11 minute read
Data driven
EXCELLING AT DATA-DRIVEN SHIP DESIGN
Excelling at ship design involves combining specialist knowledge and expertise focused in niche markets together with data-driven work, according to Ulstein
Credit: Ulstein
Ulstein’s Rotterdam office specialises in designing offshore installation vessels, which are often highly complex and for Ulstein, each new ship design brings new challenges.
“Of course, we feel like fish in water when it comes to large, complex ship designs,” said Bart Daman, manager naval architecture at Ulstein Design & Solutions BV in Rotterdam.
“Now that we are working data-driven, we can get to work even faster than before with the knowledge we already have in-house. It also allows us to start more quickly on complex, new challenges in a project. In the past, when we worked mostly with individual files like any other designer, project preparation was much more labour intensive and more sensitive to error.”
Complex designs
Ulstein has been working with Shipbuilder Software for years and it has provided a lot of peace of mind and convenience in the organisation, according to Daman. ”We store all our design knowledge in Shipbuilder Software, a continuous process in which our most recent acquired insights in ship and system design are stored invariably. Everyone in the organisation can thus access the information relevant to that person in his/her project.”
To this end, each new project is based on the latest knowledge, to which project-specific data is added. As a result, the company-wide shared knowledge level is increasing faster and checking standard data for each project is hardly necessary anymore as this is done during the initial input. All in all, this results in considerable time savings and a very consistent design package.
“We have become much more transparent as well,” Daman said, “both in-house and towards our customers. The entire process of reviewing, commenting and approving of
drawings/documents by the customer runs via Shipbuilder Software.”
For example, clients can see in real-time the status of a change they requested, so it's not necessary to look up an Excel file or drawing in Outlook, as the designer’s response to a proposed change is seen immediately.
Working in a data-driven way also has commercial benefits. “We are now much faster during the tender phase and can start a new project four times faster,” says Daman.
“For any project, we have them ready within a few days. Typically it used to take up to two weeks or sometimes even longer. A huge advantage for our customers. This way of working suits our professional approach, where the customer gets a design of unprecedented high quality.”
In future, Ulstein, in association with Shipbuilder, the company behind Shipbuilder Software, said it will continue to focus on implementing the concept of data-driven working even further in the coming years. ”Not only does this allow our customers to get started faster with the construction of our design, but they can also use it as the basis for consistent document management throughout the life of the ship,” said Daman.
8 Ulstein
specialises in designing highly complex offshore installation vessels, but it is helped by data driven shipbuilder software
Uncrewed Surface Vessel maker SEA-KIT has started fitting out its first 18m hull in the firm’s new facility, which opened its doors in October and is expected to triple production.
The Essex, UK-based firm says the 18m XL class vessel is destined for geo-intelligence specialist Fugro.
As well as the 18m craft, two 12m X- class essels are in build, and the firm has won patents for both models.
“It is great to go into 2023 with the new facility up and running,” said CEO Ben Simpson. ”With the addition of this building, we have tripled production capacity and expanded our R&D area. It gives us more, much-needed space for the ongoing development of launch and recovery systems for ROVs and AUVs, mast gondolas and sensor deployment systems, as well as enhancing manufacturing efficiencies for multiple USV builds.”
SEA-KIT’s testing and research vessel, Maxlimer, will also be getting prepared soon for another mission following the subsea volcano survey project in To nga that was carried out last summer. ”The industry is collaboratively working towards ambitious net zero emissions targets and uncrewed vessels are already a critical part of our maritime future,” said Simpson.
SEA-KIT STARTS OUTFITTING FIRST 18m USV
8 SEA-KIT’s first 18m vessel currently in build
FET DELIVERS THREE ROVs TO BRAZIL
Forum Energy Technologies has delivered three 3,000m depth ROVs to OceanPact, a subsea repair and maintenance firm in Brazil
The 200HP Perry XLX-C work-class ROVs were manufactured in the UK and will be deployed on two of OceanPact’s vessels to help carry out inspection, repairs and maintenance to oil company Petrobras’s oilfields.
”The 3,000m depth rated compact 200HP XLX-C delivers the high performance of a work-class vehicle in a smaller form,” says FET. ”The vehicles benefit from an impressive high flow auxiliary hydraulic circuit combined with a high payload capacity to carry additional tools and sensors. ”Each XLX-C was supplied with an underslung tooling skid for additional tooling and options fitment, complementing the vehicles’ high performance. A comprehensive supplementary tooling package including torque tools, verification units and fluid injection systems was also provided.”
The ROVs also have heave-compensated Dynacon launch and recovery systems, and surface power and control installations. ”We’re pleased to have been chosen by OceanPact to deliver their first work-class ROV fleet at such a pivotal time as it expands its subsea operations,” said FET commercial manager Simone Pizzolato.
8 FET staff in
front of one of the company’s ROVs
MacArtney fits winch to North Pole vessel
Danish winch supplier MacArtney has fitted a containerised MERMAC winch to the Swedish icebreaker vessel Oden.
The Swedish Maritime Administration’s vessel travelled to the North Pole to collect data and samples from the frozen region for use in researching the Arctic ecosystem. MacArtney’s winch, which was developed specifically for the expedition, was used to acquire data from the water column.
The Synoptic Arctic Survey 2021 expedition also took MacArtney Sales Director for Ocean Science, Hans-Jørgen Hansen, with it as a fully-fledged crew member because at the time, Covid was causing mass confusion and delays and the shortness of the post-installation testing
8 Expedition to the top of the world
Credit: MacArtney
window meant gear had to be installed just six weeks prior to embarkation.
The brevity of the period led the Swedish Maritime Administration to ask of a MacArtney technician could join the ship in case of problems, and Hansen’s knowledge and background made him an ideal choice.
With deep-sea CTD profiling and water sampling being the primary deployment, the chosen solution was based on a standard winch system and fitted the Swedish Maritime Administration’s applications and operations in the Arctic.
The scope comprised a MERMAC winch integrated into a 20’ container, including a right-angle level wind and a 7,000m fibre optic cable solution with MacArtney’s TrustLink stress termination and a custombuilt NEXUS Multiplexer.
Oden continues to use the customised solution for water column profiling to reveal data from the depths of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean.
TUG DELIVERY ROUND-UP
This month we look at four recent deliveries from European shipyards reflecting a continuing appetite for both fleet renewal and to meet continuing demand for towing services
Many tugs spend their life based in one port or region without venturing much beyond. With tug construction a global industry, delivering the finished product to its owner can be a lengthy affair often riding piggyback on a heavylift cargo vessel, sometimes undertaking the voyage ‘under their own keel’.
24,000km voyage
With the earth’s circumference around 40,000km, the 24,000km delivery voyage for Caraibes Remorquage’s new tug from Piriou’s shipyard in Vietnam to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe via Singapore, Ceylon, Suez, Malta and Las Palmas before crossing the Atlantic could probably rightly be considered a useful shakedown voyage.
The tug, named Pointe Vigie 2, is the second OST 30 design vessel entrusted to the French shipbuilder by Caraibes following delivery of Pointe Tali in 2018.
This latest 60tbp addition however is “more powerful and better equipped” than its predecessor, with an aft winch for towing at sea, a crane and firefighting provision. Pointe Vigie 2 will assist container ships on stopovers at Pointe-à-Pitre and carry out tasks at other ports attached to the Grand Port Maritime of Guadeloupe.
Sanmar delivers to SMS
If Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards had to look for a vote of confidence in its products it needs to look no further than SMS Towage, the UK’s largest independent family towage company. SMS’s first Sanmar-built tug was Scotsman in 2008 and the number delivered to the Hessle-based company has now reached 14 with delivery of Trueman and Kingsman.
This latest pair are Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) designed RAmparts 2200 sister vessels, previously operating in Sanmar’s own fleet as Sirapinar XVIII and Sirapinar XV. With vital statistics of 22.4m LOA, 10.84m moulded beam and 4.85m draught, twin Caterpillar 3512C main engines supply 3,000kW in total to Schottel fixed-pitch thrusters with performance figures including 52 tons bollard pull ahead, 49 tons astern and speed 11.5kn.
A firefighting pump, driven through a clutched flexible coupling in front of each main engine, has a capacity of 1,200m3/hr, complimented by a 2.4m3 capacity foam tank. The Registro Italiano Navale classed vessels also have a fuel tank capacity of approximately 72m3 .
Trueman and Kingsman will join the fleet of a company with an increasing presence in the UK shiphandling towage scene including the River Humber in the Bristol Channel, Belfast, Portsmouth, Teesside and River Tyne.
Damen tugs for Portugal
Damen’s build-for-stock policy has allowed delivery of two of its increasingly popular RSD 2513 (Reversed Stern Drive) tugs Dóris and Tétis to the Portuguese port of Leixões just eight months after the order was secured via a tender process from the port authority of Douro and Leixões.
Around 25 of these ‘next generation’ Damen tugs have now been delivered, providing bow-to-bow, tractor or escort towing from a respectable 70tbp. Features include a ‘Twin Fin’ skeg, enhancing directional stability and providing higher indirect steering force; fifi1 notation; special wheelhouse safety glass; and enhanced crew accommodation, providing reduced noise and vibration levels.
They also have ‘Damen Triton’, a digitalised remote monitoring platform that collects data from sensors throughout the vessel, providing operational insights to improve efficiency and utilisation. Monitoring Triton Fuel reports allow the operator to see where fuel savings and emission reductions can be achieved. As Triton runs on various data-driven applications independent of supplier, Port of Leixões can use Triton as a digital platform to support vessel operation.
Dóris and Tétis also benefit from Damen’s exhaust aftertreatment system, providing compliance with IMO Tier III emission standards, important with the port’s operations near urban areas.
8 Delivery of Pointe
Vigie 2 involved a 24,000km voyage from Vietnam to Guadeloupe
Oil spill response
Finally, a related news item worthy of mention involves imminent delivery by Singapore’s ASL Shipyard of two highspec RAL-designed oil spill response barges to Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, to be stationed along the south coast of British Columbia.
The 76m long barges can store 3,787m3 of recovered oil and the aft deck has space for spill containment systems including booms stored in containers and associated general equipment.
Credit: RAL 8 Two oil spill
response barges will help protect the south coast of British Columbia
DAMEN TAKES SOV DEVELOPMENT TO A NEW LEVEL
Windcat Offshore’s recent order for a series of hydrogen-powered Service Operation Vessels from Damen introduces a new design that takes the windfarm maintenance vessel concept to a new level.
Early days of offshore wind with locations close inshore saw the transporting of technicians via crew transfer vessels (CTVs) on a day-work basis, the daily commute to work being typically an hour. Technicians often came from shore-based backgrounds rather than marine, and as windfarms moved further offshore larger CTVs with greater passenger capacities and enhanced crew comfort provisions were introduced.
As transit times increased, the working day became longer and the next stage saw the introduction of Service Operation Vessels – a different concept whereby a large number of technicians would live offshore for a month at a time in high-standard accommodation, their short daily commute via motion-compensated walk-to-work gangways, some designs even with accommodation on the same deck level as the gangway to provide a stepless transfer.
Damen’s “Elevation Series” Commissioning
8 Windcat Offshore and Damen Shipyards
develop future-proof CSOVs
Credit: Damen
Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs), designed in cooperation with Windcat and CMB.TECH, are 87m long with accommodation for 120 people in hotel-style accommodation. The decision to power them with hydrogen is another obvious step for the shipping industry’s journey exploring alternative-fuel options to satisfy increasing desires to present a green image.
CMB Belgium-owned Windcat’s involvement can be seen as a natural move, having been active in the windfarm (and O&G)
industry for around 20 years, its in-house designed vessels including Hydrocat, the world’s first hydrogen-powered CTV. This latest development follows four years of market and vessel design evaluation and the Elevation Series will use the same dual-fuel technology as Hydrocat.
Windcat Offshore is a sister company, established in 2022 to focus on ownership and operation of the CSOV following the order for two vessels plus options to be built in Vietnam and delivered from 2025.
