Marine & Maritime Gazette January 2018

MARINE & MARITIME

GAZETTE Commercial Marine & Renewables Worldwide

ISSUE 35

JANUARY 2018

INSIDE: 7

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New year - new challenges for the maritime sector?

Optimistic for the year?

Welcome to the January 2018 issue of Marine & Maritime Gazette the monthly magazine aimed at Worldwide coverage of the commercial marine, shipping and waterbased renewables markets.

As we all look forward to the coming months, just what we can all expect from the year? Where will 2018 take the Maritime sector? In which direction will we all go?

Who knows, but as ever we all look to the future with an certain optimism, albeit tempered with the reality check that always closely follows this very fluid sector.

Inside this issue, we are, as usual, covering a vast amount of topics, from ‘Anchors, Mooring, Rope & Chains’ on page 20, to the ‘ins and outs’ of ‘Vessel Build, Repair & Maintenance’ from page 26.

We also have a quick look at ‘Training, Certification & Courses’ on page 40 and on page 16 we also have a ‘peek’ at ‘Cyber Security’.

Anyway, everyone at Marine & Maritime Commercial Ma rine & Renewabl Gazette would like to wish you all the es Worldwide best of luck for the coming months and we hope you enjoy reading this edition and others throughout the year.

If you have any news, reviews, product launches or absolutely anything else of interest across the whole marine market, please email it through to me at info@bljournals.plus.com for future consideration in our forthcoming issues.

MARINE & MARITIME

GAZETTE

ISSUE 35

JANUARY 201 8

INSIDE:

Arthur Peaches - Editor

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Editor

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Success for HR Wallingford in DPC Innovation Awards

Cover story Damen win contract to convert dredger to dualfuel capability combining LNG and MGO.

p18 Next Gen Metal Shark have announced availability of next-generation Damen Fast Crew Supplier.

p10 Magnetic robot Deep Trekker have introduced a new underwater inspection vehicle to the North American market.

HR Wallingford has been recognised in two categories of the IHS Dredging and Port Construction (DPC) Innovation Awards 2017 which were held in London recently. The engineering and environmental hydraulics consultancy was shortlisted for both the Innovative Support Services Award for its cutting-edge survey vessel, the ARC-Boat, and the New Markets Award for ‘Field measurements and modelling of the dynamics of sediment plumes from Deep Sea Mining operations’.

The New Markets Award seeks to acknowledge innovation in using novel or existing equipment or technology in a new way or in a new region. This includes carrying out applied research that opens up new market sectors or industry opportunities.

Through participation in Marine E-tech (a NERCfunded research project in the SoS Minerals programme, led by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre) HR Wallingford’s monitoring team have undertaken novel studies of the dynamics of sediment plumes in the deep ocean. Using remotely controlled and

p32 Rescue training The Underwater Centre, Scotland, supports Advanced Submarine Rescue System training.

p41

EDITORIAL Arthur Peaches - Editor Tel 01322 352648 Email info@bljournals.plus.com

SALES & PROMOTIONS David Peters - Publisher Tel 01322 352648 Email info@bljournals.plus.com

Brian Wakefield - Advertisement Director Tel 01622 682667 Mob 07973 139959 Email brian_wakefield2003@yahoo.co.uk

PUBLISHING COMPANY BL Journals, 3 Biddenden Way, Istead Rise, Gravesend, Kent DA13 9DE Tel 01322 352648 Email info@bljournals.plus.com @MandMGazette

Although every effort is made assure the accuracy of the content of this magazine, Marine & Maritime Gazette and it’s Publishers can accept no responsibility for such.

All contents of the publication are copyright and remain the sole property of the publishing company.

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autonomous vehicles working in water depths of more than 1,000 metres, a series of plume experiments were conducted and the monitoring data collected was used to validate and refine existing HR Wallingford plume dispersion models for use in deep water environments.

Mark Lee, Dredging Group manager, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our innovative work through the New Markets Award. The ground-breaking experiments indicate that, for mining Fe-Mn crusts in the deep water environment in question, the widely held perceptions of very large plume footprints arising from deep sea mining may be incorrect. The results of the bespoke field experiments, modelling and laboratory tests have advanced the understanding of the behaviour of sediment plumes in the deep ocean and will ultimately improve our ability to predict, monitor and hence manage, the impacts which may arise from future deep sea mining operations.”

Mark added: “We are also pleased to see personal recognition for Gerard van Raalte who received the CEDA Lifetime Achievement Award.

We look forward to welcoming Gerard back to Wallingford this week to compare awards and continue our work together!”

This year’s winners were announced at a gala dinner and ceremony at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel in London on the 29 November 2017.

The full shortlist and this year’s winners are available on the Awards website: https://www.dpcawards.com/winners Picture above shows: Mark Lee, Dredging Group Manager, (centre) receives the New Markets Award

BL JOURNALS

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P O R T

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Discount for LNG-Fueled Ships at Port of Tallinn

Increase in demand triggers new port for Tilbury

A new port is planned for alongside the major port for London as part of an expansion to cope with rising demand at Port of Tilbury.

Tilbury2 will be built next to the existing Port of Tilbury on the site of an old power station, owners Forth Ports Group said.

The plans are part of the company's £1bn investment programme for the Essex site and would double the volume available across the quay.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said ports still play a ‘key role’ in the growth of the UK economy.

Tilbury was a "great example of an ambitious, successful operation which is growing to deliver the capacity businesses need to export products from the UK across the world", he commented.

Tilbury2 would be able to cope with increasing demand for building materials and car imports and exports, as well as an increase in ferry traffic to carry consumer goods, food and drink and steel between Europe and the UK, its owners said.

Forth Ports said it envisaged the new port would be open in 2020 and would act as a satellite of the main port.

It is set to include a roll on/roll off ferry terminal, a new facility for importing, processing, manufacturing and distributing construction materials, a storage area for car imports and exports and a ‘new national strategic rail and road connection’.

Forth Ports Group's Chief Executive Charles Hammond explained: "Tilbury2 will deliver much needed port capacity to support businesses importing and exporting to-and-from Europe and across the globe at a crucial time for the UK".

The company has put in an application for a development consent order to the Planning Inspectorate in order for the new port to be built.

Starting from the beginning of this year, all ships that use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their primary fuel can apply for a discount of four percent on tonnage fees when calling at harbours of the Port of Tallinn.

With this move, the port intends to contribute to the adoption of environmentally friendlier technologies in the Baltic Sea shipping sector.

“Similarly to other ports in the European Union and Norway, the Port of Tallinn has set a course toward environmentally differentiated port fees, with the aim of reducing the amount of air pollution and marine pollution from ships’ waste handling and gaseous emissions,” explains Ellen Kaasik, Head of Quality & Environmental Management Department at the Port of Tallinn.

“While currently cruise ships that sort their waste receive a discount on the waste fee, next year we will introduce a discount on port infrastructure fees for all ships that use LNG as

their primary fuel,” Kaasik added.

The Port of Tallinn also supports other initiatives and investments aimed at adopting cleaner technologies in the shipping sector.

Specifically, the port provides incentives for ships that have invested in scrubbers for reducing sulphur compounds in emissions and accepts the waste generated by scrubbers without charging additional fees.

What is more, Kaasik said the port plans to implement the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) energy performance system, which has been used in some EU and Norwegian ports. It is based on the emissions of nitrogen compounds (NOx), sulphur compounds (SOx), solid particles (PM) and CO2 and takes into account whether ships are connected to shoreline power and the use of power at ports.

The implementation of differentiated port fees in various EU ports and a study regarding the impacts are part of the Green Cruise Port project co-financed by the EU through the INTERREG BSR program, which unites ports and cruise tourism sector companies in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea countries.

www.forthports.co.uk

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First power emanating from Rampion The first of Rampion Offshore Wind Farm’s 116 turbines has started generating electricity, marking the project’s move towards full operation.

The remaining turbines for the E.ON farm, 13km off the coast of Sussex, UK, will be commissioned and turned on one by one over the coming months.

Turbine commissioning manager Adam Simmonds commented: “The completions and commissioning phase has had numerous challenges, so it is exciting to now be producing electricity that is exported to the national grid.

“Once a turbine is running, we carry out a 240 hour reliability test to monitor its performance and identify any final snagging items before it is handed to the operations and maintenance team to begin its working life, turning wind into clean, green electricity.” he added.

The installation of all the turbines was completed in September, within a six-month period, with the use of MPI jack-up vessels Discovery and Adventure.

The vessels transported the components for eight turbines at a time from Esbjerg in Denmark to the site.

Each turbine consists of an 80m tower, weighing approximately 200t. The towers were lifted and positioned onto each foundation and a nacelle fitted to the top of each tower.

The towers each house a generator, gearbox and three blades - each measuring 55m in length and which were hoisted and connected one at a time.

Work has also included completion of the project’s electrical infrastructure.This meant, on the offshore side, the burial of 144km of array cables, which connect the turbines to the offshore substation, as well as the completion of the offshore substation itself.

Onshore, all 26.8km of cables are now installed and working, and the substation at Twineham is also operating.

Teams of technicians working inside the turbines and onshore in the control rooms will continue carrying out the final work required for each turbine to start producing electricity.

All turbines are due to be generating power by the end of this year. www.eonenergy.com/rampion

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Austal to Build Catamaran Ferry for SNC Aremiti Australian-based ship building company Austal Limited has received an order to design and construct a passenger catamaran ferry for French Polynesia’s ferry operator SNC Aremiti.

Earlier Aremiti ferry 2

This Austal design features seating capacity for 620 passengers and garage space for up to 30 motorbikes, small vehicles and cargo. With a top speed of 36 knots it will be fitted with Austal’s Ride Control System to improve seakeeping on the Papeete – Moorea route in French Polynesia.

The vessel will be designed in Australia and construction of the vessel will commence at Austal Philippines during 2018, with delivery scheduled for July 2019.

The new 49-metre high-speed vessel would be built under an AUD 30 million (USD 23.4 million) contract. The ferry will be the fifth unit Austal has delivered to French Polynesia since 2002.

Austal has previously designed and built four vessels for the parent of SNC Aremiti, Groupe Degage, comprising two 69-metre monohull cruise ships, a 56-metre vehicle passenger catamaran ferry, and an 80-metre vehicle passenger catamaran ferry.

“This order from SNC Aremiti caps off an incredibly successful year for our international commercial ferry business. We have added eight new vessels, worth more than AUD 380 million, to our order book in the past 12 months,” Ben Marland, Austal VP Sales & Marketing, said. www.austal.com

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and the award goes to...

Volspec Limited (again)

A S S O C I A T I O N

Smart work and excellent customer service have resulted in an unprecedented second ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ for Volspec Ltd the Tollesbury-based Volvo Penta Marine and Industrial Centre.

Volspec Ltd is the only Volvo Penta Centre in the UK to have won this award twice.

At the recent Volvo Penta UK annual Dealer conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which brought together the UK Dealers and Centres, it focussed on two key messages - ‘Unmatched Service and Uptime’ and ‘Meeting Customer Needs’. Volspec Ltd was awarded Outstanding Performance 2017, which was presented to recognise that the company has been consistently performing at the desired level for the majority of the areas covered during the conference.

With just 20 staff and two bases - in Tollesbury on the River Blackwater in Essex and Woolverstone on the River Orwell in Suffolk - this Volvo Penta Centre has a history of innovation and flexibility stretching back to its launch in 1973. Competing against 46 UK based dealers and centres, Volspec Ltd has proved the most consistent by winning this award yet again.

Robert Brammer, Managing Director, together with Andy Notley, Service Director and Andy Read, Sales Director, said; ‘’We would not be able to do this without our dedicated and professional parts sales team, engineers and administration staff, all of whom work hard to deliver the best possible service to our many customers, and our thanks go to them for their continued efforts and support this year and beyond’’ Volspec Limited other distinctions include: • Dealer of the Year: 1982, 1990, 2002, 2005, 2008 • Outstanding

Performance: 2014, 2017

• Partnership for Professionalism Challenge 2015

• Achieving £2 million Sales Turnover 2010

• Achieving £1 million Sales in Parts & Accessories 2006 • Industrial

Award: 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2003 • Marine Leisure Engine Sales: 1981, 1989 and 1995 • Parts & Accessory Sales: 1988 • Sales & User Support Industrial Engines 2005 and 2007

• Market Support 2005

www.volspec.co.uk

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Metal Shark announces availability of next-generation Damen Fast Crew Supplier As an extension of its existing relationship with Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has announced the availability of the new Damen FCS 7011 for the U.S. market.

Developed by Damen in response to feedback from leaders in the offshore oil and gas sector, the FCS 7011 has been designed to reduce logistical cost and increase efficiencies in an era of low oil prices.

The all-aluminium monohull FCS 7011 is a fast and comfortable crew supply solution for offshore production facilities. The vessel offers increased safety compared to traditional crew supply vessels.

Incorporating Damen’s “Sea Axe” bow and a ride control system for roll and pitch reduction, the FCS 7011 offers increased operability in offshore sea states. Steerable skegs allow for highly accurate course corrections, while a gyroscope maintains stability during crew transfer, with a motion-compensating gangway among its numerous available features.

Designed for passenger comfort, the FCS 7011 may be customconfigured to suit individual client requirements. With its size, range, 40-knot speed, and 150-passenger capacity, the vessel allows operators to efficiently service multiple platforms on a single trip for maximum cost savings and energy gains.

“The FCS 7011 utilizes smart design and the latest technology to bring new levels of comfort, safety, and efficiency to the offshore sector,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “Metal Shark enjoys a great relationship with Damen and we’re excited to offer this first-in-class vessel to U.S. operators.”

The FCS 7011 will be produced at Metal Shark’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, which among its many current projects is also producing a fleet of 85’ Damen-designed patrol boats under the U.S. Navy’s Near Shore Patrol Vessel (NCPV) contract awarded in June. The 25-acre shipyard offers direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. www.metalsharkboats.com

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Irish Continental Group orders World’s largest cruise ferry Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) has placed an order with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co.KG (FSG) for the construction of a cruise ferry worth EUR 165.2 million (USD 199 million), due for delivery before the middle of 2020.

Upon completion, it will be the largest cruise ferry in the world in terms of vehicle capacity, according to ICG. The cruise ferry will be able to accommodate 1,800 passengers and crew, with capacity for 5,610 freight lane metres, which provides the capability to carry 330 freight units per sailing. Overall, it will effectively be a 50% increase in peak freight capacity compared to the MV Ulysses.

Twenty percent of the contract price will be paid in installments during the construction period. The balance of 80 pct will be paid on delivery. ICG said it would finance the ferry with funds from credit facilities.

The new ferry will be fitted with emissions scrubber technology and ballast water systems so as to meet current and known future environmental regulations and will deliver optimal fuel consumption while minimising related costs.

The vessel will be powered by four main engines delivering 33,600 KW of power and adhere to Ice Class specification.

Freight capacity will be provided over five decks, while passenger facilities will be spread over three decks. In addition, the vessel has been designed for three-tier freight bow loading to allow for efficient loading/unloading and quick turnaround times.

The cruise ferry is being built specifically for Irish Ferries Dublin - Holyhead services. It is expected to replace the schedule of the MV Ulysses, which in turn will replace the currently chartered vessel MV Epsilon in the fleet.

This will allow for the deployment of the W.B. Yeats (arriving mid-2018) full-time on the direct Ireland - France route alongside the MV Oscar Wilde.

“This investment underpins the confidence the group has in the markets in which we operate. Alongside the recent investment in the MV W.B. Yeats, it brings our total investment to EUR 315 million for these two vessels designed for our operations on the Irish Sea,” commented Eamonn Rothwell, Chief Executive Officer “The construction of a cruise ferry of this size will offer both additional capacity and an enhanced experience for both our tourism and freight customers. This infrastructural investment enhances ‘the bridge’ to the UK & Continental Europe that is a vital part of the continued success of Ireland’s open economy,” he added. www.icg.ie

Justyn.Lemar@everardinsurance.co.uk Justyn.Lemar@everardinsurance.co.uk

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Southampton Marine Services

acquires units within the Burgess Marine Group

Southampton Marine Services (SMS) is part of a group of Marine companies controlled by Sir Charles Dunstone and Peter Morton.

SMS has acquired all the assets and works in progress of Burgess Marine who recently went into administration. The ship repair operations in Lowestoft, Poole and Avonmouth will continue as usual with all the current teams employed immediately and will operate under the brand SMS. Negotiations are currently taking place within the two Royal Navy bases at Portsmouth and Devonport for SMS to continue working within these high security areas and it is hoped that many of the staff previously employed on the military sites will be re-hired should SMS be able to provide the required security levels.

Unfortunately, the facilities at Portchester and Dover will not be saved as operating costs at these sites do not make them viable and they have consistently lost money for years.

SMS has also purchased the entire shareholding in Global Services and Global Newbuilds a successful supply chain company operating in the Superyacht and commercial vessel market. The current Managing Director Richard Gardiner and his team will continue to run those businesses with Peter Morton and Chris Norman of SMS joining the Board.

Chris Norman Managing Director of SMS says, “It is always sad to see so many people lose their jobs at any time let alone just before Christmas and we are pleased to have been able to save as many as possible.

“On-going negotiations may mean that over the coming weeks we can get permission to operate within the Royal Navy Bases which may mean we can employ even more ex Burgess employees. SMS will now be able to assist ship owners from Lowestoft to Avonmouth to maintain and repair their vessels and with the combined workforce of SMS and our sister companies Wight Shipyard and AMC have close to four hundred skilled shipwrights ready to undertake all the trades required to keep a modern fleet operational.” www.southamptonmarineservices.com

Meercat Workboats

independent of Burgess

Marine and forging ahead

Before the recent demise of Burgess Marine, the former subsidiary, Meercat Workboats, announced that it was no longer in administration, is now totally independent and will continue to trade under new management It is reported that Meercat already have new orders pending and vessels completed At the time, Nicholas Warren, chief executive officer at Burgess Marine, endorsed the updated status: “The business will continue to trade from the existing footprint, under new ownership, with the legacy management team remaining in place.”

“Meercat have two boats currently in build and they are anticipating a new order in the coming days” continued Mr Warren. www.meercatworkboats.com

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Virtual simulation created for river users to navigate the Boston Barrier The Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the Boston Barrier has received approval, giving the Environment Agency the go-ahead to proceed with the construction and operation of the £100 million flood defence scheme to better protect Boston’s homes and businesses from the risk of tidal flooding. As part of the public enquiry, HR Wallingford’s Marine Pilot, Mark Murrison, navigates the Boston Belle passenger vessel UK Ship Simulation Centre worked with Mott MacDonald and the through the Boston Barrier in a simulation at HR Wallingford’s UK Ship Environment Agency to create a virtual navigation simulation to help Simulation Centre in Oxfordshire river users better understand what navigating the river would be like, both during the construction phase and when the barrier is in place.

Construction is due to begin in The Haven – the tidal stretch of the River Witham – in January 2018, and will better protect against tidal surges, such as was seen in December 2013, when over 800 homes and businesses in the Boston area were flooded. A key element throughout the project has involved ensuring extensive consultation takes place with the local community, river users and businesses, to achieve environmental and economic benefits for the town, and to avoid particular groups being disadvantaged as a result of the barrier being built.

In October 2016, river users were invited to the UK Ship Simulation Centre at HR Wallingford where they could experience the navigation of their vessels under the conditions that will exist both during the construction and operation phases of the Boston Barrier. The barrier is designed to operate over the next 100 years, and the presence of the structures associated with the new barrier will alter the flows that vessels currently encounter.

HR Wallingford’s engineers modelled a wide range of vessels including the Boston Belle, fishing vessels, the Port of Boston dredger “Mary Angus”, yachts, narrowboats and a Simulation of a fishing boat passing the Boston Barrier downriver wide beam canal boat, to test how they would be able to transit the modified river. They looked at how they would negotiate the proposed barrier structures, including when other vessels might already be moored on the port estate external quays.

Before the simulation could be created, Mott MacDonald undertook flow modelling of the river conditions, including both tidal and river discharge components, looking at past events on the river when conditions were either ‘typical’ or ‘difficult’ for navigation.

Provided with this information, HR Wallingford was able to create a virtual waterway in its UK Ship Simulation Centre for existing river users to test what it would be like to navigate their vessels on the river with the proposed barrier structures in place.

Gillian Watson, Principal Engineer, Ships, HR Wallingford, said: “The aim of the simulator was to create a realistic navigation experience of the river with the barrier New/used/rebuilt Caterpillar marine propulsion structures in place. This included simulating, and auxiliary engines, fully rebuilt by factory not only the new visual scene, but what is trained engineers and sold with warranty. really important for the river users, creating the modified river conditions, with a credible We have been supplying Cat engines simulation of how the vessels will operate in throughout UK and Europe for over 15 years to the new situation. We were then able to use the marine & offshore markets the simulation to test the manoeuvring In many cases we will take yr old engine in as scenarios of a range of different vessels that use the River Haven, to establish if there were part exchange to help keep your costs at a any navigation concerns, and to develop and minimum etc. test suitable mitigation measures.”

Contact us for a very competitive quotation With the barrier in place, Boston will have one of the best standards of protection Open 7 days a week. against tidal flooding outside of London. The Environment Agency is investing £2.5 billion across the country, which will see 1,500 69 Portsoy Crescent, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB41 8AL flood defences reducing risk to 300,000 Tel: 01358 729884 Fax: 01358 729885 Mob: 07770 450474 homes by 2021.

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Cyber Security can no longer be ignored as part of the maritime industry's future

by Ieuan Jones, Solicitor in Ashfords LLP's Marine Team

Ieuan Jones

At the start of 2017 we had an article published on cybersecurity and the present cyber-threats to the marine industry. Now, at the end of the year, we review this again in light of new guidance and current concerns in this area.

Back in August, the Government Office for Science published Future of the Sea: Cyber Security, as commissioned by the "Foresight Future of the Sea" Project. Future of the Sea contextualises the threat to the maritime industry within the UK's National Cyber Security Strategy. Amongst other things it identifies vessels, which contain cyber-physical IT systems, as particularly vulnerable to interference from cyber threats.

Future of the Sea identifies three main areas of attack across the maritime sector: • increased connectivity and reliance on digital components; • increased levels of autonomous control; and • globally accessible navigation systems.

Potential technological developments within the maritime industry merit "special attention", including advances in communication, improved sensing and intelligent and autonomous control systems. These pose challenges within cyber security as they build over existing digital technologies, allowing broader access to ships and vessels. They also make potential software-dependent weaknesses easier to access for those who wish to exploit them.

Recommendations include white collar, "dry" office-based security precautions should be brought better in line with IT systems in other sectors. This is particularly the case with navigation systems, which are so critical to the maritime sector and so have increased vulnerability. Control systems for vessels, offshore units and port systems also need to have attention paid to them.

Support from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is another specific recommendation.

Overall, Future of the Sea imparts an important lesson that, although the marine sector represents a large part of the economy in itself, it should not consider itself a sector in isolation. The marine sector must work with other sectors to shore up its ability to withstand the cyber-security threats to it which will become even more frequent.

This will include: • knowledge sharing of threats with other industries; • the introduction and implementation of attack reporting systems; • coordinated incident response; and • capability development and assurance and compliance regimes for sector adoption.

Last year, the published Guidance on Cyber Security On Board Ships (from BIMCO, CLIA, ICS, Intercargo and Intertanko) was also met with interest. This demonstrates the increasing emphasis that is now being placed on cyber-security as a high priority across the industry. However, what is clearly of concern to parties in the marine sector (shipowners, charterers, insurers, cargo handlers etc.) is the likelihood of legal claims (as well as counter-claims) that may arise when a cyber-security attack happens.

Take, for example, a situation where a guidance system is hacked by pirates in order to implement criminal or terrorist objectives. Much like current scenarios involving the physical takeover of ships, a great deal will turn on a vessel's preparedness to handle a cyber-attack. The vessel's "seaworthiness" should include whether the vessel has an efficient and competent crew and whether sufficient measures are in place on board to meet these challenges. Inevitably, such measures will be decided by reference to the state of knowledge in the industry at the time.

It therefore stands to reason that those in the industry should familiarise themselves immediately with the aforementioned guidance as well. These parties should not only put procedures in place that will limit or, hopefully, eliminate any intended damage from a targeted cyber-attack. Also, in the regrettable circumstance that an attack should prove successful, the party could then prove that, at least, they had the policies and procedures in place to deal with the attack in order to limit its scope.

Cyber risk management systems and protocols, including adequate training for employees - not only at sea but on shore as well - should be put in place to mitigate and avoid cyber-attacks. This will eventually become part of the definition of seaworthiness, as it has already in some quarters.

With each new year comes new possibilities, as well as new risks. It is important for all parts of the marine sector, from shipowners and other insureds to insurers themselves, to grapple with the size of the threat from cyber-attacks, which are becoming ever more apparent and commonplace. www.ashfords.co.uk

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Damen Shiprepair & Conversion wins contract for first European conversion of a dredger to dual-fuel LNG/MGO Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has been awarded a contract to undertake the conversion of a dredger to dual-fuel capability combining LNG and MGO. This will be the first conversion of its kind to take place in Europe.

The contract was awarded by Rouen-based GIE Dragages-Ports with regard to its 117m, 8500m³ trailing suction hopper dredger Samuel de Champlain, and the works will take place next year at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque. The conversion is part of an EU-supported initiative to promote LNG propulsion in short-sea vessels operating along the European Atlantic coast.

Under the contract, Damen is delivering a turnkey package that includes engineering, procurement and support. The current propulsion system of the Samuel de Champlain is diesel-electric burning MGO, and so the package includes the change of generators to dual-fuel models and the installation of onboard LNG storage facilities. The vessel was built in 2002 and is the largest vessel in the GIE Dragages-Ports fleet. Based in the Grand Maritime Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, she divides her time between the Loire and Seine estuaries.

GIE Dragages-Ports is an economic interest group that owns, maintains and charters out a fleet of seven dredgers to six key ports serving the French Atlantic coast plus Marseille in the Mediterranean. It is 50% owned by the seven ports and 50% by the French State. Each port charters the dredgers from GIE Dragages-Ports according to its needs and is responsible for operating them and supplying its own crew.

The conversion project is being made possible by a subsidy from the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) via its Connecting Europe Facility programme. To achieve the funding, GIE Dragages-Ports formed a 12-member FrancoSpanish consortium named the ‘S/F SamueLNG for a Blue Atlantic Arch’ project with the aim of promoting the use of LNG by small-scale vessels active on the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France and up into the English Channel / La Manche. The conversion of the Samuel de Champlain will demonstrate the feasibility of using LNG as a fuel on smaller vessels, and allow GIE Dragages-Ports to fulfil its mission of optimising costs via lower fuel bills and less engine maintenance, while at the same time delivering greatly reduced emissions of CO2.

“The consortium allows us to share experience with our partners and to access the support from INEA, without which this project would not have been possible,” said Jean-Pierre Guellec, CEO of GIE DragagesPorts. “We hope that this conversion will demonstrate to other short-sea vessels the benefits of conversion to LNG and mark the first stage of the development of an LNG bunkering network on the Atlantic coast of mainland Europe.”

"At Damen Shiprepair & Conversion we believe in the fast growth of LNG as a marine fuel,” added Alexandre Richerd, Sales Manager at Damen Shiprepair & Conversion. “We are committed to sharing our expertise with our clients and supporting those who are considering retrofitting their fleet to dual fuel. This contract proves the ability of the Damen Group to offer its customers turnkey solutions for complex LNG conversions integrating engineering and procurement.”

Currently a series of studies are underway, and equipment is being ordered. The conversion itself is scheduled for the autumn of 2018.

For more information on the S/F SamueLNG for a Blue Atlantic Arch project, visit www.samuelng.eu www.damen.com

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DREDGING

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Brooks Forgings achieves EN1090-1 and EN15048 approval Brooks Forgings was recently very proud to announce that it is the first company to be issued with ISO 9001, EN1090 and EN15048 by Lloyds Register.

This is to comply with the Construction Products Regulation 305/2011.

The combination of all three approvals means that their customers can purchase foundation bolting assemblies from one source with improved lead times and in full compliance with CE regulations.

This gives the company a greater scope of coverage than most others supplying the Marine Construction and Civil Engineering sectors.

Compliance with EN1090-1 enables Brooks to fabricate outer assemblies and the recent addition of EN15048 enables the hot forging and machining of non-preloaded structural foundation bolts.

This also demonstrates that they have undergone the rigorous audit, where their capability to comply with the current best practices employed in the Construction and Civil Engineering sector was reviewed in detail.

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR 305/2011) applies to manufacturers, distributors and fabricators of construction products within the European economic area.

To successfully comply with these regulations companies must undergo an assessment by a notified body such as Lloyd’s Register, and prove their systems and products are fully compliant with all aspects of these regulations. If the organisation is successful they are then awarded the CPR Certification.

This enables them to mark their products with CE Marking indicating their processes and products are fully in compliance and can be marketed across the region without additional testing or barriers to trade. www.brooksforgings.co.uk

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Marlow Ropes launch new products in Paris Marlow Ropes launched some new innovative products at Milipol Defence Show, Paris, late last year.

Marlow designed and developed the original Fast Rope in conjunction with the British Special Forces. These ropes are now in use by traditional Special Forces, Naval Forces and SWAT teams across the World.

With the success of this, Marlow introduced the Fast Rope Rack (FRR) and the ProTec 500 Tactical at Milipol, Paris, last November.

The Fast Rope Rack is a lightweight stainless steel device which can be used in conjunction with 40mm fast rope and aids the rapid insertion of units. This Britishmade device is light (1.83kg), quick and easy to install and Ideal for the insertion of non-Fast Rope qualified personnel including Medics, Interpreters, Guides and Bomb Disposal Specialists.

The FRR has various fitting options to help with the deployment of equipment considered too heavy for insertion in normal Fast Roping conditions. The unique construction of the Marlow Fast Rope allows comfortable control throughout the descent and makes it easier to slow down and break. The suppleness of the material means that the rope is not hard on the hands as less force is required than with other ropes. Oil and general spillage do not affect the speed of descent as Marlow Fast Ropes absorb liquids.

The ProTec 500 Tactical is a 11mm CE Certified Type A aramid abseil rope with an extremely tough 100% Technora cover. This is a superior rapelling rope with outstanding heat resistance properties which can be trusted in situations of high temperature which can often result in extreme levels of abrasion. www.marlowropes.com

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Lankhorst Ropes back FEM’s guidelines

The European Materials Handling Federation (FEM) has published the world’s first guideline describing the Safe Use of High Performance Fibre Ropes in (Mobile) Cranes.

“The guidelines mark a significant advance in the use of ropes made from synthetic fibres in land based crane applications, such as docksides, and will form the basis future European (EN) and/or International Safety Standards (e.g. ISO)”, comments Rui Pedro Faria, Senior Engineer, Lankhorst Euronete.

Unlike steel wire which has been used on cranes for many decades, and is covered by international standards (e.g. ISO 4309 etc.), there is no standard regarding design and discard criteria for the use of HPFR on mobile cranes.

Therefore, the Technical Committee of FEM Mobile Cranes has developed a FEM guideline about the use of HPFR as ropes (running and stationary) on mobile cranes.

The FEM guideline was developed as a joint project of FEM and members of the fibre rope industry: Lankhorst Ropes; CASAR; Teufelberger; Samson Rope and DSM Dyneema involving the IFT of the University of Stuttgart. Experts from FEM product groups for Tower and Harbour Cranes as well as Lifting and Hoisting Equipment (i.e. Serial Hoists) participated to the discussions. Following a recent ISO meeting, FEM has recommended that the guidelines be incorporated into future European (EN) and/or International Safety Standards (e.g. ISO). As a result, the scope of the guidelines has been expanded to include all cranes.

The objective of this guideline is to provide guidance for the design and safe RECYCLE REVIVAL use of high performance fibre rope (HPFR) on cranes, especially for running rope on multilayer drums for hoisting purposes. To meet this market, Lankhorst Ropes has developed the LankoLift S – Synthetic Hoisting Rope, a highly efficient and lighter alternative to the standard steel wire rope.

“The work developed within FEM sets the basis for any rope manufacturer to be able to provide a safe and reliable product for this mission critical application,” adds Mr Faria.

“The FEM guideline reflects Lankhorst’s vision and commitment to providing new products for the market, which have been properly developed, tested and validated according to industry benchmarks, and going even further when standards do not exist, by aiding in their creation.”

In accordance with the FEM guidelines, LankoLift S is in the process of being qualified to fulfil the requirements of the intended application.

The FEM guideline does not deal with so called ‘hybrid ropes’ which are a Gobbler Boats Ltd, 68 Winslow Road, Wingrave, combination of steel wire and high-performance fibres, where the load bearing Buckinghamshire HP22 4QB Telephone: 01296 681113 capability is shared between steel wires and the high-performance fibre.

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Damen delivers Cutter Suction Dredger 450 to Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy in Finland Damen has delivered a Cutter Suction Dredger 450 to Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy in Finland. This is the first time a Damen Cutter Suction Dredger has been deployed in the Scandinavian market.

The new dredger was delivered in only a few weeks from stock and has been put to work straight away in the Port of Pori, where it is dredging at a depth of 4.5 metres.

Olivier Marcus, Damen Product Director Dredging, commented: “We are delighted to have had a breakthrough with the first CSD in the region. Scandinavia is traditionally a ‘backhoe market’, where pontoons with cranes are used and the dredged material is loaded into barges.”

The Damen CSD450, which can dredge up to 14 metres deep, offers Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy the advantage that it has continuous production via the CSD’s pipeline to the designated disposal areas, he added.

A Damen CSD is suited to ports and rivers that have a lot siltation and stones, and it is also a robust machine, well able to operate in harsher, icy conditions. These dredgers are also active in the Arctic, Canada and Russia.

A major reason Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy chose a Damen CSD450 was because it was available directly from stock and could be delivered in just a few weeks. Sami Ojanen, owner and director, comments on why the company chose the new Damen CSD: “Our company saw the CSD450 as the perfect fit technically and because of Damen’s technical support. The increased pumping distance provided by the new dredger also enables us to expand the range of the projects we can carry out.

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“We have also been surprised by the production potential of the CSD450 and its fuel efficiency per cubic inch.

In addition to that, the CSD’s ease of operation was a deciding factor as well.”

Damen also holds several optional extras in stock. The Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy dredger was customised with a day accommodation unit added beneath the control cabin with a capacity for four people. The Finnish company also decided to add the option of an anchor boom system.

Remko Bouma, Damen Sales Manager North, West & South Europe, added: “Damen has a wide variety of options in stock. It is plug & play - all the foundations are built into the vessel already, so a customer can get up and running in just a few weeks.” Damen also carried out the dredger’s commissioning and trained the crew on site in Pori.

Another option included is a ‘navigation package’ (signal lights, deck lights and search lights). This is very important for a country like Finland, which only gets a few hours of daylight in the winter. The company also chose Damen’s navigation package for precision dredging and monitoring. The next step can be a production measurement system, which enables the customer to be comprehensively informed about the performance of the dredger. To be able to dredge in shallow waters the dredger is also delivered with a wedge piece, which can be placed between the cutter unit and cutter ladder to guarantee the right angle of the cutter.

Mr Marcus emphasised: “All the Damen Cutter Suction Dredgers are dismountable, so it is easy to transport them. In this case the dredger could be transported to Finland in a very short time and when this job is completed it can easily be transported to the next project.”

Damen has previously delivered two DOP pumps to Vesirakennus Ojanen Oy, which was founded in 2003. The DOP pumps are used to fill Geotubes with dredged material. By pumping in these tubes the water is being drained and the filled bags can be stored or even used to construct dams, riverbanks and walls etc. www.damen.com

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An extremely busy time at DuroWipers With a number of projects reaching completion, the end of last year was a very busy time for UK-based DuroWipers.

High-spec twin-rig trawler Arklow Marine’s first UK fishing vessel is kitted out with space saving Class 50 DuroWipers which are proving to be invaluable in maintaining visibility during incremental weather in the Channel.

The 14.95m twin-rig trawler Diligent Jo LT 1045 started fishing out of Plymouth in September.

Central to the vessel’s design was its clever use of space so a compact wheelhouse was designed on the shelterdeck top. Consequently, the wipers had to give the best performance possible with space at a premium.

The vessel was built under the watchful eye of Seafish to a very high level of specification and internal fit-out for Roger Klyne.

Egidora, 15m service vessel built by Blyth Workcats “The products and service that we receive from DuroWipers is next to none. We have used Durowipers for all of our vessels and will continue to do so for as long as we carry on producing boats.î That’s according to Stuart Davidsen, manager at Blyth Workcats who went on to say, “The systems are always reliable and by far the best value for money whilst still receiving a top quality product.”

Blyth kitted out its new 15m survey vessel with a DuroWipers Class 50 Synchronised system.

The system, which conforms to European safety standards, allows two wipers to clear a screen in harmony without colliding and is a cost-effective method of wiping large screens.

Blyth Workcats made the official handover of its new 15m survey vessel, Egidora, to Kiel University at this year’s Seawork International boat show.

Custom built car ferry A custom-built car ferry built by Arklow Marine has been equipped with Class 50 DuroWipers, the smallest wipers in the range which are ideal for space-saving applications.

The £2.8m Spirit of Rathlin entered into service in June 2017 working under a 10year contract with Rathlin Ferry Co out of Northern Ireland.

Its wipers have the DuroWipers unique Patented Twin Drive Shafts and Rotary mechanism giving a smooth and powerful stroke, an imperative piece of kit crossing the stormy waters of the Sea of Moyle.

The ferry operates on the Rathlin Island link with Ballycastle on the Antrim mainland in addition to the passenger-only fastcraft Rathlin Express. www.durowipers.co.uk

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Metal Shark announces new Pilot Boat contracts US-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has set its sights on the pilot boat market with a range of custom-configurable pilot offerings and two new pilot boats currently under construction.

Metal Shark is currently building a 45-foot Defiant Pilot Boat for the Virgin Islands Port Authority at its Jeanerette, Louisiana production facility. At its 25-acre shipyard in nearby Franklin, Louisiana, Metal Shark is building a 64-foot Defiant Pilot Boat for the Brazos Pilots Association of Freeport, Texas.

The next-generation pilot boats were designed by Metal Shark’s in-house design team and combine proven running surfaces with modern, crew-friendly, pilot-focused features including flush decks, pilot boarding platforms, and multiple fendering options. In addition to the 45-foot and 64-foot models now in production, a 55-foot Defiant Pilot Boat is also available.

The new vessels are immediately identifiable due to Metal Shark’s signature ‘Pillarless Glass’, pilothouses, which offer greatly improved visibility by drastically reducing blind spots – a key concern for pilots who operate around the clock. The forward-raked, automotive-style frameless glass allows for nearly unimpeded view from the vessels’ elevated helm stations.

Defiant-class pilot boats may be completely custom configured, from the type and location of platforms and rails, to various propulsion types and fendering systems, in order to fully address the unique challenges and demands of each pilot group’s operating environment.

“We looked at all of our options nationally and visited several boat builders along the Gulf Coast,” said Captain Daniel Blanton, President of the Brazos Pilots Association. “We chose Metal Shark because of their state of the art facilities and their ability to customize and built to our specifications at a competitive cost.”

“Metal Shark has built and delivered over 500 boats in the past three years alone,” said the company’s Vice President of Commercial Sales, Carl Wegener. “We have an enviable track record of on-time, high quality deliveries to our military, government, and passenger vessel customers, with proven reliability in the harshest environments to be found. Today we’re bringing Metal Shark’s military-honed quality to pilots, too.”

Both new Metal Shark pilot boats will be delivered in 2018. www.metalsharkboats.com

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Stanley Aluminum Boats delivers multimission boat to Charleston Rescue A unique, new multimission boat has been put into service to meet the increasing challenges faced by Charleston County Rescue in South Carolina, USA, which responds to a wide range of emergencies that includes hurricanes and flooding.

The boat which was launched last month, was developed by Stanley Aluminium Boats in close cooperation with the Charleston Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, which includes first responders, EMTs, and paramedics.

The boat measures 31’x10’ and is powered by twin Yamaha 250 outboards and can travel at 44 mph to quickly assist victims who are not within reach of land-based units. It can operate in as little as 20 of water, to facilitate operations under local conditions.

Stanley Aluminium Boats president Bill Connor pioneered the company’s fire rescue designs. “We’re excited, and proud, to also offer this as a combination vessel that can be equipped with a pump for those agencies that need marine fire suppression capabilities,” commented Mr Connor.

“As more demands are placed on the fire service everywhere, we are doing our utmost to support responders with the modern boats that they need now. That’s why this design can be used in tough weather conditions in many locations,” he added.

The company, based in Ontario, Canada, is a division of Connor Industries, which has been building heavy-duty custom commercial boats and recreational boats for three decades.

Based on the company’s experiences with extreme weather, Stanley engineers created a unique wheelhouse design that provides rescuers with protection from the elements, but also provides a ‘fore-and-aft pass-through’ to ease on-board crew movement while underway. The boat is also equipped with dive doors, diver safety rails, pushknees, lifting davit, and a tow-post for maximum utility.

It features Stanley’s 72 -wide Bullnose bow gate that enables crews to retrieve persons or objects from the water, and to load equipment from shore, making Charleston’s boat beachable.

The 10 beam offers maximum stability and comes with a tri-axle trailer for saltwater launches.

The vessel is also equipped with advanced electronics which were purposely selected by Charleston County Rescue, to fit their wide ranging activities. https://stanleyboats.ca/

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At a ceremony held on Friday 17th November at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld (DSHa), the naming of ISA Towage BV’s new Damen Shoalbuster 3209 ‘ISA’ took place. The godmother of the ISA was Mrs. Miranda Mastenbroek, wife of Willem-Harm Mastenbroek, owner and managing director of ISA Towage B.V.

Miranda Mastenbroek

The Shoalbuster 3209 is the second vessel to be purchased from Damen by ISA Towage B.V. A smaller Shoalbuster 2709, also called ISA, was delivered at the close of 2016, and it has now been replaced by the 3209. The decision to make the upgrade is the result of an offer made to Willem-Harm Mastenbroek by Jos van Woerkum, managing director of DSHa. “When he offered us the opportunity to upgrade to a Shoalbuster 3209 that had just been just completed, it was just too good to miss,” says Willem-Harm Mastenbroek. ISA Towage’s current client at the time had recently informed them that their existing vessel did not have sufficient bollard pull for their next contract and that 50 tonnes of bollard pull would be needed. So the decision to make the step up to a bigger vessel with more capabilities was easily made and later in the summer the new 3209 replaced its predecessor in the Baltic Sea. In addition to allowing the company to fulfil its current contract, the new acquisition allows them to explore new and better opportunities, and to take on a wider range of contracts.

Shoalbusters are among the most versatile vessels in Damen’s unrivalled range of workboats. The name references their ability to operate in shallow waters, but the 32-metre long, 9-metre wide ISA is also ready for a broad spectrum of operations including towing, mooring, pushing, anchor handling and dredging support. To achieve this, ISA Towage specified an equipment package that includes twin Caterpillar engines delivering 3500 bhp for 52 tonnes of bollard pull and a top speed of 11 knots, an HS Marine deck crane giving 8 tonnes of lift at 16-metres, and a 50-tonne towing and a 12-tonne tugger winch. The fully air-conditioned interior has comfortable accommodation for up to seven crew. All the necessary modifications were carried out within a four-week period.

We planned the christening for the 17th of November back in the summer, although that was a wild guess as we didn’t know then if the ISA would be available,” said ISA Towage’s Willem-Harm Mastenbroek. “She started in service with us at the end of July, so we knew there was a very good chance that the vessel would not be there but on some contract far away. Fortunately that was not the case and on the day the ISA was moored at the Damen yard in Hardinxveld. It was a beautiful, cold autumn day with lots of sunshine, which made it extra special! After the bottle broke - in one go – we had a great party. All in all it was a beautiful day for my wife and me!”

Jos van Woerkum, managing director of DSHa, added: “This was the result of a fortuitous concurrence of circumstances in which a customer seeking a Shoalbuster 2709 allowed us to offer them the smaller ISA while at the same time we at DSHa were able to give ISA Towage B.V. the opportunity to upgrade to a Shoalbuster 3209. In the event, the proposition worked well for ISA Towage while we at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld were able to complete both sides of the deal.

We can now look back both to a productive partnership between ISA Towage B.V. and our yard, as well as to a successful naming ceremony and party for the Shoalbuster 3209 ISA, and we wish her and her crew safe voyaging.” www.damen.com

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Magnetic robot for hull inspections Deep Trekker introduced a new underwater inspection vehicle to the North American market at the 2017 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans, Louisiana recently - the Deep Trekker DT640 Utility Crawler.

Equipped with an HD camera, magnetic wheels, and a multitude of application specific add-ons, the Crawler is capable of performing a wide array of tasks for the workboat industry. The magnetic hull inspection vehicle is said to be versatile and easy to deploy at a moment’s notice.

Deep Trekker President and CEO Sam Macdonald spoke about demonstrating the company’s latest products, including remotely operated vehicles or underwater drones, at this year’s International WorkBoat Show. “The new DT640 Utility Crawler product line has been developed by listening to the needs of the industry and our customers, and we are thrilled to be showcasing it in New Orleans. Deep Trekker continues to innovate to provide the easiest to use and most portable inspection technologies, without compromising durability or capabilities.”

Submersible to 50 metres, the DT640 Utility Crawler houses its own on-board batteries, making deployment quick and easy for tasks such as contraband inspections and testing hull integrity. Magnetic wheels and various add-ons permit diverse applications such as scraping away marine growth, testing hull thickness, or examining for invasive species while in port. The Utility Crawler has both military and municipal applications as well.

With magnetic wheels, the DT640 Utility MagCrawler can crawl along vertical and horizontal angles to inspect the integrity of a ship’s hull, even underwater. Instead of dry docking or returning the ship to port, crew members can immediately inspect the hull via live video on the handheld controller or do inspections with an integrated sonar to look for problems or concerns.

When entering ports, authorities or crew can efficiently check areas of interest for contraband, invasive species, or security threats.

Outfit the device with a pressure washer in order to remove dirt, debris, rust scale and more for spot inspections, all of which can be piloted with the handheld controller.

The dozer attachment is designed to Tel: +44(0) 2392 472710 remove hard marine growth by scraping Mob: +44(0) 7850 473713 surfaces with 50lbs of force.

E-Mail: info@fdsukltd.com The DT640 Utility Magnetic Crawler can Web: www.fdsukltd.com also determine the thickness of metal on corroded and coated structures by mounting a thickness gauge probe on its Diver R.O.V. & Crane Operated Dredging Systems. Multipurpose & arm. The magnets give the Utility Crawler Mini dredging systems for the removal of fines, silt, mud’s, drill cuttings, the ability to travel in almost any direction sand, grit, gravel, shingle, shale & general debris. Suitable for confined space operations or locations where access is a problem. All on-shore on ferrous metal surfaces.

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civil applications. Shallow & deepwater offshore support operations.

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Lightweight, road & air transportable environmentally friendly units.

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HYPACK ADDS SUPPORT FOR SONARDYNE SOLSTICE SONAR IN HYDROGRAPHIC SOFTWARE PACKAGES

HYPACK, a Xylem brand, has announced that its market-leading HYPACK® MAX and HYSWEEP® hydrographic surveying packages can now be used to process and display data from Sonardyne’s Solstice side-scan sonar.

With over 10,000 users around the world, HYPACK is the most widely used hydrographic software package in the world. The addition of the Sonardyne proprietary file format to the data converter in HYPACK MAX and HYSWEEP means that HYPACK users can gather Solstice sonar data, process it through their editors and generate final products.

The data converter supports both the intensity and bathymetry data generated by Solstice. Options in the converter allow users to select full resolution side-scan, along with binned or full resolution, swath bathymetry. The resultant output file can be processed in the 64-bit HYSWEEP editor, MBMax64, for multibeam processing or in the HYPACK targeting and mosaicking program, HYSCAN, for side-scan data.

Solstice is a Multi Aperture Sonar (MAS) designed for Search, Classify and Map (SCM) and Hydrographic operations with integrated swath bathymetry. It has been tailored for low-logistic AUVs and gathers high resolution imagery that can be used for automatic target recognition, hydrography and post-mission analysis. With an along-track resolution of 0.15°, the imagery produced by Solstice is considered to be of the highest quality possible from a side-scan sonar.

The HYPACK MAX software has everything required to design a survey, collect, process and generate final products from single beam data, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom, ADCP and magnetometers. The HYSWEEP licence includes the modules for multibeam data collection and processing and is required to process Solstice interferometric data.

“The addition in the data converter allows folks to use our software to take full advantage of Sonardyne’s Solstice sonar. MBMax64 quickly handles the bathymetry through automated and manual filters, and interactive editing whislt HYSCAN creates the sidescan mosaic. Combined, the end result is a co-located data set that can be combined and analysed in HYPACK.” comments NHarold Orlinsky, General Manager of HYPACK Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager for Sonardyne added, “HYPACK has a long track record in the industry and it’s great that our customers can now count on this powerful software suite to manage their projects and generate client deliverables.”

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Valeport MIDAS SVX2 selected by Saab Kockums

The Valeport MIDAS SVX2: four customised probes have been supplied to Saab Kockums

One of the leading manufacturers of oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrumentation, Valeport, has announced its contract to supply four customised MIDAS SVX2 probes to Saab Kockums.

The MIDAS SVX2 is an advanced probe, combining sound velocity with salinity and density technologies to provide a versatile instrument which delivers superior data profiles.

The MIDAS SVX2 was selected for its commercial off the shelf (COTS) status which contributed to project cost and lead time efficiency.

Swedish manufacturer, Saab Kockums, develops leadingedge, world-class naval technology to design, build and maintain naval surface vessels and submarines that incorporate the most advanced stealth technology.

Kevin Edwards, Valeport sales & marketing manager, commented: “Valeport’s COTS approach means that the latest sensor technology is available at optimal cost and lead time. Our products can be customised to suit surface vessel and submarine requirements and we are proud that Valeport instruments are in regular operational use.”

Valeport is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrumentation. www.valeport.co.uk

Del Norte Technology Ltd

Del Norte Technology Ltd is an ISO9001 2015 quality specialised Hydrographic Survey and Dredge company that supplies, installs, trains to support the industry. Together with Hypack Inc Hypack, Hysweep and DredgePack software the whole hydrographic capability is taken care of.

On display on our stand at trade exhibitions are all the Hypack software, Ceehydro systems product range together with Tritech Sidescan Sonar, sub-bottom profiling instruments and a surprise package for Multi-beam Hydrographic surveys.

Equipment commonly supplied apart from the Hypack Single Beam, Multi-Beam and DredgePack software are Tide Gauges from Valeport, Echo Sounders such as Cee Hydro systems Ceescope product range, Sub-bottom profilers from Syqwest, Mini Swath systems from Ross Industries, Novatel RTK and Hemisphere DGPS receivers with all associated parts and cables to suite. WAASP Mult-Beam system is a new addition to our product line.

We will advise only quality products but also supply what the customer requires to satisfy the system requirements and purchased from UK representative companies where required.

Call Laurie Smith +44(0)1803 844555, Mob +44(0)7836 741288, for a free consultation, advice and planning for you next project.

Tritech Starfish Sidescan Sonar

Mini SVP Profiler

Syqwest Strata Box

Ceescope DGPS Echo Sounder

Ross Mini Swath

Del Norte Technology Ltd 3 Douglas Avenue, Brixham, S Devon TQ5 9EL UK Tel: +44 (0)1803 844555 Email: delnorte@btconnect.com

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ASV Global delivers autonomous system to the Canadian Hydrographic Service ASV Global has converted a 26ft hydrographic survey launch to enable it to operate autonomously using the proven ASView control system, while maintaining its ability to operate in a conventional manned mode.

The launch, which is part of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) fleet dedicated to the survey operations of the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), will be used as a test platform for unmanned survey work.

This delivery to the CHS marks ASV Global’s 10th unmanned conversion of a customer vessel using the ASView system.

ASView enables the launch to follow planned missions giving it the capability to operate as a standalone survey launch controlled from the shore or as a force multiplier controlled from another vessel.

ASView seamlessly interfaces with the launch’s existing engine, steering and navigation systems to enable autonomous operation. The launch is connected to a remote station via a suite of IP radios enabling real-time monitoring of the survey acquisition data and vessel parameters.

The launch is equipped with an advanced collision avoidance system using radar and AIS to ensure its safe operation. Situational awareness is provided by five onboard cameras with audio feedback. ASView monitors the launch’s onboard sensors including depth, engine and battery health status alerting the remote station of any potential hazards.

ASV Global Sales & Marketing Director, Vince Dobbin said “We’re very excited to be working with the CHS as it looks to integrate autonomous technology into its operations.

We support their passion for using innovative ways of working to improve safety and maximise efficiencies at sea”.

ASV Global’s team of autonomous systems engineers worked closely with the CHS team, completing the installation and acceptance tests onsite in Canada over the course of five weeks. Following on-water testing, ASV Global delivered its MCA recognised Maritime Autonomous System Operator training course to delegates from CHS and CCG. ASView is ASV Global’s proprietary control system, developed and optimised specifically for autonomous and remote control of unmanned vessels and the conversion of manned vessels for unmanned use. In continuous development since 2008, ASView has been deployed on over 90 unmanned new build and retrofitted vessels. The proven system has accumulated over 1500 days of unmanned operations.

Picture shows: Garrot, a Canadian Coast Guard’s launch dedicated to the hydrographic survey operations of the Canadian Hydrographic Service recently converted to unmanned mode

by ASV Global. Courtesy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. www.asvglobal.com

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Routine Bristol Port survey reveals Brunswick wreck The remains of a cargo ship wrecked in the Bristol Channel over 100 years ago have been identified during routine survey.

Picture shows: Views of the Welsh Hook sandbank from Bristol Port Company surveys in 2014 and 2017.

In 2017 shifting sands revealed the wreck that had been completely hidden.

(Image courtesy The Bristol Port Company)

The entire buoyed channel of the Bristol Port Company’s statutory harbour area is surveyed in full over a three-year period, and the area for investigation in 2017 was the Bristol Deep, off the coast of Clevedon. When the location of the wreck was last surveyed, in June 2014, the area lay beneath an average of 5m of sand, and no trace of the sunken ship was seen - neither is it mentioned in records going back 40 years.

During the latest survey, however, the shifting sandbank near the Welsh Hook had moved, and the shape of a ship could be clearly seen.

This was confirmed by a second survey using a multibeam echosounder to collect detailed data about the wreck. This revealed a wealth of information about the vessel’s form: it was a fairly large craft measuring some 65m long by 9m wide, with the bridge located amidships, and a raised forecastle and aft deck. A clearly defined hold could also be seen in front of the bridge, leading to the wreck being interpreted as a late 19th- or early 20th-century cargo ship.

As for the wreck’s identity, Historic England suggests that the most likely candidate is the English cargo vessel Brunswick, which got stranded on the Welsh Hook on Christmas Eve 1900. It is the only one of 29 recorded wrecks in the area that was a large, metal-hulled cargo vessel, and the Brunswick’s dimensions are also a good match for those of the sunken ship.

A full report on the wreck has been sent to all relevant authorities, including Historic England, and it is likely that the wreck will soon be swallowed by the sandbank once more; the latest survey suggests that the Welsh Hook’s highly mobile sands are already starting to reclaim, and protect, the wreckage. www.bristolport.co.uk

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Predicting the movement of

unexploded ordnance in the North Sea

If their locations are not precisely known, the presence of unexploded wartime ordnance in the sea can present an obvious hazard, such as during the construction of offshore grid connections, and, in particular, during the laying of cables to bring offshore wind energy to shore. HR Wallingford has been using its Fast Flow Facility to help TenneT and the University of Rostock to obtain data that will help to predict the movement of unexploded ordnance in the North Sea.

PICTURE SHOWS FROM LEFT: Esther Gomes, Prof Richard Whitehouse, Clemens Schütt (University of Rostock), Tjark Mehring (TenneT), Dr Anja Drews (TenneT), Dr Peter Menzel (University of Rostock), Dr David Todd and Joe Mitchell with the 1:1 scale model WWII bomb at HR Wallingford’s Fast Flow Facility

Potential sites for offshore cable routes and platform locations undergo a dedicated unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey, often followed by the identification and disposal of debris and, in a few cases, of UXO prior to installation. While these surveys allow UXO locations to be pinpointed on a particular date, the action of currents and waves may mean that the UXO migrate over time, making it necessary to repeat these UXO measures, for example in the case of a cable repair.

Funded by TenneT, the University of Rostock in Germany has developed a model of unexploded ordnance movement for which it has already conducted small-scale modelling at the University. Now, with co-funding from TenneT, a leading European electricity transmission system operator (TSO) that supplies electricity to 41 million end-users in the Netherlands and Germany, this new project is seeking to generate large-scale data to better inform and validate this model.

Dr Peter Menzel, from the Sediment Transport Research Group at the University of Rostock, said: “We have provided a model of a 1:1 scale 250 lb World War II bomb and other typical unexploded ordnance at 1:2 scale. The ability of the Fast Flow Facility to replicate the scour, self-burial and mobilisation processes involved with UXO prediction at full-scale gives us great confidence in the results. We are investigating self-burial, so how deeply UXO bury themselves over time, as well as mobilisation current speeds, that is, how current speed affects the movement of UXO, as well as how rates of flow affect scour around UXO.” Prof. Richard Whitehouse, Chief Technical Director, Sediment Dynamics at HR Wallingford, said: “In these experiments, we are using our expertise in the analysis and modelling of marine scour processes. Our Fast Flow Facility provides a controlled environment in which to evaluate the effects of currents on full-sized UXO, and so provide the University of Rostock with validated data across a range of flow conditions, burial depths and mobilisation speeds.

Dr Anja Drews, TenneT, said: “Being able to know and to quantify the circumstances under which unexploded ordnance move enables us to determine appropriate UXO measures in renewable marine energy projects . By funding this research, we are helping to ensure that knowledge in the industry about UXO movement is as accurate as possible, improving safety by quantifying, and thereby minimising, the risk to people and equipment.” www.hrwallingford.com

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Be specifically qualified

for the ‘job in hand’

by Nick Kincart, Sea School Principal, Boatability Portsmouth Ltd

With the rapid growth of blame culture in the UK it is becoming increasingly important to ensure you are appropriately qualified for the job in hand!

A lot of organisations are still not aware that if a boat is being used for financial gain or reward, e.g. safety boat, then the boat and it’s skipper must be commercially coded/endorsed. This can be a bit of a mine field when it comes to how you achieve commercial skipper status and to what level of cover you need. There are numerous ways of achieving this, there is the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) routes as well as a local authority if available.

If taking the RYA or local route you will normally need the following core competences: • RYA VHF DSC Radio Operators Licence - Normally 1 day but can now be taken online however the mandatory assessments must be taken at an appropriate RYA training centre.

• RYA First Aid or equivalent (providing the RYA/MCA accept it) - 1 day (3 yearly renewal required) • RYA Sea Survival or equivalent - 1 day • RYA Professional Practices & Responsibilities (PPR) - Online option only available for this course.

• ML5 or ENG1 Medical You will also need an appropriate boating qualification such as the RYA Level 2 (can be commercially endorsed). Once qualified this can be used to carry fare paying passengers for up to 3 miles from a NOMINATED safe haven in daylight hours only. The Level 2 course takes two days to complete.

RYA Advanced Powerboat (needs to be independently assessed by an external verifier after you have completed the Advanced Course, this assessment is priced separately and paid direct to the assessor). This will enable you to carry fare paying passengers by day or by night up to 20 miles from a safe haven (doesn’t need to be nominated).

RYA Day Skipper - As above but daylight hours only - 5 day theory followed by 5 day practical RYA Yachtmaster - (assessment is independently priced as for the Advanced PB). This will cover you for up to 60 miles offshore by day or by night. A further 5 day theory followed by another 5 days practical.

The RYA will then charge a further £33 for the commercial endorsement itself.

You then have the MCA Tier 1 and Tier 2 Boatmaster routes, which you can find plenty of information on via the MCA website.

Not so common is the Boatmans or qualifications such as the Thames Waterman licence, which is normally council approved via a Competent Harbour Authority such as the Harbour Master Portsmouth or Port of London Authority (PLA).

Before applying for a Commercial licence/course you are supposed to have prior experience in boating before applying for the endorsement; and depending on where you are working you may also need to hold the STCW95 or BOSIET in addition to some or even all of the above. www.boatability.co.uk

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The Underwater Centre supports Advanced Submarine Rescue System training The Underwater Centre, one of the world’s leading providers of subsea testing and training, based on the tidal waters of Loch Linnhe in Fort William, has successfully delivered two bespoke ROV and Hyperbaric System Acquaintance training courses as well as providing 19 days of operational support to JFD, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, as part of their training delivery to one of the world’s largest navies.

Training delivery began with the Specialist Diving Team creating and delivering a theoretical and practical 4-day Hyperbaric Systems Acquaintance Course to 12 delegates covering topics such as hyperbaric systems, chamber control and procedures, gas handling and analysers, plus an overview of decompression tables. Delegates also received practical experience of the barge-based saturation system; diving bell, transfer lock and main chamber.

For the practical training, JFD teamed up with U-Boat Worx with the provision of their SYS3.21 3-person submersible allowing the delegates to become familiar with submersible operations. JFD also used a range of The Underwater Centre’s facilities to store and mobilise the submersible, as well as deliver the training; including 30T crane, mechanical workshop, classrooms, FRC, workboat fitted with a crane and flat-bed truck.

A theory and vessel-based bespoke 2-day ROV Acquaintance Course was also created and delivered, incorporating the Centre’s onshore workshop, WROV VMAX simulator and vessel-based operational WROV and Launch & Recovery System (LARS). Delegates received a range of informative lectures around ROV systems, standard operational procedures including pre-dive checks and LARS procedures. The bespoke course concluded with practical learning on-board our dedicated WROV vessel where LARS operations and procedures were practiced.

Steve Ham, The Underwater Centre’s Commercial Director, commented on the level of support and training provided commenting, “We have a long history of providing worldclass training and our unique subsea testing site in Fort William gave JFD the platform to successfully complete naval personnel training. Our extremely competent team of diving, ROV, and support staff and array of equipment and vessels ensured the safe and timely delivery of this training and testing for JFD.” The Centre’s unique location can accommodate various complexities of trials and testing projects owing to the mixture of facilities, equipment and staff; deep water subsea testing site down to 150m, 500m private pier, electrical and mechanical workshops, 1.5m litre onshore tank, specialised ROV training suite and WROV simulator, land and water-based vehicles including work boats, FRCs, ROV vessels, diving barges, crane, fork lift and transport vehicles.

JFD provides fast, safe and reliable submarine rescue services to the Royal Australian Navy, as well as NATO and Singapore. This encompasses all levels of submarine rescue capability, from operator training and maintenance of existing systems, to complete delivery of systems and emergency services. www.theunderwatercentre.com

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India’s Director General seeks improvements to

maritime training system

India’s Director General of Shipping, Malini V. Shankar, is pressing for significant changes to be made to the country’s maritime training sector to ensure that cadets have a good chance of securing employment.

At present, it is alleged, the quality of training received is often not up to the required standard, leaving many graduates of maritime training institutes unemployed at the end of their studies.

According to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), in 2016-17 half of the 15,500 available BE/B-Tech places available were vacant due to the poor record of employability of many private colleges. If no action is taken India risks being further overtaken as a source of maritime labour at a time of growing global skills shortage.

The Director General suggested there is a need to improve the examination system through online assessments, and having improved exit checks to stop corrupt practices, such as the awarding of certificates to students who have not attended the required classes.

Speaking to a special conference held in Mumbai in December on maritime training and education, she said: “I’m not here to close down training institutes or control them. But think of the many mothers and fathers who had to spend their entire life-time earnings to send their sons for maritime training. It’s only fair to expect the training institutes to return the favour in full and not short change them.”

India has more than 130 maritime training institutes and the Directorate General of Shipping has introduced a comprehensive inspection programme (CIP) to grade them based on various parameters, including how successful they are in securing employment placements. Consequently any candidate who wants to pursue a career at sea can now go to the DGS website to find out which institutions have the best placement rate record.

Some other suggestions now being considered by DGS include making a biometric attendance system compulsory for facility and students; the video recording of practical training elements, such as lifeboat and fire drills; and centralised exit examinations for modular courses.

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The Underwater Centre provides Kawasaki AUV testing site

The Underwater Centre has successfully supported the delivery of a complex Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) operational testing project in collaboration with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd (KHI).

This significant 15-day operational trial was planned for almost two years and involved the use of workshops, vessels, deep water test sites, ROVs and specialist support staff, amongst other assets.

With a focus on the growing demands for pipeline maintenance in the offshore oil and gas fields, Kawasaki has been developing cutting-edge component technologies of AUVs, utilising the sophisticated underwater vehicle technologies deployed by Kawasaki internally.

The operational subsea trial used a prototype AUV and charging station; tasks included automated docking of the AUV to the in-water charging station, contactless charging and largecapacity optical communication tests.

A high level of experienced and specialist support was provided to Kawasaki to deliver deployment, operational and recovery assistance utilising the Centre’s array of transport vehicles, crane, WROV and vessels.

The Underwater Centre provided the use of its mechanical workshop to allow Kawasaki to prepare the AUV to help ensure that the team and equipment were well prepared for the testing phase. The Centre’s ROV team mobilised both WROV and OBSROV assets in support of the deployment of a test station and provision of footage of the AUV in the water.

During the trial, representatives from major oil and gas companies, underwater vehicle and equipment operating companies, UK subsea scientific and government organisations attended the Fort William test site to view demonstrations.

Steve Ham, The Underwater Centre’s Commercial Director, commented on the successful trial saying, “This was a major subsea trial of AUV technology in UK waters. Kawasaki chose us for their testing due to the unique combination of equipment, facilities and subsea test site. Our personnel worked tirelessly to support Kawasaki and it’s a further testament to our dedicated operational team, plus the range of vehicles, equipment and assets available, that mean we can support complex trials and testing such as this.”

The Centre’s unique location can accommodate various complexities of trials and testing projects owing to the mixture of facilities, equipment and staff; deep water subsea testing site down to 150m, 500m private pier, electrical and mechanical workshops, 1.5m litre onshore tank, training and testing areas, land and water-based vehicles including work boats, FRCs, ROV vessels, diving barges, crane, fork lift and transport vehicles. www.theunderwatercentre.com

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Rolls-Royce and Mitsui O.S.K. lines to work together to develop intelligent awareness for ships

Rolls-Royce has signed a deal with Japanese multi-modal transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), to collaborate in the development of its intelligent awareness system.

The collaboration will be on board 165 metre passenger ferry Sunflower, which is owned and operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ subsidiary company. Sunflower operates on a 222-nautical mile route between Kobe and Oita via the Akashi Kaikyo, Bisan Seto and Kurushima Straits.

Rolls-Royce Intelligent awareness systems will make vessels safer, easier and more efficient to operate by providing crew with an enhanced understanding of their vessel’s surroundings. This will be achieved by fusing data from a range of sensors with information from existing ship systems; such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) and radar. Data from other sources, including global databases, will also have a role.

Kenta Arai, Director at Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, said: “Ferry Sunflower operates in some of the most congested waters in the world and will provide an opportunity to test rigorously Rolls-Royce’s intelligent awareness system. We also expect it to provide our crews with a more informed view of a vessel’s surroundings in an accessible and user friendly way. This can give our crews an enhanced decision support tool, increasing their safety and that of our vessels. This is a significant challenge to front-line technology leading to our ultimate goal of autonomous sailing.”

Asbjørn Skaro, Rolls-Royce, Director Digital & Systems - Marine, said: “We are exploring and testing how to combine sensor technologies effectively and affordably. Pilot projects such as this allow us to see how they can be best adapted to the needs of the customer and their crews so that our product effectively meets the needs of both.

“Successful pilots and product development programmes are also an important step towards the further development of remote and autonomous vessels and meeting our goal of having a remote controlled ship in commercial use by the end of the decade.”

Rolls-Royce expects to be able to undertake an Approval of Concept and have its intelligent awareness product commercially available in 2018.

The system builds on experiences from R&D work worldwide. The intelligent awareness system will benefit from Rolls-Royce’s extensive experience in the Tekes funded project Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA), which has been running since June 2015. The company has been conducting a series of tests of the sensor arrays in a range of operating and climatic conditions on board Finferries’ 65 metre double ended ferry Stella, which operates between Korpo and Houtskär in the Archipelago Sea on the southwest coast of Finland. www.rolls-royce.com

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New CEO for Port of Helsinki

The Port of Helsinki Ltd has named Ville Haapasaari as its new CEO who will focus on the development of the port’s service provision and passenger experience going forward.

In recent years, Mr Haapasaari has led Helsinki Airport to great success in his challenging role as airport director. Prior to this, he spent 14 years at Finnlines, in roles including line manager and vice president, sales.

“I see a great deal of similarities between running an airport and running a port,” comments Mr Haapasaari.

“My experience will provide good foundations for the development of the service provision and passenger experience at the Port of Helsinki. At the same time, I am also returning to an operating environment that I am already familiar with.”

Mr Haapasaari will be managing a wide variety of operations, from public-private cooperation and customer interfaces to major investments.

He will begin his new role as CEO at the port in spring 2018.

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Can your bollards deal with this?

The vessel and mooring line raises the question: Are your bollards fit to take this?

BollardScan Eye Ball Mk1

BollardScan in motion...

Ultra sound test Integrity test

Integrity testing by BollardScan will determine YES or NO.

BollardScan Ltd, e-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge South Business Park, Houghton Le Spring, Tyne & Wear DH4 5QY E: info@bollardscan.com M: +44 (0) 7853 271190 W: www.bollardscan.com