Tag: BWTS

Damen Shipyards Group is set to unveil a pioneering new mobile ballast water treatment unit at the Posidonia exhibition

The Australian Government has announced that it will reduce the rate of the Protection of the Sea levy. The decision will take effect from 1 July 2014 and will save ships visiting Australian ports around $9 million a year. Removing the 2010 hike in the levy on ships entering ports will ease the cost of doing business in Australia and will put downward pressure on prices for consumers. The former Labor Government increased the levy for shipping companies from 11.25 cents per net registered tonne to 14.25 cents to meet part of the cost of cleaning up the oil spill from the Pacific Adventurer, which occurred off the south east coast of Queensland in March 2009. Since those costs have been more than met, the Coalition Government can reverse that increase. The three cent reduction in the levy will help to tackle the competitive challenges the shipping industry faces. The levy applies to ships of more than 24 metres in length entering an Australian port carrying more than 10 tonnes of oil in bulk as fuel or cargo. It is payable quarterly and is used by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to fund the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. ...

Total has issued a press release to announce the signature of an LNG Cooperation Agreement strengthening the partnership between Total and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Under the terms of an existing 15 year contract, Total has been supplying China with up to 1 million tons per year of LNG since 2010. In addition to agreeing on a price review regarding this existing supply, the parties have set a framework for an additional supply of 1 million tons per year of LNG as well as further cooperation throughout the LNG value chain. Total already supplies more than 8% of the Chinese market, with 5 million tons of LNG already delivered between 2010 and 2014. In the coming years the Group will benefit from additional supply sources in Australia, Russia and the US, complementing existing Middle East and African sources, in order to respond to China's growing LNG demand. "As a world leader in LNG, Total seeks to strengthen its position in Asia's growing LNG markets, where China is among the largest players with 20% annual growth. This new agreement allows us to expand our LNG supply and reinforces our cooperation with Chinese companies", outlined Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President Total Upstream. ...

In October last year, Conoship Naval Architect Jan van der Zee won the VNSI Wim Timmersprijs award for his graduation work ‘Collaborative Design Tools'. At this moment, data exchange between ship design applications is often done manually, which takes a lot of time and is prone to errors. Based on technologies developed in national research project Innovero, van der Zee created a connection between a ship stability application and a CAD-system to overcome these issues. Based on a neutral data-exchange format, ship design data is exchanged real-time between the applications by means of an internet connection. These techniques make it possible to decrease the time of creating and updating design drawings such as the General Arrangement and Tank Arrangement and also the stability model to perform (damage) stability calculations with. This results in the possibility to perform critical calculations like damage stability earlier in the design process, showing any bottlenecks earlier and makes it possible to optimize the design earlier in the design process. The technology can either be used on a local computer, in a Local Area Network, or globally over the internet, thereby taking a step towards ‘collaborative design'. A concept which is already widely used in the ...

BMT Asia Pacific (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd has launched two comprehensive tools for assessing port competition and managing commercial risk. The Port Choice Model and Port 360° evaluate the competitive advantage of a given port within its environment. Developed by BMT following years of academic research and professional consultancy assisting governments and stakeholders, the tools uniquely apply both quantitative and qualitative methodology and measure a spectrum of criteria, defined by leading economists and technical port experts. With the growing complexity of the port sector, BMT recognised the need to assess competition with greater, critical scrutiny. Typical market share studies draw on historical market share data, distance, or travel time estimates, but BMT's assessment tools are designed to take analyses a few steps further. "What investors need to know today is how the distribution dynamics of cargo - from ocean to hinterland - will impact future profits," notes Dr. Richard Colwill, Managing Director, BMT Asia Pacific.  "Ultimately we are looking to help clients invest wisely, and in today's dynamic investment market this has never been more important." The time and cost items of BMT's Port Choice Model include trucking time and cost from factory to port, average waiting ...

MTN Communications announced that Carnival Corporation has signed a new agreement for the provision of Internet services to its guests and crew. The agreement covers several Carnival Corporation brands, including Princess Cruises, Cunard and P&O Cruises (UK), and will enable MTN to continue a partnership of more than 20 years in delivering crew welfare and passenger solutions to Carnival. Carnival has also extended its existing agreement for MTN broadcast television services, MTN Worldwide TV, which provides a wide range of television content including news and entertainment to 50 of its ships across the globe. In addition, Carnival Corporation brands in Alaskan waters will continue to leverage MTN's Terrestrial Broadband Services while in port, with the opportunity to explore the possible expansion of this service. "MTN and the Carnival family of brands have partnered for more than 20 years," said Chris Leber, executive vice president, commercial business development, MTN. "Our continued partnership providing MTN value-added services further illustrates how we have evolved to deliver communications-related services to the Carnival family of brands and to help improve the communications experience at sea, including content and Internet options for passengers and crew." "This continued partnership with MTN allows us to deliver the industry's ...

China plans to build a new and improved icebreaker for polar expeditions. Qu Tanzhou, director of the State Oceanic Administration's Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, told Xinhua on Sunday that designs for the vessel were in the process after gaining official approval. Currently, china's icebreaker, Xue Long (also known as Snow Dragon) had been trapped by heavy floes since it rescued passengers on a Russian vessel stranded in Antarctica. Today, AMSA confirmed that both the Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long have broken free from the ice in Antarctica and are no longer in need of assistance. "The new icebreaker will be shorter and be equipped with blades both at the bow and the stern, which will be able to open ice 1.5 meters thick," said Qu. Designed mainly for field research instead of transporting supplies, the new icebreaker will also have a better power system, larger decks and laboratories. It will be a "mobile research station," said Qu, according to the Global Times  

Greek oil tanker operator, Almi Tankers S.A. has chosen OceanSaver Ballast Water Treatment solutions for its VLCCs currently under construction at Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd.The 320,000 dwt vessels will join Almi's fleet in July 2013 and November 2014 and are designed to exceed high environmental standards, reflecting client demand for clean & green operation. Almi Tankers currently manages two Aframax LR2 vessels and three newly-built Suezmax Crude Oil Carriers and is expecting the delivery of seven more Suezmaxes and two VLCCs by November 2014.Almi confirms the decision to choose OceanSaver follows a thorough evaluation of the company's Mark I and Mark II BWT technology and competing suppliers."OceanSaver BWT systems are backed by DNV's Type Approval Program. This type approval guarantees detailed evaluation of every aspect of vessel safety including the power balance of the vessel, installation procedures for the ballast tanks, and the thorough testing of ballasting sequences," an Almi Tankers representative said."Though encountering start up challenges, OceanSaver BWT technology confirms superior component quality and reliability. Its customized and innovative BWT solutions help us optimize lifecycle costs, improve ship performance and ultimately deliver the best service possible to very environmentally-conscious clients."It is Almi's first contract with ...

ceanSaver's first contract for the Mark II BWT system in Greece Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) system manufacturer OceanSaver has gained market share in the MR tanker sector with a Mark II BWT system contract for a Greek owner.The company is to fit a Mark II BWT system each on board two chemical tankers owned by CMM, a Greek-owned tanker company. The vessels will be built in South Korea.This agreement with CMM represents OceanSaver's first contract for the Mark II BWT system in Greece and also the company's first contract in the chemical/products tanker sector.Kostas Vlachos, CMM COO, said: "The Mark II's small footprint, affordable price, safe operation, reliability and low maintenance costs were important considerations for CMM. We have had good experience with Norwegian suppliers in the past and are confident that OceanSaver will meet our expectations."Together with CCM, OceanSaver technicians solved the challenges of submerged ballast pumps integrated into the company's BWT loop.Tor Atle Eiken, OceanSaver's senior vice president, sales & marketing welcomed CMM to the growing OceanSaver customers operating vessels in the 35,000 to 80,000 dwt tonnage range. "Over the past six months, new technology Mark II has emerged as a strong competitor in the medium sized vessel ...

Office of Management and Budget states The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hasstatedthat it has returned to the US Coast Guard the draft interim final rule for Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast water Discharged in U.S. Waters. The move closely follows last week's OMB announcement thattheir consideration of said rule would be delayed. OMB only said that the rule was "improperly submitted." The annouincement only further serves to provide uncertainty to shipowners who would like to get Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) equipment installed and dismay for BWT manufacturers who would like to gear up for the almost 40,000 hulls that will need systems in the near future. An IMO standard is already in play, with many nations as signatories. Most stakeholders hope (and expect) that the Coast Guard's interim rule will, when it comes into play, will mirror the IMO standard.Separately, theNew York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) last week issued a press release stating that it will pursue a uniform national ballast water standard by leaving in place the EPA's current standards in New York for the remainder of EPA's current Vessel General Permit through December 2013.New York's decision to (at least temporarily) release its hold ...