Europort 2023: A sample of the booths

Newport Shipping

Promoting its new offshoot, NAV Engineering & Technology, which it launched at London International Shipping Week in September, Newport Shipping is stepping into the crew transfer vessel market with a model whereby NAV will build the vessels and retain ownership while leasing them out complete with crew. The company was also promoting its ‘Alternative Marine Power’ (AMP) shore power solution. which will enable a vessel to plug in to shore-based power and run off it in port instead of burning diesel. The company is also looking at methanol retrofits. “It’s going to depend on the vessels – long-haul shipping will not be able to run on hydrogen or electricity, for example,” said managing director Lianghui Xia (pictured). “And the infrastructure is going to be needed for methanol.”

HS Marine

Crane manufacturer H S Marine’s managing director Stefano Forni was unsurprisingly upbeat about the 70% increase in turnover the company has seen this year, which has partly been achieved by out performing competitors, he said. “We are going strongly and expect to have the same growth next year or even more. It’s coming from everywhere – the Dutch, UK, Norway – for service vessels for fish farming, workboats, coasters, dredging. We are making 600 a year with new models and using stainless steel because they require less maintenance.”

Radio Holland

Radio Holland’s new navcomms system is so new it hasn’t even been named yet. The fleet-management system promises to be all singing, all dancing, recording and monitoring live processes and crew schedules, optimising routes, predicting maintenance, measuring carbon emissions – and all without a piece of paper in sight. “What we have in shipping is a lot of physical equipment on board, which generates a lot of data, and everyone is more and more data focused, said Wim Nieuwveld, Business Development director, as the unnamed product was launched at Europort. “As an industry, we are a bit behind aviation and automotive, but we looked at them and took it on.”

Rolls-Royce

The engine giant brought model 12V, 4000HP industrial engine to Europort, to demonstrate the company’s ‘Reman’ centre, a remanufacturing facility that in line with the current trend takes in old engines and completely overhauls them. Customers then have a choice of new or as-new engine. “The other advantage in the design is that if there’s been an upgrade in the design since the customer has bought it, this can be directly implemented in the remanufactured engine as well,” said account manager – Service, Stefan den Boer. Rolls-Royce carries out standard remanufacturing of engines, systems and parts for mtu engines, including marine, in Magdeburg, Germany.

Padmos

Celebrating its acquisition of UK-based Mitsubishi distributor Diamond Diesels two weeks ago was Netherlands marine engine distributor Padmos. Originating as a family business in agricultural machinery, Padmos’s purchase means the company can now distribute engines all over the UK as well as the Benelux region. The company distributes engines for the smaller commercial vessel market, from 200 – 4,000HP. The purchase of Diamond Diesels was made possible by the retirement of managing director Ian Stamp.

Sonihull 

UK ultrasonic antifouling company Sonihull launched two product lines at Europort – the Sonihull Xtreme for the maritime market and Agitate Pro for the industrial sector. Sonihull has taken its 15 years of experience and knowledge from thousands of vessel installations to deliver a smarter, future-proof system, the company says. With data collection and remote operation capabilities, the Xtreme and Agitate Pro reduce cost and minimise downtime. “Our new product gives our clients the confidence that they are in control of fouling,” said CEO Darren Rowlands (pictured). “The return on investment for most applications can be measured in weeks, not years.”

Yanmar

Japanese engine maker Yanmar is an expert in diesel engines across industrial sectors, which means it’s going to have to make changes to stay afloat amid the tide of regulations coming this way, said area sales manager for northwestern Europe Richard Lesteluhu, pictured. “We have a significant range of ocean-going and non-ocean-going vessels,” he said. “We make diesel engines for agriculture and industry, for vessels from leisure to a fishing, coasters and commercial marine – and our work is all based on diesel, so we are looking at future fuels as a dilemma. Like everybody else, we can’t look into a crystal ball – we don’t know what’s going to happen. What we do know is we will have to develop and change and engage in some way with alternative fuels.”

Dacoma

Winner of the Vessel Equipment award in last year’s Innovations Showcase at Seawork with its retractable Airkeel stabiliser, Dacoma was also using Europort to promote its shore power technology. The tech consists of a small power module that can enable ships at shore to charge faster at lower currents and with higher efficiency, saving money not only on power but the size of equipment needed, such as cable dimension. The technology was developed by APG, a spin-out from the Danish Aalborg University. The secret is using silicon carbide, Arnd Baurichter says, which is perfect for medium voltage charging technology.

Germany

There were several national pavilions at Europort, including Germany, which brought 16 companies that are either German or promote and distribute German-made products to Europort. ECM Expo&Conference Management organises the pavilions for different overseas trade fairs. “It’s ideal for smaller companies that can be gathered together in one place and present the strength of Germany under one umbrella,” said project manager Anna Nacharova. ECM has been organising pavilions on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy since 2010.