Bulker Runs Aground off San Jose, Philippines

A cargo ship loaded with cement ran aground near Tubigan Point lighthouse, San Jose, on September 3, the Philippine Coast Guard informed.
At the time of the incident, the M/V Star Liberty carried 22 crew members on board.
After receiving a radio call from M/V Queen of Charity, the country’s coast guard and local authorities headed to the site to provide the necessary assistance.
Upon their arrival, some of the crew had already jumped off the vessel. Twelve crewmembers were brought to a local hospital for medical treatment, while another ten seafarers were brought to the evacuation center for first aid assistance, according to the coast guard.
On August 25, the distressed vessel departed San Fernando, Cebu, heading for San Jose, Antique. The cargo ship arrived and anchored some 150 meters south of the abovementioned light station.
However, in the morning hours of September 3, the Star Liberty was dragged to the shallow portion of San Jose Port after encountering big waves and strong current prevailing in the area that led to the grounding.

BWMS Failures Caused by Yards Substituting Component Materials

Yard’s lack of proper installation of ballast water systems on board ships has been one of the causes of system operation failures, Debra DiCianna, Senior Compliance Engineer at Choice Ballast Systems, said while speaking today at a panel within SMM trade fair in Hamburg.
Preparing for Ballast Water Treatment panel, held as part of the Global Maritime Environmental Congress (gmec), addressed the state of play with respect to system installations one year after the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention came into force.
“We are finding that yards are substituting materials for some minor components of ballast water systems to non-marine grade during installations of ballast water systems on board vessels that have caused system operation failures,” she said, adding the materials in question were not covered by the type approval certificate
DiCianna added that investment in a BWMS depended on a myriad of factors including technical specifications of the ship, CAPEX cost, trade patterns and ballasting operations.
The key factor is understanding how a ballast water management system was impacting a ship owner’s operation of a vessel, she explained.
“Installation of a BWMS is going to impact normal ballasting in various aspects, so it is important to understand all the technical details of the ballasting system,” she pointed out.
Speaking on the type approval, DiCianna indicated that it is very important to understand what is covered by a type approval certificate since a ballasting system needs to be installed and operated as stated in the certificate.
Obtaining a system manual before system delivery in order to train the crew for its operation was another recommendation made by DiCianna.
“Too many times we found that shipowners got the manual after the delivery of the system and they were still trying to figure out how everything works,” she added.
The panelists agreed that there are still numerous operational and technical challenges owners face once the system is installed.
Tim Wilkins, Environment Director, Regional Manager, Asia-Pacific, Intertanko, said that owners, members of the association, do not face operational failures per se, but rather operational problems.
The issue again mainly comes back to the training of the crew, Wilkins added, saying the operational failure rate is being reduced with the greater training of the crew and their better understanding of how the system works.
“We recognize that there are some inoperable systems out there. But now it is the question of overcoming those challenges, looking at procedures and making sure you have that management change process in place,” he concluded.

Wilhemsen’s Smart Rope Steals the Show at SMM

Visitors at this year’s SMM trade show in Hamburg, Germany, have been challenged to walk a mile in seafarers shoes and test out Wilhelmsen Ships Service’s smart rope system.
The rope was put on display at the company’s stand and visitors were invited pull the rope and see what they are made of as the system provides real-time pull load results.
The system, dubbed Timm’s Smart Ropes, is constructed using the company’s Timm Acera range and an embedded load sensor. It provides real time information about usage, tension and overall health of the rope ushering in a new era for mooring practices that have been pretty outdated.

Wilhemsen said that the digital system reduces the chances of mismanagement prolonging the life of a mooring rope.
The system is accompanied by an interactive dashboard intended for the ship’s crew, called the Digital Mooring assistant, that provides the information on the state of each rope in real time.
Aside to the smart mooring rope for ships, that stole the show at the fair, Wilhelmsen Ships Service presented a host of digital products at SMM today.

LNG-Fueled 23,000 TEU Behemoth in the Making

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company Ltd. (DSIC) and classification society DNV GL have signed a joint development project (JDP) agreement to develop a new 23,000 TEU LNG fueled ultra large container vessel (ULCV).
The JDP is focused on delivering a design which is ready for construction and reflects upcoming market trends and incoming regulations.
“In developing this new 23,000 TEU LNG fuelled ULCV design, we will show that DSIC can deliver vessels at the cutting edge of the market after two 20,000 TEU container vessels were successfully delivered to COSCO SHIPPING Group this year,” said Mr. Yang Zhi Zhong, President of DSIC.
“We see a continuing strong market for ULCV vessels, with lower slot costs especially valued on the main trading routes. At the same time the expansion in bunkering infrastructure in both China and Europe means that LNG is becoming a viable solution for container vessels, lowering costs and ensuring compliance with incoming regulations.”

Silversea Orders 3rd Muse-Class Ship from Fincantieri

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has received an order for another ultra-luxury cruise ship from Silversea Cruises.
Under the contract, valued at over EUR 320 million (USD 381.3 million), the new cruise ship is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021. The unit is Silversea’s eleventh ship, and the third one in the Muse-class series.
Named Silver Dawn, the new vessel will be a sistership of Silversea’s flagship, Silver Muse, which was launched from the Fincantieri shipyard of Sestri Ponente (Genoa) in April 2017.
The order of Silver Dawn comes just months after the cruise line signed a contract with Fincantieri for the construction of Silver Moon, another sistership to Silver Muse, which is due to be delivered in 2020.
“Following the extraordinary success of Silver Muse, we are delighted to announce Silver Dawn as the eleventh ship to join the Silversea fleet,” Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Silversea’s Chairman, said.

Robots to Build Ships at Hyundai Heavy

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries has unveiled its intention to start using robots to construct ships in an effort to improve efficiency and cut costs.
The move comes on the back of year-long testing of robotic systems which the company conducted at its Ulsan shipyard.
According to HHI, the robotic sistem, which is based on the Internet of Things and automation technologies, automatically shapes a vessel’s 3-D curved surface.
Equipped with a high-frequency inductive heating system and a multi-joint arm, the system is expected to increase productivity by three times, improve the quality of the end product, and result in cost savings of about KRW 10 billion per year.

K Line, Uyeno Group Join SEA\LNG

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and compatriot Uyeno Group have joined SEA\LNG, a multi-sector industry coalition aiming at accelerating the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel.
As explained, SEA\LNG sees Japan as growing in importance as a location for LNG-fueled shipping and bunkering.
K Line and Uyeno Group, a group of organizations providing logistics solutions for the storage and transportation of petroleum and petro-chemical products, now stand alongside a number of Japanese organizations which have joined SEA\LNG to accelerate LNG adoption in the nation’s ports and waters, as well as globally. These include Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation (YKIP), Marubeni, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., NYK Line, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and Sumitomo Corporation.
“Collaboration, demonstration and communication on key areas such as safety, regulation, emissions and the economic case for LNG are essential to strengthening the increasing confidence and demand required for an effective and efficient global LNG value chain by 2020. Our members in Japan are doing important work, both in the region and across the world, which contributes significantly to helping us achieve our mission,” Peter Keller, SEA\LNG chairman and executive vice president of Tote, commented.
In April 2017, K Line launched a new business division devoted to the transportation of LNG and LPG.
“We expect long-term global demand for LNG to grow as a clean energy resource. In addition to conventional LNG transport operation, our new division will also spearhead efforts to enter new business fields, such as floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs),” Satoshi Kanamori, general manager of liquefied gas new business group at K Line, noted.
“Working with SEA\LNG, we hope to collaborate with organisations from across the LNG value chain to improve bunkering infrastructure and stimulate demand for LNG across the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond,” Kanamori added.
“As attitudes and regulations surrounding the marine and energy sectors transform with the times, Uyeno Group is diversifying its business offering into the clean energy business (….) We look forward to engaging with Japan’s growing LNG market (…) to further SEA\LNG’s global mission,” Kazutoshi Takao, executive managing officer of Uyeno Group, said.