Marine Log April 2023

DEPARTMENTS FEATURES

2 EDITOR’S LETTER

Can shipping save $50 billion via sustainability?

4 INLAND WATERWAYS

A puzzling FY 2024 president’s budget request

6 WELLNESS

One more harvest

8 VESSEL OF THE MONTH

Svitzer Brazil takes delivery of the first of six ASD tugs

10 REGULATIONS

IP Code adoption sets new standard for industrial personnel carriage

12 UPDATES

•Conrad Shipyard picked to build NYC battery-hybrid ferry

•Next Celebrity Edge series ship will be methanol capable

14 INSIDE WASHINGTON

Vessel sharing arrangements face new Congressional challenge

28 NEWSMAKERS

Peter Twiss steps down as Oldendorff CEO

29 TECH NEWS

New MAN dual-fuel four-stroke passes TAT

32 SAFETY

Hurricane season preparation is here once again

18 20

OFFSHORE SERVICES

Offshore wind vessel ordering picks up pace Offshore wind developments are picking up pace worldwide, generating a wide range of new designs

FLOATING WIND

Floating wind continues to gain momentum in the U.S. Some of the increased momentum is being seen in a combination of private investment and public policies

23

OIL & GAS

Oil and gas leasing program delays create uncertainty

The U.S. Department of the Interior has yet to get the ball rolling on the next federal offshore oil and gas leasing program and some stakeholders are becoming fed up with the continued delays

SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

The cruise industry’s quest: delivering the best in QoS With the cruise industry on the cusp of a boom, a big part of the customer experience is the connectivity available to them

Cover Photo Credit: Glosten

Can shipping save $50 billion via sustainability?

In late March, the Global Maritime Forum announced that it saw four actions that maritime and shipping industries can take now to support shipping’s transition to a sustainable and resilient zero-emission future.

Decarbonization is something we hear about—or write about—nearly every day. The shipping industry is facing a major transformation as it is working towards full decarbonization by 2050. Short-term actions that improve the operational efficiency of existing vessels—saving fuel, money, and time through changes in ship speed and performance—can play a critical role in reducing emissions today, says the forum, while also preparing for a more manageable long-term transition which will involve more expensive zero-emission fuels and eventually a price on carbon.

Four types of solutions are identified by the forum as better transparency and standardization of performance data; scaling up pilots and best practices; contractual changes to encourage virtual arrival practices when there is a delay at the discharge port; and policies and regulations to enable new business models.

The International Maritime Organization is expected to adopt a revised greenhouse gas emissions strategy at the MEPC 80 meeting in

July. It is the most important climate meeting for shipping this year, and while the industry is unsure whether the outcome of MEPC 90 will result in the adoption of a low-ambition or high-ambition strategy, in either case, the need for short-term operational efficiencies will be crucially important for the transition.

The forum says that maximizing vessel and fleet performance through operational efficiency can reduce annual fuel costs by $50 billion at today’s prices, according to research. That means up to 20% of fuel costs will be saved and even more if combined with energyefficient technologies.

The actions outlined in the forum’s insight brief, the result of over a year of industry input, provide an overview of the short-term opportunities and barriers to operational efficiencies and takes systems view to explore the role of operational efficiency measures as enablers of shipping decarbonization in the longer term.

APRIL 2023 VOL. 128, NO. 4

ISSN 08970491 USPS 576-910

SUBSCRIPTIONS: +1 (402) 346-4740 Fax: +1 (847) 291-4816 Email: marinelog@omeda.com

PRESIDENT Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. amcginnis@sbpub.com

PUBLISHER Gary Lynch glynch@sbpub.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Heather Ervin hervin@sbpub.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR Alex Marcheschi amarcheschi@sbpub.com

SENIOR EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Nicholas Blenkey nblenkey@sbpub.com

ART DIRECTOR Nicole D’Antona ndantona@sbpub.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hillary Coleman hcoleman@sbpub.com

MARKETING DIRECTOR Erica Hayes ehayes@sbpub.com

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com

SALES MANAGER David Harkey dharkey@sbpub.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVE KOREA & CHINA Young-Seoh Chinn corres1@jesmedia.com

CLASSIFIED SALES Gary Lynch glynch@sbpub.com

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jo Ann Binz joann@qcs1989.com

CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Michelle M. Zolkos mzolkos@sbpub.com

CONFERENCE ASSISTANT Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com

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

CONTRIBUTORS Emily Reiblein Crowley Maritime Corporation Tracy Zea Waterways Council Inc. SIMMONS-BOARDMAN PUBLISHING CORP. 1809 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102 Tel: 402-346-4300 Fax: (212) 633-1165 Website: www.marinelog.com E-mail: marinelog@sbpub.com

Shutterstock/Frederick Doerschem

The International Maritime Organization is expected to adopt a revised greenhouse gas emissions strategy at the MEPC 80 meeting in July.

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A puzzling FY 2024 president’s budget request

On March 9, the president released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget that proposes $7.4 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works program, an increase from FY23’s request of $6.6 billion, the largest request in recent memory.

A good news story on overall funding for the Corps, but as we peel away the layers of the budget request onion, a very disappointing tale as it pertains to funding from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) for ongoing and new construction and major rehabilitation projects on the inland waterways system. Out of the (at least) $125 million available in IWTF receipts, $0 was provided to perform work to construct locks or to do major rehabilitations.

At the Corps’ budget press briefing, Chief of Engineers General Scott Spellmon said the Corps does not have the capability to complete work on future projects and will instead focus on completing projects underway. However, the $0 request fails to fund any of the ongoing projects that need funding in FY24. This begs the question why one of the three goals for the Corps FY24 budget was to “strengthen the supply chain” yet this budget fails to fund a key element of the American supply chain. Should this budget request be accepted, it would set up a perfect storm for a growing surplus in the IWTF while the needs for the inland waterways system continue to multiply.

The last time we saw miniscule IWTF allocations in a president’s budget was FY 2019, when just $5.25 million of $121.2

million in IWTF receipts collected in FY19 was requested. The only project to be funded in that budget was Olmsted at $35 million to finally fund that project to completion.

This budget that provided zero dollars from the IWTF remains puzzling, while the equation is simple: America’s inland waterways system consists of many locks and dams that were constructed in the 1930s and 1940s that

While the reasons for the lack of spending are not entirely clear, inflation, supply chain delays, a sagging workforce, contracting issues and a sudden influx of funding from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act are real considerations. But the longer infrastructure projects are delayed, the more expensive they become, as cost overruns increase. Navigation and other infrastructure projects are living on borrowed time.

A March 6 Wall Street Journal article titled “America Once Knew How to Build Infrastructure” said, “Despite advances in engineering, building methods and computers, one rail tunnel repair now costs 20 times what a brandnew tunnel cost a century ago and takes three times as long, if it ever happens. Construction timelines are measured in decades rather than years. Had the projects of the New Deal been done this way, they would have stretched into World War II and beyond.”

require recapitalization. The IWTF receives taxes from commercial operators—the only users of the system to pay for new construction and major rehabilitation of locks—and has funds available for the Corps to continue its work to modernize the aging system. The adage “show me the money” does not apply, as the money has been shown to be available and ready to be deployed on key navigation projects that can begin to return transportation cost-savings and a multitude of other benefits to the nation.

Modern infrastructure is America’s ticket to compete on the world stage. Other countries are spending far more to rehabilitate their foundational systems and to invest in building brand new, high-tech locks, bridges, roads, railways and more.

TRACY R. ZEA President/CEO, Waterways Council Inc.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/Robert Kyllo

The Mississippi River with barge traffic approaching a lock and dam. Most exported grain is carried on this inland waterway via barges.

Modern infrastructure is America’s ticket to compete on the world stage.

One More Harvest

Back in 2014, Maria-Helena Semedo from the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) gave a speech identifying that our topsoil’s degradation rate would cause a depletion within 60 years. The topsoil is where our crops get their nutrients from.

A perfect storm of events is believed to be causing this deterioration, including increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and additional chemicals and fertilizers killing off the microbes in the soil. Logistical shipping and storage are also identified as culprits as we store and ripen produce with gases and container heating on their way to market. So, what does this all mean for the apple in your fruit bowl?

According to Dr. August Dunning, chief science officer and co-owner of Eco Organics, the sobering fact is that it would take 26 apples going down your food hatch to reach the same nutrient quality of iron, for example, as a single apple your grandfather ate in 1950.

A 2004 study by Donald Davis and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry found “reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Vitamin C over the past half-century in 43 different vegetables and fruits. Davis and his research team said that the decline may be coming from the genetic changes (in addition to those above) we now breed food for. Increased size, growth rate, and pest resistance appear to arrive at the cost of nutritional content.

These studies have now been repeated

by multiple research teams worldwide, and echoes of concern appear in numerous publications, from scientific research journals to medical journals.

Vegetable and fruit quality plays a vital role in human health. Alexander Stein in Plant and Soil Oct 2010 discusses deficiencies leading directly (cognitive development, metabolism, and immune system deficiencies) and indirectly (obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus) to increase chronic disease rates. Americans see the effects of malnutrition in our now majority overweight and obese population. Micronutrients like iron, Vitamin Bs and Ds are better than 50% deficient in American bodies, and some are higher than 90% deficient.

Food manufacturers have fortified foods like milk, bread, cereals, and rice with minerals like vitamins D, C, and iron to combat this well-established decline. While this fortification may work at large for isolated nutrients in the population, it does not work for all. It neglects the interaction of nutrients that assist each other in naturally occurring ratios like vitamin D3, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D and K2. People navigating this complex food system can amend their actions to obtain healthier results in these ways:

1. Understanding Individual Needs. Converse with a Doctor can help define available micronutrients and nutrients that are critical depending on a specific population dynamic. Blood tests and, in some cases, saliva tests can help determine where deficiencies or overabundance of a nutrient may be. Targeting

deficient nutrients is one way to assure longterm health and wellness.

2. Understand Nutritional Labeling. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of nutrients is identified on nutritional labels. This is an excellent way to know what healthy value food holds, but there are restrictions on this information. RDAs are US Government’s established daily nutrient allowances by percentage for seven minerals, 11 vitamins, and protein by age group, gender, and populations like pregnant women. For example, what appears on the box of most cereals is the highest category for adult men. The label is misleading for all other groups, most notably children. Even on products marketed to children, labeling can be for an adult. A child eating multiple servings can have abundant nutrients, which can be as dangerous as insufficient nutrients. This can also happen if a child or adult compounds fortified foods. As more foods become fortified, individuals must be more diligent about balancing their nutrient intake by looking at labels.

3. Vary Your Norm. Nutrients come from what your food eats or where it is grown. Soil and nutrient management techniques worldwide change the nutrients even in the same food. Food may look identical but is nutritionally different. For example, Australian grass-fed beef vs. standard American beef is fed differently, making their fat ratio different. This added variation has the potential to balance out what nutrients may be missing in one soil or one food source but is present in another.

4. Choose nutrient-dense foods. Focus on foods naturally rich in nutrients, such as leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds, and foods packed with nutritional purposes. These foods provide a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs to function optimally.

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

It would take 26 apples going down your food hatch to reach the same nutrient quality of iron as a single apple your grandfather ate in 1950.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/New Africa

Svitzer Brazil

Brazil’s Estaleiro Rio Maguari (ERM) shipyard has delivered its first ASD (azimuthing stern drive) tug, the Svitzer Arthur. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., it is the first of a series of six tugs of the same RAmparts 2300-ERM design currently under construction at the shipyard for Svitzer Brazil.

The RAmparts 2300-ERM ASD design is optimized for maximum efficiency in ship-handling operations in harbors. With an overall length of 23.2 meters, the tug features a raised forecastle deck for safer operations in heavier weather.

Operational requirements are met with a single drum hawser winch, from Ibercisa Deck Machinery, and heavy duty cylindrical fendering at the bow.

The ASD tugs in the series are designed and constructed to the following ABS Notation: A1, Towing Vessel, AMS, ABCU, Unrestricted Navigation, UWILD, PMPCBM for Thrusters Only.

Propulsion machinery consists of two MTU

takes delivery of the first of six ASD tugs

16V4000M63 main diesels and two Kongsberg US205S FP, 2,800 mm diameter Z-drives. Ship-handling fenders at the stern consist of a row of W-fenders. Sheer fendering consists of “D” rubber and “W” block type fendering at the bow.

The accommodations for a crew of six have been outfitted to a high standard for crew comfort. The deckhouse contains an entrance lobby with a public WC, galley, mess, and one officer cabin with ensuite WC. The lower deck contains two double cabins with ensuite WC, and an additional officer cabin with ensuite WC.

The wheelhouse is designed with a single split forward control station which provides maximum all-round visibility with exceptional visibility to the bow and side fendering, and operations on the forward deck.

Trial results were as follows:

• Bollard pull, ahead = 71 tonnes

• Bollard pull, astern = 69 tonnes

• Free running speed, ahead = 13 knots

Svitzer has been operating in Brazil since 2015

and now has a presence across eight ports in the country, the most recently added being the Port of Salvador, including Aratu Port Complexes.

The six ASD tug newbuild program at Estaleiro Rio Maguari is part of Svitzer’s general expansion in Brazil and to support the company’s continued organic growth.

KEY PARTICULARS OF THE RAMPARTS 2300-ERM ARE:

Length, overall (excluding fenders): 23.2 meters

Load Line length: < 24.0 meters

Beam, molded: 11.4 meters

Depth, least molded: 4.4 meters

Maximum draft (navigational): 5.5 meters

Gross tonnage: < 300

Main tank capacities at 100% are:

• Fuel oil: 65 cubic meters

•Potable water: 12 cubic meters

Photo Credit: Robert Allan Ltd.

The Svitzer Arthur is the first of six ASD tugs ordered by Svitzer to support its growing Brazilian operations.

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IP Code adoption sets new standard for industrial personnel carriage

By Muammer Akturk, ABS Senior Surveyor

Amendments to SOLAS Convention will mandate application of the International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel from 1 July 2024, writes

Joseph Gardemal, ABS Manager, Regulatory Affairs

Expansion of the maritime offshore and energy sectors has created growth in new offshore industrial activities and a demand for carriage of industrial personnel to and from offshore facilities. Recognizing that the safety standards in existing IMO instruments do not fully cover risks specific to maritime operations within the offshore sector, the 106th session of the Maritime Safety Committee in November 2022 adopted Resolution MSC.521(106) containing the new SOLAS Chapter XV “Safety Measures for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel.” In association with the new SOLAS Chapter XV, the Maritime Safety Committee also adopted Resolution MSC.527(106) containing the International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel, or IP Code.

SOLAS Chapter XV applies to cargo ships and high-speed cargo craft of 500 gt and upwards on international voyages and which carry more than 12 industrial personnel. Additionally, it has been recognized that the transport of many industrial personnel will take place either within the confines of a particular coastal State or between a base port and an offshore installation outside territorial waters and may take place onboard ships below 500 gt.

To facilitate international movement and safe operations of ships carrying industrial personnel, administrations are encouraged to apply this code also to ships operating only on such voyages.

Structure of the IP Code

The scope of the IP Code is organized into five main parts. General Provisions (Part I) establishes new terminology related to industrial personnel transport and transfer and establishes specific survey and certification requirements for ships carrying industrial personnel.

Goals and Functional Requirements (Part II) outlines nine specific aspects of ship design and operation relating to

industrial personnel. Regulations (Part III) provides further requirements specific to qualification of industrial personnel and personnel transfer. Part four covers additional regulations for ships certified in accordance with SOLAS Chapter I and provides further requirements for cargo ships carrying industrial personnel. Part five covers additional regulations for ships certified in accordance with SOLAS Chapter X and provides further requirements

force of the IP Code on July 1, 2024, a grace period will be given before selected regulations in the IP Code become applicable. Existing ships may continue to carry industrial personnel providing that certain requirements are met.

Compliance will be documented by issuance of an Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate and accompanying Record of Equipment (Form IP) to be kept available onboard the ship.

For existing ships that have not been authorized by their flag administration to carry industrial personnel before the entry into force of the IP Code on July 1, 2024, such ships will have to comply with the complete IP Code before being able to carry more than 12 Industrial Personnel after July 1, 2024. To obtain an Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate, these ships are to be certified for compliance with the entire IP Code.

for high-speed cargo craft carrying industrial personnel.

The development of the IP Code was significantly influenced by the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships (2008 SPS Code), with some alterations. While the 2008 SPS Code has been available and utilized by the marine sector for many years, its application is not mandated under the SOLAS Convention, but is instead applied as directed by individual Flag Administrations and Coastal States. In contrast, the IP Code is made mandatory through the new Chapter XV in the SOLAS Convention.

Implementation and Required Action

For newbuilding cargo ships and highspeed cargo craft of 500 gt and above constructed on or after July 1, 2024, engaged in international voyages and carrying an aggregate number of industrial personnel, special personnel and passengers exceeding 12 persons, such ships must plan for compliance with SOLAS Chapter XV and the IP Code.

For existing ships that have been authorized by their flag administration to carry industrial personnel before the entry into

Owners will need to act so that existing ships will be able to continue to carry Industrial Personnel once the IP Code enters into force. Shipowners already carrying industrial personnel should contact the relevant flag administration to obtain formal confirmation on whether their vessels are considered covered by the grace period provisions, or if any actions are required to obtain IP Code certification.

Existing ships may continue to carry industrial personnel providing that certain requirements are met.

Joseph Gardemal

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CONRAD SHIPYARD

PICKED TO BUILD NYC BATTERY-HYBRID FERRY

THE NEW FERRY ORDERED to operate between New York City’s Lower Manhattan and Governors Island is being built at Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La., New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced last month.

Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, the 190-foot passenger/vehicle ferry, which is being built for the Trust for Governors Island, will be New York City’s first public hybrid-electric ferry. It will be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that will reduce air pollution by allowing it to toggle between zero-emission battery-only power and battery-assisted hybrid with diesel backup. The battery-assist mode will allow the new ferry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 600 tons annually. Plans for rapid vessel charging installation will enable the ferry to operate with zero-emission battery-only propulsion, at which point emissions will drop to nearly zero.

Ahead of the ferry’s launch, Mayor Adams

and the Trust launched a citywide competition to name the new vessel. All New Yorkers are invited to participate by suggesting names on the Governors Island website up until May 25, 2023, with the final name expected to be announced in summer of 2023. The new ferry will begin transporting passengers to Governors Island in summer of 2024.

“Visiting Governors Island is a great way to support cutting-edge climate solutions, and soon, visitors will be able to go one step further just by traveling there,” said Mayor Adams. “As New Yorkers transition to greener forms of transportation, the city and our partners are leading the way with cleaner, more efficient ways to go just about anywhere. The next generation deserves a green city and a vibrant Governors Island, and this first-of-its-kind ferry will help us deliver both.”

The new ferry will have a capacity to serve up to 1,200 passengers at a time.

It has a cruising speed of 10 knots and features modern passenger amenities, including a lower-level ADA-accessible lounge and restrooms on each level.

It will replace the diesel-powered Lt. Samuel Coursen, the Trust’s current vehicle and passenger ferry, which was commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1956 and has been in continuous use since.

“Ferries are a vital part of transportation infrastructure, lasting 40 to 60 years or more. At Elliott Bay Design Group we work closely with our clients and their teams to ensure the vessel is fit for purpose and engineered to match a long life,” said John W. Waterhouse, principal in charge, Elliott Bay Design Group. “The best clients are those that truly collaborate, so the resulting vessel shows the best of designer and client. Working with the Trust for Governors Island has been a real pleasure. We believe the vessel will be a reliable component in delivering the Governors Island experience to visitors.”

Photo Credit: Elliott Bay Design Group

Next Celebrity Edge series ship will be methanol capable

WHEN ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP’S CELEBRITY CRUISES introduces the fifth ship in its Edge Series, it will be methanol capable—equipped with a new engine model, along with storage and delivery systems, that will give it the flexibility to use three types of fuel, including methanol.

The move, which is part of a growing cruise industry interest in methanol fueling, involves the collaborative efforts of Royal Caribbean Group, Wärtsilä and shipbuilder Chantiers de L’Atlantique (CdA) to advance the use of alternative fuels for the cruise industry.

To allow for the ship’s fuel flexibility,

Wärtsilä will deliver two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines converted to allow them to utilize three fuel sources, including methanol. These changes not only advance carbonfree cruising, but by adding methanol as a fuel option, local emission like sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter are significantly reduced.

“Wärtsilä has invested heavily into researching viable future carbon-neutral fuels for the marine industry, and methanol has emerged as one of the most promising candidates,” says Håkan Agnevall, president and CEO of Wärtsilä.

Second Constellation-class frigate will have “Made in USA” MTU gensets

ROLLS-ROYCE POWER SYSTEMS has been selected to supply a further four of its MTU gensets for the USS Congress (FFG-63), the second ship in the U.S. Navy’s Constellation-class guided-missile frigate program.

Rolls-Royce has made significant investment at its production facilities in Aiken, S.C., and Mankato, Minn., to support the program and manufacture the gensets in the U.S.

The lead ship in the Constellation-class program is currently under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine and for that ship, Rolls-Royce is currently supplying MTU gensets using its established team in Friedrichshafen, Germany, to fulfill the project. For the second ship, the FFG-63, the company has successfully transferred advanced technology and detailed manufacturing processes to the U.S., investing in new

facility improvements and creating new jobs to enhance its Aiken and Mankato plants. This investment will not only accommodate the specific needs of the Constellation-class program but also support future potential U.S. naval business.

The four generator sets, each rated at 3000 kWe, are based on the proven and power dense MTU 20V 4000 M53B engine and will provide a total power output of 12 MW for propulsion and on-board power supply.

Insights into the evolving offshore market

The Biden administration’s just announced plans to jump-start U.S. offshore wind will generate a boom in demand for specialized Jones Act-compliant vessels and services. To help give you the insights needed to meet the needs of the new market, we have launched a new weekly newsletter, Marine Log Offshore.

Marine Log will also host a podcast and webcast series focusing on the latest in offshore wind farm development, policy and regulation and the implications for U.S. shipyards and vessel operators.

www.marinelog.com/offshorenewsletter

Vessel sharing arrangements see Congressional challenge

Container shipping alliances remain nobody’s darlings in Washington and their vessel sharing arrangements are again in the crosshairs. Congressman Jim Costa (D.-Calif) has reintroduced the bipartisan “Ocean Shipping Antitrust Act.” The legislation (H.R. 1696) is co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R.-Ala.), John Garamendi (D.-Calif.), Josh Harder (D.-Calif,), and Jimmy Panetta (D.-Calif).

According to its sponsors, the bipartisan legislation “would repeal the exemption for ocean carriers from all federal antitrust laws and addresses unfair practices that harm American businesses and consumers. The reintroduced legislation for this Congress would maintain and codify the employer immunity for collective bargaining within the maritime industry, which employers in all other U.S. industries

enjoy under longstanding federal case law. Additionally, the legislation authorizes the Federal Maritime Commission to formally comment on mergers and acquisitions under review by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Other regulators like the Federal Aviation Administration enjoy a similar comment authority for antitrust reviews for the transportation industry.”

The World Shipping Council (WSC), which represents ocean carriers, argues that the Shipping Act establishes rules that provide legal certainty to ocean carriers to share space on ships while ensuring competitive markets. Being able to share space on ships through vessel sharing arrangements allows more carriers to provide more services more efficiently to more ports than carriers could provide individually. That is good for shippers, ports, consumers, and all of the workers that keep

the global supply network running. H.R. 1696 would remove that system and undermine competitiveness and choice for liner shipping services.

The WSC says that VSAs are purely operational agreements that enable carriers to share space on one another’s ships. This way, carriers can ensure that vessels sail as full as possible, minimizing the cost of transport. At the same time, vessel sharing allows more carriers to compete on a route, offering more frequent sailings and serving more ports. From a customer perspective, this means lower costs and better service, as well as reduced transport emissions.

Each member of a VSA determines its own commercial terms, including prices. Therefore, carriers within a VSA compete, and with other carriers outside of that VSA, when selling their services to customers. Carriers also offer services outside of the VSAs in which they participate.

We deliver actionable intelligence via maritime news, market analysis, and profiles of the people and companies leading the maritime industry.

We provide a platform for you to voice your opinions and experiences about the market through our magazine, podcasts, newsletters, and events.

www.marinelog.com

SHIPREPAIRUSA PRESENTEDBYMARINELOG

JUNE 20 & 21 2023

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Smarter Repairs. Smarter Operations.

Ship Repair USA is the only ship repair event in North America that brings together shipyards, ship repair facilities, owner/operators and naval architects. Conference sessions will cover advances in techniques and management practices; methods of meeting environmental and economic goals; and proven ways to keep vessels compliant and competitive through a ship’s lifespan of repairs, upgrades, retrofits, repowers and conversions.

June 21 Programming from Military Sealift Command

Day two of Ship Repair USA includes programming provided by Military Sealift Command, discussing ship repair contracting and planning projections.

Sponsored by:

DAVE MATSUDA Director Small Shipyard Grant Coalition

CHRISTOPHER K. ULFERS Partner Jones Walker LLP

MATTHEW HEFFERNAN Commercial Marine Business Mgr. Sherwin-Williams

RICHARD T. MCCREARY President Gulf Marine Repair

DONALD RAFFO Marine Chemist Association

KEITH STANLEY Senior Mgr. ZF Marine

TODD M. HILLER Dir., Naval Architect, Shipyards & Marine Engineering MARAD

JON HIE General Manager Everett Ship Repair, LLC

ANDY MARGARIT Director-Marine Market Tnemec Company Inc.

OFFSHORE WIND

VESSEL ORDERING PICKS UP PACE

Offshore wind developments are picking up pace worldwide, generating a wide range of new designs for everything from massive wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs) through to the crew transfer vessels that are the pick-up trucks of the industry. In the U.S., orders are starting to turn from a spotty dribble to a steady trickle, though there is as of yet just one solitary WTIV under construction — the $500 million Charybdis under construction at Keppel AmFELS for Dominion Energy.

The high price of building a world class WTIV like the GustoMSC NG-16000X-SJ design Charybdis has prompted a lot of thinking on Jones Act compliant workarounds. The most selected alternative thus far has been to use foreign-flag, foreign-built WTIVs and to feeder them with turbine components using Jones Act tugs and barges. The problem for wind farm developers in this, of course, is that the global fleet of WTIVs is limited and U.S. developers will have to compete for them.

One alternative is to use a less complex

WTIV if the vessel is only going to do installation work and not transport turbine components. Houston-headquartered Bleutec Industries Offshore Wind Services LLC believes it has the answer in its Binary Marine Installation Solution (BMIS).

Bleutec’s BMIS is a spread of vessels designed to operate simultaneously or independently in offshore wind developments. It comprises a pile installation vessel (PIV) and a wind turbine installation vessel light (WTIVL), and service operations vessels (SOVs), all specifically tailored for the U.S. Jones Act market.

The vessels are designed in a modular configuration to facilitate their construction in U.S. shipyards. The piling installation vessel will feature a gantry crane capable of lifting up to 4,500 tonnes, a hydraulic hammer, and deck space for the piles. The WTIV light will be capable of installing wind turbines of up to 22 MW, while the SOVs will provide the necessary accommodations and crew support services for working in depths of up to 60 meters.

All the Bleutec vessels are designed to be powered by Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines

paired with Wärtsilä’s hybrid battery energy storage systems and will incorporate the latest advances in dynamic positioning.

So, what’s the price tag? According to MARAD’s most recent (February 23, 2023) listing of pending Title XI financing applications, Bleutec has filed an application for Title Xi guarantees for construction of four vessels, the piling vessel, the WTIVL and two SOVs. The MARAD listing doesn’t show how much is requested for each vessel but lists the actual cost to the applicant for all four as $809,709,000. The builder is listed as “to be determined.”

There are now three SOVs on order in the U.S., in addition to the two already under construction for Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). Regarding price tags, according to the MARAD Title XI applications, the first of the ECO pair, which will be built at Tampa Ship will have an actual cost to the applicant of $97,150,000. The second, a plug-in hybrid which will be built at LaShip, will come in at an actual cost of $108,750,000.

The third U.S.-built SOV has been ordered by the CREST Wind joint venture

Photo Credit: CREST WIND

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has been selected to build the CREST Wind joint venture’s new SOV.

By Nick Blenkey, Senior Editorial Consultant

between Crowley and Esbjerg, Denmarkheadquartered Esvagt to operate under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. It will be built at Fincantieri Marine Group’s Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., with support from Crowley’s on-site construction management group, and is set to go into service in 2026.

The 289-foot vessel will feature stateof-the-art technologies to augment safety, workability, and comfort to support wind farm O&M activities. The SOV is designed for comfort and high workability, providing a highly efficient workspace and safe transfer of technicians at the wind farm via a motion-compensated gangway and transfer boats. It will also offer recreational activities for the onboard crew and technicians, including fitness facilities, a game room, a cinema, and individual accommodations.

The SOV’s HAV 832 design has been developed by Norway’s Hav Design, a subsidiary of HAV Group ASA.

“We have designed and developed numerous SOVs for use in demanding offshore climates, but this is the first time we

are designing a vessel for the U.S. market. We are confident in the operational benefits our vessel design brings to the table, so we believe that this contract can open the door for further work in the USA,” said Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane, vice president of sales at HAV Design.

CTV ORDER PIPELINE DEVELOPS

Meantime, U.S. orders for crew transfer vessels have been developing at such a pace that we now no longer have space in a feature like this to lovingly list each one. Something to note is that thus far wind farm developers have tended to place orders with crew transfer vessel (CTV) operator shipyards regional to their developments (it’s all about not ruffling local feathers).

Thus, Ørsted and Eversource took pains to stress that they have selected two regional vessel operators that will partner with Rhode Island shipyards to build CTVs for Northeast wind farms.

The joint venture partners will charter five new offshore wind CTVs from New York-based, WindServe Marine and Massachusetts-based, American Offshore Services (AOS).

WindServe Marine’s affiliate shipyard, Senesco Marine, at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, R.I., will build three of the vessels, while AOS is partnering with Blount Boats & Shipyard, of Warren, to build another two vessels.

Ørsted and Eversource noted that chartering of the vessels will create about 80 local construction jobs at Senesco and Blount Boats, plus another approximately 48 jobs for captains and crew who will work aboard the vessels, primarily during the wind farms’ construction.

In another example of keeping things regional, Somerset, Mass., based

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding’s, first CTV contract comes from Patriot Offshore Maritime Services LLC which will use the Incat Crowther designed CTV support the construction, operation and maintenance of the Vineyard Wind 800 MW wind farm project,15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

The vessel will operate year-round, roundtrip service from New Bedford, Mass. for 24 wind farm technicians and cargo.

Not that all CTV orders are being ordered on a regional preference basis. In January, St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, Fla., has held a keel laying ceremony for the second of a series of six Chartwell Ambitious aluminum CTVs it is building for Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers.

The shipyard was acquired last year by Americraft Marine is part of the privatelyowned Libra Group, whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in more than 50 countries. It said that the acquisition “comes at a time of significant need for Jones Act-compliant vessels” and that “significant shipbuilding capacity will be needed over the next 10-15 years to support the upcoming demand for vessels that construct and service renewable energy infrastructure.”

OIL & GAS

While new Jones Act vessels will certainly be needed for offshore wind, oil and gas sector offshore newbuilds don’t seem set to pick up anytime soon. While things have been picking up in the offshore oil and gas industry, we’re still in a situation where restructurings are not that far in the rear-view mirror.

The picture is far from being all doom and gloom, but, nonetheless, operators are more likely to pay a premium for quality existing tonnage than head for the shipyard checkbook in hand.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding’s first CTV will be built to an Incat Crowther design specifically developed for the U.S. market.

By Heather Ervin, Editor in Chief

FLOATING WIND CONTINUES TO GAIN MOMENTUM IN THE U.S.

If you asked Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering company Glosten where its sees floating wind progress in the U.S., it’d have a lot to say. This especially holds true for the increasing momentum it sees from a combination of private investment and public policies.

Glosten’s PelaStar business segment,

which focuses on offshore floating wind, was first conceived by its engineers in 2006 when the need to reduce capital costs of offshore wind and access sites with superior wind resources was recognized.

Kris Volpenhein, PelaStar’s commercialization lead for Glosten, says that while we are experiencing the start of an exciting floating wind boom in the U.S., there

are still significant gaps and investments needed to bring the ambitious deployment and cost reduction targets and production capacity to reality.

Last December, we saw the first commercial scale floating wind auction round in California that generated significant high bids from some of the largest offshore wind developers in the world.

Photo Credit: Glosten

There’s an increasing momentum in floating wind from a combination of private investment and public policies.

“Lease areas that include at least some floating-specific sites have been identified and will be progressing towards lease auctions in 2023 and 2024 in Maine, Oregon, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Central Atlantic,” adds Volpenhein.

While utility scale floating wind farms are still several years from deployment, the Department of Energy (DOE) has put a series of programs in place that incentivize development in key areas, such as transmission and port infrastructure, investment and production tax credits, and environmental and stakeholder engagement.

“These are mostly encompassed in the Floating Offshore Wind Shot program,” says Volpenhein. “With PelaStar, Glosten is primarily engaged via the FLOWIN competition and advising the West Coast Ports Strategy Study.”

On March 29, the DOE named Glosten one of nine Phase One winners of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize for its PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP). Each Phase One winner is to receive $100,000 cash and $75,000 in vouchers for technical support provided by DOE national laboratories. In total, the FLOWIN Prize has a cash pool of $5.85 million, plus up to $1.175 million in

technical support.

It should be noted that Glosten’s primary focus in the floating wind market is the scale up and commercialization of its TLP as the most practical and cost-effective floating platform for most deepwater sites, globally, says Volpenhein.

“Beyond PelaStar, Glosten remains engaged with the offshore wind market, particularly on the U.S. East Coast,” he says. “We continue to look for opportunities in support vessel design, as well as assisting developers and logistics companies with marine logistics and planning services.”

And it seems as though those opportunities are ample.

“Depending on the specific role or assets, these opportunities could look like obvious needs, such as newbuild OSVs (offshore support vessels) or feeder barges to less clear needs for support logisitics and marine construction opportunities when investments and locations start to materialize over the coming years,” adds Volpenhein.

Maine project moves along

One such East Coast opportunity is a floating offshore wind research project off the

coast of Maine that recently cleared another regulatory hurdle. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced a Determination of No Competitive Interest for the proposed research lease area. This decision follows BOEM’s Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Gulf of Maine, which was issued last August.

BOEM’s determination means it will move forward with the State of Maine’s research application, which could be used to inform any future commercial offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, as well as the deployment of floating offshore wind technology nationwide.

Back in July 2021, Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed into law legislation prohibiting new offshore wind projects in state waters—where up to 75% of Maine’s commercial lobster harvesting occurs—saying Maine’s priority was to locate offshore wind projects in federal waters in the Gulf of Maine.

Those waters are at a depth that would require the use of floaters and Gov. Mills had previously signed separate legislation to advance the state’s creation of America’s first research area for floating offshore wind in federal waters in the Gulf of Maine.

To implement the floating wind

research project, the University of Maine is collaborating with New England Aqua Ventus, LLC (NEAV), a joint venture between Diamond Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi Corporation, and RWE Renewables.

As the developer, NEAV will own and manage all aspects of permitting, construction and assembly, deployment, and ongoing operations for the project. The university’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center will continue with design and engineering, research and development and post-construction monitoring.

BOEM says the next steps for processing the research application include publishing a Determination of No Competitive Interest in the Federal Register and initiating an environmental review of potential impacts from offshore wind leasing activities associated with the research lease.

The White House back in September announced a new multi-agency floating offshore wind initiative called the Floating Offshore Wind Shot. It will see the administration advance lease areas in deep waters in order to deploy 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035. This builds on President Biden’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind

by 2030, which will be largely met using fixed-bottom offshore wind technology. Additionally, the Floating Offshore Wind Shot includes a goal of reducing the cost of floating offshore wind energy by more than 70%, to $45 per megawatt-hour by 2035.

A White House fact sheet says that achieving this cost target will require focused research, development, and demonstration to catalyze continued cost reductions, with a focus on manufacturing, engineering, and continued increases of offshore wind turbine capacity. Agencies will also continue collaborating to develop the robust domestic supply chain and transmission infrastructure needed to accelerate floating as well as fixed-bottom offshore wind.

The fact sheet notes that conventional offshore wind turbines can be secured directly to the sea floor in shallow waters near the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. However, deep-water areas that require floating platforms are home to two-thirds of America’s offshore wind energy potential, including along the West Coast and in the Gulf of Maine.

The administration aims to capture this potential and says its actions will “position the U.S. to lead the world on

floating offshore wind technology.”

Globally, only 0.1 GW of floating offshore wind has been deployed to date, compared with over 50 GW of fixed-bottom offshore wind, and the Administration sees this as an opportunity for the U.S. to become a frontrunner on floating offshore wind technologies.

Meantime, floating wind farms are already being installed in other areas, including the WindFloat Atlantic project in Portugal using ABS-classed, semi-submersible units designed by Emeryville, Calif.-headquartered Principle Power and housing MHI Vestas turbines.

Another company to keep an eye out for is France-based BW Ideol AS. The company recently entered into a €40 million ($43.1 million) agreement with ADEME Investissement to fund BW Ideol’s project development activities. BW Ideol has two full-scale offshore floating wind turbines in operation in France and Japan and is supported by BW Offshore’s extensive experience from developing and operating offshore energy production systems.

OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE TRANSFERS in heavy seas pose unique challenges in both vessel design and construction. Nothing we haven’t solved in building o shore pilot boats for over 60 years and high-speed catamarans for the most demanding applications.

Our standard and custom-designed high-speed CTVs are rugged, comfortable and especially suited for operators who put a high value on RELIABILITY, FUEL EFFICIENCY and most importantly, SAFETY

Any new floating wind technologies will thus face the challenge of demonstrating that they are a better choice than some that gladding-hearn.com

DESIGNER: Incat Crowther PHOTO CREDIT: MH-O&Co.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s delay in developing a new, tangible offshore oil and gas leasing program is creating problems across the industry as time goes on.

OIL AND GAS LEASING PROGRAM

delays create uncertainty

The U.S. Department of the Interior has yet to get the ball rolling on the next federal offshore oil and gas leasing program and stakeholders, including the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), is becoming fed up with the continued delays.

The leasing program is amidst a lengthy

and unprecedented delay after the previous program expired on July 1, 2022, with no replacement plan in place. Now, according to a legal brief filed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on March 6 and cited by NOIA, the department does not intend to approve a new program until December 2023.

“The continued, prolonged, and unprecedented delay of the U.S. offshore oil and

By Alex Marcheschi, Associate Editor

gas leasing program is injecting substantial and unnecessary uncertainty into the investment outlook for U.S. energy and national security,” said NOIA President Erik Milito. “The U.S. offshore region competes with other offshore regions throughout the world for investment in energy producing projects. Historically, the U.S. has been able to compete effectively under its statutory

and regulatory framework. However, as certainty and predictability has continued to erode as a result of stifling energy policy decisions out of Washington, investment dollars may begin to flow to other producing regions.”

“We must work together to advance realworld solutions that unlock affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy while bringing low and zero carbon technologies and energy to reality,” continued Milito. “Beyond its legal requirement, the prompt finalization of an offshore oil and gas leasing program is critical to meeting fundamental energy realities and ensuring Americans have affordable supplies of energy for decades to come. The Gulf of Mexico serves as a national strategic energy asset, safely producing among the lowest carbon barrels of oil in the world and boosting our national security at a critical time in history. The loss of a stable and regular leasing environment will dim longterm American energy leadership.”

Gulf resources

Underscoring the importance of U.S. Gulf resources, Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell, announced the Final Investment Decision for Dover, a planned subsea

tieback to the Shell-operated Appomattox production hub in the Gulf of Mexico. Dover is expected to start production in late 2024early 2025 and produce up to 21,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak rates.

Mexico, where production has among the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in the world for producing oil.”

“The reference to our U.S. Gulf of Mexico production having among the lowest GHG intensity in the world is a comparison among other IOGP oil-and gas-producing members,” Shell notes.

The low GHG intensity of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas has led many to contrast the Department of the Interior’s slow marching of offshore oil and gas lease auctions with Norway’s policies of strongly supporting green efforts while continuing responsible development of its offshore oil and gas resources.

Offshore Marine Service Association President and CEO Aaron Smith wrote an OpEd for Marine Log back in February 2021 that made that case, and the arguments he made then remain valid.

Originally discovered in 2018, Dover is located within Mississippi Canyon, approximately 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans in about 7,500 feet of water. Shell says its investment at Dover underscores its “long-term commitment to the U.S. Gulf of

“Norway’s support of both renewable energy and domestic oil and gas production stands in stark contrast to the [United States’ current delayed state] … the current policy stands to actually harm U.S. renewable energy production,” said Smith.

“Similar to Norway’s use of the proceeds from its ‘Oil Fund’ to fund renewable energy projects, many U.S. businesses are applying the expertise and capital they

The [lease] sale generated $263,801,783 in high bids for 313 tracts covering 1.6 million acres in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ship Lifting Platforms “Cimolift”

Mobile Boat Hoists Portal Cranes Transfer Systems

gain in the offshore oil and gas industry to invest in the equipment necessary to construct and service U.S. offshore wind farms when that industry starts to move forward,” said Smith. “Thus, the vessels and mariners necessary to construct tomorrow’s wind projects are the same ones harmed by today’s oil and gas moratorium. If the moratorium continues, these assets won’t be around when the wind industry moves from a goal to a reality.”

What’s next?

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said it would hold an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on March 29. The legislation, which overturned an earlier administration decision on O&G lease sales, mandated that BOEM hold the sale no later than March 31—and it did.

The sale—Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 259—generated $263,801,783 in high bids for 313 tracts covering 1.6 million acres in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 32 companies participated in the lease sale, submitting $309,798,397 in total bids.

“I am glad to see the administration carrying out this mandated Gulf oil and gas lease sale that I included in the Inflation Reduction Act,” commented Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.). “This record lease sale is further evidence that the IRA is holding this administration’s feet to the fire to continue the fossil fuel production we need. The federal government is charged with ensuring that the United States is responsibly developing and utilizing all of our energy resources, and to do that it’s critical that we get our federal leasing programs back on track. As the superpower of the world, it is vital that we have a reliable, domestic energy supply chain that enhances our energy security, reduces our reliance on foreign nations and helps our friends and allies. We don’t have to choose between energy security and the environment—our offshore production is among the cleanest in the world, and continuing to support this production will ensure America continues to be a global energy leader.”

Winning bids

Almost half the winning bids came on blocks in the deepwater Gulf, some as far as 40 miles offshore. According to Reuters, Chevron was the most active bidder offering $108 million in 75 high bids, BP offered $47 million for 37 blocks. ExxonMobil’s bids totaled less than $10 million for all 69 blocks where it was high bidder.

The ExxonMobil acreage was in shallow

waters just off the Texas coast adjacent to areas it previously acquired. It’s thought the shallow water acreage could be used to take care of the storage part of the energy major’s plans for large-scale carbon capture and storage in the Houston area.

The auction generated the highest bids since 2017, but came at a time when green energy advocates, including many inside BOEM, remain opposed to large fossil fuel projects.

“Lease Sale 259 is an opportunity to

strengthen our national security interests and develop domestic energy supplies in the face of geopolitical uncertainty and tight global demand,” NOIA said. “Lease Sale 259 is the first Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas lease sale since November 2021. Mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden, Lease Sale 259 and the resumption of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sales has been needlessly overdue.

HT Series

QUEST:

IN QOS

THE CRUISE INDUSTRY’S DELIVERING THE BEST

By Chris Insall, Head of Maritime Market Development, ST Engineering iDirect

Quality of Service (QoS). It is the holy grail for any cruise operator. Successful cruise lines are built upon exceptional customer experience. That is the food and drink, the entertainment, the surroundings—and let’s not forget the allessential connectivity.

Cruise passengers are constantly busy using their devices. Whether they are trying to capture that perfect Instagram moment to post to family and friends at home or streaming the latest film whilst relaxing during the day, passengers are consuming spiraling amounts of bandwidth in both directions and this demand is only increasing.

With the cruise industry on the cusp of a boom time, the customer experience is going to be more critical than ever and a

big part of that is the connectivity available to them on board the ship. A reliable and quality broadband service is now a key differentiator for any cruise line operator. A typical family cabin is home to up to five devices and each one will consume a considerable amount of bandwidth. Passenger expectations are high. Therefore, the QoS offered by service providers must be first-class.

Quality guaranteed

Operators expect an SLA offering of 100% CIR (Committed Information Rate) and with a very high level of availability, usually 99 or 99.5%. This defines the proportion of time that the CIR is available. There are other factors to consider such as jitter and round trip. There can be many ships in any

region at any one time, and each ship will have different bandwidth demands. Operators need to ensure that bandwidth is consistently made available to all contracted ships. When 4,000 people on board a ship all demand varying amounts of bandwidth, there can be no question of patchy service availability.

However, there are several elements that come together to create the advanced mobility that is needed to enable service providers to offer the very highest quality, reliable connectivity that cruise operators must have access to.

An advanced approach

The first is waveforms. Access to the correct return technology is paramount to offer the SCPC-like efficiency that mobility networks

With the cruise industry on the cusp of a boom time, the customer experience is going to be more critical than ever and a big part of that is the connectivity available to them on board the ship

require, especially when offering high CIR and high availability services, resulting in faster bandwidth allocations and the ability to scale and support thousands of terminals, lowering TCO, improving network scalability, service agility and capacity fill efficiency.

The next critical component of advanced mobility is an NMS capability specifically designed to support mobility networks which enables easy management of a complex network that covers tens of thousands of terminals across different gateways, satellites, and beams. This is especially important in terms of mobility, as the service provider must be able to manage dynamic traffic efficiently.

Beam switching is a key aspect that many claim to offer, but the devil is in the details. Mobility terminals are constantly switching

beams and sometimes satellites. The amount of time it takes to switch beams is critical to the overall service offering. If the service is out for minutes at a time versus one to two seconds, it completely changes the SLA and therefore the perception of the service.

Fast beam switching is critical, but service providers also need tools that will minimize the loss of the connection in the first place. Link robustness and maximized transmission throughput while avoiding the creation of interference on other carriers and modems is also critical. This mitigates potential satellite blockage to minimize signal-loss and provide a superior re-acquisition environment when it does happen.

We are also now seeing networks that have heterogeneous user requirements with

a mix of ships, which results in wide variation of terminal types and throughput requirements per terminal. The ability to be able to manage all those different types of throughput and antenna performance requirements within a single network is a key differentiator for service providers.

Multi-orbit and 5G

Traditionally, the orbits have been primarily GEO-based. Now almost every provider is looking at a multi-orbit offering so that they can tailor their services to the unique needs of their end users.

Software defined satellites enable service providers with flexible capability to deliver coverage and capacity anywhere and in realtime. Before this, the industry had coverage maps available to know where static beams are, but today these beams can be adjusted in real-time to either ensure coverage for a distinct area or capacity and throughput to meet certain SLAs. Delivering this level of orchestration is a brand-new requirement for the market, and something that ground infrastructure providers must support.

As with other segments, there is keen interest in upcoming NGSO constellations, but also on enhanced terrestrial connectivity, considering that cruise ships spend much of their time in port or within range of cellular networks. Passengers expect a completely seamless experience when they leave the shore for the ocean.

The telco world is moving toward the 5G mobile standard, which will be a universal architecture integrating every form of access technology into one common network. The connectivity industry is also adopting critical IT advances like standardization, virtualization, and orchestration to improve the speed, scale, cost, and flexibility of service delivery.

Chris Insall

Peter Twiss steps down as Oldendorff CEO

PETER TWISS has stepped down as president and CEO of leading dry bulk operator Oldendorff Carriers after serving it for nearly 28 years and as CEO for 20 years. He is succeeded by PATRICK HUTCHINS , who has been with Oldendorff Carriers since 1999, most recently heading its Capesize segment in London.

Laborde Products has recently appointed MICHAEL MURZI as its new marine sales manager. He brings with him over 10 years of experience in the marine industry and over 30 years of experience in sales, customer service, and business development.

Swedish family-owned shipping company Furetank has appointed THERESE BOMAN as its first female captain. Her first assignment is on the 2021-built Fure Vinga , one of the vessels in the company’s series of ultragreen LNG dual-fuel 17,999 dwt products tankers.

Finnish based propulsion system specialist Steerprop has appointed TOM EKEGREN as its Arctic segment director. A master mariner and with an executive MBA, Ekegren comes to Steerprop from icebreaker owner and operator Arctia Ltd., where he has held various top management roles since 2016.

MARK COPLEN has been named vice president of project management at Crowley Wind Services. In this role, he will expand the business unit’s project management capabilities to support customers in its offering of engineering, procurement and construction management for the offshore wind market.

JULIE JARRELL GRESHAM has been named vice president and chief counsel of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division. She will succeed GEORGE SIMMERMAN JR., who is retiring after 32 years with the company. She will oversee the provision of legal guidance to Ingalls Shipbuilding.

New MAN dual-fuel four-stroke passes TAT

MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS’ MAN 49/60DF engine has received its Type Approval after a five-day program on the testbed at the company’s Augsburg, Germany, headquarters. The Type Approval Test (TAT) of the new dual-fuel four-stroke was witnessed by representatives of classification societies ABS, BV, CCS, DNV, LR and RINA.

Launched at the 2022 SMM trade fair in Hamburg, the 49/60DF can run on LNG, diesel and HFO as well as a number of more sustainable fuels including biofuel blends and synthetic natural gas.

The company says the engine sets a benchmark in terms of four-stroke sector fuel efficiency—both in gas and diesel mode—and thus minimizes fuel costs and the potential costs for CO2-emission certificates.

The new 49/60DF engine platform features MAN’s latest technologies, including two-stage turbocharging, second-generation common-rail fuel injection, the SaCoS5000 automation system, and MAN’s next-generation Adaptive Combustion Control ACC 2.0 that automatically optimizes combustion. The engine also retains well-proven MAN technologies such as the gas-injection system, pilot-fuel-oil system, and MAN SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system.

The MAN 49/60DF can operate and even start in gas mode where it complies with IMO Tier III without exhaust gas after-treatment. In diesel mode, it complies with Tier III when combined with MAN’s SCR system.

Soot emissions in diesel mode are halved due to the second-generation common-rail system 2.2, while the 49/60DF’s methane emissions are also drastically reduced in gas mode. The engine’s benchmark efficiency and fuelflexible design offers multiple paths to emission compliancy leading up to 2050, as set out in the current Fuel EU draft.

The new engine is also methanol-ready, meaning it is inherently ready for retrofit to running on methanol should the demand arise at a later stage. Conversions are straightforward

as all engine variants originate from an initial, modular engine design.

MAN Energy Solutions is also introducing a pure diesel engine based on the 49/60 platform that will be methanol- and LNG-ready

Alfa Laval offers new hull air lubrication solution

HULL AIR LUBRICATION has been around for quite some time. Now Alfa Laval thinks it has found a better way of easing a hull more smoothly through the water on a carpet of bubbles. It has completed its acquisition of Marine Performance Systems B.V., a Rotterdam-based maritime technology company that has developed the first fluidic air lubrication system on the market.

Called FluidicAL, the solution combines fluidics and air lubrication technologies to offer significant reductions in the ship’s friction when sailing.

The system is unique in its use of fluidics to generate micro air bubbles with a high degree of control, maintaining an air layer that covers the full flat bottom area of the vessel for maximum effectiveness. The reduction of frictional resistance working on the ship’s hull

and features the same technology upgrades as its dual-fuel sibling; the engine can also operate on bio-fuels. Its high power-density extends the power range of inline engines into applications traditionally the domain of V-type engines.

results in reduced fuel consumption.

Alfa Laval says that the patented FluidicAL system requires no structural modifications or vessel recertification, which makes it well suited for retrofitting as well as for newbuilds. Having a minimal footprint and maximum flexibility, the system can be configured and optimized to the specific vessel’s design and operational profile ensuring integration with existing onboard technology seamlessly.

Photo Credit: MAN Energy Solutions

Hurricane season preparation is here once again

mariners that are on board during hurricane events. At Golding Barge Line, we cover who will be in the path of the storm as soon as possible. Conference calls between our land office and affected vessels take place on a weekly to daily basis. Focusing on their needs is our way of showing that we care, we are with you, and we don’t want you without. Items that we begin to stockpile or order early are items such as water, batteries, flashlights, packing extra clothes, non-perishable foods, and filling up on gas/diesel, etc. Just like any home dwelling, after a storm has passed what is left behind is a mystery. We will never know for sure who will be able to operate or how soon we can get necessities to the vessel.

Life in the marine industry is categorized into three main seasons: High Water Season, Low Water Season, and Hurricane Season. All have their challenges because mother nature shows no mercy. However, there is a solution, or at least a path, to the solution—preparation.

Although hurricanes and cyclones have been around for hundreds of years, we are still learning a lot about them. We have technology now to anticipate their behavior and prepare as best as we can. However, we have had storms in recent years that have caught us, nationally, off guard. Even with all the tracking, we still need to be as prepared as possible for anything to occur.

We prepare for hurricane season with extra caution and advanced planning. For this to be successful, we must have access to reliable and real time data. The best sources, in my opinion, are a combination of three entities: mariners with hurricane experience, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Gulf Intercoastal Canal Association (GICA).

NOAA has a wide range of tools and equipment to educate the public and prepare them for heavy weather. They can give us a timeline of a storm system’s movements and characteristics. GICA works closely with NOAA, especially when it comes to communication. GICA hosts industry wide conference calls throughout a storm system event. Industry calls will

cover topics such as storm tracking, safe harbor zones, port closures, best practices, and support.

There is no better comforting feeling than knowing your company has a plan to

Prior to hurricane season, we send out best practices and recommendations of how to prepare for a hurricane at home. We try to emphasize to our crewmembers that your families need to be prepared or know how to prepare for a hurricane while staff is on board a vessel. Evacuation routes should be planned, and essentials should be purchased, phone numbers should be shared and saved. When we know what the storm’s cone is, we can get an idea of what families will be affected. Reaching out to that family or crewmember specifically to pass along contact information is a big deal.

keep your crew and equipment as safe as possible. Our hurricane experienced crew are seasoned due to years of work on the waterways. They personally know what locations are the best or least desirable and how to work together with other vessels in the area. It is a time when different companies come together as one industry with one purpose—safety.

In addition to the data and knowledge, our number one priority is the safety of

The closer the storm gets to our vessels, the more cell phone contact we will have with them. There will be group texts started, conference calls, and emails. By this time, the vessel crews have hurricane prepped their tow and are standing by. We will discuss the current weather conditions, the surrounding areas, and see how the crewmembers are doing. I believe that the continual communication is what keeps all of us calm, confident, and hopeful. Once the storm has passed, we celebrate that it is over! The next steps are to assess the damage to the tow, find out the status of everyone’s family, and tune into GICA’s conference call on post hurricane efforts.

HANNAH LEWIS Health & Safety Director Golding Barge Line Inc.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/ E.P. Morel

A barge alongside debris from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005.

There is no better comforting feeling than knowing your company has a plan to keep your crew and equipment as safe as possible.