Seventy one accounts of incidents that took place in 2014 on 54 vessels were submitted for the annual ‘Dynamic positioning station keeping incidents: Incidents for 2014’ (M 231) report produced by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). These accounts have been analysed, made anonymous and detailed in the report which is online and freely downloadable here.

Thruster/propulsion issues proved to be the main cause for dynamic positioning (DP) incidents in 2014 accounting for 36% of such events; followed by computer issues at 18% and power and references both at 13%. Following these as the main cause are human error (10%); external factors (3%) and environment (also at 3%). There were no recorded main causes attributed to electrical failings.

IMCA's Technical Director, Richard Benzie

“The level of reporting when compared to 2013 has been maintained; but there is awareness that events are still occurring and not being reported,” says IMCA’s Technical Director, Richard Benzie. “Analysis on the 71 reports submitted by 54 vessels gives an average of 1.31 reports per vessel. As in previous years, the average remains between one and two. If this rate was to be repeated throughout the DP fleet, there should be a much higher number of reported events.”

The reports that were received are categorised within the document as: ‘DP Incident’; ‘DP Undesired Event’; and ‘DP Downtime’. There were 32 DP Incidents, 25 DP Undesired Events; and 14 DP Downtime reports submitted.

The spreadsheet “IMCA 2014 DP Station Keeping Event Summary” is available here. It invites input from key DP personnel to consider whether the recorded events of 2014 could potentially affect their own vessel by asking the following questions ‘Could this happen on your vessel?’; ‘What, if any, additional safe guards need to be taken?’; ‘Is this covered in the vessel FMEA?’. The spreadsheet further allows for the recording of corrective actions taken such as ‘Recommendations to improve vessel, DP procedures, FMEA and DP drills’.

“These types of report are about learning from experience, so it makes sound sense to encourage anyone looking at them to consider how they, and their vessel, could be affected,” explains Richard Benzie. ”Preparation of the 2015 reports is already underway. We encourage all who experience incidents or events to report them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; they will be made anonymous and approved by the originating organisation prior to distribution. Help us to help others learn from your experience.”

Ninety-six Crowley Maritime Corporation owned or managed vessels recently received the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA)’s annual Jones F. Devlin Awards in recognition of their outstanding safety records in 2015. Each year the CSA grants Devlin Award certificates to manned merchant vessels that have operated for two or more years without incurring a Lost Time Injury (LTI), specifically highlighting the skills and dedication of the crewmembers responsible for safe vessel operations.

Capt. Seven Gilkey, master, USNS Invincible and T-AGOS / T-AGM Port Captain and Program Manager, Capt. Jonathan "JC" Christian, accepting the awards on Crowley's behalf.

Crowley’s 2015 Devlin Award-worthy vessels together have achieved an impressive total of 639 years of service without an LTI. Of the 96 awarded, 23 have gone without incident for 10 or more consecutive years, including the following notable vessels: Valdez Star, 25 years, and Gus E, MV Chief, MV Guide and Roger G, each with 17 years; MV Aku, MV Veteren, MV Vigilant and Tug Nanuq, each with 16 years and Cape Edmont with 15 years. Crowley’s vessels have earned Devlin Awards annually since 2005.

“We have been holding these annual award ceremonies since 1958,” said Kathy Metcalf, CSA President. “This was the 58th anniversary of the program. For that initial year, we honored six vessels having a total of twelve years operation with no lost-time incidents. This year, awards were conferred on 1522 vessels that operated 10,084 years without a lost-time incident. This extraordinary record is directly attributable to the professionalism of our seafarers and the dedication of shore-based company personnel to safe operation.”

Additionally, the Crowley-managed, USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23) ­– a Military Sealift Command (MSC) Impeccable class, ocean surveillance ship - was given a Citation of Merit for heroically rescuing 11 fishermen struggling to stay afloat on a sinking vessel that had been adrift for five days in the South China Sea. Capt. Seven Gilkey, master, USNS Invincible and T-AGOS / T-AGM Port Captain and Program Manager, Capt. Jonathan "JC" Christian, accepted the award on behalf of USNS Impeccable, which is currently at sea, from Rear Admiral David Callahan, Commander, US. Coast Guard District eight.

“Safety is at the top of Crowley’s core values and strategic goals. The vessels receiving Devlin Awards exemplify this Crowley core value, because they live it every day – for themselves, their families and Crowley,” said Crowley’s Mike Golonka, vice president, government services.

Ships have been sailing the seas for thousands of years, and with modern technological advances and innovation, the industry continues to improve and innovate. While in 1912 the Titanic hit an iceberg that it couldn’t detect, today, connected devices, modern radar, sonar, data and GPS equipment are able to show where obstacles lie and re-route any ship onto a safer path, whether it’s carrying holidaymakers, LNG or cargo.

Just as connected devices are making headway on land, with computer chips in cars, buildings and everyday items such as watches and fridges, connected ships are growing in popularity at sea thanks to their ability to streamline and improve marine operations.

Image courtesy: GE Power Conversion

While it could be said that more is being done to integrate and adopt digital technologies in the consumer space, we have to recognize the strides that the marine industry has taken—from introducing automation and control system to implementing real-time fleet tracking. It’s also vital to note that a consumer device, whether that be a car, fridge or watch, is a completely different beast from a 150,000 ton ship, so the two worlds can’t move at the same speed. However, the key benefits of connected components remain the same no matter what industry we are discussing. This is why forward-looking fleet operators are investigating using advanced software analytics to harness data and provide insights into enhance operations.

Here we outline the five key benefits of implementing digital operations aboard a vessel:

Route optimization and fuel efficiency

Gone are the days of looking to the sun, moon and stars to navigate ships across the deep sea; now navigation is not a leap of faith, it’s a science. Each modern vessel, whether an offshore drill ship, cruise liner or LNG carrier, is fitted with a digital navigation system, which can not only identify the quickest routes in advance, but can also spot obstacles and re-route ships on a safer, or calmer, path when necessary.

This is crucial for the safety of the crew and also for reducing fuel consumption. It’s no secret that both fuel saving and optimizing operations have been the main drivers of introducing digital technology into a fleet because in some cases, fuel costs account for up to 40 percent of total operational expenses. Use of technology has the ability to reduce this figure as predictive analytics tools can bring in weather forecast data to optimize route planning, manage propulsion levels and reduce overall fuel consumption.

Fleet management

Fleets are growing in size, and vessel operators may have hundreds of ships out at sea at any one time. Keeping track of all these ships at once may not be simple, but that knowledge provides an advantage to operators. By looking at an entire fleet, not just at each vessel in a silo, operators can automatically check operating performance against other ships, highlighting anomalies or inefficiencies aboard a specific vessel, which might indicate the need for upgrades, operational tweaks or repairs. Digital technologies are revolutionizing and simplifying this process, and it’s not just fleet operators that are responsible for spotting potential issues; the use of predictive analytics systems also allows GE experts from around the world to compare operational statistics and data against other fleets, providing a greater pool of data from which they can draw insights. This allows GE to use its wider global visibility to provide support at scale, spot trends, increase the reliability of a fleet and provide crucial information for decision support.

Improve design and testing from the outset

The use of data and predictive analytics is not just crucial when a ship is at sea, but also in its design phase. Combining decades of experience, software modellng tools can analyze a vessel’s anticipated operational profile, optimizing the design from the offset. It has the ability to test the performance of a ship’s systems against mathematical models and against different combinations of weather and other marine conditions to assess and refine vessel performance.

Used during the shipbuilding process, software analytics can also provide fast, real-time comparisons of the performance of different electrical configurations, enabling improved design and configuration of electrical solutions and estimating the annual running costs incurred by the vessel design, so equipment selections can be made to reduce fuel consumption and achieve further savings.

Reduce downtime

Unanticipated outages on board vessels can cost serious money. In fact, unplanned downtime for a drillship can end up costing up to $12 million per year. However, predictive analytics tools, such as GE’s SmartSignal software, can identify impending equipment failures before they happen, reducing unplanned downtime.

A digital model, called “the digital twin,” can be built based on years of a vessel’s data history. By comparing asset to asset and vessel to vessel with “the digital twin,” the software is able to search for anomalies and give early warnings of a potential failure, enabling the industry to shift from planned to condition-based maintenance.

Remote monitoring

The use of data allows companies to monitor vessels in real time, record and analyze their histories and search for anomalies. Software and connectivity can bring the issues encountered on board a vessel to the experts on shore, allowing issues to be resolved more quickly and helping to reduce third-party cost.

What’s more, the use of predictive analytics also helps address a global skill shortage. Few vessel operators have access to sufficient qualified engineers to be able to deploy experts in every system aboard every vessel. As such, being able to resolve issues from the shore can significantly enhance operations and reduce the number of engineers needed without sacrificing safety or operational performance.

There will be many large employers that risk losing 50 to 80 percent of their retirement-eligible population in the next five years. The use of analytic tools also allows knowledge and insights to be stored, capturing and retaining some of the experience that would otherwise be lost when personnel retire. It enables good practices to be repeated and scaled across the fleet—again, a key contributor to bridge the skill gap.

The marine industry is continually evolving to reflect a dynamic and ever-changing world. However, while there has been a tidal wave of innovation over the last decade, there is still a ways to go. This is why GE’s Marine Solutions is helping marine companies enhance efficiency, cut carbon emissions, increase productivity and enable smarter operations through use of digital technologies. Navigating through choppy waters is no easy task, and marine operators need expert support to help sail through the economic tempest we’ve seen over the last few years.

By Tim Schweikert

Cobham SATCOM’s well established line of SAILOR portable radios has been extended with the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter; the world’s first marine approved portable radio made specifically for fulfilling the new SOLAS Chapter II-2, Regulation 10.10.4 – ‘Fire Fighters Communication’.

The SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio meets standards set out that require approx. 65,000 (existing) SOLAS vessels worldwide to provide intrinsically safe portable radios within the regulated ‘fire fighter outfits’ on board, prior to a vessel’s first survey after July 2018. Cobham SATCOM defines that in order to conform to requirements, fire fighter radios must be: Explosion-proof or intrinsically safe; ready for use at all times; capable of use by fire fighters (considering i.e. gloves, suits, poor visibility); made for the marine environment and carried in addition to existing on board portable work radios.

SOLAS Chapter II-2, Regulation 10 contains requirements for the fire fighter outfits (of which portable radios are considered a part), and how many outfits are required for a specific vessel. As a rule of thumb, any vessel covered by SOLAS must carry at least two fire fighter outfits, and for passenger ships the number of fire fighter outfits is increased and regulated both by i.e. the number of passengers and vertical fire zones.

The SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio helps owners meet the 2012 amendment 10.10.4.: For ships constructed on or after 1 July 2014, a minimum of two two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus for each fire party for fire-fighter´s communication shall be carried on board. Those two two-way radiotelephone apparatus shall be of an explosion-proof type or intrinsically safe. Ships constructed before 1 July 2014 shall comply with the requirements of this paragraph not later than the first survey after 1 July 2018.

As a leading authority on SOLAS regulations in a communications context, Cobham SATCOM’s design engineers have studied closely the new requirements in order to develop a radio solution that is not only a cost-effective response for shipowners to the logistical challenges of equipping their vessels in the coming years, but a highly reliable and effective communication tool that can be counted on by fire fighters in extreme, hazardous environments on board.

The SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio is based on Cobham SATCOM’s series of SAILOR portable work, GMDSS and ATEX radios but has been designed specifically to keep fire fighters safe through reliable, function rich communication. The most striking aspect of the new radio is its bright red colour, which signals to crew members on board that the radio should not be used for daily operations and must stay as part of the fire fighter outfit.

The radio features an easy to read display for channel and battery information, and is compatible with a wide range of established 3rd party accessories from SAVOX and Peltor. Considering the potential for low or zero visibility due to smoke during a fire, the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio features large, tactile buttons, and audio confirmations of i.e. channel changes in the operator’s headset.

Uniquely, the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio is the only maritime radio system to accommodate spare emergency battery packs. As standard, it features an ATEX 1.800 mAh rechargeable Li-Ion Battery, IP67 battery pack, however, Cobham SATCOM also offers ATEX approved non-rechargeable emergency batteries, providing an extra level of security to ensure communication is available when a fire breaks out, or rechargeable batteries run-down. 

Operationally, the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio offers a long feature list that supports safe fire fighting process and ensures that it meets the standards set out in Regulation 10.10.4., such as: Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) to avoid interference from other nearby vessels and Trunked Mode Operation (TMO) for vessels with a repeater system.

“We estimate that some 300,000 new radios will be required for the remaining SOLAS vessels to fully conform to the new regulations that effectively come into force in a little over two years’ time,” said Claus Hornbech, Business Manager – Maritime Integration, Cobham SATCOM. “Because of the timescale, we have developed several packages based on the SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter portable radio that make it easy for owners of different vessel types to meet the regs, with the confidence that crews will have immediate access to radios designed only for the job of fighting fires.”

Damen Shipyards Group has teamed up with the global leader in motion compensation access solutions, Ampelmann, to conduct tests with Ampelmann’s L-Type system on board a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009. Damen is developing its marine access solutions in order to guarantee increased safety, reduced costs and efficiency in the global crew transfer market. As part of this mission, Damen has recently increased its cooperation with a number of access suppliers. On this occasion, the process has resulted in a live demonstration of a combined Ampelmann and Damen solution at a North Sea gas production platform.

Photo courtesy: Damen

Teaming up with Ampelmann for a number of tests was a natural route says Damen Business Development Manager David Stibbe. “We’re talking to a number of transfer specialists as we continue to develop our marine access portfolio. Ampelmann has extensive expertise in producing and operating motion compensation access systems and Damen has many years of shipbuilding experience. Working together in this way means that both parties are able to draw on the expertise of the other, leading to the favourable development of their respective solutions and successfully integrated crew change solutions.

30-50 meter crew vessels

The L-type is the smallest of Ampelmann’s systems, ideally suited for smaller crew vessels ranging from 30-50m without DP. The model combines safe and efficient transfer with a capability for reliable operation up to 1.5 meter Hs. Such a profile seemed to suggest a compatibility with the Damen FCS 5009. Together, Damen and Ampelmann carried out extensive research and testing to see if the two were indeed well-matched.

Photo courtesy: Damen

“We invested in a lot of research before sailing, and it transpired that the FCS 5009 and the L-type were the perfect fit.” explains Mr. Stibbe. “Once on the water we carried out in-depth interaction tests to demonstrate just how well the system and the vessel worked in tandem. The results were impressive.”

So impressive, in fact, that the FCS 5009 - L-type combination gained the confidence of a Tier 1 offshore gas production company operating in the North Sea.

Credible substitute for swing-roping and helicopter flights

“The operator was convinced by the extensive data we were able to present and allowed us to make a landing at a working North Sea platform, thus proving the effectiveness of this solution in a real-world scenario. This represents a very promising solution for an oil and gas industry looking to address efficiency and safety concerns in personnel transportation. Our tests demonstrated that the L-type could be added to an existing vessel from the Damen portfolio to provide safe, cost effective transport offshore – a credible substitute for swing-roping and helicopter flights.”

“Ampelmann has already transferred more than 2.5 million people safely worldwide for the top oil majors, mainly supporting maintenance, hook-up, commissioning and shutdown campaigns with Walk-to-Work and floatel services. Now these clients are looking for a solution in the crew change segment to improve safety and effectiveness relative to current helicopter, swing rope, surfer or baskets transfers. However, they are not only interested in the gangway, they are in search of a proven integrated solution of vessel with gangway and that is what we have produced together with Damen”, says Ampelmann Business Development Manager Crew Change Gerbrand Marbus.

As oil prices have fallen in recent times, driving processes of increased efficiency within the offshore industry, Damen has responded by developing its suite of marine access solutions. A key area is the movement of personnel on board a vessel as an alternative to helicopter transportation. A further example of this is the Damen Service Operations Vessel, the first newbuild contract for which has recently been signed with UK-based Bibby Marine Services.

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE: DO) and Trelleborg's Offshore operation have announced a Joint Development Agreement to develop, manufacture and market Helical Buoyancy™ riser technology developed by Diamond Offshore. This innovative, patented riser buoyancy design reduces riser drag and mitigates Vortex-Induced Vibration in offshore applications and enables improved operational efficiency.

This solution is an alternative to adding fairings or strakes to the drilling riser and can reduce deployment time and operating expense. The Helical Buoyancy design also improves safety in challenging environments by eliminating the need for personnel to work below the drill floor to attach a separate apparatus.

Diamond Offshore’s Ocean BlackLion. Photo courtesy: Diamond Offshore

The "helical" design is the result of several years of development by Diamond Offshore utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics and high Reynolds Number Wind Tunnel testing. Diamond Offshore will work with Trelleborg on further application engineering, data acquisition, testing and development of Helical Buoyancy applications across the offshore drilling market.

"Development of this new technology for riser buoyancy is even more important as drilling moves into deeper waters," said Ron Woll, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Diamond Offshore. "We continually look for ways to improve the economics of offshore drilling for our customers, and this new buoyancy design will enhance drilling efficiencies in high-current environments."

"At Trelleborg, our goal is to perform at every level to deliver innovative and reliable offshore solutions and we welcome this opportunity to team up with Diamond Offshore on this exciting venture," says Alan McBride, Vice President at Trelleborg's offshore operation in Houston.

In conjunction with this agreement, Diamond Offshore has ordered Helical Buoyancy from Trelleborg for drilling risers on the Ocean BlackRhino and Ocean BlackLion, two of Diamond Offshore's sixth-generation drillships currently under contract in a high-current area in the Gulf of Mexico.

"This technology advancement is the result of Diamond Offshore's engineering expertise and thought leadership and should benefit the broad offshore drilling industry as it gets adopted," said Woll.

GAC EnvironHull has announced that its pioneering hull cleaning system, HullWiper, will be available for vessels berthing in the Port of Rotterdam next month.

HullWiper - which will be demonstrated at an event co-hosted by GAC EnvironHull and the Port of Rotterdam at the port on 23 June - is a diver-free remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that eliminates the need for divers to clean the vessel, cutting costs and reducing the risk to human life.

Unlike other cleaning solutions, HullWiper uses seawater under high pressure as a cleaning medium, instead of brushes or abrasives, minimising damage to the antifouling surface. This optimises performance and creates energy efficiency savings for ship owners, as well as reducing expenditure needed to recoat the hull.

Photo courtesy: GAC

Removed residues and harmful materials are collected in a special waste unit connected to the ROV, so waste is not discharged into the sea to ensure it meets local and regional environmental regulations – a key focus for the Port of Rotterdam.

Christer Sjödoff, GAC Group Vice President, Commercial, says: “As the gateway to the European market and a port that pioneers new thinking around the environment, Rotterdam is the perfect location for HullWiper. We believe that European ship owners will continue to see the commercial and environmental benefits of the technology, as already seen in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.

“Our upcoming launch event and panel discussion, organised in conjunction with the Port of Rotterdam, further underlines GAC EnvironHull’s commitment to the service in the Netherlands, and sends the message that the GAC Group is pushing the boundaries of innovation and environmental compliance.”

The panel discussion, titled ‘Smart Ship Technologies and Measures for Greener Ports’, will include the first live demonstration of HullWiper in the Netherlands. The event will take place on Thursday, 23 June at Rotterdam’s Drijvend Paviljeon from 15:30-18:00.

Representatives from the Port of Rotterdam, shipping industry figures and environmentalists will gather to discuss the challenge of pollution in port waters, give an update on the regulatory landscape, and showcase solutions to reduce hull degradation and improve energy efficiency.

A demonstration of GAC Environhull’s latest free online fuel savings calculator will also be carried out at the event. This will enable participants to get an instantaneous and accurate calculation of how much they could save using Hullwiper, compared to traditional methods.

Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf (DSO) has become the latest Damen ship repair yard to receive ISO 9001:2008 certification. Strategically located in the port of Amsterdam, DSO undertakes the full range of maintenance, repair and conversion projects on all classes of vessel. The award of the ISO certification demonstrates that the yard fulfils the requirements of the defined management system standards to consistently provide a high quality service that meets all customer, statutory and regulatory requirements through a process of continuous improvement. This specifically refers to the repair, maintenance, inspection and drydocking of inland vessels, sea-going vessels and other steel constructions.

In 2015 the management of the yard commissioned an external auditor to review and document the yard’s processes over a number of months and make recommendations regarding any that needed to be brought up to standard. Improvements were made where necessary and, after a second, internal, audit to ensure that everything was in compliance, the ISO inspectors were invited to the yard.

“A proven quality management system according to ISO standards, with evidence by means of certification, is important for many of our customers,” said DSO’s commercial manager Jeen van der Werf. “Operators in the offshore sector and elsewhere value the confidence they get from knowing that independent inspections have validated the quality and operational standards of their industry partners.

“And we are not stopping there,” he continues. “Our next goal is certification for ISO 14001:2015, which will demonstrate our commitment to international environmental standards across all our activities. We see it as our duty to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations when it comes to quality and responsibility.”

Coenraad Tool, Quality Manager at Damen Shiprepair & Conversion added: “The success of Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf in achieving ISO certification is another milestone in our process of increasing customer satisfaction across the group through enhanced customer focus. This includes establishing a set of harmonised and documented procedures and routines that exceed the ISO standard requirements, as a basis for the update of yard Quality Management Systems. With the release of ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, we are now reviewing and updating the current implemented Quality Management Systems ahead of September 2018.”

Maritime operations in West Africa are affected by threats from piracy and other maritime crime. It is very complex to get an overview of the different types of maritime security provisions that are legal in the countries throughout the region. Risk Intelligence now provides this insight with a new service, including reports with an overview of the use of private and government security in 18 countries in the region.

Risk Intelligence CEO Hans Tino Hansen: “We have provided security analysis for West Africa for more than 10 years. It has always been a complex area with many different types of threats and many different types of security risk mitigation and legal frameworks. This service and the new report provides a clear and comprehensive overview that many maritime operators have been asking for.”

The new report provides a concise overview of operational and regulatory risks related to the use of additional security services in West Africa. The report covers the use of armed guards and escort vessels provided by private maritime security companies or government security forces as well as additional protection services such as secure anchorages or areas for STS operations.

Color-coded tables for every country provide a quick overview of the current situation in 18 countries from Senegal to Angola. Moreover, brief assessments of the efficiency of specific security services against the main threats, which maritime operators have to face in the respective region, are included. Overall, the report is a valuable tool for conducting the necessary due diligence prior to contracting additional security services for operations in the region.

In addition, clients will have access to Risk Intelligence’s West Africa specialists for questions related to the report, which will be updated every six months.

Attempts to transfer the Indian Ocean PMSC model to West Africa have created problems for ship operators, who were made to believe that the solutions involving the use of government security forces on board their ships was "legal" or "approved" and provided the necessary level of security. In many countries in West Africa this is not the case, says Dirk Steffen, Director Maritime Security and head of West Africa Analysis at Risk Intelligence.

Mermaid Maritime Public Company Limited (“Mermaid” or "Company") has announced that its Indonesian business unit PT Seascape Surveys Indonesia (“Seascape”) has entered into a one (1) year charter-in contract with PT Nusa Perkasa Permai for a DP2 dive support vessel (“DSV”), the ‘Mermaid Nusantara’. The vessel is expected to be delivered to Seascape in August 2016.

Photo courtesy: Mermaid Maritime

Formerly ‘Windermere’ and renamed as ‘Mermaid Nusantara’, the vessel comes with a 15 man built-in saturation diving system and air diving system, 120 beds and a 50 ton crane. The vessel will undertake inspection, repair, and maintenance contracts as well as performing saturation diving for construction support, ongoing field maintenance and call out repair.

Mermaid had previously chartered-in this vessel and deployed the vessel to support its various subsea projects in 2015. The re-chartering of this vessel comes at the back of anticipated continuing demand for subsea services in both Indonesia and the rest of the South East Asian region. This latest charter also comes with a one (1) year extension option which, if exercised, would extend the charter through to July 2018.

This charter-in of the ‘Mermaid Nusantara’ is an opportunity for Mermaid to continually secure a dedicated DSV for the South East Asian market and also to materially increase the revenue and profit of Mermaid in the Eastern Hemisphere. Being Indonesian flagged, the vessel will be in prime position to secure any potential work in Indonesia.

Mermaid has already secured subsea contracts worth circa USD 10 million that will utilize this vessel for a scheduled duration of approximately 70 days, and is actively bidding for more work utilizing the vessel in the South East Asian region.

InterMoor, an Acteon company, has successfully completed the final tensioning and chain cutting operations on the FPSO Turritella for the Shell Stones project, located in the Walker Ridge protraction area in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

The FPSO Turritella (photo) will connect to subsea infrastructure located beneath approximately 9500 ft (2896 m) of water, breaking the existing water depth record for an oil and gas production facility. This ultra-deep water project marks the first FPSO for Shell in the GoM, and the second FPSO in the GoM.

Having arrived in January 2016, the Turritella is a dis-connectable turret moored FPSO with nine mooring lines consisting of chain and polyester, arrayed in three bundles of three. The mooring lines were attached to a dis-connectable Buoyant Turret Mooring (BTM) buoy in field, awaiting the FPSO’s arrival. Each mooring leg has an in-line mooring connector (ILMC) tensioning system, located approximately 900 ft below the surface, which was pre-tensioned after connection to the BTM. Once the Turritella arrived, and the BTM was recovered by the FPSO. InterMoor’s work scope consisted of chain final tension adjustments through the ILMC system, subsequent cut and removal of excess chain, and riser pull-in rope stretching and transfer to the FPSO.

InterMoor used the Seacor Keith Cowan anchor-handling vessel (AHV) to perform the first phase of the operations and later moved to a larger construction vessel already on charter and on standby.

Tom Fulton, global president, InterMoor, said, “InterMoor supported this FPSO’s mooring needs by utilizing a cost-effective and Jones Act compliant anchor handling vessel, whereas competitors would typically resort to a large construction vessel.

“We were able to successfully provide full project management and engineering, including: design, procedures, procurement, dock support, offshore equipment and personnel for all phases. Our team also designed installation aids and fabricated them in our Morgan City facility, in Louisiana.”

Acteon sister companies worked alongside InterMoor on the project, with UTEC providing the positioning survey for the AHV, and Mirage custom-designing and fabricating the diamond wire cutting saw and clamping system.

InterMoor also provided the following services for the Turritella installation:

Under a program organized by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), Doris Inc., the Offshore Technology Research Center (OTRC) at Texas A&M University and Sevan Marine have carried out further research and model scale testing of Sevan Marine’s cylindrical hull for application in GOM ultra deep water. The model tests at OTRC confirm the favorable motion characteristics of the Sevan Marine design enabling the application of with Steel Catenary Risers (SCR) and permanent mooring in even the harshest hurricane conditions. Several major oil companies attended the Industry Day held on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 further highlighting the keen interest which exists in the market for Sevan Marine’s cylindrical design.

Photo credit: Sevan Marine

Further research and testing is planned in order to bring Sevan Marine’s patented SCR concept to its full potential. Sevan Marine is confident that this can be a game changing technology for deep water offshore applications particularly in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico’s outer continental shelf in years to come.

Sevan Marine would like to give its special thanks to Doris Inc., the OTRC and RPSEA for their great support.

Funding for the projects is provided through the “Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program” authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This program—funded from lease bonuses and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands—is designed to assess and mitigate risk enhancing the environmental sustainability of oil and gas exploration and production activities.

RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer three areas of research. RPSEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium with more than 180 members, including 24 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC JOSEPH TEZANOS, the 18th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard.

The announcement was made by Bollinger President & C.E.O., Ben Bordelon. “We are very pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards, the USCGC JOSEPH TEZANOS, to the U.S. Coast Guard. The fleet of FRCs already in commission have more than proven their worth with tons of narcotics seized, thousands of illegal aliens interdicted and many lives saved. We at Bollinger Shipyards are looking forward to hearing of the heroic exploits of the JOSEPH TEZANOS as it joins the Coast Guard’s operational fleet.”

Sister Ship of the USCGC JOSEPH TEZANOS, USCGC MARGARET NORVELL operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC JOSEPH TEZANOS is the 18th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.

The Coast Guard took delivery on the 22nd of June 2016 in Key West, Florida, and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Puerto Rico during the month of August 2016.

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero Joseph Tezanos, who was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps medal for distinguished heroism while leading the rescue of more than 40 injured service members following the explosion of a Navy LST in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1944.

During the Oceanographic Survey Vessel Conference in London, Damen Shipyards Group announced the introduction of a new range of Multi-Role Auxiliary Vessels (MRAV). The common theme running through the series is the provision of a basic platform offering reliable and cost-effective multi-role potential and hydrographic survey capabilities to naval clients.

With the addition of supplementary modular mission equipment, this new family of Damen vessels can be mobilized in numerous, mainly littoral, naval tasks such as: explosive ordnance clearance and disposal, diving operations, torpedo recovery and overhaul, ROV and UAV deployment, SAR, coastal infantry and submarine support. The largest version of the range will be able to operate worldwide, on the ocean as well as in littoral waters. This ship has additional capabilities such as disaster and humanitarian relief, oceanography and naval training support.

The introduction of flexible concepts which allow as many functions as possible to be included into a range of smaller vessels without reducing the effectiveness and capacity of the fleet while maintaining the benefits of modularity; this is Damen’s ambition with this new family of vessels. “To this end, plug-and-play containerised kit for many support tasks contribute considerable adaptability to a particular mission,” explains Damen Shipyards Gorinchem’s Principal Naval Advisor Jan van der Burg, a retired Vice Admiral of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

One platform – multiple tasks

“The idea behind these vessels is to create a basic platform that can assist in a variety of tasks through the selection of the required mission configuration, e.g. coastal transport, submarine support or coastal infantry operations. The stimulus to switch from the traditional one-to-one replacement is to lower the total cost of ownership without losing capability and capacity.”

The new range of vessels consists of three different designs: the MRAV 660, MRAV 1600 and MRAV 3600. Designed for different geographic profiles, these vessels are respectively 43, 62 and 85 metres long. Hydrographic capabilities, to map the seabed for safe navigation and as a preparatory action for military operations in particular, are indispensable to navies worldwide. Depending on a naval client’s specific requirements, any type of hydrographic equipment can be integrated into these three vessels.

Minimal draught

With a draught of 1.9 meters, the MRAV 660 is suited for very shallow coastal, riverine and inland water operations. In addition to shallow water hydrographic surveys, this vessel is capable of a comprehensive array of duties such as diving operations, EOCD support, ROV and UAV deployment, with a core crew of 8 and capacity for an additional 15 specialists.

“Damen has built up a lot of knowledge on shallow draught ship design – this is the reason we strived towards a shallow draught hull for the MRAV 660 with full confidence. The expertise of our Research Department, combined with input from our Workboats Product Group contributed to a design based upon tested design solutions,” notes Damen Design and Proposal Engineer Tim Viveen.

“The key points are to maximise displacement, minimize resistance and optimize seakeeping characteristics for the area in which the ship will operate. The MRAV 660 has design characteristics that help achieve this: an aluminium superstructure and reduced freeboard section cut down on weight. And tunnel ducts on the underside of the hull ensure enough water reaches the propellers.”

Additional roles

The MRAV 1600 is designed for littoral and regional offshore operations. Its larger size allows for greater endurance and carrying capacity of both crew, mission modules and cargo. The vessel will be manned by a core crew of 13, with capacity for an additional 30 mission specialists. The main deck can hold six standard 20-foot mission containers and the below-deck cargo hold can store two 20-foot containers and palletised cargo.

This medium-sized vessel can take on similar hydrographic and auxiliary duties to its smaller sister vessel, with the addition of torpedo recovery and overhaul tasks in support of submarines and anti-submarine warfare units. Small scale coastal transport and infantry support is also possible.

Global coverage

Intended for worldwide service, the capacity of the largest vessel in the range – the MRAV 3600 – allows for more than one specific mission during a deployment. Capable of hydrographic operations both in littoral and deeper waters, this vessel also has a helideck and substantial storage capacity for other mission configurations, equipment and cargo. Furthermore, the MRAV 3600 can serve as a base for more extensive operations such as disaster and humanitarian relief. There is accommodation for 14 core and 45 additional mission crew and enough space on board to provide emergency hospital services for 50 to 60 people.

Advantages of modularity

One of Damen’s key aims with this new range of vessels is to reduce the pressure on a navy’s human and financial resources. The modularity of the mission modules also plays a major part in reducing this pressure: “We achieved this by combining the capabilities of specialized ships into one ship by using these add-on equipment modules – these can be fitted inside standard 10-, 20- or 40-foot containers or have the footprint of a standard container,” states Damen Design and Proposal Manager Piet van Rooij. “When operating multiple ships of the same family and design, the efficiency of training, crew exchangeability and maintenance programs are improved.”

Cost results

A modular platform is inherently flexible: this allows naval clients to better react to changes in the mission environment. Modularity also has implications on the total cost of ownership: the lifetime of an individual vessel can be efficiently extended by upgrading capabilities with new equipment modules that are not integrated into the original design.

Financial advantages are to be found in the fact that the MRAV range is commercially built and also uses commercially available components. This is made possible because of the vessels’ non-combatant role. Mr. Van Rooij: “Using commercial off-the-shelf equipment reduces the total cost of ownership without reducing the quality of the equipment.”

Complementary design

The ship design itself has a proven background: “Damen has built many ships similar to the MRAV range for the offshore industry. This means that there will not be any unwanted surprises for the first customer of this new range.”

Damen has a rich naval shipbuilding heritage; one that goes back more than a century. The new Multi Role Auxiliary Vessel range serves to expand the company’s naval portfolio that includes larger vessels such as frigates, corvettes, LPDs, AORs and OPVs. “These new MRAV designs are complementary to the range of ships that Damen already offers for the defence and security markets,” concludes Mr Van Rooij. “We are currently at the stage of finalised conceptual design. Considering the next step, being more detailed engineering while taking advantage of COTS equipment and tested designs, we are confident that the actual construction can be swiftly accomplished, with excellent quality and reliability.”

EMC has taken orders to supply VSAT equipment and services for seven platform supply vessels in the North Sea as part of a four-year fleet agreement with GulfMark (Norway).

The scope of supply for each vessel includes a 60-inch Ku-band stabilized antenna and below-deck terminal interfaced with the ship’s network and third-party GSM voice system. EMC will also provide the satellite airtime for crew welfare and mission-critical voice and data communications. The installations will take place over the next 12 months as the vessels become available.

“GulfMark’s vessels operate in an extremely demanding market segment with rigorous requirements for uptime, connectivity, bandwidth, data throughput and content,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial marine business unit. “Our global fully-meshed network of overlapping Ku-band satellite footprints with automatic beam switching ensures continuous uninterrupted connectivity. Our unique patented technologies provide mission-enhancing communications for the ships’ business and an unparalleled Quality of Experience (QoE) for their crews. In addition, our global service organization provides rapid-response support 24/7 wherever the ships are operating.”

“We have been providing VSAT for GulfMark Norway for a number of years on a ship-by-ship basis. This new fleet contract extends and expands that business relationship,” Gillesen added. “This important win is a testimony to our uncompromising commitment to delivering value and providing unmatched customer support and service.”

Olympic Shipping has entered into a frame agreement with Canyon Offshore, Inc. for the joint marketing and subsequent operation of the subsea construction vessel Olympic Athene and Canyon’s ROV systems, which will see the companies work together to secure utilization for the vessel and Canyon Offshore’s systems and services with third party clients.

Olympic Athene. Photo credit: Olympic Shipping

The framework agreement will operate initially for six months, with the potential to be evergreen thereafter. The Olympic Athene has commenced its first job with a third party client in the U.S. Gulf under this agreement.

Stig Remøy, CEO of Olympic Shipping, stated “I am happy to see that we, together with Canyon Offshore, are able to set up a structure that offers our clients high quality vessel and ROV services.”

Ian Edmonstone, President Canyon Offshore, said “we are also pleased to continue our long term relationship with Olympic Shipping and look forward to providing quality subsea project solutions to our Americas client base.