SeaRobotics Corporation (SeaRobotics) has delivered the USV 2.5, an autonomous 2.5 meter unmanned surface vehicle (USV) to the Center for Marine Science and Technology at North Carolina State University. The USV, built by SeaRobotics, was funded by an award from the National Science Foundation’s Marine Lab Facilities Program. Given the diverse capabilities of the USV, it will be utilized as both an experiential-based teaching tool and to conduct basic and applied research in lake, river, estuary and costal environments.

The USV 2.5 is equipped with an extensive suite of scientific instrumentation that will provide users with a wide variety of data. This instrumentation includes side-scanning and bathymetric sonars, a high-frequency sub-bottom seismic system, an acoustic Doppler current profiler, and sensors that record the temperature and conductivity of the waters being surveyed. In addition, the USV 2.5 measures the concentration of Chlorophyll-a and dissolved organic matter in surface waters.

This system leverages SeaRobotics’ extensive expertise and history delivering USVs for high precision bathymetry, water quality analysis, hydrographic survey, and many other applications. The USV was delivered with a fully integrated Edgetech 6205 multi-beam echo-sounder, motion reference unit, dual antenna RTK GPS, sound velocity probe, and HYPACK software.

“For a 2.5 meter USV, the system offers a broad range instrumentation, with the flexibility to swap sensing payloads based on the demands of the mission,” stated Don Darling, President of SeaRobotics Corporation.

“The USV will be used for seabed and water column mapping critical to an improved understanding of various marine and aquatic processes, including ecosystems dynamics, water quality, and shoreline stability,” stated Del Bohnenstiehl, principal investigator on the NSF project. Del Bohnenstiehl further stated, “The interdisciplinary toolkit provided by this platform is unique within the academic community and additional commercial off-the-shelf sensors, including water-samplers, spectrometers and passive acoustic arrays can be integrated as needed.”

Damen Shipyards Group has announced its latest concept design: the Damen Decommissioning Series. The vessel will specialise in three core areas of the oil and gas decommissioning sector: topside decommissioning offshore platform removal, and subsea cleaning and removal. The design is based on in-house research carried out at Damen by one of its undergraduate interns.

By inviting a considerable number of internships at its yards, Damen Shipyards Group contributes significantly to the maritime education system. One recent position was offered to Justin Rietveld, studying Maritime Technology at the Rotterdam Mainport University of Applied Sciences. His brief was to investigate the potential niche markets for new vessel designs in the oil and gas decommissioning sector.

Split stern removal

“This research started off with the idea of developing a decommissioning vessel based on Damen’s existing portfolio,” informs Mr Rietveld. “However, we soon found out that this market needs more.

“For example, there are many different activities within the decommissioning sector. This vessel can support a vast number of those. We have developed a concept to cover the bigger part of this new and exciting market.”

The vessel’s monohull design has a split stern; a characteristic that will come into play during platform removal operations, explains Mr Rietveld: “This ship will be able to reverse up to a jacket, where it will be ballasted to sink below the platform. Upon deballasting, the vessel will rise up to pick up the platform.”

Lion’s share of the market

The preliminary estimations of the vessel’s capabilities show that it will be able to perform decommissioning of fixed platforms of up to 1,600 tons in weight. This figure signifies a significant amount of global fixed platforms, and over half of those located in the North Sea.

In order to deliver maximum flexibility to clients, the concept design includes modular add-ons. This will address the possibility that such a vessel will not be solely active in the decommissioning market. This versatility will ensure that owners can optimise productivity: bridging the potential gap between decommissioning contracts with other roles.

A committed approach

These modular additions to the existing design include the (temporary) installation of a crane or a helideck. Functionality can be further boosted with the addition of accommodation modules to increase personnel capacity. Another option will be the addition of a temporary platform to create a solid stern. The subsequent increase in deck capacity could be used for transporting and installing monopiles and foundations for the offshore wind industry.

Speaking about the results of the research, Damen Manager Design & Proposal Offshore & Transport Lucas Zaat comments: “We initiated this project because we felt that we can make a difference in this sector – and it has certainly generated some significant ideas. The decommissioning market is close to our current activities. We are therefore planning to continue with this project and assign specialised personnel to implement it.”

Damen Shipyards has broad market focus on the decommissioning market. Next to current assets such as pontoons also the state of the art Walk-2-Work vessel currently being built for Bibby Marine could play a role in the decommissioning market. In the light of these developments, Damen has recently joined DECOM UK to further expand its market knowledge and validate developments with key stakeholders in the European decommissioning market

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, a provider of marine warranty, dynamic positioning and engineering services to the offshore sector, has signed a contract with leading offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind to provide marine warranty services for the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm.

Services that will be provided include a technical review of all installation procedures and calculations; the survey and inspection of installation vessels; the witnessing of the installation of turbines and subsea cables; and the issuing of Certificates of Approval.

BIWF cable spooling - “Spooling of electrical cable onto the Cable Lay Barge ‘Big Max’”.

David Sutton, CEO of Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, said: “The potential for offshore wind in the US is huge – both in terms of jobs created and in providing cleaner energy into the national energy mix. Global Maritime is therefore delighted to be involved in such a prestigious project. As a leader in marine warranty services, we will help set the standards in offshore wind operations in the US, developing technical audits, assessing the readiness of operations, and reducing risk.”

Global Maritime Engineering Manager Thomas Smith backed up his words: "This is a significant milestone for Global Maritime as we look to demonstrate our expertise in offshore wind power. With Deepwater Wind having a number of other potential projects (as do others), we will continue to look for opportunities in this sector, both in Marine Warranty and in Engineering.”

Global Maritime has more than 30 years experience in Marine Warranty services, providing third-party verification, warranty and assurance services, audits/operational advisory services and representation. Services include certificates of approval (COA) and statements of compliance, where Global Maritime reviews all relevant engineering, design and marine procedural documentation; and surveys & audits. Global Maritime also has extensive experience and capabilities with engineering design and the analysis of a wide variety of offshore platforms.

Block Island is located 15 kilometers from the coast of the State of Rhode Island. The Block Island Wind Farm will consist of five GE Haliade turbines, each with a 6 Megawatt capacity, mounted on jacket foundation structures off the southeast corner of the island. A submarine cable will connect these to the island, while another cable will be laid to connect the island to the mainland, allowing excess power to be sold there. The farm is scheduled to become operational in November 2016.

Deepwater Wind is America’s leading offshore wind developer with the Block Island Wind Farm the first in the nation. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Deepwater Wind is actively developing and building a portfolio of offshore wind projects to serve multiple markets on both the East and West Coasts of the US.

The newly expanded Panama Canal will be able to accommodate 90% of the world's current liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers with LNG-carrying capacity up to 3.9 billion cubic feet (Bcf). Prior to the expansion, only 30 of the smallest LNG tankers (6% of the current global fleet) with capacities up to 0.7 Bcf could transit the canal. The expansion has significant implications for LNG trade, reducing travel time and transportation costs for LNG shipments from the U.S. Gulf Coast to key markets in Asia and providing additional access to previously regionalized LNG markets.

The new locks in the canal provide access to a wider lane for vessels and are 180 feet across, compared with 109 feet in the original locks. Only the 45 largest LNG vessels, 4.5-Bcf to 5.7-Bcf capacity Q-Flex and Q-Max tankers used for exports from Qatar, will not be able to use the expanded canal.

Transit through the Panama Canal will considerably reduce voyage time for LNG from the U.S Gulf Coast to markets in northern Asia. Four countries in northern Asia—Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan—collectively account for almost two-thirds of global LNG imports. A transit from the U.S. Gulf Coast through the Panama Canal to Japan will reduce voyage time to 20 days, compared to 34 days for voyages around the southern tip of Africa or 31 days if transiting through the Suez Canal. Voyage time to South Korea, China, and Taiwan will also be reduced by transiting through the Panama Canal.

The wider Panama Canal will also considerably reduce travel time from the U.S. Gulf Coast to South America, declining from 20 days to 8-9 days to Chilean regasification terminals, and from 25 days to 5 days to prospective terminals in Colombia and Ecuador. For markets west of northern Asia, including India and Pakistan, transiting the Panama Canal will take longer than either transiting the Suez Canal or going around the southern tip of Africa.

In addition to shortening transit times, using the Panama Canal will also reduce transportation costs. The Panama Canal Authority has introduced new toll structures for LNG vessels designed to encourage additional LNG traffic through the Canal, especially for round trips. Transit costs through the Panama Canal for an average 3.5 Bcf LNG carrier are estimated at $0.20 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) for a round-trip voyage, representing about 9% to 12% of the round-trip voyage cost to countries in northern Asia.

Based on IHS data, the round trip voyage cost for ships traveling from the U.S. Gulf Coast and transiting the Panama Canal to countries in northern Asia is estimated to be $0.30/MMBtu to $0.80/MMBtu lower than transiting through the Suez Canal and $0.20/MMBtu to $0.70/MMBtu lower than traveling around the southern tip of Africa. Transiting the Panama Canal offers reduction in transportation costs to northern Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China and may offer some minimal cost reductions to countries in southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore), depending on transit time. U.S. LNG exports to India, Pakistan, and the Middle East are not expected to flow through the Panama Canal because alternative routes, either the Suez Canal or around the southern tip of Africa, have lower transportation costs.

Currently, about 9.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of U.S. natural gas liquefaction capacity is either in operation or under construction in the United States. By 2020, the United States is set to become the world's third-largest LNG producer, after Australia and Qatar. More than 4.0 Bcf/d of U.S. liquefaction capacity has long-term (20 years) contracts with markets in Asia, of which 3.2 Bcf/d is contracted to Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia.

An additional 2.9 Bcf/d of U.S. liquefaction capacity currently under construction has been contracted long-term to various countries. Flexibility in destination clauses allows these contracted volumes to be taken to any LNG market in the world. Assuming all contracted volumes transit the Panama Canal, EIA estimates that LNG traffic through the Canal could reach more than 550 vessels annually, or 1-2 vessels per day, by 2021.

Principal contributor: Victoria Zaretskaya, EIA

Protea is already well known globally for delivering high quality offshore and marine lifting and mechanical handling equipment including cranes, winches and launch and recovery systems – well heavy lift cargo cranes is about to get the same treatment!

With its extensive knowledge of handling operations and in-house design capabilities, Protea is fully committed to developing new products and solutions that provide its customers with ‘State of the Art’, cost effective and efficient equipment which add value to their operational requirements and ultimately the bottom line!

Image courtesy: Protea

Currently Protea engineers are developing an ‘all new’ cargo crane that will set new standards in heavy lift cargo crane technology and performance. The ‘all electric’ crane is constructed from ultra high strength steel and will be available in a range of sizes from 60t to 500t (even higher upon client request).

“The combination of high strength steel and the electric drive system allows our customers to benefit from significant improvements in operational efficiency” highlighted Graham Manning, Protea Global Sales Manager. “Firstly, the weight savings of up to the 40% when compared with standard cargo cranes translate directly into increased vessel cargo carrying capacity. Secondly, the environmental benefits of the ‘all electric’ drive system with VFD not only improves cargo handling times it reduces energy consumption by around 20% and thirdly by being ‘all electric’ it eliminates hydraulic oil and therefore the possibility of oil leaks!

Combined with a host of other innovative design features such as a reduction in minimum crane radius to give increased deck space, panoramic cabin design for improved operator visibility and reduced maintenance activities, the new crane is expected to provide a ‘Step Change’ in heavy lift cargo crane design.

Protea is planning to test the first unit at its ‘World Class’ manufacturing and testing facilities in Southern Poland next year. A full update of the crane development programme will be available at CIPPE 2016 in Shanghai from 23rd – 25th August (Hall W1, Stand W1376), ONS 2016 in Stavanger from 29th Aug to 1st Sept (Stand 446, hall 4), SMM 2016 in Hamburg (Stand 108, Hall B6) from Sept 6th to Sept 9th and Offshore Marintec Russia in St Petersburg (Hall H) from 4th – 7th October.

Graham also commented that “We are looking to discussing this game changing crane, capturing any feedback and welcoming existing and potentially new customers this Autumn”.

Reflex Marine, a global leader in safe marine access solutions, launches its’ latest innovation, WAVE-4.

The company’s dedication to safety and innovation over the last 20 years’ has led to the improvement of safety standards for personnel transfers across the globe. Now Reflex Marine are adding a new device to their range to meet the needs of their diverse client base.

WAVE-4 captures over 20 years of learning, experience and feedback from the industry. This new personnel carrier for standing passengers offers fall prevention, impact protection and has floating and self-righting capabilities.

Photo courtesy of Seaway Heavy Lifting’

James Strong, Project Manager, said: ‘Every year millions of passengers are safely transferred using Reflex Marine carriers. We are committed to increasing this number and ensuring all workers are transferred safely and efficiently whilst working offshore. The company’s aim, with WAVE-4, is to provide the highest level of protection and performance for any standing transfer carrier on the market.’

‘With extensive passenger protection and the smallest footprint of any rigid transfer carrier on the market, WAVE-4 offers clients a convenient, cost-efficient and safe way to move their crew.’

All Reflex Marine carriers are subject to the most rigorous testing of any personnel transfer carrier in the industry. Testing and verification ensures passengers are protected from the 4 key risks of personnel transfer by crane, falling, heavy landings, side impacts and immersion.

The company put considerable focus into improving the ownership experience, making the product more durable and simplifying inspection and maintenance. High costs and significant product downtime was common feedback from owners of existing standing transfer devices.

Reflex Marine clients can now benefit from a full range of transfer solutions for different sea states, crew volumes and preferences. Clients continue to be supported globally by the company’s network of approved partners.

There will be a WAVE-4 product demonstration in Great Yarmouth, UK, on 3rd August, for more information click here.

Remaining true to its principle of innovation, Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has launched a new ISO17357-1:2014 compliant, high performance pneumatic fender designed to address the evolving needs of ports, terminals and offshore ship-to-ship transfer applications.

Trelleborg’s new quality assured fender features a thinner, lighter body for easier transportation and handling, improved netting and hemispherical ends designed to offer superior functional performance and enhanced continuity of end fittings for optimum deflection capability.

Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, says: ”In addition to improvements in the design of the fender, materials have been engineered to ensure a stronger overall performance. After detailed research into optimum tire cord reinforcement, we have re-evaluated our materials to enhance fender performance.”

Unlike other manufacturers who use synthetic tire cords for only the body of the fender and chafer fabric at both hemispherical ends, Trelleborg now uses 100% synthetic tire cord for the construction of the entire fender. This directly enhances the fender’s operational ability because synthetic tire-cord has a higher tensile strength than chafer fabric. By incorporating the synthetic tire cord into the entire fender, the stability, longevity, and shape retention of the fender are all significantly enhanced.

Demonstrating our best practice approach to delivering superior products that incorporate optimum, high quality materials, our new pneumatic fender goes above and beyond the minimum requirements of the ISO 17357-1:2014 standard which recommends the use of synthetic tire-cords but does not make it mandatory,” added Hepworth.

Trelleborg not only meets but exceeds the demands of the ISO17357-1:2014 standard with quality assurance documents and test results shared in a comprehensive, fully-authenticated supporting document package. Proof data, inner and outer rubber material specifications and pressure test data are all included as standard for even greater peace of mind.

Many suppliers however utilize low cost, low quality, non-compliant materials and fail to perform stringent materials and product testing to the requirements of the ISO standard. For instance, for the external rubber layer composition of a fender which plays a major role in its longevity, many suppliers use rubber compounds which fail to comply with the new ISO requirement.

In addition, a large number of suppliers also turn to low cost recycled rubber-based compounds. Others use chafer fabric, a cheaper alternative to tire-cord. The chafer fabric is unable to provide Minimum Endurable Pressure (MEP) at 0% and 60% deflection, which is imperative for pneumatic fenders to work efficiently in harsh conditions.

Many suppliers also reduce the number of plies, or use a reinforcing layer made from a low-cost suboptimal combination of chafer fabric and tire cord as they lack the basic design concepts to produce high quality pneumatic fenders.

Specifiers should also be wary of inefficient, cost-reducing methods used by suppliers such as the use of a heating jacket instead of a mold during the curing process. It is also critical that specifiers are aware of manufacturers claiming to be supplying ISO17357-1:2014 compliant pneumatic fenders which are actually produced using the ‘airbag’ construction method. Products constructed in this manner, are not compliant with ISO17537-1 and will not guarantee the level or longevity of performance of a ‘true’ pneumatic fender.

To find out more about Trelleborg’s new ISO17357-1:2014 compliant, high performance pneumatic fender, download the Product Application Briefing now.

Gibraltar’s Gibdock shipyard has completed an extensive package of work on Solstad Shipping’s Normand Cutter. The 127m long, 10,979grt construction support vessel (CSV) left the yard on June 29th following a 22-day drydock program, which included a comprehensive overhaul of its entire propulsion system.

Norway-based Solstad has become a regular Gibdock customer, entrusting the yard with work on a number of high-tech offshore vessels over the past decade. The 2001-built Normand Cutter is in fact a repeat visitor to the yard, having previously docked at Gibdock in April 2011 for its last 5-year special survey.

Photo credit: Gibdock

Gibdock managing director, Richard Beards, says: “We are delighted that such a well-respected, quality operator as Solstad has decided to come back to us once again. Their continued support is much valued and appreciated and this project further demonstrates that we have become the ‘go to’ yard for offshore vessel work in the region.

The scope of work commissioned by Solstad for Normand Cutter included maintenance and repairs to key components of its propulsion system. Its five Brunvoll thrusters were removed and transported to the yard’s workshops, where they were stripped down and overhauled before being returned to the ship and reinstalled. Similarly, the vessel’s two tailshafts and CPP propeller hubs were withdrawn and overhauled, as were the two rudders. The rudder tiller flaps were removed, machined and refurbished as part of this process. In addition, the two gearboxes, port and starboard, were also overhauled.

Gibdock also carried out a range of standard drydocking and survey items, including painting, valve repairs and refurbishment, minor steel repairs and pipework. Jonathan Pocock, Gibdock’s ship manager for Normand Cutter, says: “It was a challenge to carry out this project within the 21-day drydock time allocated, particularly given the amount of work required to overhaul the propulsion system, but we completed the task to the owner’s satisfaction.”

Once out of drydock, Normand Cutter remained at the yard for intensive crane testing, up to a SWL of 330 tons. This was carried out by Waterweights, of Holland, in partnership with Gibdock. “We have the contacts needed for such specialized testing work inside the yard, even when we don’t have that specific capability ourselves,” says Pocock. “We do whatever it takes to allow the owner to get all the work done in one location, to keep downtime to a minimum.”

The Normand Cutter drydocking has further cemented the close ties between the Norwegian owner and Gibdock. Conrad Melhus, technical manager, says, “We chose Gibdock for this project because of the good relationship we have with them, their reliability, and the fact they have good 'hands on' management with short reporting lines. They are also a centrally positioned yard with easy access by road freight from the main spare parts hubs in Europe.”

Gibdock has secured a number of offshore vessel projects this year, despite the challenging market conditions in the offshore sector. At the time of Normand Cutter’s departure, three more offshore vessels were in the yard.

Richard Beards adds: “By focusing on QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety and the Environment) issues, which are a top priority for offshore vessel operators, and reliable on time delivery, we have been able to take full advantage of our favorable geographic location to serve this market, as companies mobilize and demobilize assets. Increasingly offshore operators in the Mediterranean and West Africa view Gibraltar not just as a shipyard, but as an offshore base to support their activities in this part of the world. On that basis we are optimistic about securing further offshore work in the second half of 2016.”

Whittaker Engineering, an independent Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company, has developed a unique water-backed welding procedure for vessels which can save companies millions of pounds from the prevention of dry docking and resultant loss of production.

Traditional welding specifications used for the design and manufacture of FPUs (Floating Production Units) and oil rigs do not take into account the cooling effects of seawater. Whittaker Engineering’s procedure uses high-powered induction heating coils to maintain a preheat temperature whilst welding water-backed plate, mitigating the heat loss through a ship’s hull into the cold temperature of the sea. It was successfully deployed by EnQuest on the Northern Producer FPU during routine work.

Photo courtesy: Whittaker Engineering

Greig Ritchie, Operations Manager for the Northern Producer, said: “This is a truly noteworthy welding development that has helped EnQuest carry out work in the most efficient way. The procedure enables in-situ modifications and repairs and avoids unnecessary and inefficient dry dock periods. It has significant potential for operators of vessels both in the North Sea and elsewhere.”

The resultant weld with the induction heater is ductile, low in hardness and has proved as high in quality as if it was performed without water around it. The same technique can be applied to corrosion and pitting in the hull. Whittaker believes it is the only company in the world currently offering this procedure with full Lloyd’s Register classification.

Induction heating involves huge currents surging backwards and forwards through induction coils to generate high temperatures. Cooling water and electricity flows through the coils from the power supply on deck and routed to where the welding is carried out. The power supply for the inductors has a maximum range of 75 metres from the power source on deck to the welding repair area.

The presence of seawater on the outside of a hull structure greatly increases the rate of cooling of weld metal. Fast cooling rates can produce hard martensitic structures in basic carbon steels which in turn can lead to cracking. Furthermore, the cold seawater encourages condensation at the weld site, which further increases the risk of hydrogen cracking. Conventional ceramic electric heating pads do not supply sufficient heat (typically a maximum of 30°C is reached) to combat the cooling effect of the seawater.

However, with a sufficiently powerful induction heater, Whittaker can achieve a constant preheat of 75°C to 100°C with seawater at 5°C (typical North Sea temperature).

Ken Whittaker of Whittaker Engineering said: “Many oil and gas vessels are expected to be at sea for 15 years or more. By carrying out the work offshore, we can potentially save companies millions of pounds by avoiding dry docking and loss of production through downtime. This is our fourth deployment and each one has been successful. Independent testing has also proved that our water-backed weld with induction heating is at least as strong and reliable as those carried out in a shipyard in the dry.”

Completion of the first phases of an £11.95 million quay extension at Lerwick Harbour’s deep-water Dales Voe Base has facilitated mobilization of a large offshore construction vessel ahead of a contract offshore Canada.

Subsea 7’s Seven Waves. Photo credit: John Coutts

Subsea 7’s 18,666 gross ton, 146-meter long Seven Waves berthed earlier this week, the day after handover of the second phase of the quay to Lerwick Port Authority. Last week, the completed phase one was used for the first time, with the coaster Eendracht delivering kit for transfer to the construction vessel. Subsea 7 is a leading global contractor in seabed-to-surface engineering, construction and services to the offshore energy industry.

Captain Calum Grains, Lerwick Port Authority’s Harbormaster and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “Seven Waves is an early harbinger of the type of work which the expanded Dales Voe Base, with its enormous capacity, quay strength, water depth and laydown space, is ideally suited for in supporting a wide range of offshore industry projects.

“Remaining infrastructure works are soon to be completed and the principal contractor, BAM Nuttall has delivered an excellent quality asset to the port.”

With the quay being extended by 75-meters to 130 meters, BAM Nuttall is expected to hand over the final phase three section around end-July.

Complementary works at the base, including reclamation, laydown yard and demolition of a redundant building, will continue until the autumn with local contractor, FL Johnston.

The Shetland port is a long-established and leading centre of support for the offshore industry in the northern North Sea and in the Atlantic to the west, including subsea development projects and decommissioning.

A new guidance document has been published by the Marine Transfer Forum. “Offshore Personnel Transfer by Crane – Best Practice Guidelines for Routine and Emergency Operations” aims to support an international market which performs over 5 million passenger transfers every year.

Developed by EnerMech, DNV GL, Reflex Marine and Seacor Marine the guideline benefits from a range of expertise, which reflect the key roles in ensuring safe and efficient marine transfer operations.

The development of the guideline involved a period of detailed industry consultation. International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and Damen Shipyards also made key contributions, ensuring it reflects best practice and is relevant to the growing marine renewable energy sector as well as traditional offshore sectors.

Simon Hatson, chair of IOSH’s Offshore Group, said: “We welcome the publication of these new guidelines. The offshore industry is one in which workers face many inherent risks, but all workers, irrespective of their industry, should be covered by a culture of care.

These guidelines will assist operators in continuing to protect the safety and health of employees who face risk on a daily basis. IOSH is delighted to have been able to have an input in their development.”

“Market conditions, new technologies, evolving logistics demands in offshore wind, and increasing industry trends toward marine versus helicopter based logistics all bring the case for marine transportation methods into sharper focus. This guidance will help operators review the options and implement the most appropriate solutions.” explained Robin Proctor, Reflex Marine’s main contact for the Marine Transfer Forum.

To download the guideline and find out more about the Marine Transfer Forum, click here.

The Marine Transfer Forum focuses on the transfer of personnel to and from offshore installations by marine methods. Unlike the highly regulated aviation industry, marine practices vary greatly from region to region. By collaborating through this forum we are committed to: raising standards, increasing awareness, gathering better data, developing better reporting, sharing good practice, improving equipment and services.

Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, a provider of marine warranty, dynamic positioning and engineering services to the offshore sector, has completed an offshore deadweight survey and inclining experiment at the same time as ongoing drilling operations for Seadrill’s deep water semi-submersible drilling vessel West Pegasus.

The successful project is the first time an inclining experiment has been conducted for a DNV GL-classed drilling vessel in parallel with ongoing drilling operations. According to Global Maritime’s Houston team that carried out the project, the experiment’s successful completion has saved the client at least US$10-15 million in downtime and transit costs and incurred less than half a day of official down time.

West Pegasus. Photo credit: Tom Burns, Global Maritime

Inclining experiments are typically conducted in an inshore area sheltered from wind and waves, with the vessel at least partially unloaded in order to ensure measurements of sufficient accuracy. This project, coordinated by Global Maritime, however, took place with the semi-submersible fully loaded 160 kilometers offshore Mexico and with end of well activities still underway.

David Sutton, CEO of Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, said: “Against the backdrop of a challenging market, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate innovation, value and improved efficiencies for our customers. That is what we are committed to at Global Maritime and that is what we have demonstrated with this project.”

His words were backed up by Global Maritime’s Chief Naval Architect, Tom Burns: “Careful planning, hard work and innovative solutions were necessary to complete the scope of work within the extremely aggressive schedule and logistical limitations. Such enhancements improved the accuracy of the results and delivered for the client.”

Other solutions that Global Maritime developed as part of the project included the design and fabrication of customized measurement instruments as well as a temporary system to allow the recording of vessel drafts from within the hull, eliminating the need to read the external draft marks from a small boat.

A deadweight survey determines the lightship weight, which directly affects how much a ship can carry. An inclining test determines the coordinates of its vertical center of gravity, which is required to determine a vessel’s stability. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) specifies inclining test requirements and procedures.

Damen Shipbuilding Group is establishing a permanent presence in Houston, Texas. The office opened on 1st August and will be headed by senior managers Jan van Hogerwou (New Construction) and Ruud Haneveer (Ship Repair & Conversion). This move is part of Damen’s policy of expanding its local footprint around the world, bringing it closer to current and prospective clients and enabling it to deliver a more responsive and personal service.

The first order to be handled by the new entity is for four new Damen 3711 Stan Tugs by Young Brothers, Limited, Hawaii’s largest inter-island cargo service provider. Young Brothers is a Saltchuk company operated by Foss Maritime. The tugs will be built at Conrad Shipyard, Louisiana, under a license and materials agreement with Damen. The first vessel will be delivered in the first quarter of 2018 and the last twelve months later. Together the 37-meter, 6,000 hp tugs will service Young Brothers’ fleet of modern, high-capacity tugs & barges.

“Opening a permanent Damen presence in North America is a significant milestone for the group,” said Jan van Hogerwou. “With over 200 Damen design vessels built and delivered in the US, this has been an important market for our vessels for many years via our flexible licensing agreements, and we have enjoyed excellent cooperation with shipyards across the country. This latest initiative will enable us to strengthen our relationships further with both builders and operators, and serve the North American market with the innovative, cost-effective and dependable vessels that it seeks.”

The choice of Houston as the location of the new office is also intended to send a message to the offshore oil & gas sector in North America. That is, that Damen is committed to supporting and working with vessel owners and operators to maximise efficiencies and minimise costs, despite the current downturn. It will support Damen’s work with shipyards and owners right across the maritime sector and Damen’s product range.

MacArtney has supplied a total of four winch systems, all featuring active heave compensation (AHC) allowing Canyon to launch, operate and recover their ROVs under rough sea conditions.

‘Grand Canyon’

With a global track record spanning two decades and a fleet of several purpose-built offshore support and construction vessels carrying cutting-edge ROV, geotechnical and trenching systems, Canyon Offshore has established itself as a leading supplier of subsea intervention, construction and engineering services.

The ‘Grand Canyon’ is designed to perform a broad range of subsea operations, with DP3-class station keeping for work in severe weather conditions. Grand Canyon features a 250 t heave compensated crane, facilities to launch up to five ROVs simultaneously, and a below-deck carousel lay system for installation of power cables, umbilicals, or tubular products.

The ‘Grand Canyon’ vessel range comprises three identical ships (Grand Canyon I, II and III) delivered between 2012 and 2016. All the ‘Grand Canyon’ vessels are delivered with the latest technology and powerful systems in order to maximise performance, flexibility and (cost) efficiency. The vessels are able to perform a broad range of subsea operations with high manoeuvrability and DP3-class station keeping for enabling work in severe weather conditions. All ‘Grand Canyon’ vessels will feature a 250 t heave compensated crane, as well as dual ROV systems.

MERMAC winch – enabling heavy weather intervention

Installed inside the port and starboard hangars of the Grand Canyon II and III, each of the MacArtney MERMAC R40 winches will be utilised to deploy two ea. 3000 metre rated work class ROV systems which form the backbone of the subsea intervention toolkit of each vessel. Enabled by an integrated AHC system, the winches are able to actively filter out the effects of vessel motion (heave, pitch and roll) hereby allowing Canyon to expand its window of ROV operation and substantially reduce weather related downtime.

“MacArtney always aims to be more than just a vendor, says MacArtney Inc. President, Lars Hansen, and continues: We proactively strive to support our customers all the way - from project draft to delivery and beyond. Downtime definitively costs more than ever and in the light of the challenging circumstances which our industry must currently navigate, working together to maintain a strong focus on system durability and service life through dynamic after-sales support is an absolute prerequisite to success.“

Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) has concluded major modification works on the Sea Installer. The principle scope of work involved the extension of the main crane boom, giving the A2SEA-owned offshore wind farm installation vessel increased reaching capacity: a pertinent point considering the trend of the increasing size of offshore wind turbine components. Other work comprised structural modifications as a consequence of the larger crane.

Photo courtesy: Damen

DSAm, part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, began the work by removing all crane-related components including the boom, boom rest, A-frame, winch and hook block pockets from the vessel. A2SEA supplied the new A-frame and boom extension. Niron Staal, also part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, supplied the new boom rest, hook block pockets, trolley rail and support stools.

“Then, after slight cooling, the welding itself needs to take place at the correct temperature in a protected environment. For this, we constructed air-tight welding tents.”

Once complete, the weld in question was cooled prior to non-destructive testing after 48 hours. “We also performed our own initial checks after 24 hours in case any additional welds were needed. The main point with S690 is that you cannot rush things. If you go too fast, it can set you back 3 days.”

Two mobile Mammoet cranes lifted the extended crane boom back onto the vessel. To create a stable lifting foundation – allowing for a maximum of 0.3 degrees of tilt – the quayside was levelled prior to the vessel’s arrival at the yard. This required laying no less than 800 cubic meters of sand, topped off with 750 dragline crane mats.

The bigger crane also needed a bigger winch: DSAm replaced the existing winch with a larger, 900-ton capacity, winch. This included all the necessary adjustments of the electrical, hydraulic and cooling systems. The vessel’s main mast also needed structural modifications.

With the 132-meter long vessel at the yard, DSAm also executed various standard maintenance jobs such as painting, pipe renewal and thruster inspection.

The smooth running of the entire project was facilitated by the joint efforts of the DSAm and A2SEA personnel. “It has been a pleasure to work with the ship’s crew,” concludes Mr Van Dam. “There has been good communication throughout and this has helped us in many ways. For example, their involvement in adjusting the ship’s ballast tanks during such a heavy lift was crucial.”

A short video is available 

Fugro has deployed multi-purpose offshore survey vessel Fugro Gauss to join the Fugro Brasilis offshore Mexico, to help complete the world’s largest seep-hunting survey for multiclient geoscience data company, TGS. Both vessels are using hull-mounted multibeam echosounders (12 kHz and 30 kHz respectively) and sub-bottom profiler systems to map an area of approximately 625,000 square kilometres in the deep waters of Mexico. The data acquired will assist in identifying sites where deep hydrocarbon-rich fluids are escaping to the seafloor and will be used to target hundreds of sites for coring and geochemical analysis.

Fugro Gauss. Photo credit: Fugro

“Fugro has a dedicated centre of excellence in Houston for seep-hunting,” explained Jim Gharib, Fugro’s Global Product Line Manager for Seep Studies. “The team includes several of the world’s leading geoscience experts responsible for bringing seep-hunting to the offshore industry. Our recent successes include nine seep data collection and geochemical analysis projects in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.”

The survey is being conducted for TGS as part of its industry-funded, multiclient “Gigante Survey” which also includes a regional 2D seismic survey of approximately 186,000 kilometres, gravity and magnetic data and a regional seismic structural interpretation. TGS aims for this project to be the most comprehensive and modern offshore Mexico dataset which ties into its existing U.S. Gulf of Mexico regional 2D grid. The survey is designed to assist exploration and production companies in their evaluation of prospectivity offshore Mexico during forthcoming licence rounds. Interest in this area is high following the denationalisation of Mexico’s oil and gas market after seven decades of government control.