Tag: operational efficiency

Under its expedited agreement review procedures, the Federal Maritime Commission has concluded its review of a proposed amendment to the Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Infrastructure and Environmental Programs Cooperative Working Agreement, FMC Agreement No. 201219-001. The Commission's unanimous decision grants the parties request for expedited review and permits the amendment to become effective on Friday, February 27, 2015. Operating since March 2013, the agreement allows, among other things, the ports to discuss and agree on projects and programs that address transportation infrastructure needs and reduce pollution caused by port-related activities. The proposed amendment clarifies the purpose of the agreement to more accurately reflect the current goals of the Ports, and to allow for the discussion of projects and programs with multiple stakeholders in and around the port complex. Addressing port congestion will be a particular focus, including establishing initiatives to increase terminal productivity, facilitate chassis availability and usage, and improve drayage truck turn times. The Commission’s decision is based on a determination that the agreement is not likely at this time, by a reduction in competition, to produce an unreasonable increase in transportation cost or an unreasonable reduction in transportation service under section 6(g) of the Shipping Act. Chairman ...

Southampton Solent University is funding vital research to examine ‘sea blindness’, the lack of public awareness surrounding the shipping industry and plug a perceived skills gap.  The research aims to establish the extent of sea blindness and generate valuable baseline data that can be used to inform the development of a range of tools to raise public awareness about the industry.   Dr Kate Pike, Senior Research Fellow with the University’s Maritime Technology faculty (MARtec), leading the research says: “As an island nation we are absolutely dependant on shipping.  It is the life blood of the UK’s economy and responsible for 95% of all imports and exports, yet many people know less about the industry today than they did fifty years ago.” The growing demand of a global population for goods has seen levels of international trade dramatically increase over the last four decades.  In the UK within the maritime sector, this translates to a contribution of around £31 billion pounds for the UK’s GDP. In Southampton, home to the country’s number one cruise port and the third largest container port, this contributes £714 million to the local economy.  The port supports approximately 15,000 local jobs and 30,000 jobs within the ...

Researchers have created an 11-point checklist which they believe could become a vital tool in enabling the UK’s smaller ports to ensure they are working sustainably. Covering topics including environmental practice and management, proactive partnerships and strategic planning for the future, the system breaks down some of the major sustainability challenges harbour masters face on a daily basis. The idea is to help them fully appreciate its importance to their operations, but also to find ways of making the many associated challenges easier to identify and solve. The checklist system has been devised by Dr Andrei Kuznetsov and Professor John Dinwoodie, from the Plymouth Graduate School of Management, in partnership with the University of Hull and the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners. To aid its development, Dr Kuznetsov engaged with more than 20 harbour masters in small ports across Devon and Cornwall over the space of three years, establishing their views and opinions about the challenges they face and how these might be overcome. Dr Kuznetsov said: “Sustainability is of vital importance in the maritime industry, and the harbour masters across Devon and Cornwall are committed to safeguarding local employment and commercially important but sustainable local operations. But while larger ports have ...

CMA CGM introduces Big Data into industry

MAN PrimeServ, MAN Diesel & Turbo’s service division, has announced the 100th sale of its PMI (Pressure Measuring Instrument) Auto-tuning retrofit package. The ‘MSC Filippa’, a 2011-built, 13,400-teu container ship owned by Germany’s Peter Döhle Group, will be retrofitted to accommodate the system. Hagen Koslowski, Technical Director of Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, said: “The main driver for us in ordering PMI Auto-tuning was to reduce fuel consumption and therefore become more attractive to the charter market. Taking a broader view, the CO2 reduction and our environmental responsibility, paired with our trust in MAN products, also played key roles in the decision.” The Peter Döhle Group has previous experience with PMI Auto-tuning, having recently installed it aboard a series of 6,800-teu vessels – MV ‘Pangal’, MV ‘Puelche’ and MV ‘Petrohue’ – equipped with MAN B&W 10K98MEC-7 low-speed engines. Of their experience with this, Koslowski said: “On all our vessels, the system runs reliably. The PMI works really well and adjustments can be seen on the CoCoS computer and MOP, while engine parameters are always at the optimal value.” Koslowski also praised an “outstanding performance” by MAN PrimeServ’s service engineers who installed, commissioned and pre-adjusted the PMI Auto-tuning system aboard the container fleet. ...

Rolls Royce future bridge operation concept

Ship Intelligence for platform support vessels

The University of Southampton has appointed ship science expert Dr Dominic Hudson as the Shell Professor of Ship Safety and Efficiency, a position funded by a significant philanthropic gift made to the University this year. Professor Hudson’s research will focus on improving the safety and efficiency of shipping operations. Funded by Shell Shipping & Maritime, this position builds on a technology partnership between Shell and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton that started last year. The funding of the Shell Professorship is one of the first philanthropically-funded professorships at Southampton and the collaboration illustrates the exciting impact of industry investment in the University’s research excellence. “There is a lot of opportunity to improve in the area of ship safety and efficiency performance. Having a leading shipping company such as Shell support us and provide real shipping data can help unlock important breakthroughs,” said Professor Hudson. “This in addition to the new ship science facilities at our Boldrewood Campus, makes it a very exciting time to be involved in ship science at Southampton.” Dr Grahaeme Henderson, Vice President Shell Shipping & Maritime, said: “With Professor Hudson’s appointment, I am looking forward to strengthening our partnership with ...