Meindertsma explained. "We have invested in moulds so that we can construct these waterbuses in record time. The entire service is planned to be operational end of August 2018."

In the design process, Damen has paid particular attention to on board comfort, for both operators and passengers. Ease of operation is assured thanks to the ergonomic joystick controls, whilst passengers enjoy spacious boarding and panaromic views of the city.

The naming ceremony of the first vessel, Aqua Diamond, took place Friday 29th of June at Steenplein in the city of Antwerp. The vessel is named in honour of Antwerp’s leading role in the diamond industry.

Month: July 2017

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