News, Views and Reviews from the International Dynamic Positioning Operators Association

Issue5: Fall 2010

News, Views and Reviews from theInternational Dynamic Positioning Operators Association

6degrees°

Issue23: Spring 2015

2015 and DPYEAR OF CHANGE

Power SystemsNEW GAME CHANGER

DPOs TalkCERTIFICATION

Breaking the IceSIDEWAYS BREAKER

Role of DPOBIG DEBATE

DP and Rockets REUSABLE DREAM

WELCOMETO 6degrees, THE E-JOURNAL FROM IDPOA

IN THIS ISSUEINSIDEInside this issue: We talk to IDPOA members about the process of certification and revalidation - as concerns arise, we look to the problems as perceived by DPOs and feedback on progress within the Nautical Institute.

We also hear from DP experts on what makes a DPO and of the future role at the desk - and ask will technology usurp the human element?

The space race has seen DP enabled platforms as the future. Not only is our technology shaping shipping, it’s playing a role in space too.

2015 has been touted as a year of change - we look at what is happening, and what may still lie ahead.

DP Conference in Brazil are a little like buses, you wait for ages then 2 come along at once. We look ahead to what will be discussed in Brazil.

Ice breakers have traditionally gone ahead or astern into ice - after all that seems to make sense...what then, if they are designed to go sideways. We look at the crazy new world of ice breaking.

We also look at power management and the new ideas and systems which are emerging.

Safe trip and please do share your thoughts and feedback – that way we can ensure that DPOs present a united front and are able to make themselves heard on an international, cross sector basis. Email dpo@dpoperators.org to have your say.

Thank you to Narcissco Montilla for his wonderful cover shot - if you are away at sea and want to be a cover star of 6degrees just send your image to us, and we will be hugely pleased to feature your work. dpo@dpoperators.org

The current DP training scheme is under increasing pressure, and it seems that issues such as revalidation and teeting problems with the online application system are a cause for concerns for many.

It is perhaps inevitable that the spotlight keeps

falling on the issue of certification - but perhaps that also means that the college phases ashore are also given too much emphasis?

Time and again we see a real focus on training within the shore based elements, and this has allowed the lesser operators to quietly sit back and point the finger of blame on the system and the shorebased trainers..as opposed to questioning what they should have been doing when onboard.

As we have stressed before, the DPO license was always only ever a “Learners permit” - but it has become a victim of its own success, and people with it think it automatically makes them a DPO. We know that ain’t so!

It seems that it is time once more to focus and shift attention back onto what happens out at sea and of the vital role of onboard training.

So we need to know from our members the good, bad and ugly side of onboard training - what works and what doesn’t? Are people giving the time, support and resources to get the right results?

We are wholly dependent on DPOs to provide insight and to tell us the problems you face with professional issues such as safety concerns, gaps in training and the like.

Help us to help you, and we can ensure that the voice of DPOs is heard and that you have a role in shaping the system in the years ahead.

www.dpoperators.org

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DPOs TALK ABOUT CERTIFICATION

DP Operators recently shared experiences of having their certificate processed, and asked us to highlight the growing concerns about the current system of certification, processing and certificate issuance. They have decided to remain anonymous at this time - but wanted to share these views with other members and organsisations across the sector.

We feature this in order to act as as stimulus for debate, as we need your feedback on the current system. Do the experiences detailed below mirror yours? Or have you had a positive experience? We hope that by gathering feedback, we can assist and support DPOs and the NI.

FEEDBACK

One DPO outlined a range of concerns - these include issues accessing the online system, and the wider question of whether in January 2015 when the system went live vacations within the certifiying body meant that in the first month when DPOs all over the world were trying to login to a new system there was nobody to give advice or help.

It was stated that there have also been issues regarding processing of payments,

There is also anecdotal evidence of individuals who have been trying for two years to get a DP ticket issued. Trapped in a situation in which continuously changing rules and requirements for more and more information other than entries in the DP Logbook and letters confirming that seatime, it can become a struggle for legitimate DPOs to be issued with a ticket.

CONCERNS ABOUT THE RESPONSE

According to the correspondence received, the response to complaints and issues has not been as swift as would be desired. While some DPOs claim the new system appears to be over-complicated and may not have been tested thoroughly enough in BETA phase - given the number of complaints, problems and issues raised.

CALL FOR AUDIT

For those of us whose livelihood depends on having the correct pieces of paper to show to potential employees it is vital that any certifying body is fit for purpose. DPOs stated that there needs to be a mechanism by which the scheme and provider can be assessed independently and held to account where there are weaknesses or failings.

As the Nautical Institute DP Operator training scheme begins to encompass revalidation, we assess how the process is shaping up. With new personnel and systems in place there are hopes of improvement - what do our members say?

IMPROVEMENTS AHEAD

While much of the evidence provided by DPOs is anecdotal, there are is a growing catalogue of concerns voiced, and patterns are emerging.

IDPOA together with other concerned international organisations have been lobbying the Nautical Institute for improvements to make the process smoother. An assessment by the NI of the applications and enquiries received and dealt with at the end of March revealed that improvements had been made. It is to be hoped that this positive trend will now continue.

We have been informed that a number of new employees at the NI have completed their training and the backlog of applications and enquiries is reducing. Also recent changes to the system are hopefully going to assist in unclogging the back log further.

We are hopeful that the changes internally and the focus on delivery wills see the improvements which are needed and we trust that the figures now being produced by the NI will allow progress with applications for revalidation.

But we need your feedback and would encourage DPOs to tell us their experience of the process - whether good or bad. That way we can feedback and facilitate progress. By sharing your views, we can work towards ensuring the system is fit for purpose, and delivers for individuals and industry. No-one wins if DPOs cannot get their tickets, or if there is a dim view taken of the certification system - so hopefully we can work together positively.

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Debate on the Real Role of DPO

According to James McCormick: It seems that most of the newly licensed officers are very excited to obtain their DP certification and this provides greater career opportunities and income. While I can appreciate this as a motivation for career development, there appears to be a very serious misunderstanding of what DP is and what a DPO does and must be capable of.

One of the most important roles the DPO has is to be capable of stepping in and taking over controls manually in order to prevent an incident. The conditions and environment are often not calm and would often be challenging to even the most experienced manual vessel handlers.

It has long been my opinion that only an excellent manual shiphandler can be a good DPO and this is based on my own direct observations/experience as well as lessens learned from many incident reports that others experienced. There is little in the training scheme to include this as a primary prerequisite to earn the certification and title of DPO.

My advise to officers seeking to enter the world of DP is to become experts at shiphandling in every respect including (especially) emergency operations. Pay attention to what the DP system does with regards to the Thruster Allocation Logic. Practice as much as possible manually. Read and understand the operating manual for your system and the FMEA for your vessel. As far as the DP training scheme, if you do all of the above the training scheme will fall into place but you will

actually be capable of all that is expected of you (hopefully).

The DP system is not there to save a bridge officer, rather it is the bridge officer that is there to save the DP system s/he must be capable of doing that.

In response, Surinder Mahandwan asserted that nNo amount of book reading can improve a Bridge Officer’s ship handling skills. It depends mainly on: a) Knowledge of Ship’s characteristics (hull design, propulsion, steering etc.) b) Sixth Sense (important but cannot be explained) c) Continuous training aboard the specific vessel There are many an experienced Master Mariner who are not exactly good ship handlers. That clearly proves that ship handling has nothing to do with a person’s STCW qualification. It is also important to note that ship handling skills cannot be completely honed in a classroom or a simulator setting because of the absence of the ‘Fear’ element. It can be done only on board. Since Certification bodies do not supervise DPO training onboard, it is left to the Masters, Superintendents and Operation Managers to provide adequate real time training.

A DPO’s job is robot-like. His / Her real test is when the DP System fails. Does the DPO measure up then?

McCormack has observed the lack of skills with some DP Masters and it was “suggested” that some

Recent debate with IDPOA has focused on what it means to be a DPO, and of the skills, experience and attributes required to succeed.

companies installed DP systems to make up for the lack of operator skill.

According to McCormack - The theory being that the required manning was maintained and the DP system made up for the lack of skills. It is frightening that this is a believable scenario, at least in the earlier days! There is a trend toward competency assessments that may be frustrating but have already been proven necessary and I believe this trend will continue and increase in scope.

The schools indeed are partially responsible and I will not exclude the Nautical Institute from being part of the problem at least as much as being part of the solution. Many companies and clients also do not encourage and in many cases do not allow the practice and development/improvement of manual handling skills. I agree so completely with Mr. Pearman in making as many practice/training opportunities as are possible and to perform periodic assessments in order to identify areas where further practice or training are required.

This also serves to demonstrate to the new officers working through their training that the company takes competency very seriously and that the assessments are not a “one-time” thing but continual. Hopefully this will encourage the new officers to equally take their training as seriously and actually develop those skills.

There is no question that there is a “sixth sense” and I agree it can’t be explained. I believe that experience does play a part but it seems like something more than that because I have seen some individuals with a lot of recorded experience but seem to never be able to recognize or anticipate issues.

I can absolutely agree in both the importance of simulator training and that such training can’t adequately assess an individual’s performance. There is indeed a huge difference in looking at a computer screen and looking at steel outside a window.

It is my hope that the industry as a whole works out many of these issues as possible BEFORE DP becomes regulated by STCW or Flag State. A clear set of standards are needed. DP systems and capabilities as well as vessel capabilities and power are ever increasing and becoming more complicated.

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The Fundação Homem do Mar (FHM®) and the Centro de Simulação Aquaviária (CSA®) will be promoting one more DPBRASIL®, the 2nd Dynamic Positioning Brazilian Conference, on May 26th and 27th, 2015. In the 2nd DPBRASIL®, we will keep on carrying on discussions, the exchange of experiences and the employment of new technologies and changes within the regulations, both for operators and operations.

The conference will be approaching themes such as the current state and future developments of the DP technologies, lessons learned, the offshore reality and the maritime sector, the human factor, risk management, challenges for the upcoming years and the innovation and technology at disposal of the Dynamic Positioning. Once more the Conference will take place in the city of Rio de Janeiro at the Windsor Barra Hotel, the same location of the 1st conference, truly a success!

The Fundação Homem do Mar (FHM) is well known for the pioneering spirit present on its path, throughout which it has qualified over 1,500 merchant officers in DP systems, from induction to simulation.

In 2006 it has inaugurated the most advanced waterway simulation center worldwide, the CSA, and in 2013 undertook the first conference related to the subject on Latin America, the DPBRASIL.

Back then, the event gathered around 200 people, among authorities, professionals from the area and technology companies, who took part in lectures approaching several subjects related to DP systems.

Because of its success, FHM is carrying out now in 2015 the second edition of the DPBRASIL, on May 26th and 27th.

The increasing number of vessels and rigs using DP systems in Brazil and around the globe, your participation at the DPBRASIL 2015 represents a big difference, whether you are a professional or someone interested on learning more about the opportunities, technologies, trends and challenges regarding the sector.

“Quality, efficiency and excellence. These are our commitments.” The statement of SINDMAR President, Severino Almeida, was made during the opening of the first Conference of Dynamic Positioning System held in the Southern Hemisphere. DP Brasil.

For the first time in the southern hemisphere, the DP Brasil Conference aroused the interest of many Brazilian and foreign professionals. FHM Superintendent, Odilon Braga, said that “the Conference is a landmark for Brazil. In the future, a reference study. That’s why we work, and that’s what we hope.”

Today, the future of the industry could lose track if it were not the hundreds of thousands of exercises that are done in simulators. The safety of professionals, operations and vessels passes through the simulation, training and conferences that discuss the sector.

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Earlier this month, after SpaceX launched a resupply mission to the ISS, it then attempted to land the Falcon 9 rocket on a drone platform at sea. Here, in guidance first explained in Popular Mechanics, we look at how the wild landing is supposed to work, step by step.

On the video it looks like a rocket launch played on rewind: A slender, fourteen-story aluminum-lithium-alloy tube, engines spouting fire, comes to Earth instead of roaring into space. Then, calamity. The footage from January 2015 shows the rocket veering at a too-sharp 45-degree angle, then exploding. That was the fiery end to the initial attempt by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to land the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket for reuse on an unmanned ship floating in the Atlantic off Florida’s coast. The day was technically not a failure. The second stage of the Falcon 9 delivered its payload to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA. But everyone was far more interested in what happened afterward, with the “autonomous spaceport drone ship” landing, because of what it could mean for the space industry.

Current, conventional launch systems drop spent stages into the sea, but SpaceX and other private space companies want to fly them down to Earth—or a barge on the ocean—and reuse them. SpaceX officials say this could drive launch costs from about $60 million down to $7 million, and thus change the way the world industrializes—and possibly colonizes—space. “That will lead to space travel being just as easy and inexpensive as traveling from New York to London is today,” says James Pura, director of the Space Frontier Foundation.

SpaceX determined that the earlier crash was caused by an inadequate supply of hydraulic fluid during the flight’s last few minutes. The fluid powers fins that help steer and stabilize the rocket. Engineers set to work preparing to try again, and though the latest attempt slammed down too hard, it was an indication of progress. It also shows the role of DP in the future of using the sea for a whole host of hitherto unimagined roles.

DP and the Great Reusable Rocket DreamElon Musk and company tried to land a rocket on a DP-equipped ocean platform. Here’s how it was supposed to work...

The Stages to SpaceX

1Launch and stage separation

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket rises from its launchpad, and at an altitude of fifty miles the first-stage booster separates. The payload continues into space, riding on the second stage. The first stage coasts to about a hundred miles in altitude, then begins to descend.

2 Boost-back burn

Three of nine engines from the first stage reignite. The rocket has its own guidance- control system, which gimbals (orients) the Merlin 1D engines to rotate the rocket between 120 and 180 degrees. This aims the rocket toward the drone ship. The booster is traveling at nearly 3,000 miles per hour.

3 Supersonic retro-propulsion burn

The center engine ignites to slow the descent and gimbals itself to help the booster become fully vertical. Four grid fins extend to stabilize and further brake the cylinder. Each moves independently to control roll, pitch, and yaw. The rocket’s

speed drops from 3,000 miles per hour to about 560.

4 Landing burn

The engines initiate a final burn to slow the craft to about five miles per hour. Four carbon-fiber-and- aluminum-honeycomb landing legs unfold, powered by compressed helium.

5 Touchdown and recovery

The booster lands on the floating pad. Technicians on a vessel positioned miles away head over to board the drone ship and secure the rocket to the deck with metal shoes and vent any leftover gases. The drone ship ferries the first stage to shore, where it can be processed, cleaned, and reused. Flight length: about nine minutes.

6 Floating landing pad

The drone ship is equipped with a dynamic positioning system that uses azimuth- thruster engines to keep it at a specific GPS point hundreds of miles (in the case of the January test, about 200 miles) away from the launchpad, give or take ten feet.

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Just as we burst forth into the DP conference season once more, we thought it may be useful to look back at what was said last year, and try to map what they will mean for the year ahead.

Already 2015 is shaping to be a year of change, but will we see the guidance that was stated last year is required over the changing shape of dynamic positioning (DP) operator certification?

Last year it was stated that the introduction of recommended practices by classification society DNV GL has led to some uncertainty as to how best to train DP operators and assess their competence. Is this easing? Seemingly not - and it looks like the confusion is set to spread as 2015 prgresses.

As you will be awar, the DNV GL programme provides an alternative approach to the long-standing certification programme run by the Nautical Institute. Another alternative is now provided by US-based Offshore Supply Vessel DP Association (OSVDPA).

Each of these three organisations presented their ideas at a range of international conferences last year and it was hoped that some clarity would emerge.

At the time, training group C-Mar joined calls from oil company representatives and vessel operators for the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) to provide guidance, or a ‘roadmap’ for organisations to follow.

Considerable growth in demand for DP operators in the offshore industry, renewables sector and for shuttle tankers has led to delays in DP operator assessments and certification. C-Mar chief operating officer Peter Aylott stated: “As an industry, we are trying to catch up with training schemes, DP operator and vessel assurance. We are still coping with the growth in DP vessels and have been short on people to deliver that.”

He explained: “Now we have the established Nautical Institute scheme and the DNV GL recommended practices, and a third player in OSVDPA. There are subtleties between them as the Nautical Institute is recognised as the industry standard, and we have DNV GL who are good at setting the standards and have the recognised practices. It is up to individual organisations to determine how they employ these in their own training processes.”

Mr Aylott said a ‘roadmap’ was needed that provides guidance for organisations and individuals to follow to determine what is recognised as different levels of DP operator competence. He said IMCA was in the best position to provide that. “A document from IMCA that already exists, in IMCA M117, that enables companies to set up competence assurance beyond the Nautical Institute certification. This just needs tidying up.”

At the time his request was mirrored by representatives from oil companies BP, Nexen Petroleum, as well as vessel operators Tidewater, Transocean and Ensco.

2015: The Year of Change is Here...

So are we any closer? Last yeat IMCA stated that a revision of IMCA M117 guidance, which covers training and competence, could include more guidelines for this.

The Nautical Institute introduced an updated scheme in January 2015, with less seatime requirements and more allowance for assessments.

All three scheme managers agreed that owners should invest in familiarisation training to improve DP operator competence once they are certified. Some major OSV operators provide onboard DP operator training. Tidewater Marine being a primary exponent, and this is set to continue.

Simon Mokster Shipping successfully trialled an onboard training system from Ship Manoeuvring Simulation Centre (SMSC) last year and there is seemingly movement to ensure that more vessels and DPOs have access to these training provisions.

For some, refresher training was seen as a solution to concerns about DP operator competence. BP’s representative at the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), John Flynn, said last year: “At OCIMF, we are worried about any reduction in the competence of DP operators. The certification of training is not a measure of their competence. It is up to ship operators to ensure they have competence through ongoing training and assessment.”

Refresher training will be a requirement under the DNV GL scheme and the revised Nautical Institute programme.

In a period of such incredible change for the certification programmes in place, it seems that we do indeed need some clarity, certainty and guidance to emerge. Last year it was about the vision of change, in 2015 it will be all about delivering it. As we then progress, the focus will be on measuring the results - let us hope this isn’t in the form of accidents and incidents.

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Icebreaking rescue vessel ‘Baltika’, developed by Aker Arctic, has completed ice trials testing its unique asymmetric hull, which allows the ship to break ice sideways to create wide channels.

Built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in cooperation with Shipyard Yantar in Kaliningrad, the Aker ARC 100 design vessel was tested on two ice thicknesses in ahead, astern and oblique modes during a three-week trial round trip from Murmansk.

Aker Arctic reported that the vessel exceeded expectations and passed required performance targets with a clear margin. The vessel could break 1.2m thick ice in continuous motion when proceeding bow first and could achieve a speed exceeding three knots in astern direction. Performance in oblique mode also fulfilled design requirements.

Project Manager Mika Hovilainen said: “Baltika could carry out the same operations as conventional icebreakers with just half of the propulsion power as well as perform manoeuvres which are not possible for any other vessel currently in service.”

Aker Arctic added that Baltika demonstrated excellent maneuverability and rubble clearing capability in the port of Sabetta during the trial. It was also able to penetrate heavy compressive ice ridges in the Kara Sea without ramming.

Baltika is 76.4m long with a beam of 20.5m and is powered by a diesel-electric plant consisting of three Wärtsilä 9L26 generating sets, with a combined output of 9MW. The vessel is propelled by three 2.5MW Steerprop azimuth thrusters - two in the stern and one in the bow.

The dynamic positioning system, which also includes the oblique icebreaking mode, was developed by Navis Engineering. The vessel is classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and its ice class is Icebreaker6. Baltika is also fitted with a built-in oil recovery system.

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In breaking news for offshore and DP Training in Asia, Lerus Training (part of Lerus Group since 2012) provides offshore training for seafarers from East and Central Europe. Main areas of training are Ship Handling, Offshore Crane Operations, Helicopter Landing Officer and Dynamic Positioning Training according to The Nautical Institute scheme.

Main location for training is Odessa, Ukraine. The second training location will be Jakarta, Indonesia. Lerus will meet high demand for offshore training in Asia and especially in Indonesia. This training branch will provide next training courses: Ship Handling, Offshore Towing, Rig Move, Offshore Crane Operator training, Dynamic Positioning training (Basic, Advanced, Maintenance).

This branch will provide cost-effective training for the whole Asia We understand that harsh conditions of Oil & Gas market affect on the level of revenues of offshore vessels operators – operators/managers/owners try to safe their money in any way. You can see increased requirements for crew members, level of unstable day rates, cutting of day rates, suspension of some new projects, etc. We confident that this is a temporary situation. You should think about long term forecasts and act now.

Our new training center will enable operators and ship owners optimize training costs while receiving high-quality training services of their crew members in accordance with their internal policy of staff development. Main supplier of technical facilities and software will be Kongsberg Maritime. The list of equipment

starts as next – NI Class B simulator, one classroom of NI Class C simulators, Offshore Crane Operator simulator. Delivery and setup of equipment is scheduled for completion by the end of August and the start of the first training courses by the end of 2015

Offshore Crane simulator and NI Class B simulator in Lerus Training, OdessaMentioned above equipment and our experience will help us to meet requirements of The Nautical Institute for Dynamic Positioning training such as DP Basic and DP Advanced. We already feel support of local authorities, offshore companies and seafarers. General purpose of this training center is to improve the process of training for seafarers employed in offshore Oil&Gas Industry in Indonesia and APAC.

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Offshore and DP training in Asia

There are not one but two major DP conferences being held in Brazil next month. Aside from the homegrown DP Brazil - there is also an offering from Lloyd’s Maritime Academy.

The Lloyd’s event, the “Dynamic Positioning Brazil Seminar” runs 21 - 22 May 2015, Sheraton Rio Hotel.

The DP focus days track the evolution of DP technologies and will be focused on keeping practitioners up-to-date with the shifting regulatory framework.

There will also be an opportunity to learn about DP solutions and improve accuracy and safety of operations:•Analyse the availability of DP vessels, demand growth projections and technical specification requirements•Track the evolution of DP technology and capabilities, and discover the latest innovations in redundancy and DP system design•Compare and understand the different training schemes available for DPOs•Discover next generation training solutions to improve DPO supply•Gain insight into the application and management of human factors in DP operations•Learn about conducting FMEAs and solutions to reduce DP failure

IDPOA members can get 20% discount on attendance, so please follow the link and sign up today.

DESIGN INVESTIGATION A selection of DP experts will discuss solutions and developments in DP systems. Learn about new safeguards and technologies being developed

PRACTICAL SIMULATIONExamining the Onboard Training System “OTS”: could the use of augmented reality be a possible game changer for DPO and navigator training in the future? Participate in a live demonstration of next generation DPO training

MARKET UPDATEGet the latest on regional DPO demand and market drivers for DP vessels in Brazil

MIND MAPPINGWhat does a DPO need to know? Consider essential skills and training for DPOs for safe and efficient DP system operation

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The DP2-equipped light construction / ROV vessel Dina Star may look standard, but the power grid inside has sent engineering pulses racing. We explore just what makes her so special and of the revolution her design has begun to signal.

New Power System Could be a Game-Changer

The DP2-equipped light construction / ROV vessel Dina Star was delivered last year by Kleven Shipyard to Fonnes-based shipowner, Myklebusthaug Offshore AS and from the following images (shot with a 50 megapixel Hasselblad) she looks like a pretty standard offshore vessel. The power grid inside that drives all her high tech systems however, is far from normal.

Unlike pretty much every other ship in the world at the time, the Dina Star pioneered the use of a DC power grid (vice AC) to supply electrical power to the onboard systems. It’s not really a new concept, however new technology developed by ABB has enabled it to be used safely on board a marine vessel for the first time – and with extremely impressive results.

In tests conducted by Denmark-based Caterpillar dealer Pon Power, in collaboration with ABB, fuel consumption rates were found to be up to 27 percent lower on this vessel as compared to similar vessels with conventional AC power grids installed.

In a conversation with ABB’s Head of Marine Design, Mr. Eero Lehtovaara, he notes that the key to this system is the fault protection. In conventional AC systems, circuit breakers are naturally easier to break due to their zero crossing every half cycle, this is not the case with DC however, as the voltage is constant.

Lehtovaara notes that their OnBoard DC system involves distributing the DC current through a new DC link, a protection system that is used in order to interrupt faults. Semi-conductive, controllable thyristor rectifier devices

are used in combination with isolators in order to make it work, however the specific technical details are not being made public.

When it comes to the reliability of the system, Mr. Ismir Faglazic, Onboard DC Grid Product Manager notes that it was very difficult to actually bring the system down on board the vessel, that is, create a blackout. “The automation system of the DC is quite quick as you no longer have to wait for syncro or magentization. You get instant power with the DC grid.”

In the event of a major fault on the DC bus itself, ABB notes the system is protected by thyristor rectifiers which also double as protection devices for the generators.

The lack of switchboards on board the vessel is not the source of the power savings however, it allows the vessel to operate its power system far more efficiently.

offshore shipping in the cross hairsPower Systems

The following is a diagram of what the power system looks like.

In this new system, the main AC switchboard as well as all the thruster transformers have been deleted, instead the AC power from the generators is immediately rectified at the generator and fed to a common DC bus that distributes the power throughout the ship. Each consumer of the power is then fed by separate inverter units which in some cases power variable frequency drives.

What this means, and most importantly, is that the engines can be run at optimum load in order to feed the DC bus with a steady source of current while using battery banks (or any other source of DC power) to provide the immediate power needed when loads increase unexpectedly. In addition, the main switchboard room and additional weight is eliminated.

For a dynamically-positioned vessels with major fluctuating power requirements like drillships, this seems like an ideal setup, however ABB notes the current technology is slightly limited in that the max installed power of a vessel using this system is 20MW.

Lehtovaara is still very encouraged with the results however, “our feeling is that in the very short time frame, tugs, ferries of different sizes, OSVs, OSCVs, and PSVs will be significant benefactors to this technology,” he adds.

Images courtesy of ABB

SHIP to SURE THE FUTURE TECH YOU WON’T WANT TO SAIL WITHOUT

Apple WatchApple Watch apps let you read email, summon Siri, receive calls and track fitness goals. Facebook, WeChat and Twitter notifications can also be beamed your wrist without pulling out your smartphone.

But is this really the first smartwatch that matters? Does its 18-hour battery life hold up? Is it water resistant? You can find out...April 24. What will it cost? $349 (£299, AU$499) to $17,000 (£13,500, AU$24,000)

WD My Passport WirelessWD’s personal cloud product range -- MyCloud -- has grown since its initial debut, which was praised highly for its innovative approach to consumer data storage.

In some ways this is a glorified USB hard drive; in others, it takes the best elements of WD’s MyCloud innovation and makes it nearly pocketable. Our review unit had a 2TB drive inside, with a retail price of £199. A 500GB (£110) and 1TB (£149) alternative is available.

Samsung Galaxy S6 EdgeThe Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’s wraparound screen transforms an already great phone into Samsung’s best-looking handset. Ever. The supercool design comes with a big price tag, and the screen doesn’t deliver any real killer apps.

But the striking, high-end Galaxy S6 Edge has the beauty, brains and brawn to take down the iPhone 6 and all the Android competition.

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Guide

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21 April -23 AprilSea AsiaSands Expo & Convention Centre,Marina Bay Sands,Singapore

29 April -30 AprilSubsea Vessels EuropeRadisson Blu Plaza Hotel,Oslo,Norway

4 May -7 MayOffshore Technology ConferenceReliant Center,Houston,United States of America

6 May -7 MayAll-EnergySECC,Glasgow,United Kingdom

19 May -20 MayMiddle East OSJThe Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina,Dubai,United Arab Emirates

21 May - 22 MayLloyd’s Maritime Academy “Dynamic Positioning Brazil Seminar” Sheraton Rio Hotel, Brazil

26 May -27 MayDP BrasilWindsor Barra Hotel,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

What's On

Guide

Advertise with IDPOA and reach out to the world of DP.

• Readership over 30,000

• Reach thousands of DPOs• Over 200,000 hits per month

IDPOA is the place to reach DPOs - so help your recruitment or

marketing needs while supporting the world’s first and only dedicated

website and associationfor DPOs.

For the full range of advertising possibilities, sponsorship packages

on our website, in 6degrees or e-mail blasts, contact Tony Stein:

Call +44 (0)1892 514508 / email tony.r.stein@btinternet.com