Marine Log September 2019 by Marine Log

arine oG M L www.marinelog.com

R e p o r t i n g o n M a r i n e B u s i n e s s & T e c h n o l o g y s i n c e 18 78

September 2019

Great Lakes Shipping:

PUSHING FOR CHANGE

The Wagenborg Virginiaborg cargo ship navigating south through the Welland Canal, which connects two of the Great Lakes

CEO SPOTLIGHT: Great Lakes Towing’s Joe Starck

FERRY NEWS: The latest from Canada and Europe

MARITIME TRAINING: GLMA’s T/S State of Michigan

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CONTENTS

Departments

Features

2E DITOR’S LETTER Policy Changes, Investments Needed in Great Lakes

GREAT LAKES SHIPPING: THE MAJOR ISSUES MAKING WAVES Pushing for Policy Changes and Maritime Investments As the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Seaway shipping industry heads into its busiest time of the season this autumn, it will also be keeping a close eye on a number of key issues that could prove transformative for future business success

FLEET OPTIMIZATION AND SOFTWARE FOR MARITIME Emerging Software Solutions for Maritime IMO 2020 is driving owners to invest in solutions that are meant to make their businesses more durable in a transient regulatory environment and a demanding market

CANADA GOES GLOBAL TO RENEW ITS FERRY FLEET Global Best Practices for New Vessel Procurement Canadian ferry operators have been placing orders worldwide. The prime example is Canada’s largest operator in the sector, BC Ferries

EUROPE: FERRY OPERATORS PIONEER NEW TECHNOLOGIES European Ferry Companies are Leading the Way Running on fixed routes and scheduled services, ferry operators are well placed to adopt energy-saving technologies for both new and existing vessels

MARITIME TRAINING ON THE GREAT LAKES AND BEYOND Cadets Get Hands-On Experience Via Training Vessel Training mariners on the Great Lakes isn’t much different than other maritime training programs, but it’s still unique

4 INLAND WATERWAYS Missouri Governor Hails Container-On-Vessel Plan As Visionary 6 Industry InsightS 8 WELLNESS

Understanding High Blood Pressure

10 V ESSEL OF THE MONTH McAllister Towing’s Capt. Jim McAllister 12 Update

N ASSCO Awarded ESB Contract Worth Potential $1.6 Billion • New Guidance Available on Max 0.5% Marine Fuels •V estdavit Gets Virtual But Keeps It Real Cover Photo Credit: Shutterstock/ Jon Nicholls Photography

•

16 Inside Washington U.S. DOT Makes New Marine Highway Project Designations 35 Tech News

Kongsberg Bridge Simulator Will Speed Korean Autonomous Ship Development

36 Newsmakers Port of Everett Names First Female CEO in 100-Year History 40 SAFETY Potential Hazards of Laid-Up Vessels

September 2019 // Marine Log 1

EDITOR’S COLUMN

MarineLoG September 2019 Vol. 124, NO. 9 ISSN 08970491 USPS 576-910 Subscriptions: 800-895-4389

Tel: +1 (402) 346-4740 (Canada & International) Fax: +1 (402) 346-3670 Email: marinelog@omeda.com PRESIDENT Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. amcginnis@sbpub.com Shutterstock/ StonePhotos

Policy Changes, Investments Needed in Great Lakes

he five Great Lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence Seaway form one of the longest deep-draft navigation systems in the world. The Lakes and Seaway are a global transportation link that make ports like Chicago and Duluth, Minn., true world ports from where a variety of commodities are shipped to other parts of the world. Nonetheless, the region’s ports and waterways face challenges that require policy changes and major infrastructure investments to resolve. Some of that is starting to happen. This summer, the Canadian government announced a major $15.7 billion renewal for its aging Coast Guard fleet. Meanwhile, its Coast Guard is looking at acquiring an asset, in the form of a vessel dedicated to the Great Lakes, before the complete overhaul of the fleet. In the United States, progress has finally been made on dedicated funds for much-needed port improvements after Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill that included $293 million for the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, of which $200 million is up for grabs for ports such as those in the Great Lakes. On page 17 of this issue, we look in more detail at some other Great Lakes shipping issues in need of government attention in both the U.S. and Canada. Another Great Lakes maritime asset that we focus on this month (page 32) is the unique

training programs offered by the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich., where cadets travel the lakes and connecting inland rivers on board the T/S State of Michigan for a hands-on educational experience. And, as the Canadian Ferry Association prepares for its annual conference this month, on page 28, we look at the extensive program of fleet renewal that is transforming, and greening, Canadas’ ferry fleet. There’s also a lot of exciting news coming out of Europe for ferry operators as emerging technologies find their place in both new and existing vessels (learn more on page 30). Finally, as we move forward into 2020, the shipping industry across the globe will continue to adapt and evolve to meet ever more challenging requirements from governments and regulatory organizations, along with changes in customer demands and business goals. In doing so, it will need to push for policy changes and investments to enhance the competitiveness of the marine mode and shift more cargoes to seas and waterways, including the Great Lakes.

Publisher Gulf Coast & Midwest Sales Jeff Sutley jsutley@sbpub.com EDITOR-In-Chief Heather Ervin hervin@sbpub.com web EDITOR Nicholas Blenkey nblenkey@sbpub.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Paul Bartlett paul.bartlett@live.co.uk European EDITOR Charlie Bartlett charlie.bartlett@runbox.com Art Director Nicole D’Antona ndantona@sbpub.com Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman hcoleman@sbpub.com MARKETING DIRECTOR Erica Hayes ehayes@sbpub.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com Integrated Account Manager US East/West Coast & International David Harkey dharkey@sbpub.com SALES REPRESENTATIVE KOREA & CHINA Young-Seoh Chinn corres1@jesmedia.com CLASSIFIED SALES Jennifer Izzo jizzo@mediapeople.com Circulation DIRECTOR Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Michelle M. Zolkos mzolkos@sbpub.com CONFERENCE ASSISTANT Stephanie Rodriguez srodriguez@sbpub.com

Heather Ervin Editor-in-Chief hervin@sbpub.com

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

Marine Log Magazine (Print ISSN 0897-0491, Digital ISSN 2166-210X), (USPS#576-910), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. PRICING: Qualified individuals in the marine industry may request a free subscription. For non-qualified subscriptions: Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital versions: 1 year, US $98.00; foreign $213.00; foreign, air mail $313.00. 2 years, US $156.00; foreign $270.00; foreign, air mail $470.00. Single Copies are $29.00 each. Subscriptions must be paid in U.S. dollars only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2019. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195. For Subscriptions, & address changes, Please call (US Only) 1-800-553-8878 (CANADA/INTL) 1-319-364-6167, Fax 1-319-364-4278, e-mail marinelog@stamats.com or write to: Marine Log Magazine, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Marine Log Magazine, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

2 Marine Log // September 2019

John Wooldridge Michael J. Toohey Waterways Council, Inc. Simmons-Boardman Publishing CORP. 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10004 Tel: (212) 620-7200 Fax: (212) 633-1165 Website: www.marinelog.com E-mail: marinelog@sbpub.com

44th ANNUAL

INTERFERRY

CONFERENCE

ROWAN

LONDON OCT. 5-9, 2019 INNOVATION

PLATINUM SPONSORS

The 44th annual Interferry conference explores “step change” Innovation.

ICS is the principal international trade association for owners and operators in all sectors of merchant shipping and represents more than 80% of the world fleet.

All roads lead to London in October when global trade association Interferry stages its 44th annual conference with a wide-ranging speakers program focused on transformational change. The conference theme of Innovation is particularly appropriate in a location that ranks among the world’s pre-eminent maritime centres. London is recognised as the global leader in ship chartering and shipping-related legal, financial and insurance services. Against this background, Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan is anticipating record attendance at an event dedicated to what he defines as “the next big things on the horizon”. Two keynote speakers have been confirmed, including a return engagement for futurist and hi-tech writer David Rowan, founding editor-in-chief of the UK edition of WIRED magazine. At Interferry’s 2017 conference in Split, Croatia, Mr. Rowan headed a session on connectivity, which explained how digitalisation, data mining and social media were crucial in building the customer experience and enhancing profits. Back then he predicted: “Digital tools can transform the ferry industry. Business won’t be the same and things will never move so slowly again.” The timing for his recall could hardly be better – it follows the recent publication of his book Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds, which is the premise his talk will be based on, with a focus on the ferry industry Another keynote presentation, The Future of Ferries in Shipping, is scheduled from Guy Platten, head of the International Chamber of Shipping, where Interferry is an associate member. The London-based

PLATTEN

The keynote speeches will be supported by a broad array of conference sessions highlighting innovation initiatives across the industry. Senior executives from large and small ferry companies around the world will reveal how they are Transforming Ferry Companies, while key providers in the customer service arena will report on Tech Innovations in Customer Service in areas ranging from terminal interfaces to billing systems to the Internet. In Ship Insurance – The New Paradigm, a major company will present its insurance risk model based on analytics that could trigger a paradigm shift.

which will explore Interferry’s FerrySafe program and more, tying in nicely with the Training Seafarers for Tomorrow session. We will also hear from the European Maritime Safety Agency in EMSA – The EU Maritime Picture. Both days of the speakers program will conclude with what promises to be spirited CEO Innovation Panel discussions among leaders from a variety of ferry operators representing all corners of the globe. Delegates will hear their takes on what the future may look like for their respective companies and for the industry in general under the relentless pace of growth in technology and customer expectations.

CEOs committed to participate include: Duncan Mackison, David MacBrayne Ltd., UK; Niclas Mårtensson, Stena Line, Sweden; Supapan Various industry players are contributing to a session Pichaironarongsongkram, Chao Phraya Express Boat, Thailand; James DeSimone, NYC DOT / on The Drive Towards Zero-emissions Ferries. Staten Island Ferry, USA; Spiros Paschalis, Attica In addition, a global line-up of shipyards will offer Group, Greece; Janette Bell, P&O Ferries, UK; Paul their latest thinking on Shipbuilding Innovation for anything from fast ferries to large ro-pax vessels. Luxon, Condor Ferries, UK; Bernard Dwyer, Spirit of Tasmania, Australia; Mark Collins, BC Ferries, Another cross-section of industry participants Canada; and Greg Bombard, Catalina Express, USA. will discuss The Future of Autonomous Ferries, together with a preview of the way forward and the The Interferry conference speakers program potential legal ramifications of operating vessels takes place on Monday and Tuesday, October with little to no human interaction. In Innovative Terminal Connections and Innovations in Thermal Imaging, two key suppliers will explain innovative technologies for terminal berthing and bridge navigation, while in The World Above Us, telecommunications leaders will examine upcoming advances in IT and satellite networks. Sessions will also include Driving Results in Regulation, led by Interferry’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Johan Roos, and Domestic Ferry Safety

7-8 as the centerpiece of a comprehensive networking and social program from October 5-9 and provides an industry-leading opportunity to gain practical guidance and valuable new contacts. Visit InterferryConference.com and follow @InterferryOrg on Twitter for complete conference information and updates.

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inland waterways

The St. Louis region was branded the “Ag Coast of America” in 2017.

Missouri Governor Hails Container-On-Vessel Plan As Visionary

4 Marine Log // September 2019

most competitive and efficient inland port systems in the nation,” said Lamie. “In 2017, we branded our region as the Ag Coast of America and that’s based on the fact that nowhere else on the Mississippi River has the capacity for barge handling of fertilizer and agriculture products that we do, and that’s based on those freight assets.” Sandy Sanders, executive director of the Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District, where the Gateway Terminal for the new COV service would be developed, provided additional insight on those opportunities. He said that the Gateway terminal, with the ability to accommodate a 20,000 TEU ship and connect with all the modes of transportation in the Midwest, is unlike any other in the nation, and will give beneficial cargo owners optimal options to move their cargo. Sal Litrico, CEO, American Patriot Container Transport, discussed COV as a necessary change to bring added value to the supply chain, creating a new, lower-cost transportation option for Midwest cities. “We’re implementing a whole new system that starts with a strategic, state-of-theart Gateway Terminal, linked to strategic state-of-the-art container terminals in the Midwest, connected by innovative and patented vessels that carry critical mass at the lowest landed cost on an all-water route, providing significant savings to shippers without compromising reliability,” said Litrico.

Gulf Island Books TxDOT Order for 300-Foot Hybrid Ferry Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., Houston, Texas, recently announced that its shipyard division has received an award for the construction of a 495-passenger, 70-vehicle, double-ended ferr y for the Texas D e p a r t m e n t o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n (TxDOT). The Shearer Group Inc. designed the 300-foot hybrid propulsion ferry that will operate between Galveston and Bolivar Island, Texas. lt will be built at Gulf Island’s Jennings, La., facility and its delivery is scheduled for late 2021. “Gulf Island Shipyards cer tainly looks for ward to the oppor tunity of working with both the The Shearer Group staff and the TxDOT construction team in building this state-of-the-art and highly innovative ABS-classed ferr y,” said Mike Jannise, Gulf Island’s sales and business development manager.

Photo Credit: St. Louis Regional Freightway (top), Gulf Island Shipyards (bottom)

issouri Gov. Michael Parson visited the Mississippi River town of Herculaneum August 12 to find out more about statewide efforts to deliver a new option to transport freight along the inland waterways and what role an innovative waterway vessel could play in moving larger volumes of goods and commodities along both the Mississippi River, Missouri River and their tributaries. He was joined by a group of Missouri lawmakers, representatives from the port authorities of Jefferson County, Kansas City and Jefferson City, and others. The governor and lawmakers learned that Container-On-Vessel (COV) service is expected to reduce freight transportation costs and increase efficiency and reliability. “If you really look at Missouri and look at the ports we have running down both sides of the state—something no other state has—and you look at our highway system going north, south, east and west, and you look at our rail system spanning across the country to the east and west coasts, to Canada and Mexico, we have the ideal, prime location in Missouri to capture these kinds of investments in our state,” Parson said. Mary Lamie, executive vice president of Multi Modal Enterprises at Bi-State Development, talked about the expectation for freight volume to increase by 40% in the next three decades and the importance of the Midwest capturing a part of those increased freight volumes. “We’re the third largest inland port, third largest rail hub in the nation and one of the

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS The 370-mile long Saint Lawrence Seaway permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland as Duluth, Minn., at the western end of Lake Superior. The seaway is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which flows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Legally, the seaway extends from Montreal, Quebec, to Lake Erie and includes the Welland Canal.

DIMENSIONS:

SEASON:

Seaway locks have the same dimensions that limit ship size to 740 feet long and 78 feet wide, a draft of 26.51 feet and a height above the waterline of 116 feet

A typical season runs approximately nine months (late March to late December)

The Saint Lawrence River portion of the seaway is not a continuous canal. It consists of several stretches of navigable channels within the river, a number of locks and canals along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River to bypass several rapids and dams. A number of the locks are managed by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation in Canada, and others in the United States by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation or the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Recent Shipbuilding Contracts, North America Qty

Type

Owner

Est. $

Est. Del.

2 +1 option

Expeditionary Sea Base ships

U.S. Navy

$1.63 billion, if option exercised

2025

1 + 2 options

5,400 cubic meter LNG barges

NorthStar Midstream

N/A

Chesapeake class pilot boat

Virginia Pilot Association

N/A

Shipyard GD NASSCO Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Source: Marine Log

6 Marine Log // September 2019

WELLNESS COLUMN

n the maritime industry, one of the notfit-for-duty designations that can hinder a mariner from sailing is uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure. Here is a quick explanation of how this condition creeps into our lives and some new research on how to help maintain healthy pressure in your veins. High blood pressure affects 75 million adults in the United States, roughly 30% of the population. It this condition, vein walls become hardened instead of being soft and malleable. The hardening causes blood flow to speed up as it passes through veins, which eventually impacts multiple systems in the body. High blood pressure raises ones’ risk of heart attack and stroke. The lesser-known effects are inflicted on small arteries with a reduction in the amount of oxygen carried through them. They deliver less oxygen to organs, such as the eyes and kidneys, potentially causing peripheral vascular disease, renal impairment, retinal hemorrhage and visual impairment. Treatments for high blood pressure can lead to a reduction in cardiovascular complications. Only about half of those who knowingly suffer from high blood pressure have it under control, meaning the numbers fall into that reduced-risk zone. High blood pressure is called a “silent killer” because few symptoms may be visible. This can cause those with the condition to under treat their problem by choice or because they simply do not know they are at risk. The best way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to get your numbers checked by a medical professional. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association identified

8 Marine Log // September 2019

frequent urination as one sign of high blood pressure, especially during the night. The numbers for blood pressure are represented by two measurements. Systolic blood pressure is the first number representing the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart beats. The second number, called diastolic, identifies the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats. People with numbers above

High blood pressure does not have to become a life deteriorating and ultimately threatening condition ...

120mmHg/80mmHg suffer from prehypertension.” As the number increases, patients eventually get diagnosed as hypertensive. According to the World Health Organization, the risk of cardiovascular disease in some age groups doubles for each incremental rise of 20/10 mmHg of blood pressure, starting as low as 115/75 mmHg. Those with high blood pressure or at risk for it should not smoke, reduce their salt intake and increase their physical activity. Research also shows that one should keep magnesium, calcium and potassium levels

within recommended ranges and employ isometric exercise into their routine. Magnesium is a life critical mineral that helps control muscles in the body. As the cells absorb it, the muscles, blood vessels and heart respond by relaxing. In 2012, Dr. Yiqing Song, a professor at Indiana University, published research showing that those with high blood pressure could benefit by magnesium supplementation where their magnesium supply was inadequate. “Magnesium supplements could be considered an option for lowering high blood pressure in high-risk persons or hypertension patients,” she said. “Such suggestive evidence indicates that maintenance of optimal magnesium status in the human body may help prevent or treat hypertension.” Magnesium is helped in its absorption by calcium and potassium. All three need to be in balance for magnesium to do its work. Magnesium, calcium and potassium can be found in normal foods like dark leafy greens, unrefined grains, legumes, lima beans and sweet potatoes. Where levels are not achieved by diet, supplements are available. Isometric hand exercises have show to reduce blood pressure in more then 20 studies worldwide. This movement involves muscular actions in which the force applied against the muscle is static. According to studies, individuals who did three 15 to 20 minutes sessions of isometric hand exercises every week for between 6 to 10 weeks experienced a significant dip in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In 2013, the American Heart Association concluded that such handgrip exercises produce significant reductions in blood pressure of as much as 10%. High blood pressure does not have to become a life deteriorating and ultimately threatening condition, and it does not need to become the medical issue that effects someone’s ability to work. With proper maintenance, monitoring, lifestyle changes and exercise, the blood can ease its way through soft and malleable veins. Nothing in this article constitutes medical advice. All medical advice should be sought from a medical provider. Emily Reiblein

Crowley Maritime Corporation, Labor Relations-Union Wellness Programs/ Operations Integrity

Shutterstock/ Voraorn Ratanakorn

Understanding High Blood Pressure

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Featureof the month Vessel The Capt. Jim joins sister vessels, the Capt. Brian, Rosemary and Ava McAllister as the most powerful EPA Tier 4 tugs in the McAllister fleet.

Capt. Jim McAllister A nearly 7,000 hp Tier 4 McAllister Towing tractor tug

10 Marine Log // September 2019

most powerful EPA Tier 4 tugs in the McAllister fleet. Combining its eco-friendly Cat engines with Markey winches on the bow and stern puts the Capt. Jim at the forefront of ship docking tugs on the U.S. East Coast and supplying McAllister’s customers with the power they need to make their port connections in a timely fashion. The Capt. Jim McAllister was delivered from Eastern Shipbuilding on August 16 and set sail for its new homeport in Charleston on August 20. Capt. Steven Kicklighter, McAllister’s vice president and general manager, said he is eager to put the tug into service. “We are excited and proud to be able to bring the newest level of service to our customers in Charleston,” he said. “The Capt. Jim will make a huge difference here. We are receiving 1,200-feet, 14,000 TEU containerships on an almost daily basis. This tug, with her capabilities, will be able to safely handle these ships and even larger ones with exceptional control and power. McAllister and our team in Charleston are ready!” The Capt. Jim McAllister is named after James P. McAllister, the legendary

second-generation McAllister who joined the company in 1885. Capt. McAllister’s combination of brain and brawn, along with his fighting Irish spirit, led McAllister Towing on its route at the beginning of the 20th century and the company is honored to name this state-of-the-art tug after him. McAllister Towing operates a fleet of more than 75 tugboats, crew boats and barges in 17 locations along the U.S. East Coast from Portland, Maine, to San Juan, P.R. The fleet of over 270,000 hp. consists of 28 Z-drive/ tractor tugs, 11 Tier 2 compliant tugs, more than 20 vessels involved in coastal towing and 35 ABS load line classed vessels.

Photo Credit: McAllister Towing

he Capt. Jim McAllister, the fourth in a series of four 100- by 40-foot, 80-metric-ton bollard pull tugboats, has joined McAllister Towing of Charleston, S.C. The vessel is the 33rd tractor tug in McAllister’s fleet. The Capt. Jim is powered by twin ABS Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4 EPA Certified Marine Diesel Engines each delivering 3,386 hp at 1,800 rpm. Main propulsion is by two Schottel SRP-510 Z-drives fixed pitch driven via two Lufkin MV1600S reduction gears with 2:1 reduction. The vessel’s fire pump and monitors include one FFS Model SEP150x200HD, 3,000 gpm, with two FFS Model 300M monitors at 1,500 gpm each. It has one Markey Machinery Series DEPCF-52-75 single drum hawser winch that is bow mounted and one ABS Markey Machinery Series DEPC-42-40 Single drum tow winch mounted on the stern. The tug achieved nearly 91 tons (or 82.50 metric tons) during its ABS bollard pull certification and had a maximum pull of 83.70 tons. The Capt. Jim joins sister vessels, the Capt. Brian, Rosemary and Ava McAllister as the

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Update

Work on two new ships of the ESB program is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2020.

NASSCO Awarded ESB Contract Worth Potential $1.6 Billion G e n e r a l Dy n a m i c s N at i o n a l S t e e l & Shipbuilding Company, San

Diego, Calif., has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy worth up to $1.6 billion for the construction of the sixth and seventh ships of the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program, as well as an option for ESB 8. “We are pleased to be building ESB 6 and 7 for our Navy,” said Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. The contract provides $1.08 billion as a fixed-price-incentive modification to a previous contract for the design and construction of the two ships, with an option for the third that, if exercised, would bring the total cumulative value to $1.63 billion. Named after famous names or places

of historical significance to U.S. Marines, ESBs serve as a flexible platform and a key element in the Navy’s airborne mine countermeasures mission, with accommodations for up to 250 personnel and a large helicopter flight deck. The ship’s configuration supports special warfare and Marine Corps task-organized units. Work on the two new ships of the ESB program is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2020 and continue to the second quarter of 2023, providing the opportunity to sustain and grow the workforce along San Diego’s working waterfront. General Dynamics says that NASSCO’s unique location along the historic San Diego Bay “provides shipbuilders and skilled

tradespeople with unparalleled access to the nation’s leading maritime support businesses, and highly-trained employees allow NASSCO to build and repair some of the world’s greatest ships in the most efficient manner possible.” In 2011, the Navy awarded NASSCO a contract to design and build the first two ships in the newly created MLP program, the USNS Montford Point and USNS John Glenn. The program expanded with three more vessels, the USS Lewis B. Puller, USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams and the Miguel Keith, configured as ESBs. Following the delivery of the first four ships to the U.S. Navy, the fifth ship, the Miguel Keith, is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Maritime Professional Tr ain ing (MPT) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., now

offers two courses for engineers, who want to make their Merchant Mariner Credential fully STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchstanding for Seafarers) compliant. The courses, called Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW) Auxiliary Machinery and OICEW Diesel Engine, include practical, hands-on training and assessment on its full-mission engineroom simulator. 12 Marine Log // September 2019

“Students also receive training in the oncampus machine shop, where they work a lathe, do welding, cut with a torch, and grow familiar with the inner workings of a modern diesel engine,” said John Flanagan, MPT’s vice principal. Flanagan said the courses are among several required by the Coast Guard via STCW 2010 for any engineer that is looking to gain the OICEW endorsement. Students can choose from a package of courses to satisfy all license requirements

and endorsements they seek. MPT assists mariners with their license application to the National Maritime Center, and it provides free career counseling. “We also provide a custom service in which companies can have a mariner vetted on our state-of-the-art simulators,” said Flanagan. “The school said that it could customize the area and vessel to the client’s needs to get an accurate snapshot of how a certain candidate would perform under a variety of conditions.”

Photo Credit: GD NASSCO

MPT Offers New Courses and Customized Training

Update

FUELTRAX Pursues Operation Improvements for Maritime More than a decade ago, FUEL-

TRAX began as a project to help Kirby Inland Marine more accurately measure fuel consumption to improve the efficiency of its vessels. Today, FUELTRAX is a leading global fuel management solution, installed on over 500 vessels ranging from small inland tugs to offshore supply vessels to oceangoing tankers. FUELTRAX said it monitors over 2,000 fuel consumers daily, providing data for improving performance and generating cost savings. FUELTRAX is compatible with any vessel, engine or fuel, in any location in the world. It offers secure, smart monitoring with direct

fuel measurements and advanced data analytics, helping customers reduce costs, ensure compliance, and enhance performance. Accuracy and quality of fuel measurements continue to set FUELTRAX apart as the vanguard in Electronic Fuel Monitoring Systems, driving successful operational change and improvements for our clients. Looking to 2020, FUELTRAX continues to pursue ways to improve operations. Most recently, weather tracking and video surveillance monitoring have been added to the fuel monitoring solution based on client feedback for enhancements. System reliability and data delivery remain top priorities

for clients, and FUELTRAX meets this charge with an unprecedented 99% uptime. FUELTRAX empowers customers with increased transparency in reporting. This transparency allows for improved inventory control and loss prevention, which is essential in areas subject to pilferage, piracy, or other common causes of inventory loss. Before FUELTRAX, this level of insight into operations wasn’t available to vessel owners. Eliminating the need for human input, FUELTRAX makes fuel reporting an automated, trusted, secure, and reliable solution resulting in improved efficiencies in fuel consumption and fuel quality assurance.

Armstrong Marine Delivers 40-Foot Research Vessel T h e C o l l e g e o f F i s h e r i e s and Marine Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has added a new research vessel to its fleet. Named Nanuq, the 40-foot, aluminum-hulled vessel was designed and built by Armstrong Marine, Port Angeles, Wash., and arrived in Seward, Alaska, this summer. Pacific Power Group (PPG), working closely with Armstrong, fitted the vessel with a pair of Volvo Penta D6 engines, each delivering 330 hp. The engines are paired with Aquamatic outdrives and Volvo hydraulic power steering. “Research vessels have very specific performance requirements and Volvo Penta propulsion systems have proven extremely capable of meeting those needs,” said Doug Schwedland, vice president of PPG’s marine division. The College of Fisheries and Marine Science at the university was created in 1987 to unify statewide academic and research

Photo Credit: Armstrong Marine

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programs in the university system that are focused on fisheries and ocean sciences. The Seward site where the Nanuq will operate is dedicated to the study of marine fish, birds and mammals. Along with the Volvo Penta engines, the Nanuq is outfitted with side power electric bow thruster with joystick control to

ensure precision maneuverability during research operations. The monohulled boat is capable of cruising at 32 knots and has a 400-gallon fuel capacity that allows the boat long-range travel capabilities in the remote waters of Alaska. The newest research vessel replaces the R/V Little Dipper.

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September2019 // Marine Log 13

Update

Vestdavit Gets Virtual But Keeps It Real Bergen, Norway-based davit sup-

plier Vestdavit announced that increasing user demand for hands-on operator and inspector training is one reason behind dual investments in virtual reality (VR) and a new shoreside training davit. Vestdavit supports the davit business it does in North America with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from its U.S. headquarters in Seattle. Recent orders include the PLA-2000 rescue boat davits supplied to the U.S. Coast Guard nine Bayclass icebreaking tugs. The Vestdavit VR package includes a remote controller and goggles that allow the user to take instruction in boat launch and recovery risk-free, virtually operating models in all weathers ranging from a 2.2-ton SWL single point davit to a 44-ton SWL Dual Telescopic Davit System. The user can set conditions beyond the limitations that usually apply in real life training to deal with handling issues and responsiveness, even in extreme sea states.

The Vestdavit VR package includes a remote controller and goggles that allow the user to take instruction in boat launch and recovery.

Users can also practice boat on- and off-loading that incorporates Vestdavit’s “constant tension control.” Collvin says Vestdavit is replacing the conventional control unit first seen at SMM with a simplified, lightweight unit for desk-based training and expanding its “library” of handling scenarios to include a wider range of davit models. However, the supplier is targeting inspectors as well as operators in its training investments. Vestdavit recently commissioned

a new quayside-training davit in Bergen. The 1.65-ton SWL A-frame davit has all of the features the user would encounter at sea, including the tensioning system and the shock absorbers Vestdavit fits as standard. The training davit unit is integral to a new modular Vestdavit Academy training program that mixes theory and practice; the company offers equivalent on board training using customer equipment for the in-field certification often needed by navies and coast guards.

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14 Marine Log // September 2019

6/14/2019 2:14:34 PM

Update

New Guidance Available on Max 0.5% Sulfur Marine Fuels As the deadline for implementat i o n of the IMO 2020 sulfur cap

nears, a number of shipping, refining, fuel supply and standards organizations, including CIMAC (International Council on Combustion Engines), have worked together to produce a Joint Industr y Guidance on the supply and use of 0.50% sulfur marine fuel. Released August 20, the publication has been developed by experts in shipping, refining, supply and testing of marine fuels. The publication is designed to provide guidance for stakeholders in the marine fuels and shipping industries, from fuel blenders and suppliers to end users. It presents the specific safety and operational issues relating to the supply and use of max. 0.50% sulfur fuels, an overview of fuel quality principles, and the controls that should be put in place to ensure that safety issues are identified, prevented and/or mitigated. It addresses issues such as fuel compatibility, fuel stability, and fuel handling and storage, and contains a comprehensive review of existing operational factors that

can affect safety. It does not address issues related to compliance with flag state, port state or IMO rules or guidelines, or alternative means of compliance (e.g. exhaust gas cleaning systems), and does not include a discussion of alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas, hydrogen or methanol. Some key takeaways include: • Ensure fuel quality by ensuring that blend components are suitable for bunker fuel production, with particular attention being given to ensure that the final product is stable; • Fuel suppliers and purchasers should provide adequate information to the ship concerning the fuel as supplied to enable ship crew to identify and manage potential safety and operational issues associated with certain fuel properties and characteristics; • The available space for new bunkers to be loaded should be taken as the capacity of the empty tanks in order to avoid commingling on loading; and • Ship operators and fuel suppliers should

review operational practices to allow sufficient time to test for compatibility between existing and proposed bunker fuel delivery, especially if no “empty” dedicated storage tank is available on the ship. The publication is free and available to download from the websites of the participating organizations. The publication will be supported by an e-learning course to be released in October 2019. The aims of the e-Learning course include providing an understanding of MARPOL Annex VI and its potential impact on the management of fuels on board ships, and to raise awareness of and offer solutions to potential fuel management issues. Affecting an estimated 70,000 vessels, the immediacy and extent of the IMO’s sulfur cap, reducing sulfur in fuels from 3.5 to 0.5% and coming into effect on January 1, 2020, meant that solutions to the new legislation were extensively presented in papers and intensively discussed in forums. A copy of the guidance can be downloaded at www.cimac.com

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U.S. DOT Makes New Marine Highway Project Designations

he U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration recently announced the designation of nine Marine Highway Projects and a Marine Highway Route that will benefit Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and American Samoa. The America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) authorizes the designations. Designation makes projects and marine highway routes eligible to apply for federal funding. Congress appropriated $7 million for AMHP in fiscal year 2019. The new designations and route include: • Bridgeport to Port Jefferson Ferry Service: The ferry service expansion includes the development of a new state-of-the-art ferry terminal for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company

in Bridgeport, Conn.; • Port of NY to CT Ports Trailer on Barge: This barge service is designed to reduce congestion in the NY/NJ port area and on the highways, bridges and tunnels that connect to I-95 into New England; • M - 9 5 F e r n a n d i n a B e a c h t o Charleston Barge Service: A new barge service will help the Port of Fernandina service all coastal seaports on the Atlantic and contribute to the reduction of truck traffic; • Port of Oswego Great Lakes Container Service: The designation will support the port’s goal of expanding its reach into national containerized cargo movement, which should help to reduce on-road truck trips and ease congestion at two international border crossings; • P o r t o f M o r r o w B a r g e S e rvice Extension: The expansion of existing service will allow new opportunities for barge shipping to

and from the port along M-84; • Wallops Island M95 Intermodal Barge Service: The creation of a new barge service will expand short sea shipping at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia; • Seattle–Bainbridge Island Ferry Service: This service offers a faster, more reliable and safer alternative to the road connections along I-5 and other state routes; • Houston Gateway & Gulf Container-On-Barge Central Node: The project would reduce landside congestion through the creation of dedicated centralized Container-onBarge facilities serving some marine highways; and • American Samoa Inter-Island Ferry Service: As a newly designated Marine Highway route, the Port of Pago Pago will enhance both intra-island and inter-island transportation to the outer islands, including the movement of freight.

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16 Marine Log // September 2019

Great Lakes Roundup The Port of Green Bay on Lake Michigan offers the shortest, most direct route for shipments between the Midwest and the world.

Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping:

The Major Issues Making Waves

By Bruce R. Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce

s t h e G re a t L a ke s - S a i n t Law rence Seaway (Great L a ke s - S e aw ay ) s h i p p i n g industry heads into its busiest time of the season this autumn, it will also be keeping a close eye on a number of key issues that could prove transformative for future business success. In Canada, a federal election will take place in October, and the U.S. 2020 presidential primaries are just months away. With election season on the horizon, we have already seen transportation and infrastructure policy highlighted in the news and in government announcements this summer that will continue to play out in the coming months.

Photo Credit: Port of Green Bay

Too Much Water This year’s shipping season began with a positive commercial start with many U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes-Seaway ports reporting strong cargo volumes and new business wins. However, spring and summer media headlines soon focused on the record water levels across the Great Lakes and the reality that too much water can be just as challenging as too little. The high water had ships slowing speeds in narrower channels like St. Marys, St. Clair and Detroit rivers to minimize their wake and

prevent shoreline erosion. But Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River (1000 Islands area) levels caused the most trouble as the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (the Board) came under pressure from residents in New York state and Ontario to raise water outflows on the St. Lawrence Seaway to unsafe navigation levels to help alleviate Lake Ontario flooding, which would have halted shipping for weeks. The industry set the record straight and made it clear this drastic step would have minimal impact on lowering Lake Ontario levels any faster and that it would impact safety and cost the bi-national economy over a billion dollars, affecting ordinary citizens all over Canada and the U.S. Instead, the Board increased water outflow levels at the Moses-Saunders Dam on the St. Lawrence Seaway to record levels of 10,400 cubic meters per second for more than two months—a compromise solution supported by the marine sector to relieve lake flooding and maintain safe navigation. This record duration at this outflow rate still resulted in a significant cost to the bi-national regional economy, with an estimated $2.3 million to $3 million USD in business revenues lost every day due to ship transit delays caused by safety measures to deal with the higher water and

more challenging currents. The shipping industry is now turning its attention to a longer-term solution calling for further government study into flooding and for the International Joint Commission to establish a working group including representatives from communities, the shipping industry and other affected stakeholders. With weather experts predicting that more precipitation and flooding could become the new normal, it’s important to not just be reactive.

Canadian Pilotage Reform After 45 years, new legislation to modernize Canada’s pilotage system for commercial ships was finally passed in June, which holds promise to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the Great Lakes-Seaway transportation system while still ensuring the highest standards of safety. There is stil l much wor k ahead to develop the policies and programs and supporting regulations that will make these amendments truly effective. The shipping industry will be working with government and pilotage authorities and corporations on this front in the coming months, and it is expected to take a full two years before the reform process is completed. The legislation essentially delivers a September 2019 // Marine Log 17

Great Lakes Roundup

Lake freighters, the Algoma Sault and Algoma Equinox.

18 Marine Log // September 2019

available for public scrutiny. Another significant addition is the ability for Transport Canada to create an improved and standardized pilotage certification system across the country that promotes onboard training and certification of Canadian domestic ship operators’ masters and officers to pilot their own vessels. Industry will be keen to work with Transport Canada to develop a certification system, similar to what exists with the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority. Statistics show that this system has been very successful with Canadian crews having an equal to (or often even better) safety record in those waters than vessels navigated by pilots, which also operate successfully. This would be a huge improvement to the disjointed, out-of-date systems that currently operate in other pilotage areas and discourage certification, despite the fact that domestic captains are government licensed, regularly travel on these waterways and know their ships better than anyone.

Getting Marine’s Fair Share of Infrastructure Funding Much progress has also been made recently on winning infrastructure investments for the marine mode. The shipping industry on both sides of the border has long advocated for its share of government infrastructure funds to deal with much needed port improvements and upgrades, increased and more reliable U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking assets in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and a new Poe-sized lock at the Soo Locks. The Canadian Federal Government’s National Tr ade Cor r idors Fund has invested over $100 million in Canadian Great Lakes-St. Lawrence port improvements in 2019 and 2018, with a focus on

Photo Credit: Algoma Central

framework that for the first time will bring greater transparency and impartial decisionmaking to a costly government-mandated service that has for decades been provided with little accountability, or input from ship operators and their customers—despite the fact that it is paid for by industry fees. For those readers unfamiliar with the Canadian system, here’s how it’s worked for the past few decades: Pilots are mandated by law to board and navigate ships (foreign or domestic) in challenging waters designated as compulsory pilotage zones. With just over 400 pilots in Canada, pilotage is managed by four federal crown corporations, each with their own set of regulations, operational procedures and management practices. For example; these pilotage authorities, with input from pilots, decide what areas should be designated mandatory pilotage zones and how many pilots should be on board. In some areas, these pilotage authorities must contract pilots from monopoly, for-profit pilot corporations, which are not obligated to provide any financial transparency. Arbitrary rules abound in this opaque system, written into service contracts with pilots and outside of regulations. These rules vary from region to region and can include overly complex notice periods to order a pilot, adding confusion and costs. Given that the vast majority of the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River waterway has been designated compulsory pilotage, the cost and efficiency of this service has a major impact on the ability of the marine mode in this region to compete for cargoes. The new legislation takes rule-making away from the pilotage authorities, allowing them to focus solely on service delivery. Pilot service contracts will no longer be permitted to address regulatory matters and they will be

Great Lakes Roundup trade diversification. The Port of Montreal, the Port of Thunder Bay, the Port of Hamilton, Sarnia Harbour and the Port of Johnstown have all been beneficiaries. These infr astr ucture projects w ill improve intermodal connections, increase storage and cargo handling capacity, and increase the efficiency of port and harbor operations, with a view to increasing the amount of trade moving through this region and to/from overseas markets. This summer, the Canadian government also announced a major $15.7 billion renewal for its aging Coast Guard fleet. In the interim, the Coast Guard is looking at acquiring an asset dedicated to the Great Lakes before the complete overhaul of the fleet. Industry will be pushing hard in the coming months to ensure the mediumterm refurbished vessels and longer-term new builds will be used to help resource icebreaking in the Great Lakes, the Seaway and the St. Lawrence River, where cargo deliveries have been stalled or delayed in past winters and springs due to service breakdowns and a lack of assets. In the U.S., progress has also finally been made on dedicated funds for much-needed port improvement after Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill that included $293 million for the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, of which $200 million is up for grabs for ports such as those in the Great Lakes and the deadline for applying for grant funding is the end of September. Approximately $7 million in funding is also available through MARAD’s America’s Marine Highway Program. The program recently designated the Port of Oswego’s Great Lakes Container Service as a Marine Highway project which makes the port eligible to apply for funding for its goal of expanding its reach into national containerized cargo movement, which should help to reduce on-road truck trips and ease congestion at the Buffalo and Detroit/Windsor border crossings. Specific reference to Great Lakes icebreakers is also included in the U.S. Coast Guard Reauthorization bill. There have not been any funds appropriated to the building of the breakers, but Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced an amendment to the bill that would allocate $10 million toward the scope and design of a heavy icebreaker for the Lakes. In another win for the region, the president’s 2020 budget requested $75.3 million for a Sault Ste. Marie new lock complex, which was approved in an energy and water appropriations bill by the House appropriations committee, giving the president his requested amount.

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One Magazine, The Entire Market

Your lens into the Maritime World MARINE LOG offers coverage of the entire maritime market. From blue to brown water, domestic to international news, vessel design, operation and construction in the commercial, naval and government sectors, Marine Log offers whole market coverage in one magazine.

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September 2019 // Marine Log 19 ML_CirculationAd_1/3Square.indd 1

3/6/19 11:06 AM

CEO Spotlight

Joe Starck is president of both The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard in Ohio.

Q & A With

Joe Starck President of The Great Lakes Towing Company By Heather Ervin, Editor in Chief

ore than 2,000 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean, ships are coming and going on the Great Lakes in the northern United States. Together with the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the waterway allows ocean-going vessels, lake freighters and tugboats and barges to transport important commodities to and from the interior United States and Canada. In Cleveland, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, The Great Towing Company operates the largest U.S.-flag tugboat fleet on the Great Lakes. The fleet operates throughout the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Seaway marine transportation network’s 8,300 miles of shoreline and a water surface area of roughly 100,000 square miles. The Towing Company services include ship assist, cargo transportation and logistics, ice breaking and emergency assistance. The company also operates Great Lakes Shipyard, a full-service operation that specializes in new construction, repair and custom fabrication. The company’s internationally known fleet of both Great Lakes harbor assist tugs and ocean-going tugs have been designed and built by Great Lakes Shipyard, primarily as multipurpose tugs that can accommodate

20 Marine Log // September 2019

an entire array of towing services. These include ship handling duties, salvage and rescue, firefighting, oil response and recovery, icebreaking, escort, and coastal- and ocean-towing vessels and barges. Several major U.S. tugboat companies operate these tugs today on all coasts of the United States. Joe Starck, president of The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard, gives readers some insight into commercial shipping on the Great Lakes, regulations and challenges that impact the region, and more in this edition of Marine Log’s CEO Spotlight. Marine Log (ML): What recent commercial shipping trends have you observed in the Great Lakes region? JOE STARCK (JS): The Great LakesSt. Lawrence Seaway System handles a wide variety of cargoes. Imports primarily consist of specialty semi-finished steel products from Europe, which are used by local steel processing companies to be finished and used for automobiles, construction, appliances and machinery, while the major export from the region is grain (e.g. wheat, soybeans and corn) from the Midwest back to Europe. Inter-lake cargoes (i.e. cargoes shipped within the system) consist of iron ore for steel making, coal to be used as fuel

for power plants, limestone that is also used in the steel making process, as well as road construction and cement production, and salt for de-icing roadways. Spending on the country’s infrastructure Operation & Maintenance has increased nearly 10% since the Great Recession of 2007, and continues to be on the rise. This has resulted in higher volumes of steelmaking and aggregate cargoes being moved across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. As the country continues to invest and reinvest in its infrastructure, we expect the demand for Great Lakes domestic cargoes to continue to climb. High water levels this season also offer the benefit of shippers being able to load their vessels to their fully loaded drafts. This means that more cargo is being shipped on a single vessel. Fuller vessels mean a lower cost to ship the cargo, resulting in lower cost to the end-user. ML: What would you say are the biggest challenges to barge and towing operations on the Great Lakes and its connecting waterways? JS: The seasonality of the Great LakesSt. Lawrence Seaway system is probably the biggest challenge to not only barge and towing operations, but to shipping on the Great Lakes in general. The navigation season on the Great Lakes is about nine months from April to December. While Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan may remain open year-round, depending on ice conditions, the St. Lawrence Seaway and Welland Canal close around Christmas each year, and the Soo Locks connecting Lake Huron to Lake Superior usually close in mid-January. Shippers on the lakes are therefore required to move a year’s worth of cargo in a compressed nine-month shipping season. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers attempt to keep shipping channels open, while commercial assets, including our own tug fleet, are used inside harbor limits to break ice and keep the slips and docks clear. However, the recent winters have shown that a new heavy breaker is critical to keeping the lanes open, getting the fleets underway at spring fit-out, and vessels moving year-round. Fifteen percent of the annual domestic cargoes are being moved on the Great Lakes during the winter season and rely on government and commercial icebreaking assets, and the ice breaking fleets on the water are showing their age, with breakers becoming non-operational due to mechanical failures and casualties. In the

Joe Starck

spring of 2019 alone, these types of casualties contributed to iron ore deliveries falling 26% off March’s five-year average and 39% from March 2018. ML: How has the shipyard handled Subchapter M regulations since it went into effect last year? To add to that, what percentage of your fleet has received a Certificate of Inspection (COI) and what approval route did you take? JS: The Towing Company is fortunate in that we operate our own shipyard in Cleveland. In fact, the shipyard was originally designed to build our own tugs and offset the cost of maintaining our own fleet. We were always supportive of the Subchapter M regulations, and followed the regulations from its first Proposed Rule Making through to its becoming the Final Rule and Subchapter M regulation that is now in effect. We have always been ahead of the game. When Subchapter M went into effect, we opted for the Third-Party Organization (TPO) option, and selected the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) as our TPO. Through the implementation of Subchapter M, and working closely with ABS, we cycled tugs through our shipyard for audits and inspections; identifying what needed to be done to bring the tugs into compliance with Subchapter M. As of June 2019, eight of our tugs have received COIs from the Coast Guard a full month ahead of schedule. We are continuing to move forward and have identified the next set of tugs to receive their COIs by July 2020, with some as early as October 2019. ML: Have any outside customers shown

Eight of Great Lakes Shipyard’s tugs received COIs from the Coast Guard as of June 2019.

any interest in buying ships like your recent tugboat series designed by Damen? JS: There has been some interest in the recent Damen Stan 1907 ICE Design currently being built at Great Lakes Shipyard. While most of the coastal ports in the U.S. are opting for the “bigger is better” idea, a need still exists for smaller, yet powerful and maneuverable tug-designs. The Stan 1907 ICE fits that gap. These tugs are ideal for harbor assist in smaller ports, marine construction, barge handling, etc. We have built three of these tugs for our own fleet thus far and have two more under construction with completion later this fall and second quarter 2020. In August 2016, we laid a total of 10 keels. This is important, since those keels were laid prior to the Tier 3 sunset (and the onset of Tier 4 requirements). Therefore, the new tugs are treated as “existing vessels” and can be built with the more compact and cost-effective Tier 3 engines. Further, we have received inquiries from buyers that are interested in the hybrid propulsion systems that we are using. These systems will allow the boats to operate by small electric motors, powered by genset, most of the time. This saves on fuel, as well as wear and tear on the main engines, not to mention that it makes the boats even more environmentally friendly by reducing emissions as well. Construction of the fifth tug in the series is underway in our fabrication building. That steel work will continue into the first quarter of 2020, at which time we will be in a position to start a sixth tug. So, to any

interested buyers out there, now would be a good time to come meet with us and take a look at what we’re doing and perhaps see what these new tugs can do for you. ML: Are you seeing any interest in developing container traffic between the Great Lakes and other shipping routes? JS: It seems that there has always been interest in the movement of containers on the Great Lakes, dating as far back as the 1970s, and perhaps even before that. The major hurdle has always been the seasonality of the Great LakesSt. Lawrence River system and competition from the railroads. Most recently, however, Spliethoff, a shipping company from Amsterdam, has been developing container service from Antwerp to Cleveland and other Great Lakes ports. The potential seems to be there, but it’s tough, and we are all watching to see if it develops further. ML: What do you most want vessel owners and operators to know about business in the Great Lakes region? JS: Perhaps a little known fact is that transit times from Europe to Cleveland are equal, if not even shorter than transits from Europe to Baltimore. Shipping into the Great Lakes places cargo in the heart of America, oftentimes closer to the cargo’s final destination. Many Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Monroe, Toledo and Chicago, just to name a few, offer multimodal transportation options. Not only will shipping into the Great Lakes save shippers time, it also leaves a much smaller environmental footprint, relieving congestion at the coastal ports and the I-95 and I-90 corridors.

Starck says Great Lakes Shipyard remains busy with the construction of several tugs.

September 2019 // Marine Log 21

Shipping Software

Fleet Optimization and Software for Maritime Artificial intelligence advances ocean commerce efficiency

22 Marine Log // September 2019

technical, operational or commercial pain points will drive adoption and make software rise to the top.

Artificial Intelligence and Shipping Nautilus Labs, a New York City-based software specialist with numerous former Silicon Valley experts on its team, recently announced itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building artificial intelligence (AI) to advance the efficiency of ocean commerce. The company delivers technology to help shipping companies minimize fuel consumption, maximize operational efficiency and optimize fleet performance. By arming ship owners and operators with real-time predictive decision support, Nautilus says it is reducing

greenhouse gas emissions and making global trade sustainable. According to Nautilus, ocean shipping consumes over $100 billion dollars of fuel every year, and up to 30% of it can be saved. For owner-operators, reliance on manually collected and analyzed data makes it difficult to optimize fleet performance in real-time.

Human-Centricity Solutions Usability and experience should be the cornerstone of every technology. Oftentimes, users complain that they encounter an interface that is overly complicated or a user flow that is counterintuitive to pre-existing processes and workflows. Software companies have to find ways to circumvent these issues

Photo Credit: Nautilus Labs

leet optimization is an extremely hot topic in the maritime industry. IMO 2020 is driving owners to invest in solutions that are meant to make their businesses more durable in a transient regulatory environment and a demanding market, while improving profitability and operational efficiency of both their teams and vessels. There are an increasing number of emerging software solutions in maritime. So, what makes one stnd out from others? Having software actually do what its users need it to do is imperative. In an industry inundated with manual, and sometimes-dated processes, leveraging cutting-edge technology to directly address

Shipping Software

Currently, vesseloperating profiles are presented in overly complex reports that are not easily accessible and are difficult to understand.

via human-centricity. At its core, human-centricity is about understanding people’s needs, something that is fundamental to building successful products and services. Technologists need to combine what’s possible with the challenges users face in their everyday lives. Empathizing with the perspectives of the people for which the solutions are built can do this. Humans are, of course, nuanced individuals with unique needs. By using qualitative user research methods, product teams are able to find common themes, shared frustrations and areas for innovation.

Client Collaboration Nautilus and other software companies say they have seen that spending a significant amount of time interviewing operators, technical superintendents and charterers, helps them to understand how people interact in their workplace and with each other. Soliciting feedback allows developers to look at problems through the same lens. This requires a deep understanding of the kinds of pressures they are under, what motivates them and what makes them tick.

The Pain Points

nmc.edu/maritime • 877-824-7447

Using high frequency, normalized vessel data allows others to deliver improved vessel performance models and trends to the industry. To advance the efficiency of ocean commerce, it is crucial to improve accuracy and real-time understanding of a vessel’s operating profile. Currently, vessel-operating profiles are presented in overly complex reports that are not easily accessible and are difficult to understand. This results in low accountability around vessel performance related issues; and not because people didn’t care, but because they didn’t have the right tools to be proactive. The first step to build software based on its user’s needs should always be to address the real points of the people using it. Talking to users, listening carefully to their thoughts and translating this into an outcome-oriented solution can achieve this. The industry doesn’t need another platform that uses higher quality of data to remove the legwork of manual reporting, but deeper insights into a vessel’s performance profile based on various data points for things, such as consumption, maintenance events outcome or predictive decision support.

A Need for Unified Data Through user interviews, Nautilus claims it has found important hull fouling insights

24 Marine Log // September 2019

Shipping Software were buried in a multipage report of finegrained, unnecessary information that needed to be requested from another department entirely, often getting lost in email threads and quickly becoming out of date. Similarly with engine performance, where the sought after information was stored in clunky, complicated software and therefore was left to the use of a select few that had been trained on how to access it. This leads to a lack of transparency. When asking various customers to share how these reports and information were used, it’s obvious that everyone cares about the same handful of things—the impact on fuel consumption, how it would affect arrival windows, and knowing when maintenance needs to be scheduled. T h ere is al s o an i n tere s t i n g wor k flow where operators and technical team members were taking screenshots of trend lines as a way to figure out what was going on in certain circumstances. These findings, by focusing on the users, create opportunities to bake them into the product and drive increased transparency between departments.

Nautilus’ software combines real-time visibility with predictive decision support.

the sea ahead

Innovative Collaboration Layering rich information into easily decipherable trends and key performance indicators that anyone across the organization can understand allows multiple departments to share the same insights. B y s u r f a c i n g a n o m a l i e s , c a p t a i n s’ remarks, and performance deviations, col lab or at ion is supp or te d and promoted. Fur thermore, users’ need the abilit y to directly inter act w ith each other on specific events by commenting and assigning issues. It not just increases cross-departmental collaboration, but also transparency and accountability. By taking the human-centric approach, companies are able to tackle the true underlying challenges of creating more transparency and accountability that results in safer and more efficient vessel operations. Nautilus Labs was founded in October 2016, with the task of helping maritime shipping businesses use vessel data to optimize fleet management and commercial performance. The Nautilus team quickly uncovered inefficiencies and manual processes that could be automated and optimized, built an MVP, and continues to expand on its offering based on user-centered design and product development. The company quickly grew its investor-base, product development, and business teams, tapping into some of the most notable names in Silicon Valley such as Google, Amazon, Palantir, Uber, and IBM.

Consider our strengths: a first class engineering team, expansive facilities, cutting-edge manufacturing technology, experienced shipbuilding professionals and a management team tightly focused on quality and on-time delivery. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is uniquely positioned to provide solutions to the new construction, repair and conversion needs of your fleet.

For more information contact Michael Pinkham, Vice President Sales and Marketing, at 715.587.6960. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com

September 2019 // Marine Log 25

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CANADIAN FERRIES BC Ferries’ new Salish class LNG dual fueled ferries were built by Poland’s Remontowa Shipyard

Canada Goes Global

ack in 2010, the Government of Canada took the decision to end a long standing 25% import duty on certain types of vessel in order to promote renewal of the country’s commercial shipping fleet. The ferry industry has been a major beneficiary of the change. The prime example is Canada’s largest operator in the sector, BC Ferries. It is in the midst of an ambitious capital plan to replace vessels approaching the end of their service life and expects to replace on average one vessel per year for the foreseeable future. It is also reducing the differing types of vessels in its fleet to increase interoperability. In its latest quarterly results, released last month, BC Ferries reports that it carried 5.8 million passengers and 2.4 million vehicles, an increase of 2.2% and 2.5%, respectively, compared to the same quarter in the prior year. In the quarter, BC Ferries invested $26 million as part of a $3.9 billion 12-year capital plan that is focused on replacing ships and upgrading terminals. “Our capital plan is vital to maintain an

28 Marine Log // September 2019

efficient ferry service that meets the increasing demands on the system,” said Mark Collins, BC Ferries’ president and CEO. “We need to replace half of our fleet over the next 15 years as we incorporate clean technology and increase capacity.” BC Ferries says it uses global best practices for new vessel procurement. Bidding is open to local, national and international shipbuilders. However, BC Ferries says that it builds vessels when and where it is in the best interest of ferry users to do so—and mostly that seems to have been in European shipyards. Its most recent delivery from a domestic yard was a 78.5-meter cable ferry delivered in 2015 by Seaspan Shipyards. More typical of the advanced tonnage joining BC Ferries in recent years are the trio of Salish Class LNG dual fueled ships built for it by Remontowa Shipbuilding’s Gdansk, Poland, shipyard. The 107-meter, 8,728 gt Salish Class ships carry 145 vehicles and up to 600 passengers and crew. The vessels feature two car decks and have a service speed of 15.5 knots. Each ship is

By Nick Blenkey, Web Editor

powered by three Wärtsilä 8L20DF engines. Remontowa was also chosen for the midlife upgrades of the Spirit of British Columbia, which was built in 1993, and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, built in 1994. BC Ferries plans to operate these two vessels for another 25 years. Both ships service the Metro Vancouver-Victoria (Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay) run, which is the busiest route in the fleet. The mid-life upgrade included the conversion of both vessels to dual-fuel so they can operate on liquefied natural gas or ultra-low sulfur marine diesel. The upgraded Spirit of Vancouver came into service in the second quarter of the year. So, too did another addition to the fleet, but this one was not a newbuild. The Northern Sea Wolf, a 2010-built, 35-car, 150-passenger and crew vessel acquired from Greece for the seasonal direct summer service between Port Hardy and Bella Coola and upgraded in Canada at Esquimalt Drydock.

Two From Damen Another European shipbuilder to win orders

Photo Credit: BC Ferries

to Renew Its Ferry Fleet

CANADIAN FERRIES from BC Ferries is Damen, whose Galati, Romania, shipyard this year launched two 81-meter road ferries for the company. They are currently being fitted out and are set to enter service next year. Once operational they will be capable of carrying up to 300 passengers and crew, plus 47 vehicles. The ferries have been built to Damen’s Road Ferry 8117E3 design and the order was secured following an extensive, multi-phased, international tender process.

Photo Credit: Davie Shipbuilding

Battery Hybrid RO/RO Duo Two 149-meter LNG battery hybrid RO/RO ferries recently ordered at Damen Galati by Canada’s Seaspan Ferries may look a lot like the pair delivered to the operator last year by Turkey’s Sedef Shipyard, but not only are they are being built by a different shipbuilder, they will have a different propulsion system supplier. Damen has placed an order with MAN Energy Solutions covering the provision of MAN 35/44DF dual-fuel engines, fuel gassupply systems and the main electric systems, including batteries. MAN says that, though Seaspan had initially been minded to build repeats of the two previous ferries, a live performance of its MAN 35/44DF engine demonstrated that a fully-integrated MAN solution could better fulfill the owner’s requirements. MAN Energy Solutions will provide the solutions in association with Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA), in which it has a 40% stake. AKA specializes in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine and industrial applications. Similarly, MAN Energy Solutions’ fuel-gas specialist, MAN Cryo, will provide the new ferries’ fuel gas-supply system. The MAN hybrid-system solution in combination with a fully integrated MAN Cryo FGSS that is exactly adjusted to the engines gas-flow requirements, offers reliable operation in gas mode—especially in view of the ferry segment’s typical frequent and high load-fluctuations—and even with low methane numbers. For Seaspan, it was essential to avoid any diesel operation due to environmental and ecological reasons. High system efficiency and the lowest emissions will also be achieved by having just one of two DF engines online at a time and at high load. Being able to operate with a one-engine-online concept means significant savings in fuel costs, running hours and therefore spare parts/maintenance costs. The propulsion and battery hybrid system, integrated by AKA, provides sufficient propulsion power in all operational modes to serve Seaspan’s requirements to maintain its routes on time, fuel-efficiently, and with a

minimal carbon footprint. Additional AKA hybrid features for this project include peak shaving under rough conditions and maneuvering, enhanced dynamic support during ship acceleration, and zero-emissions operation at the terminal.

built in North America. We are very proud to have succeeded with this project, and we thank Wärtsilä for its excellent support in making it possible,” said Jared Newcombe, CEO of Chantier Davie Canada Inc.

Davie Delivers

Back in June, Public Services and Procurement Canada said that the Government of Canada was entering into contract negotiations Davie of Lévis for the construction of two new ferries for Transport Canada. The new ferries will replace the M/V Madeleine, which is currently used for service between Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, and Souris, Prince Edward Island (PEI), and the M/V Holiday Island, one of two vessels used to provide service between Wood Islands, PEI, and Caribou, Nova Scotia. Both vessels are nearing the end of their life cycle. The government says it wants to ensure the timeline for the construction of the ferries is determined swiftly and that they are delivered within the set timeframe. The contract value and construction timelines will be determined once negotiations with the shipyard are completed. The government will also begin discussions with the current operators of the ferries to consult them on the technical features required in the construction. The government conducted an industry analysis, which concluded that Chantier Davie is the only known Canadian shipyard with the capacity, recent experience and capability to build these ferries in the required timeframe. The June announcement followed the issue of an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) in May, signaling the government’s intention to enter into a contract with Davie for the construction of the ferries. Other interested suppliers had 15 calendar days to submit a Statement of Capabilities to show they met the requirements laid out in the ACAN. None were submitted.

One Canadian yard that has booked some significant ferry orders is Davie Shipbuilding, Lévis, Québec. Last year it delivered the 92-meter M/V Armand-Imbeau II, the first LNG-fueled ferry to be built in North America, to Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ). The ferry operates on the Saguenay river on the Tadoussac–Baie-Sainte-Catherine route. It is capable of carrying more than 430 passengers and 110 cars or 16 tractor units and has an icebreaking capability, enabling it to operate year round on the St. Lawrence River. The vessel is fitted with a broad scope of Wärtsilä solutions and Wärtsilä says that its experience and capabilities in delivering a fully integrated system comprising the dual-fuel engines, the fuel storage, control and supply system, and extended project management, was the key factor in the award of the contract. Wärtsilä had earlier supplied the dual-fuel engines and LNGPac system for M/V F.-A.-Gauthier, the first LNG-fueled ferry owned by STQ. It was built in Italy and delivered in 2015. By operating the vessel on clean burning LNG fuel, STQ will minimize the environmental impact of its operations. The full scope of Wärtsilä’s supply comprises four Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines, the Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage, control and supply system, an Integrated Automation System (IAS), the Power Management System (PMS), the electric drive system, the Wärtsilä communication and control center, on-site management and project integration engineering. “This delivery marks a shipbuilding milestone as it is the first LNG-fueled ferry ever

Two More For Davie

The 92-meter M/V Armand-Imbeau II is the first LNG-fueled ferry to be built in North America.

September 2019 // Marine Log 29

European Ferry Design

Europe:

Ferry Operators Pioneer New Technologies

By Paul Bartlett, European Correspondent

European ferry companies are leading the way on adopting energy-saving technologies for new and existing vessels.

ndustry experts insist that there is no time to lose if global shipping is to meet the IMO’s carbon reduction targets, set for 2030 and 2050. The UN agency’s ambitions are formidable and will require the development of new marine fuels, advances in vessel design and operation, and new business models to optimize performance and vessel productivity. Passenger ferries, RoPax vessels and freight-only RoRos, operating on established routes and fixed schedules, provide essential links in many companies’ supply chains. Ferry itineraries are well-defined and rarely change, and new ship designs incorporating innovative power installations and digital technologies promise substantial efficiency gains, all feeding directly to the bottom line and progressing towards the IMO’s 2030 ambition of reducing carbon dioxide emissions for work done by 40% compared with 2008 levels. Investments in green technology, however, are not straightforward. Payback periods depend on fuel prices and the actual benefits of new shipboard innovations. The recent

30 Marine Log // September 2019

initiative, Poseidon Principles, unveiled by leading shipping lenders in June and headed by Citi and DNB, could prove helpful to ferry companies. Eleven shipping banks have committed to support their customers’ green initiatives in a move to promote sustainability and improved transport efficiency in shipping.

Smart Designs Ferry operators across Europe are adopti n g n e w d e s i g n s a n d e n e r g y - s av i n g technologies for both new and existing vessels. Finland-headquartered (and Chinese-owned) Deltamarin has designed hulls for some of the latest RoPax ferries including the E-Flexer class, nine of which are now being built for Sweden’s Stena RoRo at AVIC Weihai in China. The ships, which have been ordered both for Stena RoRo’s own operations and for charter to other ferry lines including DFDS and Brittany Ferries, offer remarkable improvements in efficiency as compared with many existing vessels. The Deltamarindesigned hull has been optimized to minimize

resistance and cut fuel consumption, but still has 50% more cargo capacity than comparable RoRo vessels in operation today. The ferries can use just one of their two propellers at speeds up to 18 knots, leaving the second one to “feather,” minimizing resistance. The combination of increased cargo capacity and improved fuel consumption indicates that, subject to reasonable load factors, these ships already meet the IMO’s 2030 carbon-reducing target.

LNG for Fuel Brittany Ferries is chartering three of the E-Flexers from Stena RoRo. It is an important part of the French company’s €450 million (over $500 million USD) fleet renewal program, which has begun with construction of the company’s first LNG-powered ferry, the 42,400 gt Honfleur, due for delivery in 2019 from FSG Shipyard in Flensburg, Germany. The first LNG-burning E-Flexer, Salamanca, is due to join the fleet in 2021, followed by the Galicia in 2022. The recently named Santoña is due for delivery from China’s AVIC Weihai Shipyard in 2023. The

European Ferry Design three E-Flexers will lead to a sharp reduction in carbon emissions compared with existing vessels when they are deployed on the route between the U.K. and Spain. The company revealed recently that the new ships will provide 10% more passenger space and 28% more freight capacity on four round trips a week, instead of five. The ferry operator estimates that the combination of LNG propulsion, innovative hull design and increased cargo capacity will result in a 46% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per passenger. Meanwhile, Danish naval architects at Knud E. Hansen have developed designs for large LNG-fueled RoRo vessels. The firm is providing the engineering package for four vessels to be built for Wallenius-SOL at Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. The two Swedish owners Wallenius and Swedish Orient Line, which now operate ferries on a network of routes across the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, set the joint venture company up early this year.

Photo Credit: Top: Norled; Bottom: Brittany Ferries

Improved Efficiency The RoRos, which are the fourth series of large ferries to be designed by Hansen since 2016, will have a higher cargo capacity—5,800 lane-meters—compared with existing ships, a speed of 20 knots and an optimized hull form. In port, the ships will be capable of using green electricity from shore or LNG, providing a favorable carbon footprint and reduced emissions. They will be the largest LNGfuelled RoRos to be built so far. The Danish naval architects have also been involved in tailoring a design for Grimaldi subsidiary, Finnlines, for operation in northern waters. Based on Grimaldi Green 5th Generation vessels, the ships will have the highest Finnish/Swedish ice class— 1A Super-class—and a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane meters. Due for delivery from 2021, the ships’ innovative features include reduced hull resistance through a Silverstream air lubrication system which generates a thin layer of bubbles under the hull. The RoRos will also have large lithium battery packs, charged by shaft generators during sailings and providing zero emissions in port.

of electric ferry development and currently has five new all-electric ferries under construction at Havyard. All of the vessels are due to enter service by the end of this year. Electrical systems on board the vessels are being supplied and integrated by Norwegian Electric Systems, which selected lithium-ion batteries from Corvus Energy for the energy storage systems. Corvus has already supplied the battery packs for eight electric ferries already operated by Fjord1. Meanwhile, Norwegian operator, Norled, signed a contract earlier this year for construction of two new car ferries with shipyard Westcon. One of the vessels looks set to become the world’s first hydrogenpowered car ferry; the other will be powered by a hybrid set-up including batteries. The hydrogen-powered vessel follows an agreement signed early this year between Norled and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to build and commission a hydrogen-electric ferry. The contract includes development, construction and operation of the vessel, which is being designed so that hydrogen will provide at least 50% of its energy requirement.

Existing Vessels Whilst computational fluid dynamics and other innovative design technologies can achieve spectacular results for new ferry designs, experts point out that the IMO’s first target date is 2030, less than one generation of ships from now. Hamburg-based Scandlines has established a sound track record in ferry upgrades. Over the last six years, the company has spent more than€300 million (or $333.6 million) in the construction and upgrade of ferries operating

on hybrid systems, rather than diesel. The company’s latest move came in August when it announced that it would install a Norsepower Rotor Sail on board its diesel-battery powered hybrid ferry, M/V Copenhagen. The Rotor Sail has already been installed on three commercial vessels including the Viking Line ferry, Viking Grace, and a Maersk LR2 product tanker, Maersk Pelican. The Rotor Sail installation on board the M/V Copenhagen will be 30 meters high and 5 meters in diameter, with the upgrade planned for the second quarter of 2020. Speaking when the company announced the move, Scandlines CEO Søren Poulsgaard Jensen revealed that the company expects to reduce the ship’s carbon emissions on its route between Rostock in Germany and Gedser, Denmark, by 4-5%. Meanwhile, to the south of the continent, ferry operators are also working on vessel upgrades. Naples-based Grimaldi Group has been at the forefront of developments. The company recently recommissioned the 2007built superferry, Cruise Roma, following her expansion and hybridization. The vessel had a 29-meter-long midsection inserted at Fincantieri’s Palermo yard in Sicily and also had her diesel auxiliaries replaced by a 5.5 MWh Corvus Energy battery package to provide power during port calls. A similar upgrade has also been carried out to sister ship, Cruise Barcelona. In earlier moves, Grimaldi retrofitted Rolls-Royce Promas Lite integrated rudder propeller systems to then RoRo vessels operating under the group’s Finnlines brand. According to figures released at the time, improvements in fuel efficiency of up to 20% were possible, giving a payback period of just two years.

Brittany Ferries first LNGpowered vessel, the Hornfleur.

Norwegian Pioneers Norway has the world’s second-longest coastline after Canada and an innovative funding initiative—the NOx Fund—to provide financial support for emissions-reducing shipping projects in the country’s waters. It is no surprise, therefore, that Norwegian ferry operators are amongst the pioneers of new technologies in the sector. Oslo-listed Fjord1 has been at the forefront September 2019 // Marine Log 31

mARITIME TRAINING

Maritime Training on the

Great Lakes & Beyond Training mariners on the Great Lakes isn’t much different than other maritime training programs, but it’s still unique

32 Marine Log // September 2019

“Cadets normally get a unique blend of training with a training ship and commercial internships on both Great Lakes and ocean-going vessels,” said Powell. “Unlike with commercial vessels, the training vessel is more focused on education. For example, during pilotage maneuvers or mooring operations, we can sometimes slow down the process to increase the educational impact. Due to frequent transits through confined waterways and ports of call, cadets have multiple opportunities to both observe and take part in these vital operations.” It’s operating on these confined waterways w ith frequent por t arrivals and departures that make Great Lakes shipping unique when compared to ocean or inland river shipping, where stops are less frequent and waterways are, at times, more open. “Great Lakes mariners also face varying weather conditions, which include ice navigation,” added Powell. “Winter conditions, such as snow storms and ice, impact navigation that can result in greater use of electronic navigation tools.”

Because of this, Powell said that while training onboard the State of Michigan, cadets learn and practice the advanced use of ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System), radar and AIS as an important crosscheck measure used while navigating on the Great Lakes. Powell said this specialized training allows cadets to learn the capabilities and limitations of modern navigation in pilotage conditions. On completion of their first year of college, first year cadets spend 75 days onboard the T/S State of Michigan starting in the spring. During that time, the students traverse the rivers both up bound and down bound 12 times, which qualifies the students to write the pilotage for the rivers. They also navigate the Great Lakes approximately 10 times both ways to allow students to work toward pilotage of the lakes, although they need more trips on the lakes to qualify.

The T/S State of Michigan The T/S State of Michigan is a former Navy submarine surveillance ship once known as the

Photo Credit: Great Lakes Maritime Academy

he Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA) in Traverse City, Mich., is more than a college experience—it’s a fully immersive, hands-on training experience for deck and engineering officers who plan to enter the commercial shipping industry. The academy says it also prepares college students to become merchant marine officers and business professionals in the global marketplace. Its training ship, the T/S State of Michigan, is utilized daily as a floating classroom and hands-on learning environment. To reinforce skills taught shore side, students and instructors set sail on the Great Lakes throughout the academic year. And as cadets progress through the academy, they obtain essential sea time aboard commercial ships on both the Great Lakes and oceans. Deck Instructor Capt. Scott Powell, said that although the training provided by the academy is similar to that offered at other state maritime academies, GLMA is the only state maritime academy that trains for both the unlimited ocean license and for Great Lakes pilotage.

By Heather Ervin, Editor in Chief

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mARITIME TRAINING

Persistent. The 225-foot vessel was built in 1986 as part of a series of 18 Stalwart-class T-AGOS vessels that were designed to tow highly sensitive sonar arrays for the tracking of Soviet submarines. The ship has a 43-foot beam, a 5-foot maximum draft and can accommodate up to 60 cadets and a crew. Its 1,600-hp. propulsion system is diesel electric. The Soviet threat diminished in the 1990s and the Navy decided to decommission the T-AGOS fleet. In 1998, Persistent and sister ship Vindicator were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard for primary use in drug interdiction. While under Coast Guard ownership, the academy said the Persistent was overhauled and repowered, but eventually deemed too

slow for offshore drug enforcement and made available to other government agencies. Working through the U.S. Maritime Administration, GLMA negotiated the transfer of the vessel to its harbor in Traverse City. The academy utilizes a fleet of smaller vessels for student training, as well. These vessels, which are operated and maintained by the cadets, provide an essential training component and hands-on learning experience in small boat handling and operations.

Delgado Quality Training: East Meets West In other maritime education news, Delgado Community College’s Maritime & Industrial

Training Center in New Orleans, La., has offered a wide variety of maritime programs for many years. The training center recently announced that new programs are coming on board to stay abreast of industry needs. The latest program offerings include customized deckhand training that is designed and co-funded by industry partners. Deckhand classes are presented in a modular training fashion to address specific and unique company needs. In addition to the Maritime Center’s Full Mission Bridge Simulation Suite, Delgado has a newly acquired Dynamic Positioning Simulator, which will be utilized to provide dynamic positioning assessments for mariners. And beginning in November, Delgado will offer Advanced Firefighting that will give students a unique approach to training by utilizing virtual reality incident command software in lieu of live fires; presenting a modern and innovative methodology for students to learn. On the West Bank of the Mississippi River, there is a new state-of-the-art manufacturing center with modern equipment and machinery for students to get the best hands-on training. Programs offered at this new Delgado center include shipyard training, welding, ship-fitting machinist, electrical and diesel mechanic.

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34 Marine Log // September 2019

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TECH NEWS Damen Tugboat HMI Interface Wins Design Award

Kongsberg’s fully featured bridge simulator

Photo Credit: Kongsberg Digital (top), Damen

Kongsberg Bridge Simulator Will Speed Korean Autonomous Ship Development Asker, Norway-based Kongsberg Digital has won a contract to supply a fully-featured bridge simulator for a new, state-of-the-art autonomous ship research facility in Ulsan, South Korea. The South Korean government has committed to invest about $110 million in the project over the next three years, with a goal of starting operations in 2023. The simulation contract is being delivered through maritime ICT convergence specialists eMARINE Global. The simulator will be used primarily for research and development of navigational equipment and display systems, and will facilitate testing of autonomous vessel technologies in a safe virtual environment before trials in a designated autonomous ship test bed. Based on Kongsberg Digital’s K-Sim Navigation platform, the new system will deliver high-fidelity visual and physical simulation, a radar signal interface function and software for navigation analysis, equipment test and evaluation. The high-fidelity simulator is due for installation in November this year.

In addition to K-Sim Navigation, the delivery will include development of new software to integrate external inputs such as GPS and wave sensors, as well as an API interface to permit simulation data transfer to other systems. Kongsberg Digital will also supply an area database for a virtual “Ulsan Port,” and a modeling tool enabling new simulator vessel models to be built from the ground up. Kongsberg Digital’s senior vice president Tone-Merete Hansen said: “Kongsberg Digital’s suite of simulators has a huge potential in the maritime research and development sector. The K-Sim technology platform, with its physics-based modeling , incredibly realistic vessel behavior and virtual environment, enables testing and verification of operations to a very high level. Our simulation technology will support UIPA to test, verify and shape innovations in the field of autonomy. Other international autonomy projects have recently selected our simulation technology to carry out advanced autonomy studies, so we see a new market for advanced simulation growing.”

Damen Shipyards Group has won an UX Design Award for the Human Machine Interface (HMI) that it has been developing over the past two years for its Next Generation Tug series. T he UX Design Award s honor innovative solutions that add value to applications, technologies and ser vices through positive experiences, strengthening people’s abilities, enabling novel applications and facilitating access to new fields of knowledge. The HMI developed by Damen in partnership with VanBerlo has won a Product 2019 Award. The system was created in close consultation with captains and chief engineers to improve the safety and efficiency of Damen’s tugs by providing the crew with the information needed to control and operate the vessel in a format that is as easy to use as a mobile device. “D u r i n g o p e r a t i o n s, d e c i s i o n making by the crew has to be quick, despite them being under pressure, so any information has to be clear and relevant to each par ticular stage of the operation,” says Damen’s Jeffrey Jacobs, technical manager tugs. The UXDA19 exper t jur y nominate d 51 projec t s f rom over 20 countries to par ticipate in the UX Design Awards 2019. From those, it selected 10 winners following two days of thorough testing and intensive deliberation. “The system balances visual material and data well,” said the jur y. “Being both context and role-sensitive, it is a flawless example of a tailor-made approach that meets the requirements of different user groups, including captains and engineers.”

September 2019 // Marine Log 35

Newsmakers

Port of Everett Names First Female CEO in Its History The Port of Everett (Wash.) Commission has named the port’s Deputy Executive Director LISA LEFEBER the next CEO, effective October 16. She is the first female to be selected for this top leadership role in the port’s 100-year history. Prior to her role as deputy executive director, Lefeber served as the port’s chief of policy and communications for more than 13 years. JAMES KEARNS has joined law firm Jones Walker LLP as special counsel in its Maritime Practice Group in the Washington, D.C., office. Kearns is an experienced maritime attorney with more than 30 years of practice representing several types of clients, including owners, operators and financial institutions.

ABS has appointed cyber expert IAN BRAMSON as its Global Head of Cybersecurity. In this role, Bramson will lead the development of a cybersecurity risk reduction program to meet increasing demand for improved control and visibility of cyber risks. Boston, Mass.-headquartered Sea Machines Robotics has hired industry veteran FRANK RELOU to lead its European sales efforts, as European business development manager. In his new role, Relou will work closely with workboat operators and boat-builders serving task-oriented sectors. He will also support the company’s advanced situational awareness technology trials.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is making leadership changes at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. DAMON SAETRE has been promoted to vice president of integrated planning and production control. In this role, he succeeds BRIAN FIELDS, who, due to an increasing focus on business transformation, is transitioning to vice president of business transformation and chief transformation officer. The board of ABB has unanimously appointed BJÖRN ROSENGREN as its CEO. He will join ABB on February 1, 2020, and succeed CEO PETER VOSER in this role on March 1, 2020, when Voser will revert to his position at ABB solely as chairman of the board.

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September 2019 // Marine Log 39

SAFETY FIRST

ccording to Coast Guard Safety Alert 07-19 released in July, a Great Lakes bulker that had been laid up for the winter experienced a total loss due to a major fire on board. There were no injuries, but a contributing cause to the inferno was the fact that the there were no full-time crewmembers on board. Since no one was on board, there is no accurate source to identify the cause of the fire. Several ignition sources were found and it is believed that the fire originated in a machine shop on the gangway deck. From the time of sighting by a watchman on an adjacent vessel to response from the fire department, 45 minutes had elapsed. And several years ago, a fishing vessel became ignited in flames at the Port of Monte v ide o, Ur uguay, due to the spontaneous heating and combustion of fishmeal. The vessel had been laid up for an undetermined period of time, with no crew on board. Although a vessel without a crew is a commonly accepted practice for vessels in layup, it is essential to analyze how we layup vessels for long-term or seasonal storage. “A shore power cable is heavy and durable, but it should never be the sole remaining line between a vessel that has broken loose and its lay-up berthing,” according to Seth Lucas, a former port engineer. “The importance of a proper lay-up was never so clear as the day that I had to retrieve an unmanned 700-foot bulker that was clinging to its shore power cable like a kite string before it drifted into the busy Twin Ports (a waterway in Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wisc.) after its moorings failed.” 40 Marine Log // September 2019

Taking the steps to properly lay-up a vessel for the long term is vital to safety, material preservation and future operation. The mooring arrangement is arguably the most important of the steps taken when shutting down ship operations for an extended time while afloat. Many insurers require for redundancy purposes that there be three times the number of lines typically used if the vessel is to be considered “unmanned.”

Without supervision, a laid-up vessel is more susceptible to fires and security breaches.

Internally, it is good practice to adhere the “the drier, the better” adage. Draining the fire main is typical while not in use, but voiding a vessel’s potable and sewage systems of all water is a necessary sanitation practice should the vessel be laid up. Every winter, shipping almost comes to a halt on the Great Lakes. Therefore, lay-ups are a typical annual practice. Nonetheless, lake vessels are quick to pump out rapidly freezing fresh water ballast taken on while unloading the last cargo of the season in icy berths. This task is essential in keeping the ballast system intact, and it allows for

inspections to be performed. Even in more moderate climates where vessels are in a reduced operating status, they are subject to the changing conditions of the seasons. A 200-foot potable hose line will quickly turn into an icicle if left in freezing temperatures without being drained when not in use or adding a bleeder line. Once the vessel is laid up, it should be monitored. Without supervision, a laid-up vessel is more susceptible to fires and security breaches. It would not be difficult for a person to board one of these vessels and steal fittings and equipment should only one part-time person be on board. Computers must be taken care of as well. In the deep cold, batteries can discharge out completely. If the vessel is going to be laid up for more than a few months, consider removing computers from vessels. You can also cover computers to protect their ventilation fans from becoming clogged up with dust. Coming out of deep lay-up requires a diligent effort by all hands. Cold steel is unforgiving when recharged with the fluids of operation. Chilled hydraulics are slow to turn on and usually yield evidence where seals are weak. Water-based systems commonly leak after gaskets have dried over a long period of time. Having a crew member make regular rounds throughout the vessel is a good way to quickly locate a space that may have been overlooked when installing system plugs or lining up a system. A minute’s worth of inspection could save hours of clean up later. Even dead in the water, a vessel is as alive as its surroundings. Lay-up procedures should be defined in every vessel’s operating manual and updated throughout its service life. Vessels will only operate to their safest and most optimal level if their equipment is properly maintained, a diligent safety culture is practiced, and everyone does their job properly whether or not there is a full-time crew on board. And remember, a laid-up vessel is a vulnerable vessel. Seth Lucas co-authored this article.

Matthew Bonvento A licensed deck officer and Assistant Professor of Nautical Science

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/Juriaan Wossink

Potential Hazards of Laid-Up Vessels

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