Thursday 4 December 08 - 01:12
 

Deck Equipment & Lifting Gear

  • Cool savings with anti-glare screens at SMM

    01 Oct 2008

    SOLASAFE-SR, the latest innovative product to be launched by anti-glare specialists Solar Solve Marine, was a feature on their stand at the SMM exhibition in Hamburg last month. 

  • New generation lifeboat ready for big drop

    01 Oct 2008

    Lifeboat and davit manufacturer Schat-Harding is launching a new generation freefall lifeboat for the offshore industry. 

  • Titanic implications of marine winch certification

    01 Oct 2008

    Shipyards and manufacturers are increasingly confronted with major and growing quality assurance challenges as a result of globalised manufacturing processes and the necessity to deliver key components to specialised subcontractors around the world. 

  • Lifting gear safety made certain at wind farm

    01 Oct 2008

    A new software system designed by Certex UK has been credited with ensuring standards of health and safety at Vestas Offshores Kentish Flats, one of the UKs latest wind farms. 

  • Markey go massive on the 'SMBC Monterrey'

    01 Oct 2008

    Seattle USA based Markey Machinery has just installed a massive new electric hawser winch aboard the terminal support tug SMBC Monterrey in Spain. 

Dredging

  • Van Oord's €1bn build programme continues

    07 Oct 2008

    Dutch dredging major Van Oord has commissioned a new self-propelled cutter suction dredger which will be one of the largest of its type in the world. The vessel will be built at IHC Dredgers' Kinderdijk yard, with delivery scheduled for the autumn of 2011. 

  • Safety pays in Jervoise Bay

    07 Oct 2008

    Flanders Dredging Corporation (FDC), a fully owned subsidiary of Belgium's Jan De Nul Group, has transformed praise from a strict Australian client into victory when its project at the Australian Marine Complex located in Jervoise Bay, Western Australia was awarded this year's IADC Safety Award. 

  • No recession for booming IHC Merwede

    07 Oct 2008

    Recessionary forces have yet to impact on IHC Merede, as the Dutch dredger builder has reported first half revenue of EURO 512m, up 54% on the first half of 2007, and an order book up 30% to stand at EURO 1.77bn. Profitability was looking healthy too, up an impressive 60% to EURO 48m. 

  • IADC Dredging & Reclamation Seminar spotlights Emirates expansion

    07 Oct 2008

    For decision makers and their advisors in governments, port and harbour authorities, offshore companies and other organisations that have to execute dredging projects, the International Association of Dredging Companies has organised the 31st International Seminar on Dredging and Reclamation. The Seminar will take place at Le Royal Meridien Hotel, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. from Saturday 22 to Wednesday 26 November. 

  • Jan De Nul in Omani port expansion

    06 Oct 2008

    An extension has been awarded to an existing contract currently being executed by Belgium's Jan De Nul Group, in a consortium with CCC/STFA, for the construction of a new port and drydock complex at Duqm in Oman. 

  • Modified Elbe dredging plans out to consultation

    06 Oct 2008

    The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and the Hamburg Water and Navigation Office (WSD), the two project developers involved, have applied to the planning authorities for a reconsideration of their revised plans for the deepening of the Elbe channel. 

Hydrographic Survey by David Goodfellow

  • Hydro8 symposium set for success

    04 Oct 2008

    Over 50 exhibitors and speakers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and US are among the main features of Hydro8, the 16th European Hydro Symposium being held in this year's European Capital of Culture, Liverpool, from 4-6 November. 

  • TSS opens new facility in Singapore

    04 Oct 2008

    Watford UK based Teledyne TSS, manufacturers of inertial navigation systems, gyrocompasses, motion sensors, pipe and cable trackers, has expanded its global sales and support network with the establishment of new premises in Singapore. 

  • Topcon-Reson Benelux GNSS agreement

    04 Oct 2008

    The Dutch subsidiaries of Japan's Topcon and Denmark's Reson are to collaborate in the marketing of GNSS receivers for hydrographic applications throughout the Benelux. 

  • Kongsberg Maritime buys Geoacoustics

    04 Oct 2008

    Kongsberg Maritime is to purchase GeoAcoustics, the Great Yarmouth UK based sonar equipment specialists for both civil and defence applications, for approximately £4.3m. 

  • Sweden's MMT extends hydrographic survey fleet

    04 Oct 2008

    Marin Mõtteknik AB (MMT) of Gothenburg, which over the last year has completed dedicated multibeam surveys in more than ten countries, has extended its fleet of survey vessels with the addition of a fourth, the 16m Dutch built Seabeam. 

Marine Civils by David Foxwell

  • Diyar Al Muharraq reclamation approaching completion

    01 Oct 2008

    The management team for Bahrain's new city, located off the northern shores of Muharraq, has announced that it has completed 70% of the reclamation work required for the development's initial 6 sq/km and has done so ahead of schedule. 

  • Design solution sought for nearshore detached breakwaters

    01 Oct 2008

    Global warming will bring with it increased storminess, making stretches of the coastline more vulnerable to flooding and erosion. One way of protecting against this is to build detached breakwaters parallel to the shoreline. These reduce wave energy but they also cause altered flow conditions that may result in the formation of salients or tombolos to their leaward side. Depending on local conditions, these can disrupt sediment transport further down the coast. 

  • New research project to shed light on lesser known timbers

    01 Oct 2008

    New research into the properties of alternative timbers will help those in the marine and freshwater construction industry make their work more sustainable, claims the Environment Agency in the UK, which is working with HR Wallingford and TRADA Technology to provide better, clearer information on commercially available, but lesser known hardwoods such as Basralocus, Dahoma and Cloeziana. 

  • Lerwick dredging project almost complete

    01 Oct 2008

    Lerwick Port Authoritys £12m dredging project has reached a significant stage. The dredging phase is almost complete. Drill and blast operations were completed ahead of schedule by the barge Playmate and it has now been released along with one of the disposal barges. The backhoe dredger Manu Pekka is finalising the extraction and was due to be released last month with the second disposal barge. 

  • Shipyard dredges contaminated sediment

    01 Oct 2008

    A&P Tyne in the UK has commenced operations to remove approximately 30,000m³ of silt that is contaminated with TBT from its quays and waterfront. 

  • New linkspan for Swedish port

    01 Oct 2008

    TTS Port Equipment is about to start building a new linkspan for the port of Ystad in the south of Sweden, due for handover in March 2009. Ystad is a significant port in Sweden because of its ferry links to Poland and to the Danish island of Bornholm, which can't easily be reached directly from Denmark, especially by passenger traffic. The port is being developed and extended, and the installation of the new linkspan is one of several important developments within the first phase, Stage 1A, of the so called Baltic Basin project. 

News

  • First 55 pilot for Port of Sines

    06 Oct 2008

    Following an international tender last year, Ireland's Safehaven Marine, builders of the Interceptor range of pilot boats, was awarded the contract to supply an all weather pilot boat to the Port of Sines in Portugal. 

  • RNLI in RIB lease agreement

    06 Oct 2008

    Two inshore RIBs have joined Dorset Polices Marine Section fleet to patrol the coast and rivers of Dorset  thanks to a new collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. 

  • Piracy toll sparks international action

    06 Oct 2008

    With the number of vessels being held by pirates around Somalia reaching ten last month, the director of Beluga Shipping, owner of the hijacked BBC Trinidad, has requested a 'convoy arrangement' along a safety corridor from the German Navy. 

  • Felixstowe South digs in for expansion

    06 Oct 2008

    The UK Port of Felixstowe held a groundbreaking ceremony last month to mark the formal commencement of the Felixstowe South Reconfiguration project. 

  • MAIB report on 'Sava Lake' deaths

    06 Oct 2008

    A report published jointly by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Maritime Administration of Latvia has found that the deaths earlier this year of two seafarers on board a Latvian registered cargo vessel was almost certainly due to oxygen depletion in the compartment they had entered. A number of recommendations have been made and an industry flyer has been issued highlighting the lessons learned including the hazards of entry into Enclosed Spaces. 

  • New fisheries boat for Germans

    06 Oct 2008

    Seefalke, the first of two identical new innovative fisheries research boats is being handed over this month by the Peene-Werft yard in Wolgast to Germany's Bonn based Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food (BLE). 

  • Blonde ambition for 'Boris Island'

    06 Oct 2008

    London's unpredictable new Mayor, Boris Johnson, caused a stir last month by proposing Heathrow Airport be closed down and replaced by a new four runway facility operating 24 hours a day and built on 1,375 hectares of reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary. 

  • Denmark moves on fixed link to Germany

    05 Oct 2008

    A company owned by the Danish Government is expected to be created soon to plan and construct the controversial EURO5.8bn Fehmarn Belt fixed link between Germany and Denmark, which has finally been agreed.

     

  • METS marks progress on 20th Anniversary

    04 Oct 2008

    The Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year when it returns to Amsterdam's RAI exhibition centre on 18-20 November. 

  • Dutch double offshore airport concepts

    04 Oct 2008

    Offshore airport proposals for overcrowded northern Europe are suddenly very much in the news. London Mayor Boris Johnson's proposal last month for an alternative to Heathrow on reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary has been matched by an even more striking concept from the Netherlands. 

  • Michigan modelling sends storm warning

    01 Sep 2008

    The theoretical link between storms and climate change has been bolstered with a new mathematical model from the University of Michigan that shows atmospheric phenomena like water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones develop from warmer and moister air.  

News Snips

Online News

  • Rapid rescue for grounded Scheldt boxship

    30 Oct 2008

    Netherlands based towage and salvage specialist Multraship and Belgian salvage operator URS Salvage & Maritime Contracting refloated the 39,900 gt, Singapore flag containership Kota Lagu last week after it had grounded in the River Scheldt with hazardous cargo on board. 

  • Thirsty volunteers for Sailors' Society cycle ride

    30 Oct 2008

    A lively group of ladies from Hampshire Womens Institute (WI) in Winchester UK and local branches at Shirley, Romsey, Stockbridge and Otterbourne, are volunteering their time to man a number of water stops for thirsty cyclists during the Deloitte and Sailors Society Cycle 2009. 

  • Low wash fleet of PLA patrol boats

    30 Oct 2008

    The Port of London Authority has placed an order with Northumberland UK based boat builder Alnmaritec Ltd for a fleet of five 13.5m low wash patrol boats which will operate on the tidal reaches of the River Thames. 

  • WOAC issues piracy recommendations

    30 Oct 2008

    The United Kingdom Warlike Operations Area Committee (WOAC)  responded on Tuesday to the extraordinary security situation in the Gulf of Aden; the establishment of the Maritime Security Patrol Area defined by the Commander of CTF 150 and the adoption of resolutions concerning Somalia by the UN Security Council. 

  • VOA admits failure of port rates revaluation

    23 Oct 2008

    The UK campaign for a fair evaluation of taxes for businesses operating in UK ports got a boost recently when the agency involved admitted it had failed to complete its revaluation process before putting the new rates into effect. 

  • Abu Dhabi buys into London Array

    23 Oct 2008

    What is expected to become the world's largest offshore wind farm got back on track recently when the Masdar Initiative, the Abu Dhabi government's multi-billion dollar investment in renewable energy, took a 20% stake in the London Array project in the Thames Estuary. 

  • 'Marco Polo' plan pursued in Shetland

    23 Oct 2008

    The planned 'Motorway of the Sea' linking Kristiansund in Norway, Rosyth in the UK and Zeebrugge in Belgium has unexpectedly run into a snag. While not grounded completely, the plan has certainly been hit by a delay. 

  • Norwegian shortsea line under threat

    23 Oct 2008

    A Norwegian coastal shipping line has 'unexpectedly' mothballed another vessel as it struggles with mounting financial problems. 

  • Former Halmatic site redevelopment event

    16 Oct 2008

    Always a highly topical and relevant subject, Strategic Waterfront Sites will be the topic for the November MareNet event which is being partnered by SEEDA and will take place at the former VT Halmatic site at Porchester. 

  • UK Treasury reviews rocketing port tax bills

    16 Oct 2008

    A critical stage in the battle being waged by businesses based at British docks against the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) took place yesterday when the VOA appeared before the Treasury Committee to explain why it has issued massive, unexpected rates demands, backdated to 2005, which could have a crippling effect on port based businesses and the UK economy as a whole. 

  • Pelamis plugs Portugal into wave power

    16 Oct 2008

    So many mariners, pounded by the merciless power of the sea, must have wondered what it would take to get this huge force on our side. 

  • Rain in Spain mainly adds to claims

    16 Oct 2008

    Last weekend's storms around Spain created a nightmare for not one, but two Liberian flagged ships. First the bulk carrier Tawe ran aground in Algeciras on Friday night. 

  • Safety pays in Jervoise Bay

    09 Oct 2008

    Flanders Dredging Corporation (FDC), a fully owned subsidiary of Belgium's Jan De Nul Group, has transformed praise from a strict Australian client into victory when its project at the Australian Marine Complex located in Jervoise Bay, Western Australia was awarded this year's IADC Safety Award. 

  • UN Security Council backs force against pirates

    09 Oct 2008

    The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday urging states to commit naval and air forces to the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. 

  • MAIB report on the tragic 'Flying Phantom' sinking

    09 Oct 2008

    The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on its investigation into the loss of the tug Flying Phantom while towing the 76,596dwt bulk carrier Red Jasmine on the River Clyde on 19 December 2007, resulting in the loss of three of its crew, was published on 30 September. 

  • Call for renewables priority grid access

    09 Oct 2008

    In view of the upcoming EU Energy Council meeting tomorrow, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has sent an open letter to French Energy Minister Borloo. 

  • Denmark moves on fixed link to Germany

    02 Oct 2008

    A company owned by the Danish Government is expected to be created soon to plan and construct the controversial EUR 5.8bn Fehmarn Belt fixed link between Germany and Denmark, which has finally been agreed. 

  • MAIB report on 'Sava Lake' deaths

    02 Oct 2008

    A report published jointly by the UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Maritime Administration of Latvia has found that the deaths earlier this year of two seafarers on board a Latvian registered cargo vessel was almost certainly due to oxygen depletion in the compartment they had entered. 

  • Van Oord's €1bn build programme continues

    02 Oct 2008

    Dutch dredging major Van Oord has commissioned a new self-propelled cutter suction dredger which will be one of the largest of its type in the world. 

  • Dutch double offshore airport concepts

    02 Oct 2008

    Offshore airport proposals for overcrowded northern Europe are suddenly very much in the news. London Mayor Boris Johnson's proposal last month for an alternative to Heathrow on reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary has been matched by an even more striking concept from the Netherlands. 

  • IADC Seminar spotlights Emirates dredging

    09 Sep 2008

    For decision makers and their advisors in governments, port and harbour authorities, offshore companies and other organisations that have to execute dredging projects, the International Association of Dredging Companies has organised the 31st International Seminar on Dredging and Reclamation. 

Power & Propulsion

  • More is less with new waterjets

    01 Oct 2008

    Rolls-Royce has introduced a new series of waterjets, the Kamewa S3, which draws on experience from the popular SII series but incorporates numerous improvements made possible by advanced design calculation methods and testing and production techniques. 

  • Cat to the rescue in Hamburg

    01 Oct 2008

    Caterpillar Marine Power Systems (CMPS) had a substantial presence at SMM in Hamburg last month, reporting an order book which continues at record levels and presenting integrated solutions for ship propulsion, on board electricity, product support, customer service, ship finance and insurance. 

  • A moving tale from Paris

    01 Oct 2008

    A fundamental part of the business of cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates supplier CEMEX involves moving significant tonnage of construction materials quickly and efficiently from quarries and cement plants to construction sites. 

  • New engine family affair at SMM

    01 Oct 2008

    GE Transportation introduced the new L250 inline medium-speed diesel engine family at the SMM Exhibition in Hamburg last month. The L250 is custom designed for a variety of marine applications and will be available in six and eight cylinder configurations. 

  • SMM debut for more silent silencer

    01 Oct 2008

    Finnish marine engine manufacturer Wärtsilä unveiled a novel engine exhaust noise reduction system at SMM in Hamburg last month which it hopes will eventually make conventional single unit diesel engine silencers a thing of the past. 

Tugs and Towing Extra by Jack Gaston

  • Fowey Harbour purchases a Voith tractor

    01 Oct 2008

    Since the report in the September issue of Maritime Journal concerning likely changes to the tug fleet operated by the Fowey Harbour Commissioners, Harbour Master Captain Mike Sutherland has rapidly carried out the changes he had in mind. The Commissioners have purchased the Voith tractor tug Holmgarth from Svitzer and sold two of the existing vessels. 

  • TOWLINES

    01 Oct 2008

     

  • Boskalis cash offer for Smit is rejected

    01 Oct 2008

    Dutch dredging contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster NV has made a cash offer of EURO 62.50 per share for all outstanding shares of Smit Internationale NV. The offer values Smit at EURO 1.13 billion. The offer price implies a premium of approximately 30% relative to the closing price of EURO 48.19 of Smit ordinary shares on 12 September 2008 and a premium of more than 27% relative to the average closing price of an ordinary share of Smit during the last month. 

  • Bukser Bergings gets its first Rampart 3200

    01 Oct 2008

    In recent months the popularity of Robert Allan designed RAmparts 3200 ASD tugs has spread to western Europe in spectacular fashion as newly completed vessels appear in Belgium, the Netherlands and now Norway. 

  • New tugs ordered to transport London’s refuse

    01 Oct 2008

    After many years of planning and negotiation the construction of a new waste to energy facility has started at Belvedere in Greater London. The facility will be developed and operated by Riverside Resource Recovery Ltd (RRRL) a wholly owned subsidiary of Cory Environmental. All of the refuse from three major London transfer stations will continue to be transported by river in much the same way as at present to the landfill site at Mucking. 

  • Washburn & Doughty rapidly up and running

    01 Oct 2008

    US tug builder Washburn & Doughty has achieved a number of important milestones following a massive fire on 11 July destroying most of their shipyard facilities (Maritime Journal Towlines August 2008). On 15 August the company delivered the Articulated Tug & Barge (ATB) tug Linda Moran. The tug was nearing completion when the fire broke out and was moored alongside the company's barge for final fitting out. 

  • Antwerp get a new tug company

    01 Oct 2008

    Following hard on the heels of the news that Fairplay Towage of Hamburg was taking a 50% stake in Belgiums Multraship (Maritime Journal September 2008) the companies have launched a joint project to provide towage services in Antwerp. Formation of the new Antwerp Towage NV is the first new initiative to be launched by the two companies following the signing of the merger agreement in August. 

Tugs, Towing & Salvage

  • Salvors to produce Casualty Management Guidelines

    01 Oct 2008

    Marine salvage companies meeting in Malta last month decided unanimously to progress a project to produce best practice guidelines for Marine Casualty Management. The guidelines will assist governments, shipowners and managers, port authorities and other interests directly involved in ship salvage operations. 

  • MAIB report on the tragic �Flying Phantom� sinking

    01 Oct 2008

    The UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on its investigation into the loss of the tug Flying Phantom while towing the 76,596dwt bulk carrier Red Jasmine on the River Clyde on 19 December 2007, resulting in the loss of three of its crew, was published on 30 September. The extremely detailed Report No 17/2008 runs to over 60 pages and opens with a concise summary. 

  • Progress cutting up stranded ferry

    01 Oct 2008

    When the Irish Riverdance ferry was blown ashore on Cleveleys Beach at Blackpool UK during a storm in January with seventeen passengers and six crew needing to be rescued by the RAF, all attempts to refloat the vessel failed. 

Vessel Repair & Maintenance

  • Opportunity knocks on the Pearl River docks

    07 Oct 2008

    ShipRepair & Conversion 2008 has been co-located this year with INMEX China at the Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Centre on 26 to 28 November. Taking place in Guangzhou, INMEX (International Maritime Expo) China is in the epicentre of that country's pulsating Pearl River Delta, which encompasses Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong province. The region is one of the most important manufacturing centres in the world and one of China's main export trade centres. 

  • Happiness is a clean bottom

    01 Oct 2008

    A clean bottom is an important asset. It allows optimum speeds, faster passage times and reduces fuel costs by minimising drag. 

  • Bulker converted into DP pipelayer

    01 Oct 2008

    Maritime engineering and service solutions provider MacGregor has been involved in an unusual conversion of a Panamax bulk carrier into the dynamically positioned deepsea pipe-laying vessel Audacia for Swiss based Allseas Group SA. 

  • 'Green' ship recycling underway on the Mersey

    01 Oct 2008

    The first Ministry of Defence warship to be recycled in the UK for more than a decade has been towed into the Port of Liverpool. 

  • Hard graft brings growth to Dales Marine Services in Aberdeen

    01 Oct 2008

    A maritime rags to riches story is coming true for both a Scottish dry dock and its new manager. 

Vessel launch by Jack Gaston

  • 'Fairplay 30' - The most powerful yet for its German owners

    01 Oct 2008

    Among several recent news items emanating from the rapidly changing Fairplay Towage group of Hamburg is the delivery of the new tug Fairplay 30, the most powerful to date. The new vessel and a sister ship, Fairplay 31, due for delivery early in 2009, represent a new generation of powerful azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs designed and equipped to operate effectively in the offshore market and also carry out shiphandling work if required. 

MTU IRONMEN