Wight Shipyard Co completes refit for Wightlink

Monday, 4th January 2021

Wight Shipyard Co has showcased its maintenance and repair capabilities to the highest standards during a refit for one of the Isle of Wight’s leading ferry operators.

The Wightlink FastCat catamaran Wight Ryder 1 underwent its annual refit at the Trafalgar Shipyard in mid-November in a fast and efficient turnaround taking under three weeks. “This is another example of how British engineering is winning through, even in these challenging times,” said Jo Daly, COO, WSC. “Our team undertook the work with the professional approach that people expect from the WSC, the project was delivered to the highest of standards both within the timeframe and to budget.”

Responsible operation
The annual refit of the Wightlink fleet is required by Class and flag, it is a process which the operator undertakes to maintain a responsible attitude to safety, reliability and sustainability.

During this year’s refit, WSC took advantage of the space and facilities available at the Trafalgar yard in Portsmouth Harbour. “WSC has teams capable of working to client specification and travelling for both planned or emergency repair and refit. We offer complete flexibility to our customers,” said Jo Daly.

The focus of this refit was the replacement of the starboard stern tube, skeg and liners. In addition, there was maintenance on the anchoring assembly and bow thruster with upgrades including modifications to the hydraulic piping system, improving access and traceability for future maintenance tasks. There were also repairs to the exhaust spray heads, NDT and repairs on sea water inlets, works on the propeller watertight seals and rudders and replacing approx. 6m2 of hull plating due to degrading over the years.

Wightlink’s Fleet Technician Team Leader Chris Ancrum said: “We were impressed with the professionalism and attention to detail from the team from WSC. Their engineers completed a variety of complex tasks with skill and finished the job on time and on budget. We are pleased to work with an Island company to keep our FastCats in good condition.”

One stop shop
New for 2021, will see the completion of a new Wise boat lift on Venture Quays in East Cowes, with the capacity to lift a max weight 260-tons, length 55m and beam 13.5m. This represents an increase of up to 190-tons and allows much larger FastCats and similar craft to be lifted out for repair.

Wight Shipyard Co offers refit, repair, outfitting and overhaul services. Whether you are a commercial operator or luxury yacht owner, the company provides efficient and high-quality solutions to every shipboard need. The WSC family has decades of combined experience in projects of all sizes and offers general refit and repairs, including vessel upgrade, life extension projects and docking.

Over and above its refit and maintenance services, WSC is known for its industry-leading ferry builds.

Earlier this year it achieved a UK first by building four ferries simultaneously at its own yard for a leading Maltese tour operator. The order, which is WSC’s largest ferry export order to date, consisted of two 20m and two 33m light weight ferries, designed by One2Three Naval Architects.

No other UK shipbuilder in living memory has been able to simultaneously produce four ferries in only nine months.

Check out our offshore marine services directory.

Port of Tyne Signs Dogger Bank Site Development Option

Monday, 4th January 2021

Port of Tyne has signed an option agreement with Dogger Bank Wind Farm. This successfully concludes the preliminary phase of a state-of-the-art development to build the operations and maintenance (O&M) base of the world’s largest offshore windfarm.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a 50:50 joint venture between Equinor and SSE Renewables. The project is being built in three equal phases of 1.2 GW, and Eni will take a 20% stake in the first two phases when transactions are complete in Q1 2021.

Equinor will operate the wind farm for its life of up to 35 years and as such will construct the O&M base. Over 200 people will be based there or offshore to ensure the turbines are operating and ready to generate electricity for six million UK homes.

Under the terms of the option agreement contract, Dogger Bank Wind Farm will retain full rights to develop its windfarm O&M facility for a set period, although initial works are expected to commence in early 2021.

Port of Tyne is currently approving construction bids to complete its landlords works, involving the construction of a new access road, improved drainage facilities, enabling works for electricity infrastructure and a quay upgrade. The port will be completing these initial works by July 2021, ready for the full building phase to commence by Q3 of 2021 construction works including the new portside facility, will be ready for its offshore service operational vessels (SOVs) when the wind farm operations are scheduled to begin during 2023.

Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor said, “This marks the start of a very exciting journey, both for us, our partners and the Port of Tyne, in preparing the home for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm. As the first tenant in the Port’s Tyne Clean Energy Park, we are pleased to contribute towards the Port’s net zero ambition, and we hope that basing such significant infrastructure here will attract investment and catalyse green economic growth in the area.

“Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity and we are proud to drive forward the Government’s ambition to power every home in the country with electricity from offshore wind.”

Matt Beeton, CEO of Port of Tyne said, “As we work towards submitting our world-class freeport coalition bid, this contract signals the completion of a very exciting first step for both Port of Tyne and Equinor. This option agreement represents a catalyst to ignite future development of the port’s nascent renewables cluster and will trigger additional investment in Tyne Dock Enterprise Park as a further development opportunity for related commercial activities.”

South West Marine sector to reduce carbon emissions and boost exports with immersive technology

Wednesday, 9th December 2020

A new project that will enable manufacturers of South West Marine-Tech to showcase their products overseas using augmented reality has launched.

A new project has been launched for South West exporters in the Marine sector, with applications closing on 16th December.

The initiative will use augmented reality (AR) to enable businesses to showcase their products across the world without having to travel, therefore decreasing CO2 emissions whilst reducing the need for companies to be in close contact with potential international buyers during COVID-19.

Three companies will be selected for the project, with immersive AR experiences being produced to enable international buyers to understand how the product works while demonstrating its unique capabilities.

Render has been appointed as the contractor to roll out the AR technology for the three companies that will be selected. Commenting on their involvement in the project, Nadine Miles, Operations Director, said:

“The current global situation has made it more important and more challenging than ever for marine companies looking to export to get their products in front of potential customers.

“AR is an incredibly powerful way to do this because it enables them to meet and collaborate virtually with both prospects and colleagues, and do this with photo-real 3D models of their innovative products or processes in the room with them.

“When you add to this the reduced need for travel, and that it can be used again and again, it is both very economically and environmentally efficient.”

According to the World Economic Forum, digital technology can help to reduce emissions by 15% through the reduced need for transport through remote working.1

The maritime sector contributes around £12 billion to the UK’s exports, and the project will support the Government’s five-year maritime plan for the UK, which aims to help the sector capture a significant global market share in key technologies. This will improve the environmental performance of the global maritime industry.

Augmented Reality has been reported to improve companies’ sales due to its ability to engage and immerse buyers in product experiences. According to a recent study, 65% of companies find that immersive technologies have opened new markets and sectors for them to work with and grow their product.

A recent report from PWC has also forecast that VR and AR will add approximately £62.5 billion to the economy by 2030, a 2.4% boost to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Paul Shand, DIT’s Head of Trade in the South West, said:

“This project is a fantastic opportunity for marine companies in the South West to continue to showcase their products to overseas buyers while reducing their carbon footprint.

“COVID-19 has created some challenges for businesses, but it is through initiatives such as these that firms can become resilient to economic instabilities and grow their business through nurturing relationships with overseas buyers.”

Applications to apply for the opportunity close at midnight on Wednesday 16thDecember. More information and the link to apply can be found here.

For further information on DIT’s exporting support and international opportunities, visit www.great.gov.uk.

Companies in the South West can find out about their export options and contact one of DIT’s International Trade Advisers by visiting https://www.businesswest.co.uk/department-international-trade-south-west.

> Commercial Offshore Marine Services Directory

Motive Offshore Group Growth Trajectory Continues with Flowline Acquisition

Wednesday, 9th December 2020

Motive Offshore Group, specialist in marine equipment fabrication and rental for the back-deck and beyond, has announced the acquisition of subsea equipment experts, Flowline Specialists, for an undisclosed figure.

The deal, which was finalised last week, is the latest development in Motive’s growth trajectory, bringing its headcount to approximately 200 and bolstering existing capabilities in the UK, Norway and UAE, whilst further increasing its European footprint.

Established in 2001, Flowline designs, engineers and manufactures its own equipment, supplying experienced technicians and support services for the handling and deployment of flexible pipes, umbilicals and cables to the offshore energy market.

The acquisition allows Motive Offshore Group to further implement its strategic vision of market diversification into offshore wind, power and utilities via the introduction of complementary products, services and expertise to existing and prospective clients alike.

Dave Acton, Motive CEO commented: “I’m delighted to announce such a significant step in the Motive Offshore journey. This outcome has been three years in the making and is the culmination of a 10-year working relationship, during which time we have valued Flowline as both client and supplier. We have operated as partners on a number of projects which, in itself, illustrates the respect we have for the company built by its previous owners.”

Greg Herrera, Senior Partner at EV Private Equity, which made a high-profile investment in Motive Offshore Group in 2019, added: “Despite the disruptive circumstances of 2020, both Motive and Flowline have risen to the challenge. They have delivered significant growth from 2019 and a combined turnover of £26million for 2020 is based upon a razor-sharp focus on maximum service quality, higher ESG performance and delivering lower net customer spend.”

Graeme Chalmers, COO of Flowline concluded: “Motive’s acquisition of Flowline is an exciting development for both parties; allowing us to deliver on larger projects than ever before, driving unrivalled value to our global customer base and facilitating an ever-increasing focus on the requirements of the offshore renewable energy market.”

Launched in 2010 by James Gregg and Dave Acton, Motive Offshore Group is headquartered in Boyndie, Banff, Scotland, with additional offices in Aberdeen, Houston, Norway and the Middle East.

Film-Ocean Expands ROV Fleet

Monday, 7th December 2020

Film-Ocean, a UK-based ROV services provider has expanded its fleet by adding another Quasar 150HP Workclass ROV system.

“This significant investment is part of Film-Ocean’s fleet expansion strategy, which has seen four ROV systems added to the fleet over the past 12 months,” Film-Ocean said.

Working at depths of up to 3000m Film-Ocean’s Quasar 150HP Workclass ROV, a medium-sized high-power ROV, can be used for surveying, IRM, drill support, and construction tasks.

Scott Jenney, Film-Ocean CEO reported: “The additional Quasar ROV system is the latest in a series of planned developments within the business and an excellent addition to the fleet. We continue to see a high level of enquiries for this type of ROV system and this investment allows us to provide the additional capacity that our customers require.”

Scanjet PSM Announce Westeam as New Italian Partner for Floating Dock Refit

Tuesday, 1st December 2020

Working with their new Italian partner, Westeam Srl, Scanjet PSM have secured a floating dock refit project win with the Fincantieri Group, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups with twenty shipyards across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Requiring very short delivery lead times, they were tasked to refit a ballast level gauging system for a floating dock in La Spezia. With a lifting power of 40,000 tons and with 32 ballast/double bottoms, the floating dock had been re-floated after sinking last year and Fincantieri needed the damaged equipment replacing urgently.

Working closely with Westeam, Scanjet PSM were able to supply their Titanium APT500 sensors and termination modules for all ballast tanks on the 265 metre dock within 2 weeks.

Marine type approved and fully certified for use in Hazardous Areas, the APT500 sensors provide a rugged and reliable solution for harsh marine environments.

Scanjet PSM hope this is the first of many projects with Westeam, who have a long-standing reputation for excellent service and support to numerous leading customers in the shipbuilding and offshore industry, and they look forward to a long and successful relationship working with them.

Marine Construction Contractors

Who Are ScanJet PSM

Scanjet PSM is a UK-based specialist in instrumentation and protection systems for marine and industrial applications. With over 40 years of experience, the company designs and manufactures sensors, transmitters, and transducers intended to withstand harsh and adverse conditions in a variety of demanding environments.

What They Do

Product Range: Scanjet PSM offers a comprehensive suite of products, including high accuracy sensors, pressure transmitters, level transducers, and other measurement devices. These are used to monitor and control variables such as pressure, level, flow, or temperature in marine systems.
Protection Systems: Beyond measurement, Scanjet PSM also provides protection systems—these can include devices to safeguard machinery and systems on vessels and in industrial installations. For example, alarms or safety cut-outs triggered by sensor readings. The products are constructed to cope with vibration, saltwater, temperature extremes, and other environmental stresses typical in maritime settings.

Marine Focus

In the marine sector particularly, Scanjet PSM’s products are utilised to ensure reliability and safety on board ships, workboats, offshore platforms, and floating installations. Whether for ballast systems, fuel oil tanks, engine rooms, or cooling and HVAC systems, accurate instrumentation is crucial. Their marine branch (PSM Marine) ensures that sensors and protection devices are compliant with marine standards and classification society expectations.

Industrial Sector

Though primarily known in marine circles, their instrumentation is also used across many industrial sectors: chemicals, water treatment, food and drink (e.g. brewing), dairy, etc. In all these, the need for robust, precise, and reliable instrumentation is common.

Credentials & Quality

Scanjet PSM holds ISO 9001 certification for its quality management system, which reflects its commitment to consistency and high quality in engineering standards. It also references its compliance or approval by various classification societies and maritime industry standards (for example through alliances such as Lloyd’s, DNV-GL etc.).

Why They Matter

In marine operations, instrumentation failures can lead to serious safety and environmental risks. Scanjet PSM’s robust design ethos helps prevent that. Their products help ensure regulatory compliance, safety of crew, and the integrity of systems exposed to sea, spray, pressure, and corrosion. Because of their long history and proven track record, they are a go-to supplier for many shipbuilders, retrofitters, and marine operators who need instrumentation and protection systems they can rely on.

Overall, Scanjet PSM occupies an important niche in marine engineering: supplying rugged, well-engineered instrumentation and protection systems that enable vessels and marine systems to function safely, efficiently, and under harsh sea conditions.

OTS Expands its UK Rental Fleet

Tuesday, 1st December 2020

OTS, a privately-owned Norwegian company, is pleased to announce an expansion of assets to its UK rental fleet. OTS UK facility, based in Aberdeen, already has a rental fleet of equipment designed for the handling, processing and treatment of waste materials, high-pressure pumping equipment intended for the offshore well intervention and well pumping operations.

The additional assets to the UK fleet will ensure that the UK division can continue its provision of a high-quality level of service and support for the oil and gas, renewables, geothermal drilling sectors with a dedicated product range including wastewater treatment, drill cuttings handling, high-pressure well service pumps, cleaning services, swarf handling, pump transfer systems and more.

Established in 2002, OTS has worldwide experience providing a large rental fleet and supporting services to major global oil and gas locations, HQ in Norway; the company is represented in UK with facilities based in Aberdeen.

Gordon Bennett, UK Business Developments, brings to OTS over 20 years of oil and gas experience and specialised knowledge within oil and gas waste treatment solutions. Having secured the additional assets to the fleet, Bennett said: “An expansion of the UK rental fleet is great news. Throughout the summer, we have been busy mobilising assets, including drilling mud coolers, mud skips and well abandonment equipment. Having additional assets will be beneficial to our UK customers for their offshore operations.”

OTS specialised waste treatment equipment was used recently in a remote location in Russia to mitigate the effect of a diesel discharge. OTS reacted quickly and efficiently, mobilising equipment at short notice via chartered planes to the remote site.

The spill was contained using a series of booms, and the contaminated water was held in specially bunded bags. The contaminated water was then transferred from the bags to filter units using centrifugal pumps for the removal of the diesel. The cleaned water was pumped into an industrial-sized man-made lake, and the diesel was recovered for future use.

> Commercial Offshore Marine Directory

Modulifts custom design solutions are the perfect answer for complex lifts

Thursday, 26th November 2020

Modulift, well known in the industry for its popular modular design spreader beams and frames, has seen its orders for custom-designed lifting solutions increase substantially since the beginning of the year, and there are no signs of that pace slowing down.

This is great news for the global below-the-hook manufacturer and its team of in-house engineers.

As the demand for innovation enquiries increases across the industry, with over 150 years of experience in that one team alone, Modulift are quick to turn their knowledge into innovative solutions for their customers.

Safety & Speed of delivery is at the core of their business, as turnaround times are an important service for their customers.

Efficient processes

Modulift have been working hard to improve their already streamlined processes as their teams of experts, which include Sales, Engineering, and Manufacturing, are now all under one roof in their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. This has enabled them to fulfil complex orders within as little as 3 weeks, beginning at the initial enquiry with detailed discussions to fully understand the clients lifting requirements, right through to the design, manufacture, painting and despatch.

Communication is key

Clear and effective communication from the initial enquiry stage has always been a major strength to Modulift’s customer service approach, and this continues to prove invaluable when designing the right lifting solution, as well as being a cost-effective option.

Harshal Kulkarni, Engineering Manager at Modulift, said: “Our custom design solutions are being used across the whole spectrum of the lifting industry for a wide variety of complex lifts. We have also seen an increased amount of lifts requiring a low height frame solution requiring adjustability biaxially and performing as multifunctional lifting tools in lifting and spreader configurations. Whilst we have existing off-the-shelf products which include the popular Modulift MOD AML and our Modulift CMOD series, matching both requirements, we have found that a custom-designed product can often be the best solution for lifts like these. We have also been engaged in customising our standard products to suit customer requirements in the most cost-effective manner too’.

> Lifting Equipment

Valeport Strengthens Senior Team

Thursday, 26th November 2020

Valeport has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of a Head of Marketing, as it targets market leadership in the environmental sensors sector.

The internal appointment of former marketing manager, Guy Frankland, to Head of Marketing marks the latest step in the strategic growth plans for Valeport – the UK’s leading oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrument manufacturer.

With over 20 years experience in strategy, brand and digital marketing, Guy joined Valeport in 2018 and has been responsible for overseeing a comprehensive refresh of the brand that has served the subsea sector for over fifty years, supporting Valeport’s expansion into new markets and delivering new products to customers across a large number of sectors.

Valeport Managing Director Matt Quartley, said: “Guy has been fundamental in helping us shape the business in recent years and appointing someone of Guy’s calibre to our senior team is a key part to helping us continue to implement our plans for Valeport’s growth moving forward.”

Valeport technology is selected by leading subsea, hydrographic, hydrometric, metrological & positioning, oceanographic, ports, harbours & dredging, renewable energy and scientific research organisations worldwide.

Hydrographic & Oceanographic Equipment

Who Are Valeport

Valeport – UK Marine Instrumentation Specialists

Valeport (now part of Teledyne) is a UK-based manufacturer of oceanographic, hydrographic, and hydrometric instrumentation. Established in 1969, the company has built a strong global reputation for designing and producing high-quality sensors, profilers, and instruments used in environmental monitoring, marine surveying, water measurement, and scientific research.

What They Do

Products & Applications
Valeport develops a wide array of instrument types, including CTD profilers (which measure Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), sound velocity sensors, tide gauges, current meters, environmental sensors, and oceanographic & hydrographic survey instrumentation. Their products are grouped by application (e.g. coastal, inland, offshore), by parameter (temperature, salinity, turbidity etc.), or by product type.
Featured Technology
Some of their latest offerings include the SWiFT Deep CTD profiler capable of operations to 6,000 m depth; SWiFT CTDplus Turbidity which blends CTD measurements plus turbidity monitoring; Bathy2, a modern bathymetric measurement instrument; and the uvSVX, which provides sound velocity, temperature, and pressure with calculated salinity and density.
Support & Calibration
Valeport provides support services including calibration, warranty, repairs, and returns. Their instruments also come with rigorous environmental and batch testing and a 3-year limited warranty, which can be extended with regular servicing.

Industry Uses

Valeport’s instruments are used broadly in sectors such as:

Environmental monitoring (e.g. water quality, climate studies)
Marine surveys (bathymetry, seafloor mapping)
Renewable energy (site assessment for offshore wind, tidal)
Ports, harbours, and dredging (depth & current monitoring)
Civil engineering where hydrometric and oceanographic data is needed.

Other Key Points

Quality & Warranty: Instruments are environmentally batch-tested; the standard warranty is three years, extendable with service.
Corporate Responsibility: Valeport emphasises environmental stewardship: its site includes policies around net zero journey, seagrass conservation, and corporate responsibility.
Global Reach & Reputation: Though UK-based (Totnes, Devon), Valeport serves customers worldwide. Its products are respected for precision, reliability, and robustness in challenging marine / ocean environments.

Herman Sr. Selects Sea Machine`s SM200 Wireless Remote Helm System to Enhance Offshore Tug Operations

Thursday, 26th November 2020

(Barendrecht, The Netherlands; November 24, 2020) – Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a leading developer of autonomous command and remote-helm control systems, announces today that Herman Sr. BV , a Netherlands-based tug and workboat company, will add a Sea Machines’ SM200 wireless, remote-helm control system to one of its Shoalbuster tugboats, the 23.35-meter Teddy, for the purposes of increasing productivity and operational safety during offshore operations. The SM200 provides wireless helm and propulsion control, as well as remote control of auxiliaries and payload equipment (including pumps, winches, anchor windlasses and more), freeing mariners from the wheelhouse to conduct operations from any location that offers the greatest visibility and safety. Sea Machines empowers the pilot to be in full control of the tugboat and on-board payloads with a direct local view of the task, as compared to conventional methods that often rely on signals relayed from another crew member to the wheelhouse.

Herman Sr. operates Teddy in offshore waters for a variety of marine projects, from towing and cable pulling to mooring and dredge support.

“No longer bound to a fixed control station, our crew will use Sea Machines’ wireless helm to monitor operations from the tugboat’s upper decks or wherever visibility is greatest, a valuable capability that increases both productivity and safety,” said Herman Sr.’s Erwin van Dodewaard, operations manager. “This system is intuitive to use and, once installed, will be valuable to our crews as they operate our vessel Teddy during challenging projects, such as large and overweight offshore tows.”

“Improving visibility and at-sea safety is a game-changer for any marine operator, but it is especially true for Herman Sr., which operates in challenging offshore conditions that include reduced visibility, waves and weather,” said Sea Machines’ Frank Relou, European business development manager. “Working conditions that fall into the ‘dull, dirty and dangerous’ category are ideally suited for our systems, as they support crews with new, innovative capabilities that deliver greater productivity, reliability and safety. We look forward to delivering the SM200 to Herman Sr. and the crew aboard Teddy.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) approved the SM200 for installation aboard an articulated tug-barge (ATB) class of U.S.- flag tugboats. An industry first in wireless vessel control, the two bodies granted their approvals after an exhaustive review of Sea Machines’ technology and the SM200’s applications aboard these tugs, deeming the system satisfactory for shipboard installation and trials.

Sea Machines’ SM Series of products, which includes both the SM200 and SM300, provides marine operators a new era of remote, task-driven, computer-guided vessel control, bringing advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operations. SM products are ideally suited for existing or new-build commercial vessels, including fireboats, commercial survey workboats, spill-response vessels, security/patrol/search-and-rescue craft, offshore wind support vessels, aquaculture workboats and others.

> Tug Boats

Author: CGTeam

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