Marine Log July 2020

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R E P O R T I N G O N M A R I N E B U S I N E S S & T E C H N O L O G Y S I N C E 18 78 The General MacArthur, shown working in Port Neches, Texas, was delivered by C&C Marine and Repair to Callan Marine in June.

July 2020

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CONTENTS

4

26

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

2 EDITOR’S LETTER Podcasts: Expanding Our Digital Presence

10

SHIP REPAIR & MAINTENANCE U.S. Ship Repair Yards Keeping Busy Despite Pandemic We look at the steps repair yards have been making to maintain productivity despite the ongoing COVID-19 hurdles

S1

GULF COAST HEADLINER • Highly Anticipated Q-LNG ATB Undergoing Sea Trials • Q&A With Parker Towing President Tim Parker III • Metal Shark Introduces 70-Knot Military Super Interceptor • Mobile, Alabama, Shipyards See Busy June • … And much more

4 INLAND WATERWAYS Conrad Shipyard Wins GLDD Newbuild TSHD Contract 6 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 8 WELLNESS Returning Saturated Fat to the Table 10 VESSEL OF THE MONTH Silversea Cruises’ Silver Origin

24

12 UPDATES • ST Engineering to offer new SOV from both Singapore and U.S. yards • Dakota Creek Launches First of Six New Design Navy Tugs

26

U.S. OFFSHORE WIND NJ Wind Port Has Potential to Create 1,500 Jobs The recently announced New Jersey Wind Port is a first-in-thenation infrastructure investment that will provide an essential space for offshore wind projects on the East Coast

29

TECH SPOTLIGHT: INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Supporting Clean Fuels in Shipping Despite the current focus on alternative marine power sources, internal combustion engines are here to stay

32

CEO SPOTLIGHT A Q&A with Tony Cibilich of C&C Marine and Repair Belle Chasse, La., shipyard founder gives us insight into how the company’s new construction and repair projects on a variety of vessel types is going

16 INSIDE WASHINGTON FMC Investigates Canadian Ballast Water Regs, COVID-19 Risks on Cruises 44 TECH NEWS Sea-Cargo to Convert RO/RO to Hybrid Sailing Vessel 43 NEWSMAKERS Bordelon Named Chairman of Shipbuilders Council of America 48 SAFETY Sensorless Anti-Sway Technology Improves Worksite Safety

MARINE PAINTS & COATINGS Lightening the Load and Extending the Durability A major concern to every shipyard is finding paints and coatings solutions that not only provide cutting edge technology, but are application-friendly in Gulf Coast conditions

Photo Credit: Callan Marine LTD. - Scott Pena Photography – 2020

July 2020 // Marine Log 1

EDITOR’S COLUMN

MARINELOG JULY 2020 VOL. 125, NO. 7 ISSN 08970491 USPS 576-910 SUBSCRIPTIONS: 800-895-4389

Tel: +1 (402) 346-4740 (Canada & International) Fax: +1 (402) 346-3670 Email: marinelog@omeda.com PRESIDENT Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. amcginnis@sbpub.com PUBLISHER GULF COAST & MIDWEST SALES Jeff Sutley jsutley@sbpub.com

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com/ David MG

I

Podcasts: Enhancing Our Digital Presence

n last month’s issue of Marine Log, our web editor, Nick Blenkey, wrote up an interesting piece on how more companies are going remote, albeit with little choice, during these uncertain times. As the pandemic speeds maritime’s uptake of remote solutions, it’s also forced us as a magazine and events producer to examine what else we can be doing to stay connected with the industry, bring our readers the news they want and deserve, and maintain our networking outlets in lieu of in-person meetings.

While COVID-19 continues to put a damper on travel plans for most businesses, companies are looking at ways to make themselves more available via digital means. One way in which Marine Log has been responding is by increasing the number of podcasts we produce.

With several more Listen Up! podcast editions being edited at the time of this publication, we have produced podcasts with some of maritime’s key opinion leaders to bring you, our audience, important trends, news and advances in all things marine.

From McAllister Towing’s Capt. Steve Kress, who gave an overview of the tug companies efforts in docking the USNS Mercy during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, to Q-LNG’s Chad Verret, who educated us on America’s first-ever LNG bunkering ATB (find out more about this vessel on page 15), and several topics in between, we hope you find

these educational podcasts of interest.

We also recently “sat down” with David Lee, senior account manager-new sales at ABB Marine & Ports, to get the low down on current tug market developments, what operators should know, and how the U.S. market compares on a global scale.

It wasn’t long ago when Ron Wille, business development manager at Bellingham, Wash., shipbuilder All American Marine gave us the latest on the Water-Go-Round e-ferry project, a unique 70-foot, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell powered ferry.

And returning Listen Up! guest, Joe Hudspeth, director of business development-global marine at BAE Systems, dived into hybrid solutions for vessels.

The list doesn’t stop there, but I hope your interest is piqued enough to check out our additional podcasts (available at www. marinelog.com) and to stay tuned for more.

We also encourage you to submit to us your ideas for a future podcast. You can do so by emailing me at hervin@sbpub.com.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Heather Ervin hervin@sbpub.com WEB EDITOR Nicholas Blenkey nblenkey@sbpub.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Paul Bartlett paul.bartlett@live.co.uk EUROPEAN EDITOR Charlie Bartlett charlie.bartlett@runbox.com ART DIRECTOR Nicole D’Antona ndantona@sbpub.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hillary Coleman hcoleman@sbpub.com MARKETING DIRECTOR Erica Hayes ehayes@sbpub.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com INTEGRATED ACCOUNT MANAGER US EAST/WEST COAST & INTERNATIONAL David Harkey dharkey@sbpub.com SALES REPRESENTATIVE KOREA & CHINA Young-Seoh Chinn corres1@jesmedia.com CLASSIFIED SALES Jennifer Izzo jizzo@mediapeople.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Michelle M. Zolkos mzolkos@sbpub.com CONFERENCE ASSISTANT Stephanie Rodriguez srodriguez@sbpub.com

HEATHER ERVIN Editor-in-Chief hervin@sbpub.com

CONTRIBUTORS Emily Reiblein Crowley Maritime Corporation Capt. Matthew Bonvento Good Wind Maritime Services Judy Murray

Marine Log Magazine (Print ISSN 0897-0491, Digital ISSN 2166-210X), (USPS#576-910), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published 11 times per year, monthly with the exception of April which is a digital issue by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 88 Pine St. 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

PRICING: Qualified individuals in the marine industry may request a free subscription. For non-qualified subscriptions: Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital versions: 1 year, US $98.00; foreign $213.00; foreign, air mail $313.00. 2 years, US $156.00; foreign $270.00; foreign, air mail $470.00. Single Copies are $29.00 each. Subscriptions must be paid in U.S. dollars only.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Marine Log Magazine, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

2 Marine Log // July 2020

John Wooldridge Michael J. Toohey Waterways Council, Inc. SIMMONS-BOARDMAN PUBLISHING CORP. 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, N.Y. 10005 Tel: (212) 620-7200 Fax: (212) 633-1165 Website: www.marinelog.com E-mail: marinelog@sbpub.com

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INLAND WATERWAYS Conrad Shipyard Wins GLDD Newbuild TSHD Contract

Delivery of the 6,500-cubic-yard capacity trailing suction hopper dredge is expected in 2023.

reat Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has signed a contract with Conrad Shipyard for the construction of a 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity trailing suction hopper dredge. Delivery is expected in the first quarter of 2023 and the contract contains an option for a second vessel.

The vessel will complement the company’s existing six-dredge hopper fleet, including the ATB tug Douglas B. Mackie and its 15,000-cubic-yard-capacity barge Ellis Island, which was delivered in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Conrad will perform the detail design and construct the dredges at its Amelia, La., shipyard based on a regulatory-level design provided by Great Lakes’ in-house

engineering department in collaboration with C-Job Naval Architects.

The dredge will be equipped with a direct high-power pump-ashore installation, dredging system automation, dynamic positioning and tracking, U.S. EPA Tier IV compliant engines, and additional features designed to minimize the impact of its dredging process on the environment. The Tier 4-compliant engines significantly reduce the vessel’s climate footprint, while other incorporated features minimize turbidity and marine species entrainment. Best-in-class accommodations feature single-occupancy staterooms, a workout room, and an innovative movie theater with raised seating that doubles as a training facility.

MARAD Awards $9.5 Million in America’s Marine Highway Grants

T

he U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $9.5 million in America’s Marine Highway Program grants to eight projects.

The funding supports the enhancement of navigable waterways and expands existing waterborne freight services in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and American Samoa.

“This Federal assistance will provide additional options to reduce congestion on the roads and help the surrounding local communities’ and the regions’ economic recovery,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The America’s Marine Highway Program works with public and private stakeholders to promote the increased use of navigable waterways to provide landside congestion relief, new and efficient transportation options, and increased performance of the surface

4 Marine Log // July 2020

transportation system.

Seven of the eight projects announced last month are located in Opportunity Zones, which were created to revitalize low-income and economically distressed communities using private investment. Low-income communities are nominated by U.S. States, U.S. possessions, and the District of Columbia and then certified by the U. S. Secretary of the Treasury as Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones have been certified in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.

“The continued expansion and modernization of the U.S. marine transportation system benefits the maritime industry. U.S. waterway freight systems offer a safe and efficient option for shippers and reduce road traffic and emissions while providing jobs, commerce, and crucial resources to dozens of communities across multiple states,” said Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby.

AMH Of fsets Container-onBarge Service Carbon Emissions

S

EACOR Holdings Inc. subsidiary SCF Marine reports that its container-on-barge service, operated by SEACOR AMH, is participating in a 12-month accredited U.S.-based carbon offset program starting June 2020.

“Through this initiative, diesel carbon emissions from AMH’s container service and the St. Louis, Memphis, and Port Allen terminals will be offset to achieve carbon neutrality, a benefit AMH is proud to extend to its direct and indirect customers,” said Rich Teubner, vice president of AMH. SCF says that since AMH’s inception in 2016, its service has safely reduced roadway congestion by displacing approximately 100,000 truck moves. This equates to an estimated savings of roughly 4 million gallons of diesel fuel and more than 40,000 metric tons of CO2.

“AMH has been a great partner of the Port of New Orleans in providing reliable container on barge service to our mutual customers,” said Brandy Christian, president and chief executive officer of the Port of New Orleans. She continued, “Their investments have created a marine highway option for shippers and ocean carriers to reduce the movement of containers on inland routes and we applaud their commitment to greening the supply chain.”

“Our goal to enhance SCF’s environmental performance extends beyond carbon offsets as we continue to evaluate carbon reducing technologies,” said Tim Power, president of SCF. This includes the potential conversion of the SCF Container Express and SCF Marine Highway to dual-fuel LNG and diesel. These two inland towboats will operate in a liner service supporting AMH’s container routes with scheduled service.

Photo Credit: C-Job Naval Architects

G

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Collisions: Common Vessel Types and Frequency WELCOME TO Industry Insights, Marine Log’s quick snapshot of current trends in the global marine marketplace.

This month, we take a look at the Swedish Club’s recently released “2020 Navigational Claims” report. The P&I club has spent many years compiling and reviewing information on navigational claims, which it defines as collisions, contacts and groundings.

The Swedish Club examined collisions across a range of vessels. In many of the collision cases it handles, the club observes a number of recurring issues that are highlighted in the statistics and the case studies of the report.

The findings are based on statistics and the club’s own experience of specific claims. The publication aims at not only highlighting the most common errors, but, more importantly, focuses on providing suggestions on how to prevent claims, increasing the safety of those on board and reducing vessel casualties.

In the first graph, you can see that the top three vessel types involved with collisions are container vessels, bulk carriers, and tanker vessels that represent about 77.2% of claims, and 77% of the club’s insured fleet. In the second graph, the number of claims is the highest on container vessels, bulk carriers, and tankers. However, the frequency is highest on RoRos.

H&M Collision: Most Common Vessel Type (2014-2018)

H&M Collision: Number of Claims and Frequency by Vessel Type (2014-2018)

Claims Cost > USD 10,000 – non-capped As per April 2, 2019

Claims Cost > USD 10,000 – non-capped As per August 8, 2019

0.025

40

0.020

30

0.015

20

0.010

10

0.005

0

0.000

Container

Bulker 27%

50

Source: The Swedish Club

Number of claims

Offshore

Tanker 14%

0.030

Pass/Ferry

Container 37%

60

Roro

Dry Cargo 10%

Frequency

Dry Cargo

Ro/Ro 9%

NO. of claims

Tanker

Offshore 1%

Bulker

Pass./Ferry 2%

Below are two charts of information based on the report’s collision data.

Frequency

5 Marine Log // July 2020

WELLNESS COLUMN

Returning Saturated Fat to the Table

A

few years ago, the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2014) published a study that examined data from over 600,000 participants to determine how saturated fat affected heart attack risk. The study found no link between the consumption of saturated fat and an increased rate of heart attack. This discovery flies in the face of public policy and health recommendations since the 1950s. Those recommendations proposed that fats, especially saturated fat caused cholesterol in the blood to increase resulting in an increased risk of heart attack. This old paradigm shifted even further in 2015 when the U.S. government’s dietary recommendations identified that dietary cholesterol was no longer a “nutrient of concern” for Americans. With years of recommendations projecting saturated fat and dietary cholesterol as the villains of human health, how do we reincorporate them onto our plates?

In a 2017 interview, Dr. Mark Hyman, the Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine, claimed that saturated fats are a part of a healthy diet that help you burn fat, make your brain work better and faster, make your skin glow, and can help optimize your cholesterol profiles. “It is very important that you only include saturated fat in the context of a diet that’s very low in refined carbs and sugar and includes omega-3 fats,” he said.

Hyman is not alone in his push toward bringing saturated fats back to the plate to enhance human health. In April of 2017, the Journal of Sports Medicine published an editorial titled “Saturated Fat Does

6 Marine Log // July 2020

Not Clog Arteries” by three predominant cardiologists. It stated, “Despite popular belief among doctors and the public, the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong. A landmark systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies showed no association between saturated fat consumption and (1) all-cause mortality, (2) coronary heart disease (CHD), (3) CHD mortality, (4) ischemic stroke or (5) Type 2 diabetes in healthy adults. Similarly, in the secondary prevention of CHD, there is no benefit from reduced fat, including saturated fat, on myocardial infarction, cardiovascular or all-cause mortality.” Their analysis goes on to include those fats as a part of a combat strategy for coronary artery disease and quieting inflammatory conditions. Like Hyman, they claim that diets should be low in sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Two ways to bring healthy fats back onto the table while limiting sugar and refined carbohydrates include:

1. Avoid processed foods.

After decades of policy where industry and consumer focus were on a “low fat” labeling, many processed foods have the fats removed from them. This requires taste to be added in the form of sugars and other refined carbohydrates. As you shop, return to food that is unprocessed. This includes, but isn’t limited to, food with no nutrition label or that comes from the plant and animal in an unprocessed form. Processed foods are high in cheap ingredients that reap havoc on chronic conditions, such as heart disease.

Cooking is a basic life skill. Industries have risen to help us avoid using this life skill and we have forgotten its place in relationship to our healthy lives. When I ask people why they don’t cook, I’m most often told that it’s because they lack the time and fear making something less than savory. Fortunately, meal planning with apps, books and websites can give rise to fast, tasty, home cooked dinners. Some apps automatically generate shopping lists for users—a real time saver.

As for being worried about making something people will enjoy, practice helps. Keep something for emergency purposes in the fridge, some tuna, hamburger meat, etc., and remember that sometimes our most memorable meals are those that did not go well.

As we entered this new food landscape, writer Mark Bittman had some good advice on sensible eating in the New York Times back March 25, 2014. His article titled “Butter is Back,” helps bring context to these changes. “Let’s try once again to pause and think for a moment about how it makes sense for us to eat, and in whose interest it is for us to eat hyper processed junk,” he wrote.

“The most efficient summary might be to say, ‘Eat real food’ and ‘avoid anything that didn’t exist 100 years ago.’ You might consider a dried apricot (one ingredient) versus a Fruit Roll-Up (13 ingredients, numbers 2, 3 and 4 of which are sugar or forms of added sugar). Or you might reflect that real yogurt has two or three ingredients (milk plus bacteria, with some jam or honey if you like) and that the number in Breyers YoCrunch Cookies n’ Cream Yogurt is unknowable (there are a few instances of “and/or”) but certainly at least 18.”

As new research pulls us away from an old paradigm on saturated fat and cholesterol, incorporating this information can be challenging. Bittman’s use of old fashioned “common sense” and redeveloping a more conventional relationship with food may help healthy fat return to the table.

Nothing in this article constitutes medical advice. All medical advice should be sought from your medical professional.

EMILY REIBLEIN

Director-Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Crowley Logistics

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/ eelnosiva

2. Cook.

VESSEL OF THE MONTH

The Silver Origin is likely the first oceangoing ship to have ever been remotely controlled in a real-world situation.

Silver Origin LUXURIOUS EXPEDITION SHIP INCLUDES ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

Photo Credit: De Hoop Shipyard

D

elivered to Silversea Cruises by De Hoop Shipyard of the Netherlands in the first in-person cruise ship handover since the pandemic began, Silver Origin is likely the first oceangoing ship to have ever been remotely controlled in a real-world situation. That was necessary when completing her sea trials off Rotterdam, and it required putting her sophisticated dynamic positioning (DP) system under the control of a Navis engineer in Russia—over 1,100 miles away.

The all-suite, all-balcony, 100-guest Silver Origin has been built for year-round operations in the Galápagos Archipelago, imposing a unique set of operational and environmental requirements. The ship is expected to be stationary—in a bay or near one of the islands—for 66% of the operational time, thus considerable thought went into the design and selection of the DP equipment. Combined with a zero-speed stabilizer system, the DP system will choose a heading to minimize the roll and heave motions on the vessel.

To achieve a high level of redundancy and to meet the class requirements (PSMR and DP1 / DP-AM notation), the vessel’s power and propulsion plant is duplicated and

housed in two separate engine rooms.

Designed and Lloyd’s Register classed for worldwide service, Silver Origin is built in accordance with the latest probabilistic damage stability regulations. In addition, Silversea required that the vessel comply with a twocompartment damage stability regulation.

The power supply for her two rudder propellers, two bow thrusters and other consumers, is supplied by four Caterpillar C32 diesel generator sets, each rated at 994 kW each. The emergency diesel generator is a Scania of 339 kW. The diesel engines are equipped with an SCR installation to reduce NOx emissions. The rudder propellers, type 20 CRP of 1,450 kW each, were supplied by Steerprop of Finland, while the 400 kW bow thrusters are by Veth of the Netherlands.

The advanced propulsion system, the hull configuration and the specially developed diesel engine arrangement guarantee an average 25% reduction in hull resistance, 15% reduction in fuel consumption and equivalently fewer exhaust emissions.

The vessel’s flared bow has an integrated bulb that both reduces resistance in waves when in transit and saves energy when staying in position, helped by the higher efficiency of the bow thruster.

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS: • Length, over all: 110.01 m • Length, waterline: 101.50 m • Length, between perpendiculars: 97.72 m • Beam, over all: 18.92 m • Beam, molded: 17.00 m • Depth, molded (main deck): 6.50m • Draft, design: 4.50m • Propulsion power: 2x 1450 kW • Bow thruster power: 2x 400 kW • Speed, max: 15.0kn • Passengers: 102 persons in 51 suites (in 6 different varieties) • Crew and personal suite attendants: 87 persons in 55 cabins

July 2020 // Marine Log 7

UPDATE With a 5-star hotel standard interior design, the SOV can accommodate up to 85 service personnel and crew.

ST ENGINEERING

WILL OFFER ADVANCED SOV FROM TWO YARDS SINGAPORE’S ST ENGINEERING has

developed an advanced offshore wind Service Operation Vessel (SOV) design based on its innovative Eco-hull electric propulsion system, including an energy storage system. It is configured with two azimuth-type main propulsion propellers, two tunnel bow thrusters and one retractable azimuth forward thruster.

It will be available from both ST Engineering’s Singapore shipyards and its Halter Marine yard in Pascagoula, Miss.

The propulsion system, coupled with an

advanced dynamic positioning system (DP2) and heave-compensated gangway, equips the vessel for its primary function—the safe transfer of personnel from onboard to offshore wind turbines.

Additionally, a cargo/passenger elevator with six fixed levels provides zero-step accessand-transfer for the technician and cargo from the vessel to the turbine’s transition piece (TP) through the gangway.

T h e S OV i s w e l l e q u i p p e d w i t h a 3D-motion compensated knuckle boom

crane to provide covering access to TP and the operational areas for boat landings.

The SOV has a large clear space for deck preparation and is fitted with a container skidding system.

Adopting its in-house capabilities in acoustic signatures, ST Engineering has paid special attention to the noise and vibration characteristics in its design. With a 5-star hotel standard interior design and customizable facilities, the SOV can accommodate up to 85 service personnel and crew.

THE FIRST OF A SERIES of six new Rob-

ert Allan Ltd. (RAL) Z-Tech 4500 design tugs for the U.S. Navy (YT 808) has been successfully launched by the Dakota Creek Industries shipyard in Anacortes, Wash.

The Navy has been operating six Valiant (YT 802) class tugs, the first of which was delivered in 2010, and all six have been in continuous operation ever since. According to Robert Allan, the six new vessels (YT 808) have modifications based on feedback from their skippers and new Navy requirements, as well as incorporating EPA Tier 4 emissions certified main engines.

Main particulars are as follows: Length overall: 27.42 m (90 ft – 0 in) Breadth, molded: 11.65 m (38 ft – 3 in) Depth, (hull): 5.00 m (16 ft – 5 in) Draft, Navigational: 4.88 m (16 ft – 0 in) Bollard Pull: 40 tonnes 8 Marine Log // July 2020

The new tugs are powered by twin Caterpillar 3512E 1,810 HP main engines driving Schottel SRP 340 fixed pitch Z-drive thrusters. The fendering system at the bow consists of two rows of cylindrical fender and a lower course of “W” fenders. An extensive amount of underwater fendering is used for

operation with submarines, and new diagonal “D” side fendering was added to help safely push low freeboard barges.

The tugs are also equipped with a 2,000 GPM fire pump and two monitors.

The class notation is: ABS A1 Towing Vessel, Unrestricted Navigational Service, AMS.

The six new tugs have EPA Tier 4 emissions certified main engines.

Photo credit: (Top Photo) ST Engineering, (Bottom Photo) Robert Allan Ltd.

Dakota Creek Launches First of Six New Design Navy Tugs

INSIDE WASHINGTON

AWO Testifies Before Congress on Maritime Resilience

A

t the end of May, Jenni f e r C a r p e n t e r, p re s i d e n t and CEO of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on the status of the U.S. maritime supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her written testimony, Carpenter framed her analysis in terms of three overarching messages: 1) the U.S. domestic maritime supply chain is resilient; 2) business continuity does not—and cannot—mean business as usual, especially where health and safety are concerned; and, 3) Congress has a vital role to play in ensuring the stability of the public policy pillars that create the foundation for the supply chain’s resilience and the nation’s recovery.

On supply chain

resilience, Carpenter emphasized that the American tugboat, towboat, and barge industry is playing a key role in keeping the nation’s economy afloat, continuing to transport vital commodities and guiding ships safely into port.

“While cargo volumes in many sectors have declined due to depressed demand, mariners have continued to report to work, vessels have continued to operate, and the industry has adapted to maintain operational continuity and readiness,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter also testified that a critical component of maintaining operational continuity during the pandemic has been the early prioritization of crewmember health and safety.

“The industry’s extensive experience with contingency planning, safety management systems and incident command structures has served it well in managing the health, safety

and operational challenges posed by the pandemic,” she said. “A tow on the river or an articulated tug-barge unit at sea for two to four weeks at a time is effectively a self-quarantined environment, and companies quickly put in place—and have continued to refine—procedures aimed at keeping the virus off their vessels.”

Discussing Congress’s role in supporting the maritime supply chain, Carpenter noted that there are “four pillars that enable the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry to do the essential work it does for American shippers and the American economy. Those pillars—the Jones Act; modern, well-maintained ports and waterways infrastructure; a nationally consistent system of laws and regulations governing vessels in interstate commerce; and maritime safety—are more important than ever amid the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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July 2020 // Marine Log 9

SHIP REPAIR

U.S. SHIP REPAIR YARDS

KEEPING BUSY DESPITE PANDEMIC

By Nick Blenkey, Web Editor

10 Marine Log // July 2020

Sparrows Point graving dock measures 1,200 feet in length, 199 feet in width, with a depth of 28.5 feet and a basin floor elevation of 18 feet, 6 inches below mean low water. Most recently, in addition to vessel maintenance and repair, it’s been used to construct tunnel sections and other construction industry products. However, it was last used in 2017.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring industry back to the storied Sparrows Point shipyard and once again play a role supporting America’s defense readiness,” said Russell Williams, director of business development at Tradepoint Atlantic.

“The arrival of the Titan represents countless new opportunities for Tradepoint Atlantic and sends a strong signal that we are willing and able to capitalize on projects of similar scale and scope. Our dry dock is back in business.”

“Over the next five months, we will carry out extensive preservation work at Sparrows Point shipyard to add another 20 to 25 years of service life to our floating dry dock.,” said Dave

Thomas, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. “With a renovated Titan dry dock, we will continue to work efficiently on ships for those who sail across the world to protect all of us.”

Enough Dry Dock Capacity?

All of this raises the question of how much dry dock capacity the U.S. actually needs. There is no way that American shipyards can compete against the low labor cost Asian yards that take care of most of international commercial shipping’s drydocking requirements. Although a handful of yards secure a handful of orders for repairs to foreign-flag ships that operate in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico, the overwhelming amount of the industry’s business is with domestic customers and the largest domestic customer is the U.S. Government, most notably the Navy, with other government customers including the Coast Guard, MARAD, and agencies such as NOAA.

Photo Credit: Alabama Shipyard

O

ne of the largest graving docks in the U.S. is back in business— and it’s being used to drydock another dry dock. At the beginning of last month, BAE Ship Repair’s massive Titan floating dry dock was towed to Sparrows Point, Md., and drydocked in the even more massive graving dock once used at the former Bethlehem Steel shipyard.

Titan will be undergoing a five-month repair and maintenance program before it returns to service at BAE’s Norfolk, Va., shipyard. Tradepoint Atlantic, which has redeveloped the former Bethlehem Steel site into a 3,300-acre multimodal global logistics center in Baltimore, says that the project “ushers in a new era of ship maintenance and repair at [Sparrows Point] and represents a year of work and planning to reopen this legacy industry in Baltimore.

The Titan dry dock has a 52,534-ton lifting capacity and measures 950-feet long, 192-feet wide, and 82-feet tall at the highest point. The

SHIP REPAIR Vessels under repair at Alabama Shipyard. announced it would mobilize 1,629 reservists to the yards starting in July. The reservists are all part of the Navy’s Surge Maintenance program and have technical and trade backgrounds.

“We have been methodical in how we planned this mobilization,” said Vice Adm. Tom Moore, NAVSEA’s commander. “We did not mobilize anyone who already works in the ship maintenance or construction field, and we worked to place people into shipyards where they have previously drilled so there was a built-in comfort factor for both the reservist and the shipyard personnel.”

Repairers Cope With the Pandemic While the public shipyards may have reservists to call upon, private ship repairers don’t have that resource open to them, and the pandemic has brought labor problems not only with their core employees, but in particular for the labor subcontractors on whom many periodically depend. “They draw a lot of their labor from communities that are generally at higher risk,” one shipyard executive told us.

In a related issue, travel bans and the yards’ own protocols for COVID-19 prevention have made it harder for specialist personnel, such as those from equipment suppliers, to access ships. One yard for example, has put a 72-hour freeze on visitors actually going on board. The requirements for workers to wear personal protective gear and for frequent sanitization also do not help productivity. “Jobs are taking longer to complete, industry-wide,” we were told.

Photo Credit: Detyens Shipyard

Navy Work The Navy’s own four shipyards—Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington—are dedicated to supporting its nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines. Put bluntly, they are woefully under-resourced to accomplish this, meaning that the Navy has had to turn to the two nuclear-qualified private shipbuilders—Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics Electric Boat—for support.

The Navy is in the early stages of a two-year plan to upgrade the public yards, but meantime the COVID-19 pandemic has only added to their backlog at the yards. In March, NAVSEA authorized weather and safety leave for shipyard personnel in the CDC’s “high risk” category for extreme complications tied to the virus. In June, with up to 25% of the production workforce unable to report to their duty location, the Navy

Outside of the public yards, some of the highest value repair contracts are those awarded the comparatively limited number of private yards the Navy uses to maintain its fleet of over 150

surface combatant and amphibious warfare ships, using scheduled periods of repair work called availabilities. Thus, a contract awarded BAE Systems Ship Repair Norfolk back in January for the repair and modernization of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg was worth more than $175 million.

According to a recent GAO report, the Navy plans to spend over $20.7 billion through fiscal year 2024 to maintain its non-nuclear ships.

With a long history of escalating costs and delays in getting ships back in service, the Navy made a major change in how it contracts out these availabilities in 2015, switching to an approach called Multiple Award ContractMulti Order (MAC-MO) contracting. This looks to have helped bring down costs, but schedule delays persist.

MAC-MO generally uses firm-fixed-price contract delivery orders for individual ship availabilities competed among pre-qualified contractors by Navy regional maintenance centers.

Space here doesn’t allow us to get into the fine detail of all that this change implies, but one takeaway is that, in dollar terms, most of what the Navy spends on non-nuclear ship repair goes to a small number of large yards with facilities in the areas of the ships’ home ports.

Detyens Among yards getting a steady stream of Military Sealift Command work is Detyens Shipyards, Charleston, S.C., which recently won a $24.2 million MSC contract for a120-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul dry-docking of the USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) involving an extensive scope of work.

Detyens does not solely confine itself to MSC contracts and is one of the few U.S. yards to consistently win orders for work on foreign

Weeks hopper dredge in dry dock at Detyens Shipyard.

July 2020 // Marine Log 11

SHIP REPAIR flagships. Among recent visitors to the yard, for example have been a Global Marine cable layer and the Caribe Navigator, operated by Hyde Shipping Corporation, which operates foreign-flag Caribbean cargo services between Florida and Belize, Grand Cayman, Honduras and Mexico.

Alabama Shipyard In Mobile, Ala., another yard consistently booking government work is Alabama Shipyard,

which last month was awarded a $23.7 million contract for a 96-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and drydocking of the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6).

Sales Manager Tom Godfrey reports that this year started off strong with the USNS Fisher finishing her routine drydocking for underwater maintenance and repairs.

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for her drydocking and modifications that are now nearly complete.

Two Ready Reserve Force ships visiting the yard this year are the SS Altair and SS Bellatrix, two former SeaLand SL-7 containerships, originally built in 1972 and 1973, but long since converted to Algol class vehicle/cargo carriers and still regarded as the fastest cargo ships in the world capable of speeds of 33 knots.

The SS Altair was refloated in late June and the SS Bellatrix followed on dry dock for hull preservation and machinery work.

Start Up Succeeds One fairly recent newcomer to the ship repair scene is Everett Ship Repair. It was started up last year as a sister company to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders with the acquisition of the floating dry dock Faithful Servant and the lease of Pier 3 and 3.5 acres of land from the Port of Everett, Wash.

“As a start-up yard, we entered business with the initial goal of focusing on barge jobs, expanding our offerings as we grew the work force,” Vice President Tor-Gunnar Hovig says.

“We have been very busy with barge repair work and regulatory drydockings, but have also completed drydockings for fishing vessels and tugs. In this period, we have ramped up our capability and staffing and are today operating with approximately 50 staff. We have all environmental permitting in place for a fully operational shipyard.

“One of the highlights in this period was a dual docking we completed for the fishing vessel Arctic Wind and tug Malolo. With this size dry dock, we can easily accommodate two moderately sized vessels together as long as work scope and schedule is workable for all parties.

“The Faithful Servant has a deck area of 436 by 110 feet and at the point of writing this, the largest vessel we have dry docked is the Barge 450-8 at 400 by 100 feet. Going forward we are ready to take on more complex projects and are working actively on securing work for Washington State Ferries, fish processors and U.S. Coast Guard vessels.”

In addition to the yards we’ve mentioned, there are many smaller enterprises including a number concentrating on the needs of the inland waterways industry and others providing primarily alongside repairs to larger ships.

We’ve also omitted Great Lakes shipyards, currently in recovery mode after another busy winter preparing the laker fleet for its operating season. One thing that all repairers have, however, is the ingenuity and flexibility needed in an industry where no two jobs are ever quite the same. Those are qualities that will be needed if the next six months are as challenging as the last.

Gulf Coast Headliner July 2020

REPORTING ON MARINE BUSINESS IN THE U.S. GULF COAST

SHIPYARDS IN ALABAMA STAY BUSY Aerial veiw of Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

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Tim Parker III, President of Parker Towing Company

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Highly Anticipated Q-LNG ATB Undergoing Sea Trials

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The Q-LNG 4000 is America’s first offshore LNG bunkering ATB.

QUALITY LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS TRANSPORT (Q-LNG), based in New Orleans, La., reports that its new LNG bunkering ATB is now on sea trials.

The Q-LNG 4000 project has been in the works for nearly three years and the vessel, America’s first offshore LNG bunkering ATB, is expected to go into operation later this summer.

The 4,000-cubic-meter capacity vessel has been constructed to meet the requirements of U.S. flag, ABS Class and the International Gas Carrier Code. The barge, Q-LNG 4000, is 324 by 64 by 32.6 feet and the tug, Q-Ocean Services, is 128 by 42 by 21 feet.

In Fe br uar y, Q-LNG re ceive d U.S. Coast Guard design basis acceptance and regulatory approvals to move forward with the eventual construction on two larger variants of its current design LNG bunkering ATB.

Currently on hold, the designs, for a 5,400-cubic-meter and 8,000-cubic-meter articulated tug and barge, are both variants of the 4,000-cubic-meter ATB vessel now completing at shipbuilder VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Miss.

“As an industr y leader we are comm i t te d to co n t i n u e d s u p p o r t o f t h e cruise and broader maritime industry in North America and abroad. This new project will closely mirror the current vessel under construction by utilizing a significant amount of the design and engineer ing details, apply ing all les sons and efficiencies learned from the 4,000-cubic-meter ATB,” said CEO Shane Guidry back in February. “Q-LNG will be able to deliver the follow-on designs in a shorter period of time at a highly competitive price. By working with current equipment suppliers we are able to leverage efficiencies and ensure competitive

pricing, while positively impacting vessel construction, delivery and reliability during operations.”

Guidry noted that major cruise, tanker and containership operators are continuing their commitment to build and deliver LNG-powered ships to the market, and said that Q-LNG is ready meet the challenge.

“We will deliver the safest, cost effective and most technologically advanced solutions to the maritime industry,” he said.

The Design Basis Letter approvals from the Coast Guard for larger variants mark a continuation of Q-LNG’s commitment to developing LNG fueling infrastructure in North America.

“Q-LNG will own and operate these assets to further provide marine transportation of LNG, a critical component of U.S. LNG infrastructure, to various ports on the Atlantic Coast, Caribbean and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico,” said the company.

July 2020 // Marine Log 15

Gulf Coast Headliner

CEO Spotlight: Tim Parker III, President, Parker Towing Company By Heather Ervin, Editor in Chief

NOW IN ITS 80TH YEAR OF OPERAT I O N , Pa r k e r To w i n g C o m p a n y, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Ala., owns one of the largest barge lines in the southeastern United States. Its main hub of operations is in Mobile, Ala., but the company moves cargoes all along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Panama City, Fla., to Houston, Texas.

Today, the company operates a fleet of towboats and over 400 open and covered hopper barges as well as a fleet of 30,000 bbl.

16 Marine Log // July 2020

tank barges. In addition to its barging operations, Parker Towing Company also operates terminals for loading and unloading barges at several locations in Alabama and Tennessee. These terminals handle a broad range of dry and liquid cargo commodities and provide an intermodal link between barges, trucks, and rail. Parker Towing also operates a shipyard and machine shop in Mobile.

The company’s current president, Tim Parker III, whose grandfather started the company, joined Parker Towing Company in 2005. He also serves on Parker Towing Company’s board of directors and is actively involved in a number of different industry organizations, including the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway Association, Waterways Council Inc. and serves on the board of directors for the Warrior–Tombigbee Waterway Association. He most recently served on the Alabama State Port Authority Board of Directors.

As a company that operates inland and in and along the Gulf, we sat down with Parker to learn more about Parker Towing Company’s operations and future plans.

Marine Log (ML): The company is

celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

What have been the biggest challenges the company has endured over those years and how has Parker Towing overcome them?

Tim Parker (TP): A family business has its own set of unique challenges. From my perspective, I would say that has been our biggest strength as a company, but it certainly does bring about challenges. When I joined the company, I learned quickly that as a company, family always had to be first, and always had to be on board with the decisions the company was making.

Being privately held, we’re able to make decisions that we feel like are best for the business’s long-term success. We’re not held hostage to short-term thinking. On the business side, the two biggest challenges I’ve seen in my career have been the relatively quick demise of river borne thermal coal movements, and the rollout and implementation of Subchapter M. ML: What is the average age of Parker Towing’s fleet, and how has Sub M certification gone for the company in view of the age profile?

TP: We operate 28 towing vessels ranging

Photo Credit: Parker Towing Company/Ford Nixon

The M/V Tom Huckabee operating near Alabama at sunset. The vessel is operated

by Parker Towing.

in size from 700 hp to 4,600 hp. We have always maintained our fleet to a high standard, so the age profile of our boats has not greatly affected our ability to meet the Sub M standards. It has certainly raised the cost of doing business, which can be a challenge sometimes to explain to customers, however reliable, dependable service is of utmost importance to our customers, and that can be a positive selling point.

ML: Has the demand for coal transportation held up for you?

TP: The thermal side of the business has been in sharp decline for several years. As the rest of the industry has seen, we’ve watched several customers shut down river-served coal fired power plants in favor of natural gas as a fuel source. In response to this slowdown, we focused our efforts on diversifying our cargo mix to offset these declines. The metallurgical coal side of our business continues to be positive. It generally ebbs and flows with the overall worldwide economy, but we think the future is bright.

ML: How has COVID-19 impacted your operations and how will you continue to address the ongoing pandemic?

TP: We are very fortunate that, as of this interview, Parker Towing Company has not had any confirmed cases for any of our employees. Early on, we implemented symptoms-checking for all employees, as well as additional safety and hygiene protocols. We limited the amount of outside parties’ access to our vessels to keep them as quarantined as possible. We’ll continue to implement these measures, as well as utilize virtual meetings where we can. At the macro level, we attribute much of the current business slowdown to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumer behavior has been changed all over the world, resulting in the slowdown of steel mills, power plants and refineries, and the downstream procurement of raw materials for these industries that the towboat and barge industry serves.

ML: As a member of AWO’s Responsible Carrier Program, how has Parker Towing combatted environmental issues within its operations?

TP: First and foremost, it’s our goal to have zero spills, zero environmental issues, and zero employee injuries, and we take these goals very seriously. We have invested heavily in the areas of preventative

The M/V Tim Parker SB going thorugh the “YoYo” Railroad Bridge at Mile 219 just north of Demopolis, Ala.

The M/V Megan Parker, another vessel operated

by Parker Towing, pushes barges at sunset.

maintenance programs and different technologies that create efficiencies and mitigate environmental risk exposure.

ML: You operate a variety of towboats from 700 to 4,600 horsepower. What are the newest vessels in your fleet and what modern tech features were included in their design?

TP: Our two newest vessels are the M/V Megan Parker completed in 2011 and M/V Charles Haun completed in 2012. Both vessels incorporate the latest available safety systems, including fall protection, camera systems to monitor isolated work areas, fire detection and alarm systems. These boats

also feature state-of-the-art navigational electronics and energy saving technologies, ranging from hull design to generator waste heat recovery systems.

ML: What’s next for Parker Towing?

Are there any new projects in the works for the company, whether it is for shoreside operations or on the water?

TP: We have a lot of exciting projects in the planning stage right now. We are in the process of building two new line haul towboats and two new tank barges all for delivery in late 2020. We also have several projects we’re working on that would greatly expand our ports and terminals division.

July 2020 // Marine Log 17

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Gulf Coast Headliner

Metal Shark Introduces 70-Knot Military Super Interceptor

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Photo Credit: Metal Shark

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SHIPBUILDER METAL SHARK, Jeanerette, La., has introduced an offshore-capable, ultra-high-performance military patrol vessel delivering 70-knot top speeds. Production of the new welded-aluminum 52 Fearless Super Interceptor vessels is now underway at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette shipyard with 15 vessels currently on order for overseas military and law enforcement interests.

Metal Shark developed the new design in response to growing demand by military operators for larger and faster interdiction craft with greater range and better sea keeping.

“Customers from around the world have asked for a blue water-capable interdiction vessel with 60+ knot capabilities,” said Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s Vice President of International Business Development. “With the 52 Fearless Super Interceptor, we have exceeded that requirement by a significant margin, with a multi-mission high-performance vessel delivering unmatched speed, handling, and sea keeping while also leveraging over a decade of parent craft Fearless-class past performance.”

The new offering is a highly optimized version of Metal Shark’s 52-foot Fearless high-performance center console vessel, utilizing the proven Stepped Vee, Ventilated Tunnel (SVVT) running surface designed by naval architect Michael Peters. Metal Shark’s Fearless-class stepped bottom vessels are currently in service with the U.S. Navy, NOAA, and multiple law enforcement agencies in the United States and Caribbean.

A custom-configurable platform designed for missions ranging from counter narcotics to the protection of exclusive economic zones and other related maritime enforcement

activities, the new vessel is available with multiple pre-engineered configuration, propulsion, and equipment options.

The first 15 Super Interceptors are being built in a center console configuration with seating for six crew in Shockwave shock-mitigating seats beneath an integrated aluminum hard top.

Twin 1,650 horsepower MAN 12-cylinder diesel inboard engines mated to Arneson ASD14 surface drives via ZF transmissions will power the vessels. With this power package, the Super Interceptor will reach a projected top speed in the 70-knot range.

The vessel’s flexible configuration allows for a maximum fuel capacity of 1,000 gallons, which results in an impressive 12.5 hours endurance at 50 knots.

With an overall length of nearly 58 feet (17.5 meters), a beam of over 11 feet (3.5 meters) and an operational displacement of up to 8 tons, the vessel is large and imposing.

To satisfy modern military visual-deterrent requirements, the Super Interceptor boasts chiseled and menacing lines that include the distinctive “faceted hull” initially developed by Metal Shark for the U.S. Navy and now being widely incorporated across the shipbuilder’s product portfolio.

“In terms of speed, size, endurance, and sheer awe factor, this vessel represents a radical leap forward,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “The Fearless Super Interceptor will be made available for our customers in a range of styles and sizes to meet various operational requirements. We look forward to showcasing the superlative performance of this next-generation military patrol platform and providing additional details in the months ahead.”

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Gulf Coast Headliner

Mobile, Alabama, Shipyards See Busy June bolster the local economy in a region hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure critical capabilities are retained in support of U.S. Navy operational readiness.”

The USS Oakland (LCS 24)

Steel Shipbuilding Capacity

financial agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) intended to maintain, protect, and expand critical domestic shipbuilding and maintenance capacity.

The agreement is part of the national response to COVID-19 and uses funding authorized and appropriated under the CARES Act. According to DoD, it “will protect jobs and

Mike Hooks Orders New Dredge In early June, Mike Hooks LLC, West Lake, La., awarded the SPI/Mobile Pulley Works shipyard in Mobile a contract to building a new state-ofthe-art, 27-inch cutter suction dredge (CSD) to be named Lorraine Hooks.

Mike Hooks owners, Kim Hooks McMahon and Ronnie Hooks, are looking forward to the continuation of a hardworking family legacy, saying, “Our new 27-inch dredge will be named the Lorraine Hooks after the beloved matriarch and wife of the founder, Mike Hooks.”

Mobile Pulley Works owner Billy Prine noted that the company has a longstanding relationship with Hooks, dating back to its first project with the dredging company in the 1970s, and said “After 45 years, it feels like family.”

The new CSD Lorraine Hooks will be constructed in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations and the latest requirements established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including the implementation of the Dredging Quality Management program. It will be designed and built in line with IMO Green

Conceptual drawing of 27-inch cutter suction dredge 20 Marine Log // July 2020

Photo Credit: (Top) Austal USA / (Bottom) Mike Hooks Inc

WITH THE NAVY winding down the littoral combat ship (LCS) program, Austal USA, the builder of the iconic aluminum-hulled Independence-variant LCS, looks to be planning for a future that includes building future steel hulled ships.

In June, the shipbuilder entered into $50 million Defense Production Act Title III

According to a filing by parent Austal Limited “the DPA Agreement will maintain, protect, and expand U.S. domestic production of steel shipbuilding capability and capacity through capital projects that will be executed over the next 24 months, beginning in June 2020.”

“The scope of this agreement is still to be definitized,” says Austal, “but subject to agreement with the DoD, Austal intends to use the funds to commence investment in the development of additional capacity for steel naval vessel construction at the Mobile shipyard.”

“It is likely that Austal will match the DPA Agreement funding which would take the total investment to circa US$100 million,” says the filing.

Passport standards, with all material used in its construction being tracked and inventoried.

The dredge is being designed to the latest industry standards to maximize safety, comfort, and efficiency. Its on-board crew accommodations and its lever control room will be constructed on vibration mounts to reduce fatigue caused by harmonic vibrations and noise levels.

Mike Hooks LLC delivers dredging services for government and private industry partners throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Its completed projects have spanned from Brownsville, Texas, to the Florida Panhandle.

The company’s fleet of hydraulic cutterhead suction dredges provides services that include navigable waterway maintenance dredging, wetland replenishment, beach restoration, harbor excavation, and new construction.

In addition to the new dredge, Hooks and Mobile Pulley Works are working closely on overhauling many of the key components and equipment on Hooks’ existing fleet of dredges.

This will include all-new, wear-resistant dredge pumps that provide an efficiency of up to 90%, rebuilding and replacing worn ladders

The USNS Supply (T-AOE 6).

as well as the drives to pumps and cutterheads.

Mobile Pulley Works has also been contracted to deliver ball joints, pontoons, and pipeline to provide additional support to Hooks’ existing and future dredging operations.

Alabama Shipyard Last month, Alabama Shipyard LLC, Mobile, Ala., has been awarded a $23,752,381, firmfixed-price contract for a 96-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and drydocking of the Military Sealift

Photo Credit: U.S. Navy

OUR GREEN IS

Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6).

Work will be performed in Mobile and is expected to be complete by November 2020.

The contract includes one base period and 10 options, which, if exercised, would bring its cumulative value to $26,361,776.

This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Government Point of Entry website, and one offer was received. The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N32205).

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July 2020 // Marine Log 21

Gulf Coast Headliner

Schottel Handles Unique Order from Odyssea Marine TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING runs smoothly on offshore platforms, reliable supply around the clock is essential. Offshore supply vessels are used to secure this, even in extreme weather conditions. They deliver important commodities, raw materials and tools, without which work on the high sea would not be possible. This places particular requirements on the propulsion systems, including the need to maintain an exact position for days on end. It is also necessary to be able to maneuver the vessel, which weighs several tonnes, quickly and precisely. By fulfilling the order, the propulsion system makes a decisive contribution to the commercial success of the vessel. At the end of the day, there are two things that are most important for the operator: reliability and punctuality. If the deadlines are met, there are lucrative deals in the pipeline. If not, high penalties.

Race Against the Clock Operating in the Gulf of Mexico, the Odyssea Phoenix is one such supply vessel—92 meters (302 feet) long, over 18 meters (59 feet) wide

and with a loading capacity of 3,300 tonnes, corresponding to more than 80 trucks with an overall mass of 40 tonnes each. When the 2013-built vessel was on sale in 2018, Odyssea Marine seized the opportunity to acquire it. However, before the vessel could be put into operation, the obsolete propulsion system had to be replaced. It had already failed after a brief period of operation with the previous owner, and a simple repair was not possible. The new propulsion solution not only had to be more durable than its predecessor, it also had to be available quickly. Time was of the essence: the supply vessel was already booked for a contract in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the most important oil-producing regions of North America.

Since Odyssea Marine had already had good experiences with Schottel in other vessels, the Spay, Germany-based propulsion specialist and its proven retrofit team was the first port of call. The company’s azimuthing rudderpropellers are particularly suitable for precise dynamic positioning.

“The decision to use two SRP 460 FP with an input power of 2,000 kW each was then made relatively quickly. This is a bestseller that

is particularly suitable for such applications,” Jörg Majewski, Schottel’s sales director modernization and conversion, recalls. “Moreover, they were available particularly quickly.”

Short Distances Altogether, the entire modernization only took about three months. The propulsion units and electronics arrived punctually at Thoma-Sea Marine Construction in Houma, La., where it was possible to install them together with a component manufactured specially for the customer. “An adapter flange enabled us to dispense with time-consuming steelwork and fit the propulsion system precisely into the existing well,” Majewski, who closely supervised the project with his team, explains. The short communication channels between the shipyard and the Schottel subsidiary in Louisiana proved to be particularly valuable, as did the intensive exchange of information between the American and German colleagues.

The work paid off, and Odyssea Marine was able to put the vessel into operation on schedule.

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Harvey Gulf Wins Contract Extensions for LNG-Fueled PSVs Shane Guidry, CEO, Harvey Gulf International

HARVEY GULF INTERNAT IONAL MARINE, New Orleans, La., reported in May that it has signed 18-month contract extensions for two of its LNG-fueled PSVs. The extensions will keep both vessels under charter well into 2022. Harvey also announced that it has signed a longterm contract for its new fuel dock in Port

Fourchon, La., to supply diesel fuel to a super major.

Ha r ve y C E O, S h a n e Gu i d r y, co m mented: “At Har vey, we have a safety record that no boat company can match.

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other company even comes close to these results. And we do this year over year. Our LNG vessels DP on location longer than our peers during critical times, such as high currents and heavy seas. They’re also the most fuel efficient and fastest PSVs. So, when you add all this up, they are still the most sought after vessels in the world. We are very thankful to our client for these contract extensions.”

“I’m also looking forward to becoming America’s and Port Fourchon’s only facility selling both LNG, and diesel fuel for marine use,” Guidry continued. ”We want to thank the clients that have already committed to purchasing fuel from us. We will deliver fuel in the specifications requested, at a cheaper price, and are set up to take fuel back from our term customers.”

Today, Harvey operates in seven countries, and says it is looking to continue this growth and is actively seeking opportunities for mergers and acquisitions.

Earlier this year, Harvey Gulf International Marine signed an agreement with Guidry to remain at Harvey until January 1, 2027.

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Lightening the Load and Extending the Durability: New Polysiloxane Technologies Help Lower Operational Costs

The U.S. Navy sprayed the polysiloxane nonskid coating on the USS Manchester LCS-14, to take advantage of the coating’s unique properties.

THE GULF COAST is the heartland of U.S. domestic shipbuilding and a major concern to every yard in the region is finding paints and coatings solutions that not only provide cutting edge technology, but are application-friendly in Gulf Coast ambient conditions. One family of coatings gaining increasing attention is the next generation non-skid and topside coatings based on a novel polysiloxane formulation introduced by NCP coatings. We asked them to tell us a little more.

In 2008, the U.S. Navy Research Laboratories (NRL) approached our company, NCP Coatings Inc., a coatings manufacturer with experience developing and manufacturing land and naval defense coatings based in Niles, Mich. During its discussion with NCP Coatings, NRL said it was in search for expertise to create the next generation non-skid and topside coatings based on a novel polysiloxane formulation. NRL’s goal was to extend the in-service life of the coatings, while creating user-friendly and durable technologies.

This effort led to two commercialized and QPL (Qualified Products Listed) approved products—NCP’s SiloXoGrip non-skid and SiloXoShield topside coatings.

24 Marine Log // July 2020

Conception to Reality The resultant polysiloxane coatings began to appear on U.S. Naval test platforms in 2010. Since then, the coatings have demonstrated extended in-service life three to five times that of their traditional epoxy and silicone alkyd counterparts, with improved flexibility as well as enhanced UV and chemical resistance.

Notably, these products have contributed toward lowered naval operational costs.

This is achieved through the incorporation of LSA (Low Solar Absorbing) pigment technologies. This can lower the surface temperatures of the ships as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, reducing HVAC operating loads.

The non-skid technology, SiloXoGrip, can either be rolled or spray applied. When spray-applied, square-foot coverage is doubled yet maintains the same or greater coefficient of friction. This effectively reduces the weight of the non-skid coatings by as much as 50% over traditional roll application. This decrease in weight results in a decrease in fuel consumption.

In November of 2019, the U.S. Navy sprayed the polysiloxane non-skid coating on the USS Manchester LCS-14, to take

advantage of the coating’s unique properties. The development of an ultra-light weight version of the non-skid coating is underway that will benefit roll-applied applications as well.

A single-component topside coating, SiloXoShield, eliminates the need for precise mixing required by two-component contemporary coatings. This has allowed Navy crews (ships’ forces) to paint ships while underway or in port, significantly reducing dry dock costs.

The U.S. Navy reports that typically the dry dock maintenance cost of this size (844 feet) can exceed $1 million. Using the single-component polysiloxane topcoat in 2018, the USS Essex LHD-2’s ship’s forces accomplished a routine task dockside, painting 105,000 square feet of freeboard for less than $100,000. The ship reduced additional maintenance costs by nearly $35,000 using 1K polysiloxane instead of a 2K system— half as much product was needed.

The Essex reports performance benefits, such as the 1K (one component) siloxane’s user-friendliness (no mixing, easy to apply); adherence to legacy epoxy primers and aged/weathered topcoats; measurably better color and gloss stability when compared to 2K (two component) polysiloxanes; greater surface hardness and cross-link density compared to silicone alkyds; and how easy-to-clean it is with cleaning kits and solvents.

As these technologies evolve, SiloXoShield has gained the attention of the U.S. Air Force and NAVAIR. Using a single-component polysiloxane coating allows them to eliminate isocyanate catalysts, to end off-ratio mixing, and to reduce waste streams. Expectations are that these polysiloxane single-component technologies may reduce overall coatings weight by as much as 28% versus traditional two-component urethane products. This reduction in weight may cut airframe loads, increasing the potential for fuel savings without sacrificing other dry-film properties found in legacy coating systems.

As the U.S. Navy continues to demonstrate the benefit of these coatings, NCP applies these technologies when manufacturing products in a wide array of colors to match other existing fleets. Worldwide, commercial vessel operators, marine engineers,

Photo Credit: NCP Coatings Inc.

By Glenn Arent, Director-Defense, Aerospace, and Marine Coatings, NCP Coatings Inc.

naval architects, and other navies look to introduce these two technologies to benefit their fleets.

DoTs and Passenger Vessels Departments of Transportation and passenger vessel operators experience identical ongoing annual maintenance repair costs associated with traditional epoxy non-skids.

They often hire third-party contractors for annual topside coating repairs or repaints.

While maintenance cost reductions are important, these fleets also seek to benefit from lower HVAC and fuel-consumption demands that occur when choosing a single-component polysiloxane topcoat incorporating LSA pigment technologies.

As these technologies continue to gain momentum in the industry, NCP’s R&D lab, independently and in conjunction with NRL, continues to broaden the range of products available for maritime applications to include a single-component polysiloxane non-skid coating designed for repair work or man/walkway areas, as well as several unique complementary primer systems.

PPG NOVAGUARD 810ER Coating Is a First PPG ANNOUNCED JUNE 12 that its PPG NOVAGUARD 810ER coating has been qualified by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) for use on potable water tanks. This qualification makes it the only coating that passes NAVSEA tests for six classes of tanks: fuel tanks, seawater ballast tanks, chemical holding tanks, bilges, well deck overheads, and potable or freshwater tanks.

“Having one coating qualified for all these tanks on a U.S. Navy ship has major advantages, including simplified ordering, fulfillment and materials management, for NAVSEA and its coating contractors,” said Juanjo Ardid, PPG vice president, protective and marine coatings, U.S. and Canada. “Tank fabrication and maintenance also can be streamlined and improved because contractors can use

just one product.”

PPG NOVAGUARD 810ER coating is a single coat, direct-to-metal novolac epox y coating that easily builds to 20 to 30 mils without sagging. Unlike many existing tank coating technologies that require at least t wo coats, PPG NOVAGUARD 810ER coating provides one-coat coverage with excellent edge retention, saving time and labor and accelerating return to service. The coating’s high film build proper ties, wide application temperature range and ultra-high solids also make it applicator friendly.

PPG NOVAGUARD 810ER coating can easily be touched up with one-quart (0.9liter) cartridges or 12-ounce (0.4-liter) burst packs, allowing tanks to pass stringent inspections. PPG AMERCOAT 240 coatings are also available for touch-ups.

Bio-fouling / Hull Efficiency Dilemma for the 21st Century ACCORDING TO THE CLEAN SHIPPING COALITION, fouled hulls cost the shipping industry upwards of $30 billion per year in aggregate. The impact of bio-fouling on ship fuel consumption and emissions has and will continue to come under global scrutiny.

The maritime industry has traditionally employed reactive hull cleaning to maintain clean hulls and control invasive species distribution. Due to the new IMO biofouling management protocols and global focus on the ecosystems, the industry is transitioning to a more preemptive approach to control the fouling development. Hull cleaning companies are developing new techniques and solutions to remove fouling and mitigate the invasive species distribution. These new solutions also must extract the toxic hull paint and biocides from the water stream

before it is re-introduced into the oceans.

To keep a ship’s hull continuously clean and efficient is as difficult as the task of bio-fouling management for t wo main reasons: There is great variation in vessel design, operating profile, and trading routes. Also, existing toxic SPC and CDP coatings will be phased out in the coming decade due to impact on the ecosystems and lack of sustainable hull efficiency over their respective lifecycles.

Seacoat has long been in the forefront in developing sustainable solutions that addresses the problem from the shipowner’s perspective and exceeds requirements and expectations of port and regulatory authorities globally. Seacoat’s newest hull coating release, SEA-SPEED V 10 X ULTRA, helps curb marine organisms fouling on the front end and makes any hull cleaning operations easier and less expensive than conventional hull coatings, all with zero

negative environmental impact due to its non-toxic chemistry on the back end of the equation.

The ability to maintain a clean hull is highly dependent on vessel design, operating profile and trading routes.

The coating system is an integral part of the equation. The variables change constantly based on management options and the state of global economic conditions whether they are up or down.

The long-term variable in the equation is the choice of hull coating system that the ship owner must live with for three to five years without changing. Non– biocidal technologies are now a must.

Mechanical systems such as hull air lubrication are very costly to install, operate and maintain. Ultrasonic devices have merit but need to be compatible with the proper type of hull coating to yield long-term efficacy.

July 2020 // Marine Log 25

OFFSHORE WIND

New Jersey Wind Port Has Potential to Create 1,500 Jobs range of public, private, and public-private partnership (P3) financing options.

Construction on the wind port is planned in two phases, beginning in 2021.

N

ew Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last month announced plans to develop the New Jersey Wind Port, a first-inthe-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for essential staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects on the East Coast.

The New Jerse y Wind Por t w ill be located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, on an artificial island on the eastern shores of the Delaware River, southwest of the city of Salem. The site was selected after a 22-month assessment process, including engagement with industry, government, and environmental stakeholders. The site is more than 5 miles from the nearest New Jersey residential area, can be built to meet the offshore wind industry’s needs, and has ample space to grow operations over time.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, the wind port has the potential to create up to 1,500 manufacturing, assembly, and operations jobs, as well as hundreds of construction jobs in New Jersey. Manufacturing and marshaling projects supported by the wind port will drive economic growth in Salem County, in South Jersey, and throughout the state. The state is committed to using union labor to construct the wind

26 Marine Log // July 2020

port and intends to set a new standard for inclusion of minority and women workers and business owners. Construction is targeted to begin in 2021.

“Offshore wind is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only protect our environment but also greatly expand our state economy in a way that has immediate impacts and paves the way for long-term growth,” said Murphy. “The New Jersey Wind Port will create thousands of highquality jobs, bring millions of investment dollars to our state, and establish New Jersey as the national capital of offshore wind.

This is a vital step forward in achieving our goal of reaching 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2035 and 100% clean energy by 2050.”

Construction is planned in two phases, beginning in 2021. Phase 1 will develop a 30-acre site to accommodate marshaling activities and a 25-acre component-manufacturing site. Phase 2 adds another 150-plus acres to accommodate expanded marshalling activities and extensive manufacturing facilities for turbine components like blades and nacelles. The state currently estimates the wind port will cost between $300 to 400 million at full build. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is leading development and is currently considering a

Offshore wind is a central component of the state’s plan to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050. As part of that plan, New Jersey has committed to producing 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035. Studies by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), U.S. Department of Energy, and offshore wind project developers have highlighted the need for new port facilities designed specifically to meet the offshore wind industry’s unique needs.

For example, wind turbines must be partially assembled at a port and then shipped out to the ocean vertically, with components as tall as 500 feet. When fully constructed on the ocean, the turbines selected for New Jersey’s first offshore wind project will be more than 850 feet tall. Given the height of the turbines, offshore wind marshaling ports must be located outside of all vertical restrictions, such as bridges, and must have wharfs that can accommodate up to 800 tons, or more than two fully loaded Boeing 777s. Most existing port infrastructure along the East Coast is unable to accommodate this work.

The offshore wind projects slated for development along the East Coast over the next decade are expected to require more than $100 billion of capital investment, creating an opportunity for significant economic growth.

New Jersey’s location at the heart of the East Coast wind belt, commitment to supporting offshore wind, and diverse and highly skilled workforce put the state in a strong position to capitalize on this opportunity.

The NJEDA is leading development on behalf of the state and is working closely with the landowner, PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group). The site is next to PSEG’s Hope Creek Nuclear Generation Station, and the company has partnered with the NJEDA to complete preparatory work to accelerate the project’s construction.

“By providing a location that can accommodate the industry’s manufacturing and marshaling needs, the New Jersey Wind Port will make New Jersey an international leader in offshore wind and a hub of the East Coast wind industry,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “This is a concrete step toward an offshore wind supply chain born in the U.S.A.”

Photo Credit: New Jersey Governor’s Office

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TECH SPOTLIGHT Despite the current focus on alternative marine power sources, internal combustion engines (ICEs) are here to stay and can be made cleaner and more competitive through the use of renewable fuels and advanced combustion conditioning.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Support Clean Fuels in Shipping

Photo Courtesy: GAC

I

By Marc Sima, CEO and Founder of FUELSAVE

n today’s shipping industry, pressure to decarbonize all activities is rightly unrelenting, with urgent action needed to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals, and the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ambitious climate change strategy for shipping. This includes the ambition to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work, as an average across international shipping, by at least 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2050. Further goals relate to total annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from international shipping, which must be reduced by at least 50% by 2050, compared with 2008 levels.

International climate goals are supported by a growing and highly motivated segment of the shipping industry, as well as other stakeholders demanding action to curb maritime transport’s impact on the environment. Today across shipping, pressure to hasten climate action manifests itself in many ways and at all levels. This includes the growing role of sustainability within the selection criteria for tenders, pressure from major global charterers and shippers whose customers are demanding change, as

well as the demand to increase operational and cost efficiencies. Ultimately, C-suites overseeing global organizations are being challenged by their shareholders to deliver healthy profits while meeting ambitious ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) targets and increasing enterprise value.

Meantime, many investors are injecting their capital into businesses that offer economically attractive solutions to the climate crisis because it is a thriving market. All this action will be galvanized by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has offered an unparalleled reminder of the urgent need to tackle the world’s existential threats.

Combustion Engines Key to Decarbonization Shipping is increasingly united in its desire to decarbonize. However significant and complex challenges remain when it comes to agreeing the best route to meeting climate targets. One aspect on this very broad debate focuses on the much-lauded use of alternative marine power sources, versus the burning of cleaner fuels (such as biodiesel, biomethane, and synthetic natural gas) in internal

combustion engines.

In a recent paper, “The Role of Combustion Engines in Decarbonization—Seeking Fuel Solutions,” classification society DNV GL argues that two- and four-stroke ICEs are so well proven and so well established that they will continue to have a central role in ship propulsion for decades to come. With many alternative marine power solutions in their infancy, the paper goes on to state that ICEs can still compete if appropriate low-carbon fuels can be reliably procured—at the right time and at the right price.

Wärtsilä broadly concurred with this view in its recent essay “Flexibility Key to Enabling Shipping’s Transition to Future Fuels,” stating that there is no time to wait for an ideal solution to meet decarbonization targets. Instead, the engine manufacturer argues that ICEs offer the best vehicle to manage current uncertainty.

With a limited exchange of components, Wärtsilä suggests that vessels powered by ICEs will be equipped for the future to burn any clean fuels expected to become available over the coming years.

July 2020 // Marine Log 29

TECH SPOTLIGHT Tackling Inefficiencies

synergies and fuel flexibility.

The technology allows the easy and safe utilization of hydrogen, as well as methanol, acting as a key enabler of the worldwide supply chain necessary to support the clean-fuel transition. This has been shown through the world’s first methanol delivery of Proman HELM AG (a leading methanol provider in Europe) to the M/V Trina vessel, where FUELSAVE is currently deploying its solution on a 15.5 MW combined engine.

Urgent Action to Green Existing Fleet Notwithstanding the potential benefits of applying advanced combustion conditioning to ICEs burning cleaner fuels, it’s important to remember that the answer to shipping’s decarbonization challenge does not come down to a binary argument between the new and existing propulsion systems. The majority of the industry will be well aware that the route to decarbonization is far more complex, taking in a wide range of design, technical and operational measures—with new research continuing to inform the debate the future direction of shipping.

In June, the University of Manchester produced one recent paper that is changing the way we think about decarbonization. The paper title, “Shipping and the Paris climate agreement: a focus on committed emissions,” highlights the potential benefits of using the existing fleet as a vehicle to achieve decarbonization targets, as opposed to delaying until new more sustainable ships come online. The researchers’ findings suggest that, without action, existing ships could use up industry’s carbon budget before new ships are taken into account. Therefore, it recommends that policies to cut shipping’s CO2 emissions must focus attention on decarbonizing and retrofitting existing ships, rather than just relying on new, more efficient ships to achieve the

necessary carbon reductions.

While the research paper did not explicitly focus on ICEs versus alternative propulsion systems, it could be inferred, given the infancy of alternative propulsion systems, that the findings further support the argument from DNV GL and Wärtsilä that ICEs could play a key role in helping the industry to meet decarbonization targets in the short to medium term.

Even as we wait for cleaner fuels to become widespread across the industry, advanced combustion conditioning could provide a significant contribution now, cutting primary fuel consumption reduction by 10-20%, achieving emission reductions of 8-15% in CO2, 10-20% SOx, 30-80% NOx, 40% PM, and 33% black carbon.

Simplicity Should Not Be Overlooked While future-gazing has a key part to play when it comes to addressing the environmental impact of the global shipping industry, the long-term deliberation about the role of future technologies in decarbonizing shipping must be balanced against the need to take urgent action to address the impact of the existing global fleet right now in order to meet set targets for 2030 and beyond. In its bid to meet ambitious climate targets, it would be prudent for the shipping industry to not overlook established and arguably simple solutions, which could prove invaluable when harnessed in a way that incorporates clean fuels and advanced combustion conditioning.

MARC SIMA CEO and Founder of FUELSAVE

Photo Credit: I FUELSAVE

However, even if the technical feasibility of burning clean fuels in ICEs is assured, only economically viable solutions will drive sustainable change. This task becomes more challenging with the plunge in oil prices, triggered by COVID-19 and the untimely Saudi-Russia price war. This has made the energy transition in all sectors (including shipping) more expensive, relative to fossil fuels. As a result, it is more important than ever to help clean, renewable, and alternative fuels to stay as competitive as possible.

One way of making the process of burning clean fuels in ICEs more competitive is through the use of advanced combustion conditioning (such as FS MARINE+), which tackles inefficiencies in the combustion process in order to drive cost savings, as well as and emissions optimization (CO2 and CO2e) for asset owners and charterers, all while reducing engine wear and tear. This is possible thanks to the technology’s ability to facilitate a leaner and cleaner combustion with an increase in thermal and volumetric efficiency of an engine. The solution also allows some of the dirty and/ or expensive primary fuel to be substituted with a cheap and clean burning alcohol distillate, delivering real net costs savings and fuel economies.

FS MARINE+ supports all current or future fuels whether of liquid or gaseous nature, offering a truly transitional solution for retrofitting of the merchant fleet and beyond throughout the clean-fuel transition, leveraging energy efficiency and fuel flexibility, while reducing cost and emissions and any performance deficits. Taking a biodiesel as an example, Shell FAME offers strong CO2 reduction, but 60% higher NOx emissions than the diesel (MDO) alternatives. This NOx level could be reduced if Shell FAME was used in combination with FS MARINE+, which cuts NOx to provide the best possible

30 Marine Log // July 2020

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CEO Spotlight

Q & A WITH

TONY CIBILICH Owner of C&C Marine and Repair

By Heather Ervin, Editor in Chief

C

&C MARINE AND REPAIR is a company worth getting to know. The company made the front page of the Wall Street Journal back when it built four 72- by 260-foot deck barges for Google. It also contributed to the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States when it built the barges for the VB-10,000 lift system. The first-ever triple-screw Z-drive line haul towboats were built by C&C Marine.

C&C Marine and Repair LLC opened for business in Belle Chasse, La., in 1997.

Back then, the company provided general steel repairs on inland river barges out of a 5,000-square-foot ship, with 300 feet of waterfront bulkhead on the Harvey Canal.

Today, C&C Marine has more than 80 acres of facility space and 3,200 linear feet of continuous waterfrontage along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

The company continues to expand with its recent acquisition of a 35,000-squarefoot fabrication building from Versabar Inc., following the expiration of a leaseback

32 Marine Log // July 2020

provision in a 2018 purchase agreement between the companies.

And just last month, C&C Marine delivered the new 24,000 horsepower cutter suction dredge General MacArthur to Callan

Marine, Galveston, Texas. C&C Marine and Repair owner and founder Tony Cibilich gives us more details on this unique dredge project, insight into how the company has grown to include new construction on a variety of vessels and blasting and painting into its mix, and more.

MARINE LOG (ML): Just last month, C&C Marine delivered the cutterhead dredge General MacArthur to Callan Marine. Can you go over the scope of this project with us?

Tony Cibilich (TC): The General MacArthur was a very interesting and challenging project. It was designed to be the one of the largest, most efficient dredges in the U.S. fleet. The vessel’s engines can produce up to 24,000 horsepower (hp.) and utilized a diesel-electric design. The project required a tremendous amount of coordination with all the major vendors, the naval architect, Callan Marine, and the shipyard. Several months before we began production, we established weekly status meetings with Callan’s design team, naval architect, and major vendors to work through design modification and changes.

This was particularly important due to the complexity of the vessel. The project’s naval architect, Downey Engineering, worked closely with C&C Marine’s in-house engineering department to ensure a seamless transition between design and production.

The General MacArthur represented the second cutterhead suction dredge built by C&C Marine since 2018. Completing two large dredging projects in the past two years has been very rewarding. C&C Marine has always enjoyed the challenges that these

The General MacArthur boasts three CAT-MAK diesel electric engines.

Photo credits: C&C Marine and Repair

Tony Cibilich

large projects create, and C&C Marine’s inhouse engineering department truly thrive on high-tech innovative projects.

ML: In May, the company completed the first in a series of towboats that will be delivered to Maritime Partners in Metairie, La. With the first vessel now delivered, can you tell us more about this project as far as the design and scope go? Also, when do you expect all 15 to be delivered by?

TC: The Maritime Partner’s towboats are 84 feet long, 34 feet wide and have 2,600 hp. We started construction on the first vessel mid-November 2019 and delivered it to Maritime Partners in May 2020. The second vessel will be finished at the end of June, with the third vessel scheduled for delivery in August. What makes this project so different is that rarely do you get to build the same boat multiple times, much less 15 times in a row. After the completion of the first vessel, we had an opportunity to work with the customer and make some modifications to the initial design that we will replicate on the remaining boats. We plan to deliver each vessel approximately every seven to eight weeks, with the last vessel scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2022.

ML: You also recently acquired a large fabrication building from Versabar Inc. Can you tell us more about this and what the plans are for the new building?

TC: The new 35,000-square-foot fabrication bay is the second building we have acquired from Versabar Inc. in the past two years and it is already being used for vessel fabrication. In fact, we have begun shifting some of the production on the Maritime Partners project into that building. Fortunately, when Versabar originally designed this building, they based the design on one of C&C Marine’s existing fabrication bays.

This included the building’s dimensions, crane heights, and articulating doors. Other than the exterior color of the building, it is identical to our other fabrication bays. We are presently using the first building we acquired from Versabar, which is approximately 18,000 square feet, to do barge repairs indoors and have freed up an existing building to do either barge repair or vessel construction.

ML: What’s the balance between repairs and newbuilds?

TC: The split between new construction

Cibilich at the christening of one of an offshore supply vessel built

by C&C Marine a few years ago.

and repair today is typically 90% new construction and 10% repair. The repair business is steady, but it does not generate the same level of revenue as new construction. It was exactly the opposite when I started the business, with 90% of our business being repair and 10% being new construction. Through the years, we have modernized the facility and added new fabrication buildings—to date we have built over 300,000 square feet of new buildings— increasing our construction and production capabilities for new builds. We are now adding new buildings that are dedicated to performing barge repairs indoors.

ML: Last year, C&C Marine and Repair blasted its 100th barge at its then-new robotic paint and blasting facility. How many have you done now, and what types of barges do you blast and paint there?

TC: To date, we have blasted and painted 144 barges in our new blast and paint facility. Although in the present environment, many of our customers are postponing their

paint programs. Meantime, we continue to modify our blasting system and improve efficiency. For example, when the building first opened, it took five days to blast a 30,000 bbl. tank barge. Today, we can blast that same barge in 48 hours.

ML: How has COVID-19 impacted your business operations? Are you back to full operational capacity, and how do you expect the pandemic to impact maritime going forward?

TC: Overall, we have been fortunate during the pandemic. We are back to operating at a “modified” 100% capacity, after implementing new COVID-19 policies. Early on, C&C Marine and Repair instituted changes to company operation procedures and amended existing policies to address the pandemic and ensure a safe work environment for our employees and customers. As far as long-term effects, the maritime industry is extremely resilient. It seems every few years the industry faces some new threat and yet we continue to move forward. In the end, I suspect this won’t be any different.

July 2020 / Marine Log 33

TECH NEWS

WINGD INTRODUCES

TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE METHANE SLIP WINTERTHUR, SWITZERLANDHEADQUARTERED ENGINE DESIGNER WinGD has unveiled a new technology designed to reduce methane slip emissions and cut fuel consumption in its X-DF dual-fuel two-stroke engines.

Called Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling (iCER), it is the first development to be introduced as part of X-DF2.0, WinGD’s second-generation dualfuel engine platform.

WinGD says that, as shipowners factor greenhouse gas reduction targets into upcoming newbuild projects, X-DF2.0 technologies will enable improved engine performance with both LNG and future carbon-neutral fuels.

The iCER system delivers enhanced combustion control through the use of inert gas. The result is a reduction in methane slip emissions of up to 50% when using LNG and a significant reduction of fuel consumption, of 3% in gas mode and 5% in diesel mode.

“By adjusting the recirculation rate of inert gas and controlling parameters like fuel admission and ignition timing, we can increase compression ratios for greater efficiency,” said Volkmar Galke, WinGD global director

of sales. “The result is optimized combustion through closed-loop control regardless of ambient conditions and load.”

Like all future X-DF2.0 technologies, iCER will be available for all new X-DF engines.

It is currently completing trials at one of WinGD’s dedicated test engine facilities— the final step in a two-year testing program.

The company is also finalizing plans for a pilot installation.

As well as using fossil LNG, X-DF engines can also burn carbonneutral synthetic or bio-derived LNG when it becomes available. By continuing to develop combustion control and engine efficiency, WinGD is improv ing the performance of its engines using these fuels and minimizing fuel cost for ship owners and operators.

“Our highly efficient and reliable X-DF engines are already widely used, with more than 500,000 hours operating experience and market leadership in many key vessel segments,” said Galke. “Our next-generation X-DF2.0 technologies will prepare our engines for even better performance, both with LNG and with the future fuels to come.”

iCER will be available for all new X-DF engines.

34 Marine Log // July 2020

Sea-Cargo to Convert RO/RO to Hybrid Sailing Vessel N O R W E G I A N M U LT I P U R P O S E VESSEL OPERATOR Sea-Cargo is to retrofit its 1997-built RO/RO SC Connector with rotor sails and a battery pack. Installation is scheduled for fourth quarter 2020 and Sea-Cargo says that, in good wind conditions, the sailing hybrid vessel will maintain regular service speed by sail alone.

Sea-Cargo has developed a new and unique technology that allows the sails to be raised and lowered while sailing. This tilt feature is designed for the extreme conditions in the North Sea, and allows the vessel to get under bridges, overhead powerlines and into port.

The sails are 115 feet (35 meters) tall and 16 feet ( 5 meters ) wide Norsepower rotor sails. The vessel’s total air draft will be 184 feet (56 meters), 26 feet (8 meters) taller than the Statsraad Lehmkul, which is currently Norway’s tallest sailing ship.

Norwegian Electric Systems will supply the battery pack.

“We are delighted to be working with Sea-Cargo, not only as they are keen to demonstrate their commitment to maximizing the propulsive power of wind to reduce emissions, but also for their cooperation and innovation in making tilting rotor sails a reality,” said Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower.

“Rotor sails are particularly well suited to RO/RO vessels and working with Sea-Cargo to deliver a tilting rotor sail ensures we are providing an adaptable solution which fits with particular vessel requirements, specifically demonstrating vessels with height restrictions to benefit from the rotor sail solution.”

Sea-Cargo has developed a new and unique technology that allows the sails to be raised and lowered while sailing.

Photo Credit: Sea-Cargo (Sidebar); WinGD (Top)

Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling is the first development to be introduced as part of X-DF2.0, WinGD’s second-generation dualfuel engine platform.

TECH NEWS

Voith Introduces Electric Voith Schneider Propeller

Photo Credit: Voith (top); Schottel (Sidebar)

WITH GROWING DEMAND FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION SOLUTIONS, the Voith Group is pushing ahead with the continuous electrification of its proven drive technologies and has now launched an electric version of its wellknown Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP).

Among the advantages claimed for the new eVSP are high efficiency and the reduction of complexity, since the permanent-magnet synchronous motor is already integrated in the propeller. The complete omission of gears reduces noise to a minimum and frees up critical space on the ship.

The drive system combines the technology of the VSP with over a decade of electrical know-how of the Voith Inline Thruster (VIT).

“With the electric Voith Schneider Propeller, we are making an important contribution to the electrification of the driveline in marine applications and thus to even more resource saving shipping,” says Dr. Dirk Juergens, vice president of research and development for marine applications at Voith. “The new eVSP was developed for this purpose for all applications involved in the mobility revolution, such as offshore supply vessels, tugs and ferries.”

In addition, the eVSP offers ship operators future security through a high degree of flexibility in the choice of power generation (energy source) as well as low maintenance requirements thanks to its robust design.

The follow-up costs in operation and maintenance are thus significantly reduced, says Voith.

The new eVSP uses a permanent-magnet synchronous motor as its main drive, which is fully integrated into the VSP and significantly reduces the required oil volume.

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Schottel Develops New Rim Thruster

In addition, no gears or transmissions are required, enabling stepless operation and virtually loss-free conversion of the electrical drive power with dynamic response characteristics. Additionally, the eVSP has low weight and can be mounted without any shaft train restrictions.

The eVSP offers the same advantages as a conventional Voith Schneider Propeller. The core principle of the VSP, the combination of drive and control in one unit, has been continuously developed and perfected over the last 90 years. Ships with VSP designed for offshore wind have been proven to precisely maintain a set position even at wave heights of up to nearly 15 feet (4.5 meters).

The VSP is also the only propeller in the world that can significantly reduce the rolling motion of ships and thus significantly increase comfort and safety on board.

THE SRT RIM THRUSTER, one of Spay, Germany-based Schottel’s latest developments, is an electric propulsion system. The electric motor stator is installed in the outer part of the tunnel, while the propeller blades are attached to the inside of the rotor. This results in a space-saving and low-weight thruster.

It converts electric power directly into propulsion power. Surrounding water permanently cools the electric motor, preventing it from overheating.

Now Schottel has developed a retractable version. Covering the power range up to 500 kW, the Schottel Retractable Rim Thruster (SRT-R) offers advantages that include low noise emissions and tailor-made solutions for a wide range of applications. Optimized

by CFD, the internal propeller blades are hydrodynamically designed to be highly resistant to cavitation.

The SRT-R is able to cover a thrust radius of 360 degrees. This not only makes it more versatile, but also allows it to be optimally adapted to any requirement and operation profile, including DP operation or as a take-youhome device.

The new eVSP uses a permanent-magnet synchronous motor as its main drive.

Let’s make plans.

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July 2020 // Marine Log 35

NEWSMAKERS

Ben Bordelon Elected SCA Chairman BEN BORDELON, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La., has become the new chairman of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), succeeding TERRY O’BRIEN of Austal USA, Mobile, Ala. The new vice chairman of the SCA Board is BRAD MOYER, vice president of BAE Systems Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va.

Chief Operating Officer PATRICK GREGG is to be promoted to the position of CEO at shipbuilder Austal effective January 1, 2021, following a six-month transition from current managing director and CEO DAVID SINGLETON. Prior to joining Austal, Gregg had extensive experience including at BAE Systems.

NINA RANNELLS is to retire as the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which operates the San Francisco Bay Ferry, after 12 years leading the agency and more than 30 years in Bay Area public transportation.

She will leave WETA on January 31.

ST Engineering North America Inc. reports that ROBERT MERCHENT has been named president and CEO of VT Halter Marine Inc. He joins the company with extensive shipbuilding and management experience, including at Ingalls Shipbuilding, where he was vice president, surface combatants, fleet services and U.S. Coast Guard Programs.

DANIEL TOERNER has joined the Shearer Group Inc., Houston, as a naval architect. He recently graduated from Texas A&M University, College Station, with a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering. During his time at Texas A&M University, he interned at ElectroMechanical Industries, Kiewit Offshore Services, and Clarus Subsea Integrity.

Canadian bulk shipping company Fednav Limited, has appointed ISABELLE BRASSARD as senior vicepresident, logistics and sustainable development, effective September 2020. Reporting to PAUL PATHY, president and CEO, Brassard joins Fednav from Rio Tinto and will be relocating from Singapore, where her most recent position has been vicepresident, marine and logistics.

36 Marine Log // July 2020

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38 Marine Log // July 2020

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July 2020 // Marine Log 39

SAFETY FIRST

Sensorless Anti-Sway Technology Improves Worksite Safety and control being dependent on the operator, the system handles those factors automatically. This shift reduces operator burden, which also accommodates a wider range of skillsets instead of relying on a select few operators who have extensive, specialized experience.

I

nternational maritime shipping is responsible for transporting around 90% of the world’s trade goods.

Every day, large amounts of cargo are loaded and unloaded in ports all around the world.

And although cranes are essential in the cargo handling process, they’re inherently dangerous due to the nature of their intended task: to lift large, heavy objects multiple stories above the ground and then move them around within a confined area.

Because of the dangers associated with cargoes and cranes, numerous marine port workers run the risk of severe injuries. In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that one in 1,000 maritime crane operators will suffer fatal injuries.

Even in these environments, there are simple, easy-to-implement solutions that can increase crane safety while also improving productivity.

Anti-Sway Technology Some of the most common industrial cranes are overhead traveling cranes and gantry cranes. In these cranes, the load is suspended from a gripping device by cables and acts like a pendulum. These swaying loads are a safety hazard and place additional stress on the crane structure.

Today, most operators try to manually compensate for sway by manipulating the load with a joystick. While this works, it takes longer and can only be achieved by skilled operators.

One of the easiest ways to improve worksite and operator safety is to ensure the load on the crane remains stable. Sensorless anti-sway functionality, such as the one offered by Danfoss, saves time and costs by controlling the 40 Marine Log // July 2020

sway in cranes. It works based on trolley and travel motion and takes the maximum rope length and average swinging time into account to set few parameters.

Utilizing anti-sway technology can significantly reduce errors, whether caused by operators or the system itself. Operator error, mechanical failures, poor training and lack of safety equipment can all contribute to such accidents. Some cranes can be prone to mechanical issues due to their daily use and operating conditions. Over time, the stress of bearing huge loads can wear down the crane’s components, thus increasing risk to the operator.

Anti-sway technology reduces structural stress on the entire system. It increases the lifetime of the crane and reduces the stress on mechanical structures, such as trollies, hoists, or gantries. It increases system efficiency as well, reducing stress on the complete crane system. This further reduces costs throughout its lifetime and improves operational efficiency.

Increase Operator Security and Safety The other main cause of accidents involving cranes and cargo is operator error. Workers operating cranes must be highly skilled and trained to use the machinery safely and effectively, yet even the most skilled operator can still suffer from fatigue. Inexperience or inattention can lead to accidents, downtime or a loss in productivity.

Anti-sway technology automatically enables a better user experience. Plus, it is proven to improve operator productivity by as much as 15% by eliminating delays. Instead of the safety

Lastly, along with reducing errors and increasing safety, anti-sway technology is easy to install. Upgrading a system is as simple as a software change—the same motors can even be used. The software works based on trolley travel and motion, and can be implemented by measuring either the maximum rope length from drum to hook or the average swing time of five to 10 swings. After entering these parameters into the software, the functionality automatically calculates motor behavior to reduce load sway.

For example, Mukand Ltd. chose to utilize sensorless anti-sway in its gantry cranes. The company is the largest India-based designer and manufacturer of gantry cranes, and is all too familiar with the daunting task of controlling their speed. With functionalities like anti-sway, the cranes offer increased speed control and accuracy. The company experienced improved crane control in hoisting, cross travel and long travel.

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. is well known in the global port machinery industry with a 70% share of the container crane market. The company constructed a pipe-lying barge and implemented Danfoss Drives on its 360-degree slew crane, which can hoist up to 3,000 tons. Controlling the sway on a load that large is absolutely critical and plays a role in the barge’s promising future in subsea pipe-laying projects.

In addition, anti-sway technology can be applied to a wide range of crane applications, including bridge, overhead, process, railmounted gantry, rubber-tired gantry, goliath, grab, ship to store, marine, mobile, mobile harbor, tower and construction hoist cranes.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to port safety, but sometimes it’s as simple as removing the sway.

JIM LERNER, Vice President of Sales, Eastern U.S., Danfoss Drives

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/ Robert Mandel

A Simple Upgrade