TANKER OPERATOR MAGAZINE(AUGUST/SEPT 2010)

P.O. Box 50110, Hidd, Kingdom of Bahrain

T: +973 1767 1111 F: +973 1767 0236

E: [email protected]

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 www.tankeroperator.com

TA�KEROperatorTA�KEROperator

Front cover:Front cover.qxd 13/08/2010 13:34

IFC:OBC.qxd 13/08/2010 13:39 Page 1

August/September 2010 � TANKEROperator 01

ContentsMarketsA look at the LNGC sector

German Report� German flag aid reduced

� Hellespont reshapes operation

� A ‘green’ SMM

Shipmanagement� BSM reinvents itself

� InterManager expands

� Waste trials ongoing

Commercial Operations� Dutch short sea newcomer

� Vessel traffic system

� TORM signs up Veson

� Avoid adverse weather

P&IChina on pollution

Technology53 CBT in vogue 55 Bunkering� New English Channel hub

04

13

'Simplicity is the key to Success'

Established in 1991, UK based Marine Software Ltd providelow cost, easy to use Ship Management Software

Solutions tailored for the Worldwide Maritime Industry

www.marinesoftware.co.uk

For further details please contact us on:Tel: +44 (0)1304 840009 Fax: +44 (0)1304 840075

Email: [email protected]

DNV TYPE APPROVED PLANNED

MAINTENANCE

SAFETY MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

PURCHASINGSHIP / SHOREINTEGRATION

ISM DOCUMENTMANAGEMENT

CONDITION MONITORINGRCM VIBRATION ANALYSIS LINK

DATABASE SETUP SERVICES

PROJECTMANAGEMENT

STOCK CONTROL

MINIMAL TRAININGREQUIREMENT

NO ANNUALLICENCE FEES

OPTIONAL SUPPORT

CONTRACTS AVAILABLE

Visit us at Hall B1 (upper floor) Stand 182

Hamburg7th-10th Sept 2010

34

Front cover photo During the first three months of this year,Bahrain-based ASRY’s shiprepair salesreached $33.8 mill and 35 vessels werehandled at the yard. The complex iscurrently being expanded by way of an $80mill quay wall having a length of 1,200 m.P.O. Box 50110, Hidd, Kingdom of Bahrain

T: +973 1767 1111 F: +973 1767 0236

E: [email protected]

Queens ChannelAnchorages

Oikos Storage

Tongue AnchorageHolding area

Falmouth

Portland

PLA Boundary

53

43

57 Communications� Teekay signs up MTN

59 Profile� Martek increases offerings

61 Tank Servicing� Effective tank cleaning

� ‘Green’ cleaning chemicals

� VOC emissions

70 Ice Class Tankers� St Petersburg tankers

� ABS updates guide

� API supplies ice tanker

52

p1:p1.qxd 13/08/2010 13:41 Page 1

With news of yet more successful US Coast Guardprosecutions under MARPOL, which has cost theindustry several million dollars in fines, onewonders why those in charge on board ship andashore don’t take action to limit their chances ofbeing caught out for whatever reason*. Even the most experienced crews can make errors in the mandatory oilrecord book entries and it is only a matter of time before a portinspection finds them. As we know the penalties can be massive,usually fines of millions of US dollars and even custodial sentences ofindividuals held responsible. In addition, offending vessels may bebanned from entering territorial waters.

But the fines are set high for a reason. With so many deliberateinfringements – anecdotally referred to as the magic pipe syndrome-coastal authorities inevitably consider any irregularity in the records assuspicious and seemingly afford little leniency in circumstances ofsimple errors. Maybe it is no surprise given the complexity andregularity with which, the data is manually entered into an oil recordbook. The argument is simply that these records are the only proof ofMARPOL compliance, so they must be right.

Doubtless, the threat of such huge penalties should be more thanenough to force owners and operators to be more responsible and takecontrol. How can they do so? After all, most ships are fitted withoil/water separation plant and parts per million (ppm) overboarddischarge meters.

The problem is the operations and data remain on board as manualrecords and even the most responsible and careful shipmanagers cannever really be sure about the actions on board. Crew changes,pressures and constant new manning procedures inevitably lead tomistakes, short cuts and sometimes willful expedient illegal discharges.Managers may have confidence in their operations, but it is a matter ofrecord that violations occur right across the spectrum of ownership.

A solutionAs mentioned in TA�KEROperator, August/September, 2009, page 37,when a major Danish shipowner was prosecuted by the USCG thecompany approached PSM Instrumentation to develop a solution thatwould simply monitor the whole ODME process.

By ‘throwing a blanket’ over the entire process, PSM claimed thataccidents and mistakes in records entry can be eliminated. The solutionhad to be acceptable to the USCG. The minimum requirement was,

first, for a logic system to monitor the entire ODME and bilgeoperations process with a continuous inviolate log. Second, it must havethe ability for remote monitoring of the entire operation in real-timesuch that a series of critical alarms would provide a forewarning ofserious problems directly to the vessel managers head office.

PSM whose, core business is in shipboard monitoring, developedCLEARVIEW® in response. It is a secure encrypted data monitor butwith a satellite data link capable of alerting shoreside staff in the eventof any irregular occurrence to the ODME operation.

The CLEARVIEW® logic compares and processes the manyparameters of the entire oily/water separation and discharge plant givinga simple flag state guidance to crew and advance warnings to the bridgeand to operators desk of a serious fault condition occurring .

If the serious fault remains unchecked, the ship can be automaticallyprevented from polluting by initiating valve closures/divert operations.Data in full support and validation of the ORB can be printed or copied,both on board and remotely as required.

The feature to remotely operate or auto ‘geo-fence’ the vessel’soverboard discharge valve inside territorial limits provides addedreassurance for fleet managers who also stand risk of prosecution. Toensure the product was made commercially viable to owners, the systemuses a low cost satellite data transmission using an embedded D+ link.The data is mainly taken from existing sensors on board and, therefore,can be installed quickly and economically while the vessel is in service.

The CLEARVIEW® solution has proven to the authorities and to theUSCG in particular that the technology is available to close the door onthis contentious problem. As a result of extensive trials it is widelyexpected that USCG will be calling for further regulation for vessels toprove MARPOL compliance. From the owners perspective fitting suchequipment sends a message of their accreditation as responsible owners.

The ships will gain greener credentials by the ability to produce ahistory log of two to three years of good operation and clean waterdischarge. The owners and crews have the peace of mind that theirvessels cannot pollute the sea either unwittingly or willfully.

CLEARVIEW® is believed to be the first system of its kind to besuccessfully installed on existing ships and to meet the specialrequirements and acceptance of the USCG.

Looks like a ‘no brainer’.

*This comment piece was written with the help of PSMInstrumentation.

COMMENT

Pollution prevention– proving Marpol compliance

TO

TANKEROperator � August/September 201002

TANKEROperatorVol 9 No 8Tanker Operator MagazineLtd2nd Floor, 8 Baltic Street EastLondon EC1Y 0UP, UK www.tankeroperator.com

PUBLISHER/EVENTS/SUBSCRIPTIONSKarl JefferyTel: +44 (0)20 7017 [email protected]

EDITORIan CochranTel: +44 (0)20 7017 [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALESMelissa SkinnerOnly Media LtdTel: +44 (0)20 8950 [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTION1 year (8 issues)$220 / €160 / £150

2 years (16 issues)$330 / €240 / £225

Subscription hotline:Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3405Fax: +44 (0)20 7251 9179Email: [email protected]

PRODUCTIONVivian CheeTel: +44 (0)20 8995 [email protected] by ALYA SP. z o.o. ul. Bukowa 11 41-700 Ruda Śląska; Poland

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 2

Safety is...

...keeping our equipment in top working order.

Liner Shipping • Worldwide Logistics • Petroleum & Chemical Transportation • Alaska Fuel Sales & Distribution • Energy Support •Project Management • Ship Assist & Escort • Ship Management • Ocean Towing & Transportation • Salvage & Emergency Response

www.crowley.com

Crowley vessel crews know having the best tugs in the business doesn’t mean a thing if they’re not reliable and safe. That’s why they take so much pride in maintaining their boats. To ensure the safest transit for your vessels in the harbors of San Diego, Los Angeles/Long Beach, San Francisco Bay Area, Tacoma, Seattle, North Puget Sound and Prince William Sound/Valdez, Alaska, call Crowley at 800-248-8632 or visit www.crowley.com.

It’s No AccidentSafety

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 3

INDUSTRY - MARKETS


In this issue we take a look at theLNGC sector courtesy of leadingLondon-based shipbroker BraemarSeascope’s director of energyservices, Debbie Turner. Despite several factors impacting on the speedof project completions worldwide, resulting inan abundance of gas carriers chasing too fewcargoes, the charter market is far from dead.

Charterers are currently taking advantage ofthe fact that freight levels for short termcharters are very low and a number of vesselshave been fixed for periods of between onevoyage and one year, Turner explained.

However, there are no benchmark rates, asthey are realistically the rate at which a chartereris prepared to fix at. There have been somedeals done whereby the rates are ‘flexible’ inthat there is no fixed level and these can be saidto be benchmarked against current spot levels.

Fortunately, for the charter market only one neworder has been confirmed recently. This contractwas for another in the series of 145,000 cu mLNGCs for the Chinese domestic market, placed atHudong and was under discussion for someconsiderable period of time before being firmed up.

Turner said that it was also thought thatNigeria could well be considering theresuscitation of its projects, which could leadto more gas carrier orders.

Nobody is prepared to take the plunge andorder speculatively. Turner explained; “In thecurrent market conditions, why would anowner risk his own capital to finance a vesselwhich is just returning above OPEX costs?”

As for the future, Turner said; “We havealways held the view that from 2011 the marketwould begin to strengthen slowly as vesselsbecame absorbed into trades. We believe thiswill become more evident from the end of 2012and by 2014 there could potentially be a shortageof available spot vessels as spot tenders evolve”.

There are several LNGCs anchored offFujairah giving rise to the rumours of storageas happened in the crude and products sector.

However, Turner said that a move to storagecannot realistically be viewed in the context ofhow many vessels are sitting off Fujairah.“The reasons behind this, is that many ofthose vessels parked are currently Q-Flex andQ-Max types owned by Qatar, which somehave cargoes on board and some do not. Thestorage play depends totally on the forwardcurve for the price of LNG,” she explained.

In the US, shale gas production has become asource of energy that some regard as rivallingfuture LNG imports and impacting on the growthof this particular sector in North America.

Turning to the Iranian potential in the lightof recent sanctions, Turner confirmed that noorders had been placed by NITC for LNGCs,despite the reported articles to the contrary.

Iran will produce LNG as seen in the pastwith petrochemicals, if they want to do it, shesaid. Iranian projects may be delayed, but theywill happen. The country is extremely rich inresources and it must be remembered that Iranconstitutes the other half of the North Dome(Qatar) field, she continued.

In Russia, Gazprom will continue to developgas resources for LNG as opposed to pipelinegas, such as Shtockman. Barents LNG will notcause a problem as future vessels earmarked forthe project will need winterisation rather than iceclass and in addition, the project is more likelyto now come to fruition in 2016 at the earliest.

With regard to the Yamal project, conditionsare harsher and certainly a new type of LNGCwould have to be considered, but this is nowin the realms of 2020, or perhaps a littlebefore, Turner said.

As for the future, it will be extremelydifficult for LNGC shipowners to justify theirexisting vessels without ordering additionalunits to meet any potential growth in the spotmarket from 2013 onwards.

Existing spot ships are now beginning to beabsorbed into the long term projects and wehave seen the first newbuilding orders in thelast couple of months since April 2008.

Older ladies (over 25 years), which are comingoff long term charter are finding it increasinglydifficult to find charters where they arecompeting with more modern tonnage and manyof these have now gone into lay up in the hopethat they may be converted to FSRUs.

“We would love to see an adventurousowner decide that he was committed to longterm shipping of LNG without a charter, butwith rates so low and no immediateimprovement on the horizon, it is verydifficult to justify this,” Turner concluded.

There is life in the LNGC market yetTurner thought that the jury is still very much

out over the future of shale gas and its impact onthe LNG market with three different schools ofthought – ‘yes it will’, ‘no it won’t’ and ‘it may do’.

“If the US Department of Energy figures wereto be believed then yes, shale gas would have adirect impact on LNG imports. However, we havehad a more pragmatic view of LNG in that wehave not believed that LNG imports would everreach the forecast figures in the short term, due tothe ability of the US being the swing market.

“We saw last year that US imports rose, inspite of shale gas primarily due to the fact thatimports were cheaper than domestic production.The new shale gas is close to the highconsumption markets of the east coast and thiswill have a direct effect on any new importprojects, which may have taken place. However,it is unlikely that it will affect existing projectsand similarly we have seen a curtailment inmany planned import projects,” she said.

With regard to floating LNG (FLNG) andoffshore terminals – these are more prevalentout of the US. The Excelerate FSRU offshoreterminals are primarily trading models. Theseare working successfully in Brazil and moreseasonally in Argentina and Kuwait, sheexplained.

There are new projects in Italy and Dubaiwith longer term interest in Indonesia andJamaica and potentially Pakistan. Argentina islooking to expand its system and in general,FSRUs will continue to expand worldwide.

There are other projects on the drawingboard, most notably compressed natural gas(CNG) and FlexLNG.

Flex is a floating LNG production unit.Shell has recently ordered a 3.5 mill tonnesper year producer unit for the Prelude projectin Australia. Gaz de France is also about toorder a unit while Shell will probably order asecond unit, Turner said.

There is one firm order and three options inplace, but thus far no contract has been awarded.The contract is for a unit with a maximumcapacity of 2.5 mill tonnes per annum.

Stranded gasCNG is a totally different ball game. This hasa maximum transport scope of about 800miles and is before LNG where there is noexpensive regasification terminal required.These vessels will generally transportconsiderably less product than LNG and atambient temperature. The whole purpose of aCNG project is to get stranded gas to marketas quickly and as efficiently as possiblewithout huge investment and logistical costs.

Braemar Seascope’s Debbie Turner.

TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 4

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 5


INDUSTRY - NEWS

Following its first commercialorder for exhaust abatementtechnology, HamworthyKrystallon claimed that it wasfinding shipyards eager toincorporate sulphur emissionabatement technology.The decision by Italian owner IgnazioMessina to place first commercial orders forseawater scrubbers has prompted leadingshipyards to align themselves with thesupplier - Hamworthy Krystallon.

The auxiliary engines and boilers on boardfour new 45,000 dwt ro-ro ships, to be built byDaewoo, will burn residual fuel oil in port butstill meet EU directive EC 2005/33 port rulesdemanding sulphur emissions equivalent to just0.1% fuel-sulphur content. The alternative is aswitch to costly low sulphur content fuel.

Meanwhile, the Emissions Control Areas(ECA) defined by IMO see maximum sulphurcontent in ship fuels falling to 0.1% from2015, or demand that owners burning heavyfuel oil commit to exhaust gas cleaning.

Weighing up the alternatives, the

International Petroleum Industry EnvironmentalConservation Association said recently thatproducing enough low sulphur contentdistillates to meet the IMO 2015 target on mainengines would be “difficult” and “significantlymore expensive”. Meeting later targets wouldneed “major refinery investment” and may “notbe economically feasible”.

“On that basis the question is not why fit ascrubber on auxiliaries and main engines, butwhen,” said Hamworthy Krystallon managingdirector Sigurd Jenssen. Trials have shown thatthe company’s seawater scrubber cuts emissionsfrom plant burning residual oil by up to 98%.

To date, Hamworthy Krystallon seawaterscrubbers have been trialled on P&O Ferries’Pride of Kent and on the Holland AmericaLines cruise ship Zaandam. They have alsobeen installed in land-based facilities inGreece and Japan.

Among those with experience of thetechnology is the UK’s A&P Group. A&PFalmouth managing director Peter Child said:“We worked on Pride of Kent and have agood idea of the work and costs involved.

This places the A&P Group in a commandingposition as the first choice for retrofitinstallations of the Hamworthy Krystallonexhaust scrubber. We look forward to thechallenging times ahead and working withHamworthy Krystallon in assisting theshipping industry to take the steps to complywith pending emissions regulations in thebuild up to 2015.”

Also alive to the opportunity is SembawangShipyard (SSPL), Singapore. SSPL technicaldirector, Roy Varghese, said: “We are in themidst of discussions with HamworthyKrystallon for a potential retrofit project onseawater scrubbers. Although the SWS systemfrom Hamworthy Krystallon is new, theretrofit works involved are not something newfor SSPL.”

Jenssen said that Hamworthy Krystallonwas bringing expertise drawn from the widerHamworthy group to bear on developingpartnerships. Hamworthy Baltic DesignCentre (HBDC) has developed installationlay-outs specific to several different vesseltypes, including tankers.

Hamworthy Krystallon lines up yard partners

TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 6

INDUSTRY - NEWS


It is often said that there is nosubstitute for on-the-job training,especially in areas such asbunkering operations, wherepractical, hands-on work is thenorm. However, there are many in the industry whomay never get their hands dirty on a bunkerbarge, oil terminal or receiving vessel butwho, nevertheless, still need to understandexactly how the industry works. This is whereNigel Draffin’s latest book - An Introductionto Bunker Operations* - comes into its own,the publishers claimed.

The book is filled with photographs, chartsand diagrams intended to help the readervisualise important aspects of bunkeroperations. It covers everything that needs tobe understood and remembered, fromplugging scuppers to fastening bolts on abunker flange and covers storage, measuring,delivery, sampling and handling of bunkerfuels and de-bunkering.

Draffin examines each of the key elementsinvolved, from ordering the right type and

amount of fuel, to making sure it is safelydelivered and properly accounted for. Hecovers the paperwork that needs to be done andlooks at the various regulations now in place,including MARPOL Annex VI and theInternational Ship and Port Facility Security(ISPS) Code.

The book includes a vast amount ofinformed detail on some of those areas thatare often ignored – sometimes to great costand inconvenience – such as variations inflange and hose sizes.

As with his earlier books, the author hasincluded comprehensive indices and appendices,as well as a ‘where to go for help’ section.

Draffin explained; “I know from thequestions I have been asked over the years thatfor most of us, the operations involved seem tothrow up problems and restrictions that we donot understand. This book is intended to explainand put the whole process into context.”

The forward was written by Capt Cees deKeijzer, president of the World Ship SocietyRotterdam branch and former senior policyadviser and bunker co-ordinator at the Port

of Rotterdam. He said; “Beyond question, marine fuel is

regarded as the lifeblood of shipping and, withthe high prices and all the changes that are stillto come, we should be always aware of howmany thousands and even millions of dollars areinvolved every time a ship receives bunkers”.

Future publications from Petrospot includeAn Introduction to Bunker Credit Risk, byAdam Dupré, managing director of OceanIntelligence (previously managing director ofMRC Business Information Group), which isdue this month.

Later this year will also see the publicationof a book by barrister and legal consultantTrevor Harrison. Legal Issues in Bunkering:An Introduction to the Law Relating to theSale and Use of Marine Fuels, which willoffer a wealth of information on the key legalaspects of bunkering, including contacts,defaults, ship arrest and dispute resolution.

*An Introduction to BunkeringOperations by �igel Draffin MIMarEST, First Edition, 2010, Publishedby Petrospot - www.petrospot.com/books

THE FULL PICTURE

Book reviews – Bunkering made easy

TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 7


INDUSTRY – NEWS

Superintendents and other formerseafarers seeking shoreside jobsare being prevented from doing sobecause of work permit and visarestrictions said a leadingrecruitment consultant.In spite of a widely perceived shortage offormer master mariners and chief engineerswhen seeking to fill jobs ashore, restrictionson the issue of visas and work permits hamperthe work of getting such jobs filled.

“It’s not about race,” said Spinnaker’schairman Phil Parry. “It’s not even so muchabout immigration rules where the job’s based,but practicality – travel to visit vessels oftenhappens at short notice. Some nationalities,particularly westerners, need fewer visas, someget them quickly…others don’t.

“It’s common knowledge that manyemployers insist on having a certain numberof western superintendents to ensure they haveenough people to travel quickly. Oneemployer also recently pointed out toSpinnaker the remarkably high cost ofobtaining visas for other nationals each year –it ran into many many thousands of dollars.

“After all, if you need to attend an incident,it is not possible to wait three weeks for visaclearance,” Parry said. He believes it is vitalthat maritime trade organisations lobbygovernments hard to address this issue.

This isn’t a new issue, but as seafarershortages continue to bite and the westerndemographic continues to lessen there must bea very real risk that shipping companies willbe unable to get in-house technical expertiseout to vessels in the event of an incident.

As time goes on, there is also a risk thatsalary discrimination along nationality lines

will re-emerge. “The gap between westernstaff and those from developing nations hasgot smaller in recent years,” said Parry, “butunless travel visa rules for shipping companiesare made more user-friendly the gap couldwiden again.”

Given the number of newbuildingsscheduled for delivery, even if there arecancellations or delays, there remains asubstantial shortfall of seafarers to man thenew ships and to fill shore-side positionswhen they come ashore.

Spinnaker is participating in the 2010BIMCO/ ISF Manpower Study, which is dueto deliver its findings later this year on theextent of the supply/demand imbalance. Basedon the current shipyard orderbook, someestimates put the number of new seafarersneeded at between 100,000 and 130,000.

The issue of shortages has been talkedabout ad nauseam for so many years that ithas become white noise for some. Ships arestill sailing and with many in layup some havebegun to suggest that there isn’t really aproblem. “This is irresponsible,” warnedParry. “This last decade has been witness tothe early consequences of the problem –owners and managers have found itincreasingly hard to fill shoreside technicalpositions, poaching has increased, seagoingand shoreside salaries and bonuses have risen(in 2000 to 2001, superintendents wereearning around 55% of what they earn now),senior seagoing officers are getting youngerand liability insurers have been pointing toaccidents caused by inexperience for a fewyears now. It’s no coincidence that TOTS wasdeveloped to provide a universal crew matrixfocusing on verifying experience levels.”

BonusesThe supply and demand situation has alsoencouraged the use of bonuses, according toParry. Shipmanagers and shipowners whoemploy both technical and commercial staffare recording bonuses at very similar levels,commonly in the range 10-30% of base salary,despite an understandable fall in 2009.

Spinnaker acts as the secretariat for theMaritime HR Forum, which is used by some35 major shipping employers to benchmarksalaries and benefits packages for 40shorebased jobs. According to the Forum’smanager, Sharon O’Ryan, “It remains a pointfor debate as to what difference the bonusmakes to individual performance and theability to recruit new personnel when thefocus tends to be on base salaries. However,once people get used to bonuses it’s very hardfor employers to stop paying them.”

Visa and work permits becoming a problem

Spinnaker’s Phil Parry.

TO

ShipArrestor system passes musterOslo-based Miko Marine hassuccessfully completed the firstfull-scale test of its ShipArrestorsystem on board an LNGC. This enables a helicopter to attach a seaanchor on a tow line to an unmanned vesselsuch as a tanker or gas carrier that is driftingwithout power. By reducing the speed of theship’s drift, the ShipArrestor increases thetime available for rescue tugs to reach thevessel before it runs aground with potentiallysevere environmental consequences.

The trial was undertaken in association withthe Norwegian Technical Institute andNorway’s Coastal Administration and recently

took place off the north coast of Norway usingthe 147,000 cu m LNGC Arctic Princess,which was made available by Hoegh LNG and Statoil.

The tests were conducted in two phases, thefirst being with a helicopter operated byLuftransport that successfully ‘lassoed’ thewinch gear and bollards on the foredeck of theArctic Princess. This was easily accomplishedwith a replica of the connecting ring and thelightweight chain that will be used in reality.

The second phase of the trial was completedshortly afterwards. It tested the performanceof the sea anchor itself and was completelysuccessful. A 30 m diameter nylon parachute

anchor was deployed from the Arctic Princessby a tug. It then turned the LNGC into thewind in less than 20 minutes and reduced itsrate of drift by 58%.

Claus Christian Apneseth, Miko Marine’sproject manager said: “The weather during thetrial was very benign and it would have beeninteresting if it had been more demanding,” hesaid. “Our pilot had no difficulty placing thering but he was confident that the operationwould remain feasible in rougher conditions.Although they would have been more of achallenge, it was probably better that our firstfull scale trial was performed in manageableconditions.” TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 8

LEADER IN MOBILE BROADBAND

Find out how KVH TracPhone V7 can change your business at:

www.kvh.com/tanker

©2010 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH, TracPhone, and the unique light-colored dome with dark contrasting baseplate are registered trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. 10_KE_V7miniVSAT_Comm_TankerOperator “What Broadband at sea was meant to be” and “mini-VSAT Broadband” are service marks of KVH Industries, Inc.

ArcLight is a registered trademark of ViaSat, Inc.; all other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Patents Pending.

An end-to-end communications solution with a compact 60 cm antenna and a fully integrated control unit and modem.

Dramatically cut your airtime costsand improve your ship’s operations with KVH’s mini-VSAT BroadbandSM –the most affordable service for broadband Internet, e-mail, and telephone!

Fast, low-cost Internet at sea – Rely on broadband Internet with speeds as fast as 2 Mbps down and 512 Kbps up while saving 85% or more vs. other solutions.

Crystal-clear telephone calls – Make calls whenever and wherever you wantusing either of the two lines of integrated voice service optimised for maritime customers or KVH’s crew calling solution.

Easy to install and setup –ViaSat’s exclusive ArcLight® spread spectrumtechnology enables a small 60 cm antenna with dramatically superior performance, easy installation and activation in as little as 1 day!

Seamless global coverage – mini-VSAT Broadband is a rapidly expanding Ku-band global network with totally automat-ic satellite switching and seamless roaming between regions.

What broadband at sea was meant to beSM – TracPhone® V7.

“We were particularly impressed with the TracPhone V7’s small size and afford-able airtime. We are excited to have a new solution for day-to-day shipboard satellite communications that is both affordable and easy to install alongside our existing Inmarsat and GSM systems. This helps to keep our business operations efficient, and allows the crew to use the services to stay in touch with their loved ones. This is espe-cially important, because in our industry retaining quality crew and officers is essen-tial.”

- Runar Gaarder, ICT Manager for Mowinckel Ship Management

Global Expansion Continues!

Africa & Indian Ocean are now live!Coming soon:

Brazil

mini-®

B R O A D B A N DSM

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 9

INDUSTRY – NEWS FOCUS

IGC revision comes a step nearer


Co-ordinator SIGTTO and the IGCCode revision steering group,headed by the MCA’s DavidMacRae, ‘tidied up’ certain

anomalies before presenting the document tothe IMO a few weeks ago.

This will ensure that the draft revised code ispresented for review at the 15th session of theBulk Liquid and Gases sub-committee (BLG15) due to take place in February next year.

If the IMO consultation process, includingthe BLG 15 review, goes according to plan, itis anticipated that the final draft of the revisedcode will be endorsed at BLG 16 in March2012 and then sent to the Maritime SafetyCommittee (MSC) for comment and approvalat its May 2012 meeting, enabling it to beadopted by the MSC in May 2013 and finallyentering into force in July 2014.

Following the BLG sub-committee’sFebruary 2008 decision to invite the industrysector to review and update the code, SIGTTOinvited experts from all sectors of the LNGshipping industry to participate in the project.

As a result, 129 participants from 18countries, representing 48 facets of theindustry, which included shipowners, classsocieties, shipyards, gas engineers, charterersand consultants among others, volunteered to help.

They were split up into nine workinggroups to undertake the work. Each group wasallocated specific IGC Code chapters forreview. In addition, a 10th group was formedto look specifically at emergency shutdown(ESD) systems. The working groups reportedto the steering group, which mainly comprisedof working group chairmen, all of whom weresenior industry figures.

The full technical review has involved 37working group meetings, each taking aroundtwo days with an average of 14 membersattending. The meetings were held in 14different countries, where the host’s marineadministrations were also invited to attend.

An estimated 990 man days were spent inthe working group meetings and an

incalculable number of hours ‘homework’ wasundertaken by individuals. SIGTTO said thatthe enthusiasm was demonstrated by the factthat the attendance at the meetings remainedconstant throughout.

Fundamental overhaulSIGTTO’s general manager Bill Wayneexplained that the code needed a fundamental‘root and branch’ overhaul. The IMO couldnot handle the task as it was of a highlytechnical nature. Likewise, SIGTTO had onlyobserver status at the IMO so had to produce ajoint paper with the UK’s MCA being a flagadministrator.

He explained that the original code waswritten in the late 1970s and again in 1983with further amendments being added in thelate 1990s.

In the Autumn of 2007, SIGTTOapproached the MCA to assign the work to theBLG sub-committee. This was accepted thefollowing year. Wayne said that by involving

various sectors of the industry in the revisionprocess, SIGTTO as co-ordinator of theproject, tried to keep a balance of all theinterested parties.

The revised document presented to the IMOwas translated into six different languages. Astandard was established for each chapter andthe high level goal was explained in the firstand second sentences of each chapter. Wayneexplained that the Chemical Code uses thesame structure. The code does not cover CNG,or hydrates. A CNG Code would be a separateproject, he said.

As for SIGTTO, the organisation haswelcomed two new members – GazpromGlobal LNG and Polskie LNG, which bringsthe membership up to 117 full members, 59 associate members and 20 non-contributory members.

At last November’s annual general meeting,president Mark Ross stepped down after fouryears in the chair. He was replaced by BGLNG Services’ Allyn Risley.

Work on the technical review of the International Code for the Construction and

Equipment of Ships carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) is nearing completion.

LNGCs have moved on technically since the last IGC was written.

TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:54 Page 10

Avoid bill shock!

Email: [email protected]/fleetbroadband

Satellite communications. And more.™

Vizada’s all-in-one maritime solutions

help to control your communications

costs via Inmarsat FleetBroadband.

Vizada Solutions™ are exclusively

available through Vizada Partners.

Visit us at SMM, booth no. B6.230.

•Make data 4 x cheaper and 2 x faster with new web compression.

•Control traffic online in real time.

•Set traffic limits and email alerts.

•Block and filter undesired data.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:55 Page 11

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 13:55 Page 12

INDUSTRY - GERMAN REPORT


Following a summit held on 5th July,

the conservative-liberal coalition

said it would cut the wage

subsidies for German-flagged

vessels to €28 mill per year, from €56 mill.

The money was used to reimburse social

insurance costs for seafarers and training

expenses for engineer apprentices. The halving

of the subsidies followed the maritime meeting

at which government and owners failed to

reach an agreement on administrative barriers

preventing most owners from accessing the

Berlin’s credit and loan guarantee scheme.

The cuts were thought to be part of a wider

austerity programme to address Germany’s

spiralling sovereign debt. The aid was

originally granted to partially offset the

perceived disadvantages in German labour and

training costs, compared with other flag states.

In response to the cuts, the German

Shipowners’ Association (VDR) said that this

move would put the German shipowners at an

economic disadvantage

It is a severe blow to the competitiveness of

the German flag, in addition to the numerous

competitive disadvantages it already suffers.

“The unilateral withdrawal of aid will hit our

industry very hard," said Ralf Nagel, VDR CEO.

He went on to say that this move made it

even more difficult to keep vessels in, or reflag

vessels to, the German flag. “We have to make

preparations, as soon as possible, on the best

course to take the German flag,” he said.

In all the relevant European Shipping

locations, taxes and social charges levied for

seafarers are to a lesser extent applicable. All

these measures are under the aid guidelines

issued by the European Commission on 17th

January 2004, which are not only legalised,

but also desirable, the VDR said.

"As an employer, we want to continue to

train at the highest level. We employ 30,000

German workers at sea and on land. We have

also persevered in the crisis," said Nagel.

On 1st January 2010, the VDR raised its

training budget by 20%, despite the difficult

economic situation. "If the federal

government does significantly lower the aid,

there will be less training. This is the wrong

signal," said Nagel.

At a meeting held in Cuxhaven at the

beginning of June, Nagel confirmed that the

maritime industry provides significant

employment in Germany. About 400,000 jobs are

directly dependent on the shipping sector, he said.

He called for the government to look at

shipping and location policy internationally

and not locally, as to be an international

modern and sustainable industry was the only

way to remain competitive, he said.

He also reiterated that the considerable

investment needed in training should be

sustained to aid shipping companies in the future.

A leading German owner’s representative

told TA�KEROperator that the latest moves

by the federal government to cut subsidies for

German flag vessels will in general cause a

problem for German shipowners in bringing

more vessels under the domestic flag.

This is quite problematic and will be

discussed further with the government, he said.

He also thought that the KG system in

Germany was virtually dead. “Still there are

other opportunities to find finance for good

projects, also with international sources.”

Flag exodusAlthough the German government has called

for the number of vessels in the German

registry to go past the 500 mark in order to

keep the German tonnage tax in place, the

number of ships flying the German flag had

dropped to 450 by the end of last year.

The German controlled fleet numbered

3,548 vessels of all types at the beginning of

this year, which is the highest on record.

Germany stands 13th in the list of flag states,

having 17.4 mill dwt of tonnage, giving the

registry 1.8% of the world’s share.

As for tankers under German control, these

numbered 425 at the end of 2009 of 22.1 mill

dwt, giving the country 4.4% of the world’s

tanker tonnage, according to figures produced

by HIS Fairplay for the VDR.

Funds availableAs for funding, one of the key sectors in the

German shipping industry, although the

German schemes primarily cover

containerships, there are other types that were

considered before the banking crisis all but

destroyed the German system.

In a summit held last March involving the

VDR and the German Federal Government, it

was said that both the individual German states

and the government were prepared to appropriate

guarantees to assist shipping companies.

Such support was forthcoming as shipping is

viewed as a ‘Sunrise Industry’ in that once the

crisis was over, Germany shipping concerns

have excellent prospects. At the time it was

claimed that the rate of training had been kept

up, despite the considerable economic pressure,

engendering confidence in the industry.

However, the €115 bill Deutschlandfonds –

launched in response to the global financial

and economic crisis and aimed at providing

healthy companies with liquidity and

financing – is to be closed at the end of 2010.

German owners have complained that the

application procedure and ratings applied by

the federal government’s development bank

German owners face an uphill battle with the government over aid.

Cutting aid willreduce training

A couple of months ago, the German Federal Government dropped a bombshell by

announcing it was drastically reducing aid for vessel flying the German flag.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:02 Page 13



KfW make it nearly impossible for them to

gain access to the funds.

It was reported at the time that KfW

representatives presented the summit with a

guidebook for applications and also pledged to

revise rating criteria for shipping, however,

the changes have yet to be adopted.

“We are eagerly waiting for the proposal,

which we need to study in more detail when it

is finally presented,” Nagel told reporters after

the meeting. He also stressed that the loan

guarantees should extended beyond 2010.

Berlin did approve subsidies of €2 mill per

ship for slow-steaming modifications to

vessels’ engines, but that measure is

considered to be more of a concession to

German repair yards than to owners.

“It is a nice to have – and perhaps ships

may then obtain a higher charter rate – but

engine modifications and higher maintenance

costs associated with slow steaming are

already paid by charterers today anyway,” one

owner’s representative explained.

The VDR said that many shipowners had

found a variety of solutions to the crisis

working with the shipyards. Talks between

China and Germany were highlighted as an

example of co-operation.

In a separate issue, One german steel

organisation has demanded that German ships

be built in German yards.

In response, the VDR pointed out that the

billions invested by German shipping

companies in shipbuilding worldwide

provided tens of thousands of jobs in

Germany. Also the overseas orders provided

German equipment manufacturers and

suppliers with a healthy orderbook.

The VDR said that there are around 30,000

Germans employed by local shipowners, of

which around 22,000 are employed ashore,

mainly in the northern German shipping

strongholds.

enviro

nment friendly

enviro

nment friendly

enviro

nment friendly

enviro

nment-friendly

be

cker productsreliable

TO

Another MR for OffenClaus-Peter OffenTankschiffreedrei (CP Offen)took delivery of the 52,000 dwtchemical/product tanker CPOIndia on the 29th July. She is the fourth in the series of eight and

will join her sisters in the CP Offen-ST

Shipping/Glencore co-operative venture.

During the middle of August, she was on

voyage with veg oil cargo parcels destined

for Europe. The final four will be delivered

from Hyundai Mipo throughout the year

2011.

Once the last vessel has been delivered,

Offen Tankers’ order book of eight 52.000

dwt and eight 36.000 dwt chemical/product

tanker will be completed, managing

director Stephan Polomsky explained.

The first eight Ice Class 1A 36,000 dwt

tankers are in service, trading in the

Maersk Handytankers Pool.

He also said that on 4th June a new sister

company - Offen Bulkers - took delivery

of the first Capesize bulk carrier - CPOAmerica.

She is the first of four 180.000 dwt

vessels to be delivered from Daewoo

Mangalia in Romania (two) and Daewoo

(two). They are all fixed on long term

charters. �

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:02 Page 14

German Tanker Shipping GmbH & Co. KGHans-Böckler-Str. 5028217 BremenPhone +49 421 387638Fax +49 421 3876390e-mail [email protected]

GERMAN TANKER SHIPPING

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:02 Page 15


This was achieved by buying out

the two minority partners in its

Hamburg-based shipmanagement

company and reshaping its

corporate organisation.

The 25% each minority interests held by

HCI Capital and Peter Doehle Schiffahrts in

Hellespont Hammonia have been bought out.

As a result, Hellespont Hammonia has been

renamed Hellespont Ship Management GmbH

& Co KG and is now a wholly-owned

subsidiary of the Hellespont group parent

company, which has been renamed Hellespont

Deutschland GmbH.

Phrixos Papachristidis, Hellespont group CEO,

said, "We entered the German market cautiously

with the help of two good partners in 2004.

Since then we have grown and established

our position here in Germany and today we

have an expert German staff and strong

relationships with German banks, charterers

and investors.

“By buying out our partners we become a

little more nimble and ready to move swiftly to

take up opportunities that the global recovery

may present. As we are currently predominantly

a tanker owner we have not been as hard hit as

some in the German shipping community,

which had such a strong containership focus

and we are poised for growth.

“Hamburg has shown itself to be an

excellent base from which to operate a high

quality global shipping group and we expect

to grow further here as the recovery

strengthens and opportunities arise."

Hamburg-based Hellespont Deutschland is

international shipping group Hellespont's core

organisation. The group manages vessels from

Hamburg, Piraeus and Singapore and has its

own crewing company in Manila.

Today, the group operates a chemical tanker

pool and manages a fleet of 27 modern crude,

product and chemical tankers and five

platform supply vessels. It has a further four

chemical tankers on order.

As for the tanker pool, this consists of eight

chemical tankers with another three

newbuildings still to come. Papachristidis

confirmed to TA�KEROperator that the goal

was still 15 vessels and that the company was

in discussions with potential partners.

Despite the recent news of German

government subsidy cuts aimed at vessel

owners flying the German flag, Papachristidis

said that the company would still consider

putting further vessels under the German flag

in due course.

At present, just one chemical tanker –

Hellespont Credo – flies the German flag.

He thought that despite the financial

meltdown that has hit the German market

badly, especially the KG sector, opportunities

for financing deals still existed. However, they

will not form part of the KG system that once

existed in abundance in Hamburg and

elsewhere in Germany.

“We feel that banks, emission houses,

investors and managers will eventually find a

way to structure deals again but we see this

taking place once credit and shipping markets

improve,” he explained.

At present, Hellespont Ship Management

only manages in-house vessels, but

Papachristidis said that he wishes to grow the

company, not only with more Hellespont

vessels, but also with third party owners.

Indeed, he said that third party

shipmanagement was offered from the Piraeus

and Singapore offices.

As for the market for smaller chemical

tankers in the 10,000 dwt to 19,999 dwt range,

Papachristidis said; “We do see a bright future

in this size going forward. It will take us some

time to get there especially after the financial

crisis we are going through and uncertainty in

the global economy.

“Once these factors have improved we feel

that charterers will eventually gravitate towards

this size range as there are economies of scale

in the use of bigger ships and we predict that

the fleet profile of the sub 10,000 dwt sector

will fall in the near future,” he concluded.

One overseas company that

has recently strengthened

its Hamburg base is the

Hellespont group.

Hellespont Centurion and Hellespont Charger seen transiting the Kiel Canal.

Hellespont consolidatesits Hamburg operation

TO

Hellespont group CEO Phrixos Papachristidis.


p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:02 Page 16

From 7th to 10th September, the

24th Hamburg Messe event will

play host to more than 50,000

visitors from all over the world.

More environmental friendly and cost

efficient operations will be the highlights of

the technology and products on view. Being

held for the 24th time, in total around 2,000

exhibitors from 50 countries will be on hand

to discuss all things maritime.

Despite the downturn, there is an increase

in the number of national pavilions booked

this year to 30. The newcomers include India,

Sweden and Singapore.

SMM 2008 attracted 53,006 trade visitors

and 1,968 exhibitors from 56 nations. Some

64% of the exhibitors came from overseas.

A total of 87,000 sq m of exhibition space

in 11 halls and the open air grounds were

also used in 2008 – a record for the

world’s leading shipbuilding fair. This year’s

space has already been fully booked, the

organisers claimed.

On the evening of the 6th September, a

festive opening ceremony will see the IMO’s

Efthimios Mitropoulos give the opening

address. He will also be the key speaker at

gmec, the first global maritime environmental

protection congress being held in conjunction

with SMM.

The conference is due to be held on 7th-

8th September at the Hamburg Congress

Center (CCH). Key speakers will include

David Dingle, chairman of the European

Cruise Council and CEO of Carnival UK,

GL’s Dr Hermann Klein, Emanuele Grimaldi

and LR’s Tom Boardley, The three chairmen

will be Carnival’s Micky Arison, the ICS’

Spyros Polemis and Dr Corrado Antonini,

chairman of Fincantieri. German Chancellor

Angela Merkel will be the patron of both

SMM and gmec.

As usual with any major exhibition, there

are a number of seminars and conferences

being held around SMM, including the

offshore sector, finance and marine coatings,

among others.

Finance, or lack of it, will be discussed as

the crisis has hit this particular sector hard.

Huge over-capacities and low charter rates are

burdening this previously highly profitable

business.

Banks, emission houses and investors are

all suffering and as a result, the industry faces

several difficult challenges. Discussions will

be held regarding the use of state aid and

subsidies also play a role in the finance sector.

The problems are still ongoing and solutions

are still being sought.

Recognising the significance of a thriving

offshore sector, which has undergone

considerable transformation over the past few

years and as such it is playing an even greater

role in the maritime industry and global

economy, Hamburg Messe is holding a special

two-day workshop during SMM.

John Westwood, who has over 32 years’

experience in the energy industry, will open

the ‘Offshore Dialogue workshop’ and start

the proceedings with an in-depth overview of

the market.

The two days will then go on to take a close

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


The organisers of SMM 2010 have themed this year’s event

‘the dawn of the green era in shipbuilding and shipping’.

Latest technologyto be highlighted

in Hamburg

Pho

to:

Mic

hael

Zap

f

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:25 Page 17


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

look at the need for purpose-built construction

ships, new solutions and technologies required

for extraction – and the considerable potential

of renewable energies for shipyards and

maritime suppliers.

Protective Coatings Europe Magazine (PCE)

will again be holding a two-day international

Marine Coatings Conference during the SMM.

The conference will take place on the 8th

and 9th September within the SMM

Exhibition Halls, and time will be allocated

for delegates to visit the exhibition.

The theme of the conference is ‘Marine

coating’s developments for the next decade’

and to date 14 papers have been confirmed,

with presentations from consultants,

shipyards, classification societies, coatings

suppliers, equipment and instrument suppliers

and contractors.

Topics to be covered include, the impact of

ship design on coating performance, ending

corrosion problems in ballast tanks by a visco-

elastic coating, use of robots in tank coatings,

and the detection and removal of soluble salt

contamination and the effect of hull coatings

on fuel efficiencies.

There are a plethora of other seminars,

meetings and conferences being held at the

same time.

Listed below are just some of the 2,000 or

so exhibitors in strict alphabetical order.

Alfa Laval will be showcasing a range of

solutions at SMM covering a wide range of

marine activities.

All of them will have one thing in common:

their ability to provide value with minimal

effort and lifecycle cost, the company

claimed. Exhibition highlights will include:

PureBallast 2.0 and EX.

Alfa Laval’s system for ballast water

treatment has now entered its second

generation. Energy consumption has been

greatly reduced, and there are many other

improvements that contribute to easier

operation. A new EX version for vessels with

potentially explosive environments will also

be on show.

S-separator - The new series of Alfa Laval’s

S-separator combines proven advantages with

a wide range of technical developments.

Smart adjustments in the disc stack, including

an increase in separation area, create even

greater efficiency and allow the use of a

smaller separator for a given capacity.

Additional changes, such as a new drive

system, make the separator more robust and

easy to use, the company said.

Alfa Laval AOT 3F - Alfa Laval’s new AOT

3F steriliser provides chemical-free water

purification and an effective microbiological

barrier against Legionella. It is based on

Wallenius Advanced Oxidation Technology

(AOT), a water purification system that

imitates nature's own way of purifying water.

The steriliser is cost and energy efficient,

handling heavy-duty demands despite its low

weight and small footprint.

Other solutions on show will include

PureBilge, Alfa Laval’s centrifugal separation

system for bilge water, and the AQUA

freshwater generator, which reduces pumping

needs, energy consumption and CO2

production by cutting seawater use in half.

Alphatron Marine is presenting a selection

of products out of the Alphaline services at

SMM - booth 420, Hall B6.

Among products on show will be -:

� JMA 610 Alphatron JRC inland river radar.

� Alphaminicourse maintenance free

gyrocompass.

� Alphachart T type approved ECDIS.

� Alphaseapilot autopilot range.

� Alpha BNWAS bridge watch alarm system.

� Alphaline MF multifunction instruments.

� Alphaconnect marine PABX telephone

exchange.

� Alpha announce PA system.

� Alphabridge modular bridge console

concept.

Other products include -

� Alphamulticommandchair for dynamic

positioning and workboat application.

� Alphatron multifunction touch screen

control and command system for easy

control of various functionalities like

switching, information, alarm system and

Audio/Video.

� AV and IT, which are increasingly

important functions on board of vessels

today.

� The Alphatainment system, which is

developed for vessels ranging from

workboats to inland river cruise with 100

cabins and is offered from each required

station, plus Video on demand, VoIP, ticket

system, hotel management and safety

instruction.

Alphatron Marine is also presenting the latest

products from its partners such as;

� CNS with its AIS system for land

applications and on board.

� Yokogawa with its gyrocompass.

� Thrane & Thrane with its the latest range

of communication products mounted in a

slim table top console.

� Intellian with a full range of V-sat and

satellite television antennas.

Alfa Laval’s PureBallast system.

Alphatron JRC’s inland river radar.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:25 Page 18

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


At SMM, Hamburg-based Armaturen-Wolff,

a producer of quick-closing valve plants for

several decades, is presenting a quick-closing

valve system with electrical release.

Quick-closing valves and the corresponding

control technology are essential safety

equipment on board a vessel. According to

SOLAS as well as all relevant international

classification societies’ provisions, in case of

an emergency – eg a fire in the engine room –

there has to be a system to rapidly and

remotely stop all fuel supply into the

endangered area.

For this purpose, pneumatic, manually

hydraulic and (for simpler arrangements)

rope-pull systems are widely accepted.

In the new concept, the same general

mechanical type quick-closing valves is used as

in conventional systems: The tappet of an

actuator fixes the valve in open position against

the force of a compressed spring. When

released, the tappet is retracted and gives way

for the fixing nut, the consequence of which is

that the valve closes under spring force.

Only the design of the actuator is different

with electrically controlled valves from

the regularly known conventional quick-

closing valves.

On the electric systems, the valves are

connected via a control cabinet, which

guarantees an uninterrupted power-supply and

allows the remote control of the release action.

Since such systems are designed

specifically for a case of emergency,

regardless of their control technology concept,

a self-sustaining function has to be included –

the system has to be fully operational even if

no auxiliary energy on board is available.

Equally, a short and maybe a non-critical

blackout, or other single disturbances, won’t

lead to an uncontrolled valves closure.

One special aspect of electric systems is the

relatively simple integration of a

comprehensive system supervision function.

Consequently, all control lines are

permanently controlled and monitored inside

the control cabinet with a collective failure

alarm module.

In case a cable should be defective or a plug

should not be fixed properly, a collective fault

alarm is generated, which can be signalled on-

site as a general machinery alert, as well as in

the engine control room or on the bridge.

After several development enhancements

and an extensive process of assessment, the

GL has issued a type approval certificate for

the application of this new kind of technology.

Equally, the German flag authority, the

Seamen’s Accident Prevention and Insurance

Association (Seeberufsgenossenschaft), have

given their consent.

Hamburg-based ship supplier Becker

Marine Systems will once again be

appearing alongside it’s steering gear partner,

HATLAPA Uetersener Maschinenfabrik, at

this year’s SMM.

As a specialist in high performance rudders

and manoeuvring systems, Becker offers a

comprehensive range of products.

The focus of the company’s presentation is

on innovative product developments and their

possibilities for optimising propulsion.

Following the success of the Mewis Duct®

launched in 2008, Becker will this year be

reporting on the range of product features

shown in operation.

The Mewis Duct® has since proven itself

on large bulk carriers and tankers as an

effective energy-saving method. From the its

R&D department, Becker is presenting the

newly developed Flextail® ruder.

An ISO 9001 : 2000 Certified Company

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:25 Page 19


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

This features an innovative rudder design

with an improved fibre-composite fin for better

flow and load handling. Becker already offers

its customers a fibre-composite rudder shaft.

Caterpillar Marine Power Systems, together

with representatives from Cat® Financial and

the global Cat dealer network, said that it will

feature a wealth of solutions with an increased

focus on the company’s commitment to

sustainable development at SMM.

In 2010, ‘Your Success. Our Commitment.’

will be the overriding theme for the

Caterpillar stand at SMM – promoting the

company’s dedication to work with the

customer to achieve their goals.

Under the headline ‘Sustainable Solutions

for Your Success,’ Caterpillar will promote its

commitment to sustainable development. All

of the products and services to be highlighted

at the show booth influence the support of

customer needs while also supporting

sustainability and environmental protection.

Some of the main topics will include an

IMO III strategy, upgrade and overhaul kits,

and engine technology, including Flex

Cam Technology (FCT) and Cat Common

Rail (CCR).

Using 300 sq m of space, the Caterpillar

display at SMM 2010, outside the booth,

visitors will notice an overview of recent

developments for the MaK and Cat product

lines and product support services. However,

a large communication area inside the stand

will provide customers the opportunity to

meet and interact with ‘Team Caterpillar’.

Caterpillar Marine Power Systems,

headquartered in Hamburg, groups all the

marketing and service activities for Cat and

MaK marine engines within Caterpillar Inc.

The organisation provides power solutions

in the medium- and high-speed segments with

outputs from 93 to 16,000 kW in main

propulsion and 10 to 7,680 kWe in marine

generator sets.

The sales and service network includes

more than 2,100 dealer locations worldwide

dedicated to support customers in deepsea,

commercial marine and pleasure craft.

Chemring Marine is exhibiting its

extensive range of Pains Wessex marine

distress signals at SMM, as well as unveiling

its new Pains Wessex Manoverboard MK8 and

Buoysmoke MK8 lifebuoy markers.

The world’s leading supplier of marine

distress signals to commercial and leisure

marine markets has several distributors

exhibiting at the Hamburg event.

Pains Wessex distributor, Hygrapha, from

Germany, is on stand B5/461 and will be

displaying the new products.

New Chemring Marine managing director

Justine Heeley will be attending the trade

show along with German-based sales manager

Holger Muegge to meet new and existing

distributors and customers.

The new Manoverboard and Buoysmoke

products will be initially available through

Pains Wessex’s European distributors before

being sold in other global markets. They both

replace previous MOB 360 and Buoysmoke

MK2 models.

The updated products boast a number of

important features and benefits, including:

� Sturdy, robust and far exceeds SOLAS

requirements.

� Drop-tested to 60 m (SOLAS only requires

30 m and MOB 360 was 50 m).

� Reed-switched lights, not water-activated.

� Universal two-piece stainless steel

mounting bracket makes fixing to

inaccessible bridge wings easier.

Pains Wessex new Manoverboard MK8.

e

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:25 Page 20

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


� Retaining clip aids security and helps

prevent accidental loss of the signal in

very bad weather conditions.

� Ideal for large tankers and oil and gas rigs.

Pains Wessex product manager Keith

Bradford said, “The new Pains Wessex

Manoverboard MK8 day and night Lifebuoy

Marker produces 15 minutes of dense orange

smoke and a self-activated lighting system,

which far exceeds SOLAS requirements

for light output of two candela and two

hours duration.

“The new Pains Wessex Buoysmoke MK8

is identical, except that it does not feature the

lighting system, so is an orange smoke

daytime marker only,” he concluded.

Chemring Marine, based in Fareham, UK,

is part of the Chemring Group and is the

world’s leading supplier of SOLAS, MED &

USCG-approved marine distress signals.

What are claimed to be the first widescreen

marine panel computers will be on display at

Conrac’s stand.

The company will introduce a series of

marine grade panel PCs adding the flexibility

of an integrated solution to Conrac’s wide

ECDIS marine displays.

Experienced in the integration of industrial

PCs, Conrac designed the ultimate marine

panel computer specified to run all marine

applications, from automation and control to

ECDIS and navigation.

Designed for 24/7 operation, this embedded

solution offers an extremely reliable platform,

the company said. The integrated high

performance industrial PC is based on the

latest low-power embedded technology.

As a special feature, Conrac integrated a

proprietary system monitoring application

Conrac’s widescreen marine panel computer.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 21


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

called SysMon, which is used to control

various settings and to obtain exact

information on a multitude of parameters. It

controls the backlights, supervises the system

and allows the integration of the next

generation of ambient light control - ALCplus.

Available are console mount versions with

screen sizes of 56 cm and 66 cm diagonal,

offering the same look-and-feel as the monitor

only versions. The only eye-catching

difference between the integrated solution and

the monitor-only version are two front USBs,

Conrac said.

The company’s large screen naval displays

have been tested according to various MIL

standards. Conrac’s series of ruggedised

displays up to a screen size of 165 cm has

been tested according to MIL-STD-167 and

810. Furthermore, the displays proved to

withstand severe underwater explosions up to

100 g. Available as options are touch solutions

and integrated IPCs.

Federal-Mogul will present three of its

brands at SMM.

In Hall A3, Stand 102 the company will

introduce DAROS as the latest addition to the

Federal-Mogul family together with the

established GOETZE and DEVA brands.

The DAROS group, headquartered in

Gothenburg, was acquired by Federal-Mogul

in June 2010.

The acquisition enhances Federal-Mogul’s

leading position in the industrial piston rings

market. DAROS piston rings are widely

recognised for their leadership in large-bore

two-stroke engines.

The product range complements the

GOETZE portfolio which focuses on four-

stroke engines for industrial applications in

commercial shipping and energy generation.

Federal-Mogul offers industrial piston rings

with diameters ranging from 145 mm up to

980 mm. The rings are used mainly in large

engines with a power output of more than 100

MW, for example in commercial ships like

large tankers and bulk carriers.

The rings are made of a special cast iron,

machined with complex geometries and are

surface finished with extremely wear-resistant

coatings applied under high temperatures or

by electroplating. Piston rings seal the

combustion chamber in the engine while the

piston moves up and down inside the cylinder.

The piston-ring set also aids in the transfer

of heat out of the combustion-chamber and in

the distribution of lubricants to the cylinder

wall to allow for long engine life cycles. The

challenge for the piston rings is to keep oil

consumption to a minimum, while ensuring

optimal lubrication at the same time.

“The global market for industrial, large-bore

piston rings is a strategic opportunity for

Federal-Mogul,” explained Rainer Jueckstock,

senior vice-president powertrain energy

business unit. “We intend to invest in this

market to offer technology and service to

support all new industrial engine programs.

The consolidation of the DAROS team into

Federal-Mogul will give us new market access

and specialised technology for innovation and

business growth.”

According to Franz-Guenther Cantow,

director global sales and engineering, the

market for industrial piston rings is growing

worldwide. “Energy companies and global

logistics providers require additional power

generation and shipping capacity. We want to

capitalise on these sales opportunities.

“Our latest technology piston rings, in

particular, enable our customers to meet the

ever more stringent regulations regarding

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 22

SMM 2010 PREVIEW

emission reduction. With our combined

product range, development and production

capacities and integrated distribution channels,

we offer our customers innovative and

technologically leading products in

outstanding quality and delivery reliability,”

he said.

When the DAROS business has been

integrated into Federal-Mogul, industrial

piston rings will be sold under the Federal-

Mogul GOETZE and DAROS brands

according to their respective market presence

and engine type.

At SMM in Hamburg, both brands will be

presenting a cross-section of their respective

product ranges.

One of the most innovative initiatives in

recent years is the Danish Green Ship of the

Future project.

Many of the members and project partners

are participating at SMM with their own

stands.

The organisation itself will be attending

with its Green Ship booth in hall B1 in the

Danish Pavilion where several project partners

will be available.

The Harris Pye Group (HPG) is sharing a

stand with EPSCO Deutschland GmbH (Hall

B5, stand 168) at SMM. Two key elements

will come under the HPG spotlight at the

show – both drydocks. These are the new

Duqm Dry Dock in Oman and Swansea Dry

Docks in Wales, UK.

The new Duqm Dry Dock is set to rival the

biggest in the region and will be equipped to

handle some of the largest vessels in service

including ULCCs. Harris Pye Gulf LLC, well

used to working on large vessels of all types,

will play a key role at Duqm as a prime

contractor, offering a full range of services to

all Oman Drydock Company (ODC) clients.

Harris Pye Gulf is part of HPG. Operating

worldwide on a 24/7 basis, the group’s

emphasis is on cost effective repair,

preventative maintenance and conversion work.

In Wales, HPG has invested heavily to

revitalise Swansea’s Duke of Edinburgh and

Prince of Wales drydocks. The group used the

drydock from November 2009-March 2010

for the refurbishment and refit of cruise liner

Saga Pearl II. Following this project, HPG

signed a longer lease on the drydocks in

April 2010.

Since then Harris Pye has undertaken work

on a ferry, three dredgers and a tanker being

converted into a bulk carrier.

Staff strength within the Group has grown

from 10 in 1976 to 750 plus employees in the

UK head office facility and main stations in

Sharjah and Singapore (all three are ASME

‘R”, 'U' and 'S' stamp accredited); and offices

and repair facilities in Scandinavia, Portugal,

Brazil, Bahrain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan

and Australia.

The group is one of the world’s leading

specialists in repair of marine and industrial

boilers, including all associated steam

systems. A constant stock of over 400 tonnes

of premium quality steel and alloy tubes

ensures rapid reaction to clients’ repair

requirements.

Harris Pye has expertise in automation,

control engineering and shiprepair; industrial

services; the manufacture of food-grade

stainless steel galley/land-based kitchen

equipment; and ship outfitting. Over the past

10 years, HPG has also developed services to

the offshore oil industry to include in situ

repair, upgrade and conversion of rigs, semi-

submersibles, trading tankers, FSU, FSO,

FPSO and FSRU units.

WEATHER SERVICES & ROUTING

Jeppesen, Tel. + 47 51 46 47 00, www.jeppesen.com/marine

e-Navigation, so simple

As a subscriber to Jeppesen’s weather services, you

have total oversight in a single glance: the latest

charts and updates, accurate weather information

and even piracy reports. With better decision-making

tools, shipping companies can choose the optimal

route, reducing cargo damage, transit times, stress

and even the likelihood of encountering pirates.

Combining updated charts, weather and piracy data

gives officers and managers more peace of mind.

Route your ship away from troubled waters

Jeppesen OnBoard means a weather information service that integrates completely with our charting solutions


p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 23


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

Two years ago, at SMM 2008, the Imtech Marine Group (IMG)

was introduced as a newly formed group of companies who joined

forces under the group banner. Two years later, the group will return, in

hall B6, same location stand No 210.

The group will show case its capabilities focusing on life cycle

support. Managing each project from pre-design and engineering

through to commissioning, IMG operates as a full-service provider and

system integrator of tailor made technology solutions.

IMG specialises in automation (platform and bridge), navigation &

communications, including connectivity, energy & drive systems,

HVAC solutions and fire protection systems, entertainment, lighting

systems and maritime services. The group employs more than 2,500

staff at more than 70 offices located on major shipping routes and close

to shipbuilding centres.

At the stand some of the latest developments, among others

integrated bridge systems, platform automation systems, electrical drive

& energy systems, HVAC technology, live connectivity will be

presented and specifically ‘green technology’, will be displayed. Special

attention will be paid to IMG’s life cycle support capabilities.

Members of the group are Imtech Marine Germany, Imtech Schiffbau-

/Dockbautechnik, Radio Holland Group, Imtech Marine & Offshore,

Royal Dirkzwager and Van Berge Henegouwen Installaties. Schiffbau-

/Dockbautechnik will also be exhibiting in hall B5.

IMG companies work closely together, combining expertise in

electrical, electronic, mechanical and ICT disciplines and share

knowledge to offer customers integrated solutions and service from

engineering through newbuild and during the whole operational life

cycle of a ship.

For newbuilds, retrofits and conversions Imtech provides a wide

range of systems based on its core technologies. Shipowners and

shipbuilders can make use of Imtech’s skills in the field of design,

engineering, system integration, project management, electrical and

mechanical installation, site management, commissioning and

maintenance.

Through a worldwide network of more than 70 offices covering

major ports, shipowners also make use of the maintenance services of

the group and especially the many forms of managed services

agreements. Related services include connectivity and ICT (including

remote maintenance).

In June 2010, Imtech Marine organised a green energy event in

Rotterdam as the company provides technology, expertise and technical

IMG’s impressive stand.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 24

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


competences to control vessel emissions and

energy management on board. IMG has also

recently introduced a strategy group on green

shipping.

Achieving zero emissions is a challenge,

which can not only be enhanced by changing

operational ship’s management, but also by

the use of alternative fuel sources and

alternative technology. The consensus during

the Imtech green energy event, shared by

speakers and attendees, was - “green shipping

is an evolution, not a revolution.'“

L-3 SAM Electronics will feature a wide

range of next-generation shipmanagement

systems and sensors for automation,

communications, navigation, positioning,

propulsion and energy distribution

applications in its stand at SMM 2010,

September 7–10 (Hall B6, Stand 340).

The stand will include live demonstrations

of the latest NACOS Platinum series of

advanced scalable navigation, automation and

control systems, featuring common

components and operating networks to

provide unrivalled modes of integrated

functionality for vessels of all types and sizes.

The series is claimed to offer simplified

levels of usability while ensuring higher

standards of operational safety. Systems have

already been commissioned for product

tankers and other vessel types under

construction in Asia and Europe.

In addition, L-3 SAM Electronics will be

showcasing its new SAM ConnectNet

product, a high-speed ship-to-shore assembly

that merges vessel communication systems

into complete enterprise-wide IT networks, as

well as diesel electric propulsion assemblies

and energy-efficient shaft alternators.

Other L-3 capabilities on display at SMM

include high-end automation and dynamic

positioning systems, echosounders and sonars

and control components from L-3 Valmarine of

Norway, L-3 Dynamic Positioning & Control

Systems of the US, Kiel-based L-3 ELAC

Nautik and Italian subsidiary L-3 APSS.

Located in Hamburg SAM Electronics, a

division of the L-3 Marine & Power Systems

group, employs over 1,300 people worldwide

and is a turnkey supplier of complete

electrical systems. SAM Electronics is also a

leading supplier of integrated navigation,

automation, communication, energy

distribution and propulsion systems for all

types of ships.

Comprising 20 operating companies, L-3

Marine & Power Systems (L-3 M&PS) is

involved in maritime automation and control,

navigation, communications, dynamic

positioning, and power distribution and

conditioning for commercial customers

worldwide.

Leading rope manufacturer, Lankhorst

Ropes will unveil an innovation in rope

splicing that reduces the size and weight of

the rope's 'eye' splice, making it easier to

handle during mooring and towing operations,

yet produces a stronger rope, at SMM 2010,

Hall 7, Booth 351.

Called A3, the splice is claimed to be 100%

efficient, which means there is no loss in rope

strength due to splicing. It also makes rope

handling easier as there is no doubling of the

rope or splice stiffness in the mainline

commonly experienced with traditional rope

splicing. Moreover, the A3 splice design is less

prone to the effect of abrasion on vulnerable

areas of the splice covering, thus providing a

longer lasting rope, Lankhorst Ropes said.

Traditional splice testing witnessed by

Lloyds Register and the A3 splice with a

Lankhorst Strongline braided mooring rope

showed the traditional spliced rope had a

breaking force of 925 kN compared with 1,140

kN for the A3 splice; demonstrating a 23%

increase in breaking force with the A3 splice.

Launching the A3 rope splice at SMM

2010, Steven Wardenier, commercial director,

Lankhorst Ropes commented, “This is an

important development for ship and tug

operators. The new splice enables a stronger

rope that provides greater safety in rope

handling, and offers significant savings in the

overall cost of rope ownership.”

The A3 splice will be progressively

introduced across the Lankhorst Ropes range

through 2010/11.

The diverse marine engineering specialities

of MA� Diesel & Turbo will again be

highlighted at SMM with an emphasis on new

developments to support shipowners and yards

in reducing costs and improving operating

efficiency.

The highest output, power density and

efficiency in its class is offered by the V20-

cylinder MAN 32/44CR medium speed

engine, whose advanced specification includes

common rail fuel injection, variable valve

timing (VVT) and variable turbine area (VTA)

turbocharging.

These and other features enable the engine to

achieve NOx emission values below the IMO

Tier II limits, as well as smokeless operation.

Significantly tougher Tier III NOx

emissions requirements are met by installing a

selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in

the exhaust line.

A newly developed Alpha controllable pitch

propeller (CPP) series delivers high propulsive

efficiency from a compact, flow-optimised

hub design, as well as enhanced simplicity,

reliability and maintainability from fewer

internal elements.

The high-efficiency VBS Alpha CPP

programme offers 20 hub sizes ranging from

600 mm to 2,150 mm diameter, corresponding

to an approximate engine power range of

1,000 kW to 40,000 kW. The new hubs were

designed with a number of inherent service,

SAM Electronic’s NACOS Platinum IBS (left) and (right) NACOS Platinum navigation automation control system.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 25


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

inspection and exchange features.

Alpha CPP designs were the first in which

stern tube system and propeller hub

mechanism can operate with biodegradable

oil, eliminating environmental risk and

guaranteeing internal lubrication even in the

event of contamination by sea water.

MAN Diesel & Turbo’s TCR radial

turbocharger series is supplemented at its

lower output end by a model tailored to boost

a new generation of small four-stroke engines

from MAN and other designers. Addressing

the demands of engines with ratings from 300

kW to 580 kW per turbocharger, the new

TCR10 model delivers a pressure ratio up to

5.5 and is designed for installations burning

heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil or gas.

Compact and lightweight (40 kg), the

TCR10 runs at speeds up to 84,100 rev/min

and can operate with exhaust gas temperatures

up to 650 deg C. The TCR10 is the smallest

member of a turbocharger family embracing

seven frame sizes (topped by the TCR22

model) and covering applications on four-

stroke and two-stroke engines with power

ratings from 300 kW to 6,500 kW per

turbocharger.

Significant opportunities are foreseen for

gas-fuelled tonnage as exhaust emissions

limits tighten, the potential market extending

from LNGCs and offshore vessels to embrace

LPGs and other vessel types.

MAN B&W ME-GI (gas injection) two-

stroke engines promise economical and

operational benefits over other low speed-

engined plants, irrespective of ship size. Based

on the successful electronically-controlled ME

heavy fuel burning diesel engines, the ME-GI

design exploits systems enabling natural gas

and liquid fuels to be handled.

Low speed two-stroke engine requirements

are covered by LSeries system oils and

cylinder oils. The LSeries30s product is a

premium quality SAE 30 grade alkaline

system oil for the crankcases of two-stroke

engines, and is particularly suitable for those

with oil-cooled pistons.

Bearings are protected from corrosive wear,

oil purification is simplified and time-

between-overhauls extended.

Two-stroke engines burning low sulphur

fuels will benefit from the LSeries40c

product, a high performance 40 BN/SAE 50

cylinder lubricant delivering excellent

lubrication properties in conjunction with

wear protection. Similar benefits are offered

by a high performance 70 BN/SAE 50

cylinder oil (LSeries70c) formulated for two-

stroke engines burning high sulphur fuels.

Both cylinder oil products are designed to

lubricate all low speed marine engines

operating at high specific power outputs and

high thermal loads.

An increasing number of ship operators

appreciate the logistical benefits of MAN

PrimeServ’s EMC-Pit Stop spares and

exchange concept, particularly for Holeby

engine-based gensets, the company claimed.

The scheme enables participating ships to

carry the bare minimum of spares on board,

thus releasing space and reducing ‘dead

money’.

Spares for a planned maintenance or

overhaul project are delivered to a designated

port in a standard 8ft to 10ft container for safe

and easy handling. The containers are

arranged to stow spares for MAN L16/24,

L21/31, L27/38, L23/30, L23/30H, L28/32,

L28/32H and L32/40 medium speed engines.

Among the leading shipowners using the Pit

Stop connection is Norway’s Odfjell Tankers,

Boston +1.617.723.2727

Athens +30.694.854.2780

Rotterdam +31.6.112.88.99.1

Singapore +65.6725.6328

Powerful, proven software solutions for the maritime shipping industry

Veson Nautical gives you a clear view of your shipping operations

The latest Integrated Maritime Operations System (IMOS) streamlines critical processes:

• Chartering• Operations• Financials

IMOS is comprehensive, flexible, and intuitive — generating great results for charterers,

ship owners, and operators throughout the world. Find out more at www.veson.com

• IMOS Onboard — communicate with vessels• Forward Freight Agreements — manage and monitor positions• Demurrage Overview — improve control

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 26

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


which has sourced spares for diesel gensets

for over 10 years. A fast turnround and

consistent quality of parts are among the cited

benefits, along with longer times-between-

overhauls, lower oil consumption, good

engine performance and less downtime.

The main Odfjell contract elements cover

reconditioning or renewing cylinder liners,

overhaul or renewal of cylinder covers and

renewal of cylinder cover parts.

Tightening limits on sulphur oxide

emissions from ships at sea and in port are

dictating that operators switch to low sulphur

fuel oil or adopt approved SOx abatement

technology. Extreme care must be taken in

switching from normal bunker fuel to a low

sulphur product when entering or leaving an

ECA, or harbour, if operational safety is not to

be compromised.

MAN Diesel & Turbo claims to have

addressed these concerns with a Diesel Switch

system designed to ensure a smooth and safe

changeover between different fuels. The

switch is made automatically from heavy fuel

oil to marine diesel/gas oil and vice versa.

The company will be showing a

turbocharger cut-out retrofit solution at SMM.

�avis Engineering of Vantaa, Finland will

unveil a new generation of the whole

company’s product line, including the AP4000

autopilot (replacing the AP3000), the JP4000

joystick control system/autopilot (previously

JP3000) and the NavDP4000 series dynamic

positioning system.

The AP4000 autopilot has undergone a

substantial redesign. The front panel has been

given a more modern outlook, materials and

technology and a 6.5’ high contrast and

resolution colour display with the 150 deg

viewing angle.

In addition, the level of front panel

protection has been increased from IP44 up to

IP67 which makes the AP4000 suitable for

outdoor installations (on a flying bridge or

port/starboard wings). The user-friendly GUI

complies with all the industry ergonomic

standards and is very easy to read and operate,

Navis claimed. Day and night colour palettes

are available.

The autopilot’s software has also been

considerably upgraded. The network control

transfer functionality for up to five network

connected control panels has been added. To

facilitate the fine-tuning of the autopilot

performance, only one parameter – sensitivity

- is used, which allows the covering of all the

known yawing, steering and counter rudder

settings of the autopilots of other brands.

The AP4000 has a built-in heading monitor

system (HMS) functionality, which makes it

possible to constantly receive and monitor the

data coming from two heading data sources

(gyro+gyro, gyro+magnetic compass,

gyro+fluxgate etc). Several speed sources can

also be used during operation (GPS, water

speed log or bottom tracking log).

In addition to the control modes present in

the previous generation of AP4000s, three more

have been added - the course pilot control

mode, which allows for steering by a preset

COG value; the windvane mode for sailing

yachts, making it possible to steer

by setting the relative wind angle, and the river

pilot mode, allowing the operator to steer the

vessel by a preset ROT value using an external

ROT tiller, or a knob in the control panel.

In the Track and Autonav modes, the

AP4000 acts like a TCS of the ‘A’ and ‘C’

categories respectively.

The AP4000’s fully self-adjusting auto tune

algorithm allows for easy adapting the

autopilot performance to the hydrodynamic

parameters of any vessel irrespectively of its

displacement and dimensions. This makes it

possible to use the AP4000 on board of any

commercial vessel with a single rudder, linked

rudder, independent rudder or stern azimuth

Z-drive configuration.

Full certification of the AP4000 is expected

to be finalised by the end of this year.

Communications and safety at sea

specialist, Ocean Signal, will launch three

new products at SMM.

These include SafeSea E100/E100G series

of emergency position indicating radio

beacons (EPIRBs), SafeSea S100 search

and rescue transponder (SART) and the

SafeSea V100 survival craft VHF hand

Count on the new MarineLine® X tank

coating for long-term performance in handling crude oil and DPP cargoes. This coating effectively resists the high temperature and sulphuric acid/moisture build-up of wet inert gas systems.

for Oil Tankers and FPSOs

THE tank coating system for carrying crude oil cargoes & DPPs.

+01 440-937-6218 Phone +01 440-937-5046 Fax www.adv-polymer.com

Oil tankers only coat part of a tank.

Advanced Polymer Coatings

Avon, Ohio 44011 U.S.A.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 27


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

portable radiotelephone.

The SafeSea® S100 SART is a dedicated

radar transponder which complies with IMO

SOLAS regulations. In common with the

SafeSea EPIRB, the S100 SART has a user

replaceable battery, which is classified as non-

hazardous for shipment and gives 96 hours

operation in standby.

Both the SafeSea® E100 and E100G EPIRBs

have the longest quoted operational battery lives

in the industry with enough capacity to operate

the EPIRB continuously, typically for four

whole days, even using the E100G with GPS

fix and in worse case temperatures to -20 deg C,

Ocean Signal claimed.

In addition, batteries can be replaced by the

user, eliminating the need to return the unit to

the manufacturer, or agent when they need

changing.

The SafeSea SART is waterproof to a depth

of 10 m and operates between -20 deg C to

+55 deg C.

As for the SafeSea® V100 GMDSS hand

held radio, this is a rugged, fully featured

hand-portable GMDSS radiotelephone

complying with the IMO performance

standards for use in survival craft and

exceeding GMDSS environmental

requirements.

The radio is supplied with all 21

international simplex channels, as required

by the regulations. Once again, the

emergency Lithium primary battery offers

unique features, such as the battery

protection tab to avoid inadvertent use. Only

when the tab is broken off will the battery

operate the radio, ensuring the pack is at full

capacity when needed. A transmitter helps to

maximise the battery life.

German navigation system supplier

Raytheon Anschütz will launch its new

intelligent bridge system at this year’s SMM

in Hamburg.

The intelligent bridge system is designed to

make navigation more efficient and to

simplify operation for users. The Raytheon

Anschütz exhibit is located at booth No 320 in

Hall B6.

It features a new generation of wide-screen

multifunction systems that allow the navigator

not only to access all the nautical tasks at the

right time, but also to integrate additional

tasks, such as CCTV, DP system data, or

engine automation data from the most varied

of equipment.

This makes it possible to configure new

intelligent display pages with relevant

information from different ship systems.

Having all the data available at a glance

increases situation awareness and offers

intuitive help in decision making for the

navigator. Thanks to the use of standardised

hardware and software, Raytheon Anschütz

offers full scalability and future expandability

for any desired system solutions and further

reduces the costs of installation and spare

parts logistics, the company claimed.

Apart from including the intelligent alert

management, Raytheon Anschütz has enhanced

its NautoConning display with the new data

management operator interface to enable a

system wide sensor and source selection menu,

which includes a choice between manual and

automatic sensor selection.

The new data management continuously

monitors the availability, validity and integrity

of all sensor data and calculates a quality

indicator for each sensor. Within the automatic

sensor selection mode, a set of the best sensor

data is compiled automatically and distributed

throughout the entire navigation system. Apart

from increasing the ship’s safety through

intelligent use of on board sensor information,

the automatic sensor monitoring and sensor

selection reduces work load of officers and

pilots on duty, the company said.

In addition to the new bridge, Raytheon

Anschütz will present the new NautoPilot

5000 and the latest generation of the

Nautosteer AS advanced steering control

system.

The NP 5000 features a large graphical

display, which offers six different day and

night modes with an availability to operate in

a touch screen mode. The autopilot uses

Anschütz steering algorithms, but enhanced to

include highly advanced functions for

economic and precise navigation, such as a

new course control operation mode and an

integrated steering performance display.

The graphical indication of heading changes

and all used rudder angles instantaneously

shows the effects of changes to parameter

settings, being an effective help for operator to

optimise steering performance and fuel

consumption.

The new Nautosteer AS steering control

system can be configured to any steering

control system requirements with the relevant

redundancy requirements. It is based on CAN-

bus technology to offer further improvements

in safety, such as wire break and steering

failure monitoring and to decrease shipyard

installation costs.

At SMM, Rivertrace Engineering (RTE)

will show the Smart 50M – a new boiler water

monitor designed to address specific industry

concerns over boiler and pipe blockages and

the consequent potential for burn out or

explosions.

RTE’s OCD 50M boiler water monitor has

been type approved by Germanischer Lloyd

since 1998 to monitor oil breakthrough back

into ships’ boilers. If coils are perforated for

any reason, oil can re-enter the boiler water

and, on cooling, block pipes or the boiler

itself, causing a potential hazard and/or

damage to equipment.

Boiler water composition requires regular

monitoring to ensure that boiler pipework and

heat exchangers do not become corroded or

perforated. RTE said that it had supplied

around 300 OCD 50M but, last year, the

supplier identified a market requirement to

monitor a range of other parameters, not just

oil content.Raytheon Anschütz’s new IBS.

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 28

HEMPADUR 15500– Ultimate protection with widest possible resistance

“This product has more than fifteen years track record with excellent global performance and is rated the best phenolic epoxy tank coating in the market today. In Korea we have coated the tanks of more than 100 vessels with HEMPADUR 15500 without a single claim.’’

Michael Aamodt, Group Marine Product Manager

For more information please visit: www.hempel.dk

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 29


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

RTE has developed the Smart 50M which,

as well as monitoring oil content, can also

monitor critical parameters, such as PH levels,

conductivity and levels of dissolved oxygen.

Chris Redstone, RTE technical services

manager said: “It became clear that there was

a need for better accuracy and better solids

discrimination. In monitoring parameters such

as PH levels and dissolved oxygen levels, and

limiting them, we can limit rust, for example.

Again, we monitor conductivity to ensure that

the boiler water viscosity, or rheology, is correct.

“Boiler water rheology is normally benign

but as the function of most boilers is to heat

water which then passes through heat

exchangers, a damaged heat exchanger can

allow oil to enter the boiler water, causing

potentially catastrophic damage to the boiler,”

he said.

The new Smart 50M augments RTE’s smart

bilge monitor and Smart ODME products,

which use the same infrared light scatter

technology to monitor continuously in real

time. By using the Smart 50M, the operator

could easily adjust chemical dosing to the

correct levels, thereby extending the

operational life of the boiler and reducing the

frequency of repairs and re-tubing Redsatone

claimed . “If the tubes in a ship’s boiler split,

they can cost up to $1 mill to fix,” he said.

RTE intends that the Smart 50M will

replace its existing OCD 50M over time, with

the initial launch of the new model set for

SMM 2010, in Hamburg. The Smart 50M can

be retrofitted and is appropriate for any ship

with a boiler.

Other applications for the Smart 50M are

main engine jacket cooling water monitoring.

Water treatment specialist RWO will exhibit

its ballast water and its new sewage treatment

system at SMM – Hall A1, booth 340.

Bremen based RWO is a leading supplier

of systems for water and wastewater

treatment on board ships and offshore rigs.

Its products cover the treatment of ballast

and wastewater and bilge, as well as drinking

and process water.

The company is part of Veolia Water

Solutions & Technologies, subsidiary of

Veolia Water, a leading specialist provider of

technological solutions in water treatment.

At SMM, RWO will demonstrate its

capabilities in the field of water and

wastewater treatment, including its recently

type approved new sewage treatment plant

series WWT-LC and the ballast water

treatment system CleanBallast.

To fulfil the new guidelines for sewage

treatment plants set by the IMO Resolution

MEPC 159(55), RWO has enhanced its WWT

system. Based on proven technology, together

with some process improvements, the WWT-

LC represents a reliable, easy to operate and

compact plug & play unit.

Approved and certified by the German

authority Seeberufsgenossenschaft (SeeBG),

the three-chamber systems operates with a

mixed bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) providing

process stability and excellent effluent results.

It is suitable for treating black and grey water,

or black water only and is claimed to be easy

to install and maintain with a fully automatic

operating system with low running costs.

Vacuum systems as well as grease traps are

optional extras.

RWO has developed the modular

CleanBallast technology for on board

treatment of ballast water, which removes

organisms, sediments and suspended solids in

just two steps - the DiskFilter system for

mechanical separation followed by the special

EctoSys® disinfection unit, which further

reduces the number of living organisms.

Over 40 units are already on order for this

low power consuming ballast water treatment

system. More than 20 units were supplied to

shipyards during the last 12 months, some of

which are already in operation.

After successful completion of all necessary

approval steps, the CleanBallast system

expects to receive the full Type Approval

Certificate by the German authority BSH

within the next few weeks.

RWO’s CleanBallast disk filters (left) and (right) the new sewage treatment plant WWT-LC2.

PRICE

£75

Witherby Seamanship International Ltd4 Dunlop Square, Livingston, Edinburgh, EH54 8SB, Scotland, UK

Tel No: +44(0)1506 463 227 • Fax No: +44(0)1506 468 999 Email: [email protected] • www.witherbyseamanship.com

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 30

LOW SULPHUR FUEL OIL NOW!

Just contact us!

www.owbunker.com

Physical Supply • Global Trading • Risk Management

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 31


SMM 2010 PREVIEW

Tamrotor Marine Compressors (TMC)

will be exhibiting in the Norwegian pavilion

(Hall B7, stand 453)

TMC is claimed to be the only provider of

marine screw compressors who is solely

dedicated to providing compressed air for

marine use. Since it was founded in 1989,

TMC’s only focus has been the design and

construction of compressed air equipment to

satisfy extreme marine requirements.

Over the last three years, TMC has won

more than 1,600 orders for complete

compressed air systems ranging from 50 to

10,000 cu m per hour.

Energy costs make up to 80% of the

compressed air cost. Using a TMC Smart Air

energy-saving compressor, some 40% energy

or more can be saved. This significantly

reduces the life cycle cost of the compressor

and gives less CO2 emissions.

The TMC Smart Air compressor controls

the capacity and power consumption precisely

to the air demand. Constant pressure in the

network at all times will minimise the power

consumption and reduce the wear on the

compressor. Soft start will increase the

lifetime on the transmission, such as belts and

couplings and give lower pressure and less

movement on all the parts, contributing to

reducing the life cycle cost by 25–30%.

Compared to a conventional compressor

providing the same amount of compressed air,

the energy consumption of a TMC SA 60 will

be reduced by 161,000 kWh during as 12-

month period. With an estimated energy cost

of $0.20, this means an annual saving of

$32,200 and a reduction in CO2 emissions of

103,040 kg – for one compressor.

In all sectors of the ships equipment

industry, non-original spare parts are

becoming more and more sophisticated,

looking identical to the original parts. But the

risks of using non-original spare parts are still

the same. Material specification is often

rationalised, resulting in rapid wear,

compromised performance, poor reliability,

higher oil and fuel consumption and even

component damage or system failure, TMC

warned.

To make it even easier for shipowners to

choose original TMC spare parts for their

TMC compressors, TMC has introduced spare

part kits. The spare part kits contain all the

parts that should be replaced after a certain

number of running hours/years. A service CD

containing live video instructions helps the

personnel on board safely perform the routine

maintenance operations.

Benefits of using the kits include - lower

price per part than when purchased item by

item, time saved on ordering and checking,

plus the certainty of getting all the necessary

parts – and no unnecessary parts, resulting in

no unscheduled stops due to missing parts.

TMC spare part kits include 1,500

hours/one year kit, oil change kit, separator

kit, etc. Kits are available for all TMC

compressor models.

The SAILOR 900 VSAT, a sophisticated

new Ku-band VSAT antenna, will be launched

by Thrane & Thrane at SMM 2010.

Designed in-house by Thrane & Thrane's

engineers, SAILOR 900 VSAT represents a

leap-forward in VSAT antenna performance

and benefits from the high reliability, build

quality and functionality, the company said.

"SAILOR 900 VSAT is an important

milestone in our strategy to support the

maritime broadband market with high quality

products," said Casper Jensen, vice president

maritime business unit, Thrane & Thrane.

Tamrotor’s Smart Air compressor.

Visit us atHall A2, Stand 251

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 32

SMM 2010 PREVIEW


"It complements our highly successful and

market dominant Inmarsat FleetBroadband

family, and our recently launched SAILOR

Satellite TV systems while establishing a

strong platform for future developments in the

VSAT arena," he said.

SAILOR 900 VSAT is designed and built to

the exact same standards as the SAILOR

terminals for the Inmarsat services.

Like SAILOR FleetBroadband products,

SAILOR 900 VSAT has been designed with

ease of installation in mind. It is a powerful,

quick and easy-to-deploy four-axis stabilised

Ku-band VSAT antenna featuring a low-

profile and high performance RF design.

It can be easily integrated with all leading

VSAT modem units and the sophisticated

antenna control unit (ACU) features multiple

LAN and diagnostics ports, plus built-in test

equipment (BITE).

The SAILOR 900 VSAT will be the fourth

in the line-up of SAILOR Ku-band products,

which include the SAILOR 700 VSAT,

SAILOR 60 Satellite TV and SAILOR 90

Satellite TV.

Thrane & Thrane's complete range of

maritime radio and satellite communication

systems will be available in hall B6, stand

333.

W R Systems, (WRSystems) is making its

debut at SMM to release its EmsysTM,

second generation; laser-based marine

emissions monitoring system.

EmsysTM is the world's first QCL

(quantum cascade laser)-based, fully

extractive, combined emissions and particulate

matter (PM) monitoring system, designed to

meet the requirements of MARPOL Annex

VI, the NOx Technical Code and in addition

the requirements of the IMO’s emission

control areas ( ECAs).

GEA Westfalia Separator will be exhibiting

the company’s Westfalia Separator®

BilgeMaster® cleandesign at SMM.

For pumping bilge water at sea, residual oil

content must not be higher than 15 ppm.

The company claimed to achieve this

limitation within its Westfalia Separator®

BilgeMaster® cleandesign.

This is achieved without the use of

adsorption filters, without chemicals and

merely through mechanical separation.

The separator can also meet a potential

market demand for only 5 ppm in certain

regions with the entire BilgeMaster series in

cleandesign. At SMM, GEA Westfalia Separator

will be presenting a BilgeMaster cleandesign

D2000 without a filter with a SafetyMaster

attached as additional protection against illegal

pumping overboard of oily bilge water.

In addition, the company will launch its

Westfalia Separator® FuelCoolingMaster.

The efforts to secure environmentally-

friendly maritime transport and emission

optimised vessels is entering the next phase.

Another innovation to be showcased is the

newly developed heat recovery system

Westfalia Separator® EnergyMaster, which

optimises the separating process of lube oils

on board ships in terms of energy.

Westfalia Separator® EnergyMaster saves

up to two thirds of the necessary thermal

energy and therefore pays for itself within a

very short time, the company claimed.

The compact system is primarily suitable

for newbuildings and offers a return on

investment of just a few months.

To treat ballast water on board vessels,

GEA Westfalia Separator has developed a

system which is presently undergoing the

approval phase at the IMO.

The three-stage Westfalia Separator®

BallastMaster is claimed by the manufacturer

to assure the efficient removal and killing

of animal and vegetable organisms in the

ballast water. It works with low energy

and operating costs and, in addition to

installation in newbuildings, is also suitable

for retrofitting.

GEA Westfalia Separator is also launching

the Westfalia Separator® FuelCoolingMaster,

a system that reliably adjusts the necessary

viscosity of low-sulphur light diesel oil

or gasoil.

The revised IMO MARPOL regulations

issued in 2008 and the pertinent EU

directives issued in 2005 make references to

reduced sulphur contents in the fuels to be

used. The new reduced sulphur contents in

ship fuels have already come into effect. This

means that, in certain situations, ships must

convert from the normally used HFO to a

fuel distillate, as a rule a marine diesel oil or

a marine gas oil.

GEA Westfalia Separator has developed a

system based on a cooling module as heat

exchanger which can, when required, be

supplemented with a chiller. This ensures that

the value of two Centistokes is always

maintained and consequently corresponds to

the guidelines of the engine manufacturers.

Heat exchanger and chiller are connected with

each other in such a way that energy is utilised

under the best possible economic conditions.

Westfalia’s BallastMaster (left) and BilgeMaster (right) will both be on the stand.

TO

p2-33:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 14:26 Page 33

INDUSTRY - THIRD PARTY SHIPMANAGEMENT

In that time, the company has changed

from a disparate grouping of several

autonomous concerns worldwide to a

large amalgamated service organisation

looking after just under 630 vessels.

Although there are many different strings to

the group’s bow in what the company calls

‘value added services’, the main activities

centre around vessel technical, crewing and

corporate management.

BSM now has nine Service Delivery

Centres (SDCs) located in China, Cyprus,

Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Isle of

Man, Singapore and the UK. In addition, the

group has crew service centres in 24 locations

as crewing agencies are wholly owned. In a

presentation at Posidonia, outgoing CEO

Andreas Droussiotis explained that BSM likes

to be in full control of the crewing aspect and

would not rely on third party crewing

agencies.

The group conducts its own training at a very

high level. To this end, the group has four

maritime training centres (MTCS) located in

Limassol, Mumbai, Manila and Gdynia. As

well as operating training centres, BSM has an

ongoing on board training scheme, which is

part of what the group calls a ‘Back to Basics’

campaign.

Droussiotis will be retiring on 31st

December this year and will be replaced by

deputy CEO Rajaish Bajpaee, the former head

of Eurasia. Following his official retirement as

CEO, Droussiotis will continue to be active

within the group taking on the role of BSM

chairman for a two year period.

BSM was created in 2008 by amalgamating

Hanseatic Shipping, Dorchester Atlantic

Marine, Eurasia Shipmanagement and

Vorsetzen Bereederungs – und

Schiffahrtskontor (see panel).

One of the advantages of a large group is

the ability to negotiate competitive supply

contracts, such as lube oils, spare parts,

chemicals, stores and other significant

shipboard items, as well as insurance.

The group has a wide variety of vessels

under its wing, which includes around 157

tankers of all types and 115 gas carriers,

ranging from LNGCs and LPGs to ethylene

carriers. Among BSM’s tanker clients are AP

Moller-Maersk, Bernhard Schulte, Benetech,

BP Shipping, Fratelli d’Amico, Mitsui OSK,

MPC Steamship, NITC, Omega Navigation,

Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ultragas, Venfleet and

Yamato Kisen.

BSM is also involved in newbuilding

consultancy and supervision. To date, some 60

newbuildings and conversions have been

overseen and there are currently another 20

projects underway.

Training high on the agendaAs mentioned, training plays a significant part

in BSM’s overall operations. The group

spends about $12 mill on training per year at

its various locations, which are purely run for

the group’s own seafarers. This is an increase

of $4-$5 mill on the annual budget. The total

number of seafarers on BSM’s books range

between 18,000 and 19,000 out of which

12,000 to 13,000 are serving on board BSM-

managed vessels at any one time.

A cadet ship programme to expand the pool

of junior officers and senior officers’ seminars

are also part of the overall training project.

BSM currently has around 500 cadets

worldwide out of which some 200 are

Filipinos. By the beginning of the summer, the

group had conducted 23 seminars.

The Philippines training centre, which came

on stream in 1979, is being upgraded by the

building of a new school, complete with

simulators. This will take the form of a 12-

storey building located in Manila. Droussiotis

explained that the group was looking for new

possible training centre sites, such as Vietnam

and China- both up and coming countries in

terms of seafarer supply.

At the Gdynia MTC, inaugurated in 2004,

there is a LICOS liquid cargo handling

simulator and gas courses are given for both

LNG and LPG operations. Advanced gas and

chemical courses are also held in Limassol.

All of the training at each centre is undertaken

in English.

In 1983, the Limassol training centre came

into being under the banner of Hanseatic. It is

IMO approved and works under the

jurisdiction of the Cyprus flag state

administration.

This year saw the start

of Bernhard Schulte

Shipmanagement’s (BSM)

third year of integration.


Integrated BSMstarts to move ahead

Outgoing CEO Andreas Droussiotis.

Companies included in BSMgroup� Hanseatic Shipping (established

1972).

� Dorchester Atlantic Marine (formed

1978).

� Eurasia Shipmanagement (formed

1981).

� Vorsetzen –Bereederungs- und

Schiffahrtskontor (established 1999).

BSM’s Value Added services� Chartering – Hanseatic Chartering.

� Insurance – St George Insurance.

� Yacht management – Hanseatic

Yacht Care.

� Travel (maritime and corporate) –

Eurasia Travel.

� Catering – SeaChef.

� Newbuilding design and supervision

– Schulte Marine Concept.

� Port Agencies.

� Radio accounting – Telaccount

Overseas.

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 1

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 2

INDUSTRY – THIRD PARTY SHIPMANAGEMENT


The Mumbai centre was founded in 2000

under the Eurasia banner and four years later

became the Eurasia Maritime Training Centre

of Advanced Learning (MTCAL), now BSM

MTCAL.

Droussiotis thought the tanker sector could

be somewhat problematic this year in respect

of wages as those paid in Euros domiciled

outside the EU could face problems with the

exchange rate. Those living inside the EU

should not be affected.

He admitted that the group could not

expand quickly, due to the worldwide shortage

of highly experienced, quality officers. He

thought that the quality of officers had already

deteriorated, due to the necessity of having to

promote seagoing staff earlier, which had been

brought about by the shortage.

Three vessel sectorsAs part of the reorganisation, BSM was split

into three segments – drycargo, wet or liquid

cargo and gas and offshore. Each of the nine

SDCs is capable of handling all three

segments, with the exception of very

specialised tonnage. The forming of a central

group was mainly due to the shear number of

newbuildings due to join the fleet at the time.

It was deemed necessary to create an

organisation with the resources to cope with

such a tonnage influx.

“With combined resources we had a better

pool of resources, seafarers and talents,

allowing us to offer value added services to

our customers,” explained Rajaish Bajpaee

talking in BSM Highlights magazine.

A major challenge was the need to create a

single management system for the three

segments in their entirety. BSM devoted

about 18 months in combining the four

companies’ best practice in addition to

analysing the best in the industry to create a

single document- the BSM Management

Manual. Bajpaee described it as the Quality,

Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE)

System, or the unified safety management

system (SMS).

The new system should be in place by

December of this year and implemented on

board ship during the first three months of

2011. It has already earned the approval of oil

majors and the class societies, BSM claimed.

BSM in all its former guises has always

been a staunch supporter of the International

Ship Managers’ Association (ISMA), now

InterManager. In 1991, one of the BSM

companies was the first to be accredited with

the stringent ISMA Code of management

standard. This standard was seen as the

forerunner to ISM and TMSA. The group has

also attained compliance with ISO 9001 and

14001.

As for TMSA, BSM claimed to be at 3.39

and was at Stage 2 throughout the company as

verified by the oil majors. The group

conducts real time analysis of third party

inspections and trends via an in-house

database – Qman. BSM also has an in-house

SIRE program to enhance both the sea and

shore staffs’ understanding of the inspection

process, its implementation and use. New

crews will be able to familiarise themselves

with the overall results of the vetting

inspections.

BSM claimed to have an excellent follow

up system for the closing out of incidents and

near misses, using its integrated software

system. Ex tanker masters are acting as

auditors and safety officers. For the

customers, around 300 oil major vettings and

CDI inspections are arranged and followed up

annually at no additional cost. There are

regular ISM-related visits and audits both on

board and onshore.

Each CDC employs one technical

superintendent per four to five vessels, while

each ship goes through at least two technical

and one marine inspection per annum – the

latter connected to the LPSQ audit.

BSM also has a proprietary computer-based

planned maintenance system (PMS).

However, a client’s own PMS can be used if

preferred. An ABS NS5 system can also be

installed at cost.

Clients can have direct access to BSM’s

records for all ship operations, including

accounting. TO

One of BSM’s SDCs is based inAthens to tap into the largeGreek market.Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement

(Hellas) was founded in May 2005 as a

crewing management office.

The office soon progressed to become a

fully fledged integrated SDC providing

crew, technical, quality and safety

management services.

By the end of last year, BSM (Hellas)

employed 36 people in the office looking

after 35 vessels for both technical and

crewing purposes, of which just under half

the vessels managed are in the wet trades.

Managing director Theophanis

Theophanous explained that the Greek

philosophy towards third party managers

was to get to know the “nitty, gritty stuff

almost every day.” This sometimes

involves meetings twice per week, as the

average Greek owner wanted to know

everything that was going on with his or

her vessel, he explained.

There is a new generation of younger

Greek shipping hierarchy springing up

who endorse third party management,

whereas the older, more traditional Greek

shipowners liked to handle everything

themselves.

For the new generation, services, such as

crewing, is a headache as the younger

entrepreneur would rather concentrate on

commercial issues. By and large Greek

tanker owners cannot cope with the

crewing aspects of ship operations,

Theophanous said.

He said that BSM (Hellas) could handle

another five or six vessels on full technical

management and another 20 on crewing

contracts. He said that this year and next

would see expansion plans get off the

ground as for the last two years, everybody

had concentrated on the merger.

Overall, the merger and the creation of

the three segments gave the group the

flexibility to transfer assets from one SDC

to another, depending on vessel types.

He explained that traditionally, the

shipmanagement sector tended to expand

during difficult times, as in a good

market an owner or operator will spend

more on the operational side of his or

her business. �

Greek office celebrates 5th birthday

Incoming CEO Rajaish Bajpaee.

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 3

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 4

InterManagerexpands its

membership portfolio

INDUSTRY – THIRD PARTY SHIPMANAGEMENT


Two new full members have been

recruited from within the

influential Greek and Philippine

shipping market sectors.

The new members are Greek

shipmanagement company Thenamaris and

Philippines-based crew manager Magsaysay.

Athens-headquartered Thenamaris is one of

the world's leading independent

shipmanagement companies providing

management services to deepsea vessel

owners.

The fleet under management comprises oil

tankers and bulk carriers. Thenamaris’

management operates, maintains, crews and

trades the vessels worldwide.

Magsaysay Maritime Corp is a leading

provider of crew and crewing services for the

world's commercial shipping and cruise

industries.

With headquarters in the Philippines and

affiliates and subsidiaries in Indonesia, China,

Thailand, Panama and Croatia, Magsaysay

provides its principals with access to seafarers

of various cultures and nationalities.

InterManager secretary general Capt Kuba

Szymanski said: "These two companies are

important new additions to InterManager. I am

pleased to report that the association continues

to grow and our new regional meetings are

also proving popular and are an effective way

to keep in touch with our members

worldwide."

In addition to the two new full members,

InterManager recently welcomed two new

associate members - Carter & Fiske and

PL Ferrari.

Carter & Fiske offers legal services in

shipping and transport within the admiralty

jurisdiction in international and US venues.

The firm is organised as a limited liability

entity.

PL Ferrari has grown to become a leading

independent specialist P&I broker.

InterManager recently held regional

meetings in the Philippines, Hong Kong and

Singapore at the request of the membership

where Asian shipmanagers aired their views

on the industry and the current economic

climate and were keen to learn about

InterManager's industry-wide KPI project.

At the same time, seafarers said that they

were concerned about job security, piracy and

working conditions, Capt Szymanski reported.

Attending the IMO Diplomatic Conference

in Manila, Capt Szymanski took part in

debates to produce amendments to the STCW

1995 regulations. He said: "These discussions

were very important, particularly from the

seafarers' point of view. Issues of concern

included hours of rest and medical conditions.

The medical conditions were smoothly agreed

but hours of rest were discussed at length and

a consensus was reached."

Seafarer concernsHe praised the "impressive calibre" of

questions from the more than 1,000 seafarers

and cadets who took part in the ‘Year of the

Seafarer’ conference in Manila during his

visit. Their concerns included global piracy,

working conditions (such as hours of rest and

conditions of contract) and fears for job

security.

Capt Szymanski also visited a number of

Philippine-based InterManager members and

other organisations and training facilities. In

addition, he attended the 60th anniversary

celebrations of the Philippines Ship Owners'

Association.

Independent shipmanagement association InterManager has extended its membership.

InterManager secretary general Capt Kuba Szymanski.

“We believe it is important for a global

organisation like InterManager to ensure it

is available to all its members wherever they are

based. This is why InterManager has instigated

regular regional meetings which

will be held throughout the world.”

Capt Kuba Szymanski, secretary general, InterManager

“

”

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 5



Moving on to Hong Kong, Capt Szymanski

met with InterManager members, with the

Hong Kong Ship Owners' Association and

other maritime organisations and businesses.

InterManager held a regional meeting in

Hong Kong where members heard from the

Hong Kong Government about its cadet

initiatives, from FP Marine on the subject of

ransom and kidnap insurance and from

Shipserv on e-commerce. A presentation on

InterManager's KPI project was also given.

A further regional meeting was held in

Singapore where members and guests enjoyed

presentations on the KPI project, e-commerce

and a discussion by Intertanko on shore

reception facilities, before visiting the NYK

training facilities on the island.

Returning to the UK, Capt Szymanski said:

"These are the first few in a series of

regional meetings which are proving very

popular with our membership. Our Far

Eastern members were keen for us to visit

them and in fact the meetings were such a

success that we have already planned the

next one in September!

"We believe it is important for a global

organisation like InterManager to ensure it is

available to all its members wherever they are

based. This is why InterManager has

instigated regular regional meetings which

will be held throughout the world. I am

looking forward to meeting many more

members and potential members over the

coming months."

Together, InterManager members manage

more than 3,700 ships and almost 200,000

seafarers. The association is uniquely

dedicated to addressing the challenges of

managing ships and represents the whole ship

management sector at international and

governmental level.

As well as third party and in-house

managers, InterManager offers associate

membership to related companies and

organisations including crew managers, ship

suppliers and shipping industry stakeholders.

As for progress with the KPI initiative,

‘Shipping KPI Phase 2’ started in March 2009

and the two year project will continue the

work to enchance excellence in ship operation

by setting standards for ‘Objective and

unambiguous performance measurement in

ship operation’.

Workshops will continue to be held this

year in various locations leading towards the

compiling of shipping performance indices

(SPIs) for external communications with the

help of external stakeholders involvement,

such as Marintek and the Research Council

of Norway.

The project leaders will develop a prototype

tool used to validate the model, as well as

establishing a benchmark for the industry. It

is also the developer’s aim to validate the KPI

model through extensive external stakeholder

involvement to secure the acceptance of

the SPIs.

InterManager said the aim of the indices

was to give valuable contributions to

increased transparency in shipmanagement

and operations, enabling identification of low

performing vessels and companies, permitting

benchmarking between similar vessels and

fleets, and by setting of minimum operational

performance requirements.

Shipping KPI Phase 2 with its focus on

SPIs for external communication will

contribute to improved environmental, safety

and efficiency performance; in other words

improve the competitiveness of the shipping

companies, InterManager claimed. TO

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 6

Shipowners/managers and operators

should take the question of

shipboard waste management

more seriously, as the IMO could

be about to bring in a ban on any waste being

discharged at sea under MARPOL.

Currently, only general garbage is allowed

to be jettisoned at sea while potentially

harmful substances, such as metals and

plastics, should be kept on board and

discharged while in port.

If a total ban materialises, it will lead to a

much higher volume of waste materials

need to be stored on board until the vessel

reaches port.

According to Martyn Gibbon of JGS,

manager of Limassol-based Marsal Waste

Management, a compliment of 20 could

produce about 6-8 cu m of waste per month.

Ultimately, these waste products will only be

disposable during a vessel’s alongside visits at

various ports worldwide.

Marsal has introduced a compacting/baling

machine, which compresses waste into

manageable sizes. For example, the 6-8 cu m

of waste mentioned above could be compacted

to about 1 cu m, or less. Another issue to be

considered, said Gibbon, was the number of

empty paint & chemical containers, the

volume of which can be extensive. A baler

would reduce these volumes by as much as

90%, or more, he claimed.

Gibbon explained that commercial

shipowners preferred the multi-purpose

vertical baler option, which has a height of

2,250 mm, a width of 750 mm and a depth of

600 mm. There are various options subject to

space restrictions and he said that Marsal was

quite willing to discuss design criteria based

on a clients requirements and space

limitations. The company is currently

marketing model SVB2-S-200 as the optimal

marine use unit.

“So far shipping companies have favoured

the multi-purpose unit. They don’t really need

to consider other options as this machine does

the job,” he said.

He also said that horizontal baler types were

favoured by the cruise vessel sector as they

have a far greater capacity. However, they

take up a lot of space on board thus are not

very suitable for commercial vessels.

For example, an order was received from

Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) for a unit

to be installed on board the cruise ship

Island Escape. This unit is being built to

specific dimensions due to the fact that

space is restricted but Marsal has met the

customer’s requirements both in the

specification of the machine and it’s

dimensions. “We are now in discussion in

relation to a fleet wide supply agreement

with CSM. When considering 14 NYK

containerships managed by CSM have had

these units installed for quite some time the

results are quite considerable and thus

management is respecting the benefits as

well as the savings,“ Gibbon said.

Building the businessMarsal is currently concentrating its business

development in Cyprus where there is a

potential to fit over 500 vessels given the

many large shipmanagement concerns resident

on the island.

However, expansion is on the cards and

Gibbon recently appointed a Greek agent –

G Argyros/Amerikanos & Partners and

discussions are underway with a possible

representative in Holland together with a

company in Germany and also in Singapore.

He said that this move is just the start in

building up a worldwide representation

network.

In Greece, the company is currently

working on a quotation to supply a fleet with

20 units. Also, through the Greek Agent an

intrinsically safe machine has been developed

to meet the EX d IIB T4 standard.

A baler has been installed at the Bernhard

Schulte Shipmanagement Maritime Training

Centre (BSM’s MTC) in Limassol. Various

demonstrations have been given to interested

vessel operators and managers, all of whom

have expressed great interest in the product as

well as realising the benefits of installing a

compactor on their ships.

According to a testimony from Limassol’s

MTC’s chief engineer Andy Webster, the baler

has been used to dispose of cardboard box

files taken from the main office archives,

which date back over 10 years.

He said that the baler was reducing around

eight to 10 boxes of empty files with a volume

of 0.8 cu m each (some 8-10 cu m in total)

to an output bale with a volume of around

1.6 cu m, therefore achieving a reduction of

nearly 5:1.

Instead of hiring six or seven skips to take

the files away, the centre needed only one,

giving an immediate saving of almost €500.

Due to the large volume of files, the savings

were estimated at nearly three times this



Waste compactingthe way ahead

Leading shipmanagement

companies are trialing a

compacting/baling machine

on board ship.

A baler/compactorsystem seen atwork on theNYK Rosa.

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 7

P.O.Box 53255, Limassol 3301, Cyprus. Tel: +(357) 99 652586 / 99 607732

MANAGED BY JGS LTD. Reg No. 21162V

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 8


amount, Webster said.

When adding plastics and packaging

material the volume reduction is even greater

at about 12:1. A stool has been built at a cost

of €120 enabling the baler to be used to crush

empty 20 ltr paint tins. As a result, a non-

compacted volume of about 0.28 cu m was

reduced to 0.03 cu m – almost 90%. It will be

possible to reduce this by further compressing

an amount of already compacted cans by

copying the process without ejecting the

previously compacted tins.

Development of the paint tin ‘stool’ has

now been incorporated into the SVB2-S-200

model and is available as an option for all

clients

He said that with the development of the

new training centre resulting in a greatly

reduced area available to store waste products,

it was predicted that the baler would see

further use in compacting other waste

materials, which are produced on a day-to-day

basis. These include dry leaves collected from

the premises, cardboard boxes, polystyrene

packaging, drink cans/tins etc for easy storage

until disposal.

“It will prove to be not only a useful

training tool in respect of garbage

management on board the company’s vessels,

but also a major asset at the centre and its

future development”, he said. Textiles are also

being dealt with as the students normally

preferred to discard old clothes that are left

over on completion of their course rather than

take these on to their new careers on board the

BSM vessels.

Several ordersGibbon gave examples of other companies

either using or discussing the use of a baler

unit. As well as the MTC, BSM themselves

are to order trial units to be fitted on board

two of a fleet of eight sister tankers under

management.

Victoria Navigation has ordered one multi-

purpose baler to be fitted on board the 45,680

dwt tanker Seychelles Patriot. Four more

will follow to be fitted on two 32,000 dwt

tankers and another two 45,000 dwt tankers in

the fleet.

A baler was to be fitted on board an

Interorient Marine Services newbuilding

delivered at the New Times Shipyard in China

at the end of August. The mini-Capesize

bulker Orient Crusader was due to be

delivered on 26th August 2010. Discussions

are underway to kit out the entire fleet, the

majority of which are tankers and there are

also indications that the company wishes to

install a compactor in their Limassol offices as

part of the environmental plans for re-cycling

and awareness.

A testimony was also received from the

master of the CSM managed containership

�YK Rosa following six months of use.

“Baler is working in good order and with a

great help to handling of garbage and the

environment. We used to dispose general

garbage at sea and plastics ashore frequently,

adding more task to already busy port

operation.

“With the baler, only food waste is disposed

at sea, and port operation is facilitated with

less garbage disposal. Handling is very easy

with once a week compacting and can take

more than a month before landing to shore is

required with 8:1 compression ratio.

“Disposal ashore is also easier as all

garbage is segregated and bundled uniformly.

Cost of disposal is definitely reduced by about

60%,” he said.


TO

When you go for ENC, go for the best ENC serviceJeppesen OnBoard means that you have a global chart database installed inside your ECDIS and you can license and use your ENCs in a matter of minutes. Easy “pay-as-you-go” licensing makes ordering and cost control simple. Online updating gives navigators the latest chart editions and corrections onboard. The result: confidence and safety on the vessel and in the ship owner’s office.

ENCs from Jeppesen fulfill the chart requirements for mandatory ECDIS. With years of experience supplying navigational services to customers worldwide, we ensure that your ships are up-to-date, without error or delay.

CHARTS & PUBLICATIONS

Jeppesen, Tel. + 47 51 46 47 00, www.jeppesen.com/marine

Jeppesen OnBoard offers users ease and flexibility when it comes to the licensing and updating of ENCs

e-Navigation, so simple

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 9

INDUSTRY - COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS


Dutch newcomer’srapid expansion

One of the first newcomers to the commercial short sea chemical tankers scene for a

number of years opened for business just outside Rotterdam just over 18 months ago.

Headed by managing director

Niclas Kappelin, North Sea

Tankers (NST) offers

commercial chemical tanker

management on behalf of several partners and

is expanding on the back of a large vessel

orderbook.

Indeed, expansive NST recently took

delivery of three of 12 newbuildings on behalf

of partner Unifleet. Currently, the company

operates 10 small chemical tankers, including

the three newbuildings, despite being only two

years old.

The company started operations in March

2008 with the small LPG carrier – GasPioneer – which was owned by Unifleet.

Through 2009, the company expanded by

adding a further six vessels to its commercial

management operation.

At the same time, Kappelin recruited

experienced chartering operations personnel in

line with the company’s expansion

programme. “The market is there for another

player. There is a lot of volume moving in

Europe,” he explained. “We have to identify

different areas, not globally, but regionally.”

This expansion programme took place with

the help of three partners – Unifleet, Bonus

Plus Investment and Pallas Shipping. Unifleet

currently has six ships in NST, plus the

newbuildings to come, while the other two

partners have one vessel each under NST’s

commercial management. Kappelin said that

he was looking for more partners with which

to grow the company.

In May of this year, the Pallas group

became a public company by way of an IPO.

This move was to prepare the company for

entry into the open exchange Nasdaq OMX

First North and to give the company funds for

expansion.

In addition in November of last year, an

agreement was signed with Samho Shipping

whereby NST will market cargoes for

Samho’s chemical tankers sailing from

Europe to the Middle East/Far East on a

monthly basis, which could increase to four

or five per month. The cargoes are shipped in

chemical tankers within the 12,000 dwt to

25,000 dwt range.

Then in July of this years, NST announced

that it had entered into a tonnage partnership

with Saudi Arabian tanker concern Bakri

Navigation Co (BNC).

BNC is based in Jeddah and was established

in 1973. Since the early 1970s, the company

has been operating Panamax tankers,

Aframaxes, Suezmaxes , VLCCs, chemical

tankers, bunker vessels, storage barges and

service/supply vessels.

The company will commit a series of three

newbuildings of 7,400 dwt to NST as part of

its European chemical fleet development. The

first vessel, Al Mahboobah, is scheduled for

delivery from Qingdao during the second

week of August this year.

The vessel will be commercially managed

by NST and marketed between Northwest

Europe and the Western Mediterranean.

Once delivered, Al Mahboobah will

immediately be positioned into Europe. “The

size and characteristics of the vessel will be an

important factor in our strategy to cover all

our customers' various requirements for a full

range of different products and logistic

concepts”, Kappelin explained.

NST’s current fleet, including the

newbuildings, ranges from 3,500 dwt to 7,500

dwt and operates in Northern Europe/Baltic

and the Iberian Peninsular/Western

Mediterranean, as far as Italy. At present the

two areas are served by four vessels each.

Kappelin explained that he intended to keep a

rough 50:50 split.

He also explained that much of Northern

Europe’s tonnage in this size sector was 20

years of age, or soon will be, necessitating

fleet replacements sooner rather than later.

One of the major challenges for the small

chemical carrier market was that some of the

leading oil companies stipulate that chartered

vessels should be no more than 20 years of

age and in some cases, a 15 years age

Global Earth, the first of the 4,400 dwt newbuildings, arrived in Rotterdam in June.

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 10



restriction applies.

He thought that there could be as many as

50 European chemical tankers in the 3,500

dwt to 6,000 dwt range coming up to 20 years

old soon.

All of NST’s newbuildings will have twin

screw, twin engine configurations, as well as

having bow thrusters and Becker rudders

fitted to cope with the high degree of

manoeuvrability needed. Each of the MAN

Diesel engines can operate in the ‘take me

home’ mode and the vessels would be allowed

to sail from a European port on one engine, as

well as arrive, Kappelin stressed, enabling an

engine to be shut down for maintenance.

Manoeuvrability crucialIncreased manoeuvrability offering a quick

port turnaround time was high on Kappelin’s

agenda to keep to the most optimum vessel

operation possible for short sea trades. Most

small vessels undertake around 70 voyages

per year, which could involve over 200 port

calls during that period, as vessels often make

three port calls during a voyage.

Often as part of the vessels’ schedules, they

are called upon to use multiple berths at a

single port, such as Rotterdam, where

load/discharge times are all important. The

ease of manoeuvring also limits the possibility

of damage while moving berth.

To handle such intense operations, the

vessel’s equipment needed to be of a high

standard as there were no margins for ballast

legs, idle time or failures, etc Kappelin

explained.

With so many short voyages undertaken

with many different cargoes, tank cleaning

needs close attention. Once the newbuildings

have been delivered, the fleet will be roughly

split between MarineLine coating, phenolic

epoxy and stainless steel for full flexibility to

carry the entire range of various different

cargoes. Kappelin explained that stainless

steel capacity is required for various acid

volumes and certain chemicals. The choice of

MarineLine was down to the ease of which

tanks can be cleaned. “It is like glass,” he

explained.

Pump systems can also become easily

contaminated by handling so many different

chemical cargoes. The newbuildings have

been fitted with separated deepwell pumps,

some of which are of Mariflex design.

Cofferdam separations have been included,

which can also take cargoes and act as barriers

if two cargoes cannot be carried in adjacent

tanks. Deck tanks will also be fitted, in which

slops can be carried.

The ships are intended to be operated up to

the maximum capacity in terms of cubic

capacity, as well as deadweight, and will be

able to lift a full range of products, including

semi-gases and high-heat waxes.

Nitrogen generators are fitted to handle the

more sophisticated chemicals. Some charterers

now insist on nitrogen generators being

installed, rather than inert gas systems, which

is a long term safety issue, Kappelin

explained. The tanks can be purged before

arriving in port.

Kappelin said that NST operates in close

co-operation with each of the vessel’s

technical management team and has set up

North Sea Tankers Management (NSTM) to

handle technical matters, including crewing.

Indeed, during TA�KEROperator’s visit to

the offices at Krimpen a/d Ijssel, just outside

Rotterdam at the end of June, the facilities

were being expanded to cope with new staff,

all of which will have commercial, technical

and crewing experience.

NST splits its chartering operations between

coa and spot cargoes. Although the current

split favours spot cargoes, Kappelin said

eventually he would like to see coas become

the more dominant type of business. The main

charterers were the oil majors and chemical

traders.

Vetting and other inspections take up a lot of

Commercial and chartering experience a mustChemical cargo voyages tendto take a spider’s web look,starting with a triangulationpattern and branching out asmore streams are added. To complete a spider’s web, a large fleet is

needed. At many ports a combined

load/discharge operation can be undertaken

as different products are combined on one

voyage. “You have to find a triangle and

then start to expand,” Kappelin explained.

To accomplish this, it is essential to

have personnel in the office with specialist

chartering and commercial operations’

expertise in the chemical trades, he

emphasised. In addition to specialised

knowledge, very good communication skill

is required, in order to function well in this

demanding market segment.

Kappelin started his shipping career at

sea with various companies, some of

which were close to his native city of

Gothenburg. The entire NST team is built

on a strong base with detailed knowledge

and experience in the chemical shipping

market. Today, NST consist of seven

persons in the chartering and operations

field, having a combined chemical

shipping experience of 142 years in

various capacities. �

A newbuilding takes shape in China.

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 11

an operator’s and vessel crews’ time today.

Kappelin said that he was in favour of such

inspections saying that they would weed out the

less quality conscious operators, as indeed has

happened in Northern Europe to a great extent.

He thought that the vetting procedures were one

of the biggest tools that an operator could use to

prove that it was a quality operation.

At the end of June, Global Earth, the first

of the company’s four 4,400 dwt chemical

tanker newbuildings from China, had arrived

in Rotterdam. At the beginning of July, the

first of the four 7,500 dwt class – Global Sea- was due to pick up her first cargo in Asia

on her delivery repositioning voyage to

Northern Europe.

In addition, the first of the four 5,000 dwt

newbuildings – Global Moon - was delivered

recently. Another sistership will be delivered

later this year with the final pair arriving in

2011. They will be fitted with stainless steel

tanks.

The larger newbuildings are being built to

Ice Class 1A under BV classification, while

the smaller units will be Ice Class 1B.

Gibraltar is the preferred flag, due to it being

an EU flag with cabotage trading status.

Each of the Chinese newbuildings is

equipped with specialist machinery, rather

than being of a tailor-made package type

construction as seen with other tanker types.

Technical management teams were and will be

on site during the vessels’ construction as will

BV, which has been involved from day one.

As for the future, the perceived movement

of refining capacity away from Northern

Europe should not affect the chemical trades,

as far as the total moved volume is concerned,

Kappelin said. “Material will still be required

for the wide spread European industry and

will likely be moved into Europe in larger

parcel sizes for transhipment onto smaller

vessels,” he explained. He thought this year

and next would still prove to be slow in

economic growth terms, but was confident

that 2012 would prove to be the turning point.

He explained that by 2012, much of the

world’s stocks of construction materials,

vehicles and other materials, which rely on

chemicals, would have been run down and

will be in need of replenishment to cope with

production increases due to a higher demand

from the end consumers. This in turn would

give the chemical tanker trades a boost and by

that time NST would have taken delivery of

all of the newbuildings offering a very modern

fleet of small chemical carriers.

Finally, Keppelin said that NST’s fleet

development is progressing as per the strategy

as set out. “Three out of 12 contracted

newbuildings for our tonnage partner Unifleet

are now trading in the NST fleet. GlobalEarth, Global Moon and Global Sea are today

technically managed by North Sea Tanker

Management (NSTM),” he said.

For the ongoing continuity of seagoing and

shore based personnel, NSTM took over the

vessel technical management staff from

Chemical Tankers Europe (CTE), effective

2nd August, 2010.

NSTM’s Capt D van Wolferen and his team,

will be joined by all CTE’s technical, QA,

crewing and accounting staff members and the

teams will effectively be integrated as one

solid base team for the management of

Unifleet’s newbuilding programme. TO



Newbuilding programmeYizheng Yangzi ShipbuildingName Dwt DeliveryGlobal Earth 4387 DeliveredGlobal Moon 4400 DeliveredGlobal Sun 4400 4Q10Global Star 4400 2Q11Global Taurus 5000 4Q10Global Libra 5000 1Q11Global Gemini 5000 2Q11Global Aquarius 5000 3Q11Taixing Ganghua ShipbuildingGlobal Sea 7500 DeliveredGlobal River 7500 4Q10Global Lake 7500 1Q11Global Ocean 7500 2Q11

TANKEROperator The Latest �ews is now available

on TA�KEROperator’s website

at www.tankeroperator.com and

is updated weekly

For access to the �ews just register by

entering your e-mail address in the box

provided. You can also request to receive

free e-mail copies of TA�KEROperatorby filling in the form displayed on the

website. Free trial copies of the printed

version are also available from the

website. These are limited to tanker

company executives and are distributed

at the publisher’s discretion.

Photo:Crowley

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 12


Nordic Tankers has streamlined

this process with PortVision’s

vessel-tracking system that uses

automated identification system

(AIS) collision-avoidance signals to give the

company instant, continuous access to critical

information about each route and berth call for

dozens of Nordic ships.

PortVision has also been used as a historical

playback tool for operational analysis and to

refute a damage claim that would otherwise

have resulted in costly fines and litigation.

With six offices worldwide, Nordic Tankers

operates a large and growing fleet of around

70 chemical and product tankers, ranging

from 3,500 to 73,000 dwt.

According to Capt Jeffrey Kindle, senior

port captain at Nordic Tankers’ Houston

office, the company has more than 300 ship

calls and 700 berth calls annually in the US

Gulf of Mexico region alone, often

encompassing a complex series of three

to four berth calls each, at up to four

consecutive ports.

Because he has limited manpower at his

disposal, Capt Kindle said that he relies

heavily on PortVision to know where each

ship is, at all times and how long each ship

has been at each location. The service enables

him to monitor targeted berths and, within

seconds, determine opportunities to analyse

and improve efficiency while gaining a

complete picture of all fleet activities, in

real time.

PortVision supplements Nordic Tankers’

own company-wide software system, which

allows it to input information about a port

call. In the past, however, when Nordic’s

Houston operation wanted to find a vessel

arrival/departure and it was after office hours,

on weekends, or during holidays, the

operating procedure was to call the agent, or

to wait until their morning update.

With PortVision, an alert is automatically

sent out via cell phone, or email when a vessel

arrives/departs designated points of interest

(ie, berths, landmarks). In addition,

PortVision allows the company to monitor

various agent, ship, berth and terminal

activities and share this information instantly

with marketing and operations teams at

company headquarters and other offices and

locations, worldwide, along with remarks,

documents and reports for use in assessing

ship and berth efficiencies.

PortVision also gives Nordic Tankers access

to historical data about fleet and other relevant

maritime activities, by tapping into a

comprehensive database that is growing at the

rate of 40 mill vessel location reports daily.

The company claims that its database now

contains 10 bill arrival, departure, passing and

vessel movement records, encompassing five

years of data. This involves the movements of

commercial vessels in major ports and

waterways that transmit IMO and USCG-

mandated AIS collision avoidance signals.

The PortVision database and historical

playback capabilities played a key role several

years ago when Nordic Tankers was

exonerated from an erroneous claim made by

a local barge company which alleged that one

of its tankers passed a restricted area in the

Houston channel at excessive speed.

In its written claim, the barge operator said

this created a surge that parted barge mooring

ropes and damaged a cargo hose on board,

which was connected to a terminal. The

upshot was that it was holding the tanker

company responsible for the damage.

Since the incident occurred in the early

morning, there was no conclusive evidence

with which to identify the speeding ship.

However, PortVision’s historical playback

mode was able to show which ships were

passing in that area during the time the barge

company claimed the incident had happened.

It identified a harbour tug passing the

specified area at an excessive speed, thus

eliminating the need to involve the insurance

company or attorneys.

The latest version, PortVision 4.5, delivers

full, web-based access to real-time weather

radar overlays and animated loops, plus

voyage distance calculations and vessel arrival

estimations. In addition, PortVision 4.5 will

give Nordic Tankers the ability to highlight

only specific vessels of interest, or to view all

AIS-enabled vessels on the waterway.

The company also will as an option, be able

to include satellite data, which will bring

visibility to vessels at sea, as well as

unmanned barges and incident response

equipment.

Additionally, Nordic Tankers will be able to

create user-defined lists to track multiple

fleets of any size and vessel mix, as well as

user-defined VesselZones™ to simplify vessel

viewing, tracking and alerts, while

streamlining and enhancing incident response.

It also will alert the company when vessels

move in or out of these user-defined

VesselZones.

Web-based PortVision 4.5 vessel-trackingservice.

�ordic Tankers usesvessel tracking

systemLarge shipping companies can spend millions of dollars and countless man-hours

tracking, executing and reporting demurrage transactions and other fees related to

complex transit, berthing and anchorage activities.

TO


p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 13



TORM is to use IMOS6’s

chartering, operations and

accounting related functions and,

according to president John Veson

with over 140 vessels in the fleet, has become

one of the company’s top 10 largest

implementations.

Explaining why the company opted for

Veson, Gunnar Hansen, TORM’s senior vice

president for IT said: “We reviewed several

other well known vendors and selected Veson

Nautical over the competition because IMOS

most effectively fulfilled our requirements for

a configurable, flexible commercial marine

system.

“With the installation of IMOS, we will

increase overall efficiencies through its

optimised business processes. In addition to

replacing several legacy systems, IMOS’

integrated solution will support TORM’s long

term SQL/.Net platform strategy,” he said.

TORM’s Copenhagen headquarters

manages tanker operations, covering all time

zones 24/7.

IMOS6 covers 10 core modules –

chartering, operations, financials, planning,

trading, demurrage, bunker management,

pooling, data centre and data services, all of

which can be integrated to build a complete

solutions package for commercial operations

for all types of vessels, including tankers and

gas carriers.

Veson explained that one of the best

resources for product development is its

clients.

“Every year we hold a user conference

where we present our roadmap and invite

feedback from clients. We strive to carry an

open dialogue with users to get a feel for what

is working with the product and where there is

room for growth,” he said.

He said that IMOS is constantly being

enhanced and the next version, v7 is expected

to take its bow in 2011. “Our architecture

allows us to upgrade all of our clients fairly

easily. While some clients always want to be

on the forefront, others prefer to wait and be

more conservative in their upgrades. Either

approach works for us and we continue to

build IMOS in a way that it is always future

compatible.

“Companies invest a lot in business critical

systems like ours; we respect that investment

and do our best to help them maximise their

return by keeping their systems up to date

both feature and architecture wise,” he said.

Modules to suitExplaining an operator’s preference for

selecting the whole package, or just certain

elements, Veson said that all clients purchase

the chartering, operations and financials

modules when they implement IMOS.

“Beyond that, they buy modules that suit their

specific organisation. By adding on modules,

clients are essentially able to customise the

system to meet their needs,” he explained.

Veson also offers a back-up service should

it be required by hosting client’s databases on

the company’s server for back ups if

requested, but most of the clients have their

own back up systems in place. “As a standard

part of our recommended practices to system

administrators, we provide a recommended

disaster contingency plan that they should

implement for all business critical systems,”

he said.

Thoroughly understanding the business

processes is one of the keys to getting the

most out of the system, Veson thought. “We

strongly believe that thorough training is the

key to a smooth implementation and

successful operation. We encourage

companies to have several super users within

Tanker operatorsembrace time saving

software�ews that large Danish tanker operator TORM is to install version 6 of

Veson �autical’s integrated maritime operations system (IMOS)

is a feather in the cap for the US-based software house.

IMOS/Veslink Architecture Overview

IMOS

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 15

their organisation who thoroughly understand

the business process and can serve as IMOS

knowledge expert for their peers.

“In addition to our annual user conference

and on site training, we also offer a super user

workshop where clients can send

representatives to get deep, hands on

knowledge of the product,” he said.

It is not just the larger companies that

benefit from installing the software as every

organisation, regardless of size, can benefit.

“By utilising IMOS, clients are able to work

in a smarter, more streamlined manner. They

are able to decrease the re-entry of data and

the human errors that often occur with

multiple entry points.

“In small companies, limited personnel

means that everyone needs to be at their most

effective. IMOS, and its intuitive workflow,

assists them. In large companies, IMOS helps

to eliminate islands of information, giving

decision makers a clear view of operations

and their exposure to potential risk,” Veson

stressed.

Turning to Veslink, Veson said that the

reception to the system has been

overwhelmingly positive. Clients who have

enjoyed success with IMOS find that

connecting their ships, agents and partners to

their physical offices is the next logical step

for improving operations.

He claimed that the company has several

very large tanker clients who are approaching

their Veslink go live dates this summer.

Veslink Onboard allows a vessel operator

and the onshore office to track vessel status

through timely reports created at sea including

customisable arrival, position/noon, cargo

activity, port activity and departure reports.

These reports are submitted by officers on

board the vessel, routed via email or secure

Internet to onshore company offices, and

imported automatically into IMOS.

In 1984, Veson pioneered the first

automated distance table. Today, with more

than 8,000 ports and 30 mill routes, Veson's

Distance tables are used to calculate distances

from points and ports around the world.

Last year, Veson signed a co-operative

agreement with Danish specialist DA-Desk as

the companies found a certain amount of

synergies in their products. Thus far, 24

customers use both IMOS and DA-Desk,

including tanker concerns AET, Champion

Tankers and Neste.

DA-Desk provides port cost management

services in the form of a disbursement system.

Port disbursement data captured by DA-Desk

can flow seamlessly into IMOS, omitting the

need for duplicate data entry for ship

operators. Back-end financial processes gain

efficiencies as well, as the integrated solution

manages invoicing, accounts receivables and

port disbursements from one platform.

At the time of the agreement

announcement, Veson said that the joint

solution benefits many of the industry sectors

where port cost and activity details can be

complicated and tedious to manage, including

tanker operators, specific vessel types and

trades, such as VLCC operations, product and

chemical/gas tanker operations and short sea

trades.

DA-Desk services now available to Veson’s

customers include the company’s core offering

- port cost management - as well as port

payables and data integration, which are

available via the web-based DA

Administration System. TO

President John Veson.



Chartering• Voyage estimation & fixtures• TC contracts management• Multi Cargo, Multi Voyage Planning and

Optimization Tools

Planning • Manage and plan at multi-cargo or fleet

level• Unified visual planning and execution

environment

Trading• Monitor positions and exposures• Physical freight and FFA risk• Mark-to-Market and P&L across

commodities, contracts and vessel types

Operations• Integrated voyage management• Voyage P&L• Automated onboard data capture• Manage bunkers, disbursements

1

8 2

73

6 4

5

9

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

IMOS: How it WorksThe integration of Marine Scheduling, Optimization, Trading, and Risk Management

Financials• Invoices, AP / AR, Journals• Chart of Accounts• 2-way Interface with Financial System

Pooling• Manage performance of Pool Vessels• Distribute profits to partners• Manage complexities

Bunker Management• Manage bunkers across fleet in

consolidated views

Demurrage• Task Lists, Timebar, Notifications• Negotiations workflow

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 16

The news that leading Bergen-based

parcel tanker owner and operator

Odfjell had selected Applied

Weather Technology’s (AWT)

routing service and on board voyage

optimisation system, proves just how much

owners and operators are trying to save fuel

and thus cut emissions.

AWT claimed that its ship routing

technology is now used on more than 35,000

voyages per year, on 5,500 vessels per month.

The company has estimated that this routing

service and BonVoyage (BVS) marine voyage

optimisation software save the shipping

industry approximately 350,000 tonnes of fuel

per annum.

This translates to potential cost savings of

more than $166 mill per year and reduction of

1.114 mill tones in CO2 emissions, the

equivalent of removing 247,000 cars from the

road, AWT said.

AWT’s weather routing experts analyse key

variables, including wind conditions and

ocean currents as well as vessel type, age,

stability, cargo and speed, to recommend

optimal routes. Short- and long-range

forecasts are used, plus historical climate data

and proprietary climatological ship resistance

models to help vessels’ masters identify

optimal routes and avoid adverse weather and

sea conditions that could endanger crew and

cargo and cause delays leading to excessive

fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Voyages can be analysed following their

completion and as well as the routing patterns,

trim and ballast conditions, general stability

and GM are taken into account. Feedback is

key to the finding of the optimum route with

the most favourable currents. For example,

once the information is analysed, a route can

be fine tuned, especially along coastal tracks

where the currents may vary considerably.

Skip Vaccarello, AWT’s president and CEO

said. “Adopting weather routing technology is

one of the most effective steps the shipping

industry can take today to reduce carbon

emissions while enhancing safety, saving fuel

and money. It makes sense on many levels, for

many entities – captains and crew, shipping

companies, their customers and the

environment.”

The software is integrated both on board the

vessel and onshore. Warnings can be provided

together with 16- day forecasts of an

impending storm’s direction. In colder

climates, AWT can give warnings of potential

icing and ice flow movements.

Vaccarello told TA�KEROperator that

training in the use of the system would

normally be given to the operations

department, which will hold a master’s

conference. The vessel operators usually opt

for a trial period to test the system’s potential

before signing up for the software.

Development of the software is ongoing and

updates are emailed. Vaccarello said that AWT

endeavours to produce a major new release

each year.

As for Odfjell, during the first 90 days of

implementing the ship routing service on board

around 65 vessels, the company said that it had

seen advantages in that several vessels had

managed to steer clear of severe storms.

AWT claimed that it was able to

demonstrate to Odfjell time savings

amounting to 30 sailing days and a reduction

of around 1,000 tonnes of fuel during the 90-

day period. This equated to a fuel saving of

$475,000 and a carbon emissions reduction of

3,000 tonnes.

In a testimony, Erik Hjortland, Odfjell’s

advisor, ship performance and bunkering said;

“We believe AWT’s shore-based service and

on board software help us protect the crew,

cargo, reduce heavy weather damages, provide

more accurate vessel scheduling, curb

emissions and ultimately reduce fuel costs.”

He added that Odfjell had chosen AWT due

to the company’s responsive customer service

and innovative marine voyage optimisation

technology. Through very close co-operation,

it was possible for Odfjell’s onshore managers

to view AWT’s recommended routes and

compare them to masters’ intended routes,

while also having access to key data, such as

the vessel’s estimated time of arrival, speed

and the latest weather and current conditions

expected on route.

AWT started out in 1996 and today, the

company claims to be the leading provider of

fleet optimisation services and on board

voyage management software designed to

help shipowners, charterers, operators, fleet

managers and masters identify the safest,

most time-efficient or fuel-efficient routes for

their fleets.

The company is focused solely on the

maritime industry and is staffed by

experienced personnel in ship routing,

meteorology, IT, and maritime science, as well

as former ship masters. It is privately owned

and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California,

with worldwide offices located in the UK,

Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Korea,

Germany, New York, and New Jersey.

Vaccarello claimed that AWT now has a

strong presence in Asia.

Software helps operators to

avoid adverse currents and

storms at sea



Planning the routeproperly can save

thousands

Wind conditions and currents play a key role. TO

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 17

All your fleet needs. All in one place.

PLUS

Kelvin Hughes’ ECDISPLUS provides the only complete solution that makes the transition from paper to digital navigation easy. Kelvin Hughes supplies, installs and maintains ECDIS equipment and offers all the other vital data and services central to getting the most out of your ECDIS.

With ECDISPLUS you can expect the latest ECDIS equipment, cost effective supply and management of your charts with the flexibility to choose providers, a real-time update service and IMO-approved ECDIS training for your navigators, all designed to ensure that you have the complete solution, wherever you are. And all this comes with worldwide installation and support.

See us at SMM – in Hall B6, Stand 270.

PLUS

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 18


INDUSTRY – P&I

Owners, operators and their

insurers need to keep a close

watch on the emerging

requirements of the Prevention

and Control of Marine Pollution from Ships

Regulation, formally implemented on 1st

March, 2010.

Within the broad framework of the Marine

Environment Protection Law of the People’s

Republic of China, the regulation sets out the

principles and main stipulations of the

Chinese marine pollution legal system.

It covers spillages of oil, oily mixtures and

other poisonous and hazardous substances

emanating from ships and ship-related

operations. The main focus is on discharge

and reception of oil pollutants; waste

dumping; oil pollution response planning; oil

spill clean-up arrangements; reporting and

emergency handling of pollution incidents;

investigation and compensation of pollution

incidents; supervision of loading, lightening

and discharging of polluting hazardous

cargoes; and penalties for contraventions.

The requirements and concerns about the

regulation have been set out in a UK P&I

Club Legal Briefing, authored by Thomas

Miller P&I claims executive Helen Huang

with support from legal director Chao Wu.

A supplementary regulation concerns the

setting up and management of a domestic ship

oil pollution compensation fund. This will be

funded by contributions from receivers of

persistent oil cargoes transported by sea to

Chinese ports. The requirement for such a

fund reflects the fact that China is not a state

party to the 1992 International Convention on

the Establishment of an International Fund for

Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage

(IOPC Fund).

Ship-induced pollution incidents are

classified as extremely severe, very severe,

severe and general, depending on the amount

of oil spilled and the direct economic loss to

those affected by the pollution.

Further, a rule on judicial guidance on

compensation for oil pollution damages and

liability limitation is being drafted by the

Chinese Supreme Court, supplementing

China Maritime Code’s existing limitation of

liability regime.

There will be a compulsory insurance

regime for all ships (except those of less than

1,000 gt and not carrying oil cargoes) to meet

claims arising from oil pollution damage. This

should dovetail with the insurance provisions

of the 2001 Bunkers Convention and the 1992

International Convention on Civil Liability for

Oil Pollution Damage (CLC), both ratified

by China.

Chinese domestic coastal trading ships used

to carry little or no liability insurance.

Collisions sometimes led to claims against

oceangoing vessels, which were insured. It

follows that compulsory insurance for the

former has been particularly welcomed by

the latter.

Emergency responseOwners and operators must have emergency

response plans in place to prevent and control

pollution incidents. Existing shipboard oil

pollution emergency plans (SOPEPs), as

required by MARPOL, should suffice.

Nevertheless, ships carrying polluting and

hazardous cargoes in bulk and other ships

above 10,000 gt must pre-contract with an

approved Chinese oil spill response

organisation (OSRO) before entering into, or

departing from a Chinese port. No list of

approved OSROs has been published and their

capability may well vary between ports and

regions. This could prove problematic if there

is a change in calling ports at short notice.

Oil tankers’ liability limitation is the same

as the scheme provided in 1992 CLC. Other

ships may limit liability in accordance with

the Chinese Maritime Code. According to the

regulation, Maritime Safety Administration

(MSA) clean up costs will be compensated in

priority to other claimants. This may conflict

with the CLC and the Bunkers Convention

which provide that all admissible claims are to

be treated equally without priority for

government claims.

The regulation does not refer to direct

action against insurers. However, in

accordance with the PRC Special Maritime

Procedure Law, claims for oil pollution

damage may be brought directly against

insurers, or other persons providing financial

security for owners’ liability. Therefore,

compulsory liability insurers for oil pollution

damage can be sued directly under Chinese

law and the CLC and Bunkers Convention.

The MSA will enforce the regulation while

supervising and managing the prevention and

control of marine pollution by ships and

relevant ship operations. Its remit covers the

PRC’s internal and territorial waters and

contiguous zones, the Chinese exclusive

economic zone and continental shelf and all

other sea areas under the country’s

jurisdiction.

Currently, MSA issues CLC certificates and

Bunker certificates for Chinese flag ships

against blue cards issued by P&I clubs. The

Chinese Ministry of Transport will require

insurers to provide coverage for oil pollution

liability to Chinese flag vessels.

Helen Huang and Chao Wu warned that

while the regulation sets up the general

framework of Chinese oil pollution law, it

cannot resolve all issues initially. “Long term

difficult questions, such as the title to sue,

admissibility of claims for compensation,

methods of investigation and burden of proof,

remain to be clarified, either by

supplementary regulations or rules of judicial

practice,” they said.

The full Legal Briefing from the UK P&I

Club can be downloaded from

http://www.ukpandi.com/ukpandi/resource.nsf/Files/150710LegalBrief/$FILE/150710LegalBrief.pdf TO

An extensive package of measures to prevent and manage pollution

in Chinese waters has been steadily taking shape.

China’s new marinepollution laws give

operators plenty to digest

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:23 Page 19

TECHNOLOGY - TRAINING


To this end, Navigation software

specialist Maris has been

developing an application trainer

for the past two years. A full

ECDIS product has been developed as a

computer-based training (CBT) tool to give a

user product specific training.

This training tool was developed in co-

operation with Seagull and can be installed

on board ship, or ashore. An ECDIS 900

application trainer will be delivered as part

of the Seagull product, which is currently

going through type approval.

The type approval is being undertaken by

the Norwegian Maritime Authority through

DNV. Leading parcel tanker concern Stolt-

Nielsen is helping to develop the training

package, among others, having signed up to a

fleet wide contract.

A trainee navigator is able to use the

model answering questions, which are then

ratified by Seagull. A vessel’s master can

undertake the practical course and then

certify the cadet.

Maris managing director Steinar

Gundersen said that a certificate issued by

Seagull is equal to that issued by an

expensive academy. The CBT model comes

in many languages, including Dutch,

Norwegian, South Korean, Spanish, Chinese

and others. He refuted the claim that a CBT

model was not as good as full simulator type

training. “The CBT model is fine. It is close

to the real thing,” Gundersen emphasised.

There are around 50,000 SOLAS vessels

that will be affected by the new regulations.

Thus far, Gundersen thought that only around

1,600-1,700 vessels had been fitted with a

dual ECDIS, leaving a lot to be done.

CBT on dual ECDIS has been trialed on

Hoegh LNG-managed LNGCs �orman Ladyand Matthew. These trial periods were used

to analyse feedback on the use of the training

model.

e-TOTS successMeanwhile, partner Seagull has installed the

electronic Tanker Officer Training Standard

(e-TOTS) across Euronav’s fleet of crude

tankers.

Euronav Ship Management’s office received

the software in August 2009, but it has since

been rolled out on board 30 tankers.

Intertanko introduced the TOTS system,

which goes beyond STCW requirements, to

establish voluntary standards to ensure tanker

officer competence for general shipboard

operations, as well as those for specific

tanker types such as crude, product and

chemical tankers.

The aim has been that these voluntary

standards should become the norm for a

competent tanker officer.

Developed to meet an Intertanko request to

achieve a paper-free training support tool,

Seagull’s e-TOTS allows crew members to

take a more flexible approach to learning,

using a secure Seagull ID and offering the

ability to download information and tests.

Seagull has a formal agreement with

Intertanko to provide e-TOTS.

Capt Jan De Brabandere, Euronav Ship

Management marine manager said the

company had been vindicated in its selection

of the Seagull e-TOTS package. “It was the

right decision,” he said. “In the beginning, it

was a little difficult to work through the

system, but with the help of Seagull, we have

no complaints. Quite a large number of our

officers have completed the whole thing,

while others have started and are partially

certified by masters and chief engineers,

having completed CBT tests.

“At first there was a resistance to change

but our masters showed they were willing to

go for it and people are catching on fast,”

he said.

Capt De Brabandere said that a

management review carried out by Euronav in

mid-July this year had concluded that the e-

TOTS approach would become part of the

promotion process from later in 2010.

The e-TOTS package includes three

detailed “Time in Rank Modules”, which are

electronic training record books. Each record

book is designed to incorporate tasks and

questions that need to be signed off by the

authenticating person. These tasks should be

co-ordinated, controlled and verified by the

company. Each record book is designed for a

specific level of rank and discipline. A fourth

generic training record book covers time with

company, which must be defined by each

individual.

“We need to know on the spot how familiar

officers are with operational and safety

issues,” explained Capt De Brabandere.

“Often knowledge can be vague, but this

offers a method to check off against, and to

verify through a CBT test on a specific item.

Only if the candidate scores 75% or more can

a pass be granted.”

Each individual officer’s training record

‘Book’ is held in electronic format in Seagull’s

competence manager software, within the

Seagull Training Administrator (STA) for use

by the seafarer, supervising officer/instructor

and company management. These records

follow the officer from ship to ship.

Similar to Maris/Seagull ECDIS CBT,

currently the tests generated are sent by

masters to Seagull on a monthly basis, with

the training specialist returning an Excel

spreadsheet. Currently, information is

exchange by email, but “the web will be the

future”, according to Capt De Brabandere.

Training is an increasingly important part of the move towards

the formal adoption of ECDIS, expected in 2012.

ECDIS and TOTStraining find success

in CBT mode

TO

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:29 Page 20

VIDEO | BOOK | CBT | ONLINE

Training solutions & services for

IMO, ISM & STCW standards

[email protected] | www.videotel.co.uk

Are you ready for MLC 2006? We can help

: ww

w.m

lc20

06.com


TECHNOLOGY - TRAINING

Vapour emission control (VEC) is

fast becoming an important topic,

but it is one that is still to be

regulated on an international

basis. Consequently, many ports are

developing their own individual regulations

and this poses problems for the operators of

oil and chemical tankers.

Many vapours created by tankers are harmful

to the environment. During loading and tank

cleaning, these are often vented to the

atmosphere. VEC allows vapours from oil or

chemical tankers to be returned to shore in a

closed system and then either converted back

into oil through adsorption, or are burned.

The Videotel programme provides an

introduction to the concepts of VEC and

explains how ports around the world are

increasingly demanding that emissions are

minimised through VEC. It points to MARPOL

guidelines specifying that vessels should have a

VOC management plan to minimise emissions

during the voyage and when undertaking cargo

operations. Vessels’ on board vapour collection

systems are outlined, together with the

standards they must meet, and there is a brief

explanation of the terminal facilities required to

achieve VEC.

Attention is drawn to the very specific

requirements for both pressure and tank level

monitoring systems required by MARPOL

regulations, as well as the best practice outlined

in OCIMF guidelines. These are expanded into

a series of procedures to be followed and

checks to be made before arrival at the

terminal, immediately before loading, and then

during and after loading. The programme

concludes with a short summary and checklist

for seafarers to ensure safe VEC operations.

The main topics covered include:

� Why vapour emission control.

� VEC regulations.

� The systems on board and ashore.

� Operation and training.

� Procedures before arrival.

� Procedures before loading.

� Procedures during loading.

� Procedures after loading.

� Lightering.

� Summary and checklist.

The programme is targeted at vessel operators,

masters, officers and crew involved in VEC

operations and was produced in association with

The Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association

(Bermuda), assisted by a number of parties

including the IMO, Jo Tankers and Shell UK.

On a similar themeOn a similar theme, Videotel has also released

a new programme - MARPOL Annex VI -

Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships,

Edition 2. Of course, MARPOL Annex VI

applies to all vessels, drilling rigs and other

platforms and certification is mandatory on all

vessels trading internationally.

It is designed to limit air pollution in many

different ways. There are strict limits on

emissions of oxides of nitrogen and sulphur

from engines and clear rules about

demonstrating compliance. Additionally, fire

fighting, refrigeration and incineration systems

are all subject to new regulations and limits.

This programme focuses on the new

emission controls for oxides of nitrogen and

how these are to be introduced as a series of

progressively tighter limits over time. These

are mainly controlled through engine design,

tuning and maintenance. Oxides of sulphur

and particulates are also addressed. The

progressively tighter limits set for sulphur

content in fuel worldwide and the increasingly

stringent limits used in emission control areas

(ECAs) are both outlined.

Procedural guidelines for incinerator use are

described and the need for training emphasised.

MARPOL Annex VI also identifies the need for

a written plan to limit emissions of volatile

organic compounds (VOCs).

The programme also covers new MARPOL

regulations concerning the management of ozone

depleting substances (ODS). These prohibit

deliberate venting of ODS, such as the freons and

halons often found in air conditioning,

refrigeration and fire fighting systems.

Finally, the programme concludes with a

summary of the issues covered and a checklist

of the ways in which MARPOL regulations

may be breached.

The main topics covered are:

� The effects of marine air pollution.

� Introducing MARPOL Annex VI.

� Oxides of nitrogen (NOx).

� Oxides of sulphur (SOx) and particulates.

� Incineration.

� Volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

� Ozone depleting substances.

� Summary.

The target audience consists of masters, senior

officers, crew and vessels operators. Again it

was produced in association with Steamship

Mutual Underwriting Association (Bermuda).

Videotel targets tankers Videotel has launched two new products, one of which is of specific interest to tanker

owners, operators and managers, while the other is relevant to all ships, including tankers.

TO

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:29 Page 21

TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING


Initially kicking off with a couple of

converted chartered product tankers, the

idea is to own a fleet of purpose designed

and built bunker tankers, once the service

becomes established. The vessels are being

operated by Unicorn Shipping, a subsidiary of

Cockett’s parent the Grindrod group.

The area chosen for bunker operations is the

Queen’s Channel in the Thames Estuary just

inside the Port of London Authority (PLA)

limits. Indeed, the PLA has carried out an

exhaustive risk assessment of the operation,

which takes place at three designated

anchorage slots in sheltered waters near

Margate Roads.

This is not Cockett’s first venture into

physical bunkering as since 2008, it has

operated a small bunkering service on the

River Thames and recently chartered the 3,000

dwt Whitstar. Previously, the company was

known as a procurer and trader of marine

fuels and today about 95% of the business is

still trading.

The new service draws on the resources of

a number of businesses within Cockett’s

South African parent company – Grindrod

– including Unicorn Shipping and

Rotterdam-based Associated Bunker Oil

Contractors (ABC).

Sitting on one of the world’s busiest trading

routes, and located approximately on 51 deg

28 min North/1 deg 20 mins East, the

anchorage will offer cost-effective bunkers-

only services just off the English Channel

shipping lanes.

Cockett predicts that it will supply at least 1

mill tonnes of marine fuels, including low and

high sulphur fuel variants, as well as gasoil.

This equates to only about 1% of passing traffic.

The company had carried out a lot of

research before committing itself to the

venture. For example, successful bunkers only

ports achieve a bunkering rate of around 8%

of passing traffic, which at half that rate

equals about 4,800 vessels, which pass

through the English Channel annually.

The new facilities will be able to host deep

draft vessels of up to about 16 m of all types,

but the main thrust of the marketing exercise

will aim at bulkers and tankers as the large

containerships mainly bunker in the ARA range.

The anchorages will not be able to handle

VLCCs due to length restrictions, but is being

marketed to owners and operators of Capesize,

Aframax and Suezmax tonnage passing

through the area in ballast. Loaded vessels will

normally bunker at the discharge ports.

By supplying fuel oils delivered by the

bunker barges from Rotterdam through ABC,

about 10 hours sailing away and enabling

customers to avoid time-consuming and costly

diversions from the main shipping lanes, it

A new bunkers only service aimed at bulkers and tankers transiting

the English Channel has been started by Cockett Marine Oil.

English Channel bunker hub comes

on stream

Cockett’s Richard Thompson.

Cockett was founded in 1978 toprovide independent specialistmarine fuel services to theshipping sector. Grindrod purchased 50% of the company in

2005 and the remaining half in 2008. It

currently comes under the group’s trading

division.

To illustrate the group’s tanker expertise,

subsidiary Unicorn Shipping, which is

currently based in London, celebrated its

75th birthday in 2008.

Unicorn controls five MRs, three small

product tankers (plus another three

newbuildings), three owned bunkering

tankers and also has six MRs, and four

chemical tankers on charter.

The chemical tankers are operated in the

Stolt Tankers joint service, while the MRs

operate in the Dorado Tankers pool

managed by Heidenreich Marine.

Unicorn undertakes its own technical

management and has a dedicated crewing

department, which is also responsible for

training. Unicorn’s officer cadet training

scheme has been in operation since 1965. It

provides South African Maritime Authority

approved training courses to both local and

international clients.

The group also has large drybulk

interests, which grew considerably

following the acquisition of Island View

Shipping (IVS) in 1999.

Down the years, the group has diversified

into logistics, harbour and other services.

It was believed that Unicorn Shipping

will be looking for a separate listing in

Singapore in the near future. The drybulk

operation is already based on the island

having moved there in 2005. �

Diversified group

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:29 Page 22


TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING

will compete head-to-head with other major

international bunkers-only supply centres, as

well as facilities in the English Channel.

Little deviationThe new service will take advantage of being

closer to the traffic separation schemes in the

English Channel and require a diversion of only

one to two hours from the shipping lanes, in

contrast to the diversions required to reach other

bunkering facilities in the English Channel.

Robert Thompson, general manager supply

at Cockett Marine Oil, said: “This is all about

providing a bunkers-only service in the right

place at the right price and thanks to the

combined forces of the Grindrod group – the

right people. Until now the English Channel

has suffered from a lack of competitiveness,

which has hindered its development as a

serious bunker hub. Our new operation will

remedy this situation.

“We believe the commercial advantage of

its location and ability to take advantage of

cheaper fuel prices from Rotterdam makes the

case a compelling one for owners and

operators, especially in the current economic

climate”, he said.

Karl Beeson, Cockett Marine Oil group

managing director, said: “As a team we are all

very excited by this project which is another

step in the expansion of our global physical

supply strategy. The new Cockett Marine

service shows the synergy delivered by the

Grindrod group for the benefit of shipping

operators. We can secure excellent prices

through our years of back-to-back trading

experience, combined with the barging

expertise of our colleagues at Unicorn

Shipping and utilising the procurement skills

of Associated Bunker Oil Contractors in

Rotterdam.

“Operating two barges initially through

Unicorn, each able to transport 5,500 tonnes

of fuel oils, we will be able to provide

shipowners and operators with a cost-effective

and quicker service than other ports within the

Emissions Control Area.”

Cockett Marine will place a strong

emphasis on quality control and reliability.

The PLA will provide oversight of the

operation from its London Port Control Centre

and as part of risk control measures is putting

in place enhanced oil spill response

capabilities based at Ramsgate.

The PLA will provide vessel traffic

management, wave and weather monitoring,

berthing masters and advise on environmental

best practice.

A full range of other services can also be

provided by the various major ship agencies,

while the vessels are taking on bunkers at the

anchorages.

At Ramsgate, a dedicated tier-two oil spill

response capability will be installed, which

will be MCA approved. This will include –

� A rapid deployment facility including

specialist craft.

� Oil containment booms and associated

equipment.

� Fully trained personnel in oil spill response

techniques.

A storage facility is being set up on Canvey

Island and the Oikos Jetty on the island will

be used to load bunker fuel.

In the first year, Cockett hopes to achieve

around 6-7% in physical turnover, rising to

50% in five years time with the other half

emanating from trading. TO

Queens ChannelAnchorages

Oikos Storage

Tongue AnchorageHolding area

Falmouth

Portland

PLA Boundary

The potential for bunkering can clearly be seen on this map, whichshows the proximity of the channel separation zones.

Potential VolumeBunkers Passing Vessels Volume Average only sites vessels (pa) bunkered (mill t) stem (t)

(%)

Gibraltar 70,000 6,000 (8.57) 4.7 783

Skaw/ 60,000 5,000 (8.2) 2.5 500Great Belt

Dover Straits/ 120,000 1,429 (1.19) 1 700Thames

Source – Cockett Marine Oil.

Initially, bunker stems will beundertaken by the chartered5,757 dwt LS Anne and the5,850 dwt LS Jamie. They areowned by Belgian operatorLauranne Shipping.They were built in 2008 and 2009

respectively and are of double hull

configuration, equipped with controllable

pitch propellers and bow thrusters.

Their segregated tanks enable them to

lift multiple products. Following their

conversions to bunker barges, the vessels

will have an on board storage capability of

760 cu m of marine gasoil, 2,900 cu m of

low sulphur fuel oil and 2,800 cu m of

high sulphur fuel oil.

They have dual manifolds fitted both at

the centre and at the stern to accommodate

any receiving vessel’s manifold layout. A

vessel with just a centre manifold will

sometimes have to connect to the receiving

vessel’s manifold located at the stern

resulting in the bunker barges’ stern

overhanging the receiving vessel, which

could be a problem in swell conditions.

The achievable pumping rate is 600 cu

m per hour and the vessels’ hose handling

cranes have a height of around 20 m. Its is

estimated that the average stem will be

accomplished in six hours.

They are fitted with full anti-pollution

gear and pollution response equipment.

Both vessels will also be fitted with

Yokohama Fenders to conduct ship-to-ship

(sts) transfers safely. Mooring masters will

also be supplied by the PLA, who will be

trained in the art of sts operations.

The vessels will employ radar gauging

systems on board rather than flow meters. �

Chartered vessels

p34-56:p2-7.qxd 13/08/2010 15:29 Page 23

Teekay is one of the best known names in the tanker sector,

employing more than 150 ships including Suezmax and Aframax tankers,

as well as shuttle tankers and other speciality vessels.

Teekay deploys VSATBroadband satcoms onboard its tanker fleet

TECHNOLOGY - COMMUNICATIONS

The company claims to be

responsible for moving about

10% percent of the world’s

seaborne oil.

In July 2009, Teekay signed a multi-year

contract with MTN Satellite Communications

(MTN) to provide VSAT services across its

fleet of existing vessels and newbuildings,

using MTN’s worldwide C- and Ku-band

satellite networks. The MTN service provides

‘Always On – Always Available’ broadband

connectivity for the ships allowing Teekay to

expand its shipboard crew calling, email, and

Internet access.

To date, Teekay has completed installations

of MTN C-band systems on nine ships and is

moving to install Ku-band systems on three

additional ships in the coming months with

other ship installations to follow later this year.

“We conducted performance tests comparing

VSAT against the pay-as-you-go mobile satellite

services that we had been using and found

VSAT to better suit our broadband needs,” said

Lesley Green, systems development manager

for Teekay Marine Services. “The VSAT service

offers unlimited access at a fixed monthly rate

giving us predictable budgets and eliminating

much of the time needed to monitor and

manage the satellite communication accounts

for each vessel.”

“We went through an RFQ process and

reviewed a number of maritime VSAT

suppliers,” added Green. “We chose MTN due

to their global service delivery, ability to

support large clients, positive customer

references, and value-added service

offerings.”

“MTN worked with Teekay to test their

applications over a satellite connection

duplicating the vessel environment,” said

Bradford C Briggs, senior vice president and

general manager, commercial shipping and

energy services, MTN. “Teekay used these

test results to determine their committed

information rate (CIR) and maximum

information rate (MIR) requirements per

vessel. This is a very important consideration

for companies moving to deploy VSAT for the

first time.”

Briggs explained that CIR is the minimum

guaranteed uncontended bandwidth that is

constantly available 24/7 for each ship. MIR

is an additional available shared bandwidth

that permits bursts above the CIR when

needed to support higher traffic levels. Based

on the tests, the Teekay contract called for

CIR of 128 kbps and MIR of 384 kbps to be

fitted on each ship.

The VSAT systems are being used primarily

for crew calling, email, broadband Internet

and ship’s business. The systems can also

support television broadcasts to the ships

through the MTN global satellite network.

Network backboneBriggs pointed out that one of the primary

reasons for shipping companies to choose

MTN over other VSAT suppliers is the

impressive ground infrastructure that supports


Axel Spirit Data Everest Spirit Data

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 1

the company’s worldwide C- and Ku-band

satellite networks.

“We recently opened a new European

teleport in Santander, Spain in a joint venture

with our partner Erzia,” said Briggs. “The new

teleport will supplement our primary teleport

in Holmdel, (NJ) and will provide enhanced

coverage over Europe, Africa, the Americas,

and Asia. Altogether, our network includes

eight teleports around the world providing

both carrier and geographic diversity for built-

in redundancy. Our primary network operation

center (NOC) in Miramar (Fla) is fully

manned 24/7 as is our backup NOC at

Holmdel.”

“Our teleports, NOC’s and other facilities

are interconnected by our private fully

redundant MPLS backbone with more than

20,000 miles of fiber-optic cable,” he added.

Crew calling and Internet Teekay has been pleased with the performance

of the VSAT equipment and network.

“There has been a decrease in the number of

visits by the vessel technical support personnel

to resolve issues with the use of remote login to

the server on board,” said Green.

To support crew calling, phones have been

installed in the ships’ common area along with

two computer kiosks with webcams for the

crew to use for email and Internet access. Crew

members can purchase a private identification

number (PIN) for calling charges.

Internet usage accounts for the major share

of traffic through the MTN satellite terminals

while voice calls only account for about 1%,

according to Briggs.

“Feedback from seafarers about the VSAT

installs has been extremely positive – it’s so

much easier for them to stay connected when

at sea,” said Green. “Seafarers can connect to

the Internet, keep up with news from home,

find out about their favourite sport teams, or

keep in touch with their friends on social

media sites.”

TECHNOLOGY - COMMUNICATIONS


oil waterseparator

sewagetreatment

plant

fresh waterproduction

unit

Environmental Protection Engineering S.A.24, Dervenakion str., 185 45 Piraeus-Greece

T: +30 210 4060000 • F: +30 210 4617423www.epe.gr • [email protected]

Hall A1Stand 324

International trade fairHamburg

7- 10 Sept. 2010 Visit Us!

Teekay’s Aframax Axel Spirit.

TO

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 2


TECHNOLOGY PROFILE – MARTEK MARINE

However, today the company has

many more strings to its bow

the latest being a bridge

navigation watch and alarm

system (BNWAS) - Navgard.

The Navgard system offers a relatively low

cost and effective means of avoiding

operational navigational accidents and can

also double as a bridge security system in

port, the company claimed.

It will be formally launched at SMM and

comes with a full suite of type approvals

from major classification societies thus

enabling shipowners to fit the IMO-mandated

equipment without delay.

A BNWAS is designed to monitor bridge

activity and detect any operator disability that

could lead to shipping accidents. For

example, the system monitors the awareness

of the officer of the watch (OOW) and

automatically alerts the master, or another

qualified OOW if, for any reason, the he or

she becomes incapable of performing duties

through an accident, sickness or security

breach (such as piracy and/or hijacking).

This is accomplished by a series of

indications and alarms (visual and audible) to

alert, first, the OOW and then, if there is no

response, the master, or another qualified

OOW. In addition, the BNWAS may provide

the OOW with a means of calling for

immediate assistance if required.

A BNWAS should be operational whenever

the ship’s heading or track control system is

engaged, unless inhibited by the master.

Forthcoming new amendments to SOLAS

Chapter V, Regulation 19, mandate BNWAS

installations on over 100,000 ships. Such a

system will be mandatory for all new ships

on delivery, while existing tonnage is

required to retrofit the equipment ‘at the

first survey’.

BIMCO has advised its members to

consider fitting systems at drydockings

before the mandatory implementation

date, and not to wait until annual surveys

within the compliance window. The

agreement of the ship’s flag administration is

required to postpone retrofitting beyond

this date.

Fully complying with the relevant IMO

resolutions on BNWAS equipment regarding

performance, installation and ergonomic

criteria, Navgard provides movement and

physical touch notification of watchkeeper

presence.

Type approvals for the system have been

gained from Lloyd’s Register, ABS, DNV,

Bureau Veritas, RINA, the Russian Register,

China Register and Indian Register.

The fitting of a BNWAS is due to become

mandatory on 1st January 2011. Its phase-in

will be as follows:

� Cargo ships of 150 gt and above plus

passenger ships irrespective of size

constructed on or after 1st July 2011;

� Passenger ships irrespective of size

constructed before 1st July 2011, not later

than the first survey after 1st July 2012.

� Cargo ships of 3,000 gt and above



UK-based Martek Marine has come a long way since it was founded by three

entrepreneurs a few years ago. The company is perhaps best known in the tanker sector

for its Mari�Ox™ shipboard carbon emission monitoring system.

Martek continues toroll equipment off the

production line

New Standards for Tank Measurement Technology API Marine develops and produces a complete range of sensors and systems for full cargo control as well as calculation and administration software combining integrated solutions for smart tank cargo control.

| API Marine ApS | Troensevej 12 | DK-9220 Aalborg Oest | Denmark | | Tel.: +45 9634 5070 | Fax: +45 9634 0170 | www.api-marine.com | [email protected] |

LPG/TGDTank Gauging Device

for Gas Carriers

TLA-500 TGD-500Tank Level Alarm

Tank Gauging Device for Tankers

meet us atHall B6 Stand 2737-10 September 2010

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 3

� Cargo ships of between 500 gt and 3,000

gt constructed before 1st July 2011, not

later than the first survey after 1st July

2013.

� Cargo ships of between 150 gt and 500 gt



Marketing director Steve Coulson said it is

fitted with the aid of a single cable making it

simple to install and simple to operate. It

must operate as a standalone system, but can

be console mounted. On small bridges it can

be fitted on a bulkhead.

Singapore pushIn another move, Martek has been marketing

its recently introduced Fastcalgas service to

Singaporean owners.

Coulson said that 15-20 companies on the

island had already signed up for the new

service, which offers door-to-door service for

the delivery of calibration gas cylinders.

Shipowners and managers need to prove

that on board gas detection equipment is

operating correctly and accurately. In order to

test and calibrate the gas detection

equipment, certified calibration gas is needed

immediately.

The ability to source calibration gas

simply, cost effectively and in a timely

manner has always been a challenge for

shipping companies.

Martek Marine has worked with some of

the leading names in logistics, including

Fedex and DHL Danzas, as well as gas

production and distribution specialist Air

Liquide, to develop Fastcalgas.

As a result, the company has secured fixed

terms covering delivery of between one and

20 cylinders anywhere in the world.

Coulson said: “In some ports of call,

perhaps half of the required gas types will be

available. In other ports, there will be fewer,

and in some cases, none of the gas types will

be available at all.

“What we are offering is a door to door

delivery service to any destination able to

receive gasses within certification

requirements that includes a confirmed

delivery price for a given number of

calibration gas cylinders,” he continued.

Fastcalgas will be offered via the Internet,

with owners logging into a secure website.

Hub operations in Singapore, Shanghai,

Fujairah, Maryland and Manchester, will be

stocked with calibration gasses.

Martek said that it will also look to market

the new service to shipyards, including

repair yards.

The company has recently recruited a new

sales director and another three new

employees to boost the sales team in

preparation of the launch of the new service.

“What we are offering is a door-to-door

delivery service to any destination able to

receive gases within certification

requirements that includes a confirmed

delivery price for a given number of

calibration gas cylinders,” explained Coulson.

As for MariNOx™, when launched it was

the world’s first approved nitrogen oxide,

sulphur oxide and carbon dioxide emissions

monitor.

Recently a series of LNGCs and crude oil

tankers were fitted with the monitoring

system. A new version is to be launched later

this year.

Health concernsMartek is also involved in crew welfare and

has introduced what the company calls the

LIFEFORCE automatic external defibrillator

to combat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

SCA is the world’s biggest killer and of

special concern at sea, where on board

professional emergency services are usually

confined to passenger ships.

Research by a leading telemedicine

company found that 62% of all deaths on

ships attributed to natural causes between

1986-2006 were heart related. People over

the age of 50 have a significantly higher risk

of suffering SCA while seafarers from

Southeast Asia are seven times more likely to

suffer cardiac arrest than other nationalities.

SCA causes the heart’s regular rhythm to

become chaotic or arrhythmic, which means

that blood is not pumped around the body.

Every minute that the heart is not beating

lowers the odds of survival by 7-10% and

after 10 minutes without treatment very few

people survive.

The only proven way to treat SCA is by

delivering an electric shock to the heart to

restore a normal rhythm. Such defibrillation

can make the difference between saving a life

and a victim dying: rendering defibrillation

within the vital first three minutes increases

the chances of survival by up to 70%.

Specifically tailored for shipping, Martek

Marine’s LIFEFORCE is the only automatic

external defibrillator (AED) type approved

for the marine environment (by

Germanischer Lloyd). The equipment

automatically detects when defibrillation is

required, ensuring that treatment is only

given when needed.

Any concerns that damage can be caused

by treating an SCA victim with defibrillation

– leading to the threat of litigation – were

allayed by managing director Paul Luen:

“All defibrillators have to be certified with

the FDA and have to undergo rigorous testing

to prove they cannot cause damage. Also, any

levels that are selected for AEDs are at such a

level that can stand up to medical scrutiny.

“They render sufficient energy to restart a

hearts normal rhythm but insufficient energy

to cause any permanent damage. One of the

key aspects of defibrillation is that it will not

deliver a shock if the heart is functioning

normally.

“When the pads are placed on the

casualty’s chest the system checks for

electrical heart activity and will only shock if

the heart is in fibrillation or if the patient is

certain to die without intervention to reverse

that condition and restore the normal heart

rhythm, ” he explained.

LIFEFORCE is designed for simplicity of

use by crew, who are guided by clear verbal

and visual instructions through each step of

the defibrillation process. In addition, a

range of on-site or in-house training options

are offered.

Performance and reliability are retained

even after years in the marine environment,

underwritten by a full five-year marine-

specific warranty. An independent study

found that LIFEFORCE was faster and

more effective than any of the leading AED

brands tested.

Future-proofing to meet any amended

treatment recommendations is secured by

easy upgrading of the AED within three

minutes and free of charge using data card

technology.

A valuable secondary feature of

LIFEFORCE is the facility to monitor the

ECG of a crew member, whose file can then

be emailed to the shipping company and/or

medical service provider.

LIFEFORCE sales now total 800 units, to

over 100 operators.

TECHNOLOGY PROFILE – MARTEK MARINE


Martek Navguard wall mounted option withperipherals.

TO

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 4


TECHNOLOGY - TANK SERVICING

Hidden inside this statement are a

considerable number of

variables, all of which directly

impact on the end result. Many

of these variables can be changed during a

tank cleaning operation, for example the

choice of cleaning chemical, temperature of

washing water, number and/or operating mode

of the tank cleaning machines and the skill of

manipulating these variables is potentially

what makes one vessel better than another at

tank cleaning.

But perhaps the most important variable

which cannot be altered during tank cleaning

operations, arguably has the most impact on

the success of all tank cleaning operations,

and that is the vessel itself. For example, the

size and construction of the cargo tanks, the

ability of the vessel to maintain the optimum

washing water temperature, the ability of the

vessel to supply and remove washing water to

and from the cargo tanks, to name three of the

most significant.

Very simply, the construction and overall

maintenance of these ‘fixed assets’ of the

vessel are controlled and certified by the

classification societies who inspect the vessels

from newbuild and throughout operational

service. The class societies will also provide

the vessels with a class notation, which

directly relates to the construction of the

vessel and permissible operations.

Put another way, class notation defines the

minimum standard that a vessel must achieve

in order to operate in a specific field. But

vessels that are equipped above and beyond

this minimum standard may also qualify for

additional class notations. Specifically this

would indicate to an interested commercial

partner, that a vessel with an additional

notation may be more suited to perform a

particular service compared to a vessel

without the additional notation, even if the

class notation of both vessels was the same.

It is noted that within the DNV

classification of vessels, one such additional

notation is termed ETC, or Effective Tank

Cleaning (on board oil products and chemical

tankers). The basis of this notation can be read

on the DNV website thus:

‘An improved tank cleaning standard

relating to the arrangement of and equipment

on board oil product and chemical tankers that

may reduce the turnaround time in ports. This

notation is an attempt to make it less likely

that the cargo will be affected by insufficient

cleaning’.

It is interesting that by applying this

notation, DNV appears to be actively working

towards enhancing both the operational and

commercial performance of the vessels. The

comments relating to the quality of the next

loaded cargo are extremely important for

owners and operators of tankers because in all

cases where there is a cargo contamination

claim, it is the owners and/or operators of the

vessel that will take ultimate responsibility.

Fewer safeguardsIn the case of loading oil products, there are

fewer safeguards to protect the quality of

loaded cargoes compared to loading chemical

products, for the main reason that oil products

tend to be loaded under fully inerted

conditions, which essentially prevents the

cargo tanks from being visually inspected

prior to loading.

Significant emphasis is then put onto the

documented tank cleaning procedure, but as

noted, the responsibility for the quality of the

loaded cargo ultimately lies with the owners

of the vessel, so it is clearly within the best

interests of the vessel to ensure that the cargo

tanks are suitably cleaned from the previous

cargo, irrespective of whether the vessel is

inspected prior to loading or not.

On the contrary, in the case of loading

chemical products, all cargo tanks (as a

minimum) are inspected visually prior to

loading and very often, when sensitive

chemical products are being loaded, the tanks

are further inspected by chemical analysis

(wall wash inspection).

The different levels of inspection reflect the

difference in quality specifications between oil

products and chemical products. The overall

quality of oil products tends to be much lower

than the quality of chemical products and it is

common to see the quality of many oil

products measured in ranges which allows a

certain degree of cross contamination from

one oil product to another, based on the fact

The success of any tank cleaning operation is generally measured on the ability

of a vessel to switch from one cargo grade to another in the shortest possible time,

using the minimum volume of tank cleaning chemicals or materials*.

Effective tankcleaning while in

operation

...perhaps the most important variable which

cannot be altered during tank cleaning

operations, arguably has the most impact

on the success of all tank cleaning

operations...is the vessel itself.

“

”

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 5


that all oil products are fundamentally derived

from the same source.

Conversely, the quality of chemical

products tends to be based on a high level of

purity (typically greater than 90%) with strict

limitations on key contaminants, reflecting the

fact that the vast majority of chemicals are in

fact pure, single component products.

Clearly the purer the product being loaded,

the more thorough the pre-loading inspection

should be and the fact that the ETC notation

specifically addresses this point is clearly an

advantage to those vessels that qualify for

the notation.

One particular area where the benefits of

enhanced tank cleaning are very apparent is

cleaning from dirty to clean oil products,

which historically has always caused some

level of concern among commercial parties

wishing to charter vessels in the clean oil

trade.

It is obvious that black oil residues could

discolour white oils, but there is no accurate

understanding of how much black oil would

actually be required to contaminate a white oil

product. Furthermore, even if the cargo tanks

of a vessel cleaning from black oil are visually

inspected prior to loading, there is no

guarantee that the white oil cargo will be in

specification after loading.

So many charterers have a blanket

agreement stating they will not take a vessel

with black oil as last cargo to load a white oil

cargo, which is not only restricting to them, it

also reduces the flexibility of those vessels

that have the potential to clean directly from

black to white or dirty to clean.

This cautious approach is perhaps not

unrealistic when one considers the costs

associated with off specification oil/chemical

products. But it should also be considered that

most of this caution is historical and based on

the fact that older tonnage was relatively

unequipped to clean directly from dirty to

clean compared to modern tonnage.

The cargo tanks were full of internal

strengthening/stiffeners, which significantly

increased the surface area inside the cargo

tanks, where previous cargo residues could

reside. Equally, the internal steel work created

a huge number of shadow areas that seriously

reduced the coverage of the tank cleaning

machines that were already relatively

inefficient compared to the modern tank

cleaning machines found on vessels today.

There were no individual deep well pumps,

simultaneously recirculating with cleaning

chemicals and maintaining the washing water

temperature was extremely difficult … the list

could go on.

Clearly the design improvements in modern

tankers has had a significant impact on the

ability to clean these vessels and one could

suggest that this is exactly the reason why the

DNV ETC notation came about, to reward

those owners who invested in vessels that

could provide more commercial options for

charterers?

So surely, if a vessel is capable and able of

cleaning directly from dirty to clean, and the

owners are willing to take the responsibility,

there must be an opportunity to develop this

without having to consider an historical

precedence that is actually no longer relevant?

One such owner is Marinvest Shipping** of

Gothenburg, who is a part owners and

manager of a fleet of product tankers, totalling

about 700,000 dwt. One of the company’s

primary objectives is to undertake projects

that will enhance the future operational and

commercial development of the fleet so that

the partners will always receive the optimum

level of service, whatever the trade pattern the

vessels are involved in.

Marinvest made a conscious decision to

equip the entire fleet to a standard that made

them all eligible for the DNV ETC notation,

which essentially means that all the vessels

are equipped with the following key features

recognised by DNV as being instrumental in

enhancing tank cleaning and reducing the risk

of contaminating loaded cargoes:

1) Coated cargo tanks that are characterised

by having corrugated bulkheads and no

internal structures.

2) Stainless steel cargo piping and where

appropriate stainless steel heating coils.

3) Individual cargo tank deep well pumps,

for optimised stripping.

4) The ability to wash at least the largest

cargo tank with hot water at a minimum

temperature of 85 deg C.

5) Tank cleaning machines that conform to

the DNV Type approval program 785.70

and portable washing equipment/

appropriate access openings to wash the

shadow areas created by the pump stack.

Marinvest operates tankers in the dirty, clean

and chemical market and fully understands the

limitations of not being able to load clean

products directly after dirty when the

opportunity arises, even though the vessels are

seemingly well equipped to do so.

Similar owners who have modern vessels

with the DNV ETC notation would also stand

to benefit from demonstrating that they are able

to switch directly from dirty to clean in a

reasonable time frame and without creating

excessive cleaning slops, which would not only

benefit the owners, but would also create more

commercial opportunities for the charterers.

Marinvest recently put this theory to the

test, cleaning one of the vessels from carbon

black feedstock (CBFS) to gas oil. The vessel,

a 74,999 dwt oil tanker with ice class 1A, was

delivered in 2007, with six pairs of wing tanks

and two slop tanks all coated with phenolic

epoxy and had been in the dirty trade for

almost three years

The entire tank cleaning operation -

overseen by L&I Maritime (UK) - took just

seven days to complete and created only 60 cu

m of oily slop and did not utilise petroleum

based solvents, which are commonly used for


Coated cargo tanks have corrugated bulkheads and no internal structures.

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:44 Page 6


this type of cleaning operation. The following

is a summary of the tank cleaning operation

that took place in all tanks:

1) All lines well drained back to the residual

oil tank (ROT) in order to minimise the

volume of residual CBFS on board (ROB)

at the start of the Annex I pre-wash.

2) Cleaning two tanks simultaneously,

starting with warm seawater machine

washing with four portable tank cleaning

machines per tank, with a gradual increase

in washing water temperature to 70 deg C.

The duration of cleaning per tank was

eight hours and both slop tanks were

employed during the pre-wash in order to

facilitate the supply and receipt of

cleaning water.

3) Forced ventilation until tanks gas freed.

Visual inspection to check for ROB.

4) Cleaning two tanks simultaneously via the

slop tank FRAMO pump, four hours hot

seawater machine washing at 70 deg C.

During the first hour of cleaning, 200 l of

an IMO approved solvent based

emulsifying tank cleaning chemical was

injected directly into the tank cleaning line

using a positive pressure pump.

5) Forced ventilation until tanks gas freed.

Visual inspection to check for signs

of discolouration.

6) All manifolds, crossovers, drops and

heaters flushed with hot seawater back to

the cargo tanks and then additional hot

seawater machine washing in all cargo

tanks for two hours per tank.

7) All lines and tanks flushed with

freshwater.

8) Manual spot cleaning using an IMO

approved emulsifying agent containing

anionic and non ionic surface active

agents.

After the cleaning was completed, all cargo

tanks were independently inspected by a

major international inspection company and

approved for the carriage of clean petroleum

products. The vessel then went on to load a

cargo of gas oil and is continuing to trade in

the clean market.

What made this operation potentially more

challenging than a regular black oil to white

oil cleaning operation was the fact that CBFS

is heavier than water, which means the

residues removed during the cleaning, tend to

sink to the lower areas of the cargo tanks,

leaving patches of discolouration on the lower

sloping hopper sides. This was actually the

reason why the manual cleaning at the end of

the operation was required.

As stated at the start of this article - the

success of any tank cleaning operation is

generally measured on the ability of a vessel

to switch from one cargo grade to another in

the shortest possible time using the minimum

volume of tank cleaning chemicals or

materials.

In this case, a 74,999 dwt oil tanker

switched from almost three years of trading in

the dirty market to load a clean cargo in just

seven days using 2,400 l of cleaning

chemicals through the tank cleaning machines

and only 600 l of cleaning chemicals for

manual cleaning. The author* believes this is

clearly a “success”.

*This article was written exclusively for TA�KEROperator by Guy Johnson,a director of L&I Maritime (UK) Ltd. He can be contacted [email protected] Tel. +44 1909 532 003.

**With considerable acknowledgementto the operations manager at MarinvestShipping - Magnus Cardfelt (directtelephone +46 31 81 72 54 [email protected]) and CaptainVasko Milosevic, master mariner withinthe Marinvest Shipping fleet.


TO

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 16/08/2010 12:55 Page 7

MIRACLE Tank Cleaning Guide

provides tank cleaning guidance and detailed information for about 7000 Annex I and II cargoes.

MIRACLE contains physical/chemical properties, adjacent cargo coating and FOSFA-compatibility check, IBC requirements,emergency response info and compatible Draeger tubes.

Some 200 customers, having MIRACLE in use on more than 1000 shipsreport less tank rejections, decreased cleaning time and cost reduction as a benefi t.

MIRACLE is available as

• Book with annual updates (DIN A4 1000 pages) • CD with annual updates (local installation) • Online continuously updated (web-based access)

For more informations please visit or contact www.chemserve-marine.com [email protected]

MIR

AC

LE a

s B

ook

anyt

ime

and

anyw

here

MIR

AC

LE a

s C

Dru

ns w

ithou

t int

erne

t

Hubertuskamp 8D - 21521 Dassendorf

phone +49 4135 - 808630fax +49 4135 - 808631

[email protected]

MIR

AC

LE O

nlin

eno

inst

alla

tion

nece

ssar

y

Hubertuskamp 8D - 21521 Dassendorf

phone +49 4135 - 808630fax +49 4135 - 808631

[email protected]

Vetting and HSE Monitoring ToolRepository for all shipboard inspections and events. Integrated follow up system.

Automatic import of vetting inspection reports.

Test our free 3D demo

CDISIRETerminal Inspections

Port State ControlFlag State InspectionsClass Inspections

Ship Visit ReportsInternal AuditsNavi AuditsTMSA

Marine Injury ReportsVessel/Cargo DamagesMachinery DamagesEnvironmental IncidentsNear MissesNon Conformities

Fleet ReportsNear Miss Reports

Management Reports

Overdue Items ReportOil Major Reports

Ship Reports

Vetting Status Report

Repetitive QuestionsMost Frequent Defi ciencies

Marine Injury Report acc OCIMF

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:54 Page 8

The comparative efficiency of

tank cleaning chemicals has

been discussed before

(TA�KEROperator, November/

December 2009, page 27). In the past, some

of the most successful cleaning chemicals

have tended to be solvent based, or containing

active ingredients that targeted specific

previous cargo residues, thus allowing vessels

to achieve the stringent specifications required

to load sensitive chemical cargoes.

However, the use of solvents for tank

cleaning is now largely limited to cutter

solvents in water based emulsifiers, with the

use of penetrative solvents now all but

obsolete. Furthermore only those chemicals

that have been approved as safe to use by

IMO will be acceptable for future tank

cleaning operations and in reality it is found

that many ‘approved’ cleaning chemicals lack

the required potency to remove stubborn

previous cargo residues, particularly from

coated cargo tanks.

At the same time, many cargo

suppliers/receivers (chemical and oil) are

imposing stricter quality control specifications

on their cargoes, which are forcing vessels to

clean to higher standards before they will be

accepted to load

So the challenge facing owners and

operators of tankers today is to find the most

efficient cleaning solution from what is

essentially a shrinking resource, bearing in

mind the increased use of coated tonnage in

many sectors of the chemical/oil tanker

market.

But perhaps the greatest challenge is being

presented to the cleaning chemical

manufacturers. Faced with tanker owners’

increasingly demanding requirements and the

restrictions imposed by the regulatory

organisations, there is clearly an opportunity

to produce low hazard and safe, but

nevertheless effective, cleaning chemicals,

particularly for the cleaning of coated

cargo tanks.

Advanced BioCatalytics Corporation (ABC)

of Irvine, California has employed the

services of L&I Maritime (UK) (LIM) in

order to evaluate the company’s flag ship

cleaning chemical, ACCELL CLEAN™

both in the laboratory and on board deepsea

tankers.

The development of ACCELL CLEAN™

was not an accident and the synergies

associated with the tank cleaning of coated

cargo tanks, particularly zinc silicate, were

found to be extraordinary.

Development Considerable research has been carried out on

the effects of surfactants on proteins to alter

their functionality. However, little has been

reported on the ability of proteins to affect the

functionality of surfactants. ABC has reported

the use of low molecular weight proteins to

alter surfactants in order to:

1) Reduce the surface tension of surfactant

solutions.

2) Reduce the interfacial tension between oil

and water phases.

3) Enhance their ability to ‘solubilise’ oil and

grease compounds.

4) Convert a portion of the ‘solubilised’ oil

and grease to surfactant like compounds

resulting in reduced critical micelle

concentration (CMC**).

These studies have shown that ACCELL

CLEAN™ dramatically speeds up the

solubilisation of hydrocarbons and in one

particular study that investigated the

solubilisation of diesel oil in seawater, it was

found that ACCELL CLEAN™ solubilised

more than 95% of the diesel in the first 90

minutes of treatment, with complete

solubilisation in less than five hours.

In contrast, a commercially available highly

alkaline cleaner (pH13) was found to

remove/solubilise around 66% of the diesel in

50 hours, but complete decontamination was

actually never achieved. Full details of this

research are available from ABC at

[email protected].

The overall conclusions to this research

were clear. Namely that the proprietary low

molecule weight protein bundle (contained in

ACCELL CLEAN™) synergistically

enhanced the surface activity of a broad

spectrum of surfactant types, resulting in

significantly improved cleaning power,

especially on greasy or oily substrates,

without depending on harsh chemicals or

organic solvents.

Furthermore, the protein bundle (which is

based on food grade/GRAS ingredients) is

found to be inherently safe and therefore

ACCELL CLEAN™ is not only potentially

more effective than other detergents, it is also

completely safe and non-toxic to marine

biology. And as it contains no solvents or

harsh chemical additives and is almost pH

neutral, it is much safer for the vessel’s crew

to handle compared to alkaline or acid based

cleaning chemicals.

Efficiency measurement In order to prove or disprove this research,

LIM and ABC agreed to execute two projects

designed to compare the efficiency of

ACCELL CLEAN™ as a ‘hydrocarbon

remover’ from zinc silicate coatings against a

leading detergent based cleaning chemical -

hereinafter called Product Z.

The first project was carried out in LIM’s

laboratory and the second on board an

operational chemical tanker cleaning from an



It is clear that as regulatory controls start to dictate the type of cleaning chemicals that

are available for use on board tankers only those chemicals that pose the least hazard

and environmental threat will be acceptable in the future*.

Bio-modified, greentank cleaning

chemicals

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:54 Page 9



oil based previous cargo to a methanol

standard.

In the laboratory based project, identical

mild steel test panels coated with an industry

standard solvent based zinc silicate coating

were immersed in ultra low sulphur diesel

(ULSD) for seven days (in duplicate). The

panels were then removed from the ULSD and

cleaned according to the following procedure:

1) Cold seawater washing for 30 minutes.

2) Hot seawater (60 deg C) washing for 30

minutes.

3) Hot freshwater (60 deg C) recirculation

with 0.5% ACCELL CLEAN™ or 0.5%

Product Z for two hours.

4) Cold freshwater washing for 10 minutes.

After this cleaning, the test panels were

flushed with 50 ml of laboratory grade

methanol, which was was tested for the

presence of hydrocarbons in accordance with

ASTM D 1722. The degree of hydrocarbon

failure was quantified using the L&I WAVE II

UV/Vis spectrometer.

In the operational tank cleaning project, the

vessel in question was cleaning from heavy

naphtha to a methanol standard. The vessel

was five years old with seven pairs of cargo

tanks all coated with a solvent based zinc

silicate coating. All the cargo tanks were

inerted with nitrogen prior to loading and

during the discharge of the heavy naphtha

cargo. The naphtha cargo was on board the

vessel for just over 11 days.

After the naphtha was discharged, all cargo

tanks were initially cleaned in the same way:

1) 20 minutes ambient seawater machine

wash to slop.

2) Nitrogen purging until LEL < 1%.

3) Three hours hot seawater machine

washing overboard.

And then individual cargo tanks were cleaned

according to the following schedules:

COT 2W and 4W

4) Three hours recirculation with 2%

sodium hypochlorite and 0.25%

ACCELL CLEAN™ in warm

seawater.


washing overboard.

6) Ventilation and methanol wall wash.

COT 1W, 3W and Slop S



ACCELL CLEAN™ in warm

seawater.


washing overboard.


COT 5W



Product Z in warm seawater.


washing overboard.


COT 6W


sodium hypochlorite and 1%



washing overboard.


COT 7W


sodium hypochlorite and 2%



washing overboard.


ResultsIn the laboratory based project, the following

results were noted (see Table 1). In the live

tank cleaning project the following results

were noted (see Table 2).

Further to these results, COT 5P and 6W

Cleaning chemical Average hydrocarbon reading

in FTU (LIM spectrometer)

0.5% ACCELL CLEANTM 135

0.5 % Product Z 311

Table 1

Cargo tank Hydrocarbon (FTU)

5P 2

6P 6

6S 10

Table 3

ParaCargo Tank Hydrocarbon (FTU) Cleaning operation

1P 1 * 0.5% ACCELL CLEANTM

1S 1 * 0.5% ACCELL CLEANTM

2P 6 0.25% ACCELL CLEANTM

2S 6 0.25% ACCELL CLEANTM


3S 1 * 0.5% ACCELL CLEANTM


4S 4 0.25% ACCELL CLEANTM

5P 48 0.5% Product Z

5S 42 0.5% Product Z

6P 22 1% Product Z

6S 89 1% Product Z

7P 30 2% Product Z

7S 56 2% Product Z

*Hydrocarbon readings of two FTU and less on the L&I WAVE II UV/Vis spectrometer will pass theASTM D1722 specification for water miscibility (hydrocarbons).

Table 2

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:54 Page 10

were additionally cleaned as follows:

Two hours recirculation with 0.5%

ACCELL CLEAN™ in warm seawater.

Two hours hot seawater (60 deg C) machine

washing overboard

And the following results were noted (see

Table 3)

Project resultsIn the laboratory based project, ACCELL

CLEAN™ significantly outperformed Product

Z when cleaning from a mid distillate oil

product like ULSD.

In the live project, it is clear that the cargo

tanks cleaned with ACCELL CLEAN™ show

considerably lower hydrocarbon results in the

wall wash samples compared to the tanks

cleaned with Product Z.

It is difficult to absolutely conclude that

0.5% ACCELL CLEAN™ is more effective

than 0.25% ACCELL CLEAN™ because all

of the hydrocarbon results are in the same

magnitude, but it does appear that the 0.5% is

the most effective cleaning solution; having

said that, 0.25% still seems to be more

effective than all of the different Product Z

solutions.

As the results from COT 5P and 6W

indicate, ACCELL CLEAN™ appears to be

able to clean the residues that are left behind

in the zinc silicate coating after cleaning with

leading detergent based cleaning chemical.

ConclusionsIn terms of efficiency of removal of

hydrocarbon residues from the coating, it is

quite apparent that ACCELL CLEAN™

significantly outperforms Product Z, under the

circumstances of this project.

To add some perspective to the live project,

the hydrocarbon results from COT 1W, 3W

and 4P would pass the ASTM D1722

hydrocarbon test and thus, these tanks would

pass a load port wall wash inspection for

hydrocarbons, without any additional

cleaning.

Cleaning persistent oil based residues from

zinc silicate coatings is one of the most

challenging cleaning operations that many

owners/operators face today. Historically, such

cleaning operations involved a considerable

consumption of solvents because this was the

only method of removing the previous cargo

residues that were trapped either on top of or

inside the profile of the coating.

The science behind the development of

ACCELL CLEAN™ certainly appears to be

well founded and in practice, the finished

product certainly seems to be more than

capable of not only cleaning coated cargo

tanks from oil based cargoes, but far more

significantly continuing to clean cargo tank

coatings to a condition that will ultimately

satisfy the requirements of most load port wall

wash inspections.

ACCELL CLEAN™ was approved by IMO

at last MEPC meeting and is included in the

latest MEPC 2/Circ 15 Annex.

*This article was written by GuyJohnson – director, L&I Maritime (UK)[email protected] Tel. +441909 532 003 and Bill Torres – presidentand COO, Advanced BioCatalyticsCorporation [email protected] Tel. +1 949 442 0880

**CMC is the point at which detergencyis reached, or put another way, the pointat which the detergent becomes effective.The lower the CMC the more efficientthe detergent becomes.



TO

Marine Chemicals • Gas

Chemical Cleaning • Consulting

Gas Detectors • UTI • Instruments

ACCELL CLEAN – WE HAVE IT !NEW cleaning technology for cargo tanks.

Especially suited for removal of hydrocarbons &vegetable oils on Zinc coated cargo tanks

On stock in:Rotterdam • Houston • Singapore

Supply elsewhere on request.

CALL NOW ON:Tel +47-2244 3153 Fax: +47-2255 1931 @: [email protected]

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 16/08/2010 12:56 Page 11



Reducing volatile organic

compound (VOC) emissions from

crude oil tankers helps cut the

environmental impact of ship

operations and saves on hard won resources,

explained Dr Hans Richard Hansen, Teekay’s

vice president technology development.

VOCs are the hydrocarbon gases emitted

during the crude oil transportation process.

They represent a proportion of the cargo lost

as fumes. The main VOC constituent gases are

methane, propane and butane – the latter two

are heavier than air and the main concern to

date has been their potential negative impact

on human health in loading areas.

Since 2002, Norway has regulated VOC

emissions from tanker operations on its

continental shelf – mainly related to North Sea

shuttle tanker activity. A significant VOC

component is methane – the same gas that

when cooled and liquefied is known as LNG.

This lighter gas quickly rises to the upper

atmosphere where it poses no immediate risk

to health. VOCs are greenhouse gases and

contribute to shipping and the oil industry’s

carbon emissions – the methane immediately

on release while the propane and butane

components, when broken down by

environmental exposure, eventually form CO2

in the atmosphere.

If VOC emissions could be either mitigated

or prevented, shipping’s contribution to global

warming could be reduced. In addition, as

VOC represent lost cargo, delivered crude

stems would be increased providing more oil

and financial benefit to cargo owners and

reduced wastage of resource.

Dr Hansen described Teekay’s extensive

experience in operating vessels in compliance

with the Norwegian VOC emission regulation.

Together with other Norwegian tanker

operators, Teekay has employed VOC

emission reduction systems to reduce the

venting of the gaseous compounds that make

up the VOCs from oil cargoes.

A range of technical solutions have been

employed in the North Sea including

absorption, condensation and KVOC

technologies. The total investment by

operators thus far is in the region of $250

mill. The annual operating expenses for these

systems amount to about $20 mill. These

systems were all installed on a retrofit basis

on board a vessel to reduce VOC emissions

during loading.

Reductions in VOC emissions have been

considerable. For example, Norwegian shelf

shuttle tanker emissions have fallen from

160,000 tonnes in 2002 to just 25,000 tonnes

in 2009. However, this is a relatively small

fleet and only reduces emissions of total crude

shipments by a tiny percentage.

The worldwide daily seaborne imports of

crude amount to around 20 mill barrels. Crude

oil is mostly a long haul cargo, meaning that

the tonne/mile proportion of world seaborne

trade is high. VOC emissions from the crude

oil trade can be reduced by some 1-2 mill

tonnes per annum, reducing the carbon

footprint of crude transportation by about 5%.

An additional benefit would be a reduced

contribution from the crude trade to ground

level ozone.

Two changesTwo major changes would need to be

implemented to achieve such savings. First,

tanker design would need to be modified to

enable the carriage of oil under pressure, at

the modest level of 1.2 to 1.7 bar. Teekay has

already raised the tank pressure on one of its

tankers – �avion Hispania – to 1.2 bar – a

pressure level that most tankers can

accommodate with minor modifications.

The increased pressure in �avionHispania’s tanks provided 15-20% reduction

in VOC emissions during loading. In addition,

re-absorption of VOC during a voyage using a

GBA swirl absorber eliminated emissions

during transit and eliminated the need to vent

if the tank pressure needed to be reduced

before discharge.

Four Amundsen class shuttle tankers due to

be delivered to Teekay this year and next are

designed to load and ship crude under a

pressure of 1.7 bar. In addition to being able

to load at increased pressure, other systems

Teekay is helping the

industry to achieve cleaner

air and more oil in the tank*.

Major tankeroperator gives answer

to VOC emissions

OIL

VAPOUR

H

VOC + IGS +AIR

HIGH & LOW PRESSUREALARMS

TANK LEVELALARMS

VAPOURMANIFOLD

CARGOMANIFOLD

HIGH VELOCITYP/V VALVE

L

h hh

LEVELGAUGE

OIL

REFRIG -ERATION

LNG

LPG

IGS + AIR

RECOVEREDOIL

Schematic of VECS system. Photo credit Teekay/LR.

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:54 Page 12

being fitted on these vessels include –

� A GBA swirl absorber, or CVOC for

absorption of VOC gas into the crude oil

integrated with automatic control of cargo

tank pressure.

� KVOC, which is an increased diameter

drop line system developed by Knutsen

OAS. This system reduces the under

pressure (siphon effect) that occurs in a

conventional drop line, thereby reducing

the flashing of gas from the crude oil

during loading.

Increased cargo tank pressure, together with

KVOC, is expected to reduce VOC emission

during loading by 60-70% and by employing

the GBA system, with laden voyage can be

accomplished without the need to vent VOC

to air.

The additional investment needed for the

design changes and the installation of the

required systems, such as those to be installed

on the four Amundsen vessels, is in excess of

$2 mill. However, retrofitting a swirl absorber

and operating at 1.2 bar can be achieved at a

cost of less than $1 mill.

If implemented on the crude fleet, this

would be the equivalent of reducing its carbon

footprint by 2-3%. Additional benefits would

include an improved working environment on

board and in the vicinity of tanker terminals

by reducing VOC related health risks.

The next big step to further reduce VOC

emissions would involve effective use of the

vapour return system. Most tankers have

vapour return systems but few terminals are

prepared to use this capability to fully close

the vapour emission loop.

If the tanker and terminal operating sectors

co-operated in the transfer of tank atmosphere

between ship and shore during loading and

discharge, this would probably be the

equivalent to an additional 5% reduction of the

carbon footprint of crude oil transport by sea.

The MARPOL convention introduced

requirements for VOC emissions this year.

These regulations are limited to requiring

owners to develop and operate according to a

VOC plan. In the future, this can be made

more effective by operating at somewhat

higher pressure with the aid of installations

such as swirl absorption on all crude oil

tankers.

VOC column breakdown At low altitudes, the propane and butane break

down in sunlight into ozone, which in high

concentration can impair human health and

damage vegetation and materials. The

methane component rises immediately to the

upper atmosphere where its acts as a

greenhouse gas.

In the revised MARPOL Annex VI, which

entered into force on 1st July this year, there

is a requirement for an approved VOC

management plan. Lloyd’s Register has

provided relevant supporting information and

has also produced a template and checklist to

assist managers to produce their plans.

*This article first appeared in Lloyd’sRegister’s Horizons Magazine.



TO

Teekay’s Dr Hans Richard Hansen. Photo credit Teekay/LR.

@TA�KEROperator

Tanker Operator will be exhibiting at

the Digital Ship stand at Hall B1.OG, booth

�o 183 where Sales Manager David Jeffries

and Editor Ian Cochran will be on hand

to welcome friends old and new.

We have moved!

Tanker Operator has moved offices.Our new postal and calling address is

2nd Floor, 8 Baltic Street East,

London EC1Y 0UP, UK.

The new telephone numbers are:

Publisher - Karl Jeffery +44 (0)20 7017 3405

Editor – Ian Cochran +44 (0)20 7017 3403

All the other details remain unchanged.

p57-69:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:54 Page 13

Admiralty Shipyards builds tankers

of different classes, including

those earmarked for service in

Arctic waters. The shipyard has

recently constructed tankers of 47,400 dwt

and ice class tankers of 70,000 dwt. In the

period between 1994 and 2008 more than 20

tankers were handed over to customers

worldwide.

For example, in 2001, a contract was signed

for the construction of a series of tankers of

47,400 dwt. The tankers are equipped with

automated navigation control systems, cargo

control systems and machinery monitoring

systems. They each feature double sides and

bottoms, 10 cargo tanks and two slop tanks

giving a total capacity of about 53,000 cu m.

They have a maximum speed of 15 knots and

an operational range of 15,750 miles.

During 2003-2008, Admiralty shipyards

delivered eight tankers in this series to

Sovcomflot - Troitsky Bridge, Torgovy Bridge,Tuchkov Bridge, Tower Bridge, TeatralnyBridge, Tavrichesky Bridge, Tverskoy Bridgeand finally the Transsib Bridge. All of the

eight tankers were named after well-known

bridges whose names start with the letter ‘T’.

The major dimensions of the last in the

series – Transsib Bridge - are: - length 182.5

m; breadth 32.2 m; deadweight 47,400 tonnes;

service speed 15 knots; range 15,750 miles,

while the main engine produces 8,310 kW and

the crew numbers 28.

In March 2010, a sophisticated tanker – the

70,000 dwt Mikhail Ulyanov built to LU6 Ice

Class - was handed over to Sovcomflot and is

successfully operating, Currently, Admiralty

shipyards is completing the second in the

series – Kirill Lavrov.They are both built to the advanced DAS™

double-acting technology, a design patented

by Helsinki-based Aker Arctic Technology

(AAT).

The first tanker called Mikhail Ulyanov has

been operating for Sovcomflot since March

TECHNOLOGY - ICE CLASS TANKERS


Admiralty shipyards– one of the leaders inRussian shipbuilding

Currently, Russia’s oldest shipbuilding enterprise – the 305 year old Admiralty

Shipyards – is participating in some of the most important projects within the domestic

Russian shipbuilding industry’s development strategy.

The Mikhail Ulyanovwas built to cope withice of up to 1.2 mthick.

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:41 Page 1

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:41 Page 2

2010. The second tanker in the series – named

Kirill Lavrov - was launched on 18th

December 2009 and will be handed over later

this year. They were named after two famous

Russian actors. They employ the DAT

technology ( DAS™) – patented by the

Helsinki-based Aker Arctic Technology.

In accordance with the double acting

concept, in ice the tankers move stern first,

capable of breaking the ice of up to 1.2 m

thick. In clear water, the tankers operate in

conventional mode ahead.

The R-70046 type tankers can be operated

in different areas, but they were primarily

designed to lift oil from the ice-resistant fixed

offshore platform Prirazlomnoye to the

floating transhipment terminal in the

Murmansk region at the ambient outdoor

temperature of around -40 deg C.

They are constructed to RS/LR dual class

standards meeting the requirements of both

Lloyd’s Register and Russian Maritime

Register of Shipping. The ships are propelled

and steered using two AZIPOD azimuth

thrusters of 8.5 MW each, manufactured by

ABB and are also fitted with a Kongsberg

dynamic positioning system, helicopter pad

and an Arctic class bow loading system for

use with the Arctic loading platform.

Largest tankersThe R-70046 tankers were the largest vessels

ever built by Admiralty Shipyards and are

among the largest vessels in the world to

have been launched on an inclined slipway –

the launch weight of each vessel is about

25,000 tonnes.

In 2007, Admiralty Shipyards built a series

of sea-going, ice-breaking, fire-fighting tugs

designed by the Canadian Robert Allan design

bureau for operation on the Sakhalin Island

shelf. The construction work was supervised

by Lloyd’s Register and the tugs met the

requirements of LR class. They were designed

to operate at an ambient air temperature of

down to - 25 deg C.

They are capable of moving at speeds of up

3 knots for a long period of time in one-year

old ice of 0.85 m thickness. Both tugs are

equipped with two Rolls Royce main engines

developing 2,400 kW power each, plus two

Aqua Master azimuth stern drives with

controllable pitch propellers and two auxiliary

Volvo Penta diesel-generators. Each generator

develops 225 kW.

In December 2008, the shipyard was

awarded a contract by the Russian Federation

Hydrometeorology and Environment

Monitoring Service (Roshydromet) for the

construction of a new research vessel to be

employed by the Russian Antarctic expedition

under the control of Roshydromet Arctic and

Antarctic Research Institute. She is to be

completed in September 2011.

Admiralty Shipyards is planning to

strengthen its position in the commercial

shipbuilding market by concentrating its

efforts on the construction of sophisticated

vessels, such as LNGCs.

Both Gazprom and Sovcomflot could be

potential gas carrier customers. Gazprom has

projects requiring vessels with a capacity of

140-150,000 cu m, while Sovcomflot’s

projects include vessels of around 70-80,000

cu m capacity.

Admiralty Shipyards claims to have the

facilities and experience to construct high

technology LNGCs.



TO

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:41 Page 3



ABS has revised itscomprehensive guide for vesselsoperating in the Arctic andcomparable harsh environments.The update incorporates nearly four years of

operational experience since the guide was

first issued in September 2006.

Drawing upon feedback from the industry,

the ABS Guide for Vessels Operating in LowTemperature Environments was reviewed by

members of ABS’ newly established Arctic

Technical Advisory Committee comprised of

prominent industry representatives active in

harsh environment developments.

The unique demands imposed on vessels

operating in Polar regions are addressed in the

guide, as well as guidance relating to

personnel safety and training. Major sections

include: materials, welds and coatings; hull

construction and equipment; vessel systems

and machinery; safety systems; crew

considerations; and training and related

documentation.

According to Robert Conachey, ABS senior

managing principal engineer, marine

technology, the major revisions include:

updated notations to reflect occasional

operation in low temperatures and continuous

operation in the Polar regions; clarification of

requirements applicable to continuous service

and occasional service in low temperatures;

and references to regulations since the guide

was first published.

Contact information for administrations

located in the Baltic, Arctic and Antarctic

areas, as well as meteorological organisations

are also included in the guide.

Conachey pointed out a new notation for

vessels with de-icing systems has been created

and charts and tables have been updated.

“Detailed coloured temperature charts have

been added in the climatic conditions

appendix,” he explained. “These charts can be

used for guidance to determine temperatures

to be expected when operating in the Arctic

and Antarctic areas.”

Additionally, materials charts have been

updated to reflect recent changes to the IACS

Unified Rule (UR) S6. The charts now point

out requirements for thick plates, castings and

forgings. A new table has also been added

listing various equipment and systems along

with relevant temperature criteria and cross

references.

Vessels designed and equipped in

accordance with the optional requirements of

the guide are eligible for a special class

notation. The notation CCO+(TDST, TMAT)

will be listed in the ABS record with the

service and minimum temperatures for which

the vessel is designed listed in the parenthesis.

For example, CCO+(-30, -40 deg C).

Other optional ABS class notations specified

are: Cold Climate Operation (CCO (TDST,

TMAT)), Cold Climate Operation – Polar

(CCO-POLAR (TDST, TMAT)), Cold Climate

Operation Plus (CCO (TDST, TMAT)+), Cold

Climate Operation – Polar Plus (CCO-POLAR

(TDST, TMAT)+) and DE-ICE.

ABS revises low temperature environmental guide

Russian shuttle tanker graces the ThamesAn unusual arrival in the RiverThames in July was Sovcomflot’s(SCF) Russian Ice Class shuttletanker Timofey Guzhenko. She had arrived at the Coryton refinery in

the Thames estuary where these photographs

were taken.

An SCF spokesman said that all vessels

working from the Barents Sea Varandey

Terminal deliver cargoes to other terminals

from time to time and that this was

one example.

She was the last of three 72,700 dwt crude

oil tankers built by Samsung and was

handed over to SCF in February 2009. The

previous two were the Vasily Dinkov and the

Kapetan Gotsky. Timofey Guzhenko and her sisters were

built to transport crude oil from the

Varandey Terminal to Murmansk for onward

transhipment.

They are registered in St Petersburg and

are dual classed by the Russian Maritime

Register of Shipping and ABS to Ice Class

LU6 (1A Super). They incorporate the

double acting technology (DAT) designed

and patented by Aker Arctic Technology.

Each vessel is fitted with twin Azipods

developing a total of 20MW and a

dynamic positioning system, plus a bow

loading system.

They are managed by Unicom

Management Services out of Limassol. �

Seen at the Coryton refinery last July was Sovcomflot’s Ice Class 1A Super (LU6) shuttle tanker Timofey Guzhenko. Her bowloading system can clearly be seen.

TO

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:42 Page 4


Following a series of extensivenegotiations with Germanshipbuilder- Nordic Yards – Danishequipment supplier API Marinewon a contract to fit monitoringsystems on an Arctic tanker.The company will deliver a cargo monitoring

and level indication system to an icebreaking

tanker under construction for MMC Norilsk

Nickel – Russia’s largest mining and metal

producing concern.

Called project ‘Nordic AT 19’, the tanker

will be able to break through ice of up to 1.5

m thick. She will be built to ship fuel,

lubricants and gas condensate around Russia’s

far northern territories.

She has been designed to operate in harsh

Arctic weather conditions where temperatures

can drop to -50 deg C. API claimed that its

technology has already been proven to work

efficiently and reliably in the Arctic region.

The new tanker will be dual classed with

the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

(RS) and DNV, while she is scheduled to be

delivered in September 2011.

“We are proud to announce commencement of

a successful collaboration between API Marine

and Nordic Yards with our shared strategic focus

on Arctic shipping,” said API Marine managing

director Sven Egelund Rasmussen.

“We are the leaders in supplying special

equipment for challenging operating conditions,

both for marine and offshore applications and

we constantly develop our cutting edge

technology in order to ensure ultimate precision

and high reliability of our products.

“This contract continues the reference list of

successful Arctic applications for our

advanced products,” he continued.

Nordic yards is based at Wismar, Germany

and is a specialist builder of icebreaking and

icegoing tankers and other sophisticated vessels.


The system before it is installed.

API to supply Arctic tanker newbuilding

www.krohne-skarpenord.com

Monitoring of liquids is in safe handsKROHNE Skarpenord offers complete solutions for monitoring of cargo tanks (and all other tanks) as well as monitoring of fuel consumption on ships.

Come see us at SMM and let us show you how the CARGOMASTER® tank monitoring system and the EcoMATE® fuel consumption monitoring system can bring easiness to your daily work!

Peace of mind

Meet us in Hall A1Stand 513

International trade fair7 - 10 Sept. 2010

In icy conditions.

TO

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:42 Page 5

TECHNOLOGY - NEWS

Liquid-cooled regenerative andlow harmonic drives help improvethruster and main propulsionsystemsABB, the power and automation technology

group, has introduced two new cabinet built

liquid-cooled industrial drives approved for

marine applications. They offer an even more

compact and reliable drives solution, while

achieving the same standard of performance

as their air-cooled counterparts, ABB claimed.

The new drives, the ACS800-17LC and the

ACS800-37LC have a power range of 55 to

5,200 kW (60 to 6,000 hp) and are designed for

harmonic mitigation and power regeneration.

Mitigating network harmonics is a

significant issue in the marine environment.

Harmonics can cause losses or disturbances

and even premature equipment failure in the

different electrical equipment on the network

such as motors, lighting or electronics.

Limiting harmonics increases these systems

reliability and efficiency.

The new ABB industrial drives are designed

to mitigate these harmonics, making them

suitable for applications such as thrusters,

pumps, compressors, winches, cranes, or

propulsion systems.

Using built-in active supply units to

eliminate low order harmonics and line filters

to reduce higher frequency harmonics, the

drives provide power with very low total

harmonics. This harmonic solution works

without requiring additional external filtering

equipment or multi-pulse transformers.

The ACS800-37LC is the liquid-cooled

variant of ABB’s ACS800 low harmonic cabinet

drive and provides a powerful combination of

liquid cooling and harmonic mitigation. The

result is a drive featuring an exceptionally low

harmonic content in the network of 3 to 5%,

which exceeds stringent international harmonic

standards like IEEE 519 and G5/4.

In addition to the harmonic reduction, the

ACS800-17LC offers a regenerative

capability. The drive feeds braking energy

back into the network, eliminating the need

for braking choppers and other external

braking components. This reduces space

requirements and installation complexity

while providing energy savings.

The drives have marine type approvals from

DNV, ABS, and LR, IP42 protection class as

standard, and IP54 as option.

They come in totally enclosed cabinets with

no additional openings for air vents, reducing

the affect of dusty and salty air. In addition,

with no large cooling fans and filtering

equipment, the operational noise of the drives

is significantly reduced, a feature appreciated

by seafarers.

Both drives use parallel connected three-

phase inverter modules, which not only offer

operational redundancy, but also allow the

drive to run at partial load even when one of

the modules is not operating.

A first installation of two ACS800-17LC

regenerative drives is being undertaken on a

Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) oil and

chemical spill abatement vessel. The drives

will be used for the main propulsion system

and for the ship’s bow thruster. The vessel will

be delivered from Finland’s Uudenkaupungin

Työvene Oy.


New liquid-cooled drives pack more power

TO

ABB liquid-cooled industrial drives are highly compact and totally enclosed cabinetsmaking them suitable for harsh ambient environments.

Karco has continued to produceits range of marine trainingvideos by introducing two more toadd to its collection.One is a fully 3D animated video, which has

been added to the company’s library of

effective safety videos.

The re-creation of digital marine accidents as

case studies provide valuable insight to the

repetitive mistakes being made on board vessels,

caused by the human element, Karco said.

“Perhaps there is no better tool for training

than to visually showcase an actual error

being committed by a seafarer, who is perhaps

no different from another seafarer in any part

of the world except for their respective level

of training, attitude and commitment to this

profession”, the company said.

The latest digital re-creation concerns the

collision and propeller fouling of a laden

VLCC. The full length video is currently

restricted and will be available in due course,

Karco said.

The second fully 3D animated video

recently introduced was entitled; ‘Enclosed

Type Lifeboats-On Load Release Gear’.

This video very clearly emphasises the

following points in addition to demonstrating

a standard lifeboat launching procedure,

Karco claimed.

� Key components of an ‘On Load Release

Gear System’, including hydrostatic unit,

operating lever, lever locking arrangement,

cables, hook, amplifying arm, cam release

pin etc all in 3D.

� Operating mechanism of the ‘On Load

Release’ gear using the very effective 3D

animations platform.

� Correct procedure of resetting the ‘On

Load Release’ gear at time of recovery of

lifeboat to ensure safe operation.

Karco also claimed to very clearly understand

the need of an effective training tool to deal

with such a critical operation, hence has taken

this a step further by offering to make this video

ship specific as per the design of individual ‘On

Load Release Gear’ make and models.

The company will develop a small 3D

animated clip of about two minutes duration,

which will clearly show the ship specific

model along with the correct operating and

resetting procedure.

This clip will be appended to Karco’s main

video (generic).

Indian safety video maker introduces two more

TO

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:42 Page 6

TECHNOLOGY - NEWS


BALPURE® ballast water management system authorisedto discharge treated ballast water off CaliforniaThe S/R American Progress, adouble-hull US flag tanker,operated by SeaRiver Maritime,and fitted with a Severn Trent DeNora BALPURE® ballast watermanagement system has beenauthorised to discharge treatedballast water into the sea offCalifornia. Authorisation was granted by the California

State Lands Commission in accordance with

California Public Resources Code Section

71204.3(d), which allows vessels to manage

their ballast water using alternative,

environmentally sound methods of ballast water

management that have been approved by the

Commission, or the US Coast Guard (USCG).

Acceptance of the S/R American Progressinto the USCG Shipboard Technology

Evaluation Program (STEP) is evidence of

SeaRiver Maritime proactive approach to

preventing the introduction of non-indigenous

species via ballast water discharge, the

company said.

The vessel may continue to discharge

treated ballast water with the BALPURE

system into California waters as long as the

vessel remains in the USCG STEP and

operates in accordance with its specific

conditions.

The California State Lands Commission

also considers the vessel to be in compliance

with the state’s performance standards for a

period not to exceed five years from the date

that the interim performance standards are

implemented for this vessel class on 1st

January 2016.

BALPURE is a patented ballast water

management system that generates biocides,

meters and analyses the residual level of both

biocides and neutralising agents and logs the

performance of the overall system.

The system is claimed to exceed IMO

performance standards for ballast water

management and is proven as an effective and

economical device to treat ballast water, with

no adverse effects on the environment.

It features a modular design which is ideal

for retrofit, or newbuild installations where

the configuration of the vessel is fixed. Basic

approval of the BALPURE system was

granted under the “procedure for approval of

ballast water management systems that make

use of active substances (G9)” adopted by the

IMO’s Marine Environment Protection

Committee’s resolution MEPC.169(57).

Severn Trent De Nora designs and

manufactures electrolytic systems to generate

biocides from halide ions present in seawater,

saline and estuarine waters.

The new Draeger X-am 5600 isclaimed to be the smallestportable gas detection instrumentfor the measurement of up to sixgases. With an ergonomic mobile phone design, it

features innovative infrared (IR) sensor

technology and provides accurate, reliable

measurements of explosive, combustible and

toxic gases and vapours, as well as oxygen,

Draeger claimed.

Ideal for personal monitoring applications,

this light yet robust detector is designed for

single-handed operation in tough industrial

environments and is ATEX approved for use

in explosive areas classified as Zone 0.

By using a combination of Draeger IR

sensors and the latest Draeger XXS

miniaturised electrochemical sensors, the

Draeger X-am 5600 can detect a wide variety

of hazards. These include O2, CO, H2S, H2 ,

CO2, Cl2, HCN, NH3, NO, NO2, PH3, SO2

and organic vapours.

Immune to poisons such as hydrogen

sulphide (H2S), Draeger IR sensors ensure

dependable warnings against explosive and

combustible hazards such as hydrocarbons and

carbon dioxide. Offering a low cost of

ownership, they offer an extended sensor life

of up to eight years, twice as long as catalytic

Ex sensors. In addition, they only require

calibration every 12 months and, which

significantly reduce maintenance costs.

The IR Ex sensor provides reliable

measurements of hydrocarbons within the

lower explosive limit (LEL), and from 0-100

Vol.-% for methane, propane and ethylene.

The IR CO2 sensor offers a measurement

resolution of 0.01 Vol.-%. Where accurate

monitoring of explosive substances and

carbon dioxide is needed specifically, Draeger

offers a Dual IR CO2/Ex sensor.

Hydrogen, which is often present in steel

making applications but is not usually

detectable with IR technology, can be

monitored by combining a Draeger XXS

electrochemical H2 sensor with the Draeger

IR Ex sensor.

Designed with safety in mind, the Draeger

X-am 5600 features gas inlets on both the top

and front to ensure reliable warning of a

hazard, even if a gas inlet is accidentally

covered or it is inadvertently placed inside a

jacket pocket. A large illuminated display

means that readings can be seen at a glance

and retro-reflective panels ensure easy

location in the dark or in water. With a clear

360 deg visual alarm, the unit automatically

emits vibrating and multi-tone audible alarms

as soon as a gas is detected.

An optional external pump is available with

hoses up to 20 m for pre-entry measurements

in tanks or pipelines. In addition, the Draeger

X-am 5600 can be used in conjunction with

the new Draeger X-zone to provide wireless

area monitoring. Designed to save time and

reduce workload, the Draeger E-Cal

Automatic Test and Calibration Station and

the Draeger Bump Test Station are also ideal

system extensions.

Equipped with a data logger as standard, the

unit also allows data such as measured values

and configurations to be transmitted via

infrared interface to a PC. The data can then

be analysed using the Draeger Gas Vision

software, with optional user registration being

carried out via the Draeger CC-Vision

software.

Smallest portable gas detector measures up to six gases

The Draeger X-am 5600

TO

TO

p70-76:p39-50.qxd 13/08/2010 15:42 Page 7

COMMERCIAL TANKEROPERATIONSincluding shipbroking, legal mattersand financing

IN DEPTH INFORMATIONon the latest newbuilds, sale andpurchase, freight rates andderivatives markets, using industryknown commentators

A STRONG FOCUSon shipbuilding and repair

subscribe online at www.tankeroperator.com

KEY PLAYERS IN THE TANKER INDUSTRY will be profiled giving their views on current legislation,recommendations and trends.These will include chief executives from all sectors of the industry from equipmentmanufacturers to the topshipowners

INFORMATION about meeting oil majorrequirements (TMSA / vetting)

DEVELOPMENTS in management/safety/ environmental best practice

NEW TECHNOLOGIES and commercial industrydevelopments

Ph

oto

cre

dit

– H

em

pel

TA�KEROperatorTA�KEROperator

IBC:OBC.qxd 13/08/2010 15:58 Page 1

www.classnk.or.jp

Dedicated to safer cleaner seas

OBC:OBC.qxd 13/08/2010 15:59 Page 1

TANKER OPERATOR MAGAZINE(AUGUST/SEPT 2010)

Documents

Transcript of TANKER OPERATOR MAGAZINE(AUGUST/SEPT 2010)