TANKER OPERATOR (OCT 2009)

OCTOBER 2009 www.tankeroperator.com

TA�KEROperator

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Goal-based standards A long way to go

October 2009 � TANKEROperator 01

ContentsMarketsTonne-mile ratios could increase next year

FinanceTanker assets sliding

German Report� KG collapse could stall investments

� RWO awaits final ballast water approval

� GL’s revolutionary tanker design

Technology24 Propulsors� Twin screw concepts examined

� CPP with a feathering capability

� Propeller efficiency - the key

� Becker introduces duct

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45 Safety� ICS expresses concerns

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Although there are signs of a general improvement,albeit small, it is a brave person who is willing topredict a return to something like normal, whateverthat is.However, the boys and girls at accountants and consultants Moore

Stephens have stuck their neck out.

In the latest Shipping Confidence Survey, the company said that

there was a continuing rise in overall confidence levels in the shipping

industry over the past three months.

There was, somewhat unsurprisingly, an increased awareness of the

impact of China’s growth pattern on the shipping sector.

The average confidence level expressed by respondents, on a scale of

1 to 10, was 5.7, compared to 5.5 in the previous survey in May 2009.

Owners, managers, charterers and brokers all exhibited increased

confidence in the shipping markets in which they operate.

A number of people acknowledged that the start of a recovery was

under way, and also recognised the opportunity today to buy vessels at

historically low prices. “The shipping market has started to pick up this

year after the effect of the global economic crises,” noted one

respondent, while another commented, “The recovery of the global

economy will result in strong demand for tonnage as delayed projects

get up and running again.”

Less optimistic comments included predictions that excessive

tonnage oversupply would keep the lid on freight rates, and the catch-

all observation, “Hoping for the best, getting ready for the worst.”

Another respondent warned, “Because two newbuildings are being

delivered for every vessel scrapped, the shipping market will not be

able to pick up over the next three-to-four years. And it may

deteriorate even further, with a number of owners forced into

bankruptcy.”

China was on the minds of a number of respondents, one of whom

noted, “China is now the producer, the consumer, the trader and the

transporter. It has got the cheapest and the most plentiful supply of

labour and it is possibly the richest country in the world. None of these

things can be good for the international shipping industry.” Another

remarked, “China’s influence in the shipping markets is a risk which

has not yet been fully factored in. China will control a lot of cheap new

tonnage, with the result that a number of independent shipowners will

not have the opportunity to compete.”

The survey revealed a slight increase in the number of respondents

expecting to make a major investment or significant development over

the next 12 months at 5.1 out of 10 overall. Charterers remained the

most confident, although they, together with managers, actually recorded

a drop in their expectation levels compared to the last survey. Owners

and brokers, meanwhile, were more confident of making a major

investment than they were three months ago.

For the third survey in succession, demand trends were identified as

the single most important factor likely to affect their business

performance over the coming year, followed by competition and the cost

and availability of finance.

There was a one percentage point fall overall, to 45%, in the number

of respondents who expected finance costs to rise over the coming year.

Having recorded a 13% point fall in this category to a level of 41% in

the previous survey, charterers appear to have had a rethink over the

past three months, with the result that 50% of them now expect finance

costs to rise over the coming year.

A number of respondents remarked on the hard-line attitude adopted

by the banks and by other lenders, while one made the succinct

observation that, “High finance costs and reduced availability have been

the cause of many problems for many owners. Today, if you can buy a

ship for cash and let it out to a reliable charterer for, say, two years, at

least you are making a return on equity of between 10% and 15%,

which is better than the 1% you will get from the banks.”

Tanker charteringTurning to the tanker charter market, the picture was largely as before.

There was a marked difference of opinion, however, between the

numbers of owners (46%) and the numbers of charterers (35%)

predicting higher rates, the latter figure comparing with the 45%

recorded in the last survey.

Moore Stephens shipping partner, Richard Greiner said, “Although

the overall confidence level of 5.7 revealed in the survey is low

compared to the 6.8 posted at the time of the first survey in May 2008,

it still represents an increase for the third successive quarter. In some

ways this mirrors what is happening in the global economy, where there

are now very real indications that a recovery is under way.”

Remarking on finance opportunities, Greiner said; “Shipping should

not despair. The process of lending has inevitably become more

selective, and the terms more onerous, yet there are still banks which are

lending money. Aspiring borrowers with realistic demands and with

well-written, easy-to-understand business plans which plot a clear path

to profitability will have the best chance of success.”

COMMENT

Green-ish shoots of recovery seen coming through

TO

TANKEROperator � October 200902

TANKEROperator

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p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 2

Specific data is available some

time after actual cargo

movements, which while

allowing for a higher accuracy,

causes some delay in data analysis.

Having updated our records with the

complete first half of 2009, we can now

decipher the gains/losses across the dirty

tanker sectors by import/export region. It is

of no surprise that demand for tankers is

down on a macro level, but the full picture

can only be gained by “peeling back the

onion,” McQuilling Services said in its

weekly report.

We blamed the unseasonable spikes of

2008 on supply constraints, which absorbed

significant tonnage and drove the spot

market to impressively high second quarter

levels, despite tanker demand exhibiting the

beginning of its decline.

However, the picture in 2009 is quite

different. Net fleet growth continues across

the sectors, unchecked by 2007-8’s surge in

drybulk and heavy-lift conversions.

Table 1 illustrates the year-on-year change

in tonne-mile demand across most tanker

sectors, having dropped nearly 1.6% overall

versus 1H08. This is hardly surprising, and

easily attributed to the demand destruction

for crude oil since last year.

Furthermore, that the fleet has expanded

by 120 newbuildings this year adds insult to

injury when observing the tumbling act

freight rates have undergone.

Year-on-year demand for VLCCs is down

4.3% overall. Referring to Table 2, this is

largely driven by huge drops in tonne-mile

demand from the Caribbean & US out of the

Arabian Gulf and West Africa.

This was largely expected given the US’s

decreased consumption of crude after last

year’s record price tag of $147 per barrel,

and would certainly explain why rates have

on TD1 (280,000 tonnes – AG/US Gulf)

averaged a dismal WS 30.7 during 1H09.

Increased demand for VLCCs was seen

from Europe and India, largely attributed to

declining production output in the North Sea

for the former, and increased refinery

capacity for the latter; however, these

imports commanded only a 4% share of the

fleet, whereas nearly a 50% share of VLCCs

were needed for the AG/Far East trades.

One unexpected rise in demand has been

the 8.6% growth for dirty Panamaxes over

1H08 levels. We note that this fleet has seen

a slightly negative net supply growth.

However, we are reminded of the ambiguity

of this tally owing to LR1 (coated Panamax)

owners’ option to ‘dirty up.’ Furthermore,

our database shows spot fixtures for this

sector are down by roughly 20% on a global

basis, which leaves this growth in tonne-

mile demand a bit puzzling.

Referring to Table 3, the largest increases

in demand for Panamaxes came from the

Caribbean & US (which coincidentally

experienced the largest drop in VLCC

demand as discussed above). This was

largely answered by short-haul exports from

the Caribbean, Central and South Americas,

though at the expense of long-haul cargoes

from the North Sea.

The largest decrease in tonne-mile demand

was seen ex-Arabian Gulf to the Far East

and India, though these trades only make up

a small share of Panamax business. With all

of these positive notes on the Panamax

sector, one begins to wonder why spot

earnings are down 59% year-on-year on TD

10 (50,000 tonnes– Caribbean/US Atlantic).

We believe the answer may lie with an

increasing availability of tonnage in this

region, McQuilling said.

The Panamax trade within the Americas

already commanded a huge 23% share of the

fleet’s business in 2008. Increased tonne-

mile demand from this region in 2009 saw

this rise to over 28%. With so many ships

trading within this short-haul region, spot

tonnage availability has increased

significantly, leaving charterers with a large

fleet list to work from when coming into

the market.

INDUSTRY - MARKETS


Hang on in thereTanker demand is typically measured in tonne-miles, taking into account

not only the cargo being moved, but also the distance it travels.

Table 1: Year-on-Year Comparison: DirtyTonne-Mile Demand, 1H09 / 1H08.

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p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 3

We believe that this phenomenon has

contributed to the depressed rates

experienced in this sector despite its

increased demand.

The International Energy Agency (IEA)

has been pointing to decreasing oil demand

since the beginning of 2008. Given that the

dirty tanker demand is correlated to the

overall world oil demand, its lead could have

easily pointed to the downfall in tanker rates

since last year.

Accordingly, the first half of 2009

suffered a 1.59% decline in tonne-mile

demand atop a swelling supply of ships, as

well a declining demand for crude. This

combination has left spot earnings about

63% down since last year.

What’s next? The latest forecast by the IEA calls for oil

demand to end 2009 averaging 83.2 mill

barrels per day, down 3% from 85.8 mill in

2008. But as the global outlook improves

amid signs of economic recovery, IEA’s

forecast for 2010 is an increase to world oil

demand to 86.3 mill.

Additionally, changing distances between

oil producers and refiners, various supply

reduction factors (such as the impeding

single-hull phase out), possible pipeline

closures, among many other factors could

contribute to significant fluctuations in the

demand for tankers moving forward.

While we can confidently predict that

tonne-mile demand data for Q3 will

show a further fall from 1H09, there

remains a number of factors that could

reverse this trend into 2010. Regardless

the result, we look forward to the

opportunity to decipher our next batch of

tanker demand data, peeling back the next

proverbial layer of onion, McQuilling

concluded. TO

INDUSTRY – MARKETS


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Table 2: Year-on-Year VLCC Comparison: Dirty Ton-Mile Demand, 1H09 / 1H08.

Table 3: Year-on-Year Panamax Comparison: Dirty Ton-Mile Demand, 1H09 / 1H08.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 4

Any delays occurring on the

Panama, Suez Canals, or the

Bosporus would impact on supply

and demand by tying up tonnage

that would otherwise be on the open market.

Collectively, the Bosporus and Dardanelles

are known as the Turkish Straits and despite

being treacherous to navigate, due to tight 90

deg turns and varied visibility, they play host

to around 140 ships per day transiting- about

11% being tankers.

The geography and the sheer number of

vessels often have the shippers wondering

about the pipeline option. Bad weather

causes bottlenecks at either end, resulting in

large tankers being delayed, sometimes for

several days.

However, the attraction of the straits is that

some 130 mill tonnes of crude and petroleum

products are exported from the Black Sea

ports each year.

Having retained control of the Bosporus and

Dardanelles throughout its independence,

Turkey claims the right to regulate traffic

passing through. Both straits encompass some

30 km of Turkey’s coastline on both sides and

are only 0.75 km wide at their narrowest point

in the centre of Istanbul and only allow a vessel

with a maximum draught of 15 m to transit.

Currently, Turkey does not enforce strict

control of the straits, nor does it levy tolls or

restrict trade. It only closes the waterways in

times of an environmental or security risk.

According to Turkish law, the straits could

be shut for economic, environmental, or

security crises.

To reduce the risk of pollution, following

several high profile incidents down the years,

Turkey has initiated a night time ban on all

vessels transiting of over 200 m in length. All

vessels of over 300 m are banned outright in the

Bosporus, except in special circumstances,

meaning that VLCC transits have been ruled out.

And of course, there is also an air draft restriction

due to the two bridges spanning the Bosporus.

During the winter period, fog and lost

daylight hours can cause chaos to large ship

transits, leading to delays of up to 20 days.

These criteria are often taken into

consideration when drafting a charterparty for

vessels needing to transit the area, especially

if time sensitivity is involved. Delays could

also occur in the future should terrorists

succeed in forcing the authorities to inspect

each vessel before starting a transit.

Export terminalsThe Black Sea houses many major exporting

terminals, including Novorossiysk,

Constantza, Bourgas, Batumi, Supsa and

Odessa. Different grades of crude oil are

shipped, notably Kumkol, Tengiz and Azeri

light from Kazakhstan and Georgia, plus

Urals, CPC blend and Soviet Export blend

from Russia.

McQuilling said that it was important to

note the attractiveness of many of the Black

Sea crudes. For example, Azeri light can trade

at a premium to other types of crude, due to

its light/sweet attributes, which can produce

more attractive products after refining.

Although Russia diverted some of its oil

exports through Black Sea ports in 2006,

planned production increases from Azerbaijan

and Kazakhstan may push more oil products

through the straits in the future. However, at

present there is still a steady market for

Suezmax, Aframax and Panamax tonnage

needed to export crude from the region.

From January to April this year, Suezmaxes

carried about 9.45 mill tonnes crude per

month from the Black Sea/eastern

Mediterranean and North African region,

compared to 9.46 mill tonnes in the

corresponding period of 2008.

Interestingly, McQuilling said that January

totalled 10.5 mill tonnes only to fall to 8.4

mill tonnes by April. However, while figures

were not available thus far for May-August,

the consultancy said that it had noticed a

steady increase in TD 6 fixtures (135,000

tonne, Black Sea-Mediterranean).

The delays caused by bad weather affecting

the straits in winter, plus the lost daylight

hours for large ship transits, have been

diminishing since 2003. Nevertheless,

McQuilling found that since 2002, the

increase in transit times were coinciding with

rate hikes on the TD 6 route, except for winter

2008-2009.

This was because the recession had started to

take its toll, resulting in the growing supply of

tankers amidst a collapse in oil demand, left all

the tanker rates in free fall, regardless of delays

at the entrances of the Turkish straits.

Speculation is rife that we are coming to the

end of the recession. However, tonnage

available was still outweighing demand. With

Autumn approaching and a steady climb being

observed in the amount of tonnage picking up

oil cargoes in the Black Sea, the question is will

delays affect the spot market gain, or will the

spot market remain so unbalanced that delays

will have little affect on TD 6 earnings?


TO

INDUSTRY - MARKETS

Turkish Straits-major tanker artery

In the third in a trilogy of articles focusing on global choke points for shipping,

McQuilling Services took a look at the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

The Suezmax Aegean Horizon navigates through the narrowest part of the Bosporus. Photo credit- Chris Brooks (ShipFoto).

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 5


INDUSTRY - FINANCE

In the previous review on tanker asset

prices (March 2009, page 4), there were

fundamental issues within the financial

system that had rendered the credit

markets and world trade, and by association,

the shipping market almost un-functional.

However, at that time, the trade of crude oil

was holding up fairly well, given the

circumstances, and given the great differential

between the spot and the futures markets for

oil, there was an exacerbated state of contango

that had employed at that time more than 60

vessels as storage facilities.

Six months later, the reality for the tanker

markets is less promising. Although the

financial markets have slowly started thawing

and trade finance has becoming available, the

trade of oil, and thus tanker freight rates, has

dropped precipitously since then.

On the contrary,the drybulk market has

improved since March, despite the summer’s

‘slow steaming’ and soft correction. In order

to provide a frame of reference, in Graph A,

the Baltic Exchange freight indices are

Tanker asset priceson a continuousdeclining trend

Earlier in the year, the pages of the TA�KEROperator hosted a brief overview

of tanker asset prices. It seems that a lot of time has passed in last six months

and a lot has changed during this time; once again, Basil M Karatzas presents

an updated review of the developments in the present tanker market.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 6

depicted since January 2004; all indices

incorporate spot and period markets for the

major asset types that constitute each index,

and thus the indices can be assumed

representative of each market: The Baltic

Exchange Dry Index (BDI) covers the

drybulk markets (capesize, panamax,

supramax and handysize vessels); the Baltic

Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI) covers the crude

oil market (VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax and

Panamaxes in major trading routes), while

the Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BCTI)

constitutes clean Panamax, Handymax and

Handysize tankers.

The tanker indices, when compared to

drybulk markets, have been exhibiting much

lower volatility since 2004. However, one has

to note that while the drybulk markets have

staged an impressive recovery, as least when

viewed in percentage improvement terms from

the absolute bottom, tanker rates have

continued languishing and presently the tanker

indices are trading at approximately half their

value of March 2009. In quantitative terms,

the BDTI is down by 25% since March and

the BCTI is down by 32% since February,

while the drybulk markets have shown an

improvement of 36%, despite the recent

summer correction.

Different environmentDuring the boom years of the shipping cycle

and as late as in the Autumn of last year, any

decline in freight rates was not necessarily

reflected on asset prices as owners were

reluctant to lower their asking prices in an

otherwise very strong market environment

(robust world trade and growth, easy credit,

etc). However, the recent decline in tanker

freight rates, in a completely different macro

environment, has shown a different aspect

and has indicated a direct and significant

relationship on the value of tankers. There

has been a relative period of sale and

purchase inactivity for tankers in the first

five months of 2009, as very few buyers

were convinced enough to acquire tankers

(primarily with total equity due to lack of

debt financing) while sellers were holding

out for a freight rebound.

With a continuous and precipitous

deterioration of tanker freight rates to such

low levels as to be significantly below

operating cash flow break-even, with

consensus estimates that world economies will

not start improving at least until the end of

2010, at the very earliest, and with new

deliveries keep flooding an anemic market,

weak owners have started accepting bidding

prices that now establish a new lower plateau

and benchmark in the sector.

Many market observers have stated that it is

only a matter of time before the few

transactions thus far at such low levels will

become the new standard, and with market

pressures keep piling up, asset prices might

trend to even lower levels.

Sliding VLCCsThe four major tanker sectors are reviewed in

the next four graphs both in terms of asset

pricing and also one-year timecharter from

January 2004 until the end of August 2009.

The VLCC market in Graph 2, the most

macro-economically oriented tanker sector

and thus the most volatile, had been on a

positively slopping trend since 2005 when

five-year old vessels having appreciated from

about $75 mill in January 2004 to about $160

mill by December 2008, while presently are

valued at about $85 mill. Ten-year old

VLCCs seem to have made a full round trip

starting at about $55 mill in early 2004,

trading as high as $125 mill in December

2008 and presently back to the point of origin.

On the right-hand-scale of the same graph, the

one-year timecharter VLLC rate is depicted,

and presently such vessels are earning less


INDUSTRY - FINANCE

Graph 1: The Baltic Indices - since 2004 - SEP 2009.

Graph 2: VLCC Asset & TC - since JAN2004 - VLCCs - SEP 2009.

Asset

Valu

es (

in U

S$ m

il) 1

-yr T

C R

ate

(US

$/d

)

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 7

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p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 8

than the beginning of the super-cycle: from

about $42,000 per day to as high as $90,000

per day in December 2008 to the present level

of about $36,000 per day.

On to a still macro-economically oriented

tanker sector but at smaller scale and different

market dynamics, five-year-old Suezmaxes

had doubled in price from January 2004 to

December 2008 to about $100 mill before

falling back to about $55 mill region at

present (Graph 3). Ten-year old vessels have

fared much better in terms of relative

valuation as they had moved from about $25

mill to as high as about $80 mill last

December and presently valued at $45 mill,

still a significant premium over their valuation

in early 2004.

However, in terms of earnings, the present

market at $25,000 per day is well below the

$35,000 per day level obtainable at the

beginning of 2004 and the $55,000 per day

level achievable still in December 2008 for

one-year timecharters.

Moving on to the workhorse of the tanker

market (Graph 4), asset prices for five-year-

old Aframaxes had moved from just below

$40 mill to just below $80 mill from 2004 to

2008 and presently below $40 mill, while 10-

year vessels experienced a similar cycle from

just below $30 mill to above $60 mill and

presently below $30 mill. Similarly, one-year

timecharter levels had moved from $25,000

per day to about $43,000 per day in December

2008 but in a free fall since then to about

$17,000 per day currently.

In the last graph, Graph 5, products tankers

that trade in a refined petroleum products

market, unlike the previous tanker sectors

that trade in the crude oil markets, have

shown a similar path of high appreciation

between early 2004 and late 2008 (from $30

mill to $55 mill for five-year-olds and from

$20 mill to $45 mill, respectively) and a

parallel free fall since then to below $30 mill

for the five-year old and about $22 mill for

the 10 year old.

What is different, however, in the products

tanker market is that freight rates had peaked

much earlier than the crude oil tankers: one-

year timecharter had moved from below

$15,000 per day to about $30,000 per day in

two instances in the summers of 2005 and

2006 (think of Hurricanes Rita, Katrina and

spot rates of excess $100,000 per day), while

there is a gradual softening since then to about

$22,000 per day in the Autumn of 2008 and

$12,000 per day currently.

In reviewing the four tanker graphs, it is

clear that all major tanker sectors have, more

or less, followed the paths of parallel lives

with peaks and troughs generally

corresponding to each other, the nuisances

and specific timing within each sector

notwithstanding.

It is worth noting that in terms of asset

pricing, with the exception of Suezmaxes

that are comparatively higher at the end than

the beginning of the period under

examination, there is a full cycle with all

(very sizeable in each case) asset price

appreciation ‘committed to the deep’ and the

seven seas.

At present, all four assets classes in the

tanker sector have been trading below their

corresponding average for five and 10-year-

old vessels by about 30%, with a 10-year old

Suezmax, at the one extreme of the range,

trading 28% below the average for such a

vessel, while a 10-year old Aframax, at the

other extreme, trading at 37% discount to the

corresponding average.

Narrowing price differentialAnother observation worth mentioning is that

on average the price differential between a

five and 10-year old tanker within each asset

class between January 2004 and August 2009

has narrowed in both absolute and percentage

terms, with the most notable example of

Suezmaxes where the $27 mill price

differential has narrowed to $11 mill between

five and 10-year old vessels between January

2004 and August 2009. A corollary to this

observation, that price differentiation due to

age becomes in-elastic, is that differently

aged vessels will provide different profile

under investment valuations as ‘going-

concerns’ or ‘asset play’, and therefore will

be investment targets by buyers with

different investment criteria.

The first eight months of this year have

been a lesson in history for many industries

and industry sectors. With shipping at the

epicenter of world trade and the financial

markets, the impact of the financial turmoil

has been especially amplified. While the


INDUSTRY - FINANCE

Graph 3: S'max & TC - since JAN2004 - Suezmax - SEP 2009.

Graph 4: Aframax & TC - since JAN2004 - Aframax - SEP 2009.

As

se

t V

alu

es

(in

US

$ m

il) 1

-yr T

C R

ate

(US

$/d

)A

sset

Valu

es (

in U

S$ m

il) 1

-yr T

C R

ate

(US

$/d

)

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 9

INDUSTRY - FINANCE


drybulk market went down fast by the bow in

short order upon the freezing of the financial

markets, the tanker market managed to

maintain an even keel until very late last year

and early 2009.

The fact that tanker owners and companies

are, in general, better capitalized and managed

than drybulk companies has not managed to

absolve the sector; on the contrary, the

strength of the tanker owners implicitly

ensures that the tanker orderbook will likely

be delivered in its entirety.

The contango effect on oil prices that at

certain points during the year had absorbed

more than 60 VLCCs (about 10% of the

world fleet) could not salvage the market.

The much anticipated single-hull tanker

mandatory phase-out in 2010 and the

estimated growth of the world economies in

late 2010 might be the next safe harbour for

the tanker market. But, again, shipping is

an industry of surprises…

*Basil M Karatzis is managing director forprojects & finance with Compass MaritimeServices (CMS), based in �ew Jersey. CMSis a ship brokerage and maritime financearranger concern. He can be contacted at [email protected],+201 5859999, or www.compassMar.com.

TO

Footnote: The data was derived fromthe Compass Maritime Services (CMS)database, from the Baltic ExchangeSale and Purchase Assessment (BSPA)on which CMS is a panel member, andfrom Clarksons Research Services.

Graph 5: MR & TC- since JAN2004 - MR - SEP 2009.

As

se

t V

alu

es

(in

US

$ m

il) 1

-yr T

C R

ate

(US

$/d

)

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 10


INDUSTRY - FOCUS ON GERMANY

German owners accounted for 424

tankers of 22.2 mill dwt of over

1,000 gt. Of course, several

more have entered the fleet this

year on the back of the recent newbuilding

boom.

Although the German tanker owners,

managers and operators are suffering in

today’s climate of low returns, perhaps they

are better off than their containership

owner/manager counterparts, some of which

are having trouble in financing their huge

newbuilding portfolios.

The so called ‘KG’ system is all but dead as

investors using this scheme would expect

around an 8% return on their investment,

which in today’s market is virtually

impossible to achieve. Added to this, is the

banks’ negative attitude towards lending funds

for any investment project, least of all for

shipping funds, most of which need topping

up with fresh finance.

One leading owner/operator told

TA�KEROperator that the German banks had

tightened up their vetting procedures and were

far more risk averse. The credit rating/risk

management departments now thoroughly

analyse a company’s performance and modusoperandi when a request for financing is

presented.

Newly elected Chancellor Angela Merkel’s

incoming government will no doubt face

demands for help finance the massive

newbuilding projects by way of state loan

guarantees.

In general, German shipping banks face a

severe run on their equity from their loan

commitments, which has all but stopped them

going after new business.

Indeed, one of the largest, HSH Nordbank,

had to be bailed out by the states of Schleswig

Holstein and Hamburg. By 2012, the ship

finance divisions of Deutsche Schiffsbank,

Commerzbank and Dresdner Bank will be

consolidated under the banner of Schiffsbank,

once Commerzbank has completed its

takeover of the other two banks.

Most of the owners spoken with by

TA�KEROperator in the chemical/products

sector were reasonably confident that rates

would stabilise or even rise towards the end of

this year, or the beginning of 2010 through

2011. Opinions were mixed as to whether it

was better to go for long term contracts, or

play the spot market in today’s moribund

situation.

Many German-controlled vessels operate in

According to figures produced by LR Fairplay for the Verband Deutscher Reeder

(German Shipowners’ Association) at the end of last year,

Germany stood in fifth place in the world’s tanker league table.

Chemical/producttankers at the vanguardof German investment

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 11

pooling arrangements. Indeed new pools are

still springing up worldwide. Some are run

from Germany, most notably UPT and the

newly formed Seatramp Intermediate

Tanker Pool, which started operations earlier

this year.

The Seatramp pool is commercially

managed by Hellespont Tankers and thus far

has only one member. However, talks are

ongoing with other German and overseas

interests about participating. Hellespont’s

three 13,000 dwt IMO II chemical tankers and

the first of the company’s eight 17,000 dwt

IMO II chemical tankers – HellespontCenturion - have already joined the pool.

The seven remaining newbuilding chemical

carriers will join the pool once they are

delivered from Sekwang Shipbuilding later

this year and through 2011. They will be

capable of lifting up to 15 different cargo

grades in their epoxy coated tanks.

Following her delivery from Sekwang,

Hellespont Centurion loaded palm oil in

Indonesia for Mediterranean discharge. This is

a cargo that needs heating, which helps to cure

the new coatings in the cargo tanks.

One of smaller intermediate tankers, the

13,000 dwt Hellespont Credo, was put under

the German flag, but a decision to register

another vessel in Germany was deferred due

to the extra costs involved and the lack of

suitable German speaking masters and chief

engineers.

Hellespont Hammonia undertakes the

technical management of the vessels and also

has crude and product tankers on its books.

All the larger tonnage is timechartered out to

Sanko who commercially operates the tankers,

which in turn creates a return for the KG

shareholders. One of the Sanko-chartered



Hellespont Trader is long term chartered to Sanko.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 12

tankers - Hellespont Trust - is due to enter

Heidmar’s Blue Fin Suezmax pool at the end

of this year, joining the Hellespont Triumph.

Seatramp is located in a separate office in

Hamburg to Hellespont in order to give the

pool its own identity and to show

transparency. It also uses different IT systems

to its parent.

Although 2009 has proved to be a bad year

for intermediate chemical/products tankers,

there are signs of a slow recovery taking

place. Seatramp’s current commercial strategy

is to fix member vessels on short timecharter

agreements. Other company vessels joining

the pool will be timechartered in on a variable

rate basis, and Hellespont Tankers will then

undertake their commercial management.

It is not the intention of the pool’s managers

to look for coas until a critical mass has been

attained of around 20-25 vessels, which the

company hopes to achieve by 2011. This

number of vessels will give the pool more

flexibility to move the tonnage around.

Charter business is being sought worldwide,

although northwest Europe is currently

offering better rates than elsewhere, despite a

lot of tonnage being available.

In a management shakeup, Phrixos B

Papachristidis was recently appointed

chairman of the executive board and

managing director of Hellespont AG & Co

KG, the parent company of the German-based

Hellespont shipmanagement and marine

services group.

His appointment followed the recent shock

resignation of Christian Freiherr von

Oldershausen, who had been CEO since 2007.

Meanwhile, other appointments at

Hellespont included, Christian Ramm,

managing director of Hellespont Hammonia

GmbH & Co KG, who joined Papachristidis

and Matthias Imreke on the executive board of

Hellespont AG & Co KG, and Christian

Stensaker, commercial director of Hellespont

Tankers AG & Co KG, who has become

managing director of that company.

In another move, Alexander Papachristidis-

Bove was appointed chairman of the board

and managing director of Hellespont

Steamship Corp, the Piraeus-based

shipmanagement and marine services

company, with effect from 1st October, 2009.

He replaces Dr Mike Kennedy, who

assumes the role of managing director of

Hellespont Consultants Corp and remains

responsible for the company’s newbuilding

programme.

As part of a plan to streamline the

organisation, the Hellespont Group’s entire

Piraeus-based staff will be consolidated under

Hellespont Steamship Corp, from which all

shipmanagement and other marine services

will be performed.

Other changes at Hellespont Steamship

Corp will see an enlarged board of directors

which, apart from Papachristidis and Dr

Kennedy, will include marine director Capt

John Kazazis, finance director George

Hadjigeorgiou and technical director Petros

Tsevas. All are long-standing members of

the organisation.

Although run from Limassol, another pool

member – Interorient - has a significant

presence in Hamburg.

All of the 64 product carriers in

Interorient’s fleet operate in the Norient

Products Pool (NPP), which is run with

NORDEN and commercially operated out of

Copenhagen. Another 15 tankers will join

NPP during the coming two years.

NPP commercially manages Handysize

chemical/product carriers, MRs, LR1s and

LR2s. A number of the vessels are Ice Class

1A and 1B for Baltic operations and although

the pool originally concentrated on European

trading when it started operations in 2005,

now the charters take the vessels worldwide.

The majority lift clean product cargoes.

To help look after the fleet worldwide, NPP

offices have been opened in Singapore and in

Annapolis (Md).

Around 29 vessels are managed from

Interorient’s Hamburg office – 25 tankers and

four containerships. The latest vessel –

�orient Scorpius - was delivered from the

Romanian shipyard of Santierul Naval

Constanta in May and is the last of a series of

four 41,000 dwt chemical/products tankers.

This series was based on a design by

Romanian tanker shipping concern

Histria/Icepronav, which has several sister

ships in service.

One advantage of being in Hamburg is that

following the credit crunch, Interorient can

gain quick access to the German banks and

KG fund managers as during the economic

crisis, some of the banks have merged and all

have considerably tightened up their vetting

procedures with the affect that risk

management has become a much more

important role within the banks.

This year the total Handysize/MR fleet is

due to grow by around 14%, but during 2010

this percentage will reduce and will become

almost zero in 2011 and maybe shrink

thereafter. Coupled with this is the prospect of

an increase in average tonne/miles, an

Interorient spokesman said.

As many owners have said to

TA�KEROperator, next year could be a time

for opportunities for those holding cash or

credit lines on the back of falling newbuilding

and secondhand prices, plus distressed sales.

Tanker deliveriesMeanwhile, relative newcomer Offen

Tankers, an offshoot of the Claus-Peter Offen

group, has started taking delivery of the next

series of product tankers.

At the end of last year, Offen Tankers took

delivery of the eighth and last in a series of

36,000 dwt Ice class 1 A chemical/product

tanker – CPO England. All eight are operated

together with another eight similar vessels in a

commercial co-operation agreement with

Broström, Paris, today part of the AP

Möller/Maersk group.

Following the delivery of the series of

smaller vessels, in June of this year, the first

of eight 52,000 dwt oil and product tankers –

CPO Korea – was delivered by Hyundai

Mipo. All eight will be commercially operated

by ST Shipping, Glencore’s shipping arm.

Offen Tankers head Stephan Polomsky

explained that the company always upgrades

the original good specification of the

Hyundai Mipo designs by a substantial

amount above the normal contract price on

these tanker types.

The enhancements and improvements

include the use of European equipment

manufacturers and extra features like Ice

Class, the fitting of bow thrusters, as well as

extra pumping, IG and tank cleaning

capacities. Polomsky explained that these

upgrades and improvements were aimed at

achieving faster turnaround times during cargo

operation, that is when loading, discharging

and tank cleaning.



Phrixos B Papachristidis.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 13

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“We are new, so we can think new and

future - orientated,” he explained. Each tanker

is fitted with a dual ECDIS system and thus

no paper charts are carried. A network of

around 10 PCs is installed on each ship

utilising the management system Ulysses’

Task Assistant compromising the function of

planned maintenance (PMS), purchasing and

quality management.

“This is not only a quality management

system, it is user friendly and follows a

predefined workflow, which means that we are

virtually paperless,” he explained. “Everything

is integrated in one system on the ship and in

the office, double entries are avoided and all

steps/actions are traceable.” He also said that

by using this system, QA audits and vetting

results are worked out much faster.

“We use inspections to improve our

operation and performance. Due to the systems

installed, everybody is ‘hooked up’ in the

workflow and communications channels. This

allows the company communicate feedback

and lessons to learn. We can develop very fast

and change very fast,” Polomsky claimed.

When it came to vetting, an in-house

vetting inspector is always on board of the

inspected vessels. This move is not only

aimed at assisting the crew during the vetting,

but also one of the major concerns and

obligation to maintain safe operation during

discharge, Polomsky explained. “From the

very beginning,” he said, “safe and quality

operation at the highest standard is our target.”

There are presently 16 people sitting in

Offen Tanker’s office in Hamburg and due the

company being a subsidiary of a major

shipowner/manager, it is using the synergies

for some tasks, such as purchasing. Also for

the Polish officers employed on CP Offen’s

containerships and in the tanker division the

same agency is used.

When the last 52,000 dwt tanker will be

delivered in 2011 the Claus-Peter Offen group

will have built 36 vessels at Hyundai Mipo.

The first tankers ordered were converted

1,800 teu containerships and formed the

milestone for the new tanker activity.

Last year, Offen Tankers took delivery of

eight vessels in roughly seven months and

beside intensive supervision at the building

yard (up to 14 people) the crewing,

purchasing and technical management had to

be put in place very quickly. Operational

assistance with tank cleaning experience was

also needed and was implemented in parallel.

One of the companies highlights and main

focus was and is crew selection, training and

familiarisation. Therefore, an intensive

briefing/training period is held usually taking

the form of a five day session in the office.

Cadets are carried on board the tankers and

Offen Tankers’ employs a training master who

goes from ship-to-ship for hands-on training

and further education.

According to the entrance criteria at Offen

Tankers, all officers and crew should have spent

an adequate number of years serving on similar

tankers. On many trips an extra chief officer

and/or chief engineer is carried. All these efforts

together with the internal promotion scheme are

aimed at accelerating the qualification and

experience of the sea going personal.

Together with partner, Broström, Offen

Tankers has developed an intensive quality

reporting policy for near misses, etc and by

highlighting lessons to be learned, standards

and operational safety can be jointly

improved, Polomsky said.

Offen also runs a small competition to

encourage the seafarers and others to come



Protection of Metallic Surfaces

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 15

up with good suggestions for improving

vessel operations.

Last tanker deliveredOne company that has finished its

newbuilding programme is Bremen-based

German Tanker Shipping (GTS).

The last vessel – Seapike - was delivered

from the ill-fated Lindenau shipyard in July.

The products tanker differs from her earlier

sisters in that she is 10 m longer giving a

higher total deadweight of 43,000 tonnes,

some 3,000 dwt larger than her near sisters.

Seapike has a complement of 19, which is

the industry standard for this type of vessel.

She is the fifth and largest in a series of five

product tankers of over 40,000 dwt ordered to

a joint Lindenau and GTS design.

The other eight vessels in the GTS fleet are

of 32,250 dwt and were of an earlier vintage.

The first one delivered was the Seadevil in

1996 and was the first vessel to be managed

by the newly formed company. She was sold

to Thai interests at the end of 2007.

The larger ships were fitted with an extra

tank for carrying low sulphur fuel oil (lsfo).

Their main propulsion units are Augsburg-

built 4-stroke MAN Diesel 8L58/64 type

medium speed engines, developing 11,200 kW

at up to 428 rev/min. They are connected to

CPPs via reduction gear and the vessels have

also been fitted with Becker flap rudders for

better manoeuvrability.

Chugoku Samwha Paints’ phenolic epoxy

tank coating Epicon T800 was chosen for the

cargo tanks.

All the vessels are operated on the spot

market and are a custom-made design from the

Kiel shipyard. Being a champion of all things

German, the vessels are German built, fly the

German flag, are GL class, while the company

employs around 240 German seafarers and

operates its own training scheme.

GTS owns a mix of KG financed and

wholly owned vessels. Out of the 13 vessels

managed, 11 were financed under the KG

scheme, while the other two are fully owned.

All the vessels are technically operated in-

house using an integrated software

management system, namely GL ShipManager.

The vessels tend to operate at around 10-

15% slow steaming with the normal

operating speed being in the region of 13.5,

or up to 14 knots.

Intermediate ownerAnother Bremen-based shipping company

to have come to the end of its intermediate

newbuilding tanker programme is Harren

& Partner.

Between 2004 and 2009, the management

company took delivery of eight ice class

16,700 dwt chemical/products tankers. All

eight were built at the Jiangnan Shipbuilding

yard in Shanghai.

Four are long term timechartered to Maersk,

while three are in the Marida pool, which is

operated by Womar Holdings – a joint venture

between W-O and Heidmar. The eighth vessel

is currently on the spot market.

Harren & Partner has several other ship

types under management so a team of

superintendents, purchasing officers and

vessel operators tend to be responsible for

each different ship type.

“Our quality measures are paying off,”

Peter Gronwoldt, managing director of Harren

& Partner Ship Management told

TA�KEROperator. “All of our KPIs are in

place. We have our own HSE policy, which is

reflected in all of our masters and chief

engineers familiarisation courses.”

Gronwoldt operates a policy whereby three

superintendents visit the ships each year. On

board training has also been introduced with

trainers rotating between the vessels. They

each visit the head office every 12 months for

an audit. In addition, an internal audit is held

for the entire crew of each ship.

Harren & Partner operates its tankers with a

crew of between 17 and 18. The accommodation

block was built to house 20 seafarers giving

the company room to employ cadets on board

as necessary.

On the bridge, each ship is fitted with a

dual ECDIS and paper charts as back up.

One design innovation is that no pipework

can be found on deck, except for the manifold

connections. All the pipes are contained in the

vessels’ trunks. The tankers’ cargo tanks are

coated with Hempel’s Hempadur 15,500

phenolic epoxy.

Training, planned maintenance, stores and

supplies requisition and other functions are

all integrated into one system. Touch screens

are employed, including the PCs in the

engine room.

The eight tankers are classed with DNV to Ice

Class 1A and fly the Maltese flag. They were

designed to trade in and out of the Baltic during

the winter period, hence the high ice class.

Gronwoldt thought that there will be an

increasing demand for intermediate IMO type

II/III chemical/products tankers and said that

we could see an upturn in the market by 2011.

Hamburg-based poolOne of the major pools operated out of

Hamburg is United Product Tankers (UPT).

Formed in 2003, UPT comprises three pools -



GTS’ Seamullet seen anchored in the Thames estuary, was built in 2001 and is of 32,238 dwt.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 16

1) UPT Handy Pool - looks after products

tankers in the 33,000 dwt to 40,000 dwt

range.

2) UPT Panamax Pool - as the name

suggests, this pool operates LR1s.

3) UPT Coastal Pool - another pool segment

for intermediate tankers of around 13,000

dwt, which was recently set up.

Today, UPT commercially manages vessels

technically operated and owned by interests

connected with Columbia Shipmanagement

(CSM)/Schoeller Holdings, Donnelly Tanker

Management/Hartmann, Conti Reederei,

Koenig & Cie and MPC Capital.

It was originally formed to commercially

handle two tranches of Handysize tankers

ordered by those interests connected with

CSM and Donnelly.

By 2010, when all the newbuildings have

been delivered, UPT expects to commercially

manage 51 vessels. These will include 11

LR1s, 34 Handysize vessels, one MR, plus

five intermediate tankers. All the vessels

have coated cargo tanks and are relatively

shallow draft.

Joint managing directors Stefan Ciegelski

and Flemming Carlsen told TA�KEROperatorthat as the oil majors were becoming larger, so

there was a need to have the necessary scale

to provide an efficient service.

Today, the market is very much driven by

traders involved in arbitrage worldwide, thus

creating the need for a spot market. The

advantages claimed are being able to supply

the increased demand for product

transportation by offering a ship up for a

charter almost anywhere in the world.

By having a critical mass of a certain ship

size, a pool can become more active in the

market and thus gets more exposure than a

small operation, which has less vessels to

play with.

Among the benefits is a lower risk of idle

days and also lowering the ballast days’ ratio,

which leads to better earnings. By delivering

efficiencies, a more environmentally sound

business practice can also be engendered,

UPT thought.

The broking network is used in nine out of

10 fixtures as UPT likes to be kept advised on

all business opportunities. However, the direct

contact route is also used in certain cases as

this is normally quicker than relying on the

broking system, which can become

cumbersome if more than one independent

broker is involved in a chain.

One of UPT’s competitive advantages is

that it comes from a slightly different angle, in

that it was set up by tanker owners. The pools’

growth is controlled by its members’ ability to

order tonnage. “We are not getting tonnage

just for the sake of it,” Ciegelski and Carlsen

said. “There has to be a fit.” By forming

pools, the shipowners/managers have

extended their commercial arms.

In the case of the six ‘KG’ financed Conti

Reederei tankers, these were timechartered to

Product Marine Transport then sub-chartered

to the pool.

As for the Brussels focus on and review of

shipping pools, “this is still on the agenda,”

they said. Here a self-assessment process is

needed as is complete transparency. “Don’t

hide anything,” they warned.

UPT is also active in the newbuilding and

project sectors by which shipowners and



Donnelly’s LR1 Summit America is operating in the United Product Tankers (UPT) pool.

Harren & Partner’s eight chemical/product tankers are all Ice Class for Baltic operations.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 17



financial institutions can tap into the market

and contract expertise provided by the

experienced in-house team.

Newbuildings purchasedBremen based Carl Büttner has purchased

two newbuilding IMO II tankers from TVK-

Shipyard in Izmit/Turkey.

They are of 15,000 dwt with their cargo

tanks coated with MarineLine.

The tankers formed part of a series of

newbuildings, which was started with three

deliveries in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Büttner’s double hull vessels have modern

inert gas and redundant propulsion systems

fitted. Following the company’s tradition the

new ships are named after butterflies. The first

Levana was delivered in March, while the

second Lemonia entered the fleet in August.

The company purchased the ships to replace

the 19 year old Hummel, which was sold to

Swedish buyers at the end of 2008.

Including the new acquisitions, Büttner’s

fleet consists of 11 chemical/product carriers

of between 13.500 dwt and 24.000 dwt. Three

vessels fly the German flag, whereas the

remainder of the fleet sails under British flag

with a homeport of Gibraltar.

Büttner has also sent three of its vessels to

the Lindenau shipyard for substantial repair

works.

The first vessel – the tanker Aurelia –arrived

at Kiel-Friedrichsort on 27th July. During the

vessels 10 day stay at the shipyard, she was

upgraded to IMO Class II. After the upgrade,

the vessel is allowed to transport biochemical

fuels, as well as most other chemicals.

She was followed by the tanker Libelle,

which was built at the shipyard 10 years ago.

After the recurring class works were

completed, the yard Lindenau installed an

inert gas system.

This Autumn, her sistership Hornisse built

by Lindenau in 1998 will also have a nitrogen

aggregate inert gas system installed.

The 15,300 dwt IMO II type Levana joined Karl Büttner’s fleet in March.

TO

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 18



Final approval of chemical active

substances was granted at IMO’s

MEPC meeting on 17th July for

RWO’s CleanBallast system. This

approval was one of four steps needed to

obtain full type approval certificate for ballast

water systems.

As a first step, RWO received the basic

approval of chemical active substances in

October 2006 and subsequently finalised the

land-based type approval in 2007. With the

latest IMO final approval, the ongoing

shipboard type approval is now the last step

required to gain the type approval certificate.

Two of the required tests were recently

completed on board a containership and the

third and last test necessary to complete the

minimum six months shipboard trials was

scheduled to be carried out as

TA�KEROperator went to press.

RWO hopes to be issued with the type

approval certificate for its CleanBallast

system by the German administration before

the year end.

CleanBallast is a modular system and the

company claims that its ballast water

treatment system can economically and

reliably remove organisms, sediments and

suspended solids in just two steps:

� First, a DiskFilter system for mechanical

separation when taking in ballast water.

� Second, RWO’s advanced EctoSys®

disinfection unit, which further reduces the

number of living organisms before

reaching the ballast water tanks.

The EctoSys® disinfection system is used

again when de-ballasting at the destination

port, since organisms can regrow during the

voyage. In this way a disruption-free and

clean water cycle is ensured, from taking in to

pumping out regardless of whether in river,

brackish or seawater.

CleanBallast is a robust, easy to install

and operate ballast water treatment system

for any kind of ship and ballast water

pump capacity. It can easily be implemented

in newbuildings but also retrofitting

programme. The modular design concept

means that it can be configured to suit the

available space on board. It is fully

automated but with the possibility of both

local and remote operation.

The mechanical separation of particles

and organisms is undertaken by a special

disc filtration technology, which enables and

secures a good net ballast water production,

even in the case of high sediment loads. In

the second treatment step, the pre-cleaned

ballast water flows through an advanced

electrolysis (EctoSys®), to eliminate

bacteria and organisms and cleans the

ballast water in an economical and

ecological friendly way. Besides the

system's extremely low need for power it

also stands out for fulfilling its function in

waters with higher salt content, meaning in

sea and brackish water, and especially also

in river water with low salt content,

whereby it differs greatly from standard

chlorine electrolysis.

System deliveriesAs of September, a number of CleanBallast

systems had already been delivered from

the Bremen manufacturing base to shipyards

in China. Marketing of CleanBallast was

well underway during TA�KEROperator’svisit to the Bremen headquarters. Seminars

and exhibitions will form key platforms

for marketing the system. These include

Neva in St Petersburg, INMEX India in

Mumbai, Europort in Rotterdam,

Kormarine in Busan and Marintec China

in Shanghai.

The company has a network of more than

50 qualified sales/service stations

established throughout the world, ensuring

customer benefit from short communication

links and rapid response times. Some of the

sales and service stations will be able to

provide supervision of installation and

commissioning of the systems and training

to the crew.

RWO, part of Veolia Water Solutions &A CleanBallast type approval certificate should be issued by the end of this year.

Bremen-based water and wastewater treatment company RWO was one of the six

companies to receive IMO approval for its ballast water treatment plant recently.

RWO gears up forballast water surge

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:25 Page 19

Technologies, also claims a significant

market penetration for its marine water

treatment plants. About 12,000 of its systems

are installed on world’s fleet and today the

company supplies plants to over 800 vessels

per year. It also is the world leader in oily

water separators and in the process of

gaining type approval for an additional

sewage treatment plant to fulfil the new

regulations in accordance with

MEPC.159(55).

For drinking water on board floating

facilities far from land, such as FPSOs, RWO

can supply a complete reverse osmosis plant

as illustrated on one of the world’s largest –

FPSO Girassol. Located about 150 km off the Angolan

coastline, the oil produced from the block is

serviced partly through the FPSO, which

has a storage capacity of 2 mill tonnes of

oil. Once fitted on board the FPSO

Girassol, RWO’s desalination plant will

produce around 70,000 litres of good quality

drinking water per day. The system has a

very low maintenance threshold, the

company claimed.

RWO produces the full range of water

treatment equipment including waste

water treatment, ballast water treatment,

process water treatment and fresh water

treatment.

To cope with expanding sales, about two

years ago, the company moved to a larger

office and manufacturing site in Bremen. Due

to the expansion, the number of RWO

employees has jumped to around 66 – up

10 from 2008 and double the number of

people in 2006. TO

CleanBallast is claimed to be easy to install and maintain.



� Modular design.

� Can be implemented in new ships as

well as retrofits.

� Extremely low power consumption and

pressure loss.

� Working in fresh and salt water.

� High ballast production even at high

sediment loads.

� �o increase in corrosion or material

damage to the vessel.

� Fully automated.

� �o danger for crew or ship and safe for

the environment.

CleanBallast –Advantages at a glance

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:26 Page 20

The study focuses on optimising the

main cargo area of an Aframax

class tanker to identify the best

performing designs in terms of

improving both environmental protection from

accidental oil outflow and economical

competitiveness.

For the design concept development stage, a

full parametric multi-objective design

optimisation platform was developed by using

genetic algorithms and taking into account

probabilistic oil outflow calculation methods

for side and bottom damages and a structural

design assessment (with corrugated or flat

bulkheads), according to GL’s rules using the

scantling tool POSEIDON.

The resultant Pareto-optimal designs were

evaluated in terms of oil outflow

consequences, structural weight and cargo

capacity, design feasibility, ship

maintainability and ballast water capacity.

A variety of promising Aframax designs

were developed. Compared to a standard

reference Aframax double hull design (6 x 2

cargo tanks), which had been already

optimised by the shipyards, alternative 6 x 2,

6 x 3 and 7 x 2 cargo tank arrangements were

explored, with very promising features, both

in terms of cargo capacity and with respect to

the risk for oil outflow.

Other interesting features of optimised

designs are the increased double bottom

height and reduced size of tanks in the

forward part of the vessel, in direct response

to damage statistics. Therefore, both from the

economy and safety point of view, the

resulting designs appear attractive to the

shipping industry.

The research started within the EU funded

project SAFEDOR (2005-2009), but was later

extended to include structural design issues

through a bilateral GL-NTUA (National

Technical University of Athens) project

(2008-2009).

GL’s Dr Pierre Sames, senior vice president,

strategic research and development explained

that oil tanker design has lately been driven by

shipyard production aspects only. New

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is working on the development of innovative tanker designs

with optimised characteristics with respect to cargo transport efficiency and

environmental safety issues using a novel holistic tanker design procedure.

Optimisation of tanker design for

efficiency and safety



Economic AnalysisReference design �ew design gain (%)

Tank arrangement 6 x 2 6 x 3 -

Bulkhead type flat flat -

Cargo capacity (cu m) 126,765 135,950 +7.2%

Steel weight (tonnes) 11,077 11,013 -0.6%

Oil outflow index 0.01006 0.00942 -6.4%

The LPG carrierGaschem Nordsee

pushed GL overthe 80 mill gtbarrier of enteredtonnage earlierthis year.

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:26 Page 21



designs only marginally improved economics

and safety, he said.

GL teamed up with NTUA to optimise a

tanker design aimed at efficiency and safety.

Basically, the aim of the study was to

minimise oil outflow in an accident, to

produce less emissions, maximise cargo

volume, minimise lightship weight, offering

lower operating costs by way of fuel and

maintenance.

When developing a parametric model for

the cargo block area, the main geometric

boundary conditions were a fixed hull form,

fixed cargo area length and a double hull

design. Additional constraints were the

SOLAS and MARPOL requirements.

The internal arrangements in the parametric

model were based on one or two longitudinal

bulkheads in the cargo tank area, a variable

number of transverse bulkheads in the same

area, either flat or corrugated bulkheads, while

the inner hull side walls and double bottom

maybe parallel to the centre plane and bottom,

inclined or stepped.

As for the design variables, the parameters

included the layout (either double hull or

segregated ballast tanks), number of tanks

running in a longitudinal direction. Also to

be considered were the number of transverse

cargo tanks, the maximum centre tank width

and the type of bulkhead, either flat or

corrugated.

For each cargo tank, the following variables

were used; -

� Double bottom height.

� Double hull clearance, or side tank

breadth.

� Tank length as a fraction of the total cargo

space length.

� Purpose of side tank and centre tank (zero-

ballast water, one cargo).

There were also 21 structural design

parameters to be considered.

A structural model was generated using the

software POSEIDON for all the design

variants. The total number of variables was 41

and the total number of designs examined

came in at around 17,000.

Also, five different cargo oil tank design

scenarios were examined, including

arrangements for 6 x 2, 6 x 3 and 7 x 2 cargo

tanks with either flat or corrugated bulkheads.

GL said that the expected changes in

investment included an increase in P/V valves;

tank radars; tank washing equipment;

stripping, inert gas and venting pipes. There

would also be about a 7.5% increase in the

coating area and an increase in the hull

construction costs, due to the sloped double

bottom, but a decrease in the hull’s steel

weight of 0.6%.

Operationally, GL found that the cargo

discharge operation was unchanged, but that

there was an increase in the cost of maintenance

for the extra equipment needed and an increase

in slops from tank washing by about 24.3%.

In addition, there was the possibility of an

increase in time of stripping, depending on the

cargo unloading sequence.

With the classification of the LPG carrierGaschem Nordsee earlier this year, GLpassed the 80 mill gt threshold. More than 6,870 ships are currently surveyed on a regular

basis by GL. As a result, the fleet in service under GL

class has grown by 10 mill gt since September 2007.

The German flag Gaschem �ordsee was delivered in

late March by Meyer shipyard in Papenburg. The

LPG/ethylene tanker is the first of four gas tankers of the

same hull design to be built in Germany and delivered by

2010 by the Meyer shipyard and its sister company

Neptun Shipyard.

Of 13,878 gt, the vessel has a capacity of up to 17,000

cu m of liquefied gas. Besides LPG, the tanker is also

designed for the transport of liquefied ethylene gas (LEG),

used in the petrochemical industry.

She measures 154.95 m in length and 22.70 m in width,

with a maximum depth of 10.60 m and a speed of 17

knots. Gaschem �ordsee is initially being deployed by

Japan's Marubeni Group to transport liquefied gas to Asia.

Commercial and technical shipmanagement for the

Gaschem �ordsee is handled jointly by Harpain Reederei

GmbH & Co KG, a joint venture of Harpain Shipping and

Hansa Hamburg Shipping International, and NSB

Niederelbe Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG.

GL passes a milestone

TO

Economic AnalysisReference �ew Difference

Vessel Design (%)

Cargo capacity (cu m) 126,765 135,950 7.25%

Steel weight (tonnes) 11,077 11,013 -0.58

�ewbuilding costs (mill$) 65 66.95 3.00

Annual capital costs 5.64 5.81 3.01

(20 years, 7%)

Fuel costs ($300 per tonne)* 4.7 4.8 2.13

Other operating costs 2.9 3.03 4.48

(Manning, stores, admin) 2.1 2.1 0.00

(Maintenance and repair) 0.6 0.72 20.00

(Port costs) 0.2 0.21 5.00

Total annual costs 13.24 13.64 3.02

Cargo transported

(mill tonnes per annum) 1.268 1.360 7.25

Cost of transport

($ per tonne) 10.44 10.03 -3.94

*With 7.25% more cargo, an increase of 0.9 m draft is estimated, leadingto a 2% increase in fuel costs at 13 knots.

...oil tanker design has lately been driven

by shipyard production aspects only.

New designs only marginally improved

economics and safety...

“

”

p2-23:p2-7.qxd 02/10/2009 10:26 Page 22

TECHNOLOGY - PROPULSORS


With a multi-, or usually, twin-

screw propulsion system, the

propulsion efficiency can

become higher when

compared to a single screw propulsion system.

To take advantage of this higher propulsive

efficiency the hull should be designed to

account for the two propellers by having a

twin skeg aft body.

The twin skeg is used to direct the boundary

layer from the hull into the propeller, giving

higher hull efficiency as well as higher overall

efficiency, as compared with a single skeg hull

with a twin screw propulsion system.

Comparing a single screw with a twin

screw vessel can be slightly more

complicated but a simple attempt will be

made here. Efficiency is not the only

important factor when discussing single

screw versus twin screw propulsion systems.

Other factors need to be considered, such as

the flexibility of the vessel.

On a vessel with a single propeller the

speed can only be lowered by decreasing the

power from the engine. For a fix pitch

propeller this is performed by lowering the

rate of the propeller’s revolution and for a

controllable pitch it is performed by either

only lowering the pitch, or by combining a

lower pitch with a lower rate of revolution,

called combinatory mode.

When the speed is reduced by using this

method both engine and the propeller are

working in an off design condition and the

overall efficiency of the propulsion system

can be reduced significantly. In a twin screw

propulsion system the speed of the vessel can

be reduced in a different way, by closing one

unit, allowing the remaining propeller to drive

the ship.

The closed unit can be treated in two

different ways. One is to lock the propeller

shaft and the other is to let the propeller rotate

freely. If the propeller shaft is locked, a break

is needed on the shaft line to have it fixed. If

on the other hand the shaft is rotated freely a

clutch is needed to disconnect the propeller

from the engine. This clutch is usually located

on the gear box, or as a shaft clutch, which is

a more complicated exercise.

If the shaft line cannot be locked or

clutched out, it is not possible to propel the

ship and the only possibility to reduce the

speed is to lower the engine (s) power and

allowing both propellers to drive the ship.

Both of these options, locked or clutched out

propeller, are in principle possible to perform

with both fixed pitch (FP) and controllable

pitch (CP) propellers fitted.

There is an advantage with the CP propeller

since the pitch can be adjusted for the lowest

possible resistance. Usually, a CP propeller

has a pitch range from full ahead of about 30

deg, which is somewhat higher than that of a

fix pitch propeller - about -25 deg full astern.

A third alternative also exists and this

occurs when the CP hub allows the feathering

of the blades, that is, the blades can be set at

90 deg pitch being parallel to the flow. Not all

CP hubs have this possibility and only very

few have this possibility included in a

standard hydraulic hub.

Having this CP-propeller, with or without

the possibility to feather the blades, turned off

in a twin screw setup, its highest resistance

would be when the blades are in zero pitch

position, as the projected area becomes the

largest. The lowest resistance will be

discussed further on in this article.

Computational settingsTo investigate the differences of driving the

ship in these alternative configurations, a

principle ship is used. It is a typical ship

where this type of setup could be of interest

and possibly be of use.

It is a 100 m tanker with 3.6 dia propeller

driven by a 3,200 kW power plant. This tanker

has either a single screw propulsion system

with a single skeg aft body, or a twin-screw

propulsion system with twin skeg aft body.

The power, for simplicity as described later,

is produced using two engines each of 1,600

kW. This type of ship would typically have a

maximum speed of 13 kn at 3,200 kW and by

using a simple approximation that the power

relates to the speed as P = k � V4s where in

this case, k ≈ 0.112kW/knot4, this vessel

would run at around 10.9 kn at 1,600 kW.

The computations are only performed for

the propeller not used, the running propeller is

assumed to drive the ship at the correct speed

and is not influencing the simulated propeller.

The blades have a medium skew of about 30

deg and an expanded blade area ratio (EAR)

of about 0.4. The propeller is located in the

wake of the ship and the speed of the water

approaching the propeller is VA = w � Vs. For

a twin skeg tanker hull, such as the example

used here, the wake fraction is assumed to be

w = 0.22 giving VA ≈ 8.5 knots.The computation is performed in open

water using steady Reynolds Averaged Navier

Stokes (RANS) and Multiple Reference Frame

(MRF). The RANS equations are solved using

the open source library OpenFOAM, using a

realisable k-epsilon model and a blended

scheme, using about 80% second order and

20% first order numeric. The mesh is fully

tetrahedral with a prism layer around the wall

boundaries containing about 5 mill cells for

the full propeller.

The y+ value of the first cell is about 100

and consequently a wall handling technique is

used based on the law of the wall. The pitch

of the blades is set in two conditions, one is

Today, many ships are equipped with a single screw propulsion system,

but as the demands on high efficiency, as well as increased flexibility and

redundancy becomes stronger, many designers and shipowners

are looking towards multi-screw propulsion systems*.

The flexibility of twinscrew vessels with various

propulsion concepts

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:31 Page 1



feathered and the other is in the design

condition pitch, corresponding to 80% of full

ahead pitch for a non-feathered hub. Two

computations are made with the propeller

locked, one for each pitch setting and one

with the propeller rotating and the pitch in

design condition. The rotating case is referred

to as self milling condition when the

momentum from the water on the propeller

levels the losses in the shaft line and the gear

box and another is called driven milling when

the thrust from the propeller is zero.

ResultsA basic principle of propulsion theory is that

the propeller’s efficiency will be increased if

the diameter is increased and the rate of

revolution is decreased. The same principle

appears when the propeller’s diameter is kept

constant and the power to the propeller is

decreased, as is the case when the power is

divided over two propellers instead of a single

propeller.

Splitting the power over two propellers will

imply that the loading on the propeller will be

lower and consequently the blade area can be

reduced without increasing the risk of erosive

cavitation. In Figure 1, the open water

propulsion efficiency of a single screw

relative to a twin screw vessel is compared.

For the single screw vessel a wake fraction of

w = 0.27 is assumed and for the twin screw

tanker the wake fraction is assumed to be

w = 0.22. Using the same cavitation margin

[1] and varying the rate of revolution to find

the optimum efficiency of the propeller, based

on the Wagningen b-screw series [1] with a

full scale correction of 3%, it is found that the

difference in open water propulsion efficiency

between a single and twin screw propulsion

system is about 10% for the 3.6 m propeller,

ηo single, = 0.53 ηo twin = 0.63 for twin screw

(see Figure 1).

The propulsion efficiency is, however, not

the only efficiency affecting the ship, as the

total consists of open water propeller

efficiency ηo, the relative rotative efficiency

ηr and the hull efficiency ηh . By assuming

ηr to be 1 and calculating ηh using a thrust

deduction factor and the wake fraction as ηh,

single = (1 – t) / (1 – w) where the wake

fraction w and the thrust deduction factor t is

assumed based on experience, the total or

quasi propulsive efficiency is finally

calculated as

ηD,single = ηo,single ηh,singleηr (see Table 1).

Based on these assumptions, this implies

that driving this particular ship in design

condition will be about 4% more efficient

with a twin screw setup as compared to a

single screw setup.

Next feature to be analysed is the possibility

to reduce the vessel’s speed.

Most ships’ engines are optimised to have

high efficiency on a single driving mode,

consistent of a narrow band in rate of

revolution and power. Leaving this

optimised driving mode usually implies

decreased engine efficiency. However,

specialised engines exist having high

efficiency over several different driving

modes. For the sake of simplicity, it is

considered that an engine works best at a

single driving mode and that the efficiency

of the engine is decreased drastically on for

example, half power, which is a reasonable

assumption for most vessels’ engines.

Lowering speed in double engine

configurations occurs when one engine is

turned off. Either both engines are connected

to the same shaft line through the gear box in

a single screw setup, or each engine is

connected to one shaft line in a twin screw

setup. Here, the power to the propulsion

system can be lowered to 50% without losses

on the engine side. By lowering the power by

50%, speed will be around 10.9 knots instead

of 13 knots as outlined above.

Again the Wagningen B‐screw series can be

consulted and the open water efficiency of the

two propulsion cases can be estimated.

There are two different scenarios that need

to be considered, one where the propulsion

system is working on combinatory drive, that

is both pitch and engine rev/min is varied to

find highest possible efficiency, and the other

is where the engine is working on fixed

rev/min, usually when for example, a shaft

generator is connected to the gearbox.

The thrust deduction also needs to be

revised. On a single screw ship the thrust

deduction factor can be considered to be

constant when the speed is lowered, but on the

twin screw ship, the total thrust deduction

should be considerably reduced when the

vessel is driven on a single propeller only.

Only half the hull will be subjected to thrust

deduction, while the other half is not affected

by any thrust deduction. Consequently, a

simple formula for the thrust deduction on a

twin screw ship only driven by a single

propeller will be Tsingle twin = Ttwin twin / 2.The wake fraction and the relative rotative

efficiency are considered to remain constant

when the speed is lowered (see Table 2,

overleaf).

What is left to be estimated is the

propeller’s induced drag that is not in use in

the twin screw setup.

By using CFD the influence of the different

alternatives described earlier can be estimated

and efficiency losses can be calculated by

�app = Papp / PD where �app is the

efficiency loss due to the propeller not in use

and Papp is the power needed to drive the

dormant propeller through the water.

The appended resistance is calculated for a

locked propeller in feathered position, as wellFigure 1. Open water efficiency, expanded blade area ratio (EAR) and rate of revolution fortwin and single screw propellers.

Pro

peller

eff

icie

ncy (

η0)/

EA

R

RP

M

Table 1. Principle comparison between the efficiencies of single and twin screw vessels.

w t ηr ηo ηh ηD

Single screw 0.27 0.2 1 0.53 1.10 0.58

Twin screw 0.22 0.23 1 0.63 0.99 0.62

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:31 Page 2



as in a design position, corresponding to about

80% of full pitch.

The self milling and driven milling

conditions are considered by varying the

propeller’s revolution rate until it levels the

losses in the shaft line and the gear box,

corresponding to a self‐milling propeller and

zero thrust, plus corresponding to a driven

milling propeller, are found. The losses that

need to be matched by the propeller in the self

milling case is assumed to be 3% of full

power, ie 47 kW. These calculated values can

now be compared to the power needed to

drive the ship by multiplying the propeller’s

resistance with the speed of the advancing

water. The efficiency loss can be found by

dividing this appendage power with the

delivered power. The result can be found in

Table 3.

Table 3 shows that the efficiency loss due to

the propeller being not in use varies between

2% and 16%, where the feathered propeller as

expected has a much higher efficiency, as

compared to the other cases.

The only difference in these cases is that the

driven milling case has zero resistance, but on

the other hand, the shaft is driven by a

specific power to achieve the propeller’s zero

resistance.

The torque and thrust to the propeller can be

seen in Figure 2, showing that the driven and

self milling points are located very close to each

other. In this graph, zero rev/min corresponds

to the locked design condition, while 136

rev/min corresponds to the design condition and

the computed thrust and torque corresponded

rather well with the thrust and torque computed

from the Wagningen B screw series.

To check that the calculated values were

reasonable, some measurements were

performed on a ro-ro. Although a different

type of vessel, at least some principles could

be found during the simple tests.

The vessel is driven by two propellers,

which are connected to four engines rated at

5,670 kW each, giving a total 22,680 kW. In

normal conditions, only two engines are used

at 85% maximum continuous rate (MCR).

One engine is connected to each shaft line and

a shaft generator of about 700 kW to one of

the gear boxes.

In these conditions, the ro-ro operates at

about 18.5 knots. Using the simple

approximation introduced earlier would imply

that the speed would scale as P = 0.087Vs4 ,

where the power P in kW and the speed Vs is

given in knots. The tests were performed

using one, two and three engines, with the

shaft generator running.

The ro-ro’s propeller is larger compared to

the principle propeller used in the earlier

example.

For example, the diameter is about 1.7

times higher and the blade area is about 1.5

times larger. This implies that forces and

powers presented in Table 3 should be

increased by 1.5 � 1.72 ≈ 4.2 times.

Using only one propeller, with one engine

at 85% MCR and the shaft generator and

self‐mill the other propeller, the vessel

performed at about 13.5 knots. As described

above, the vessel performed at 18.5 knots

using two propellers with two engines at 85%

MCR and the shaft generator. By including a

third engine at 85% MCR, the vessel travelled

at about 20.5 knots.

Using these points, together with the zero

point and maximum speed of the vessel at full

power of about 23 knots, gives a fourth order

curve only slightly deviating from the simple

approximation used in the assumptions

principle ship (See Figure 3).

On this full scale test, it was also shown

that the highest rate of revolution of the self

milling propeller was found at about 50%

pitch, giving about 75% of the normal rate of

revolution at constant rev/min mode.

However, the lowest resistance of the self

milling propeller, ie when the ship was doing

the highest speed, was at about 70% pitch

when the propeller was driven by the water

at about 50% of the normal, constant rev/min

mode. At a lower pitch the rate of revolution

went down and the vibration and noise

increased significantly due to heavy

cavitation.

If the blades were set to zero pitch with zero

rev/min, the vessel would lose about 2 knots as

Table 2. Principle comparison between the efficiencies of single and twin screw vesselsdriven on half power using a single engine at design condition and one propeller in all cases.

w t ηr ηo ηh ηD n (rpm)

Single fix rpm 0.27 0.2 1 0.50 1.10 0.55 185

Single combinatory 0.27 0.2 1 0.55 1.10 0.61 150

Twin fix rpm 0.22 0.115 1 0.56 1.13 0.63 141

Twin combinatory 0.22 0.115 1 0.56 1.13 0.63 150

Table 3. Added resistance and efficiency loss for the propeller not in use on the twin screwvessel at half power, computed with CFD. Shaft corresponds to losses in shaft line for thedriven milling case.

R M n Vs Shaft Power ηapp(k�) (k�m) (rpm) (kts) (kW) (kW)

Driven Milling 0 7 64 10 47 95 0.06

Self Milling 27 0 55 10 0 139 0.09

Locked-Feathered 5 0 0 10 0 25.5 0.015

Locked-design 51 0 0 10 0 262 0.16

Figure 2. Propeller thrust and torque at varying propeller rpm, zero torque gives selfmilling condition and zero thrust gives driven milling condition, computed with CFD.

Rotational speed [rev/min]

To

rqu

e [

kN

m]

Th

rust

[kN

m]

Thrust

Torque

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 3

are different and a big gain for one vessel type

can be a loss for another type.

But the CFD computations are very

important tools with which to perform these

types of investigations, since the possibility to

change geometries are much more flexible

compared to experiments and it is not always

the exact values which are required, but rather

the trends.

*This paper was written by TobiasHuuva and Magnus Pettersson, BergPropulsion Technology AB and given atthe 12th �umerical Towing TankSymposium (�uTTS’ 09) Cortona, Italy,4th – 6th October, 2009

TO



compared to the optimum pitch setting.

Following the trend line this corresponds to

power needed to drive the propeller through

the water of 1,500 kW at this speed, while the

remaining power, needed to drive the vessel,

would be around 2,500 kW.

It was not possible to test the driven milling

concept, since the gearbox did not have a

powertake in (PTI) device and it was not

possible to test the propeller when in a locked

position at feathered and 80% pitch condition,

since the blades could not be feathered and the

shaft did not have a brake.

The results presented here were very

preliminary and more work needs to be

performed to have all the assumptions

verified. It is however very hard to make

computations, which will give the total answer

of how much can be gained and how big the

losses are, since all propellers and hull forms

Figure 3. Full scale test on STENA ro-ro – comparison between estimated curve and truespeed curve, One engine -pr means that the self milling propeller is deducted fromtotal power.

P (

kW

)

Vs (knots)

References

[1] Charlton J , Marine Propellersand Propulsion, Oxford 2007:Butterworth-Heinemann.

- measuring the ocean surface

Miros AS, Solbråveien 32, P.O. Box 364, NO-1372 Asker, NorwayTel: (+47) 66 98 75 00, Fax: (+47) 66 90 41 70,

E-mail: [email protected], Web site: www.miros.no

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NON-DIRECTIONAL WAVE MONITORING MIROS RANGE FINDER: Wave profile and air gap from vessels and offshore structures. Sea level and tide measurements, water level in ports and canals etc. Bridge clearance monitoring. 10, 20, 50 and 85 meter range. No influence by fog, rain or water spray.

y = 0.1503x4-3.4681x3+ 39.483x2-12.063x + 2E-08

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 4

Separate orders were received for

its installation on board two 100 m

chemical tankers under

construction at the Dingheng

(Jiangsu) Shipbuilding Co, in China, and an

85.5 m long ferry being built at Eastern

Shipbuilding Group, of Panama City, Florida.

The inherent flexibility, redundancy and

better manoeuvrability offered by twin screw

operations when compared to single screw

solutions have increasingly been accepted

across the shipping industry. A single engine

driving a single propeller achieves maximum

efficiency at a fixed level in the design

condition. At lower power, whether working

in combination with fixed pitch (FP) or

controllable pitch propellers (CPP), engine

working pressure decreases and engine

efficiency is lost.

Greater flexibility can be achieved by

operating two smaller engines driving two

propellers because, at lower speeds, the ship’s

master has the option to operate on one engine

alone, working at its optimum efficiency.

Furthermore, the greater propulsion area

covered by two smaller propellers is reckoned

to equate to about a 10% efficiency gain when

compared to a single screw solution.

The concept of feathering one of two

propellers at lower speeds, so that the other

can run at higher output, closer to optimum

efficiency, is by no means new. Developed as

a more efficient alternative to locking or

clutching out an unneeded shaft line,

‘feathering’ sees the propeller blades rotated

through 90 deg so that they are in parallel to

flow. Putting a propeller in the feathered

position during an emergency or at low speed

minimises drag, with consequent fuel savings.

However, feathering techniques to date have

featured a complex and often cumbersome

mechanical solution, or hubs that cannot offer

astern pitch due to their internal mechanical

limits. Thus the attractions of feathered hubs

have been limited to ships operating within

complicated mission profiles.

Patent pendingBerg claimed that its new BCP design offers

the capability to feather propeller blades

within its standard hydraulic hub. The result

is an expansion in the propeller’s operating

pitch range. A patent application on this aspect

of the design is currently pending.

“We saw it as critical that we developed a

solution that could match Berg’s hub core

standards for performance, efficiency and

reliability,” said Linus Ideskog, Berg

Propulsion Technology product manager.

“Using the Berg BCP feathering hub means

that pitch can range from full astern, via full

ahead, to full feathering. For the shipowner,

this means that the feathering concept can fit

in with any type of ship operating with more

than one propeller that demands flexibility in

the driving mode, while also bringing fuel

savings and environmental benefits.”

Both the Dingheng-built tankers will be

constructed to GL Ice Class E3, and will

feature two 3,600 mm diameter, BCP950

propellers each, driven by 1,600 kW engines

at 136.1 rev/min. Meanwhile, the US-built

ferry will be built to LR Ice Class 1D, and

will incorporate larger 2,600 mm, BCP760

propellers, driven by 2,240 kW engines

operating at 277.7 rev/min.

Berg Propulsion said that the feathering

option is now available across its complete

range of BCP hubs.

Feathered propellers have existed for a

relatively long time either in a mechanical

hub, called a link hub, or as a hydraulic hub

without astern pitch. This made the feathered

hub only attractive for ships with very

complicated mission profiles and for ships

with alternative powering devices, for

example sailing ships.

More interestBut with the development of more convenient

feathering capabilities included in standard

hydraulic hubs with a pitch range going from

full astern to full feathering, the concept is

becoming of interest for all ship types with

more than one propeller or powering device,

which need some sort of flexibility in the

driving mode.

A normal vessel with a single propeller and

a single engine has a single optimum driving

mode, that is, it can only drive in a single

speed at optimum performance. When the

power needs to be lowered the working

pressure in the engine will go down and

consequently also the efficiency of the engine.

This is especially true if the propeller is of the

FP type, since then the engine rev/min has to

follow the propeller curve - both working

pressure and rev/min is going down.

For a CPP the engine rev/min can stay fixed

or follow the combinatory curve, but the

working pressure will go down and

consequently the efficiency. Another risk of

lowering the power to the engine, apart from

the lower efficiency, is increased emissions of

NOx and SOx, since the working pressure is

off the design point. The engine can be

modified to have relatively high efficiency

and low emission at lower than for example

85% MCR, by degrading, but then there is a

risk that the engine efficiency is lowered at

the design point.

Another option is to use twin engine



Berg claimed that its new BCP design

offers the capability to feather propeller

blades within its standard hydraulic hub.

The result is an expansion in the propeller’s

operating pitch range. A patent application on

this aspect of the design is currently pending.

“

”

Berg Propulsion is set to deliver the first examples of the newly launched

Berg controllable pitch propeller (BCP) with a feathering capability.

Feather in the cap

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 5

consequently the loading in the gear box will

be in the right direction. For propulsion

efficiency, the disconnected propeller will be

optimum since it can be made to give zero

resistance.

A locked propeller will be a resistance and a

propeller in use will be a thruster. By

matching the thrust with the resistance the

effect of the propeller will be zero and the

only cost will be power needed to slightly

increase the rate of revolution from the self

milling state. The efficiency of this ‘driven

milling’ mode is slightly better as compared to

the self milling mode, but not as good as for

the feathered condition.

Consequently, if a ship has any need for

flexibility, that is the driving conditions

change in any way, or the speed needs to be

varied, for example for variable route

planning, a CP propeller has a lot of

advantages over a FP propeller. If the speed

variation needs to be performed with

somewhat constant efficiency the engine

should be divided into two, with equal power,

or in a father-and-son configuration.

If the efficiency is of great importance,

which it should be for most shipowners, due to

the risk of oil price fluctuations, especially

increases, a twin screw setup should be

considered. This configuration delivers higher

efficiency at the full speed design point and

gives full redundancy in the propulsion system.

The twin screw propulsion system has much

higher manoeuvrability when compared to a

single screw vessel and offers high efficiency

in several driving modes if fitted with

feathered propellers.

Subsequently, all ships using a twin screw

propulsion system and needing any kind of

flexibility, should be fitted with feathered

propellers.


TO


configuration connected to the single shaft

through the gear box. Here, there are several

options. If the engines have equal power, the

power can be reduced by 50% by clutching

one engine out thus only driving the propeller

on half the power using a single engine.

Another option is to have a so called

father-and-son configuration where one

engine has higher power and this will give

three possible driving modes with high

engine efficiency. Using these methods will

maintain the overall efficiency of the engine,

however the propeller will still be in an off

design condition.

Both a FP, due to the higher design pitch,

and a CPP, due the changed pitch distribution,

will have sub-optimal efficiency at a lower

power than the design point. Another option is

to use a twin screw vessel, where propulsion

redundancy can be made complete. In this

configuration each propeller can be connected

to one engine and as in the twin engine

configuration the driving power can be

lowered by switching one engine off.

The difference in this configuration is that

both the engine and the operating propeller

will work almost in a design configuration.

The propeller is slightly off the design point

since the ship speed is lowered, but this effect

is relatively small as compared to the effects

of lowering the power by 50%.

Disconnected propThe question now is how to handle the

disconnected propeller. Generally, there are

three alternatives, lock or break the propeller

shaft, let the propeller shaft rotate freely, or

drive the propeller with a low power. The

locked propeller shaft alternative has a great

advantage in that the life time of the

equipment is extended since there are no

moving parts and also the crew has full

freedom to perform maintenance of the system

during operation. However, the limiting factor

is the pitch of the blades.

If the pitch is in the design condition, as on

an FP, or at maximum pitch on a normal CP

propeller, the propulsive efficiency will be

very low, since the resistance of the propeller

is very high. If the CP propeller blades on the

other hand can be feathered, the resistance of

the locked propeller will be very low and

consequently the efficiency of propulsion

system will remain high.

Higher efficiencyIn the self milling alternative, when the

propeller shaft is clutched out and the water

stream is driving the disconnected propeller,

the efficiency becomes relatively much higher

as compared to a propeller in a locked design

condition, but also relatively much lower

efficiency as compared to the locked feathered

propeller. In this condition the life time of the

propeller shaft and the shaft bearings will be

lowered, especially as the lubrication of the

bearings is controlled by the self milling

condition and not the control system. The

lubrication is driven by the revolution rate of

the propeller shaft and should this rate be too

low the lubrication will be poor. Also the gear

box will be driven by the propeller and in this

condition the loading will be reversed, which

disturbs the lubrication procedure in the gear

box thus the risk of wear in the gearbox

mechanisms are large.

The final alternative is to drive the shaft on

a relatively low power, preferably just

matching the ‘driven milling’ point of the

propeller. In this condition the propellers’ rate

of revolution is in control of the engineers,

since the shaft is driven by an engine, and

Berg’s BCP seen in the ahead, astern and feathered modes.

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 6



Shipbuilders, equipment suppliers,

operators and even classification

societies have all put forward

strategies to reduce bunker

consumption.

This paper* addresses the contributions to

fuel saving which lie within the control of the

propeller, its designer and its operator. These

are considered in terms of increasing

complexity and cost to enable the operator to

evaluate the options available for the most

cost effective solution in any particular case.

Fuel saving measures The following measures are identified and

discussed;

� Slow steaming.

� Maintenance.

� Design layout.

� Add-on devices.

� Economy propellers, both conventional

and unconventional.

Slow steaming The simplest and lowest cost option is to

operate a vessel at a lower speed. No capital

cost is involved and the benefits of slow

steaming are well known and understood. To

illustrate this, typical power speed curves for a

110,000 dwt tanker is shown in Figure 1. It

can be readily be seen that reducing the

operating speed by just one knot below the

designed operating condition can cut the

power requirement very significantly.

In the case of the tanker the power

reduction equates to more than 17%. A

corresponding reduction in fuel consumption

is immediately achieved, assuming that the

engine specific consumption remains sensibly

constant over this power range.

In practice, however, there is some variation

in the specific fuel consumption against

power. For relatively modest reductions in

power the variation may be favourable,

although for more extreme reductions in

power output, it may become adverse.

Depending upon the reduction in power

adopted and the engine model, it might be

necessary to operate the main engine at

higher powers for short intervals, which will

detract slightly from the theoretically

achievable fuel savings.

Slow steaming is the most common fuel

saving measure which can be readily put into

effect by the operator subject to service

scheduling. It is extremely simple to apply,

has no cost implication, and can just as

quickly be reversed as and when conditions

change for the better.

Maintenance Because the propeller is out of sight and

difficult to access, the importance of

maintaining it in good order can sometimes be

overlooked. Yet worthwhile savings in

performance and fuel consumption can be

achieved at modest cost by implementing and

following a planned programme of propeller

maintenance specifically aimed at economy.

There are three major aspects to consider:

� Roughness.

� Fouling.

� Damage.

Roughness The subject of surface roughness can be rather

confusing for the non specialist mainly due to

the various ways in which surface texture can

Propellers for fueleconomy

Against a background of depressed shipping demand, coupled with high fuel oil prices and

increasing environmental legislation and despite a recent drop in fuel prices, there is still a

pressing need to reduce fuel consumption for both economic and environmental reasons.

Figure 1. Typical performance characteristics for a110,000 dwt tanker. Figure 2. Effects of roughness on propeller efficiency.

Outside 0.75R

affected

Entire surface

SURFACE FINISH MICRONS Ra

affected

% F

UE

L I

NC

RE

AS

E

8

6

4

2

20 40 60 80 10012 13 14 15 16 17 18

Vs (KNOTS)

70.3% MCR

85.0% MCR

PB

14.2

8

100.0%MCR

15.2

8

SE

RV

ICE

SP

EE

D

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 7



be defined. In general there are two main

methods of roughness measurement: peak to

valley average (PVA) and centre line average

(CLA or Ra), either of which can be employed

successfully provided that they are clearly

identified and can be readily converted.

Unfortunately the latter is not the case, however,

an approximate equivalence can be established

by using a factor of about 4 or 5, which should

be acceptable for engineering purposes.

For propellers, the uncertainties increase

because the effects of surface roughness are

difficult to measure in isolation. Yet it is clear

that the surface roughness of a propeller will

affect its frictional drag, which as a

component of the torque will affect its

performance. The problem is to quantify this

effect, since upon the solution of this will

depend the necessity of servicing in practice.

The effects of propeller roughness have

periodically been investigated and the data

given in References 1 and 2 remain as valid as

any. Investigations to date have either been

by model experiments or theoretical

calculations. Full scale correlation of these

data is virtually impossible to achieve due to

the difficulty in isolating the effects of

propeller roughness from other factors

affecting the ship/propeller combination.

Experimental work undertaken in the past at

model scale, for example, References 3 and 4,

implies that the effect of propeller roughness

alone is considerable, the magnitude in terms

of power requirement being up to 10% for

typical roughness values as given in Table 2.

Possibly, as suggested by Reference 1, this is

because the simulation of blade roughness by

means of the application to small propellers of

sand grains of various sizes may not be

considered representative of the type of

roughness found in practice.

In the author’s opinion, this order of effect is

probably more applicable to heavily fouled

propeller blades than blades roughened by the

corrosive and impingement action of seawater.

Theoretical work would appear to indicate an

effect for simple roughening that is less than

that found by experiment, and this should be

evident from Figure 2. This figure, which

shows the calculated effect upon fuel

consumption of the blade finish, has been

obtained by relating the surface finish of the

blades to an appropriate drag coefficient, which

is used as input to vortex theory calculations.

The diagram in Figure 2 is considered typical

and applicable for all large propellers.

Referring to Figure 2, two important points

emerge. First, that it is the initial roughening

of the blades that has the most effect; and,

second, that it is the outer regions of the

blade where the roughness effect is greatest.

The clear conclusion from this is that the

propeller blades should be polished between

dockings at intervals dependent upon the

particular rate of roughening experienced, and

that special attention should be given to the

outer blade region.

Nowadays there are many contractors

offering underwater polishing of blades and

many owners regularly using their services. It

must, however, be emphasised that propeller

blade polishing should be carried out by

experienced, skilled labour since more harm

than good can result from the careless or

unsympathetic application of harsh abrasive

devices to the section profiles.

The normal finish of a propeller to ISO 484

standards is given in Table 1. It is interesting

to note that when the old ISO 484 1966

figures are converted from µm PVA to µm Ra,

the current ISO 484 document specifies a

more liberal requirement than its predecessor.

It is difficult to rationalise this apparently

retrograde step particularly since the normal

finishing procedures for a propeller should

achieve 2µm Ra without difficulty. As a

result, therefore, it is recommended that

manufacture of merchant propellers to suit

ISO 484 1981 should be specified to meet

Class 1 dimensional tolerances, as is normal,

but with a Class S standard of finish. The

difference this represents from the diagram

shown in Figure 2 is about 0.5% on fuel

consumption, or efficiency.

From this, taking into account that the

blades’ outer region are the most important,

reference to Figure 2 indicates an effect upon

fuel consumption of about 2%. This, however,

does not take into account any effect of hull

roughness and fouling upon the propeller

efficiency, which would further increase the

above figure.

The figures in Table 2 are designated

typical and cases exist where, after 12 months

in service, roughness measurements of 30µm

Ra have been recorded, which would indicate

an effect of about 4% on fuel consumption.

Since it is a relatively simple and inexpensive

operation to polish the blades, the contribution

to fuel saving from such attention, given

regularly, is clearly beneficial.

From a practical point of view the

measurement of blade roughness in the

drydock can be inconvenient, since it requires

a suitable instrument for measurement then

reference to a diagram such as Figure 2 in

order to make the necessary decision on

polishing. While the author would strongly

advocate that propeller blades be properly

polished regularly, it is appreciated that the

superintendent engineer requires some

yardstick for this purpose.

With this in mind, a simple roughness gauge

comparator, the Rubert Gauge, which includes

six surface examples varying in roughness from

1 to 25 µm Ra is available. When using such a

device it is the intention that blade roughness

values found equivalent to 8 µm Ra or more

should be treated by polishing.

Fouling The effect of propeller fouling is very much

more considerable than that of roughness.

However, this is dependent upon whether the

fouling remains attached to the blades since

under the action of the propeller, particularly

if cavitation is present, marine fouling will

normally be removed from the more critical

outer sections.

In recent years, a great deal of effort has

gone into researching the feasibility of coating

propellers to delay the onset of fouling and

roughening. It is certainly the case that the

adherence of marine organisms can be reduced

greatly by the application of coatings although

the development of slime may still occur.

To date no coating has been shown to resist

the attack of aggressive cavitation and the

concern must exist that exposure of relatively

small areas of parent metal will bring about an

increased rate of electrolytic corrosion.

There are also other practical concerns over

blade coating. First, the preparation of the

Table 1: ISO standard roughness.

Class “S” Class “1” Units

ISO R484 1966 3 9 µm PVA

ISO 484/1 ) 1981 3 6 µm Ra

ISO 484/2 )

Table 2: Typical measurements on 5 m dia propellers after 12-24months’ service.

Region Roughness Units

0.8R-Tip 20 µm Ra

0.5R-0.8R 10 µm Ra

0.5R-Root 3 µm Ra

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 8



efficiency would be additional to the savings

from the reduced power output.

Retrofitting of so called economy propellers

and major modifications of main engines

obviously involve significant expenditure, to

be determined on a case by case basis. With

the demand for lower fuel consumption

serious commercial appraisals of such options

should however be considered

In previous applications, some of which

involved significant modifications of the

vessels’ propulsion system, payback periods

generally of less than two years were

demonstrated.

One further consideration with regard to

propeller layout is whether or not the propeller

is actually achieving its intended

power/revolutions relationship. It is not

uncommon for the older vessels’ propellers to

impose too high a torque load on the

machinery. This could be due to an

insufficient revolutions margin being specified

or achieved at the time of newbuild, or to the

effects of roughening and fouling of

underwater surfaces over the years.

In such cases a simple modification to the

propeller, usually by means of a reforming the

blade trailing edges, will remedy the situation.

In more serious cases of overloading it may be

necessary to also make some reduction in the

propeller diameter, this can lead to a small

loss in efficiency but with careful design of

the modification this can be limited to less

than 1%.

Modifications of this type are routinely

carried out at modest cost with significant

benefit to the operation of the vessel. Once

again it is worth emphasising that the design

work and the actual blade modification

should only be carried out by skilled and

experienced personnel.

Add on devices There are a number of organisations offering

ducts and/or fins, which can be positioned on

the hull, the rudder horn, or indeed on the

fairing cone with the intention of improving

inflow conditions or recovering energy losses.

There are certainly instances where such

devices have been shown to benefit the

propulsive efficiency of the vessel, although

perhaps not always to the extent sometimes

claimed. Ideally any device, which affects the

flow either into or out of the propeller should

be specified at the time of build so that the

propeller design may be properly optimised for

the modified flow regime. Notwithstanding

this, flow controlling devices have been

successfully installed as retrofit items in

association with the original propeller.

blade surfaces and the application of the

coatings must be carefully controlled to ensure

good adhesion. Suitable control might be

difficult to achieve in repair yards where

perhaps minor welded repairs, or hot work

have been carried out on the propeller and the

coating needs to be replaced or repaired.

Second, the presence of a coating precludes

the dye penetrant checking of high stress areas

of the blades routinely included in drydock

specifications by some owners.

Damage With its exposed position, the propeller is

susceptible to damage of mechanical, erosive

and corrosive type. Such damages can, and

will, affect the efficient operation of the

propeller.

Mechanical damage from physical contact

can have two main effects. Normally such

damage occurs at the blade edges and its

effect is dependent upon whether the leading

or trailing edge is affected.

Leading edge damage mainly affects the

cavitation performance, the resulting

distortions of the section profile promoting a

suction peak in the adjacent region of the

blade with a consequent high risk of causing

erosion of the blade material. Erosion results

in very considerable roughness and in the

event that the affected region is at the tips,

which is usually the case, and is relatively

large, the resulting effect upon the fuel

consumption will be very much more

significant than the above figures given for the

effect of simple blade roughness.

Trailing edge damage will also affect the

power absorption characteristics of the

propeller, any significant bending to the outer

trailing edges will have the effect of

increasing or reducing the effective pitch of

the blades, dependent upon whether the

distortion is towards or away from the

pressure face.

This consequence, which can be

demonstrated from aerofoil theory, can be

considerable, resulting in the propeller

operating at revolutions that will change the

loading characteristics of the machinery,

which can lead to an overload condition and

deterioration of its efficient operation.

It is therefore important that any propeller

damage should be rectified at the earliest

possible opportunity. Dependent upon the

nature and extent of damage, repairs may be

undertaken with the propeller on the shaft,

possibly with the ship still afloat, though it is

usually preferable to remove the propeller to

facilitate major remedial work.

Damage by corrosion is a further factor

which should be attended to at an early stage.

Corrosion attack generally affects a very large

portion of the blade and almost always the

blade tips, resulting in a ‘washed’ appearance

and considerable roughness. Advanced cases

can result in a significant overall removal of

material, eventually leading to extremely thin

blade edges. The solution to this particular

problem is preventative maintenance by

means of an adequate system of cathodic

protection

In the event that a propeller is in an

advanced stage of corrosive attack, it should

be removed to a workshop for complete

reconditioning. This is usually achieved by

means of a small reduction in diameter and

blade widths allowing the edges to be

reformed and the blades reground and

polished to an as new condition. Usually,

propeller blade thicknesses have sufficient

margin to allow this type of repair and the

resulting improvement in performance will

very quickly recover the cost involved. At the

same time, adoption of a suitable cathodic

protection system as outlined above should

ensure that the problem will not recur.

Design layout When operating at reduced power, further

savings can be achieved if it is possible to

change the torque rating of the prime mover to

enable a larger, slower turning propeller to be

fitted. In former times of high oil prices some

dramatic savings were made by re-configuring

steam turbines and reduction gears, see

Reference 5.

Today even with the almost universal

application of slow speed diesels it might still

be possible to achieve similar results with

modification of turbo charging and the

replacement of certain engine components. If

for example the main engine of the tanker

considered in figure 1 was to be permanently

derated from its original 13,560 kW PB at 105

rev/min to 8,000 kW PB at 80 rev/min the

effects on ship speed, propeller design,

propeller efficiency would be as illustrated in

table 3. The saving in fuel consumption

associated with the increased propeller

Table 3: Benefits of a conventionaleconomy propeller.

MCR (kW PB) 13560 8000

RPM 105.0 80.0

Service Speed (knots) 16.04 14.01

Propeller Diameter (mm) 7140 7660

Propeller BAR 0.586 0.449

Propeller Efficiency Basis +6.2%

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 9



Ducts and fins achieve their greatest

improvements in full form vessels with strong

pressure gradients over the aft body, and are

probably more associated with reducing hull

resistance rather than improving propeller

efficiency. It could be argued that the need

for these devices can be avoided by more

careful hull design.

The application of these devices should be

factored into any study into improving vessel

performance, particularly in the case of full

form hulls with heavily thrust loaded

propellers.

Unconventional propeller designs If new propellers are to be retrofitted, or if

propellers are to be specified for

newbuildings, then economic and

environmental pressures can reinforce the case

for adopting one of the newer non-

conventional propeller types now available.

There are currently three types of

unconventional propeller finding application

in the mainstream commercial market. Two

of these unconventional designs seek to

improve efficiency by making radical changes

to the tip geometry and radial loading

distributions, while the third has a

conventional tip geometry but incorporates a

form of aerofoil section profile differing

markedly from those adopted by other

designers.

The CLT propeller has evolved from the

HEFA and TVF propellers originally

developed in Spain. This propeller is

characterised by having a large finite width at

the tip with a plate projecting from the tip

section on the pressure surface. The tip plate

inhibits the pressure equalising flow from

pressure to suction surface thereby suppressing

the tip vortex. This feature enables the

designer to adopt an almost constant

distribution of circulation from mid radius on

the blade to the tip. There is also some re-

distribution of lift generating forces from the

suction surface to the pressure surface.

Various claims have been made for the

increase in efficiency which can be achieved

by using the CLT type propeller. It is now

widely accepted that improvements of the

order of 4% over a well designed wake

adapted propeller are achievable.

The Kappel propeller was developed in

Denmark by Kappel Marine Concept and was

the subject of a major EU funded study

culminating in full-scale sea trials in 2002,

see Reference 6. Embracing the technology

applied to the design of modern aircraft

wings, the Kappel propeller incorporates

winglets on the suction side which

effectively increase the aspect ratio of the

blades reducing the induced drag and the

strength of the tip vortex. Again the

improvement in efficiency confirmed by

carefully controlled full scale measurements

is typically about 4%, compared with a well

designed conventional propeller.

The third unconventional propeller design

considered here was developed in Japan and

UK and is now known as the NPT type

propeller. In this case the originator

concentrated on identifying a ‘New Profile

Type’ for the blade aerofoil section which

generates a proportionally greater part of its

thrust from increased pressure on the pressure

surface and which minimises the suction peak

in way of the leading edge.

The reduced cavitation loading on the

suction side can be supported by a smaller

blade surface area which cuts down on

profile drag thereby improving the efficiency

of the device. The changed weighting of

suction and pressure characteristics also has

the effect of reducing the optimum diameter

of the NPT propeller compared with the

conventional propeller. This, together with

the lower blade surface area, results in

reduced weight and inertia to the benefit of

the shaft and bearing design.

Numerous full scale applications have

shown that with NPT propellers gains in

efficiency similar to those with the CLT and

Kappel propeller are available. The improved

cavitation performance and larger tip

clearances mean that hull excitation forces are

generally lower than those for the equivalent

conventional propeller, see Reference 7.

One other very significant advantage of the

NPT propeller is that there are no

complications in the manufacturing processes.

In contrast, the non planar tips of the other

two devices are not compatible with either

industry standard geometry definition or

tolerancing and require special attention in the

foundry and finishing shop, adding to their

first cost.

The fuel savings from these high efficiency

propellers would be additional to those

derived from a careful selection or re-selection

of main engine rating and would thus have a

beneficial effect on any investment appraisal

of a derating project.

The more widespread adoption of these

devices has been hampered by the fact that

current extrapolation procedures for model

test results do not properly demonstrate the

benefits available. It is to be hoped that this

issue will be given priority treatment by the

model basins and ITTC.

Conclusions & recommendations In conclusion, the propeller has a critical role

to play in both the economic and

environmental dimensions of ship operating.

Careful attention must be given to these

considerations when specifying propeller

layout points and propeller types in newbuild

contracts. Long term changes in propeller

technology, oil prices and environmental

legislation occurring during the lifetime of the

vessel may require the original selections to

be revised.

Throughout the ship’s life the propeller

should be inspected and polished at regular

intervals and any damages rectified at the

earliest possible opportunity. When assessing

the possibilities for improving ship

performance the application of unconventional

propeller technologies should be fully

investigated.

*This paper was written by Eur Ing LynBodger, Bsc C Eng FRI�A, technicaldirector, Stone Marine Propulsion and givenat the Motorship Propulsion and EmissionsConference held in Copenhagen 26-27thMay this year.

References 1. Grigson CWB - Propeller Roughness,

its nature and its effect on the drag coefficients of blades and ship power - The �aval Architect, RI�A Journal 1982.

2. Townsin RL, Spencer DS, Mosaad M, Patience G - Rough Propeller Penalties - S�AME 1985.

3. Emerson A - Roughness and Scale Effect on Propellers. ISP Vol 5 1958.

4. Schmierschalski H - Experimental Study on the Influence of Propeller Roughness carried out on the harbour launch “Fritz Gadjens” - HSVA

Report �o 1046 1955. 5. Hawdon L, Patience G - Propeller

Design for Economy - SMM Technical Paper 20 1982.

6. Kappel JJ, Andersen P - Kappel Propeller. Development of a Marine Propeller with �on Planar Lifting Surfaces. - Motorship Conference Copenhagen 2002.

7. Sasaki �, Patience G - Evolution of High Efficiency Propeller with �ew Blade Section, Motorship Conference, Bilbao, 2005.

TO

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 10



The company’s latest innovation –

the patented Mewis Duct® – was

launched at last year’s Hamburg

SMM exhibition.

Becker’s research found that the wake field

of full form vessels, such as tankers, reduces

the propeller’s propulsion efficiency. The

water flow velocity has such an unfavourable

characteristic that the propeller does not

receive a uniform water flow.

The Mewis Duct® harmonises and

stabilises the flow and generates a consistent

load distribution on the propeller systems,

Becker claimed. It is essentially a duct with

integrated fins meant to be installed just in

front of the propeller.

The individual placed fins have a stator effect

by generating a pre-swirl in the counter

direction of the propeller’s operation, recovering

the rotational energy from the propeller’s

slipstream. The speed, plus the amount of the

water stream towards the propeller, greatly

enhances the efficiency of both the propeller

and the rudder, Becker claimed.

Consequent propulsion improvement can

only be achieved if several aspects of

hydrodynamic performance are taken into

account. For example, the combination of a

Mewis Duct® with a Becker Rudder

dramatically increases the efficiency of the

system by means of wake field optimisation

and less rudder resistance with improved

manoeuvring performance, the company said.

Reliable and sturdyBecker claimed that the Mewis Duct® is a

reliable and sturdy concept with fuel savings

guarantee up to 9% for large, slow vessels

with a high block coefficient (CB) and a high

propeller thrust loading coefficient (CTH),

which includes tanker, drybulk and multi-

purpose vessel sectors. By saving fuel, the

system also offers environmental benefits by

reducing NOx and CO2 emissions.

The system has no moving parts and is ideal

for both the newbuilding and retrofit markets,

managing director Dirk Lehmann said. The

system is tailor made, so the computational

fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations and tank

tests need to be carried out each time.

One of the first vessels to fit a Mewis

Duct® was a 47,000 dwt bulker. It was found

that the original power requirement of 9,300

kW could be reduced to 8,742 kW to maintain

the same speed of 16 knots. This represented a

fuel saving of 6%, or $215,000 per year,

depending on the bunker price.

Taking a chemical tanker as a case study, a

7.5% fuel reduction will save around $235,000

per year. This particular tanker case study has a

CB of 0.795 and a CTH of 1.9 and her

propulsion unit develops 6,900 kW at 14.3 kn.

Another operational example was the fitting

of a Mewis Duct® on board Laurin

Maritime’s 45,000 dwt tanker Tambourin. It

will be retrofitted during a scheduled five-day

drydocking in Poland during October of this

year. The first calculations made be Becker

forecast a power reduction of 7.5%.

Lehmann expected more retrofit orders in

the near future but admitted that newbuildings

had almost come to a halt.

Mewis Duct is named after its inventor -

Friedrich Mewis - who spent nearly 40 years as

a researcher at the SVA towing tank in Potsdam

and HSVA in Hamburg. Upon his retirement, he

became a consultant with Becker.

Becker is arguably more famous for its

rudder systems and has been working on

several new rudder systems, including for

manoeuvring in ice. These studies have mainly

involved tankers, offshore supply vessels,

icebreakers and Polar research vessels.

Overall, for the past couple of years the

tanker sector has been one of the main areas of

focus for Becker’s sales teams and this sector

will remain a major focal point in the future for

enhanced rudder systems. Lehmann explained.

In 2002, Becker acquired the patented

Schilling Rudder technology and business

from Hamworthy. By using the latest CFD

and finite element method (FEM) software

and confirming the results in test tanks, plus

later in actual operation, the Schilling Rudder

technology was optimised, resulting in the

new generation of rudders incorporating a

number of improvements.

The lift/drag ratio of the new Schilling

profile has been improved substantially

compared to the old Schilling shape, resulting

in the Schilling profile developing a gap with

regard to propulsion efficiency, compared to a

Striving for greaterefficiency

Hamburg-based Becker Marine Systems has been developing manoeuvring systems

aimed at greater efficiency for more than 60 years.

Fuel consumption (85% MCR) 33.1t/day

Fuel cost per tonne $430/t

Fuel consumption

if sailing 220 days 7,282t

Fuel cost per year $3,131,260

COT study calculation

The combination of a Mewis Duct® with a Becker Rudder increases the efficiency of the system.

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 11

standard rudder profile.

However, most important, following the hydrodynamic improvement,

was that the new profile allowed Becker to redesign the complete

rudder mounting and now allows the king support rudder (KSR)

bearing support arrangement to be fitted.

The KSR design superseded the traditional Mariner type semi-

spade rudder, which needed large and heavy castings plus a longer

installation time.

This new patented Schilling KSR, a combination of both the new

Schilling profile and the KSR arrangement, offers a better performance

having smaller moveable rudder areas and less rudder hunting and is

available up to an unlimited size. Even VLCCs can be fitted with this

optimised full spade rudder, Becker claimed.

Becker announced that a pair of 105,000 dwt Knutsen OAS shuttle

tankers building at COSCO Nantong will be fitted with optimised 50.4

sq m KSRs. They are both due to be delivered next year.

The company has had a long relationship with Knutsen, illustrated by

the 22-year old 129,000 dwt Anna Knutsen, which was fitted with twin

FKSR flap rudders. This type of rudder is claimed to be ideal for working

in harsh conditions, offering good manoeuvrability at low speeds.

Becker’s service team regularly surveys the rudders and has found

them to be in good condition, despite being in operation for 22 years.

Another tanker owner to order flap rudders is Hamburg-based John T

Essberger. The company has ordered 13 sq m flap rudders for two

8,500 dwt chemical tankers on order in China.

Lehmann said that overall the Schilling KSR system improves safety

as it is lighter, but much more rigid and easier to install. The cost is much

the same as that for a more traditional rudder system and fuel savings of

between 1-2% can be gained with a good system, he claimed.

Becker Marine Services offers a worldwide service network regardless

of a rudder systems’ manufacturer. Any rudder equipment can be

supplied and today, Becker’s orderbook is in the region of 500 rudders,

while the company’s annual manufacturing capacity runs at around 350.

Becker offers supervision and pre-docking checks for rudder damage.

Inspections are offered as part of the company’s service network and

repairs can be undertaken to a whole fleet if necessary.

Today in a ‘cold layup’ situation, the bearings need inspecting as there

may be a leakage occurring. The whole steering gear needs to be checked

to ensure it is in a working condition, while the vessel is in layup.


October 2009 � TANKEROperator

TO

The Schilling KSR system offers a better performance than itspredecessor.

closed gauging

The HERMetic UTImeter Gtex is a portable elec-tronic level gauge for closed gas tight operation resulting in

increased safet and ef cienc

The unit is used for custody transfer, inventory control measurement and free ater detection on marine vessels Connected to a HERMetic vapour control valve, the UTImeter Gtex avoids any gas release during operation and enables 3, optionally 4 measurements in one single operation, Ullage, Temperature, Oil-water interface level and Innage y increasing safety and ef ciency, Honeywell Tan system helps customers improve business performance

For more information visit our website www tan system com or call 4

Honeywell International, Inc ll rights reserved

p24-35:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:32 Page 12

TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband service are the primary

satellite communications solution on board Simonsen’s tankers, supporting

both business operations and crew communications.

Simonsen and Clipperchoose KVH TracPhone V7

TECHNOLOGY - SATCOMS


Faced with a growing need for

reliable connections to shore and

increased control over variable and

increasingly expensive

communications costs, MH Simonsen ApS, of

Denmark, recently adopted the TracPhone®

V7 and mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service

from KVH Industries, as its primary

communications solution on six ice class

oil/chemical tankers.

The Simonsen vessels are now enjoying

reduced service costs, increased bandwidth,

and improved crew morale thanks to the

resulting broadband data connections, VoIP

telephone service, fixed-rate pricing and a Ku-

band network that is expanding to offer global

coverage. KVH claimed.

The investment is turning out to be a

successful one in terms of long-term

affordability, as well. Simonsen’s primary

concern when installing satellite

communications equipment on board its tankers

was monthly airtime cost. “While the hardware

and installation cost is a one-time investment, it

was crucial to have a known monthly airtime

rate without surprises,” explained Ulrik

Madsen, Simonsen’s marine superintendent.

“We studied all of the satellite communications

options available to this market, and KVH was

the only vendor able to offer a fixed monthly

airtime rate, which was our main reason for

choosing mini-VSAT Broadband.”

Communications capabilities are also

important factors in strengthening the

competitive position for commercial shipping

companies through the Ship Inspection Report

Programme (SIRE), which tracks safety and

quality in the shipping industry and helps

fleets with high scores to secure the most

lucrative contracts.

Simonsen claimed to be performing well in

several important SIRE ranking categories,

thanks to mini-VSAT Broadband. “Crew

morale is key,” explained Madsen, “which is

clear from the response we have received from

crews on board the vessels that have the

TracPhone V7 installed. We also have regular

visits by third-party inspectors in connection

with vetting, loading, and unloading. These

people benefit significantly from the system, as

it helps them with the execution of the tasks

they’ve come on board to complete,” he said.

The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along

with the KVH TracPhone V7 antenna,

comprise the first end-to-end 26-inch VSAT

hardware, service, and support package

available for maritime communications and

offers Voice over IP phone service and Internet

access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2

Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates.

Lighter and smaller The compact TracPhone V7, which is 75%

KVH’s solution is 75% lighter and 85% smaller by volume than traditional 1 m VSAT antennas.

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 1

LEADER IN MOBILE BROADBAND

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

www.kvh.com/tanker

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 VoIP 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 up to 80% versus other solutions.

Crystal-clear telephone calls – Make calls whenever and wherever you want with two integrated enhanced VoIP telephone lines tailored to maritime customers.

Easy to install and setup –ViaSat’s exclusive ArcLight® spread spectrum technology 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 automatic satellite switching between regions.

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

“We were particularly impressed with the TracPhone V7’s small size and affordable 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 especially important, because in our industry retaining quality crew and officers is essential.”

Coverage expands again!

Asia-Pacific Persian GulfNew Zealand

Australia

mini-®

B R O A D B A N DSM

- Runar Gaarder, ICT Manager for Mowinckel Ship Management

©2009 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH, TracPhone, and the unique light-colored dome with dark contrasting baseplate are registered trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. 09_V7miniVSAT_Comm_Tanker“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.

Meet us at Marintec China, Eletek Technology Booth No. 1L31

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 2

lighter and 85% smaller by volume than

traditional 1 m VSAT antennas, brings a

blend of the economy and speed of VSAT

communications with lower costs and easier

installation, making the system exceptionally

well suited for commercial oil and gas,

shipping, and government vessels, KVH

claimed.

“We are very excited that Simonsen chose

the TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband

service as their primary satellite

communications solution on these six

tankers,” said Svend Lykke Larsen, managing

director for KVH Europe. “We see these

results on commercial fleets all the time.

KVH’s end-to-end solution actually helps

fleets to cut communications costs and

increase operational performance while adding

great value to many key areas, including crew

welfare and regulatory compliance, which can

increase SIRE scores and help with securing

the best contracts.”

Simonsen worked with Polaris Electronics

A/S, KVH’s certified Danish distributor, to

equip the six Simonsen ships with TracPhone

V7 systems.

“The installation of the TracPhone V7

antennas and below decks hardware was done

quite smoothly by our own electrician. In

addition to that, we installed Wi-Fi networks

on board all of our vessels, making service

available in more areas,” explained Madsen,

“The network installation was actually more

time-consuming than the installation of the

hardware!”

According to Madsen, Simonsen’s crews

are excited about their new communications

tool, with one crew member declaring, “the

Internet service makes it feel like getting a

pay increase because of all the money we save

on communications costs!”

Simonsen’s tankers travel through different

satellite service coverage areas about five

times per month. They now enjoy seamless

regional roaming among these areas with the

mini-VSAT service, saving costly technician

visits. “When travelling through international

waters - thereby crossing different mini-VSAT

coverage areas - the automatic regional

roaming with integrated GPS and automatic

skew control saves costly and time-consuming

technician visits,” Madsen said

“We’ve received continuous support from

Polaris and KVH throughout the project.

Whenever we needed it, we had excellent

support and follow-up. We are fully satisfied

with the performance of the TracPhone V7

and it remains our number one choice for

satellite communications,” he concluded.

Clipper signs upAnother Danish company operating several

tankers has also signed up with KVH.

In the coming months, Clipper Marine

Services of Copenhagen, Denmark, will equip

22 tankers with KVH's 24-inch (60 cm)

TracPhone V7 antenna along with multiple

voice service lines and broadband Internet, e-

mail, and data access throughout the mini-

VSAT Broadband network's expanding global

coverage area.

The decision by Clipper to shift to KVH's

mini-VSAT Broadband solution was spurred on

by a desire to expand access without expanding

costs. "Prior to installing the TracPhone V7, we



Simonsen chemical tanker crews will benefit from cheaper call charges.

KVH TracPhone FleetBroadband introduces emergencycall serviceOn 1st October, 2009, a newsafety service for seafarers –505 Emergency Calling – waslaunched worldwide byInmarsat for allFleetBroadband users.

Owners of Inmarsat FleetBroadband-

compatible TracPhone® satcoms systems

provided by KVH Industries are now able

to take advantage of this new service as

KVH’s Inmarsat FleetBroadband systems

are 100% compatible with the new, no-

charge 505 service.

Users only need to dial 505 from their

TracPhone telephones to activate the 24-

hour service, which routes calls directly to

Coast Guard rescue centres worldwide.

“The new 505 service is a fantastic

enhancement for our TracPhone

FleetBroadband customers,” said Jim

Dodez, KVH’s vice president of marketing

and strategic planning. “Particularly for

smaller vessels that do not carry a

GMDSS-compliant system, 505 is ideal.

It’s easy to remember because of its

similarity to “SOS,” and connects mariners

directly to emergency services wherever

they are – even when out of reach of

shore-based VHF radio. Of course, it’s a

great backup for larger commercial

vessels, as well.”

There is no subscription, or call charge

for the 505 emergency service – and it can

be activated immediately just by dialing

505 from a KVH TracPhone

FleetBroadband system. After dialing 505,

voice calls will be connected via Inmarsat

directly to a 24-hour operational Coast

Guard Rescue Co-ordination Centre

located strategically around the world, so

they can speak to the right person if they

have an emergency on board. �

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 3

From 1st October, 2009 seafarersusing the InmarsatFleetBroadband service are ableto enjoy cheap phone calls home.This was due to the introduction of Enhanced

Super Quiet Time (ESQT) low-cost calling,

which was intended for FleetBroadband

users only.

The Enhanced SQT offer from Inmarsat

applies across all three FleetBroadband

variants, FB 500, FB 250 and the latest low

cost entry terminal, FB150 and is available all

year round, at any time of day or night.

The positive link between contact with

family for seafarers and morale boost is well

known and now an established fact, prompting

Inmarsat to bring in its low cost service.

It has evolved down the years, starting from

being a few hours per day when initially

launched to being extended to 12 hours on

weekdays and 24 hours per day during

weekends and special promotions.

The SQT offering for users of Inmarsat –

B, Mini-M, and Fleet (33, 55 and 77) is

available 12 hours per day on weekdays

and 24 hours per day on weekends and

special promotions.

Crew morale boostCommenting at the launch of this new

initiative, Inmarsat’s maritime marketing

manager, Kartik Sinha said: “This is our way

of giving something back to the industry,

especially in a time when the shipping

industry is suffering from the effects of the

economic downturn. We know that cheaper

cost calls make a significant contribution in

improving crew morale and we hope that this

offering will help shipping companies in their

crew retention strategy.

“With our Enhanced SQT, mariners will be

able to take advantage of low-cost calls to

friends and family 24/7, 365 days a year

using FleetBroadband. This evolution in our

SQT offering is a big step and once again

goes to emphasise Inmarsat’s commitment to

crew welfare.”

The launch of Enhanced SQT is claimed to

be particularly significant, given the

impending release of International Labour

Organisation (ILO) guidelines, due for

publication in the coming months, which will

have a strong focus on the importance of crew

welfare, Inmarsat said. �


Seafarers get cheap phone calls


were using an F77 antenna and Inmarsat Fleet

service," said Michael Mark, vessel IT manager

for Clipper Group. "We chose to switch to

mini-VSAT Broadband because it is a more

affordable solution and also offers us more

advantages for support and crew retention."

Clipper will continue to benefit from its

Inmarsat systems and service, however,

thanks to the TracPhone V7's full

compatibility with Dualog software. This

solution makes it easy for Clipper crew

members to use a wide variety of applications

in a cost effective manner, with an ideal

balance of the mini-VSAT Broadband and

Inmarsat services, KVH claimed.

By using mini-VSAT Broadband whenever

possible, Clipper saves nearly enough in

service charges each month to cover the cost

of the TracPhone V7 hardware lease. To

increase savings and ensure that installation

expenses remain as low as possible, Clipper

initiated a field testing programme with

special installation training for their vessel IT

employees, provided by Polaris Electronics

A/S, KVH's Danish distributor. Clipper

employees then created their own installation

guides, which the crew on board will use to

perform TracPhone V7 hardware installations

going forward. The vessel IT employees will

follow each installation remotely, installing

the Dualog software once the system is online.

"We are excited to field the mini-VSAT

Broadband service on Clipper Tankers

following an extensive and successful field

testing programme. These vessels travel among

ports worldwide, carrying a wide range of

materials, and require dependable, affordable

satellite communications in order to function at

their best," said Larsen. "The TracPhone V7

and mini-VSAT Broadband provide these

services at such an affordable cost that Clipper

is now able to use communications as a crew

retention tool, a critical benefit in an

increasingly competitive industry. And, thanks

to their choice to deploy Dualog software to

integrate mini-VSAT Broadband service with

existing on board systems, Clipper's satellite

communications solution is not only more

affordable than other options, it's more

convenient and efficient as well!"

Earlier, KVH announced a significant

expansion of mini-VSAT Broadband coverage

in the Atlantic Ocean.

Where the service was previously available

only in the North Atlantic shipping lanes

between Europe and North America, the new

coverage area brings broadband Internet and

voice service as far north as Greenland and

Northern Europe and extends south to support

vessels traveling to the Mediterranean,

northwestern Africa, and approaching the

northern coast of Brazil. This new service area

is fully operational and available to all

existing and new mini-VSAT Broadband

service users.

KVH’s coverage of the Australia and New

Zealand region went live in August 2009,

following the successful completion of service

testing on the Intelsat IS-2 satellite. The new

coverage area provides the first significant

support for mini-VSAT Broadband service in

the southern hemisphere.

“Together with our coverage for Asian

waters and the Indian Ocean, the addition of

services for Australia and New Zealand

represents a significant expansion of our

increasingly popular mini-VSAT Broadband

Internet and voice service to a major

commercial and recreational maritime region,”

explained Brent Bruun, KVH’s vice president

of sales and business development.

Airtime trade inIn another move, KVH is offering $500 of

airtime as a trade-in allowance when upgrading

to Inmarsat FleetBroadband service and the

Inmarsat-compatible TracPhone® system.

This upgrade offer can be used by

customers interested in trading in their old

Globalstar, Iridium, or AMSC/MSV, or other

regional or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite

systems for the next generation in maritime

satellite communications.

Inmarsat’s new FleetBroadband service is

provided by a trio of new satellites known as

the Inmarsat I-4s. Three of the most powerful

and sophisticated communications satellites

ever launched, the I-4s blanket the globe with

broadband service, providing Inmarsat’s

reliability and data rates as high as 432 Kbps

well into the 2020s.

KVH was offering an introductory Inmarsat

FleetBroadband airtime plan for as low as $59

per month. For regular users of maritime

satellite service, KVH’s Inmarsat voice rates

were as low as $0.79 per minute. Data

services include a metered ‘always on’ IP

service that is billed by the amount of data

transferred, or a streaming service with a

guaranteed data rate up to 256 Kbps.

The limited time $500 free airtime

promotion runs through 31st December, 2009,

or for the first 100 trade-in activations,

whichever comes first. TO

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 4


World-Link Communications haslaunched ShipSat service, abroadband IP solution thatintegrates Ku VSAT andInmarsat's L band services. For a flat monthly fee, ShipSat will delivers

global IP access, least-cost-routing (LCR) and

switching capabilities among Inmarsat FBB,

Ku VSAT and other wireless broadband

technologies including OpenPort, 3G, WiFi,

and WiMax.

Integrating these technologies is the ShipSat

Gatekeeper that performs switching, security,

routing and LCR services. ShipSat targets

vessels in the high end of merchant shipping

that are currently looking for a global, reliable

and controlled IP solution.

ShipSat always on connectivity utilises a

mini-VSAT antenna of 60 cm with auto

switching and includes an FBB 150, or

Iridium OpenPort system to be used as a back

up in areas where VSAT coverage is marginal.

It is delivered as a complete integrated

solution including Satcom antennas, below

deck equipment, Gatekeeper box, airtime, and

World-Link value added services including

split billing, crew mail, crew internet, plus

other maritime applications.

Service rates are tiered to accommodate

ships that already have FBB and Fleet systems

on board but are looking to add VSAT

capabilities. ShipSat plans start at $1,850 per

month and include a VSAT 256K/128K

service, plus an FBB 150 or an OpenPort with

a 36-month contract.

GatekeeperCentral to the ShipSat system is the Gatekeeper

box. Designed and developed from the ground

up by World-Link, it provides a number of

critical functions including a firewall that limits

access based on users and available networks,

FastLink compression of up to 80%, black and

white lists of web sites, advertising blocking on

web browsing, switching and routing between

different QoS services.

Gatekeeper acts as a central hub on board that

links the ship to the shore network via secure

encrypted tunnels and provides for accurate

billing for the different services on board,

including email and crew internet access.

"We saw that our customers are demanding

flat fee broadband access that is offered today

by Ku VSAT; shipping also requires global

reliability of the Inmarsat system. ShipSat

marries VSAT and Inmarsat in a cost efficient

solution that delivers reliability and cost

predictability to the merchant shipping

community. We are confident that shipowners

and managers are primed to enhance their

vessel operations by the opportunities

presented by ShipSat´s broadband reliable

capabilities.

“Whether it is enhanced data security, crew

welfare and retention, or regulatory

compliance, all are applications that have

become more increasingly dependent on

broadband. We are looking to succeed in

helping our client shipping companies to

become more competitive while preparing for

the economic upturn" said Asad Salameh,

president of World-Link Communications. �

ShipSat launched by World-Link


Last August, Radio Holland (RH)signed an agreement for the VSATKu-band footprint Telstar 11N. With this new footprint, RH significantly

improved its network for VSAT, the

company said.

Telstar 11N is designed to be a Ku-band

satellite with an Atlantic Ocean beam.

Dé Slager, RH group roup ceo said: “While

Radio Holland traditionally is known as a

supplier of navigation and communication

equipment, our strategic focus now and in the

future is directed towards services such as

providing connectivity and managed services

agreements. It allows us to provide a total,

efficient and effective solution. More and

more Radio Holland becomes one point of

contact for the shipowner, for a whole

package of systems and services.”

With the addition of the Ku-band footprint,

RH can provide seamless coverage at all major

shipping routes around the world. With

‘Connector by Radio Holland’ RH can offer a

total connectivity solution - hardware,

installation, service and airtime, which includes

‘always-on’ unlimited broadband internet access,

low cost voice over IP (VoIP) calls, email, GSM

on board and other value added services.

Service and maintenance is undertaken via

the global network of more than 60 offices,

located along strategic shipping routes.

In 2006, RH introduced the always-on

maritime VSAT connection for shipowners

and branded this service Connector by

Radio Holland.

This service offers RH customers global

coverage at a flat monthly fee. The company

delivers a global footprint on C-band and a

multi-regional footprint on KU-band. The

RH VSAT footprint is claimed to be unique

in the industry. �

Radio Holland adds Ku-band footprint

Radio Holland has added Altantic VSAT coverage.

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 5

DigitalShip

www.apmaritime.com/DigitalShip

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 6

As a result, the vessel’s new owner

asked Hydrex to remove the old

rope guard and replace it with a

new one while the ship was at

anchorage in Limassol.

A team of Hydrex diver-technicians was

immediately sent to Cyprus together with their

basic equipment.

Upon arrival at Limassol, the team met up

with the Hydrex local support base, which had

already arranged for a new rope guard to be

made at a local workshop. The workshop also

provided additional equipment required for

this specific operation.

After arrival on site and the installation of a

monitoring station, a full inspection of the

rope guard was performed to take the exact

measurements required to modify the new

rope guard in order to allow underwater

installment. These measurements were then

passed on to the workshop.

Because the old rope guard was so severely

damaged, it needed to be cut up before it

could be removed and brought ashore. By this

time the new one had arrived and was lowered

into the water where it was brought into

position with the help of chain blocks. Next

the divers welded it, concluding the repair.

Working together with the Hydrex local

support base, the team performed the

replacement in two days. This helped to

ensure that the chemical tanker’s new owner

could continue the vessel’s sailing schedule

and avoid any further off-hire time.

TECHNOLOGY – UNDERWATER MAINTENANCE


TO

Rope guardreplacement in

LimassolAn inspection on a 183 m chemical tanker revealed that

the rope guard had been severely damaged by an anchor chain.

Hydrex sent a team of diver technicians to Limassol.

Chain blocks were used to lower the new rope guard in pace.

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 7

Hydrex provides a comprehen-sive range of underwater main-

tenance and repair services to theship owner and offshore industry.

Saving significant amounts of time,trouble and expense thanks to in-situwork, the offered services range froman inspection of an external conditionand any required maintenance orcleaning work all the way through to

highly technical major repairs or repla-cements of a ship’s external under-water equipment and machinery.Repairs to thrusters, propellers, rudders, stern tube seals, damaged or corroded hulls and all other under-water services are carried out by professional teams trained and qua-lified to perform complex technicaltasks underwater while the vessel is in-situ. Working closely together with

owners, managers and supervisors, allused methods are fully approved by allmajor classification societies.

Hydrex is renowned for bringing drydock like conditions to the vesseland offshore unit. This helps owners toextend their vessel’s drydock intervaland gets rid of the loss of time and production docking brings about.

HeadquartersHydrex nv

Phone: +32 3 213 53 00Fax: +32 3 213 53 21

E-mail: [email protected]: www.hydrex.be

US Office Hydrex LLC

Phone: +1 727 443 3900Fax: +1 727 443 3990

E-mail: [email protected]: www.hydrex.us

Strait of Gibraltar officeHydrex Spain S.L.

Phone: +34 956 675 049Fax: +34 956 921 914

E-mail: [email protected]: www.hydrex.es

HYDREX WORLDWIDE UNDERWATERREPAIR AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

Lloyd’s List Global Awards 2009 Winner

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 8

Topaz’s fully equipped team of

divers can join vessels and

installations at short notice

anywhere in the Gulf of Oman or

in the Arabian Gulf to carry out all types of

underwater work.

The company offers a wide range of

underwater services, such as underwater hull

cleaning of vessels, propeller polishing, wet

docking and reporting, blanking of intakes and

outlets, inspection and survey, underwater wet

welding, anchor search and recovery from the

sea bed and salvage and wreck removal.

Its subsidiary Nico is certified to carry out

underwater surveys by all the leading

classification societies such as ABS, LR,

NKK, BV, GL and DNV.

Underwater hull cleaning forms a major

part of the marine repair services offered by

Topaz. There are two main advantages of

keeping the hydrodynamic lines of the hull

clean - first to increase fuel efficiency and

second to increase velocity. Furthermore, a

smoother surface on the propeller blades along

with a good anti-corrosion protection system

and a well painted hull helps to increase the

life of a vessel.

Topaz uses the latest technology cleaning

equipment and materials to undertake all

underwater hull cleaning and propeller

polishing. Investments are constantly being

made in order to renew and replace outdated

diving, hydraulic and electronic equipment.

New diving equipment, sidescan, CCTV

systems and brushkarts are continually being

purchased.

In support of its diving operations, Topaz

has purpose-built a high speed catamaran

aluminium workboat �emo, a diving support

vessel used to carry out daily routine diving

operations.

The diving team in Fujairah includes 25

experienced and qualified personnel who are

trained according to the International Marine

Contractors Association (IMCA) standards. This

year the team has recovered 14 lost anchors and

chains, some of them weighing 140 tonnes,

from depths of between 94 m to 135 m. All

were successful redelivered to their owners.

Topaz Energy and Marine through its

subsidiary Nico International Hydrospace

recently signed a one year contract with Vopak

Horizon Fujairah Limited to provide

underwater services for pre-berthing

inspection and back to back berthing of

vessels at Vopak’s facilities.

Over the course of the contract Topaz will

provide a team of qualified and experienced

divers for the pre-berthing inspections. The

divers will carry out a detailed inspection of

the floating and submarine hose string and all

mooring accessories and will also provide

other services until berthing is completed.

Topaz Energy and Marine is today one of

the world’s leading marine services and oil &

gas fabrication companies with over 35 years

of experience in the Middle East. The

company is a wholly owned subsidiary of

Renaissance Services SAOG, a publicly traded

concern on the Muscat Securities Market.

Operating throughout the Middle East and

the Caspian Sea and with vessel operations in

North Africa and Southeast Asia, Topaz

employs over 6,000 people. With its

operational headquarters in Dubai, Topaz

operates under two business divisions – Topaz

Marine and Topaz Engineering.

Topaz Marine is the offshore support

vessels division comprising Nico Middle East,

Doha Marine Services, Topaz Marine Saudi

Arabia, BUE Caspian, BUE Kazakhstan &

BUE Turkmenistan. Topaz Engineering

comprises Adyard (Abu Dhabi) and Nico

International.

TECHNOLOGY - UNDERWATER MAINTENANCE


CleanHull, Schat-Harding'senvironmentally-friendly hullcleaning system, has widenedits operation to include manydifferent types of vessels,including tankers, as ownersfrom different shipping sectorslook to keep fuel use down, thussaving costs. In Algeciras, the 160,383 dwt crude oil

tanker Tenerife Spirit was recently cleaned.

Following this operation, leading tanker

operator Teekay is now evaluating the results

with a view to applying underwater cleaning

to its entire fleet.

The University of Cadiz has been

conducting water sampling tests during the

hull cleaning operations in Algeciras. The

results were claimed to be very positive,

showing no, or only minimal contamination

when the ROV is in operation.

CleanHull said that it expects to be able to

provide hull cleans alongside in Algeciras,

saving even more time for vessel operators.

Similar tests are also underway in

Southampton on behalf of the port authority

(ABP), where alongside cleaning could also

be offered.

CleanHull said that the message it was

trying to convey was - based on bunker costs

$430 per tonne and a daily consumption rate

of 30 tonnes for a tanker, hull cleaning

would save around 5% of the bunker costs.

This equates to a saving of around $645

per day, or $130,000 per annum, CleanHull

claimed. The company also claimed that the

cost of the hull cleaning exercise was “small

money”, compared with the overall savings

possible on fuel costs.

The company also said that these

calculations were a “conservative estimate”

and that the real saving could be even more. �

TO

CleanHull widens vessel range

Fujairah, situated on the Gulf of Oman, near the mouth of the Arabian Gulf, has been

the base for Topaz’s underwater services in the Middle East since 1981.

Underwater expert in the Gulf

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 9


TECHNOLOGY - SAFETY

He outlined three concerns –

lifeboats, ECDIS and the

extension of SOLAS inert gas

requirements.

At MSC 86 earlier this year, the approved

amendments to the LSA code read – ‘The

mechanism shall be designed so that the hook

and locking mechanism remains fully closed

under any operational conditions until it is

deliberately caused to open by means of the

operating mechanism.’

Lifeboat onload release hooks have been

mandated at the IMO for many years, but still

accidents are occurring. Recently, MSC 86

approved the amendments to the LSA Code.

Conflicting views between Norway and the

ICS on the amendment’s mandation were

hindering its progression. One problem is the

agreement on a worldwide service and

inspections routine. Who carries this out? The

manufacturers (OEMS) have said they have a

mandate to undertake this task, but others

claimed that shipboard personnel should be

trained to do it.

Recently, leading lifeboat manufacturer

Schat-Harding said that some shipowners

were complaining that complying with MSC

edicts can be both costly and complex, as it

requires that all LSA equipment be serviced

by engineers authorised by the OEMs.

An approved MSC circular also said that

there is no requirement for crew to be in the

lifeboat while undergoing a drill.

To discuss these problems and others, an

Industry Lifeboat Group (ILG) has been formed

to provide this sector of the industry with a co-

ordinated voice at the IMO and elsewhere. This

grouping includes the ICS, OCIMF,

INTERTANKO, ITF, P&I clubs, CLIA, training

institutions, regulators, accident investigators

and equipment suppliers (ILAMA).

Guidelines have also been issued for the

fitting and use of fall preventer devices (FPD),

until proper hooks are fitted

Work is being undertaken on the FPDs as

an interim measure until safety hooks are

provided. A database is being put together

collating accident information. Lifeboat

equipment standardisation is another area

under scrutiny. The IMO has accepted that a

redesign of the safety hook is necessary.

At the recent International Chamber of Shipping conference,

John Murray outlined some of the current issues being examined

by various organisations and in particular the ICS.

ICS weighs up safety issues

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p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 10

However, Murray said that the hook is not

the end of the problem, as often seafarers

become confused by its complexity. To help

alleviate this, colour codes and controls need

to be standardised, he said.

As for type approvals, there are different

lifeboat hooks available, which also pose

problems for trainers. An OEM’s training

manual could be carried on board for training

purposes. Murray said that this consideration

was at an early stage of development.

ECDIS concernsMoving on to ECDIS, MSC 86 also mandated

its approval for all tankers of 3,000 gt and

above built on or after 1st July, 2012. Other

types have to have ECDIS fitted after this date.

China has led concerns about ECDIS

implementation, while the ICS has said that

sufficient ENC coverage was still needed

from the world’s hydrographic offices. It was

claimed that some hydrographic offices were

publishing ENCs with errors embedded.

Somewhat surprisingly, there was also one

flag administration still insisting on the use of

paper charts.

Murray said that the industry was concerned

that the ECDIS infrastructure, cost and

availability was not sufficiently proven and

that there was a need for a feasibility study on

the installation of ECDIS on existing vessels.

Problems surrounding equitable licensing

agreements have also been thrown up recently.

The ICS maintained that specific training

should also be linked to type approvals.

Murray said that he was worried that ECDIS

had been ‘sold’ to the IMO on the basis that it

would improve safety.

Inert gas concernsThe third cause for concern – inert gas

systems - is also a headache. The ICS has

participated in industry working groups on

tanker explosions as outlined in MSC 81

(identified human factors issue in tanker

industry).

The organisation led an industry human

factors’ task group and provided draft

amendments to the STCW revision.

At MSC 86 as an extension to the IG

requirements, the committee said that the

fitting of new oil tankers of below 20,000 dwt

should be discussed while for new chemical

tankers, separate requirements may need to be

developed. At the 13th Fire Protection (FP)

sub-committee meeting in February, it was

agreed that fitting inert gas system would

minimise fires and explosions.

In another move, the Marine Accident

Investigators International Forum (MAIF) is

to report on enclosed space entry incidents to

the Flag State Implementation (FSI) and FP

sub-committees.

Among the points raised by Murray on the

IG question were training, failure to follow

procedures, competence issues, extra CO2

emitted by using an IG system, fuel

consumption, safe access to enclosed spaces

and fatigue. These all play their part in

eliminating the threat of fires and explosions

on board, he said.

Finally, he appealed to the industry to send

the ICS appropriate and current reports of

operational experience in the three fields

covered.

TECHNOLOGY - SAFETY


At the February FP meeting, thesub-committee agreed that IGsystems would minimise risk oftanker explosions. It was agreed to continue discussions on

measures to prevent explosions on oil and

chemical tankers transporting low flash-point

cargoes, taking into account the different

operational demands on chemical tankers and

essential data submitted by IMO member

governments and international organisations.

It was agreed that the fitting of

appropriate IGS to new oil tankers below

20,000 dwt and new chemical tankers

carrying low flash-point cargoes would

minimise the risk of fires and explosions,

and draft amendments to SOLAS should be

developed to address this.

These should take into account that, since

chemical tankers presented much more

complex problems than oil tankers, separate

requirements may need to be developed to

cover them. The lower size limit for new oil

tankers, to which any new regulations would

apply, needed further consideration.

It was also agreed to invite the sub-

committee on standards of training and

watchkeeping (STW) to consider proposed

enhanced training requirements regarding

tank entry and cargo-operating procedures,

in the context of the ongoing revision of the

STCW Convention. It was noted that

relevant training and experience of

surveyors and other shore personnel may

also need to be considered.

The sub-committee said that any tank

entry was always hazardous, whether tanks

had been inerted or not, and that an empty

tank did not equal a safe tank, and stressed

the importance of following established

procedures for entering enclosed spaces.

Industry guidance was readily available -

but not always complied with.

It agreed that further debate on measures

to prevent explosions on oil and chemical

tankers was needed and invited the

committee to extend the target completion

date of the work programme item to 2011. �

TO

February FP meeting IGS proposals

Lifeboat hooks operation is becoming a growing concern.

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 11

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p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 12

TECHNOLOGY - SAFETY


ISM guidelines being updatedThe ICS/ISF Guidelines of theApplication of the IMO SafetyManagement Code (ISM) iscurrently being updated. The third and last edition was published in

1996 and since then we have had the ISM

Phase 1 deadline of 1st July 1998 and the

Phase 2 deadline of 1st July 2002. In 2005,

the IMO conducted a survey into ISM’s

implementation.

Speaking at the ICS conference, Phil

Anderson of ConsultISM explained that the

new 4th edition would be restructured,

expanded and brought up to date.

Since the last edition was published,

several regulations and guidelines affecting

ISM have passed into the statute books, or

will be soon, including MARPOL annexes,

STCW revision and code, ISPS Code,

Garbage management, Ballast management

and not forgetting the forthcoming Maritime

Labour Convention.

The problems with the role of the

designated persons on board (DPA) have

meant that Safety Management System (SMS)

has suffered accordingly, Anderson said. MSC

has issued guidelines on the qualification,

training and experience necessary for taking

on the role of a DPA under ISM.

The new edition’s commentary is being

expanded to include developing and

implementing an SMS, measuring compliance.

A list of references will be included as will a

glossary of terms and eight annexes.

Anderson listed the major new issues that

needed to be addressed within the bounds of

ISM that will be covered in the expanded

commentary section. These were –

� Accident causation.

� Safety culture.

� Role of the DPA.

� Guidance to companies.

� Near miss reporting - A problem due to

the blame culture.

� Risk assessment- permit to work.

� Maritime Labour Convention – health &

safety issues.

What next for the ISM Code? “We need to try to make it work,” he said. He

though that some sectors of the industry still

have some way to go to achieve any benefits

from compliance. All too often the shipping

industry deals with the symptoms instead of

“digging out the root cause”, he said.

Tanker operators and vetting inspectors

often discover how the vessel is operated. By

just dealing with the symptoms, problems

will reappear.

Some of the problems often flagged up are

to with manning where seafarers are

inadequately trained; leadership coming from

the top must be in place and personnel must

believe in it; buying into SMS including

everyone in the company. Another situation is

empowering the master as too often personnel

attempt to contact the DPA.

Anderson said that an SMS that is working

well can affect a company’s bottom line by

producing cost savings.

Tel: +47 56 32 68 50Fax: +47 56 32 68 60

Email: [email protected]: www.sotra.net Vindenes, 5363 Aagotnes, Norway

ANCHORS & CHAINSOne of the largest stockists of anchors and chains with

approx. 10 000 tonnes of brand new and second hand

anchors and chains in our yards in Norway, Scotland, The

Netherlands and China.

Seafarers need to become involved in ISM at a very early stage.

TO

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 13


TECHNOLOGY - SAFETY

A sea anchor has been developedby Miko Marine of Norway, thatthe company believed couldprovide tankers with a valuablesafety margin in the event of aloss engine power. Although the principle of the sea anchor is

well-known, this is the first time that one has

been developed that is big enough to slow the

drift of a large, modern ship.

Calculations now confirm that a parachute-

shaped sea anchor made from heavy duty

nylon fabric and webbing and measuring 45 m

in diameter would have the ability to turn a

ship of up to 100,000 dwt into the wind and

thus slow its drift by up to 50%. This could

make the difference between a ship rolling

uncontrollably in a beam sea or grounding

before rescue tugs could reach it.

Miko Marine recently completed trials off

the far-North of Norway when the

effectiveness of the anchor’s design was

proved. The use of a 70 m anchor handling

vessel made it possible to confirm the

calculations of the Ship Stability Research

Centre and demonstrate the viability of a

tanker-sized version.

The sea anchor was developed as a

component of the European Ship Arrestor

project (www.shiparrestor.com) but Claus-

Christian Apneseth, Miko Marine’s project

manager, believed that a sea anchor could now

be routinely carried by any ship with a

dangerous or potentially polluting cargo.

“It has been suggested to me that ships such

as the Erica, the Prestige and the Braer might

have survived if they had not been allowed to

drift and roll uncontrollably,” he said.

“Although I do not know the details of those

incidents, I do know that heavy-lift ships and

any with a large deck cargo can be in danger

if they are lying beam-on to the sea following

a loss of power.

“Last October a jack-up platform was lost

from a heavy-lift vessel under just these

circumstances and is a typical example of the

dangers arising from excessive roll when a

ship cannot turn into the wind. Similarly, by

slowing the movement of a tanker towards

land, the use of a sea anchor could provide

more valuable time for the ship to be reached

by rescue tugs before grounding with

disastrous consequences,” he explained.

The Miko Sea Anchor is designed to be

stowed with its tow line in a compact

container on the tanker’s foredeck where it

can be kept ready for immediate use. “It could

be launched over the bow by the crew, or

installed with an automatic deployment

system,” said Apneseth. “Because it can be a

self-contained unit, the sea anchor could be

moved from ship-to-ship in a fleet to suit the

cargo being carried and to meet any

instructions from insurers. We already have a

preliminary design for a launching system but

detailed engineering must be done in co-

operation with a potential client to incorporate

the needs of the individual ship.”

Miko Marine is a salvage company with

expertise in naval architecture and it also

markets a range of magnetic patches for

emergency use by ships. The company is

leading the European Ship Arrestor Project for

which the sea anchor is a key component.

This project is aimed at developing a

technique that can enable a tow line and sea

anchor to be attached by helicopter to an

unmanned ship that has lost power. A

consortium of eight European organisations

was formed to develop the idea and

companies from Norway, France, Germany,

Netherlands and Austria have joined. Others

include the Norwegian Institute of Technology

and the UK’s Ship Stability Research Centre.

“We are still exploring different fabrics and

lines that will reduce the anchor’s overall

weight for helicopter deployment for the Ship

Arrestor Project,” explained Apneseth.

“However, the trials have confirmed the

present viability of the sea anchor and I am

now available to talk to tanker operators and

discuss how it could be fitted onto their ships.

“The cost of any anchor will vary according

to the size of ship and the nature of the

installation. However, because it is a fairly

simple construction using low-cost materials,

we expect prudent ship operators to consider

them very inexpensive, especially when

compared with the potential cost of the

incident they are designed to avert. There has

already been some discussion among maritime

authorities about making their carriage

compulsory and although they have said

nothing about reducing premiums, some

insurance clubs have also recognised the

benefits they might derive from specifying the

carriage of a sea anchor,“ he continued.

Need anchors and chains?www.wortelboer.nl

Safety anchoring aid for tankers

A parachute could turn a 100,000 dwttanker into the wind.

TO

THE SHIP ARRESTOR PRINCIPLE

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 14

TECHNOLOGY - SAFETY


Since then, the company has grown

steadily in developing several

titles aimed principally at the

tanker sector.

KARCO has jointly developed several titles

with reputable shipmanagement companies

and shipowners to cater for their company

specific requirements, as well as marketing

the videos to the marine industry as a whole.

Among the partners are Thome

Shipmanagement, Singapore and Unix Line,

Singapore.

The company has also approached several

flag states to review the projects and have

received a couple of acknowledgements saying

that they recognise the potential this technique

has in the effective promulgation of training.

KARCO claimed that the unique and novel

computer-based training (CBT) version of the

safety videos, ensures 100% candidate

training, in addition to providing the usual

features available with CBT programs.

Certificates of completion can be printed on

individual company templates. A very low per

head cost of $5 is aimed at providing

shipowners/managers with a very economic

training option for seafarers during today’s

downturn, the company said.

A very positive market that KARCO has

identified is the re-creation of marine

incidents and casualties using the 3D

animation platform for the purpose of

presentations and training. The company said

that it was very active in this sector.

KARCO claimed that the 3D animated

safety videos enjoyed several benefits

compared with conventional videos. These

include:

� Allows the creation of ship models

resembling the subject vessel.

� Vessel name, funnel logo, IMO No, etc

can be readily depicted.

� Hazardous/blind activities, for example,

tank atmosphere, tank cleaning machine

operations can only be depicted by

graphics.

� Company mascot can be created to give

safety a face and form, rather than it just

being treated as an abstract concept.

� 3D Graphics prove to be more effective in

conveying correct/easy interpretation of

rules and regulations. This is particularly

relevant with ship staff who are at a

disadvantage due to lack of proficiency in

the English language.

� The results of wrong actions can be shown

very effectively to highlight their

consequences.

� Graphics prove to be more effective in

conveying training information rather than

circulars.

� Changes/upgrades can be readily

incorporated.

� The voice over can be in language of

choice.

Meanwhile, turning to the company specific

videos, according to KARCO they have the

following advantages:-

1) Company policies and procedures can be

incorporated.

2) Company forms can be highlighted.

3) Strengths/weaknesses of the company

system as identified by audits, vettings,

PSC inspections, superintendents visits etc

can be included. This forms an integral

part of ‘CIP - Continuous Improvement

Process’ as required by ISM/TMSA.

4) Training subjects of choice can be

developed.

5) Accidents/incidents can be recreated as

a means for internal office briefing to

management leadership, board members,

stockholders, P&I clubs, underwriters,

ship staff training or any interested party

- for example, the Hebei Spirit incident.

6) Close interaction throughout the

development stage for company specific

projects allows accurate details to be

incorporated delivering a very superior

product. TO

Animated videos –the way ahead?

Karishma Consultancy Services (KARCO) commenced operations in Mumbai during

2004. It became a producer of high ended 3D animated marine safety videos in mid-2007.

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:43 Page 15

www.smm-india.comwww.smm-india.com

mumbai

18° 57' 53" N, 72° 49' 33" E

keeping the course

mumbai

12 –14 nov 2009

shipbuilding • machinery & marine technology

international trade fair

phone: +49 40 35 69-21 [email protected]

phone: +91 124 45 24 [email protected]

phone: +1 301 493-55 [email protected]

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:44 Page 16

TECHNOLOGY - GOAL-BASED STANDARDS


At MSC 86 earlier this year, the

committee approved international

goal-based ship construction

standards (GBS) for bulk carriers

and oil tankers.

Proposed amendments to SOLAS Chapter II

to make their application mandatory is to be

consideration at MSC 87 with a view to their

adoption.

The proposed SOLAS regulation II-1/3-10

on GBS would apply to tankers and bulk

carriers of 150 m in length and above.

Once mandated, the amendments would

require new ships to be designed and

constructed for a specified design life and to

be safe and environmentally friendly, in intact

and specified damage conditions, throughout

their life.

The ship should have adequate strength,

integrity and stability to minimise the risk of

loss of the ship or pollution to the marine

environment due to structural failure,

including collapse, resulting in flooding or

loss of watertight integrity.

MSC also approved, in principle, guidelines

for verification of conformity with GBS for

adoption at MSC 87. Draft guidelines for the

information to be included in a Ship

Construction File were considered and will be

further developed at the next MSC session.

GBS has been developed on the basis of a

five-tier system.

Tier I - Consists of goals.

Tier II - Functional requirements.

Tier III - Verification of conformity.

Tier IV - Rules and regulations for ship

design and construction.

Tier V - Industry practices and standards.

The proposed goal-based standards reflect

Tiers I to III.

Italian class society RINA chaired IACS

when the discussions started and was involved

in the forming of Tier 1.

As for requirements, it was a matter of

moving goal-based standards into prescriptive

rules, which became an IMO issue. However,

the ship technology and structural rules must

be continually updated.

There were discussions on whether the

tanker rules in Tier III were sufficiently clear

by a panel of experts, including IACS

specialists. IMO became more familiar with

IACS’ Common Structural Rules (CSR) and

thus developed GBS’ Tier III.

At the IMO meeting, attended by the class

societies, one of the major discussions centred

on audits or verifications needed to assess Tier

III and the cost of such an undertaking in

terms of the numbers of auditors needed.

Practical matters, such as the procedures for

the maintenance of the rules, were also

discussed. The class societies maintained that

they were able to keep the rules updated. They

admitted that the IMO would take too long as

every amendment would have to be endorsed

at an MSC meeting.

RINA’s technical director Roberto Cazzulo

posed the question; “What happens if a new

ship has to be verified. The new structure may

take up to five years.”

Next year, the MSC is due look at the

practicalities. IACS needs support at that

meeting as although there aren’t many new

contracts being paced at present, this situation

could change. “Something practical is

required”, Cazzulo said. Shipyard newbuilding

design teams are constantly developing new

designs, necessitating the authorities to act

quickly.

By and large RINA said that it was

supportive of IMO safety levels with GBS,

but standards need to be improved and the

initiative should not become weighed down by

bureaucracy.

The Ship Construction File could become a

delicate issue as they could be deemed the

shipbuilders’ intellectual property rights. TO

Goal-based standardsbecome closer

Class societies are worried that goal-based standards will get bogged down in

IMO minutae resulting in new designs taking years to get verified.

RINA’s Cazzulo – ‘class societies should beallowed to keep the rules updated’.

“What happens if a new ship has to be verified.

The new structure may take up to five years....

Something practical is required”

Roberto Cazzulo, technical director, RINA

“

”

p36-52:p39-50.qxd 02/10/2009 10:44 Page 17

7-11 June 2010Hellenikon Exhibition Centre, Athens, Greece

Posidonia 2010

Organisers: Posidonia Exhibitions SA, e-mail: [email protected]. +30 210 428 3608, Fax +30 210 428 3610

The International Shipping Exhibition

www.posidonia-events.com

Your opportunityThe biggest gathering in the shipping calendar

with the owners of the world's largest fleet.

Welcome to the home of shipping

IBC:OBC.qxd 02/10/2009 10:59 Page 1

www.classnk.or.jp

Please visit us at Stand

1J01

OBC:OBC.qxd 02/10/2009 11:01 Page 1

TANKER OPERATOR (OCT 2009)

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Transcript of TANKER OPERATOR (OCT 2009)