Shipgaz No 8/09 by Henrik Bergqvist

Price EUR 7 No 8 – December 23, 2009 www.shipgaz.com

Once there was a web of hundreds of ferry lines along the fjordstrewn coastline of Norway. Today, the picture is changing with the construction of bridges and subsea tunnels. PAGE 44

Costly restart Considering a lay-up of a 25-year-old vessel? Think again. “It won’t be cheap to restart the vessel after six months in lay-up”, says a Gard executive. PAGE 28

“Something had to be done” When it was clear that there would be no Swedish tonnage tax, Olle Kristensson had had enough and moved his family and Tärntank Rederi AB to Denmark. PAGE 30

The front page picture is sponsored by Viking Line Abp

A ferryscape in transition

MERRY CHRISTMAS Our skill, your beneﬁt!

to all of our customers, suppliers and Shipgaz readers.

Knowledge and long term commitment This is what we run our business on, and it’s also the secret behind Scanunit’s success. It’s strongly connected and the one leads to the other. Knowledge is essential in our business since our work affects people’s safety and environment, which of course is irreplaceable, and also material assets worth milions. The experience of our highly valued employees is a very good base for coming up with the best solutions for your problems. Welcome with your problems! Read more on: www.scanunit.se or call us: +46 42–37 33 50

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It’s only natural that they call us. After all, Frog is Sweden’s leading marine construction and diving company. We’re

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Viking Line began service 50 years ago. The company has transported more than 169 million passengers since then, meanwhile creating an efficient transport system for trade and industry. Viking Line Abp was selected as the winner of this year’s Finnish Quality Award competition in the Major Companies and Large Business Units category. For more information, see page 71 and www.vikingline.fi

approved by all major Class societies and we do under water inspections, all types of underwater maintenance and repairs, including hull cleaning and propeller polishing. And although our main market is Scandinavia, we work all over the world. So if you are looking for a bunch of tough, professional, service minded experts, just call us.

A subscription to Shipgaz gives you eight issues per year and a weekly newsletter by e-mail for only EUR 80 per year (plus shipping). For further subscription details, visit www.shipgaz.com/subscribe or Phone: +46 770 457 114 E-mail: kundtjanst@titeldata.se Web: www.prenservice.se NEXT ISSUE

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4 SHIPGAZ NO 8 2009

Intro View from … a tunnel?

FEATURE

WELCOME I heard someone say that nowadays you can drive along the jagged and breathtakingly beautiful coast of Norway, missing the whole spectacle while you’re at it. Tunnels are no doubt efficient, but many regret the fact that they often take the place of pleasant ferry trips. “I will not use the new tunnel. I will drive a long way extra to avoid it”, says Able Seaman Erling Holten of the M/F Bjørnsund, which made its last sailing when the new subsea tunnel of Kristiansund was opened. Read alla bout it in our comprehensive feature on the ferry kingdom Norway.

»Tell me what we lack, where we excel, whatever you think«

Olle Kristensson, MD of Tärntank shipping company lost his last hopes of Sweden’s shipping politics when the minister of transports declared there will be no Swedish tonnage tax during the present term of office. He moved his company and his family to Skagen in Denmark, reflagging four of his tankers to the Dannebrogen. It remains to be seen how many will follow his example. Our ferry and cruise specialist Pär-Henrik Sjöström had quite a mean flu, but that didn’t stop him from posting himself on a chilly cliff to watch the Oasis of the Seas leaving his home town Turku on October 30. Now he has made a thorough presentation of the cruiseship of superlatives.

It’s time to round off the year and prepare for a new one. I have really enjoyed the first year of making this magazine and would very much like to hear what you think so far. Drop me a line, tell me what we lack, where we excel, whatever you think, and we will try to make the six issues of next year’s Shipgaz even better. Happy holidays!

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anna Lundberg anna.lundberg@shipgaz.com

FEATURE Olle Kristensson of Tärntank Rederi AB has a new address. He decided to leave the cold climate of Swedish shipping behind and try Denmark instead. PAGE 30

NEWCOMER The cruiseship Oasis of the Seas is probably one of the most complex creations of man in the non-military sector. PAGE 18

REPORT The Maria M made a long u-turn that ended aground, while the captain was shouting insults on the bridge. The report points out several problems. PAGE 68

NO 8 2009 SHIPGAZ 5

Intro

»European shipping and its seafarers could be in for a tough ride« EDITORIAL, PAGE 7

In this issue 14 Captain–Inventor–Artist 18 A six-year long birth 20 High-class high-tech 29 Too costly to lay up old ships 30 Change of address 38 Combustion in our time 42 Real time bunker check 44 Kingdom of ferries 68 Heavy flow of Russian oil on the Baltic Sea 72 Who’s up to an IMO audit?

The ferry kingdom Norway is changing. The M/F Bjørnsund made its last trip on the Kristiansund– Bremsnes service on December 19, when a new subsea tunnel was opened. PAGE 44

74 IMO wants to handle emission cuts for the shipping industry 76 The importance of training 88 Icebreakers opened the gulf 94 A Scandinavian giant

Regular sections 7

Editorial

8 Review 12 Market Review 16 Portrait 18 Newcomer SPOTLIGHT IMO has chosen not to reveal

PORTRAIT He has been sailing for most of

which states have applied for the member state voluntary audit. But Shipgaz has the whole list. PAGE 76

his life and he is famous for his wellspread inventions. But the true passion of Master Mariner Claes Olofsson is art. PAGE 14

80 Technical Review 84 Fleet Review 88 Retro

Looking for a challenge

2:nd Engineer, DFDS Tor line

NO 8 2009 SHIPGAZ 7

Editor-In-Chief Rolf P Nilsson rolf@shipgaz.com

Editorial

Shipping aid in limbo »Is there a risk that DG-COMP will tear up the current guidelines, something that of course will have significant impact on the maritime strategy?«

his year, the EU Commission published a maritime strategy up to 2018, to strengthen cost-efficient maritime transport services and to boost the long-term competitiveness of the EU shipping sector. In line with this, the Commission also launched revised guidelines for state aid to shipping and broadened the scope of tonnage tax to also include ship management companies. Up till now, all decisions on state aid have been the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Competition, DG-COMP, with the exception of transport that has been handled by the DirectorateGeneral for Transport and Energy, DG-TREN. When European Union president Barroso presented his choice of new Commissioners, he also made a reshuffle that will have implications for shipping. The state-aid competence within the DGTREN will be transferred to DG-COMP.

The decision has sparked uncertainty and raised questions in the industry. Until the new Commissioners are in place, and that won’t be until February next year, there will be no concrete answers to exactly what this will mean for the EU maritime policy. Will this have any effect on the current long-term maritime strategy? Will DG-COMP revise state-aid guidelines? And if so, what are the consequences? Add to this that DG-COMP also will handle the current short-term demands for state aid from especially the large liner companies within the EU. The German government has already said that it is prepared to support Hapag-Lloyd by financial guarantees and CMA-CGM in France is pressing its government for similar action. Denmark’s Maersk Line has however voiced their concern over state subsidies, saying that this will only distort the market and that a necessary restructuring of the liner service sector might be delayed.

If the DG-COMP takes the view of Maersk Line, this could become a real problem for HapagLloyd and CMA-CGM, but what will happen if the directorate-general has the same general view on state aid to European shipping? Is there a risk that DG-COMP will tear up the current guidelines, something that of course will have significant impact on the maritime strategy? Among other things, the guidelines today are the base for support to national flags such as tax exemptions, repayment of social security contributions or other relieves when hiring national crews. The motive for this is that national flags and national seafarers are essential for Europe to secure competence, to support innovation, to develop the maritime cluster and to increase Eu-

rope’s influence in international arenas. These systems are in place in most European shipping nations. The systems are all approved by EU and are based on the state aid guidelines. Why Barroso makes this change is unclear, but there are observers that believe that Barroso feels that DG-TREN is too close to the transport industry, and that DG-COMP will be a much harder nut to crack.

In contrast, one could argue that what could be seen as a DG sitting in the lap of the industry it is supposed to regulate and enforce, actually could be an expression of a DG “knowing its business”. DG-TREN has competence and knowledge of shipping, how it works, what it needs, and how important it is for Europe to have a large and flourishing merchant fleet. If this competence and knowledge isn’t transferred to DG-COMP, European shipping could face a serious challenge. While DG-TREN has had a rather pragmatic view on these matters, DG-COMP seems to in general have a more political economy marked approach to subsidies. This is characterised by a view that all industries should be handled equal in fiscal and state aid issues.

Shipping and maritime transport have unique conditions. It is the world’s most internationalised industry and at the same time the centre of national maritime clusters that overall generates substantial values to their nations. It provides the EU manufacturing industry and its consumers with a service that is irreplaceable but at the same time it in general doesn’t add value to the end product. That is a main reason why the European industry and the consumers, and that’s all of us, aren’t willing to pay extra for cargo carried by European flagged ships manned with European crew members. The only other option if we are to secure maritime competence, added value in European maritime clusters and increased influence in the international regulatory arenas for maritime safety, marine environment and international trade, is to secure the competitiveness of European shipping and European seafarers through the tax systems. If DG-COMP doesn’t agree and chooses a view where shipping should be treated as equal to other manufacturing or service industries, then European shipping and its seafarers could be in for a tough ride.

Rolf P Nilsson, Editor-in-Chief

8 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Review Photo: pär-henrik sjöström

Photo: bent mikkelsen

Photo: Marin mätteknik

Photo: Koos Goudriaan

The Ocean Prize.

Greek family buys Allocean Business Australian-owned Allocean Group has been sold, including its entire fleet of around 40 vessels, to London-based Lomar Corporation, controlled by the Greek Logothetis family, for a sum of USD 325 million. The fleet comprises three LPG carriers, which are commercially managed by Lauritzen Kosan in Copenhagen. “I don’t think the sale will change anything in our mutual agreement concerning two of the ethylene carriers in the series from South Korea”, says Jan Kastrup-Nielsen, CEO of Lauritzen Kosan.

The two ethylene carriers, Ocean Prism and Ocean Prize, were sold to All ocean, which is a part of the Allco Finance Group, upon delivery from Sekwang Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea. Delivery of the series of ten units is practically completed, one unit is still under construction. The first vessel in the series, the Isabella Kosan, was elected Ship of the Year by Lloyd’s List in 2008. The rest of the Allocean fleet consists of container carriers and supply vessels.

Swedish Marin Mätteknik to reflag maritime matters Swedish Marin Mätteknik has begun preparations to reflag its fleet. The union and employees have been informed that the process has been initiated. The reason for the decision is that the shipping company won the right to shipping company aid after four years of litigation, but has still not received any aid. The government has amended the regulations so that Marin Mätteknik is not eligible for aid.

”We regard the fact that the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications has pursued this question, and that ministry staff have even defended the Ministry’s view in court, as showing that the Ministry considers that our type of shipping is not de-

sirable under the Swedish flag”, writes MD Ola Oskarsson in a letter to the Ministry, in which he also requests a meeting as soon as possible. ”There is no time to lose. As things stand right now, it’s costing us thousands of Swedish crowns every day to fly the Swedish flag. We don’t have the time to wait for any cluster report or other commission of enquiry. You need to act now!” writes Ola Oskarsson in the letter to the Ministry. To Shipgaz, he says: ”I’m not closing the door. We’re moving but if the politicians change their minds during the process, we will of course consider the new shipping policy.”

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 9

The editor of the Review section is Pierre Adolfsson, contact him at pierre@shipgaz.com

Review Photo: Kristina Cruises

Photo: lars adrians

Photo review

1. Esvagt has contracted its Esvagt Connector to the Dutch coast guard for service as an Emergency Response Vessel (ERV). 2. delay The US program for scanning all containers destined for the US, was planned to be implemented in 2012, but it will now be delayed for two years. 3. Costly The cleaning up after the Full City accident has been costly – NOK 200–250 million so far. 4. Kristina Cruises will take over the 1982 Polish built vessel The Iris and rename her the Kristina Katarina.

One year for EU Atalanta

Kallas new transport commissioner politics José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, has now announced the portfolios for the next Commission. The Estonian Siim Kallas has been appointed new transport commissioner and Vice President. He was appointed Vice President of the EU Commission in charge of Administration, Audit and Anti-fraud in November 2004. Before joining the Commission, Siim Kallas held several positions in the Estonian Government, between 2002 and 2003 he was Prime Minister of Estonia.

The Greek Maria Damanaki was appointed Commissioner of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. She has been a member of the Greek parliament. The previous commis-

sioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Malta’s Joe Borg, is to leave the Commission after one five-year term. A change in the new EU Commission that could have significant implications for shipping and ports has been announced. In the new organisation, state aid competence in transport will be transferred from the present Directorate-General for Transport and Energy (DG-TREN) to the DirectorateGeneral for Competition (DG-COMP). Having had its own competition team, the DG-TREN has been an exception within the EU Commission organisation with all other state aid matters handled by DGCOMP.

piracy A year ago, on December 10, the EU Navfor Operation Atalanta was launched. The force aims to contribute to the protection of vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering food aid to displaced persons in Somalia, the protection of vulnerable vessels cruising off the Somali coast, as well as the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. To date, EU Naval Force has provided protection to the shipment of over 300,000 tonnes of food and captured quite a few suspected pirates.

2011 The South Korean government has declared that it intends to notify IMO that the nation’s ports will be closed to single-hull tankers from 2011.

Photo: Johan Lundahl/Försvarets Bildbyrå

Photo: european commission/audiovisual service

The Swedish Navy participated in the EU operation.

10 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Review Photo: Shipgaz archives

Photo: HHM/m.lindner

Hamburg to trim tariffs to attract traffic business The Port of Hamburg has decided to reduce the charge for transhipment containers. In addition, the port authority has decided to freeze a planned two per cent increase in the pilotage charge until mid-2012. The ambition is to attract transhipment containers to and from the Baltic area, which the port has lost primarily to Rotterdam and Antwerp. According to German media, the new scheme could mean a reduction in the container charge of up to 50 per cent for operators with a large transhipment turnover in the port.

The Götaland was built in Nakskov, Denmark in 1973 and has a capacity of 1,383 lane metres.

Scandlines gives up business Scandlines will halt its freight service between Trelleborg and Travemünde as of January 1, 2010. “The service has not been profitable for some years”, says Jesper Waltersson, Communications Manager at Stena Line. The decision affects Scandlines’ ro-ro Götaland, but it has now been chartered to Scandlines’ competitor TT-Line, which will continue operating on the same route.

Stenability

…that’s the name of the game…

“TT-Line will now run the freight service with the Götaland, they have chartered the vessel for the time being. The crew on board will not be affected.” Stena Line has tried to sell the vessel for a while, but without success. Scandlines will continue to operate the Skåne and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommeren from Trelleborg to Rostock and the Trelleborg and Sassnitz to Sassnitz.

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 11

Review Photo: stefan ideberg

Photo: pär-henrik sjöström

Lars Rhodin, Managing Director of the Swedish Club.

Swedish Club settles for 2.5 per cent

Record year for maritime transports maritime matters Despite the depression and the financial crisis that hit the world economy during the autumn, 2008 was a record year for the world’s maritime transport. According to the UN agency UNCTAD’s annual Review of Maritime Transport, the international seaborne trade grew by 3.6 per cent to an all-time high of 8.17 billion tons.

The growth rate however, weakened towards the end of the year compared to

insurance A significantly improved claims situation and a stable financial situation has made the P&I mutual The Swedish Club decide to call for only a 2.5 per cent general premium increase for the coming policy year, one of the lowest increases of all P&I Clubs. Claims are decreasing and the club has avoided large claims for a lengthy period.

the previous record year, 2007, when the increase was 4.5 per cent. For 2009, most analysts expect that world seaborne trade will decline. Container throughput in the world’s container port terminals grew by an estimated four per cent to an all-time high of 506 million TEUs in 2008. Of this, more than one fifth was handled by Chinese ports. UNCTAD also reports that the world merchant fleet grew by 6.7 per cent during the year, to 1.19 billion DWT.

Photo: BW Gas/Norwegian shipowners’ association

At its latest board meeting held in London, the club’s Managing Director Lars Rhodin presented satisfying figures, but he also warned of challenges ahead. Claims may increase once again when the world economy picks up speed while tougher legislation and enforcement of existing rules in the environmental arena are adding to shipowners’ challenges. To this can be added the new Rotterdam rules that reduce shipowners defences against cargo claims and significantly increase the limitation amounts.

Vote now shipgaz poll The Estonian Siim Kallas has been appointed new EU transport commissioner. What do you think about the decision?

5% A good decision, he will put the spotlight on shipping. 57% Norwegian shipping companies will be promoted in the USA via a new position at the Norwegian embassy in Washington. The Norwegian government has established a new position at the Norwegian embassy in Washington, which will be partly financed by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. The new position will be specifically focused on further developing relations between US maritime authorities and the Norwegian shipping industry.

A bad choice, the appointment shows that the EU doesn’t care about shipping. 38% I don’t know. Please visit our website at www.shipgaz.com, and take part in our web polls.

12 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Market Review

Impressive growth ahead »Tanker scrapping is expected to at least double compared to last year«

Analysis The growth of the world’s merchant navy has been less impressive than expected and feared a year ago. Many negotiations for cancellations of some orders and delivery delays of others have been successful. Also, some of all the greenfield shipyards that were, or at least said that they were, under construction have not materialized, and there are strong indications that they never will.

are growing by the day. Tanker scrapping is expected to at least double compared to last year. Clarksons reports 7.9 million dwt of tankers sold for demolition to date this year, compared with 4.3 million dwt for the full year of 2008. Bulkers are heading the same way. 9.7 million dwt of those have been sold to scrap

In addition, as scrap prices continue to rise and over-tonnaging in most ship types and segments prevails, scrapping volumes

yards, up by 82 per cent compared to 2008. For perspective, the total amount of bulker tonnage sold for scrap in 2007 only reached 0.5 million dwt. Clarksons reports a 128 per cent increase in buyer activity to date compared to 2008, reaching 28.5 million tons. India is the world leader, with 8.5 million dwt bought, up by 153 per cent compared to 2008. The runner-up Pakistan is really on the run, having signed buy deals for 2.9 million dwt, up by impressive 398 per cent compared to last year. According to research by BIMCO, some 17

Offshore market rates well below break-even offshore In a North Sea offshore market where the rate level appears to have stabilized well below break-even, the main topic during November has been the Petrobras charter deal for 13 Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). Ten of these will be leaving the North Sea during the first quarter of next year, much to the relief of the remainders. Despite the low rate level, the market has shown some dynamism. Coinciding rig moves have as always managed to push up the level for a few days, but the backlog of vessels has prevented anything above GBP 9,500 per day for a large anchor-handler – still well below break-even. Also the depressed PSV market, which has seen gloomy day rates below GBP 2,500, has witnessed charterers paying up for a particularly large or well-fitted vessel.

100

Week 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

present market, this quite “healthy” to the owners, as Hagland Offshore reports. The vessels have been taken for 3 years from the first quarter of 2010. The following companies have been chosen: DOF, Norway – 2 vessels Havila, Norway – 2 vessels Ultrapetrol, Argentina – 5 vessels Solstad, Norway – 2 vessels Siem, Norway – 1 vessel Farstad, Norway – 1 vessel Ultrapetrol, Argentinian but registered in Bahamas, also operates a large river transport fleet in South America and a deep sea shipping operation. It joined the offshore business in 2003 and has a Brazilian subsidiary. Of the Norwegian owners, all except Havila have had operations in Brazil for years. dag bakka jr

term charters in the North Sea: Charterer Vessel Type BP N Bourbon Topaz psv BP UK Mana psv Eni UK FD Reliable psv Peterson Northern Supporter psv Peterson Havila Borg psv Venture Olympic Progress psv ConocoPhillips Siem Sailor psv BP N Stril Myster psv EOG Resources Havila Faith psv

Operation 3 yrs firm + opt, November 2 yrs firm + 2 yrs opt 1 well firm, support Ensco 72, November 1 yr firm + 2x 1 yrs opt, dir continuation 1 yr firm + 2x1 yr options ext 10 months from Nov 09 1 yr firm + 1 yr option, Dec 09 ext 4 yrs firm + 2x6 months opt, Nov 09 1 well firm support Stena Spey, Dec 09

Term fixtures outside the North Sea: Gazprom Bourbon Surf ahts Gazprom Bourbon Borgstein ahts EOG Highland Valour ahts BG Skandi Giant ahts Petronas Sea Weasel psv

3 wells + opt, June 10, Libya 3 wells + opt, June 10, Libya 120 days firm + opt, Ensco 92, Trinidad ext 8 months until June 10, Brazil 2 yrs firm + 1 yr option, Nov 09, Malaysia

Source: Shipgaz Bergen, DECember 2009

GBP 1,000

The Petrobras charter deal. Petrobras has secured 13 PSVs for supporting its oil industry. The rates are reported to be around USD 21,000–22,000 for medium-size and closer to 30,000 for larger vessels. In the Source: Shipgaz Bergen, december, 2009

Offshore earnings

0 50 1

What about 2010? The latest estimates from the Norwegian Bureau of Statistics indicate total investment on the Norwegian shelf of NOK 139 billion next year. This is 4.8 per cent down from 2009, and cuts are mainly in exploration drilling. For maintenance of current fields and development of new ones, the work will proceed according to plans. New field development beyond 2010, however, has partly been put on ice. Less exploration drilling will directly affect the spot market for rig moves as well as general supplies.

no 8 2009 Shipgaz 13

Market Review per cent of 2,100 bulkers on order have had their delivery dates delayed during the last three months. The corresponding number for tankers is 14 per cent. Most deferrals are found in the container carrier sector, where every fifth order has been delayed. According to Bimco, the negotiated time of delay varies significantly, from one month to 2.5 years. The analysis is based on 5,705 orders, or 70 per cent of all orders identifiable by hull number.

200 million tons of new vessels are expected to hit the water during next year. This is almost four times the expected total delivery this year.

Expectations grow for higher oil demand next year

this is only one of several challenges ahead for shipowners. Climate change will add to burdens as will authorities with tougher enforcement of environmental legislation and new rules on limitations of liability through the Rotterdam rules.

irrespectiVe of this, there is still an impressive number of new vessels for the world’s shipping markets to absorb. According to Clarksons, the current orderbook stands at 7.750 vessels of 493.6 million tons deadweight. This is more than 40 per cent of the current sailing world fleet. Almost

Wet & dry There has been a positive trend for tanker rates development the last month, much spurred by an increased used of tankers for storage purposes. Shipbrokers Gibsons reported at the beginning of December around 19 million tons of crude and products were stored, a ten-year high.

editor-in-chief

Rolf P Nilsson rolf@shipgaz.com

Although A relief in today’s market, this could backlash during 2010, when storage is expected to decline and vessels are returned to a spot market, which also will have to absorb a significant number of new deliveries from the world’s shipyards.

No distinct direction in activities shortseA dry bulk No distinct direction in unfixed for several days, and charterers have the market this week as activity remains been forced to evaluate their ideas. In Algepatchy and variable. Areas like the Baltic ria most ports are facing heavy congestion show acceptable activity in the agri-product mainly as a result of the port of Algiers being and fertilizer markets while pressure has dedicated to containers only diverting all mgo ports iFocombined 180 800 off in the North Sea and ECUK. 1,200 come bulk and break-bulk to other mt meal from Denmark to ECUK was fixed at with the annual import of seed potatoes ar700 21 p/mt this week while 1,000 mt to EUR riving presently from Northern Europe. Bristol Channel covered at EUR 32 p/mt. On 600 the Continent there has been stable flow of fixtures Soya products and fertilizers in the 1,000– • 3,000 mt fertilizers Lower Baltic/Ireland 3,000 fixed EUR 20.50 pmt 500 mt size, but owners have struggled harder to cover prompt tonnage and very few • 2,000 mt agriprod 60’ K.grad/DK ins Skaw are quoting post Christmas positions on their fixed EUR 15 pmt 400 circulars yet. • 3,000 mt bgd mins Span Med/Algeria In the Mediterranean activity has gradufixed EUR 12 pmt grd 300 ally been picking up over the past few weeks • 1,500 mt meal 55 ARAG/EC Scotland fixed with growing activity in Western areas esEUR 16 pmt Week 200 pecially. Grain ex 1 5 French 10 Med has 15 been 20left 25 30 35 40 45geir jerstAd 50

USD/ton 800

700

600

eArnings estimAtes

Past 12 months. EUR/day 3,000

2,500

the positiVe trend in the dry bulk markets during October/November has been broken. Volatility is the name of the game, and capesize rates are once again plummeting. There is however still a way to go before the “crisis” signs can be raised again. on december 11, clArksons reports average daily earnings for a modern capesize to USD 54,662. This is down by 2 per cent on a week-over-week basis, but it is still more than USD 8,000 per day above the average for the year to date. rolf p nilsson

2,000

1,500

bAltic dry bulk indices

1,000

Clean Tanker Index

839

478

595

Dirty Tanker Index

1252

473

741

Baltic Dry Index

784

2544

3579

400

End ’08 mid-May ’09

300

200

Week 1

500

4,000

3,000

Week 1

1,250 DWT

1,750 DWT

3,500 DWT

6,500 DWT

2,500 DWT

mid-Dec ’09

Source: BaLTic eXchange

500

the internAtionAl energy Agency, IEA has revised its forecast for 2010 upwards and now expects global oil demand to reach 86.3 million barrels per day, up by 1.3 million barrels per day compared with the previous forecast and by 1. Million barrels per day compared to the estimate for 2009.

Source: norBroKer aS, DecemBer, 2009

Source: BunKerWorLD/norBroKer aS, DecemBer, 2009

mgo rotterdAm cif prices

there Are hoWeVer some positive signs for next year, which will at least make life a little better for tanker owners that otherwise have a difficult 2010 to face.

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 15

By Fredrik Davidsson fredrik@shipgaz.com

Claes Olofsson

Portrait

Captain–Inventor–Artist Captain Claes Olofsson has been sailing for most of his life. But his true passion lies elsewhere. “I really wanted to become an artist, but my mother wouldn’t let me go to Paris to study art, because I would probably never have come home.” In his hometown Kalmar on the Swedish east coast he shows his paintings at the Ekelunds City Café and on Ekerö outside Stockholm his art can be seen at a local pizzeria. “I prefer to show my art in a place where people come and sit down, and where they come back. They can talk about the art in a relaxed way without having to pretend being art critics”, says Claes Olofsson who has his mind set on a two-year art school but currently has to settle with a ten-week course in Falkenberg. “The ten-week course gives me credit I can use when I take the twoyear education.”

Even though he says his true passion is art and painting it is a bit hard to believe him and most people still know him as captain, or perhaps “that Wallenius captain in Kalmar who invents all that stuff”. “Once you have sailed, it stays with you. I have been working ashore, I have had my career at the Swedish Maritime Administration. I was 47 or 48 and had just been promoted to

regional manager when I thought to myself; there’s got to be something more fun in life than to sit behind this desk”, he says and surely does not look like a man who regrets his choice. “I had a great job, I developed the sea rescue organization, and I worked abroad and had very interesting tasks. I used to sail on tankers for two months during the summers to keep my certificates. When I left that career and went back to sea full time most people just could not understand my decision, but my wife Lotta, she understood precisely. Many years earlier when I was first thinking about going ashore she told me ‘You’re not going ashore until you’ve become captain’ and I didn’t.”

»My mother wouldn’t let me go to Paris to study art, because I would probably never have come home« Claes Olofsson, 60, resident in Kalmar on the Swedish east coast since 1972. Master Mariner degree from the Kalmar Maritime Academy in 1975. Sailed on tankers and reefers up until the mid 1980s when he became a pilot and later started to work ashore for the Swedish Maritime Administration. Longed for the sea and began sailing again in 1999.

Claes Olofsson met his wife when he was still in the Navy, which he left in 1970, and she knew from the start she was marrying a sailor. “She knew I was going to be away for long periods of time, which I don’t think young women understand to-

day when they meet a man who is studying at the maritime academy and hardly knows himself what the job will be like.” Keeping the family together is sometimes hard, not least when you have to spend a lot of time away from home, but then of course working close to home does not necessarily mean more time at home. “If you look at those who work ashore they are never at home. When I am home I am at home for ten weeks, when I worked at the Swedish Maritime Administration I had less time for my family.”

Ten weeks at home or not, Claes Olofsson does not strike you as the kind of man who has trouble spending his time. He has got plenty of ideas and several inventions developed into products to back up his reputation as an inventor. “My life raft cradle can be found on many vessels, that was the product it all started with, I think it was in 2002.” Only seven years seem a short time to develop a company with a whole range of new products, especially for someone in his late fifties working full time as a captain. Inventing is

16 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Portrait Claes Olofsson

not an interest that just hits you on the head one day. “No, I guess I have been technically interested all my life. In 1984 or -85, I developed a container with a sliding rack for a Dutch dairy company. It’s still in use but the patents are long gone. I have been asked many times why I didn’t become a chief engineer instead of a captain.” The development of the life raft cradle sprung out of an experience most of us do not have to go through. “I was on a pilot boat that was cut in two, and we didn’t manage to get the five-man life raft into the water, it was too heavy. With my life raft cradle you can get a really big life raft into the water, with the vessel at a 45 degree list, with 70 kg of lifting power instead of 400 kg lifting power.”

In his company CMI Marine AB, which he runs together with his two sons Jonas and Mikael Olofsson, there are a number of patents and a handful of products, from the life raft cradle

»I was so angry with the door handles for water tight doors and deck doors. So I made a handle that stays in position.« inventions The liferaft cradle is the most well known of Claes Olofsson’s inventions but he also market his own sludge cleaner, oil recovery unit, ventilation hoods, ISPS locking device for escape trunks and deck doors as well as his newly invented door handle for water tight doors.

via more efficient ventilation hoods, sludge cleaners and oil recovery units to a very clever door handle. “I was so angry with the door handles for water tight doors and deck doors where there are six handles on one door, one or two always fall down when you are shutting the door. So I made a handle that stays in position, it has a small spring loaded ball that locks it in open position.”

CMI Marine does not have any production of its own, only design, sales and support. The actual manufacturing of the products is bought from other companies. “We sign contracts with local work shops, this way we can set the specifications and if the work shop does

Photo: fredrik davidsson

Claes Olofsson relaxing in his sofa below his interpretation of Central Park, New York.

not deliver according to our specifications we can move the job to another company.” Should that move ever occur the new workshop would probably still be situated in Kalmar or not too far away because Claes Olofsson is proud to have his products made in Sweden, or at least Scandinavia. “Our products come from Kalmar, Sweden, Scandinavia. They are not made in China or anywhere else. We were once industrial leaders, everything Scandinavian was super quality, but then we lost our position. I don’t like that, we should get back by spending our money here, at home.” When it comes to spending money far away from home, Claes Olofsson slips into the matter of recruitment of new seamen and officers. “I have been sailing with Filipinos all my life and they are great seamen but why should we favour them and not our own? Why are Swedish companies setting up maritime education on the Philippines? Give the money to the Swedish maritime academies instead.” While on the subject Claes Olofsson goes into the support inventors get, or rather does not get, in general and in the Swedish shipping business in particular. Patents are expensive and many good ideas are never developed into products. “Unions, the shipowners’ association and companies should express what they need and support good ideas, but they don’t.”

To develop thoughts and ideas into actual things, be it artwork or door handles, takes time. Not least time to really think it through and get your calculations right. With ten weeks shore leave you would imagine that is when there is time for that sort of thinking, not when you are working on board a Wallenius car carrier as its captain with all the responsibilities and paper work that comes with that position. “I don’t have to do all the paper work in every harbour, I can do it in advance. At sea, that’s when I really find the time to think and do my calculations. Inventing is really similar to art. When you paint you go into yourself and see things no one else sees, it is the same thing with for example my oil recovery unit. No one had seen it like I did, if they had there would already be one on the market.”

2009-12-07

14.56

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18 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Newcomer Oasis of the Seas

By Pär-Henrik Sjöström par-henrik@shipgaz.com

Photo: Simon Brooke Webb

A six-year long birth

It was a proud moment for the shipyard workers at STX Finland’s shipyard in Turku when the Oasis of the Seas took farewell of Turku with muffled signals from her typhoon. For the owner Royal Caribbean it was a longed-for moment – the vision had finally come true. It is indeed a long process to design and construct a vessel that is unlike anything built before. Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd says that it all began already in the first years of this decade.

“We started from a blank paper with discussions about how the next generation of vessels after the Voyager and Freedom class should look like.” A more systematic design process was initiated some six years ago, after ordering the first Freedom class vessel in autumn 2003. “We looked at which size to go for, what activities there should be on board and the configuration of the ship. Our work was based upon the operational experience from the Voyager class and what we already then

knew about the Freedom.” The project has been very customer oriented, focusing on which experiences to offer the guests and which are their preferences. “Together with the shipyard we developed and analysed several concepts in sizes from 150,000 to 250,000 GT. This finally resulted in the 220,000 GT Project Genesis.” Although the newbuilding would be considerably larger than all existing vessels, size was never the driving force in the project. “We simply wanted a product and a concept that would be superior and take the vacation experience of our customers to the next level”, says Harri Kulovaara. The large beam of 47 metres in the

»We wanted a concept that would take the vacation experience to the next level«

Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd

waterline enabled totally new architectural solutions. “We decided to open up the vessel in a totally new way, including the open air areas Central Park and Boardwalk. We also made the Royal Promenade wider than on our previous vessels.”

The idea of neighbourhooding came into the project in an early stage. The seven neighbourhoods of the Oasis of the Seas offer distinct and different environments for people with different needs, priorities and lifestyles. There is something for everyone: families with children, people who want to spend some time in peace and quiet, active young adults and so on. Harri Kulovaara thinks that it is crucial for a successful cruise experience that the guests feel comfortable with their fellow passengers. “An elderly couple may be irritated

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 19

Oasis of the Seas

Newcomer Photo: STX Finland/Jouni Saaristo

»We think that the areas on board will be utilized in a much better way than in earlier vessel types«

Interior from one of the restaurants in Central Park. Photo: STX Finland/Jouni Saaristo

The Oasis of the Seas was ordered on February 6, 2006. Steel production began on March 1, 2007 and a month later, on April 2, the sister vessel Allure of the Seas was ordered. The keel laying ceremony was held at STX Finland’s Turku shipyard on December 11, 2007, and the Oasis of the Seas was launched on November 21, 2008. She was handed over on October 28, 2009, a week before the contract date. After some short shakedown cruises with invited guests from travel agencies, media et cetera, the first ordinary cruise started on December 5. Before that the vessel was officially named in Fort Lauderdale on November 30. She is employed with seven-day cruises in the Caribbean with Port Ever glades at Fort Lauderdale as her turnaround port. A new terminal with 100 check-in counters has been built in the port to handle the Oasis of the Seas. “Our design standard has been that a passenger shall embark the vessel no later than 15 minutes after arriving at the terminal. After the first sailings we are convinced that this also is going to work in practice”, Harri Kulovaara confirms.

The Royal Promenade. In the foreground a Morgan car, a characteristic feature of Royal Caribbean. Photo: STX Finland/Jouni Saaristo

if there are noisy children running around, while it is quite natural for a family with children themselves. On holiday you prefer to communicate with like-minded people. In the one and same ship we are able to offer a vide range of customers experiences specially created just for them. This is possible only with a platform large enough”, stresses Harri Kulovaara. Neighbourhooding also means that the passengers spread around the whole ship. Compared to the Freedom-class the restaurants have been scaled up on the Oasis to house the larger number of passengers. There are also more options for dining. “We think that the areas on board the Oasis of the Seas will be utilized in a much better and more efficient way than in earlier vessel types”, says Harri Kulovaara.

The main dining room is three decks high and accommodates all passengers in two seatings.

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20 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Pär-Henrik Sjöström par-henrik@shipgaz.com

Newcomer Oasis of the Seas

Photo: Simon Brooke Webb

The Rising Tide, a lift shaped bar, takes its guests between the Royal Promenade and the Central Park (right) with its live greenery.

High-class high-tech

Almost everything about the Oasis of the Seas is high-tech. The latest available technology has made it possible to realize the project, still not forgetting the human dimension. It is certainly true that nothing about the Oasis of the Seas is conventional. If seen purely on a system level the ship is probably one of the most complex creations of man in the non-military sector. Still the various high-tech solutions on board do not include science-fiction inspired gadgets, where the latest technology is an end in itself. On the Oasis of the Seas the most advanced technology is hardly noticeable, it just makes everything work.

“Technology assists both in design and operation. Thanks to technology it has been possible for us to take such huge leaps in design in a safe way. We are able to simulate strength stability, logistics and passenger flows. Technology has also helped us a lot in critical areas, such as fire safety. By using simulation

technology it is possible to build a vessel that in all aspects is progressive, both regarding customer satisfaction as well as operational advantages, energy efficiency and overall safety”, states Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The design effort behind the Oasis project is the most extensive for any cruise ship ever. The leading Finnish consulting engineers Deltamarin, Europlan and Elomatic have played a decisive role in the basic and detail design. In addition to the builder and the shipowner some 800 other companies

»The ship is probably one of the most complex creations of man in the nonmilitary sector« The amount of design and production work totals some 12,000 man years. The total value of the order – including both the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas – is about EUR two billion.

have contributed to the building process itself. Not only ship owners see the benefits of large cruise ships because of economy of scale. Also passengers have shown a growing interest in larger ships, which are able to offer a wider variety in services at competitive prices.

The Oasis of the Seas is the latest step in the development towards larger and larger units. She will most likely also be used for benchmarking in many sectors of the cruise industry. Something this large has never been tested before and there are hardly any cruise operators that can afford to totally ignore the experiences gained from this ship. No doubt the Royal Promenade is one of the most important areas on

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 21

Oasis of the Seas

Newcomer

The Royal Promenade is 19 metres wide and 135 metres long, spanning between the two main staircases of the ship. It is one of the seven neighbourhoods on the Oasis of the Seas. This main street is surrounded with shops, bars and restaurants. A special feature is the Rising Tide, a bar built on a large lift platform, taking the guests between the Royal Promenade and the Central Park above. Large skylights provide natural light to the Royal Promenade daytime and also enable direct eye contact with the garden on the deck above. Aft of the forward staircase the superstructure is separated into two separate buildings on each side of the vessel, leaving a large open space between them. The 110 metres long and 19 metres wide Central Park in the mid part of the vessel is another neighbourhood and probably one of the most odd ideas ever realised on a ship. Featuring 12,755 plants, 62 grapevine as well as 56 trees and bamboos, this is a true oasis on a huge steel construction. None of the trees and plants are artificial. Watering is arranged by a computer based system and the overflow is drained by a piping system. The shipyard integrated large boxes in the deck and to fit in these, the owner ordered smaller containers for each plant from the Finnish supplier Huuhka Oy. “The containers were sent to the US and the plants were planted in them in advance. When the vessel arrived to Port Everglades everything was ready and the plants and trees were taken on board”, Toivo Ilvonen, Project Director for the Oasis Class at STX Finland, informs.

Photo: Simon Brooke Webb

board. First introduced on Silja Line’s Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony, the atrium is today a feature in many cruise ships. Harri Kulovaara held a key role in the Silja Line project in the late 1980s and brought his experiences to Royal Caribbean some years later. “When the Voyager-class was projected, I was convinced that a concept with an atrium was the right one. In the Oasis, the Royal Promenade is so wide that it adds a completely new dimension, it is more like a piazza, a place where people gather to an even larger extent than in our Voyager and Freedom ships”, Harri Kulovaara explains.

AquaTheater is a pool by day and a theatre for 600 persons by night. If the Central Park is drenched by rain, the drainage piping has capacity for four inches of water per hour. In its aft part the Central Park changes down to the level of deck 6 into another neighbourhood, the Boardwalk. This open area between the two parallel superstructures is dedicated to family fun and nostalgia. The most important attraction is the AquaTheater, an open-air theatre farthest aft, with seats for 600 guests. The theatre is built around a pool, which, according to the owner, is the largest and deepest saltwater pool at sea. Its depth can be adjusted up to a

The 7 neighbourhoods Central Park, Royal Promenade, Boardwalk, Pool & Sports Zone, Spa and Fitness, Entertainment Place, Youth Zone

maximum of 5.4 metres to accommodate high-diving performances from dive platforms 16 metres above. The AquaTheater is one of the technologically most advanced features on board, offering spectacular frames for shows with fountains synchronized to music and lights. Underwater cameras film performers and project images onto two giant Barco LED screens that flank the stage.

Stretching the length of the ship, the Pool and Sports Zone is intended for guests of all ages, featuring four types of pools and two FlowRider surf

22 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Newcomer Oasis of the Seas Photo: STX Finland/Jouni Saaristo

In one of the two engine rooms there are three 16-cylinder vee engines of Wärtsiläs 46-series. simulators. A new feature is the zip line, taking guests on a 25 metres ride across the open-air atrium between the superstructures nine decks above the Boardwalk. The Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness neighbourhood is dedicated to healthy lifestyles and body wellness.

Royal Caribbean also offers a lot of activities to children and teens. Its award-winning Adventure Ocean youth program aims at teaching kids about new, interesting things while they are having fun on board. In the Youth Zone neighbourhood the younger guests rule. The area covers 2,700 square meters – more space than has ever been dedicated to children of different ages on a cruise ship. There are also teen-only spaces, Fuel disco and The Living Room with a spacious outdoor deck adjacent to these venues. Night life is concentrated to the last of the neighbourhoods, the Entertainment Place. It is a contemporary nightclub district, including the casino, the large show lounge and the

ice skating rink, but also new features such as a jazz club and a comedy club. In addition to the features of the neighbourhoods there is a wide spectrum of lounges and restaurants. Although several options for dining are offered, all guests are dedicated a seat in the main dining room in one of the two seatings. The most popular restaurant for breakfast and lunch is the nonformal Windjammer on the pool deck. A trade mark for Royal Caribbean is the Viking Crown Lounge in the funnel, situated on deck 17.

»If one of the two engine rooms should fall out after being water filled or damaged by fire, the other one remains functional«

Toivo Ilvonen, Project Director for the Oasis Class at STX Finland.

Passenger accommodation is arranged in a total of 2,704 staterooms, of which 1,956 have a balcony. Of the cabins with balcony, 475 are facing the Central Park and Boardwalk areas. There are 22 different categories of staterooms, from the largest

156-square metre suits to standard, 18 square-metre cabins. A new type of cruising accommodation is offered in the multilevel loft suites, two deck-high staterooms with a glass wall and balcony. The total passenger capacity with double occupancy is 5,400 while the maximum number of passengers on board, utilising extra beds, reaches 6,360. In addition to this the crew consists of some 2,100 persons.

Safety issues have the highest priority. According to Toivo Ilvonen, the Oasis of the Seas is one of the safest passenger vessels in the world. The vessel is built to meet the new safety regulations coming into force in July 2010. In accordance to IMO’s goal that “Ship is its best lifeboat”, all persons on board can stay safely on board in case of a casualty while the ship proceeds to port. This includes improved ship survivability in the event of collision, grounding, fire or systems failure. In the Oasis of the Seas Alternative Design (Solas Ch. II-2 Reg. 17) has

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 23

Oasis of the Seas

Newcomer Photo: STX Finland/Jouni Saaristo

The bridge. The fore part is dedicated to navigation while the aft section is the safety centre, manned 24/7. been applied. As the ship is wider than 40 metres and the average size of fire zones exceed 1,600 square metres, extensive simulations and fire hazard analysis were carried out to verify that equal safety was achieved between the split superstructures. The HI-FOG 2000 sprinkler system is supplied by Marioff. The vessel has more than 13,000 sprinklers, covering all accommodation areas, public and service spaces as well as laundry and galley ducts and deep fat fryers in the kitchen. In the engine room the HI-FOG system offers a significantly higher level of fire protection than required by the regulations of the IMO.

“Redundancy is a key word”, explains Toivo Ilvonen. “All vital systems on board are doubled. If one of the two engine rooms should fall out for example after being water filled or damaged by fire, the other one remains functional and may supply enough electrical power both for propulsion and for the essential users on board. There are three pods for

»Of course she has a large mass but the machinery and the thrusters also have a lot of power« propulsion and even with only one of them in function the vessel may proceed to port.” If the vessel would have to be evacuated, this may be carried out in the same time as a considerably smaller vessel. Life jackets are no longer stored in the cabins. Instead they are handed over to the passengers before boarding the lifeboats. There are 18 large lifeboats for 370 persons each, which are in position for immediate boarding at the boat deck. At the assembly areas there are electronic identification systems, registering the passengers by using their passenger id card. This makes it possible to follow the evacuation on line from the ship’s safety centre on the bridge. In addition to the lifeboats, there

Some facts • 150,000 square metres of air conditioned area • 7,000 works of art • 2,300 tons of water in the swimming pools • 4,100,000 litres of fresh water generated every day

are two fast rescue boats and four evacuation chute stations, each one with life rafts for 450 persons, mainly intended for the crew. The diesel-electric machinery consists of a power plant with three Wärtsilä 16V46 and three Wärtsilä 12V46 medium speed engines as prime movers. The total output of the diesels is 97,020 kW. The main engines are equipped with common rail technology. As the combustion and other process parameters can be adjusted for lower load ranges, smoke emissions can be reduced.

Propulsion is provided by three azimuthing Azipod aggregates from ABB Marine, with an output of 20,000 kW each. In addition to that the vessel has four Wärtsilä-bow thrusters of 5,500 kW each. The Azipods and thrusters provide dynamic positioning capabilities. ABB Marine has also provided the generators, main switchboards, frequency converters, transformers and remote control units for the ship. Harri Kulovaara is most pleased

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24 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Newcomer Oasis of the Seas

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 25

Oasis of the Seas

Newcomer

ď&#x201A;ś

26 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Newcomer Oasis of the Seas Photo: Simon Brooke Webb

The ship has seven godmothers – one for each neighbourhood – here pictured with the top management of the company and the captain: Richard D Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, singer Gloria Estefan, actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, actress Jane Seymour, television personality and producer Daisy Fuentes, captain William Wright, figure skater Michelle Kwan, gymnast Shawn Johnson, swimmer Dara Torres and Adam Goldstein, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. with the manoeuvring characteristics. “The ship manoeuvres in an excellent way according to both the master Bill Wright and the pilots. She has of course a large mass but the machinery and the thrusters also have a lot of power.” The environmental impact of the vessel is minimized by the design itself and by using the latest commercially available equipment. The hull lines, machinery and propulsion type as well as heating and air conditioning systems are optimised for energy efficiency.

Among other features there is an advanced integrated waste handling systems for all waste streams. Operations of the vessel adapts a no-ballast concept with no ballasting actions, allowing normal operations only us-

»It is possible to save energy as one large vessel consumes less than two smaller« Major suppliers Suppliers not mentioned in the text: Evac Oy, Joptek Oy Composites, Jukova Oy, Koja Oy, Pilkington Automotive Finland Oy, Rautaruukki Oyj, SKS-Mechatronics Oy, STX Finland Cabins Oy.

ing the heeling and trimming tanks. The Oasis of the Seas has DNV’s CLEAN classification notation to assist in emission control through the whole lifecycle of the vessel. “We are convinced that a large vessels also offers environmental advantages. It is possible to save energy as one large vessel consumes less than two smaller”, Harri Kulovaara says.

The integrated bridge system is delivered by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit. It is based on Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster FT technology, including a total of 13 TotalWatch multi-function

workstations on the bridge, as well as a TabletBridge wireless node in the captain’s cabin. The TotalWatch concept brings together information from radars, electronic chart display and information systems, and other shipboard systems for display on a single high-resolution flat-screen display.

To comply with Royal Caribbean’s safety requirements, Sperry Marine has developed a dual redundant network architecture with built-in backup for all critical components. The bridge is based on a modified Ushaped cockpit with trackball controls built into the watch officers’ chairs. A separate command and safety centre is located adjacent to the wheel house. All processors are rack-mounted in two separate electrical rooms for easy access.

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 27

Oasis of the Seas

Newcomer Photo: Simon Brooke Webb

1. The arrival. Oasis of the Seas entering Port Everglades for the first time. 2. Standard stateroom. 3. Signing the handing over documents. Martin Landtman, Richard D Fain and Adam Goldstein in the foreground. 4. The pod room.

OASIS OF THE SEAS Type �� Cruise vessel Built by �� STX Finland Oy, Turku, Finland Newbuilding No �� 1363 Owner �� Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, USA Delivery �� October 28, 2009 Flag �� Bahamas IMO No �� 9383936 Class �� DNV +1A1 Passenger Ship COMF-V(1) RPS ECO F-M LCS-DC CLEAN FUEL (991 kg/cubic metre) BIS

Length o a . ................................................... 361 m Breadth ........................................................... 47 m Draught ......................................................... 9,3 m BT ............................................................... 225,282 NT ............................................................. 242,999 DWT ............................................................ 15,000 Passengers ..................................... 5,400/6,296 Cabins ........................................................... 2,706 Crew ................................................................ 2,165

Machinery Diesel-electric 3 Wärtsilä 16V46 (3 x 18,480 kW) 3 Wärtsilä 12V46 (3 x 13,860 kW) 3 Azipod (3 x 20,000 kW)

Service speed ..................................... 22,6 knots

Photo: STX Finland / Jouni Saaristo

28 Shipgaz No 9 2009

By Fredrik Davidsson fredrik@shipgaz.com

Report Lay-ups

Photo: mroach / flickr

View from the island Sentosa off Singapore.

Too costly to lay up old ships

“If the vessel is 25 years old and has not passed the Class renewal, I say sell it for recycling. It won’t be cheap to restart the vessel after six months in lay-up”, says Karl P Mühlbradt, Senior Claims Executive at Gard AS. Out of the presently 917 ships officially in cold lay-up, only 57 are registered with Gard. The true number of ships in hot lay-up or vessels just ‘waiting for the next cargo’ is not known but it said to be a lot larger than 900. “I have heard mentions of around 16,000 ships in various states of layup, most of them at Asian locations”, said Mr Mühlbradt at Gard’s autumn seminar in Gothenburg in November. By now the crisis is well on its way and most of us are tired of hearing of it, some even say it is over. The wheels are already starting to turn a little bit faster, they say.

“Optimized operations and increased recycling have made the number of lay-ups during the past year fewer than what we expected a year ago, at the beginning of the crisis”, says Karl P Mühlbradt, but just minutes later he is back on the subject and adds: “Lay-ups are nothing we are done with, I expect to see the numbers rising next year.” According to Mr Mühlbradt, layups are still something of an unchart-

ed territory as everybody expects that somebody else knows and has specified what to do with a laid up vessel. That is not the case though. “Many people think the class knows everything and makes demands, but they don’t have specifications for the lay-up of vessels, neither does the flag states nor the port states. The conclusion of this is that we don’t count on anyone to take responsibility if something happens.” A lay-up is what the insurance people call ‘a change of risk’, which means that the insurance company must be notified by the shipowner. “We have had shipowners calling us saying ‘I have laid up my vessel, now I want returns on my premium’, but we demand a little bit more than that.” The risk changes but it does not disappear, there are still numerous risks. Vessels have been hit by other vessels while in lay-up, engine rooms have been flooded when piping from

»Lay-ups are nothing we are done with, I expect to see the numbers rising next year.«

Karl P Mühlbradt, Senior Claims Executive at Gard.

the sea chest have not been blinded of, anchors have dragged, putting ships aground. Not to mention all the problems that might occur when machinery is not in use.

“Fore example ABB says their turbo chargers must be dismantled and re-balanced if they have been out of use for six months, I wonder how many shipowners will do that when they see an opportunity to quickly restart there vessel?” says Karl P Mühlbradt and he has more examples: “The last time we had a large number of lay-ups we saw a lot of problems with corrosion in the machinery, boilers and pipe systems. Control and regulating systems did not work properly and hydraulic systems had dried out, causing malfunction and damage to equipment. We also saw problems with propeller shafts and bearings that were slightly misaligned after months in the same position. We even saw stern tube bearings destroyed when the main engine was turned, since no oil film is obtained when the shaft is moved very slowly.” With all those risks Gard wants all

No 9 2009 Shipgaz 29

Lay-ups

»We don’t count on anyone to take responsibility if something happens« clients that are thinking of putting one of their vessels in either hot or cold lay-up to present a lay-up plan. There is a company circular on what the plan should contain.

“There are many companies out there who have published guidelines for lay-ups, they have realised there is money to be made. We use the lay-up plan for checking that some specific measures are taken and we use it as information for ourselves as to what has been done with the vessel”, says Karl P Mühlbradt, who thinks the demands made by Gard are not very hard. “First we want to know the lay-up site and that it is approved by the local authorities. Second we want to know the mooring or anchoring arrangement and that it is approved by the class. These are the only two things we demand to be approved by a third party, I do not think that is too much to ask or unreasonable.” An insurance taker who puts his vessel in lay-up is entitled to a return payment on his insurance premium. How large this return should be is however not all that clear. Karl P Mühlbradt mentions the figure 25 per cent, but also says each case must be solved individually. The audience at the seminar was not in total agreement.

Lay-up plan In order for Gard to maintain the insurance cover of a ship in short or long term lay-up the Assured must present a lay-up plan which must include the following items: 1. Lay-up Site 2. Mooring/ anchoring arrangements 3. Class Status 4. Minimum manning Source: www. gard.no – Loss Prevention Circular No 14-09

Report

INTERIOR INSULATION VENTILATION PIPING ELECTRICAL

“Ten years ago a 90 per cent return payment on the premium was normal”, a Swedish insurance broker representative says. “The difference compared to the last time we had lay-up is that we know it is expensive this time and also the rates have changed a lot. When a 90 per cent reduction was obtained there was always a minimum rate agreed of 0,3 per cent, which is the level of the full premium rate today. There is also a big difference in the quality of custom relations and the appreciation of the risks involved. If there is any talk about a 90 per cent return I am quite happy to leave that risk to someone else, and I am not concerned our portfolio is going to get smaller because of that statement”, says Bjørnar Andresen, senior vice president at Gard Marine.

ADRESS: BÄRINGE 1B, ANNEXET, SE-241 95 BILLINGE PHONE: +46 413-54 40 00 FAX: +46 413-54 41 10 E-MAIL: SCANMARINE@SCANMARINE.SE

Change of address

It may only be a two-hour boat trip from the old home, but for Olle Kristensson – and for Swedish shipping – a great step was taken when Tärntank Rederi AB moved to Skagen in Denmark. TEXT & PHOTO: BENT MIKKELSEN

The sun is shining from a clear blue sky over Skagen at the northern tip of Denmark on this particular Monday, a day when history is made at the Swedish, or rather Danish, tanker company Tärntank Rederi AB. t 12 noon the company’s managing director Olle Kristensson receives a telephone call from the financial head of the company, Dick Höglund, sitting in Copenhagen explaining that all documentation was in order and that the very first ship in the company’s fleet is ready to hoist the Danish flag. The ship is the Tärnland. Along with the new flag comes a change of names to Ternland and a new port of registry: Skagen. “This is a special day for our company. We have taken this major decision to move our headquarters to Skagen and taxwise become a Danish company, so it’s now a fact that the first ship has changed flag and home port to this very nice city at the top of Denmark”, says Olle Kristensson.

Part of the office staff this sunny day is also the company’s financial controller, Annika Kristensson, who happens to be Olle Kristensson’s wife too, and also their nine-month old child Sofie, who sleeps in a small room along with filing cabinets and general storage of office equipment.

The Tärnland, now Ternland, was the first to switch to the Danish flag. The photo was taken in Gothenburg a few weeks before the switch.

Tärntank Rederi AB’s step to move to Skagen in the early summer of 2009 came after months of discussion of what to do in the current crisis for shipping and particularly tanker shipping as in Tärntank’s segment.

“Something had to be done”, says Olle Kristensson. “In this market when we suffer we have to do our utmost to cut the costs. Along with the Swedish Shipowner’s Association we have urged the Swedish government to implement tonnage tax, which most of the other EU countries like Denmark and Norway have done. But so far we have not had any luck. So when the Swedish Minister of Infrastructure Åsa Torstensson declared on April 23 at the Swedish Shipowner’s Association’s annual meeting that a tonnage tax system will not be implemented during the present term of office – our last belief in Swedish shipping politics disappeared.” “The choice of Denmark grew during the process when we looked at the different alternatives. We preferred an EU flag as most of our trade and customers are within the EU countries. So Denmark became the bull’s eye in this process”, says Olle Kristensson. “In Tärntank we have been very fond of Skagen for a number of years, in fact, we have had a company summer house in Skagen since 2002 and everyone using this house has enjoyed it very much”. “This house made it very much easier for us to go for Skagen”, explains Olle Kristensson. “On the personal level there have been some challenges in moving a family of five, including a new born baby, from Donsö in the Göteborg archipelago to a foreign country”, says Olle Kristensson. “On the other hand, Skagen is the closest Danish port and town to Donsö. On a calm day it will take only two hours from the office, which is situated in the central part of Skagen port only 50 metres from the quayside, to reach the port of Donsö”. “We have to admit that we are not very good at

Little Sofie of nine months with her mother Annika Kristensson in the TĂ¤rntank office, situated right by the quayside. The old home DonsĂś is only a two-hour boat trip away.

»We were already fond of Skagen before we moved the office. The only downside of moving to Skagen is that we are apart from all relatives and friends on Donsö « Danish yet, but Skagen is a town which for years has been the target for Swedes on holiday, so the locals don’t really have problems understanding Swedish”, explains Annika Kristensson. “It is a little more complicated for our two girls Karin and Annie at the age of five and four. They are well taken care of in daycare, but they think it’s difficult to learn the Danish language.” “I ask them every day when they come home if it has been a good day on a scale from one to ten”, says Olle Kristensson. “Friday is a ten, because then they go to the swimming baths, which they like very much, but there have been days that got a zero. But I think it’s getting a little better day by day, and I observed the older girl translating a sentence from children’s morning TV the other day. It was a Danish sentence where somebody said ‘vent lige lidt på mig’ and seconds later Karin said to Annie it means ‘vänta lite på mig’ (wait for me a little).”

Tärntank Rederi AB’s office is situated in the attic of a large building owned by the Municipality of Skagen and the building also houses the tourist office of Skagen. Between this house and the quayside is a large parking space used by the tourists.

“So there is lot of commotion every day”, says Olle Kristensson. “Even though we have moved to a remote part of Denmark it is not a deserted area quite the contrary – and as I have mentioned earlier we were already fond of Skagen before we moved the office”. The Kristensson family has also purchased their own home in Skagen now. They bought a common family house in the northern part of the town at cycling distance from the office. The other employee Dick Höglund has moved into a town house without any garden, at his own request. “The only downside of moving to Skagen and Denmark is that we are apart from all relatives and friends on Donsö”, explains Olle Kristensson. “Both parents were a little sad when we explained our plans, but they have been here on and off during the summer and support the arrangement now, looking after their grandchildren – their little treasures.”

The reason for taking this major step in the life of several Swedish islander families is financial. The Swedish Shipowners’ Association has been trying for years to get at least equal competitive conditions as other EU countries for sailing under the Swedish flag. During the last ten years a number of other maritime nations in most of the world have changed the financial framework for their domestic owners in order to give the owners better terms for competition on the international scene. “It’s hard facts that the Swedish maritime cluster doesn’t get any attention from the Swedish government and that the Swedish government hasn’t looked to similar countries around Europe to observe

»It’s hard facts that the Swedish maritime cluster doesn’t get any attention from the Swedish government«

what the changed framework has meant for a particular country’s expansion or at least for keeping its position in the market”, says Olle Kristensson. “We have for some years been operating from Norway with four tankers registered in the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), but the Norwegian flag is not the choice for the complete operation. The NIS-flagged fleet gives opportunities for our Filipino crew to achieve rank as captain and the fact is that we have two Filipino citizens as captains on our tankers. With this possibility we believe we are able to attract good Filipino seafarers”, explains Olle Kristensson.

has to pass through new vetting for all the customers, but in the case of Ternland’s change of plan it was done very proactively in cooperation with the customers and oil majors. “By making the process proactive with our customers is has been a very smooth process so far”, explains Olle Kristensson. “If the Ternland arrives at an oil terminal and the inspector meeting the ship sees that the name is no longer Tärnland, but Ternland and the flag has changed as well, the ship would usually have been set out for a new complete vetting process. But by going through everything in detail, explaining that we change the name and flag but still sail with the same crew, we have managed to keep our vetting approval for the remaining period”. The registration under the Danish flag has also been a smooth operation. The system requirements for the ships are almost identical, so for a classed tanker there has been no serious problem in changing flag. “The only thing, so to speak, is that our senior officers had to take a one-week course in Danish legislation. As captain on a Danish-flagged vessel the captain is the authority on board and has to act on the law of the country whose flag the ship is flying. But this has been very well taken care of by the Skagen Skiperskole, which has been very helpful in getting all officers through in such a short time ”, says Olle Kristensson.

“If they don’t have any achievements to go for, the good ones will lift up the anchor, so to speak, and leave for a company that offers this opportunity. So our plan is to continue operation under NIS-flag with the fleet of four tankers, and have the remaining five units sailing under the Danish flag. A complete operation under NIS-flag would not be good for our business service, as some oil majors within the EU demand EU-flag. And, on the other hand, a complete operation under the Danish flag would cut off the option of having Filipino captains on the staff.” “Our Swedish seafarers have been very loyal and have backed us in these hard and turbulent times. 96% of all Swedes and 85% of the total crew have agreed to continue under the new conditions in the Danish International Ship Register (DIS). Apart from the seafarers’ net wages, the Danish system also offers a tonnage tax scheme, like in most European countries nowadays. The tonnage tax system is like an annual fee to the taxman for a certain ship, based on the vessel’s gross tonnage no matter whether the ship is earning anything or not”, says Olle Kristensson.

The reason for the change of names from

Another delicate operation in the move to the new address in Denmark is the vetting at the oil majors. Usually the oil companies that conduct a lot of inspections and approvals for the tankers keep tankers in the Clean Petroleum Products on a short leash. Normally it is rather complicated to change flag on a tanker because the owner’s technical department Photo: Tärntank

Tärnland to Ternland is a wish that the company has had for a long time to simplify the ship names and prefixes. It has been an ongoing process for years. Tärntank has modernised the name on the tankers flying the Norwegian flag. They are registered under the prefix Tarn like Tarnbris, Tarnfors, Tarndal and Tarnsjo. “We have wanted to do this modernisation for some years now as the Swedish spelling with the ‘ä’ is rather complicated in our international and computer related world. Sometimes we see papers where the name is spelt Taernland or sometimes just with a question mark like T?rnland. We know which ship is referred to, but if a customs officer or a port state inspector looks in his database and does not find Tärnland, we would have a lot of explaining to do until the particular inspector knows the difference between Swedish spelling and international computers”, says Olle Kristensson.

The company name originates from a small

Tärntank Rederi AB First established in 1904 as a business venture selling oils at Donsö in the southern archipelago of Gothenburg. Ten years later the first vessel was built for transport of petroleum products, the Anna-Maria. The fleet of today consists of nine tankers, four of which is registered in the Norwegian International Ship Register (as the Tarnbris above). The remaining flies the Danish flag from the end of December.

village in Swedish Uppland named Tärnsjö, from where Olle Kristensson’s step grandfather Olle Nordin came. This was also the name of the first vessel in the company. Now by the end of December, Tärntank Rederi AB will, when the fleet of five tankers has been re-flagged, be the largest shipping company ever situated in Skagen. In the 1960s some fishing vessel companies like P. Anthonisen and Rederiet Nordfisk had a large fleet of trawlers, but apart from them Tärntank Rederi AB will take the all time record with a grand total of 69,294 DWT. However, the Danish giant A P Møller-Mærsk has four ships registered at Skagen with a total of 111,000 DWT, of which 104,696 DWT sail under the name Skagen Mærsk.

Photo: Fredrik Davidsson

38 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Per Nyström, per@shipgaz.com

Spotlight Technology

Combustion in our time Technology: Per Nyström Per Nyström has a long experience as Chief Engineer, Shipyard Superintendent and troubleshooter when propulsion systems fail. He is part owner of FT Engineering AB.

perating your main engine at part load may be a costly experience if the circumstances are not properly considered, and an headache for many chef engineers is operation on low sulphur fuels.

What is the problem? Fuel properties are changing over time, following the oil refineries improved technology. Most engineers have experienced a degradation in residual fuel qualities over the last couple of years, CCAI value (Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index) was some years ago a relatively safe parameter for the engineer to establish what he could expect in way of combustion quality. Today residual fuel with a traditionally good CCAI value often shows poor combustion property in service.

Therefore the CCAI value is not entirely reliable as a combustion quality parameter anymore, and causes often high derivative cylinder pressures even if the CCAI value is acceptable in a traditional sense. High derivative cylinder pressures during part load will introduce a combustion that is more like an explosion than combustion, and will consequently create very high stresses on cylinder related component but also on crankcase bearings.

»Today residual fuel with a traditionally good CCAi value often shows poor combustion property in service« High derivative cylinder pressures during part load will introduce a combustion that is more like an explosion than combustion.

Especially exposed components are: the cylinder head with studs and cylinder liner; pistons with conRate of change (bar/deg)

Max derivative cylinder pressure during part load

Max derivative pressure during high power

necting rods; and big end bearings, main bearings and crankshaft. Also the overall vibration velocities will increase with increased derivative cylinder pressure, that often can be observed by cracked protection plating etc, on external parts of the engine affected. For a few cylinder engine installations, increased derivative cylinder pressure may considerably affect the torsional behaviour of the shafting system.

Unfortunately the derivative cylinder pressure increases at part load, since the compression pressure is lower, and consequently also the compression temperature. With today’s recession in the shipping industry many ships are operated at part load (economic speed) in order to save fuel and therefore may fulfil conditions leading to high derivative cylinder pressures with possible following engine damage. If in poor condition, the engine injection equipment, such as injection pumps and injectors, will aggravate the condition considerably, as well as too high injection viscosity. In this respect viscosimeters are not seldom installed far from the engine, with a significant temperature drop before the fuel reaches the engine. Insufficient capacity of booster and feed pumps will also contribute. The experienced engineer will hear if the derivative pressure is high, as the engine will become noisier during part load.

A chemical carrier had received fuel that introduced a derivative cylinder pressure in excess of 20 bar/° crank angle and the sister vessel had received the same quality of bunker. On the first vessel this was observed once the new bunker oil was in use, but on the second vessel it was not noticed. The first vessel managed to pump the fuel ashore and receive new bunker oil with better combustion property, while the second vessel experienced a major breakdown of a connecting rod, which was split

Case 1: 0

-3

-6

Crank angle (deg) -129

-86

-43

129

172

-9

Derivative cylinder pressure is the rate of change of the pressure in the cylinder. A good value is 4–6 bar per degree crank angle. 7–10 bar per degree crank angle calls for attendance. 11–16 bar per degree crank angle calls for urgent attendance. 17–21 bar per degree crank angle means that we are close to severe engine damage. Higher than 21 bar per degree crank angle, the engine will hardly survive.

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 39

Technology

»With today’s recession in the shipping industry many ships are operated at part load (economic speed) in order to save fuel« over the crankpin causing severe damage to the crankshaft, connecting rod, cylinder unit and engine entablature. The latter had to be repaired by metal stitching, a time consuming and expensive experience for the owner. Crankshaft damage was inside the limits for repair by grinding.

Additional combustion related problem. Today’s effort to protect our environment has through legislation also created some combustion related problems that have to be considered when operating on low sulphur residual fuels. It has been noticed that many ships are bunkering low sulphur fuels without considering balancing of the lub oil/cylinder oil BN (former TBN=Total Base Number), and the result is often devastating for both two and four stroke engine. Fouling of exhaust systems and turbochargers is not uncommon, impairing the gas exchange in the cylinder by increased back pressure. The approaching date for implementation of 0.1 per cent sulphur fuel in European ports, will force shipowners and engineers to adapt engine systems for operation on marine diesel and equipment for safe change over between different fuel qualities, if not yet done. Few existing vessels have proper facilities to maintain fuel temperature and viscosity during the change over period. Changing from 380 cSt heavy fuel to marine diesel will reduce injection pump temperature by about 100°C. A typical medium speed engine can take a temperature reduction of 0.7–1° C per minute without damage or pump sticking, long stroke engines are more forgiving and would usually accept 2° C per minute. Most fuel booster systems are not designed for this slow change over rate.

Case 2: A chemical carrier with a 7 cylinder B&W two stroke engine bunkered 180 cSt fuel with a sulphur con-



CCai CCAI (Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index) was introduced by Shell as a model for assessing combustion quality. Calculation is based on the relationship between fuel density and viscosity and the result in a nondimensional unit.

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40 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Spotlight Technology Photo: pierre adolfsson

»It is of outmost importance to maintain an as high compression temperature as possible when operating on part load« tent of 0.8 per cent, maintaining the same cylinder oil as before, namely BN 70, and in addition too high feed rate. Since the calcium in the cylinder oil could not be sulfatized (lack of sulphur) the calcium built up heavy deposits on the pistons, in piston ring grooves and in the turbo charger. After two weeks of operation, the engine could no longer be operated. 6 out of 7 cylinders were found to have all piston rings broken. The repair required a six-week loss of hire, and to a very high cost since the ship was in an awkward position for delivery of spare parts.

How can we solve it? It is of outmost importance to maintain an as high compression temperature as possible when operating on part load, in the first place by adjusting the charge air (scavenging air) temperature. Typical for a medium speed four stroke engine is that an increase of the charge air temperature of 10°C will increase the compression temperature about 25° C. Increasing compression temperature by 25° C will in most medium speed engines advance the ignition of the injected fuel by about 1° crank angle, due to the higher temperature in the cylinder in which the fuel is injected.

Operating your main engine at part load may be a costly experience if the circumstances are not properly considered. Hence, the injection timing may have to be adjusted for the mentioned type of operation. In older ships sometimes regulating equipment for charge air temperature control is missing or out of order, making it difficult to maintain a steady charge air temperature and consequently the important compression temperature. Many older regulators are also

»If a change from heavy fuel to marine diesel cannot be done slowly, the safest may be to stop the engine before the change«

governed by misplaced sensors. When changing bunker supplier, or bunker quality, or starting a longer period of a part load operation, it is of essence that combustion in the particular engine is analysed and the engine adjusted accordingly.

If a change from heavy fuel to marine diesel cannot be done sufficiently slowly, due to for instance a too small mixing tank, the safest may be to stop the engine before the change over. Changing from marine diesel to heavy fuel seldom presents any problems.

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42 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Bent Mikkelsen bent@shipgaz.com

Report Bunker oil

Photo: Lauritzen bulkers

The Amine Bulker is one of two Lauritzen bulkers that have the Lab-on-board-ship installed in a full-scale test.

Real time bunker check

Full-scale tests of the Lab-on-board-ship equipment are in progress – the system checks bunker oil quality in 15 minutes. The new Lab-on-board system provides the chief engineer with a complete analysis of the bunker oil. The system only needs 15 minutes to deliver. “It’s like a dream come true”, says Timothy Wilson, Principal Specialist Engineer, Product Manager of Lloyd’s Register’s FOBAS (Fuel Oil Bunkers Advisory Services).

The Lab-on-board-ship system was invented by the Danish company NanoNord A/S, Aalborg, and is presently being tested in full-scale on board five vessels; Lauritzen Bulkers’ Amine Bulker and Sofie Bulker, the DFDS ferry Pearl of Scandinavia and two tankers controlled by Torm and BP respectively. The preliminary test results from Amine Bulker and Sofie Bulker are very satisfactory.

“We are delighted”, says Ejner Bonderup, Head of Lauritzen Bulkers’ commercial department. “As a tramp operator, we can’t make any arrangements with port suppliers. We have to bunker at many different locations, including remote areas where the bunker oil might be of a lower quality compared to bunker oil being offered at bunker hubs as Gibraltar”, says Ejner Bonderup.

»As a tramp operator, we can’t make any arrangements with port suppliers«

Ejner Bonderup, Head of Lauritzen Bulkers’ commercial department.

The Lab-on-board-ship system contains necessary equipment for a complete analysis of bunker oil, lubrication oil, hydraulic oil and other oil products that needs to be checked. As the result comes within 15 min-

utes, it gives the officer in charge a fair chance to stop the operation and make a complaint to the bunker supplier. “It’s far less complicated to stop a bunker operation and retransfer 20– 25 tons of bunker oil, than to handle problems caused by 500 tons of dirty bunker oil in the ship tanks”, says Poul Martin Kondrup, Head of Lauritzen Bulkers’ technical department and continues:

“Without a Lab-on-board-ship system, it takes several days, normally 6–8 days, to find out the bunker oil quality as the samples have to be sent to a laboratory. And at that time, the ship could be far away from the bunker supplier. In 2008, Lauritzen Bulkers, with a fleet of 90 vessels, reported six or seven cases where inferior bunker oil was used.”

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 43

Bunker oil

Report Photo: lauritzen bulkers

»The system also checks the lubrication oil designed for the stern tube « “A fast and complete analysis is better for our operation, no doubt about that.” The Lab-on-board-ship system can be connected to a number of fuel lines on board. “By using the Lab-on-board-ship system we know what goes into the purifier and what comes out of it”, says Timothy Wilson and continues:

“In fact, on one of our vessels we detected an abnormal water content in the oil going into the engine. The chief engineer found out that there was a leak on the steam coil inside the purifier. It would have been very difficult to locate the problem without the lab analysis.” The lab test result is transmitted via satellite to NanoNord’s office in Aalborg as well as to Lloyd’s Register.

Lauritzen Bulkers is on-line as well, the company gets data from their two bulk carriers. “The system provides us with updated information twice a day”, says Poul Martin Kondrup and continues: “We get sufficient information to

Lauritzen Bulkers specialises in ocean transport of dry bulk cargo.

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Tel. e-mail Copy this page and fax it to number +358 2 472 6553 or leave your answer on our website in www.hanslangh.fi/ competition or send your request for more information and choice of price by email to cleaning@langh.fi.

Kingdom of ferries

Norway once had more than 2,000 permanently inhabited islands and countless coast side mainland settlements lacking roads. Needless to say, transportation by boat has been an absolute necessity since the earliest days of human life in this fable-like part of the world. TEXT & PHOTO: MATS CARLSSON LENART

The three ferry giants

Commercial transportation on water as we know it today, with timetables, tickets and ﬁxed prices, started in the mid 1800s, when the steam engines speeded up the world. In Norway, coastal steamers were introduced in the 1840s. owever, ferry operations were introduced much earlier. Vessels powered by oars and sails – designed to carry horses, carriages and people at the same time – plied straits, rivers and fjords many hundred years ago. Documents proof that ferries were crossing the Oslo fjord between Moss and Horten as early as the late 1500s. In the age of steam, one of the first pure ferries of Norway was the small steamship Kvik Smart, put into service in Kristiansund in 1876. The Kvik Smart replaced open rowing boats, powered by muscular ferrymen in all weathers. In the 1890s, Norwegian roads saw the first cars. For many years, the only way to get a car across fjords and to islands was to have it loaded on deck on regular steamers. But after World War I, the grand era of Norwegian car ferries started. Among the first was the M/F Bilfergen (which means M/F Car Ferry), a converted fishing boat put into operation between Åndalsnes and Vestnes in 1921. Eleven years later the city of Kristiansund was connected to the mainland road network by the B/F Gaute, a ferry with a capacity of eight cars, in those days quite an impressive number.

Tide

Turnover 2008 3,2 billion NOK

Torghatten

Turnover 2008 2,9 billion NOK

The 1970s saw many more bridges and in the 1980s, sub-sea tunnels were introduced where bridges proved to be too complicated and expensive to build. The first Norwegian tunnel under water replaced the ferry to the island city of Vardø in 1983. In the last two decades, a number of ferry services have ceased operations each year. The most recent one being the Kristiansund– Bremsnes line in the Møre and Romsdal County (see separate article). Within the next 5–10 years, the number of ferry connections will be further reduced, such as the proud lines of Bruravik– Brimnes in Hardanger and Volda–Folkestad in Sunnmøre.

Turnover 2008 2,8 billion NOK

25 years ago there were about 30 ferry operators in Norway. During the last 5–10 years, following the implementation of the new public procurement model, merging of ferry operators has been intense. The most recent major acquisition occurred in April 2009 when Torghatten ASA bought the local car and fast ferry operations of Hurtigruten ASA. Torghatten ASA and Fosen ASA wishes to merge but Fjord1, holding a minority stake in Fosen, has stopped the process.

Ferry traffic development, amount of passengers 1990 1979

1974 1995 2002

In 1939, the queen of Norwegian ferry services, the Moss–Horten line, received the first larger ro-ro ferry in Norway, with a capacity of 34 cars and 600 passengers. However, the replacement of ferries with bridges started early. One of the first major Norwegian road bridges was the Svinesund Bridge, 420 metres long and opened in 1946, crossing high over the Idefjord, which constitutes the Norwegian–Swedish border. The old Svinesund ferry connection, with a history of several hundred years, was among the first to cease operations. Building of several major bridges followed in the 1950s, but that decade and the next were also the great decades of Norwegian ferry services expansion. In 1968, there were almost 200 ferry services and several hundreds of ferries employing many thousands of people. This was a peak year of ferries in the kingdom.

Fjord1

29.7 million passengers travelled by ferry in 1990. 2008 the ﬁgure was 21,2 million.

The major single crossings 1. Moss–Horten 4,086 vehicles/day 2. Mortavika–Arsvågen 3,307 vehicles/day 3. Halhjem–Sandvikvåg 2,289 vehicles/day 4. Flakk–Rørvik 2,132 vehicles/day 5. Ørsneset–Magerholm 2,114 vehicles/day

2008

Norwegian highway ferries

Bodø–Værøy

Longest crossing: 193 km

In 2008, there were 127 ferry connections in Norway, trafﬁcked by about 150 ferries making 1.6 million sailings. The operators received a total of 1,722 million NOK in government subsidies.

The largest ferries

1. Bastö III – 7,310 Brt

2. Bastø I & II – 5,505 Brt

Trondheim Kristiansund–Bremsnes

3. Stavangerfjord and its sisters – 4,325 Brt

Molde–Vestnes

Brimnes– Bruravik

Bergen

Shortest crossing: 600 m

Haugesund Karmøy

Oslo

Svelvik–Verket Moss–Horten

Stavanger

Fredrikstad Halden

Risør–Øysang

Kristiansand

The last car ferry leaves Kristiansund.

“I will drive many kilometers extra just to avoid the new tunnel when I go to Averøya”, says M/F Bjørnsund Able Seaman Erling Holten.

Up to December 19, the M/F Bjørnsund was a part of life and landscape in Kristiansund.

A black hole marks the end of an era, as the Atlantic Sea Tunnel now replaces the ferry.

On December 19, 2009, a new sub-sea tunnel opened between Kristiansund and Bremsnes in Norway. As a consequence, the ferry service on the route ceased operations the same day. he last departure of the M/F Bjørnsund marks the end of an era, leaving the charming island city of Kristiansund – once the terminus of four ferry lines – without car ferries. Locals claim that their city now loses a part of its face and soul. The closure of this ferry connection is the latest of more than 100 ferry connections in Norway that have been replaced by bridges, tunnels or roads during the last 60 years.

Kristiansund, a city on the Mid-Norwegian coast right by the Atlantic Ocean, has more than 300 years of maritime history, but this city is certainly not one of those old port cit-

ies whose pride is in the past. The port of Kristiansund, well protected from the nearby ocean, is bustling with life. Rows of supply ships, special ships for seismic research, huge Russian trawlers, occasional international cruise ships and the more regular Hurtigruten ships are calling the port every afternoon. But the far most regular and certainly most frequent of all ships calling Kristiansund is the Fjord1 ferry M/F Bjørnsund. She is seen either leaving or returning to the port 46 times a day. Up to now. On December 19, the car ferry chapter in the history of Kristiansund closed when the 5,7 km Atlantic Sea Tunnel opened and replaced the M/F Bjørnsund.

The Kristiansund–Bremsnes service was operated with a single ferry.

Full forward ahead towards Bremsnes. For the last time.

”I feel a bit sad about this”, says Hans Erik Meek, engineer of the M/F Bjørnsund. ”It’s a beautiful, if short, cruise and I think about all the tourists coming from all over up here to drive on the famous Atlantic Road – when they discover that the ferry service, which includes a cruise through the port of Kristiansund, is replaced by a sub-sea tunnel where you can’t see a thing, they will be very disappointed.”

”Many commuters and other local travellers appreciate a 20-minute rest in their daily life. They can relax with a coffee and breathe some sea air”, says mate Bjørnar Eresvik. Not surprising, none of the crew members I met is outspokenly enthusiastic about the new tunnel, though most of them admit that fixed links also have their advantages. Except Erling Holten, who has worked on deck at various MRF and Fjord1 ferries since he was 16: ”I will not use the new tunnel. I have a friend out there on the island Averøya but I will drive a long way extra in order to avoid the new link”, says Erling Holten.

He is convinced that the idea of the Atlantic Sea Tunnel, a 750 million NOK project, never had developed if there had been one more ferry on the route now closing, giving the travellers twice as many departures to choose from and also night sailings.

”It’s the politicians’ fault! Unwilling to invest in ferries but eager to present spectacular solutions like the Atlantic Sea Tunnel”, says Erling Holten. This is the third ferry connection closure Erling Holten has experienced during nearly 30 years of ferry career. The previous one was in 1992, the year when Kristiansund got its fixed link with the Norwegian mainland; ‘Krifast’, a system of toll bridges and a tunnel, eliminated three ferry connections in one draw. ”I accepted the Krifast project, it gave my city improved access to the world and perhaps paved the way for its further development. But the Atlantic Sea Tunnel is a luxury project”, says Erling Holten. The Kristiansund–Bremsnes line was started back in 1938. The Bremsnes line gave the Averøya islanders fast and direct

The small tramcar-like Sundbåten ferry connecting the major islands of the city has looked about the same since 1870s.

Many motorists have enjoyed the 20-minute break on the ferry ride with M/F Bjørnsund.

With the termination of the Kristiansundâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Bremsnes line, Able Seaman Erling Holten experiences his third ferry connection closure in his 30 years long ferry career.

Mate BjĂ¸rnar Eresvik and Captain Kjartan SkarvĂ¸y are not happy about the ending of their ferry service but both of them will have new opportunities in Fjord1.

The M/F Bjørnsund will serve as a backup ferry after leaving the Kristiansund service.

connection to the city of the area. In the 1960s, four different ferry lines terminated in Kristiansund. Far away islands like Smøla had direct ferries. Since then, as previously mentioned, many bridges and tunnels have been built and in the cases where politicians and authorities have chosen to keep the ferries as the means of transport, much effort has been put in making the ferry operations more effective. Crossings have been shortened as much as possible, by building new road stretches to the narrowest sections of straits and fjords where new jetties has been constructed.

Shortened crossings mean potential to increase the number of departures with the same number of ferries. To get from Kristiansund to Smøla today involves two shorter ferry crossings and driving on some new road stretches but the total travel time between the city and the former ferry port of Smøla is about the same as when the ferry travelled all the way. But today the trip is less weather-dependent and probably more comfortable. Bremsnes is on Averøya, which prior to 1989 was an island very much off the beaten tourist tracks. But that year the Atlantic Road opened, a road consisting of eight bridges and passing many islands with its eight kilometres. The Atlantic Road was not actively marketed as a sight the first years but the reputation of this oceanside road grew and within a few years the route had gained worldwide attention. ”All those tourists meant of course a tremendous increase also for the Kristiansund–Bremsnes ferry in the 1990s”, says Kjartan Skarvøy, since five years one of four captains sharing the command of the M/F Bjørnsund. “Tourists like to make a tour, not going back by the same route.“ Captain Skarvøy is originally an Averøya man. About 30 years ago, he started his maritime career after graduating from the Maritime School in Kristiansund. Most of his career he has served on the MRF ferries, now Fjord1. ”Before I came to M/F Bjørnsund two years ago I worked on the fast passenger ferries, plying between Kristiansund and Trondheim. A much longer, more interesting and professionally more rewarding route than this 20-minute crossing. But I like it here too. The spirit of the crew is very good, a true mix of people.”

None of the 24 people constituting the four shifts that sail the M/F Bjørnsund will be unemployed now when Kristiansund–Bremsnes closes. Fjord1 has offered them new positions on ferries on other routes in the area, which is still the most ferry-intensive in Norway. Some of them will in fact remain on the 30-year old Bjørnsund, she is not going to retirement quite yet. ”The plan is to place her as a backup ferry, ready to put into operation when regular ferries for some reason must be taken out of service for some time”, says Captain Skarvøy. Such an incident happened to Bjørnsund herself in December 2007, probably the most dramatic moment in the 71-year history of the Kristiansund–Bremsnes ferry service. Just below the high bridge, crossing the narrow strait that constitutes the southern entrance of the port of Kristiansund, the M/F Bjørnsund ran ashore.

”It was due to human error”, says young mate Bjørnar Eresvik. “I was in that shift too. We managed to bring her in to the jetty but she took in some water. I hope I never will experience something like that again.” The repairs of M/F Bjørnsund took some months. Bjørnar Eresvik is the third generation ferryman in his family. His father still works on deck at one of the other ferries in the area. His grandfather used to work at the old MRF coastal steamers, plying the coast between Trondheim and Ålesund. ”I don’t think I will work on the ferries forever. Probably I will try to get a job at one of the supply ships based up here”, says Bjørnar Eresvik. The new job of Captain Kjartan Skarvøy will be on the gaspowered ferry M/F Glutra, plying the nearby route between Selvika and Tømmervåg. ”It’s a little more challenging route than this one, due to the rough winds and streams on the northern side. The Glutra is a more modern ferry with plenty of electronics but this, old Bjørnsund, is more reliable.” Next Page The crewmembers agree with locals I talked to in Moss–Horten: the city. Kristiansund will lose a bit of its soul and Norway’s number face when the M/F Bjørnsund departs for her last one ferry service leg to Bremsnes in late 2009.

20 hours a day three large ferries cross the main waterway to the capital region of Norway. The MossHorten ferry service is the eldest and largest in Norway, annually carrying 1,5 million vehicles and 2,8 million passengers. The figures have more than doubled since the 1996 take-over by Bastø Fosen. he tradition of ferries across the Oslo fjord, between the cities of Moss and Horten, goes way back to the Dark Ages. No wonder. A quick glance at the map of Scandinavia with its many fjords, straits and lakes is enough to identify the three or four most obvious needs for ferry services in this part of the world. The shortcut across the Oslo fjord, dividing the traditional heartland of Norway into one eastern and one western part, is one of them, along with the Öresund crossing between Denmark and Sweden and Ålands Hav between Sweden and Finland.

”Ferries have plied here as long as man can remember”, says Arne Aasberg, History Buff and Captain of the M/F Bastø III, the current flagship of the Moss–Horten service, as he switches on the autopilot. Captain Aasberg, a native of Brønnøysund at the Helgeland coast in Mid-Norway, has been with the Bastø III since her very beginning. ”When she was built at the Northern Shipyard in Gdansk, I was stationed there to supervise the construction. In 2005, the Bastø III was launched and later put into operation here at Moss–Horten and I have been one of her skippers ever since”, says Arne Aasberg.

Two of the three Moss–Horten ferries operate between 05.00 and 00.45. The third ferry stops for the day at about 21.30. The 14 shifts manning the three ferries consist of seven men each: Captain, Mate, 1st Engineer, 2nd Engineer and four Able Seamen, working two weeks on and two weeks off. On duty in the cafeteria is a staff of two to five, depending on the expected number of passengers. Immediately after the loading has concluded and the Bastø III leaves the quay, Able Seaman Per Brenden comes up on the bridge, joining Captain Aasberg, to serve as lookout man. ”But I can’t see much today”, he says. Thick fog shrouds the Oslo fjord this early and dark November morning. Captain Aasberg must more or less completely rely on his various screens for a safe crossing. On the screens he can see a few ships approaching in the main ship channels that the Moss–Horten has to cross out in the fjord.

The Bastø III, measuring 116,2 metres in length and on 7,310 brt, is slightly larger than the 1997 FosenMek-built sisters Bastø I and Bastø II, the other two ferries plying the route up to 20 hours a day. In terms of vehicle capacity Bastø III is the largest inland ferry of Norway (though the five gas-powered Fjord1 sisters plying the main services on E39 between Stavanger and Bergen is 13 metres longer).

”That is the Queen of Scandinavia coming in from Copenhagen. But we will have no problem to cross before she is near. And the other one there is probably the Color Fantasy arriving from Kiel. But she is even further out”, the captain says while pointing on one of the screens. Southbound, coming from Oslo on course to the Skagerrak, is one smaller ship approaching the latitude of the ferry crossing. ”She is doing 18 knots and will pass our course long ahead of us”, Aasberg says. “Today the traffic is very calm. The worst days for us are in the summer, when the fjord is filled with hundreds of yachts and other small boats.” Mate Gisle Stava enters the bridge as we are passing south of the villa and mansion filled island of Jeløy, though this morning only visible on the screens. Aboard the large Moss–Horten ferries the Mate personally leads the loading of cars and trucks

The three Bastø ferries make the Oslo Fjord crossing between Moss and Horten in 30 minutes.

“We are surprised by the dramatic increase in volume since we took over”, says the Bastø Fosen CEO Olav Brein.

The Oslo Fjord by night. Photo: flickr / Espen Klem

In terms of vehicle capacity the Bastø III is the largest inland ferry of Norway. Photo: flickr / eddiemcfish

and he is also responsible for the counting of persons travelling with the ferry. ”We only have 15 minutes to unload and load. It’s a tough job but we are used to it”, he says. The challenge for the crews of the Moss–Horten ferries is to pack as many trucks as possible on the main deck, leaving as few as possible to wait on quay for the next departure. ”Of course it is very important for us to be on schedule”, says Arne Aasberg as we have made about half of the 30-minute crossing. ”If we are a few minutes late we can usually catch up by increasing the speed a few knots.” The fog becomes even denser as we approach Horten. ”I call to activate the fog flash”, Mate Stava says to the Captain.

After a minute or so we can discern a strong flash signal straight on but still quite far away. The fog flash is installed by the ferry line and placed right on the jetty. A minute or so before the Bastø III docks at Horten, Lookout Brenden leaves the bridge to take his position on deck during unloading and loading. Also Mate Stava disappears down the stairs. Captain Aasberg gets a few minutes to relax before it is time to be off again. ”Sometimes I change job with the Mate and take his position on deck. It’s nice to have some variety. And the Mates of course likes to steer the ship for a change.”

It is Friday and weekend approaches. During Saturday and Sunday the schedule is reduced so that only two ferries are needed, giving opportunity to well-needed maintenance. ”This weekend it is the turn of this ferry to be taken care of by Horten Shipyard. Some welding and other work will be done.” The ferries, arriving at or departing from quay more than 150 times per week, are of course exposed to some wear and tear, here and there.

Since 1995, the Moss–Horten service is operated by Bastø Fosen A/S, one of the Fosen ASA companies. The head office of the company is right by the jetty in Horten and the man in power there since the Fosen take-over is economist Olav Brein, previously at the Fosen ASA head office in Trondheim and way back in the Government Department of Transportation in Oslo. ”We have been really surprised by the dramatic increase of volume since we started. The number of vehicles conveyed by us has more than doubled and the number of passengers nearly has nearly doubled”, says Brein. The reasons for the boom are several. 1: The time period in question has been dominated of general prosperity and improving markets, sharply increasing the number of trucks taking the ferry. 2: The number of Swedes working in Norway, where there are a lot of vacant positions and good wages, has sharply

After the present contract expires in 2016, environmental friendly engines may be required also on the Moss–Horten run. From the bridge of the Bastø ferries Captain and Lookout navigate their ship across the much-used Oslofjord waterway.

increased. Many Swedes commute more or less every weekend and taking the ferry across the Oslo fjord saves time and money. 3: Finally, but not least important, more and more Norwegians take their cars or go by charter buses to shop in Sweden, where the general price level is significantly lower than in Norway.

”The behaviour of those Sweden-shoppers is a bit tricky for us since we have a much higher number (about 100,000 more) of cars going from Moss to Horten than the other way. This we think is because people on the western side of the Oslo fjord tends to take the Color Line ferry from Sandefjord to Strömstad when they are going to Sweden and our Moss–Horten ferry when they go home”, says Olav Brein. He says this phenomenon may have something to do with rumours of the Norwegian Custom being more relaxed at the Svinesund border crossing than the one at the port arrival in Sandefjord.

The Moss–Horten ferry service is the only one in Norway that does not need public subsidies for its operations. The current Moss–Horten contract of Bastø Fosen expires in 2016. The ferry service is a part of the Norwegian Highway No 19 and therefore subject to contract with the Norwegian Road Administration. Maybe the future after that has something to do

with the plans of Fosen ASA to compete with Scandlines on the Rødby–Puttgarden service. ”Prices there are very high and competition is needed”, states Olav Brein. “For a long time we have tried to get access to the ports, owned by Scandlines who does not want any competition. But the case is currently subject to decision by the German Competition Authorities and I expect a breakthrough in early 2010.” The plan of Fosen and its partner of the project Eidsiva, is to build two new gas-powered ferries for the Rødby–Puttgarden service. The planned fixed link – bridge or tunnel will be decided in 2012 – across Fehmarn Belt is expected to open in 2018 but Olav Brein says that Fosen hopes to make a good profit on the perhaps seven or eight years remaining for the ferries, if the problem with port access will be solved.

”And we know by experience that large bridges or tunnels are usually subject to delays rather than opening earlier than expected.” The ferries intended for the future Germany–Denmark route, slightly larger than the present Bastø Fosen ferries at Moss–Horten, might after being pulled out from Next Page Fehmarn Belt be put into operation across the Oslo Olav Smørdal: fjord as they fulfil demands of environmental friend“Necessary to ly engines, which is likely to be part of the post-2016 create giants” contract concerning the Moss–Horten service.

For survival and expansion in the Kingdom of ferries, it is necessary to be big, according to Olav SmĂ¸rdal.

This fall, Olav Smørdal, 60, steps down as top executive of Fjord1, one of Norway’s three largest ferry operators. He has spent the past ten years merging two old and very proud maritime companies into one modern transport corporation, focusing not only on ferries. e have not met our goal yet. But we have created a strong company achieving business that we would never have gotten if we were operating separately”, says Olav Smørdal when he receives me in the Fjord1 office building near the quays of Molde. From his desk he can see the car ferries plying the fjord to Furnes. ”In a very near future we will replace the old ferries that you can see from here. Last month I was in Gdansk on the triple christening of our new ferries, powered by natural gas engines. That means that we will reduce our NOx emissions in this beautiful fjord area with 90 per cent.”

emblems will at last be found only in the archives and history books – and then we can focus on being 100 per cent Fjord1.”

Beyond the fjord with the ferries is the captivating view of the famous Molde panorama, an unbroken line of 222 snow capped alpine peaks. This is the heart of the Møre and Romsdal County and also the heart of ”Ferry Norway”. Once upon a time there were more than 50 ferry routes in Møre and Romsdal. But since the heydays of the ferries in the 1960s and 1970s, many new sub-sea tunnels and bridges have been built. ”Before Fjord1 was established this building was the MRF headquarters, the seat of a very proud and well-established ferry operator, more or less the sole ferry company in the whole province of Møre and Romsdal”, he says as M/F Romsdal passes on the fjord below us. Since the creation of Fjord1 in 2001, much has changed. It has taken many years but now when Smørdal leaves the CEO chair, almost everything reminding of the MRF and Fylkesbaatane is gone, meaning that Fjord1 after eight years is the name, the brand, under which everyone in the merged company will join forces. ”This year we’ve also continued to work with the task of merging the ferry-operating subsidiaries of the mother companies who merged in 2001. When this work is complete the names MRF and Fylkesbaatane and their old signs, flags and

And that is what it is all about: doing grand things together. MRF and Fylkesbaatane were certainly never companies to be ashamed of, both of them flag carriers, prides of their respective county. ”But they were too small. I realized that in the late 1990s when the development towards new terms of trade for ferry operators became more and more obvious. From the old system where the company could count on renewed contracts, provided they did reasonably well, to the more competitive model of today where the buyer is demanding much more in the tender procedures than earlier”, says Olav Smørdal. He was the CEO of the MRF (Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar A/S) from 1989 and about ten years ago the first contacts with Fylkesbaatane were made. It was a natural choice of partner for MRF, both companies being 100 per cent publicly owned and situated in neighbouring and in many ways similar provinces. ”To keep our old business and also winning new it was absolutely necessary to be bigger. In order to concentrate knowledge and skill and to create a more solid and capitalstrong company.” In 2000, the merger was agreed upon and in 2001 Fjord1 was created. The name of the new mother company of the group was decided to be Fjord1 Nordvestlandske A/S. The name was very carefully chosen, but it has taken many years for the customers to use the new and not the old names of the companies. ”The merger was a very complicated affair. But we knew beforehand that it would be and that the implementation of a Fjord1 culture would take a long time.” The topics of discussion during the merger were many. Who

Photo: flickr / Camilla Hoel

The famous Romsdal mountain panorama.

The Fjord1 brand replaced MRF and Fylkesbaatane.

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Olav Smørdal looks forward to spending more time with his grandchildren.

»Now it’s time for a new type of leader with other skills and ideas to take the wheel of Fjord1« should be appointed CEO? Where should the new headquarters be located? And so on. Being publicly owned companies, the boards of the two merging ferry companies were full of local politicians, sometimes thinking more of the local impact of changes rather than taking the perspective of what would be most efficient for the new organization. ”But we have succeeded and our tenders have won two large new contracts outside our original territory.” Olav Smørdal is very proud of how Fjord1 has renewed the operations on the Halhjem–Sandvikvåg and Årsvågen– Mårtavika lines, both on the main road between Bergen and Stavanger. The conditions of that contract stipulated new ferries with natural gas-burned engines.

”By coping with that we took Fjord1 into a greener future and, maybe even more important, showed ourselves that we are a strong, modern and confident transport company.” In 2008, Fjord1 also won a contract in the Sør-Trøndelag County, with the Flakk–Rørvik line crossing the Trondheim Fjord being the main business. ”For that particular takeover we are changing one of our existing ferries to gas-powering. We will begin operations there on January 1, 2011.” However the new times of public procurement means not only winning new business out of the former core regions of the company, but also losing some in the very heartland of the old

MRF. From the Molde office windows of Fjord1 you can see not only the car ferries plying the fjord but also the fast passenger ferries operating the same route. Fjord1 lost the contract of operating that service last year and now the fast ferry passing below Smørdal’s window bears the competitor Tide’s flag.

”It’s a sensitive matter to lose a business that we had for so long. We like to win new business but it is very important to try keeping the old ones under our flag.” Smørdal adds that Fjord1 not only focuses on ferries. In a country with only few railways and expensive petrol, travelling by bus is a growing business. Recently Fjord1, in a joint venture with the French company Keolis, also won a contract of operating the modern ”Bybanen” light railway of Bergen. ”And we also very much want to improve our performance in the tourism industry, where there should be great potential for us”, says Olav Smørdal and the subject gives him an opportunity to talk some about his predecessor. Olav Smørdal has worked days and nights during the past ten years, preparing for and then leading the merging process. ”Now it’s time for a new type of leader with other skills and ideas to take the wheel of Fjord1.” Leif Øverland, 51, is currently being introduced to the company that he will lead into the future. Øverland left the job as Product Manager of troubled Hurtigruten ASA to join Fjord1 and he has previously also held a top position in the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). Next Page Olav Smørdal will remain in the company a few M/F Øisang – years, to be at the new CEO’s disposal. pride of the Risør ”But I certainly hope to spend more time with my bays and straits family. I have many grandchildren, you know.”

The M/F Ă&#x2DC;ysang has been a familiar sight of the picturesque Norwegian town of RisĂ¸r since the early 1950s.

The ferry service between the charming town of Risør and the sparsely inhabited Øysang peninsula is no longer on the road maps. But it is hard to imagine these picturesque southern waters without the small wooden ferry M/F Øisang. he fjords and straits of the Risør area are dotted with small boatyards and slips. This is indeed a Scandinavian wooden boat Mecca. The peak event of the year is the annual Wooden Boat Festival in August. One of the small boatyards is Moen Boatbuilders, situated in a beautiful backwater bay, quite far inland from the white coastal town of Risør. In 1950, a brand new wooden ferry with space for three cars was launched there. The 17-metre long M/F Øisang had been ordered by a new local company, A/S Østre Søndeled Og Risør Fjordruter. The rural Øysang peninsula of the 1950s lacked a road

connection and the idea with the ferry was to connect the Øysang with the outer world, primarily the town of Risør.

The first 12–13 years of this small ferry service were perhaps the liveliest in its history, seeing that in 1962 a road was opened between Øysang and the E18 main road between Oslo and Kristiansand. The road undermined to some extent the existence of the M/F Øisang, at least as a car ferry. However it was – and still is – 33 kilometres to drive around the backwater fjord system of Risør to reach the local town, instead of taking the M/F Øisang, which makes the crossing in 15 minutes.

“This ferry is culture”, says Skipper Nils Peder Sjåvåg.

The waters surrounding the town of Risør is an archipelago with hundreds of islands, skerries, straits and fjords.

Together in all weathers – Mate Rune Gjernes and Skipper Nils Peder Sjåvåg enjoys every ride.

On the way home to the little island Øysang after school.

Approaching the Øysang jetty. No cars this afternoon, only foot passengers.

The M/F Øisang is the smallest and oldest car ferry od Norway.

”Nowadays we convey only 400 cars per year”, says Nils Peder Sjåvåg, skipper of the Øisang since 1992. ”But the number of passengers is more than 18,000, most of them of course go during the summer months.” The winter is naturally much calmer for Nils Peder Sjåvåg and his colleague Able Seaman Rune Gjernes. Only a few hundred people live permanently in the Øysang area today. The ferry service is dependent of public subsidies.

The small ferry has a little jetty right in the heart of Risør town. During summer, countless visitors come to this charming little place, situated by the Skagerrak but well protected from the open sea by a chain of islands. The sight of the old Øisang, plying in and out of the picturesque port, is a part of the Risør scenery. Some school children and a few others embark the ferry to make the trip to Øysang. Able Seaman Gjernes check their tickets and right on time at 14.25 the Øysang leaves the jetty. Skipper Sjåvåg points out the open gap out to the Skagerrak, with the Stangholmen lighthouse right by. ”A few years ago we had a severe southern storm here. We managed to make the first journey of the afternoon to Risør and back to Øysang, but the waves here in the fjord were several metres high and we had to cancel the remaining sailings that day. It is the only time so far that we have had to

cancel due to bad weather. Though close to open sea, normally these waters are very calm”, says Nils Peder Sjåvåg. He took command of the M/F Øisang in 1992, succeeding Reidar Sørbø who had been skipper from the start back in 1950.

”Previously I was a mechanic. But I have never regretted that I took the job as skipper. You get to meet a lot of people and I also appreciate the mid-day break. You see we only have sailings in the morning and the afternoon. I combine the skipper job with work at my small farm, which is four kilometres from the home jetty of this ferry. Couldn’t be better!” I ask him if he wishes that the old ferry – Norway’s eldest still in service – should be replaced with something more modern. ”No, no! It would not be the same. This ferry is culture!” The M/F Øisang was renovated a few years ago at the Risør Trebåtbyggeri (Risør Wooden Boat builders). Each spring, she is taken up for maintenance of the hull at the small Risør Slip, which is just by the waterway between the small white town and Øysang. She is no less than a beauty in herself and a pride for the waters she plies. ”You must go down and take a look at the saloon below deck. It’s all original. Please note that the upholstery is still in mint condition. Not a single cut or scratch for 60 years”, says skipper Sjåvåg, just before arrival to the Øysang jetty.

68 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Commodore Bo Österlund, info@shipgaz.com

Report Oil transports

Photo: pär-henrik sjöström

Heavy flow of Russian oil on the Baltic Sea

There are more than 250 tankers plying the waters of the Baltic Sea at every point of time – Russian oil dominates the scene. Commodore Bo Österlund has mapped out the extent of this traffic. The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, counting for some 15 per cent of total seaborne world trade. Annually some 85,000 vessels enter or leave the Baltic Sea through the Danish Sounds or the Kiel Canal, i.e. 230 ships a day. On the Baltic Sea a total of 33,000 ship movements were recorded east of Gotland in 2008 and 22,000 west of the same island. More than half of the vessels entering or leaving the Baltic Sea start or end their voyage in the Gulf of Finland.

In 2008 some 45,000 eastbound and westbound vessels passed the waters south of Hanko, an average of more than 125 vessels a day. Of these vessels 23,000 were freighters, 4,500 passenger vessels or ferries and 6,000 tankers. These figures do not include the traffic across the Gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Tallinn. Additionally 18,000 ships

»The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world« Annually, some 85,000 vessels enter or leave the Baltic Sea through the Danish Sounds or the Kiel Canal, i.e. 230 ships a day.

sails west of Åland and some 1,500 ships trough the Archipelago of Turku. It is estimated that there are 1,500 vessels underway on the Baltic Sea at every point of time, comprising about 260 tankers, 900 dry cargo vessels, and 200 passenger vessels.

On the Gulf of Finland there are, depending on the time of year, always 400 to 500 ships underway, and about 20 of these are tankers. Annually an amount of approximately 100 million tons of oil is carried by some 1,000 tankers from the

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 69

Oil transports

ports at the eastern Gulf of Finland. Off Tallinn the annual volume has already increased to 140 million tons, and 3,300 tankers.

Source: swedish maritime administration

»Russia decided to expand its own existing ports and to build new ones«

Report

Ship movements during the week June 23–29, 2008

Tankers Cargo vessels Passenger vessels Sweden’s territorial waters Sweden’s economic zone

The westernmost part of the Gulf of Finland is annually passed by 3,400 fully or partially loaded tankers. The total number of oil carriers on the Baltic Sea, either loaded or en route to a loading port, reaches 6,000. The economic significance of the Baltic Sea has increased after the turmoil in the early 1990’s, affecting Russia and the other coastal nations. As the countries of the former Warsaw Pact introduced market economy, their fast economic growth and the change in the direction of trade from east to west, as well as the significant growth of the foreign trade have increased the traffic across the Baltic Sea. According to the statistics in the Baltic Port List 2007, published by the Centre for Maritime Studies of the Turku University, 820 million tons of cargo were conveyed on the Baltic Sea; of these more than 320 million tons, i.e. almost 40 per cent, are liquid bulk, mainly crude oil and oil products. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland estimates that the shipments within the Baltic Sea will grow by 60 per cent until 2020. Imports from other areas to the Baltic Sea are estimated to grow by 30 per cent, and export from the Baltic Sea to other areas by 60 per cent. How much the oil shipments will increase depends to a great extent, on the development of Russian oil and gas pipelines as well as the possibilities of the ports’ to increase their capacity in the number of shipments. Oil production of Russia is based upon its production facilities which are a legacy of the Soviet Union. The exploitation of the natural resources fell dramatically by the disintegration of the Soviet Union, from an annual production of more than 500 million tons to 300 million tons.

Russian oil dominates the tanker traffic in the Baltic Sea. Rearrangements related to the oil and gas pipelines through Europe, as well as the procedures of securing and rerouting have again increased the oil production to some 450 million tons annually.

As a result of the economic crisis in Russia at the beginning of the 1990’s, the oil export was increased to ensure the inflow of foreign currencies. This was achieved mainly by using pipelines, railroad and road transports, and shipment through ports in the Baltic States. After these rearrangements Ventspils in Lithuania became the largest port for Rus-

Bo österlund Commodore, retired from the Finnish Navy in 2006. The last four years before his retirement he was the commanding officer of the Turku and Pori Military District.

sian oil export after Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. Russia also boosted its export over Tallinn, Klaipeda and the new Lithuanian oil terminal Butinge. At the same time, the importance of Kaliningrad as an export port decreased. The booming transit shipments brought prosperity to the Baltic States. Russia was not, however pleased with their way to manage their relations to Russia, and the transit fees were regarded too high. Therefore Russia decided to expand its own existing ports and also to build new ones, above all in the easternmost part of Gulf of Finland. In 2001 President Vladimir Putin in-

70 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Report Oil transports Photo: pär-henrik sjöström

»Russia counts for ten per cent of the oil deliveries to the world« augurated the new oil terminal in Primorsk, which was connected to the Baltic Pipeline System, bringing oil from the East. Ust-Luga was established as a ro-ro and container port, and it is now being expanded with an oil terminal. When it became possible to increase the export volumes through Primorsk, the oil pipeline to Ventspils was closed down in the following year 2002.

The Russian oil company Yukos has after that started oil shipments to the port by rail. After this new alteration of course, the idea of building a gas pipeline on the seabed from Vyborg to Germany came up as soon as in 2003 according to Swedish sources. The idea was based upon an existing plan originating from a Finnish-Russian joint venture North Transgas Oy in the late 1990’s. Even then it was realized that Central Europa would need more gas to ensure its future demand of energy. Today Russia counts for ten per cent of the oil deliveries to the world market and stands second after Saudi Arabia as an oil-exporting country. In 2007 Russia’s crude oil export totalled 220 million tons – 4.4 million barrels a day. In addition to that, Russia exported more than 100 million tons of oil products. More than 50 per cent of Russia’s crude oil export is shipped on the Baltic Sea or to the countries by the Baltic Sea. The infrastructure of this export

Tallink and Stena Bulk – two companies trafficing the Baltic Sea.

820 million In 2007, 820 million tons of cargo were conveyed on the Baltic Sea; of these more than 320 million tons, i.e. almost 40 per cent, are liquid bulk, mainly crude oil and oil products.

is sustained by the Northern arm of the Druzba pipeline, leading to Poland and Germany, as well as the oil terminal in Primorsk by the Gulf of Finland. Finland, Sweden, Germany, Poland and the Baltic States were in 2006 almost totally – up to 95 per cent – dependent on imported oil. Finland imports more than 75 per cent of its crude oil from Russia, the rest from Denmark, Norway and the UK. Germany imports 35 per cent of the oil it needs from Russia. The strategic role of the Baltic Sea as a shipping lane for Russian oil is indisputable.

The port of Primorsk is the most important for Finland’s imports of oil. Today there are four, or five, loading piers for up to 150,000 dwt crude oil carriers as well as 18 oil storage tanks with a capacity of 50,000 tons of crude oil each. The annual capacity of the pipeline is 75 million tons. The volume may be

temporarily increased by 25 per cent by adding compounds accelerating the flow and decreasing the friction.

In last August an amount of 6.6 million tons of crude oil was handled in the port. Every month an average of 60 to 62 loaded tankers leave the terminal, making a total of 750 ships a year, carrying 75 million tons of crude oil. More than 60 per cent of these shipments go to the Netherlands and 16 per cent to Finland. The new pipeline which is planned to Ust-Luga will have an annual capacity of 50 million tons when it is completed in 2013. It is estimated that it will not increase the total volumes, as it is believed to end the railway shipments to Tallinn. The Port Director of Ust- Luga Maxim Shirokov predicts that the other exports through the port will increase to 170 million tons by the year 2015, which is almost twice the volume of hole seaborne trade Finland.

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72 Shipgaz No 7 2009

By Rolf P Nilsson, rolf@shipgaz.com

Spotlight IMO

Who’s up to an IMO audit? imO: Rolf P Nilsson Rolf P Nilsson, Editor-in-Chief of Shipgaz, points the spotlight at IMO in each issue. Check this column to get the latest updates on what’s up in the IMO chambers.

t the time of writing, shipping focus is on the COP-15 climate change conference in Copenhagen and what the outcome will be for maritime transport. A most active player is the IMO, trying to persuade world leaders that the International Maritime Organization is the best and logical regulator of world shipping and that all emission reduction requirements for ships should be decided in this arena. Just prior to the COP-15, the highest deciding body of the IMO, the Assembly, has however gathered, as it does every second year. One recurrent task is to elect the Council, the executive board for the coming two years. The aim is to have a mix of nations that reflects significant shipping interests, maritime transport needs and that includes all parts of the world. With this in mind, the current choice of nations

clearly shows the importance of North Europe in the maritime world. Of five Nordic nations, three have been elected: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, one in each category (see fact box). The Baltic Sea coastal states Germany and Russia have also been voted in, together with the North Sea coastal states UK, Netherlands and Belgium.

»it may be of interest to see which nations are in the forefront in this respect, and who aren’t« APPLiCANTS Since the introduction of the IMO member state audit scheme, 53 of 168 member states have applied for audits. Audits have been completed in 36 states and one dependent territory.

The Assembly took a significant step towards improved quality control of the maritime governance in individual member states, as the IMO member state audit scheme, which was introduced in 2005, will become mandatory. This scheme aims at covering a member state’s overall maritime ad-

ministration, including its regulatory and enforcement roles as a port state, flag state and coastal state. This has made the audit scheme a delicate and to some extent controversial issue. Some states have been worried that it would infringe a state’s sovereignty. Other states, which might feel that their concrete activities might not be up to the expectations of the world community concerning maritime safety and environmental protection, are probably concerned that deficiencies will be brought into light in an embarrassing manner. Others see problems with the costs.

To secure an introduction of the scheme, it had to be made voluntary for member states to apply for audit. This made it possible for the Assembly to introduce the necessary amendments and legal mechanisms needed to launch the scheme in 2005. It will however be a long process before all 168 member states have been audited. Several treaties have to be amended and this will take at least until 2013, which would make it possible for a mandatory audit scheme to see the light of day in 2015. Taking into account that all member states can’t be audited simulta-

Marked on the map are all IMO member states that had applied for audit per November 9, 2009. Already audited: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay Awaiting audit: Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Hong Kong (associate member), India, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Latvia, Mauritius, Mexico, Poland, Vanuatu

No 7 2009 Shipgaz 73

IMO

neously, IMO at present expects that each member state will be audited every seventh year. This could mean that the last nation to be visited by IMO auditors for the first time will have to wait till 2022.

That this is a delicate matter is obvious if you contact the IMO to get the information on the states that have applied for audit. Shipgaz asked the IMO which members that have applied for the audit and got the answer that IMO doesn’t reveal this. ”It is up to each member state if this information is to be made public”, a spokesman told Shipgaz.

Shipgaz has however been able to get the list through other channels, and you’ll find the member states concerned in the adjacent map. Although the list doesn’t provide any information on the results of the audits, it may be of interest to see which nations are in the forefront in this respect, and who aren’t. On the list, you find the obvious ones, member states that are confident that their administrations are up to any audit of the way they organise maritime issues, the work of their administrations and the resources put into them. These are the traditional maritime nations such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, France, Ger-

Next meeting The next meeting of the IMO Assembly will take place in Decmber 2011.

Spotlight

many, Greece, Netherlands, Japan and USA. Major flag states have also joined those member states. Big ship register nations as Panama, Liberia, Bahamas and the Marshall Islands have all applied for audits.

All nations bordering the North Sea have applied for and completed their audits. In the Baltic Sea, all coastal states except Finland and Lithuania have applied, with Estonia, Latvia and Poland still waiting for the IMO auditors. A bit surprising might be that Portugal, an old seafaring nation and host country of the European Maritime Safety Agency, still has to apply.

The 40 nations of the Council The Council is the executive board governing the IMO between the biannual sessions of the Assembly. The Council consists of 40 nations elected by the Assembly from three categories, dividing the 169 member states into three categories:

Category A, ten nations with the largest interest as flag states. Category B, ten nations with the largest dependence of maritime transport. Category C, 20 nations with special interest in shipping and navigation. With this category, IMO also strives to ensure that

all major geographical areas of the world are represented.

The Council 2009–2011: Category A: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, South Korea, Russia, UK, USA. Category B: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France,

Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden. Category C: Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey.

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At Christmas we make a donation to

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74 SHIPGAZ NO 8 2009

By Pierre Adolfsson pierre@shipgaz.com

Report COP15

PHOTO: ANDREAS SCHLATTERER

IMO wants to handle emission cuts for the shipping industry

The EU seeks far-reaching emission targets for the global shipping sector by 2020 – IMO fights to secure control. At the time of writing the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen is being held. Delegates from 192 countries gather to sign a new global climate agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. Shipping, as well as aviation, is now included in the negotiations. The EU seeks support for a reduction of 20 per cent by 2020 from a 2005 baseline for the shipping sector – it is the most ambitious proposal so far and it has not gained any support. Any emission targets for the shipping industry must be pursued through IMO, according to ICS, International Chamber of Shipping and the independent shipping association Bimco. A decision in Copenhagen may not set specific targets, but the summit is expected to decide what role IMO will play.

“The most effective means of reducing CO2 emissions by ships will be for the Copenhagen Conference to give the IMO a mandate to finalize

the comprehensive package of technical and economic measures which it has already developed. IMO will be best placed to apply these to all ships in international trade, rather than only to the 35 per cent of the world fleet that is currently registered with nations that are Kyoto Annex I countries”, said the associations in a statement where they also emphasized their support for global measures being adopted to reduce shipping’s CO2 emissions significantly.

»Shipping, as a truly global industry, requires global standards«

Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, the IMO SecretaryGeneralguer ipisis do od

without exception, be the responsibility of an international body exclusively dealing with maritime matters”, Mr Mitropoulos stated when talking at a reception held by the Danish Maritime Authority and pointed out that IMO also advocates marked-based reduction measures. Through the technical measures developed by IMO, a relative emission reduction of 15 to 30 per cent is possible depending on ship type and size, while, through the operational measures, a further 20 per cent reduction on a tonne-mile basis is possible, according to Mr Mitropoulos.

When four days remained of the The IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos and his colleagues are lobbying to secure control of shipping greenhouse gas emissions, otherwise it would be a crushing defeat for IMO. “Shipping, as a truly global industry, requires global standards. It is imperative that its regulation should,

two-week conference, still no agreements had been signed. Many of the toughest issues such as greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2020 were still deadlocked as well as how to finance climate actions in developing countries, reports international media quoting several delegates.

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76 Shipgaz no 8 2009

By Eddie Janson, eddie@shipgaz.com

Spotlight Safety

The importance of training Safety: Eddie Janson Captain Eddie Janson of MariTrain AB, instructor and consultant in maritime safety, points the Shipgaz spotlight at safety related matters.

ince 2005, we can unfortunately see an increase in number of tanker accidents. Most of the accidents can be referred to as human error. How come that human error continues to increase? One of the believed reasons is lack of qualified and experienced seafarers. The issue has been highlighted by both Intertanko and the oil majors. Intertanko has a “Growing concern over recent increase in tanker incidents caused by the lack of expertise”.

Many oil majors have introduced officer matrixes requiring tanker officers to have minimum experience. Some examples of these minimum criteria are: • Combined experience with company – senior officers, total 2 years • Combined Rank experience (senior officers) – actual experience at sea, 3 to 5 years • Total number of years on tankers – actual experience at sea, 6 to 10 years • Total years on the type of ship – actual experience at sea, 1 to 2 years

»Shipping companies must see cadets as an investment and not as cheap labour« OCIMF TMSA 3A.3.3 “Training for seafarers exceeds the minimum requirements of the STCW code or of the relevant authority for vessel trade.”

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• Combined Rank experience (Junior officers) – actual experience at sea, 1 year • Combined tanker experience (Junior officers) – actual experience at sea, 1.5 years • Combined experience with company – Junior Officers, 1 year

Both Intertanko and the oil majors realise that the requirements for sea experience set out in the STCW code are insufficient and require compliance above and beyond the STCW. Intertanko has launched a system called Tanker Officer Training Standards (TOTS). It is a system intended to provide an alternative method of measuring experience other than sea time or calendar years for both time in rank and time with the company. It is divided in different rank specific

modules and a company specific module for all officers. It is, however, still not clear if the oil majors will approve it as a substitute for actual experience. Even if the TOTS cannot replace experience it is a good initiative where all officers have to prove their competence. The company specific module requires all officers to be fully conversant with all company procedures before commencing their duty. This is something that in many cases is not performed today. Officers are often recruited through manning agents, sent directly on board without passing through the company office and might only have a few hours overlap with whom they relieve to learn all procedures.

We can clearly see that both tanker and cargo owners are unsatisfied with the level of experience by tanker officers today. So why is there a lack of experienced seafarers? One of the reasons is the general recruitment problem, which has been discussed many times before; another reason might be that many newly examined officers do not have enough experience when signing on as officer for the first time. In Sweden the required seagoing service time has been reduced over time. Before 1989 minimum 36 moths were required, from 1989 it was reduced to 18 months if it forms part of an approved training programme. Now this is reduced further to only 12 months.

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No 8 2009 Shipgaz 77

Safety

Spotlight Photo: Jörgen Språng

A cadet that gets the right training is an asset for the shipping company. is a training officer that never wished John R Dudley, Vice President, for the assignment and sees the caKoch Shipping Inc det as cheap labour. I think we can said “we fail ships all agree that a cadet that spends 12 with low Year In months on board vessels painting and Rank because we chipping rust is not ready to become think that the ofan officer. ficers have not I think it is important that all seen enough troutraining officers are given sufficient ble!” training and resources to perform their job. It must also be realised that this is a very important task that requires both sufficient time and a I have seen both good and bad ex- desire to teach. Shipping companies amples on how this is performed. The must see cadets as an investment and best example is an enthusiastic train- not as cheap labour. ing officer on board who is given sufIf a cadet follows one company durficient time to teach the cadet what ing the four years it takes to become he needs to know. The worst example an officer he or she will16:40 most probSauer_Shipgaz_184x58mm.qxd:Layout 1 18.11.2009 Uhr Seite 1

However, it is not enough to just spend time on board unless the time is well spent. STCW requires that “a cadet on board receive systematic practical training and experience in the tasks, duties and responsibilities of an officer in charge of a navigational watch” and is “closely supervised and monitored by qualified officers aboard the ships in which the approved seagoing service is performed”.

ably continue to work there for a long time. Used correctly this can be a win-win situation for all parties. For the cadet, he or she will know all procedures in the company when getting the first assignment as an officer. For the company they will know who to employ and get someone with experience of the company from day one.

However, this is just a start. It is the responsibility of the company to continue to train their junior officers and prepare them for promotion. Many years have passed since we could say “I have finished school”. An officer of today needs continuous professional development, not only mandatory STCW courses.

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78 SHIPGAZ NO 9 2009

By Rolf P Nilsson rolf@shipgaz.com

Report The Maria M grounding PHOTO: SWEDISH TRANSPORT AGENCY

The position of instruments of the Maria M and their similar design may have played a part in the grounding.

Non-cooperation caused grounding

The investigation after the Maria M grounding finds experienced master behind strange manoeuvres. A report on an incident that luckily didn’t result in any personal injuries or environmental damage shows that training doesn’t always help if people attending it, for whatever reason, don’t embrace the message given during a course. It also shows that there is still a long way to go before age and cultural differences will be rare causes of accidents. Furthermore, people on watch in shore based surveillance positions should have a responsibility to act to avoid accidents also beyond their formal geographical limit of operation.

»He also called someone on the bridge ‘idiot’ at least twice«

On the evening of July 12 this year, the Italian-flagged 40,057-dwt chemical tanker Maria M, built 2006, left the Port of Ventspils in Latvia with a cargo of 32,910 tons of gasoil. The vessel had Bilbao as its destination, but was to stop outside Göteborg for offshore bunkering. A crew of 21, three Italians and 18 Filipinos, manned the vessel. A new master had signed on in Ventspils. With 44 years on tankers, he was very experienced but this was his first assignment to the Maria M. He had also, something that seems to be noteworthy in light of the coming chain of events, participated in several Bridge Resource Man-

The Maria M made some rather odd moves before she hit the rocks of the Vanguards grund. Dotted line shows the ship’s route according to the VTS plot.

Vanguards grund

agement courses. Off Grenå in Denmark, the pilot disembarked and together with him the former master of the vessel. The new master took on the responsibility two days after signing on the vessel and six hours before the vessel hit the rocks.

In their report, the investigators from the Swedish Transport Agency writes that they relied significantly on rudder and engine manoeuvre data and voice recording from the vessel’s Voyage Data Recorder, VDR, and from the paper chart (the vessel was not equipped with ECDIS). Given the circumstances when the investigators boarded the vessel when it was still on the rocks, there were limited opportunities for in-depth interviews with people on board. At 21.50, 46 minutes before the grounding, the master joined the third officer on the bridge. This Filipino officer had signed on about three weeks earlier and it was his first assignment as watchkeeping officer. Two minutes later, the master took charge but

without clearly notifying this to the third mate and ordered manual steering. Another minute later, the master gave order for the first of a number of steering and engine manoeuvres. The master was apparently not satisfied with the way the vessel steered and his concern seemed to grow.

The master was unable to explain the manoeuvres at this early stage to the investigators partly because his skills in English were limited. He also claimed that there was something wrong with the rudder. The investigators could however not find that any steering equipment was malfunctioning. Instead, the investigators assume that the master did the manoeuvres to get acquainted with the vessel and that he mixed up the rudder angle and rate-of-turn indicators. These instruments were placed under deck at the forward part of the bridge and about one metre apart. They were also rather similar in their design. According to the report, this is a reasonable explanation for the strange manoeuvres. Shortly before 22 o’clock, the master apparently had become really anxious. The helmsman claims that he was pushed aside by the master who took over the helm. At 22.00 the mate was ordered to alert the Chief Officer. According to the voice recording, the master sounded nervous and he also called someone on the bridge, probably the third mate, “idiot” at least twice, At 22.26, Maria M hit the rocks of Vanguards grund, south of the Trubaduren lighthouse and just outside the VTS West Coast surveillance area. The report highlights the age and cultural differences in the bridge team. The investigators suggest that the third mate was aware of the Vanguards grund but that the behaviour of the authoritative master might have made him keep quiet. The VTS West Coast is also criticised by the investigators for its passivity. The VTS had plotted the Maria M and the VTS operator must have been aware of the vessel’s odd manoeuvring and that Maria M was heading straight towards the Vanguards grund. Despite this, the VTS chose not to contact Maria M as the vessel was outside the VTS area.

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80 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Technical Review Photo: Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine

Largest temperature control valve equipment AMOT’s largest ever 3-way temperature control valves have been installed on four new 4250 TEU container ships by the Zhejiang Shipyard in China. The 18in G-Series valve was built specially to match modern higher flow requirements while providing rapid and repeatable control accuracy and reducing installation time and costs.

The valve’s ease and speed of integration was particularly valued, with design matched to pipe size eliminating the need to fit reducers and ports being configurable to suit each installation. Low pressure drop allowed the use of smaller valve size while manual hand-wheel valve adjustment further simplified set-up and maintenance. ‘Ruggedised’ actuators offer enhanced reliability and the user has a choice of electric, pneumatic or electro-pneumatic control systems. The valve is used for oil temperature control, jacket water cooling, central cooling and sea water cooling.

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DNV port state control toolkit safety Following a slight rise in the detention rate of DNV-classed vessels in 2008, DNV has moved quickly to develop and launch its Port State Control Toolkit. No ship should be sailing unless the fire protection and essential safety equipment on board is in good shape and in full compliance with ISM regulations. This is what the Port State Control Toolkit does – provides reminders about essential safety issues and guidelines for how to ensure quality.

Northrop Grumman Corporation Sperry Marine’s new compact integrated bridge system (CIBS). The system is designed to improve situational awareness and ship efficiency while reducing installation costs.

New integrated bridge system from Sperry design Sperry Marine business unit has introduced a new compact integrated bridge system (CIBS) designed to improve situational awareness and ship efficiency while reducing installation costs. The new CIBS is based on Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster FT technology, and utilizes the company’s proprietary TotalWatch multifunction displays, permitting the user to customize display screens to meet operational requirements.

The system uses high-resolution WideScreen display consoles, which provide a 25 percent larger viewing area than standard screens. Standard operating modes include conning information display, radar only, chart radar and IMO-compliant electronic chart display and information system with Sperry Marine’s optional iView 3-D picture for underwater contours and hazards. The CIBS package is fully type approved to meet applicable international regulatory requirements. The standard VisionMaster FT CIBS package includes the three-node console/ display units and steering stand, as well as all necessary subsystems and sensors, including gyrocompass, speed log, echosounder, automatic identification system,

voyage data recorder, GPS, steering controls and self-tuning adaptive autopilot. “The smaller footprint and standardized equipment packaging will reduce the costs of acquisition and installation for ship owners and shipyards, and will bring the benefits of state-of-the-art CIBS technology to ships of all types and sizes, including short-sea ships, workboats, fishing vessels and naval patrol craft,” said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. “The scalable system architecture means that the CIBS can be easily expanded with field upgrades to add new features and functions, including Sperry Marine’s nextgeneration performance-based navigation capabilities for improved ship efficiency through greater ship-shore integration.” Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry.

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No 8 2009 Shipgaz 81

Technical Review

Marlink provides more power to Viking Line communication The leading cruise ferry operator in the Baltic Sea, Viking Line, has entered into a new five year contract with Marlink continuing its existing agreement for the supply and operation of its satellite communications and the enhancement of its Sealink systems onboard the company’s fleet of ferries.

From its head office in Åland, an island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, Viking Line operates seven overnight cruise-ferries on routes between Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Marlink has worked with the company since 1995 at which time the ferry operator became the first Sealink customer outside Norway. Sealink is Marlink’s premium maritime VSAT satellite communications system which operates on C-band or Ku-band. The Viking Line system will be enhanced in early 2010 to bring the onboard systems for all ships to the same standard, while the overall bandwidth will be substantially increased. In order to provide high speed data, Marlink will take advantage of the latest coding technology recently made available via state of the art satellite modems.

All ships will have access to passenger Internet FreeLan, the Marlink Internet@Sea onboard public Internet WiFi service with Prepaid Surf access control and Prepaid Talk telephone service for crew and passengers. Company telephone and data communications are provided through premium and guaranteed bandwidth direct lines between the company head quarters and the ships. The company LAN data exchange between the Viking Line head office and the ships at sea will also be upgraded by using high performance link optimizing services, which compresses data to improve speed and minimize bandwidth usage. Being one of the only providers to own a land based, 24/7 manned global teleport network, Marlink is able to maintain and control the quality of its entire system and thereby offer robust and reliable global communications at sea.

Photo: cathelco

Photo: viking line

Viking Line’s ferry Mariella was built in 1985 at Oy Wärtsilä Ab Turku, Finland. The vessel has a capacity of 2,500 passengers and 430 cars. Mariella operates between Helsinki, Mariehamn and Stockholm.

Anti-fouling system for box coolers equipment A new oil combat vessel that is being built at the STX Europe yard in Finland will be the first ship to be installed with a new box cooler anti-fouling system, which has been jointly developed by Cathelco and Blokland Non Ferro. Designed to clean up oil spillages and operated by the Finnish Government, the vessel will have a total of six box coolers, each protected against marine pipework bio-fouling with a specially designed Cathelco system.

Cathelco has worked in partnership with Blokland Non Ferroto produce a system that is effective at preventing marine growth and easy to install. The Cathelco anti-fouling unit containing the anode is simply attached to the base of the box cooler on a framework. In operation, a current is passed to the anode from a control panel resulting in the production of copper ions. These are delivered directly beneath the cooling tubes where they prevent mussel and barnacle larvae from settling and growing. Less installation work is required by the yard as the box cooler is supplied as a complete unit and it is not necessary to make penetrations in the seachest or carry out additional fabrication work.

For more information:

Knut Natvig, Marlink Tel: +47 48 030 911 E-mail: knut.natvig@marlink.com www.marlink.com

For more information:

Richard Wooley, Publicity Manager E-mail: richard.woolley@cathelco.com www.cathelco.com

82 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Technical Review Photo: wärtsilä

Photo: cargotec

Singapore plant to deliver new offshore crane equipment January 2010 will see Cargotec’s recently modernised manufacturing, assembly and testing plant for offshore load handling solutions in Singapore deliver its first 150-tonne capacity MacGregor offshore active heave-compensated (AHC) knuckle-jib crane. The crane, which was manufactured on site, will be fully tested at the Cargotec Marine facility prior to delivery to a customer in Asia.

Active heave-compensation technology is an essential function in offshore cranes and other equipment employed on vessels or floating offshore installations doing subsea work; Singapore location is designed to be able to deliver 10 – 20 large MacGregor offshore active heave-compensated cranes per year.

For more information:

Henrik Vildenfeldt, Sr Vice President, Offshore Load Handling. Tel. +45 44 544 747 E-mail: henrik.vildenfeldt@cargotec.com

8,460 The approximate maximum number of passengers and crew that the cruiseship Oasis of the Sea can acommodate.

Wärtsilä launches new enginge machinery Wärtsilä has extended its dual-fuel technology to the lower power range with the launch of the new environmentally advanced Wärtsilä 20DF engine. It offers ship owners and operators a compact unit that brings all the advantages of fuel flexibility to auxiliary applications, such as generating sets or as the prime mover in smaller vessels. The tightening emission regulations under the IMO Tier II & III and ECA zone implementations, and volatile fuel prices mean that ship owners and operators are facing serious challenges. Solutions for complying with new environmental rules while maintaining cost-efficient operations vary, but only one - natural gas - appears to fulfil all the requirements.

With the launch of the Wärtsilä 20DF, Wärtsilä is extending the benefits of dualfuel (DF) technology to cover the entire power range. Based on the well proven and reliable Wärtsilä 20 diesel engine introduced in the early 1990s, fuel flexibility means the engine can be optimized for constant speed generating sets, as well as variable speed mechanical drives, for main engine applications. Installed alongside Wärtsilä 34DF or 50DF main propulsion machinery, a Wärtsilä 20DF generating set completes the multifuel engine room concept. Compact and light, the Wärtsilä 20DF is intended for use in those vessel types where the Wärtsilä 20 is currently installed. As well as being an ideal mechanicaldrive prime mover in smaller applications, such as small cargo vessels, ferries or tug

boats, it is also an excellent choice for harbour generating set applications in a wide range of vessel types. Fuel flexibility enables owners and operators to opt for the most suitable fuel, taking account local environmental restrictions, fuel price variations, and fuel bunkering availability. A unique feature of the Wärtsilä DF dual-fuel engines is their ability to run on Natural Gas, Marine Diesel Oil (MDO), Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Bio Fuels, thereby providing maximum flexibility. In marine applications, fuel flexibility also represents a significant safety feature. In the case of an interruption to the gas supply, Wärtsilä DF engines automatically switch to diesel operation without any loss in speed or power output. Single-fuel installations do not have this additional level of operational safety. When a DF engine is running in gas mode, CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 20 per cent since natural gas has a lower carbon content than liquid fuels. The lean-burn combustion process employed means that NOX emissions are reduced by approximately 80 per cent, while SOX emissions are completely eliminated as natural gas does not contain any sulphur. The production of particulates is practically non-existent as natural gas has virtually no residuals. For more information:

Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund, Senior Manager, PR and Marketing Communications. E-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com Internet: www.wartsila.com

Always at your service

Quays

Dry dock

Crane Capacity

195m x 34m x 7m

West Quay 130 and 90 tonnes

West Quay:

Crane capacity

The 130 tonne crane also serves the South Quay

North Quay 1: Length 115m, depth 6m

50 and 20 tonnes

Length 260m, depth 8m

North Quay 2: Length 155m, depth 6m South Quay: Length 260m, depth 7m

Azimuth pit: 9 m x 5 m, depth 3 m

Ă&#x2013;resundsvarvet AB Box 701 261 27 Landskrona Sweden

Phone +46 418 565 80 Fax +46 418 565 89 info@oresundsvarvet.se www.oresundsvarvet.se

Telephone (outside office hours) +46 +46 +46 +46 +46 +46 +46

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84 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Fleet review Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

Photo: Ulstein group

Polarcus Nadia – first in Polarcus’ fleet of 3D seismic vessels.

Ulstein-twins named in Dubai Design Two seismic vessels of Ulstein-design were named at Drydocks World – Dubai Shipyard in the United Arab Emirates on November 24, 2009. The Polarcus Nadia and Polarcus Naila are owned by the Dubai-based offshore shipowner Polarcus. The sister vessels are purpose-built 3D seismic vessels of the Ulstein SX124 design, incorporating the Ulstein X-Bow hull.

Designed to minimize the environmental footprint, the vessels run on marine gas oil with low sulphur content and are fitted with catalytic exhaust gas cleaning on the main engines. The vessels are fitted with double hull and an advanced bilge water cleaning system, reducing the contaminants to less than 5 ppm compared to typical shipping levels of 15 ppm. The diesel-electric machinery includes six Wärtsilä 9L20 main engines with an output of 1,800 kW each at 1,000 rpm. Propulsion is provided by two Shottel SRP 3030 CP azimuthing propeller units of 3,100 kW. In addition to that the vessels has an 850 kW Brunvoll retractable azimuthing thruster in the bow as well as a conventional 1,200 kW bow thruster. Maximum speed is 15 knots. The ice classed vessels are Arctic ready with an overall length of 88.8 metres, a beam of 19 metres and a maximum draft of 6.6 metres. They are capable of deploying 12 streamers of 8,000 metres length.

Chairman’s coaster sold at auction Sale Rederiet Flyvbjerg A/S lost its only vessel at an auction at the end of November as a culmination of an almost six months long fight between the shipowner and his banker, Danske Bank. The vessel is the coaster Saxo, which has been in the hands of Rederiet Flyvbjerg’s subsidiary Rederiet Saxo A/S since 1998. In the early summer she arrived at Skagen, when it became clear that Danske Bank rejected a loan request from Rederiet Saxo for the purpose of taking the ship through the four-year special survey.

“I am not very proud of the development with Saxo and I hoped for a more proud exit from shipping than a public auction”, Svend Flyvbjerg explains. “Danske Bank has been my bank for more than 50 years and I must admit that I hoped for a lot more understanding for the present situation in our segment of shipping. The bank simply pulled our line of credit and paid no attention to the fact that we had booked the Saxo for almost half of the year at a sensible rate”, Svend Flyvbjerg says. “It seems like Danske Bank totally forgot the situation in 2001, when the bank had a bankrupt 3,000-tonner in its book. I took it over for DKK 4.5 million in a lousy market and it became a nice deal in the end. The vessel, named Anne Sofie, was sold in 2007 for DKK 11.2 million after spending a huge sum on maintenance over the six years of ownership”, Svend Flyvbjerg says. Svend Flyvbjerg holds the position as

chairman of Rederiforeningen for Mindre Skibe (the Shipowners’ Association for Small Ships), but will resign from this position at the next general assembly. The Saxo was sold at the auction to the Norwegian company Havbulk K/S A/S, which is a part of Hav Management Group in Vika. Hav Management already has a number of sister ships sailing under the Bahamas flag. The Saxo will be taken over just before Christmas after a 30-day grace period and if no one files any complaints over the sale. Havbulk gave a bid of DKK 1.5 million plus an additional cost of DKK 600,000 for expenses during the stay at Skagen. The coaster was built in 1984 at Schiffs werft Hugo Peters at Wevelfleth as a low-airdraft ship specialised for traffic in the Finnish Saimaa Canal system. The vessel is fitted with a side elevator capable of lifting pallets directly to the quayside. It is powered by at MWMdiesel and has a service speed of 10.6 knots. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

In December 2009 the Polarcus Nadia enters her first contract with TGS for a 2,000 square kilometres long-offset 3D survey offshore West Africa. Her sister is scheduled to mobilize in February to undertake her first contract for an oil company offshore West Africa. Established in 2008, Polarcus is a marine geophysical company with an environmental agenda, specialising in highend towed streamer data acquisition.

Flyvbjerg lost his only ship, the Saxo, at a public auction.

Svend Flyvbjerg got no more credits from Danske Bank.

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 85

The editor of the Fleet review section is Pär-Henrik Sjöström, contact him at par-henrik@shipgaz.com

Fleet review Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

Photo: M Hanninen

Svendborg Bugser found a new tug in Colombia.

Colombian tug to Svendborg The Onyx, ex Fennia, is full of asbestos and is feared to be on her way to a scrapyard outside the EU.

Beautiful Fennia became non-welcome end The Fennia was the perhaps most significant newbuilding in the early stage of ferry traffic between Finland and Sweden. Now she may end her life as the Onyx – a “vessel non grata”. The latest name was given before the voyage, which many consider will be her last. The destination is feared to be the beach of a scrapyard outside the EU. With only two of its four main engines working, the aged Onyx left Finland for the last time on November 3 under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Her destination was reported to be Turkey, but that was aborted after an engine failure in the English Channel. She was towed to Brest on November 23. At the time of writing it seemed that the vessel would be permitted to continue the voyage after extensive repairs.

The Onyx had been laid up in Vasa since she was taken out of service on the Vasa– Umeå route in autumn 2005, then trading under the name Casino Express. Although the vessel was reported sold already in the summer of 2007, the Finnish environmental agency SYKE did not grant permission for the vessel to leave Finland. Containing a lot of asbestos, SYKE suspected that the ferry was heading for a scrap yard outside EU and imposed an export ban until the new owner either applied for a permit to transport waste or presented a reliable statement showing plans for the use of the ferry after the sale. The Onyx was built in 1966 by the Lands

krona Shipyard, Sweden, as the Fennia for Silja Line. Back then she was ultra-large and one of the most innovative ferry designs so far. Her interiors were elegant with many innovative ideas and a larger number of cabins than most other ferries of her time. Built for the Stockholm–Åland–Turku service, she stayed with her original owner until 1984, when she was sold to Jakob Lines and started trading between Pietarsaari and Skellefteå/Örnsköldsvik. The vessel was acquired by Vaasanlaivat Oy-Vasabåtarna Ab in 1985 and underwent an extensive refit in Turku during the following winter. She re-entered service with a new exterior – her classic appearance with the funnel-like verandah and the characteristic twin funnels aft was gone as the aft part was totally remodelled, considerably increasing her cabin capacity. The Vasabåtarna company was taken over by the Silja group in the late 1980s, when the former owner Sally’s financial situation became disastrous. The Fennia was back with her original owner. Most of the 1990s the Fennia sailed across the Gulf of Bothnia, but she also left the area during several time charters. After Silja Line withdraw from the Quark, the Fennia was sold to RG Line in 2001. The new company took over the traffic on the Vasa–Umeå route and the vessel was renamed Casino Express, her first new name since her delivery.

purchase Svendborg Bugser A/S had to travel far away from Denmark in order to buy a not too old second-hand tug for the ongoing fleet renewal. “I had to go all the way to Colombia in South America to find a suitable tug to our fleet”, explains Niels Ove ‘Junior’ Henriksen at Svendborg Bugser. “It was almost impossible to find a younger tug in Europe for a sensible sum of money as owners do not sell before the tugs become very old.” In 2008 Svendborg Bugser sold their Sveasund to Ukraine for service in the Black Sea after 39 years in Northern Europe.

The recently purchased tug is named the Egesund and sailed from Colombia to Svendborg under its own power by a delivery crew from the Dutch RedWize Group. The tug is a standard Damen type 2207, powered by a double Cummins plant, giving a bollard pull of 30 tons. The tug was originally delivered from Gornichem in December 1994 and taken by a delivery crew to Intertug in Cartagena, where the tug has been working for 15 years. Now a new tug named the Poseidon was taken over in Cartagena and the old left for Svendborg under name of Egesund. The tug has gone through an extensive upgrading to fulfil the Danish requirements, and is now ready to start sailing in the European waters. “The tug will be employed all-round in our trade pattern, but has not yet been booked to any assignment”, Niels Junior Henriksen says. She could be employed like the Westsund, which at the moment is towing the company’s own barge 5018 from Gdansk to Tyneside and further on the Rotterdam or like the Norsund, which recently has been calling St Petersburg to pick up a barge for Poland.

86 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Fleet review Newbuilding contracts in the Nordic market Month

Owner

Nat

Dwt

Type

Shipyard

Delivery

Oct

Deep Sea Supply

4,700

psv

STX Brazil

beg 12

Value

PSV09CD Havyard 832CB

Nov

Havila Shipping

4,000

psv

Simek

8.10

South African Gvm

S Africa

134 m

research

STX Finland

Remarks

EUR 116 m

polar research

Secondhand transactions in the Nordic market Month Name

Dwt

Built

Type

From

Price

Buyer

Oct

149,830

2002

tanker

Thenamaris, Piraeus

USD 51.5 m

NATS, Sandefjord

Searacer

Berge Racine

63,254

1985

LPG

BW Gas, Oslo

USD 12.0 m

China

Jo Oak

39,161

1983

tanker

JO Tankers, Bergen

USD 7.3 m

breaking India

Regulus

10,520

1993

reefer

Santoku Senpaka, Osaka

USD 11.8 m

Holy House, Stockholm

Hanne Christine

4,100

1984

container

Jenset Rederi, Molde

USD 0.2 m

Syria

Believer

6,620

1992

container

Jenset Rederi, Molde

USD 1.5 m

Marina

4,757

1985

container

Jenset Rederi, Molde

Remarks/New name

Myklebusthaug, Bergen Syria

Eline

4,570

1985

container

Jenset Rederi, Molde

Syria

Enforcer

120 m

2010

subsea

Aquanos, Arendal

Island Offshore, Ulsteinvik

1985

bulk

Clipper Lancelot

Clipper, Copenhagen

USD 4.5 m

undisclosed

Nordpol

28,500 77,195

2002 bulk

DS Norden, Copenhagen

USD 31.5 m

Formosa Bulk, Taiwan

Rosella

29,870

2005 bulk

J Lauritzen, Copenhagen

Tsurumi Kisen, Japan

purch opt

J Lauritzen, Cph

USD 22.6 m

undisclosed

JO Tankers, Bergen

USD 6.47 m

breaking India

Jo Lønn

Thor Sofia

Nexus 1

39,273

1982

tanker

4,281

1984

dry cargo

Thor Shipping, Svendborg

USD 2.29 m

Greeks

258 m

2008

fpso

Nexus, Arendal

USD 362 m

EBX Group, Brazil

Hamburg Express

4,707

1991

container

Express Shipping, Sæby

Seahorse, Turkey

Clipper Stamford

20,731

1999

bulk

Clipper Group, Cph

Far East

bulk

Clipper Sterling

20,730

1998

Nov

Nord Sincere

28,306

2008 bulk

23,465

1987

container

USD 1 3m

Clipper Group, Cph

USD 13 m

Far East

DS Norden, Copenhagen

USD 25.0m

Precious Shipping, China

Scio Star

Pentathlon

164,000

Mahakam

69,997

1996

bulk

KS Parbulk II, Oslo

USD 17.5m

undisclosed

Philippine

3,520

1995

LPG

Lyonesse Marine, Paris

USD 7.4m

Orkla KS, Oslo

Kohfu

6,544

1986

reefer

Agder Ocean Reefer III, Grimstad USD 4 m

Russia

Saxo

1,717

1981

dry cargo

Rederiet Saxo, Nørrsundby

Hav Bulk KS, Bergen

1975

bulk

2002 tanker

KS Tiger Sea, Mariager

USD 2.8m

Philippines

Tsakons Energy, Piraeus

USD 51.5m

Nordic American, Sandefjord

DKK 2.1 m

Wilson Mo

5,790

Althea Gas

82,557c

Knock Nevis

564,763

1976

fso

Fred Olsen Energy, Oslo

Malaysia

Torm Rotna

75,971

2001

bulk

DS Torm, Copenhagen

undisclosed

75,944

2003 LPG

Wilson ASA, Bergen

USD 460,000

Syria

Iino Kaiun, Tokyo

USD 55 m

Stolt-Nielsen Gas, London

USD 29 m

Torm Charlotte

2005 bulk

DS Torm, Copenhagen

USD 35 m

undisclosed

Long Charity

174,004

1985

Einar Lange, Oslo

USD 13.7 m

China

Maersk Priority

105,635

2004 tanker

A P Møller Maersk, Cph

USD 44.0 m

Vietnam

bulk

Cancellations in the nordic market Month Company

Nat

Oct

Int

Stolt-Nielsen

Dwt 44,000

Delivery

Type

Shipyard

Price

tanker

SLS-475

USD 85 m USD 30.8m

ESL

Fin

18,800

bulk

ABG Shipyard

Scan-Trans

Den

2 x 11,000

mpp

Hunghai

Sea-Metric

2 x 25,000*

h-lift

JingJiang Nanyang

Nov

Invest Danmark

Den

4 x 33,400

10/11

bulk

Kanasashi HI

USD 35 m

2 x 33,400

USD 35 m

J Lauritzen

Den

G C Rieber Sh

* = gross tons

80 m

c = capacity in cubic metres

Remarks

2 last of series heavy-lift vsl

bulk

Kanasashi HI

psv

Batamec-7038

MT6009L design

All details believed to be correct but not guaranteed.

A Port offering personal service, flexibility and efficiency Container • Paper • Paper pulp • Sawn timber • Project loads

Wave power - project loads The Port of Lysekil loading wave power stations. The worldmarket is estimated to 12 000 power stations per year.

Welcome to The Flexible Port! Port of Lysekil

info@lysport.se Phone +46 (0) 523-61 12 19 • Fax +46 (0) 523-13 568 www.lysport.se

88 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Pär-Henrik Sjöström par-henrik@shipgaz.com

Retro Icebreakers

Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström Collection

The revolutionary American idea with an additional propeller in the bow was adapted for the first time in the Baltic Sea in the Finnish state icebreaker Sampo. This picture of her in heavy ice was taken in the 1920s.

Icebreakers opened the gulf Nowadays we take winter navigation for granted. Today it would be unthinkable to close down all ports in the Gulf of Bothnia. But it has not always been that way. Before the 1970s there was not enough icebreaker capacity available to keep the ports in the Gulf of Bothnia open year round. Back then it was standard procedure that the icebreakers moved southwards with the ice and only those ports having the easiest ice conditions were kept open throughout the winter.

Winter navigation became possible in the northern Baltic Sea to a larger extent with the introduction of icebreakers. The 400 hp Eisbrecher I from 1871 is regarded the first purpose-built icebreaker in the world, although icebreaking ships had been built before that in the United States and in Russia. This 40 metres long German vessel was designed for operations on the River Elbe to eliminate such

situations as the extremely cold ice winter 1870– 1871 when the port of Hamburg was closed for 53 days. Similar, tuglike icebreakers of the German type, were delivered to several owners during the years to follow – the Norwegian Mjölner, the Swedish Isbrytaren I and the Danish Starkodder and Bryderen to mention a few. The Bryderen, owned by Det Forenede Dampskibsselskab, became the most powerful of them all with an engine output of 1,000 hp. The Bryderen visited Finland in early April 1889 and demonstrated its capabilities while breaking up the channel to Hanko. Greatly impressed,

»The Sampo became the first true open sea icebreaker in Europe« The icebreaking ferry St Ignace was introduced in the Strait of Mackinac in 1888. She had a propeller also in the bow. The water flow decreased the friction between the hull and the ice.

the Finns ordered an icebreaker of a similar type from the Swedish shipyard Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad.

Delivered in March 1890, the state-owned Murtaja (the Finnish word for icebreaker) became the most powerful icebreaker in Europe. Already in 1897, Finland ordered its second state icebreaker Sampo from Armstrong, Whitworth & Co in Newcastle. The Sampo became the first true open sea icebreaker in Europe and was the first to adapt the American concept with a propeller also in the bow, making her much more efficient than the previous German type when breaking through pack ice ridges. The American type icebreaker with propellers fore and aft then became the most common type of large Baltic

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 89

Icebreakers

Retro Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström collection

Photo: Stig Löthner

The veteran Murtaja in the port of Turku in 1949. Above right the first icebreaker completed in Finland, the Voima, in Mariehamn in the 1920s. Photo: Shipgaz archive

Photo: Shipgaz Archive

Sweden’s first state icbreaker Stats-Isbrytaren, which was renamed Atle. Above right the Thule assisting at the Falsterbo Canal. Sea icebreaker during the 20th century. Sweden’s first icbreaker of this type was Isbrytaren II, which was ordered by the city of Stockholm. The first state-owned icebreaker in Sweden was Stats-Isbrytaren, which in 1930 was renamed Atle. She was also the only Swedish state icebreaker powered by steam engines.

The first icebreaker delivered to Finland after the nation gained its independence in 1918, was the Voima in 1924. She was the fist icebreaker to be completed in Finland upon a hull built in Tallinn and was captured by the Germans during World War I. After her delivery the Finnish fleet already consisted of three large sea going icebreakers of the American type.

In January 1924, the Finnish government ordered the gigantic 9,200 hp Jääkarhu, which was built in the Netherlands. When delivered she was one of the most powerful in the world and was outpowered only by two Russian Arctic icebreakers. A new feature for the Baltic was that the Jääkarhu had two propellers aft and one propeller in the bow. In the 1920s the Swedish and Finnish icebreakers were mainly employed in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The capacity was not even close to enough for keeping the northern ports open all year during normal winters. When the sea froze the icebreakers moved southwards – and westwards in the Gulf of Finland. Already in the 1920s there was some cooperation be-

Polar bear The 9,200 hp Finnish state icebreaker Jääkarhu (Finnish for polar bear) was one of the strongest icebreakers in the world when she was delivered in 1926.

tween Swedish and Finnish icebreakers while assisting vessels in the Gulf of Bothnia.

In 1961 the Nordic countries agreed on icebreaking cooperation – a fruitful cooperation that has continued since. The perhaps most revolutionary icebreaker in the first half of the 20th century was Sweden’s second state icebreaker Ymer, which became the world’s first seagoing icebreaker with a diesel-electric machinery. She remained in active service for 43 years and was the prototype for a row of Baltic Sea icebreakers. She was delivered in 1933 from Kockums. Six MAN-diesel engines, with an output of 1,500 hp each, provided electrical power for three electrical propeller motors, two aft and one in the bow.

90 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Retro Icebreakers Photo: Shipgaz archive

The advantages of Ymer’s diesel-electric machinery were so obvious that no more steam-powered icebreakers were built for Sweden or Finland. The master controlled the speed of the propellers directly from the bridge, which was a great improvement during manoeuvres.

Overnight, the Ymer set a new standard for icebreakers. She was in a class of her own regarding reliability and fuel economy. In Finland she was followed up by the Sisu, completed by Wärtsilä’s Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki in 1939. This outstanding design was in service as an icebreaker for the last time in the severe ice winter 1977. After World War II Sweden and Finland made large investments building up a fleet of powerful and modern seagoing icebreakers. The merchant vessels of the 1950s became larger and wider than ever before. The oldest icebreakers did not have the sufficient beam to open up channels for them. Finland lost two of its icebreakers, the Voima and the Jääkarhu, to the Soviet Union as war reparations after

DieselElectric power The Swedish state icebreaker Ymer was the first of her kind on the Baltic Sea with a modern diesel-electric machinery.

World War II. The icebreaking capacity became insufficient and during the cold winters of 1947 and 1948 only Hanko and Turku could be kept open throughout the winter. As a replacement for the large Jääkarhu the icebreaker Voima was commissioned in 1953. Like the Sisu, she was built by Wärtsilä’s Helsinki shipyard and was equipped with four propellers, of which two in the bow.

Voima’s diesel-electric machinery had a total output of 12,000 hp. Both the Soviet Union and Sweden ordered icebreakers of Voima-class from Finland. The Swedish Oden was delivered in 1957 and became the strongest unit in the Swedish icebreaker-fleet. These orders paved the way for Wärtsilä to become the leading builder of icebreakers in the world. Until the end of the 1980s Wärtsilä delivered all Swedish and Finnish state

icebreakers and most of the Soviet icebreakers too. The last time all Sweden’s and Finland’s ports in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia were closed due to ice was in the winter 1970. In February 1970 the extent of the ice cover on the Baltic Sea was 370,000 square kilometres. The total area of the Baltic Sea is 422,000 square kilometres. Only the southern part of the Baltic Sea – from the southern tip of Gotland – had open water. In Kattegatt all four Danish icebreakers were active as well as the Swedish Thule and Oden. In the 1960s ice damages were still common and sometimes the situation became very close to disastrous. In the end of December 1969, the Oden left Stockholm as the last of the Swedish state icebreakers. On January 5, 1970 the car and passenger ferry Wasa Express was stuck in the ice off Holmsund and the drifting ice field rapidly took her to-

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 91

Icebreakers

Retro Photo: Håkan Sjöström

»Overnight, the Ymer set a new standard for icebreakers. She was in a class of her own«

In the beginning of February 1970 the Oden was deployed to the inlet of Gothenburg. On February 19, the situation was very difficult with ice press in the southern channel. The smaller vessels had to be left waiting and only large vessels were assisted to the port. The following day the wind changed direction and the ice drifted away. The Oden returned to the Gotland area, where some 70 vessels were stuck in the ice, waiting for assistance. The conditions remained difficult all spring and for Oden the campaign ended as late as in the end of May. The last time shipping faced extreme conditions in the Baltic Sea was in 1987. This was the third in a row of very cold winters. On March 16, 1987, the ice extent reached its peak, covering an area of 405,000 square kilometres. The only spot of open water left was in the middle of the Baltic Sea, south of Gotland. Indeed the major ports in the Gulf of Bothnia were kept open. A total of 4,107 vessels were assisted by Swedish icebreakers that winter. During a normal ice winter the number of assisted vessels may be about 1,600, which was the case in 1994. The winter of 1987 is comparable to the winters 1940–1942 during World War II, which were extremely cold.

Finland’s third state icebreaker Tarmo was reactivated as the Apu during the cold winter 1966. Photo: Shipgaz archive

wards shallow water. When the Oden reached the Wasa Express the ferry had already drifted into the red sector of the Väktaren lighthouse. The icebreaker approached with greatest care and when there was only 400 meters left to the ferry the echo sounder indicated just one meter water below the keel of the icebreaker. The master had to stop, but in the same time the ice field split up and the ferry was able to come loose. The icebreaker went stern first to deeper water the same way she came and the ferry followed. A most dangerous situation had been avoided at the very last minute.

The first Oden was of the same type as the Finnish Voima. Also 1947 was an exceptional winter. However, in 1987 the icebreaker fleet was in a totally different league compared to the 1940s. Also the merchant vessels were already in the 1980s much stronger and better suited for ice navigation than most of the vessels, including a large number of old steamers, 40 years earlier.

Since 1979 the veteran icebreaker Thule had been employed mainly by the Swedish Navy. In 1987 she was reactivated as an icebreaker for the last time. She started assisting traffic in Öresund already in mid January. She was fully employed in Kattegatt until the beginning of March together with the Oden and the Danish icebreakers. Also the Njord was deployed in Öresund for a few days in the end of February, before the situation became easier and she was needed in the Baltic Sea. The ice cover continued to grow

Finnish Design Wärtsilä became the world leading builder of icebreakers after World War II. A large number of icebreakers were delivered to mainly Sweden, Finland and the Soviet Union.

fast in the Baltic Sea in March 1987 and the traffic between Gotland and mainland Sweden encountered big problems. Together with her sister vessel Tor, the Njord assisted off Landsort.

The situation was so difficult on Åland Sea that all traffic to the Gulf of Finland was assisted either through the Stockholm archipelago via Lands ort or through the Turku archipelago via Utö. On March 27, the traffic via Landsort had to be closed for three days. At most there were close to 50 vessels waiting for assistance in the area. Without the strong icebreakers of the Finnish-built Atle-class – the Swedish Atle, Ymer and Frej as well as the Finnish Urho and Sisu – it would not have been possible to keep the northern ports open that extreme winter. The last conventional state ice-

92 Shipgaz No 8 2009

Retro Icebreakers Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström

»The Oden has carried through several successful expeditions in extreme conditions« breakers to be built by Finland and Sweden for the Baltic Sea were the Finnish Otso and Kontio from 1986 and 1987 respectively, and the Swedish Oden from 1989. These mark the end of a more than 100 years old development of the purpose-built icebreaker.

The Otso and Kontio have a somewhat conventional hull form, but lack propellers in the bow. Instead they are equipped with an air blowing system to reduce the friction between the ice and the stainless steel ice belt in the water line. The Swedish Oden has a totally new hull design, based upon Canadian icebreakers built for operations in Arctic conditions. The Oden has carried through several successful expeditions in extreme conditions and for example reached the North Pole in September 1991.

The Finnish icebreaker Tarmo (II) during the extreme winter 1987. The icebreaker is now owned by Estonia.

The following generations of

Preserved

Finnish and Swedish icebreakers have been of multipurpose type to reduce the overall operation costs. During the ice-free season they are on charter for offshore operations. If needed, they are acting as icebreakers in the Baltic Sea during the winter. The first icebreakers of this breed were the Finnish Fennica and Nordica, followed by the smaller Botnica. The first Swedish multi-

In Stockholm the old icebreaker Sankt Erik (ex Isbrytaren II) is a floating museum ship. The Finnish Tarmo is moored as a museum in Kotka. The pride of Tallinn is the Suur Töll.

purpose vessels were the combined offshore vessels and icebreakers of Tor Viking-class, operated by Transatlantic.

In all these vessels icebreaking is combined with excellent qualities in open sea. The traditional icebreaker hull has always been known for poor seakeeping qualities in rough weather. The Finnish and Swedish icebreaker fleets dominate in the Northern Baltic and the cooperation is in prac-

tice seamless in the Gulf of Bothnia. Also Russia has several icebreakers deployed in the Baltic Sea, but there has never been any serious operative cooperation between neither the Soviet Union nor later Russia and the Nordic countries. After increasing its oil export from Russian ports, mainly Primorsk, Russia has also deployed large Arctic icebreakers in the Gulf of Finland to keep the oil export going. Estonia operates one large icebreaker, the ex Finnish Tarmo.

The age of icebreakers is not over yet The general opinion seems to be that the winters are getting milder and milder. Still, the ice returns to the northernmost parts of the Baltic Sea every year. Only thanks to efficient icebreakers the winter ports may be kept open for traffic.

Finland is said to be the only shipping nation in the world where all ports use to freeze for at least some

time during the winter. This is indeed true, but today the traffic is no longer closed down due to ice. Also Sweden has a similar situation, even if it is rare that the ports in the southern Baltic and Kattegatt have problems with ice. A statement often heard is that there will not be any severe winters anymore as a result of the green house effect. However, the statistics

does not completely back this up yet. After several severe winters in the 1980s, culminating with the exceptionally harsh winter 1987, we have not seen anything that extreme.

Still, there have three severe winters and a lot of normal winters during the last two decades. “The winters have changed a little bit, the winter arrives a little bit

No 8 2009 Shipgaz 93

Icebreakers

Retro Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström

»There has been an enormous progress in how ice strengthened vessels are designed« later and it seems like there has been less ice during the last years. If we look at the statistics for the last 100 years there is a slight decreasing tendency in the ice extent”, informs Ulf Gullne, head of the Icebreaking Division at Swedish Maritime Administration. Whether the winters are milder than they used to be from a seafarer’s point of view is perhaps not only about the statistical ice extent. In the 1990s and the 2000s the cargo vessels have become larger, with more engine output than for example in the 1960s.

Also the current ice class rules are more stringent. We simply do not encounter quite the same problems with ice navigation as before, because modern, ice strengthened vessels are much more suitable for these extreme conditions than their older counterparts. In the early 1960s the merchant fleets still included many old cargo steamers with small engine power. They got stuck in the ice where a modern cargo vessel may continue without problems. Although ice damages still occur, especially on propellers and rudders, it is rare with structural damages to the hull caused of pressure from ice. “There has been an enormous progress in how ice strengthened vessels are designed. Model tank tests are used and there is a lot of knowledge about doing calculations on how the ice load is affecting the hull”, Ulf Gullne confirms. He says that there are two Swedish/Finnish ice classes enabling winter navigation in all Baltic Sea ice conditions. “We have ice class 1A, which is the minimum requirement for difficult ice conditions, and we have the ultimate class, 1A Super, which in practice means that the vessels are able to sail by themselves. It is very modern tonnage that is built to these requirements.”

The Swedish state icebreaker Atle in action in the Gulf of Bothnia in 2001. But when the going gets tough and the ice ridges are compact enough, even the strongest built cargo vessels are stuck. It is therefore far too early to declare the end of the age of the icebreakers.

Every year there is need of assistance, and the fleet has to be prepared for the worst. It is very unlikely that we would never again experience a severe ice winter, with the ice covering large parts of the Baltic Sea. When such a winter comes, shipping will be in serious trouble, although the icebreakers indeed will be able to keep the sea lanes open. However, there will be no place for just-intime-thinking. “It is a problem both in Sweden and Finland to convince the decision makers that it is motivated to maintain a fleet of expensive icebreakers that are not used every year”, Ulf Gullne points out. His colleague in Finland, director Ilmari Aro at the Finnish Maritime Administration, is of the same opinion.

»It is a problem both in Sweden and Finland to convince the decision makers« Mild, Normal or Severe? Ice winters are classified as mild, normal or severe. The basic criterion is the extent of the ice field. Also other factors, affecting shipping, are considered, such as the length of the ice period and the strength of the ice. Source: Swedish Maritime Administration

He thinks that it is not possible to dispose of the icebreaker fleet. “It takes nine Finnish icebreakers to keep the traffic running during a severe winter and today we have only seven on charter.”

The Finnish icebreaker Apu was sold several years ago and the Botnica is now employed elsewhere. Sweden has six icebreakers and the Oden will participate in an expedition to the Antarctic this winter. “In 2003 we had quite a normal ice winter, but much more of that we could not have taken. Normally we have a maximum four hours waiting time for icebreaker assistance, and in 2003 the waiting time was doubled. A winter like 2003 will most likely occur again, it just takes one and a half month of bitter cold”, Ilmari Aro explains.

94 Shipgaz No 8 2009

By Bent Mikkelsen bent@shipgaz.com

Retro Frederik VIII

Picture: håkan sjöström

A Scandinavian giant DFDS’ Frederik VIII operated between New York and Copenhagen until 1935 – when delivered she was the largest vessel in Scandinavia. When the passenger vessel Frederik VIII was delivered in December 1913 from Vulcan Stettiner Maschinenbau, she took the record as the largest ship in Scandinavia as well as the largest Danish passenger vessel. The ship was delivered to DFDS (Det Forenede Dampskibsselskab) for their passenger service from Copenhagen to New York with mainly emigrants. The Frederik VIII had accommodation for 881 third class passengers, 259 persons in second class and 121 passengers travelling in first class and had a crew of 245 persons.

The giant ship was powered by a double Triple expansion steam engine developing (from eight boilers) some 11,000 horsepower to a service speed of 17 knots. At the time of delivery of the Frederik VIII, the fleet of the DFDS subsidiary Scandinavian America Line consisted of several passenger vessels like C F Tietgen, United States, Hellig Olav and Oscar II. The fleet constitut-

ed the back bone of the emigrant trade from the early days of the 1900s. During the 1930s, DFDS saw a decline in the their business and sold off most of the vessels. The three sisters United States, Hellig Olav and Oscar II were sold in the beginning of the 1930s after around 25 years of service.

»During the 1930s DFDS saw a decline in the their business« DFDS was founded in 1866, when C F Tietgen merged the three largest Danish steamship companies of the day.

In 1935 the service had come to an end and the Frederik VIII became the very last ship travelling Copenhagen–New York–Copenhagen. On December 7, 1935, the Frederik VIII left New York on the last voyage to Copenhagen. Shortly after the arrival at Copenhagen on December 17, the ship (now 22 years old) was used for two return-sailing from Copenhagen to Århus. It was a huge success as some 3,000 passengers bought a ticket and trav-

elled either December 23 or December 26, 1935. After the decommissioning in the days after December 27, the Frederik VIII was laid up for sale in Copenhagen and remained laid up for one year. In November 1936, the ship was sold to Hughes Bulckows Shipbreaking Industry in Blyth, England, for a sum of GBP 28,100. The ship had a total scrap value of GBP 57,012.

During her 22 years, the Frederik VIII sailed a grand total of 1,205,799 nautical miles mainly on the North Atlantic waters. The vessel did one cruise in 1924 calling Genua, Palermo, Algier and Gibraltar. The record as the largest passenger vessel under Danish flag was kept until 1974, when DFDS took delivery of the Dana Regina, which was measured to 12,192 grt against the Frederik VIII’s 11,850 grt. The passenger capacity was 1,241 on the Frederik VIII, while the Dana Regina could take 1,065 passengers.

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