TANKER OPERATOR MAGAZINE OCOTBER 2008

OCTOBER 2008 www.tankeroperator.com

TANKEROperatorFeatures:�� An Italian renaissance� Russian roulette with tankers� Cutting the ice up north� Keeping in touch with seafarers� EU funds underwater project� Performance key to cost cutting

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� Russian ice giant � Arctic tankers take shape� Topsides critical in ice� Russian Register's many

projects� Coatings of great

importance35 Communications� Keeping in touch the key

to contented seafarers� Trials held on Suezmax

45 Ship descriptionNew chemical tanker design

47 Underwater maintenanceMajor EU funded project underway

51 Energy performance monitoringOptimise your vessel’s performance

October 2008 ��TANKEROperator 01

Vol 8 No 1Tanker Operator

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TANKEROperator ContentsMarketsGreen shipbreaking

Focus on Italy � Fleet growth � Motia expands empire� Green chemical tanker

owners

Russian Report� Register leads in oil and gas

projects� Sovcomflot joins the big

league� PRISCO profile

Technology20 Ice Class Report� Class’ ice expertise

04

13

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Front cover photo While travelling in convoy behind anicebreaker, there is a growing threatof collisions, especially in times offog or white outs. There is also

growing concern about the age of the icebreakerfleet itself and its ability to cope with largervessels plying the Gulf of Finland and theBarents Sea. Photo – PRISCO.

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08

20

Everyone now agrees that seafarers, or the lack ofthem, are the biggest problem facing the shippingindustry, given that the economic climate shouldsettle down again in a couple of years.Rather worrying forecasts were banded around at a recent conference inSingapore. In a stark message, leading crewing and shipmanagementconcern OSM's group chairman, Jan Morten Eskilt, warned thatshipping faced a shortage of 90,000 officers by 2012.

He said that wages have already spiralled as owners struggled torecruit and retain seafarers and called this an earnings explosion thatwas set to continue. He said: "The poaching of personnel remains anissue, as does ensuring seafarers are fit for the task."

Eskilt said that Drewry Shipping Consultants, in conjunction withPrecious Associates, had produced a 'Manning 2008' annual report inwhich various warnings were given, including the risk of employeesbeing promoted to jobs for which they are not competent.

The report said that already this year, the officer shortage may be as high as 34,000, a figure that could almost triple in the coming four years.

In the period 2008 to 2012, an extra 26,160 officers will be requiredfor the drybulk fleet, 15,793 for containerships, 9,735 for chemicaltankers and 8,088 for oil tankers.

Eskilt pointed to a number of factors that are exacerbating theproblem. With particular reference to trainees, he said the officershortage is a commonly accepted problem, but little is done and thatships are often built without cabins for cadets and trainees. "Sparecabins are often sold to clients on board instead of being used fortrainees," he continued, "and cadets are there, but they do not get onboard training. They go to land-based industry instead. Owners oftenoperate vessels with two watch systems, allowing no room for a traineeand lowest officer rank in their fleet at all."

Referring to operational issues, Eskilt said that we may also see 'rigrotations' for the North Sea fleet, which will require 50% more crew.He said: "The majority of vessels trading in the EU/EEA have manningrequirements due to cabotage or industry requirements, which rules outthe use of non EU Crew. The more advanced the requirements, themore difficult it is to recruit."

Promotion slowedHe warned that the requirements of the Oil Companies InternationalMarine Forum (OCIMF) for combined experience slows down promotionpotential and the requirements of the officer matrix and combined

experience is already a part of the offshore sector and not just tankers.Commenting on the Drewry/PAL 2008 report, Eskilt said it took

"...no account of the additional manning requirements of offshorevessels and the requirement for marine personnel on floating rigs is noteven mentioned".

The offshore market is currently booming on the back of the oilmoguls stepping up their research and development. Traditionally, thissector has been the highest payer due to the nature of the work oftenundertaken in severe conditions.

However, we are often told of officers being paid five figure sums permonth to join the more specialist vessels, such as gas carriers and thatdue to the shortage, poaching is rife with huge carrots dangled in frontof certificated officers.

There are several initiatives underway to try to address variousmounting problems, not least of competency. One was also spoken of inSingapore recently when DNV agreed with leading Singaporeshipmanagement concern Thome to deploy a crew appraisal and trainingscheme to test seafarer competency management levels.

In essence, the Norwegian class society will verify and certifyThome's competence management system in accordance with DNVstandards and in compliance with specifications from the Society ofInternational Gas Tankers and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) andIntertanko's Tanker Officer Training Standards (TOTS).

Under the terms of the agreement, DNV and Thome willsystematically examine crew tasks, work tools, operating environment,officers' mental well-being, training and experience, andcommunications across different vessel types.

Highlighting one of its key focus areas, DNV aims to address whatlies behind human error on board highly diversified fleets of ships withthe aid of its SeaSkill auditing process: In particular, it analyses: � The effects of new technology.� The complexity of the environment and the circumstances

surrounding human performance.� The nature of the mental work and processes that go on in difficult

and stressful situations.� The way in which people co-ordinate and communicate to get their

jobs done.While this initiative goes some way to addressing the competency issue,the major concern of many is - where will the next generation ofseafarers come from?

You can organise as much competency training as you like, but ifthere is nobody available to listen and learn, it will become pointless.

COMMENT

Anyone for a career at sea?

TO

TANKEROperator � October 200802

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Crowley is one of the few tug companies to earn full Safety, Quality & Environmental (SQE) certificationfrom the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

Being E-certified means we have a recognized and approved program in place for minimizing our environmental

impact with our tug operations. To ensure the highest standards are being met, Crowley tugs undergo regular envi-

ronmental, safety and quality audits.

Additionally, Crowley uses ultra low sulfur diesel fuel in all West Coast harbor tugs, and has installed, or is in the process

of installing, shore side power at all West Coast Crowley facilities so idle tugboats don’t have to run their engines at the dock. To further

reduce fuel consumption and emissions, Crowley worked with the Port of Los Angeles to establish various intermediary lay-berths in

and around the port, which significantly reduces the need to run back to the ‘home dock’ between ship assist jobs.

Crowley’s latest initiative is the design of a tugboat that is so environmentally friendly it wouldn’t even require a

smokestack. It’s just another way Crowley is committed to preserving the environment for future generations.

To find out more about our services in the harbors of Los Angeles/Long Beach, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area,

Tacoma, Seattle, North Puget Sound and Prince William Sound/Valdez, Alaska, call Crowley at 800-248-8632. Or visit www.crowley.com.

Our tugboats are red and white, but our environmentalstewardship is as green as it gets.

Liner Shipping • Worldwide Logistics • Petroleum & Chemical Transportation • Alaska Fuel Sales & Distribution • Energy Support •Project Management • Ship Assist & Escort • Ship Management • Ocean Towing & Transportation • Salvage & Emergency Response www.crowley.com

INDUSTRY - MARKETS


The recent fall in both dry and wet freight rates could result in a number of older ships heading towards the breakers’ yards.

Scrap prices andgreen shipbreaking

These yards have been the subjectof discussions at the IMO onpromoting environmentallyfriendly shipbreaking. During

September and the beginning of October,scrap prices fell by about 30% and a furthersoftening is expected.

Therefore, discussions are underway aboutthe shipbreaking industry. In order to put thediscussions into perspective, McQuillingServices has analysed scrap price sensitivity interms of commercial shipping projects andrealised possible alternatives that can addvalue to the talks.

There are various ways of comparing theimpact of scrap price volatility to ship values.McQuilling chose to analyse three differentpurchasing scenarios to give a better picture ofthe importance of the demolition price in theoverall attractiveness of a sale project.

As a result, the consultancy made what itcalls some reasonable assumptions for anAframax, based on common project terms andhistorical residual values and then ran a costanalysis calculation.

By changing the scrap value from zero to$500 per ldt, the change in the annual InternalRate of Return (IRR) works out at only 0.3%in the life of an Aframax (25 years). This isobviously not going to be a deciding factorwhether a company opts for a project or not.

Given that 25 years is a long time,

McQuilling has also analysed five and 10 yearold vessel projects that reduce the life of aproject by 20 and 15 years respectively.

Here, the change in the IRR averages workout at 0.12% and 0.21%, depending on thescrap price and project duration.

However, the scrap price can also representa significantly higher percentage of the IRR onthe older tonnage transactions. Nevertheless, inthe case of 15, 20 and 25 years project lifeexpectancy, the scrap value of $500 per ldt inreality does not make a significant change onthe project's IRR.

Going green debateAt present, the authorities are continuouslydebating the 'going green' aspect with theshipbreaking industry to convert it into anenvironmentally friendly one, so McQuillingsaid - why not consider -� Donating the old vessels to the yards. � Use the value of the donated vessels

towards building green and safe shipbreaking yards.

� Make the owners of donated vessels eligible for tax returns in the sum of vessels' values, or a percentage thereof.

This way the shipbreaking industry isinvesting into itself with the support of thegovernments, while the owners arecompensated by a tax return on projectswhose scrap value does not dramatically

change the IRR on long term projects. Themillion dollar question is - How much wouldthis cost?

McQulling said that by taking a quick lookat the dry and wet fleet of over 25,000 dwtthat is 25 years of age or older and stilltrading, this produces around $8 mill scrapvalue per vessel at $500 per ldt.

The estimated cost of building a medium sizegreen shipbreaking is about $200 mill.Therefore, regardless of the exit profile assumedfor the fleet of over 25 years old, the fundingfor new green and safe shipbreaking yardscould be available sooner rather than later.

Points raisedUnderstanding that such a project wouldrequire a strict oversight and substantialfeasibility analysis, it may well prove the wayforward for the green shipbreaking industry.However, a few points will need to be takeninto consideration, including:� Ships are sold directly to the yards - no

middle men.� The yards are 100% eco-friendly. � Corruption and child labour is eliminated.� No loopholes are left in the system.McQuilling admitted that it was not certainthat these ideas would be included in anyshipbreaking debates, the observationssuggest that there are ways for the industryto become more modern and eco-friendly.

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INDUSTRY - MARKETS

October 2008 � TANKEROperator 05

Suezmax market holding firm - says NATIn Herbjorn Hansson’s latestletter to shareholders, he gave aninsight into Nordic AmericanTanker’s standing in the currentcataclysmic economic climateand an insight into the Suezmaxmarket in general.He said that in today's volatile situation in theinternational financial markets manyshareholders are contacting us to learn moreabout the situation of the company. In short, thecompany is in a very good position, he claimed.

In his previous letter of September 10th, heoutlined the dividend record so far in 2008.

For the 1st quarter the dividend paid was$1.18 and the 2nd quarter gave $1.60 individend per share.

"We indicated that the dividend for the 3rdquarter is expected to be in the order of $1.50

per share. We are upholding this view; the 3rdquarter was very good for NAT", he said.

It is essential to note that the company hasno debt. Having one of the strongest balancesheets in the tanker industry, the financialposition of the company is further bolsteredby the fact that the company has an unusedavailable credit facility of $500 mill.

The term of the credit facility was extendedearlier this year from September 2010 toSeptember 2013.

"Therefore, we have a platform whichprovides us with a basis for further growth andcontinued dividend payments. We estimate thatour average cash breakeven for our trading fleetis below $9,000 per day per vessel. When thefreight market is above this level, the companycan be expected to pay a dividend," he said.

The average spot market rate for modern

Suezmax tankers, according to Imarex, was$62,381 per day during the 3rd quarter 2008.The Imarex index is an indication of the levelof the spot tanker market.

The 4th quarter has started on a positive note.The Imarex index shows an average of $55,089 perday for the first 10 days of October. Two recentfixtures - both concluded in October - are examples.

"One of our ships obtained a contract for aperiod of about 55 days for a round voyage thatis expected to produce more than $80,000 perday. Expected discharge is on the US West Coastin mid December. Another ship was fixed forloading in West Africa with discharge in Canada.This round voyage is expected to produce about$47,000 over 33 days. As a matter of policy, wenever predict the short term tanker market rates -our policy in this regard also applies to the 4thquarter of 2008", he explained.

The question of the budget will always bean issue and the private sector will rarelyagree to any type of donation regardless ofwhat percentage of an IRR it mightrepresent. However, if the tax break plan isintroduced and certain government

incentives made mandatory, the outcomemay become positive.

The scrap price has averaged $258 per ldtsince 1994. The recent increase to $750 perldt and subsequent drop to $500 per ldtmade some owners of elderly vessels

sceptical about the light at the end of thetunnel. However, the impact on the vessels'projects of 15 years or more is minimal andhas a very small effect on investors'decisions of embarking upon such projects,McQuilling emphasised. TO

INDUSTRY - NEWS FEATURE


On 10th October, the IMO'sMarine Environment ProtectionCommittee (MEPC) unanimouslyadopted amendments to theMARPOL Annex VI regulations toreduce harmful emissions fromships even further.

The main changes to MARPOL Annex VIwill see a progressive reduction in sulphur oxide(SOx) emissions from ships, with the globalsulphur cap reduced initially to 3.50% (from thecurrent 4.50%), effective from 1st January2012; then progressively to 0.50%, effectivefrom 1st January 2020, subject to a feasibilityreview to be completed no later than 2018.

Furthermore, the limits applicable inSulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) willbe reduced to 1%, beginning on 1st July 2010(from the current 1.50%); being further reducedto 0.10%, effective from 1st January 2015.

Progressive reductions in nitrogen oxide(NOx) emissions from marine engines werealso agreed, with the most stringent controls onso-called 'Tier III' engines - those installed onships constructed on or after 1st January 2016,operating in Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

The revised Annex VI will allow for anECA to be designated for SOx and particulatematter, or NOx, or all three types of emissionsfrom ships, subject to a proposal from a partyor parties to the Annex, which would beconsidered for adoption by the IMO, ifsupported by a demonstrated need to prevent,reduce and control one or all three of thoseemissions from ships.

It will enter into force on 1st July 2010,under the tacit acceptance amendmentprocedure.

MARPOL Annex VI Regulations for thePrevention of Air Pollution from Ships enteredinto force in May 2005 and has, so far, beenratified by 53 countries, representingapproximately 81.88% of the gross tonnage ofthe world's merchant shipping fleet.

The MEPC also adopted amendments tothe associated NOx Technical Code. The

amended code includes a new chapter basedon the agreed approach for NOx regulation ofexisting (pre-2000) engines established inMARPOL Annex VI, and provisions for directmeasurement and monitoring methods, acertification procedure for existing engines,and test cycles to be applied to Tier II and TierIII engines.

Revised Guidelines for Exhaust GasCleaning Systems and Guidelines for thedevelopment of a VOC management plan werealso adopted.

The revised measures are expected to havea significant beneficial impact on theatmospheric environment and on humanhealth, particularly that of people living inport cities and coastal communities.

ReactionReacting to the amendments, Chris Leigh-Jones, managing director of leading scrubbercompany Krystallon, welcomed the IMO'sdecision, citing a wholesale switch todistillates as disastrous if shipping wanted tomaintain its position as the world's mostefficient mode of transport.

Leigh-Jones said: "As the only current'ready for market' scrubber manufacturer, theIMO decision has given us a great opportunityand responsibility to find solutions that workto offset the use of distillates, as we continueto hear loud and clear from operators, refinersand consumers that a wholesale fuel changedoes not work; economically on every level."

Without scrubbing, refiners would have tofind an estimated additional two bill barrels ofcrude oil per day by 2020 in order to produceenough 'clean fuel' distillates to meetshipping's fuel needs, a demand level thatwould drive crude and oil-related products'prices up.

"The oil market impact alone would likelymore than double the cost of marine fuels andsubstantially increase the global price ofdiesel, aviation jet fuel and heating oil onland. Moreover, high fuel costs will cause a

shift away from ships to land-based freight,particularly heavy freight vehicles that wouldhave a counter-productive environmentalimpact," Leigh-Jones added.

BP exits KrystallonIn another move, BP has exited its 55%share in Krystallon, leaving KittiwakeDevelopments as sole owner until a newpartner puts pen to paper.

Krystallon's Andy Osbourne confirmed to TANKEROperator that a new partner was waiting in the wings, but said that hewas not in a position to name the companyjust yet.

BP has publicly said that it was going toconcentrate on its core businesses and shedthose interests on the periphery in arestructuring programme.

Osbourne said that the new partner was amajor marine concern, which once on boardwould allow Krystallon to press ahead with itsplans to invest in robust, scalable fabricationand installation facilities to manufacture andinstall sea water scrubbers to both new andexisting ships.

As for a trial scrubber installation on boarda tanker, it was originally intended to installa system on a BP Shipping tanker in Asia,but now Osbourne is looking to fit a scrubbersystem on board BP affiliate Alaskan Tanker,trading between the US west coast andAlaska.

He explained that this part of the world ismore environmentally sensitive than most andcould well become the next ECA area,especially California.

Osbourne also admitted that Krystallon wasclose to signing a contract with a Greek tankeroperator to fit scrubbers on board Suezmaxesordered from a South Korean yard.

In 2006, BP and Kittiwake formedKrystallon, a joint venture company to developsea water scrubbing technology, to reduce theenvironmental impact of ships emissions byremoving sulphur and particulates. TO

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INDUSTRY - FOCUS ON ITALY

At the end of 2007, the Italian fleettotalled 14 mill gt and manyoperators believed that a forecastof 20 mill gt by 2010 was looking

increasingly realistic. The reason for thisgrowth was the massive investment made byItalian shipowners in newbuildings.

Italy's young and technically advanced fleetis capable of satisfying the regulatory industrydemands and defending the environment, aswell as adhering to safety considerations. Inshort, the national fleet is growing, registeringincreases higher than the world average.

It is an historic moment for Italian shipping,seeing that there has never been a period ofsuch noteworthy change and growth before."Each time a new ship is launched, itcontributes to the growth of the entire country,seeing the work, the jobs, the investments, theideas, the research, the innovation and thedesign that lie behind the ship, as well as thefurther impetus it lends to Italy's presence inthe world;" said Nicola Coccia head ofConfitarma (the Italian shipowners'Association) at the '48 Ore del Mare' meetingheld in Genoa in July.

Undoubtedly, the revival of the Italian fleetcan be traced to the reform of internationalnavigation undertaken in 1998 with theapproval of Law No. 30, which established theItalian International Register. This yearConfitarma celebrated the registry's 10thanniversary. "This instrument was createdthanks to the foresightedness of EuropeanCommunity institutions, which, holding themaritime sector to be a key element in boththe present and future economic strategies ofthe European Union, provided the membernations with guidelines for action on thenational level" emphasised Coccia.

"The Italian fleet was thus able to match upwith the competition, and today Italy cancount on a highly prestigious fleet capable of

guaranteeing supplies of raw materials for ourindustrial concerns and finished products forconsumers," he said.

An increasingly important fleet also meansforging strong relations with the financialinstitutions. "We have noted the result ofdrawing growing attention on the part of theworld of finance to the shipping industry.Italian shipping has succeeded inconsolidating and reinforcing its presence onthe world scene to a noteworthy extent,transforming itself into a highly attractivesector for the world of finance, including bothbanks and investment funds," Coccia said.

He thought that the experience and theinternational perspective of the bankingcommunity should be considered key factorsfor ship operators. "I am glad to report thatItalian banks have made noteworthy progress,to the point where they are now able toshort/medium-term financial services inChinese currency as well - an especiallyimportant feature for businesses that plan onlocating profit centres to China".

Italian fleet growth has run parallel with theincreased number of commitments and tasksneeded to be undertaken, therefore it meantthat numerous problems still had to be solved

Confitarma celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Italian International Register duringthe general assembly held in Genoa at which, the most important topic aired was theconstant growth of the Italian merchant fleet in recent years, writes Nicola Capuzzo.

Confitarma head Nicola Coccia.

An ItalianRenaissance

mainly because the industry was developingrapidly. "We cannot afford to fall out of stepwith our competitors," Coccia warned.

Within this scenario, a key role was playedby the institutions that were called upon tocreate and promote the conditions needed tosatisfy such a variety of demands. In the finalanalysis, however, the responsibility forenacting the necessary changes in thetraditional schemes of management andfinance rested with the shipowners, whichwere directly involved in the sector.

Italian flag fleetAt the end of 2007, the Italian ownedmerchant fleet numbered 1,535 ships, totalling13,970,348 gt, distributed as follows: � More than 1,000 gt - 738 vessels of

13,712,746 gt.� From 100 to 999 gt - 797 vessels of

257,601 gt.Compared to 2006, this was an increase of 4%in the number of Italian ships and 6.5% in thetonnage. The number of vessels entered in theItalian International Register numbered 606,totalling 12,465,231 gt, equal to 89% of theItalian-owned merchant fleet. Elsewhere, theships that chose the ordinary registernumbered 922 of 1,475,700 gt, while therewere only six Italian-owned ships temporarilyflying a foreign flag (bareboat charterregistration) of 27,930 gt.

"Actually, these vessels (foreign flag) canbe considered examples of theinternationalisation of our maritime industry.The temporary change of flag, in fact, allowsour ships to penetrate foreign markets, mainlywith regard to those developing countrieswhere navigation is reserved exclusively forships flying local flags," explained Coccia.

The portion of the fleet controlled byinterests whose capital is all, or predominantlyprivate is equal to more than 95.6% of thetotal, while the number controlled by publicsector companies showed a constant decline.

The Italian fleet has also confirmed itsstatus as a young fleet, both in absolute terms

and compared to the worldwide average.About 57% of the vessels are less than 10years old and 33% are less than five years old.During the period between 1998 and 2007,there were 481 vessels delivered of 6.9 millgt, while at the end of 2007, there were 97vessels under construction in Italian andforeign shipyards, totalling 1.4 mill gt.

Since 2005, Italian shipping companies haveordered 251 new vessels from Italian andforeign shipyards of almost 14 mill dwt. Ofthese vessels, 53 units (21% of the total), equalto 4.5 mill dwt (30.5% of the total), are underconstruction in Chinese shipyards, representinga total investment of around $2.5 bill.

To help revive shipping investments, the2008 Budget Act introduced the so-called 'taxlease', a formula that makes possible totransfer tax savings (in full, or in part) fromthe lessor to the operational party, in the formof a reduction on the leasing fees, or on thepurchase price. This is just one of the keyfactors, which is now paying an important rolein contributing to make the Italian merchantfleet competitive.

Regulations In recognition of the key position held by themaritime industry within Italy's overallproduction framework, as well as theawareness that the sector constitutes afundamental resource for the country,legislators drew up a series of regulationsallowing operators to compete on international

markets and gain new areas of operation. The key to restoring the competitiveness of

the Italian flag fleet was the introduction of theInternational Register in 1998, a developmentthat provided a noteworthy incentive to use theItalian flag. That was followed by importantadjustments to the different operating methods,as well as the establishment of the Tonnage TaxSystem in 2004.

"All these regulations made it possible forItaly to have more than 200 newbuildingsdelivered during the last 12 months whilestrongly supporting the internationalcommitment for safety at sea" said Coccia."In recent years, Italian tanker ownersinvested heavily looking at the future rules,therefore we can say almost all the nationalfleet is young and double hull and ready forthe 2010 single hull phase out affectingMediterranean and Black Sea traders".

The main problem concerns Italianseafarers. It was proving more and moredifficult to find young workers wishing toexperience life on board ship, albeit very wellpaid. Furthermore, operating costs wereescalating thanks to the increasing foreignseafarers' salaries. A solution must be found."Ship operating costs surged over 11% lastyear, mainly as a consequence of higher crewcosts. The tanker index has increased by 16index points (11.1%) on a year on year basis,while the bulker index has seen a smallerincrease this year of 10 index points (7.4%),"explained Coccia.

"We opened the first Maritime Academy inGenoa, which will be soon followed byanother school in Sicily in order to providethe required competencies for maritime jobsand careers at sea. Actually we need to workon the next generation making them realisethe existing opportunities for seafarers andofficers, who today choose to work at sea andthen tomorrow might look for employmentashore," he said.

For its part, during the past year Confitarmahas organised training courses for mostdisciplines, including cooks.



Italian tanker fleet31/12/2007 31/12/2006 Variation % 07/06

number 000 GT number 000 GT number GTLiquid cargo ships 303 4,041 294 3,743 3% 8%Oil tankers 114 2,170 116 2,102 -2% 3%Gas tankers 37 326 43 353 -14% -8%Chemical tankers 118 1,508 102 1,253 16% 20%other tankers 34 37 33 34 3% 7%

Italian tanker fleet renewalsShips delivered 1998-2007 Ships under construction ( 31/12/2007)number GT % number GT %

Liquid Cargo ships 160 2,814,337 70% 38 603,362 14.90%Oil tankers 23 593,093 27% 10 191,822 8.80%Gas tankers 27 222,820 68% 5 18,340 5.60%Chemical tankers 110 1,998,424 133% 23 393,200 26.10%

Source: Confitarma

TOSource: Confitarma

“We see two bigchallenges to allglobal businesses,"said Antonio

Zacchello, Motia's managing director. "One isthe financial credit crunch and the other issourcing and retaining skilled manpower. Fornow we are taking a wait and see attitude tothe credit crunch, as we are a strong companywith strong partners, and we have alreadyfinanced our newbuilding programme.

"As for finding and retaining skilled crews,we are a family company, and in our familyare more than 1,000 Indian seafarers, with aretention rate of over 98%. That is not bychance, our people like working for us andstay with us, and we have extensive trainingand support programmes. It pays off introubled times."

Today Motia's Italian flag fleet consist of 12modern product/chemical tankers of 29,000dwt to 37,320 dwt built between 2002 and2007. They are employed in the European andMediterranean trades in the Handytankers pool.

Handytankers K/S is a limited partnershipbetween Seaarland, Chemicalien Seetransport,d'Amico Tankers, AP Møller-Maersk andMotia. "Being in a pool with like minded longterm players gives us a great degree ofstability," explained Zacchello. "Our wholephilosophy has always been to grow inpartnership with other strong companies, andto build success on long term relationshipsrather than quick high profile deals. At timeslike this, when everyone is nervous about theglobal economy, these strong structures standus in good stead. We shall ride out the marketturbulence, and in fact if the credit crunch

shakes out a few speculative ship orders andspeculative players, then that will benefit us."

Motia has two 50,500 dwt plus another two41,000 dwt product tankers on order, with oneof each due for delivery in 2009 and 2010."Going up a size bracket will help us in theEuropean trades," said Zacchello. "Butessentially the ships will fit neatly into ourexisting strategy and long term freightcontracts around Europe."

Motia also provides technical managementfor Amsterdam-based Seaarland ShippingManagement, which operates 16 modernproduct tankers and four Aframaxes. "There isa big newbuilding programme for Seaarland,"said Zacchello.

"There are seven product/chemical carriers fordelivery between now and 2011, three large74,000 dwt product carriers due this year andnext and three Suezmax and two Aframaxtankers due between this year and 2011. That isa test of our ability to provide high qualitymanning in the current market. But we have had,through Seaarland, a strong crew managementcompany in Mumbai for many years, and wehave built up a loyal and well trained cadre ofseafarers there. So we have no doubt we shall beable to man and operate the ships to ourexpected high standards," he continued.

As for employment, Zacchello will stick withhis philosophy of pooling and partnership. "Wehave our heart here in Italy but our outreach is

global. We already have an Aframax pool withOSG, PDVSA, Oldendorff and others andearlier this Seaarland set up a Suezmax poolwith OSG. These structures, and our footholdsin Germany and Singapore, will give us marketcoverage and ensure steady employment for thenew tonnage," he said.

Zacchello is a busy man and not only headof Motia in Venice and Seaarland inAmsterdam. He is also ceo of Synergas, whichis a Naples-based company owning andmanaging a fleet of LPG and ethylene tankers.It is a privately-owned joint-venture with theCafiero Mattioli shipping company.

Like Motia and Seaarland, Synergas is seton a path of steady expansion. In June, it sawthe launching of the 4,000 cu m liquefied gastanker Syn Zube at the Cantiere Navale diPesaro (CNP) shipyard in Italy.

She is of semi-refrigerated type, fitted withtwo separate self-supporting cylinder cargotanks, and will be able to carry 4,000 cu m ofLPG at a max pressure of 8 bar, at atemperature of - 48 deg C.

Syn Zube and her sister ship Syn Zania,recently delivered to Synergas, are cutting-edge ships in the sector of LPG carriage.

On completion of the current expansionprogramme in 2010, Synergas will control 17gas carriers: 13 ethylene tankers, and foursemi-refrigerated LPG carriers, ranging incapacity from 4,000 to 9,000 cu m.



Motia managing director Antonio Zacchello.

Motia keeps straightcourse

Venice-based Motia diNavigazione claims to be

maintaining a straightcourse in troubled waters.

Motia’s 35,820dwt chemical/product tankerNordic Ruth

seen transitingthe Kiel Canal.

TO



Italian class society RINA has developed products, tools and expertise to help ownersmove ahead of regulation and demonstrate how they care for the environment.

In an area where RINA is especiallystrong - chemical and product carriers -the success can be measured by the 50vessels which have opted for the

voluntary Green Star certification.Paolo Salza, senior technical manager

director of RINA's marine division, said,"Cruise shipowners always lead when itcomes to environmental matters, and as weare the world leaders in cruise ships, we havedeveloped a very strong knowledge base inthis area. Our aim is to help owners in othersectors share that, and we see chemical carrierowners as the next step. We currently class215 chemical tankers and 115 product tankers,totaling 6 mill gt and we have another 45chemical tankers and 80 product tankers onorder, totaling 2.7 mill gt.

"We see that the chemical tanker owners areopting for Green Star, with 45 ships eitheralready delivered or currently building to thatstandard. Of the product carriers, we onlyhave five. To us, this shows that like cruiseship operators, who all go for Green Star,chemical carrier owners operate in a moredemanding client environment, so they opt forthe higher voluntary standard," he said.

Salza is expecting that chemical carrierowners will also lead the way towards RINA'snew GREEN PLUS voluntary notation.

"GREEN PLUS is a voluntary notation basedon an environmental performance index whichcovers all aspects of the vessel's impact on theenvironment, including carbon emissions. Itgoes beyond Green Star and will be granted tonew vessels which make a significantinvestment in design solutions, on boardequipment, and operational procedures whichcontribute to an improvement inenvironmental performance beyond theminimum levels required by regulation.Obviously it will appeal to cruise shipoperators, but I believe our substantial ownerbase of chemical carrier operators will alsotake this route. Product tankers owners willfollow, but more slowly."

RINA is currently overseeing the classing ofchemical and product tanker newbuildings inthe US, the Middle East, China, South Korea,and of course Italy. "We find all these yardsand owners come to us because we havespecial experience with this type of highlysophisticated ship," explained Salza.

"We have been especially busy recentlyfollowing changes to the IBC Code and AnnexII of MARPOL, with the re-categorisation ofchemical products. Surveying existing shipsand approving new ones has kept us busy,especially with the changes to vegetable oilregulations. Owners also appreciate the supportwe can give them in environmental matters.For instance, all owners are now going to haveto face up to the recent changes in MARPOLAnnex VI, which retrospectively enforces NOxemission limits on ships built since 2000. From2010 many ships will have to take measures toreduce NOx emissions. Those owners who tookadvice early or who were ahead of regulationwill adapt more easily."

Owners, especially the Italian owners whostill form the core of RINA's chemical tankerbusiness, have been upscaling their new ships."We see roughly a steady number of ships onorder each year," says Salza. "But the sizes aregoing up, both for chemical and productcarriers, where we see a big increase in theorderbook for long range larger sizes. All ofthese now building will have to consider the

new NOx regulations, and also be preparedfor new lower sulphur limits. We believe thatfor many of the owners it will be worthwhileinvesting in new technology, or in systemssuch as our Green Energy index, to achieve aGREEN PLUS notation. In a crowded chartermarket, being environmentally responsiblewill give them an edge, especially for tradesaround countries with high environmentalsensibility in the public, such as Italy today."

China is now the country of build of choiceof RINA's owners, and there are currently 52chemical and product carriers building thereunder RINA class. "We are introducing ourideas to the yards there, to get themincorporated into the designs," explainedSalza. "To some extent it is easier with thesmaller ships building in Italy, whereconsciousness of the environment is higher,but our owners and we ourselves are reachingout to spread the word that ships can becleaner and greener and also more efficient."

Design solutions and on board equipmentwhich GREEN PLUS would cover includeanything which reduces the risk of pollution,or which lowers fuel consumption and airemissions. Innovative engine design,alternative fuels, high-efficiency propellers,optimal hull design and bio-degradable oils allfall into these categories.

Chemical tankerowners going greener

Paolo Salza, Senior Technical Manager,Marine Division, RINA

The 14,700 gt chemical tanker Saracenabuilt to RINA class and one of the first tohave Green Star certification.

TO

14 mi l l i on tons i sn ’ t a d rop in the bucket

Yes, size matters when trading bunkers. Let’s just say that with sales of 14

million tons annually, we’re big enough to meet your needs worldwide at

competitive prices—direct from our own stores or those of trusted partners.

On the other hand, we haven’t forgotten the importance of friendly service and

flexibility when it comes to doing business. Guess we’re not so big after all.

Physical Supply · Global Trading · Risk Management

www.owbunke r. com

dependentbut hardly minor

INDUSTRY - RUSSIAN REPORT


“Presently, considerableresources in Russia arebeing focused on thecompletion of new logistic

schemes as part of the development ofRussian oil and gas fields. New tankers forcrude oil transportation are being designedand built to operate in ice conditions in thefreezing seas of Russia. Moreover, the RFtarget programme for the development of thecivil shipping for 2009-2016, approved inMarch 2008 foresees development of newprojects and technologies to support Russianshipping industries", said Nikolay Reshetov,RS' director general.

The terminal has been created for largetanker loading and shipments in the PechoraSea. To provide total independence fromicebreaker assistance, the project included thebuilding of a fixed offshore ice-resistant

offloading terminal (FOIROT) and a series ofthree Arctic double-acting shuttle tankers.These were designed to sail both ahead andastern through ice up to 1.5 m thick andtopped by a 30 cm of snow covering at speedsof up to 2 knots.

FOIROT's design and construction andother areas of the terminal's offshoretransport infrastructure were performed underRS supervision. It features the latest offshoreterminal technology: integrated automaticmooring and offloading control system,special process of pile detachment in thesupporting foundation among others.

"The creation of a fleet to operate invulnerable regions (such as the Arctic)requires a particular approach to ensuringenvironmental protection. Being a leader inthe survey of ice and polar class ships, RSallocates vast resources to enhance safety and

environmental protection standards",Reshetov stressed.

Based on scientific data, RS developedrequirements for prevention of oil spills and air pollution. Compliance with RS'additional eco-requirements allows ashipowner to add new distinguishing marksto the class notation - ECO or ECO-S.Assignment of the marks is based uponcompliance with the requirements forenvironmental ship safety specified by IMO,maritime administrations and theinternational maritime industry. Moreover,some of the provisions in the additionalrequirements are more stringent than those ofvalid international regulations.

Additional technical measures are taken toprevent atmospheric pollution from the mainengine, boilers and other systems discharge,which contain harmful substances and to

Russian Registertakes lead in oil and

gas projectsThe Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) has been

involved in a significant number of oil and gas projects, including the recently completed Varandey oil offloading terminal.

Sovcomflot’s Vasily Dinkov

seen loading at Varandey’sfixed offshore ice-resistantoffloading terminal(FOIROT).



prevent pollution of the marine environmentwith cargo residues, bilge water and sewage,waste and oil, as well as to prevent thetransfer of harmful pathogens within ballastwater.

"The ECO and ECO-S ships are safer inrespect of the marine environment and areconsidered more credible by cargo owners,underwriters, flag state administrations andport authorities. Meeting the eco-requirementsallows a shipowner to demonstrate theadvantages of his or her ships", notedReshetov. However, it is up to the shipownerwhether to add the marks to his or her ship'sclass notation.

Arctic LNGCsAnother important issue in the developmentof the Arctic transport system is developmentof Arctic LNG carriers, capable of operatingall year round in a severe climate. LargeLNGCs are among the most high-techvessels afloat. Additional challenges duringthe design of Arctic LNGCs are connectedwith the extreme low temperatures andice impact.

Recently, the RS scientific and technicalcouncil focused on the development of newrules for ships carrying LNG. In collaborationwith the Krylov Research Institute, RS carriesout research aimed at the creation ofscientifically based standards and methods forthe regulation of operational and emergencyice strength of large Arctic gas carriers. Theresults of the research allow RS to performdesign appraisals of gas carriers with regard tothe ice and emergency hull strength. Tobenefit this sector of the industry, RS and ABSdecided to jointly develop classification rulesfor Arctic LNG carriers.

A common problem for all ships andstructures operating in the freezing conditionsis icing. RS has developed requirements forpolar class ships and their equipment tocomply with the distinguishing mark ANTI-ICE in the class notation. The mark isassigned to ships constructed and fitted withequipment to prevent icing.

Training of on board personnel andensuring proper labour conditions are amongthe key tasks to minimise the negativeinfluence of the human factor. The RS

researches, carried out in co-operation withthe leading scientific organisations, are basedupon the indirect method of human factorconsideration by shipping companies.

The consideration of the human factorthrough analysing the external influence whileperforming work, or making decisions allowsthe detection of problems, which becomeclearly evident during an accidentinvestigation. In co-operation with a numberof Russian scientific organisations, RS hasperformed research on quantitative assessmentof the human factor influence on the safety ofnavigation and on safety management system(SMS) improvement methods for shippingcompanies. RS specialists have developed andintroduced a procedure for self-assessment ofthe efficiency of the SMS implementation bya company.

"We understand that operating in thesevere climate imposes additionalrequirements for the crew. Therefore the RSspecialists are actively involved in thedevelopment of training courses, lecturing atmaritime academies and refresher courses",Reshetov explained. TO

Much of these vast energyreserves are located under theArctic ice, making bothproduction and exports

challenging. To develop these and other moreaccessible reserves, large scale industrial oiland gas projects are being implemented acrossRussia.

This strength of the country's energyindustry and its exports is helping the Russianmaritime sector enjoy a significantrenaissance, with a sustained period of growth

and development. The sector is beingtransformed with the emergence of new tradesand export markets, rapid fleet modernisationand the development of intermodal logistics.This is also providing a catalyst for portdevelopment and opportunities for shippingcompanies in the offshore sector.

Sovcomflot is at the forefront of thistransformation and is moving to providesupport for many of the huge industrial oil andgas projects that are emerging, as well aslooking to offer wider seaborne energy

solutions to Russia's energy industry. Already, Sovcomflot is contracted to

provide industrial shipping solutions forseveral of Russia's major oil and gas projects.The company's tankers are involved inprojects including the Barents Sea (Varandey,Prirazlomnoye and Shtokman LNG); theBaltic Sea (Baltic LNG); Russia's Far East(Sakhalin 1 and Sakhalin 2), as well as theBlack Sea (Burgas-Alexandropolis) andCaspian Sea (shuttle tanker operations). Suchprojects provide Sovcomflot with secure

Russia has the World’s largest proven gas reserves (25.2%* share of total) and 6.4%* pct of the world’s proven oil reserves.

Sovcomflot becomesthe world’s fifth

largest tanker concern



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employment for a significant number ofvessels and predictable revenues, with charterstypically covering periods of up to 25 years.

Involvement in these and other large scaleenergy projects, however, is only one facet ofthe unique business model being developed bySovcomflot president and ceo Sergey Frankand his team. This business model envisagesthe full integration of Sovcomflot within theenergy supply chain, as a means of providinglong-term business sustainability andshareholder value. The focus is on providingspecialist vessels, logistics and expertise, toensure the reliable and safe movement of oiland gas by sea.

Business transformationIn addition to it traditional shipping activities,Sovcomflot is diversifying its business intorelated areas. This is changing to compriseowning and operating offshore supply vesselsand offshore floating storage facilities, inaddition to offering more traditional shippingservices. The group also plans to own andoperate offloading vessels, as well as tomanage and operate port terminals.

The transformation of Sovcomflot underSergey Frank, a former Russian TransportMinister, gained new momentum inDecember 2007, when Sovcomflot mergedwith Novorossiysk Shipping Company(Novoship). Overnight, a new Russianshipping champion was established as well asthe world's fifth largest tanker company bytonnage (also No 1 in MR type tankers; No 2in Aframax tanker and No 1 in Arctic shuttle

and ice-class LNG carriers). The merger left Sovcomflot with a fleet of

130 vessels totaling 9.3 mill dwt. The averageage of the tankers is just six years - one of theyoungest age profiles in the industry. This ageprofile is set to be sustained over the next fewyears as 30 vessels currently on order aredelivered - adding a further 2.9 mill dwt to thegroup's fleet.

Since the merger with Novoship,Sovcomflot has moved to streamline itsbusiness activities. In July 2008, thecommercial operations of both fleets started tooperate as a single entity. A unifiedinternational chartering operation wasestablished and this is now being run from theSovcomflot (UK) offices in London.Opportunities for synergies with purchasingand supplies are already being pursued, as is asharing of best practice across theorganisation. Sovcomflot is also working ondeveloping a unified corporate style for theenlarged group of companies.

Innovative tankersOn the operations side, the group has recentlyintroduced a number of technologicallyadvanced vessels. They include Grand Anivaand Grand Elena, ice-class liquefied naturalgas (LNG) carriers each able to transport up to145,000 cu m of methane. Built in Japan, theycan withstand ice of up to 40 cm thick,enabling year-round exports of LNG from theSakhalin-2 project, in Russia's Far East, toJapan, South Korea and Baja California(Mexico).

Other additions to the fleet include VasilyDinkov and Kapitan Gotsky, 70,000 dwt Arcticshuttle tankers. They are the first of two in aseries of three being built for Sovcomflot.With a double, ice-enhanced, hull structurethey can break ice of up to 1.5 m thick, at aspeed of two knots and are the first ships oftheir size that can transport oil from the Arcticwaters throughout the winter. Theseinnovative vessels are helping to makepossible year-round access to the hydrocarbonreserves of Russia's northern regions.

Effective operationsIn shipmanagement, Sovcomflot is in theprocess of implementing a plan to achieve asignificant ongoing reduction in its fleetoperating costs and emissions. AlthoughSovcomflot has a modern fleet and operateswithin the provisions of the 1997 MARPOLprotocol on ship emissions, through acombination of reduced fuel consumption,improved shipmanagement techniques and theapplication of new technology, further cuts infleet emissions and operating costs have beenidentified that make both environmental andcommercial sense.

In parallel with steps to further improve theefficiency and environmental impact of itsoperations, Sovcomflot has reaffirmed itscommitment to safety in all its activities. Thegroup has an initiative called Safety ComesFirst (SCF) 2010, which is designed toachieve the highest standards of safety at seawith a focus on crew and operational safety.Underlying the concept is a rigorousprogramme of training that starts from the firststage of cadet selection, through to theongoing professional development of our mostsenior seafarers.

Aside from transforming its operations -Sovcomflot is committed to strengthening itscorporate procedures and governance. Thegroup has placed a high priority onmaintaining clear and effective governanceprocedures, to best practice standards. Thiscommitment was underlined by theappointment of four independent directors tothe group’s supervisory board earlier this year.

The example of Sovcomflot is indicative ofthe way Russia's maritime sector is beingtransformed from a collection of shippingcompanies and associated businesses, to asector that offers modern, intermodal andeffective transportation solutions that meet thecurrent and foreseeable needs of the country'sexporters and customers worldwide.

*Source: 2008 BP Statistical Review of WorldEnergy.



TO

Sovcomflot is working on a unified corporate style for the enlarged group.

PRISCO in expansive mood

Primorsk Shipping Corp (PRISCO) is the third largest Russian tanker operator, given that the merger between Sovcomflot and Novoship will not affect their respective fleet operations thus far.



Today, PRISCO owns 19 tankers of1.5 mill dwt in total and hasanother 15 newbuildings of 1.2mill dwt, of which seven 51,000

dwt Ice Class 1A FS product tankernewbuildings were given the LR classnotation Winterisation D(-25).

Of the 19 in service, 15 are ice class. Thecompany also has four offshore vessels in twojoint ventures.

A couple of month's ago, PRISCO'sGovernor Farkhutdinov delivered the firstcargo of crude oil this year from Molikpakplatform to a partner within the Sakhalin-2project. The tanker loaded 100,000 tonnes ofcrude oil at Vityaz terminal and sailed for theSouth Korean discharge terminal at Ulsan.

Since 2000, PRISCO's vessels havebeen shipping oil from the Piltun-Astokhskoefield under a long term timecharteragreement concluded with project operator

Sakhalin Energy.When the new oil export terminal in

Prigorodnoe comes on stream, two ice classedAframaxes Governor Farkhutdinov andSakhalin Island, both equipped with bowloading systems, will begin to transport oilfrom a single point mooring 24/7.

For the past two years, PRISCO tankershave carried crude oil not only from theVityaz production complex during the summermonths but also from the ENL-controlled De-Kastri marine terminal all year round. During2007 the company also took delivery of two166,000 dwt Suezmaxes.

In addition, in co-operation with Japanesecompanies Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) andKawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Prisco wona tender to ship liquefied natural gas. Aconsortium MOL/K Line/PRISCO was formedto operate the new LNGC Grand Mereya.

Under a contract concluded with Sakhalin

Energy to operate within the Sakhalin-2project, the consortium has built the LNGC atMitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding in Japan.The vessel, which joined the fleet this year, isof 147,200 cu m carrying capacity with anice-strengthened hull.

Following privatisation, PRISCO embarkedupon an extensive newbuilding programmethrough 2011. When all new vessels aredelivered, the total deadweight of PRISCO'sfleet will be over 2 mill tonnes.

During 2008 - 2009, six tankers of 104,000dwt each will be built at Hyundai HeavyIndustries and another seven product carriersof 51,000 dwt each at STX shipyard. Theseare in addition to two Suezmaxes ordered fordelivery in 2010. All of the smaller producttankers will be classed by Lloyd's Register asWinterisation D(-25). They will transport oiland chemical products worldwide.

The six Aframax newbuilding series will be

PRISCO’s FleetSeries No Built DWT TypeMoskalvo 3 1998 46,300 Product/chemical (LR)Partizansk 4 1998-1990 3,100 Ice Class (MRS)Samotlor 1 1975 17,700 Ice Class (MRS)Kapitan Yershov 1 1985 17,600 Product, Ice Class (MRS)Primorye 1 2000 105,000 Crude/product/Ice Class (DNV)Sakhalin Island 2 2004 108,000 Crude/product/Ice Class (DNV)Pavel Chernych 3 2005 101,000 Crude/product/Ice Class (DNV)Prisco Mizar 2 2007 166,500 Crude/Ice Class (DNV)Zaliv Amerika 2 2008 104,500 Crude/product/Ice Class (DNV)

NewbuildingsZaliv Amerika 4 2009 104,500 Crude/product/Ice Class (DNV)Prisco Alexandra 7 2008-2010 51,000 Product/chemical/Ice Class/

Winterisation (LRS)Suezmax 2 2010 166,000 Crude/(DNV)

PRISCO also has interests in offshore support vessels through joint ventures and is part of aconsortium that operates the 147,200 cu m LNGC Grand Mereya.



named after Far Eastern bays. These tankerswill be DNV Ice Class 1C. Thus far, two havebeen delivered this year - Zaliv Amerika andZaliv Amurskiy. They are long term charteredto transport oil and oil products between portsin Southeast Asia, Alaska and the West CoastUS. The next two tankers - Zaliv Vostok andZaliv Baikal - to be delivered in January nextyear, are fitted with coated cargo tanks. Thisallows the tankers to transport wide range ofcargoes, including light oils.

PRISCO also carries out its own charteringstrategy with an emphasis on active

participation in the Sakhalin projects. The company takes care of its own

personnel training and operates an educationaltraining centre. The PRISCO Training Centre(PTC) is one of the few maritime educationalestablishments in Russia officially registeredwith the IMO and listed in the IMOCompendium of Maritime Training Institutes.

PTC's specialists have a high qualificationand a broad experience of teaching, thecompany said. The centre is equipped with themodern full-scale simulators and providestraining in accordance with international

standards. After participating in the courses,seafarers receive both national andinternational standard certificates.

The centre has been equipped with aTransas engine room simulator 'ERS - 4100'.This is the latest development from Transasdesigned to educate and train marineengineers in the operation of the engine roommachinery and watchkeeping of vesselshaving a high level of automation.

The majority of the current fleet is managedout of Singapore by subsidiary PRISCO(Singapore) Pte Ltd.

One of a series of sixnewbuilding Aframaxes,Zaliv Amerika wasdelivered this year.Photo- Lloyd’s Register/PRISCO.

TO

Prisco invests in condition monitoring systemThis year, PRISCO awarded acontract to Rovsing Dynamicsto implement the Danishcompany's OPENpredictorbearing wear monitoringsystem.Speaking at a seminar organised byRovsing at the recent Hamburg SMMexhibition, PRISCO technical directorKonstantin Globenko explained that anymain engine damage would lead to a longand costly repair. "It is better to prevent theproblem than solve it," he said.

Planned maintenance systems tend to betime-based, but not condition monitoring-based. Between inspections the condition ofthe mechanics tended not to be properlycontrolled, thus any potential problemscould not be predicted and prevented.

With a time-based maintenance system, atechnical superintendent does not reallywork in a preventative type methodology.He said that the periodical inspection of themain engine and its components could itselflead to damage due to incorrectmaintenance, or assembly. "It is better notto touch the mechanisms if they are in goodcondition," he explained.

He also said that PRISCO is trying to beon the arrowhead of modern technology andlooking to change its policy from amaintenance strategy to one of condition-based monitoring to avoid open-up typeinspections. By fitting a bearing controlmonitoring system, efficiency should beincreased as well as the safety of the fleet.

Installation of the system on thenewbuildings will be undertaken during the

vessels' construction. PRISCO believed thatutilisation of modern technologies wasincreasing the efficiency and safety ofcompany's fleet.

Installing such as system also means thetraining of the crew to operate it. Here,PRISCO undertakes office training for thetechnical department ashore and on boardtraining.

PRISCO will initially install bearingcondition monitoring systems on eight IceClass newbuildings - two 166,000 dwtSuezmaxes and six 104,000 dwtAframaxes. The larger vessels will befitted with 6-cylinder MAN engines, whilethe smaller units will be powered by 7-cylinder MAN diesels.

The tankers will be delivered between2008-2010.

Winner -Seatrade Middle East &Indian Subcontinent Awards 2007 -Ship Agent Of The Year.

Finalist -Seatrade Middle East& Indian Subcontinent Awards2008 - Ship Agent Of The Year.


TECHNOLOGY - ICE CLASS TANKERS

Class breaking the ice

The world’s leading class societies have gained considerable experience working with vessels, owners and operators in ice conditions, most notably in the Baltic,

US and Canada and what is known as the ‘high north’, for example the Barents Sea.

Various initiatives are underway,most notably the IACS UnifiedRules (UR) for Polar Class ships,introduced earlier this year.

Guidelines have been published and manytechnical papers written on the subject ofvessel operations in harsh weather conditions.In this article, we looked at a few of theproblems being discussed by the classsocieties.

In conjunction with BMT Fleet Technology,US-based class society American Bureau ofShipping (ABS) recently held a series oflectures in Ottawa to an invited audiencecomprising the Canadian Navy and CoastGuard and other government agencies withinterests in Arctic shipping operations.

One of the points made was that this year,some 10% of the world's tanker fleet isexpected to be ice class, compared with just3% in 1992. Among the key regulations thatare changing the face of Arctic shipping wasthe introduction of the IACS Unified Rules(UR) for Polar Class ships and the FinnishSwedish Ice Class Rules (Baltic Rules).

ABS Corporate Technology team discussedhow risk assessment was helpful inconsidering novel applications for existingsystems, such as adapting LNGCs for Arcticservice.

The class society explained that it haddeveloped advanced concepts analysis toolsand techniques for identifying risks,evaluating likely scenarios and assessingconsequences associated with such operations.In addition, ABS and the Russian MaritimeRegister of Shipping are jointly developingclass rules for Arctic LNGCs under a wideranging co-operation agreement between thetwo IACS members.

The Ottawa course also featured lectures onice classes and regulatory regimes, ship-iceinteraction mechanics, ice strengthening rules,including the new IACS UR, winterisation

challenges, propulsion issues, routeing, andoperations in ice, plus performance definition.

The announcement was made during the 4thAnnual Arctic Shipping 2008 InternationalConference & Seminar held in St Petersburgearlier this year.

"We made the strategic decision that it wasin the best interest of industry to combine ourshared experience and technical expertise toaddress the need for guidance with thesecarriers in the Arctic, especially at a timewhen gas transport from the Arctic regions ofRussia will increase over the next few years,"said Roger Basu, director, ABS corporateresearch & product development.

Principal elementsThe principal elements in ice strengtheningLNGC design are - strengthening of the hull;the interaction of the hull structure with thecontainment system; minimum propulsionpower requirements and strength of thepropeller.

ABS' ice class research on non-linear finiteelement analysis of side structures subject to iceloads, which led to the issuance ofcomprehensive guidance notes on Ice Class,provides a methodology for studying the impactof ice loads on LNG containment systems.

At the recent Gastech 2008 conference, inBangkok, ABS presented its approach tocombining ice class rules with directcalculations for the design of Arctic LNGC propulsion.

RS' expertise is in the investigation into thepermissible service conditions for operation inheavy ice (see page 31). Simulation of thepotentially dangerous ice-through sailingpattern, as summarised from the integratedpractical experience of operation in theRussian Arctic, is normally applied to ships ofhigh ice class using ice damage statisticsanalysis, ice load assessment and advancedultimate capacity assessment.

Development of the joint rules for arcticLNGCs allows ABS and RS to shareexperiences gained in Russian, Canadian andUS Arctic waters. This collaboration bringstogether RS extensive experience withRussian Arctic transportation and ABSexperience with operations in the BeaufortSea and the Canadian Arctic. Combined withadvanced technology using risk analysis,testing and computational methods, this willprovide the basis for the new criteria. (seeTANKEROperator, April, page 51)

Vladimir Evenko, RS' vice-generaldirector, commented; "Safe operation oflarge LNGCs in the Russian Arctic is a verycomplicated and challenging issue, with anumber of technical, functional, legal andenvironmental aspects to be duly addressed.The combination of two societies'experience, gained through the decades, ismost advantageous and an effective way tocreate a regulatory framework that is bothcomprehensive and user friendly, with a viewto meeting demand for Arctic LNGC designs in the nearest future. The ABS/RSbilateral co-operation, being of a strategicnature, will therefore be focused on research and developments in terms of thejoint Rules."

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has beendeveloping standards for ice class shippingsince 1881. Risk management in cold climatesrequires both owners and charterers tounderstand the challenges involved, the classsociety said.

Typical hazards include -� Understanding the operational risks and

how to specify vessels has to be based on knowledge and experience.

� Hull overstress - lack of good ice reports/routeing; ice restrictions versus commercial pressures on the masters; is it possible for bridge personnel to confirm that they are operating the vessels within

its design limits in darkness combined with almost zero visibility, for example during fog, or heavy snow falls?

� Propulsion failure - stuck in ice, crushing of hull or drifting aground; lack of sufficient icebreaker assistance.

� Far from shore-based assistance and rescue services; need for additional spare parts, redundancy and crew members?

� Risk of collision - experience has shown that when ships are using the same ice channel, there is an increasing risk of collision.

� Extreme ambient temperatures down to - 50 deg C - heating capacity for accommodation and engine rooms, freezing ballast and water lines, operation of hydraulic and mechanical devices, malfunction of fire equipment, low temperature material quality, protection of personnel working outdoors, what happens in the case of a black out?

� Icing - caused by freezing sea spray at low temperatures in open waters. Stability, safety functions, cargo operations, etc.

� Evacuation and emergency response - free fall and conventional lifeboats are not suitable.

� Crew fatigue - 24-hour darkness, low temperatures, noise/vibration from ice, additional workload.

� Lack of experienced people, safe operation in cold climates requires competent and experienced people.

DNV said that simulator training is notenough. To be able to 'read' the ice, long and

practical exposure to the wide range ofdifferent ice and weather conditions isnecessary. Are there a sufficient number ofsuch people available, DNV asked?

The Oslo-based class society investssubstantial sums in order to maintain itsposition as the lead society in cold climateoperations. Prioritised R&D areas over thenext few years include -� Integration of human response measures in

Arctic operations.� Evaluation of emergency evacuation from

vessels and platforms in the Arctic.� Prediction of effects of extreme ice features

on vessels, platforms and pipelines.� Assessment of safe and effective ship

operations in Arctic ice conditions.� Decision, support systems for

environmental response and management in the Arctic.

� Improved method for predicting ice accretion.

Explaining the class society's involvement atthe recent SMM exhibition in Hamburg DNVMaritime coo Tor Svensen said that therecently detected record low level of Arcticice cover will make this area available forshipping activity at an earlier stage thanpreviously predicted. Thus new opportunitieswill be created - new opportunities thatrequire a new approach to safety.

"Since we foresee increasing shippingactivity in the northernmost waters, we cannotcontinue to build on our traditional safetyapproach. There are additional hazards in theArctic compared with any existing sea routes

and the consequences of failure are greater.We have to be proactive, and we have toprepare for a safety regime that focuses on thetechnical as well as the human elements. Wehave to build new barriers of safety in order toreduce risks," he said.

Satellite pictures taken in early Septembershow the lowest extent of ice cover everdetected in the Arctic. The anticipatedindustrial activity relating to mining, fossilfuel extraction, industrial scale fishing andincreased shipping in the region is growing.Arctic Circle nations like Canada, Denmark,Norway, Russia and the US have alsoincreased their focus on the underseaeconomic zones.

Within the next four to six years, about thesame time span needed to plan and build anicebreaker, the Arctic region will havechanged significantly, opening up businessopportunities for forward-thinking members ofthe shipping industry.

"The speed of this development is fasterthan at any time before, and we all have to beaware of how soon Arctic opportunities willmaterialise. There will be businessopportunities, but since the environment inthis part of the globe is very vulnerable andboth the vessels themselves and the humansoperating them experience a high level ofstress, we have to reduce risk to a minimum,"Svensen said.

Svensen confirmed that DNV has takenaction to boost its Arctic-related classactivities. "We are increasing our classcompetence relating to construction, design,



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equipment, manning and navigation standards.We are also looking more closely atcontingency planning and preparednessstandards, vessel routeing measures, reportingsystems and traffic services."

Some 1,900 vessels carry DNV ice classnotations, including the four highest-specification LNGCs currently in operation.

TrainingSafe cold-climate shipping operations entailmore than just ice-strengthened and winterisedships. Relevant conditional crew training isone of the largest accident risk reducers in thesector. DNV said that its Ice NavigationStandard meets this issue head-on byproviding competence requirements for shipofficers responsible for ice navigation.

While the IMO has now included arequirement for specially trained and qualifiedice navigators in its guidelines for shipsoperating in Arctic ice-covered waters,specifications for the competencies needed tofulfil these roles are not provided.

"The standard will assist the maritimeindustry in training, recruiting and assessingofficers who can safely pilot ships through ice.

Maritime training centres can use it as a guidefor developing courses in ice navigation,which DNV can in turn certify against thestandard," said DNV SeaSkill project engineerSteven Sawhill speaking in Hamburg.

DNV SeaSkill developed the standard incollaboration with ice navigation experts fromaround the world, including representativesfrom all of the Arctic rim countries. Theprocess began in August 2007 with a workinggroup session hosted by the Finnish MaritimeAuthority, followed by additional meetings inCanada in March 2008. DNV circulated draftsof the competence standard among some 95experts for further review and input beforefinalising it for publication in October 2008.

According to a report, the setting of highstandards in bridge resource management andthe selection and training of crew can reducethe risk of accidents involving collision,grounding, fire and explosion by 44%. Thiswas, by far, the highest single factor for riskreduction in the entire study.

Basically, DNV SeaSkill developed acompetency standard for navigating in ice andrevised the existing standard for marinesimulator systems to include simulation of

ice navigation. Training providers can use it as a guide for

developing courses, which DNV can in turncertify against the standard.

In close co-operation with DNV and othercommercial partners, the Ship ManoeuvringSimulator Centre based at Trondheim hasdeveloped advanced mathematical models forthe realistic visualisation of ice for real timesimulation. The mathematical models wereincorporated into the simulator for physicaland visual presentation.

A major challenge was to find the correctalgorithms for ice behaviour in contact with avessel or structure. The theoreticaldevelopments were carried out at theNorwegian University of Science andTechnology (NTNU).

DNV has supported this initiative withfinance and competence. The simulation tasksand manoeuvring training in different iceconditions will be more realistic for thoseinvolved with port operations, icemanagement, different loading conditions indrift ice and manoeuvring in a convoy.

DNV was also the first class society todevelop the Winterisation notation. This



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comes at three levels - 1) Winterised Basic - Vessels operating in

cold climates for limited periods where there is a risk of icing.

2) Winterised Cold - Vessels with Baltic ice class operating in cold climates for longer periods.

3) Winterised Arctic - Vessel with higher ice class including additional requirements to reduce the consequence of a possible accident and operating in harsh Arctic environments for longer periods.

The difference is that Ice Class will dealwith a vessels needs below the waterline,while Winterisation takes care of additionalrequirements above the waterline.

DNV has also developed a system tomonitor ice loads acting on a hull, presentingthe results as a 'utilisation factor' on the bridgeas a display. The ice loads are measured byfibre optic strain sensors and together with themachinery and navigational data is displayedon the bridge, or stored in a computer.

The system also uses satellite-based iceinformation displayed in electronic format forroute planning purposes.

In addition, the Norwegian Ministry ofForeign Affairs has invited DNV to lead aproject to harmonise industry standards forhealth, safety and the environment in theBarents Sea.

It is being funded by the Ministry under theso called 'Barents 2020 Programme' in co-operation with Russian interests in the area.Its goal is to recommend international industrystandards for the safe production andtransportation of petroleum in the Barents Sea,harmonised between Russian and Norwegianwaters.

Lloyd's Register’s (LR) technicalpublication Ice Focus carried warnings forseafarers and for owners and managers aboutwhat materials to use for vessels in harshconditions.

Seafarers can suffer sunburn and snowblindness in conditions of clear air caused bythe sun's ultraviolet rays. Wind chill is anotherfactor. It can drastically increase the effect ofsub-zero temperatures, for example atemperature of - 25 deg C can feel like - 40deg C in a wind of 40 knots, LR said.

Such extreme conditions, coupled withperpetual light or darkness, depending on theseason, can impair judgement and increasefatigue. It is estimated that the time taken tocarry out a task doubles with each 10 deg Cdrop in temperature below zero.

To guard against these problems, the crewmust be equipped with proper layers ofclothing and protective equipment, such as

sunglasses. Seafarers work schedules andmanning levels must be adjusted to takeaccount of the cold environment.

Vessels entering or leaving ice coveredareas may encounter heavy seas in the higherlatitudes. Furthermore, there are long hours ofintense concentration on the bridge when in aconvoy working with an icebreaker, or othervessels.

Ice can also build up on deck, rigging andsuperstructure adding significant more weightto the ship and making it top heavy, affectingstability and manoeuvrability. Below thewaterline, ice can block inlet and intake pipesand impede and damage the rudders andpropellers.

Deck equipment, such as winches andanchors can become covered in ice, while lowtemperatures freezes water and sometimeslubricants in pipes. Both life saving and firefighting equipment should be protected toensure their operation in an emergency, LR said.

There are three basic principal methods toprotect a vessel against ice. These are -heating, covering and manual ice removal.The latter can be achieved by using shovels,scrapers and mallets, as well as sand, grit andsalt, or even high powered steam jets.Sensitive equipment should be protected bycovers and/or heating.

Special attention should also be paid to thematerials used on deck in low temperaturesand to the hydraulic fluids, oil grease andlubricants selected.

As for the materials selected for the hull,these should be in accordance with Section 1of IACS UR S6 based on a lowest mean dailyaverage temperature of - 10 deg C, which isconsidered normal for worldwide service.

A normal vessel's hull is constructed of

Grade A steel. However, it has been found thatGrade A steel can behave in a brittle fashioneven at 0 deg C, which was recorded at thetime of an investigation into a crackingincident on board a bulk carrier.

LR warned that it should not be assumedthat IACS UR S6 written for vessels hullsbased on a design temperature of - 10 deg C,can be used for vessels expected to operate inlower temperatures.

Such assumptions are not helped byinconsistencies within different IACSrequirements. For example, the IACSCommon Structural Rules for tanker specifiesa design temperature of at least - 15 deg C,based upon the definition of 'lowest dailymean' air temperature, which is different toIACS UR S6 design temperature.

Many designers also specify an 'extrememinimum' air design temperature, which iseasier to understand than the IACS definition.However, it does not specify a period overwhich the vessel is allowed to operate at thattemperature.

IACS UR S6 includes Section 2 - Structuresexposed to low air temperatures - which iswritten for the lowest mean daily averagedesign temperatures of - 20 deg C and below,requirements that are considered too severefor this grade of steel by many who point tosuccess with icebreakers constructed to rulesspecifying a lower grade of steel.

Even with the recently introduced IACSPolar Ship Rules there are difficulties, LRsaid. For example, the design temperature isnot specified when determining steel grades.They are specified by thickness and locationof the structural member and by the ice class.

To make matters worse, the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules only specify the needfor increased strength. There are no toughness



Heavy icing and heavy weather can badly affect a crew’s morale. Photo – Lloyd’s Register.


requirements specified. Indeed, the guidancenotes accompanying the Rules state that adesign ambient air temperature of - 20 deg Capplied to the Baltic, but again no definitionof design temperature is made.

According to LR's Ice Focus, the new PolarShip Rules tend to make Section 2 of IACSUR S6 redundant and it is being suggestedthat it should be deleted. This would simplifythe requirements to two documents - IACSUR S6 for lowest mean daily average designair temperatures down to - 10 deg C forworldwide service, including the Baltic andbelow this design temperature, the existingPolar Ship Rules should apply.

To achieve uniformity, both the IACStanker and bulker Common Structural Rulesshould be amended to reflect the requirementsof IACS UR S6.

The selection of materials becomes morecomplex when considering deck equipment incolder conditions. These include mooringequipment, windlasses, deck piping, lifeboatsand davits, plus deck cranes.

Deck equipment materials are obviouslymore varied in type and composition than hullstructural materials and often experience amore severe reaction to colder temperatures.For example, low alloy steels used in someequipment will have a higher ductile to brittletransition temperature than the hull structural

carbon manganese steels. This ductile to brittle transition temperature

is a phenomenon of ferritic steels and is thetemperature below which the material isconsidered brittle, which represents anincreased risk of a catastrophic failure.

Many materials standards exist providingguidance on the materials selection process forlow temperature operations. For example, EN13852-1:2004 Offshore Cranes and if requiredLR said that it could provide assistance inoptimising the materials used.

LR said that the answers to the materialsquestion are known, but it is just a matter ofimplementation.

As for the Rules, there are a diverse raft ofice class rules and regulations and an efforthas been made to harmonise theserequirements internationally. This processbegan in the early 1990s and is in the finalstages of completion. A number of interestedparties formed and developed working groups,which resulted in the development of the IMOGuidelines for Ships Operating in Arctic Ice-Covered Waters, which was promulgated inDecember 2002 as a joint MSC/MEPCcircular.

The guidelines are divided intoconstruction, equipment, operational andenvironmental protection sections. Tomaintain the delicate balance between

organisations, the IMO Guidelines do notcontain detailed technical requirements.

These have been developed by increasingthe working groups to include members fromindustry, academic, research communities andrepresentatives from class societies. Thisformed the basis for the development of theIACS Unified Requirements for Polar Ships.

One working group was formed forstructural requirements and one for machineryrequirements. The resulting rules are dividedinto three sets of unified requirements - UR I1(Polar Class Descriptions and Application);UR I2 (Structural Requirements for PolarClass Ships); UR I3 (Machinery Requirementsfor Polar Class Ships).

UR 12 includes strength requirements basedon a glancing impact with an ice floe todetermine plating and framing structuralrequirements. In addition, global hull girderlongitudinal strength assessment is madebased on an ice ramming scenario.Furthermore, it contains materialrequirements, corrosion/abrasion allowancesand welding requirements.

UR I3 provides requirements for propellers,based on ice piece impact, as well asmachinery requirements to ensure operation inlow temperatures and ice. LR said that theIACS Polar Ship Rules provide a significantstep in the harmonisation of the rules.


Materials selectionbecomes morecomplex whenconsidering deckequipment in colderconditions. Photo -Lloyd’sRegister/PRISCO.

TO

We care how we carryWe carry over 40 million tons of crude oil and oil prod-ucts every year. This means over 4,000 port calls. De-spite impressive figures we never take a single operationas a routine. We are not only responsible to our custom-ers, but also to people living on the Baltic Sea area. Ourexpertise and our values are sound. We do not take risks.

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Sovcomflot’sAframax SC

altica wasrecentlyoperating fromPrimorsk to theUS east coast.

Although exports have traditionallydepended upon pipelines and rail,the use of new technology andinnovations in tanker design are

making year-round exports by sea anattractive option - even in Arctic waters.

Sovcomflot, Russia's largest shippingcompany, is investing heavily in building afleet of ice class tankers to serve a number ofmajor Russian industrial oil and gas projects.The company is turning to shipyards inRussia, Japan and South Korea for thenecessary new tonnage. Three of Sovcomflot'sindustrial shipping projects involving the useof ice class vessels are profiled here.

PrirazlomnoyeLocated in the Barents Sea off NorthernRussia, Prirazlomnoye is an offshore oil field.In 2005, Gazprom, Sovcomflot andSevmorneftegaz agreed to co-operate toprovide the transportation to enable seaborneexports from Prirazlomnoye to start in 2011.

Sovcomflot subsequently concluded a 25-

year time charter with Sevmorneftegaz. Thisprovides for the transportation oil from thePrirazlomnoye offshore field to a floatingstorage and offloading vessel (FSO) mooredoff Murmansk, or to oil refineries in NorthernEurope. It is anticipated that the maximumannual volume of oil shipments will amount to6.5 mill tonnes.

To serve Prirazlomnoye, Sovcomflotordered two 70,000 tonne dwt double actingArctic shuttle tankers from the AdmiraltyShipyard in Russia. The vessels are due fordelivery in 2009. The order by Sovcomflot isthe largest one in Russian commercialshipbuilding history. It is also the first time aRussian yard is incorporating ABB's Azipod

propulsion system. Each vessel will beequipped with two 8.5 MW Azipod unitsenabling them to operate at 3 knots, in firstyear ice of up to 1.2 m thick.

The vessels have a length overall of 259 m,a moulded breadth of 34 m and a draft of 14m. They are being built to dual classificationstandards (Russian Maritime Register ofShipping and Lloyd's Register, including LU61A Super Ice Class).

Sakhalin 2Sakhalin 2 is the world's largest integrated oiland gas project and it is being constructedfrom new on Sakhalin Island, in the sub-Arctic region of Russia's Far East. The projectis backed by Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui andMitsubishi and incorporates Russia's firstLiquefied Natural Gas plant and associatedexport facilities.

In 2004, a Japanese-Russian consortiumwas established by NYK and Sovcomflot toship LNG from the Prigorodnoye terminalnear Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russia, to Japan,

Sovcomflot cutsthe ice

Russian exports ofhydrocarbons are playingan increasingly important

role in meeting globalenergy demand.

Vasily Dinkov s bowloading feature canclearly be seen whileloading at Varandey.

South Korea and Baja California (Mexico).Orders were placed with Mitsubishi HeavyIndustries in Japan for two ice class LNGCs,fitted with four Moss-type spherical tanks,providing a total cargo capacity of 145,000 cum. The vessels, Grand Elena and GrandAniva were delivered in October 2007 andJanuary 2008 respectively and are due tobegin exporting LNG from Sakhalin 2 duringthe first quarter of 2009. They are eachengaged on 20 year timecharters.

The vessels are the most technologicallyadvanced within the Sovcomflot fleet and areamong only a few vessels of a similarspecification and capability in the World. Eachvessel is of 123,000 grt, 36,900 nrt and 71,200dwt. Their LOA is 288 m, moulded breadth is49 m, depth is 26.8 m and draught is 11.5 m.They are each powered by a steam turbinegenerating 23,600 kW, enabling a servicespeed of 19.5 knots (LNG boil-off gas will beused as a primary fuel source).

They are classified 1C and can operate inbroken ice of up to 40 cm thick. The bridge ofeach vessel is fully enclosed, makingnavigation easier for their crews in conditionswhere outdoor temperatures of minus 25 degC are experienced. Their cargo tanks areconstructed using several aluminium layers,insulated with polyurethane. In addition, an airbubbling system has been fitted to the sidewater ballast tanks and forward ballast tank ofeach ship. This facilitates safe ballastingoperations in severe cold weather conditions.

A special paint, specifically developed forships operating in sea ice, has been applied tothe outside shell surface of each vessel, fromone metre below the light ballast waterline tothe scantling draft. This is designed to meetthe challenges of operating in extreme lowtemperature conditions, to resist severe iceabrasion on the vessels' hull and to help avoidice adhesion.

VarandeyPort Varandey is located on the Barents Seacoast of Russia's Arctic region. It is the exportterminal for Naryanmarneftegaz, a jointventure between Lukoil and ConocoPhillips,operating in the Timan-Pechora oil producingprovince of Northern Russia. Varandeyincorporates a new offshore oil exportterminal, which has a throughput capacity ofup to 12 mill tonnes of oil per annum(240,000 barrels per day).

Oil is transported from the wells in Timan-Pechora through a new 159 km heatedpipeline (530 mm in diameter) to theVarandey terminal. It is then piped to a fixedoffshore ice-resistant oil terminal (FOIROT),from where it is loaded onto speciallydesigned 70,000 dwt ice-breaker shuttletankers, owned and operated by Sovcomflot.The oil is exported to the European and NorthAmerican markets.

With an investment of $450 mill,Sovcomflot is providing three 70,000 tonnedwt ice-breaker Arctic shuttle tankers. The

vessels were ordered from Samsung HeavyIndustries in South Korea and are all to beengaged on a timecharter toNaryanmarneftegaz. Vasily Dinkov wasdelivered on 1st January 2008 and enteredservice in June 2008. Her maiden voyage wasto the Canadian port of Come by Chance. Thesecond vessel in the series - Kapitan Gotsky -was delivered at the end of May 2008.

The Vasily Dinkov type of vessels areclassified to 1A Super ice-class (Russian LU 6)and each is fitted with two Azipod propulsionunits, delivering a total power output of 20MW and giving a service speed of 16 knots inopen water. Their LOA is 256 m, mouldedbreadth is 34 m, depth is 21 m and draft is 14m. The vessels have double, ice-strengthenedhulls, enabling them to break ice of up to 1.5 mthick, at a speed of three knots.

A special hardened coating, appropriate toice-breaking, is applied to the vessel's hull.This meets the challenges of operating inextreme low temperature conditions, resistssevere ice abrasion and helps to avoid iceadhesion.

The vessels are fitted with many specialfeatures that enable them to operate intemperatures of minus 40 deg C. Theseinclude a fully-enclosed navigating bridge, aswell as winterisation systems that enable theiranchors, sea-chests, lifeboat and upper deck tofunction in sub-zero conditions. They alsohave a steam heating system to facilitate safeballasting in frozen waters.



TO



Next year sees the delivery oftwo unique single deck designdouble acting Ice Class tankers.The 70,000 dwt vessels are under constructionat the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburgfor Sovcomflot who concluded a 25-yearcharter to operate a shuttle service in theBarents Sea/Pechora Sea, taking oil fromPrirazlomnoye to an FSO stationed in KolaBay, near Murmansk.

Each vessel will be fitted with a diesel-electric propulsion plant powered by fourWartsila 6L46C generators, developing 6,300kW each, connected to ABB electric motorsdriving twin Azipod propulsors developing 8.5MW each.

They will also be fitted with a dynamicpositioning system, a bow loading facility anda raised helicopter platform on deck. Theywere designed by Aker Arctic, which was alsoresponsible for Neste's DAT tankers Masteraand Tempera.

The tankers have been designed to carry upto three grades of cargo up to 1.025 tonnes percu m density simultaneously, including crudeoil, product and gas condensate (natural).

They are being built with double bottoms,double sides and a longitudinal bulkhead inthe centre line of the cargo tanks area.

When operating conventionally bow first,their free running speed will be around 16knots. However, when icebreaking operatingstern first, they will be capable of not lessthan 3 knots in 1.2 m thick ice.

Transas has won the contract to supply thefull complement of radio-navigationalequipment to the two vessels.

The set includes radio communicationequipment for GMDSS area A4, two radarsfor extreme temperature - 45 deg C, twoECDIS 3000-I systems, six Navi-Conninginformational displays (highlightinginformation about the ship's equipment on onedisplay), AIS, VDR, LOG, ECHOSOUNDER

and so on. They will also be fitted with a full set of

inter-communication systems (PABX, SPA,Talk-Back, Sound powered telephone),explosion proof CCTV for hazardous areas,satellite TV, and helicopter NDB.

They are classed jointly by Lloyd's Register(LR) and the Russian Maritime Register ofShipping (RS) to 1A Super and LU 6respectively.

They will comply with RS' latestrequirements for double-acting ships. LR willverify the structural and fatigue performanceof the hull structure and apply a series of classnotations for special features, includingdynamic positioning and the bow loadingsystem.

LR's Register's Environmental Protection

notation will also be assigned to indicate thatthe vessels comply with the highest standardsfor protective location of fuel oil tanks andother systems.

Both tankers are intended to serve thePrirazlomnoye oil production platform in thePechora Sea to transport oil to a floatingstorage and offloading unit (FSO) -Belokamenka - moored offshore nearMurmansk.

The Prirazlomnoye field is expected toproduce up to 7.5 mill tonnes of oil by 2012,and it is estimated that the field reserves forshuttle tanker operations will last 22 years.

According to Admiralty Shipyards, the firsttanker - Mikhail Ulyanov - will be deliverednext May to be followed by the second as yetunnamed vessel in December.

Revolutionary tanker duo take shape

Principal ParticularsIce Class Double Acting Tanker Project P 70046

Builder Admiralty ShipyardsOperator SovcomflotLength, overall 259 mLength, bp 230 mBeam 34 mDepth 21 mDraught 13.6 mSpeed, in open water 16 knSpeed, in ice* 3 knPropulsors 2 x ABB Azipod 8.5 MWPower generation 4 x Wartsila 6L46CGenerated power 4 x 6,300 kWAccommodation 35 personsClass LR & RMRSIce class LU 6/1A Super

*Stern first in first year ice of 1.2 m thick.

The 360 degbridgefacilitatesnavigationwhile goingastern. Photo– Aker Arctic.

TO

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Winterisation is all about a vessel’s topsides in cold climates. Photo – PRISCO.

Review of topsidescritical in ice conditions

Lloyd's Register (LR) developed its Winterisation Rules last year, bringing in standards for the construction of ice class vessels.

One company that co-operated intheir development was PrimorskShipping Corp (PRISCO).Technical director Konstantin

Globenko said that before these rules wereintroduced, the ice class specifications werelargely focused on construction below thewaterline. This left the critical topsidesconsideration up to the buyer.

Speaking in LR's Ice Focus, Globenko saidthat while the new rules were a huge step inthe right direction, the industry could still domore to create global standards for the sector.

"Before the Winterisation Rules, we alwayshad to discuss with charterers their requirementsfor the ships. They had their own set of rules,which may have come from a different set ofrequirements than ours," he said.

"We had our rules, which we used tonegotiate with the shipyards. We may havefelt these rules suitable for -25 deg C, but thecharterer would say - 'No, this differs from ouropinion and we cannot accept this'. Forowners, charterers and shipyards it is more

productive to have a globally adopted andapproved set of rules."

PRISCO specified Winterisation D (-25) forthe seven newbuilding 51,000 dwt Ice Class1A FS product tankers under construction atSTX. The first, Prisco Alexandra, is due toenter service this month, while four others arescheduled to be delivered by May 2009 andthe last two by the end of 2010. They are thefirst vessels to adopt the new rules.

He explained "Winterisation is quite aunique matter because it is not a subject thatcan by fully addressed through mathematicalcalculations, or rules based risk analysis andstatistics.

"Winterisation rules, by their nature, arecloser to listing of the experience you gain byoperating vessels in the ice and cold. Rules arenot just something which control construction.In this case, we viewed them as something thatcould help us make our lives easier.

"This kind of co-operation between class andowner - between practical and theoretical people- promoted the development of a very practical

tool that is useful to all parties," he said. With temperatures often dropping to -25

deg C or below, everything from the locationof heaters in the store rooms, steam lines,crew lockers, sealing materials for valves,lifeboats and even the material used to forgethe main propeller, all require specialattention.

For example, all pipelines on the open deckneed to be equipped with strategicallypositioned drainage valves in the lowestplaces, so that they can be emptied in severeweather conditions to prevent freezing.

Globenko explained; "This is a reallyimportant detail that not every shipyard paysattention to, so it has been up to the owner torequest the correct location of the valves."

Similarly, he said that the main steam linesneeded to be fitted with section valves toprevent freezing of the non-operational branchlines. He also said that by taking part in theformation of the rules, PRISCO had givenaway some of its trade secrets learned from 35years of trading in severe conditions. But hesaid that this was PRISCO's strategy - to makeshipping business safer by sharing experiencesrather than only taking an individual advantage.

He explained; "Getting involved in theprocess allowed PRISCO to be proactive increating the rules, rather than trying to amendthem afterwards. It is much better to beinvolved at the time of the development. Weall have an interest in the presence of suchrules, so why not get involved in theirdevelopment?"

LR said that with charterers, such as the oilmajors, plus insurers now paying closerattention to the suitability of ships for coldclimate operations, co-operation onWinterisation was an idea whose time hadcome.

While quality and safety remain at the coreof what class societies must deliver, thetransfer of knowledge was becoming just asimportant. "Modern competition between classsocieties is not predominantly about priceanymore, it is about service. We all prefer towork with companies that try to help us,"Globenko concluded. TO

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To this end, the Russian Federaltarget programme - Developmentof Civil Shipping for 2009-2016 -approved by the Government in

March 2008, has earmarked considerableresources to bolster its shipbuildingtechnology.

Contributing to this development, theRussian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS)actively participates in a wide range of newshipbuilding and offshore projects.

New icebreakers, tankers and cargo shipsare being constructed as part of the newlogistic transport systems taking shape in thenorthern part of Russia.

RS holds the leading position in thedevelopment of regulatory requirements foricebreakers and ice class vessels. The recentlyconstructed nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 LetPobedy provides the year-round navigation inthe western part of the Arctic. The icebreakeris capable of operating in ice of up to 2.8 mthick.

Two multi-purpose diesel-electricicebreakers, Moskou and Sankt-Peterburg areunder construction to RS class at the BaltiShipyard. The icebreakers are unique due tothe 360 deg revolving electrical azimuththrusters fitted with fixed pitch four bladedpropellers having a diameter of 4.5 m andoutput capacity of 16 MW each.

The icebreakers are designed for escortinglarge ships in the Gulf of Finland, towingships and floating facilities in ice conditionsand/or clear water, fire-fighting on ships andfloating facilities, rescue and salvageoperations, deck cargo delivery and othertasks. RS' requirements for structural strengthto cope with the ice conditions cover physicalgrounding criteria and assessment method forice strengthening. The icebreakers have beenassigned one of the highest ice category marks- Icebreaker6.

Modern technologies now allow for thedesign and construction of large ships capableof operating without icebreaker assistance.Arctic double acting tankers and cargo ships

are being built for year-round Arcticoperation.

A series of five cargo/container ships isunder construction to RS class. The lead shipNorilsky Nikel is already in operation underRS class. A sistership Monchegorsk wasrecently named at the Aker shipyard inGermany. The unique feature of these shipscomprise their propulsion units and the hullsbuilt for safe operation in the harsh Arcticclimate. The Azipod electrical propulsion unitsenable the ships to proceed stern first insevere ice conditions without repeatedcharging into the ice. The hulls' icestrengthening category Arc7 means the vesselscan move independently through ice of up to1.7 m thick.

Two double-acting tankers of 70,000 dwtare under construction to dual RS/LR class atthe Admiralty Shipyard in St Petersburg.According to the specification, the tankershave been designed to sail through the ice ofup to 1.2 m thick covered with 20 cm snow ata speed of at least 3 knots. Each tanker will befitted with two AZIPOD azimuth thrusters.

A series of 70,000 dwt tankers designed tomanoeuvre both forward and aft through iceof up to 1.5 m thick and topped by a 0.30 msnow covering at speed up to 2 knots, iscurrently under construction to dual RS/ABSclass at Samsung Heavy Industries. Eachpropulsion plant consists of two AZIPODazimuth thrusters. The tankers have beendesigned to transport oil from the Varandeyterminal in the Pechora Sea. Varandey wasbuilt for offshore oil loading of large tankersin the polar region.

The fixed ice-resistant offloading terminal(FOIROT) is the key component of Varandey's

infrastructure. The design and construction ofFOIROT and other items within the terminal'soffshore infrastructure have been performedunder RS survey. FOIROT features the latesttechnology in design and construction,including integrated automatic mooring andoffloading control system, a special processfor the piles in the supporting foundations andother state of the art technologies.

Among the other projects RS is involvedwith in the development of the Russia's sea-shelf are:� Prirazlomnoye field in the Pechora Sea.

Prirzlomnoye ice-resistant fixed offshore platform;

� Korchagin field in the northern Caspian Sea. Ice-resistant fixed platforms 'LSP-1' and 'LSP-2', subsea oil pipeline; floating offshore oil storage facility and single-point mooring;

� Shtokman gas condensate field in the Barents Sea. Semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling units.

New ship designs are mainly concerned withthe transport of raw materials in the Arctic andfreezing seas. Besides vessels transportinghydrocarbons, a considerable number of rigsupply vessels, ice strengthened tugs andicebreakers are also needed.

RS has gained wide experience in helpingto ensure the safety of ships and facilities inthe harsh climate of northern seas. Thecreation of a fleet to operate in the northernregions, especially the Arctic, requires aparticular approach due to its vulnerableenvironment.

The northern Caspian Sea is a preservedarea due to the scope and unique combinationof its bio-resources. This dedicated areadetermined a particular approach to ensuringthe safety of an offshore drilling facilityrecently converted under RS survey. Thisfacility is intended for exploration drilling todevelop the Lagansk hydrocarbon field on thenorthern Caspian Sea shelf.

It has been equipped with fish protectiondevices for the water intake and zero

Russian register inice shipping andoffshore projects

The creation of a modernfleet of vessels and the

further development of oiland gas projects requires

new technological solutions.

emissions system to help guarantee theprevention of sea pollution.

Having a century-long experience insurveying icebreakers and ships transitingthrough ice, RS developed its requirements byanalysing the operational data, statistical dataon the ice thickness and strength parameters.RS continuously improves its rules using thelatest scientific developments andtechnologies. Currently, requirements havebeen developed for polar class ships'equipment to comply with the distinguishingmark ANTI-ICE in the class notation thatindicates that the ship has been constructedand the equipment fitted to prevent icing.

Being a leader in the survey of ice and polarclass ships, RS allocates vast resources toenhance safety and environment protectionstandards. Based on scientific data, RSdevelops requirements for prevention of oilspills and air pollution. Compliance with RS'additional eco- requirements allows ashipowner to add new distinguishing marks tothe class notation: ECO or ECO-S.

Assignment of these notation marks isbased upon compliance with the requirementsfor environmental safety of a ship specified byIMO, maritime administrations andinternational maritime regulations. Moreover,some provisions within the additionalrequirements are more stringent than those ofvalid international regulations. Additionaltechnical measures are taken to preventatmospheric pollution by discharges from themain engine, boilers and systems containingharmful substances plus the prevention ofpollution of the marine environment withcargo residuals, bilge water and sewage, wasteand oil as well as to prevent transfer ofharmful pathogens with ballast wateroperations.

The ECO and ECO-S ships are claimed tobe safer in respect of marine environment andare considered more credible by cargo owners,underwriters, flag state maritimeadministrations and port authorities. Meetingthe eco-requirements allows a shipowner todemonstrate the advantages of his or herships. However, it is the shipowners' choicewhether to add the distinguishing marks to aship's class notation.

RS can assist shipowners using itsaccumulated experience, scientific potentialand high qualification of its personnel. Theclass society said that it intends to furthercontribute to the implementation of hightechnical standards in ship design,shipbuilding and other related industries usingits experience in providing safety solutions.

With reference to this, RS conductsseminars and conferences, which also involvethe representatives of shipowners,shipbuilders, shiprepairers and industrialenterprises. Seminars have been held on shippreparation for survey and residual thicknessmeasurement, which were organised by RS indifferent regions and were claimed to behighly appreciated.

To help shipping companies find the mostefficient ways of improving their safetymanagement systems (SMS), RS in co-operation with a number of Russian scientificinstitutions has performed research onquantitative assessment of the human factorinfluence on the safety of navigation and onSMS improvement methods for shippingcompanies.

RS specialists have developed andintroduced a procedure for the self-assessmentof the efficiency of a company's SMSimplementation. The results of the self-assessment, regularly performed correctly by a

shipping company, enables it to takereasonable strategic decisions, aimed atservice improvement.

Training of personnel to work on-boardvessels and ensuring proper living conditionsare the key tasks to minimise the human factornegative influence. The RS specialists areactively involved in the development oftraining courses, lecturing at institutions ofhigher education and refresher courses.

Nowadays, facing a severe shortage ofskilled seafarers, the maritime industry has tocope both with challenges of enhancingmaritime safety standards, and with urgentissues of seafarers' adequate training, safe aswell as decent conditions of work and rest atsea, plus social security protection. To addressthis pressing problem, RS will hold the XIInternational Seminar 'Quality Shipping: XXICentury Standard. Seafaring Careers: Raisingthe Profile'.

Shipowners will have an opportunity todiscuss the top questions of safety ofnavigation with the representatives of theInternational Maritime Organisation (IMO),European Commission, maritimeadministrations, Paris, Tokyo and Black SeaMOUs, US Coast Guard (USCG),underwriters, flag administrations, portauthorities, research institutes and maritimeacademies.

The experience and knowledge of the RSspecialists, their skills and the system ofpersonnel training, enabling them to maintainand upgrade their qualification, are the basisfor the development of the ships' surveysystem to assess compliance with theInternational Maritime Labour Convention2006, that will help shipowners to obtain aCertificate of Compliance with the maritimelabour standards.

RS is heavily involved inboth offshore loadingterminals and thevessels themselves.Photo – PRISCO.

TO





Advanced coatingssystems for harsh

weather conditions

This amounts to 18 mill dwt oftanker tonnage. By the middle ofthis year, orders for vessels able tocope with Arctic conditions

totalled 11.6 mill dwt. According to DNV, athird of all tankers on order classed with thesociety are ice strengthened.

Fuelling this growth is the need for vesselsto operate in Arctic waters to export oil andgas, minerals, timber and forest products, plusthe equipment and supplies needed to extractthese resources.

As much as 25% of the world's remaining oiland gas reserves are thought to be in the Arcticregion, predominantly in the Russian sector.Thus far, development in the region has beenslow, but today exploration is increasing inRussia, Canada, Norway and western Greenland.

The volumes of gas are thought to be largerand the ice conditions less severe in theRussian sector. The Shtokman gas project isforecast to generate more than 200 LNGCshiploads annually while the NorwegianSnohvit project recently came on stream.

In the so called 'Far North, or High North',temperatures can dip below minus 50 deg C,meaning that even in fair weather conditions,atmospheric icing from sea spray will playhavoc with a vessel's superstructure.

The water can be covered with pack iceoften up to 3 m thick and even worse whenice flows have collided. Vessels are underconstant threat from drifting ice and icebergs.Even in ice free stretches of open water,storms are frequent, extreme andunpredictable. Larger vessels often experienceproblems when navigating in Arctic waters,which tend to be relatively shallow, leading tothe possibility of groundings.

Both the Russian and the US/Canadianicebreaking fleet is getting older andinvestment in new icebreakers has been slow,This had lead to worries that the sector willnot be prepared to respond to the steady rise

in demand for icebreaking assistance. Theycould be replaced to some extent by double-acting vessels, which have an icebreakingcapability when going astern.

Strengthening a ship's hull against ice addsto its cost and lowers its performance inwarmer waters. An alternative - ship-to-shiptransfers, or transhipment of cargoes betweennon-ice class and ice class vessels - wouldrequire huge investment in ports in the latter'scase, while the former could fall foul of theenvironmentalists.

Winterised solutions are under developmentto ensure the reliability of superstructuresexposed to ice. Here the coatingsmanufacturers, such as Hempel, have asignificant role to play.

For its part, Hempel has developedadvanced coatings systems to cope withsevere ice abrasion and ice adhesion commonin Arctic conditions. For example, HempadurMulti-Strength GF 35870 is claimed toprovide vessels transiting through ice with atough hull coating and has been proven in theBaltic Sea, Hempel said.

The high-performance pure-epoxy coating isreinforced with lamellar glass flakes, which givethe coating excellent barrier properties against

corrosion and makes its extremely resistant toimpact and abrasion, the company claimed.

The Danish coatings concern listed fouradditional benefits of using this coating: -

First - It is a coating that can be appliedquickly with an airless spray. This means thatHempadur GF 35870's application does notrequire complex heated dual feed equipment.Standard heavy-duty airless spray equipment isavailable in nearly all of the world's shipyards.

Second - Because of its high volume ofsolids (87%), the coating can be applied usingjust one coat without the need for a primer. Asingle application has a dry film thickness ofup to 500 microns, compared withconventional epoxy coatings, which requiretwo or three applications of 150-200 microns.

Hempel said that the volume of solids in theformulation is so high that less money and timeis wasted on evaporating solvents. This alsoproduces excellent adhesion to the substrate andthe coating scored a top rating in adhesionimmersion trials, the company claimed.

Third - The coating's curing characteristicswere said to be ideal for application in coldclimates. The coating can be applied andcured at temperatures as low as 5 deg C.

Fourth - Hempel claimed that the coating isfast drying and achieves water resistance morequickly than any other epoxy. It can immersedin water just six hours following application at20 deg C. Curing continues underwater,substantially reducing drydocking time.

In icy waters, where low temperaturesprohibit marine growth, anti-fouling isunnecessary, thus using Hempadur GF 35870as the underwater hull coating instead of ananti-fouling coating saves time and money andreduces environmental impact, Hempel said.

It was launched in 2003 and was originallyformulated to protect drilling platforms andother installations, both offshore and inland,which have to withstand a severely abrasive and corrosive environment. TO

In 1992, only about 3% of the world’s tanker fleet carried some kind of ice classification.However, by the end of this year, the figure is likely to be in the region of 10%.

In severe conditions, the topsides are moreimportant than the hull. Photo – Lloyd’sRegister.


TECHNOLOGY - COMMUNICATIONS

TANKEROperator has attempted toprovide a roundup of the latestinnovations on offer from many ofthe leading players who are trying

to attract the ship operators with a variety ofdeals in order to keep the cost ofcommunications at a manageable level.

Driving this surge is the maritime industry'sdesire to attract seafarers, as well as to keepthose employed at sea by offering 'homecomforts', such as Internet broadbandconnections and e-mail services by which theseafarer can keep in contact with family andfriends ashore.

We have edited each company's offering instrict alphabetical order.

7CCELL7CCELL has introduced COM4CREW (C4C),which the company claimed to be financiallycompetitive, one of the easiest to use andsocially, the most reasonable communicationtool at sea.

C4C can be easily installed on board ofvessels, platforms or at remote sites andconsists of WIFI network components, whichare connected to a satellite link of 64 kbp orbetter.

The company said that by utilising the latestVoIP technologies, a high quality of servicecan be assured and low bandwidthrequirements support more parallel calls thanother systems.

C4C includes voice, SMS, easy e-mailaccess and Internet use at what the companyclaims is a competitive price. The service canbe ordered as a prepaid or post paid option.Seafarer can use the services by a wirelessVoIP handset, or by a dual mode cell phone,Notebook or PC.

7CCELL has connected with some of theother companies in the telecoms industry tooffer a high quality service and high endtechnologies. The company said thatshipowners, officers and seafarers would gain from -� better crew retention and lower training

costs.

� less administration and distraction for officers.

� mobility and privacy for calls.� higher availability and easy accessible

network.� full cost control for shipowners and crew

members.7CCELL is a private concern founded by amanagement team and a venture capital groupto support the strategy and growth of thecompany. The founders were ex Nauticasthead Peter Martin and Thomas Zeilerbauer.

Becker Marine Systems At the end of July, Becker Marine SystemsCommunication, entered into a globaldistribution partner agreement with IridiumSatellite to integrate, optimise and distributeIridium OpenPortSM optimised-bandwidthmarine satellite systems.

Under this agreement, Becker, the operatorof Universal Marine Communication GlobalNetwork (umc.global network), fullyintegrated the Iridium OpenPort service withits umc.connect optimisation server and itsumc.global network managed services.

This solution is now being offered as'umc.connect skylink Iridium OpenPort+' tocustomers and partners. It is completelyintegrated with the managed services of theumc.global network. Through use of awireless optimisation protocol and a contextsensitive compression algorithm, umc.connectskylink Iridium OpenPort+ optimises thethroughput of Iridium OpenPort dramatically,Becker claimed.

With global, always-on, secure andmanaged Internet and VPN corporate networkconnections, plus three voice lines that can beused simultaneously, umc.connect skylinkIridium OpenPort+ delivers a reliable, cost-effective and flexible communication solutionfor vessels worldwide. Due to its costoptimised routing service, it is also the idealbackup solution for any VSAT service whileout of band or in shutdown mode.

The services are provided with easy andtransparent volume-based flat rates. These

access to the umc.connect portnet® wirelessbroadband infrastructure, with 6 mbit/s ofbandwidth in 80+ Ports, is directly built intothe solution and extends the reach andcapabilities extensively, Becker said.

umc.connect skylink Iridium OpenPort+comes with fully integrated managed servicesto enhance crew welfare, such as unifiedmessaging for email, SMS, fax, secure VPNtunneling, distributed on board/shore basedfirewall, AntiVirus, Anti Malware and AntiSpam protection, as well as many otheroptional managed services for remoteadministration and support of PCs andservers on board, automated contentdistribution and synchronisation, integrationof Telephone Auto.

Blue Ocean WirelessSince its emergence in the maritime sector lastyear, Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) has madeinroads into the shipping industry by pickingup key contracts.

For example, BOW was chosen byAdmibros Shipmanagement to provide GSM

It has become very noticeable during this year just how many companies are expandingtheir role in maritime communications as crew welfare takes on a whole new meaning.

Communications the keyto a happy life at sea

BOW’s Robert Johnson.



coverage for its fleet. Admibros will initiallyinstall BOW's GSM solution on eight of theirvessels, including tankers.

By using the BOW service, seafarers can,for the first time, make and receive voice callsand send and receive SMS messages usingtheir existing mobile phones.

By the middle of this year, Dublin-basedBOW had signed up over 150 vessels forinstallation.

Admibros, fleet director Chris Christofides,commented, "The Blue Ocean Wirelessservice will allow our seafarers to enjoy themost innovative crew calling and SMSsolution of the maritime market. The solutionseparates crew communication from ship'sbusiness calls and allows crew for the firsttime ever to receive incoming calls and SMSon to their mobiles. The solution also preparesus for the future since we will proceed withthe FleetBroadband upgrade".

With the recent addition of eight moderndouble-hull/double bottom oil and chemicaltankers, Admibros' fleet totalls 16 vessels,ranging from 4,000 dwt to 20,000 dwt.

Last June, BOW announced its upcomingglobal roaming service.

With this new facility, subscribers to othernetworks will be able to roam on all BOWequipped vessels using their existing handsetand SIM card. The roaming capability willwork in the same way as traditional landbased GSM roaming and requires no specialequipment or preparation on the part of the user.

The global roaming feature will be madepossible by network upgrades undertaken bySmart Communications (SMART). The BOWnetwork has been upgraded with a new GSMswitch and a full Global Lease Line, providingenhanced connectivity, as well as allowing foradditional features such as global roaming.

BOW works in partnership withcommunications companies such asAltobridge, JRC, Seacom, Smart and Stratos.Smart Communications is the Philippines'leading wireless services provider with 31.6mill subscribers on its GSM network as ofend-March 2008.

In another move, last month BOWannounced that it had partnered with NavarinoTelecom (Navarino) to offer the BOW GSMsolution to its customer base.

Navarino Telecom is a prime distributor ofcommunications services to a client baseconsisting of more than 400 shippingcompanies and a large number of multi-national organisations globally.

BOW's current shareholders include ClaretCapital, NTT Docomo, the world's leading

mobile communications company, SmartCommunications, the Philippines leadingmobile telecoms company, Bank of Scotland(Ireland), a subsidiary of HBOS andAltobridge, the Irish remote communicationscompany.

C2SAT Last June, Swedish concern C2SAT launcheda C-band version of the present patented 4axes stabilised antenna.

The C-band version offers a unique solutionwhich allows switching between all existingpolarisations; LP, RHCP and LHCP in an all-in-one integrated assembly for global serviceson any satellite constellation.

The flexibility of the four axes stabilisedantenna has been modified according tocustomer requests and the C-band antenna canalso easily be adapted for X-band and carrydifferent reflector sizes up to 2.4 m.

FurunoFURUNO has entered into air-time businessfor Ku-band VSAT maritime communicationson a global scale.

The business scheme, named SafeComNet,will deliver global roaming service for Ku-band VSAT communications.

This is the first time that a single sourcewill provide a global roaming Ku-band VSATservice for maritime communications to allowshipowners and seafarers to communicatecollectively worldwide, Furuno claimed.

This has been made possible by thecompany's partnership with Eutelsat andSpeedCast. Furuno said that this consortiumwould streamline the whole maritime Ku-bandoperation.

SafeComNet Ku-band VSAT serviceavailability is now extended to offer globalcoverage. It is based on a Global NetworkManagement System (GNMS) together withAutomatic Beam Switching (ABS) anduniversal LNB technologies.

It is claimed to be the first in the maritimeindustry to use multiple Ku-band beamsaround the world. This will allow seafarersautomatic and seamless operations when theirvessels cross several coverage areas ofmultiple satellite beams.

Until now, the availability of the Ku-bandVSAT service has been limited to the servicecoverage provided by a single satellite serviceprovider within a specific coverage area

When a vessel crossed different serviceareas or satellite Ku-band beams, the serviceprovider had to manually adjust thefrequency setting and polarisation of theremote equipment and even get the customer

to swap different equipment on board thevessel, in order to secure the networkavailability.

However, with this new global maritime Ku-band network, provided by Eutelsat andSpeedCast, all these adjustments and manualswap of equipment have been made redundant,as they are undertaken automatically andtransparently to the end-users at sea.

SafeComNet will also greatly streamlinethe billing procedure for Ku-band VSATcommunications. Billing of maritime serviceshas been such that each service providercharges the end users for the time or theamount of data they have transmitted on theservices used, depending on the per minute orper Mbyte rates set by each service provider.

The result was the end users had to pay forseveral complicated communication billsindividually. However, with SafeComNet, thebilling becomes a lot simpler with a fixedmonthly fee based on the service packageselected.

Furuno will be the contact point forpayment. This will eliminate the currentcomplex procedure of having to deal withmultiple communication bills that shipowners/operators have to currently endure. Inaddition, end users will no longer be restrictedas to how much time they spend online orhow much data they transmit, as they will begetting an unlimited broadband service 24hours per day for a monthly fixed fee.

With capacity based on 24 satellitesproviding coverage over the entire Europeancontinent, as well as the Middle East, Africa,India and significant parts of Asia and theAmericas, Eutelsat Communications is one ofthe world's three leading satellite operators interms of revenue.

InmarsatWhat is probably the largest deal concluded inmaritime satellite communications to date,leading shipowner AP Moller - Maersk is toembark upon a large-scale retrofit of InmarsatFleetBroadband across its Maersk SupplyService and Maersk Tankers Fleet in acontract signed with Marlink.

Initially, over 150 vessels will be convertedto FleetBroadband in the first phase. Asecond phase could see another 150 vesselsfitted. As part of the contract, each vessel willbe equipped with Thrane & Thrane Sailor 500terminals. It was estimated that a retrofitcould be completed in about three hours.

"A retrofit of this scale, with one of theworld's most established and respectedshipping companies, is the strongest possibleendorsement of our revolutionary



FleetBroadband service," said PiersCunningham, Inmarsat head of maritimebusiness. "This is a ground-breaking deal. Itrepresents a multi-million dollar commitmentto Marlink, Inmarsat and Thrane & Thranefor airtime, equipment and on-going support.It confirms that FleetBroadband is theleading satcoms solution in the maritimeindustry today. FleetBroadband is supportedby a fully-funded global next-generationsatellite network that will provide serviceinto the 2020s".

He also said that there was a strong

possibility that Maersk-Moller would roll outthe service across its whole fleet of 300 shipsin the second phase.

"Developed in close co-operation withInmarsat and thoroughly tested by Maersk, theSAILOR 500 and 250 FleetBroadbandsystems harness the power of the nextgeneration of Inmarsat satellites for amultitude of operational and crew benefits,"said Casper Jensen, Thrane & Thrane'sdirector of global marketing. "Prior to seatrials and maritime testing, Maersk and Thrane& Thrane tested security, IT network andinfrastructure based on the proven T&Ttechnology, allowing a swift roll out to the ships."

The supply contract was signed via Thrane& Thrane's certified partner PolarisElectronics of Aalborg and with airtimecontractor Marlink.

Cunningham also said that Inmarsat wouldbe in a position to offer full global coverageby February next year.

IridiumGHL Acquisition Corp and Iridium Holdingshave jointly announced the signing of adefinitive agreement under which they plan to combine.

The proceeds of the transaction will enableIridium to become debt free and wellpositioned to develop its next generationsatellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.

GHL Acquisition is a special purposeacquisition company sponsored by Greenhill

& Co, which raised approximately $400 millof gross proceeds earlier this year, and isaround 17.5% owned by Greenhill & Co.

The transaction, unanimously approved byGHL Acquisition's board and Iridium, as wellas Iridium's major shareholders, values thecompany at about $591 mill enterprise value.Following completion of the transaction, thecombined enterprise will be renamed IridiumCommunications Inc and will apply for listingon the NASDAQ. Existing owners of Iridiumwill maintain a significant stake in thecombined company.

Stockholder approval and other customaryclosing conditions is expected to occur in thefirst part of 2009.

Iridium claims to be the only provider oftruly global satellite voice and datacommunications solutions with completecoverage of the entire Earth, including oceans,airways and Polar Regions.

Since its re-launch in 2001 subscribers andrevenue have increased by 32% and 31%annually respectively, from 2002 through2007. The company's growth continues at arapid pace with revenue with operationalEBITDA and net income growing 31%, 55%and 87% respectively, in the first half of 2008over the same period in 2007.

At the same time, Iridium Satellite launchedIridium GoChat, a low-cost, high-valueprepaid crew-calling plan with unmatchedglobal service. GoChat eliminates off-peakvalue pricing in favour of a single around-the-clock standard per minute rate using largerdenomination prepaid cards with progressivediscounts.

"By removing time-of-day restrictions fordiscounted pricing, we are making it moreconvenient for crew members to call homeduring their off-watch hours," said GregEwert, executive vice president, globalchannel distribution, Iridium. "Iridium GoChatprovides high value and unmatched globalreach on a network renowned for providinghigh-quality service."

Prepaid Iridium GoChat cards are availablein 30-, 45- and 60-min capacities. The larger-denomination cards will reduce the likelihoodof running out of time during a call. Theservice automatically notifies the caller with awarning tone and voice message when oneminute of time remains on the card.

The company will work with serviceproviders to ensure a seamless transition to thenew calling plans, according to Ewert, whosaid that existing calling cards will be honouredduring the transition period with the IridiumGoChat discounts automatically applied.

Iridium also announced that IridiumMaersk is fitting Thrane & Thrane Sailor equipment.

Inmarsat’s Piers Cunningham.



OpenPort™, the company's new enhanced-bandwidth marine satellite communicationservice, is nearing completion of sea trials andis on track for full commercial availabilitythis month.

Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, a IridiumOpenPort beta customer under an agreementwith Vizada, an Iridium service provider, hasinstalled a test unit on board one of itsvessels. Michael Dittmer, Peter Döhle's fleetIT and communication co-ordinator,identified three aspects which led to hisinterest in Iridium OpenPort - the antennaarray has no moving parts, Iridium offersworldwide connectivity and the service haslow hardware costs.

Another client was Zodiac ShippingAgencies. "We were favourably impressedwith the results of beta tests of the IridiumOpenPort," said a spokesman for Zodiac."Voice quality was uniformly excellent, anddata throughput has met our expectations."

Zodiac, which manages a fleet of 125 ships,was one of the first shipping companies tosign up for Iridium OpenPort under anagreement with AND Group, an Iridiumservice provider.

To date, 11 of Iridium's largest mobilesatellite service (MSS) partners are preparingto distribute Iridium OpenPort. They includeAND Group, Applied Satellite Technology,Becker Marine Systems Communication,Globe Wireless, MVS, Otesat Maritel, SatcomGroup, Seamobile Europe Geolink SatelliteServices, Stratos, Telaurus and Vizada.

In most cases, these service partners areintegrating Iridium OpenPort with their ownhardware and software products to provide asuite of customer-focused voice and IP-baseddata packages for ship's business and crewcalling.

During the middle of this year, Iridiumlaunched an aggressive R&D programme todefine and develop its next-generation satelliteconstellation, which is expected to becompleted in 2016.

Called Iridium NEXT, the new network willuse the latest satellite and wirelesstechnologies to provide powerful new devicesfor commercial users. Iridium said that itexpects to incorporate secondary payloads,such as weather and oceanographic sensors,onto its new satellites.

In March, Iridium announced that it had

narrowed its search for major technologypartners for Iridium NEXT to three companies- Lockheed Martin, Space Systems Loral andThales Alenia Space. The company will makeits final selection by early 2009.

Maritime Communications PartnerMaritime Communications Partner (MCP) has launched the CellAtSea HotSpot wirelesssolution.

MCP claimed that this will enable theprovision of mobile telephony and WIFIservices in remote regions and/or isolated usercommunities where network integration andinfrastructure costs would otherwise beprohibitive.

Increased operational efficiency can begained from having flexible communicationservices worldwide 24/7. MCP claimed thatattractive calling rates and SMS were theleading advantages of CellAtSea.

For example, previously a vessel wouldfront the calling costs of supernumeraries onboard, such as those not directly employed bythe vessel operator. Now, these people can usemobile phones on board and carry their own costs.

Aware that vessels' needs might vary fromship to ship, MCP claimed that the system isflexible allowing shipowners to confine crewcalling and WIFI services to specifiedlocations, or provide them throughoutthe vessel.

For example -� CellAtSea SingleSpot allows on board

wireless services at one dedicated coverage area, such as the crew's mess.

� CellAtSea TwinSpot allows two dedicated coverage areas, such as the mess and the bridge.

� CellAtSea FullSpot allows coverage across the entire vessel.

MCP is owned by Norwegian communicationsgiant Telenor.

SingTelSingapore Telecommunications (SingTel)claimed to be the first satellite serviceprovider in Asia to offer a maritime broadbandservice with true global coverage.

SingTel has been providing VSAT serviceswith regional coverage for over two years. Itis now extending its reach to provideseamless, worldwide coverage over all majorshipping routes through its strategic allianceswith global satellite service providers.

Bill Chang, SingTel's executive vicepresident for business, said: "In the past,VSAT deployments on board vessels requiredtime-consuming re-configurations of thesatellite communications equipment when thevessels move from one ocean region toanother.

"SingTel's global maritime VSAT servicehas advanced auto-beam switching capabilitywhich eliminates the need for manualintervention. This helps shipping owners savevaluable time and resources."

It is fully integrated with SingTel'sConnectPlus Internet Protocol - Virtual PrivateNetwork (IP-VPN), which provides extensivecoverage in over 80 destinations worldwide.

Network congestion and latency will alsonot be a problem, unlike services that delivertraffic over the public Internet and they willbe delivered over a secure private network,SingTel said.

StratosLast June, Stratos Global Corporationintroduced StratosOceanView, a web-basedservice that provides fleet managers withglobal fleet communication monitoring andvessel tracking.

Available worldwide as a free service,StratosOceanView provides a map-based viewof each vessel's location, heading, speed,

satellite communication traffic data andcontact details on a single web page.

The satcom traffic data includes anoverview of monthly Inmarsat and Iridiumairtime costs and AmosConnect mail queueinformation.

StratosOceanView is claimed to be idealfor shipmanagement companies operatingfleets of all sizes, as well as shipowners andcharter companies. Position reporting is basedon existing Inmarsat C DNID reporting.

Stratos maritime marketing managerMichiel Meijer said, "This new solution alsogives fleet managers direct access to TheStratos Advantage value-added services,which provide cost and traffic control, firewallmanagement, data optimisation, high securityoptions, easy VPN access, messaging servicesand full IP range."

Stratos Advantage includes StratosDashboard, Stratos Trench, firewall andAmosConnect messaging for business andcrew.

Also unveiled was AmosConnect CrewCommCenter, the latest version of itsAmosConnect Crew satellite communicationsservice.

AmosConnect Crew CommCenter featuresan enhanced user interface and additionalinternal-communications and newswireservices to make it even more appealing tocrewmembers.

It is an all-in-one communication solutionfor seafarers. Combining AmosConnect andChatCard, two of Stratos' services,AmosConnect Crew enables personnel at seato stay in contact with home via calling, e-mail and SMS at low cost rates. It alsoprovides an easily manageable, separateaccount for each crewmember.

Several leading shipmanagementcompanies, including Hong Kong's Wallemand Germany's Blue Star, have recentlydeployed AmosConnect Crew. The servicecomplies with the latest ITF recommendationto offer the option of free private e-mail to allseafarers.

In yet another move, Stratos has introducedChatCard Data, which enables seafarers toexpand the use of their prepaid ChatCard toinclude Internet access. It also allowsshipmanagers to manage and control theInternet costs of their new FleetBroadbandsatellite communications service.

With the new ChatCard Data feature, allcrew Internet-access costs are separated fromthe ship's business-communication costs andcharged to the crew with the prepaidChatCard.

With the addition of ChatCard Data,

seafarers can use their FleetBroadbandInternet connection for instant messaging(MSN, Skype Chat) or web browsing andhave the usage in megabytes deducted fromtheir ChatCard allowance. They can use theircredit cards to load their prepaid ChatCards,thus minimising the shipmanager'sadministrative responsibility.

ChatCard Data is expected to be availableworldwide on BGAN later this year.

TelaccountTelaccount presented its latest technologies atSMM Hamburg last month, as it makes thechange from an accounting authority to a fullyfledged service provider.

Fleet Broadband satellite communicationoptimisation, communication management,and crew GSM on board vessels were only afew of the services presented.

As a service provider with 20 years ofexperience in the market Telaccount integratesa number of services and technologies underone umbrella to deliver a comprehensive setof capabilities to shipowners and managers,the company said.

Telaurus Earlier this year, Telaurus Communicationslaunched its new Broadband Enabled versionof its se@COMM service.

This Broadband solution allows seafarers toaccess the internet and all the se@COMMfeatures over any IP based satellite terminalwhile continuing with Telaurus's policy ofpricing transparency, simplicity of use, nearreal-time communications and vessel side livedisplay of traffic and cost while using theinternet.

Using similar filters as their currentse@COMM e-mail accounts, the TelaurusBroadband solution allows masters andshoreside peronnel to manage all controlfeatures on the vessel, or via the Telaurus webbased Ship Management Tool (SMT) andmonitor shipboard usage. Unauthorised orunaccounted usage and access to the internetis managed and prevented by se@COMMusing proprietary firewalls.

Thrane & ThraneThrane & Thrane's systems division has beenawarded a DKK12.5 mill contract withInmarsat to increase the capacity of theBGAN radio access networks in Burum,Holland, and Fucino, Italy.

When the upgrade is completed, the Burumand Fucino stations will each be able to sendand receive 456 carriers, compared to thecurrent 264 carriers. This increases the traffic





carrying capacity by almost 73%.The introduction of FleetBroadband and

SwiftBroadband together with land mobileterminals is driving the increasing demand forBGAN services.

Thrane & Thrane is the leading supplier ofBGAN capable terminals and the continuedintroduction of new terminal modelsnecessitates the requirement for higherinfrastructure capacity.

The company has been a key contractor forInmarsat in this key business area since 1990,delivering turnkey solutions, satellite accessstations including interface to terrestrialnetworks, large disc antennas, RF equipmentand access control and signaling equipment.

Recently, the company introduced threenew ATEX approved VHF and UHF handhledsets to the SAILOR® SP3500 portable radioseries. They expand the SP3500 range toseven different models.

Fully waterproof, the ATEX versions of theSAILOR SP3500 portable series are builtspecifically for use at sea. There are threehigh-quality, durable ATEX models available,which are specifically designed for use inhazardous environments such as on boardtankers and offshore installations.

The SAILOR SP3530 VHF ATEX,SAILOR SP3540 VHF GMDSS ATEX andSAILOR SP3560 UHF ATEX are ATEXapproved to - II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4.

The GMDSS version is claimed to beunique in that it is the only ATEX certifiedportable VHF available to offer GMDSSfunctionality, so it can be used for both onboard communication and to fulfill safetyrequirements if an incident should occur.

To ensure it meets GMDSS requirements itis shipped with a Lithium battery, making itready for use straight out of the box.

Thrane & Thrane also took its first step intothe VSAT arena with the Septemberintroduction of a maritime VSAT solution andnetwork. The company will offer the newSAILOR 900 VSAT and various fixedbroadband data packages at attractive flatrates, plus additional voice channels, in themaritime market.

With fixed standard data and voicepackages of up to 1024 kbps downlink/256kbps uplink and additional voice channels, theSAILOR 900 VSAT constitutes Thrane &Thrane's next step in providing a costeffective, always-on broadband solution.

As a standard feature, the SAILOR 900VSAT comes with built-in VoIP adapter androuting management technology, offeringowners of existing Thrane & Thranemanufactured Fleet or FleetBroadband

products a unique and integrated VSAT add-on solution. This allows ship operators to beonline at all times with the benefit of cuttingcommunication costs while sailing inside theSAILOR 900 VSAT coverage area.

With an antenna dish size of 90 cm and aweight of 60 kg, SAILOR 900 VSAT isclaimed to be lighter and more compact thanother Ku-Band antennas in its class, making iteasier and more cost-effective to install, whileat the same time offering always-onbroadband IP communication ideal for heavydata transfer, crew internet and e-mail, as wellas the option of multiple voice channels.

It offers the following services -� Always-on broadband connections at fixed

airtime costs per month.� Low cost Voice over IP (VoIP) tariffs.� Seamless shift from SAILOR VSAT to

SAILOR Fleet or SAILOR FleetBroadband and vice versa.

� Remote IT and systems maintenance, software and chart (ECDIS) updates.

� Separated IT networks on board, for example, one for operational use, one for crew.

� Enhancing crew welfare, ie crew internet, email, voice calling, etc.

Thrane & Thrane is also a key player in thedevelopment of the forthcoming LRIT - LongRange Identification and Tracking - system.

The company announced that it now has theability to provide official flag state LRITcompatibility testing.

Inmarsat C has been chosen as the main onboard LRIT data transmission platform,meaning the majority of vessels required tocomply already have compatible equipment onboard in the form of GMDSS or SSAS.

Thrane & Thrane is already involved in thesupport and construction of LRIT applicationservice provider (ASP) and data centers (DC)around the world, so the field of compatibilitytesting is a natural progression in its LRITactivity. During the past few monthsdiscussions with several flag states have beenongoing to secure approval to test and issuecertificates on their behalf and the companywill add further flag states during the comingmonths.

Although Thrane & Thrane predicted that ahigh proportion of Inmarsat C equipment willpass LRIT testing and receive a compatibilitycertificate, some Inmarsat C equipment mayrequire upgrading before becomingcompatible.

The company is also offering a low-coststandalone LRIT terminal, the SAILOR TT-3000LRIT, for vessels wishing to forgo testingor for safety and operational reasons, wishing

to install a separate terminal not connected toexisting Inmarsat C GMDSS or SSASdevices.

VizadaVizada has unveiled several solutions to allowshipping companies to optimise mobilesatellite broadband services on board ship interms of security, crew communications anddata interconnection.

These new additions to the Vizada Solutionsportfolio optimise the basic broadband and IP-based connectivity services of the market'sleading mobile satellite network operators,including Inmarsat Fleet, InmarsatFleetBroadband and the upcoming IridiumOpenPort.

Through close co-ordination with shippingcompanies, Vizada has identified threepriorities in extending the basic services:security, crew communications and datainterconnection.

For increased security, Vizada has launchedSkyFile® Anti Virus software, protectingagainst all malware (malicious software),including viruses, Trojan horses, worms,spyware, adware, etc. Automatic updates areperformed daily via Vizada's SkyFile® Mailclient.

With Vizada's new Terralink® DataManager, the IT & communications officer onboard is able to set up a personalised firewall,and if required, apply this setting in one clickto all work stations and PCs on board anentire fleet. In contrast, other market solutionsrequire a setting per computer.

Vizada has also developed a full set of crewcommunications tools for both data and voiceconnectivity over broadband and IP-basedmobile satellite services. Scratch & Webprepaid service for private email/internet/FTPuse is now available over the InmarsatFleetBroadband solution. For voice, Vizada'sUniversal Card prepaid solution can be usedwith both Inmarsat and Iridium mobilesatellite terminals.

Finally, Vizada's Terralink Interconnectprovides end-to-end connectivity from thevessel infrastructure to the shippingcompanies' corporate network. For high-performance and secure data connectivity overbroadband and IP-based mobile satelliteservices such as Inmarsat FleetBroadband andIridium OpenPort, Terralink Interconnectprovides VPN, leased line and MPLSaccording to the customers' requirements.

Growth in broadband and IP-based mobilesatellite connectivity services on boardmerchant vessels increased by more than 10%in 2007 and 2008 according to a 2008 TMFAssociates study. TO

Wallem currently has around7,000 people employed on its340 managed ships and morethan 700 in 54 offices across

24 countries. Safety and the welfare of crew are top

of the company's agenda, so the company waskeen to evaluate Inmarsat's FleetBroadbandservice on board the Suezmax SonangolKizomba, a 159,156 dwt modern Wallemmanaged tanker with 26 crew on board.

Given the often tense nature of their work,crew communication makes a real differenceand is vital for the efficient and safe running ofship operations. Welfare communications - theability for crew to contact shore-based familyand friends through voice telephony, SMS or e-mail - is taken seriously by the Wallem Group.

Crew benefitsFleetBroadband offers crews access to e-mail,data streaming, voice, SMS, fax and video

conferencing. Video conferencing offersparticular benefits to crew, including speakingwith technical colleagues onshore, literallyshowing them the problem and the same forconsulting with medical personnel whennecessary.

Launched at the end of 2007, InmarsatFleetBroadband service can provide vesselswith a standard IP connection of up to 432kbps, with streaming IP available at 32, 64,128 and 256 kbps. The service provides

Wallem trials futurecommunications

systemsHong Kong’s Wallem Group is one of the world's leading maritime services company,

offering management, agency, brokering and services worldwide.



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simultaneous voice, data and SMS services,which means that crews can continue withtheir phone calls while operational datasessions (e-mail exchange) are conducted.

Sonangol Kizomba is fitted with a JUE -250 FleetBroadband FB250 terminalmanufactured by Japan Radio Company(JRC). This terminal is capable of standard IPconnection of up to 284 kbps, with streamingIP available from 32, 64 and 128 kbps. Thismeans, for example, an e-mail with anattachment of 500 Kb would take about 14seconds to download using the terminal fittedon board the tanker.

Video conferencing and remotemaintenance are two key features ofFleetBroadband, which helps to save delays inproblem resolution.

Sonangol Kizomba's Master, Captain RKararia said: "The system was very userfriendly and the crew was particularly gratefulfor the extra contact they were able to enjoywith their families. FleetBroadband has givenus the opportunity to be closer to our familieson this voyage, which boosts crew morale."

Wallem's communications specialist,Stephen Yip, has been involved in theevaluation of the video conferencingapplications from Wallem's Hong Kong officeto Captain Kararia on board the vessel in theNorth East Pacific Ocean.

He said he could clearly hear and see theMaster during the trials of the equipment. Yipsaid. "It is a leap forward in the application ofthis technology, particularly for commercialshipping."

Improved communicationsManaging Director of WallemShipmanagement, Jim Nelson, said the systemoffered improved communications for crew,whether for the running of the ship or forkeeping in touch with family.

"One of the biggest challenges for seafarersis the isolation and loneliness, and this

technology takes the edge off the stress ofbeing away from family," Nelson said.

If there is a problem in the engine room andshore guidance is required, current practicewould involve the ships' officers assessing thedamage and explaining the damage over thephone or e-mail. This technology makes itpossible for an officer to show a shore-basedexpert the real-time video of the damage usinga wireless camera application allowing theshore-based expert to make a first-handassessment of the damage and advising of thebest course of action.

Seeing any vessel damage in real-timevideo can avoid the difficulties of multi-national crews and language barriers. Thissimple and efficient exercise could save lossesand costs that can arise.

Said Captain Kararia: "The video conferenceapplication can also be a very handy tool for(receiving) medical advice from ashore. It is abetter method of communication than e-mail or

faxes because the transfer of information is 'reallife' and almost instant. We have used thesystem for SPOS weather routing,AMOSConnect, general e-mail checks andlooking up various sites for information, forexample searching on computer relatedproblems and water ballast management."

Increasingly, management systems are usingfleet wide systems to track outstandingmaintenance and defective items. Satcomrelays the results of vessel inspections in realtime so that analysis can identify trends andcommon problems among vessels.

Operational costs can be reduced throughcondition-based maintenance (CBM) by usingFleetBroadband to conduct checks thatpreviously would have needed a repair squadto fly out to the ship and potential vesseldowntime. Some tanker operators arecurrently exploring the outsourcing of enginemonitoring, including vibration monitoring, asa preventative maintenance precaution.


TO

Sonan ol Kizom a was fitted with a JUE – 250 FleetBroadband FB250 terminalmanufactured by JRC.


Custom built and series product Technically reliable Well proven designs Continuous technical development Dependable partner Customer oriented approach

DAMEN DOUBLE HULL OIL TANKER MTS ‘SHANNON FISHER’

DAMEN SHIPYARDS BERGUM Member of the DAMEN SHIPYARDS GROUP

P.O. Box 7 phone +31 (0)511 46 72 22 [email protected] AA Bergu fax +31 (0)511 46 42 59 www.damen-bergum.nlmThe Netherlands

STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

CUSTOM BUILT IN SERIES PRODUCTION


TECHNOLOGY - SHIP DESCRIPTION C M R

Berke Çiçek, son of the yard'sfounder, told TANKEROperatorthat the yard saw a shortage inthe under 5,000 dwt range as

many were elderly and would be phased outsoon. As a result, Çiçek decided to build andmarket designs in the 3,000 dwt plus sizesector, plus larger bulk carriers.

The yard had previously built chemicaltankers of 15,000-26,000 dwt and in 2005 alsodelivered a 40,000 dwt product tanker. It iscurrently building a series of 18,000 dwt-26,000 dwt chemical tankers for domesticowner Besiktas.

In 2006, Çiçek commissioned a 250 m longdrydock at its Tuzla complex, which Çiçeksaid could be enlarged to repair Aframaxes, asmany pass close by when transiting theBosporus.

Last year, Çiçek opened its own designoffice on site, which is based on a Napasoftware system. It also installed Nupas-Cadmatic software for the creation of 3D shipmodels.

As a result on its new marketing strategy,Çiçek launched the first of four 3,150 dwtchemical/product tankers this month.

The Chem Flower (NB 45) was originally

under construction to the yard's own account,but was subsequently sold to Malteseinvestors. Chem Flower is due for delivery inNovember this year, while the remaining threeships will be delivered at four-monthlyintervals in 2009.

To be classed by Bureau Veritas (BV) andconstructed to meet Ice B standards, thequartet will be capable of worldwide trading,transporting oil products, chemicals (IMOtype II) and vegetable, animal and fish oils.

MarineLine coatings have been selected byÇiçek to give the vessels the ability to carry awide range of cargoes while high

First of four ice classchem/prod tankers

launchedDue to the downturn in the smaller chemical tanker newbuilding market,

Turkey’s Çiçek Shipyard has turned to the design, building and marketing of smaller designs of chemical/bunker tankers.

The launching ofthe Chem lo er

announced Çiçek’sarrival as a builderof small chemicalcarriers.

manoeuvrability is guaranteed by the choice of twin azimuthingpropellers and a 200 kW bow thruster.

Each vessel is fitted with 12 cargo tanks and two slop tanks locatedon deck. The cargo capacity is 3,500 cu m at 100% loaded and thevessels are fitted with one hydraulic hose handling crane each of twotonnes SWL at 10 m outreach.

According to Çiçek, the new owners are confident of securingprofitable employment or re-sale contracts for these vessels. Heexplained; "New double-hulled vessels such as these are in greatdemand to replace older tonnage and because we took the initiative tostart construction to our own account, the new owners have benefitedfrom an extremely short delivery period. They are now talking to anumber of potential charterers and are confident of finding immediateand profitable employment for these vessels.

"Our contract with this owner also allows for late changes inspecification, for example in the choice of tank coatings, thusproviding great flexibility when discussing potential charterers'precise requirements. We are, with due notice, able to make moreradical changes, as might be requested were the current owners todecide to sell individual vessels rather than trade them," he said.

Each vessel is fitted with twin 6-cylinder Mitsubishi S12R-MPTKdiesel engines developing 940 kW each at 1,600 rev/min, driving thetwin azimuthing propellers.

Çiçek Shipyard is located on Tuzla Bay, near Istanbul, and itscurrent orderbook includes bulk carriers, containerships and18,000/26,000 dwt chemical tankers. The largest vessels areconstructed in a 37 m wide building dock while ships of up to 25,000dwt can be built on an adjacent slipway.

The 3,150 dwt tankers are being constructed on a second slipway,capable of building ships of up to 3,500 dwt.

SHIP DESCRIPTION C M R

TO


closed gauging

The HERMetic UTImeter Gtex is a portable electronic level gauge for closed gas tight operation resulting in increased

safety and efficiency.

The unit is used for custody transfer, inventory control measurement and free water detection on marine vessels. Connected to a HERMetic vapour con-trol valve, the UTImeter Gtex avoids any gas release during operation and enables 3, optionally 4 measurements in one single operation, Ullage, Temperature, Oil-water interface level and Innage. By increasing safety and efficiency, Honeywell Enraf Tanksystem helps customers improve business performance.

For more information visit our website www.tanksystem.com or call +41 26 919 15 00

© 2008 Honeywell International, Inc. All rights reserved

Principal Particulars -Chem FlowerLength, overall 84.91 mLength, bp 77.97 mBeam 12.60 mDepth 6.40 mDesign draft 5.30 mDeadweight at 5.30 m draft 3,150 tonnesGRT 1,980Cargo capacity 3,500 cu mMain propulsion 2 x Mitsubishi

S12R-MPTKPower 2 x 940 kW at

1,600 rev/minService speed 11 knots at 85%mcrClass Notation BV 1 + HULL +MACH, OIL/CHEMICAL TANKER, ESP,UNRESTRICTED, NAVIGATION, AUT-UMS,CLEAN SHIP, AVM-DPS, VCS-TRANSFER, ICE 1B,INWATER SURVEY, ALTERNATIVE/ASIMETRICALLOADING AT SEA.

HISMAR stands for HullIdentification System forMaritime Autonomous Robotics.The aim is to develop a multi-

functional robotic platform for specificinspection, or maintenance tasks, such as thestructural integrity monitoring of a vessel'shull, or cleaning operations.

During the past three years, a uniquepatented navigation system has beendeveloped, which allows the robot to map the ship's hull and subsequently,autonomously guide the robot through adefined maintenance path.

Several optionsIn its latest report, the partners outlined thevarious technologies available for hullcleaning and inspection.

Currently, most underwater cleaningsystems use either rotating brushes, or highpressure water jets to remove fouling. Bothrely on brute force to remove marineorganisms, such as barnacles and mussels.

These forces can be large and a balancemust be maintained between the force

required to remove the fouling and that whichbegins to remove or damage the protectivecoating.

Self-polishing, or foul release coatings canbe particularly susceptible to damage from thesystems used to clean a vessel's hull. Toachieve a balance between the forces, a widerange of brushes and jetting systems havebeen developed, which remove fouling whileminimising the damage to the coating.

This becomes more of an issue withgrowing concerns over copper and zincbiocides leaching into the water systems andaffecting the marine life in certain parts of the world.

Brush technologyBrushes are used in cleaning carts, handheldpolishers and some robotic systems. Mostsystems consist of one or more rotatingbrushes pneumatically, or hydraulicallydriven. This requires the minimum ofequipment beyond the cleaning device itselfthus reducing the cost of the system.

Before the ban on tributyltin (TBT) camein, brush technology was preferred to

underwater jetting systems, as it was easierand more economical to use. However, theincreasing use of environmentally friendly lowfriction coatings can cause a problem, as thesecoatings are less durable and more easilydamaged by the abrasive action of thebrushes.

Research has shown that bristle density,angle and gauge have a greater effect on shearand normal forces produced by brushes, whilethe brush speed and stand-off distance haslittle or no effect.

The main point demonstrated by theresearch was the the selection of the brushcleaning system and forces involved isdependant on a number of factors and theirrelationship is very complex.

Water jetsThe use of high pressure water jets hasbecome an accepted alternative to brushcleaning systems. Unlike the brush-basedsystems, water jets can be easily controlled byreducing or increasing the pressure from the pump.

A water jet's effectiveness is dependant on

An EU funded initiative to develop a robot for underwater hull inspections going by the acronym HISMAR was started by Newcastle University,

backed by industry partners in November 2005.


TECHNOLOGY - UNDERWATER MAINTENANCE

Joint underwatermaintenance project

underway

What the hull is happening?!The CASPER® Service provides technical managers with the information they need to sustain highest propulsion efficiency in a changing technology environment for drydock treatment, planned maintenance and performance monitoring systems.

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©2008 Propulsion Dynamics, Inc. All rights reserved.



the design of the nozzle, speed of traversingthe surface, pressure of water and the distancefrom the surface. Jet nozzles, such as CvaviJetor Swirl jet have been developed to enableeffective cleaning of the hull underwater.

Tests using cavitating water jet nozzlesshowed that the cleaning process can removefouling from hull coatings, while at the sametime, minimising the damage to the coating.

Although jet washing provides increasedcontrol of the cleaning process, the perceivedincrease in the cost of the equipment is stillthought to be prohibitive. However, as thistype of cleaning system becomes more widelyavailable, then the costs will reduce.

Hull inspectionHull surveying is an important part of anyvessel's life span. Under SOLAS, a number ofperiodic inspections of the hull are requiredduring the vessel's life.

Currently, the minimum requirement is for avisual inspection of the hull and with somethickness measurements being taken inspecific areas of the hull, or where a probabledefect might have occurred.

These are usually performed using an

ultrasonic sensory system that is placed on theplate's surface. High frequency sound wavesare passed through the plate, reflected off theback surface and detected by a sensor builtinto the detector's head. The time it takes forthe signal to pass through the plate indicatesits thickness.

Due to the size of the detection head andthe skill required to operate the equipment,only a small proportion of a vessel's hull canbe accurately measured.

A full hull inspection is required to beperformed in drydock every five years, but upto 20% of the hull may not be inspected dueto the vessel's dock supports. Between theseclass renewal inspections, intermediate hullinspections are required.

These are general visual underwaterinspections performed by divers. However, inrecent years a number of robots have beendeveloped to improve the accuracy, coverageand reliability, while reducing the time andcost of the inspection.

The current robotic systems available arelimited to visual inspection and ultrasonicplate thickness measurements.

A spokesperson for Newcastle University

told TANKEROperator that HISMAR was stillbeing tested and the the EU project was due toend in April, 2009. At this stage, it was notpossible to estimate when a commercialsystem would be available on the market.

Apart from Newcastle University, the otherpartners in the project were Graal Tech ofGenoa; the UK's Shipbuilders andShiprepairers Association; TecnoVeritas ofPortugal; Polski Rejestr Statkow; Robosoft ofFrance; Carnival; Moscow State TechnologicalUniversity; Royal Thai Navy and TEPACTechnology & Patent-Consulting of Germany.

Hydrex in demandHydrex diving teams have performed severalworldwide insert repairs in a very short periodof time.

Some of these were undertaken back toback with divers immediately flying on to the next location when a repair was finishedand with multiple teams on the road at the same time.

Included in the list was the repair of aproduct tanker in Rio de Janeiro. Aninspection performed by Hydrex divers shortlyafter arriving at the location indicated that an

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UMC can now repair stern seals in a dry environment (see page 50).



insert of 1,400 mm x 400 mm was needed torepair the damage that had occurred on waterballast tank No. 6.

The actual operation started with thepreparation of the insert and the installation ofthe external cofferdam over the affected area.Next a frame was cut away to enable the teamto remove the damaged bottom shell platingand to fit the new insert plate.

This was then welded with full penetrationwelding and approved by an ultrasonic testingoperator. All operations were carried out inaccordance with Lloyd's Register'srequirements and without any delay for the owner.

Chemical tankerHydrex was also contracted to carry out aninsert repair during a chemical tanker's stay inAntwerp.

The damage found required a 400 mm x600 mm insert in the engine room and an 800mm x 400 mm insert in the bulkhead.

After installation of the cofferdam, part of the bulkhead was cut out to get access tothe damage in that area. Both inserts werethen welded into place and their integrity

was verified by ultrasonic testing andauthorised by class.

UMC extends service range Underwater afloat ship repair andmaintenance specialists UnderwaterMaintenance Company (UMC) has recently

extended its range of services.UMC has introduced an underwater stern seal

replacement and repair service that is claimedby the company to avoid the need for ships todrydock for stern seal repairs or maintenance.

UMC Managing Director, Alan Trevarthensaid, "Our recent technology acquisition has

Flying down to Rio. Hydrex repaired a product tanker afloat in Rio de Janeiro.

Hydrex underwater technology and

services result in high quality

solutions to the repair and replacement

problems encountered by ships and

offshore vessels.

We provide a complete service that will

reduce or avoid off-hire time entirely.

From major projects to simple inspections,

Hydrex has the world-wide facilities and

capability to meet your demands.

Drydocking is not necessary so time,

trouble and expense are saved by doing

work in situ. Hydrex services cover

highly technical major repairs or

replacements of a ship’s external

underwater equipment such as thrusters,

propellers, rudders, stern tube seals and

damaged or corroded hulls.

These and all other underwater inspection

and monitoring services are done by

professional teams trained and qualified

to carry out complex tasks underwater.

They are approved by classification

societies.

UNDERWATER SOLUTIONS

www.hydrex.be +32 3 213 5300



major OEM approval and allows UMC tooffer a frequently requested service."

UMC provides the stern seal serviceworldwide using turnkey specialised stern sealservicing equipment that is stored at a numberof strategic locations for rapid response.Within the next few months, it is planned to

place additional sets of specialist equipment inDubai and Singapore.

Trevarthen continued, "Up until now therehas been no local supplier at these strategiclocations and UMC has identified a growingneed for the supply of this service. Being ableto offer a stern seal service to both inshore

and offshore markets is a continuing strategyof afloat repair that we are constantlydeveloping and refining as part of the range ofservices that we offer."

The stern seal technology utilises a man-entry inflatable habitat that fits around thestern tube area to ensure a dry environment iscreated for the seal replacement or repair. Thesystem is both lightweight and robust and canfit a variety of vessel sizes and sternconfigurations, from conventional shafts topod propulsion systems. The habitat can betransported worldwide and assembled within afew hours while the vessel is at the dockside.

UMC's underwater stern seal replacementand repair services include:� Lip seals, dry repair and replacement of

complete systems. Seal ring bonding.� Face seal wet repairs and replacement.� Stern tube sealing to facilitate inboard

repacking of water lubricated stern seals.UMC currently provides design andconsultancy, project management andoperational diving and waterbornemaintenance services from a network of itsown and partner operation at over 50 keylocations worldwide.

Introducing the new range of Gas

Detection instrumentation from GMI

GMI have been providing Gas Detection Equipment to the Shipping Industry for over

half a century. We manufacture and supply an extensive range of single-gas and

multi-gas, portable and fixed gas detection systems to meet all of the following

requirements . . . . and more

GMI can provide a complete

Gas Detection package:

Portable Instruments

Fixed Systems

- Gas Sampling Systems

- Addressable Detection Systems

GMI Head Office:Inchinnan Business Park,

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e-mail: [email protected] web: www.gmiuk.com

GAS MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS LTD

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forforforforfor

TO

Hull scrubbing is still popular using brush technology.


As a result, BMT SeaTech was ableto show the vessel's operator thatsavings in the order of $2 mill peryear could be achieved as the

software highlighted and quantified the effectsof hull fouling.

Managing director Gwynne Lewis claimedthat for a cost of around Eur30,000, anoperator might typically identify savings ofaround 5-10% per year on the fuel bill, a notinconsiderable sum given the current high costof bunkers. Indeed, the payback time could bejust a matter of weeks, rather than months, ifthe results show that the vessel was beingoperated at a less than optimal efficiency.

Basically, SMARTPOWER is a real-timeship performance monitoring and analysistool, measuring the performance of a vessel'smain engine, hull and propeller to help anoperator gain maximum efficiency in anyconditions, 24/7.

Lewis quoted Lord Kelvin in conversationwith TANKEROperator saying; "If you can'tmeasure it, you can't improve it." He wasreferring to a vessel's performance which,

with the exception of propeller thrust, isrelatively easy to measure the componentparts of using the automated software tool.

A vessel's day by day performance candiffer from its newbuilding trials and probablymore importantly from the charterpartyspecification. It is through measuring,quantifying and understanding thosedifferences that cost savings can be made.

Lewis said that on average the traditionalnoon-to-noon style of reporting was inaccurateas it would only show summary data reportedat a particular time and not continuously. Bybuilding up continuous real time performanceinformation, an accurate picture can be seeninstantaneously, which can be analysed bothafloat and ashore.

A day's worth of data is compressed to betypically less than 300 - 400 kb and thus it canbe downloaded from a vessel or sent as anemail attachment as per an operator's reportingpolicy without the necessary use of abroadband type communications system. Itutilises touch-screen technology and user-friendly features for ease of use on a ship.

Alternatively, laptops can be controlled via a mouse.

Continuous measurementsSMARTPOWER continuously records speed,fuel consumption, shaft rev/min and torque,together with navigational and environmentalparameters, in order to present instantaneousperformance and trends over time. Lewisexplained that a vessel's thrust was thus far stillimmeasurable to an accepted level of accuracy,but fuel consumption, speed and other keyparameters can be measured very accurately.

The successful operation of a vesseldepends upon a complex number of factors.Some will be totally within the shipowner'scontrol and some, such as the weather, canonly be forecast and attempts made to mitigateits impact. Optimising a ship's performanceand ensuring safe operation requires bothknowledge and an understanding of the risksand their consequences.

Vessel operators seeking optimumperformance need to consider the sum of theengine, propeller and hull efficiencies.

TECHNOLOGY - ENERGY PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Optimising vesselperformance usingSMART technology

Since the May contract signing and June installation of BMT SeaTech’s SMARTPOWER software on board a tanker,

the company has produced a three month report on the results.

Performance measured in a graphic display... ...and in a coloured KPI type display.


TECHNOLOGY - ENERGY PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Identifying where the inefficiencies lie is veryimportant to improving vessel performance.By using SMARTPOWER, an owner will beable to predict the effects of the environmentand to minimise the effects of hull andpropeller fouling, changes in speed, draft andtrim in order to reduce fuel consumption andminimise charter claims. SMARTPOWER 's features include: � Continuous recording of the instantaneous

performance, navigational & environmental parameters;

� Graphical comparison of instantaneous and historical data (ship's speed, shaft power, fuel consumption etc);

� Graphical trends of ship speed versus power over time (highlighting the consequence of changes in draught, trim and possible hull fouling or propeller degradation);

� Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to summarise performance at the management level;

� Voyage benchmarking through targeted performance;

� Automatic transfer of data ashore for analysis;

� Daily 'Noon' report; � Automated sea trials function.Displays of the results are through a 'trafficlight' system of coloured KPIs, graphical andtabular displays and, when connected through aLocal Area Network (LAN), these can beviewed at multiple locations on the ship. Forexample, PCs can be linked in the engine roomand accommodation. The user can even viewand filter information on fuel consumption,efficiency and emissions through a colour-coded track plot on a nautical chart.

By plotting a voyage on a chart, Lewis

explained that a user can see spatially how avoyage has performed against a charterparty,including periods of adverse weatherconditions and/or currents.

The colour 'Traffic Lights' depicting avessel's performance KPIs come in green,amber and red in two columns, one showinginstantaneous values and one voyage to date.Thus a screen showing amber and green couldbe marginal with a good voyage performance,but the possibility of a deterioration.

Trends can be analysed by takingcontinuous data for the past hour of a voyageas the software is fully integrated with thevessel's systems, especially the speed andpower characteristics.

Trials reportBy using this method, an hour long sea

trials report can be easily produced with thevessel at a constant speed. Following a 60-min trial, the master can then change thevessel's trim slightly and run another hourlong test. A speed profile can thus be built upthroughout the voyage to the destinationproving a means to inform the Master and tooptimise draft and trim.

One voyage parameter to help reduce fuelconsumption is the desire to maintain a constantpower and to minimise changes in speed profileor the 'Sprint-Loiter' ie maintaining an averagespeed close to the target speed. SMARTPOWER

displays these values continuously and in realtime to assist the ship's crew and this also formspart of the Voyage Summary report.

Sensors can be prioritised to suit and thesoftware is easy to install as minimal extracabling is needed. On board ship,instantaneous analysis of the sensors is in realtime and can be summarised in a 24 hour

performance chart and compared with thecharterparty declaration, while on shore thesystem can be developed across a fleet.

Touch screen capabilityShoreside BMT supplies the SMARTSHOREapplication. An individual ship from within thefleet is selected and the status, performance andefficiency can be seen, as can the results whenthe master conducted an automated sea trial.Vessels may be compared to identify BestPractice. Thus, an operator will be able tobetter understand why sisterships' performancescan sometimes vary from the given fuelconsumption and speed figures.

The reports will give the mean, minimumand maximum speeds, trim, draft, fuelconsumption variations over the selectedperiod. Both the main engines and theauxiliaries can be monitored for performanceand the system can switch between variousviscosities and types of heavy fuel oil andmarine diesel oil.

A complete voyage log can be built up withall the events logged, including the summaryof bunker used and remaining on board(ROB). These figures can be checked againstthe calibration of the tanks.

SMARTPOWER was developed over a periodof 18 months with the co-operation of owners,managers and charterers. In the short term, thesoftware tool could be enhanced by theinclusion of an emissions monitoringcapability and in the longer term a weatherforecasting package could be added.

Finally, Lewis warned that owners andoperators had to invest to bring down theircarbon footprint and to harness their carboncapture. "If you can't measure it you can'timprove it".

Energy Efficiency and Fuel ManagementFollowing on the theme ofenergy efficiency, OCIMF haspublished a set of energyefficiency and fuel efficiencymanagement guidelines.They were developed to expand upon theenvironmental element of TMSA2specifically with a view to reducing CO2emissions from ships.

The oil major's organisation said that thedocument will be circulated as an insert toTMSA2 with future sales of that publicationand can also be downloaded from OCIMF'swebsite for use with TMSA2 alreadypurchased.

As this document does not yet form a part of

TMSA2, it is initially intended forconsideration on a voluntary basis. It isenvisaged that the ideas and concepts identifiedin the guidelines will be considered forinclusion in TMSA2 when it is next reviewed.

Basically, the document identifiesmethodologies available for consideration. Itprovides operators with a basis for assessing,modifying and improving their managementsystems with the aim of maximising energyefficiency. Best practices for achieving thisare also identified.

OCIMF said that to be effective, theenergy management plan needs to compriseof more than just procedures. The company'smanagement should define and communicate

the values and aspirations and detail how itintends to achieve these objectives, includingthe identification of roles andresponsibilities, setting targets andmonitoring performance.

Vessel operators should establish andmaintain procedures to measure and limit theuse of energy in their operations. Theseshould include provisions for -� Minimising energy waste.� Promoting energy efficiency awareness.� Implementing vessel and voyage energy

strategies to minimise energy usage.� Promoting co-operation with charterers

and others to facilitate energy efficient operations. �

TO

EnSolve launches operating cost guarantee programmeEnSolve Biosystems hasintroduced a new operating costguarantee programme for thecompany's flagship product, thePetroLiminator oily waterseparator (OWS).The PetroLiminator Operating CostGuarantee Programme will allow shipoperators to appropriate funds moreeffectively with predictable annual fees andwill help avoid any strains on budgets as theresult of unexpected costs associated withships' OWS treatment systems.

EnSolve will charge customers an annualfixed services and consumables fee that coversall items required for normal operation ofPetroLiminator, including nutrients, pHadjustment chemicals and replacement filterelements, as well as a field service visit toensure that the system operates at peakefficiency.

"The PetroLiminator reduces offloading,maintenance and operation costs associatedwith sludge, spent flocculants, filters and bilgewater," said Jason Caplan, president, EnSolveBiosystems and inventor of thePetroLiminator. "Some of our customers haveseen up to a 10-fold reduction in operationalcosts compared to competing OWStechnologies."

"In light of recent high-profile prosecutionsfor illegal dumping, our customers can alsotake comfort in the fact that thePetroLiminator is a green technology thatconsistently achieves effluent levels of lessthan 5 ppm, well below the IMOMEPC.107(49) clean-water standardsthreshold of 15 ppm for overboard discharge,"added Caplan.

EnSolve's patented PetroLiminator systemis claimed to be the first and only marineOWS that uses a combination of physicaland biological means to treat oily bilgewater. It treats both pure and emulsified oil,as well as detergents, degreasers and other

chemicals in the water. The system generates minimal hazmats and

produces no harmful by-products. Noflocculant or coagulant chemicals are used,substantially reducing sludge accumulation. Itworks totally unattended 24/7 and a built-infail-safe oil content monitor ensures that noaccidental discharge can occur.

The PetroLiminator 630M system is typeapproved by the American Bureau of Shipping(ABS) and has been certified to meet IMOMEPC.107(49) clean-water standards foroverboard discharge.

Since EnSolve was founded in 1995, thecompany has installed PetroLiminator OWS

systems on a number of ships, including OSGmanaged oil tankers. It is claimed to cost fromthree to 12 times less than competitive OWSsystems.

EnSolve's OWS is manufactured to amodular design enabling the system to beretrofitted at sea by simply sliding the systeminto place. EnSolve's David Burroughs toldTANKEROperator that the retrofit market iscurrently larger than the newbuilding market.

He said the payback time would beachieved in two years or less. He also claimedthat the cost guarantee in place was a"minimal risk" to the company maybe varyingby 10%, which EnSolve could live with.


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

PetroLiminator now comes with an operating cost guarantee.

“In light of recent high-profile prosecutions for illegal dumping, our customers can also take comfort in the fact that the PetroLiminator

is a green technology that consistently achieves effluent levels of less than 5 ppm, well below the IMO MEPC.107(49) clean-water

standards threshold of 15 ppm for overboard discharge”Jason Caplan, president, EnSolve Biosystems and inventor of the PetroLiminator

“

”

TO


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

The United KingdomHydrographic Office (UKHO) hasjoined together with Transas andKelvin Hughes in strategicpartnerships.The commercial agreement with Transas willsee every future Transas ECDIS pre-loadedwith Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS)data, tailored to the needs of customers andoptimised for use on OEM's ECDIS.

UKHO launched AVCS in April this year tointegrate official electronic navigational charts(ENCs) from national hydrographic officesacross the globe, along with newlymanufactured ENCs for gaps in key areas, toprovide a comprehensive worldwide series forshipboard use.

The combination of Transas ECDIS andAVCS data will be known as the TransasAdmiralty Data Service (TADS).

This new service compiles the ENC dataset into the internal format of a TransasECDIS system, meaning that users willexperience significant time savings, whilealso guaranteeing an easy, error freeinstallation and updating of official SENCdata on their systems, where the producingnation allows.

Since TADS is based on AVCS, itcomprises only official ENCs produced bygovernment hydrographic offices andtherefore is fully compliant with SOLASlegislation for use within ECDIS. Maintainingup-to-date ENCs is critical for theircompliance and therefore TADS comes

complete with automated and semi-automatedchart updates.

UKHO ceo Mike Robinson believed thatthe Transas partnering relationship will meetthe demand for safe, compliant navigationaldata, in an easy to maintain format.

Transas was the first manufacturer to gaintype-approval for an ECDIS back in 1999with BSH of Germany and is now producingits 5th generation system, the Navi-Sailor4000 MfD.

Robinson added that UKHO was seeking tocreate agreements to help the marinecommunity in the transition towards a digitalfuture.

"UKHO recognises that this partneringagreement is a major step towards creating acompliant digital service that not only fulfilsthe requirements of the mariner, but assiststhem during the transition towards theproposed ECDIS mandation that comes intoforce from 2012. It also offers a single-sourcepackage for those already using ECDIS, aswell as those considering its purchase aheadof mandation," he said.

UKHO is currently obtaining ENC data forMalaysia, Indonesia and Colombia (the latterdistributed via IC-ENC). With furtheragreements close to being concluded,coverage will increase by a further 10% overthe next few months.

Since its launch, 694 new ENCs have beenadded to the AVCS service with more alreadyin the pipeline, and UKHO is on course todeliver its commitment of covering the

world's top 2,000 ports and the major routesbetween them within 12 months of the initiallaunch.

As for the Kelvin Hughes agreement, thiswill see Kelvin Hughes market it's ECDISfully pre-installed with the UKHO's AVCS.

Kelvin Hughes is a leading manufacturer ofmarine technology, whose products includeradar sensors and display technology, VDRs,ECDIS and highly advanced IBS.

Spike Hughes, Kelvin Hughes marketingdirector said; "Any new Kelvin Hughesradar display has a dual function both as aradar and as a type approved ECDIS back-up. This co-operation with the UKHO topre-fill these displays with AVCS data willmake a significant contribution to theincreased take up of official electroniccharts. The parallel initiatives of the UKHOAVCS service and the Kelvin Hughesinclusion of chart radar functionality in ourstandard radars combine to attack the mainbarriers to comprehensive adoption ofelectronic charts, namely lack of officialdata and the cost of implementation. We areproud to be part of this initiative to improvethe safety of marine navigation.

"In a further initiative to enhance the AVCSservice our maritime data supply service,ChartCo, is working closely with the UKHOto provide a full AVCS update service. Thiswill enable subscribers to receive AVCSupdates at sea by ChartCo's unique offering ofeither broadcast, e-mail or internet delivery,"he said.

UKHO partners with two OEMs

TO

Transas installs simulator in German training centreTransas Europe has installed andcommissioned an engine roomsimulator based on the ERS 4000software at Interschalt MaritimeSystems' training facility locatedjust outside Hamburg.The recently delivered ERS 4000 systemcomprised one instructor workplace with TFTmonitor for editing, conducting and debriefingof training sessions and one traineeworkplace, which can be used for complexsimulation of different ship types, includinga tanker.

Three TFT displays are used to show andoperate all of the ships' different sub-systems,including propulsion plant, electric powerplant and auxiliary systems.

A distinctive feature of the engine roomsimulator was that a selection of realInterschalt consoles (automation, main andemergency switchboard) was interfaced withthe ERS 4000 system. Real generator setswere connected to the switchboards, allowinga realistic training environment for powerdistribution.

The required interconnection and wiringof approximately 300 analogue and digitalhardware I/Os was carried out by thecompany's specialists with the help ofTransas' UHI (universal hardware interface)technology, including additionalprogramming for correct addressing of all components.

Initial training courses using the engine

room simulator have already begun. Since,2007, Interschalt has operated a Transas fullmission bridge simulator in its maritimeeducation and training centre (MET), which islocated in Schenefeld near Hamburg.

In another move, Transas Benelux hasextended an arrangement with RadioHolland to distribute its shipboardequipment in the Benelux area. To date, thecompany has installed some 500 navigationsystems and more than 60 maritimesimulators in this area.

Radio Holland is part of the Imtech Group.It has an active sales and service organisationspecialising in the supply, integration andservice of electronic systems and supportsTransas products in the Benelux region. TO

The environmental protectionagencies of the world are steppingup their battle against pollutioncaused by ships, typically in the

form of exhaust gases from the engines andoil in bilge water released into the sea.

Yet they seem slow to recognise anothersource of airborne pollution from ships thatnot only affects the marine and coastalenvironment, but also poses a health threat toseafarers and people living in or near portsand harbours.

The villain in this drama is the oil-saturatedgas which slips into the environment fromdiesel engine crankcases, turbochargers, gasand steam turbines and lube oil tank vents.

Produced by medium and high speed engines,crankcase gas comprises blow-by gases andsoot from the engine's combustion chamber,mixed with oil mist from the lubrication oil.By allowing this airborne oil spill from theworld's fleet to pass unclean into theatmosphere, it is estimated that at least 8,000tonnes of lubricating oil is added annually tothe already high pollution level.

However, despite successes with landvehicles, until now there has been no high-

performance cleaning solution for crankcasegas in large marine and power plantapplications. Existing solutions includecyclones, air traps and filters, but the resultshave not been satisfactory. All have one orseveral weaknesses in terms of efficiency,reliability, or cost of ownership.

Finnish engine builder Wärtsilä has evaluatedvarious treatment options for crankcase gas.Filters are the most common solution in placetoday for gas and steam turbines. However,although, initial efficiency may be high, filtrationefficiency drops rapidly as the filter becomessaturated. Pressure drop and clogging oftraditional filters can lead to difficulties withcrankcase pressure, stability and control.


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Alfa laval addressesenvironmental issues

Alfa Laval’s Aqua freshwater generator claims tocut seawater use in half.

Each year 8,000 tonnes of airborne oil spill

slips past the MEPC.


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Size is another problem as a high-capacityfilter may be as large as a refrigerator. Thenthere is cost. In addition to the purchase price,there are the costs of regular disposal of usedpaper filters on shore as hazardous oily waste.

A radical new approach A radical new approach to crankcase gascleaning in high-capacity situations, PureVentis an Alfa Laval patented separation solutiondeveloped in collaboration with Wärtsilä.Wärtsila now offers engines for power plantswith PureVent separators as a standard option.

PureVent removes oil mist and otherparticles by high speed centrifugal separation.Cleaning efficiency is 99.99% at a throughputof 40 cu m per hour and 98.5% at 150 cu mper hour and the system produces nohazardous waste.

The separated oil can be recirculated backto the engine with no negative effect onperformance.

PureVent offers ships and power plants two-year service intervals as opposed to thefrequent maintenance requirements associatedwith filter technology. The rotor unit,complete with electrical motor, is quicklyand easily exchanged for a replacement aftertwo years.

Alfa Laval's has also introduced the AQUAfreshwater generator, which the companyclaims cuts the use of seawater in half.

AQUA saves considerable space on boardwhile offering economic and environmentalbenefits. Built with 3-in-1 plate technology,AQUA handles the entire desalination processwith a single plate pack and just one type oftitanium plate. The result is a more compact

freshwater generator providing fresh waterwith a guaranteed maximum of 2 ppm in allconditions.

Another of Alfa Laval's innovations,PureBallast is one of only a handful of ballast

water treatment systems with IMO approval -and the only one that neither requires norgenerates chemicals.

The Norwegian authorities granted thesystem full Ballast Water Type Approval on30th May confirming that it had met orexceeded IMO's treatment requirements in allthe necessary tests.

Since ballast water volumes aboard modernvessels can exceed 100 000 cu m, a built-insolution with no need to stock additives wouldlower operating costs and create greater spaceeconomy. However, there were considerablechallenges in going from AOT "smartproducts" to a complex, large-scaleapplication.

One part of solving these challenges wasindustrialising the AOT process and adaptingit to the marine environment in co-operationwith Wallenius Water. The result, referred toas a Wallenius AOT unit, is a compact andself-contained reaction chamber in which lightis used to generate radicals.

To date, Alfa Laval has sold around 35PureBallast systems to nine differentshipowners.

The scale of the problem can be seen from this illustration.

TO

A radical new approach – PureVent was developed in collaboration with Wärtsilä.

Learn how Hellespont, Maryville Maritime, Eletson, Bernhard Schulte ShipManagement, Cardiff Marine, Intership Navigation, Capital Ship Management

and Neda Maritime are using the latest technologies to improve the quality of their operations, at Digital Ship Athens on Nov 18-19 2008.

LEARN ABOUT:How Hellespont gets on the right side

of the oil majors with benefit

of the latest digital tools

Cardiff Marine's experience with

electronic navigation

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement’s

implementation of a long range

tracking system

How Intership Navigation gets all its

documentation from shipyards and

suppliers in electronic format

How Eletson implemented improved

quality management software

Inmarsat's FleetBroadband - reliable

high speed data communications for

ships, available globally

How Capital Ship Management

manages risk

How the ex IT manager of one of the

world's largest shipping companies

compares Inmarsat, VSAT and

Iridium

How Maryville Maritime keeps

shipboard PC maintenance simple

How Neda Maritime is implementing

a new quality management system

for the whole company

Anticipated new regulations about

sea and air emissions in US ports -

and how to develop a holistic

picture of your vessel's emissions

sent back to shore - by US maritime

environmental consultant Dale Neef

To discuss available positions andrates, contact Ria Kontogeorgou,exhibition manager, Digital Ship LtdTel +44 207 510 4931Mob: +44 7815 481036e-mail [email protected]

2009 events3-4 February, Cyprus, The Grand (prev. Hawaii Grand)

10-11 March, Oslo, Telenor Expo Centre

21-22 April, Dubai, Mövenpick Hotel, Bur Dubai

16-17 September, Singapore, Suntec

7-8 October, USA, The Italian Center of Stamford

18-19 November, Athens, Aegli Zappiou

ATHENS: NOVEMBER 18-19, AEGLI ZAPPIOU

www.thedigitalship.com/athens.htm

� Conference is at Aegli Zappiou, in Athens National Gardens, close to

Syntagma

� Free attendance for employees of shipping companies subject to

advance registration

� All attendees are invited to a dinner on Nov 18th in Plaka, the historic

part of Athens, sponsored by

Inmarsat

� Exhibition with the latest commu-nications, IT and navigation

technology on display

� Further information and online registration is at

www.thedigitalship.com/athens.htm

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Documents

TANKER OPERATOR MAGAZINE OCOTBER 2008