NEWS IN BRIEF Liftal takes over Damen Hoisting Liftal Hijstechniek will take over Damen Hoisting as of 1 October. For Liftal, this acquisition represents a strategic expansion towards the Rotterdam region, and for Damen a choice to keep focusing on its core business. Liftal Hijstechniek, which has been established in Vlissingen in 1998, is an expert in the field of testing and certification of hoisting and lifting equipment for maritime applications, the offshore oil & gas industry, the wind industry, industrial markets, and the construction sector. From its establishment in Vlissingen, the company operates mainly throughout the South-West Netherlands region and also in several different European markets, while from its Belgian establishment, the company operates in Antwerp, the Gent-Terneuzen Canal Zone, and the Belgian ports along the coast. Damen Hoisting was founded five years ago as a business unit of Damen Anchor & Chain Factory. From the accommodation at the Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam site in Schiedam, the company serves customers from various markets that are complementary to those of Liftal. i. liftal.com
Staying ahead of the curve Berg Propulsion retrofit cuts CO2 emissions for Vroon’s MV Indian Express. A recent retrofit to optimize a container ship’s propeller blade design has brought performance and fuel efficiency gains that are measurable in realworld conditions. Leading ship operator and manager Vroon recently approached Berg Propulsion to investigate the possibility of optimizing the propulsion system on its container vessel, MV Indian Express, fitted with a controllable pitch propeller originally manufactured by ZF. The aim was to secure the sustainability benefits available through greater ship efficiency, as part of Vroon’s continuing strategy to find the best practical answers to lowering CO2 emissions, ahead of the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). With performance improved at the speeds most commonly required during operations, Indian Express would achieve an astonishing 22% fuel saving overall, as well as lower emissions that should go farther than the requirements of the IMO’s carbon Intensity Initiative goals for 2026. i. bergpropulsion.com
Weathernews teams up with Vessel Performance Solutions
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Performance data from Vesper platform has been combined with weather forecasting to optimise voyage planning and minimise cost. Weathernews Inc (WNI) has joined forces with Vessel Performance Solutions (VPS) to integrate critical performance data from ship systems with its leading weather routing system to further optimise voyage planning. The Vesper software platform by VPS records continuous performance data from the hull and propellers, main and auxiliary engines and boilers to determine speed, RPM and fuel consumption estimates that can be accessed seamlessly within WNI’s Optimum Ship Routing (OSR) service. “This raises the value proposition of the OSR system for ship operators as it widens significantly the range of data available to make well-informed routing decisions in support of lower costs, reduced emissions and improved safety”, said Henrik Faurschou, Global Product and Market Strategy Leader at WNI. i. vpsolutions.dk
