1st Quarter 2018 www.tugtechnologyandbusiness.com
SMS Towage expands tug fleet in the UK
World’s first Carrousel Rave tug begins operations PSA Marine invests in fleet to boost its green credentials Fairplay strengthens regional network with Bugsier merger
“Tugs are a vessel type whose function, operational parameters and cost base may be well suited to autonomous operations” Eva Peño, global market leader for tugs and offshore support vessels, Bureau Veritas see page 44
Image courtesy of Robert Allan Ltd
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contents
1st Quarter 2018 volume 5 issue 1
12 18
Regulars 5 COMMENT 6 ORDERBOOK ANALYSIS 15 CONTRACTS & COMPLETIONS 50 BEST OF THE WEB 52 TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
Newbuild profile 12 The world’s first Carrousel Rave tug, Multratug 32, has a 360˚ rotating towing system for safety and efficiency
22
Operator profile 18 SMS Towage has expanded its fleet through acquisitions following contract awards on the Humber and in Portsmouth, in the UK
Special focus: Asia
30
20 New terminal tugs begin Indian operations for Ocean Sparkle 21 Design schematics for Ocean Sparkle's new LNG terminal tugs Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy 22 Ocean Sparkle's partnerships and international operations 25 India implements its port expansion strategy 26 PSA Marine invests in LNG-fuelled tugs in Singapore to improve its green credentials 27 Cheoy Lee maintains a healthy orderbook
Salvage 29 International Salvage Union president Charo Coll explains why LOF amendments would be unfair to salvors
Ocean-going & coastal towage 30 Fairplay strengthens its regional network in northern Europe with the acquisition of rival Bugsier
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Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
contents Designers 32 ILS is breaking ice through design innovation 33 OSD designs fuel-efficient harbour tug 34 Jensen designs Arctic ATB and naval support vessel
Technology trends 37 Five emerging technology innovations that are likely to change tug operations in the long term 40 Svitzer demonstrates how to control a tug remotely from a shore base and explains future innovations
1st Quarter 2018 volume 5 issue 1 Editor: Martyn Wingrove t: +44 20 8370 1736 e: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com Sales Manager: Indrit Kruja t: +44 20 8370 7792 e: indrit.kruja@rivieramm.com Head of Sales – Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 6809 3098 e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com
Propulsion
Sales – Asia & Middle East: Rigzin Angdu t: +65 6809 3198 e: rigzin.angdu@rivieramm.com
42 Engines revealed to meet US Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 and 4 emissions requirements 43 Technology unveiled for cleaner and optimised propulsion
Sales – Australasia: Kaara Barbour t: +61 414 436 808 e: kaara.barbour@rivieramm.com
Classification
Production Manager: Richard Neighbour t: +44 20 8370 7013 e: richard.neighbour@rivieramm.com
44 Bureau Veritas explains the latest regulatory and technical developments that influence new tug class rules
Onboard equipment 47 New Lankhorst Ropes connector will transform towage 48 Renewed pump range offers increased performance
Next issue Main features include: special focus – Mediterranean; propulsion – LNG & hybrid technology; terminal operations; fire-fighting & oil pollution; navigation & electronics; salvage operations
Subscriptions: Sally Church t: +44 20 8370 7018 e: sally.church@rivieramm.com Chairman: John Labdon Managing Director: Steve Labdon Finance Director: Cathy Labdon Operations Director: Graham Harman Head of Content: Edwin Lampert Executive Editor: Paul Gunton Head of Production: Hamish Dickie Commercial Portfolio Manager: Bill Cochrane Published by: Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Mitre House 66 Abbey Road Enfield EN1 2QN UK
www.rivieramm.com ISSN 2056-709X (Print) ISSN 2056-7103 (Online) ©2018 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Front Cover: Press Eye Photography Northern Ireland
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Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Total average net circulation: 5,000 Period: January-December 2018
Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the Author and Publisher accept no liability to any party for any inaccuracies that may occur. Any third party material included with the publication is supplied in good faith and the Publisher accepts no liability in respect of content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any electronic medium or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.
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COMMENT | 5
2018 WILL BE A YEAR OF TUG ADVANCEMENTS
P Martyn Wingrove, Editor
“The tug industry will improve towage safety and reduce accidents involving tugs and pilot boats, thanks to technical innovations”
www.tugtechnologyandbusiness.com
redictions that 2018 will be a year of technical advancements in the tugboat sector are already being fulfilled. At the beginning of January, I forecast that there would be several innovations in tug technology and operations that would be shaped by the need to increase power and improve safety and performance. We have already seen one of these predictions come true: that a tug with an industry-first design will come into operation. Enter Multratug 32, the world’s first Carrousel Rave tug. It is unique for now, but will be followed by a sister tug that is scheduled to enter service in May (see page 12). This 31.9 m tug has a has a bollard pull of 77 tonnes and a carrousel winch system that rotates 360˚ around the wheelhouse. It also has two Voith Schneider propellers arranged in-line, which means the tug has a slender hull without affecting its stability. It was designed by Robert Allan, built by Damen Shipyards, is owned by Novatug and leased to Multraship Towage and Salvage. Another of my 2018 predictions was about building speculative new tugs with bollard pulls of more than 80 tonnes and perhaps up to 90 tonnes. I understand from some shipbuilders that they will be building exactly this sort of more powerful tugs, even without forward contracts, this year. This demonstrates that these builders expect there to be demand for higher-performance tugs than those existing in owners’ fleets. For example, tugs of up to 90 tonnes bollard pull will be needed to handle the largest container ships, which have reached capacities of 22,000 TEU, and to serve the growing number of liquefied natural gas (LNG) import and export terminals. Thus, there are commercial opportunities for shipyards and owners in this trend. I also expect more tugs will be ordered with alternative propulsion systems, of both hybrid propulsion and LNG fuel, in 2018. In this issue, I
highlight how Mitsui OSK Lines has ordered the first LNG-fuelled tug to be operated in Japan. It will be built by Kanagawa Dockyard for delivery in Q2 2019. There has also been an acceleration in the number of tugs ordered with hybrid propulsion systems as owners can visualise the benefits from having batteries on board. The latest order was Baydelta Maritime contracting Nichols Brothers Boat Builders to construct a Z-drive harbour tug with Rolls-Royce hybrid propulsion systems. There are other examples: Damen Shipyards is building a hybrid tug for port and dredging operations in French Guiana for a joint venture between Iskes Towage & Salvage and De Boer Remorquage, while Gondán Shipbuilders in Spain is building a hybrid escort tug for the Swedish port of Luleå, on the Gulf of Bothnia. In another prediction, I expected that there would be more complex salvage projects for the tug industry to accomplish. We have not yet seen a 20,000-plus TEU container ship grounding, as we did in 2017, but with more of these ships sailing close to coastlines, it is only a matter of time. With the increasing number of ships using LNG as fuel, there is also more risk that salvors will be needed to refloat one of these ships. As I highlighted last year (Tug Technology & Business, Q2 2017), an LNG-fuelled ship would pose considerable risk and challenges to salvors if it crashed. I also expect the tug industry will improve towage safety and reduce accidents involving tugs and pilot boats, thanks to technical innovations. Look at Kotug’s development of drones for transferring mooring lines for one example that has potential to improve safety (see page 37). Safety, environmental concerns and increasing performance requirements are driving technical innovations in tug design and operations, which I expect will lead to industryfirsts in 2018. TTB
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
16 3 TUG ORDERS Orders from October 2017 to 30 January 2018 Source of data: BRL Shipping Consultants
DELIVERIES BY YEAR
Asia Europe
Asia
2018
Rest of the World
Europe
2019
North America
4
5 2
ORDERS BY TUG TYPE REGION
TUG TYPE
North America
Harbour
North America
Pusher
North America
ATB
Europe
Harbour
Asia
Harbour
Rest of the World
Harbour
4
8 | ORDERBOOK
US SHIPBUILDERS DOMINATE GLOBAL TUG ORDERS A bullish market for newbuild tug contracting is expected to continue throughout 2018 as new tugs are required to handle larger ships, writes Barry Luthwaite
G
lobally, the tug industry can reflect with satisfaction that the bullish market will be maintained in 2018. Even by late January, when this analysis was prepared, this year had got off to a good start in terms of new tug contracts, assisted by an ordering boom for newbuilding bulk carrier giants and very large
crude carriers (VLCCs). Last year was one of the best years for new tug business since the financial crash in 2008 and owners intend to cash in on rising demand by exploiting new technology and innovation. The two key areas driving renewed tug ordering are port developments and industry requirements for handling
bigger ships. After a relative drought, there has been a revival in ultra large container ship construction. Owners continue to battle for the top position in the size stakes with 22,400 TEU vessels now claiming top place for delivery in 2020 and 2021. The global scene is changing at a rapid pace. Some ports are faced with
more calls by larger ships especially after the Panama Canal expansion, but still struggle to provide adequate tug coverage. Already there is evidence of speculative construction by some shipbuilders for 90-tonne bollard pull tugs. They are safe in the knowledge that they will be snapped up at some
At least four ATBs were ordered from US shipyards (credit: Crowley)
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
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ORDERBOOK | 9
US contracting surge
stage by owners. Agreements with designers by builders on a contractual basis are growing. Designers, such as Robert Allan, have already entered into agreements for the exclusive building of tugs yet to feature on the orderbooks. Furthermore, port authorities who know they need more powerful tugs for the future are submitting or studying purpose-built designs to serve their own port needs.
In January, US owners and builders took the limelight. Currently there is a resurgence of small vessel shipbuilding, which is welcome news for all smaller yards, especially those hardest hit by the offshore collapse, which left some with many unwanted and half-built supply vessels and anchor handlers. In a recent development, Dutch group Damen Shipyards started to market its azimuth stern drive ASD 2813 tug
design. A contract for the first ASD 2813 tugs in the US was quickly signed with Foss Maritime for four units to be constructed at its own shipyard of Foss Rainier. It is confirmed that at least 10 ASD 2813 craft will be built there with four to be operated by Foss Maritime and some of the remaining six being sold by this builder to other US owners. Currently there is a wave of optimism sweeping the US tug industry especially with
the shale oil and gas industry booming, which leads to increasing oil exports. Port terminals are being upgraded to receive Suezmax tankers and VLCCs, which could eventually eliminate the need for offshore loadings, and drive demand for a new breed of tugs. Several of these will be Jones Act protected but keeping out overseas design and construction expertise will be difficult. Damen is a good option for sourcing more powerful tugs
TUGS CONTRACTED OCTOBER 2017 TO JANUARY 2018 OVER 20 m Country/Shipbuilder
No
Beneficial Owner
Type
Bollard Pull (tonnes)
Year
4
Unknown
Harbour Tug
Sanmar
1
SAAM Smit Canada
Harbour Tug
80
2019
Sanmar
1
Sanmar Marine
Harbour Tug
70
2019
Bollinger Shipyards
1
Crowley Maritime
ATB
Bollinger Shipyards
1
Bouchard Marine
ATB
Nichols Brothers
1
Baydelta Maritime
Harbour Tug
Chesapeake Sb. Inc.
4
Vane Brothers
Pusher
Foss Shipyard
4
Foss Maritime Co.
Harbour Tug
65
2019
Gulf Island Shipyards
1
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
Harbour Tug
65
2019
VT Halter Marine Inc
1
Bouchard Transportation
ATB
2019
VT Halter Marine Inc
1
Q-LNG
ATB
2019
Washburn & Doughty
2
Harbor Docking & Towing
Harbour Tug
80
2019
3
Alianca (6 now ordered)
Harbour Tug
70
2018
4
Smit Lamnalco
Harbour Tug
80
2018
Sanlin Shipyard
2
Tianjin Port
Harbour Tug
Jiangsu Zhenjiang
2
Tianjin Port
Harbour Tug
Jiangsu Wuxi
1
Tramarsa
Harbour Tug
EUROPE ROMANIA Damen Galatz
2018
TURKEY
NORTH AMERICA USA 2019 2019 90
2019 2019
SOUTH AMERICA BRAZIL Detroit Brasil Ltda
ASIA VIETNAM Damen Song Cam
CHINA 2019 2019 75
2019
Data from BRL Shipping Consultants
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Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
10 | ORDERBOOK
for US owners, which means transport clean products within US builders may struggle to the Alaska hinterland. An achieve high productivity. The option is attached for a second ASD 2813 is a multi-role vessel. Delivery of the firm unit unit for escort and towage is scheduled to be at the end of duties and will be modified to next year. meet the special demands and Crowley is handling regulation surrounding towage construction management operation in the US. services from final design Bollard pull is likely to through to delivery and among be 60-70 tonnes but the project’s demanding can be adapted considerations are to necessary its construction to requirements. In ice class and Polar the future, there Code requirements. tugs is likely to be a Employment ordered call for tugs with for this ATB is 80-90 tonnes guaranteed from a of bollard pull, as long-term charter to sometimes there is a Petro Star, Alaska. requirement to handle naval A further ATB order vessels. This opens the way to was placed at Bollinger by more agreements for construction Bouchard Transportation, of other ASD designs. which then ordered another There is a sizable naval ATB from VT Halter Marine. vessel building programme Deliveries are set for Q1 2019. in the US and these ships VT Halter Marine also signed will need to be manoeuvred a prestigious contract with by new tugs. Modutech newly established Quality Marine has gained from these Liquefied Natural Gas requirements. Its shipyard is Transport (Q-LNG). This working on a naval contract for calls for construction of one 25 tugs, the first of which was offshore articulated LNG tug commissioned in December barge unit. 2017. The tugs were designed Q-LNG is 70% owned by John Myers from Seattle by Harvey Gulf International architects Hockema Marine and 30% owned & Whalen and by subsidiary Harvey these 10 m Gulf. The former vessels will be has concluded a powered by long-term charter tugs ordered two Cummins with Shell Trading QSL 9 diesel (USA) and will in China engines, each commission the new offering 212 ATB in 2019 to deliver kW on maximum LNG to Florida and duty. Employment at Caribbean ports. This barge the builder will stretch to will accommodate 4,000 m3 of December 2019 on the order. LNG and will be manoeuvred by a 42 m tug. Wärtsilä has a contract with ATB orders aplenty VT Halter Marine to supply Elsewhere in North America, much of the technology and more articulated tug-barge equipment for the barge and (ATB) units are being tug, supplying all its bridge contracted to support growing communications, dynamic distribution of oil products and positioning, power management, LNG. Crowley Fuels entered automation and thrusters. into a contract with Bollinger On another project, Shipyards to build a 100,000 Chesapeake Shipbuilding barrel capacity ATB that will agreed a contract with loyal
34
5
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
customer Vane Brothers for four 2,240 kW pusher tugs bringing the total ordered by the Baltimore-based owner to 20 vessels at the yard. The quartet of Chesapeakedesigned 31.5 m tugs will each be powered by twin Caterpillar 3512 engines.
C Tier 3 diesel engines, each rated at 1,995 kW at 1,600 rpm, two Rolls-Roycesupplied 424 kW electric motors and two Rolls-Royce fixed propeller Z-drives. Outside the US, there have been more hybrid tug developments. Caterpillar and Sanmar have reached Z-drive contracts agreement to create a tug Gulf Island Shipyards design featuring a hydraulic will build a single multihybrid propulsion system. purpose Z-drive pusher These will be based on tug designated for Robert Allan’s RAmparts icebreaking and 2400SX design with 70 ice management tonnes of bollard pull services in the and twin Caterpillar St Lawrence 3512 diesel engines. orders are Seaway. It will Initially this harbour tugs also assist in design will join the rapid response, builder’s account fire-fighting backlog of nine vessels. and response to It is understood that a pollution spills. This 39 m further eight tugs are to be tug will have a bollard pull built for Svitzer. of 65 tonnes and be classed Another trend affecting the by ABS with an ice class 1A tug newbuilding uplift is the notation. St Lawrence Seaway prospect of owners selling older Development Corp will mainly vessels for operations outside employ this tug pushing two the sector or for scrap. As buoy- and gate-lifter barges. A has happened in commercial heavy duty deck crane will be shipping, owners are ordering installed plus a stern roller and larger and more powerful tugs shark jaws to allow handling of that meet tougher emission buoys on the aft working deck. controls. Older tugs are not Nichols Brothers Boat worth the expenditure to Builders (NBBB) also won upgrade, in comparison with a contract in January 2018 the cost of a new tug. for a new Z-drive harbour As shipowners order larger tug. It will build a Jensen container ships, tankers and Maritime-designed 33 bulk carriers, there m hybrid tugboat for will be increasing Baydelta Maritime. need for more This vessel is tugs to handle scheduled for them. Their size tugs ordered delivery in Q1 will dictate at in US 2019, when it will least one more be put to work in tug employment US West Coast ports as three and four assisting large container units will be needed to ships and tankers. safely handle the forthcoming It will have Rolls-Royce behemoths for maximum safety. hybrid technology that will Thus, there is upbeat sentiment enable the tug to operate in that the positive start in new direct-diesel, diesel-electric or tug ordering will continue over fully electric modes. It will be the rest of 2018. TTB able to achieve bollard pulls of up to 90 tonnes in a dieselThis report covers newbuilding electric mode. Baydelta will contracting from November install two Caterpillar C3516 2017 to January 2018.
70%
16
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HARBOUR & TERMINAL
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12 | NEWBUILD PROFILE
World’s first Carrousel Rave tug begins operations Multratug 32 has a towing winch on a steel ring (see insert) and two Voith Schneider propellers for 360˚ rotating towing
N
ovatug’s Multratug 32 is the world’s first Carrousel Rave tug, which has a rotating towing system combined with Voith Schneider propulsion for 360˚ manoeuvring. This 31.9 m tug was designed by Robert Allan in co-operation with Voith and Novatug, built by Damen Shipyards and classed by Bureau Veritas. Multratug 32 has been leased to Multraship Towage & Salvage and started operations in the Netherlands at the end of January. For Novatug managing director Julian Oggel, its specialised design was influenced by towing safety considerations. “In principle, capsizing is impossible when towing with the carrousel system,” he said. “This allows for the safe execution of manoeuvres that would be very high-risk with traditional tugs.” He told Tug Technology & Business that the ports of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium, had shown interest in the Carrousel Rave tug for manoeuvring ships in tight harbour areas and reducing emissions. At the heart of this tug is a patented carrousel system, which is
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Multraship’s Multratug 32 has an innovative carrousel towing system and in-line Voith Schneider propellers for high manoeuvrability and stability
a towing winch on a steel ring. Machinefabriek Luyt delivered the carrousel unit, which consists of a base structure surrounded by a ring that can rotate freely 360° in the horizontal plane around the tug’s deckhouse. This carries a towing winch that can tilt vertically 45˚ so that the winch can always be aligned with the towing line, providing optimal control. “As a result, we can work with large seagoing vessels at much greater speeds and that means the vessels themselves are easier
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NEWBUILD PROFILE | 13
to steer,” said Mr Oggel, adding that “this is a major step forward for both efficiency and safety.” Multratug 32 is propelled by two Voith Schneider propellers arranged in a line, which means the tug can have a slender hull without affecting its stability. These Voith 32RV5 EC/250 propellers were chosen for their precise thrust control, quick response and insensitivity to variations in inflow direction. They enable the towline force to be continuously controlled safely and precisely via Voith electronic joystick controls in the wheelhouse. These Voith Schneider units are driven by two ABC 12VDZC engines that each deliver 2,650 kW at 1,000 rpm. These systems give Multratug 32 a bollard pull of 77 tonnes.` Damen Shipyard’s Theodor Buschmann yard in Hamburg completed the tug’s structural building work before it was transferred in Q4 2017 to Damen Maaskant in Stellendam, the Netherlands, where it was outfitted and completed. By the end of 2017, Multratug 32 was undergoing towing tests and sea trials and was officially completed and handed over to the owner on 31 January 2018. Multraship Towage & Salvage managing director Pepijn Nuijten said the Carrousel Rave design improves crew safety and reduces fuel consumption. “The ingenious design effectively uses the kinetic energy from the tow rather than its own engine power,” he said. It means the same towing force is achieved at lower levels of fuel use. “The savings amount to at least 25% on an average operation involving a seagoing vessel,” he said. After completing the sea trials, Multraship has been using De Pooter Oil’s Eco2Fuel+ diesel to minimise carbon emissions. Mr Nuijten said emissions of soot and particulate matter from Multratug 32 have been reduced by 16.5% and carbon emissions have been reduced by 44.7% in comparison with using regular diesel. During the design process, computer simulations were used to adapt the hullform and propulsion configuration. Programs and model testing helped to determine the optimum position of the propellers relative to the carrousel system and the optimum size and position of the skeg. Robert Allan president and chief executive Mike Fitzpatrick explained that the Carrousel Rave tug design was ideal for harbour and canal towage because of its manoeuvrability. He said Robert
MULTRATUG 32: MAIN PARTICULARS Owner: Charterer: Builder: Designer: Type:
Novatug Multraship Towage Damen Shipyards Robert Allan Carrousel Rave
Length, oa:
31.9 m
Beam, oa:
13.2 m
Maximum draught:
6.3 m
Gross register:
494 gt
Maximum speed:
14 knots
Bollard pull: Main engines:
77 tonnes 2 x ABC 12VDZC
Carrousel:
Machinefabriek Luyt
Propellers:
2 x Voith Schneider 32RV5 EC/250
Allan used computer 3D modelling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to develop and test its designs and propulsion configuration. “We modelled the Voith Schneider drives in CFD and looked at the tug’s seakeeping and motion stability,” he said (see also Tug Technology & Business, Q4 2017). Novatug has a second Carrousel Rave tug on order from Damen Shipyards. Mr Oggel said in September 2017 at Riviera’s Asian Tug Technology & Salvage Conference that he expected this would be ready in February 2018 but in a statement on 31 January 2018 Novatug said this tug was due to be delivered in May 2018 and was reserved for operation with Multraship. It has been provisionally named Multratug 33. These tugs could be the beginning of a trend in new tug designs as Novatug plans to market smaller versions of the Carrousel Rave tug design to other operators. But for now, all eyes will be on Multratug 32 as it demonstrates its towage performance and stability in all weather conditions that can be encountered in Benelux ports.
Largest Rotortug is delivered in UAE Albwardy Damen, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, has completed construction of the world’s biggest Rotortug for KT Maritime Services Australia, which is a joint venture between Kotug International and Teekay Shipping. The 46 m RT Raven was delivered to its owners on 18 January 2018 and is destined to support tanker berthing and supporting offshore operations in the Timor Sea. It was designed by Robert Allan as an infield support vessel for ConocoPhillips’ Bayu Undan project. This ART 100-46 design vessel will support tanker berthing and provide emergency response services. RT Raven has a dynamic positioning system and bollard pull of 100 tonnes. Albwardy Damen managing director Lars Seistrup said it was one of the most powerful tugs ever built in the United Arab Emirates. RT Raven is the third Rotortug built by Damen for Kotug, the other other two being ART 80-32 design RT Evolution and RT Emotion. TTB
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RT Raven has a bollard pull of 100 tonnes and a dynamic positioning system
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Innovation Design Engineering Analysis Safety
RAstar 3500-W
Terminal Support/Escort Tug Iron Kestrel
N AVA L A R C H I T E C T S A N D M A R I N E E N G I N E E R S
www.ral.ca designs@ral.ca 1+604-736-9466
CONTRACTS & COMPLETIONS | 15
CUBA TOPS LATIN AMERICAN TUG PURCHASES Empresa de Navegación Caribe of Cuba has acquired five tugs from Damen Shipyards, while another Damenbuilt tug started operations in French Guiana Aries II is an ASD 2810 tug with 60 tonnes of bollard pull
Green tug ordered for Canadian operations SAAM Smit Towage (SST) has ordered the first tug that meets IMO Tier III emissions rules in Canada for escort and berthing operations in British Columbia. It has ordered a RAstar 3200-W design tug from Uzmar Shipyard in Turkey. This 32 m tug will have a bollard pull of more than 80 tonnes, making it the most capable escortrated, multi-mission tug in both SST Canada’s fleet and along the entire west coast of Canada. It was designed for conducting berthing, terminal standby duties and escort duties in heavy weather conditions. http://bit.ly/TTB_SAAM
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T
here have been strong levels of tugboat fleet additions in Latin America in Q4 2017 and the first month of 2018. Owners are reacting to the needs to increase their capabilities to handle larger ships and to modernise their fleets by purchasing new assets. Cuba maritime company Gemar’s subsidiary Empresa de Navegación Caribe was behind the largest of these tug orders in terms of units purchased in Q4 2017. It has expanded its towage capabilities with the addition of five tugs to its fleet. Damen Shipyards has delivered four Stan Tug 2608 design vessels and one 28 m azimuth stern drive (ASD) ship, named Aries II, to the company, from its construction bases in Vietnam and the Netherlands. It built these tugs
in its Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam before transporting them to Damen Shipyards Gorinchem where they were finished and held in stock. It therefore only took three weeks between the orders being confirmed and the five tugs reaching Cuba. The 26 m Stan tugs are each fitted with an aft winch and have a bollard pull of 47 tonnes. Aries II is of an ASD 2810 design and has 60 tonnes of bollard pull. It is equipped with a lifting crane and a firefighting system. These five tugs will be based in Havana but operate around Cuba’s main and subsidiary islands supporting Gemar’s fleet of tankers and roro ferries. Damen Shipyards was also busy with an order for another ASD tug for South American operations, delivering
a shallow-draught harbour tug to support port activities in French Guiana. It has supplied an ASD 2310 SD design tug, Papillon, to a joint venture between De Boer Remorquage and Iskes Towage & Salvage. It was built in 2017 at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, in the Netherlands and in January it started a 12-year contract with Grand Port Maritime de Guyane in the ports of Cayenne and Kourou in French Guiana. It is assisting vessels entering and leaving the ports but also conducts survey activities and small transport work. It also provides emergency assistance, such as fire-fighting. Grand Port Maritime de Guyane consultant Earthcase and Hydro GC and the French maritime authorities contributed to the design of Papillon. Another Damendesigned and built tug will be joining it later this year; this one will be a hybrid tug configured to conduct dredging duties as well. In Peru, Tramarsa is expanding its fleet with a new 24.4 m escort and harbour tug, which it has ordered from China’s Jiangsu Wuxi Shipyard. This will be a RAmparts 2400W design unit with 75 tonnes of bollard pull. It will be named Lima and will be classed by ABS for unrestricted navigation and towage. It will have a FiFi 1 fire-fighting system and engine power of 4,480 kW from two engines of 2,240 kW each. In Brazil, Wärtsilä has signed a memorandum of understanding with Petrocity, the parent company of the new port facility being built in São Mateus, to develop a harbour tug design. This will be based on the Wärtsilä HYTug, which features hybrid propulsion and energy storage using batteries. It will also have an upgraded developed energy management system to optimise power distribution and loads. TTB
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
16 | CONTRACTS & COMPLETIONS
European yards benefit from tug projects Vittoria Shipyard is preparing to deliver a harbour tug from its Italian shipyard in April for Skikda Harbour Authority, Algeria. It launched C869 tug in December 2017, marking the return of tug newbuilding to its Adria facility. This 26 m azimuth stern drive tug will be used for towage and escort activities along the North African coast and in the port of Skikda. It was ordered by the Algerian Ministry of Transport in December 2016 and is classed by Bureau Veritas. It has a full load displacement of around 500 tonnes and bollard pull capacity of 30 tonnes. Its pair of azimuthing thrusters are driven by two medium-speed diesel engines. Vittoria Shipyard is also building a 32 m tug for the Russian Navy for towing nuclear submarines that have been decommissioned to a site for scrapping. Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdansk, Poland, has won a contract to build two multipurpose vessels with towing capabilities for the country’s Szczecin Maritime Authority. These vessels will be used for maintaining and renewing waterways signage, including buoys, along with hydrographic tasks and emergency
response, which could include fire-fighting, oil recovery and towage. They will replace two 1982-built buoy tenders that are currently operating at the port.
Chinese ports expand tugboat fleets Growth in Asian maritime trade is driving owners and port authorities into ordering more powerful tugs. Chinese shipyards continue to benefit from these orders and are using them to upgrade their design capabilities. This is set to continue as the region starts the Year of the Dog following the Chinese New Year. Tianjin Port in China started increasing its towage capabilities when it ordered four new tugs from Chinese yards in January. It ordered two azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs from Sanlin Shipyard in Shanghai and two ASD tugs from Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard. Sanlin Shipyard is building two ASD 35/50 tugs and Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard will construct two ASD 40/40 tugs. All four will be built to Robert Allan designs and will be constructed to comply with China Classification Society (CCS) requirements for intelligent ship (i-Ship) notation. This means they will be equipped with smart bridge and engineroom devices, hull lifecycle management, efficiency management and control centre systems. It is understood that these tugs will be the first vessels with i-Ship notation since CCS launched the rules in March 2016. Jiangsu Zhenjiang was busy with other construction orders, using its own ASD tug designs, during Q4 2017 for other Chinese ports. On 18 January, the shipyard delivered Lan Qiao 9, an ASD tugboat with 3,676 kW of power, to Shandong Lanqiao Port. The shipbuilder has another of these ASD tugs and another with 5,120 kW of power to complete during Q1 2018. In November 2017, Jiangsu Zhenjiang delivered a 3,676 kW ASD tug to Qinghuangdao Port. Sanlin Shipyard has experience in building harbour tugs for Asian operators. In 2017, it delivered six RAmparts 3200W ASD tugs, two for POET Investment and four for Talent Shipping Industrial Development.
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Vittoria Shipyard launched C869 tug in December 2017
Asian owners invest in LNG tugs Environmental concerns in ports are pushing owners in Japan and Singapore to order newbuild tugs that can be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has ordered an LNG-fuelled tug from Kanagawa Dockyard. After it is delivered, it is due to be operated by Nihon Tug-Boat in Osaka Bay from Q2 2019. LNG fuel will be supplied by Osaka Gas, which is setting up a bunkering service in the Sakai-Senboku Port. MOL will develop a detachable and portable LNG fuel tank for this tug and expects this concept to be used on other ship types in the future. In Singapore, two dual-fuel LNG harbour tugs are under construction for PSA Marine and due to be delivered in 2019. They will be supplied by Pavilion Gas after it landed the contract in Q4 2017. PSA Marine will benefit from a grant of S$2M (US$1.5M) for each newbuild tug from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, under an initiative to promote LNG bunkering via ship construction projects. TTB
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Rev Canon Neal Barnes holds up a pair of Superman pants on new tug of that name with Amanda Pannett, wife of master Phil Pannett and Paul Escreet
SMS EXPANDS UK FLEET AFTER CONTRACT AWARDS
S
pecialist Marine Services (SMS) Towage is expanding its harbour tug fleet as new contracts arise in the UK. In November 2017 it added its most powerful tug to date, Superman, to the fleet and in January 2018 it began operating Nobleman, which it purchased as a newbuild from Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar. This family-run British tug operator was originally a manager of offshore support vessels in the North Sea, after being established in 1992. In 2002, it diversified into harbour towage in the Humber area of England’s east coast when Associated British Ports (ABP) approached it to deliver services that would enable Hull to compete with other
British family-run towage group has added two tugs from Sanmar and started new contracts on the Humber and in Portsmouth
ports for business. It ventured into harbour towage by acquiring 35-tonne bollard pull tugs Tradesman and Trueman from Hong Kong Salvage and Towage. By 2005, it had a fleet of five tugs. Changing requirements in the Humber area led to further contracts and fleet expansion, explained SMS Towage joint managing director Gareth Escreet, whose father Paul
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
founded the company and is its chairman. Speaking to Tug Technology & Business in early February, he explained that the company operates a diverse fleet of 15 azimuth stern drive (ASD) harbour tugs in the UK. This includes eight tugs in the Humber area, assisting ships in the main ports of Hull, Grimsby, Immingham and Goole and at all the
area’s jetties. It also operates Masterman and Merchantman in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and three tugs – Tradesman, Trueman and Yeoman – in the Bristol Channel from the South Wales ports of Cardiff, Newport and Barry. Since November 2017, SMS Towage has operated the 40-tonne bollard pull tugs Irishman and Guardsman under contract with Portsmouth International Port, providing dedicated ship handling and towage services. For Gareth Escreet, it is opportunities such as these that enable the owner to invest in the fleet. “Our expansion came about due to customer requests and ports approaching us for towage solutions,” he explained. This is
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OPERATOR PROFILE | 19
quite a feat, he suggested, as the UK towage sector is highly competitive and has only limited opportunities for growth. “There are a few big players in UK harbour towage, which flex their muscles to try and dominate, but there are not a lot of companies beneath them,” said Mr Escreet. This is where his company is set. “Our strategy going forward is to remain cost-effective, have a diverse fleet of tugs and to look at opportunities in other ports when they arise.”
Humber towage
SMS Towage’s dominant position on the Humber and its strong relationship with port operator ABP and other clients are creating new business opportunities. In 2017, SMS Towage started providing towage services for German engineering group Siemens at its offshore windfarm turbine construction facility at Green Port on the Humber. Siemens is using the site for importing turbine blades until it is ready to manufacture them in Hull. British Steel became a client in January this year with SMS Towage providing tugs to support ships carrying raw
SMS FLEET
materials, such as coal, coke and iron ore, into the Immingham terminal, Mr Escreet said. Over several years, various activities on the Humber have offset the downturn in its traditional business of coal exports and imports. “ABP is keeping traffic coming in with feeder container ships and tankers into Immingham,” he added. “There is a lot of ferry work and support for offshore renewables and a fair amount of biomass products and general cargo.” This spread of the towage opportunities in the area means SMS Towage needs to keep several tugs with different bollard pull capabilities available. This is a key reason for expanding the fleet but Mr Escreet sees no reason for investing in higher bollard pull tugs, as several owners have done in European towage, because the estuary geography and port use of the Humber do not justify them. “Vessels using Humber ports are not getting bigger” as they are at other ports in the UK, such as Felixstowe and Southampton, he said. “Humber ports cannot cater for Capesize vessels because of draught restrictions and the channels
BOLLARD PULL
LENGTH
Englishman
50 tonnes
24 m
Humber
Guardsman
40 tonnes
24 m
Portsmouth
Irishman
40 tonnes
24 m
Portsmouth
Masterman
50 tonnes
24 m
Belfast
Merchantman
50 tonnes
24 m
Belfast
Nobleman
50 tonnes
24 m
Humber
Scotsman
50 tonnes
24 m
Humber
Serviceman
60 tonnes
28 m
Humber
Statesman
50 tonnes
24 m
Humber
Superman
72 tonnes
28 m
Humber
Tradesman
35 tonnes
22.6 m
S Wales
Trueman
35 tonnes
22.6 m
S Wales
Welshman
40 tonnes
24 m
Humber
Yeoman
40 tonnes
24 m
S Wales
Yorkshireman
50 tonnes
29 m
S Wales
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OPERATING AREA
will not be deepened,” Mr Escreet explained. “We still have lock operations, tight berths and river jetties, where powerful tugs would not be of benefit and would be expensive to operate.” This is why SMS Towage keeps a good range of bollard pulls “to cater for the diverse range of traffic and operating areas on the Humber,” he said
Training programme
To operate this fleet, SMS Towage needs to recruit and train masters and deckhands. But these also need to work with Humber pilots, who, Mr Escreet told Tug Technology & Business, were “not towage experts” and did not know “how tugs can be used to their fullest potential.” Current training programmes “do not have a great emphasis on how best to use our tugs” he said, adding that SMS Towage is working with ABP and Modal Training’s centre in Immingham, which opened in 2017, to improve the situation. Pilots operating on the Humber will be able to practise operations on suites of simulators at Modal Training using programs that simulate port infrastructure and estuary conditions in the area. At this centre, tug operations can be taught on a specially designed Kongsberg K-Sim class B bridge simulator that can be configured for workboat training and for teaching tug-ship interfaces, when operating with other bridge simulators at the centre. “We need to use Modal Training to have continuous improvements in tug masters’ and pilots’ skills and competence,” said Mr Escreet. SMS Towage’s drive to improve its seafarer skills and investment in the fleet led to it securing ISO 9001 quality standard in January 2018, as issued by Lloyd’s Register. It is also looking to increase the fleet further in 2018 as more port towage opportunities arise. TTB
Snapshot CV: Gareth Escreet Gareth Escreet is joint managing director of SMS Towage and son of the chairman Paul Escreet. He has been responsible for managing daily operations and business since 2004. He joined the family-run business in September 2001 after completing a degree in computer science at the University of East Anglia
“Our strategy is to remain cost-effective, have a diverse fleet of tugs and look at opportunities in other ports when they arise”
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
20 | SPECIAL FOCUS Asia
NEW LNG TERMINAL TUGS BEGIN INDIAN OPERATIONS
O
ne of India’s largest tug owners, Ocean Sparkle, has added two more tugboats to its fleet to assist in one of the nation’s new gas import terminals. Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy were built in 2017 by Cheoy Lee Shipyards in Hong Kong from a design that provides high bollard pull and fast speeds with stability performance and more than 300 m 3 tank capacity. These 32 m tugs were built to a RAmparts 3200 CL design produced by Robert Allan and modified for this project by Cheoy Lee. They started operating at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Dahej, India, in December and increased the Ocean Sparkle tugboat fleet to 71. They were constructed to Lloyd’s Register requirements with notation 100A1Tug for seagoing service and efficient anchoring and mooring equipment. They also have LMC Lloyd's Machinery Certificates and notations for fire-fighting and unrestricted service. Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy have moulded beams of 12.4 m and maximum draughts of 5.3 m. During sea trials they both exceeded all performance expectations, said Robert Allan,
delivering 72 tonnes of bollard pull and free running speeds of 13 knots. Their main propulsion includes a pair of Niigata 6L28HX diesel engines, each rated at 1,838 kW at 750 rpm. These each drive a Niigata ZP-41 fixed pitch propeller with a high grade nozzle Z-drive unit. These are installed in an azimuthing stern drive configuration. The electrical plant comprises two diesel generator sets, each with a power output of 120 kWe. Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy also each have a 50 kWe generator set for operations when in harbour. They each have a FiFi1 rated fire-fighting system with a dedicated engine below deck and monitors located on the aft side of the deckhouse. Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy have a series of shiphandling and vessel protecting fenders. At their bows, there are two rows of 800 mm by 400 mm cylindrical fenders at the main deck level and a W-shaped fender of 480 mm by 300 mm below deck. There is a W block type fender of 500 mm by 450 mm at the stern. Along the main deck sheer line and along the knuckle there is a hollow D-shaped fender of 300 mm by 300 mm. According to AIS data, both tugs are operating at the LNG terminal
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Ocean Sparkle has added two Cheoy Lee-built and Robert Allan-designed tugs to its fleet for handling LNG carriers at a terminal in Dahej, India
at Dahej. There are four LNG terminals in India, these are: • Dahej and Hazira (both in Gujuarat state) • Dabhol (Maharashtra) and • Kochi (Kerala). Ocean Sparkle owns India’s largest fleet of harbour tugs and operates in the majority of that nation’s major ports and terminals and in Sri Lanka. Its fleet is spread across a total of 28 ports and terminals, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, oil terminals, refineries and chemical ports. They include Mumbai, Chennai, Mormugao in Goa, Pipavav in Gujarat, Ennore in Tamil Nadu, Jawaharial Nehru and Cochin. Ocean Sparkle also provides support services to Reliance Port and Terminals in Jamnagar and Gujarat and operates in the Sri Lankan ports of Colombo and Hambantota. This Hyderabadheadquartered company also maintains navigation aids, provides radio communication and oil spill recovery services. It conducts port dredging and supports ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations, and floating production storage and offloading systems. Some of these, along with harbour support operations, are conducted in partnership with
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Asia SPECIAL FOCUS | 21
Design schematic of Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy
Outboard profile
Main deck
Hold plan
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Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
22 | SPECIAL FOCUS Asia
Ocean Sparkle’s new escort tug Ocean Legacy has 73 tonnes of bollard pull
Singapore-based port services group PSA Marine. This includes harbour towage in Mormugao and Ennore ports and STS operations for Gujarat Maritime and marine services at the LNG terminal at Dahej for Petronet. Ocean Sparkle also has a partnership with Oman-based Khimji Ramdas Shipping to support Oman Drydock Co in the port of Duqm in Oman. Since being established in 1995, Ocean Sparkle has built up a diverse fleet of 71 tugs, including 62 azimuthing stern drive vessels with steerable rudder propulsion, six tractor
tugs with steerable rudders and three conventional twin screw tugs – Ocean Legend, Ocean Mistique and Ocean Victor. These tugs have varying towage capacities ranging from 30 tonnes to 70 tonnes of bollard pull. They are equipped with deck machinery for ship towage and fire-fighting equipment for emergency response requirements. Ocean Sparkle has planned-maintenance systems covering all of the tugs and vessels in its fleet. It also operates eight pilot boats and five mooring assistance vessels, plus six cutter suction dredgers ›››
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
OCEAN LEADER AND OCEAN LEGACY PARTICULARS Owner: Builder: Class: Designer: Design: Bollard Pull: Maximum speed:
Ocean Sparkle Cheoy Lee Lloyd’s Register Robert Allan RAmparts 3200 CL 73 tonnes 13 knots
Length, oa:
32 m
Beam, mld:
12.4 m
Draught, max:
5.3 m
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Long
t– eboa r i F h Beac
6 r 201 a e Y the ip of h S US
Fire monitors 300 cu m/hr - 3600 cu m/hr
FFS Group www.fifisystems.com Design by Anggoro Haris 2016
24 | SPECIAL FOCUS Asia
››› and five barges. Besides, the company has its own training and development centre to support its own fleet requirements and to provide services to others. This includes simulators for teaching tugboat operations, ship manoeuvring and berthing in different ports and maritime conditions. Cheoy Lee has built 33 tugboats to the Robert Allan CL series and in November it gained orders for three of the designer’s Z-Tech 5000 design tugboats, two for PSA Marine and one for South China Towing Co, which is a joint venture between PSA Marine and shipowners Mitsui OSK Lines and Tokyo Kisen. This hull design and deck layout are said to combine
advantages of modern azimuthing stern drive tugs and tractor tugboat designs. Cheoy Lee expects construction of these three tugs will be completed in Q4 2018. Its shipyards also produce mooring launches. Its latest completion was Eimeo, for Half-Tide Marine. It was built to another Robert Allan design, the RAscal 1600 mooring launch. It started operating at the Dalrymple Bay coal terminal, south of Mackay in Queensland, Australia, in December. In October, Cheoy Lee turned to Macduff Ship Design for a 14 m mooring and towage workboat that is being built for line handling and harbour tug duties.
NEW TUG TANK CAPACITIES: Fuel oil:
230 m3
Potable water:
48 m3
Lube oil:
3 m3
Hydraulic oil:
0.7 m3
Sludge:
3.5 m3
Oily water:
4.5 m3
Sewage:
4.5 m3
Grey water:
1.5 m3
Foam:
10 m3
OCEAN SPARKLE FLEET 62 ASD tugs 8 pilot boats 6 tractor tugs 6 dredgers 5 barges 5 twin screw tugs
Ocean Leader has a maximum speed of 13 knots and draught of 5.3 m
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
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Asia SPECIAL FOCUS | 25
INDIA IMPLEMENTS ITS PORT STRATEGY
I
ndia is going through a period of significant port expansion and new terminal construction under the Sagarmala national perspective plan that should drive future demand for tugs. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Shipping, India’s main port infrastructure is to be modernised, including construction of new ports and terminals. There could be up to 40 port-capacity enhancement projects and six new ports built under this programme, which flowed from the planning phase into an execution stage in 2017. Projects will be carried out to 2025 when cargo traffic at Indian ports is expected to rise to 2,500M tonnes per annum from their current estimated annual cargo handling capacity of around 1,500M tonnes. Initially the cargo capacity at 12 major Indian ports will be increased. To fill the demand gap, six new major ports are planned to significantly expand capacity (see below). The locations of these
were identified based on the cargo flow for key commodities and the projected traffic. Petronet, Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and the Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) have been India’s key LNG players to date. However, the state-owned oil refiners, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, have now positioned themselves for greater involvement in the LNG sector. There is a number of LNG import projects in planning or under construction. In July 2017, construction started on the Dhamra LNG terminal in Odisha state. The project developers – Adani Group, IOC and GAIL – aim to have the 5 mta facility on stream in 2020. An LNG terminal is also being built at Mundra in Gujurat and another is under construction at Ennore in Tamil Nadu. Both Mundra and Ennore are set to commence operations in 2018. TTB
Head office Branch offices
PROPOSED GREENFIELD PORT PROJECTS Vadhavan (Maharashtra) Sagar Island (West Bengal) Paradip Outer Harbour (Odhisha) Cuddalore/Sirkazhi (Tamil Nadu) Belikeri (Karnataka) Enayam (Tamil Nadu) 12 PROPOSED PORT EXPANSIONS
INDIA
Kandla Jamnager
Port
Existing capacity (Mtpa)
Expanded capacity (Mtpa)
Kandla
121
185
Paradip
120
195
Visakhapatnam
97
143
Chennai
86
98
Jawaharial Nehru
79
124
New Mangalore
78
90
Kolkata
70
83
Cochin
50
57
Mumbai
45
48
VO Chidambaranar
45
75
Mormugao
44
78
Kamarajar
37
82
Dahej
Pipavav
Paradip Hyderabad
JNPT
Visakhapatnam
Mumbai Port
Kakinada Jaigad Goa
Krishnapatnam Ennore Cuddalore Karaikal Nagapattinam
Cochin Tuticorin
(Source: Ocean Sparkle)
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Colombo
SRI LANKA
Hambantota
Source: Sagarmala national perspective plan
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
PSA Marine Qalhat operates a fleet of four azimuth stern drive tugs in Oman
PSA Marine invests to boost green credentials One of Asia’s leading tug operators, PSA Marine, has placed orders for its first dual-fuel tugs to reduce emissions in Singapore, writes Clive Woodbridge
P
SA Marine operates a fleet of more than 60 escort, harbour and terminal tugs in Asia, with bollard pull ratings of up to 70 tonnes. These are based primarily in Singapore, where it carries out over 90,000 towing jobs a year. PSA also operates in China, Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Oman. Reducing its environmental impact is a top priority for the company. Reflecting that ongoing commitment, PSA Marine announced plans in December 2017 to add to its fleet two new environmentally friendly dual-fuel tugs by the end of 2019, to further reduce emissions from harbour towage operations in the port of Singapore. These new tugs, which will be able to run on LNG fuel, are being built with the help of grants of up to S$2M (US$1.5M) for each tug from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. One of the new tugs was ordered from an as yet undisclosed shipyard in December last year, and a contract for the second is expected to be concluded in the first quarter of 2018. PSA Marine managing director, Peter Chew, said the tug operator was a pioneer in owning and operating dual-fuel LNG harbour tugs. “As a responsible corporate citizen, this is one of
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
the ways that we can play our part in reducing carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions from our business operations,” he told Tug Technology & Business. To support the dual-fuel tug initiative, PSA Marine has also recently awarded an LNG bunker supply contract to Pavilion Gas. This Singapore-based company will deliver LNG to the two new tugs with effect from 2019. Design work for the confirmed tug has been entrusted to Canada’s Robert Allan, a world leader in producing LNG-powered tug designs. It had previously developed the RAstar 4000-DF design for Østensjø Rederi, Norway, and RAstar 3800-DF for Ningbo Port, China. The new tugs for PSA Marine will be the first RAmparts 2800DF type design to be built. Close co-operation between Robert Allan and PSA Marine began in 2002, with the design of the initial Z-Tech tug series. At the time of writing, there are several other Robert Allandesigned tugs under construction for PSA Marine at various shipyards around the world. These include the first of the so-called Z-Tech exclusive design variant, which is the result of collaboration between the two companies. The first of these will be built at Cheoy Lee shipyard in China and are expected to be delivered in
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Asia SPECIAL FOCUS | 27
Q4 2018. The hullform and deck layout of the new design were unchanged from the basic version, however, the design features a restyled deckhouse and wheelhouse. As well as extending its fleet to encompass dual-fuel technology, PSA Marine is also in the process of broadening the geographic spread of its operations. A new subsidiary, PSA Marine Bangladesh, has been awarded a 15-year contract by Summit LNG to provide berthing, mooring, pilot and personnel transfer services to ships calling at a floating regasification terminal in Moheskhali. PSA Marine plans to deploy three escort tugs and a fast crew boat and offshore supply vessel for the contract. Operations are expected to commence in Q1 2019. Mr Chew explained that the company’s track record in providing towage services to LNG terminals includes an LNG terminal in Jurong, Singapore, and the Oman LNG terminal. One of its existing LNG operations, PSA Marine Qalhat, is a joint venture between PSA Marine and Golden Dunes International and operates a fleet of four azimuth stern drive tugs. It serves the maritime services requirements of Oman LNG and reached the milestone of having all 51 of its tug crew members as Omani nationals in January this year. When it started
operations in January 2015, around 50% of its crew were Omanis and it has achieved its 100% Omani target much quicker than originally anticipated by focussing on training and developing the local workforce.
PSA Marine provides berthing and escort duties at an LNG terminal in Singapore
Cheoy Lee maintains healthy orderbook One of the main tug suppliers to PSA Marine over the years has been Cheoy Lee Shipyard. This relationship has continued recently with the placing of orders for several new tugs, to various Robert Allan designs. Overall, the yard reports a healthy orderbook, with contracts to supply several companies based in Asia as well as global players. Cheoy Lee is also building tugs for its own stock, to cut delivery times for prospective buyers. Last year, Cheoy Lee delivered eight azimuth stern drive (ASD) type tugs and two Rotortugs for customers worldwide. Seven of the
Cheoy Lee’s yard is building a variety of tugs for firm contracts, as well as for stock
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ASDs were 32 m long RAmparts 3200CL tugs, with bollard pulls of either 60 or 70 tonnes. Two of these, CMM Chapulin and CMM Cordobes, were delivered to Boluda for deployment in Mexico. Ocean Sparkle received Ocean Leader and Ocean Legacy, which have been acquired to serve an LNG facility in India. Kotug Seabulk Maritime took delivery of SD Junkanoo and SD Calypso and 85-tonne bollard pull Rotortugs RT Blackbeard and RT Raptor to operate a contract in the Bahamas. Cheoy Lee also built Lotus Star for Polestar Maritime for deployment on India’s west coast. A further 87 tonnes bollard pull RAstar 3200 tug, the Singapore flagged Svitzer Dhaka, was delivered to Svitzer Asia. Cheoy Lee sales director Jonathon Cannon said demand for harbour and escort tugs was “reasonable at the moment” but the yard was “still building some stock units to make up our full capacity”. Across the Asia region, he said, “We find that requirements vary a lot, but there is a trend for customers to require smaller but more powerful tugs.” Because of this, “While our existing product line is fairly comprehensive, we are developing a smaller general purpose line boat and harbour tug that we will build to have as available stock,” he explained. Cheoy Lee has centred tug production at its Hin Lee facility in the Pearl River Delta, although it still has its headquarters and a smaller shipyard facility in Hong Kong. The 11.3 ha Hin Lee site is divided into specific areas for fibreglass, aluminium and steel construction. The yard also builds a range of other vessel types, including passenger vessels, harbour workboats and windfarm support vessels. TTB
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED www.kotugsmit.eu
SALVAGE | 29
LOF AMENDMENTS WOULD BE UNFAIR TO SALVORS
L
loyd’s Open Form (LOF), which can be used for salvage project contracts, should not be amended for the benefit of shipowners and insurers as it would put unfair risks on tug operators. This was a key message in International Salvage Union (ISU) president Charo Coll’s address at a press conference in December 2017. She stated that ISU supports the use of the LOF salvage contract in its unamended form despite declines in its use over this decade. An LOF enables salvors to rapidly react to casualties and be paid at the end of the project, based on the salvaged assets' value. Ms Coll said the effect of amendments might cap the salved values or recalculate financial awards based on tariff rates. “The salvor still carries the same amount of risk but for a reduced reward and that is not fair,” she stated. ISU would not support any amendments to LOF, but does recognise that other contracting processes can be agreed between parties. ISU considers LOF to be the best contract in many emergency response situations. “It has such great benefits including speed and the key fact, often overlooked, that the salvor carries all of the financial risk and the owner and insurer pays nothing until the job is successfully done,” said Ms Coll. A decline in the use of LOF from around 100
per year at the start of this decade to 34 in 2016 is behind a slump in income for ISU members from emergency response and wreck removal work from US$717M in 2015 to US$380M in 2016. There is no information yet available on the 2017 income, which may not be published until the middle of this year. “Despite this difficult picture we think that the salvage sector is resilient and is still a vibrant industry ready to offer vital services to shipowners,” Ms Coll said. She is also general manager of offshore and salvage at Boluda Towage and Salvage. This group operates fleets of tugs in Spain, France, Germany, Africa and South America. Boluda was involved, in 2017, with Resolve Salvage & Fire, in the towage of damaged fertiliser feed ship Cheshire from the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands to Spain, Ms Coll told Tug Technology & Business. Panama-registered tug Red Sea Fos towed the burnt-out 56,597 dwt bulk carrier to the port of Puerto Motril, in southern Spain. Disaster struck on Cheshire on 12 August 2017 when its fertiliser feed cargo caught fire before it was scheduled to stop in Las Palmas to take on bunkers. By 13 September Cheshire was in a safe harbour and the cargo was being unloaded. TTB
Tugs are essential to salvaging ships off island reefs
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Tankers salvaged
In January this year, tugs had to rescue damaged tankers in grounding and collision accidents in Egypt and Greece. They prevented marine pollution and towed wrecked ships to safety for inspection and repairs. A fleet of tugs refloated the 228 m liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker Ethane Opal after it ran aground in the Ismailia area of the Suez Canal. The February 2017-built 57,494 gt LPG carrier suffered a steering failure, which caused it to collide with two local ferries while transiting southbound at Qantara, in Egypt. This caused a hull breach in Ethane Opal and it was grounded to prevent further water ingress. Tugs from the canal authority manoeuvred the damaged tanker to an anchorage position in Great Bitter Lake for surveys and repairs. In Greece, two tankers required tug assistance following two separate incidents. 2009-built coastal product tanker Eko 2 grounded on a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea. A tug was mobilised to refloat the stricken tanker and tow it to a safe harbour. In the Koundouros region, 2012-built product tanker VF Tanker-1 struck an underwater reef. Tug Aegaias assisted this tanker from the reef and escorted it to safety.
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Fairplay IX and Fairplay VI operate in Hamburg
FAIRPLAY STRENGTHENS REGIONAL NETWORK WITH BUGSIER ACQUISITION Fairplay Towage managing director Walter Collet explains to Clive Woodbridge the reasons for the merger with Bugsier Reederei
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
F
airplay Towage and Bugsier Reederei merged in November 2017 as a result of the highly competitive towage market in northern Europe. This combination of two Hamburg-based operators resulted in a fleet of more than 100 harbour and escort tugs, including 30 operated by Bugsier, with bollard pull ratings up to 86 tonnes. Fairplay Towage managing director Walter Collet told Tug Technology & Business that the challenging business conditions within the region’s towage sector and recent rationalisation within container shipping were among the reasons for the merger. Alongside those factors was the ongoing need for high levels of investment in new and more powerful tugs, which has made life difficult for smaller operators in particular, while creating another factor that brought them together into one large towage group, he explained.
Shipping line customers have also been seeking to work increasingly with towage suppliers that can cover a range of regional ports, rather than traditional single-port, or one-country, operators. This has resulted in an underlying trend for tug operators to seek economies of scale, primarily through mergers and acquisitions, rather than organic growth. The merger of Fairplay Towage with Bugsier, whose tugs have been a feature of operations at leading German ports for decades, was completed on 8 November 2017. This merger, along with Fairplay Towage’s existing part-ownership of Multraship Towage & Salvage and Antwerp Towage, has created one of the biggest and most varied tug fleets in northern Europe. It includes azimuthing stern drive, Schottel tractor, twin-screw, single-screw and pusher tugs. It also includes ocean-going and tractor-hybrid tugs and two powerful
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OCEAN-GOING & COASTAL TOWAGE | 31
offshore salvage tugs, which are under longterm contract to the German government. These are Bugsier’s Nordic, with 201 tonnes of bollard pull, and Fairplay Towage’s Baltic, which has a bollard pull of 127 tonnes. Bugsier owner Jan-Wilhelm Schuchmann initiated merger discussions with Fairplay Towage management. He decided that his company was too large to be a niche operator, but too small to compete with the major players. So, he decided to sell the business to create a more competitive, combined operation, said Mr Collet. This process was conducted throughout most of 2017 and was concluded using a mix of external finance and in-house funds. For Fairplay Towage, the complementary nature of the Bugsier business was a big attraction, explained Mr Collet. Bugsier’s tugs were present in a number of German ports, including Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven, where Fairplay Towage was not active. Bugsier was also relatively strong in towage along the Weser river and in northern European offshore and salvage markets, where it had five offshore tugs and nine fitted for deepsea towage. “With the Bugsier operation within the group we now have a presence along the European coast stretching from Gdynia in Poland to Antwerp, Belgium,” said Mr Collet. The combined group does not operate everywhere in the region, however. For example, it does not have any tugs in Amsterdam, but Mr Collet thinks it “offers customers a fairly complete range of towage services”. The main reasons for the acquisition, from Fairplay Towage’s point of view, were to get greater economies of scale and to grow geographically, he stated. There were only limited areas of overlap, most notably in Hamburg, where both companies had their headquarters, just a few hundred metres apart, which are in the process of being amalgamated. Bugsier had a well-established presence in a network of German ports, including Wedel, Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Brake, Nordenham, Wilhelmshaven, Rostock and Wismar. Fairplay Towage, and its affiliate Multraship, had a more international focus, with operations in Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium, Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Szczecin, Gdynia and Swinoujsce in Poland. Because of this, the two businesses were largely complementary, which had an added benefit of limiting the social cost of the merger, with no compulsory redundancies
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required as a result, said Mr Collet. He added that the Bugsier brand will continue to be visible within the German port market as it “is a reliable player in the German towage industry and we have absolutely no intention to abandon this brand or change it. We would be foolish to do so.” Mr Collet wants to “leverage the expertise of both companies to boost our presence in local markets” by increasing customer loyalty and gaining new customers. Therefore, Fairplay Towage has no plans to change the Bugsier business, nor the colour, name or flag of its tugs. “The only change is in ownership,” he explained. Fairplay Towage remains a privately owned company and is not stock market listed. This, Mr Collet suggested, has benefits in terms of flexibility and the speed with which the company can respond to emerging market requirements. During 2018, Fairplay Towage plans to focus on integrating Bugsier into the business and has no plans to invest in new tugs or add additional ports to the network. But it could do so in the future. “This will come in time,” said Mr Collet. “When the moment is right we will order new tugs but, for the time being, any additional requirements will be met through charters.” Once the integration is complete, there could be geographic growth in the future. “We see potential in southern Europe and this is likely to be our next stage of expansion, although we have no particular ports in mind at the moment,” said Mr Collet. The newest tugs in the combined Fairplay Towage fleet are the Bugsier 11 and Bugsier 12, which were built by Turkish shipyard, Bogazici, in 2016 and 2017. These powerful 86-tonne bollard pull tugs were deployed to support operations at an LNG terminal in the Polish port of Swinoujscie. The most recent additions to Fairplay Towage’s fleet were the hybrid tractor tugs Fairplay IX and Fairplay XI, which were built in Spain in 2015 by Astilleros Armon with up to 90 tonnes of bollard pull. Mr Collet said the group is not in any hurry to add to the fleet and added that “We need to have a good understanding of what is needed before we make our next move.” The immediate aim is to increase volume of business in ports where the group has a presence and to boost market share. He continued, “It is a very competitive market and so it will be a tough fight. But we are now an even stronger player, with enhanced capabilities, as a result of the Bugsier acquisition, and we are optimistic about the future.” TTB
“We see potential in southern Europe and this is likely to be our next stage of expansion”
FAIRPLAY TOWAGE FLEET (PRIOR TO MERGER) Schottel ASD:
18
Schottel tractor:
5
Controllable pitch propeller:
5
Ocean-going:
3
Twin screw:
2
Single screw:
2
Pusher tugs:
2
Emergency response:
2
Tractor hybrid:
2
Combi tug:
3
BUGSIER FLEET (in bollard pull tonnes) >80T:
8
>70T:
3
>60T:
3
>50T:
4
>40T:
2
>30T:
7
<30T:
3
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
32 | DESIGN
Breaking ice through design innovation I
LS Ship Design & Engineering is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a designer of tugs and workboats by introducing designs for an attachable bow that turns conventional tugboats into icebreakers. This Finland-headquartered naval architect group was formed in 1988 and has since designed various ships, workboats, icebreakers and support vessels for open seas and inland waterways. These have included mooring assistance boats, ferries, naval ships and research vessels but it has specialised in icebreaking vessels, particularly tugboats, offshore support vessels, survey ships and oil pollution control vessels. So its latest innovation – a removable icebreaking bow – continues that
Kristian Lehtonen: “We also have designs for an icebreaking bow for larger pusher tugs”
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
emphasis. ILS general manager Kristian Lehtonen told Tug Technology & Business that this bow could convert a typical pusher tug into an icebreaker for inland waterway towage requirements and said that the first attachable bow will be built this year for the Finnish Transport Agency. It will have a breadth of 12.5 m and will enable tugs to break 70 cm of ice at 3 knots, he said. “We also have designs for an icebreaking bow of up to 50 m long [24 m breadth] for larger pusher tugs,” Mr Lehtonen said. ILS sales engineer Mo Beiki said a 50 m bow would be able to cut through 80 cm of ice at a speed of 6 knots. ILS tested a model of its 12.5 m icebreaking bow at Aker Arctic’s centre in Finland, which has a 75 m by 8 m basin on which ice can be generated to a thickness of up to 150 mm for icebreaking tests. It can be used for vessel manoeuvring in ice, ice load and impact tests in oneyear or multi-year levels of ice. There has been interest in the bow concept from other national authorities and inland waterways transport organisations because of the range in design, flexibility in operations and economics of using conventional tugs. The investment costs of the bow is about 25% of the price of a purpose built icebreaker. “There is a lot of interest from Russian operators and from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as there are shallow waterways that are frozen during the winter months,” Mr Lehtonen explained. ILS has also designed an icebreaking multipurpose tug that is based on the design of 2014-built harbour icebreaker and escort tug IB Ahto, said Mr Lehtonen.
ILS has designed an attachable bow that turns conventional tugs into icebreakers as the Finnish naval architect celebrates 30 years of vessel design
Russian shipowner Viking Ships Services was awarded a contract in 2017 to build and operate a new icebreaking tug in the Russian Far East with a tender based on an ILS icebreaking escort tug concept. The vessel will be built by Jiagsu Dajin Heavy Industries shipyard in Yangzhong, China, and due to be delivered in Q1 2019. This vessel should be able to keep the harbour channel, turning basin and berthing basins free of ice. An extensive
TOP: ILS witnessed escort and full-scale ice trials of IB Ahto harbour tug BOTTOM: Arctica Shipping’s IB Ahto has an ice class of 1A Super
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DESIGN | 33
OSD designs fuel-efficient harbour tug
IB AHTO PARTICULARS Owner:
Arctia Shipping
Designed:
ILS
Entered service: Operations: Flag: Areas:
2016 Harbour icebreaking Finland Baltic, Bay of Bothnia
Length: Beam:
40 m 12.8 m
Draught: Propulsion: Ice class:
Azistern 2870 harbour tug has a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and a maximum speed of 12 knots
5.5 m 3.6 MW 1A Super
model test programme was carried out to ascertain the vessel performance in open water and ice conditions. “We did the concept and basic design for the vessel, which will be built in China with diesel-mechanical systems,” said Mr Lehtonen. ILS did the conceptual and basic design for Arctia Shipping’s IB Ahto. It also witnessed escort and full-scale ice trials in March 2016 before it entered service in Finland. This 40 m escort tug has a beam of 12.8 m and draught of 5.5 m. It has an ice class of 1A Super and propulsion capability of 3.6 MW. Arctia Shipping also turned to ILS in 2016 for conceptual design for another multipurpose icebreaking tug and offshore support vessel. ILS worked in co-operation with the Finnish Transport Agency and Aker Arctic Technology in designing liquefied natural gas-fuelled Polaris. It can break 1.2 m of ice at speeds of up to 6 knots. It operates in the Baltic Sea, maintaining shipping fairways through winter ice. ILS was also tasked with managing its open water model testing, which was completed at VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland. Polaris was built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard and delivered in September 2016. Baltic Workboats also uses ILS to design tugs and workboats. This included providing conceptual and basic designs for shallow draught tugboats Liva and Panda, which were built in 2014 to operate in the port of Riga, Latvia. These 18.8 m tugs each have 2.1 m draught and engine power of 2x400 kW.
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Offshore Ship Designers (OSD) has introduced a new design for a fuel-efficient harbour tug as part of its expanding Azistern portfolio. The Azistern 2870 harbour tug design is for a 390 gt, 28.3 m tug that would have a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and a maximum speed of 12 knots. It has a hard chine hullform, which has a sharp change in angle in the cross section of a hull. OSD technical manager Herm Jan de Vries said this optimises transits for fuel efficiency and “results in a very low wash, which is an invaluable attribute in crowded ports and harbours”. He said the design results in a highly flexible vessel that “offers operators the innovative options they need in today’s challenging market conditions”. This means the design can be purchased from OSD for rapid construction and delivery and can be adapted for different tug operations. For example, Azistern 2870 has multiple deck equipment options, which can be installed to meet specific end-user preferences. One option is to install a double-drum, forward towing winch with a horizontal anchor windlass and mooring warping heads. Another option would be to include a forward towing winch with separate vertical anchor windlass and capstan units. A double-drum winch could be fitted aft in a semi-sheltered position. The towing hook comes with multiple positioning options. It could also be fitted with FiFi-class fire-fighting monitors, a stern roller, a bow-thruster and a deck crane. The design has accommodation for six crew that is compliant with the International
Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention. There are semi-sheltered engineroom intake louvres and enclosed deck and rope stores. OSD communications manager Merijn Brusselers said Azistern 2870 was designed because this size of tug was missing from its Azistern series and there had been interest for this type of tug. “Our design has been developed to be an off-the-shelf design for clients who are looking for a tug of around 28 m,” she told Tug Technology & Business. OSD has also designed a low-emissions and compact tug, the Azistern 2250e, which has a hybrid propulsion system. This 22 m tug design has a bollard pull of 50 tonnes and is compliant with IMO Tier III requirements. It would come with two 970 kW low-maintenance gensets and two 400 kWh battery packs. OSD said that, with assistance from the batteries, the tug would be able to achieve maximum bollard pull within six seconds. TTB
AZISTERN SERIES (by length and bollard pull) 22 m:
50 tonnes
24 m:
60 tonnes
26 m:
65 tonnes
28 m:
70 tonnes
32 m:
80 tonnes
33 m:
100 tonnes
37 m:
20 tonnes
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
34 | DESIGN
Jensen designed an Alaska-class ATB that meets Polar Code and EPA Tier 4 requirements
Jensen designs ATB and naval support vessel
I
n January this year, Crowley ordered an Alaska-class ATB from Bollinger Shipyards for its Alaskan petroleum operations, Crowley Fuels. This will include the 100,000-barrel capacity Oliver Leavitt barge and Aveogan pusher tug. Bollinger Marine Fabricators Shipyard will build both the barge and tug in its shipyard in Amelia, Louisiana, for delivery in Q4 2019. Bollinger has an option to build a second ATB unit for 2020 delivery. Seattle-based naval architects at Jensen were tasked with designing the ATB to meet ABS ice classification and Polar Code requirements. This included increasing structural framing and shell plating and extending its zero discharge endurance, compared to an ATB designed for nonPolar Code requirements. Jensen’s designers incorporated a ship-shape bow in Oliver Leavitt that Crowley said would enhance its ability to manoeuvre in icy conditions. The barge was also designed to achieve high-cargo capacity with a minimal draught. Several features were
Crowley Maritime subsidiary Jensen Maritime Consultants has designed an articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit for Alaska operations and a vessel to handle naval vessels and security barriers.
included that ensure the ATB unit will exceed international and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. This includes GE-supplied main engines that meet EPA Tier 4 environmental standards. These deliver power to the ATB unit's azimuthing drives. As part of its environmental package, Oliver Leavitt will have a ballast water treatment system and the tug is to be fitted with a closed-loop ballast system. This will pump the tug’s freshwater ballast to a retention tank on the barge, which means there will not need to be any ballast water treatment system on the tug. Other features on the barge include deepwell pumps in each cargo tank and electric-driven deck machinery to remove the risk of hydraulic spills.
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
ALASKA-CLASS ATB PARTICULARS Pusher tug: Barge:
Aveogan Oliver Leavitt
Owner:
Crowley Fuels
Builder:
Bollinger Marine Fabricators
Designer: Class: US EPA:
Jensen Maritime ABS Tier 4
Ice rules:
Polar Code
Barge capacity:
100,000 barrels
Ballast: Delivery date:
Closed loop + treatment Q4 2019
Naval vessel handler
For the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Jensen designed a 14 m vessel with 10 tonnes of bollard pull. It will be used for manoeuvring naval ships, submarines and floating port equipment. It will also be used for opening and closing security barriers and towing barges. Its design includes skegs – sternward extensions to its keel – for directional stability during operations and structural support for drydockings and transport. Jensen director of business development Bryan Nichols said designers worked closely with the shipyard team to improve the efficiency of its construction. “Once completed, it will be a well-equipped and very manoeuvrable workhorse,” he said in a statement. This workboat’s propulsion system consists of ZF W325 marine gears and inboard diesel engines: twin Cummins QSM11-455, each producing 350 kW at 2,100 rpm. It will have two Pullmaster hydraulic deck winches for use in multiple mooring configurations and heavy-duty fendering for protection when performing these operations. TTB
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TECHNOLOGY TRENDS | 37
5
technologies to change tug operations forever
Editor Martyn Wingrove examines the top five emerging technologies that he considers will affect tug construction and operations in the long term
T
echnology continues to change the tugboat industry, usually for the better, but up to now it has been on the mechanical side. This is all changing as IT-related innovations are emerging that should have positive impacts on the sector. Here are the top five emerging technology trends that will have a major influence on the towage industry in the long term. These should generate operational benefits to tug owners, designers and builders in the future.
Drones
Kotug will test the use of drones to connect towlines to assisted vessels
Airborne drones could be used in tugboat operations for survey and remote movement of equipment. Tug operator Kotug plans to become the first company to use drone technology to assist in towage operations. It has applied for a patent to use them to assist in ship handling operations and expects this will lead to safer and more efficient working conditions. Kotug will test remote-controlled flying devices to connect a towline to an assisted vessel. Drones will deliver a messenger line to a predetermined location through the
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use of object recognition software. The tugâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s messenger line would then be brought to the assisted ship in a controlled process and the crew on the assisted ship would heave in the mooring line itself. This would enable the tug to sail safely beside the assisted ship instead of having to enter a dangerous zone in front of that vessel. Kotug intends to develop standard operating procedures for using drones and will run a series of tests in 2018. Drones can also be used in salvage projects as they can be flown over
maritime casualties to survey the damage and for identifying and tracking oil spillages and other pollution from maritime accidents. Sensors can be installed on a drone to record other parameters of a spillage or of a maritime casualty that could be useful for clean-up and salvage operations. For example, these could test for gas emissions or sense a casualtyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temperature before salvors move in. Larger drones could be equipped with chemical sprays for dispersing oil spillages.
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
38 | TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
3D printing Manufacturing companies are developing more advanced 3D printing techniques that will produce propellers and machinery that could be deployed on tugs. A future involving 3D-printed components moved a step closer to reality in Q4 2017 when a prototype propeller was completed by Rotterdam Additive Manufacturing Lab (RAMLAB). It worked in collaboration with Damen Shipyards Group, Promarin, Autodesk and Bureau Veritas to develop a WAAMpeller, a 1,350 mm diameter propeller. This was fabricated from a nickel aluminium bronze alloy at RAMLAB using the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) method, based on a Valk welding system and Autodesk software. The triple-blade structure used a Promarin design that is fitted to Damen’s Stan Tug 1606 design. After its production was completed, it was milled at Autodesk’s advanced manufacturing facility in Birmingham, UK, using machines with computer numerical control. 3D-printed items are built up layer by
layer, which means almost any object can be produced. But the material will have different physical properties from similar objects manufactured from steel or cast materials, which is why class society Bureau Veritas has tested the properties of printed material to ensure its compliance. This first prototype WAAMpeller will be used for display purposes and planning for a second example is already underway for production this year. It should not be long before a WAAMpeller, or one similar to it, is installed on a tug. Another Dutch additive manufacturing company, Connecting Engineering and Design (CEAD), is preparing to produce maritime products using a new continuous fibre additive manufacturing (CFAM) machine. This industrial-scale unit will be able to print with engineering plastics and continuous carbon fibre composites to produce objects and equipment for shipbuilding, yachts and workboats. CEAD expects the first CFAM prototype will be ready by the middle of this year. It will be installed in the offices of Poly Products, which produces composite
products for the maritime industry. Poly Products plans to use this printer to fabricate large-scale products and prototypes and then seek customer feedback. CEAD has also ordered a second CFAM 3D printer to be deployed in 2019 at the premises of marine engineering company Royal Roos. This has been designed for manufacturing marine products from composite materials. Huisman has gone a stage further and tested the world’s first 3D printed offshore crane hook. This was manufactured through WAAM 3D printing in 2017 and was successfully load-tested to 80 tonnes in the first week of this year. WAAM printing produced components with high grade tensile steel, including a large four-prong hook with a weight of around 1,000 kg. Huisman plans to manufacture other components with complex shapes using a WAAM 3D printer. It said the costs are similar to steel forgings and castings but the delivery time is shorter. Huisman intends to increase the manufacturing capabilities up to items of 2,500 kg printed weight.
Augmented reality
OSC enhances simulation by adding AR on its system in Ålesund, Norway (credit: Riviera Maritime Media)
AR is being developed for maritime applications and has been demonstrated on ship bridges and remote operating centres to deliver different levels of information to end-users. Although tugboat wheelhouses are smaller than those found in commercial shipping, AR could have applications to improve situation awareness for tug masters. Information can be delivered through projections on bridge windows, perhaps to provide accurate distance to an assisted ship and other hazards. Or this information could be displayed using specially designed spectacles. Rolls-Royce is using AR technology in
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
its remote operating centre demonstrator in Svitzer’s offices in Copenhagen, Denmark (see page 41). This involves presenting additional information on the route that the tug is heading and about the nearby hazards. Another application for AR is in training simulators. It can be combined with virtual reality and 3D visual technology to improve the simulation of real-life events. Transas already has 3D visuals in its tug training simulator and Videotel is developing virtual reality for training ship engineers. Offshore Simulator Centre (OSC) has demonstrated how simulation can be enhanced
through AR at its facilities in Ålesund, Norway, which Tug Technology & Business visited in November 2017. AR tools can also be used for providing real-time analysis to towage operations and advice to vessel operators. At that time, OSC chief executive Joel Mills said AR extends the boundaries of simulation so that users can monitor live operations remotely and provide advice on complex operations. “The realm of augmented tools take us in new directions and open more doors to give operators advantages over real life,” he said. For example, AR tools could indicate stresses on lifting and mooring lines.
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TECHNOLOGY TRENDS | 39
Smart marine ecosystems
Wärtsilä predicts a future of smart marine ecosystems around ports
Port operations are becoming more integrated, with tug operations being further interconnected with ship arrivals and departures and quayside activities. In the future this will become more advanced as smart ecosystems are introduced. This involves more automatic management of tugs and pilots to become better optimised to the requirements of ship escort and manoeuvring in ports. Tugs will be positioned in advance of ship arrivals, which will be timed for the period when quayside facilities are available. It will mean tugs will be increasingly integrated with terminal and port operations. Wärtsilä Marine Solutions revealed its own smart marine ecosystem vision in November 2017. It intends to orchestrate developments in e-navigation, ship and port optimisation, industry digitalisation and vessel remote management to bring this vision into reality. At the launch event, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions president Roger Holm said harnessing this technology would lead to operational benefits to all shipping. He expects the opportunities offered through smart technology “will foster a new era of collaboration and knowledge sharing with shipowners, suppliers and partners”. This will involve elements of ship-to-
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port communications, real-time system monitoring, intelligent navigation, smart ports and vessel remote control. Mr Holm expects smart ports will result in smoother and faster port operations. Wärtsilä Marine Solutions director for strategy and business development Mauro Sacchi said at the seminar that the route to smart marine ecosystems would also include the opening of digital acceleration centres, such as the ones opened in 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, and in Singapore. Wärtsilä plans to open more digital acceleration centres in 2018: one in Central Europe and the other in North America. One example of how a smart marine ecosystem could operate, albeit at a lower level of automatic management, is how Panama Canal Authority is optimising tug operations through a new planning and resource management platform. This was developed by Quintiq and brought online in 2017 (Tug Technology & Business, Q3 2017). Panama Canal Authority uses this to improve the management of its existing tug fleet and scheduling of shipments through the expanded canal. It has seen reductions in ship waiting times, better management of ship transits and of its towage assets, pilots and line handlers.
Industrial IoT Internet of things (IoT) is making inroads into commercial shipping for predicting failure of machinery and tracking containers. This has the potential to be extended into tugs and towage operations for condition monitoring, machinery tracking and optimised maintenance. There could be more accurate tracking of tugs and barge cargo as part of smart ports in the future. This is all enabled when sensors and machine-to-machine communications are deployed on tug systems. Various parameters can be measured and data transmitted to a central storage server for analysis. Tug operators can use this data to produce machinery performance and condition information and predict failures. Caterpillar Marine’s asset intelligence branch has developed methods of doing this analysis from its own onboard machinery. Caterpillar asset intelligence business development manager Bert Ritscher expects operators of harbour tugs could save more than US$230,000 in annual operating expenditure by using this analysis to “prevent equipment failures, reduce fuel costs and optimise maintenance”. He explained that analysis of data enables Caterpillar to identify issues, such as fuel leakages or fuel pump problems, and identify the root causes of machinery problems. “We can avoid catastrophic engine breakdowns and safety issues,” he said, adding that “crew need to trust in this data analytics and act on advice”, for example to replace pumps before failure. Continued development of IoT technology using deep learning computers and highvolume data analytics on shore will deliver greater benefits for tug operators in 2018. There is also potential to improve cargo towage through enhanced tracking. TTB
Caterpillar can install sensors on its main tug engines for performance monitoring
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
A captain remotely controlled this Svitzer tug during a demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark (credit Riviera Maritime Media)
Svitzer tackles tug remote control challenges
F
urther developments in remote control of workboats, including tugs, are expected to come in 2018 as technology providers, such as RollsRoyce, Wärtsilä and Navtor, want to progress beyond their initial pilot projects. In 2017, Rolls-Royce collaborated with Danish tug owner Svitzer to develop a method of controlling a harbour tug from a remote control room. Tug Technology & Business witnessed this in action in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 16 November 2017 when a tug master successfully controlled the 2016-built terminal tug Svitzer Hermod from a shore-based operations centre in Svitzer’s offices. He was able to manoeuvre the Sanmar-built tug using a Rolls-Royce dynamic positioning (DP) system on the vessel and could visualise the environment around the tug through 120˚ of screens that displayed live camera footage that was augmented with a range of navigational and situation awareness information. All of the tug handling and display controls were accessible from the controller’s chair. One significant difference from controlling the vessel from the bridge was that the tug
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
operator was not able to feel any of the sensations of being in control. However, according to Svitzer group technical and innovation manager Thomas Bangslund, this will be added in a second phase of testing for the remote control technology. “We will be introducing sensory elements, such as noise and vibration into the remote operating centre,” he told Tug Technology & Business, by “adding more augmented reality to provide better information to the operator.” Svitzer and Rolls-Royce added sensors on Svitzer Hermod to deliver navigation and situation awareness information to the controller. This included adding Lidar laser scanning, multiple cameras, night-vision thermal cameras, DP radar-scan, multiple mobile phone network transceivers and satellite communications. This was on top of the existing Furuno radar and ECDIS feeds that are transmitted directly from the tug over various 3G and 4G cellular connections to the control room. Svitzer Hermod also has two Global Xpress Ka-band antennas, supplied by Cobham Satcom, for communications when the tug is outside the mobile phone networks. There are also motion
Rolls-Royce and Svitzer demonstrated technologies for remotely controlling tugs, while Wärtsilä and Navtor trialled this on other workboats
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TECHNOLOGY TRENDS | 41
reference units and GPS for the DP system. Mr Bangslund expects there will be further technology demonstrations in 2018 as Svitzer uses its experience to enhance operations across the fleet. He explained that technology could be used for resting seafarers while a tug is sailing between different countries and ports, adding “we can have a rested crew when the tug arrives on site”. The augmented reality developed for the remote control room could also be used on vessel bridges of tugs to deliver more information to masters. The camera technology could be adapted for bridge use to assist in navigation and towing, while thermal cameras enhance fire-fighting capabilities. Mr Bangslund explained that data from tug operations could be used to improve the performance of captains – using data from the motion reference unit in the engineroom combined with towage operating data to provide advice to masters. Other operational data can also be used to help captains improve the performance of tugs. Svitzer chief operating officer Leonardo Sonzio said some of the technology achievements from these tests will benefit tug operations by improving efficiency, reliability and safety and speed of port turnarounds. However, there needs to be more validation “before we decide to go for the next step on our exploratory journey,” he said. “We will extract the benefits for existing operations, such as developing better situational awareness,” he explained in a presentation. Another benefit could be reducing workloads on tug crews, he said, “which means higher activity levels and throughput in ports, which would be a practical benefit for our customers”. Mr Sonzio expects any validated technology could be disseminated throughout the Maersk Group – of which Svitzer is a member – such as improving situation awareness through augmented reality on Maersk Line’s container ships. However, he thinks cyber security, insurance and a business case need to be in place before Svitzer will invest in implementing remote tug operations on a commercial basis. Rolls-Royce Marine's senior vice president for concepts, innovation and digital systems, Oskar Levander, expects remote control technology could lead to the development of autonomous tugs. But there are technical challenges still to be overcome. “We have demonstrated the situation awareness for navigation and operations for ship assistance,” he said in November 2017, “but how do we autonomously hook up ropes?” He expects developments in robotics will provide the technology for handling mooring ropes remotely.
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Workboat trials
Vessel remote control technologies were tested by Wärtsilä Marine Solutions in August 2017, when an operator in San Diego, USA, manoeuvred a platform supply vessel in the North Sea. GulfMark Offshore’s Highland Chieftain, which had a Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum package for navigation, automation and DP, was controlled from the California office. Additional software was temporarily added to the vessel’s DP system to route data over its satellite broadband link to the remote workstation. From there, the controller was able to sail the vessel through a sequence of manoeuvres during the four-hour test using a combination of DP and manual joystick control. This technology could be used on tugs that have DP control systems on board. Wärtsilä Marine Solutions president Roger Holm expects more remote control and position prediction technologies will come from the company’s smart marine programme. He said other technologies that could come from this strategy include e-navigation, smart vessel operations, greater data analytics, optimised energy management and faster port operations. He added that Wärtsilä was committed to developing this technology further, hinting that there would be further tests in 2018. In another research project, Navtor remotely controlled a pilot vessel in a German port in November 2017. It was working with CyberPhysical Systems Engineering (CPSE) Labs, which is an EU-funded consortium of partners that are researching cloud-based technologies across different sectors. A Navtor team controlled the vessel from a shore-based bridge and successfully tested route planning, voyage monitoring and transferring safety-critical navigation functions from the vessel to shore. To achieve this, Navtor set up a desktop of three e-navigation displays – ECDIS, a conning station and its own NavStation – along with a wall of displays showing an overview of surrounding vessels and camera views of outside the vessel. All of the information between the vessel and the shore was communicated through mobile phone 3G or 4G networks. A first step during this test was a safety check on ECDIS before the navigator on board the test vessel sailed it out of port. Once in open water, he handed control to the shore-based bridge, where its voyage was monitored using a camera feed and the vessel was controlled using the NavStation. During the test, the vessel was heading towards a collision with a buoy. The shore-based operator controlled the vessel around the hazard using a touchscreen workstation. TTB
“We will extract the benefits for existing operations, such as developing better situational awareness”
SVITZER HERMOD PARTICULARS Type: Builder: Built:
Terminal tug Sanmar 2016
Designer:
Robert Allan
Design:
RAstar 2800
Length, oa:
28.2 m
Beam, mld:
12 m
Bollard pull:
70 tonnes
Maximum speed:
13.5 knots
Engines:
2x MTU 16V4000 M63 diesel
Thrusters:
Generators:
Schottel SRP 460 FP Z-drive Cat 4.4
Battery backup:
Eaton
Switchboard:
Elkom
Bridge systems:
Furuno
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
42 | PROPULSION
Engines revealed to meet EPA Tier 4 requirements Engine manufacturers have unveiled new engines that meet US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 and 4 standards on emissions
E
ngine manufacturers have reacted to the US government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements by introducing cleaner models for workboats, including tugs. These standards were introduced to minimise emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates from marine engines. Cummins revealed its QSK38 Tier 4 marine engine, which can be paired with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that removes NOx emissions. This is based on the QSK38 Tier 3 marine engine, which is a V-12 four-stroke diesel engine with turbocharger and aftercooler. It has a displacement of 38 litres and a high-pressure common rail fuel system.
The variable speed of the QSK38-M1 model has a power output from 746 kW at 1,800 rpm up to 1,044 kW at 1,900 rpm. The fixed speed QSK38DM1 is available in a series that has an output range of 984 kW at 1,500 rpm to 1,044 kW at 1,800 rpm. The cooling system on these engines includes two pumps and two loops and a mounted titanium plate heat exchanger. The air system includes a turbocharger and a mounted (or a remote) marine-grade air cleaner with a replaceable canister. QSK38 engines have 24 V Quantum System electronics that monitor operating parameters and provide diagnostics and prognostics. Cummins said that, with the Tier 4 version of QSK38, there
Cummins QSK38-M1 engine series has a power output from 746 kW at 1,800 rpm up to 1,044 kW at 1,900 rpm (credit: Riviera Maritime Media)
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
would be flexibility in the SCR arrangement and that this system comes with sensors for monitoring its performance. This enables the volume of urea that is injected into the SCR to neutralise the NOx emissions to be controlled, ensuring there is no waste. Cummins executive director for global marine business Jim Schacht said in a statement that QSK38 Tier 4 will have “lower emissions and extended warranty coverage”. It will be available for installation on newbuild projects from 2019. GE Transportation has developed a medium-speed engine that meets EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III requirements. It uses a non-urea solution to minimise emissions on workboats, including tugboats and offshore support vessels. GE senior global communications leader Amy Magee said these engines have been specified “into several articulating tug-barge projects because they fit the power node, footprint and design simplicity”. She told Tug Technology & Business that Tier III GET marine engines were supplied for tug projects in central Europe, Russia, the US and Turkey. Some of the vessel operators that have specified GET engines include Harvey Gulf, Basto Fosen, Weeks Marine, Crowley Maritime, Foss Young Brothers, Harley Marine and Reinauer Transportation. She added that the first Tier III engines for the Chinese
workboat market were recently commissioned by China Offshore Oil Engineering Corp with support of local distributor Yue On Shipping.
Tier 3 engines revealed John Deere has introduced a new PowerTech engine to its range that meets EPA Tier 3 and IMO Tier II standards. The PowerTech 4045 SFM 85 engine was designed for high-speed leisure craft, patrol vessels and light-duty commercial vessels. This is a 4.5 litre engine that can be configured to produce 205 kW at 2,600 rpm or 235 kW at 2,800 rpm. It uses a waste-gated turbocharger that provides high torque at low and middle rpm ranges, has replaceable cylinder liners, options for left- and right-hand oil filters, a low profile heat exchanger and water-cooled exhaust manifold. John Deere is seeking approval from ABS, Lloyd’s Register, DNV GL and Bureau Veritas for these engines. Yanmar Marine has introduced a new generation of common rail diesel engines that meet EPA Tier 3 and EU’s Tier 2 emission standards. Yanmar 3JH40 will be its smallest inboard four-stroke engine that the manufacturer said could be installed on light duty commercial craft. Weighing 192 kg and with 1,642 litre displacement, the engine can be operated by either standard mechanical cable controls or the Yanmar VC10 electronic control system. TTB
www.tugtechnologyandbusiness.com
PROPULSION | 43
Technology unveiled for cleaner and optimised tug propulsion Caterpillar revealed advanced variable drives, multi-engine optimiser and new engines that meet US Tier 4 and IMO III emission standards in Q4 2017
C
aterpillar Marine has developed variable drives for hybrid propulsion, a multi-engine optimising (MEO) tool and new engines for workboats with selective catalyst reduction (SCR) after-treatment technology. It has developed an advanced variable drive (AVD) as a patented device that optimises engine performance and can be used with a fully integrated hydro-mechanical propulsion system. Caterpillar is working in collaboration with Sanmar Shipyards in Istanbul, Turkey, to build an innovative tugboat with a hydraulic hybrid propulsion system that includes AVD and other Caterpillar engines and thrusters. AVD incorporates a planetary gear set that enables seamless clutch engagement of either main engines, auxiliary engines or both. It can be scaled for power installations across a range of maximum vessel speeds, powers and bollard pulls. Caterpillar Marine product definition engineer Nathan Kelly explained its benefits at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans in November 2017. He said that AVD allows propellers to rotate at speeds that are independent of engine speed “so optimal engine efficiency can be achieved leading to fuel savings of 15%20%”. This gives “all the benefits of a variable speed diesel-electric propulsion system at a fraction of the cost and size,” he added. Because AVD can accommodate multiple configurations, auxiliary engines or electric motors can be used for low-load and transit operations, reducing the use of a tug’s main engines. For more powerful operations, auxiliary engines can provide supplementary power via the AVD, allowing designers to reduce the size of main engines and incorporate more redundancy into tug propulsion. Sanmar has developed a hydraulic hybrid tug using a Robert Allan RAmparts 2400SX harbour tug design and Caterpillar systems. These include CAT 3512 main engines, a C32 auxiliary engine, Caterpillar
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MTA 627 fixed pitch thrusters and an AVD system. Multi-engine systems can be optimised using Caterpillar’s new MEO tool. This was introduced in November 2017 at the Europort exhibition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. MEO is loaded with optimised test data that is used to operate a vessel’s various engines in combination to achieve their optimum performance. MEO uses proprietary performance data and patented control algorithms to provide intelligence to advise power-management systems on which engines to operate, said Caterpillar Marine product manager Dra Wiersema. It enables the use of dynamic asymmetric loads to drive a combination of engines and loads to create the lowest possible fuel consumption. “MEO allows users to use variable-speed and constant-speed generators on a single bus,” he told Tug Technology & Business. “This means that they can leverage the low-load advantages of variable speed with the high-load advantages of constant speed.” The MEO’s simulation tool then allows operators to view the fuel consumption of any combination of power sources. The system has been tested on a number of vessels and has shown fuel economy savings of between 5% and more than 15%, said Mr Wiersema, depending on the engineroom configuration and vessel load profile. By mixing and matching engines and independent load points, he said that MEO allows engines to provide power at their most efficient point. MEO would be most useful for vessels that work with significantly differentiated load characteristics, such as tugs. It can also be used as a design tool. By using an estimate of a proposed vessel’s load profile, MEO can help to design an engineroom that best meets the end-user’s requirements. In January 2018, Caterpillar opened its orderbook for C32 marine propulsion engines, which meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 and IMO III emission standards. These engines feature SCR after-treatment technology with closed loop NOx sensing and applications that optimise their performance. These engines are available with ratings from 750 kW at 1,600-1,800 rpm to 1,080 kW at 2,050-2,150 rpm. They have an optimised turbocharged air system that provides increased back pressure and enables designers to reduce the size of SCRs. TTB
MEO will enable tug operators to optimise loads on multiple engine insallations, such as this one (credit: Riviera Maritime Media)
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
44 | CLASSIFICATION
Bureau Veritas classed dual-fuel Audax, which operates at Statoil's LNG plant in Norway (credit: Astilleros Gondán)
TUG INNOVATIONS DRIVE CLASS RULE DEVELOPMENTS
B
ureau Veritas (BV) issued new rules for the classification of tugs and offshore support vessels in August 2017 to accommodate developments in design technology and to improve both safety and environmental protection. By updating its rules and guidelines, the classification society aimed to ensure that new designs and technologies will be safely and efficiently implemented on BV-classed vessels. Its latest rules revision for tugs “demonstrates how BV is keeping up with towing industry requirements to address the specific features of novel
Bureau Veritas’ global leader for tugs and offshore vessels Eva Peño explains the latest regulatory and technical developments that are influencing new tug class rules
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
designs,” said BV global market leader for tugs and offshore support vessels Eva Peño. BV’s new rules include service notations for escort tugs that indicate the design values of bollard pull, steering/ braking force and speed. They also include notations for restricted operations that are applied to harbour tugs and coastal tugs. She explained to Tug Technology & Business how the revised rules enable BV to class tugs with different towage and engineroom technology. For example, BV has classed two Carrousel Rave tugs built for Multraship Towage & Salvage
by Damen Shipyards in 2017. These tugs – Multratug 32 and Multratug 33 – each have a carrousel towing system that enables the towing line to swivel 360˚ around the tug. In this case, Ms Peño said new rules enable specific issues to be addressed, including “helping to ensure that the tugs’ escorting performance targets are achievable while remaining within the safety limits”. This means BV is helping to protect the environment by avoiding towage accidents, she said. BV is helping the towage industry reduce its environmental footprint by turning to alternative fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). This is increasingly important as international regulations become ever-more stringent, said Ms Peño, therefore the society has developed class rules and risk management tools that enable the safe use of clean energy sources and hybrid-electric propulsion systems. While the advantages of LNG as a fuel include
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CLASSIFICATION | 45
reductions in SO2, NOx and particulates, there are safety risks that have to be properly addressed. Among these, Ms Peño includes the identification of hazardous areas, storage of tanks and gas handling equipment as the principal risks. She added that BV has the largest share of the classification market for gas-fuelled vessels. “We have experience across many ship types, containment systems, bunkering systems and port conditions,” she said. Safety and emission mitigation measures agreed by IMO and adopted in the IGF Code (International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint fuels) are fully incorporated in BV rules. This is one reason that has been given for why Østensjø Rederi turned to BV to class three dual-fuelled tugs designed by Robert Allan and built by Astilleros Gondán in Spain in 2017. Because of their innovative LNG fuel and storage systems, and their design for Arctic operations, Dux, Pax and Audax were named Tug Technology and Business’ Tug of the Year 2017 (Tug Technology & Business, Q4 2017) “A further example of innovation in eco-friendly propulsion systems is the potential to combine energy storage and energy management systems to provide efficient means to optimise performance across operational modes,” said Ms Peño. Peak power demand can be covered by batteries instead of starting another engine. In addition, “DC grids allow generators to run at variable speeds depending on the power demand,” she explained. “As a result, the system will be able to operate optimally while reducing emissions and fuel consumption,” Ms Peño said, adding that a further benefit is that comfort on board tugs is improved due to a reduction in noise and
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vibration levels. BV introduced the ElectricHybrid notation in 2017 to addresses the complexity of these systems. It defines “requirements for storage, power distribution, control and instrumentation and the tests that must be carried out,” she said. Based on these new rules, an approval in principle was granted to Wärtsilä for its HYTug hybrid tug design in 2017 (Tug Technology & Business, Q3 2017).
A digital future
Ms Peño expects the future of tug design and operations will be driven by the maritime industry’s digital transformation, with increased use of computerised systems and smart fleet management. She expects connected vessels that are equipped with smart sensors “will enable inspections and maintenance
based on continuous condition monitoring instead of inspection at fixed intervals”. BV introduced a planned maintenance survey system as a result of this drive. It prevents the “too soon, too early risks of the traditional preventive approach and reduces the consequential additional costs due to downtime and unplanned maintenance,” said Ms Peño. Increased connectivity means tug operators need to address the associated cyber risks by improving security, she added. To manage these risks, BV is able to identify, analyse, and assess threats and certify that the appropriate mitigation measures have been implemented to ensure a safe transfer of data between vessels and onshore support centres. As a part of the digital transformation, systems on board, including those essential to safety, are
Snapshot CV: Eva Peño Eva Peño is the global market leader for tugs and offshore support vessels at Bureau Veritas. She is a member of the commercial department team and leads its international business development activities. She is driving the implementation of the key account strategy and steering development of new services and standards. Ms Peño joined Bureau Veritas in 2001 after obtaining a degree in nuclear technology from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales in Madrid, Spain. Since then, she has held various technical and project management positions in Madrid and Paris.
increasingly controlled by computerised systems. Ms Peño said that the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) acknowledged the need for having appropriate requirements to ensure that computerised systems fulfil their intended function at the required level of reliability and dependability. This was accomplished through IACS Unified Requirement E22 for ship computerised systems. BV has fully implemented these requirements in its rules and added new notations, such as HWIL (Hardware in the Loop), “to provide a comprehensive framework to safely and cost efficiently testing of control systems in a simulated environment,” she explained. An example of the offshore vessel sector moving towards digitalisation is the strategic partnership agreement between BV and Bourbon Offshore, which was signed in January 2018. The aim of this smart shipping programme is to develop and deploy automation and real-time fleet monitoring applications, said Ms Peño. This is “to optimise the safety and reliability of vessel operations and reduce operating expenditure”. Ms Peño expects that the expansion of computerised control systems and increasing levels of connectivity are pushing shipping towards operating autonomous vessels, including tugs. BV published guidelines for autonomous shipping in December 2017 to support and assist shipyards and owners to enhance the autonomy of vessels. It is probable that autonomous tugs will be developed in the future. “Tugs are a vessel type whose function, operational parameters and cost base may be well suited to autonomous operations,” said Ms Peño. “At BV we are ready to take it to the next level.” TTB
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
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ONBOARD EQUIPMENT | 47
New connector will transform towing Lankonect was tested in European ports, including Antwerp and Rotterdam
Lankhorst Ropes conducted what it called vigorous trials with its new Lankonect synthetic fibre rope connection before introducing it commercially to the towage industry.
L
ankhorst’s Lankonect connection device was tested with several tug operators, including Smit Lamnalco and Multraship Towage & Salvage. Lankonect replaces a conventional cow hitch, shackle or similar hardware for quicker and safer tug operations and towing. This is time-consuming to connect on site and there is a risk of a break in the main line and forerunner from over-pulling. Instead of this, tug operators only need a Lankonect as it removes all of this hardware, the manufacturer said in a statement in January. Lankhorst commercial director Hans-Pieter Baaij sees this as a new approach to tow line assembly. He described it as “a significant breakthrough” because “tug operators can now configure their tow lines to maximise the tow, yet reduce the risks of costly damage to the line itself.” But, before Lankonect could be commercialised, it needed to be tested in various conditions, on different tugs and in multiple ports. In 2017, durability tests were conducted in many western European ports, including Rotterdam and Antwerp, said Lankhorst
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product area manager Jacco van Snippenberg. He told Tug Technology & Business that before the port trials, tests “based on actual harbour towing job scenarios” were conducted in Lankhorst’s own facilities. Multraship Towage & Salvage superintendent Andries Looijen said the economic benefits were identified during the trials. He said Lankonect removes the need for having a lashing between the main line and the forerunner. “To replace one of these ropes we had to cut the lashing, but with Lankonect this is not necessary anymore,” he explained. Smit Lamnalco procurement manager Jan Busscher highlighted that the safety benefits of Lankonect were clearly visible, adding that the “ease of use and thus indirectly the safety for the crew is striking”. Towing masters can set a calculated breaking force for the tow line configuration. They can then set Lankonect to be either the strongest connection or a calculated weak link in the towline configuration. This minimises the chance of damaging other components, such as the towing bit and winch on board the tugboat or the ship’s bollard or other lines in the towing configuration. Lankhorst said Lankonect works with a wide range of synthetic materials including lightweight, high strength Dyneema (which is used for its Lankoforce rope) and polyester (used in its Strongline rope). It has a greater range of connection options than for traditional tow line configurations, Lankhorst said, reporting that the small Lankonect knot provides smoother line movement, as well as easier handling, compared to a conventional and large bulky knot. TTB
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
48 | ONBOARD EQUIPMENT
Renewed pump range offers increased performance G
ianneschi has renewed its Gigetta pump series to increase its performance and range. The Italy-based manufacturer has updated these dual-impeller pumps, which are used on tugs and workboats for fire-fighting, bilge and ballast pumping. Gigetta pumps have two stages that, as Gianneschi head of business development Alessandro Gianneschi explained, combine centrifugal impeller characteristics, such as high dynamic fluid efficiency, with a special helical impeller profile that is designed for quick priming. All the components are made from high quality bronze and stainless steel, which provide high levels of resistance against corrosion, he told Tug Technology & Business. Gigetta’s helical impeller profile means there is no need for external priming, such as using ejectors or vacuum pumps, the company’s literature notes. This pump series comes with a double oil bath seal system that avoids dry running of the seals during the priming time. Gianneschi also supplies self-priming centrifugal pumps, in three models – BMA-S, BMA-M and BMA-G – to tug and workboat newbuilding projects. BMA-S provides a large water flow from low power levels for applications, such as fire-fighting and bilge or ballast water pumping, or for fresh water washing and circulation requirements.
Gianneschi has upgraded its series of Gigetta pumps and increased its range of other pumps and fans for tugs and workboats
Gigetta is a dual-impeller pump that is designed for quick priming
BMA-M has a macerator and centrifugal impeller combined with a cutting unit, which makes the pump ideal for discharged water with fibrous material, said Mr Gianneschi. This pump can be used for waste and sewage water handling and treatment, even with suspended solid particles. BMA-G comes with an anti-clogging system. It is designed for discharge water handling and is suitable for slightly loaded grey water and waste and sewage water. All models are made
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
in bronze and stainless steel AISI630 that make them ideal to resist to corrosion and wear, said Mr Gianneschi.
Air conditioning
Gianneschi also designs and manufactures bronze pumps that are suitable for air conditioning and circulation systems. These pumps are able to maintain steady conditions of cooling water throughout the system, Mr Gianneschi explained. Centrifugal pumps in its CB series are compatible
and resistant to seawater. For example, the CB 22 bronze pump is a centrifugal type with an open impeller designed for quiet operations and low power consumption, which means it is suitable for air conditioning and circulation systems. This product range includes stainless steel AISI 316L water heaters that have a capacity from 22 to 2,000 litres. Their internal surfaces are subjected to twin chemical pickling and passivation treatment after their fully automatic welding process, said Mr Gianneschi. Thay have a 30%-50% higher thickness than the market average, he explained, adding that the welding process ensures the pump water heater is resistant to corrosion. Gianneschi also produces a blower range for workboats. ELL Helicoidal blowers are designed to generate high airflows at low pressures and can be installed horizontally, which adds flexibility to installation and operations. Mr Gianneschi said these can also come with variable pitch blades and centrifugal fan types for different configurations. The product range includes stainless steel smoke damper and an approved fire damper, which are made in stainless steel AISI 304 or AISI 316. Gianneschi was founded in 1969 by Luigi Gianneschi to manufacture pumps, water pressure systems, engine pumps, blowers, fire dampers and boilers. TTB
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50 | BEST OF THE WEB
BEST OF THE WEB
tugtechnologyandbusiness.com
Hybrid propulsion for new container terminal tug Rolls-Royce is supplying its first hybrid propulsion system to a tugboat with a deal to manufacture a unit for a new vessel being built in the US. This will be installed on the first hybrid tug designed by Jensen Maritime. Baydelta Maritime has ordered a Deltaclass harbour tug with Rolls-Royce systems from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. It will be built and deployed on the US West Coast to escort and assist a new generation of ultra-large container ships. This 33 m tug will have bollard pull of up to 90 tonnes, delivered by a set of RollsRoyce US255 azimuth thrusters, which will have ducted fixed pitch propellers that can be rotated 360˚ around the vertical axis. Rolls-Royce will supply all electric motors, shaft generators and a power management and control system.
Rolls-Royce is supplying a hybrid propulsion package to a new tug, which is similar to this one, being built for Baydelta Maritime
http://bit.ly/TTB_RRhybrid
Opinion: will Kirby’s deal trigger consolidation in US towage?
was seven years, while the average age of the towboats was eight years.
Kirby Corp’s acquisition of rival tug operator Higman Marine and its affiliated companies could start a period of consolidation in the sector. Kirby announced its intention to purchase Higman Marine in a US$419M deal on 2 February. Its management sees this deal as an alternative to ordering newbuildings in 2018 and a way to build the fleet ready for an upturn in the inland towage market. Through this deal, Kirby will gain a marine transportation fleet of 75 inland towboats and 159 inland tank barges, with a total capacity of 4.8M barrels. This cash acquisition could be completed by the end of March if the customary closing conditions are met. Around 80% of this fleet of 30,000-barrel tank barges transports clean products and the rest carries black oil, said Kirby president and chief executive David Grzebinski. He added that the average age of the barge fleet
http://bit.ly/TTBHigmanKirby
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
Coast Guard organised a search and a 15 m response vessel was launched. The body was recovered on 19 January. http://bit.ly/TTBfour
Four dead in tugboat accidents At least four people died in two separate tugboat accidents in North America in January. An explosion on 1955-built tug William E. Strait on the Tennessee River killed three people and seriously injured several others. William E. Strait was at a shipyard outside Calvert City, Kentucky, for repairs when there was an explosion on 19 January that maimed yard employees and contractors. In another accident, a towboat master died when a 7 m vessel capsized during a towing operation in the estuary of the Pungo River in North Carolina. The US
Towage industry has until July to reach Subchapter M compliance US tug and towing operators are working through successive deadlines of the US administration’s Subchapter M regulations, which were initially introduced in 2016. Towing vessel operators have until 20 July 2018 to comply with the rules. Newbuilding towing vessels, with the keel laid on or after 20 July 2017, need to meet Subchapter M and obtain a certificate of inspection (COI) prior to operating. In an overview prepared for Tug Technology & Business, ABS operations co-ordinator for Subchapter M, Paul Hite,
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BEST OF THE WEB | 51
said that the US industry has been strongly engaged in discussing and implementing the Subchapter M regulations. With the keel-laying deadline for new vessels passed, shipyards that are building vessels subject to Subchapter M must now meet its requirements for design verification, he said. http://bit.ly/TTBSubC
Massive simulation and training facility opens in the Netherlands Simwave BV and Kongsberg Digital have completed the site acceptance test of one of the largest, most advanced maritime simulation suites ever delivered. Apart from eight K-Pos DP Basic dynamic positioning simulators, the facility also has a K-Sim Offshore simulator with Kongsberg K-Pos DP2 Class A and 360˚ field-of-view unit configured for tug and support vessel training. The successful acceptance test, which took place on 19 January 2017, means that the new Simwave Maritime Centre of Excellence in Barendrecht, Rotterdam, is now fully operational. http://bit.ly/TTBSimwave
Crowley restructures group into three business units Crowley Maritime Corp has restructured the group into three business units to grow its shipping, fuels, logistics and engineering solutions. It has moved all elements of vessel ownership, operations and management into Crowley Shipping, which will be run by general manager and senior vice president Rob Grune.
Crowley Shipping includes the tug and towage business that involves ship assist and escort services on the West Coast of North America. A second business unit, Crowley Fuels, which uses tugs to distribute fuel, will be managed by senior vice president Rocky Smith. Senior vice president and general manager Todd Busch will manage Crowley Solutions, which includes engineering and project management services, naval architecture and engineering through subsidiary Jensen Maritime. http://bit.ly/TTBCrowleyrestructure
UK releases draft oil spill standard for consultation On 8 January 2018, a draft version of the new UK National Standard for Marine Oil Spill Response Providers was published for consultation. The consultation will run for two months from 8 January 2018 to 9 March 2018. Through the implementation of a UK national standard, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy seek to ensure minimum standards are adhered to among providers of marine oil pollution response services. The UK standard will be applied by any accrediting body which submits a proposed scheme of accreditation. http://bit.ly/TTBoilUK
Opinion: Remember the debt owed to tugs Tugs are sent to emergency sites in all conditions to help rescue seafarers and
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Editor’s selection:
An integrated approach to tug expertise Tug Training & Consultancy (TTC) provides reasoning for investing in professional tug master training and using this to optimise port infrastructure.
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ships in distress. They also help prevent emergencies becoming disasters and protect marine environments. Crew on tugs are at the extreme of the elements, putting their own lives at risk to save others. It should be remembered how much shipping and global society relies on the competence of tug masters and crew. 2018 started with a high number of ship collisions and fatal accidents, particularly in congested waters off Asia. The worst of these accidents was the collision between Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal and Iranian tanker Sanchi in the East China Sea. This is an ongoing maritime disaster that will continue for months, while salvors tackle the source of the oil spillages and figure out how to raise the wreck. http://bit.ly/TTBdebt
IMO to improve mooring safety and ship stability IMO plans to introduce measures to improve the safety of ship mooring. It is revising guidance to support the safe use of equipment, such as winches, pulleys and mooring lines. These measures and other safety proposals were discussed by the sub-committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC). The sub-committee, meeting between 22-26 January, finalised revisions to SOLAS regulations covering safer ship mooring. IMO expects this to lead to a reduced risk of accidents and injury when ships are being secured at their berth in a port. There should also be positive ramifications to the safety for tugboat crews that handle mooring lines and equipment. http://bit.ly/TTBIMOmooring
To view more whitepapers visit the Knowledge Bank at www.tugtechnologyandbusiness.com To upload a whitepaper to the Knowledge Bank, please email Steve Edwards at steve.edwards@rivieramm.com
Editor’s comment:
Training tug masters to increase their nautical skill levels will enable them to interact with pilots on other vessels to improve communication and co-operation that will result in more efficient ship manoeuvring in port.
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
52 | TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
New workboat bridge electronics unveiled
S
ome of the latest bridge electronic devices for both workboat and leisure vessel sectors were revealed at the London Boat Show in January, which Tug Technology & Business attended. At that event, Garmin introduced its new range of electronic chart plotters, echosounders and multifunctional displays that now all have the ActiveCaptain application built in with new connectivity functions. This enables tug masters and mariners to access, update and purchase charts from Garmin’s OneChart online store. They can use the application for downloading navigational safety notices and creating their own charts and contours on existing electronic charts, using the Quickdraw function, said Garmin Europe technical sales executive Nick Meadow. Using ActiveCaptain, mariners can plan routes, transfer voyage plans and create waypoints. They can synchronise these between chart plotters and their own mobile devices, said Mr Meadow. They can also combine information from electronic charts, solid-state pulse compression radar and sonar on Garmin’s multifunctional displays. Garmin introduced new versions of its EchoMap Plus chart plotters, with touchscreens and wifi connectivity at the exhibition. These are compatible with Garmin’s ClearVu scanning sonar and
Garmin unveiled its new electronics including advanced multifunction displays at the London Boat Show in January 2018
Tug Technology & Business | 1st Quarter 2018
The latest wheelhouse electronics and communications for workboats, tugs and leisure craft were unveiled in January at the London Boat Show support Panoptix sonar transducers. They come preloaded with ActiveCaptain and BlueChart electronic charts. In addition, Garmin has integrated functions from other suppliers into its multifunctional displays under its OneHelm programme, including functions for controlling lighting, seakeeping stabilisers and Böning automation systems, said Mr Meadow. He told Tug Technology & Business that workboat operators use Garmin systems in combination with electronics from commercial suppliers such as Furuno and Japan Radio Co. At the exhibition, Icom introduced new marine radios and an automatic identification system (AIS) device. It presented the IC-M330GE marine transceiver with VHF radio communications, digital selective calling (DSC) and a GPS receiver. Icom also unveiled its IC-M85E marine transceiver with VHF radio, which uses personal mobile radio channels that are shared by multiple users. IC-M85E has a
voice scrambler for private conversation and emergency features including man-down and lone worker functions. Icom has also introduced the CB2000 AIS transponder unit that can transform its European marine radios, types IC-M506Euro and IC-M605Euro, into VHF radios with DSC functions and Class B AIS transponders.
On the radar
During the exhibition, Navico subsidiary Simrad introduced the NSO evo3 navigation system with integrated high-definition displays. These connect to GPS, autopilot and Simrad radar and echosounders. NSO evo3 are touchscreen displays with screen-split functions and iMX6 quad-core processors for rapid chart updates. NSO evo3 can be connected to Simrad Halo radar and S5100 sounder modules for forward-looking and 3D sonar imaging. They can be used for route planning and execution, collision avoidance and vessel system control. Displays are available in 16-in, 19-in and 24-in models. For workboats and commercial ships, Furuno Electric introduced a new series of radar with advanced functions, such as improved clutter and noise reduction and faster target tracking than in its previous series. The FAR-2xx8 series has a solid state transceiver and an instant access bar on the display. This radar series uses automatic clutter elimination to detect and reduce radar reflections from sea and rain from being displayed on the screen. An updated interface contains shortcut menus for direct access to tasks that an operator would frequently use. In addition, this radar series acquires a target’s tracking data within a couple of seconds, which Furuno said adds to the situational awareness of the operator. TTB
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