TAKERTAKEROperatorOperator · company's technology research programme. ... and gas and steam...

MAY 2010 www.tankeroperator.com

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Features:� Raising the cash� UK CoS sets its stall out� Where to put the slops� ECDIS training needed � Winch replacement service� Luboil condition analysis

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May 2010 � TANKEROperator 01

ContentsMarketsChem/prod tankers future

News FocusIGS for smaller tankers discussed

Ship FinanceHope springs eternal

UK Report� UK at the forefront of change

� Equipment manufacturer bullish

Technology18 Tank Servicing/Cleaning� MARPOL explained

� Cylinder gas logistics

� Cargo tank atmosphere control

24 ECDIS� Training essential

� Rules approaching fast

04

10

06

'Simplicity is the key to Success'

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Front cover photo ECDIS training is vital, especially fornavigators of large vessels in confinedwaters, such as the approaches to theFawley oil refinery in Southampton Water,where this picture was taken.

18

30 Manoeuvring Systems� Repair task force formed

� Lightweight chain developed

33 Condition Monitoring� Lubricant sensors

� Extended drydocking intervals?

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Many companies and groupings are involved intrying to find the optimum fuel efficient vessel, bothfor economic and environmental reasons.Of late we have seen the return of sail assisted passages, LNG poweredvessels and a host of other initiatives, either undertaken by companiesindividually, or in a group. The latter path is illustrated by the numberof companies involved in the Danish Green Ship of the Future project.

Now another grouping has been formed by Ricardo Marine called theShip Efficiency & Energy Storage Assessment consortium (SeEsA).

With the increasingly strict requirements of maritime emissionsregulations in numerous international jurisdictions and the recent sharpglobal increase in energy costs, ship energy management and efficiencyhas never before carried such economic significance for marineequipment suppliers and shipbuilders, as well as vessel owners andfleet operators, Ricardo said.

Ricardo explained that it had been actively involved in thedevelopment of engines, hybrid propulsion systems, mechanical andelectrical energy storage and fuel cell systems, including fuel-liquid-fuel reformers, for a wide range of interests, as well as through thecompany's technology research programme.

The results of this work - enabled by Ricardo's state-of-the-artsimulation technology - indicated that advanced propulsion systemsbased on the careful selection of well proven propulsion, energystorage, after-treatment and waste heat recovery solutions, have thepotential to bring significant fuel consumption savings while alsomeeting the requirements of existing and planned internationalemissions regulations.

By implementing next-generation energy management andpropulsion technologies, Ricardo said that operational fuel consumptionreductions of between 15% and 25% were possible, compared withconventional existing marine propulsion configurations.

SeEsA is described as a pre-competitive consortium drawn togetherto investigate energy management of the propulsion and auxiliarypower systems and identify potential technology solutions appropriatefor the applications requirements. These include the tanker sector, aswell as other vessel types.

Configurations consideredIn addition to meeting existing and future perceived needs, theflexibility of propulsion configurations in the face of potentiallychanging operating requirements will also be considered.

The work of the consortium will be arranged in a modular formatwith partners subscribing to a core programme of work, which can be

adapted and augmented to meet their specific needs. The first phase will focus in assessing the best energy storage solution

combined with advanced energy recovery systems for a completepropulsion system under different operating conditions, includingnormal operation, slow steaming and up to three additional duty cyclesthat the consortium members agree as most relevant to their needs.

The range of energy storage solutions will include conventional andstate-of-the art battery technologies and ultra capacitors, flywheel basedsystems, thermal and pressure based storage, fuel reformers and liquidnitrogen (LN2) systems. The prime movers covered will include dieseland gas engines, and gas and steam turbine systems, with auxiliarypower systems also including possible fuel cells and Stirling engineapplications.

More detailMeanwhile, the second phase will focus on a more detailed analysis andinvestigate the efficiency of the sub-systems including enginecombustion and air handling methods. Technologies considered willinclude advanced air handling and combustion solutions, with a view toidentifying how future ship operational practice can be optimised as theeconomic climate changes and legislative frameworks evolve.

Commenting on the launch of the new consortium, Ricardo plc groupcommercial director Steve Clarke said: "The international maritimeindustry is facing the twin challenge of meeting the needs of emissionsregulation in a range of jurisdictions, as well as a sharp increase in thecost of energy for both propulsion and on board systems.

“Through the SeEsA consortium we aim to assist vessel designers,specifiers, owners and fleet operators ensure that their existing andfuture fleets are optimised for future energy storage and efficiency whilemeeting legislative requirements and operational needs," he explained.

SeEsA is to remain open to applications from prospective membersthroughout the duration of the work. Organisations wishing to registeran interest in participating in Phase 1 or in any of the future modules, orto obtain further information, should contact [email protected].

Is this the biggest challenge to shipping today? Most certainly, as theindustry strives for greater operational efficiency, both in the office andat sea.

One thing is for certain. The regulators will not let up in their questfor a mandatory reduction in emissions of any type and in carbonemissions in particular.

The shipping industry appears to be fully aware of this and is not shyin offering up vessels for equipment trials. Of course, this helps both thevessel operators and the OEMs, who are trying to solve the problem.

COMMENT

A new grouping to take a major step towards the nextgeneration low carbon marine energy systems

TO

TANKEROperator � May 201002

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INDUSTRY - MARKETS


Navios’ business strategy1) Capitalise on near-historic low

inflation-adjusted vessel prices in building a fleet of high quality, modern, double-hulled vessels.

2) Strategically manage sector exposure in product and chemical tankers.

3) Maintain an optimum charter mix.4) Maintain a strong balance sheet

and flexible capital structure.5) Implement and sustain a competitive

cost structure.6) Leverage deal flow, operating

experience, brand name, global network of relationships and risk management expertise of Navios Holdings.

Last year, global demand for cleanpetroleum products (CPP)increased year-on-year by 1.51% to437 mill tones.

As industrial output and consumer spendingresumed modest growth in OECD countriesand continued to post healthy gains in non-OECD countries, the translated tonne/miledemand on products tankers increased by5.6% year-on-year as growing economiesimported CPP from overseas refiners, saidMcQuilling Services in its latest report.

The Far East saw the largest gains in cleantanker demand last year, sourcing 22% and23% more trade than the Middle East andnorthern Europe respectively. Similarly, theBaltic/northern Europe region boosted itstonne/mile demand from Asia by 24%.

Conversely, regional product tanker tradeswithin Asia and the Americas fell year-on-yearby 9% and 7% as inter-regional playsproduced more profitable options.Specifically, a growing volume of gas oil fromthe Far East and India was seen moving toEurope, while the latter joined the MiddleEast in selling naphtha back to Asia. Thisallowed some attractive backhaulopportunities for CPP tankers.

In the Atlantic, US refinery gasoline outputproved substantial enough to curb tanker

swapping of LR2 cargoes into smaller LR1sand MR2s, thereby boosting their demand.

Bears v bullsAs for this year, the bears point to the supplyside of the equation. The contango situationhas largely unwound releasing productstankers back on to a market that is alsosuffering from a surfeit of new deliveries.Furthermore, as the LR fleets are relativelynew, it is unlikely that scrapping will have anyeffect on the supply side, McQuilling said.

However, the bulls look at refinery growth.Global refinery throughput is estimated at72.5 mill barrels per day for 1Q10. This is800,000 barrels per day higher than the samequarter in 2009. This marks the first annualincrease since 2Q08, giving hope that theeconomy will resist a ‘W’ shaped recovery.

Refineries in China, India and Russiaposted record high utilisation rates inFebruary, while European throughput fell toits lowest level in 17 years.

Worldwide refinery runs are expected tocontinue to rise, reaching 72.9 mill barrels perday in 2Q10 for a 1.4% increase year-on-year.This should provide further product tankerdemand. However, as India and Russiaincreasingly feed nearby Asian demand, andEuropean refining recovers from a weak firstquarter while Venezuela suffers from overduedownstream investment, the extent to whichCPP demand translates to tonne/miles is yet tobe seen, McQuilling concluded.

Navios’ strategyMeanwhile, the news that drybulk expertNavios has put its toe into the chemical andproduct tanker market begs the question – why?

In a lengthy statement, the companyoutlined its reasons for taking the plunge.Navios Acquisition said that it believed theproduct and chemical tanker sectors are bothfundamentally attractive because of the

Chemical and producttankers - will demand

outstrip supply?We take a look into the future with the aid of a leading analyst

and a shipowner who is heavily investing in this sector.

demand ex Europe by 35%, while maintainingthe arbitrage for US diesel exports to theEurozone, which grew some 10% year-on-year, the report said.

As the overall product tanker demand grewyear-on-year, each of the four sectorsMcQuilling monitored showed substantiallydifferent results. For example, the LR2 sectorlost nearly 16% of its tonne/mile demand lastyear, while LR1s gained 23% of the business.MR2s saw a demand increase of 14%, whileMR1s lost 13%.

With an increase in supply of MR2s, tradershave introduced them on different routeswhere their economies of scale can be realisedwithout compromising the flexibility inherentto smaller parcel sizes.

Despite a demand loss in the LR2 sectorlast year, the past 12 months proved relativelyhealthy for rates when compared with its dirtycounterparts. Demand for storage absorbednearly a third of the LR2 fleet as contangoconditions took hold of the products market.

As a result, the 16% loss in LR2 tonne/miledemand was largely outweighed by asimultaneous 30% reduction in availablesupply. Furthermore, this demand was notnecessarily lost, but switched to LR1s andMR2s, which picked up the slack. Forexample, the MEG/Far East trades saw the

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current opportunity to acquire tankers neartheir inflation adjusted historical low prices.

According to industry sources, producttanker values have declined significantly fromthe recent peak in 2008, with newbuild 50,000dwt tankers declining from an average of$52.1 mill in 2008 to $34.5 mill in 2010.Chemical tanker prices are also near theirinflation adjusted historical low, withnewbuilds in the 25,000 dwt range decliningto an average of $42 mill in 2010.

The recent decade's growth in demand andmacroeconomic drivers suggest continuedincrease in demand as the global recessioneases. During the period 2000-2009, demandfor transporting refined petroleum productsincreased by approximately 8.6% per annum.Demand for transporting bulk liquid chemicalsincreased during this same period byapproximately 5.7% per annum.

Emerging markets were significant demanddrivers and are expected to continue as emergingmarkets, particularly Asia and the Middle East,build additional refinery capacity. Moreover, asthe global economies exit the recession, OECDcountries will likely create significant additionaldemand for tanker services.

Navios head Angeliki Frangou said, "Webelieve that the market opportunity, whichstresses environmental safety and quality ofoperations, highlights our operating strengths.Furthermore, the recent financial crisis andrelated developments in the product andchemical tanker sectors have continued to affectadversely the availability of credit to shippingindustry participants, creating opportunities forwell-capitalised companies with committedavailable financing such as ours."

Focused business strategyNavios Acquisition's business strategy is todevelop a world-leading operator andcharterer of modern, high-quality product andchemical tankers. It’s principal focus is thetransportation of refined clean and dirtypetroleum products and bulk liquid chemicals.

Fleet compositionThe company has initially committed itself to 15vessels, including two options yet to be declared.

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp -to giveit its full title - is a publicly traded SpecialPurpose Acquisition Corporation (SPAC)formed under the laws of the Marshall Islands.

Navios Acquisition serves as a vehicle foracquisition through a merger, capital stockexchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase orother similar business combination, one ormore assets or operating businesses in themarine transportation and logistics industries.

If the vessel acquisition is approved andcompleted, the new company will have a fleetof 13 tankers, consisting of 11 product tankersand two chemical tankers, plus options topurchase two additional product tankers.

Of the 13 vessels, nine 25,000 dwt.chemical tankers were ordered in 2007 byRestis Maritime (Seacrest Shipping), Greeceat Dae Sun, South Korea. Two will bedelivered ‘as is’ but the remaining seven havebeen renegotiated into 50,000 dwt MRproducts carriers.

Navios also purchased two 74,000 dwtLR1s under construction at SungDong for $40mill apiece with options for two more. Theseller was not revealed. Finally, two existingLR1s, the 2007 built 74,600 dwt Colin Jacoband Ariadne Jacob, were added to the Naviosfleet for $43.5 mill each – $11.5 mill eachhigher than the original newbuilding price -market analysts said.

INDUSTRY - MARKETS


TO

(40%) (20%) 0% 20% 40% 60%

Middle East to AsiaMiddle East to Europe

Middle East to AmericasInter-Asia

Asia to NEur BalticAsia to Americas

NEur Baltic to AsiaNEur Baltic to Europe

NEur Baltic to AmericasNEur Baltic to Others

Eur Med to EuropeEur Med to Americas

Americas Americas to Europe

Others

Figure 1: 2009 v. 2008 Change in CPP Trade.

(13.0%)

23.2%

(15.8%)

13.9%

5.6%

(18%)

(12%)

(6%)

0%

6%

12%

18%

24%

LR2 LR1 MR2 MR1 Total

Figure 2: 2009 v. 2008 Change in Ton-Mile Demand.

TANK CLEANINGWe assist Tanker Operators with: Chemical Tank Cleaning during cargo changeover from DPP to various CPP, CPP to

Water White Standard, removal of MTBE residues, Inert Gas Soot, Dye, Veg. Oil etc. Preparation and assessment of the required tank cleaning Tank Cleaning Advice and Recommended Tank Cleaning Procedure Delivery of newly IMO-approved Marine Tank Cleaners from stocks world wide Delivery of chemical injection and special spraying equipment Supercargo and Supervision during the cleaning at sea by experienced experts

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Source: McQuilling Services Source: McQuilling Services

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INDUSTRY - NEWS FOCUS

The International Parcel Tankers’Association (IPTA) gave its viewson the proposals to expand inertgas requirements to newchemical tankers and oil tankersof less than 20,000 dwt.These proposals came up for discussionduring the IMO’s sub-committee meeting onfire protection, which was held from 12th to16th April this year.

At previous sessions, agreement had beenreached in principle to the application of inertgas to such tankers, while recognising that thediffering operational demands of chemicaltankers may mean that it would not beappropriate simply to transpose the currentSOLAS requirements for oil tankers over tochemical tankers.

This session was charged with attempting toreach agreement on details, such as the lowertonnage size limit for application and how theregulations would apply to chemical tankers.

In response to a request from the lastsession of the sub-committee, IPTA and theInternational Chamber of Shipping (ICS)submitted a joint paper providing informationon practical aspects of the application of inertgas to chemical tankers.

The most contentious issue was that of thelower size limit. Japan’s position, based onthe results of a number of Formal SafetyAssessment (FSA) studies, was that there wasno justification for applying inert gas tovessels of below 8,000 dwt.

Japan was supported by a number ofcountries, including China, Brazil, Singapore,Panama and Turkey. However, the Bahamas,Norway and a majority of European memberstates continued to push for application to allSOLAS vessels (ie from 500 gt upwards.)

Strong support was again given byIntertanko and OCIMF for application of the500 gt limit. However, IPTA and ICS did notagree with the 500 gt lower limit, but did notoppose the 8,000 dwt stance.

In accordance with the informationprovided in the joint submission that theproblems associated with the installation ofinert gas systems become increasingly acutebelow 5,000 dwt, we advised that we wouldbe prepared to accept any future compromisedetermined by the IMO member states, aslong as it was no lower than 5,000 dwt, IPTA said.

The issue was complicated somewhat by aproposal from Norway and OCIMF that there

should be a lower limit for installation of inertgas systems, with vessels below that sizebeing obliged to use shore supplied inert gas.IPTA pointed out that since a reliable shoresupply cannot be guaranteed it wasinappropriate to consider mandating it and itwas agreed that the use of inert gas could notbe separated from the installation.

CompromiseThe International Association of Ports andHarbours (IAPH) yet again made it clear thattheir members had no obligation to providenitrogen from the shore. After some lengthydiscussions, during which we were obliged topoint out that providing correct proceduresare observed a non-inerted ship does notconstitute an unsafe ship, the member statessupporting the 500 gt lower limit agreed tocompromise at 5,000 dwt, IPTA explained.

Many of the supporters of the 8,000 dwtlimit were not prepared to change theirposition, pointing out that they had alreadycompromised in going below the 20,000 dwtlimit.

Discussions will continue at the nextsession with a tonnage range of between 5,000dwt and 8,000 dwt in square brackets. Thedraft text for an amendment to SOLASregulation II-2/4.5.5 was agreed reflecting thisand IPTA will promulgate this in due course.

As a result of the data presented in theICS/IPTA submission there was generalagreement with the IPTA position that takinginto account the complexity of operationalprocedures on chemical/parcel tankers duringmulti-port/berth loading rotations and sincethe incidents investigated by the Inter IndustryWorking Groups had been almost exclusivelyduring discharge or tank cleaning, chemicaltankers should be allowed to dispense withinerting prior to loading and allowed tocommence application of inert gas prior tocommencement of discharge and continuethrough the tank cleaning phase until gas free.

A text was considered for a regulation toincorporate this, which will be furtherdeveloped at the next session.

The Bahamas and IAPH who, amongothers, do not support the development of anyseparate SOLAS regulation for chemicaltankers, expressed concern with theseproposals.

It should be noted that although the currentdiscussions are focusing on new ships,Norway, supported by a number of

delegations, reaffirmed their support for theapplication of inert gas to ALL ships.

Once the issue of new ships has been dealtwith we can expect a proposal in respect ofexisting ships very soon afterwards andwhatever parameters are decided in respect ofnew ships will inevitably impinge on thediscussions for existing ships, IPTA warned.

Indeed, some argue that the currentdeliberations on lower size limits are to alarge degree influenced by the expectation thatwhatever the lower limit finally decided fornew ships, this will eventually impact on theexisting fleet.

Enclosed spaces Importantly, the group also took into accountthe issue of ‘Guidelines for Entry intoEnclosed Space’ and noted that as a result ofincidents of asphyxiation on ships carryingwood chips and general reports from MAIFF,the Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes andContainers sub-committee (DSC) wasengaged in a review of IMO AssemblyResolution 864 (1997) covering genericrecommendations for entering enclosedspaces on board ships.

Taking into account that the Fires andExplosions agenda item was tanker specific,the group, in considering draft guidelines forchemical tankers, recognised the benefit oftank entry guidelines applicable to all tankerswith particular emphasis being placed onprocedures developed to reduce the risk ofentering cargo tanks after the use of nitrogeninertion.

To this end, it was recommended that thisitem also be forwarded to the Bulk Liquidand Gases sub-committee (BLG), as thecompetent body, for its further considerationof tank entry guidelines applicable to alltankers. It was suggested that thereafter suchguidelines could be appended as Annex to arevised Res A 864.

There was a sole dissenting voice in theworking group to this suggestion but in theplenary a substantial majority agreed thatsince Nitrogen IG could become a mandatoryprovision it was right and proper that theexpertise within the BLG sub-committeeshould further consider robust and universalcargo tank entry procedures on tankers.

As a specialised chemical/parcel tankerNGO in consultative status to the IMO, IPTAwill continue to take a role in consideration ofsuch guidelines, the association confirmed. TO

Inert gas systems proposals on oil and chemical tankers ofless than 20,000 dwt discussed

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INDUSTRY - NEWS

Information now at a tanker brokers finger tipsMaritime INFOSYS - developers ofspecialist software solutions forthe shipping, oil and gas industries- has unveiled a high-speed shipbrokerage support tool.

Ship Brokering Intelligence Solutions (S-BIS) is claimed to be the industry’s first fully integrated, live web and mobile solutionto help shipbrokers manage the complexfixture process.

Designed to give shipbrokers,owner/managers and charterers fast access tothe very latest information, S-BIS enablesusers to search more than 160,000 ships byover 600 data fields with real-time resultsdelivered in seconds.

Featuring decision support tools andmultiple live data feeds including distancetables from Veson, AIS Live and Worldscale,S-BIS provides data previously only availablefrom numerous independent resources via asingle user friendly interface.

As well as delivering the most accurate andup-to-date data in one site, S-BIS delivers inany location thanks to the system’s web-basedplatform, which gives users total mobile

access. And for even greater cost and timeefficiency, the system streamlines the shipfixing paperwork by pre-populating theinformation into relevant documents.

Because S-BIS is a web-based SaaSproduct, it requires no special software orhardware installation - subscribers simply log-in to www.s-bis.com for access. The product’suser-friendly interface makes learning to useS-BIS as simple as the navigation itself.

“This is about finding the right ship at theright time with the right price and the rightpaperwork—all in one easy-to-navigate helm,”said Maritime INFOSYS founder and chiefarchitect, Roy Devlin. “We take brokering intothe 21st century utilising all that today’stechnology has to offer in one simple solution.”

Founder and CEO Calvin Holt said, “S-BISprovides more than just an integratedinformation system, but freedom, allowingshipbrokers to focus on the art of the dealrather than the science, which is theircompetitive advantage.

“What makes S-BIS different from the rest?We differ in two significant ways from ourclosest competitor. The first is our extremely

simple to use ship search UI that is coupledwith a best in class search algorithm using realtime ship location and specification data –RELATIVE to the port of interest. Second, arethe additional support features of analysingship suitability and commercial negotiation. Afeature we do share is the ability for thebroker to maintain and control their private,proprietary and valuable networks withcomplete privacy and discretion”, Holt said.

For example, analysis will decide which shipis the closest to load port, how far, is it open orfixed, who is the owner, what is its condition?

At Seatrade’s recent tanker conferencewhere the software was launched, Holt saidthat the audience as a whole appreciated thevalue of quickly analysing several relevanttankers at once and ranking them into qualifiedleads through S-BIS' filtering sequence. Anindependent broker, in the dry sectorstated…"Being able to know within minutes,out of hundreds of choices, which few shipsare available and worth pursing and knowingthat the basic show stoppers have beenidentified and cleared - like is the ship evenopen - will make us more productive." TO

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INDUSTRY – NEWS

Traders and suppliers are bestplaced to utilise existingtechnology and infrastructure tohelp customers initiate carbontrading and drive emissionsreduction, a leading associationsaid.SEAaT (Shipping Emissions Abatement andTrading), the industry association dedicated toshipping emissions abatement and trading, hascalled for the involvement of the bunker fuelindustry in discussions for the establishment of ashipping emissions trading scheme (ETS), citingstrong commercial opportunities for the sector.

An ETS is currently under discussion at theIMO to encourage more efficient shipping andreduce greenhouse gas emissions from theglobal fleet. An ETS was launchedsuccessfully by the EU for large land-basedemitters in 2005 with the inclusion of aviationplanned for 2012.

In UNFCCC and IMO discussions onreducing greenhouse gas emissions in theshipping sector, there is strong support for anETS to operate under the auspices of the twoorganisations.

Under an ETS for shipping, either the shipoperators, or charterers would have to acquirecarbon credits that reflect their bunker fuelconsumption. Bunker fuel traders and supplierscould supply carbon credits in parallel tosupplying fuel, using their existing tradinginfrastructure to secure the best carbon prices.

John Aitken, SEAaT secretary general, said,“The ETS is by far the fairest, mostcommercially-viable means of encouragingmore efficient fuel use. The bunker fuelcompanies are in an excellent position to both

trade credits, and to support their customers ingetting the best deal for their fuel, and helpingdrive environmental compliance strategies.”

Commenting on the current discussions on anETS at the IMO and UNFCCC, Aitkencontinued: “There are both multilateraldiscussions at IMO and UNFCCC, as well asamong the trade associations. SEAaT wouldwelcome the participation of fuel supplycompanies in these, as they have perhaps themost significant knowledge and experience oftrading systems in the entire sector. We wouldalso encourage them to develop knowledge ofcarbon trading by joining SEAaT as associatemembers and participating in the wider debate.”

The ETS used by the EU involvesgreenhouse gas-emitting companies paying fora capped number of carbon-emittingallowances, or ‘credits’. The ‘credits’ can then

be traded openly like commodities, or equities,with the price fluctuating according to demand.

SEAaT is a cross-industry, proactive andself-funding group, whose mission is toencourage and faciliate efficient reduction ofharmful emissions to air from shipping.

It was formed in 2002 to raise awarenessand acceptance of solutions for emissionsreductions that are sustainable, cost effectiveand achievable. Its founding sponsors are theshipping and oil companies committed toexploring and implementing cost effectivemethods of reducing emissions.

The members represent the broadershipping community, and are shipowners,operators and fuel suppliers. They iuncludeCarnival Corporation, BP Shipping, P&OFerries, Shell Shipping, Stena Line, andTsakos Energy Navigation

ETS could offer new commercial opportunities for bunker fuel traders and suppliers

SEAaT general secretary John Aitken.

TO

Tokyo-based class societyClassNK has surged past the 170mill gt mark of entered tonnage. This achievement was claimed to makeClassNK the world’s first class society to passthis milestone.

The announcement was made following theApril meeting of the classification committee,which certified that ClassNK’s register listed7,211 ships, totaling 170,419,317 gt as of theend of March 2010.

The committee also certified that ClassNKnewbuilding registrations for the first threemonths of this year stood at 4.44 mill gt,

pointing to the fact that the society remained ontrack for another year of near-record growth.

The ClassNK register has grown almostcontinuously since the end of World War II,with the most rapid growth occurring over thepast 15 years. It broke through the 100 mill gtbarrier in 1997, shortly before becoming theworld’s largest class society in gross tonnageterms in 1999.

In 2007, ClassNK became the first classsociety in history to have 150 mill gt on itsbooks, and over the past three years alone, theclass society has added a net total of morethan 20 mill gt to its register.

Following the meeting, ClassNK chairmanand president Noboru Ueda cited ClassNK’s“dedication to quality and the aggressiveexpansion of our service network as principalreasons for our continued growth”.

Ueda, who will become the IACS chairmanin July, said, “The success of classificationsocieties like NK depends not only on thestrength of the maritime community, but onthe quality of services offered. Our ability tosucceed despite the recent economic downturnis a clear reflection of our commitment toproviding the best possible service to ourclients anywhere in the world.”

ClassNK reaches next milestone

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Satellite communications. And more.™

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INDUSTRY – SHIP FINANCE

Shipping and the capitalmarkets in 2010:

watermarks of calmer seasTwo years after the catastrophic consequences of the subprime mortgage loans and the

precipitous drop in freight rates in the shipping markets, the famous ‘green shoots’

have been springing up giving hope sooner than expected*.


Freight rates have bounced back tolevels that are cash flow positive,which have positively and severelypredisposed the markets. Asset

prices have stopped declining and have startedappreciating and since the vessels actuallygenerate income, banks feel more comfortableabout their clients and the markets, andowners have been holding back on sellingmodern tonnage on the premise that betterdays are ahead of us.

The tectonic changes that took place in thefinancial markets were expected to affect acapital intense industry like shipping. Duringthe boom years of 2004 – 2008, there wasplenty of liquidity in the system, which whencombined with multi-year high freight rates,allowed for sufficient access to competitivefinancing for both privately held and publiclytraded shipowners.

However, the near death experience of thefinancial system with the alphabet soup ofCDS (credit default swaps), CDOs(collateralised debt obligations), HEL (homeequity line), etc had made availability of fundsand financing if not impossible, at least muchtighter and costlier. Since very few banks andinstitutional investors, in the bigger scheme ofthings, truly focus on the shipping industry,the impact of broken financing has beenmagnified disproportionally.

For private owners looking for vesselacquisitions after the deluge and drop of assetprices, financing options were limited. Forexample, use of their own funds (equity) withaccess to debt finance available in limitedquantities to good credit risks. For publiclytraded companies there were additionalfinancing options, such as issuance of additionalequity (secondary offerings), or raising debtfinancing by accessing the bond markets.

While 2009 was a year of high volatility inthe markets (VLCC spot rates ranged fromless than $10,000 to more than $70,000 per

day, while prompt VLCC resales varied from$150 mill to less than $100 mill), a year ofestablishing a new baseline and accepting thenew reality, and to certain extent a year ofsurvival for many players, 2010 has started ona more hopeful mood.

Recovery on the horizonThe world equity markets improved on theconsensus that a world recovery is on thehorizon, whether it is a ‘V’, ‘U’, ‘W’ shapedrecovery is still to be determined but itdefinitely won’t be an ‘L’ shaped malaise. Asinvestors recouped some of the 2008 and 2009losses and became more comfortable, theappetite for risk (and shipping) increased. Thefact that tanker vessel prices are still a fractionof past prices and the fact that freight rates arecash flow positive in most tanker markets,investors have premised that non-exposure toa volatile industry (a leading indicatorindustry nevertheless) on the rebound was toogood to pass up.

In the table, it can be seen that about $3 billhas been raised in the capital markets inshipping worldwide year-to-date. The smallamount of public money invested in shippingso far this year is especially noteworthy giventhat it comes only a few short months after thefuture of the shipping industry was in questionand when the majority of certain types ofvessels on the water were either in lay-up, oroperating at well below daily operatingbreakeven levels. And, $3 bill, as small as itsounds, will still pay for about 30 newbuildingVLCCs at today’s prices, representing about5% of the world VLCC fleet.

Of the $3 bill invested in shipping in total,about $2.5 bill was raised in the US markets –made up of about $2.4 bill in tankercompanies and about $1.3 bill in shippingbonds. Of the total invested in shipping,about $1.5 bill was in equity offerings, ofwhich about $600 mill was in secondary

offerings and about $800 mill was in initialpublic offerings (IPOs).

Despite the lengthy discussions and debateson whether private equity would heavilyinvest in distressed shipping assets, only $175mill was privately placed to be invested in thecontainership sector.

One of the most touted benefits of publicownership of shipping companies is theiraccess to the capital markets. Last year hadbeen a brutal one in the capital markets andmost of the shipping equity transactions thattook place were dilutive; to be fair, when itcomes to the survival of a company, equitydilution is clearly preferable to bankruptcy.

Vessel acquisitions popularThe small window of opportunity that hasopened thus far in 2010 has allowed shippingcompanies to raise funds not only for generalcorporate purposes and repayment of debt, butalso mainly for further vessels acquisitionsand growth. And vessel acquisitions havebecome popular, resulting in asset prices forsought-after vessel types (usually promptresale of no older than five years built inbrand-name South Korean or Japanese yardsto good specifications) have increased by 10-20% in a matter of a couple of months.

Although each financial transaction isunique and affected by several differentparameters, usually the IPOs are the mostchallenging offerings to conclude and thus asign that the capital markets are receptiveenough of the industry, as least until theringing of the opening bell.

Of the four IPOs that have taken place thusfar this year, one has occurred in the drybulkmarket (Baltic Trading) and the remainingthree have been in the tanker sector. CrudeCarriers (CRU) initiated its public life byacquiring two prompt resale VLCCs and onemodern Suezmax based on a business modelof spot chartering strategy, low leverage and

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 10

distribution of most of the cash flows toshareholders.

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) also has a strategyof low leverage for now and their primaryfocus is on the products tanker market(although crude carriers are candidates aswell) where the vessels are employed undertimecharter. While these two transactionstook place in the US, Saga Tankers isexpected to complete its IPO in theNorwegian markets with a primary focus oflarge sized crude carriers (the company’sinitial fleet consists of three VLCCs).

Included in the table is Navios MaritimeAcquisition Corporation (NNA), which is aspecial purpose acquisition company (SPAC)that although had raised funds of $115 mill inthe boom years of Wall Street, only recentlyidentified an acquisition target of 13 productstankers for a total purchase price of $457 mill.

Given its SPACs nature (with ‘drop dead’deadline for identifying and executing suitablepurchase candidates with the approval of the

shareholders after which the funds have to bereturned to the investors) and also given thatabout $350 mill will have to be raised in thedebt markets, this transaction can be seen as ifthe equity has been recently raised.

Long term implicationsAs welcome as the recent interest of thecapital markets in shipping has been, one hasto ponder about the long term implications onthe industry and the utility of becoming apublicly traded company. The orderbook ofnew vessels admittedly remains high byhistorical standards with very fewcancellations and unbelievably, there has beena renewed interest in placing even morenewbuildings (250 newbuilding contracts havebeen placed so far this year, 70 of which aretankers representing 6 mill dwt) partly due tothe strength of asset prices.

China aside, anemic industrial andeconomic growth would not absorb all thenewbuildings, which will likely lead to a

tonnage oversupply for years to come. And,well placed sources do not doubt that there abubble created in China that can handicap theonly virgin catalyst to drive the market.

To take this one step further, freight rates atpresent cannot justify the recent wave of assetprice appreciation, and if the trend persists, itis likely that investors will not fair well ontheir investments. And, the price at which thenew IPOs took place at solely the price of thesteel (the fair market value of the vessels, ornet asset value) without placing any value, orpremium on the management teams, thefranchise does not sound very enticing. If so,what price will the market pay for a publiclytraded shipowning company, which has easyaccess to the capital markets?

*This article was written forTA�KEROperator by Basil M Karatzas,managing director for projects and financeat Compass Maritime Services. He can becontacted at [email protected] Tel +201 585 9999.

TO

INDUSTRY – SHIP FINANCE


Selected capital markets transactions in shipping (2010 y-t-d)Shipowner/issuer Placement $ mill Date Exchange Vessel type �otes

/country

Aegean Marine Petroleum (ANW) Equity/secondary $140 Jan-10 NYSE/US Tankers/bunkering

Euroseas / Eton Park & Rhone Capital Equity/JV $175 Jan-10 US Containerships Joint venture with private equity

Teekay Corporation Bond issuing $450 Jan-10 US Tankers Sr secured notes/ 8.625% interest

Nordic American Tankers (NAT) Equity/secondary $122 Feb-10 NYSE/US Tankers/crude

OSG (OSG) Equity/secondary $119 Mar-10 NYSE/US Tankers

Safe Bulkers (SB) Equity/secondary $72 Mar-10 NYSE/US Drybulk

Baltic Trading Limited (BALT) Equity/IPO $228 Mar-10 NYSE/US Drybulk

Crude Carriers Corp (CRU) Equity/IPO $270 Mar-10 NYSE/US Tankers/crude

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) Equity/IPO $163 Mar-10 NYSE/US Tankers/products

Frontline (FRO) Bond issuing $225 Mar-10 Oslo/Norway Tankers/crude Sr unsecured convertible/4.50% Cpn

Berlian Laju Tankers (BLT) Bond issuing $125 Mar-10 JKT/Indonesia Tankers/chemicals Convertible notes/12% interest

OSG (OSG) Bond issuing $300 Mar-10 US Tankers Sr secured notes/ 8.375% interest

Teekay Tankers Equity/secondary $110 Apr-10 NYSE/US Tankers

Navios Mar Acquisition SPAC $115 Apr-10 US Tankers/products Funds had been raised in the past

Dryships (DRYS) Bond issuing $240 Jan-10 US Drybulk Sr unsecuredconvertible/TBP

Saga Tankers Equity/IPO $120 Apr-10 OSE/Norway Tankers/crude Private placement/in progress

TOTAL $2,974

Source: Compass Maritime

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 11

There are many issues to beaddressed, not least the question ofwhich political party will be inpower in the UK when

TA�KEROperator goes to press.Every March at its annual general meeting,

the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS) unveilsits new president, whose job it is to state UK’sshipping’s case to the government andorganisations, such as the IMO.

This March Shell’s Jan Kopernicki took thechair in time to put shipping’s case towhichever political party triumphs in the UKgeneral election to be held on 6th May.

One of the major problems is that withfrequent government department shuffles, UKshipping executives tend to not know whothey will be dealing with next, which does notcreate an aura of continuity, or stability.

In his keynote address upon taking the helmat the CoS, Kopernicki pointed out that 2010,as the IMO Year of the Seafarer, was a specialyear for global shipping and a year torecognise the incalculable debt the industry,

governments and consumers all owe toseafarers everywhere.

“We must recognise that seafarers still facemany challenges, and new ones emergeconstantly – ranging from more frequent andmore extreme weather events to piracy incertain parts of the world”, he said.

Turning to his presidency, Kopernicki saidthat his main goal throughout his term wouldbe to increase government and industryunderstanding of shipping's importance to theUK economy and to the critical needs of thecountry.

He went on to identify three keydimensions, which he would be focusing on -security, trade and the environment.

Kopernicki said that trade security; “isunder threat in many places. Piracy is a long-running sore in Somalia, and growing off theWest coast of Africa. Resolving this challengedepends heavily on collaboration – bygovernments, national and internationalorganisations, industry and the military.”

He noted that more than 90% of all goods

traded by the UK travel by sea. In terms ofthe UK’s energy supplies, gas is increasinglyimported by sea, in the form of liquefiednatural gas and LNG’s share of the nationalenergy mix could rise from 1% to 35% by2020, only 10 years away.

Kopernicki’s day job is as a member of theShell Trading executive committee and adirector of Shell International Trading andShipping Company, so his expertise is withinthe energy sector.

However, not ignoring other cargoes, hesaid that in addition to the rise in gasshipments, some 18 mill containers will makeover 200 mill trips this year and cruise shipswill carry 18 mill passengers around theglobe.

“Today, this nation is still pre-eminent inmaritime services – including shippingfinance, insurance, brokerage, law andshipping itself,” he pointed out. “There iscompetition from other centres, but Londonremains the final point of reference in mostmaritime matters.


INDUSTRY - UK REPORT

Many challengeson the horizon for

UK shippingThe UK and its resident institutions will be at the forefront of shipping matters this year

and for many more years as we approach an era of change.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 12



“I see the Chamber of Shipping playing avital role in helping to maintain that pre-eminence, by engaging on today's issues.Especially, we must focus on ensuring that thetax regime and the employment regime,support the needs of the industry and itsworkers,” he said.

He acknowledged that there had been somepositive developments in recent times. Forexample, the UK tonnage tax is now a wellestablished incentive mechanism. Traininghas seen a dramatic increase in numbers andquality, as a result of the tonnage tax trainingcommitment, and the introduction ofFoundation Degrees in the many maritimecolleges around the country. Seafarers havebenefited significantly. And furtherdiscussions are ongoing with Government.

In addition, many young people arereceiving development opportunities theywould not otherwise have had, in workincentive programmes in the shippingindustry.

“But this is no time for resting on laurels.There are many other specific issues to beaddressed – such as: light dues; and theimplications of the way the new equality lawmay be implemented; and the continuing needto provide a strong and certain businessclimate for shipping, and the wider maritimeservices, in this country”, he warned.

Finally, Kopernicki acknowledged thatwhile shipping is the most carbon-friendlymeans of transporting the world’s trade, newsolutions to current environmental issuesfacing the industry were urgently needed.

Coming from the energy industry, he addedthat he was extremely conscious of the globalchallenges posed by carbon and otheremissions, and said that the CoS’ ongoingcommitment to positive action on carbon –specifically a trading system that puts a value

on carbon – would be a top priority for 2010. Addressing the subject of ballast water

management and the practical issuessurrounding sulphur emissions – not onlyfrom just the view point of safety in fuelswitching operations, but also the economicrealities faced by the short-sea and passengersectors, would also be key areas of work.

“We need practical solutions that willachieve the end goal without – along the way– putting people out of business or movingcargos away from the sea to moreenvironmentally damaging modes oftransport”, he said.

The new president concluded with astatement of his commitment in the year aheadto the promotion of joint action – with the UKGovernment, with the IMO, within MaritimeUK and within the CoS itself – to “bring outthe best in British shipping” and specificallyto enhance maritime security, the pre-eminence of maritime London and the

importance of Maritime UK, and to bringenvironmental solutions.

In its 2009-2010 annual report, the CoS saidthat it had 139 members and associatemembers, who controlled 932 vesselsaggregating 25 mill gt.

Although the UK is facing a generalelection on 6th May, the Government of theday earlier assured the CoS that it wascommitted to working with the Chamber toensure the integrity of the UK tonnage taxsystem.

This is not likely to change in the nearfuture, even if there is a change ofGovernment at Westminster.

The only problem on the horizon is the socalled ‘non-dom’ tax situation, which althoughcould drive individuals away, should not affectthe number of vessels flying the UK flag.

As already mentioned on environmentalissues, the CoS is in favour of a global openemissions trading scheme.

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Jan Kopernicki receives the badge of office from former president Jesper Kjaedegaard.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 13



A plus point last year was the intake oftrainee officers, which numbered 950. Thiswas twice the number recorded in 2000 andthe highest for over 20 years.

UK Register on the upAs at the end of December, the number ofvessels entered into the UK Register stood at1,553 of 17.46 mill gt.

The registry said that this placed the UKflag in 11th place worldwide and 4th inEurope. The figures were provided byClarkson Research as of December last year.The average age of the fleet was 9.1 years.

During 2008 and 2009, the tonnage enteredincreased by 1.6 mill gt (10.4%).

Alternative compliance schemeIn March of this year, the registry’s controllingbody – the UK Maritime and Safety Agency(MCA) – said that the alternative compliancescheme (ACS) was to continue.

ACS has been on trial since 2003, butfollowing an operational review, it is now anestablished feature, the MCA said.

The scheme allows the MCA to retain anoversight of the vessel through ISM audits andgeneral inspections, while delegating all

hardware surveys to those class societiesauthorised by the agency.

During the trial period, the UK hasremained near the top of the Port StateControl (PSC) ‘White List’ and there has beenno other evidence that the ACS wasdetrimental to ship safety, the MCA claimed.

The ACS has reduced overseas survey costsfor many shipowners and has helped to attracttonnage into the UK flag. Furthermore, itenabled the MCA to focus its marine surveyorresource on inspections through the ISMsystem and targeted visits, the agency said.

At present, there are 332 vessels under thescheme with a gt of 11.33 mill and an averageage of eight years. This represents some 21%of the UK fleet in terms of vessel numbersand 66% in gt terms.

The following conditions apply for a vesselto be eligible to join the scheme –� It has not been detained during the

previous 36 months.� During any PSC inspection within the

previous 12 months, no inspection report shall contain more than five deficiencies.

� It is classed with either ABS, BV, DNV, GL, LR, ClassNK and RINA, which are all authorised by the UK.

� The owner shall allow MCA access to any or all records, files, reports, documents and certificates held or issued by the ACS class society with which the vessel is entered.

� The owner/operator shall notify the MCA one month in advance of all in-water surveys or drydocking dates.

UK tonnage tax trapElsewhere on the theme of the UK tonnagetax, accountant and shipping industry adviserMoore Stephens has warned that companies inthe scheme should urgently review theirfinancing arrangements following the decision

by the UK’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) towithdraw a concession on the application oftransfer pricing rules to loans made to UKcompanies under the scheme.

This will take effect from December thisyear.

The UK transfer pricing rules apply totransactions between a UK company and anyother person under common control. Theyapply to transactions between UK companies,including transactions with UK tonnage taxcompanies. They also apply to transactionsacross the tonnage tax ring-fence, MooreStephens said.

When tonnage tax was first introduced in2000, it was realised that the effect ofapplying the transfer pricing rules totransactions involving UK tonnage taxcompanies could lead to a trap for the unwary.

For example, where a UK resident companyhad lent money to a UK tonnage tax companyunder common control, the application of thetransfer pricing rules meant that there wastaxable notional interest income for the lender.The borrower would have notional taxableinterest payable but, because of its tonnage taxstatus, no tax relief was available, and a taxliability was therefore likely to arise. Thisapplied even where the lender was anotherUK tonnage tax company, because the lendingof money is not considered to be a tonnage taxactivity.

Moore Stephens tax partner Sue Billexplained, “Following representations byindustry at the time, HMRC agreed that, inmost cases, the transfer pricing rules wouldnot be applied in the case of loans to UKtonnage tax companies.

“Now, following recent developments, itrecognises that it doesn’t have the authority toagree to any informal concessionary treatmentfor taxpayers. It is therefore withdrawing orlegislating against all informal concessions,and has announced that the concessionarytreatment previously granted will bewithdrawn with effect from 9th December,2010. The result is a different trap for theunwary, unless HMRC reconsiders theposition, which seems highly unlikely

“It is therefore important that all UK tonnagetax companies or groups review their financingarrangements and identify any loans from UKcompanies to UK tonnage tax companies wherethe companies are under common control, evenwhere the lender is another UK tonnage taxcompany. The group should eliminate suchloans, and ensure that no further loans arise.Specific advice should be obtained, and anyrestructuring will need to be carried out by 9thDecember 2010,” Bill concluded. TO

* Equates to 9% of the UK fleet in terms ofnumbers and 11% in terms of gt.

Tankers flying the UK flagType �umber

Oil/chemical 113

LNGCs 4

LPG carriers 7

Nuclear fuel tankers 3

Replenishment tankers 8

Total 135*

Source – MCA

Kopernicki’s actions for 20101) Action with the UK Government –

whichever party comes to power.2) Action with the IMO – so that we

continue to support the IMO’s ground-breaking work and effective leadership across the spectrum: on emissions, security, and much more.

3) To joint action within Maritime UK – presenting a united front across the maritime services sector with our colleagues in the ports and maritime business – shaping solutions, and achieving common goals for the good

of those we represent and the nation as a whole.

4) Action within the Chamber – where I look forward very much to working closely with you all, and in particular with Michael Parker* as the Chamber’s new vice president.

*Michael Parker, chairman of the UKholding company for CMA CGM and itsUK subsidiary MacAndrews & Co, wasappointed CoS vice president at lastMarch’s AGM.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 14



One such concern is UK-basedColdharbour, which during thepast three years or so, hasintroduced a range of inert gas

generator (IGG) systems and is currentlydeveloping ballast water treatment (BWT)plant technology.

Both systems have been designed primarilyfor the tanker sector. To this end, Coldharbourhas employed qualified engineers with manyyears experience in operating IGS on boardtankers, at the company’s new office complexat South Normanton, Derbyshire.

CEO Andrew Marshall explained that thecompany used to market flue gas IGS throughan OEM attached to Japanese shipbuilders.However by the year 2000, the currencyexchange had become untenable, leaving thecompany with a choice of stoppingmanufacturing altogether, or go down theAsian manufacture/supply route.

The company decided to stop, take a stepbackwards and try to look at the future.Research found that the market had “stratifiedand was evolving,” Marshall said.

Coldharbour’s research suggested that thefuture of IGS would be in the size ranges of500 to 20,000 cu m per hour gas capacitieswith gas levels going down to 0.1% O2 acrossthe entire range.

At the time, no manufacturer was offering asize range of up to 20,000 cu m per hourcapacity with such gas quality as scaling upproved to be very difficult, due to systemstability problems. As part of its research,Coldharbour also looked at failure modes andfocused on quench, scrubbing and coolingsystems.

Following feedback analysis and muchresearch, a couple of years ago, Coldharbourintroduced its third generation Sea Guardianinert gas generating technology system (IGG)– a move which Marshall claimed was,“……the first significant advance in 20years.”

Marshall claimed that this new IGG systemwas cleaner, more stable, smaller and neededless maintenance than its counterparts.

Basically, he explained that the companywanted a system that could be adapted to allcurrent and foreseeable legislation regardinginert gas specifications in a range ofapplications.

The system works on what is described as,“….a very complete combustion control.” Toachieve this, Coldharbour has developed aspecific venturi type burner, whichincorporates axial flow staged fuel and lowNOx atomisation. The venturi burner wasoriginally introduced by the company for usein power generation.

It was found that older burner technologiesstruggled to achieve stable low residualoxygen while simultaneously generating zerosoot. The company claimed that SeaGuardian’s gas outlet content is around0.2%O2 with zero soot as measured on theBacharach scale. Marshall claimed that thesystems are capable of operating at 0.1%O2levels across the whole size range.

As a result of the research undertaken into

IGG operations, Coldharbour’s system doesnot have spray nozzles, demister pads, orscrubber towers. The latter is renderedobsolete by the use of a new quench scrubberdesign through which the burner’s hot gas ispassed. This is based on a patented inclinedwater curtain system, which incorporates hightemperature, corrosion resistant expandedmetal mesh screen matrix.

The cooled gas then enters a swirl vaneseparator for the removal of any liquiddroplets. The design has beencomprehensively tested for four years with nofailures, blockages, or operational issuesreported, it was claimed. A further advantageof this type of demisting technology is that thepressure drop across this section is not subjectto the variations that are typically seen in thetraditional demister pad technologies, therebymaking the system more suitable forapplications involving re-circulating dryerssuch as on LNG carriers.

A roots type blower of a compact design

Despite the downturn in the UK’s manufacturing industry during the past 20-30 years,

many smaller companies still exist with innovative ideas and big plans for the future.

Coldharbour looks for a line up of new orders.

Coldharbour looksfor new markets

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 15

was also incorporated into the IGG system. This type of blower waschosen due to its low noise and maintenance characteristics and it alsofeatures built-in safety relief valves.

In addition, a ‘wet type’ deck water seal is fitted with an externalseal pipe for additional safety. A Coldharbour pressure/vacuum (PV)breaker provides the system’s final protection by releasing excessivepressure, or vacuum, from the cargo tanks. The company’s gas deliveryand control valves are usually of the butterfly type with bonded rubberlinings and corrosion resistant discs and shafts.

A programmable logic controller gives the required control functionsalong with the designated alarms acceptance. The instrumentation andcontrol panels are normally to be found in the engine room, cargocontrol room, or the bridge.

Following extensive testing of the system, which took around threeyears, the company was awarded a Lloyd’s Register performancecertificate showing that the system operates down to 0.2% gas withzero soot. Since then, Coldharbour has received ABS design approvaland launched the system.

The whole system was developed from good base technology andexpertise, plus with the help of collaboration partners. In particular, theLNG carrier sector was looked at, Marshall said, due to its particularneeds.

Ballast water approachColdharbour started to look at ballast water treatment (BWT) technologyabout 3.5 years ago and decided that the technology being put forwardby many companies would not work on all types of vessels.

The company found that the two extremes, in terms of ballast watercapacity, were cruise vessels and VLCCs. For example, a cruise shipmay have 5,000 tonnes of ballast with a pumping capacity of 500tonnes per hour, whereas a VLCC could have 130,000 tonnes of ballastwith an hourly pumping capacity of up to 8,000 tonnes.

A decision was taken to only focus on large tankers and bulk carriersof 50,000 dwt and above. The bulkers must be fitted with IGG systems.

One of the early problems that Coldharbour looked to overcome wasthat of available power. Treating the ballast water in-line as most BWTcompanies advocate (ie, during pumping) means that the BWT isdrawing power at the same time as both the cargo and ballast pumpsare running. This could cause power capacity problems in that extragenerating capacity would be needed to power the in-line BWT system.

However, the Coldharbour system treats the water in the ballasttanks, after the cargo operations have ceased and the vessel is at sea. In



Sea Guardian characteristics� �o vertical scrubbing section.

� 0.2% O2 inert gas generated @ up to 20,000m3/hr

� Stable zero soot combustion.

� Inherent reliability claimed.

� Low �Ox and SOx emissions.

� Reduced maintenance costs.

� �o demister pads to block.

� �o spray nozzles to block.

� �o venturi scrubbers required, except in FGS/IGG

applications.

� Compact space envelopes.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 16



Marine lubricant specialistCastrol Marine has launched aninteractive online tool to helpcustomers optimise theirlubricants and related servicesknowledge.Created using state-of-the-art digitalmodelling techniques, the so called VirtualVessel provides detailed lubricant information.

Paul Lowther, global marketingcommunications manager for Castrol MarineAviation & Energy Lubricants, said: “We

want to make choosing the right marinelubricant as simple as possible for ourcustomers, which is why we invest heavily inresearch and development to ensure ourproducts deliver performance on which theindustry can depend. Virtual Vessel provides awindow into the expertise behind theperformance”

Interactive vessels, including tankers, allowusers to identify detailed information onCastrol products according to their variousapplications around the vessel in a clear and

easy to navigate format. The interactive resource will give customers

an innovative insight into the applications ofCastrol’s marine lubricants, the companyclaimed.

The tool will also be available via touchscreen at Castrol Marine’s booths atforthcoming conferences and exhibitionsand.it was launched at the China MaritimeConference 16th – 18th March, Hong Kong.

It can be accessed viawww.castrol.com/marine.

Castrol launches Virtual Vessel

this way no extra power generating capacitywould be needed to operate the ColdharbourBWT system.

Coldharbour’s system uses the gas outputfrom its ultra low oxygen marine IGG linkedto a specially designed gas lift diffusion(GLD) pipe assembly fitted inside the vessel’sballast tanks. There are no mechanical filtersto block or back flush, no additional seawatercontrol valves, no complex electrical systemsand no space consuming equipment to befitted into a machinery space, the companysaid. In addition, the technology does notinvolve any moving parts and is able tooperate within any ballast depth within a tank.

Most vessels will require only one GLD unitper pipe. However, on vessels fitted with verydeep ballast tanks, two GLD units may be fittedon each diffusion pipe at suitable levels.Automatic selection between the GLDs allowsthe system to cope with fill level variations,while using a standard type marine compressor.

Marshall explained that because the watertreatment takes place at a different time to thecargo handling, the same IGG can be used forboth cargo blanketing and ballast applications,

thereby reducing costs, space requirementsand installation time.

Corrosion protectionColdharbour’s BWT system offers significantsavings in maintenance costs through asubstantial reduction in corrosion – up to 50%- according to Marshall. This is achieved asthe percolated reduced oxygen gas sits in theullage space within the tank thereby protectingthe tank from corrosion. The tanks can also befilled with inert gas when empty.

The savings that can be accrued in ballasttank maintenance and repair costs will be morethan enough to pay for the system, itsinstallation and any maintenance many timesover during the vessel’s lifetime, he claimed. Itis available for both newbuildings and retrofits.

Marshall explained that the most importantconsideration of the Coldharbour design teamwas that there should be no disruption tonormal vessel operations, such as ballasting orde-ballasting.

As larger tankers are normally at sea forlonger periods, there is more than enough timeto ensure that all the water is treated to

whichever applicable standards are in place atthe port of destination. One of the mainworries for shipowners and operators ishaving a large vessel arriving at a port with itsballast water under treated.

He explained that the extermination ofbacteria was found to be the main problem.Coldharbour’s BWT system kills them using astress element, he said. Bacterial re-growthduring the voyage is monitored and can berestricted by periodic ‘top up’ treatments inthe tanks prior to arrival at port.

ApprovalsThe pre-qualification work on the system wassuccessfully undertaken last year under thewatchful eye of the UK’s MCA, Lloyd’sRegister and Plymouth Marine Laboratories.The next step for Coldharbour is to get thesystem tested at the Royal NetherlandsInstitute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and this isscheduled to commence in the next couple of months.

Full scale shipboard testing could start inAugust of this year and Marshall claimed thathe had two or three potential clients lined upto undertake real time testing at sea.Following this, full approval could be grantedby this time next year. He envisaged thatcommercial sales of the system would starttowards the end of this year.

Coldharbour has representation in China,South Korea, Scandinavia, Singapore andGreece. The company also exhibits at severalmajor exhibitions and has Posidonia andSMM on its schedule for this year.

In addition to IGG and BWT technology,the company also offers domestic watermodules for distributing hot and cold water onboard ship. Other equipment include marinejet pumps developed for stripping cargo holdsand ballast tanks, pumps and engine roombilges, chain lockers, bow thruster rooms etc;plus flue gas systems. TO

Coldharbour – ownership changeColdharbour can trace itsorigins back for more than 35years and down the years, thefluid handling products offeredto the marine and offshoremarkets have been broughtunder the one brand name.Until the beginning of this year, thecompany was a division of Transvac.However, due to Transvac’s fast growingexpansion plans, it was decided to spinColdharbour off.

Coldharbour now operates from a newoffice facility just a mile from Transvac,although the company still has its researchand development facility in Transvac’soffice complex.

As for the majority of the shares, theseare owned by Rothschilds InvestmentTrust (RIT) who funded the spin off fromTransvac. Coldharbour’s seniormanagement, led by CEO AndrewMarshall, also has a minority stake in thecompany. �

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 17


TECHNOLOGY - TANK SERVICING/CLEANING

Many of the loading terminalsdon’t have any facilities forreceiving slops. For the onesthat have, the cost of the

service is exorbitant. Some new tankers are fitted with residue oil

tanks. However, their capacity is quite smalland ultimately the contents have to be landedashore.

The normal procedure is that following tankcleaning, the wash water is collected in theslop tanks. After allowing for oily water toseparate, the tanks are drained at sea,complying with MARPOL annex 1 regulation34, which sets the following condition fordischarge of tank washing at sea. 1) Tanker is not within a special area.2) It is more than 50 miles from the nearest

land.3) It is proceeding en route.4) The instantaneous rate of discharge of oil

content does not exceed 30 litres per mile.5) Total quantity of oil discharged into the

sea does not exceed 1/30,000 of the total quantity of a particular cargo of which the residue formed a part (ship delivered after 31st December 1979).

6) It has in operation an ODMC and SLOP tank arrangement.

Normally on an oil tanker with a conventionalpump room, the quantity of oil remaining afterdischarge is much more than 1/30,000 of thelast cargo carried.

Settling is used to separate the oil from

water so that maximum quantity of water isdrained along with maximum permitted oilquantity. Once the quantity of oil is 1/30,000of last cargo carried, the ODME will stop thedischarge and the quantity remaining isretained on board for disposal onshore.

The settling of oil is not mandated. If it isundertaken then it should be entered in the oilrecord book part 2,

This says in section (I) as follow -45) Ullage of total contents at start of

discharge.46) Ullage of oil water interface at start of

discharge.51) Ullage of oil water interface at completion

of discharge in metres.Let us take a case of modern product/chemicaltanker of 45,000 dwt and having 14 cargotanks, including slop tanks.

Since she is classed as chemical tanker, shewill have a procedure and arrangementmanual. If she is built after 1st January, 2007,the quantity of cargo remaining in each tankwill be less than 75 litres.

After stripping as per the P&A manual, thetotal oil remaining will be 75 x 14 = 1,050

litres. The total permitted oil disposal to seawill be 45,000/30,000. This equates to 1,500litres. In cubic metres, it will be more as thedensity of all oil products is less than 1 tonneper cu m.

After tank washing, the wash water alongwith remaining oil is shifted to the slop tank.

Allow for one hour of settling. Then startdecanting using ODME. You will find thatslop tanks will be drained completely.

Give the slop tank a small rinse anddischarge it using ODME. It will not shut thedischarge valve as the total quantitydischarged will be less than permitted, ie1,500 cu m in this case.

If we look carefully, MARPOL is notasking for the settling of wash water as longas we are complying with regulation 34 ofMARPOL Annex 1.

If we start pumping out the slops as perregulation 34, we are allowed 45,000/30,000which equals 1,050 litres. Hence we candischarge the entire amount and the vesselwill not have any slops left for dischargingashore.

However, if the number of tanks are moreand quantity of oil carried is less, then thismethod cannot be used.

*This article was written by Capt DevendraKishore who is a master mariner with manyyears experience serving on chemical and oiltankers. He is currently training mariners atSIMS Mumbai, a premier training institute.

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p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 18

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T o help alleviate this problem,UK-based Martek Marine haslaunched Fastcalgas, a newcalibration gas supply service

for owners and managers that is claimed tobe the first of its type in the world.

Martek explained that the scale of thechallenge is not at issue. With 16,000tankers of various types in the market, asingle tanker could have up to 15 pieces ofequipment reliant on calibration gas, all ofthem different. Overall, as many as 40different basic calibration gas types can be

used in shipboard gas detection. “In some ports of call, perhaps half of

the required gas types will be available,”said Steve Coulson, Martek Marinemarketing director. “In other ports, therewill be fewer, and in some cases, none ofthe gas types will be available at all.”Because some of the gasses concerned arehazardous cargoes, they are also subject tospecial rules and certification. Certaingasses, for example, can only be transportedby cargo plane.

“Specifying the right gas, organising the

shipment and coinciding delivery fromelsewhere with a ship call is not just timeconsuming; there can be ambiguity onfreight rates, where the owner often doesnot know what the final price of deliverywill be.”

With gas detection one of its core areas ofexpertise, marine engineering concernMartek Marine has worked with some of theleading names in logistics, including Fedexand DHL Danzas, as well as gas productionand distribution specialist Air Liquide, todevelop Fastcalgas - a one stop service to

Calibration gassupplies made easier

Shipowners today face a costly and time consuming logistics headache in delivering the

calibration gas in cylinders needed to keep ships’ gas detection equipment in service.

Fastcalgas will deliver calibration gasses in recyclable aluminiumcylinders.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 20

fastcalgas.com

Online to onboard.

Calibration gas just became a whole lot simpler.

www.fastcalgas.com

Fastcalgas is a new service from Martek Marine that allows you to quickly and easily order calibration gas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; pay online to speed up your order; and have it shipped to meet your ships anywhere in the world.

• Buy calibration gas online – anytime day or night• All hazardous paperwork completed for you• One clear price – including delivery• Stock held in hubs around the world - UK / Dubai / Singapore / Shanghai / USA

Click. Dispatched. Calibrate.

[email protected] of Martek Marine Ltd. www.martek-marine.com

meet all calibration gas delivery needs. Where other serviceproviders negotiate freight rates for different gasses on a case bycase basis, Martek has secured fixed terms covering delivery ofbetween one and 20 cylinders anywhere in the world.

“What we are offering is a door to door delivery service to anydestination able to receive gasses within certification requirementsthat includes a confirmed delivery price for a given number ofcalibration gas cylinders,” said Coulson. “This is something thatowners have simply never had before. In more problematicdestinations, where door to door delivery is not possible, gasseswill be delivered to the nearest available airport.”

Hub operations in Singapore, Shanghai, Fujairah, Maryland andManchester, will be stocked with calibration gasses. Part of theservice will be offered via scheduled passenger air services.Coulson said that for “problem gasses”, where cargo planes had tobe used, Martek Marine would ensure that its five regionaldistribution centres were “always fully stocked up”.

Fastcalgas will be offered via the internet, with owners logginginto a secure website to interrogate the Martek Marine databaseover the availability of any calibration gas, no matter what itsindividual manufacturer nomenclature.

All manufacturer part numbers and descriptions will betranslated into a unified product type, unique to Martek. Byplacing the product in the site’s shopping basket, owners willreceive a proposal by email, which they can then translate into afirm order.

Owners could even pay by credit card, Coulson said, whileFastcalgas included a customer rebate based on owner spend overa 12 month period.

Other issues, such as the non-standardised cylinders used todeliver gasses today, would also be addressed by Fastcalgas. “Thecurrent practice is to rent out cylinders. They can be awkward,potentially hazardous to move around and have to be returned. Wewill offer disposable cylinders that can be recycled in anyaluminium centre.”

Martek Marine will also look to market the new service toshipyards, including repair yards, Coulson added.

The company was created in 2000 by the current directors Mike Pringle, Paul Luen and Steve Coulson with an initialinvestment of £6,000 of their own money and operated out of asingle business unit.

Since those days, the company has experienced meteoricexpansion, both in the size of the business and the range ofproducts offered. Recently, Martek moved into a new purpose built office/factory facility to accommodate the increase inproduction demands.

Several products have been introduced including Bulksafe™, awater ingress detection system was the first of its type;MariNOx™ was the first continuous engine emissions monitoring system to achieve type approval and remains theoverwhelming market leader; while Martek's latest offering, the Lifeforce® Marine AED, is the only automated externaldefibrillator to be type approved for use in the hostile marineenvironment.

Among the products on offer for shipboard tank servicing are –marine gas detection products, cargo tank pressure monitoringdevice, ballast tank gas sampling, high level overfill/alarmmonitoring system; cargo pump room gas detection equipment,vapour emission control system and inert gas oxygen and pressuremonitoring system.

TANK SERVICING/CLEANING

May 2010 � TANKEROperator

TO

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 21



Pres-Vac is now capable ofproviding a full range of productsto control the atmosphere withinthe cargo tanks, such as

pressure/vacuum valves and cargo tankventing systems, nitrogen generators as wellas deep well cargo pumps.

For the end-user, this means a one stop shopfor solutions, equipment and worldwideservice, the company claimed.

MIGS provides nitrogen generator solutionsto the shipping industry and from February ofthis year, Pres–Vac, together with MIGS, offersnitrogen generators for both newbuildings,retrofits and upgrades and also has a renovationservice for existing nitrogen generators.

Following the purchase, MIGS CEOThomas Billeschou-Hansen moved to Pres-Vac taking up the position of business unitmanager, MIGS.

CEO Bo Knudsen said at the time of theacquisition: “For Pres-Vac this is a naturalstep of expanding ourselves to cover a widerrange of products to the same group of ownersand managers. MIGS has been recognised as aprovider of high quality products and will fitperfectly into Pres-Vac’s product portfolio.Furthermore, the acquisition makes it possiblefor Pres-Vac to expand our service networkworldwide. This will take place during 2010.”

Pres-Vac has warned that on 6th April, 2010the EC Directive 2009/26/EC (5th

Amendment to EC Directive 96/98/EC) cameinto force.

It replaces EC Directive 2008/37/EC (4thAmendment) and additionally includes a non-oscillation requirement of a two secondopening. It encompasses the same testingstandards, excepting that IS0:15364(2000) hasbeen modified to ISO15364 (2007).

This directive applies to all EU-flaggedvessels.

The company said that the two yeartransitional period for marine equipment listedin Annex A 1/3.12 DOES NOT apply todevices to prevent the passage of flame intotanker cargo tanks.

For example, it DOES NOT apply to high

Pres-Vac expandsempire

Earlier this year, Pres-Vac Engineering ApS acquired and integrated

Marine Inert Gas Systems (MIGS) into its operation.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 22

control systems. Plug-and play spare-part units for the

pumps, as well as control systems, are readilyavailable, either on board as a precautionarymeasure, or from service locations around theworld. The plug-and-play system allows apump to be back in service in a matter ofhours, regardless of the nature of the problemencountered, the company claimed.

The PLC control system allows for on-linediagnostics via a common GSM modem.

Spares are readily available from stock.Pres-Vac has service centres, or authorised

service and repair centres, at strategiclocations around the world. All service workis carried out under supervision by trained andauthorised service engineers who work closelywith the customer, using affordable localinventory of spare parts and well-qualifiedfield engineers in order to provide a quick andefficiently service, the company said.

Training can also be offered on the variouspumping, nitrogen generators and ventingsystems offered by the company.



TO

velocity pressure/vacuum valves, which arenot new equipment, but represent a change toconformity checking procedures on modulesB& F. The two year transitional period willonly apply for new marine equipment listed inAnnex A 1.

Pres-Vac Engineering was founded in 1952by Poul Lund, after he had worked more than20 years in the field of marine and industrialventing applications. Following Lund’sretirement, the company became a member ofthe Swiss AAS Group of companies,controlled by the Soerensen family.

In 2008, Pres-Vac Engineering was sold bythe Soerensen family to Pres-Vac EngineeringApS and Valpump Gmbh, entities belonging toAndlinger & Company, a private fund whichin Europe focuses on acquiring medium-sizedequipment manufacturing firms and helpingthem to develop their business globally.

Since then, Pres-Vac has steadily expanded

its activities and now provides a broad rangeof tank fittings and engineering services.

The company’s pumps are built to copewith the rugged life at sea. The pump hasbeen designed to enable the crew to quicklycheck it and exchange the whole unit if anerror is detected.

Pres-Vac’s range of pumping systemsincludes – deep well cargo pumps,emergency pumps, ballast pumps and pump

We have heard from Indian andUAE tank cleaning specialist RXMarine International about palmfatty acid cleaning procedures. RX Marine said that as a precaution try toavoid the use of seawater, or untreated freshwater for pre-cleaning of any fatty acid,because due to the presence of calcium andmagnesium in the water, fatty acid will reactand form a sticky precipitate (white) residuein the form of magnesium and calcium soap,which is very difficult to clean.

Cleaning procedures – 1) At least for one to five hours continuously,

Butterworth the tank with hot treated water (at 20 – 30 deg C) , if sea water is the onlyoption then continue the same procedure with sea water. Then immediately flush the tank with fresh water for 10 minutes.

2) Emulsify the layer of fatty acid by addition

of 0.2 to 1 % RXSOL CTC VOLC and 5% RXSOL ALK 2005/ GR-50/LAC with fresh water and recirculate and Butterworth for one to two hours at 70 to 90 deg C.

3) At 60-80 deg C Butterworth the tank for one hour using seawater/fresh treated water.

4) Finally flush the tank with fresh water.5) Inspect the tank. If a white precipitate

layer is found on the tank’s surface, Butterworth the tank with following solution at 50 deg C ( not suitable for epoxy coatings ) - � 3-5% phosphoric acid and 0.2 to 1 %

RXSOL CTC VOLC.� 3-5% nitric acid and 0.2 to 1 % RXSOL

CTC VOLC.� 2-5% of a metal brightener and 0.2 to

1% RXSOL CTC VOLC.� For Epoxy Coatings use 2% RXSOL SB

1006/GR-14/BILGO VEG and 0.2 to 1% RXSOL CTC VOLC.

6) Final step. Butterworth the tank for 30 minutes with fresh water then ventilate, mop and dry the tank.

For any tank cleaning operation, pre-cleaningis the first step usually carried out without anyadditives in order to remove most of theproduct’s residue.

RX Marine said that the first step in anytank cleaning job is of utmost importance andshould be carefully selected. It can be verydifficult to obtain a satisfactory cleaning resultafter an initial failure.

The selection of the proper pre-cleaningprocedure should be based on the physicalproperties and characteristics of the product tobe cleaned, the company warned.

RX Marine has operations in New Bombay,Kandla, Kolkata, Chennai and Fujairah.

Fatty acid cleaning procedures outlined

TO

Pres-Vac’s pumping systems. A pump system can easily be removed and replaced.

“For Pres-Vac this is a natural step of expandingourselves to cover a wider range of products to the same group of owners and managers.

Bo Knudsen, CEO, Pres-Vac Engineering ApS

“

”

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 30/04/2010 10:41 Page 23

These regulatory deadlines create an

artificial marketplace. Many

shipowners will wait until the last-

possible moment to comply, only

to then shop around for the cheapest deals to

meet the minimum specifications.

Manufacturers competing for this business

will have to ramp up their production lines to

meet the surge, only to be faced by a steep

drop-off in demand after the deadline passes.

As a result, some of them will go out of

business, leaving customers without technical

support, or field service, an industry source

said.

The rush for compliant products as the

deadlines approach will no doubt create an

extremely cost-competitive market, driving

down prices and shaving margins for all the

suppliers at both ends of the spectrum.

Training fundamentalTraining is and will be fundamental to

electronic chart operations as the switch from

paper charts accelerates. At the January

meeting of the IMO’s sub-committee on

STCW convention and associated code,

groundwork was completed ready for

submission to the diplomatic conference to be

held in Manila 21st-25th June for adoption of

the amendments.

A number of important changes were

recommended for various chapters of the

convention, including Chapter II - Master and

deck department where changes are envisaged

on certification requirements for able seafarers

(deck); celestial navigation, automatic radar

plotting aids and radar requirements; marine

environment awareness training; leadership

and teamwork; plus vessel-traffic-services

training.

Many, if not most, of the leading navigation

systems manufacturers offer their own

training, both in terms of tutors and equipment

on which their clients’ navigators can learn.

As for electronic chart systems’ training,

Sperry Marine, an integral part of the

Northrop Grumman group, offers extensive

ECDIS courses, including classroom,

computer and simulator, at its three primary

training centres in Charlottesville (US

headquarters), New Malden (UK) and

Hamburg (Germany). The courses are

designed around the IMO curriculum and

provide STCW certification.

Sperry’s approach to training encompasses a

wide range of educational media. This

includes classroom and simulator training at

the company’s facilities in the US and Europe,

mobile classrooms at customer locations, on

board dockside, shipyard and underway

training and – most recently – computer-based

training (CBT) interactive courseware.

Sperry said that it - “focuses on developing

the prudent mariner – one who not only

understands how the system works, but can

intuitively react in times of emergency to keep

the ship safe”.

“Our instruction techniques combine the

human dimensions of judgment, intuition and

instinct with in-depth theory and extensive

hands-on practical exercises to deliver a

positive and lasting training experience”, the

company said.

IMO type syllabusThe five-day training course in the

operational use of ECDIS is based on Sperry

Marine’s type approved ECDIS products.

The syllabus was developed using IMO

Model Course 1.27 in order to comply with

the STCW 95 standards. The curriculum is

designed to give each participant a complete

understanding of the theory and practical use

of ECDIS, ECS and the various types of

electronic charts.

In addition to covering all IMO required

subject areas for ECDIS, the course also

provides detailed instruction in the Automatic

Navigation and Track-keeping Systems

(ANTS) and using the interface between the

radar and VMS-ECDIS.

The training facilities at the three locations

mentioned are identical and they all offer the

same courseware. Each site has been approved

by the appropriate government agency to meet

STCW 95 certification standards.

For example, the US centre has been

certified by the US Coast Guard, while the

New Malden location is certified by the UK’s

Maritime and Coastguard Agency. All

locations offer classroom and simulator

training. The ECDIS operator training

classrooms consist of eight independent

student ECDIS workstations and one

There are some companies that will try to compete for the low end of the ECDIS market

to meet the minimum IMO carriage requirements, a leading source said.

Don’t forget to trainthe navigators

TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS


Sperry has training facilities located at three centres.

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 1

Training is fundamental in the switch from paper to electroniccharts.


TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS

instructor station.

Each student station has its own simulator

to provide realistic sensor information, ship

control, environmental data and radar target

input. The instructor uses a digital projector

in combination with a touchscreen smart

board to present all materials. The basic skills

are introduced and practiced in the classroom,

then refined in the bridge simulator.

Sperry’s most recent training centre is

located in Hamburg. Here, the simulator

includes three projectors that provide a full-

motion seascape on a 4.2 m wide 120-deg

panoramic screen. The bridge controls, which

are linked to the ship simulator, provide

realistic shiphandling scenarios for different

types of ships under a variety of sea

conditions.

It includes a complete Sperry Marine multi-

console integrated bridge system, including

ECDIS, radars, autopilot, manual steering,

engine and bow thruster controls, heading and

speed indicators and other related systems.

The other two training centres have similar

full-bridge simulator systems.

For classroom maintenance training, actual

working equipment is used to expose the

technicians to the physical components they

will work with on the vessel. Each student

must complete several troubleshooting

exercises where faults are introduced into the

equipment, which they must then diagnose

and repair.

All of the instructors are certified to the

highest military and commercial standards.

They have been approved by the US Coast

Guard under the relevant ‘Train-the-Trainer’

instructions. They are also US Navy Master

Training Specialist Certified.

Video training initiativeSperry has also produced a series of DVDs

containing video training lessons covering

various aspects of VMS operation and

maintenance. The eLearning DVDs condense

several days of normal classroom course

material into a few hours of concentrated video

instruction, which may be used for introductory

or refresher training on board ship.

The company said that it had been creating

high-quality training DVDs for internal

distribution to its worldwide field offices to

ensure that the service personnel are kept

updated on new product installation and

maintenance procedures.

The internal success of these DVD-based

training videos led Sperry to expand this

eLearning initiative toward customer-focused

training packages. It is often impractical for

crew members to attend formal classes at one

of Sperry’s training centres due to distance

and schedules.

These eLearning courses effectively fill

several niches for customers, including

training new recruits who have just reported to

the ship and providing refresher training to

seafarers returning from extended leave.

They also serve as a prerequisite to Sperry’s

traditional STCW-95-compliant ECDIS

training, and provide VMS-specific instruction

to officers who have completed more generic

ECDIS courses.

Sperry also offers a site license providing

unlimited usage for any given vessel, or

location. The company claimed that this

offers an extremely cost effective alternative

for companies who want to train multiple

crew members on board without the cost of

traveling to a training centre. TO

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p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 2

TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS

Last year, at the IMO’s Maritime

Safety Committee’s 86th session,

amendments were ratified to

SOLAS regulation V/19, to make

mandatory the carriage of Electronic Chart

Display and Information Systems (ECDIS)

and Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm

Systems (BNWAS), under SOLAS chapter V,

Safety of Navigation.

Upon its entry intro force on 1st January

2011, the requirements will be mandatory for

new ships and phased-in for existing ships.

Vessels that are deemed to have only two years

life left before recycling, will be exempt.

The newbuilding phase-in period will start

for new tankers of over 3,000 gt built after 1st

July, 2012, while for existing tankers of over

3,000 gt, the phase-in period will start from

1st July 2015.

There has been much argument about

electronic versus paper charts, the integration

of a dual ECDIS and just as important -

sufficient training. The latter, including

seafarer navigational certification, is being

addressed by the IMO under the banner of the

STCW amendments, which are to be adopted

at a Diplomatic Conference due to meet in

Manila from 21st to 25th June 2010.

TA�KEROperator spoke with several of the

leading navigation system suppliers about the

issues facing shipowners and operators in the

run up to the phasing in of the new rules

regarding the carriage of ECDIS, starting

with the industry’s ability to meet the

mandation dates.

Steve Mariner, business development

manager of Kelvin Hughes (KH) warned;

“The earlier a company prepares for the first

mandation dates, the better.

“The market needs to realise that ECDIS

mandation doesn't just mean the fitting of an

ECDIS. It also means understanding what

ECDIS backup has to be provided, how the

chart data is to be kept up-to-date, what the

flag-state requirement for carriage of paper are

and when and where crews can be trained and

accredited,” he said.

Mark Broster, managing director of ECDIS

Ltd said that it was very difficult to say

whether the industry would be geared up for

mandation. He thought that the supply side

appeared ready, but there were early

indications of slow demand.

“Perhaps the industry is still reviewing the

ever increasing manufacturer options before

choosing an ECDIS. After offering free

guidance to several fleets recently on the

options available, it has become clear that

some shipping companies will be leaving their

procurement to the last minute,” he said.

PC Maritime’s Anne Edmonds was more

emphatic saying that the industry would be ready

to cope with the large tranche of orders expected.

All the companies contacted said that they

offered various forms of packages.

For example, KH is offering what it calls a

complete ‘ECDIS plus’ package, which will

include ECDIS hardware and backup, the

supply of initial chart data based on

operational requirements, the ChartCo update

service, an IMO accredited training course

and management of any additional paper

charts required to be carried by the flag state.

Mariner emphasised; “As with all our

equipment, we provide a global service

capability using either our own service

personnel or those of our service partners.”

As for Transas, the company said that it

uses a project management approach when

working with customers. “So before we

proceed with ECDIS installation, we first of

all analyse customer’s requirements and carry

out installation pre-survey. Installation is than

carried out by Transas service team. Our

service network is spread worldwide and

provides 24/7 support which guarantees full

support to our customers wherever the vessel

is,” the company explained.

Transas offers a complete range of products

that is claimed to bring added- value to an

owner investing in the company’s ECDIS:

� Type-approved ECDIS.

� Transas Admiralty Data service TADS

(ENC/SENC) including 24/7 chart

support.

� Integrated weather routing.

� Port documents.

� Consultancy service for implementation

of ECDIS.

� V-SAT/GMDSS communication solution,

including DNV certified firewall for a

bridge connection.

� Service management including 24/7

hotline support and service centre.

� NTPRO 5000 full mission bridge

simulators.


In the tanker sector, we have only until the middle of 2012

until the mandatory carriage of an ECDIS kicks in.

ECDIS – better getused to the idea

PC Maritime’s new training partner, ECDIS Ltd, delivers “portable” MCA-approved ECDIScourses in locations that suit the customer, even onboard if the facilities can support it.

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 3

� ECDIS class room systems.

� Customised hands-on training up to full

ECDIS model course certified by

Germanischer Lloyd.

As for PC Maritime, Edmonds explained that

a turnkey ECDIS solution is offered. The

company’s aim is to develop long-term

relationships with customers who may need

support, servicing, electronic charts, training

and general advice.

Apart from maintaining its own ECDIS

with in-house software engineers, PC

Maritime is chart agents for Admiralty,

Jeppesen/C-Map and Primar, each of whom

have many years experience of the

technicalities of chart supply and updating,

Edmonds claimed.

To assist customers with the training

problem, PC Maritime is to produce a

computer based training (CBT) program for

Navmaster ECDIS type training, which will

be available later this year.

Edmonds said; “We think CBT is an

essential tool to assist operators to become

proficient in the use of ECDIS. Many of the

problems seen today are due to lack of

training and insufficient familiarity. CBT type

training will also enable companies to get

their crews trained much more cheaply than

sending them on courses.

“For generic ECDIS training, we can make

bookings for our customers either at a college

or using a mobile training classroom with up

to 12 stations, which travels to the customer’s

offices,” she said.

Mariner said that KH is providing an IMO

accredited ECDIS training course at locations

worldwide. This includes the IMO mandatory

40 hours of electronic navigation training

together with a familiarisation module specific

to KH’s equipment.

Transas explained that the company works

with clients during the whole installation

process of the ECDIS system, from advising

what’s going to be required following site

visits through to the end product being

delivered. The company provides operator

training to crew on the actual ECDIS system

once installed but will always advise clients to

look at official ECDIS training courses

through either partner ECDIS Ltd, or any of

the nautical colleges.

ECDIS Ltd said that it offered the whole

package, including certificated fitting and

training to the flag state required standing. The

process takes a ‘paper’ platform to a ‘digital’

platform. From free advice on differing ECDIS

hardware, software and data (charts), bespoke

safety management systems (SMS), including

ECDIS `set-up` and `check-off` cards with

back up arrangements, through to joining the

ship at sea for the final leg of `on board`

training to make the master completely at ease

with his ECDIS, if required.

Mature productMariner thought that most vessels now

carrying ECDIS are fitted with two systems.

“I believe we are moving past the mistrust that

we saw maybe 10 years ago over the

reliability of ECDIS. This is now a mature

product,” he said.

He said that those manufacturers who have

been selling ECDIS since its early days have a

good idea of the expectations that the mariner

has and can provide hardware and

functionality to meet those expectations.

“However, there are still a high number of

ECDIS being fitted to newbuildings that are

not being actively used,” he said.

To navigate fully `digital` very much

depends upon the individual flag requirement,

explained Broster. “However, there is always a

requirement to have a redundancy means of

navigation that equals, or is greater than the

primary. Some achieve this with dual ECDIS.

There certainly is some mistrust with ECDIS,

but the majority of the time I have found it is

due to lack of understanding and good

training, as opposed to reliability”, he said.

Transas said that the company had

witnessed a strong will and determination

within the industry to implement new

technology on board and at the same time, a

wish to see some operational benefit from this

process, not just a cost and a logistical

obligation. “Already today in Transas more

than 60% installations are dual-ECDIS, and

we foresee that this number will increase,” the

company said.

ECDIS will play a significant role in the

future of navigation and to lead this change

TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS


A route created in Navmaster ECDIS is exported to UKHO’s e-Navigator for chartcalculation and comparison with existing chart holdings. Conversely, routes created ine-Navigator can be sent to PC Maritime’s Navmaster ECDIS.

Dedicated to the highest of standards in safe and efficient

electronic navigation

From equipment choice to international flag state STCW

training and safety management systems

Call or email for free independent expert advice on paperless

digital navigation 0044 1489 611615 www.ecdis.org.uk

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 4

TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS


would be beneficial not only for the company

itself, but also for the captain and crew on

board their vessels, Transas said. Taking into

account the possible cost savings that

paperless navigation would allow in terms of

officer’s ‘time on the bridge’ preparing chart

corrections, it represents a huge difference

compared to traditional corrections. This is

important as is investing in the latest

technologies for employee retention, the

company said.

The fitting of ECDIS is dependent on the

owner’s budget, Edmonds said. She explained

that some operators fit a single ECDIS in

order to gain the benefits and get crews

trained before they need to fit a dual ECDIS.

As for the question of possible port state

control action on a failed ECDIS, this depends

if the operator is using the ECDIS as a

primary method of navigation, or not, KH’s

Mariner said. “If they are, then the backup

that they should be using will be enough to

get them to their intended destination at which

point they have to get the system repaired. If

not, then it does not matter”, he explained.

PC Maritime’s Edmonds claimed that the

company takes great care in providing high

quality support under its annual support and

upgrade contract. “We invariably solve

software, or operating system problems by

personal support to the crew via email or

phone, using Navmaster’s remote diagnostic

capability. Hardware failures can also be

diagnosed remotely. We have a near 100%

success rate in dealing with problems in this

way”, she said.

Replacement parts are stored ready for

immediate shipment to customers, which

Edmonds said will become an essential

service as ships become more dependent on

ECDIS to meet carriage requirements. Some

customers may choose to hold spares on

board, which can be fitted by ships crew

under PC Maritime’s email supervision.

If necessary hardware replacements can be

made available at the next port of call, or type

approved spares could be carried on board

if required.

Broster said that the SOLAS chart carriage

requirements appear clear in that there must

be adequate and suitable back-up. “Without

back-up I would expect the ship to be

detained,” he said. However, there is a degree

of variation between what is perceived as

`adequate backup` depending on class, size

and even between flag states, he thought.

To get round any potential PSC problems,

Transas said everything is duplicated in its

redundant dual ECDIS, including the power

supply and sensor connections. When both

systems are in use all data is automatically

transferred from the master system to the back

up. In the case of a malfunction, or loss of

network communication, the back up system

switches to master mode automatically. It

then returns to normal use when the problem

is solved.

Not overcomplicatedTurning to criticism that too many overlays on

the screen confuses the navigator and the

system will become over complicated,

Mariner said; “We haven't found this to be a

problem - more users comment about the

complexity of the user interface on some

manufacturer's ECDIS. This has always been

an area that we have concentrated on to ensure

that we produce an effective tool for the

navigator that is easy to understand and use”.

Solid training will show the navigator all

the capabilities of the system, and the perils,

ECDIS Ltd said. The individual mariner

should be given the opportunity to set-up the

system to their capacity level. “This is the

reason why we put so much effort in

highlighting the importance in the vessel

having bespoke `set-up` or `check-off` cards

that will optimise the ECDIS for the

appropriate conditions - ie separate cards for

confined waters through to deepsea, what to

do and how to set the system up in areas of

GPS denial, or navigating in an area of non-

known datum. Such cards, and the

appropriate use of such cards, are provided on

our recommended courses,“ Broster said.

Transas said that as a consequence of

growing ECDIS use, the need for qualified

training will be huge, as ECDIS, apart from

other navigational equipment, is a complex

system where various suppliers have

completely different MMI and operating

principles. One very important factor when it

comes to paperless navigation is that the crew

on board has to be certified on the system and

also be well prepared for the future vetting

inspections.

To be able to utilise all the features and

secure full operational use of the system,

training is a must, otherwise most mariners

will become ‘Zoom-In-Out-Operators’. The

generic IMO Model Course 1.27 is available,

and in addition to that it is essential that this

relatively massive implementation of ECDIS

be accompanied by the enhancing of ECDIS

simulators within maritime training institutions

to the latest standards with the full integration

of targets (including AIS), faults etc.

Transas said that it considered hands-on

training offered by system suppliers as an

essential tool in order to familiarise operators

with specific ECDIS functionalities and use

all benefits of the system.

AVCS’ global coverage.

One very important factor when it comes to

paperless navigation is that the crew on board

has to be certified on the system and also be

well prepared for the future vetting inspections.

“

”

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 5

TECHNOLOGY - ECDIS


ECDIS simulation is really the best and

only way forward in terms of highlighting the

benefits and limitations of such technology. It

is essential that this relatively massive

implementation of ECDIS be accompanied by

the enhancing of ECDIS simulators within

maritime training institutions to the latest

standards with the full integration of targets

(including AIS), faults etc. Avoiding ‘ECDIS

assisted collisions’ is an absolute priority, the

company said.

Edmonds thought that the ECDIS display

confusion was almost entirely due to lack of

training. “It is a fact that few ECDIS

operators today have had adequate training,

especially in respect of the appropriate

selection of chart detail for the task in hand.

This problem will diminish in time”, she said.

Mariner said that he thought that the

carriage rules were fairly clear. “What is more

complicated are the flag state requirements

surrounding ECDIS backup and the carriage

of a ‘get you home’ set of paper charts. We

can provide these folios of charts together

with their updates to meet the various (and

differing) flag state requirements,” he said.

Managing chartsKelvin Hughes not surprisingly recommended

ChartCo as the most efficient and cost

effective method of managing the corrections

of a chart folio (either paper or electronic or

both) for vessels at sea. “Vessels fitted with

broadband receiving equipment can receive

the service over an internet connection, those

without can receive the broadcast service,”

Mariner explained.

Transas recommended ENCs when

purchasing an ECDIS system, one of the main

ones being the Transas Admiralty Data

Service (TADs), which is the company’s own

type approved ENC charts.

The company’s ECDIS also works with the

UKHO’s AVCS and ARCS charts. Updates to

these charts are provided on a weekly basis,

which can be sent out via email, or

downloaded from the internet to a

communication station on the bridge.

A vessel doesn’t necessarily have to have

broadband at sea fitted, but some of the files

could become large so a good data transfer

would be required, the company said.

There is still a misunderstanding regarding

supply channels and the use of official and

unofficial charts, as well as ordering

optimisation and associated cost impact.

Transas said that with the possibility to

‘buy-as-you-go’ and flexible license options

starting from a three month subscription, it

has been proven that moving to ENC and

paperless navigation can actually lower the

cost for charts and publications.

Updates can be received either on CD, or

downloaded from Transas chart server.

Recently, the company launched a DNV

certified solution for direct communication

from the Transas navigation system on the

bridge via TRANSAS FIREWALL and

ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION (TFAP) systems

to the shore. TFAP can be used for data

transfer, such as charts, chart updates, weather

forecasts etc.

PC Maritime also recommend the use of

ENCs as they are a requirement for paperless

operation. “Updating is quick and effected in

the background so that the ECDIS continues

to function throughout. Broadband is the best

method of communications although the size

of updates can be quite small and delivered

via email attachment, so it is not necessary for

the ECDIS itself to be connected to the

internet,” Edmonds said.

Route planning is another key element in

today’s shipboard operations. Mariner claimed

that an ECDIS simplifies this shipboard

function. “This is especially true on coastal

passages where traditionally the route may

have been plotted over numerous paper charts

of different scales with different amounts of

overlap.

“Transferring the exit from one chart to the

entry on the next has always been time

consuming and prone to error. On the ECDIS

this is greatly simplified as the route can be

planned initially at a small scale and each

section can be looked at in detail simply by

zooming in. Possibly the greatest safety

feature is that as the route is planned the

intended vessel track is checked against the

chart database. This will warn the navigator in

the event that there is a depth or isolated

danger problem along the track,“ he said.

Broster thought that huge savings could

be made, especially with long passages

when the ECDIS great circle capabilities

are utilised properly, tied in with ship

routing overlays.

KH’s Steve Mariner.

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p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 6


Uetersen Maschinenfabrik Hatlapa has unveiled a new task-force-service

to assist companies in need of repairs, or replacement, of winches.

Winch and steeringgear task force to

reduce vesseldowntime

Since the ordering of new vessels is

declining due to the economic

downturn, most companies have

found that service, repairs,

alterations and spare parts delivery are of

growing importance in the marine industry.

Hatlapa is one and said that the company is

fully aware of the potential that these aspects

could have in producing a profit. The new

department’s core responsibility is to take on

special assignments with a more flexible and

quicker response time. “This means huge time

savings for the shipowners, vessels and

shipmanagers as the task force can assist them

a lot quicker”, Hatlapa’s service manager

Hartmut Opitz explained.

The first point of contact at Hatlapa when a

vessel needs assistance is the marine

engineers. This improves response time,

which was recently shown when a damaged

ship could be repaired very quickly and on

another occasion this response time enabled a

cruise ship to continue its voyage to the

Caribbean on schedule.

One example was Hatlapa’s successful

exchange of a winch in a record time of six

weeks, rather than the predicted six months,

thus saving the shipowner valuable time.

“Another time, Hatlapa showed its ability to

respond to sudden changes to a customer’s

needs and was able to bring the delivery date

forward by a month”, said Opitz.

Although tanker repairs can be undertaken

as they can any type of vessel, Hatlapa gave

examples of containership and cruise vessel

repairs to illustrate the flexibility of the

service.

In the case of the German containership,

she suffered a collision in the North Sea with

a much larger vessel. As a result, the steering

gear had been damaged.

The collision had been so severe that the

260 m long vessel suffered a leak measuring

the height of the port-side engine room. As

water continued to run through the leak, the

vessel was towed to shallower waters in order

to prevent her from sinking.

During the accident, a fire had also started

on board but was extinguished by the crew:

three of the 900 containers went overboard

and the crew suffered from smoke inhalation

and had to seek medical assistance.

Hatlapa received a call from the Hamburg

shipowner the following morning as both of

the combined anchor and mooring winches in

the ship’s bow had been severely damaged in

the accident and had to be replaced, while the

vessel had to go through a complete overhaul.

The owner had originally been told that

the delivery time for replacement winches

was six months. However, he did not want to

wait that long and started making phone

calls to different companies selling deck

machinery.

Emailed damage detailsOpitz received all of the data on the

damaged machinery via email and discussed

with the different departments within

Hatlapa how they could provide a solution to

the dilemma swiftly. The specialist winches

that the damaged vessel had fitted on board

were no longer in stock, but it was possible

to attain the four winches from another

customer’s order and reassemble them,

making two specialist winches that matched

the specification of those from the damaged

vessel.

A particular challenge was that the chain

sprockets had to be manufactured in house,

due to very long lead times. Hatlapa was

then asked to put together a formal quotation

for the delivery and fitting of the machinery.

Opitz spoke to all departments involved to

start the quotation process and had an

estimate ready the next day, quoting a lead

time of of nine weeks for delivery and

installation of the machinery. However, this

TECHNOLOGY – MANOEUVRING SYSTEMS

Replacement winch deliveries can takesome time.

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 7

TECHNOLOGY – MANOEUVRING SYSTEMS

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was still too long as far as the shipowner

was concerned.

This is when the task force service team

became involved. This group was created

three years ago for cases such as this. Within

this group are department managers from

engineering, purchasing, service, sales and

production. They investigated how to shorten

the lead time. “We have come to the

conclusion that in special cases like this, with

considerable effort, the lead time could be

reduced to seven weeks”, recalled Opitz. This

entailed shift work and overtime at weekends.

In the end, the shipowner approved the order

only 16 days after the collision.

Six weeks later, a week earlier than

agreed, the winches were delivered from

Uetersen to the Hamburg repair yard and

two weeks later the vessel was back in the

water – less than three months after the

collision.

Another task involved a 170 m long cruise

vessel, which was in need of new, more

powerful steering gear. Hatlapa was to deliver

two completely new steering systems, each of

which was to deliver 500 KN metres of rudder

torque at the blade, thus enabling the vessel to

turn 45 deg.

The initial lead time to build and install

the systems was six months, but suddenly;

the shipowner changed the terms, ie the

steering gear was to be ready a month

earlier, so Hatlapa was informed by the main

contractor.

Each delay would cause problems, which

could kill the project off completely, Hatlapa

was told. The company was told that the

cruise ship was not to miss the considerable

profit generated from the Christmas and New

Year-celebration cruises in the Caribbean

under any circumstances.

In-house time savingsService manager Opitz called the task force

for consultation. However, there was not

much flexibility in the making of the steel

castings and forgings that had been sub-

contracted out. This work alone was to take

10-12 weeks. As a result, the time savings

had to be made within Hatlapa’s internal

processes and installation of the equipment –

a highy challenging task for everyone

involved, Opitz said.

Opitz said; “We shed blood, sweat and

tears.” The determination of the workers paid

off in the end: the new, tighter schedule was

kept and the steering gear was delivered on

time. Opitz’s conclusion was “We were happy

to be able to assist the shipowner so quickly

and without much paperwork and at the same

stayed in line with the technical specifications

and our standards”.

Every fifth task undertaken at HATLAPA

today is aimed at the service and spares

business and the number is increasing steadily.

“Whether is it deck machinery or steering

gear, we can take on any task regardless on

the type of vessel,” Opitz said.

Whether it is a ferry, tanker, freight vessel

or a cruise ship – the company can provide the

solution to the problem. Even a NATO navy

supply vessel is currently being fitted with a

completely new steering gear system.

“Globally, we are the only company that can

produce all types and sizes of steering gear.

And if necessary, we have the in-house

expertise needed to fulfil any customer

needs,” Opitz claimed. TO

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:47 Page 8

Progress with the European ShipArrestor Project has beenboosted following thedevelopment of a suitablelightweight chain. Norway’s Miko Marine said that the two-

year Ship Arrestor project is aimed at

introducing a technique that will enable a

tow line and sea anchor to be attached to

an unmanned vessel suffering from an

engine failure.

The sea anchor will reduce the ship’s drift

and create more time for rescue vessels to

reach the casualty before it runs aground. It

is designed to be deployed by a

conventional search and rescue helicopter

that will drop the tow line around the winch

gear on the foredeck of the abandoned

vessel.

The helicopter will then lay the line

upwind and will release it attached to a sea

anchor. Because the tow line must pass

around deck equipment and over the ship’s

side, it is subject to considerable chafing

and only chain can be used for the first

few metres.

Unfortunately, the weight of conventional

steel chain was found to be too great for

helicopter deployment and threatened the

viability of the entire project. Titanium

chain was rejected because it was brittle and

too expensive. However, it transpired that

one of the project partners had access to

steel compositions developed in the former

Soviet Union for space and defense

purposes.

These were subsequently used to produce

a stud-less 24 mm chain weighing just 11 kg

per metre yet with a tested minimum

breaking load of 1,250 kN. This is far

superior to the breaking load of 1,308 kN

for a conventional R4 quality 34mm stud

link anchor chain that weighs 27 kg per m.

Miko said that the company is now also able

to supply the chain to customers in the

marine and offshore industries, or wherever

the need for such a product might exist.

Further trialsThe new 24 x 86 mm link chain was

produced, tested and approved. The first

consignment has arrived in Norway and will

be installed within the Ship Arrestor system

for further trials later in the Spring.

These trials will require the new chain to

be fitted into an inflatable deployment ring

that hangs below the helicopter while in

flight. When inflated, the ring has a

circumference wide enough to encircle a

ship’s winches and deck gear and trials have

shown it to have satisfactory handling

characteristics for the helicopter.

When the ring is lowered around the deck

gear the chain is released to make a

connection with the ship. The anchor line is

then paid-out upwind by the helicopter and

the sea anchor deployed.

The success of the Ship Arrestor Project

could have a major effect upon maritime

and environmental safety. When a sea

anchor is deployed either by helicopter, or

by the ship itself, its effect is almost

immediate. Tests have shown that a 30 m

diameter nylon parachute sea anchor can

quickly turn a 100,000 dwt tanker into the

wind and reduce its drift speed by 50%.

This dramatically improves its sea-

keeping ability and could be a vital factor in

the ship’s survival by creating more time for

the distressed vessel to be reached by rescue

tugs. On arrival at the scene, the tug can

pick-up the the sea anchor and ShipArrestor

line and effect a rescue.

The patent for the Ship Arrestor is held by

Miko Marine of Norway, which is leading a

consortium of eight European organisations.

It has been created to include companies

from Norway, France, Germany,

Netherlands and Austria, as well as the

Norwegian Institute of Technology and the

UK’s Ship Stability Research Centre.

By applying their individual expertise to

the challenge, it is hoped that it will be

possible to develop a technique that will

reduce the likelihood of groundings and the

pollution that can result from them.

TECHNOLOGY - MANOEUVRING SYSTEMS

TO


Lightweight chain aids Ship Arrestor project

The parachute sea anchor can quickly turn an Aframax.

The new chain is extremely lightweight.

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:48 Page 9

TECHNOLOGY - CONDITION MONITORING


Increasing demand has driven significant advancement in fuel oil analysis over

the past few years, both from within and outside of the laboratory environment*.

Lubricant conditionsensors now widely

accepted

Recent breakthroughs has meant

that relying solely on people in

white coats to analyse and

interpret test results is no longer

necessary – onsite diagnostic equipment now

provides laboratory grade results and

empowers engineers to make fast and

informed decisions with confidence.

The condition monitoring arena has been

influenced by a number of innovations, which

today allow engineers to enjoy the benefits of

onsite and lab testing working in unison. More

detailed, but potentially delayed, sample

results from a laboratory supplement the real

time information delivered by onsite testing.

On board test kits and wear debris monitors

can provide accurate information in minutes,

but the real value comes from continuous

monitoring of these critical systems. Online

sensors for monitoring the health of equipment,

such as vibration sensors, have been in use for

many years and are well trusted.

However, only in the past few years have

lubricant condition sensors become widely

accepted. Now, the condition of the lubricant,

the presence of contaminants - including water

leaks from seal failures - and even the amount

of wear debris and the wear mechanism

occurring can be monitored online.

Online, of course, refers to sensor

technology, which is advancing at a furious

pace. Dependable sensors mounted in the oil

circuit provide an early warning system

designed to monitor remotely and in real time,

the bearing and gear wear debris, lubricant

health and remaining life, as well as lubricant

moisture content. Sensors and modern

interface methods provide simple to

understand results through a multitude of

communication channels and are undoubtedly

the future of lubricant condition monitoring.

There is a clear benefit in knowing what is

going on at an exact point in time - not just

when the engineer can get to a machine for a

routine, scheduled sample and analysis. Onsite

kits enable rapid testing and action, and online

sensors remove sampling errors, which are

often responsible for un-representative samples.

Triangular paradigmSo today’s oil analysis follows a new

triangular paradigm. Real time, online oil

analysis via sensors is a no-brainer for

machines in remote locations such as vessels.

Coupled with effective portable testing

equipment, many existing and potential

problems can be detected and addressed

within minutes rather than days. This is still

fundamentally supported by offsite, laboratory

analysis to provide more detailed analysis,

plug information gaps and validate decisions.

Oil analysis is usually conceded to be the

most revealing form of non-destructive testing

(NDT). And now that oil analysis has finally

caught up with vibration analysis as a real

time monitoring tool, the two principal forms

of NDT can literally work together, employing

other techniques for clarification as needed.

Downtime costs money and impacts

profitability, which must be steadfastly avoided,

especially in today’s financial climate. So with

the spectre of downtime ever present, condition

monitoring systems and oil analysis programmes

are the first means of defence in diagnosing

problems with critical plant machinery and

equipment. The impact of successful

troubleshooting using a combination of the state-

of-the-art diagnostic equipment available can

equate to millions of dollars in savings.

*This article was written by Michael Dines,fuel and oil testing manager, KittiwakeDevelopments.

From the left can be seen a metallic particle sensor, ferrous wear debris sensor,viscosity sensor, oil condition sensor and moisture sensor.

Kittiwake’s Michael Dines.

TO

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:48 Page 10

The consortium has been createdto carry out the work that beganin the EC's CAS project, a projectfocused on improving efficiency inthe process of measuring thethickness of ships in serviceelectronically. The CAS project has created a standard

format to support this process and for the

exchange of measurement data. The

consortium will maintain the latest version of

the standard format for exchanging data,

called OpenHCM, as well as its evolution

and ensure it is promoted and updated

when needed.

The first version of the standard format

developed by the project CAS has been used

for two years and is now recognised that new

versions are required to consolidate its

evolution. The standard format is used for

values associated with plates, reinforcements,

compartments, thickness measurements and

cranny of the ship. It is directed primarily to

shipyards, shipowners, classification societies

and thickness measurement companies.

Exchange formats are written in XML and can

be visualised by 3D models. The consortium

partners have also developed commercial tools

for handling 3D models and related data,

including automatic measurement data from

robotic systems.

Along with SENER, the initial members

of IACS class society members, included

Bureau Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd,

Russian Maritime Register of Shipping,

testing and inspection specialist Dutch

Materiaal Meting Europe and

French robotics Cybernétix solutions

provider. Consortium members believe that

it is of interest to the maritime industry that

the standard OpenHCM be widely used

to provide rapid communication, efficiently

and reliably across all business processes.

Through future practical implementations,

the consortium members intend that the

standard format will be made official

by the IACS members and other

regulatory bodies.


TECHNOLOGY - CONDITION MONITORING

In a move that should involveincreased condition monitoringand planned maintenanceoperations, the Liberian Registryhas initiated a pilot scheme toextend the compulsorydrydocking intervals to 7.5 years. The intervals, or periods between external

ships’ bottom inspections, which are laid out

in SOLAS as well as in class society

regulations, say that a minimum of two

exterior inspections of a ship’s bottom should

be undertaken during the five-year validity

period of the Safety Construction Certificate.

It has been widely recognised by class

societies and others that the coatings

technology has come a long way in recent

years, resulting in new products being

launched that are more durable and last longer

compared with the time the rules were first

introduced.

As a result, class societies, including

Germanischer Lloyd (GL), have recognised

the need to reduce frequent drydocking

periods to maintain and recoat a vessel’s hull.

It was also recognised that drydocking cycles

were no longer inexorably linked to class

renewal cycles.

In-water surveysUnder the new scheme, class renewals would be

undertaken via in-water surveys and the vessels

could get authorisation to be drydocked at a

later date. The scheme requires a qualifying

vessel to be docked every 7.5 years, provided

that two in-water surveys are successfully

undertaken during the intervening period.

The scheme could continue until the vessel

reached 15 years of age, but could possibly be

extended to 20 years, subject to satisfactory

service experience. Flag state and class society

approval would be required in each case.

Suitably documented preparatory reviews

would be required prior to the scheme’s

introduction, covering items such as service

experience with high-resistance hull coatings

and with applicable rudder and stern bearing

arrangements, plus a range of condition and

maintenance reports.

The Liberian Registry said that this scheme

was one means by which to ease some of the

pressure which as built up on owners and

operators. It is the responsibility of service

providers, such as ship registers, to alleviate

through proactive initiatives wherever possible,

without compromising safety or efficiency.

Liberia has already co-operated with Lloyd’s

Register, GL, ClassNK and DNV. GL’s Dr

Hermann Klein said that GL was co-operating

with Liberia, Antigua and Barbuda and the

German flag administration in the pilot scheme.

He said that maintenance schedules depend

on the owners. He warned that the so called

‘crash maintenance’ undertaken quickly

before a special survey was due was not as

good as undertaking a continuous

maintenance programme.

Klein outlined the drydocking scheme as,

for example encompassing an in-water survey

after 2.5 years, another after 5 years followed

by a full docking after 7.5 years. This

programme could be repeated for another 7.5

years before the scheduled docking period

returned to five years.

Hull inspectionsOne software program that would support such

a drydocking scheme is GL’s HullManager. It

is a software application designed to support

the entire hull structure inspection process,

including planning, preparation, execution,

assessment and reporting.

It is based on a 3D geometric representation

of the particular vessel. Input data is generated

both on board and on shore by the crew and

superintendents. This easy-to-use tool assists

with the definition and implementation of hull

condition monitoring and the on-board

inspection process.

GL HullManager visualises the vessel using a

3D model and provides a complete overview of

upcoming inspections. It supports the inspection

process by supplying images of the shape and

internals of tanks, etc and comes with a

convenient reporting function that pinpoints the

exact location of points of concern by

interacting with the 3D model. The tool also

displays thickness measurement results.

Offering a fast overview of the fleet status,

it helps to avoid recurring problems among

sister vessels of a series.

GL claimed that the software gives

shipmanagers transparency into the fleet that

they operate, allowing them to take a systematic

approach in ensuring and documenting the

structural integrity of their ships.

The integrated reporting functionality

improves communication with repair yards by

generating sketches of the areas to repair.

Since the hull maintenance information is

stored centrally onshore, fleet managers can

compare the hull status of different vessels.

For the first time ever, identical hull status

data is available on board as well as onshore,

indicating any degradation symptoms present

in the structure. Warning managers proactively

about degrading hull conditions, the software

helps to avoid costly repairs, GL said.

Condition monitoring key to extended drydocking intervals

SENER participates in CAS consortium

TO

TO

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:48 Page 11

TECHNOLOGY - NEWS

May 2010 � TANKEROperator

International coatings producer Hempel has openeda new manufacturing facility located in Buk, Poland. The factory will provide at least 100 new jobs in the region – and help

Hempel meet increasing demand for coatings across Europe.

Hempel CEO Pierre-Yves Jullien cut the ribbon officially opening

the new factory in Niepruszewo, near Buk in the Poznan area of

Poland. The event was attended by a number of guests, including the

Danish Ambassador to Poland Hans Michael Kofoed-Hansen, members

of the Hempel board and representatives from the company.

According to Jacob Gulmann, Hempel’s group vice president for

Europe, Buk was the ideal location for the factory. “Buk has a good

infrastructure and its location means we can deliver coatings quickly to

customers throughout Europe,” he said. “We received excellent local

support for the project, and we’re very pleased with the speed that it

was completed. The factory means we’re in an even better position to

provide our protective, marine, decorative and yacht customers in

Europe with high quality coatings.”

Able to produce the full range of Hempel coatings, the factory has a

total capacity of 40 mill litres per year and can be expanded to supply

60 mill litres a year if needed. The factory was co-financed by the

European Regional Development Fund under the Innovative Economy

Operational Programme.

As part of the deal, Hempel will create at least 100 new jobs – and

factory staff have already completed training courses in Denmark,

Spain and Portugal covering the latest production methods.

The factory complies fully with all EU legislation regarding health,

safety and the environment. There are a number of systems in place to

keep the working environment healthy for employees, including a

ventilation system that ensures the building is supplied with fresh air

and an automatic materials handling system that eliminates much of the

strenuous manual work normally seen in the coatings industry.

The factory will also have minimal impact on the environment. It

produces no industrial waste water, and releases very few air emissions

thanks to a cleaning unit fitted in the ventilation system.

The €25 mill turnkey project was completed in just nine months.

Jakon was the main contractor, with DHV-Polska as leading consultant,

while the main equipment supplier was PROFARB.

Hempel opens new Polishfactory

TO

Hempel’s new manufacturing plant in Poland.

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:48 Page 12


TECHNOLOGY - NEWS

Rutter’s Ice Navigator has been installed on board several ice classtankers.

Rutter Technologies conducts in-house training sessions forcustomers who order or operateits Sigma S6 Ice Navigator radarsystem. The training is aimed at select dealer

technicians. It covers installation,

commissioning and system maintenance.

Rutter explained that by training these

technicians, the company helps them become

familiar with the finer points of the Sigma S6

radar processing system, which is claimed to be

unique, thus enabling the company to properly

demonstrate its operation to end users.

The company also emphasised that the Sigma

S6 training, which takes place in its training

facility, called Rutter College, does not train

people on how to navigate in ice, but rather on

how to install, commission and maintain the

systems and also on how to train radar operators

in the best use of the Sigma S6 system.

Dealers can also be trained at their

respective specific locations, as an alternative

to attending the Rutter College. In either case,

both simulator and hands on equipment

training are undertaken in the dealer’s

premises and also often on board ship.

The Rutter College is based at the

company’s headquarters at St John’s,

Newfoundland and the course lasts four days.

The training facility is fitted with two Sigma

S6 Ice Navigator systems, each of which can

accommodate up to four students.

The company said that with the opening up of

the Arctic region, more demand for ice navig-

ation system training is anticipated in the future.

Rutter claimed that the Sigma S6 Ice

Navigator gives sufficient detail to allow for

optimised routing, enabling the vessel to

manoeuvre around difficult sea areas, thus

saving time, fuel and possible ice damage.

Thus far, since the first Ice Navigator

systems were installed on board BP’s ice class

1A and 1B tankers in 2007, the following

tanker/gas operators have installed the Sigma

S6 radar system on board some of their ice

class vessel: Knutsen OAS, PRISCO,

Unicom/Sovcomflot, Interorient, Capital Ship

Management, KOGAS (LNGC) and Tokyo

LNG/MOL (three LNGCs). These include Ice

Class 1A, 1B and 1C vessels.

Other vessels fitted include rigs, FPSOs,

OSVs and icebreakers, all of which operate,

or will operate, in ice conditions.

Rutter provides equipment training for ice navigation

S6 Ice Navigator standardfeatures� Converts analog radar signals to digital.

� High definition image display.

� 8/12-bit sample resolution at rates to 60 MHz.

� Software selectable image processing.

� Pulse-to-pulse filtering.

� Scan-to-scan averaging.

� CFAR.

� Scan conversion.

� Advanced functions available using optional modules.

� Enhanced radar display.

� Plot extraction.

� Target tracking.

� Support for third party applications via a DLL interface.

� Raw data can be recorded to tape or disc.

� Screen capture recording also available.

TO

Cylinder liner measurement monitoringChris-Marine AB has launched anew liner diameter measurementinstrument (LDM) in order toquickly investigate the conditionin cylinder liners for 2-strokeengines.The main advantage of this new LDM is that

the cylinder head or exhaust valve housing

does not need to be removed, the company

said.

By replacing the traditional internal

micrometer, the LDM is inserted in the liner

through the scavenging ports.

A complete liner measurement is now made

in fractions of the time previously used with

traditional methods, where the removal (and

assembly) of the head did not only take

several hours, but it was also at a risk of

failure during assembly, Chris-Marine

claimed.

The LDM can be preset with engine data

for most of the existing 2-stroke engines,

weighs 3.6 kg and is suitable for 2-stroke

liners with a bore between 500 – 980 mm.

Up to 12 measured diameters can be

obtained on each level in the cylinder liner.

The system accuracy is claimed to be better

than 0.03 mm and the total time to measure is

about one hour per liner for measurement of

four diameters on nine heights (of which the

set up time is about 20 minutes).

The system consists of the actual measuring

unit and a wireless hand held terminal.

Measured data is transmitted via a radiolink to

an antenna inserted in the start air valve

pocket. The stored data can be transferred to

an excel application in any PC by Bluetooth,

USB or by SD-card.

The instrument fitted with a radio

transmitter has a CE-label, which is required

for use within the EU and Turkey.

Further tests will be carried out for

verifying compliance with other standards, of

which the most immediate are US, Japan,

China and South Korea. TO

p24-36:p39-50.qxd 30/04/2010 10:48 Page 13

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