Ferry Update 1-2012 by DNV GL (old account)

Ă&#x2026;land/ Mariehamn

Fast ships for the Taiwan trades

ferry update

A Ro-Pax for the future

News from DNV to the ferry industry

No 01 2012

contents

04 Åland/Mariehamn

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Fast ships for the Taiwan trades

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A Ro-Pax for the future

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ferry update The journey to Åland is half the experience..........................4 From ferries to renewables...............................................................6 Rooted in history and in good shape for the future......10 Carus offers solutions to the global ferry market.......14 Interferry – representing the ferry industry worldwide.................................................................................................16 Interferry – looking forward to the challenges ahead............................................................................................................18 MF Boknafjord – the world’s largest gas ferry...................20 Fast ships for the Taiwan trades..................................................24 From a regional steamboat shipping company to an internationally operating group.................................28 Education of an innocent seafarer ..........................................32 STQ – a signiFIcant player in the ferry industry3��34 BC Ferries....................................................................................................36 The S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa’s newest polar research vessel.........................................................................40 Daea Express Shipping – vision to link North East Asia with ferry service.................................................................................44 Maritime development projects across Africa.....................48 Running ferries on electrical batteries.................................50 A Ro-Pax for the future.....................................................................54 Not a very routine work-day..........................................................56 The power to handle the complexity of risk.......................58 Easy access to DNV rules and standards on tablets and mobile devices.......................................................62 Keep updated on DNV rules and standards.............................63

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Published by DNV Maritime and Oil & Gas, Market Communications. Editorial committee: Hilde Smedal Thunes, Head of Department Statutory Classification Support David Wendel, Customer Service Manager Editor: Magne A. Røe Production: Lisbeth Aamodt Design and layout: CoorMedia.com 1206-037 Front cover photo: ©DNV/Magne A. Røe Please direct any enquiries to DNVUpdates@dnv.com Online edition of ferry update: www.dnv.com/ferryupdate DNV (Det Norske Veritas AS) NO-1322 Høvik, Norway Tel: +47 67 57 99 00 Fax: +47 67 57 99 11 © Det Norske Veritas AS www.dnv.com

eDitOrial

hilde smedal thunes head of department statutory Classification support Hilde.Smedal.Thunes@dnv.com

on board the Baltic Queen, the first dinner of the ferry shipping conference 2012 is drawing to an end. The gentleman sitting next to me looks at his watch and announces that we are about to enter the port of mariehamn for a short stop. he knows this because he happens to be the former master of the Baltic Queen. i look at my watch as well, see that it is almost midnight and, a bit surprised, ask why we are going via this harbour at this time of day, especially since the waters are quite narrow and rather challenging. The answer comes quickly – “tax free”. aha – but how have the Åland islands managed to stay outside the swedish and finnish tax zones? and how have these small islands become such a hub for ferry shipping? This needed further investigation … it is august and we are back on a ferry sailing into mariehamn – and i promise you the shipping lane is narrow – to learn more about the shipping history of the Åland islands and about some of the shipping companies operating here. so in this edition of ferry update, we start off in mariehamn and then expand our view and give you stories from ferry operations around the world – i hope you enjoy the read!

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Front page picture: the POMMERN – a uNiQue MuseuM shiP at MariehaMN iN the ÅlaND islaNDs the four-masted sailing vessel Pommern is the only ship of its kind in the world that is preserved in its original condition! she was built in Glasgow, scotland for a German shipping company and launched in 1903. in 1923, she was bought by Gustaf erikson, a shipowner in Mariehamn who eventually owned the largest sailing ship fleet in the world. she sailed until the outbreak of the second world war in 1939 and during that time she only visited her home harbour five times. she shipped wheat between australia and the uK, among other things. since 1957, the Pommern has been a museum ship moored next to the Åland Maritime Museum in Mariehamn’s western harbour. the Pommern is a splendid monument representing a proud era in sailing – and in the Åland islands’ history. source: www.visitaland.com

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Åland

The journey to Åland is half the experience

The Åland Islands are situated in the heart of Scandinavia, midway between Stockholm and Helsinki. Most people find the boat trip impressive. You can see Sweden’s, Finland’s and Åland’s archipelagos on the way. You can also fly there via Finland and Sweden.

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Rosella servicing the stretch between Kappelskär and Mariehamn.

The ferries are actually more like cruise liners. Most travellers from abroad are surprised to find that such enormous vessels operate among such small islands. The boats run several times a day. They have restaurants, entertainment and taxfree shops on board. Tickets are surprisingly cheap, particularly considering they are floating shopping and entertainment palaces.

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Ferries The shortest route from Sweden leaves from Grisslehamn or Kapellskär outside Norrtälje and takes two hours. From Stockholm there are several route variations. From Finland you can either travel on the smaller archipelago ferries or on the ferries from Turku and Helsinki. If you are travelling from Estonia you would opt for Tallink from Tallin.

Archipelago ferry from Finland You can take the beautiful sea route from Osnäs or Galtby in Finland, through the archipelago to Hummelvik on Vårdö or to Långnäs in Lumparland on the main island, Fasta Åland. 

ÅlaND

eVerythiNg yOu NeeD tO kNOW aBOut ÅlaND the Åland islands are situated between sweden and Finland, in the northern part of the Baltic sea. they constitute an autonomous and monolingual swedish region of Finland with its own flag. Åland also has its own stamps and internet top-level domain (.ax). a total of 27,500 people live in Åland. about 11,000 of them live in Åland’s only town, Mariehamn. the town was founded in 1861 and today it is the commercial and political centre. it is also Åland’s seat of government.

e a. røe © dnV/Magn

Trade and industry the islands’ main industries include shipping, trade, banking, farming and the production of food items. shipping has always been a particularly important activity for the region and, in terms of characterising the Ålanders, there is no other industry like it. Visit the Maritime Museum, the Museum ship pommern and the Maritime Quarter in Mariehamn to find out more about the islands’ fascinating maritime history. Åland’s landmarks the things that make Åland unique are its unspoiled archipelago and the beautiful bedrock, worn smooth by glacier ice, that gets its red colour from the area’s rapakivi granite. Åland’s 6,500 islands have a world to offer where the sea is always nearby. did you know that Åland has more sunshine hours than anywhere else in northern europe between May and august?

another of Åland’s distinctive traits is the midsummer sight of maypoles, colourful garlands and olde worlde windmills. you can see some of them in the Jan Karlsgården open air museum in Kastelholm where you’ll also get to see what a typical Ålander farm looked like around the end of the 19th century.

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From the exhibit at Åland Maritime Museum.

Åland in brief • Inhabitants: 27,500 • Part of Finland and a member of the EU • Within the Schengen area • Language: Swedish • Currency: The official currency is the euro but swedish crowns are accepted in most places. • Time: Eastern European Time • Total area: 6 787 sq km • A total of more than 6,500 islands of which 65 are inhabited. source: www.visitaland.com

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Viking Line

From ferries to renewables Still a Director of Viking Line, former CEO Nils-Erik Eklund has established his own company, Ecolocus, dealing with renewables and smart, zero-energy houses as well as shipping solutions. But we will have to leave Ecolocus for another occasion as we are visiting the “grand old man” of the Åland Islands’ shipping industry to talk about just that and the history of Viking Line. The Åland Islands have a thriving ferry industry, with roots going back to the late 1950s, and Viking Line is key to this tradition. Text: Magne A. Røe, DNV

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Photo: DNV/Magne A. RĂ¸e

Viking Line

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: DNV/Magne A. Røe

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Photo: DNV/Magne A. Røe

Viking Line

happened then was that Eklund spent a day examining the ship and in the evening met the broker by chance in the lobby of the White Cliff Hotel. The asking price was GBP 90,000 and Eklund offered GBP 30,000. The broker rang the British Transport Commission and then said to Eklund: “Do you know what they’re saying at the other end of the line?” Eklund replied “No”. “Beg the bloody Finn to go home.” Eklund did so, and upon his return to Åland Islands he was informed by cable that the ship was his for GBP 30,000. Rederiaktiebolaget Vikinglinjen got off to a good start, and the ship was named the S/S Viking. This steam-turbine ship was scrapped in 1974. In the period from 1959 to 2008, Viking Line transported more than 161 million passengers, close to 16 million cars and some 3 million trucks.

history book, Rederiaktiebolaget Vikinglinjen, a limited company that later became a subsidiary of the Åland Islands-based shipping company AB Sally, started operating between Finland and Sweden using the S/S Viking. At the same time, Rederi AB Slite, a Gotland-based ship owner, started to operate between Sweden and the Åland Islands. A few years later, as Rederiaktiebolaget Vikinglinjen moved more into cargo shipping, Gunnar Eklund gathered investors to form a pure car ferry shipping company, Ålandsfärjan AB. “The three ferry owners eventually realized that they would need to merge their operations and in 1966 they established a common marketing company, Vikinglinjen, and repainted all the ferries in Viking Line’s red colour. The ship-owning company changed its name from Rederiaktiebolaget Vikinglinjen to AB Solstad. After this, Ålandsfärjan AB changed its name to SF Line in 1970 and then AB Solstad merged with AB Sally in 1977. “Subsequently, in 1987, AB Sally was acquired by the company that owned Silja Line, following which the latter was ejected from Viking Line. Then, in 1993, AB Slite had to file for bankruptcy in connection

David Wendel and Hilde Smedal Thunes, DNV with Nils-Erik Eklund, Director Viking Line.

“Actually, Viking Line was founded by my father, Gunnar Eklund. For many years he had the vision that the Åland Islands, which are situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, could eventually become a key port in ferry operations between Helsinki/Turku and Stockholm,” says Nils-Erik Eklund. He picks up the phone to call Viking Line, which is situated only a few minutes’ walk from his office, to arrange to give us a copy of a book written for Viking Line in 2009. The book, which is to be found in Swedish, Finnish and English versions gives an interesting account of how Gunnar Eklund and his partner and the later CEO of Rederiaktiebolaget Vikinglinjen, Henning Rundberg (see separate story on Rudberg’s son), spent time finding a suitable ship. They looked through Anex Ltd, a British agency mainly selling World War II Royal Navy escort ships to private interests, for a suitable ship. At the end of January 1959, Anex informed Eklund that one of the bigger Channel ferries was for sale, the S/S Dinard. This was owned by the British Transport Commission and could carry some 70 cars and 700 passengers. What

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When looking at the Viking Line history book, I notice that many of the vessels initially in Viking Line colours also appear with new names and, for instance, in the colours of Silja Line. What are your comments on this? “The ownership structures are a bit complicated but in essence are more or less as follows. In 1959, as mentioned in the

Photo: Viking Line

Viking Line

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Mariella

with its newbuilding, the M/S Europa, which left SF Line as the sole owner of Viking Line. In 1995, SF Line changed its name to Viking Line and has since then been a company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.” Why are Åland Islands-based ferry operators so successful in your view? “We are seafarers by nature, living on a group of 6,000 islands. We have a unique position in that, due to the Åland Islands’ special semi-independent position, we can offer tax-free sales to all ship traffic going to and from the Åland Islands – even here within the EU, as both Finland and the Åland Islands are members. A good point here is that you can travel from Finland to Europe through Sweden – to cross the Baltic to Germany is just too far. Ferries are excellent alternatives and this is one of the good reasons for successful operations. “Another factor is the growth of the Baltic countries like Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. The economy is growing fast in these countries and so is the need for our services. This trade has achieved some extraorinary results and I expect it to continue growing.”

There are many regulations in the pipeline, especially the ECA requirements and the consequences for Baltic trade. Comments? “These regulations, such as the 0,1% sulphur requirements that will come into force and the EEDI that more or less makes it impossible to run a ropax operation, will mean a lot to us as well. There are developments relating to the latter, but we will have to further improve on the emissions side. We have done much already, like for the last twenty years running on fuel with a sulphur content of 0.5 and by installing Humid Air Motor equipment reducing the Mariella’s NOx emissions by some 80 % as well as the ship’s overall fuel consumption by about five percent. We will have to look at other solutions too, such as using LNG as in our newbuilding at STX Turku, Viking Grace, but in the long run I expect a portion of fuel will come from renewable energy sources.” So to draw the line back to the Åland Islands’ unique situation as part of Finland, although in appearance more Swedish than Sweden, and the tax-free trade within the EU. How is this possible?

“Due to its geographical position in the Baltic Sea, the Åland Islands have in the past been Finnish, Swedish and Russian and, to make a long story short, in around 1917 the people of the Åland Islands held a referendum to decide whether they should belong to Sweden or Finland. Some 95 per cent of the population voted for Sweden. Then the League of Nations (the forerunner of the United Nations) decided in 1921 that Finland should retain sovereignty over the Åland Islands, but that these islands were to be an autonomous territory with its own government. When Finland joined the EU, special conditions were negotiated for the Åland Islands and we have kept our tax–free operations and our status in relation to Finland and the EU.” As visitors to the Åland Islands, we can only agree that we feel we are in Sweden. However, the currency of the Åland Islands – the Euro and not Swedish crowns – reminds us of the islands’ status as an autonomous region. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Eckerö

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Birka Paradise

Rooted in history and in good shape for the future After driving a good half hour northwest from Mariehamn on the Åland Islands, you arrive at the port of Eckerö. Just before coming to this port, if you take a left turn down a small road, you will come to the old port, which contains a grand city-style building erected by the Russians in 1828 when the Åland Islands belonged to them. Text: Magne A. Røe, DNV

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eckerö

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Björn Blomquist, Managing director of the eckerö Corporation.

This was the post and customs house and is now a museum. The building was put there to impress the west and underline russia’s importance and dominant position. This is also where the oldest ferry operations between the Åland islands and sweden have their roots and where the eckerö linjen started the traffic. The shortest distance between sweden and the Åland islands is the crossing between eckerö on the Åland islands and grisslehamn in sweden. This stretch of open sea was part of the old postal route between sweden and finland that received official status in a royal decree from Queen kristina in 1636. The first steam ship connection on this route was established 1870 with the small swedish ship postiljonen that could accommodate 39

passengers. after some 10 years of operations, the service was discontinued and it took 80 years before a new regular service was established. services were resumed in 1960 and rederiaktiebolaget eckerö (the parent company in eckerö group) was established on 2 march 1961 and started the traffic between eckerö (aaland islands) and grisslehamn (sweden) under the brand name eckerö linjen. Today the eckerö group operates passenger ships and ferry traffic in the Åland sea and gulf of finland through eckerö line as well as cruise operations between stockholm and mariehamn through birka cruises, while birka cargo carries cargo for the export industry between finland/ sweden and the continent. These companies have some 1,200 employees and carry 2.7 million passengers and 80,000 units of cargo on operated lines each year. “The paper trade is important to us through holmen paper in sweden and finnlines and upm seaways in finland. Three of our ships are chartered to

holmen paper, three to finnlines and one to upm seaeways. holmen paper has been very good at also using the ships for return cargo – paper for recycling. The paper trade is actually quite interesting as we transport very many paper qualities and some fibres travels back and forth across the baltic sea no less than six or seven times,” says björn blomquist, managing director of the eckerö group. Since you operate in the Baltic, you will be affected by the ECA limits on the sulphur content in fuel. What is your take on the future here? “some competitors stress the prothat it will be difficult for new entrants to capture any of the baltic markets as a service provider like us, which creates a rather stable market, but our company is more concerned about the downsides of more expensive operations. we can run most of our fleet on lower sulphur fuel, but we are looking for technical solutions. we can also, as we have on one of our ferries, install new

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Eckerö

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Russian built post and customs house at the old port of Eckerö.

engines which have different and more energy efficient characteristics than older engines. We may also have to make costly installations of scrubbers in the short-term perspective.”

and vice versa. After some not too successful merger talks up through the years, Eckerö bought out the owners of the Birka Line in 2007 and took Birka off the stock exchange.”

Ferry operations are what I associate with the Eckerö Group. Please comment on your developments and history. “We started off with two rather small ferries in 1961 but, as the population base here on the Åland Islands is rather small, going for the tourist trade was essential for growth. Since the 1970s, we have also had the Birka Line living a parallel existence to the Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö , and Birka has assisted Eckerö on routes

Please describe your current operations. “Since starting some eight years ago, I have made active efforts to streamline the organisation by having five business areas with common support for economy and finance, IT systems including booking, human resources, purchasing and logistics, business development and fleet management. The five companies we operate are firstly the Eckerö Line, which operates passenger and cargo traffic between Helsinki

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and Tallinn. Then we have Birka Cruises, which operates cruise traffic between Stockholm and Mariehamn. For the ferry traffic between Grisslehamn and Eckerö, we have Eckerö Linjen. This business area also offers tourism and travel products. Williams is a bus and charter traffic line, and finally Birka Cargo is involved in the export trades.” 

Eckerö

Our Fleet

Ro-Ro

Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö was founded on 2 March 1961 and is the parent company of the Eckerö Group which consists of five business units.

ECKERÖ Built 1979, Aalborg Vaerft A/S, Aalborg, Denmark. Length 121 m, breadth 24,5 m. Capacity 1.630 passengers. Cargo capacity: 267 cars, 515 lane meters.

BIRKA TRADER Built 1998, Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 154,5 m, breadth 22,7 m. Lane length: 1.775 lane meters.

NORDLANDIA Built 1981, Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, Germany. Length 154,4 m, breadth 24,7 m. Capacity: 2.000 passengers, 344 cabins/875 beds. Cargo capacity: 400 cars, 720 lane meters.

BALTIC EXELLENT Built 1995, Nymo Werft, Grimstad, Norway. Length 125,2 m, breadth 19,7 m. Lane length: 1.026 lane meters.

The Group provides passenger and car ferry services on the Åland Sea in Eckerölinjen and the Gulf of Finland in Eckerö Line cruises between Stockholm and Mariehamn in Birka Cruises and handles shipments for the export industry between Finland/Sweden and the continent in Birka Cargo. Eckerö Group has a total of 12 ships in the fleet. The Group also operates bus services in Åland in Williams Buss. Eckerö Group currently has approximately 1 200 employees and annual turnover is approximately EUR 230 million. The group annually transports approximately 2.7 million passengers and approximately 80 000 freight units on their own lines.

TRANSLANDIA Built 1976, J J Sietas Schiffswerft, Hamburg, Germany. Length 136 m, breadth 23,7 m. Passengers 104. Lane length: 1.300 lane meters. FINLANDIA Built 2001, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery Ltd., Sydkorea. Length 175 m, breadth 27,6 m. Capacity 2.080 passengers. Cargo capacity: 665 cars, 1.900 lane meters. BIRKA PARADISE Built 2004, Aker Finnyards, Rauma, Finland. Length 177,0 m, breadth 28,0 m. Capacity: 1.800 passengers, 715 cabins/1.800 beds.

BIRKA EXPRESS Built 1997, Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 154,5 m, breadth 22,7 m. Lane length: 1.775 lane meters. BIRKA CARRIER Built 1998, Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 154,5 m, breadth 22,7 m. Lane length 1.775 lane meters. BIRKA TRANSPORTER Built 1991, Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 122,0 m, breadth 19,0 m. Lane length: 1.278 lane meters. BIRKA EXPORTER Built 1991, Fosen Mek. Versteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 122,0 m, breadth 19,0 m. Lane length: 1.278 lane meters. BIRKA SHIPPER Built 1992, Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Rissa, Norway. Length 122,0 m, breadth 19,0 m. Lane length: 1.278 lane meters.

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

carus

carus offers solutions to the global ferry market automated systems for ticketing and bookings, port operations and business intelligence are the main business focus for Åland based Carus pBs ltd. TexT: mAgne A. røe, dnv

Which factors actually gave you the idea of funding Carus? “There are many reasons, but one is that i have worked with bookings in my past. we had many challenges as a ferry operator and especially when looking at the

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growing at a steady phase. Today we are 40 persons in the company and we do our best to be visible globally to win orders. we have achieved a global market share of 35 per cent and for a small Åland based company this is quite an achievement.” © dnV/Magne a. røe photo: dnV/Magne a. røe

we are visiting company ceo anders rundberg who is also deeply rooted in the Åland shipping and ferry industry traditions. his father, henning rundberg was the first ceo and co-founder of viking line back in 1959 (please see separate story on viking line). carus is a highly specialized company, and it is not purely coincidental that the company is in mariehamn on Åland, within a short walking distance from the shipping and ferry cluster on the island such as the port, viking line, eckerö line, the Åland maritime museum – to mention most. anders rundberg is like a living history book of the island and the maritime history as well and the many owner ship constellations, the mergers, the ferries of Åland and the baltic. first and foremost he is the ceo of the high technology, forward looking iT based company carus pbs for the ferry industry and that is the topic of our discussion. anders rundberg is no stranger to the ferry industry having held a number of senior positions with viking line and he has accumulated some 30 years of experience in software, managed services and the ferry industry. he founded carus in 1997 and has been the managing director since.

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anders rundberg, Ceo, Carus pBs ltd.

challenge of having thousands of people and hundreds of cars and truck disembark and embark within a very short timeframe. sometimes this could amount to some 1000 to 1500 cars having to get off and on a ferry and there were unfortunately times when we had overbooked leaving maybe some 50 cars behind. This clearly told me that we need a system that can integrate all the factors of getting people, cargo and vehicles efficiently on and off a ship in a seamless operation. so when i started this back in 1998 we were three boys in a small room creating the first version of the system that went live in 1999. in 2001 carus became a subsidiary of anite Travel and i became part of the uk management team. Then we performed a buy-out in 2008 and we have successfully been on our own since that. we have expanded and we now have customers globally and we are

So exactly what does Carus offer your customers? “well, as technology is our focus, we deliver cutting edge solutions to the passenger shipping industry. we have been supplying reservation and check-in systems, managed services and e-commerce applications to the cruise and ferry industry since 1999 when the first version of the carres system was installed. This system is now in use in europe, north america, australia and africa. what i find important is that our system is now well proven and it offers great scalability. all our customers use the same application source code which we then set up to meet different requirements from different customers to support pure passenger operations, high speed ferries, roro, ropax as well as conventional ferry and cruise operations.” When looking at the operations of a ferry operator starting with the booking tools. What do you offer here? “we have developed a system which makes booking a simple and intuitive, flexible process that is easy to learn. we have made this so that any booking can consist of several travel legs or just point to point. here there are options to book passengers,

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Birka Paradise operating in the Baltic Sea.

freight and passenger vehicles, cabins and seats, restaurants, meetings and conferences. Once a booking has been made there is full support with CarRes for invoicing, payment processing and online credit card authorizations, ticketing, booking amendments as well as any cancellations. At the ports we make the process quite simple and every aspect of check-in and boarding can be automated depending on the different logistics of each individual port. Examples here are Danish operator, Faergen and the Dutch operator Doeksen. Here individuals can check in using their thumb finger print and cars and trucks may use the toll road electronic tags, for instance.” What does the future hold? “I foresee that we will have even more automated systems. We are there already but there will be more to come. We can supply advanced routines for and equipment for booking, check-in and boarding processes. Here we look at systems where the check-in lanes open all year round for both foot passengers and vehicles and this

Photo: Carus PBS Ltd

Carus

Ferry departing for Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA.

will minimize the number of staff required for check-in. Then we have some additional services with lane allocation, camera supervision, number plate recognition, electronic passes and finger print recognition. Automatic vehicle control and height control will verify that any vehicle is actually the one booked for a trip. Integration with other systems a customer may use is also important to us and we make this using a Service Oriented Architecture.” What about the maintenance aspects? “The systems we supply are critical to our customers operations. We call this Managed Service where we take responsibility of the system management and hardware in order to guarantee high availability and good performance. We are open 24 hours a day and we have fully hosted management services to all parts for the world. To add a bit of computer science: We have a stable and scalable solution based on Oracles database technology supporting several operating environments such as Windows, Unix and Linux. Currently CarRes is certified for Oracle 10g and 11g

– for those who connect to these terms of the readers of this article. Finally we have a business intelligence module, enabling any managing director, CEO or CFO to go into any part of the operations in real time to get the status of the operations. In our fast moving business world this may contribute to form the right business decisions.” 

Carus Carus is totally focused on delivering innovative cutting edge solutions to the passenger shipping industry. Our head office is located in Finland on the Åland Islands, the center of the northern Baltic ferry traffic. Carus has been supplying reservation and checkin systems, managed services and e-commerce applications to the cruise and ferry industry since 1999 when the first version of Carus’ CarRes system was installed. Today CarRes is in use around Europe, in North America, Australia as well as Africa. Many customers have chosen to use our Managed Services option with the system being provided out of our computer centers in Europe and USA Source: www.carus.com

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

iNterFerry

interferry – representing the ferry industry worldwide it is a beautiful, early summer evening in Flensburg, Germany, when we meet the energetic interferry Chairman Günther Becker. “Bringing ideas to results and staying at least one step ahead of international developments are important to our members – those goals are what motivate me and are why i agreed to be Chairman of interferry,” he says.

günther becker has a solid background for chairing interferry as a director of förde reederei seetrouistik (frs), a company now headed by his son götz becker (see separate story) and headquartered in flensburg. “we’ve opened a permanent office in brussels this year and have a permanent representative there in addition to focusing on imo – meaning that we have more impact,” says günther becker, who will soon hand over the chairmanship of interferry to his successor, mike grainger from australia. Can you tell us about your years as Interferry Chairman? “i’ve been chairman for five years and this period has been very challenging as we have been through the financial crisis and recession. in spite of that, we’ve experienced slow but steady growth. membership is up 11 per cent and the number of countries we are represented in has increased from 24 to 38, with about 600 individual members. we have organised successful conferences in hong kong, istanbul, new york city and barcelona and will soon hold one in dubai. The 2010 conference in new york was especially noteworthy since we celebrated our 35th anniversary and set a new attendance record. finally, as mentioned, 2011 marked a major milestone for the association with the

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photo: Frs

TexT: mAgne A. røe, dnv

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Günther Becker, interferry Chairman.

opening of an executive office in brussels and the appointment of johan roos as executive director of eu and imo affairs.” What are Interferry’s most important activities? “first and foremost, we are the only organisation representing the ferry industry worldwide. we look after the interests of our members, we network extensively with organisations such as the international chamber of shipping and european shipowners’ association and we facilitate cooperation among our members. we were taken by surprise by the sulphur levels going to 0.1 per cent in ecas, and we will never be taken by surprise again in terms of not being able to review

and influence regulatory matters. so we observe and influence rules and regulations with regard to safety, the environment and new technical issues. Together with imo, we help the developing countries to improve their safety records as, unfortunately, accidents happen with overloaded ferries. The first priority for us has been activities in bangladesh and indonesia.” Why have you opened a Brussels office, in that Interferry is an international organisation and not a European one? “yes, we are an international organisation representing our members worldwide, but we are steadily confronted with and looking into a lot of vital issues coming from brussels. The interferry european office is currently engaged in several important issues which may also have consequences outside of europe. These include sulphur requirements for marine fuels both in and outside ecas. The energy efficiency design index (eedi) is another important issue which has created many discussions within interferry and will influence the operations of ro-ro, car and ropax ferries. Through intervention here, we have gained another couple of years during which to provide input to the process. we have also been working to develop a process that would allow exemptions from

Interferry

Photo: Getty Images

conference with a five-year platinum sponsorship agreement. As DNV has indicated, along with other European and international organisations, Interferry is now recognised as a major force for action by making sure regulators take account of the impact of legislation before it is passed. As previously mentioned, we will never again be taken by surprise by decisions such as the one to reduce the ECA sulphur content to 0.1 per cent in 2015.”

ballast water treatment for ferries on short routes. We are providing important input to the regulatory discussions on emissions reductions for CO2, NOx, particulate matter and black carbon. Finally, we are working with the EU to establish common rules on waste waters.” Are there any other matters you would like to highlight as benefits of being an Interferry member? “I would like to mention some of the commercial spin-off benefits of being an Interferry member. These are no doubt at least as attractive to potential recruits as the benefits of having a proactive regulatory voice. Obvious examples include a major water taxi project in Lagos, various

initiatives in India and an approach from the International Finance Corporation – the private sector arm of the World Bank – asking for our assessment of potential investment projects in emerging markets. In short, Interferry’s networking origins are becoming ever more meaningful as the association’s political influence grows and membership spreads worldwide.” DNV has worked closely with Interferry for years – can you please comment on this? “I would like to compliment DNV on the initiatives you have taken towards Interferry over the years to increase the overall safety of ferry operations worldwide. Secondly, I would like to pay tribute to DNV for supporting the Interferry annual

Finally Becker, what motivated you to take on the role as Chairman of Interferry? “I had been CEO of FRS for 35 years. After handing over to younger hands, I found the time to get involved in Interferry. I should have started that much earlier and I can only advise other people in charge of their enterprise not to wait as long as did before actively becoming involved in Interferry. With so many aspects of the ferry industry represented under one roof – operators, builders, equipment manufacturers, class and so on – there is a global pool of knowledge that can be shared to optimise business opportunities while also ensuring the highest safety and environmental standards. In very close cooperation with the Interferry CEO, Len Roueche, I have been working to continue the path opened by my predecessor, the former Chairman, Mitch McLean from Canada. On the basis of our strengthened financial situation, it was possible to pursue new ideas and I can now hand over a sound international organisation to my successor, Mike Grainger.” 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

iNterFerry

interferry – looking forward to the challenges ahead

photo: lsa

trade association interferry is on a mission of excellence to safeguard the industry’s future ... as explained by its deputy Chairman, Mike Grainger, the Managing director of liferaft systems australia and Chairman of government-owned ferry operator tt-line Company – spirit of tasmania.

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Mike Grainger, the Managing director of liferaft systems australia and Chairman of governmentowned ferry operator tt-line Company – spirit of tasmania.

interferry is a dynamic organisation that has achieved a great deal of success for its members. it has become one of the most respected associations of its kind in the world and we continue to explore opportunities to benefit members from all sides of the marine industry on a truly international basis. interferry’s origins stem from 1976, when it was formed as the international marine Transit association. back then, it was predominantly us-based and us companies made up most of the membership. Today, our membership extends to 38

18 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

countries and continues to grow. we have evolved into a global association earning respect at all levels of the industry. however, this certainly does not mean that we can rest on our laurels. like many other shipping organisations, interferry must face up to a number of industry challenges that lie ahead. we must continue to build on our membership and, in doing so, provide an increasing level of value to our members. our annual conference is widely considered be one of the best in the world and underlines our mission to remain focused on a culture of continual improvement. we intend to demonstrate the benefits of membership at each and every level of the industry while conducting ourselves with utmost professionalism. our members demand second to none performance from the board and management and we are totally committed to delivering their expectations. we have recently established a european office to enhance our input on proposed international maritime organisation (imo) and european union (eu) legislation, much of which has the potential to affect almost all of our members in one way or another. we made a conscious decision to establish the office after significant discussion with our european members and consultation with our board of directors. The decision was made with particular attention to the governance

requirements of our organisation – and we are happy to report that the european office executive director, johan roos, is doing an outstanding job in what can sometimes be described as a challenging political environment. i have no doubt that johan roos will continue to monitor, contribute to and influence the relevant policy decisions for all the right reasons on behalf of interferry members and we look forward to working closely with him in the future to support this crucial role. interferry’s current membership is primarily based in europe, north america and australia/new Zealand. over the past ten years, we have rapidly expanded to the rest of the world but there is more work to be done. one of our key goals is to ensure that the association includes all of the world’s major ferry operators and is represented in all countries and regions where ferries are an important part of the transport network. in addition to our core regions, we now have members in latin america (mexico and brazil), africa (morocco, egypt, nigeria and uganda), the middle east (uae and oman) and asia (Thailand, singapore, hong kong, japan and the philippines). There are significant opportunities for interferry moving forward and it is important that we remain focused on taking the organisation to a new level of representation for members – not least because

Photo: iGetty Images

Interferry

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Sydney skyline with Circular Quay.

safety issues are among our top priorities. Interferry will continue to play an active role in promoting a more stringent safety code of conduct to be implemented in developing nations. Meanwhile, we have an obligation to reduce operational risk for the industry as a whole, so we will continue to work with the IMO to raise the bar on the safety management process and the implementation of new regulations – all aimed at improving ferry safety on a global scale. It is important to acknowledge that one of our main sponsors, DNV, has had a major influence on the future of Interferry. We were fortunate to have a wonderful mentor in Karl Morten Wiklund, who has recently retired from DNV. We wish him well in his retirement – including the completion of his cruising vessel – and hope he will remain in contact on a regular basis

as I am sure we will call on his experience from time to time. We also look forward to continuing our relationship with DNV through Karl Morten Wiklund’s successor, Hilde Smedal Thunes. She has been an integral part of the Interferry/DNV partnership for many years, so this will be familiar territory for her and as such it was a natural progression for her to take over from Karl Morten Wiklund. We are working hard to achieve the same goals and sincerely value the support of DNV in general and Hilde Smedal Thunes in particular. It is also appropriate that I congratulate our Chairman, Günther Becker, on his professional leadership over the past four years. He is a steadying influence on the Board of Directors, his work ethic is exemplary and he brings a wealth of experience to the role.

In addition, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing work of our CEO Len Roueche and his assistant Cindy Kuwert. It goes without saying that they work tirelessly to ensure Interferry sits on an even keel and they too are committed to taking the association to the next level of our improvement phase. I look forward to working closely with the Board of Directors, Len Roueche, Johan Roos and Cindy Kuwert with the end product of representing Interferry members through a world-class organisation that we can all be proud to support – and that ensures the long-term wellbeing of both the ferry industry and its customers. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

MF Boknafjord

Photo: Karl Otto Kristiansen

MF Boknafjord – the world’s largest gas ferry

On the 14th of December 2011, history was written as the world’s largest gas ferry MF Boknafjord was delivered from the Fiskerstrand BLRT yard in Norway, to Fjord1 Nordvestlandske AS. – A ferry that will change the everyday life of the users, according to the godmother Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, Norway’s former Minister of Transport and Communications. Text: Rolls-Royce

20 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

Photo: Karl Otto Kristiansen

MF Boknafjord

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MF Boknafjord and Hurtigruten

The LNG- powered ferry was ordered in the summer of 2010 by Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 to serve the growing demand to move passengers and cars on the Arsvågen-Mortavika route, which crosses the Boknafjord in Rogaland County, Norway. In addition the ferry would function as a spare vessel on the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route in Hordaland County. In 2011 alone, about 2.2 million cars and about five million passengers passed through the trunk. Adding this ferry to the existing two vessels on the Arsvågen- Mortavika route allows departures at 20 minute intervals instead of the previous half an hour frequency. Built according to Det Norske Veritas’s Class with the following notation: +A1, CAR FERRY A, GAS FUELLED, CLEAN, RP, EO, R3 (nor), and designed by Multi

Maritime AS of Western Norway, the MF Boknafjord measures 129.9m long, has a maximum width of 19.2m and a capacity of 242 passenger cars or 22 heavy goods vehicles in combination with passenger cars. It can carry 600 passengers including staff and has a deadweight of a pproximately 1350 metric tonnes. Ferries – a testing environment for engines Fjord1 has been considered a leader in the gas powered ferry market since the first LNG-powered ferry, Glutra, was put into service in 2000 on routes further north. The ferry route serving the coastal trunk road in Rogaland and Hordaland Counties has since 2007 been served by five Rolls-Royce LNG powered car and passenger ferries from Fjord1. MF Boknafjord will thus be the sixth gas ferry

in this region, and Fjord1 will have 12 gas ferries in operation along the Norwegian coast. Rolls-Royce gained excellent experience with the LNG fuelled engines in the five double ended ferries in intensive service connecting the main road routes on the Norwegian west coast. Ferries are a testing environment for engines. “If you can survive the ferry cycle you can survive anything. The repeated heating up and cooling down puts a massive strain on the engines,” says Odd Magne Horgen, General Sales Manager Merchant & Navy Engines in Rolls-Royce. Ferries on the Boknafjord route need a high service speed to maintain the required departure frequency from each terminal, in this case 20,5 knots, therefore the larger capacity second generation ferry

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: Karl Otto Kristiansen

MF Boknafjord

â&#x20AC;şâ&#x20AC;ş

Engine control system

MF Boknafjord, features the latest and most advanced engine and propulsion technology. This includes three RollsRoyce C26:33 nine cylinder gas engines, each rated at 2,310kW which drive generators to power four Rolls-Royce Azipull AZP100 steerable thrusters. The Multi Maritime monohull design has fine ends underwater, terminating in bulbs with the bulk of the displacement concentrated amidships. Extensive studies and tank testing were undertaken in cooperation with Rolls-Royce to optimise the

22 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

hydrodynamic integration of the azimuth thrusters and the hull. The tank testing programme was undertaken at HSVA in Germany and Rolls-Royce joined in to optimise the shaping of the headboxes that form the transition from the thruster underwater unit to the hull above. The design of these is crucial, in combination with the hullform and bulb shape, in achieving the required total efficiency. A substantial reduction in resistance, and propulsion power was achieved. As part of the programme the merits of

outward or inward turning propellers were compared, and the optimum thruster installation angle and toe-in or toe-out assessed. Unlike traditional double ended ferries, where the propeller which is at the aft does all the work, Boknafjord use AziÂ pull thrusters, one located at each corner of the vessel, which have pulling propellers and streamlined underwater units that turn the swirl energy from the propeller water into useful thrust. Thus they are a key to a raise of efficiency by more than 20% and improve manoeuvrability. In addition MF

Photo: Karl Otto Kristiansen

MF Boknafjord

Boknafjord has a 2,850kW diesel engine to give flexibility for repositioning transits away from gas supplies to relieve ferries on other Fjord1 routes. Developing gas engines for marine propulsion The first generation Rolls-Royce gas engines, the Bergen K- series, released less methane than competing engines, but Rolls-Royce was aware of the desirability of further reducing methane slip, and so developed the C-series gas engines and the larger B-series in-line and BV- series V-engines based on the company’s lean-burn Otto cycle technology. Extremely close control of combustion in every cylinder at all times, design of the combustion chamber using the latest computer aided design tools, and optimised turbocharging, has cut methane slip to very low levels. With the latest generation of marine gas engines emissions of NOx are about 92% less than liquid fuel engines, Sox is negligible as are smoke and soot emissions. Green House Gas emission is about 22%

lower than a comparable diesel engine. Other advantages of these gas engines include greatly reduced risk of oil spills, a cleaner engine room, and the absence of smoke. The Rolls-Royce marine gas engine ranges also fulfill the requirements for operation in Emission Control Areas (ECA) and the very strict IMO TierIII rules that come into force in 2016. MF Boknafjord is using substantially less fuel than the first generation LNG-fuelled ferries, with the reduction well into double figures. Because the C-series engines have much less methane slip than the older K-series, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is even bigger. This vessel can also carry more cars and passengers than the earlier ferries on these routes, on the same overall dimensions, so the fuel and emissions per vehicle transported are also lower. Bunkering Bunkering with gas can raise many concerns and the risk of explosion is imminent – as with other fuel types, but all the good experience that has been

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Rolls-Royce C26:33 nine cylinder gas engines rated at 2,310kW

amassed on LNG powered ferries since the introduction of Glutra indicates that this might not be the greatest risk. Rather, the worst case scenario is spillage which can potentially result in major structural damage because of the very low cryogenic temperatures of the LNG. For this reason, the bunker station on MF Boknafjord has been sheathed with stainless steel which has the ability to withstand the low temperatures. If there is any spillage, the liquid quickly drains overboard. Fjord1 has invested in a dedicated bunker quay adjacent to the GasNor storage tanks, and typically the ferries need to be refuelled every week, a process which takes about three hours. If tanker trucks are used instead, the ferries will need to be resupplied on a daily basis. Aksel Skjervheim, Head of Fuel Markets, GasNor, says: “Bunkering has worked out well, and there have been few interruptions in regular operation. The gas ferries have been stable and reliable in service.” 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

WagON grOuP

fast ships for the Taiwan trades cross-straits tourist boom attracts wagon group to bring in dnv-classed ferry from japan Charles hong, president of taipei-based wagon Group, is taiwan’s high-speed ferry pioneer. the leader of taiwan’s biggest freight forwarder has already partnered with mainland partners on one cross-straits fast-ferry initiative and is now partnering with a Japanese ferry specialist, tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry Co ltd, to bring two dnV-classed incat wave piercers to the island.

Flynn photo: Matthew

TexT: mAttheW Flynn

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Calvin huang, principal surveyor – district Manager, dnV taiwan.

The 112-metre wave piercing catamaran natchan rera will serve a passenger-cargo route trading from Taipei port on the northern tip of Taiwan to the mainland chinese port of pingtan. The initiative is aimed at both creating an alternative to passenger air transport and establishing a reliable and high-speed freight corridor connecting various mainland cities by fast sea-air link via Taiwan’s Taipei port to Taiwan’s Taoyuan international airport. on the mainland side of the Taiwan

24 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

straits, the counterpart entrepôt is pingtan, located in the fujian province just opposite Taiwan across the Taiwan straits. pingtan island, also called haitan dao, is the largest island in fujian and the fifth largest island in china. The island historically relied on tourism and is a candidate to become a unesco world heritage site, but a new 4976-metre bridge completed in november 2010 symbolises the intention to create a new freight and trading hub and gateway. in addition to the Taipei-pingtan trade lane, wagon and Tsuragu kaikyo ferry will deploy a wave-piercer sister ship, the natchan world, to serve the Taiwan tourist market shuttling tour buses between suao and hualien on the east coast of Taiwan. The two super-fast ferries were both built by incat’s hobart yard in Tasmania. according to incat, they were the largest, most fuel-efficient, diesel-powered highspeed catamaran in the world on their delivery. ordered and operated by Tsugaru kaikyo, the natchan rera was delivered in august 2007 and natchan world was delivered in may 2008. “we are also very optimistic about the business development of our joint venture,” said koji sumida, who represents

Tsugaru kaikyo ferry. The joint venture, which will operate under the banner of j&T shipping co ltd, is a newly formed company that will serve as the ship manager. Tsugaru kaikyo ferry is well known in japan as one of the most prominent companies managing high-speed ferry boats, with tonnage ranging from 6,500 dwt to 10,000 dwt. The company has five ferries trading across the Tsugaru straits and also charters out three ro-ro passenger ferries to major japanese shipping lines mol ferry and k-line kinkai. The natchan world and natchan rera have four man 20v 28/33d diesel engines, each rated at 9,000 kw at 1,000 rpm, powering wärtsilä ljx 1500 sri waterjets via Zf 60000 nr2h gearboxes and centa carbon fibre shafts. Their fuel consumption is 190g per kwh, which is a 7% improvement over standard vessels, while their nox emissions are 10g per kwh. one of the attractions of the vessels introduced to japan will be their ability to keep sailing in rough weather. The vessels boast a vT maritime dynamics inc ride control system with a retractable T-foil located behind the centre bow as

Photo: J&T Shipping Co Ltd

Wagon Group

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Sisterships Natchan World and Natchan Dera have been trading in Japan serving the northern island of Hokkaido and will now serve Taiwan.

well as transom-mounted trim tabs. When fully loaded and at full speed, the vessels consume 8,625 litres of fuel per hour. They can reach a speed of 45 knots at 250 dwt/100% mcr. The vessels have a maximum passenger capacity of 800, with room for 355 cars or a mixed load of 193 cars and 450 lane metres of trucks, which represent approximately 32 units. The clear height on the two main decks is 4.6 metres and the ship’s 30.6-metre beam allows large semi-tractor trailer trucks to drive on and, if necessary, make a U-turn to load. Both the two ships were built to DNV class (+IA1 HSLC R1 Car Ferry B E0) and traded first in Japan under dual class (DNV and JG). With the transfer to

Taiwan, the ships will again have dual class – DNV together with China Corporation Registrar of Shipping – to comply with the local policy for domestically registered vessels. Tsugaru Kaikyo’s name comes from the Tsugaru Straits, which is a major channel of often turbulent water between the main island of Japan and the northern island of Hokkaido. The Natchan Rera and Natchan World previously traded on the Aomori to Hakodate route. “With our Japanese partner, we want to create a win-win situation and bigger success,” said Mr Hong, who is also Chairman of J&T, which will operate the two vessels that are expected to arrive in Taiwan in September. Wagon Group holds a 51%

stake in the joint venture J&T, while the Japanese partner holds 49%. “To get ready for the planned operation in October 2012, we trust DNV to help us change them into Taiwan-flagged vessels and do inspections and annual surveys of these vessels,” said Mr Hong. “DNV has a reputation for experience in high-speed vessels. In Taiwan, DNV is also recognised as a brand representing quality and customer satisfaction.” Originally founded in 1977, Wagon Group has developed from a cargo forwarder into a comprehensive transportation solution provider, with ferry services as its new growth point. The group now has more than 500 employees, with 19 offices scattered across this region. In

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

2011, the company’s forwarding business handled 313,400 TEUS and had sales revenue of NTD 226 million. Wagon Group’s liner activities trading cross straits to various small ports in China amounted to 236,400 TEU, with sales revenue of NTD 60 million. Born into a modest Taiwan family, Mr Hong studied at the Marine College of Taipei University, graduating one year later than Tony Guo, the Chairman of Foxconn, which is the main OEM supplier to Apple Inc. In the early 1970s, Mr Hong started working in the container department of a Taiwan-branch of a major Japanese shipping line and then set out on his own to establish his business in 1977. Wagon now claims to be the largest forwarder in Taiwan. The company also handles insurance, warehousing and transshipment. “We are very optimistic about the trade across the Straits, not only on the passenger side but also the cargo side,” said Mr Hong, who has been a pioneer in the container shipping business across the Taiwan Straits since 1988. With his sharp sense of business opportunities, he became a pioneer again in October 2011, despite the fact that some people thought the idea of a high-speed cross-straits link would not be successful. Together with Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, Ltd and Fujian Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Transportation Investment & Development Co Ltd, Wagon Group Co, Ltd set up the Fujian Cross Straits Ferry Corporation in 2011 to start the direct shipping service across the Taiwan Straits. “Both the Taiwan and Beijing governments want the route to serve as an effective bridge,” said Mr Hong. “They expect the tourist volume to increase by half a million people every year. I don’t have reason to doubt the business prospects at all.” Wagon holds a 20% stake in the Fujian

26 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

Photo: J&T Shipping Co Ltd

Wagon Group

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Natchan Rera

Cross Straits Ferry joint venture while Fujian Guohang holds a 45% stake and Fujian Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Transportation Investment & Development Co Ltd holds 35%. On 30 November 2011, the Hai Xia Hao, believed to be the fastest passenger ferry in China, made its maiden voyage carrying over 500 passengers from Pingtan in Fujian Province to Taichung, Taiwan across the straits. The whole trip took only two hours and 50 minutes. The Hai Xia Hao, also built by Australian shipyard Incat, is 97.22 metres long, 26.6 metres wide and 6,556 gross tons. Its top speed is 40 knots.

The Hai Xia Hao started life as The Cat operating between May and October from 2002–2005 across the Gulf of Maine between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in Canada and Bar Harbor, Maine in the United States. The Hai Xia Hao has four water injection engines and its maximum speed is 42 knots. The first and second decks are for vehicles and have auto lanes of 380 metres in length, while the third and fourth floors are capable of accommodating 760 passengers. The Hai Xia Hao’s trip between Pingtan and Taichung is the shortest from mainland China to Taiwan Island, only 88

Wagon Group

Leadership ship officers and crew of Hai Xia Hao.

Illustration: Fujian Cross Straits Ferry Corporation

Photo: Fujian Cross Straits Ferry Corporation

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To transport cargo, Fujian Cross Straits Ferry uses air cargo containers loaded on the vessels by forklifts.

nautical miles, and will take three hours in winter and 2.5 hours in summer. The Taipei to Pingtan journey is 92 nautical miles and will take two hours as the Natchan Rera is somewhat faster than the Hai Xia Hao. The current passenger ferry ticket is about 5,000 New Taiwan Dollars (NTD), a very attractive price compared with about NTD 12,000 by plane. “We just started cargo shipment and also expect rapid growth in this sector. We treat the ferry business as a platform to absorb demand from aviation,” said Mr

Hong. “Furthermore, ferries are more efficient and more environmentally friendly, reflecting the low-carbon mode that is encouraged worldwide and providing door-to-door service for the best convenience of our customers.” In 2011, the Hai Xia Hao transported 914 passengers, but the volumes started to grow dramatically in 2012. The passenger volume carried by the ferry grew from 1,726 passengers in January to 18,374 passengers in May 2012. When Mr Hong started his business in 1977, he did not dare to have a vision because at that time he had to focus on the company’s survival. Now Mr Hong does have a vision. He can foresee his growing success and impact in more sectors and across a much larger geographical area. Fujian, Shanghai, Guangdong, and even Nanjing, Suzhou and Hong Kong have been included in his range of eyesight. One connecting element is that these are all places where Taiwan investors and foreign trade are active and people can afford and like to travel. The market already has a lot of experience in this trade lane. For several decades

before the direct route from Pingtan to Taiwan Island, there were already fixed routes like Kinmen–Xiamen, Mazu–Mawei and Kinmen–Quanzhou. In 2011, the direct shipping between Fujian and Taiwan transported 1.567 million tonnes of cargo, with 6.7% yearly growth, and 290,000 passengers, with yearly growth of 87%. During the first five months of 2012, Fujian and Taiwan Island saw 63,000 passengers transiting via direct shipping across the straits, with 190% growth on a yearly basis. There are also numerous signs that cargo volumes are also growing, particularly time-sensitive high-value cargoes. “We can prove in 2012 that the ferry trade between Taiwan and Pingtan will be very successful. Also in 2012, we think we can even start to capture some cargo that was handled by Hong Kong’s airport and redirect it through Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan,” said Mr Hong, pointing out that the foundation of the new Pingtan-Tapei route for the Natchan Rera is that Taipei Port is now seamlessly linked to Taoyuan International Airport. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Frs Becker jr

from a regional steamboat shipping company to an internationally operating group Founded by a group of merchants in the north German city of Flensburg back in 1935, the Förde reederei seetouristik (Frs) shipping line can trace its roots even further back to 1866. the seetouristik name comes from the Flensburg-based company with the same name which was actually located in the house next door to the company in the port of Flensburg.

photo: dnV/Magne a. røe

TexT: mAgne A. røe, dnv

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Götz Becker, Managing director, Förde reederei and seetouristik (Frs).

förde reederei and seetouristik were competitors but merged in 1991. The new company has some 1,000 employees and transported 5.4 million passengers using a fleet of 30 ships in 2011. and what a fleet – it can only be described as highly diversified and specialised for transporting people, cars, trucks and goods. managing director götz becker explains the interesting history of the now very international and dynamic frs group of companies.

28 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

With an international group of companies, maybe we should start from the beginning …? “in the 1950s, services on the flensburg fjord, which is on the border between denmark and germany, were extended to include trips to denmark known as ‘butter trips’. in the 1960s, several new ships were commissioned for these services and in the 1970s additional ships that could carry up to 950 passengers were acquired. when the service between denmark and

germany, which allowed passengers to buy duty-free goods, was at its peak, 22 ships were engaged in it. later, an impending abolition of tax-free sales opened up for the merger of förde reederei and seetouristik in 1991.” This was about the time of the German reunion – did that have any implications for you? “we took over a shipping company called the weiße flotte, operating out of the

Photo: FRS

FRS Becker jr

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Algeciras Jet

former East German city of Stralsund. But there is more to the story, as this company had larger headquarters than we did at the time since it was a state-owned and -run company like all the other companies in the former East Bloc countries. But it did have many highly educated seamen.” How do you define FRS today? “Today, we define ourselves as a niche specialist in ferry services. That means we

do not, for instance, target a distance like Oslo – Kiel, but instead provide services on new and existing coastal routes with several rotations daily. We see ourselves expanding and have a rather diversified fleet and routes to do this from and have also built up a unique competence base to use in our operations. We operate our fleet under many trade names and this is not only because the operations are spread out geographically, but also to cater to

local needs and maintain well-established traditions.” So let’s do a short description of the many companies that make up the FRS Group. Shall we start with a line that is geographically not so far from here, like ´Kattegatruten”? “Kattegatruten” is a line that operates internally in Denmark between Aarhus on Jutland and Kalundborg on Zealand, not so far from Copenhagen. This route uses

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: FRS

FRS Becker jr

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Tarifa Jet

our RoPax vessel the MV “Kattegat”, which is a 136-metre-long car, truck and passenger ferry that can accommodate some 600 passengers, 344 cars or 65 trucks. We have a good loading and unloading system from two levels, using both bow and stern ramps, in each port. Here we are also going to add a fast ferry that we up to now have operated on our Tangier route – due to changes in demand on this route. The new addition here will be branded under the name HSC “Dolphin Jet". This service will be competing with the Danish fast ferry operator Mols Linien between Aarhus and the closest governmental port Odden. Currently we are seeking a political solution to break up this monopoly and Danish authorities have so far shown good support in doing so.”

and was built in Norway by Fiskarstrand, is a double-ended ferry offering up to 20 departures a day. The ferry connects the town of List on the German island of Sylt with the Danish town of Havneby on the neighbouring island of Rømø. On this route, we move some 400,000 passengers a year and around 100,000 vehicles. We jointly designed this ferry with the yard and it has two pods for propulsion and steering as well as diesel electric propulsion. We have reduced the speed a little on this route to save fuel by running only two to three engines out of four, and in addition the trip now takes 45 minutes instead of 35. The move to go slower was very well received by our passengers as they have more time to get something to eat as well as to buy travel value goods.”

On the other coast of Denmark and Germany, facing the North Sea, you have the ferry MF “SyltExpress”. This seems to be an entirely different trade? “Absolutely. This ferry, which is rather new

So these are operations between Germany and Denmark. A bit further south, on the German west coast, there is a route to the island of Helgoland, where you use a mix between a slowmoving, classic ferry and a new high-speed one?

30 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

“Yes, admittedly this is a contrast. The route goes from Hamburg and out the river Elbe to the city of Wedel, then on to Cuxhaven before entering the North Sea and ending at the island of Helgoland. The classic ferry, MV “Atlantis”, was built in 1973, can carry 1,000 passengers and has a service speed of 18 knots. We operate this ferry from May to September and tourists can travel daily on this classic ship between Cuxhaven and the totally car-free Helgoland. The other vessel can go twice as fast, can carry some 579 passengers and was built by Fjellstrand in 2003. This catamaran calls on the two ports between Hamburg and Helgoland every day between April and October. FRS Helgoline is the market leader here, with some 330,000 passengers on an annual basis.” Moving to the other coast of Germany, facing the Baltic Sea, you have another shipping line that was acquired after the collapse of the East German state.

Photo: FRS

FRS Becker jr

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Halunder Jet auf Helgoland

“That’s right and we were even h onoured by a visit to the Weiße Flotte headquarters in Stralsund of German Chancellor Angela Merkel when the company celebrated 50 years of operation in 2007. She complimented us on taking charge of this shipping line, which fits very well with our decentralised operations. The name Weiße Flotte has stayed with this company, which only operates ships in the sheltered waters towards the Baltic Sea. It also has a subsidiary called Reederei Hiddensee and together these companies carry some 3.3 million passengers and 920,000 vehicles a year. In total, we have 14 ferries, car ferries and water taxis in operation here.” That was Northern Europe. But you also operate ferries between continents – Europe and Africa? “And the shortest route between the two continents – from Tarifa in Spain to Tangier in Morocco – only takes 35 minutes. We also connect Algericas in Spain with Tangier Med and Ceuta in North Africa through

our companies FRS Iberia and FRS Maroc. These routes use modern high-speed passenger ferries. We also have a high-speed ferry line between Gibraltar and Tangier Med. In addition, we operate a traditional RoPax, the MV “Tanger Express”, between Algericas and Tangier Med. This was purchased in Denmark and was refurbished for this trade. To me, these routes are great to operate in a stable market.” Moving even further away, you also operate high speed ferries in Oman? “We provide the management and staffing of officers for the National Ferries Company (NFC) of Oman. This company has national routes from Khasab to Lima, Shinas and Muscat. Here the two fastest diesel-powered high-speed crafts in the world operate at a speed of 56 knots while one vessel operates at the slightly ‘slower’ speed of 41 knots. As a country of hills, mountains and fjords, Oman lends itself very well to ferry traffic. We provide the chief engineers and captains and the

passengers are mostly Omani residents. We also train the NFC crew on our Spain to Morocco routes. The company is fully owned by the Sultanate of Oman, so our role as an experienced operator of highspeed ferries is to manage the fleet and train the future crew members. Oman does not want to build the highest skyscrapers, it wants to base the country’s development on solid business practices. We believe that the ferry operations are important steps in promoting Oman by also allowing people to get around the country quickly and easily.” Surely this must be it when it comes to FRS’s many companies and interests? “Almost. We also have a company called FRS Offshore and here we offer an Accommodation Support Vessel and Crew Transport Vessels, both of concepts are specialised for use with wind power offshore turbines. In addition, we operate a bus line transporting some 8.5 million passengers a year” says Götz Becker. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Ferry saFety – asia PaciFic

education of an innocent seafarer he was standing at the end of Kings wharf in suva Fiji, dressed like the admiral of the fleet, puffing his pipe and eyeing his domain regally like a lion in the african bush. Captain tony spivey, master mariner, ex British india, was the director of Marine in Fiji at that time, some 33 years ago, in charge of all things maritime, including safety. “tony,” i quizzed, “how do you go about surveying the local ferries?” puffing a little heavier on his pipe, with his eyes narrowing in deep thought, he exclaimed: “hmmmm.....if they are afloat....well that’s a big plus!” we both burst out laughing.

rt photo: seatranspo

TexT: stuArt BAllAntyne, sea TransporT

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stuart Ballantyne, Ceo sea transport.

but ferry safety is no laughing matter and, even at that time in many countries in the south pacific, the system was definitely geared against anyone wishing to run a ferry business. with possibly the exception of Tahiti, where the french government facilitates territorial soft loans to investors, allowing new and modern ferries to be utilised, the rest of the south pacific has dubious ferry standards. low gdp countries around the south

32 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

pacific rely on aid or get a miserably low loan facility from their banks, allowing them only to buy ferries which are at the end of their “use by” date. consort shipping of fiji bought an old greek ferry about 15 years ago and was bringing it through the suez canal when the pilot asked where the ship was going, and told the destination was fiji. “i didn’t know there were ship-breaking facilities in fiji,” answered the pilot, much to the dismay of the new owners. in a presentation to an interferry conference about trying to operate a ferry in fiji, justin smith of consort shipping almost brought tears to the eyes of the 350-member international audience. he highlighted the constraints of import tax, bureaucratic obstruction, no navigation beacons except for shipwrecks sitting on reefs, lack of everything including spare parts, competent engineers, good berthing facilities and, most of all, the lack of political will to address the problem. while attending a solomon island government fleet review meeting in the mid 90s, i was told that the fleet was comprised of 12 vessels, with four working and four under repair. i then interrupted proceedings by asking where the other four were.

looking down at his feet and shuffling uncomfortably around the floor, the minister for Transport sheepishly said: “well at low tide you can see them!” apparently they were still in the books as assets. but as i watched the converted ferry leaving honiara wharf that night with hundreds of people squatting in 1.5m high decks that were formerly car decks, i shook my head in disbelief. Tonga and png have had tragedies involving many drownings in the last three years, both of which involved ex-japanese jg smooth-water vessels. samoa provided my earliest experience of south pacific ferries when i travelled on an old landing barge with the attorney general, neroni slade, who was also a director of the ferry company. he had never been on one of these mighty vessels, so a pleasant sunday outing was undertaken. with no passenger space on this old landing craft, people were lying underneath the trucks for shade, puffing away on cigarettes adjacent to the fuel tanks. for the return leg, neroni slade asked the master of this fine vessel why we were not sailing at 11 o’clock as stated in the published schedule, and was indignantly

Photo: Getty Images

FERRY SAFETY – ASIA PACIFIC

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Crowds waiting to board ferry to Lamalera, Lembata Island, Eastern Indonesia.

told that the Catholic church did not finish until 12 o’clock so he was waiting for them as he did every Sunday! The Philippines has also had its share of ferry disasters but finally, through a sensible loan structure, a local private company – Archipelago Philippines Ferry Company (APFC) – is building 12 roro passenger catamarans. At the New York Interferry meeting in 2010, the president of APFC, Christopher Pastrana, gave a moving speech, together with video footage of the tragedies, about the shame of his country in the repeated ferry tragedies and his resolve to address this using catamaran ferries. As he pointed out, most of the ferries the Philippines get are secondhand European or Japanese high-sided monohulls

which run out of stability before they run out of deck space. “With the catamarans designed for that trade, you actually run out of deck space while there is still plenty of stability, so overcrowding is no longer a key issue,” said Mr Pastrana. So how do the poorer nations address ferry safety when large crowds of people will pay to travel on anything that floats and is going that way? To address the main reasons for ferry tragedies: they are usually caused by capsizing in stormy wind conditions. The second main reason is fire, followed by water on deck while trying to fight fire, loss of stability, and finally capsizing. These countries should consider eliminating the key risks.

Yes, the answer is multihulls, whether catamaran or trimarans, with two-compartment damage stability compliance (so that any two adjacent compartments will not have deck edge immersion or capsize if flooded when the vessel is fully loaded). Yet another answer is steel hull construction, which is more robust for remote operations and easier to repair. Aluminium and GRP do not have great fire resistance and are hard to repair. These same countries should avoid the temptation of inviting the IMO or EU in the door and setting up unreasonable mini bureaucracies and voluminous regulations aimed at huge European superferries. One step at a time, but sooner rather than later. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

STQ

La Société des traversiers du Québec:

STQ – a signiﬁcant player in the ferry industry With a fleet of 15 ships and operating craft, and the construction of five new vessels by 2015, the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) is one of the largest ferry operators in North America. As a result of its growing network of ferries over the past few years and the implementation of its ongoing modernisation plan, people in the industry are much more interested in STQ a government organisation – showing leadership. Text: La Société des traversiers du Québec

Recently, STQ announced it had awarded a contract to build a ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Italian Fincantieri shipyard. The ship will be a first in North America due to its technological innovation. Scheduled for delivery in late 2014, this spacious ferry will be 130 metres long and cost an estimated $148 million, and will be able to carry 800 passengers and 180 automobiles. Its expanded loading tracks will be adapted to all types of vehicles. A pioneer in a region that is particularly sensitive to the protection of the environment, this innovative ship should achieve considerable energy savings. This also applies to the new twin ships intended for the Tadoussac crossing, scheduled for delivery in 2014 (see network map). These ferries will also be propelled by liquefied natural gas rather than diesel. Each new ship will have an increased capacity compared to current ships, being able to carry 440 passengers and 110 automobiles. Their payload will be almost doubled at 1,150 tonnes. In addition, their configuration, and more specifically the position of their ramps and their mode of propulsion on the cutting edge of technology, will make them faster and easier to manoeuvre.

34 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

1. Why Dual Fuel? The choice of Dual Fuel technology (diesel and LNG) for propulsion motors was made while respecting STQ issues in remote areas by ensuring that this service is safe and offers flexibility in fuel supply. These three ferries serve essential access routes for the population of these regions; a breakdown of service could cause public safety problems. 2. Why LNG? The choice of LNG is justified by the Québec Government, which wishes to show its social commitment to the environment by using best practices in the operation of its infrastructures and by choosing not only less energy-consuming but also greener energy-consuming equipment. In addition, IMO and ECA legislation led STQ in this direction to meet future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards. The use of LNG should reduce GHG emissions by 25%. Presently, LNG is available in Québec. This allows for an ease of supply for several years at a comparatively competitive cost compared to diesel, which is expected to rise in price over time. The use of LNG should reduce maintenance costs in the medium and long term.

The use of this fuel leads to significantly less dust in engine rooms, less accumulation of deposits in engine cylinders, less use of filters and a lower consumption of lubricants. 3. Issues Several issues must be addressed upon delivery of the ships. Current legislation on the use of LNG as a fuel is being developed, and this complicates the process for applying to operate the ship, for example the ship interface platform. In conducting risk analyses, it was possible to overcome the current lack of to allow for establishing LNG shipping and handling procedures. The unknown must be managed. This type of fuel is new; STQ must establish relationships with various stakeholders to take ownership of LNG technology and to better understand the measures to be implemented during the construction, operation and supply of such ships. Social perception is an important issue in this process, as the lack of knowledge about this technology could inspire fears in the population faced with the use of new ferries. An awareness programme is under way in order to inform municipal

photo: Getty images

stQ

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photo: stQ photo: stQ

authorities and public services in the localities affected by the use of lng. another new ferry will be added to the three new lng-powered ships and is expected to be delivered next summer. in summer 2013, it will be the l’isleverte−notre-dame-des-sept-douleurs crossing (see network map) which will welcome a new double-ended vessel, the contract for whose construction was awarded to a shipyard in Quebec. a leader in north america in using this cuttingedge technology, sTQ is being innovative with this ship through the integration of green technologies and the use of hybrid propulsion combining diesel electric and battery power. with a fleet of 15 ships and operating craft (a capacity of 2-120 vehicles and 7-600 passengers depending on the type of ship), sTQ operates 11 ferry crossings and two maritime services along the magnificent st lawrence river, directly or in partnership with others. with the advent of 2015 and these four new ships on the cutting edge of technology, this north american operator will confirm its role as a major player in the ferry industry. amazing progress to follow in the coming years! 

DescriPtiON OF stQ’s NeW Vessels

photo: stQ

part of stQ’s ferry crossing called traverse Québec-lévis.

New tadoussac Ferry crossing vessels: lOa: 92m Breadth: 26.4m Draft: 4.5m Motorisation: dual-fuel engines – electric power: 5.3 mw thrust & steering: azimuth thrusters combustible: lnG/Mdo Passengers: 440 cars: 110 service speed: 14 knots new tadoussac Ferry Crossing vessels: loa: 92m Breadth: 26.4m draft: 4.5m Motorisation: dual-fuel engines – electric power: 5.3 mw thrust & steering: azimuth thrusters Combustible: lnG/Mdo passengers: 440 Cars: 110 service speed: 14 knots

new l’isle-Verte Ferry Crossing vessel: loa: 33.6 m Breadth: 12.0 m draft: 0.9 m Motorisation: diesel-electric/hybrid (with batteries) power: 2 x 477 kwe thrust & steering: 4 x azimuthal Jet pump Combustible: Mdo/electricity passengers: 74 Cars: 12 service speed: 8-9 knots

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Bc Ferries

bc ferries – enabling fleet-wide bridge resource management (brm) best practices in spite of geographic challenges… how do marine transportation companies achieve Bridge resource Management (BrM) best practices? the international Maritime organisation (iMo) supports the competency standards of officers and crew through the standards of training and watchkeeping Convention (stCw). in spite of this explicit mandate, tragic marine accidents with inadequate BrM as a likely part of the root cause continue to occur. Certainly, the challenges of delivering sustainable training programmes concurrently with operations and geographic challenges are not new to the marine industry.

photo: BC Ferries

TexT: jeFF joyce and philip mccArter, bc ferries

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photo: BC Ferries

Captain philip McCarter, senior Manager, Bridge team simulation

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Jeff Joyce, director of operational training

36 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

as context, british columbia ferry services inc. (bc ferries) is one of the largest ferry systems in the world, operating 35 vessels and 47 terminals on 25 routes along the coast of british columbia. between 1 april 2010 and 31 march 2011, the company carried 20.7 million passengers and 8.1 million vehicles on more than 185,000 sailings. The heavy lifting associated with these statistics is completed by about 3,200 operational employees, with the number surging during the peak seasons (june to september, christmas season, spring breaks and easter). The challenges associated with coordinating and conducting training requirements are significant given the geographic scope of bc ferries’ operations coupled with employees living in remote locations; similar to many shipping companies around the world. so how is bc ferries providing effective brm training to its deck personnel given these geographic and operational challenges? impetus in 2006, bc ferries commissioned an independent review of the company’s safety policies, procedures and practices relating to the safety of its passengers and crew. one area of focus that arose from george morfitt’s review concerned

bc ferries’ brm practices, specifically that additional brm training would be of benefit to ensure that bridge officers and ratings enhanced their brm knowledge and skills. due to the nature of bc ferries’ operations, conducting brm training whilst under way is impractical and logistically challenging. To address these practical challenges, bc ferries embarked on an ambitious training programme, leveraging the expertise and equipment available at the british columbia institute of Technology marine campus (bmc) and camosun college. between 2007 and 2010, all of the company’s deck officers completed their Transport canada certified brm training. it was then recognised that externally provided training, which is generic in nature (as dictated by imo and Transport canada requirements), should be supplemented with ongoing refresher training that was specific to bc ferries’ myriad of vessels and routes. This led to the vision of a bridge Team simulation (bTs) programme at bc ferries. concurrent with this regulated brm training, a mutually beneficial training partnership between bc ferries and bmc was formed. This partnership included bc ferries becoming a primary industryfunding stakeholder in bmc’s simulation

Bc Ferries

renewal project and, in return, bmc offered bc ferries ongoing cost reductions in a myriad of marine training courses. This partnership is important for many reasons but, in the context of this article, the most important issue was ensuring that bc ferries’ simulation solution was compatible with bmc’s upgraded facility,

thereby enhancing interoperability and affordability. the Bridge teAm simulAtion (Bts) project The solution to addressing the balance between geography and affordability was eventually realised and a two-phase bridge Team simulation

project was initiated. during phase 1, three permanent simulator sites, complete with full-time experienced master mariner instructors, classrooms, equipment and associated resources were located at bc ferries’ three largest terminals (swartz bay – adjacent to victoria, Tsawwassen – adjacent to vancouver, and departure bay – adjacent to nanaimo). This division of resources allows the programme to improve the affordability of training through reductions in the students’ travel time and associated living-away costs. in order to ensure that the programme would address the specific requirements of the 35 vessels, 25 routes and 47 terminals, kongsberg maritime (the vendor) was initially tasked with developing 13 hydrodynamic models that represented a broad spectrum of vessel classes within the bc ferries fleet. geographic databases with a high degree of detail around all

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

BC Ferries

The Bridge at Tsawwassen Terminal.

tight navigational areas and terminals were also produced. High-fidelity ship models and visual effects are considered critical to immerse the bridge teams in their training, thereby enabling transference of the classroom/simulator learning experience directly back to their bridge and route. In addition to the top-notch equipment, facilities and instructors, it was critical that the curriculum was relevant to BC Ferries’ operations and reflective of the company’s desire to incorporate ‘world class’ operating practices. To ensure that the BTS curriculum met the needs of the fleet, the project sought external and internal expertise. Capt Simon Flitch of WrightForceTM and, once the Kongsberg PolarisTM simulation equipment had been selected, Garland Hardy of Lantec MarineTM, provided invaluable instructor training on both the use of the simulation equipment and the development of a curriculum. Internally, a Simulation Training Advisory Group (STAG) was established consisting of masters and marine superintendents with a mandate to hold the BTS programme accountable in terms of meeting the needs of the fleet. To that end, future curricula will continue to be reviewed by external consultants and approved by the STAG. BTS Curricula The first suite of simulation curriculum is entitled Bridge Operations, Skills, and Systems (BOSS), and BOSS 1, a two-day course combining classroom and simulation events, addresses the following topics: n Simulator familiarisation – a topic that should not be underestimated. The team needs to be able to ‘work the

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Photo: BC Ferries

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equipment’ and, as their confidence in the bridge equipment grows, their level of focus on the critical BRM teaching points increases; n Communications, Roles and Responsibilities, Bridge Status – these topics result from the recent introduction of three company directives pertaining to bridge resource management: n Closed-Loop Communications is fully explained and then practised throughout the course; n Roles and Responsibilities addresses a role-based versus a rank-based approach to BRM, which facilitates assertiveness, team situational awareness and shared mental models; and n Bridge Status addresses the requirement of focus and the removal of distractions during critical navigation or manoeuvring. n Human Factors is a topic that is inherent to effective BRM and time is allocated to reviewing these important concepts, which are then focused on during subsequent simulation debriefs; and

Effects of Wind & Tidal Streams, together with Equipment Failures, are included to add relevance and nuance to the simulations.

With Phase 1 of the project completed in October 2011, the teaching programme began. A more realistic statement would be that the learning began. The company, the instructors and the bridge teams have all been on a steep learning curve with respect to maintaining and sustaining the BTS throughput of students. By the end of June 2012, 40 courses had been delivered only 26 months after the inception of the BC Ferries’ BTS concept proposal. This presents some interesting challenges relating to obtaining qualified reliefs, but these issues are mitigated by the instructors working closely with their local crewing offices and providing them with as much ‘heads up’ as possible with respect to the BTS course delivery schedule. Credibility and Sustainment The credibility of the programme and

BC Ferries

sustainment of skills and knowledge go hand in hand, and the BTS programme has been designed and resourced to ensure these issues are addressed. The programme’s credibility is ensured through: n A Simulation Training Advisory Group (STAG) – a group consisting of marine superintendents and serving vessel masters that provides oversight and guidance to the programme; n Student feedback – student feedback is put through quantitative and qualitative analyses, and then incorporated where warranted; n Qualified instructors – the instructor cadre consists of three experienced master mariners. Two of them have previous simulation training experience and the third is the company’s former fleet captain. The instructors are required to attend the bridge of the operations vessels as well. By being knowledgeable about the vessels in their area, they are truly in touch with the needs of prospective students and develop a ‘deckplates’ perspective on their curriculum development. n Obtaining Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Maritime Training Centre Accreditation in 2013. The sustainment of the skills and knowledge of BTS graduates is a critical success factor and is ensured through several processes: n Senior Master Mentorship – vessel senior masters are included in the BRM training delivery, during which they fulfil a mentorship role which is then continued back on board the operational vessels. This ensures the consistent

interpretation and application of company-sanctioned best bridge operational practices; n Fleet Training support assessments – during peak operational seasons, the instructors conduct fleet visits to formally assess whether BTS training objectives are being consistently incorporated; n Operational Readiness Group audits – the company’s internal auditors cast a critical eye on bridge skills during their formal annual vessel audits. Their feedback on BRM is then funnelled back into the BTS programme, which allows the instructors to either ‘tailor-make’ new training programmes, modify existing BTS training, or advise on re-prioritising vessels’ training schedules as necessary; n Appropriate training cycle – as previously mentioned, the BTS project was built with a phased approach. This strategy ensured not only greater capital affordability; it also allowed a ‘walk before run’ approach to implementation. Phase 1 of the project, once running at 100 per cent capacity (which will occur in October 2013), will produce 480 days of simulation training availability. In other words, each of the three simulator sites will deliver training 160 days per annum. Outside of BRM ‘contact-time’, the instructors are either to deliver individual training or design and develop at least two new courses per annum, taking care of training administration requirements or partaking in fleet visits to ascertain skill utilisation; and n Embedding BRM simulator-style training within the company’s Standardised Education and Assessment (SEA) vessel familiarisation/clearance programme.

BTS – the Future Regular simulation training is necessary to ensure sustained BRM best practices. In order to meet the annual training requirement and increase affordability through reduced travel and accommodation costs, a second phase of BTS is being considered, which may include additional mobile simulators to further address the geographic and affordability challenges. Although Phase 2 is currently at the concept phase, it is receiving growing support. As the company begins to reap the benefits of bridge team and individual training , there is widespread belief that BC Ferries’ BTS Programme is well on its way to success and contributing significantly to the company’s journey to ‘world class’ in concert with, rather than in spite of, geographic and fiscal realities. 

Jeff Joyce has been the Director of Operational Training at BC Ferries since 2008. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s degree in Arts (Leadership and Training). Jeff is a retired Commander from the Royal Canadian Navy and remains keenly interested in developing sustainable learning practices in the marine industry. Captain Philip McCarter has been the Senior Manager of Simulation at BC Ferries since 2011. Prior to his move to BC Ferries, he was a senior instructor at the Marine Institute of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, delivering a variety of courses on marine matters. A graduate of the Canadian Coast Guard College, Philip also holds a diploma in Nautical Science, a Master Mariner’s Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocational Education and a Master’s in Laws degree, specialising in International Law of the Sea, Admiralty Law, Carriage of Goods by Sea Law and Marine Insurance Law.

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: Urban Soul

S.A. Agulhas

The S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa’s newest polar research vessel The S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa’s newest polar research vessel, is a tanker, a cargo carrier, a passenger ship, a research vessel, a helicopter carrier and an icebreaker The S.A. Agulhas II, a state-of-the-art polar research vessel, was built to replace the aging S.A. Agulhas after 33 years of service. This exceptional vessel was built by STX Finland for the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). It is one of a kind and the most modern and sophisticated research vessel in the world since its commissioning to the DEA in May 2012. TEXT: MISHKAH CROESER

40 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

Photo: Urban Soul

S.A. Agulhas

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Handover ceremony.

Photo: Urban Soul

STX Finland Oy was chosen as the company to build the vessel for the DEA at its Rauma shipyard. Finland, with its proud maritime history, has enjoyed relations with South Africa since 1949. This, however, is the first vessel that its shipping industry has built for the South African government. The brief was to build a ship that would be a tanker, a cargo carrier, a passenger ship, a research vessel, a helicopter carrier and an icebreaker. More importantly, the ship is the first to comply with the International Maritime Organisation safety regulations (SOLAS 2009), which require all ships built after July 2010 to be able to return safely to port within a 1,000-mile radius of any incident. The budget for this project was a fixed €116 million. The Ship One of the main purposes of the vessel’s operations is to support the South African National Antarctic

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: Urban Soul

S.A. Agulhas

Expedition (SANAE IV) base on the Antarctic continent. The base conducts research in the fields of physical sciences, earth sciences and life sciences. The vessel will provide support to the base by carrying supplies, personnel and researchers to the base as well as to Marion and Gough Islands where biological, environmental and climate change research will take place. The modified vessel will also allow for mobile research to be conducted as it consists of eight permanent laboratories and six containerised laboratories. In addition to climate change and scientific research, the vessel has a weather station that transmits continuous data back to South African Weather Services. Marine life observation, which is a key indicator of climate change around the world, will also be conducted on the ship through observation towers. This allows researchers to keep track of migratory patterns and the overall health of marine life in the Southern Ocean. Technical The SA Agulhas II is 134 metres long, 22 metres wide and has a displacement of 13,687t. It has a range of 15,000 nautical miles at 14 knots and is able to cut through one metre of level ice

42 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

at a steady five knots. Propulsion on the SA Agulhas II is diesel electric, using two 4,500 kW Converteam motors powered by up to four Wärtsilä 3,000 kW diesel generators. There are two propeller shafts, each driving a 4,500-mm-diameter variable pitch propeller. The ship also has two bow thrusters and one stern thruster and features a helicopter hangar for the stowage and servicing of two Oryx/Puma-class helicopters. On board the vessel, there are two fast rescue craft on standby during helicopter operations, as well as two enclosed 74-person lifeboats. The vessel also has one large 35t crane on the foredeck to load and discharge heavy lifts onto the ice shelf, and three for general cargo work. On board is a fully integrated navigation system, including dynamic positioning, as well as an Ice Radar, V SAT satellite communications system for data transfer, email and internet access. The vessel also boasts lounges for the passengers and crew, a business centre, a library, a 100-person auditorium and two gyms. Research facilities include eight permanent laboratories and six container laboratories, a range of scientific winches and davits for the deployment of a wide range

of sampling and coring to 5,000m, a moon pool for sampling in the pack ice, a drop keel to house various acoustic transducers, and a deep-water sub-bottom profiler and automatic water station. Update from Alan Robertson – the S.A. Agulhas II Project Manager After arrival in Cape Town on 3 May 2012, work on warranty items and the completion of the system commissioning commenced immediately. This work continued until early June, when the ship sailed on a six-day commissioning and training voyage. The objective of the voyage was to carry out final deep-water testing of the research systems which could not be carried out in the Baltic during the Owner’s Acceptance Trials. In addition, a large group of scientists accompanied the ship for the purpose of undergoing training in the overside operations and the use of the onboard data systems. Crew were also trained in the deployment of sampling devices. A highlight of the voyage was the successful deployment and recovery of the 24 x 20 litre CTD array via the moon pool. The scientific echo sounders were all calibrated and noise measurements made at each frequency. This proved the

S.A. Agulhas

SA Agulhas II ice trial.

Photo: Urban Soul

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significant improvement in performance with the drop keel lowered. In July, the S.A. Agulhas II undertook her first research voyage which lasted for 28 days, a combined operation between the Department and researchers from other institutes. The ship sailed south following the Greenwich meridian and deploying a range of sampling devices each day. Generally, a 24 x 12 litre rosette was deployed over the side using the midship A Frame. This proved to be operational in strong winds and high swells. The larger 24 x 20 litre unit was deployed via the moon pool. This, too, was successful and made sampling possible when overside operations were ruled out due to poor weather conditions. Once the winter pack ice was reached, the ship proceeded into the ice for a day to test performance on new ice. This was successful although a maximum ice thickness of 500 mm was encountered. CTD array deployment was carried out in the pack ice and this showed that the moon pool was a viable deployment option in the ice. The ship then steamed north towards the Prince Edward Island Group, deploying a variety of environmental samplers and deep-water camera systems.

Bird and predator observations were also carried out. After a brief stopover at Marion Island to discharge some cargo and mail, the ship proceeded to Port Elizabeth where two days were allocated for the public to visit the ship. Senior departmental staff and dignitaries accompanied the ship on the return voyage to Cape Town. “Much was learnt by all on board during this voyage and it is reassuring that the ship’s systems performed throughout the voyage without experiencing any major problems affecting the achievement of the voyage goals,” said the master of the S.A. Agulhas II. Since returning to Cape Town in early August, the ship has been busy with the final commissioning of systems, completion of class and flag items and general preparations for the first logistic voyage to Gough Island and Tristan da Cunha. The Shipbuilder STX Finland is one of the most experienced shipbuilding companies in the world. It specialises in building the world’s largest cruise vessels, ferries, offshore service vessels, navy craft, Arctic vessels and other specialist research vessels. The STX Rauma shipyard is the world’s leading ferry builder and its location close

to the Arctic makes it the ideal shipbuilder for icebreaker class vessels. STX Finland’s three shipyards – in Rauma, Turku and Helsinki (50% J/V) – employ some 2,500 local people and, along with its maritime industry cluster and engine and component suppliers, confirm Finland as one of the most skilled shipbuilding nations in the world. STX Finland has pioneered many modern shipbuilding techniques and perfected the building of ships in block sections as compared to traditional methods. The vessels are then assembled like huge puzzles, cutting the building time down considerably. The STX Turku shipyard is one of the biggest and most modern shipyards in Europe and has built all 14 of the largest cruise vessels to sail the world’s oceans. These include the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the world’s largest and most innovative residences at sea, which were delivered at the end of 2009 and 2010 respectively. The Arctech shipyard in Helsinki focuses on Arctic maritime technology and will combine Russian and Finnish maritime clusters. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Daea exPress shiPPiNg

daea express shipping – vision to link north east asia with ferry service the daea Group consists of Korean shipping lines that operate high-speed ferry services in Far east countries – Korea, China and Japan – and daea express shipping is one of the companies in the group that provides ferry services mainly in the east sea area.

started as a local shipping line transporting passengers and vehicles between the mainland and islands in korea, daea express shipping has continuously expanded its business internationally. including the recently launched highspeed ferry between korea and japan, daea now provides high-speed ferry services between korea and japan (Tsushima island and fukuoka) and korea and china (Tianjin and rongcheng), and will soon provide a korea to russia (vladivostok) route. established in 1983, 29 years ago, daea express shipping (ceo: lee, jong hyun) has played a central role in east sea transportation. operating a total fleet of seven vessels owned by daea express shipping and four vessels owned by other affiliates in the daea group, daea is one of the main ferry service providers in korea. recently, it entered into a prestigious mou with stena ab, an international transport service company and one of the world’s largest ferry companies – a bold move to firm its position as the leading ferry company in the east asia region. anticipating the market growth and potential in the korea-japan route, daea express shipping launched a new vessel, the dream, to sail between busan and fukuoka early this year. The dream can accommodate up to 300 passengers

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photo: daea express shipping

TexT: sun young pArk, dnv

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lee, Jong hyun, Ceo, daea express shipping.

and travels at a speed of 38 knots. it is a hydrofoil and water-jet high-speed catamaran that provides a comfortable ride and whose hull is designed to minimise the oscillation of the vessel due to wave heaving. we have been to daea express shipping office in pohang, korea to interview the company’s ceo, lee, jong hyun, who explained the success and challenges behind the new ro-ro route between korea and japan and about daea’s further plans in international shipping business.

Daea Express Shipping opened a new ro-ro route from Busan in Korea to Fukuoka in Japan this year. How important is this initiative? “daea express shipping is already operating the route between busan and Tsushima island using the oceanflower and, before the dream began to operate the route between busan and fukuoka, high-speed ferries with jet engines and semi-cargo ships were operating the same route. as more than a million people travel this route, it is certainly commercially attractive and shows further market potential. The route to japan is especially important to us in the sense that it completes the link in the china-korea-japan route. we ambitiously launched the route to Tsushima island to promote the relationship between the two countries and, with this new high-speed ferry to fukuoka, we are happy to provide comfortable and convenient transportation to japan and to further contribute to trade and cultural exchange.” What challenges did you face opening this new route? “since opening the route between busan and Tsushima island in 1999, daea express shipping has dedicated considerable time and effort to opening a new route between korea and japan. we faced a number of challenges, including the

Photo: Daea Express Shipping

Daea Express Shipping

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The Dream.

operating schedule agreement and issues regarding ports and terminal usage. However, the strenuous process of discussions and negotiations between the Korean and Japanese governments and related commercial and regulatory parties led to the successful launch of the DREAM. “Since the DREAM just started to operate at the beginning of this year, it is quite early to jump to the conclusion that it is a commercial success, but around 6,000~10,000 passengers travel on it per month, showing that we are earning the trust of our customers quickly.” In your opinion, what will the ro-ro route between Korea and Japan look like in the future?

“The ferry business, especially the passenger ship business, between Korea and Japan contracted dramatically after the earthquake disaster in Japan in 2011 and it has not yet fully recovered. Moreover, the eurozone crisis, global recession and strong Japanese Yen aren’t helping the situation. However, a crisis can be an opportunity. Tourism in Japan is slowly picking up and we can see more opportunities here in Korea for Japanese tourists. With aggressive marketing and PR activities and satisfactory customer service, we have a positive outlook for this passenger ship route. Also, the increase in Japanese tourists travelling to Korea is helping us get through the difficult times.”

What commercial or regulatory challenges do you expect the new international ro-ro route to face? “As mentioned earlier, the ferry market between Korea and Japan contracted considerably after Japan’s earthquake incident. The new route between Korea and Russia is expected to open by the end of this year. However, it will take some time for people to feel that it is safe to travel to Japan. In addition, other issues are making the market outlook rather gloomy. Oil prices are unstable, the eurozone crisis is leading the global recession, and the competition with the budget airlines and other ferry companies is getting fierce. “While the Korea-Japan route is facing commercial challenges, other

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Daea Express Shipping

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The Ocean Flower.

challenges are expected to face the new route between Korea and Russia (Vladivostok). In order to launch this new route successfully, cooperation between CIQ (Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine) and the local governments of Korea, Russia, and China is essential. That leaves us with another task to solve and we must agree with these parties in three countries on terms for this new route to Russia.” Daea Express Shipping has recently signed an MOU with Stena AB. What do you expect from this MOU with the Stena Group? “European ship owners are starting to show great interest in the East Asia market. Due to the financial crisis’s negative impact on Europe’s shipping industry, more and more European shipping

46 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

companies are turning their eyes to new markets and it seems that East Asia is one of the regions with great potential. Both companies expect to benefit from this MOU by sharing Stena’s vessel and shipoperation know-how and our experience of the passenger transportation business in the East Asia region. The exact terms and cooperation details have not yet been confirmed but we expect to achieve a great synergy effect by co-investing in ship operations in this region.” What plans does Daea Express Shipping have for the future? “Our company name ‘Daea’ means ‘bridgehead’. Daea was first established with the vision of opening routes from Korea to China, Japan, and Russia, thus

linking all four countries and activating commercial and cultural exchange among them. “Together with the owner of the Daea Group, Hwang, In Chan, all employees have been making efforts to realise this dream and the recent agreement to open a new route to Russia means that we are about to reach this goal. We are on track to achieve this year’s targets of earning revenue of KRW 40 billion (around USD 35 million) and transporting 1.2 million passengers. “We are dedicated to providing comfortable and reliable transportation services in East Asian countries, allowing our customers to use their cars and enjoy travelling in countries near to Korea safely and conveniently.” 

Photo: Daea Express Shipping

Daea Express Shipping

FACTBOX about the DREAM Name of the ship DREAM Ship type Catamaran passenger ship Shipyard Mitsubishi Flag Korea (ROK) Dimensions (L/B/D) 33.24m/13.20m/4.50m Capacity 303 tons Speed 38 knots Maximum passenger capacity 300 passengers (7 crews) Shipping route Busan, Korea – Fukuoka, Japan

FACTBOX about the OCEANFLOWER Name of the ship OCEANFLOWER Ship type Catamaran passenger ship Shipyard FBMA, Philippines Flag Korea (ROK) Dimensions (L/B/D) 45.67m/11.80m/4.20m Capacity 445 tons Speed 40 knots Maximum passenger capacity 445 passengers (9 crews) Shipping route Busan, Korea – Tsushima Island, Japan

Daea Group and its affiliates • Daea Express Shipping: operating ferries to Korea’s main islands (Ulleung Island, Dokdo, Baekryung Island) and to Japan (Tsushima Island and Fukuoka) • JH-Ferry: operating ferries between Incheon and Baekryung Island • Jang Heung Shipping: operating ferries between Jang Heung and Jeju Island • Jin Chun Shipping: operating ferries between Incheon, Korea and Tianjin, China • Dae Ryong Shipping: operating ferries between Pyung Tak, Korea and Rongcheng, China • Ul-rung Daea Resort • Daea Hotel Tsushima Island • Chilpo Pine Beach Hotel • Ulleung Mineral Water

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

MaritiMe DeVelOPMeNt

maritime development projects across africa western development aid has gradually shifted focus from asia to africa. one part of this complex picture is development aid within the maritime sector. danish company osK-shiptech takes part in several development projects in africa. TexT: evA hAlvorsen, dnv

Ferry sAFety ferry safety has been on interferry’s agenda for a while, and the organisation is undertaking a joint initiative with the international maritime organisation to improve the shocking safety record of domestic ferry operations in developing countries. “we’re pleased to be able to help raise the ferry safety level,” says Ørgård hansen. imo and interferry signed an mou in 2006 regarding a ten-year action plan aiming at a 90% cut in fatalities. in the first phase, osk-shipTech took part in a pilot

48 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

development projects often face. however, the project participants, as well as interferry and imo, have learned lessons along the way.

photo: peter Bilde Fog

every year, many ferries capsize with huge numbers of casualties as a result. almost all of these accidents occur in developing countries. interferry is the shipping association representing the ferry industry worldwide. The organisation currently has members from 38, mainly developed, countries. “The fatalities are conservatively estimated at 1,000 a year, and of these statistically only a few are related to an accident involving an interferry member. by far the majority of these accidents happen in asia and africa,” says anders Ørgård hansen, the managing director of osk-shipTech.

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“we’re pleased to be able to help raise the ferry safety level in developing countries,” says anders Ørgård hansen, the Managing director of osKshiptech.

project arranged in bangladesh “Three areas were carefully chosen by interferry and imo, together with the local administration, to be of top priority: crowd management, stability and hazardous weather reporting,” explains Ørgård hansen. in this first project, some modest success was achieved in the areas of crew training, hazardous weather reporting and the development of an electronic database of vessels. There were also unexpected challenges, along the lines that these

20 yeArs in AFricA osk-shipTech today has a 20-year track record of development projects in africa, and 25% of its revenue comes from development projects. in Tanzania, two 35m ferries are currently being built on the orders of an new york based investor to operate on lake victoria. There are three shipyards around lake victoria, and these ferry projects are important for the development of local expertise. another project is taking place in ghana. There is a need for the efficient transport of mango from the farmlands to accra across the lake volta. The project contains both a rehabilitation and a newbuilding part. This is an american project and osk-shipTech is the owner’s representative. a third project is taking place in uganda. in 2005 the 92 meter train/roro ferry m/v kabalega collided with a sister ship, and subsequently sank. as a consequence the two remaining sister ships was

Photo: Getty Images

Maritime development

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Ferry on the Lake Victoria.

detained,eing land locked – Uganda is depending on Kenya as the only feasible transport corridor to East African ports. To re-establish the “central corridor” from capital Port Bell, OSK-Shiptech is responsible for general improvement of the port facilities as well as new tonnage to be instated A fourth project is taking place in Mozambique to improve the port facilities at Beira. In 2008, OSK-ShipTech signed a two-stage contract with the Mozambique Port and Railway Authority.

“During the first stage, we acted as technical advisors, helping to prepare specifications and tender and contract documents. In the second stage, during construction, we carried out on-site supervision,” says Ørgård Hansen. The project includes the newbuilding of one 2,500 m3 trailing suction hopper dredger under construction at Western Baltija shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania, a hydrographical survey boat now delivered from Esbjerg shipyard in Denmark and two rehabilitation projects done locally in Beira. This project is funded via

mixed credit loans under DANIDAby the Danish Government. “The focus of development projects has gradually moved towards Africa. In the beginning, sponsorship and competence development were key components of development projects, but today we see more and more that the developing countries are themselves designing and building with the assistance of credit facilities, donors and supervisors, such as OSKShipTech,” says Ørgård Hansen. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

FjellstraND

running ferries on electrical batteries in 2010, Fjellstrand started to realistically investigate the possibility of running a norwegian fjord ferry on electrical batteries. this was not actually a new idea, since the norwegian public roads directorate had asked MarinteK to look into it a few years previously. at that time, however, the conclusion was that this was impossible. TexT: jAn-Fredrik pAulsen, fjellsTrand as

use oF reneWABle energy fjellstrand has received funding for its investigation from Transnova, one of whose tasks is to examine transport solutions that can bring about a change from non-renewable to renewable energy.The government`s goal is that in 2020 10% of energy consumption for transport shall be renewable. slightly depending on the ferry’s operating arrangement, up to 100% of the energy used to run the ferry will be based on onshore power and thus on renewable energy. This means that the batteries are

50 | Ferry update NO. 1 2012

in built-up areas. when ferry quays are located in a residential area, these emissions can be an issue. The diesel engines of ferries manoeuvring to the quay often produce such large emissions that the particles can be seen in the form of smoke. “acid” rain is primarily rain that contains acid produced by water reacting with the soot.

photo: Fjellstrand as

The norwegian parliament has decided that norway is to aim to become carbon neutral in 2030. Two thirds of the emissions reductions are to take place in norway. of the total climate emissions from the transport industry, climate-gas emissions from ferries in norway comprise around 400,000 tonnes of co2 per annum. operating on electrical batteries will not produce any co2 emissions at all, and could be a valuable contribution towards fulfilling the norwegian parliament’s decision to reduce emissions. however, not all ferry crossings are suitable for battery operations. sixty-nine of them are considered to be suitable and 12 are possibly suitable although they are economically or technically challenging at present. The benefits of battery operations were in part to be expected and in part quite surprising.

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Jan-Fredrik paulsen, Chief technical officer, Fjellstrand as

charged using onshore power between each ferry trip and when the ferry is otherwise not moving. This must be assessed for each individual ferry service. norway’s goal is to obtain as much as possible of the energy it requires from renewable sources. by buying electricity with a green certificate, it can be ensured that the electricity does not come from coal, oil or gas-fired power stations. even using power generated by a coal-fired power station, a battery-run ferry may produce lower emissions than at present due to good energy utilisation. soot emissions a battery-run ferry does not produce any particle (soot) emissions, which are primarily a problem

noise ferry noise has become a considerable problem on many large ferry routes. even while alongside quay during night auxiliary diesel engines may be running. The noise from a conventional ferry comes mainly from the diesel machinery and most of all from the exhaust duct. electric motors for battery-run ferries will generally have a very low noise level and batteries are totally without noise. eFFicient use oF energy Today, the ferry propulsion system is divided into two competing system philosophies. direct mechanical operations, in which one or two diesel engines, via a reduction gear, each drive a propeller. almost all norwegian fjord ferries are double-ended, ie they have a propeller at each end and do not turn around (double-ended ferries). This arrangement theoretically has a “high” efficiency. The other system philosophy is that the propellers are driven by an electric motor and that there are several independent diesel/gas motors that run generators. The investment is greater but the operational

ÂŠ Fjellstrand AS

Fjellstrand

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This is what a battery-driven ferry may look like.

reliability increases because you can have several generators. Here there will be a loss in electrical components/leads. The diesel motors have a constant rotational speed and can therefore have the lowest possible specific consumption. However, it is not known that this in practice leads to lower fuel consumption. Nonetheless, such facilities often have several generators and can stop a generator set in order to operate the others at optimal output. This solution must be used for most gas-run ferries because it is difficult to vary the speed of gas engines. Diesel motors versus electrical batteries The efficiency of the energy supplied to an internal combustion engine

(diesel oil) up to the propeller in the case of direct operations (excluding the propeller efficiency) is around 0.4. The losses mainly consist of heat which is removed along with cooling water and exhaust gases. With diesel-electric operations, the efficiency is slightly less because the energy from the diesel motor has to be transformed into electricity in a generator before it is transmitted to the electric motor where it is then transformed into mechanical energy. With fully electric propulsion from batteries via onshore power, the efficiency may reach 0.75. The energy losses here are mainly the loss of heat when charging and discharging (around 1-3%), electrical

losses (10%) and mechanical losses (around 4%). Fuel costs In the case of battery operations, no direct CO2 tax is payable and no NOx tax, or a reduced NOx tax, is payable, but the long-term power price is nonetheless affected by the CO2 market and oil price. The energy used by a ferry will be that of a medium-sized manufacturing company. The grid charge varies a lot depending on the grid owner that holds the licence. For the industry, the grid charge will partly be based on the largest amount of power that is used. The structure of the batteries and the charging current will have a major effect on the fuel cost. Electricity can be bought anywhere.

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Fjellstrand

200 kW/kg

150 100 50

ob al t) (m ag Li an -lo es n e) (p ho sp ha te )

iM H

Li -lo n

iC ad N

Le ad

ac id

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The battery’s charge status. The columns show the charge cycle of calls into port. The red column shows the charge status as a percentage of the full battery upon arrival. The green column shows how much the battery can be recharged while the ferry is loading cars at the quay.

The actual fuel costs of a battery-driven ferry may well be much cheaper than those of a diesel-run ferry. Disadvantages of battery operations In the foreseeable future, the costs of buying a battery-driven ferry will be higher than the costs of buying an ordinary ferry. There may be be a need for quite high charging current. That means that, in many cases, high voltage lines will have to be erected. In the worst case, the regional grid may have to be reinforced. At present, grid owners can charge customers a construction fee for building such charge stations. A battery that is fully charged when the day’s routes start cannot in practice be fully recharged between each trip. The batteries are too large for this and it would require an unrealistic amount of charging current. This means that the battery will become more and more discharged as the ferry sails. Most ferries in Norway are berthed alongside, or have a long gap between departures during the night. This period can be used to fully recharge the batteries. The county master plan for Hordaland includes the building of onshore power facilities for ferries but it has not been considered that these are to be used for charging batteries. This will require a much larger facility than that needed for lighting and heading when an ordinary ferry is moored at the quay.

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Battery energy densities. Lithium batteries are absolutely the most relevant for running a ferry – due to their high energy efficiency, high power density and long cyclical life.

The current tendering regime for ferry operations makes it difficult to choose a more expensive solution than diesel power unless especially requested in the bid.

shipyard is cooperating with the authorities and class society to develop safety rules and is now working to realise this project together with a major battery supplier.

The current project situation In the winter of 2011, Fjellstrand investigated which battery-driven passenger vessels existed or were part of projects. This proved to be a very limited number of small vessels. For most of them, the main thing was to show they could be run on solar cells. This was usually in countries that had a limited amount of hydropower and where solar energy was a primary renewable source of energy. It was found that only a couple of small harbour/ sightseeing boats used solely electrical batteries for propulsion. In the USA, a converted hybrid ship (diesel generator and battery) is operating in San Francisco Bay. In Scotland, a hybrid-operations ferry has now been ordered by the Scottish state-owned shipping company Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. This company has analysed ideas for a common design and acquisition strategy for small ferries of around 43m that can carry some 43 cars. IHI Marine Unit in Tokyo has developed a Zero Emission Electric ship based on its counter-rotating propeller. The prototype is intended to be 30m long and 12m wide. The two propellers will be driven by two 400kw electric motors using energy from lithium-ion batteries that the shipyard has adapted to the ship. The

Battery technology When being charged, an electric battery converts electrical energy into chemical energy. When being discharged (used), chemical energy is turned into electrical energy. As battery technology has improved, usage has extended from areas where it was completely necessary to have batteries, such as mobile phones and torches, to areas where battery operations were unthinkable a few years ago, such as saws, drilling machines and other tools. A “quantum leap” took place when the automotive industry started using electricity to run vehicles. This has resulted in a lot of new battery types and variants of the same type being developed. Over the past 10 years, a number of battery types and several variants of the same type have been developed. Energy density is one of the parameters that really separate the various types of batteries. Energy density is stated as Watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) and means the amount of energy that the battery can deliver per kilo of battery weight. Higher energy-density cells allow a longer operating period than cells with lower energy density, or alternatively the same operating period with fewer cells. The energy density of the various main types of batteries

Courtesy of Fjord1

Fjellstrand

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A typical double-ended ferry with direct operations. Based on general arrangement drawing of MF Boknafjord.

varies. The energy density also varies within the same type, as shown in the figure. Fjellstrand has assessed a number of battery types. Today, lithium batteries are absolutely the most relevant for running a ferry – due to their high energy efficiency, high power density and long cyclical life. Battery safety The detonating gas that develops in lead batteries is well known and forms the basis for current safety standards. Detonating gas is extremely explosive. The lithium batteries that are most relevant also pose safety challenges Lithium in metal form reacts with water or that used in electrolytes, and for that reason no free lithium is to be found in the batteries. Lithium ion batteries that are wrongly handled may have uncontrollable temperature developments – they “run wild”. This happens when a cell is overheated due to being wrongly handled or short circuiting. This heat will further accelerate the reaction and may result in poisonous gases, fires or explosions. The cells may contain organic (inflammable) materials and the cathode produces oxygen when heated. Such temperature developments may be caused by normal situations, such as overcharging, crash charging at low temperatures, poor cell construction and too much electricity flowing through the battery. All possible faults must be under control when large batteries are installed. This

is achieved by installing a battery-control system that controls each of the several thousand cells in a battery pack. The control system controls as a minimum: n Excessive power during charging or discharging n Short circuiting n Overvoltage – overcharging n Undervoltage n High ambient temperatures n Overheating – exceeding the cell’s temperature limit n Pressure build-up within the cell n System isolation in the case of an accident n Misuse That means that the battery control system must be regarded as a very important part of the battery pack. What is required for battery operations? The following are typical factors that help determine whether battery operations are relevant: 1. Operating period – how long are battery-powered operations to take place 2. Capacity – what is the necessary output 3. Power – is there power available to charge the batteries 4. Charging time – is there time to charge the batteries 5. Weight – will the weight of the battery pack affect the operation of the vessel 6. Price – will the price of batteries be decisive

It is difficult to stipulate clear, simple criteria for when battery operations are possible on a crossing, since there are too many criteria to take into consideration and a combination of criteria is necessary. Each ferry service must be analysed separately Most ferries can run on batteries from a purely technical point of view and, if hybrid solutions are used in combination with traditional generator sets, more or less all ferries can have such an installation. However, there are some limitations on pure battery operations and these can be set based on the length of the route and thus the battery capacity that is necessary for the service in question. The distance of the route is the clear factor that quickly determines which routes are suitable. By sorting the ferry services according to their sailing distance, we can thus find the most suitable crossings. The whole point of running ferries on batteries is also to reduce the emissions to air by using hydropower instead of fossil fuel. It will therefore not necessarily be the shortest, least busy and technically simplest crossings that are really the most suitable, but instead those on which the emissions can be reduced by as much as possible, where one is moving more on the outer edge of what is technologically possible. 

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Green Ship

A Ro-Pax for the future The Danish Green Ship of the Future programme was initiated prior to the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen. A range of projects have since been executed, and one of the ongoing projects is the Low Emission Ro-Pax study, which aims to reduce the emissions and fuel consumption of a Ro-Pax ferry by 25%. Text: Eva Halvorsen, DNV

The Danish Green Ship of the Future initiative was founded by four leading Danish maritime companies – Aalborg Industries, A.P. Moller-Maersk, MAN Diesel and Odense Steel Shipyard – in recognition of the ecological responsibility nested in the maritime industry. Today, the initiative has grown into a group consisting of about 40 companies working to make shipping and shipbuilding more environmentally friendly. OSK-ShipTech and DNV are among these companies. Many elements are coming together in Green Ship: research, development, demonstrations, innovation, education, training and the dissemination of knowledge. Along another axis, many fields of knowledge are involved in the programme, such as systems for recycling heat energy, optimising the hull, propellers and rudders, optimising the draft and speed for a given route and arrival time and monitoring the fouling of hulls and propellers. Engine and propulsion technology are some of the essential factors for achieving the targeted benefits. The managing director of OSK-ShipTech, Anders Ørgård Hansen, joined Green Ship in 2011. “Green Ship develops projects that lead to a greener profile for our industry. And it demonstrates the capability of the Danish cluster,” he says. A good idea Ørgård Hansen had the idea for the Low Emission Ro-Pax project. “Through our work as ship designers, we get to know many players in this industry. My idea was to bring relevant players together to perform a design process with

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One of facilitator Iben Posniak’s work sheets that proved to be very useful as the project moved forward.

the aim of developing an environmentally friendly Ro-Pax concept.” The feedback was good, players were invited and about a year ago the Green Ship programme applied to the Danish Maritime Fund for financial support. The answer was positive and soon 14 players sat down and divided into sub-groups. The project was narrowed down to focus on the technical elements relating to machinery, propulsion, alternative fuels and other areas affecting emissions. The following areas were to be investigated: n General design n Weight of the hull and superstructure n HVAC and ventilation n Fresh water

Ship/land interface logistics Engine room – propulsion and aux. configuration n Alternative fuels – LNG/methanol/DME n Resistance air and water n Automation

DNV Denmark is heading the project’s machinery and alternative fuels group. “We’ve assessed several propulsion configurations in close discussion with key manufacturers like Wärtsilä and ABB. Accordingly, we’ve now been able to decide on the basic propulsion and auxiliary configuration,” says DNV’s project manager Claus W. Graugaard, adding: “Furthermore, we have assessed potential

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“Green ship develops projects that lead to a greener profile for our industry. and it demonstrates the capability of the danish cluster,” says anders Ørgård hansen, the Managing director of osKshiptech.

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fuel solutions and have decided to focus on both lng and methanol as the most attractive and innovative fuel solutions. we will work on these two alternatives in parallel and investigate the overall benefits and challenges of tank, piping and system integration. in addition, the machinery group is investigating the potential savings and innovations from whr, the frequency control of pumps, cooling and ventilation.”

BenchmArking The study is performed on an existing ro-pax belonging to sweden’s gotlandsbolaget; the m/s visby, which was built in china in 2002 and sails between visby and nynäshamn. This meant the project outcome could be compared to a known operating profile, making it possible to benchmark the emission and fuel reductions against existing data. “gotlandsbolaget has kindly given us all the required data along the way,” underlines Ørgård hansen. The project has also initiated new projects concerning elements like hvac, insulation, windows and lighting, and an assessment of how the design of the cargo deck can decrease the loading time in port and thereby allow the ship to decrease its overall speed at sea and still keep to schedule, with lower emissions as a result.

AlternAtive Fuels Ørgård hansen is also interested in alternative fuels. “lng is the fuel of tomorrow, but methanol could be the fuel of the future,” he says. graugaard adds; sweden has a large forestry and paper industry and black liquor is a waste product of this, hence methanol can be extracted. norway has a lot of natural gas and methanol is also a biproduct of this. methanol as a fuel could therefore soon be a very relevant topic in these areas.

the low emission ro-pax is a complex project with a large number of participants with busy schedules. iben posniak was at an early stage introduced as a facilitator to the process.

FAcilitAtor in such a complex project with such a large number of participants with busy schedules, Ørgård hansen

lOW eMissiON rO-Pax PrOject ParticiPaNts

aBOut greeN shiP

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Vision Green ship of the Future is an open private-public partnership in which the danish maritime community has joined forces in order to explore, develop and demonstrate ambitious technical solutions for cleaner, more

Cavotech danfoss desmi dnV ForCe technology Johnson Controls lloyd’s register novenco

9. osK-shiptech 10. rockwool 11. scanel 12. spx (apV) 13. aarhus school of Marine and technical engineering 14. aBB

photo: Claus w. Graugaard

photo: peter Bilde Fog

greeN shiP

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“the Green ship programme is an exciting platform with many interesting and relevant stakeholders. in a short time, it has managed to gain a good reputation in the global maritime industry. dnV joined in 2011, and my experience is that the more you put into it the more you get out of it. Key words are openness, breadth and networking,” says dnV’s Claus w. Graugaard.

decided early on to introduce a facilitator, iben posniak, to the process. “The question was how can we get all these participants to work together in the best possible way and achieve an optimal result? it was important for me to get the participants to think outside the box and cooperate in new ways,” she explains. “people who don’t usually work together were suddenly linked. for instance the subcontractors were linked with the consultants and so on. There were café presentations where the participants could walk around and take a look before new rounds of developing new ideas took place.” The overall goal has been for a vessel with the new design to be ordered by 2020. but a goal can also be a retrofit of an existing vessel with parts of the new design. project completion and reporting are expected by the end of this year. 

energy-efficient and sustainable ships and maritime operations. Approach this is done by using technical developments and innovations for new and existing ships. as an integrated part of the initiative, the program wishes to implement and evaluate

technical solutions in order to push green innovation and thinking within the maritime industry – with an eye on the commercial feasibility connected to the industry. Main focus areas ship design, machinery, propulsion, operation and logistics.

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

a Day iN the liFe OF a DNV surVeyOr

photo: deepika Mital, dnV

not a very routine work-day

a day in the life of a dnV surveyor is spent absorbing and disseminating information while making calculated decisions that have a direct bearing on the safety of life and the environment. TexT: deepikA mitAl, dnv

erlend ulstad, a surveyor at dnv’s Trondheim office who is attached to bergen group fosen shipyard, is one of the many dnv surveyors around the world who ensure safety comes first at sea. The newbuilding surveys’ exhaustive routines ensure that every square metre of the ship is scrutinised, evaluated and then possibly accepted. a typical day for erlend is a drive out to flakk, a half-hour ferry ride and then a further drive to the yard at rissa, approximately 85 kilometres in all. Then it is on

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to the actual work of the day – back-toback surveys that have been requested sometimes as late as 5 pm the previous day. in his words – “i know the start time of my day, but never the end! but even so, if i need to be home for my family, i can arrange it.” he is the surveyor in charge of a current project at fosen – a short international ferry ship that is fuelled solely by lng (the largest such project) and complies with the new ‘safe return to port’ requirements. both these aspects have required a lot of careful adherence

to guidelines by both the yard and class society, as they entail relatively new and uncharted territory. This ambitious project for fjord line ferries has a few ‘firsts’ worth talking about. The ms stavangerfjord will be the first and largest cruise ferry in the world to sail with a single lng engine, thus offering the greenest possible sea passage as lng contains no sulphur or heavy metals. lng also reduces co2 emissions by 20-30 per cent and nox emissions by around 90 per cent compared to heavy

a Day iN the liFe OF a DNV surVeyOr

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fuel oil. The ferry is much larger than any of the existing gas-fuelled ferries operating local routes, and is intended for longer sailing periods from bergen, stavanger and langesund in norway to hirtshals in denmark. erlend is the single point of contact between the yard and dnv’s head office at høvik, outside oslo. all communication goes through him, ensuring that his mailbox is overflowing every day. “considering the importance of, and new procedures involved in, this project, the support from experts at head office is invaluable. mistakes cost time and money – so support matters! i’m in regular contact with experts at dnv høvik who are the best in the field for all the different disciplines involved. i’m assured of help and support at all times,” says erlend. any rare day that does not involve scheduled inspections is spent catching up on the paperwork that is an inevitable part of any such project. inspections include climbing innumerable stairs and ladders, craning one’s neck and straining one’s eyes in the light of a torch to see any defects that could affect the structure’s safety. all of this does not even begin to describe the working conditions – the noise, dust, gloom, smell and constant avoidance of obstacles ranging from massive cranes to cables strewn everywhere. disregarding all of this, erlend

and representatives of the yard and owner respectively closely discuss contentious issues, with stalemates or conclusions being reached over bales of insulation and matting – their makeshift office! it is a strange fact that the owner, builder and surveyor are all converging towards the same goal – a safe, reliable ship – but sometimes on very divergent paths. erlend puts it diplomatically, “very rarely do small issues get blown out of proportion, and the large issues are handled with caution and understanding on all sides.” he has even had instances of the yard acknowledging mistakes with a view to correcting them in time. The engineering manager at bergen group fosen and first point of contact for dnv, per edvin Tande, agrees, saying, “we hired dnv for its sound knowledge, expertise and interpretation of rules. support and consultancy from class on complicated projects cut down the time spent on projects – which is the biggest challenge for us!” basically, the time-consuming process of ship building goes faster when there is an expert to ‘go to’. per edvin Tande should know, considering fosen has worked with dnv for approximately 40 years on 90% of its projects! he adds, “dnv brings expertise and a huge amount of support to the table. we regularly consult with them on noise, vibration, fire safety, class regulations, safety and design – and have always

received support. we have a tradition of cooperating with dnv.” “dnv’s structured vQsc programme ensures the requisite qualification of surveyors. i have the newbuilding and ships in operation qualifications and am now working on acquiring dynamic positioning competence. in the beginning, it all seems too much training, but it’s invaluable,” says erlend. he has a degree from the prestigious norwegian university of science and Technology (nTnu) in Trondheim, but feels that most practical knowledge is obtained on the job, especially with a large multinational like dnv. he found a sixmonth dnv training course at shipbuilding yards in china and vietnam particularly relevant for the job he now does. when asked about his long-term plans, he is emphatic, “i would like to continue doing this for a long time. where else can i get such a dynamic working environment? i never know what the day will bring – this is no routine office work, and i thrive on it!” That is just as well, as the maritime world needs motivated people who bring all that they can to the table. 

photo: deepika Mital, dnV

photo: Bergen Group Fosen/harald M. Valderhaug

the Bergen Fosen Group yard sealed at rissa, close to the entrance to the trondheim Fjord, norway.

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erlend ulstad, dnV surveyor

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Safety

The power to handle the complexity of risk

Photo: Getty Images

Safety and operational risk management in shipping – time to refocus?

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Safety

Tor E. Svensen, President DNV Maritime and Oil & Gas, is passionate about safety and has advocated revitalising its importance for several years, indicating that the environmental focus has reduced the attention paid to safety. DNV Cruise Update interviewed Mr Svensen earlier this year to get his and DNV’s views on safety and what is required to step change safety performance. Even though focused on cruise industry the aspects discussed in this article are considered just as important for the ferry industry. Text: Helge Hermundsgård, DNV

Photo: DNV/Nina E. Rangøy

Tor E. Svensen Tor E. Svensen is President DNV Maritime and Oil & Gas. He started his career graduating from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978 with a degree in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding and subsequently gained a Ph.D. from the same university in 1983. In 1993, he joined DNV as Head of Section for Environmental Loads. From 2003 to 2010, he was Chief Operating Officer of DNV Maritime with responsibility for classification and all other DNV maritime activities worldwide. In 2007/2008, he was also Chairman of IACS, the International Association of Classification Societies.

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Tor E. Svensen at the Nor-Shipping conference in 2011.

What are the industry’s key challenges seen from your perspective? “The key challenge in my opinion is to achieve sustainable company performance over time. This includes growth in revenue and market share as well as satisfactory financial results. This is one side of the sustainability equation – the other one

being the ability to build and protect a strong brand through excellent safety and environmental performance over time. Excellent safety performance with respect to major accidents is key to sustainable business performance. Cruising is about relaxing and having a good vacation experience. The industry is innovative, has

enjoyed good growth and has an excellent safety record, with less than 0.16 fatalities per million passengers*). However, the Costa Concordia accident has sent us a stark reminder that statistics fade into insignificance when a serious accident happens. Irrespective of the final conclusions of the accident investigation, this accident represents a game-changer for the industry. This is simply because passengers will not accept just explanations of why such an accident happened, they want to see action taken to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future. Looking ahead, the key challenge for the industry will be to take a giant step forward and assure the public that this has been done.

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

Photo: Magne A. Røe

Safety

›› Christian Radich is a Norwegian full rigged ship, named after a Norwegian shipowner. The vessel was built at Framnæs Shipyard in Sandedfjord, Norway and was delivered on 17 June 1937. The class society of the vessel is DNV and it is built to @1A1, E0.

I believe this is possible, but not without a proper re-think of how we manage safety in terms of people, competence, culture and barriers against failure. An interesting observation about safety is that it does not change the competitive position if nothing wrong happens, but the entire industry suffers if a major accident occurs.” Historically, the cruise industry has a good safety performance, so why is it necessary to focus on this topic now? “Seen in a historical perspective, the cruise industry has an excellent safety record and there have been very few major accidents. However, we must also clearly bear in mind that society’s acceptance of risk in this sector is very low. Cruising is a vacation experience and the guests expect this to be a safe experience with very little risk. As the industry is expanding, the

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potential for accidents is increasing simply by sheer numbers and traffic volume. For a company with five vessels and a 0.2% probability**) of a serious accident, this means one serious accident every 100 years. After growing to 50 vessels and with the same 0.2% probability **), this means one serious accident every 10 years. Most people will certainly consider the latter to be a high-risk exposure. There must be a particular focus on reducing the risk of large-scale accidents. Apart from the potential huge loss of life, one large-scale accident can ruin a company’s brand as well as seriously damaging the reputation of the whole industry. I’m also afraid that nowadays safety competes with other items on the executive agenda, such as the environment and guest satisfaction. Today, we also have a situation in which it has become less attractive to be a seagoing

officer and at the same time ships and systems are increasingly complex, requiring greater expertise and capabilities. We can only navigate through these difficult waters by taking a proactive approach and going beyond a simple compliance approach to managing safety. This is all about leadership, management and setting the right priorities.” What are the key elements in ensuring safe operation? “Safe operation has many dimensions, but I would like to focus on the three that I think are most important. Firstly, the technical safety standard and ‘built-in’ margins against accidents or failures. Secondly, the additional safety barriers we put in place against failure. These barriers may be against technical or operational failures. And finally, the way in which we maintain

Safety

the integrity of these barriers against failure over time. The first dimension is mostly covered through class and statutory rules combined with other international standards. The second ‘safety barrier’ dimension has received less focus in the maritime field than in other industries. I am a strong advocate of this way of thinking being much stronger in the shipping industry. The third dimension is, of course, obvious but often forgotten. Having safety barriers in place does not mean that they are effective over time. This has a lot to do with having the right competence and correct safety culture in place. Individuals, teams and organisations must act according to the highest standards every day, year round, both onshore and shipboard, and never ever compromise on safety. I would especially reinforce the management dimension. What management style is effective and efficient for today’s world? In the past, the leadership style was characterised by decision-making by rather authoritarian individuals and depended on the individual’s experience. With the increased complexity, it is not about individuals but about how the senior manager manages to create a high performing team where 1 + 1 is way more than 2. Now it is about how to bring the best out of all employees/ranks and merge their expertise and capabilities to form a new performance level. It is about creating a learning environment, role modelling and managing and setting the right priorities.” What do you mean by robustness and barriers? “By robustness, I mean that we have a design, a system or an operational procedure that will function safely even if an unexpected event or deviation happens. Recognising that rules and standards cannot cover all risks and that the actual operations and in particular the human element will introduce additional risk elements means that we have to introduce

both robustness and safety-barrier thinking to the way in which we construct and operate ships. In practice, it means that we systematically identify hazards or risks and introduce measures that will prevent accidents from occurring or will mitigate the consequences if an accident occurs. In the case of a possible event that would lead to a serious or catastrophic accident, we would expect at least two independent safety barriers to be in place to prevent the accident from happening. For example, an alarm system warning the officers and crew that something is not correct is a preventative barrier. Firefighting systems help the crew to fight the fire within a short time and are a mitigating barrier. The challenge is to maintain the integrity of the systems and ensure that they work effectively and efficiently when needed. There are currently more and more systems and approaches that can help to make the vessels safer, but this is an area on which we have had most focus. It is important to use DNV’s research to understand the kind of barriers that exist and to manage these barriers to maximise vessel safety.” But these barriers do not work if people do not do their job. Can you reflect a bit on the importance of the human factor? “The human factor is probably the most challenging factor for us to address. And it is not only about individuals, it is about teams of individuals and the entire organisation. It covers both shore and shipboard organisations, with the company’s safety culture as a central element. A safety culture is not a statement with all the correct phrases, it is not a document, it is how work is done in real life on a day-to-day basis and this must be aligned with the documented policies. We frequently see that the statements and documents are right, but that people and teams still choose other priorities because they believe that this is what the company expects them to

do. When we are talking about a safety culture, it is about how people from the corporate leadership to the ratings onboard choose the right priorities. Another key issue is what kind of priority safety has on the agenda of the top executives and the Board. It is not enough that it is on the agenda, it needs to be important and relevant. It is about walking the talk!” We also discussed which advise Tor E. Svensen would give a company to revitalise safety and what would be his key recommandations. These are his points: i) Revitalise safety on the corporate agenda, not only as an agenda item but with real understanding and insight into what the risk exposure is. ii) Build a common platform and understanding of safety and what “best practices” are. iii) Address safety culture and the management dimension. What are modern safety management principles and what capabilities are required in the organisation. iv) Review the real performance indicators, ensure that the KPIs do not create unnecessary conflicting goals and develop the ability to make the right decisions. v) Do not only provide training, but also ensure that the training builds the desired competence and capabilities. vi) Revisit promotion criteria. We frequently reward the wrong decisions if we achieve short-term positive business results through luck, and we frequently punish the right behaviour if our shortterm business results suffer. vii) Safety is an area that needs constant attention and requires us to challenge the status quo and systematically improve performance.  *) According to G.P. Wild (International) Limited **) Illustrative probability

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

dnv rules and standards

Easy access to DNV rules and standards on tablets and mobile devices DNV’s “Rules and Standards Online” is a library of PDF files which you easily can access from your mobile devices.

For iPad and iPhone you can easily create a bookmark on your home screen. For Android devices you can bookmark ‘Rules and Standards Online’ via an app.

iPad and iPhone On an Apple device, you can create a bookmark icon on the home screen by following these steps: n

In the “Add to Home” window, you may want to type a title of your choice, e.g. “Rules Online”. Finally, tap “Add” on the “Add to Home” window:

Open the Safari web browser and go to http://exchange.dnv.com/publishing/ Or scan this QR code to go directly there:

You should now have this icon on your home screen:

Tap the Share button:

To read PDF files you can e.g. use Apple’s iBooks app. iBooks can be installed free of charge from the iTunes App Store. In iBooks, the documents you have downloaded are available also when your device is not connected to a network. iBooks is also a good tool for organizing the documents.

and then “Add to Home Screen”:

Android devices On Android devices you can also easily create a bookmark for instant access to ‘Rules and Standards Online’:

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In Google play (previously named “Android Market”), search for “DNV Rules” and you should find the app called “DNV Rules and Standards”. After installing it, you should have an icon on your home screen, which takes your web browser to “Rules and Standards Online”. Note that you need to have internet access when using the app.

When you tap on a link to a document, you will be prompted to save it. Tap “OK” (to save), and the document will be downloaded to your device. Using “My Files”, look for the document in the folder “Download” (/Root/Download). 

DNV rules aND staNDarDs

keep updated on dnv rules and standards

www.dnv.com/rulesnews

Ferry update NO. 1 2012 |

global presence

DNV is a global provider of services for managing risk, helping customers to safely and responsibly improve their business performance. DNV is an independent foundation with presence in more than 100 countries.