Four days in Hamburg

ITS last visited Hamburg in 1979 and in the intervening 35 years vessel design and technology have advanced enormously at an almost unbelievable rate. Much of that technology was the subject of the 24 conference papers, the stands of the 106 exhibiting companies, and vessels on show in the port.

Some 455 delegates of 45 nationalities attended the event, including a significant number who chose to ‘book in on-the day’. The Conference was chaired once again by ITS veteran Mike Allen who demonstrated once again his ability to deal with a multi-national band of speakers and keep matters running smoothly.

The Conference proceedings were opened with a key-note speech from Wolfgang Hurtienne, managing director of the Hamburg Port Authority. In his speech, he remarked on the constant pace of development in the industry, and the need for effective towage services in a thriving port such as Hamburg. He also mentioned that the steps being taken by the tugowners to reduce pollution in an example to the shipping industry as a whole.

Delegates were offered papers covering an eye-watering variety of subjects as diverse as changes in legal matters affecting the salvage industry to technical innovations relating to energy and cost-saving strategies in tugs and towage.

SALVAGE SUBJECTS
Among the salvage related papers, a presentation entitled ‘Some solutions to the rising costs of wreck removal’ was presented by David Pockett from the London Offshore Consultants Group, Brazil. The paper was particularly relevant in the light of several recent high profile wreck removals around the world. Captain Leendert Muller, current Chairman of the International Salvage Union (ISU) outlined ‘Current Challenges in the Salvage Industry and the Response of Marine Salvors’. No ITS conference would be complete without further discussion on ‘Lloyds Open Form’ and the ’SCOPIC’ clauses. Both were covered, in two separate papers by John Noble and Capt Keith Hart, and Simon Tatham. – all well-known contributors to ITS conferences.

Another well-known and popular speaker at ITS, design consultant Robert Allan, Executive Chairman of Robert Allan Ltd presented the paper ‘ Improving Towing Safety in Supply Vessels and Anchorhandling Tugs’. This subject is particularly relevant following a number of high profile accidents in this sector of the industry, where vessels are working in increasingly deeper and more exposed waters.

A subject attracting a great deal of interest in the towage and offshore industries is the use of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel and the operation of tugs at LNG terminals. Among the papers presented at the conference was a spell-binding paper entitled ‘Fire-fighting Tugboats – Liquefied Natural Gas and the Tug & Salvage Industry’ by Thomas Guldner of Marine Firefighting Inc, USA. The paper pointed out in graphic terms the properties of LNG, LNG fire-fighting for tug crews and the handling of LNG at terminals. It left many delegates with ‘food for thought’.

THE BIG STORY
Included in the Conference programme on the third day was a fascinating, ‘chat-show-style’ discussion on stage between conference chairman Mike Allen, and Nick Sloane, the chief salvage master responsible for the on-going salvage of the Costa Concordia. Mike Allen succeeded in asking many of the questions on other people’s lips and getting frank answers from a relaxed expert with huge responsibilities.

Many delegates took the opportunity to visit and take trial trips on two of the very latest hybrid shiphandling tugs, both brand new from the shipyards. Damen Shipyards were demonstrating the first example of the Hybrid variant of their popular ASD 2810 shiphandling tug Bernardus, recently delivered to Iskes Towage & Salvage of Ijmuiden. Moored close by at the same pier was the Eddy-1 the prototype ‘Efficient Double-Ended Dynamic’ Hybrid tug straight from trials in the Netherlands. Conference papers were presented by both project teams on these two quite different approaches to the need for efficient, environmentally friendly shiphandling tugs.

DINNER DEMOS
A popular feature of the ITS convention is a number of well-organised social events. The Hamburg event was no exception. ITS 2014 opened with a Welcome Cocktail party sponsored and orchestrated by Damen Shipyards at a riverside venue. This lavish event was visited by the Hybrid tug Bernardus, silently demonstrating its manoeuvrability, without the use of its main engines.

Later in the week Schottel organised a dinner for invited guests at the Hafenclub, another riverside venue that gave the Eddy-1 an opportunity to demonstrate its agility using its diesel-electric hybrid system, with its Schottel 3000 series propulsion units and electric motors.

Tea and Coffee breaks were sponsored by MTU diesels and lunches each day by the specialist shipbuilders Uzmar. A number of other social events were organised throughout the week, culminating in the traditional Gala Dinner, sponsored by Caterpillar. On the Friday a harbour tour, arranged for delegates, was sponsored by Schottel and the Shipowners Association.

By Jack Gaston