Shipping and Marine Issue 104 Early Edition

ISSUE 104 EARLY

Shipping &MARINE

The magazine for maritime management

Remain

cautious Future power

Are battery and hybrid propulsion solutions viable propositions for ships?

The virtual port of Europe The e-Compliance project aims to reduce the burden of multiple regulatory sources

Ship operators and yacht owners must not dismiss piracy risk - it needs to be a paramount consideration

A matter of survival

Improved technology leads the way in the development of personal safety in marine operations

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Editor

ISSUE 104 EARLY

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

Tough decisions N

Shipping &MARinE

ThE mAgAzInE foR mARITImE mAnAgEmEnT

Remain

cautious

Ship operators and yacht owners must not dismiss piracy risk - it needs to be a paramount consideration

ovember started with some disturbing news for the UK

shipbuilding sector, when BAE Systems announced the

Future power

Are battery and hybrid propulsion solutions viable propositions for ships?

the virtuAl port of europe the e-Compliance project aims to reduce the burden of multiple regulatory sources

loss of a large number of jobs at its yards in Scotland

A mAtter of survivAl

Improved technology leads the way in the development of personal safety in marine operations

and England and ended shipbuilding altogether at Portsmouth. It’s a decision that will have a multitude of long-term effects and I’d be

These problems are not going away, and need to remain high on the agenda for ship owners and operators

keen to hear how it has affected your business.

There was a little bright light announced at the same time, in that the MoD plans to commission three new ocean-going Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Royal Navy, which will be built by BAE Systems at their shipyards on the Clyde.

These vessels will play a key role in counter-terrorism, counterpiracy and anti smuggling operations and as the article on page 16 highlights, these problems are not going away, and need to remain high on the agenda for ship owners and operators.

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Editor Libbie Hammond

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Contents PROFILES

FEATURES

23 UK dredging

3 News

28 sunseeker

Updates and announcements from the shipping and maritime arena

32 DORIAN LPG 35 ELBOIL

8 Future power

38 SOLENT STEVEDORES

Are battery or hybrid propulsion systems really the future for ships?

41 SYNERGY GROUP 45 PENDENNIS 48 PORT OF AVEIRO, portugal 51 OILTANKING STOLTHAVEN antwerp 54 LINGENHรถLE TECHNOLOGIE 56 TTS PORT EQUIPMENT 58 GUIDANCE NAVIGATION 60 SANMAR SHIPPING 62 ASSENS SHIPYARD 65 BUFFALO MARINE SERVICE 68 POST WORKBOATS 71 COMBI NOORD

23

8 10 The virtual port of Europe e-Compliance, a project launched by the EC, aims to unify regulatory information

12 An alternative model A breakthrough asset tracking solution is transforming productivity in the container market

14 A matter of survival Improved technology is leading the way in personal safety at sea with the use of AIS

48

65

16 Remain cautious Phillip Cable takes a look at the current risks of piracy across the world

18 Smooth running Paint manufacturers are feeling the pressure to help ship owners reduce fuel consumption

20 Foreword The UKMPG represents the interests and concerns of its members to policy makers and opinion formers

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Cutting edge technology Peel Ports, the second largest Port group in the UK, has announced the introduction of the latest Navis N4 terminal operation system (TOS) which will allow it to streamline operations and align customer experience across eight terminal sites in the UK and Ireland.

Navis is the global technology standard for managing the movement of cargo through terminals and the N4 technology will be used by Peel Ports to integrate all of its container terminals enabling it to standardise operations and enhance customer service.

The driving force behind the investment is the £300 million development of Liverpool2, which will serve as the enabling platform from which the group will standardise and centralise its

TOS. Starting with Liverpool2 and the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal at Port of Liverpool, the N4 technology will be rolled out across all terminals, over the next three to four years.

David Huck, port director at Peel Ports, said: “We were ready as a group for this performance enhancing technology as we are committed to delivering a world-class customer service.

“We operate in an increasingly competitive market and understand that in order to continue growing our business, we need to continue to invest in our customers. Full integration of the terminal operating technology is an essential part of this process.

“Using N4 will have a genuinely transformative effect on customer experience and will undoubtedly deliver logistics solutions of real value.”

Open for business On 7th November 2013, Britain’s brand new global shipping port welcomed its first scheduled vessel, the ‘MOL Caledon’ from South Africa. After more than a decade of planning and construction across three square miles of development, DP World London Gateway deep-sea port is now open, providing British exporters and importers with a more efficient way to ship globally, at less cost.

The first scheduled ship to dock at the port, operated by MOL Liner, received exports and delivered containers carrying a variety of cargo, including fruit and automotive parts, which will be distributed across the country. The MOL Caledon is part of the South African Europe Container Service (SAECS) which is made up of a consortium of shipping lines including MOL, Maersk, DAL and Safmarine.

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Simon Moore, CEO London Gateway, commented on the day: “We are pleased to be able to start our first scheduled services today. It’s taken many years of hard work to achieve this milestone, delivered on time and on budget. It’s a huge day for the team here, but we remain focused on delivering what we set out to achieve, reduced supply chain costs and more reliability for importers and exporters.”

The port is now operating with its first berth open. When fully developed, London Gateway will operate six berths, with a total of 24 quay cranes and will be able to handle 3.5 million TEU a year.

Thousands of new jobs have been created in the construction sector during the past ten years at the site. According to a study

by Oxford Economics, once fully operational, London Gateway will create 36,000 jobs and contribute £3.2bn to UK GDP annually.

News Eileen McLoughlin launched The latest general-purpose harbour tug built by Macduff Shipyards has been launched, powered by WaterMota supplied engines.

Eileen McLoughlin, owned and operated by John McLoughlin and Son (Shipping) Ltd of Larne and Belfast, is the sister ship to Sally McLoughlin which was built in 2009. Both tugs are powered by twin Doosan 4V222TIH engines, each 588KW @ 1800RPM continuous output driving twin screws - four blade 1850mm diameter propellers in fixed nozzles.

With a breadth of 6.2m and depth of 2.9m, Eileen McLoughlin has a transom stern and raked stem, with a centre skeg aft. She has been designed for towing, pushing, pilotage, plough dredging, surveying and lifting.

“Sally McLoughlin has proved to be very reliable as a general purpose tug boat and I’m confident Eileen McLoughlin will prove just as successful,” said WaterMota sales manager, Tony Fryer.

“Doosan engines are a popular choice for workboats due to their non-sophistication and lack of electronic controls. The engines are very dependable and fuel efficient - ideal for this market.”

Exciting project The first US flag vessel to be operated on liquefied natural gas (LNG) has had valves supplied by Sheffield-based Bestobell Valves, part of the President Engineering Group (PEGL).

Bestobell Valves supplied globe and check valves, as the company is a preferred supplier to Wärtsilä Gas Power Systems (GPS) that produced its LNGPac fuel system for the ship known as Harvey Energy. Bestobell has supplied cryogenic valves for five Harvey Gulf vessels, as part of Harvey Gulf International Marine’s ‘going green’ initiative.

Mark Henley, managing director of President Engineering Group, said: “It is very exciting to have supplied the first US flag vessel that will run primarily on LNG. Ship builders and owners are increasingly opting for fuel efficient LNG and this kind of vessel is a blueprint for the future of marine engineering.”

Bestobell’s LNG cryogenic valves are specifically designed for marine applications which includes the very important requirement for the valves to have firesafe properties, whereby all components must be able to withstand a minimum temperature of 925oC (as per the interim IGF code).

Tide power Alstom’s full-scale tidal device installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland, has now injected over 100MWh of electricity into the grid. This is a major milestone in the development of Alstom’s tidal stream device, which follows the earlier connection of the turbine to the grid and the progressive ramp up to full nominal power of 1MW over the past months.

“These successful milestones with Alstom’s tidal turbine are reinforcing our customer’s confidence in our technology and in our ability to propose a reliable machine to the market. With these tests Alstom is becoming one of the key stakeholders of the tidal stream market,” stated Alstom New Energies senior vicepresident Jacques Jamart.

The latest technical milestone is part of the ReDAPT testing programme, which aims at demonstrating the performance of the machine in different operational conditions. Thanks to the generation of 100MWh of electricity, it is building confidence in the endurance of the machine, and in its reliability. In addition, with autonomous runs without interruption, the machine has demonstrated its ability to efficiently operate independently.

Alstom’s tidal technology has unique technical characteristics, which minimise installation and maintenance costs: the buoyancy of the turbine enables the nacelle to be easily towed to and from the point of operation and attached to its pre-installed foundation. This reduces the time and costs needed to install or retrieve the turbine and avoids the need for specialist vessels and divers.

Massive savings possible The Switch, a Finnish manufacturer of permanent magnet generators and converters, has entered the marine and shipbuilding sector with the launch of its next-generation drive trains for energy efficient power generation and propulsion of merchant vessels.

Combining The Switch’s permanent magnet and frequency converter technology, this opens up allnew opportunities for hybrid propulsion systems in the shipping sector.

“Soaring fuel prices, global overcapacity and lower profit margins are forcing shipbuilders to rethink conventional power configurations. This has opened the way for advanced technologies that are revolutionising the way ships generate and use energy for the good of the environment. Our drive train technology is a game changing opportunity for hybrid propulsion systems, namely in the large merchant shipping sector, where two-stroke main engines are the preferred type of prime mover. It will enable ship owners to save up to €50,000 per month in fuel costs, which may add up to seven per cent more profit per year,” says president and CEO of The Switch Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen. www.shippingandmarine.co.uk - 5

Advantages over conventional solutions

Successful certification

Dynamic solution Paramarine software has been selected by Mojo Maritime Ltd. to support the design of a new dynamic positioning (DP) offshore construction vessel, the HF4, which will have applications for the tidal energy industry. Mojo Maritime Ltd specialise in marine operations, technical consultancy and project management for the offshore renewable energy sector.

The purpose of the HF4 is to reduce the installed cost of marine renewable energy devices to initiate industrialisation.

The vessel is designed to operate using dynamic positioning in currents up to ten knots, allowing a high degree of accessibility and improved productivity during the construction phases of tidal energy farms. It is capable of installing foundations, cables, subsea connectors and turbines in a wide range of conditions. The development of the vessel is being assisted by the Technology Strategy Board and the Mojo lead consortium involving Voith, DNV, Bauer and the University of Exeter.

Construction is planned to begin in 2014.

“We selected Paramarine because of its extensive functionality and track record in the offshore renewables industry. The parametric nature of Paramarine and its ability to handle novel shaped offshore structures means it is very useful for concept design. In addition the probabilistic damage stability analysis is necessary for the design of special purpose ships as employed in offshore construction where technical construction teams are working on vessels,” said Simon Hindley, naval architect, Mojo Maritime Ltd.

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SAACKE GmbH

Solace Global, the world’s most trusted provider of security in maritime, offshore and land-based environments, has announced its successful certification to ISO PAS 28007, Guidelines for Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs). Following its position on the working group, the company is one of the first to achieve the certification, which was developed in response to the demand for increased regulation of the security sector.

John Simmons, QSHE manager at Solace Global, comments: “Solace Global has long subscribed to the ISO system of certification which gives certain specific assurances to our clients, but also implies a wider ethos of commitment, maturity and responsibility.

“It takes time, money and resources to put effective quality, health & safety and environmental management systems in place that continually strive to improve a business. The introduction of ISO PAS 28007 specifies the requirements for a security management system and will in turn raise the bar for PMSCs and potentially make the selection process less time-consuming for clients.”

CEO, David Peach, added: “We are proud to have been instrumental in developing this standard and in helping to support our industry. Our reputation and that of our customers is paramount and our clients can feel confident and reassured in the knowledge that we are at the top of our game. Solace will continue to invest heavily in compliance systems and processes.”

Carl Büttner Shipmanagement GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen, specialising in the operation of oil and chemical tankers, has selected SAACKE GmbH for the implementation of an innovative exhaust gas purification system. In October this year, the SAACKE LMB Scrubber was installed in the four-year-old 140-metre long tanker MT Levana, with completion scheduled for November 2013. The new plant will pay for itself after about two years. The increasingly demanding exhaust gas emissions standards for sea travel make the refitting mandatory for the tanker company.

The SAACKE solution uses a patented ventilator unit, the so-called VentSep, as well as a desulfurizer and a special filter unit. By separating the soot using a dry process, 80 per cent of the fine particles are separated. The majority of the soot produced – which is up to 200 kilograms per day – thus doesn’t make it into the spray nozzle filter and is therefore not mixed in with the sludge, but instead collected in a dry way and disposed of or processed on shore. Ninety-nine per cent of the sulphur particles in the exhaust gas are filtered by a spray nozzle scrubber using an atomised water spray and a water cascade.

The exhaust gas purification system of SAACKE allows soot separation using a dry process and 99 per cent sulphur reduction. This avoids the usual production of sludge, which is difficult to process.

Date for the diary The third SMM Istanbul 2014 (26-27 February 2014) will be an opportunity for Europe, the Middle East, the Black and Caspian Sea regions to converge and unify in the historical and geographically important city of Istanbul. Turkey’s growth and rising importance as a global player in the maritime industry makes SMM Istanbul the ideal venue for boosting your network of international contacts with highranking representatives from the global and national maritime industry as well as regional shipyards.

The distinguished event has a new venue, which is situated at the five-star Green Park Pendik Hotel and Convention Centre. The close proximity to Tuzla shipyards, airports, and the ferry terminal means that SMM Istanbul 2014 will be perfectly situated to conduct business.

SMM Istanbul is aiming to be the maritime event of the year and the place to discuss promising new horizons, projects, industry news and developments and also offers the chance to present your products and services to companies and target groups from key maritime industries.

As part of SMM Istanbul 2014, the high-calibre conference features highly respected national and international speakers providing insights into the most important maritime topics affecting the industry today.

For more details visit: http://smm-istanbul.com.

News Excellence award

Maximum results

Fugro Seacore has collected the New Mechanical Product of the Year award for the WaveWalker 1 walking jack-up at this year’s British Engineering Excellence Awards (BEEAs).

WaveWalker is an innovative, eight-legged ‘walking’ jack-up barge (self-elevating work platform - SEWP) that was designed especially for marine operations in rough seas, surf zones, beaches and other intertidal locations where operation of traditional SEWPs is uneconomic. As well as operating safely whilst elevated, its bi-directional movement allows it to move and relocate without floating. Because the impact of sea conditions on operations is reduced, WaveWalker can considerably boost productivity in tasks such as geotechnical site investigations, drilling, trenching, pipeline and cable-laying, blasting and other marine and underwater work.

Fugro Seacore provided design and engineering expertise to create the jackup barge, which is owned and operated by WaveWalker BV, a joint venture between Fugro Seacore and Van Oord. In January this year WaveWalker 1 commenced its first project, where it undertook drilling and rock blasting works in the outer channel to the port of Suape in Brazil.

Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, is helping power plants, municipalities and manufacturers put the ocean to work with the new SEAMAXX Reverse Osmosis Elements, which help reduce the high amount of energy typically needed to create freshwater from saltwater.

While reverse osmosis is the most widely practiced desalination technology, The Pacific Institute estimates that seawater desalination averages about 15,000 kilowatts per hour per million gallons (3.96 kWh/m3) of water produced, making it one of the most energy-intensive, and therefore one of the most cost-intensive, water treatment processes available.

The enhanced membrane chemistry of SEAMAXX helps minimise pressure and energy consumption below any other existing seawater reverse osmosis product, and provides reliable, long-term permeate quality for single, double pass and interstaged desalination systems.

“Compared to generic low energy elements, SEAMAXX consumes up to ten per cent less energy and has less fouling at high operating flux,” said Veronica Garcia Molina, global desalination application development leader for Dow Water & Process Solutions. “SEAMAXX has typically demonstrated success in producing 99.7 per cent water purity, and is an excellent choice for applications treating medium to high total dissolved solids, brine treatment and high salinity brackish water.”

Fleet addition Stork Technical Services (Stork), the leading global provider of knowledge-based asset integrity management services for the oil and gas, chemical and power sectors is delighted to announce a further £2 million investment in its new daughter craft The Edradour.

The Edradour was delivered to the Subsea division in late November and will provide additional operational support to meet the expanding needs of Stork’s diving operations as well as complementing its existing fleet; daughter craft, the Aberlour, a mother vessel, the SIEM Stork, and three dive intervention craft.

Roddy James, SVP of Stork Technical Subsea, said: “We are very pleased to welcome The Edradour to our fleet. The shared design specification allows compatibility with our existing launch and recovery system and will bring familiarisation to all our crews resulting in a greater safety recovery and efficiency in our diving operations.”

In addition, The Edradour has additional lifting capability for four point lifting, providing vessel crane launch and recovery capabilities and increased generator capacity - resulting in greater ROV and electrical equipment capacity.

Built in Brazil DNV GL is to class two pipe laying vessels at the new Vard Promar yard in Brazil. The two pipe laying vessels (PLSVs) are to be built at the brand new Vard Promar yard in Recife, in the north east of Brazil. The order is part of four OSVs by DOF/ Norskan and Technip, important customers for Vard. The other two of these vessels are to be built in Norway, also to DNV class.

The new Vard Promar yard represents a significant expansion of Brazil’s shipbuilding capability, as more yards will be built outside of Rio de Janeiro. At 340 tons, the Brazilian built vessels will be among the most complex vessels ever constructed in Brazil.

Competence, capacity and speed are crucial elements for Brazilian yards’ ability to deliver quality ships faster: “Building these specialised ships represents a great challenge: develop a design, build, test and deliver these two pipe layers in Brazil. When we combine DNV GL’s experience, systematic approach and people with the pioneering spirit of Vard Promar, we can deal with this challenge,” says A. S. David, VARD Promar’s project manager for the pipe layers project.

The new designs have been developed in close co-operation with DOF and Technip. The Norwegian built vessels will carry pipe lay towers rated at 650 tons, among the largest ever in the industry.

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BATTERY POWER

Future power Battery and hybrid propulsion - Bjørn-Johan Vartdal & Martin Crawford-Brunt ask if this is a viable future for ships?

T

he advances in battery technologies and the commercialisation of electric and hybrid cars, has led the maritime industry to question whether these propulsion solutions make sense for ships.

Performance benefits, fuel savings and emissions reduction is being weighed against capital investments, practicality and limitations in range and safety. Given an ageing ferry fleet and a large group of specialised vessels serving both the oil and gas and offshore renewables industry DNV expects hybrid/battery power will be selected by more operators in the UK to reduce emissions, aid compliance and lower the cost of operation.

supply vessel can have a payback period of less than two years.

In addition, one pure battery or hybrid ship may contribute to reductions in emissions similar to emissions from thousands of cars. Pure battery or hybrid systems for relevant ship types therefore clearly make sense.

International shipping is facing challenges with escalating fuel prices, stricter environmental regulations and very low day rates caused by overcapacity in most segments. It’s during tough times that innovation is most important and also more efficient, as the purpose and goals become so much clearer.

Cost benefit

A pure battery ship will be subject to the same range constraints as an electric car, even if space and weight constraints are not as strict. The distance it can travel before the battery needs recharging will therefore be limited, making the availability of charging infrastructure a key factor. Battery technologies restricted the application to ships operating over short distances between fixed locations. In such conditions, however, it is now becoming a reality.

The capital costs related to pure battery or hybrid systems for cars is naturally significantly less than for ships, however in spite of higher capital cost for ships the payback time may be considerably less for a ship due to the much higher energy requirement.

Estimates show that whereas a hybrid car may not pay back the additional investment within its lifetime, a hybrid offshore

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Battery propulsion

As a result of a contest between various technical solutions, organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and facilitated by DNV, the first pure batterydriven ship, a ferry, will go into operation on the route between

power system depends on the optimisation of its energy production efficiency. For internal combustion engines, energy efficiencies are normally significantly decreased and the specific emissions increased at low and varying loads.

Hybrid power systems avoid operation at these loads by using the battery as an energy buffer that absorbs the load variations. The benefit of hybrid power systems is therefore closely associated with the operational profile.

A car driving in urban areas at low and varying engine loads will have a significantly higher benefit from a hybrid power system than one driving on the highway. Similarly, these systems will be beneficial on ships when the requirements for power variations are high, while the average power requirements are low.

This operating profile is relevant for both tugs and offshore supply vessels. Foss Maritime Company was the first to commission a hybrid tug in 2009.

Importance of innovation

Lavik and Oppedal in Sognefjorden, western Norway, in 2015.

The ferry will have access to cheap and renewable electricity at both ports.

Safety DNV plays a key role in enabling the safe introduction of large battery packs in ships. Through participation in developing the first hybrid offshore supply vessel, DNV produced the world’s first class rules for ship propulsion batteries. As demonstrated by the safety issues experienced by the Boeing Dreamliners, a battery pack can represent a hazardous component unless all safety aspects are properly handled.

The Norwegian authorities are taking an active role, as they did when gas was being developed as an alternative fuel, and are pushing the maritime industry by setting strict requirements to reduce emissions, as well as offering incentives.

Hybrid systems The actual fuel and emissions reduction gained from a hybrid

Innovation is not only something industry wants, it is necessary for survival. The Viking Lady owned by Eidesvik Offshore, is in the process of having a hybrid battery package installed as a research project to improve hybrid technology and how this relates to the power management system.

This project will also be used to improve the first class standard for hybrid ships developed by DNV. Norwegian company, Norled, is due to install a battery package on board an existing dieselelectric ferry. Norled intends to use this experience in building and operating their fully electric ferry. This will cross the Sognefjord 34 times a day, seven days a week, transporting at a maximum 120 cars and 360 passengers - starting in 2015. The Edda Ferd, owned by Østensjø, is another hybrid vessel with battery and dieselelectric propulsion that will start to sail this autumn.

The hybrid system will considerably reduce the energy consumption. When operating, for example, on dynamic positioning, there will be a major fuel saving potential. When in harbour, too, the ship should be able to operate on the fuel cell and its battery power alone, which will reduce emissions significantly.

For environmentally sensitive areas, this will be an essential benefit, along with reductions in machinery maintenance costs, noise and vibrations. v

Bjørn-Johan Vartdal & Martin Crawford-Brunt

Bjørn-Johan Vartdal is head of research, Maritime Transport, DNV GL; and Martin Crawford-Brunt is maritime manager - UK & Ireland, DNV GL. As of 12 September 2013, DNV and GL have merged to form DNV GL. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organisations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. We also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. With our origins stretching back to 1864, our reach today is global. Operating in more than 100 countries, our 16,000 professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener. For further information, visit: www.dnv.com.

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Maritime legislation

Revolutionising the efficiency of compliance for maritime regulations.

By Philipp Lohrmann

The virtual port of

Europe C

ommercial seaborne shipping is regulated by international, EU and national authorities and is subject to a number of commercially oriented constraints. The long history and large number of organisations associated with regulation has led to a high level of complexity in managing the development of regulations, their implementation by transport operators, and their enforcement by authorities. The complexity of the situation is further aggravated by the long lifetime of ships, the different phases of ship operations, the number of parties in the operation and the interests of other stakeholders.

From a business perspective, shipping companies spend a large amount of resources collecting new and updated regulations each year. In addition to the cost, they often remain unsure that their system is up-to-date and that authorities in different ports agree with their interpretation of the regulations. e-Compliance, a project launched recently by the European Commission, aims to unify regulatory information available to stakeholders, co-ordinate regulatory actions and as a consequence, reduce the burden of multiple regulatory sources. For this purpose, it will utilise semantic technologies to produce machinereadable regulations within an electronically accessible Maritime Regulations Digital Library. It will incorporate over 10,000

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Regulations, covering at least five different areas, including safety, environment, piloting, waste etc. This will cover regulations from at least five different sources including Europe, Ports, Classification, Maritime Authorities and the IMO. e-Compliance will build on a number of previous European Research projects and private initiatives. The FLAGSHIP project1 demonstrated a considerable simplification in the management of maritime regulations on board a ship, which was based on an advanced semantic search mechanism, applied on selected sets of rules and regulations. Furthermore, the MARNIS2 project specified all EU directives and interrelations/information flows, the SKEMA project3 investigated the eMaritime application to regulations management and the e-Freight project has developed a prototype Next Generation Single Window dealing specifically with the new Ship Formalities directive.

The e-Compliance project will also seek to integrate other private initiatives into the framework. This includes voluntary systems such as Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) and Shipping KPI (SKPI), as well as vetting systems and ship classification regimes. All developments will complement and be kept closely aligned with the e-Maritime programme and particularly the eMAR project.

Specific activities within the project will include the

Current regulation complexity

establishment of a co-operation model between regulation setting and enforcement authorities, both for port state control and IMO regulations, for modelling and interpreting regulations and ensuring harmonisation across national and organisational boundaries. The resulting seamless co-operation between the different stakeholder groups will improve the effectiveness of regulations and reduce the burden on practitioners who work with maritime regulations on a daily basis.

Demonstration of automated compliance management will be possible through the modelling and delivery of regulations in electronic format, as well as harmonised e-Services for more effective and co-ordinated enforcement controls and inspections. In addition, e-Services in support of class requirements, particularly on surveys and for ship risk management in upgraded e-Maritime applications, will be used. An evaluation of the practical implementation of the above in representative networks and the provision of recommendations for e-Maritime policies will also be undertaken.

To this end, the project will create virtual systems, which address the specific needs of stakeholders. For the port community a feasibility study and business case analysis will be carried out to look at the possible integration of Port Community Systems (PCS) and National Single Windows. The vision is to create one virtual port of Europe for the sharing of compliance data and logistics information. This activity will consider the different stakeholder requirements, identify potential barriers and demonstrate the benefits of sharing compliance data via PCS. The analysis will also take into account the role of smaller ports that do not currently have a PCS and advise on how these ports can be integrated into a wider European virtual port system. Consultation with the European Port Community Systems Association will play a key role in supporting this activity. Once developed, the system will be tested in more detail for the ports of Barcelona and Marseille in particular, using the port of Rotterdam for validation. The main stakeholders that will benefit from such a system will be the declaring parties and the enforcers. The principal advantage for the declaring parties is the fact that the information required to enter EU ports will only need to be submitted once. Enforcers on the other hand will benefit because sharing information on inspection and checks between ports will lead to fewer checks being needed in subsequent ports.

Furthermore, to address the needs of the ship owners and operators who must comply with regulations, a virtual ship system will be created. This will include the development of automated

compliance checking using real ship and freight data to inform the crew of any issues of non-compliance, as well as tasks which must be undertaken in order to comply with regulations. A forms system will be developed to aid ship operators with the completion of required documentation. This information will then be sent to the port system where it can be validated and the ship operator can be kept up to date about the current status of the form.

Finally, the virtual class system will be a tool for class, port state control and (potentially) private parties to assess the state of the ship’s systems, including management, to link actual performance with relevant rules and legislation. This system will be further integrated with the virtual ship and port systems to provide the following services: l Identify the KPIs and measurements that are linked to selected regulations or specific (safety or security) objectives and who is responsible for collection and quality control. l Collect available data for a specific ship for these objectives and rules. The data will be collated into a scorecard that will also include reliability measures to highlight the relevance of the scorecard.

By integrating information that is already collected by Shipping KPIs, the Oil Companies International Marine Forum and other organisations that are willing to provide such data on the ship owner or manager’s behalf, this system will provide an innovative and efficient approach to documenting good quality management procedures, resulting in higher quality technical and operational systems. This in turn could make enforcement more efficient and reduce interruptions for ships when complying with regulations and other voluntary reporting. v e-Compliance is a three year research project and is co-funded

by EC’s DG MOVE and maritime regulatory stakeholders. The project’s consortium comprises representatives of the three main stakeholder groups involved: classification societies (who create class rules), port state control (who enforce regulations) and ships (who need to comply with regulations).

It consists of ten partners, all of which bring their own areas of knowledge and experience of working in the maritime space. They include: BMT Group Ltd, Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Danaos Shipping Co Ltd, INLECOM Systems, The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), TEMIS, Acciona Infraestructuras, PORTIC Barcelona, Norsk Marinteknisk Forskningsinstitutt AS (MARINTEK) and the Maritime Administration of Latvia.

References 1 See http://www.flagship.be/lexicon/ for one part of the results from this project 2 See MARNIS report DGTREN data modelling study SSN 3 http://www.eskema.eu/defaultinfo.aspx?areaid=26&index=1 - Regulatory Framework for Maritime and Intermodal Transport

Philipp Lohrmann

Philipp Lohrmann is project co-ordinator for e-Compliance and research scientist at BMT Group.

For further information, visit: www.e-compliance-project.eu

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remote monitoring

An alternative

model G lobe Tracker has spent the last five years developing and testing its core technologies ahead of the commercial product launch in 2013. For the last two years, its tracking solutions have been in active trials with a selection of Scandinavian shipping companies.

These trials, in conjunction with Vodafone, have showcased the potential to transform productivity in the container market, while delivering end-to-end traceability for global trade.

Vodafone and Globe Tracker transform global trade with a breakthrough asset tracking solution

Business need The ability to track shipping containers, of which there are an estimated three million in transit at any one time, has been around for 20 years. Currently, the best option is to attach mobile devices to individual containers, which are subsequently removed after each journey and reattached to another container. There are multiple problems with this method: the mobile devices can be lost or stolen, and there is cost to installing, charging and maintaining the device.

Until now, there has been no viable commercial or communications model for the ocean carriers, who previously had little incentive to assist. Compounding this was a limited ability to share data between clients, carriers and customs authorities.

The Globe Tracker solution, powered by Vodafone, is a real game changer and able to address all of these restrictions.

The solution The Globe Tracker Communications unit (GTI Comm Unit) uses four communications radios, comes with a pre-installed VodafoneM2M SIM, has a five-year battery life

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(the industry standard is two), and can be fully managed remotely by clients. Combined with Globe Tracker’s cloud based data exchange network, clients and business partners are able to access business critical, real-time data. Globe Tracker needed a global communications partner, capable of providing the necessary scale, network coverage and price consistency. “Vodafone was the only serious global option,” says Don Miller, global sales and marketing director for Globe Tracker.

The benefits The GTI Comm Unit sends business-critical status reports at userdefined intervals, usually every hour. It not only tracks location but also can send updates on temperature, humidity, tampering and motion, turning the container into a ‘smart container’. “It means we’ll be able to do food audit trails from factory to supermarket shelf – and there are a lot of concerns around food traceability right now,” says Don. “A fish buyer, say, will be able to determine whether the container has been kept at the optimum temperature, affecting the quality – and price – of the fish.” While these are significant attractions for the sellers of goods, the broader benefit is the improved productivity this offers shipping firms. Don says realtime tracking will lead to better asset management. He estimates around 30 per cent of refrigeration containers (reefers) should be able to make one extra journey per year. Greater automation means containers will be turned around faster. “The productivity savings on that 30 per cent would cover the costs for the entire fleet,” he points out. “Better utilisation of assets is their number one issue.”

Globe Tracker is also developing alternative commercial models for its customers, including the ability to commoditise ocean tracking. “Customers would just log on, and book the appropriate container. Some may want temperature reports, some want tamper proofing. This option has been wanted for a long, long time.” v

Vodafone

With a standardised platform across the largest global 3G network, Vodafone Global M2M enables company systems to communicate across borders and empowers organisations to transform their operations and business potential. http://m2m.vodafone.com/home/

Globe Tracker International

Globe Tracker International (GTI) defines itself as ‘a leading provider of data sharing, data analytics, global asset tracking, monitoring services and equipment’. It develops and delivers solutions to help clients track their goods, particularly in the container-shipping sector. http://www.globetracker.com/

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safety products

A matter of

survival

W

Marina Johnson takes a look at the areas of AIS and personal safety

hile minimum shipboard standards are dictated largely by international standards there is no doubt that there is a growing awareness amongst individuals and operators of the options available to improve personal safety. This is leading to an increasing number of marine operation companies to take steps to equip their crews with an greater array of products to assist with survival in a variety of situations and to ensure that personnel can be located in situations such as a man overboard incident or where a support vessel is in difficulty.

Improved technology leads the way on the development of personal safety and one medium in particular - AIS - has come to the fore. It is the Automatic Identification System, designed to provide information about a ship to other ships and to coastal authorities automatically. AIS data transmission provides information, including the ship’s identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other safetyrelated information, to appropriately equipped shore stations, other ships and aircraft.

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An AIS receiver will receive the information automatically from similarly fitted ships.

Off the back of this capability, a number of companies have developed personal AIS transmitters or AIS Survivor Recovery Systems, such as the SafeLink R10 AIS SRS. These AIS SRSs are handheld units designed to be worn in the pocket or custom holder of lifejackets and protective clothing worn by individual crewmembers. They can also be professionally fitted to lifejackets, man overboard recovery systems and life rafts. The unit sends structured alert messages, GPS position and a special identity code directly to AIS receivers within (approximately) a four-mile radius.

Importantly, that includes sending the data to the AIS receiver of the crew member’s own vessel which means, in the case of a man overboard incident, fellow crew can locate the victim quickly and accurately, using the given precise location, bearing and range data. This is particularly important on small support vessels with a limited number of crewmembers on board.

The accuracy of the AIS SRS’s data is guaranteed thanks to the unique inbuilt high precision GPS receiver which updates every 60 seconds. In the case of the Ocean Safety supplied Kannad Marine R10, a flashing LED

Left: Iceland training and right, activating the R10

light aids location at night and the unit is guaranteed to transmit continuously for 24 hours and has a seven-year battery storage life.

It is made of ultra durable ABS and is waterproof to five metres.

The IMO (International Maritime Organization) lays out the regulations for carrying AIS equipment. Regulation 19 of SOLAS Chapter V - Carriage requirements for ship borne navigational systems and equipment - sets out navigational equipment to be carried on board ships, according to ship type.

In 2000, IMO adopted a new requirement for ships to carry automatic identification systems (AISs) capable of providing information about the ship to other ships and to coastal authorities automatically.

The regulation requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards engaged on international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards not engaged on international voyages and all passenger ships irrespective of size.

The requirement became effective for all ships by 31 December 2004. Further information on how the regulations apply according to the date of vessel build and periods of operation is available from the IMO’s website.

AIS is also carried by an increasing number of vessels outside this jurisdiction including pleasure craft and fishing vessels. IMO further states that ships fitted with AIS shall maintain AIS in operation at all times except where international agreements, rules or standards provide for the protection of navigational information.

This means that emergency information transmitting from a personal SRS or other vessel is quickly observed and acted on.

The growth in sales of the personal SRS units has been significant over the past two years. “We are seeing a tremendous increase in the number of corporate orders for the Kannad Safelink R10,” comments Mark Hart of Ocean Safety, the company responsible for distributing the product. “Sales of satellite operated EPIRB Personal Locator Beacons have levelled, and there is no doubt that the AIS SRS is taking their place.”

The progress of the AIS SRS’s popularity has been further accelerated bythe 121.5HZ satellite frequency for EPIRBs, no longer being monitored. The more reliable 406MHz operated by the international COSPAS SARSAT satellite system remains in place however.

“The fact that we are supplying the Kannad R10s in bulk to a number of ship operators and maritime organisations demonstrates the heightened awareness of corporate responsibility towards personal safety,” says Mark. “In particular support vessels for offshore operations such as wind farms are realising the importance of minimising risk during crew transfers at sea. That’s in addition to the heightened risks crews face on these smaller and more exposed vessels.”

Ocean Safety has illustrated this with supply and training sessions given to the company’s Iceland service agent Sónar EHF, to demonstrate the capabilities of AIS SRS to service technicians.

They were joined by senior personnel from ICE-SAR (full name Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg), the Icelandic sea survival and safety authority and 25 members of the Icelandic Fishing and Rescue departments. The demonstration took place on board the Saebjorg training vessel in Reykjavík harbour in very difficult weather conditions. An actual in-water scenario was carried out in the icy waters when Sónar’s Gudmunder Bragason, in survival suit and lifejacket fitted with the AIS SRS, jumped in. His lifejacket inflated, activating the AIS SRS. The alarm signal, both audio and visual appeared on the AIS screen within five seconds of activation giving precise target survivor information.

Towage, salvage and emergency response fleet Svitzer UK have also supplied Ocean Safety’s Kannad SafeLink R10 AIS SRS to crew members of the company’s UK fleet of just under 100 vessels, who are considered most at risk. The R10 AIS SRS, which measures 27 x 47 x 124mm and weighs only 120g, will be professionally fitted to the Svitzer crews’ protective clothing. v

Ocean Safety

Ocean Safety specialises in the worldwide supply, distribution, service & hire of marine safety equipment including liferafts, lifejackets & EPIRBs. The company has grown rapidly and today boasts a diverse range of customers including ship and superyacht builders, round the world racing, cruising yachts and the MOD. For further information, visit: www.oceansafety.com.

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piracy

Remain

cautious

P

iracy is an on-going and ever-present risk in global waters. Incidents of pirate attacks are threatening crew safety and costing shipping companies vast sums of money; maritime piracy cost the global economy between $5.7 billion and $6.1 billion in 2012. This sum includes ransom and recovery costs of $63.5 million, $290.5 million for re-routing along the Arabian Peninsula and Indian coast, as opposed to taking a direct route through the HRA, and $1.53 billion on extra fuel for steaming at faster than optimal speeds in order to prevent attack.

The serious risks that ships are exposed to on the seas has its impact on insurance costs too, but it’s evident that with the increased use of private maritime security companies (PMSCs) premiums have fallen: the cost of insurance fell by 13.3 per cent, from $634.9 million spent in 2011 to $550.7 million spent in 2012.

Risk areas are also evolving, with the Gulf of Guinea of the West Coast of Africa currently the worst affected and the perceived safety of the Mediterranean is now under threat. The Gulf of Guinea presents a very different challenge to PMSCs than the one they’ve faced around the Indian Ocean and the coast of Somalia.

Pirate’s aims and motives are different (typically they’re engaged in cargo theft as well as the kidnap of crews who are taken ashore), and there are also complex regulatory factors at play, which some PMSCs remain ignorant of and others are too cavalier towards.

For example, PMSCs are prohibited from operating in West African sovereign waters (including Nigeria, Benin, Togo and neighbouring countries) and yet there are some who already claim

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Phillip Cable takes a look at the current risks of piracy across the world

to offer ‘a way around this’. To my mind looking for loopholes rather than working with the proper authorities potentially puts ships and the lives of their crew in greater danger.

Globally, the legislative landscape governing the private maritime security industry is unclear. But it is particularly so in Nigeria where there are various government bodies with responsibility for maritime security. Confusion coupled with some unscrupulous ship agents, who proffer support from supposed legitimately hired government military forces, presents a dilemma: go with local security engaged via the agent or go without security.

Despite the challenges the answers are there for the diligent security business.

In terms of who is at risk, it is not just large cargo vessels like the Maersk Alabama in Tom Hank’s latest film Captain Phillips that are exposed to piracy. Smaller yachts are able to travel further than ever before, allowing owners to explore or berth in more remote territories. In Asia, for instance, exploration around the Tropics is no longer restricted by the lack of fuel away from the traditional cruising grounds and the popularity of longer range vessels (under 40m) is now opening up areas such as Myanmar, Borneo and Cambodia – to date, relatively unexplored territories for the smaller luxury yachts.

Regardless of size, yachts naturally attract unwanted attention.

If anything, yachts under 40m can actually be at greater risk as smaller crew numbers creates opportunity for intrusion and petty theft, while less experienced or locally trained crews can have widely differing approaches to securing yachts and their owners.

As a result of this there is increasing demand for sophisticated security solutions from the yachting community.

There are a wide variety of solutions available to suit the particular vessel and its owner or operating company. Security technology plays a central role in the fight against piracy and with superyachts, marine security has shifted from being an afterthought to an essential part of its design. Indeed developing security systems for superyachts is a technical and highly specialist service that needs to cover multiple aspects and risks and is most effective when it is incorporated at the build stage.

However technology cannot protect effectively without the proper implementation; training of both the security officers and the crew is a critical element in ensuring the safest passage possible. If no qualified security personnel are on board a yacht or ship, the crew need to know how to identify piracy risks and in the worst case scenario, what to do during an attack.

Currently, anyone looking for a security provider may find the marketplace somewhat confusing, in terms of identifying quality providers, as different standards are applied in different countries and regions. To effectively combat piracy and protect ships, the industry needs strong international bodies to safeguard professional standards in the private maritime security industry.

Fortunately international co-operation is improving, but there is still more to be done.

The International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers Association (ICoCA), a multi-stakeholder body composed of private security companies, was recently set up to oversee the implementation of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers, and to promote the responsible provision of private security services.

The Maltese Government and Fenech & Fenech Advocates have also worked with security providers like us to help develop The General Authorisation Regulations (Protective Security Measures on Board Ships), the only licensing regime of its kind in Europe for PMSCs. In time, I hope that security providers will have a clear set of international standards and that the industry can co-operate to

allow clients to identify providers that meet best practice standards.

Ultimately, any ship operator or yacht owner must not dismiss piracy risk and it needs to be a paramount consideration. As smaller vessels have the capability to travel further, owners immediately open themselves up to new risks and pirates are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. Through industry and international co-operation the threat can be mitigated against, but caution must always remain. v

Phillip Cable

Phillip Cable is CEO at MAST. Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST) Ltd is a market leading security organisation that provides specialist global security services for the maritime and oil and gas communities.

Holding membership of leading professional bodies, MAST is also ISO 9001:2008 accredited for the provision of global maritime security services for the shipping and yachting industry and holds the ISO 14001:2004, the criteria for an environmental management system. For further information, visit: www.mast-commercial.com.

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hull coatings

Smooth

running Mike Garside discusses how an increasing pressure to reduce marine fuel consumption is putting pressure on paint manufacturers

A

s fuel prices continue to squeeze ship operators margins, the spotlight is falling on hull coatings, which claim to bring down costs by providing smoother hulls. But the paint manufacturers are struggling to satisfy industry demands.

The issue is the added friction caused by marine growth.

Fouling, from light slime to heavy barnacle encrustation, costs the shipping industry millions, perhaps billions, in added fuel. A fouled hull can increase fuel consumption anywhere from five per cent to 40 per cent - in fact one US Navy study put the figure as high as 85 per cent. A ship burning 300 tons of fuel a day can face a cost increase of $20,000 to $80,000 for every day at sea.

Manufacturers at a crossroads The previous go-to solution, tin-based anti-fouling paint, was banned in 2008 on environmental grounds, and no alternative solution has yet gained broad acceptance from operators.

Tributyltin (TBT) was found to be the cause of genetic malfunction in species such as whelks, and its long chemical half-life meant that thousands of tons of active biocides were accumulating in sediment outside harbours. Since TBT coatings were ‘self-polishing’ (meaning that top layers of paint were intended to wear away, to reveal fresh biocides) as much 100,000 tons of biocides were estimated to be entering the worlds oceans annually.

TBT came into use in the 60’s and for over 40 years was the standard. It was tough, and it had a potent biocide, which would

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last five years or more. But the ban, coupled with worldwide recession and spiralling fuel prices, has hit the shipping industry hard.

Since TBT has now been gone for five years, operators have had the chance to look properly at the hulls of most ships in drydock, and to assess the efficiency of replacements. Few of them seem to be impressed with the results.

Operators dissatisfied A recent poll of ship operators by one market research company found that 80 per cent of operators wanted coatings that would last for more than a few years without needing replacement, and 75 per cent wanted coatings to be strong enough to resist normal wear and tear. By far the most important factor though, was a coating, which would reduce fuel consumption, with 92 per cent listing it as ‘very important’. Less than 15 per cent were happy that their current anti-fouling or silicone coatings.

Anti-fouling replacements Most paint manufacturers currently rely on copper-based antifouling paints, while alternative silicone-based ‘foul-release’ coatings have also gained a significant market share. Copper is a less effective biocide than tin, and the coatings lose effectiveness more quickly than tin. Copper-based coatings are also less durable than those with tin, and surface degradation occurs over time. It is nevertheless still the most common form of hull coating.

paint degradation however, regardless of fouling, also pushes up resistance to water and after five years most anti-fouling coatings are very rough indeed.

Silicone/hydrogel

Hard coatings require regular cleaning but are now more popular because they last the lifetime of the vessel

Alternative silicone-based coatings are designed to shed fouling by being ‘non-stick’. They initially looked like being the future – but problems with durability, and difficulties in application have dented the image.

Additionally, since slow steaming has been widely adopted, silicone paints are less effective at shedding fouling as the slower speeds produce insufficient water flow. Some new hybrid solutions have been introduced, such as embedding cuprous biocides into silicone coatings, as contained in a new range by Hempel.

Silicone, however, is much softer than other coatings and generally easily suffers from mechanical damage. ‘Touching up’ a silicone coating can be tricky - non-stick paint doesn’t like to stick to anything, even itself. Maersk trialed silicone coatings but dropped them and returned to copper-based anti-fouling – although no reason has been publicly given, the fragility of silicone seems to have been the problem.

Although both copper-based anti-fouling and silicone have proponents, it is hard to find ship operators who express any real satisfaction with the products on the market.

Durable alternatives

Degradation of anti-fouling coatings can add to frictional resistance and fuel bills

Fouling prevents smooth passage through the water and increases fuel bills by as much as 40 per cent

Long-term paint degradation (including blistering, delaminating, cracking and roughness from partial reapplication) afflicts most current coatings and the need to re-coat is common after five or even 2.5 years.

While the cost of re-coating a ship is far from small, it is dwarfed by the cost of extra fuel needed to propel a fouled hull. The effect of

Hard coatings, the third main alternative, have the advantage of lasting for the lifetime of the ship, are gaining converts particularly in colder or icy waters. Fouling accumulates less quickly in cold waters, and durability is more of an issue. Hard coatings don’t prevent fouling, but are designed to be rapidly cleaned underwater as needed. Some operators have been put off by the cleaning requirements, but others see it as an advantage since each cleaning effectively restores the hull to shipyard condition, and peak performance.

Ecospeed by Hydrex leads the field in hard coatings, with ships operating in both cold and warm climates. If resistance to the idea of regular cleaning is overcome, the concept of a hard lifetime coating could become very attractive to operators.

Other concepts, such as bio-mimetic sharkskin coatings, or even compressed air streams released beneath the hull, have their proponents but have yet to enter the mainstream, but remain exciting future possibilities.

CO2 emission targets and environmental legislation limiting the use of biocides may force the issue in the end. Most ports have banned underwater hull cleaning (with the exception of hard coatings), and the forthcoming Polar Code is unlikely to allow strong biocides on ships entering the area.

In the meantime operators have to crunch the numbers as best they can. v

Mike Garside

Mike Garside is a writer on hull coatings. For any further information, email Mike: mike@goodreputations.co.uk.

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foreword: The United Kingdom Major Ports Group Limited

T

he United Kingdom Major Ports Group Limited (UKMPG) is the trade association representing most of the larger commercial ports in the United Kingdom. It has nine members who, between them, own and operate 42 ports, which account for over 70 per cent of the tonnage handled in UK ports.

Richard Bird, executive director at UKMPG, introduced the organisation by giving some further details about how it works: “Essentially we represent the collective interests and concerns of our members to strategists and decision takers in the UK and Europe, on those areas of government or European Union (EU) policy that affect the industry,” he began. “Members do have their own individual relationships with government on projects and areas which may be of particular concern to them, but our job is to handle the areas of communal relevance.”

The voice of

supermarket shelves, and so their work is a critical contribution to the country and to Europe.”

To maintain this level of success the ports industry has had to invest significantly and be prepared to innovate. Ports themselves are increasingly diversifying their activities into logistics and other value-added services, including aspects of landward distribution, as well as ensuring their facilities are up-to-date. As Richard noted: “We now have three ports that are able or will shortly be able to handle the very largest container ships, and it’s fantastic that the UK has got this capability, as it ensures we are on the main international trade routes from the Far East and that offers considerable benefits to British consumers.

“It not only reduces handling and transhipment costs on imports, it also gives our exporters a faster route to market.

That is a very considerable achievement in the face of significant economic difficulties over the last five years, when not only have ports been successful in reducing their costs but also enhancing their productivity. Obviously productivity comparisons are challenging, but a recent independent study by Oxford Economics showed that labour productivity in UK ports was 40 per cent above the national average.”

Richard also noted that ports’ attitudes to the wider community have had an important impact on their success: “Ports put a lot of work into building links with the local community,” he said. “And I think this is reflected in how generally port development schemes are rather more supported locally than airport schemes for example, there is much less opposition to them. In fact some of the most recent big

ports The UKMPG represents the interests and concerns of its members to policy makers and opinion formers in the UK and Europe

He continued: “This is a two way service, so we represent our members’ interests when speaking to government and the EU but we also we advise members on what the Government is doing and act as a link for government with the industry on some issues where that is necessary. We also have a joint safety subsidiary with the British Ports Association called Port Skills and Safety, where we offer specific safety and skills services as well.”

When you consider that 95 per cent of the UK’s international trade is handled through seaports, their importance to the country’s economy is apparent. Although they do not often feature prominently in the national media, they are significant drivers of, and a key component in, the success of UK plc. As Richard confirmed: “Ports are quietly going about their business but are making a very significant contribution to the UK. In a sense they should get more publicity for the fantastic work they do. If they were to shut for any reason the economy would pretty much grind to a halt very quickly, and goods will start disappearing off

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www.ukmajorports.org.uk

developments were met with no objections, ensuring the planning process went through smoothly without a public enquiry, and this does illustrate the significant positions ports hold in their locations, not only as direct employers but also as centres of local economic activity.”

Another reason Richard highlighted as important when considering ports and planning revolves around their approach to handling environmental concerns. “Obviously ports do have an impact on the environment,” he said. “On the positive side they do have a good record for moving traffic on by rail and have invested heavily in rail facilities, and they are very involved in facilitating the development of renewable energy in the form of offshore wind and biomass.

“However, when ports do expand, and particularly when increasing land take there is an impact on the environment, and this is a heavily regulated area. As a result ports have developed strong working relationships with environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) like the RSPB so that when for example, new bird habitats are being created, the end result is achieved in a way that is fully understood and approved by the NGO and regulators like Natural England. This sort of approach means that there is a good overall result for the environment and this again resounds well with the community.”

However, the environment and legislation protecting it is very high on the agenda at both a national and EU level, and for UK ports the proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) are a current hot topic. “UK ports have not objected in any way to the MCZ concept, but they are obviously anxious where MCZ will be designated, as these shouldn’t be at the expense of current or future movements into or out of ports,” highlighted Richard.

“Therefore we have raised concerns about the designation process, which we don’t think has always taken sufficient account

of ports aspects and we have been presenting our case strongly to the Government as part of the consultation process. We have been pressing for clarity about what sort of management measures are going to be needed and we haven’t had the degree of precision we really need and therefore have had to assume worst-case scenarios.

It is ongoing dialogue and has been a long, drawn out process – however, we are hoping period of delay means our concerns are being taken seriously and evaluated.”

In addition to this national environmental legislation, on the European stage there are the EU Port Services Regulations to consider, which as Richard noted, have already been proposed and rejected twice before. “The EU Commission is claiming that access to services that ports provide, such as pilotage, towage and dredging, needs to be opened up to more competition and needs more financial transparency. They also think that ports would benefit from having some sort of supervisory body, not necessarily at EU level, at national level.

“The UK and several other large port countries are pretty concerned about these proposals. Of course we support the principles of competition and market access and so on, but the way the Commission is going about this would add significantly to the regulatory burden as far as we are concerned.

“We are pressing strongly for the regulation to be withdrawn, and there is quite a lot of support for that position as things stand.

Whether we will achieve the same outcome as previously when the European Parliament threw out the Commission’s proposals, that remains to be seen, but in the view of UK ports these areas should be left to the commercial judgement of the port authority.”

Richard concluded: “We do believe the success we have had is largely due to the stable policy environment in which we operate.

Government has taken a ‘hands-off’ view of ports and in the UK certainly has been careful not to over regulate, although we do face challenges with the EU, in that respect.

“The sharpness of the private sector, with private finance bearing down on productivity, the ability to invest, and a stable policy environment have given our ports a strong position.” v

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Profile: UK Dredging

Judge

dredge

U

K 1996 A.D. Huge ships travel from far away to trade on the shores of Britain.

Sediment is depositing and threatening the clear path.

Charged with the task of keeping the waterways navigable, UK Dredging (UKD) is established as a division of Associated British Ports (ABP), which owns and operates 21 ports around the UK. The ports alone claim around 40 per cent of the UK’s total maintenance dredging activity and the UKD vessels undertake the operation.

UKD has developed a fleet of dredgers specifically designed to work within busy port environments. The line consists of a variety of vessel types and sizes, each able to satisfy elements of the varied need of the ABP group of ports. When the fleet is not operating in the ports it is employed within the commercial dredging market where its main customers are port authorities and port operators in the UK and Ireland. It is involved in subcontract work to other dredging

UKD Orca at the Orwell bridge, Ipswich

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Profile: UK Dredging ABB Turbocharging UKD Bluefin Foynes on the river Shannon

ABB Turbocharging is at the helm of the global industry in the manufacture and servicing of turbochargers for 500kW to 80+ MW diesel and gas engines.

Its service network offers fastest, most reliable support available. It has highly qualified technicians and customer support staff in its network, and it is ready to help you 24/7, 365 days a year at over 100 certified service stations in over 50 countries worldwide.

Cherry Sand dredging at Kirkaldy, Forth of Forth

CLYDE MARINE RECRUITMENT Clyde Marine Recruitment is Europe’s leading provider of marine recruitment and bespoke crew management services. It has been supplying marine personnel to UK Dredging and their predecessors for over 25 years. Working in partnership with its clients, Clyde Marine Recruitment helps develop new ideas and improve efficiencies within their crew operations, as well as to provide excellent career opportunities for marine candidates across the globe.

Jeff Neale, general manager

contractors, supporting their commitments in the UK and Europe. It also serves civil contractors, local authorities and the MoD. “UKD specialises in maintenance dredging and our management and dredger crews are highly experienced at working within the port environment,” begins Jeff Neale, general manager of UK Dredging. “Ports want their dredging completed with minimum fuss and no disruption to shipping. This is the discipline that we employ for all our customers. UKD’s commitment to the UK ports industry means that our fleet is deployed all around the UK coast, minimising mobilisation costs to our customers and providing a flexible and responsive service.”

With the backing of ABP as its mother ship, UKD has the benefit of the financial stability of the group. ABP resources are available to the UKD management to support the business and achieve its aim of providing an efficient and cost effective service to all its customers.

“We are operating three trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD), the UKD Marlin, Bluefin and Orca. These vessels are currently working in Dundee, Boulogne and Grimsby respectively. We have a grab hopper dredger, Cherry Sand, that has just completed a major refit and is now operating at Hull, and our plough vessels UKD Seahorse and Sealion are supporting the TSHDs at Boulogne and

on the Humber Estuary,” he notes.

“From its creation UKD immediately embarked on a programme of modernisation of its dredging resources. Several older dredgers were disposed of and replaced with a new TSHD, UKD Bluefin. Previously ABP had relied heavily upon locally stationed grab dredgers in many of its ports. This strategy was replaced with a combination of mobile TSHDs and plough dredgers, visiting each port in turn. UKD Seahorse was built in 2000 and this was followed by the construction of a second plough dredger, UKD Sealion in 2003. In 2010 UKD Orca was commissioned to replace the older UKD Dolphin. The use of a mobile fleet of TSHDs has greatly improved the cost effectiveness of dredging in ABP’s ports because of their ability to remove large volumes of material in a relatively short time. The benefit is also now enjoyed by our commercial customers, a number of who dispensed with their own dredging resources in favour of contracting in UKD’s plant on a campaign basis.

UKD has retained one grab hopper dredger in order to service some of the smaller ports and other niche requirements,” he continues.

The department operates its fully mobile fleet from its Cardiff office and has the capacity to work in Northern Europe, although with business as it is has not needed to stretch too far. Jeff explains: “Demand in our home market

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UKD Orca at Cardiff

IHC Parts & Services IHC Parts & Services, as part of the IHC Merwede group, is the industry’s leading OEM supplier of dredging systems. IHC Parts & Services has a continuous innovation programme to make the best dredging equipment in the world. It is also committed to keep these systems best in class over their life cycle by offering life cycle support services around the globe and supplying spare parts for any vessel with an IHC Parts & Services dredging system.

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of the UK and Ireland has been very strong in 2013. Consequently we have not needed to look further afield to fully occupy the fleet.

We currently have plant on charter to another dredging contractor for works in France but primarily all of our commitments have been in the UK and Ireland.”

Above meeting the requirements of dredging in its common form, UKD also has been responding to demands for more specialist work. Jeff says: “UKD specialises in bulk removal of sediment from ports and estuaries, however where this skill can be employed in non-routine projects we are happy to do so.

For example, we have previously uncovered a submerged oil pipeline so that repairs could be carried out. Our grab dredger removed a number of obstructions from the Thames Estuary ahead of the dredging for the London Gateway project. We have also engaged in beach replenishment both in the UK and Holland. Capital dredging projects sometimes require the removal of an overburden of soft material before the heavy mechanical plant takes over. This was the case on recent capital projects at the ABP ports of Southampton and Grimsby.”

UKD continues to invest into its fleet in a drive to improve its capabilities with the strategy of reaching 100 per cent exploitation of its vessels. Jeff points out: “This year we

Profile: UK Dredging UKD Sealion and UKD Seahorse

have spent one million pounds refitting and upgrading our grab dredger. This investment will significantly extend the operating life of the vessel. The UKD fleet is structured to undertake ABP’s dredging requirements and to provide services to commercial customers who have similar dredging requirements. Up to now our growth has come from increased utilisation of all elements of the fleet. In order to achieve this we have grown the number of longer-term contracts with commercial customers. The balance comes from one off contracts won at tender. 2013 has seen UKD largely achieve full utilisation of the current fleet. At this level of utilisation UKD is carrying out around 65 per cent of the total UK and Irish annual maintenance-dredging requirement. Our continuing investment is planned so as to maintain the highest level of plant efficiency and reliability.”

Recognising the need for modern equipment, the business has a mobile survey department and has equipped its vessels with the latest satellite positioning and dredging monitoring equipment ready to deal with what lays ahead.

“Challenges and opportunities go hand in hand, certainly opportunities bring new hurdles.

In recent years UKD has successfully grown our core market share and I see this growth being further secured in future years as more customers engage UKD to undertake their maintenance dredging on a term contract basis.

Reliable and timely supply of dredging resources is crucial to the ports industry and UKD is well placed to provide this security to its customers,” says Jeff.

Looking towards the future Jeff concludes: “2014 will see some change in the balance of work load as new ABP projects requiring maintenance dredging come on stream such as the Grimsby River Terminal. The Sunk Dredged Channel on the Humber is also moving into a high accretion phase and this means increased maintenance dredging through 2014 and perhaps beyond. We start the year with a healthy order book but still some way to go

before all plant is fully occupied.

“I see UKD continuing to secure more long term agreements with UK and Irish based customers. We have also identified a number of locations in North West Europe where the dredging requirement complements our programme of work around the UK. Ultimately, our aim is to start the year with a full programme that satisfies the needs of both ABP and our commercial customers alike.

Once we reach that point we will be set to

continue growth through expansion of the fleet and entering markets further afield to fully occupy the plant.” v

UK Dredging www.ukdredging.co.uk • Undertakes maintenance dredging activity • Fleet ready to deploy on specialist tasks • Capacity to operate in Europe

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Star

appeal F rom its world-renowned base in Poole on the south coast of England to the silver screens of Hollywood and beyond, Sunseeker is a globally recognised icon in luxury yachting.

The Sunseeker brand’s premier appeal has even earned the firm’s motoryachts regular appearances in the sophisticated world of James Bond, delivering iconic scenes in the famed The World Is Not Enough. More recently the stunning Sunseeker Predator 108 and XS2000 designs appeared in 2006’s Casino Royale while 2008’s Quantum of Solace featured a Sunseeker Superhawk 43, Sunseeker 37 Metre Yacht M4 and a vintage Sovereign 17 motorboat. The

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Sovereign 17 was originally built in 1970 and was fully restored during 2005 to celebrate Sunseeker’s early years and continued reputation as the defining name in exclusive luxury yacht design and manufacture.

Beginning life as Poole Power Boats, Sunseeker’s journey to become one of the world’s most coveted marine names began in 1968, when Robert Braithwaite founded the company as an importer and distributor of boats from the United States and Scandinavia. During the early 1970’s Poole Power Boats took its first tentative steps into moulding and fitting its own range of 17 and 23 foot designs from a small production facility. Shortly thereafter following a chance meeting with a dealer selling boats in

the South of France, Sunseeker hit upon one of the first of many defining moments in its history.

It was suggested that by adding full-length sun beds across the stern of the company’s vessels and producing them all in white that the dealer would be able to market the vessels for Mediterranean waters. The firm’s engineers wasted no time in making the modifications and within only a few short years Poole Power Boat’s range of 17 and 23 foot boats were being sold all over the world, propelling the company into the spotlight across the globe; which would be a position it would never leave.

In June 2013 the Chinese firm Dalian Wanda finalised a deal to acquire Sunseeker. The purchase was completed at a value of

Profile: Sunseeker £20 million and resulted in the firm obtaining 91.81 per cent of the company, while Sunseeker management retained the remaining 8.19 per cent. Dalian Wanda was founded in 1988 and is China’s largest premier commercial property and entertainment conglomerate. Soon after the deal to acquire Sunseeker was completed, Dalian Wanda was quick to confirm that the production of luxury yachts would continue at its current Poole manufacturing plant and that the company’s management and workforce would remain in place. In market terms, the deal comes at a time where China is experiencing a significant boost in private boat ownership. If current predictions hold true, the number of privately owned yachts owned in China could leap from the current number of 3000 to 100,000 by 2020.

By this time it is expected that the Chinese yacht market could be worth anywhere between 35 billion Yuan (£3.57 billion) and 50 billion Yuan (£5.1 billon), with the most popular designs valued at between 300,000 Yuan (£30,607 approx) and 800,000 Yuan (£81,619 approx).

Having the combined resources of Dalian Wanda behind the company will provide Sunseeker with the impetus for major global expansion, particularly across the Asian marketplace.

Today, the Sunseeker name is synonymous with world-class design and exceptional style.

New designs are regularly introduced, which build on the distinctive race-derived deep-V hull developed in collaboration with Don Shead early in the company’s history. Through the assistance of computer aided design (CAD/CAM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Sunseeker designers are able to marry the curvaceous interior style pioneered by Ken Freivoch during the 1980s and world-class performance in its range of luxury leisure craft. During the 54th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which was held between 31st October and 4th November 2013 the Sunseeker Predator 68 and 28 Metre Yacht were debuted in the United States. The Predator range offers sleek, chic design as well as expansive options from top-end sports performance to long distance crusing. The range first made an appearance during the mid-1990s when the perception of larger boats was one of reduced performance encompassing the need of a permanent crew. With the introduction of the Predator 80, Sunseeker challenged and shattered these perceptions by delivering a high-performance motoryacht with an enclosed cockpit and efficient hydrodynamics that allowed the 50-ton design to be powered to staggering speeds in excess of 46 knots. The Predator 68 is closely modelled on the Predator 80, but places an even stronger emphasis on the range’s

aggressive styling. The yacht is designed to embody a true feeling of opulence, with natural light flooding into all of the boat’s living and cabin areas via intelligently designed windows and exquisite interior fittings that complete the effect.

The most eagerly anticipated arrival at the Lauderdale show was the Sunseeker 28 Metre Yacht, which was recently awarded the ‘Best Custom Yacht’ accolade in the ‘Motorboat of the Year’ awards, which were announced in January 2013. The yacht embodies new heights of design and engineering excellence. Its design features include wrap-around glazing to create a stunning effect in addition to full-height windows offering undisrupted views and an optional drop down saloon balcony. Commenting on the unveiling of the new designs in the US, Robert Braithwaite, group president of Sunseeker International said: “We are always thrilled to unveil our

CITYOWN Cityown Ltd are specialists in custom designed hydraulic solutions. We supply equipment for a variety of applications in marine and offshore environments for commercial and military usage producing several unique motions systems.

Cityown Ltd have been working with Sunseeker International Ltd for 13 years. We continue to develop high quality, compact solutions to suit the demanding requirements set by Sunseeker’s design team in order to satisfy the performance heritage of their motor yachts

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Profile: Sunseeker latest additions to the Sunseeker range at Fort Lauderdale and this year is particularly exciting.

The 28 Metre Yacht is seriously impressive and is already drawing critical acclaim from the industry and customers alike. And if that wasn’t enough, the awe-inspiring Predator 68 is sure to impress from all angles.”

Also in attendance was the all-new Manhattan 55, which boasts a three-cabin design that is able to accommodate up to six guests and includes spacious living areas. The new boats were accompanied by an impressive flotilla of yachts including the Predator 60, Predator 80, 34 Metre Yacht and Portofino 40. The Manhattan range of yacht is designed to act as long-range cruisers that provide impeccable styling without sacrificing performance. Whether on a short stay or a long break the Manhattan range provides relaxation in spacious style. In contrast the Portofino 40 is designed to redefine weekend breaks aboard luxury pleasure craft. In typical Sunseeker fashion the Portofino 40 combines generous space, sleek design and breathtaking performance.

When it was last featured in Shipping and Marine in 2011, Sunseeker had completed an investment worth £50 million in its production

facilities and design portfolio. Today with an impressive product range and distributors located across the globe, Sunseeker is well positioned to continue to deliver its world-renowned luxury yachts to clients in an increasingly buoyant market. The acquisition of the company by Dalian Wanda has given Sunseeker a launch pad into the wider Asian market and the financial support of China’s largest entertainment and commercial property developer as well as access to the country’s growing luxury yacht market. It is an

exciting time for Sunseeker as it prepares to move into 2014 and beyond as the final word in luxury yachts. v

Sunseeker www.sunseeker.com • Globally recognised and high-end brand • Exceptional new Predator 68 design • Global distribution partners

FINNING As the sole Cat dealer in the UK & Ireland, Finning is proud of its long-standing association with Sunseeker International - supplying a range of Cat marine engines to power yachts including the Manhattan 55, Predator 80 and 28 Metre Yacht.

Products supplied by Finning are packaged by a highly experienced, specialist engineering team and all engines are fully supported by service excellence with a nationwide network of branches, and the backup of 1800 Cat dealers worldwide.

KIROLITE Luxury wood machinist/joiner Kirolite has won a special award for ‘outstanding’ work on Sunseeker’s Sea Raider V craft – for concept to fitting of bespoke furniture.

The Dorset company produced one-off interior furniture for the 40 metre yacht – including a bar, television cabinets, air conditioning units, chest of drawers and bedside cupboards.

Kirolite specialises in customised and production components in solid hardwoods and laminate, and is a long-standing supplier to Sunseeker.

DIAB GROUP DIAB Group Ltd is a world-leading supplier of sandwich composite solutions that make products stronger, lighter and more competitive. DIAB’s solutions include a wide range of core materials, cost effective core kits, a wide range of finishing options and a comprehensive set of composite know-how.

DIAB also provides a series of consulting services within composite technology through the Composites Consulting Group. DIAB is a global company providing local service within wind energy, marine, transportation, aerospace and industry.

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Steady

relationships

I

n 1973 Dorian (Hellas) S.A. was formed as an independent ship management company and in 2002 the company entered the LPG market with two pressurized vessels and in 2006 extended its LPG presence by building three new fully-refrigerated VLGC’s in Korea. In 2013, Dorian (Hellas) S.A.’s LPG activities were transferred to Dorian LPG Ltd., alongside a newbuilding program entered into with Seacor Holdings Inc. and a number of reputable investors who were keen to see the company

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grow. Throughout its history and transformation, Dorian’s principles have always stuck to their fundamental goal; to build and operate the best vessels possible, and to meet the requests of the most demanding customers in the industry.

Having entered the pressure market, Dorian expanded in the LPG business. Shipping and Marine magazine talked to company director, Nigel Widdowson about the latest VLGC acquisitions and the LPG market: “With our operational experience, we saw an opportunity to progress into the VLGC sector in 2005

and entered with a series of newbuildings at Hyundai Heavy Industries.” At present, it owns and operates three modern VLGCs and one pressurised LPG vessel. As a result of steady expansion Dorian LPG ordered three new VLGC vessels that are being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd. for delivery in 2014 and early 2015.

Today, Dorian LPG is on track to become the second largest player in the VLGC market with the most modern fleet. The company first secured a contract with Hyundai Heavy

Profile: Dorian LPG

Industries to construct three VLGCs with fixed price options for an additional three VLGCs and in the past few months, Dorian LPG has raised nearly $400 million from investors and acquired an additional 13 firm newbuilding contracts from Scorpio Tankers. With 16 firm newbuildings now on order. With offices in the US, the UK and Greece, the company is well positioned for commercial growth. Focused on maintaining the company values for health, safety, environment and quality, all the VLGCs on order are ECO class, modern, fuel efficient vessels.

“The customer, as far as we are concerned, is the driving force of our industry. We always try to adapt to their requirements and provide first class vessels and service,” explains Mr. Widdowson. Over the last 11 years Dorian LPG has worked closely in the pressurised and VLGC Sectors with Statoil, in addition is has time chartered vessels to Vitol, Shell and Petredec.

The US at the moment is experiencing an increase in production of shale oil and gas, which is turning the country from being a large energy importer into an oil and gas exporter.

Dorian has experienced a change in its trading

pattern, and the developments indicate that this class of vessel will have a significant increase in ton miles. In 2014 production of LPG is expected to average around two million barrels a day, establishing the US as one of the top LPG exporting nations. Absorbing the shift in direction Mr. Widdowson adds: “We anticipate future growth of exports from the US and forecast being heavily involved in that sector.”

Dorian’s strategy had previously been focused on period employment of vessels until this year when it witnessed consolidation in the VLGC sector. With exports of LPG from the US increasing, the company has had to adapt its original vision from operating vessels focused mainly on cargos loading in the Middle East destined for Europe and the US Gulf to operating vessels loading out of the US Gulf and the Middle East and discharging in South America and the Far East. Describing the adaptability of the business Mr. Widdowson says: “Our in house technical and commercial department is a key element of our business and allows us to respond quickly to the requests of our charterers. Our operations department

Over the last 11 years Dorian LPG has worked closely in the pressurised and VLGC Sectors with Statoil, in addition it has time chartered vessels to Vitol, Shell and Petredec

clean marine The Clean Marine Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) is a hybrid solution allowing vessels to operate in open/closed loop in all waters and ports without loss of efficiency and well within the IMO regulations for emissions to air and sea. It is the only genuine multistream system currently on the market. All exhaust sources (boilers included) are served by one common EGC unit without any back pressure. A certified system is in operation onboard the Bulkcarrier Balder and Clean Marine are delivering EGCS for two AET owned tankers at Samsung Heavy Industries and for a Dorian LPG owned VLGC built at Hyundai Heavy Industries.

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Profile: Dorian LPG

Over the last 30 years we have provided safe, reliable, trouble free transportation, which is our mission statement and has been fundamental to our success and we continue to strive for that as we move forward into the next period

is always available to respond to any questions.”

As a result of these changes in the market, the company sought finance under a private share placement on the Norwegian OTC of approximately $250 million, which allowed it to secure the original 3+3 VLGC newbuildings at prices that were at a cyclical low and have already begun to rise. With the new vessels due for delivery between 2014 and 2015 Dorian aims to secure period employment with first class charterers. The new vessels have

been designed to comply with the new regulations, and two of the buildings are to be equipped with scrubbers utilising seawater to neutralise the sulphur oxide contained in the exhaust gas. The ECO design of the vessels is aimed at reducing air pollution and, through a modified hull form and engine-save bunker consumption.

Prior to the closing of the private share placement in October 2013 Dorian LPG announced its agreement to take over a fleet of 11 VLGC newbuildings and two VLGC options from the US publically listed company Scorpio Tankers. “As we move into 2014 we plan to work on the integration of the newly acquired VLGCs into our highly experienced commercial and technical management team,” Mr. Widdowson confirms.

In 2011 Dorian (Hellas) S.A. received the ‘Working Safely with Suppliers’ Award from Statoil in recognition of its commitment to health, safety and the environment. As it charts its way into the new year it remains mindful of its responsibility, as Mr. Widdowson states: “We aim to provide the best possible service to our clients with environmentally friendly ships and operations, maintaining safe working environments and realising a sound return for our shareholders on their investment. Over the last 30 years we have provided safe, reliable, trouble free transportation, which is our mission statement and has been fundamental to our success and we continue to strive for that as we move forward into the next period.” v

Dorian LPG www.dorianlpg.com • LPG shipping company • Operating VLGC fleet • Worldwide presence

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Profile: ElbOil

An effective

Harro Booth

player

S

ince it was last featured in Shipping and Marine during February 2013 ElbOil GmbH has continued to develop its reputation as a trusted partner in the supply of bunker fuel to the marine sector. Despite tough market conditions the company enjoyed 35 per cent growth between 2012 and 2013 and it continues to endeavor to increase its market share. Established in March 2011, ElbOil is a relatively young company but with rising volume sales of up to 300,000 tonnes and a 2012 turnover of $130 million it has a proven reputation as an effective player within the marine bunker fuel supply chain.

“The last year remained very positive for ElbOil and we were pleased to see continuous growth in terms of client volumes and profit,” describes Harro Booth, managing director and founder of ElbOil. “Nevertheless the market remains challenging. You just need consider the freight

rates and oil cost prices to know that it is difficult to operate a vessel profitably at the moment and this creates problems for counter party risk. Our clients are in shipping and we try to support them as much as possible. Further, the volume in total for marine fuel has decreased because of slower steaming for example and the number of vessels has decreased so competition between bunker traders and suppliers has been very tough.”

ElbOil has a number of advantages that have allowed it to survive and prosper within the marine bunkering sector despite the challenging conditions that exist with the industry. As a small, privately owned company ElbOil is able to operate in a cost-efficient and dynamic way compared to its competitors as Harro elaborates: “I am a big believer in operating as a smaller private company, as I originally came from a larger group. Of course our cost structure is smaller and so our breakeven margin is also smaller. This means we can offer competitive prices to our

customers that are still profitable for us. Our trim company allows us to act flexibly and quickly, which is vital in the shipping market. However, being small does mean we don’t have credit with all of the suppliers around the world – it is the opposite and we maintain good credit with the banks, which allows us to supply even large operators with large volumes. I think this is a very good fit for our company.”

While the company remains profitable in a challenging market, ElbOil is still keen to expand on its success and expand its market share.

“Since February 2013 we have invested a lot to add some blue-chip accounts to our portfolio, which has made us very happy. It has increased our growth to 35 per cent between 2012 and 2013 and we have increased our volume to 300,000 tonnes, which was the target, so this

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Profile: ElbOil

has been very good,” Harro says. “However, we want to do this conservatively because we are still in a high risk sector, even though rates and volumes are getting a little better it is still tough.” To this end ElbOil will continue to work with its current clients to increase the volumes of bunkering it delivers as well as seeking out new customers. However, with a number of businesses going bankrupt in Germany and throughout the sector during the economic downturn it is important for ElbOil to ensure that it trades carefully. “We are currently only working with insured companies to a certain degree,” Harro explains. “We ask for a credit line for the client and if the insurance company accepts, it gives us a certain amount of risk management.”

A second strand to ElbOil’s growth strategy

is that it plans to diversify into new market areas over the coming years. With stricter regulation of sulphur emissions is scheduled for 2015, the company sees an opportunity to supply the adapting market.

“New sulphur regulation will mean the shipping industry needs to burn a distillate like gas oil, or some other alternative fuels. In the down stream this will generate some opportunities and this is something we are looking to take advantage of,” Harro says. “Also, with LNG we continue to see a paradigm shift approaching, it may not be right away or a full change like from coal to bunker fuel during the 1930’s but the infrastructure investment is going on and we are dealing with potential partners regarding the move into this market. It’s an interesting area for us.”

ElbOil has earned a proven reputation and ability to succeed in a highly competitive segment in the face of challenging market conditions.

Its ability to respond dynamically and identify industry trends has made it an effective and streamlined player within the marine bunkering market and as it prepares to address the changes

of a increasingly volatile market, the company is well placed to become a key link in the marine industry supply chain for many years to come. v

ElbOil GmbH www.elboil.com • Bunker fuel traders • 35 per cent growth • LNG knowledge base

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Continued

commitment

O

ffering stevedoring, storage and re-handling of bulk & general cargoes at the Port of Southampton in the UK, Solent Stevedores has experienced rapid development and impressive growth over the past 13 years.

Last appearing in Shipping and Marine in February 2013, the ensuing eight months have been spent focusing on the integration of the Jersey operation into the group, as Ian Jacobs, managing director, explained: “We actually tendered for the Port of Jersey Stevedoring License in August 2012, and this involves the responsibility for the handling of 98 per cent

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of goods coming in and out of the island. The licence runs for a period of nine years, and gives us exclusivity to operate on the New North Quay where most of the general cargo and lift on lift off services operate from, together with the West of Albert berth which is where the passenger ferry services are based.

“We have two lift on lift off services, Channel Island Lines and Channel Seaways that we service and we have three cranes at our disposal (two Stothert & Pitt and a Liebherr.) We have also handled some dry bulk products at the New North Quay, namely recycled metal, fertiliser and lime.”

He continued: “Particular emphasis has been

placed upon up-skilling the Jersey stevedoring team, as a great deal of refresher training was necessary, together with imprinting the Solent way on our team of how we do business,” he said.

Solent Stevedores has invested more than £500,000 on its Jersey operations, mainly for the Condor Ferries Freighter operation, as Ian elaborated: “On the West of Albert berth, we provide stevedoring services for the Condor freighter ferries and also their Fast Cat passenger vessels too. Our relationship with Condor Ferries has expanded and our staff and now assist in other roles such as baggage handling and vehicle marshalling too.

“In terms of financial investments, it was very

Profile: Solent Stevedores

clear to us that the ageing fleet of RO/RO tugs used on a daily basis to service the requirements of Condor Ferries needed replacing. So we placed an order for five replacement RO/RO Tugs, which have cost £500K, and arrived with us in August. They are being used to tow lorry trailers on and off the Condor Freighter vessels, which is a daily task with very tight timeframes to meet the needs of scheduling and to work around the weather conditions that have a big impact on island life.”

Aside from its Jersey operations the last year has very much been focused on consolidation, and after what Ian described as an ‘extremely poor harvest in 2012’, the tonnages of grain and animal feed handled in the first six months of this year were significantly reduced.

Over the last year Solent Stevedores has worked to develop its management team, with a number of staff taking on different roles in line with business expansion. “In the latter part of 2012 we took the view that the business needed slightly restructuring to take account of the ever increasing legislation affecting primarily the Dry Bulks division. However, the other divisions have not been immune to increased regulation either.

To enable us to stay one step ahead of the game, we created the new role of Compliance and Standards Manager, whose brief is to ensure that we have a level of consistency throughout all Group operations. We now have greater strength in depth by having dedicated operational management responsible for the Southampton Dry Bulks, Jersey and London and the Cruise divisions.”

In addition, the stevedoring team in Southampton Dry Bulks team have been exposed to further training in 2013 and Ian has no doubt that this continual commitment to staff is giving Solent Stevedores increased operational options across all terminals that it manages. He added: “We are now planning the next step which is looking at ways in which we can develop the management and supervisor teams in the business.”

Such investment in growing and improving both its employees and its business has benefitted Solent Stevedores considerably across its service range. “Our Cruise division has once again performed very well this year with approximately 300 cruise vessels being handled in 2013,” said Ian. “The real practical advantage that we have in servicing the needs of Carnival, is that their cruise vessel schedule is know a long time in advance, which means that we can plan our labour requirement accordingly. We have a small

team of full time employees that look after the operations at the Mayflower, Ocean and Queen Elizabeth cruise passenger terminals in the Port of Southampton, then, when a vessel is calling at Southampton we will secure additional manning from our dedicated labour agency partner. The dedicated skills of our team really do make a difference to both the way we operate and how we are seen by our clients.”

For Solent Stevedores, the skill and experience of its personnel is key to current and future

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Profile: Solent Stevedores

KALMAR The perfect move for everything cargo – at any time, for any mode. Kalmar is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and energy-efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution. Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals and heavy industry – and with the emergence of more intermodal terminals can provide the perfect solution for transferring traffic between road and rail, inland waterways, seagoing and other modes of transport. Through its extensive product portfolio, global service network and ability to enable a seamless integration of different terminal processes, Kalmar improves the efficiency of every move. Kalmar customers benefit from the strength of a global company – but with the reassurance of a local presence. Experienced professionals are always on hand to provide solutions exactly when and where they are needed. And Kalmar’s involvement doesn’t end with the order! Kalmar’s dedication accompanies its equipment throughout its working life. With the industry’s largest service network, Kalmar offers everything from parts and ad-hoc services to full maintenance contracts, rental solutions and training. It also provides bespoke engineering solutions for structural or design related modification, repairs, transportation and revamping projects for all brands of terminal equipment.

Kalmar – complete solutions for every move.

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success, and it is this area that Ian highlights as being important over the coming years. “The main focus looking forward to 2014 is to continue developing our management team further and to give greater exposure to other staff that we identify as being potential managers of the future too.

Therefore we will be spending time succession planning and executing a strategy that helps the staff flex to the growing needs of our clients and the business as a whole and which will provide a foundation from which we can confidently expand into other stevedoring activities over the coming years.” v

Solent Stevedores www.solentstevedores.com • Growing activities • Developing management team • Focusing on consolidation

Profile: Synergy Group

W

ith a fleet of 80 ships made up of 24 tankers, 21 container ships and 35 bulk carriers under management and trading across the globe, Synergy Group has quickly earned a reputation as a leader in maritime management. The company was founded during 2006 and has grown to include offices in Singapore, Manila and India. Today Synergy employs 250 members of staff across its offices and 2500 seafarers worldwide. The company’s vision is to provide benchmark ship management services in a way that is positive to the environment and global community. Safety and responsible operation are priority considerations for the group and it constantly strives to towards zero injuries, damages and pollution. To this end, Synergy’s mission is to cater to its clients needs

through its understanding and market expertise.

The group is keen to form long-term relationships with its customers through mutually beneficial partnerships and by providing a conducive and progressive work culture. The company is centred around six core values that define and differentiate it from other operators in the market; these include integrity, transparency, safety, respect, empowerment and synergy. Taking the adage that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ the company is based on mutual trust and confidence, which are both its values and its key strengths. Commenting on the relationship between the company’s beliefs and its customers CEO Rajesh Unni states: “Ship owners around the world are looking for managers they can trust their assets with. I believe that our customers are the ones who closely share our values and feel that we add value to their business. Our

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Profile: Synergy Group

Marine Guide We, at Marine Guide value the chance of working with and providing our valuable service to Synergy. It is a pleasure to work with Synergy and we are looking forward to many more years of such successful collaboration.

Maritec Maritec provides a competitively priced, worldwide fuel and lubricant testing programme at Maritec’s own ISO-Accredited laboratory (ISO17025) in Singapore and a partner lab in Shanghai and UAE. A bunker quantity survey inspection service is offered in major bunkering ports including Singapore and China is ISOAccredited (ISO17020) for independent and impartial reporting.

Maritec’s GL-Approved Custody Transfer sampler with ‘cubitainers’, purpose-designed sampling bottles and comprehensive documentation assist shipowners to comply with MARPOL Annex VI sampling requirements.

Maritec also conducts potable water shore testing for compliance with MLC2006.

main strength is our ability to provide these in a consistent manner.”

Synergy Group currently operates within three main areas, which include vessels of all sizes in oil, chemical and gas tankers, bulk carriers and container ships. Traditionally the group has focused on technical management of vessels in these sectors, however more recently it has diversified into the commercial management of vessels and the company expects to further expand the size of the fleet it manages over the coming years. Within its commercial management service Synergy Group offers a wide range of solutions including but not limited to advice on chartering strategies, sourcing optimal employment opportunities for vessels, charter contract negotiation, liaison with port agents and the supply of marine fuels, bunker supplier evaluation and the handling of invoices and payments. The company’s diverse service portfolio also includes technical management, crew management, training, organisation of marine travel, marine information technology and liaison with port agencies and shipbuilders to

ensure that ship owners needs are addressed in full during construction and operation.

The global economic crisis has made markets challenging in all sectors within the shipping industry. However, despite the challenges of an increasingly volatile market Synergy Group has not only weathered the storm but prospered as Rajesh elaborates: “Shipping in general went through a low phase over the past three years, however I believe things have started looking up. I believe that the industry is just rounding the corner. Synergy has been growing over the past four years, even when the market was looking bad and we expect to continue this growth.”

Core to the company’s continued success has been an unwavering commitment to its workforce and training. Cultivation of its workforce and the groups commitment to ‘zero injury, zero damage and zero pollution’ has also earned Synergy Group the prestigious partner of the year award at BP Shipping CEO’s Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) awards. “Ship management is highly people orientated and it is important we add the right talent to our team

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Profile: Synergy Group

and retain it,” Rajesh explains. “Synergy is a learning organisation, with continuous growth we have been adding new people regularly in all areas. We recruit a lot of trainee cadets and every vessel has at least two trainee berths. Apart from training it is important to retain the people we have and we have been able to do a wonderful job of this with staff retention in the high nineties.”

Regarding the company’s presentation of the BP Shipping HSSE Award Rajesh continues: “Safety is a core value for us. To achieve this we need to ensure a high level of safety culture within our organisation. We wanted to empower all of the company’s staff at work to confront unsafe works and hazards. Any award is a motivating factor; however when it happens to come from BP with whom we share common values and hold in high esteem, it is highly satisfying and makes us set even higher targets. We are extremely happy to be recognised in such a forum, this has been a great motivation for everyone in our team especially the seafarers and has also helped greatly in reinforcing our commitment towards safety. Our customers are happy to see this and feel that their decisions to leave their assets in our hands was wise.”

While the market slowly begins to recover Synergy Group is positioned to take advantage of the more robust trading conditions that it predicts over the coming years. Despite the challenges that have manifested throughout the shipping sector in recent years, the group has grown and maintained a fleet of over 80 managed vessels. Furthermore this has been achieved through new business and expansion rather than through acquisitions. The company’s award winning reputation with major operators like BP means that it is well represented as an

obvious choice when it comes to technical, crew and commercial ship management. Synergy Group is keen to further expand on its growth over the coming years and continue to ensure that it provides a world-class service to its customers. “This business is all about people,” Rajesh concludes. “More than strategy it is about ensuring that you win everyone’s trust in everything you do. Our focus in the coming years will be on continuing to improve our quality of service. One of the main things to achieve is a high level of competency and that is something we look to improve on every day.” v

Synergy Group www.synergymarinegroup.com • Technical and commercial ship management • 80 managed vessels • Vessels operating worldwide

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Profile: Pendennis SY Rebecca: Photo courtesy of Cory Silken

Pendennis Development Plan

Defining

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class

ince it was last featured in Shipping and Marine during May 2011, Pendennis has continued to deliver world-class custom luxury sailing yachts and globally renowned refit services. While delivering the highest quality, the company has maintained an impressive turnaround and has launched three custom-built yachts since 2011, including the 44 metre award-winning catamaran Hemisphere, which earned two ‘Golden Neptunes’ at the 2012 ShowBoats Design Awards.

Winning awards is nothing new for Pendennis however, founded in 1988 the company received its first new build contract during the same year and this was soon followed by its first refit order.

The construction of the new build 125-foot ketch Taramber and the refit of the 288-foot, threemasted schooner Adix were both completed in 1991. Each vessel won ShowBoat Magazine’s 1991 ‘Best Sailing Yacht over 35 metres’ and ‘Best Refit’ respectively. Riding the wave of this early success, the company has continued to grow and has seen a number of developments that have further strengthened Pendennis as a globally recognised name in luxury yacht design, manufacture and refit. Along with the stunning success of the Hemisphere, other significant recent milestones include the acquisition of Devonport Yachts in 2010, the 2011 opening of its Palma refit office and the opening of a support office in New Zealand in 2013.

Operating from the Spanish island of Majorca, the Palma refit office has already been a huge success for Pendennis.

Pendennis Palma is fully booked for refits over the 2013-2014 season and enquiries are strong for winter 2014. Such brisk business is the result of the company’s stellar reputation and while the Palma facility has extended the reach of Pendennis to the seas of the Mediterranean it has also made its mark on the company’s home facility in Falmouth, UK as sales and marketing director Toby Allies elaborates: “The Palma facility has provided invaluable localised support to the Pendennis fleet whilst cruising the Mediterranean. Pendennis Palma is supported by the knowledge and expertise of the Falmouth team and focuses on shorter annual refit projects, while the Falmouth facility continues to be the main centre for more substantial refits, including five year survey works and new build projects. Palma is a convenient facility providing high quality workmanship and world-class expertise for short-term works and the close relationship between the two facilities has led to new customer enquiries for more

detailed works at the main Falmouth facility.”

Pendennis has become famous for the quality of both its refit and new build facilities. The acquisition of Devonport Yachts (now rebranded as Pendennis Plus) enabled the company to extend its capabilities to include yachts of over 60 metres and over the past 25 years the company has undertaken over 200 refit projects and built 30 custom yachts. Its construction and refit capabilities have been further enhanced through continual investment and improvement. Thanks to ongoing recent development the company’s facilities are flexible and able to undertake a range of projects. Once development is complete the Falmouth facility will have two 95 metre construction halls and a further 45 metre double width hall. The facility also boasts a 150-metre dry dock facility, which can be divided into two

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Top: Adela: Photo courtesy of Cory Silken Below: Hemisphere: Photo courtesy of Jeff Brown

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75 metre independent docks. Pendennis is able to deliver a complete range of in-house trades supported by its substantial stores, workshops, crew facilities and project offices. During 2014 the Falmouth base will be further enhanced by the development of an adjustable depth wet basin, which will be adjacent to its construction halls and serviced by a 600 tonne travel hoist. Such aggressive expansion of the company’s capabilities is in response to market trends as well as to the success Pendennis has enjoyed throughout its history, as Toby explains: “The general trend in the super yacht industry is towards larger vessels, as well as more substantial remodeling projects. Due to these market trends and the growing international reputation of Pendennis, the company is expanding the facilities in Falmouth to cater to more yachts annually as well as to increase our capacity for yachts over 65 metres.”

The company’s continued investment and renowned standing have ensured that its order book remains busy and new build and major refit projects continue to flow into the business. Recently Pendennis announced that it would be again working with the esteemed design studio Dubois Naval Architects on a 31-metre aluminium sloop. This will be the ninth collaboration between the two firms, which began in 1991 with the Taramber followed by the construction of the Beagle Star II, Mamamouchi, Nadia Beagle V, Margaret Ann, Nostromo and Ilona, which was the first motor yacht built by Pendennis in 1999. During 1999 the company also launched the iconic sailing yacht Rebecca. The vessel was designed by German Frers and is the first yacht to enter into the company’s new facilities. This will be the vessel’s third return to the yard and the most significant project relating to the yacht since its construction as Toby observes: “Rebecca will be in the yard until April 2014 for her 15 year ABS survey alongside substantial engineering and technical works including an upgrade to the hydraulics, electronic alarms and monitoring systems; the installation of

Profile: Pendennis new generators; a full overhaul of her original main engine and the addition of a sewage treatment plant on-board. Layout modifications to the library area will be carried out to add more books along with a general upgrade and overhaul of her interiors. Her exterior will be substantially improved with a new teak deck. This in itself is quite a task as her original deck was constructed from specially scarfed 60-80ft lengths of teak rather than shorter lengths. The work list will be completed with an overhaul of all her deck hardware complimented by a full repaint.”

Commenting on the vessel’s long association with the company, the owner’s representative, Jon Barrett commented: “It is great to be back at Pendennis amongst so many familiar faces. Fourteen years may have passed since we built Rebecca but the commitment to her by the Pendennis team is felt by all involved. We are looking forward to a very successful winter refit!”

The year 2013 was a landmark one for Pendennis as the company celebrated its 25th anniversary. The momentous event was celebrated by the company’s 350 plus staff and their families at an event enriched by a gig race between Pendennis apprentices and another local company, Blue Flame, which was also celebrating its silver anniversary. The commencement of further development works was a cause for celebration in its own right and marked by the placing of gold sovereigns underneath the first column to be placed, a tradition normally observed when stepping the mast into a new yacht. These events plus a strong presence at the Monaco boat show, featuring a Pendennis sponsored Red Arrows display and a ‘meet the Red Arrows’ party, alongside numerous awards for the A2 yacht and regatta wins for the classic 55 metre yacht, Adela restored by Pendennis in 1995, have made 2013 a defining year.

As 2014 approaches the company is well placed to make strong headway well into the future. Pendennis’ order book is strong and its staff benefits from comprehensive general apprenticeship and surface finishing apprenticeship courses, which have trained over 120 young people with several graduates now working at manager and supervisor levels within the company. Concluding on the company’s future Toby comments: “Work will commence on the new build Dubois sailing yacht next year and several of the current refit projects are substantial, ensuring a productive year in 2014 is assured. Over the past few years we have developed a more formal approach in creating a global support network, Pendennis Palma provides support in the Mediterranean and our New Zealand support office assists Pacific based yachts. We our also planning a Caribbean base to assist yachts cruising the island, United States and South America. Our policy is to provide support throughout the complete lifecycle of any yacht, whether built in Falmouth or a refit customer.” v

SY Christopher: Photo courtesy of Cory Silken

Apprentices working at Pendennis: Photo courtesy of Pendennis

Pendennis www.pendennis.com • Award-winning new build and refit services • 25 years of industry experience • Extensive investment in facilities and personnel

VPLP VPLP is a world-renowned young international team of French-based naval architects and designers working worldwide in sail and motor craft.

VPLP collaborated with Pendennis to build Hemisphere the world’s largest sailing catamaran and ultimate Pacific cruising and diving yacht.

The project was complex with many ‘firsts’. “We found that although culturally different, the two teams had the same professionalism and intelligent curiosity, making for a winning collaboration; we remain great friends,” said Marc van Peteghem Co-MD of VPLP.

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PORTugal

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ocated in the Centro Region of Portugal the city of Aveiro reaches into the Atlantic through Port of Aveiro.

Aveiro is a multi-functional port that plays a crucial role in serving a wide range of industries and clusters, such as ceramics, chemical, winemaking, metallurgic, pulp, paper and wood products and also agro products and construction products.

“We are fifth in Portugal with a well-organised and modern infrastructure operating mainly in short and medium sea shipping. 2013 has been busy with many exports leaving through our port,” explains Isabel Ramos, business development manager. With its large flattened surface area it has one of the highest mooring capacities for multiuse terminals of all the national ports. Five terminals are designed to transport a large array of goods, and a further two are specialised for fisheries. Additionally the port operates a maritime Logistical Activities

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and Industries Zone (ZALI) and is enhanced by the CACIA, the Logistical and Railway Platform.

The opening of the railway connection in 2009 has been a main factor in the increase of activity around the port. It has around six to eight trains per day that serves the big cement exports of Portugal. Isabel continues: “We are about to achieve our record of traffic moving four million tonnes through our port. It has been very active this year with exports of cements. Portuguese exporters are regularly using this rail link.”

Aveiro serves one of the main centres of the domestic chemical industry as well as leading companies in the field of fuel like BP and PRIO Energy. Isabel elaborates: “There is a cluster of chemical companies within 30 kilometres of the port. One of our main clients, Companhia Uniao Fabril (CUF) and others like DOW, Bresfor and Cires have stabilised our traffic in the last years.

We also have big customers exporting ceramic, steel, wood, pulp and paper. Many of these are within the hinterland of the port, and others are using the rail links to transit goods to us for export.”

Port of Aveiro is leader of the LOGISTICA CENCYL project that

is dedicated to bringing together the logistics corridor that links the Centre Region of Portugal and the Castilla y Léon Province of Spain. Its trading relations with Spain have been boosted by the co-operation between Aveiro Port and the Logistics Cluster of Castilla y Léon and the ZALDESA-Logistics Platform of Salamanca since 2005. “Through association with the Portuguese and Spanish partners in this project we hope to promote the Atlantic corridor and attract cargo to the rail connection running into Aveiro. Additionally the port benefits from noncongested motorways connecting the region to the main cities of Portugal and Spain. Our main shipping is to Europe and North Africa and the railway has supported our status as a multi-modal port. This year we have also noticed diversity into new markets like Brazil,” Isabel says. The growth into new trading follows the signing of some International Agreements of Maritime Ports Brotherhood between Aveiro and other Brasilian ports, such as Itajaí in Brazil.

The port has gradually seen an increase in companies coming to get benefits from its advantages: land space and zero congestion.

Isabel suggests that it is down to the flexibility:

Profile: Port of Aveiro, Portugal

“We have a lot of space to implement new industries and logistic units. The new infrastructure – ZALI- the maritime industrial zone offers a logistical platform with a maritime front with zero congestion and therefore it is a viable alternative to new niche markets of containers and roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) lines.”

Isabel details this approach: “We have two main goals. One, is to capture each of these niche markets and the second is to attract foreign and national investors to their industrial units in our logistics zone.” The port authority of Aveiro has about 100 acres of land available for potential investments dedicated to the installation of new units of logistics and industrial subdivisions.

The Maritime ZALI is designed to add a competitive factor to investing businesses. The new access to the port is nearing completion. The port will have the access depth of 13.2 metres.

She continues: “This will facilitate the entrance of much larger ships. The completion will also signify the end of our ten-year investment. All five of our terminals are ready to use in high potential. We believe that this new maritime access will attract new markets and more traffic to the port.”

As with many industries, the economic crisis continues to challenge operations. Isabel explains: “In Portugal we have noticed that all industry is trying to export more, and we have seen increases in certain imports. Like other ports in Portugal we are experiencing this turnover of trade and we are growing. In 2013 we have seen increases of 20 per cent and this is due to the dynamics of the industry and the exports of products.”

The port authority of Aveiro has been promoting strategy aimed at management and

Prio Parque de Tanques Prio Parque de Tanques is the first storage & handling and importing fuels facility built in Portugal in the last two decades.

Strategically positioned in Port of Aveiro in the centre of Aveiro, Prio has a direct access to a 1.2 million cbm per year hinterland market for petrol and diesel. This benefit is complemented with great advantage in secondary logistics since there are motorways to the north, south, heartland and directly to Spain.

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Profile: Port of Aveiro, Portugal

DRAVOSA DRAVOSA has shown itself as a reliable and innovative partner in Aveiro. This relationship started in 2006 with the dredging of six mio m3 for the deepening of the Bulk Terminal basin and its access channels, using both a trailer suction hopper dredger and a cutter suction dredger. DRAVOSA then got awarded the maintenance dredging for both Aveiro and Figueira da Foz in 2010. And the relationship still continues today with the involvement of DRAVOSA in the North breakwater extension works.

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personalisation of the port and logistic services, focusing on the design of terminals, operations to create solutions that meet the needs of the clients.

Looking to the future Isabel concludes: “Moving into the future we are reviewing our strategic approach and vision. We had been working on the development of ZALI, bringing investors and industries to the port and attracting new players to the markets of containers and ro-ro lines. Of course the

diversifying of markets in this way will still be in our vision, but due to the dynamic of the international trade we now are looking at a new approach to 2020. We want to be a reference as a short sea shipping port in Europe on the Atlantic coast and a multimodal reference in the Atlantic corridor and we know that there is much more work to do in the near future to achieve this goal.” v

Port of Aveiro, Portugal en.portodeaveiro.pt • New Maritime Logistics and industrial Zone • Short sea shipping port • A modern multimodal infrastructure in the Atlantic Corridor

Profile: Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp

Planned growth

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iltanking Stolthaven Antwerp NV is a 50/50 joint venture between Oiltanking GmbH and Stolthaven Terminals BV that offers customers the logistic support required for importing, exporting, distributing or holding products. Located at the Port of Antwerp, one of the world’s most extensive petrochemical and refining complexes, the terminal provides exceptional accessibility to national and international markets by either water or land transport. With more than 30 years of experience in handling chemicals, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp guarantees customers product integrity through dedicated storage systems and highly skilled personnel as well as highly sophisticated storage and handling infrastructure for oil products, chemicals and gases.

“We have a very large customer portfolio at Antwerp due to the fact we have the capabilities

to handle a very wide range of gas, chemical and oil products. You will not find such a complex, unique terminal such as Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp in the world as our two shareholders are very aware of the importance of safety processing and are focused on having a high level of technical design. Both companies are committed to ensuring the highest standards at this terminal,” explains Yvan Tavernier, managing director at Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp.

Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp is one of the most important terminals in the group as it offers a gateway to Europe via the Rhine and thus provides significant flexibility in transportation services. “Our location is definitely one of our key strengths as the Port of Antwerp has a draft of up to 15 metres, which allows us to take in the biggest vessels in the world,” highlights Yvan.

“Furthermore, our synergy with Stolt Nielsen has stabilised in some cases our customer portfolio and given us more commercial opportunities

at the terminal, such as our recent contract with LyondellBasell, a major customer of Stolt Nielsen.”

On October 3rd 2013, LyondellBasell and Oiltanking Stolthaven announced that Lyondell Chemie Nederland BV and Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp NV had signed a ten-year agreement for the storage and handling of Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) and Glacial Acetic Acid (GAA) in Antwerp. “GAA and VAM are industrial chemicals that are in high demand. Europe has an increased need for these imports and this agreement allows us to solidify our commitment to the European acetyls market and continue to serve our customers needs far into the future,” explains Yvan. “As part of the agreement we will invest in new 13,000 cubic metres of stainless steel storage capacity and rail loading infrastructure at Antwerp.”

Able to guarantee long-term storage in an advantageous location, the terminal regularly

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Profile: Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp Egemin Automation Automation makes the difference!

The Oiltanking-Stolthaven terminal is one of the largest and most diverse terminals in Belgium. Over the last years this Antwerp based terminal has realised a significant extension in size and complexity.

Egemin Automation was selected for the design and detail engineering of the electrical & instrumentation works as well as the design, engineering and implementation of the process and safety automation works. Early involvement and close co-operation combined with know-how and experience in terminal solutions have resulted in reliable & safe storage and loading processes. Egemin’s contribution is only a small factor in the cost of the investments made, but means a major contribution towards the site’s safe, efficient and still flexible operations.

signs long-standing contracts with major oil and gas firms; its recent contract with Evonik Industries is no exception, reaffirming the two companies ongoing positive collaboration as well as Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp’s position as a competent and reliable service provider for petrochemical storage in Belgium.

“In order to accommodate the impending expansion of Evonik’s C4 production installations, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp will take over both the handling and warehousing of these additional volumes of raw materials. Firstly, the existing tank infrastructure will be modified to adjust to the increased production of 1-butene, butadiene, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Secondly, five new bullet tanks, each with a nominal capacity of 3500 cbm, will be built as well as a new finger pier with two berths,” explains Yvan. Currently busy with the construction work for the bullets and jetty, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp is confident it will meet Evonik’s required schedule and have the new facility fully operational by the first quarter of 2015.

Having doubled in capacity over the last couple of years, recent investments have increased the terminal’s capacity by 30,000 cubic metres to 50,000 cubic metres; a number that is only going to increase in the future. “Over the next few years we will be exploring a lot of projects, therefore investments will be ongoing to increase capacity,” says Yvan. “We have plans in the future as this is a very capital intensive business and our shareholders are happily supporting this terminal’s development with investment.”

On top of investment, Oiltanking GmbH and Stolthaven Terminals are focused on the development of its employees, increasing leadership, process and safety training over recent years. With safety a top priority at Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp, its two shareholders are keen to continue growth through high quality customer service and

excellent safety standards. “Over the last five years we have increased growth by 50 per cent, so our strategic plan for the future is to maintain this by catching the benefits of this very large and complex terminal through optimisation,high safety standards and training,” concludes Yvan. v

Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp www.oiltanking.com • Part of Stolt Nielsen group • One of the most important terminals in group • Doubled in capacity over recent years

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Hot

stuff

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ocated in the heart of Vorarlberg, Feidkirch, in close proximity to the Southern German and Swiss borders, Lingenhöle Technologie is a machinery company that manufactures mechanical components for machine and plant construction. Divided into three sections, its services include mechanical production, heat treatment and turbine construction. Boasting state-of-the-art machinery and hardening equipment, it can offer its broad client base a one-stop-shop that guarantees the highest levels of precision and productivity.

“From the raw part all the way to completed product, we are able to offer complete solutions,” highlights Klaus Lingenhöle, managing director

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of Lingenhöle Technologies.

“Our certifications and numerous references are proof of our level of success; people rely on us and that is the best accolade we could wish for. To us, trust is not something that happens by chance; you must be able to rely on partners, particularly if you’re not manufacturing individual components yourself. The precision Lingenhöle Technologie offers has won over many customers and provides the great feeling of absolute reliability.” Satisfied clients of the firm include engine supplier Man Diesel & Turbo, construction machinery manufacturer Liebherr and also Kral, the manufacturer of pumps and stations for a wide range of requirements including low-sulphur fuels.

Striving to achieve perfection for its customers, the company’s core focus is to look at every single detail of the manufacturing process while working closely with clients to produce components and solutions for them. “Our main customers come from plastic and rubber injection mechanical engineering, cable railway, digger,

dragline and the mining industries,” says Klaus.

“We have close relationships with our customers, even throughout construction we are open to questions and dialogue about heat treatment; we also offer our customers training on the subject of heat treatment.”

Taking over as managing director in 2009, Klaus had strategic plans for the future success of Lingenhöle Technologie: “I wanted to continue to expand and strengthen the company. I have come very close to achieving these goals over the last four years as we have invested time and again in our machinery and staff training; we believe the future is possible with well trained employees, which is why we take on four apprentices a year in the production area and one or two in the heat treatment facility every year.

Recent investments include a hardening machine with a processing length of five metres; likewise, the two major processing centres of Millturn WFL and M65 were a big step forward for us.”

He continues: “Our key strengths are our mechanical production and heat treatment facilities as they allow us to offer everything from a single source; that is our core idea.”

Services within its mechanical production facility include CNC turning up to 6000 millimetres,

Profile: Lingenhöle Technologie

CNC cylindrical grinding up to 6000 millimetres, horizontal CNC milling up to 800 millimetres and subcontracted measurements. All services offered by the ISO-9001-2000 certified firm meet the highest standards of quality, a philosophy and core value that the whole Lingenhöle Technologie team lives and works by every day.

Investments in mechanical production has enabled the firm to accept orders from a broader client base and take on more challenging projects, as Klaus discusses: “Many processing steps were too complicated for us previously, which meant we couldn’t take on new contracts since the parts were either too large or complex.

However, these newly acquired machines have enabled us to progress as a company.”

Aside from mechanical production, Lingenhöle Technologie also supplies its customers with heat-treatment services, which offers the optimal thermal and thermochemical processes for a comprehensive range of components and requirements. Preventing the process of damage and basic wear and tear, heat treatment technology delivers economic benefits and ensures finished parts are strong enough for all situations and environments.

Offering a broad spectrum of thermal heat treatment services, such as classic annealing processes, quenching and tampering and induction hardening, Lingenhöle Technologie’s medium-frequency induction system is designed for round parts that have hardening lengths of up to 5000 millimetres and diameters of 450 millimetres. Furthermore, the firm has units available for case hardening and carbonitriding as well as plasma and salt bath nitriding, gas and nitrocarburising; on top of this, it can also offer vacuum hardening for cold work, hot work and high-speed steels.

Meanwhile, as demand for renewable energy increases, Lingenhöle Technologie has the knowledge and expertise in turbine construction to take advantage of this burgeoning market.

“We have been constructing Pelton turbines since 2004 and we see that a clear objective for us in the future will be the development of technology for renewable energy, we will therefore devote our attention to the Pelton turbine,” says Klaus. Designed in 1879, the Pelton turbine is an impulse turbine for hydroelectric power plants and is today one of Lingenhöle Technologies specialities, having been constructed and manufactured successfully by the firm to the exact specifications and parameters of customers for almost a decade.

Following high levels of investment and training, the dynamic company is well placed to take advantage of a diverse range of markets and industries requiring component production and heat treatment. “Most of our work is through mechanical production, however, over the last few years we have seen an increase in components that are produced and then hardened as requested.

Ultimately, in the coming years our key focus will be to retain our current customers while also expanding our customer base,” concludes Klaus. v

Lingenhöle Technologie www.lingenhoele.at • Specialise in manufacturing mechanical components • Able to offer complete solutions • Recent investments have expanded customer base

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S

ince last appearing in Shipping and Marine during March 2013, TTS Port Equipment has continued to supply worldclass port equipment to satisfied customers around the globe. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden the company currently employs around 25 full time staff and operates as a subsidiary of the TTS Group ASA with an annual turnover of around 15 million euros. Its parent company, TTS Group ASA employs approximately 1000 staff across 13 countries and has a turnover of 350 million euros. TTS Port Equipment provides a robust range of port equipment and services including the design, delivery, and installation as well as commissioning of equipment for the handling of passengers and cargo. The products that the company delivers are designed to reduce costs and save time through efficient handling and delivery between shore and ship in port and roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) terminals, servicing ferries, ropax, RoRo and cruise

Guiding

vessels. In addition to its range of cargo handling solutions, TTS Port Equipment also supplies port superstructure for terminals including linkspans, passenger gangways and automoorings. The unique cassette system for the horizontal handling of containers is also available for container terminals.

Currently, TTS Port Equipment is gearing up for a major project in the Swedish capital of Stockholm where reconstruction of one the city’s largest port areas is underway. The Värtahamnen terminal currently handles 1.6 millions tons of cargo in addition to some four million passengers annually and the number is steadily increasing.

The city of Stockholm is expanding rapidly and its port’s most popular destinations of Finland and Estonia are soon to be joined by other Baltic States and Russia. The development will include a new 85,000m2 pier that will allow for further residential business in the old port area as well as for more efficient harbor operation.

The 1200m pier will allow for larger ships and

logistics

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higher volumes of vessels, allowing the port to meet the increasing requirements of the city.

TTS Port Equipment has been chosen by Port of Stockholm to design and install a 600m-fixed walkway as well as six mobile gangways to connect directly from the new terminal development to the shipping berths. In total, the contract is valued at around NOK 86 million.

“This will by far be the biggest walkway we have delivered, so this is a prestigious contract for us. Our deliveries will constitute a forward-looking solution tailor made to meet the demands of modern port logistics,” comments Björn Asplind, vice present sales and marketing at TTS Port Equipment. The walkways will be designed to complement and seamlessly integrate into the modern, bright architecture of the new terminal building. At the centre of the walkway will be a two-storey construction complete with escalators and elevators. The six flexible gangways will ferry passengers with 100 per cent flexibility regardless of water

Profile: TTS Port Equipment

levels and exact berthing places, through the use of electrical engines that allow for sideways movement and hydraulics to elevate and lower the walkways as necessary.

The project is due for completion during 2016 and the port will remain fully operational while the redevelopment is undertaken. The new pier, terminal building and TTS Port Equipment’s walkways will be constructed while the port maintains its average flow of 10,000 passengers per day. “This is no small challenge, but TTS is known for its flexible approach under such circumstances,” Björn says. “Of course planning is the key element, so we will work in close collaboration with the port authority and shipping companies to keep the port running.

Besides, population growth in port cities all around the globe will probably bring about more redevelopments such as what is happening in Stockholm. We will definitely use this opportunity to show our ability to deliver innovative logistics solutions for the ports of the 21st century.”

In addition to its Stockholm project, TTS

Port Equipment won a contract during 2013 to supply and install a Linkspan System at the Dibba Fishery port through the National Ferries Company in Oman. The project is valued at around NOK 14 million and is set to be delivered during the second half of 2014. The project is an important one in the region and may result in further expansion over the coming years as Björn explains: “This is an exciting project and one we have been looking at for a few years. There are certainly some further movements in the Middle East and we are keeping our eyes open for sure.”

As 2013 rapidly approaches its end and the new year nears, TTS Port Equipment has an impressively filled order book but is not content to simply allow the market come to it. Instead, the company is keen to pursue new business in a number of markets and shipping sectors.

As Björn concludes: “I think Europe is the main market where things are starting to happen (in the RoPax-market), we are focused on getting new orders in the cruise and container markets.

One development that will be very interesting is the London Gateway terminal, which will be a big container port in the South of London. We will have our cassette equipment there for the movement of containers. It is not new technology but it is the first time we have serviced such a large port so we will be interested to showcase what the equipment can do. This is something that we will be pushing more next year at events including TOC Europe and Multimodal.” v

TTS Port Equipment www.ttsgroup.com • Port logistics solutions • Major project in Stockholm Värtahamnen terminal • Aiming to expand in container and cruise markets

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Delivering

benefits

T

he story of Guidance Navigation Limited (GNL) begins on 4th July 1991, when the company was founded as Guidance Control Systems (GCS). Since then Guidance has enjoyed a highly energetic life culminating in its current form constituted of three divisions, which were established in 2013 to allow for highly customer and market focused solutions to industry needs.

Two divisions - Guidance Marine and Guidance Industrial - are supported by the dedicated facilities of the third division, Guidance Innovation.

This company creates and markets innovative solutions for customer problems and incubates different models and ideas.

Through its innovation centres located in Leicester, Hitchin and Oxford, the company works in close association with leading Universities to develop robust cutting edge technology capable of operating in hazardous

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environments. Over the years Guidance has commissioned and collaborated in PhD level research into forward thinking technologies with leading academic institutions. By working closely with the University of Oxford and its Mobile Robotics Group, University of Cambridge and University College London, Guidance has earned a lifelong pedigree of dedication to excellence as a specialist in high-end engineering disciplines.

Combining skill sets across the physical sciences, Guidance and its innovation centres have built up a world-class level of expertise in microwave and laser disciplines for use in navigation, measuring and positioning applications.

As a result of its hard work and dedication, today Guidance Navigation is an internationally successful technology company with a strong track record of delivering significant safety and cost benefits by bringing disruptive technologies to high value markets.

2001 marked a dedicated move into the marine sector with the launch of a marine laser system based on the company’s automated guided vehicle (AGV) technology and existing product range, which was called CyScan. The first sensor was shipped and installed in Brazil

by Petrobras. By 2002 the company had moved again, this time to Leicester and secured funds to further develop its marine products. The second generation of CyScan was launched during the same year.

During the decade between 2002 and 2013 Guidance continued to develop new technologies while solidifying its market position through new business and acquisitions. Development of RadaScan began in 2003 and by 2006 the company had received its first commercial order from Shell in the North Sea. Installation of RadaScan was completed in conjunction with Marine Technologies LLC. Following this,

Profile: Guidance Navigation development of the Mini RadaScan began in 2008 and would be first installed for customer use in 2010. Guidance has innovated the concept of microwave precision position sensing in the offshore DP market, which historically was done purely by mechanical, acoustic, GPS or laser technologies. By introducing a completely new technology concept to the market the company had achieved higher operational safety for these applications, more choice and higher levels of redundancy.

Guidance’s long history of development has given the company an extensive understanding of position measurement technologies for the DP sensor market and autonomous vehicle navigation. Within the maritime sector, Guidance Marine has established itself as a leading manufacturer and supplier of laser and microwave position reference sensors for the DP1, DP2 and DP3 class vessels.

Its CyScan system is a local position reference sensor for marine dynamic positioning (DP) applications. It measures the range and bearing of reflective targets allowing the DP system to maintain the vessel’s position and heading relative to the target structure or another vessel.

The CyScan has a number of benefits including full 360 degree scanning, close range operation from ten metres, simple on-vessel servicing,

field proven false target rejection and robust construction for the highest reliability. CyScan is the only triple type approved sensor available on the market and furthermore, it is also available as an extreme low temperature (XT) variant that is designed to operate in as low as -40 degrees for arctic operations.

RadaScan is an advanced position reference sensor for long-range use in marine Dynamic Positioning (DP) applications. The RadaScan sensor is a rotating scanner mounted on the DP equipped vessel. It emits a microwave beam and accurately measures the range and bearing of one or more intelligent microwave targets called responders, allowing for the calculation of vessel position and heading. The system has an operating range of up to 1000m and has 500 plus metres DP capability. It features automatic target detection with single or multiple responder capability and full 360 degree scanning with a high precision capability. Like the CyScan system, an XT variant of RadaScan is available to operate in ice and Arctic environments.

Guidance has established itself as a leading name in navigation and positioning technologies and looks set to continue in its tradition of innovation and development. The business has been recognised on several occasions for its excellence including winning the Queen’s Awards

for Enterprise: International Trade during 2006 and appearing in the Sunday Times International Track 100 Award where it was listed at number 93 in 2011. During the same year it received the Leicester Mercury Business Award for Science and Technology and Export further identifying Guidance as an unparalleled and innovative company.

Guidance invests heavily in its people and in their skills, with innovation at the centre of its culture and everything it does. Its expertise, passion, ambition and collective team ethos form the cornerstone of the business.

Guidance is committed to maintaining its position as a leading technology company and believes its expertise, investment in innovation and products will help shape the future. v

Guidance Navigation www.guidance.eu.com +44 116 229 2600 info@guidance.eu.com

• Highly innovative product design • Partnership with leading universities • Active with marine and industrial markets • World leading laser and microwave technologies

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Sanmar Phoenix

Sanmar Sonnet

Sanmar Stanza

Sanmar Paragon

east

Rising in the

S

ince its inception in September 1994, Sanmar Shipping Limited (SSL) has delivered clean petroleum products and dry bulk cargoes on a mix of spot and time charters. The company is one of the constituents of The Sanmar Group and made its entry into shipping with dry bulk vessels in 1995, which was closely followed by its entry into clean petroleum products tankers in 1996.

Today, SSL operates a total of six ships from its base in Chennai, India, comprising four tankers and two dry bulk carriers. The vessels trade worldwide, carrying goods such as iron ore, food grains and coal; product tankers carrying clean petroleum products such as jet fuel, kerosene and diesel. One of its tankers is

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a chemical tanker carrying high specification chemicals, including acid cargoes. SSL operates a dynamic business strategy in which its business is driven through pools incorporating A P Moreller Maersk, Torm and Klaveness, whereas trade with customers operating in the Indian sub continent is conducted through direct negotiation. Furthermore, its tanker fleet has carried products for oil majors such as BP, Shell, Reliance, ESSAR, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and major traders including Trafigura and Vitol. The company’s dry bulk vessels have shipped cargos on behalf of clients like Cargill, BHP Billiton, and Steel Authority of India Ltd. Its chemical tanker has found international customers in Transammonia and Noble as well

as domestic customers such as Sterlite and Hindalco.

Although the global economic downturn has made the shipping industry increasingly volatile in recent years, SSL has approached these challenging times with caution and optimism, as its diverse range of pools and charters remained buoyant. As the eastern market continues to grow SSL is ready to meet the demands of this emerging sector, as executive director Mr. Subba Rao explains: “We are extremely satisfied in our engagement with the pools and charterers on commercial issues. We are equally happy with our vendor management on matters concerning supplies, maintenance, inspections and dry-docking. It has been a privilege for us to be associated with such outstanding partners

Profile: Sanmar Shipping

vagaries of the world economy or the scourge of piracy. Although today the market looks a lot more certain than it has over the past few years, we would like to watch the trend before we commit to anything further. We intend to continue to focus on products tankers and dry bulk segments to further expand the strength of the SSL fleet. We are cautious in our assessments and take adequate care in protecting shareholder interests. We believe that buying a ship at the right price and ensuring that the unit stays profitable over the course of its life to be more important, than buying more vessels just for the sake of expansion, based on current market data alone.” v

Sanmar Majesty

through our history of growth. As our business continues to progress most future growth will stem from the east as Asia returns to the chair of the world’s economy. With nearly one third of the population and a burgeoning, ambitious middle class, India and China will be at the forefront of growth. No doubt there will be pangs in this journey, but hardly adequate to stop the juggernaut from bounding ahead.”

As well as the support of its business associations and its clear understanding of the global market, SSL places great emphasis on its talented workforce and its well maintained fleet to drive its business forward as Mr. Rao elaborates: “We focus on recruiting and retaining highly talented people. We encourage our people to challenge decisions, highlight issues concerning safety, security and welfare on board ships. In turn our staff and crews repay the confidence vested in them by being alert and vigorous in their approach to problem solving. Technology is the other driver that enables us to optimise cost. We have been able to leverage on issues such as condition monitoring of ships, managing engine loads and optimising consumption of fuels and lubricants.

“We managed to keep our head above water, primarily due to our portfolio of ships, which are traditional workhorses by nature and have served us well during difficult times. This has allowed us to provide excellent customer service by delivering cargo safely to the customer or its designated agent on time. We also meet our customers on a routine basis to seek their views on how we need to improve to meet with their expectations.”

While the market begins to show limited signs of recovery SSL will continue to service its customers and monitor economic trends carefully. Its fleet has served it well and enabled the company to weather the global financial

crisis, while its parent company has likewise penetrated into global markets providing SSL further impetus to remain confident well into the future. Although the shipping industry at present is anything but calm, Mr. Rao remains cautiously optimistic concerning what the future holds: “The shipping business operates in a hostile environment, be it the forces of nature, the

Sanmar Shipping Limited www.sanmargroup.com • Global market coverage • Clean petroleum and dry bulk cargoes • Six-vessel fleet

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Seaborne

tradition

Despite the recession, we have continued to see very high volumes of work within the business and this has prompted us to look to the future by investing in our facilities

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A

ssens Shipyard has an impressive history serving Denmark’s shipping industry that dates back over 160 years to 1850, when it was first founded.

Since the company was last featured in Shipping and Marine during 2011 it has completed a 25 million Danish Krone (kr) investment project including the construction of a brand new floating dock facility. Other investments in the yard’s facilities include a new high capacity crane, a new quay and works to increase the depth of its harbour. The improvements to the shipyard’s facilities have allowed it to take on work for larger vessels, providing the scope to become established in new markets and the company

continues to explore opportunities with German and Norwegian customers. The new floating dock for example, has increased the size of vessel that the shipyard can accommodate to 100 metres in length with a width of 18.5 metres. The new dock lays beside the company’s covered floating dock that has a capacity for vessels 65 metres in length and a width of 14 metres. Further to this, the dock is fully covered and heated when necessary allowing Assens to undertake special and demanding works. Each of the docks has access to lifting cranes with a capacity of 21 tonnes.

The Assens region has a long and rich maritime tradition dating back 1700 years when the Vikings constructed their beautiful longships

Profile: Assens Shipyard

in the area. Historical shipbuilding artifacts can still be excavated close to the town of Assens and include the discovery of the Nydam Viking ship. The harbour as it would be reocognised today was constructed in 1847, with Assens Shipyard Ltd. following around three years later and the slipway following in 1865. During 1936 the harbour’s western pier was constructed and later rebuilt in its present form as a stone pier in 1971. The shipyard remains in the hands of Danish shipbuilding families and as of 2011’s considerable investment in the port its shipbuilding capacity is greater than ever.

Commenting on the yard’s increased construction capacity during 2011, managing director Erling Pedersen said: “There are very few Danish shipyards that are investing in upgrading their facilities, however despite the recession, we have continued to see very high volumes of work within the business and this has prompted us to look to the future by investing in our facilities. With this investment our goal is to attract customers with larger vessels, we definitely foresee an increase in our workload over the next few years given our ability to accommodate a larger size of vessel.

In addition, our covered dry dock facilities will continue to attract bookings as we can undertake this work at any time of the year.”

The company is proud to offer a long tradition of shipbuilding and a friendly, personalised service is guaranteed as the foundation for every project.

With its extensive history, Assens Shipyard has accrued well over 160 years of experience in the construction of special ships, trawlers, tugs, ferries and super yachts. The building of super yachts is carried out in close collaboration with the owner to ensure that the unique specification of the luxury vessels is delivered to the customer’s exact requirements. Previously

known by its project name Big Roi, the Force Blue was completed at the Assens shipyard in 2002. The Royal Denship 206 Expedition yacht was designed by Ole Steen, while its interior was designed by Ole Rune Design, Denmark. The

vessel was built out of steel with a high degree of traditional Danish workmanship by the company’s staff and trusted subcontractors resulting in a luxury yacht that is exceptional inside and out

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Profile: Assens Shipyard

in materials and finish. Commenting on the company’s production capacity Erling comments: “We have a reputation for being able to turn around vessels very quickly, which means that even though we charge Scandinavian prices, clients benefit from a reduced downtime.

The reasons why we can achieve this level of performance are through our skilled craftsmen, many of which have worked within the industry for years, and ability to undertake all services inhouse. This removes the necessity for expensive

subcontractors. In order to facilitate this delivery, we have carefully located our various facilities in close proximity to each other, to minimise the amount of time lost moving between areas.”

As well as its new build operations, Assens is able to offer inspection, repair and conversion services. Mobile cranes are on hand to remove tenders, life rafts and machinery or to repair an antenna or take on stores. The yard is able to adapt to every unique job that it takes on and takes responsibility for all aspects of the project.

One example of a conversion project carried out

by Assens Shipyards is the widening of a cargo vessel to enable it to ferry goods in accordance with new regulations. The outer structure of the vessel was reconstructed and rebuilt and all of the concerned parts and equipment refitted.

While the ship building market has suffered the challenges of the global economic slow down, Assens has not only maintained a strong order book but also invested in an expansive development programme. The company’s strong reputation for delivering high quality vessels across a range of classes has enabled it to remain buoyant in a volatile market. Its diverse range of services and enhanced facilities will ensure that Assens Shipyard’s traditional shipbuilding and repair work expertise will be in operation for many years to come. v

Assens Shipyard www.asyard.dk • Long history of shipbuilding • Recently completed investment including a new floating dock • Offers new builds, refits, conversion and inspection services

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Pushing bunkering

standards

F

ounded in 1935 and based in Houston, Texas, Buffalo Marine Service Inc. has developed a reputation for delivering exceptional service. It operates as one of America’s most prestigious barge and bunkering companies and has grown to incorporate a young, modern fleet of over 40 vessels. The company services a number of waterways throughout the US including Texas, where it navigates the Houston Ship Channel, Bolivar Roads, Galveston, Texas City, Freeport, Corpus Christi, Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur.

Buffalo Marine also operates in Louisiana on Lake Charles and Cameron, Alabama across Mobile and Mississippi via Pascagoula.

Buffalo Marine offers its two main services in bunkering and line haul but also offers mass metering to ensure increased bunker efficiency.

The company aims to make bunkering an enjoyable and smooth experience and assures accurate quality and quantity through

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stringent gauging and fuel sampling. Flexibly and adaptability to clients’ changing needs are central to Buffalo Marine Service’s way of thinking and customer service begins the moment bunkering orders are received via its computerised command centre. It is ready to accommodate any change to an order’s situation including early arrivals, providing assistance should a vessel lose its berth, accommodating for cargo or dock delays or early loadings, late discharges and any other unforeseen problems. This makes Buffalo Marine Services an invaluable service partner in ensuring that vessels have full provision for their bunkering needs. Barges are gauged before loading orders, after loading is complete and after the order has been delivered. Accuracy and quality is synonymous with Buffalo Marine Service and the company guarantees its services with complete documentation, paper work and fuel samples so that its customers can take bunkering services in full confidence.

The company’s bunkering services feature pumping rates of up to 600 MT per hour, 60-foot bunker booms with ample hose, every one of its barges has 400 feet of spill boom, DDEC Tug horsepower to ensure on-time delivery and arrivals. It also has a diverse tank barge fleet to accommodate any customer requirement and special blending barges.

Buffalo has a reputation for bringing reliable, cost effective transportation to the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana that dates back to its inception in 1935. Its tugs boast the necessary horsepower to effectively transport is clients line hauls. Furthermore the barges are doubleskinned and equipped with large storages volumes ranging from 8000 to 30,000 barrels.

Pumping rates average 500 to 600 MT per hour and fuel efficient, state-of-the-art engines and onboard communication, weather and safety systems assure the effective, safe operation of the company’s vessels.

The company’s fleet is hardworking, versatile

Profile: Buffalo Marine Service

and comprised of 15 towboats and 28 tank barges that operate throughout Louisiana and the Texas Gulf Coast. The most recent additions to the fleet are the M/V San Luis, the M/V San Blues, the M/V San Kennedy, the M/V San Austin, the M/V San Brendan and the M/V Brooklyn. Buffalo has also recently announced the deployment of its newest barge, the Shamrock 500, which is chartered from Shamrock Marine, LLC. A further two new tanker barges are nearly ready for operation and a vessel, a new push boat, is expected during 2014. All of Buffalo’s vessels are crewed by highly skilled and qualified professionals who work together to deliver an exemplary level of service. All Buffalo vessels meet and exceed USCG-mandated safety requirements and of every tug’s five-person crew at least four hold full USCG Tankerman certificates.

Safety and environmental concerns are of top priority to Buffalo Marine Service. It addresses industry concerns with its comprehensive safety and quality training programme, which includes teaching current, up to the minute bunkering

methods and spill prevention and response techniques. To ensure that its high standards are maintained, Buffalo engages a culture of continual improvement and innovation in these areas. Buffalo is dedicated to the protection of the environment and observes a strict no-spills policy under the ‘Go Green Buffalo Marine’ slogan. To support this commitment all of its tugs and barges are equipped with emergency oil spill control booms and meet or exceed current emissions. Its latest investment in new vessels has ensured that its latest three vessels are exceptionally fuel-efficient. Buffalo is also equipped to solve hook-up problems with fittings and bunker connections that accommodate any hook-up. These connections are designed to be leak-proof and further backed by shore and tug personnel to help expedite hook-ups to prevent leaks and spills.

Its fleet also incorporates specially designed fending systems to ensure that clients’ vessels are also protected.

Buffalo Marine Service has many years of experience under its belt and a reputation

for delivering world-class customer service.

Its sizable fleet continues to grow with the addition of modern and highly efficient vessels that will enable the to company to continue to offer its vital, environmentally responsible and customer service focused operations for many years to come. v

Buffalo Marine Service www.buffalomarine.com • Fleet comprising over 40 vessels • Bunkering and line haul services • Environmental commitment

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The Tornado

strikes F

irst established 60 years ago selling wooden boats, Post Workboats is a family business that has for more than 32 years been a reliable partner of boat insurance companies and damage experts. In this time it has gained an abundance of experience working on the water and brings this knowledge into its operations today. Specialising in rigid inflatable boats (RIB) Post Workboats has four main foundations to its business – the sale of professional Tornado RIBs, the rental of RIBs with or without crew, specially constructed workboats, or modifications to boats for special projects, and the salvage of leisure boats in the water, specifically yachts on Lake Ijsselmeer.

RIBs are known for their versatility and are able to operate in rescue operations at sea, coast guard activities, patrols and military operations.

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Profile: Post Workboats

“We have two very fast Tornado boats with 600 horsepower and speed of 60 knots that we use for salvage missions on the water. We have years of experience collecting vessels in trouble, bringing them to safe harbour and repairing the boat. Equally, working with them daily means we know the boats extremely well.

We can do everything with these boats,” begins Klaas Post, managing director. The new Tornado vessels are thinner, lighter and stronger than previous versions and the engines are capable of accelerating the boat to a speed of 110 kilometres per hour. This highlights the available power needed to tow some of the vessels it may be called to during relief work.

With a detailed knowledge of the boats, the company today imports and prepares the vessels for commercial use. The high load capacity core fleet is immediately deployable, and Klaas provides a service of adapting the engine and components to meet the client’s needs. The vessels are available for sale or hire between one-day loans to long-term contracts. “We are flexible with our approach and what we can offer.

We have about eight or nine boats in stock at any

time. We are able to take on the clients needs and we can prepare the RIBs in accordance with the special work that the customer is involved in.

We are a small but flexible company that works closely with sub contractors and knows how to find the correct skills for a job,” added Klaas.

He continues: “One of our clients here in Holland is the police force. They hire one of our boats for half a year during the summer period.”

Post Workboats supplies the Flevoland Police Department with a customised RIB that has the appearance of a police boat. The service that Post Workboats offers is of particular importance to its customers who require a guarantee that they can be operating in the water, even if the unexpected was to occur. “The police are hiring a boat through us because they need to remain operational. If there is an issue they just call. If we can’t overcome the problem within an hour then we provide another boat,” he explains.

As well as supplying to government sectors it also supplies to offshore and marine seismic industry and provides special services. “For many years we provided boats, complete with crew for the guidance of the Red Bull air race.

We have two very fast Tornado boats with 600 horsepower and speed of 60 knots that we use for salvage missions on the water. We have years of experience collecting vessels in trouble, bringing them to safe harbour

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Profile: Post Workboats

This was a very beautiful contract, and saw our boats travel all over the world. As the organisation has grown they have now procured their own fleet of vessels,” continues Klaas.

In its work with maritime companies specialising within the oil and gas sector the RIBs are undertaking activities including hydrographical and seismological research, surveys, crew tendering and oil detection. Its customers need a fast RIB, able to operate in all weather conditions whilst satisfying the demands of safety for the people on board.

In 2012 Post Workboats developed a unique Tornado RIB with water jet propulsion especially for the offshore and windfarm industry. The safety requirements in the offshore industry

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restrict the use of gasoline engines. Adhering to these requirements the company investigated an alternate design, as Klaas says: “In many situations they do not want outboards. Petrol is too dangerous, so diesel is the preferred option. We decided to develop the boat with water jets so that it is allowed to operate in the wind farm area. The vessel is also highly mobile and it can be transported all over the world within a container.” Water jets allow the operator to undertake accurate manoeuvres and is a completely safe design for rescuing people and working with divers. The diesel engine and water jets make the vessel suitable for crew tendering and fast delivery of equipment to offshore.

Activity in the area is increasing following the beginning of construction of the Noordoostpolder Wind Farm. The project consists of the construction of 86 wind turbines, 48 of which will be situated near-shore as part of the Westermeerwind Wind Farm. Once the project is completed the turbines will supply electricity to around 160,000 homes. “I see opportunities in the wind farm arena. I expect to have a lot of work there on the water. It will take two years to build the turbines, and there will be 15 to 20 years of after care where transport will be required for the mechanics to travel to the turbines. We are very close to the area and have been in contact with the companies that are doing the work, and we hope to establish a contract for that work,” adds Klaas. “We are keen to be a partner for support with fast RIBs for safety and crew transport.”

Potential clients can approach Post Workboats for sale, lease, and development of special facilities, equipment installation, software updates, service and maintenance, crew training and instruction of employee’s technical service.

Klaas looks to the New Year with confidence: “We hope to rent out a lot of boats in 2014, they are available for everything, and we hope we have more interest. Renting vessels is the preferred option for a lot of organisations. We offer a full package, and are ready to respond and overcome issues in a very short time should anything go wrong. It’s a solution we offer to all our customers and we will continue to promote the benefits of this service.” v

Post Workboats www.postworkboats.nl • Specialist in Rigid Inflatable Boats • Unique design for offshore windfarms • Assistance, rental and sales, salvage

Profile: Combi Noord

Proven

C

method

ombi Noord BV entered the marine industry ten years ago a wholesaler for professional builders and constructing boat yards. In the period to follow the business developed to become a one-stop shop for the entire boat building industry.

Shipping and Marine magazine spoke to Patrick Alkema, director at Combi Noord about the latest activity and developments on the horizon. Introducing the role of the company Patrick begins: “We sell the products that make a ship complete, from the propeller to the anchor light and everything in between and we operate in quite a special way. When we sell the head engine of a boat we also calculate the gearbox, the shaft and the propeller so the equipment integrates together. It all fits as one and the result is it works as a unit.

“For our customers’ peace of mind, we give a guarantee that it works the way that we promise. We also offer this guarantee for

electrical components so for example when we sell the generator, we include the sale of other components such as cables, batteries and the charger.”

The company has developed long-standing relationships with professional and offshore boat builders and yard builders, and its services are available to all companies. Combi Noord remains in close contact with its customers throughout the build from an empty hull to a complete ship, and this strengthens the partnerships.

Additionally it is Combi Noord’s strength as a complete wholesaler that supports its position as a leading supplier as Patrick explains: “We have products for small ships right through to bigger work boats, and we use only high-end quality products like Perkins and Caterpillar.

Additionally, two years ago we acquired a company who produces stainless steel products.

This production is carried out in Vietnam where we can make special products at the request of our customers as well as the standard products that we offer.”

The purchase of the company DATC was a process that occurred after a long-standing co-operation of the two organisations working

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Profile: Combi Noord

together. The Vietnam branch now operates as CN Stainless Steel Products.

Supporting the concept of supplying only high-end products, Combi Noord has established itself as an exclusive supplier of SHURflo pumps.

The move developed from a history of supplying the equipment. “There were a few changes in the market that resulted in us talking to SHURflo who recognised our company and commitment to their products. The integration originated at that point,” says Patrick.

Highlighting the process of procurement Patrick adds: “The strength of our company is our capacity to offer complete solutions. This makes us an easy option for our customers because they know we cover everything they need. With one phone call we deal with their request, pack

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all the materials in a way in which they can build it, and send the parts out to them. It really sets us apart and shows our ability to perform as a competitive one-stop shop for all the industry.”

Having developed a functional website, Combi Noord’s customers can order online, and expect delivery of products at relatively short notice, even for products that require manufacture at its facilities in Vietnam. The service supplied is highlighted in the relationships it has formed, particularly with Post Workboats who rely on quality to operate vessels in highly demanding activities, and need to be sure to respond to demands of their own clients in a short time period.

Patrick sheds some light on the current market conditions: “We are in a changing market. The

yard building business has had a period of more stability so six years ago we decided to expand into boat building and we are happy with that decision.

“We are looking to further expand our programme so in the future we can also sell tools used to build the hull. It is getting us more involved at the start of the ship building process.

We are looking at expansion too, as currently we deliver our products in Holland, Belgium and Turkey and we are looking to further expand in Germany throughout 2014, so we have a very busy year ahead.”

Looking towards the future, Patrick concludes: “Our unique approach of delivering a one-stop package in a methodical way is very important to businesses and our name is becoming more recognised. We offer the right advice and remain in close contact with customers. Our employees are all specialists in their own areas, so we really know the industry and its requirements.” v

Combi Noord BV www.combinoord.nl • Marine equipment supplier • Young vibrant company • Acquired company in Vietnam

Shipping &MARINE

The magazine for maritime management

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk Editor: Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales manager: Rob Wagner rwagner@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Schofield Publishing Schofield Publishing Limited Unit 10, Cringleford Business Centre, Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0) 1603 274131