International - Schiff & Hafen

International 

02|09 

www.shipandport.com 

Improved DGPS navigation 

with AIS broadcasts 16 

Green engines: Turbo boost 

for lower emissions 34 

Oil & Gas Exploration: 

Dynamic Positioning in ice 62 

INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION 

FOR SHIPPING, MARINE AND OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

international conference and exhibition on 

maritime security and defence hamburg

comment 

Dr.-Ing. Silke Sadowski 

Editor in Chief 

silke.sadowski@dvvmedia.com 

Offshore – a booming 

global market 

The current economic downturn is a crisis in 

a completely new dimension with historically 

unique symptoms and effects causing unprecedented 

perplexity even among economic and financial 

experts. Although they are being constantly corrected, 

economic forecasts are of little assistance in 

charting the course ahead. 

The maritime sector has, of course, also not been 

spared by this global crisis that arose virtually overnight 

and has been impacting all industries. 

The next few months will involve multiple challenges 

for nearly all segments of the maritime sector, 

including ports, shipping lines, shipyards, marine 

equipment suppliers and offshore companies. 

Nevertheless, the situation is far more differentiated 

than in many other industries. It is essential to 

make the most of all the opportunities provided by 

such a market environment. 

The offshore technology area offers high growth 

potential despite the present crisis. Energy and 

raw material prices, which according to experts 

are bound to recover in the medium term in line 

with rising global demand, and declining energy 

resources on land are promoting a surge in offshore 

exploration and production activities. The technical 

and commercial basis for such projects is provided 

by progress recently achieved in the development of 

the necessary innovative technologies as well as the 

expected price trend as a result of demand. 

Above all, the production of oil and gas with the 

increasing deployment of exploration and production 

techniques under extreme conditions such as 

deepwater and ice is obtaining a key significance. 

Oil and gas production volume in deepsea production 

is estimated to increase by close on 80% 

between 2007 and 2011, corresponding to a 25% 

rise in investment in relevant production systems 

to US$41 billion. The declining ice thickness in the 

Arctic, where according to the latest estimates approx. 

22% of global reserves lie, is greatly stimulating 

the development of technologies for producing 

oil and gas from ice-covered northern waters. 

Deepwater technology for deepwater mining and 

the production of marine gas hydrates will also be 

refined. Although still in different development 

phases, both these areas are on the threshold to 

industrialisation. 

The extreme ambient conditions at water depths of 

up to 5000m place high technological and environmental 

protection requirements on suppliers of 

equipment, systems and services. This area is thus 

meanwhile regarded globally as providing some of 

the most formidable high-tech challenges with a 

correspondingly massive investment requirement. 

Another important growth market is utilisation of 

ocean renewable energy with offshore wind energy 

and hydraulic or tidal power plants. 

The offshore sector is a global market, and the 

complexity of the projects has led to significantly 

changed market structures and international cooperation. 

The sophisticated production techniques 

require high engineering expertise and technologyintensive 

special solutions. It will thus be interesting 

to observe the results and innovations presented 

at the major trade fairs and congresses in early 

summer this year, such as the OTC 2009 Offshore 

Technology Conference, the 28th International 

Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering 

(OMAE 2009) and OCEANS2009. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 3

In Focus 

10 

Ship & 

Port Operation 

Port infrastructure 

10 Automation of container 

terminals 

14 New ISO Specification for 

containers identification 

14 Safe operation 

Shipping 

14 Cradle solutions for the Atlantic 

15 Resolutions for cruising the 

Arctic 

Regulars 

COMMENT ........................... 3 

NEwS & FACTS ................... 6 

BUYER‘S GUIDE ................ 37 

IMPRINT ............................. 67 

Navigation and Communications 

Iridium OpenPort, FleetBroadband and VSAT in particular 

are currently competing to be the most efficient systems 

for seafaring. Either way, they will change the way we 

look at communications at sea. 

AIS has long since become part of standard navigation 

equipment, but there are innovative ways of further 

utilising the technology. 

Offshore 

Approximately 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 

gas reserves are estimated to be in the Arctic and 

Antarctic regions. Research activities are taking place in 

ice-covered waters as well as ever-deeper parts of the 

ocean. The technology for this is still in its infancy, yet 

advances that would have been unthinkable not long ago 

have already been made. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1741_anz_mtp_newships_183x40.indd 1 09.04.2009 13:52:12 

4 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Content | May 2009 

Editorial 

Shipbuilding & 

Equipment 

Navigation 

16 Improved DGPS navigation with 

AIS broadcasts 

18 Innovative search and rescue 

transmitter 

20 New Integrated Bridge System 

22 Responsible ECDIS and INS training 

Communication 

24 Cost-effective alternative for 

satellite communications 

26 Latest development in 

FleetBroadband and VSAT 

Propulsion 

30 Flexibility in a small package 

34 Turbo boost for lower emissions 

30 65 

Offshore & 

Marine Technology 

Offshore oil & gas 

46 Improving DP fuel economy and 

reducing emissions 

50 Hydrodynamics of thruster systems 

54 Hydraulic sensor system monitoring 

drilling rig components 

56 Offshore vessels with 3D product 

modelling 

59 Automated anchor handling concept 

Arctic & ice engineering 

60 Multi-functional advanced 

research vessel 

62 Oil & Gas Exploration: 

Dynamic Positioning in ice 

64 Neumayer Station III inaugurated 

Dear Readers 

Today’s maritime exploration activities, 

involving great expertise and cutting-edge 

technology, are no less exciting than during 

the times of Columbus, Magellan and James 

Cook. In this issue, we look at exploring the 

deep oceans and the polar regions. Working 

in such extreme environments is very challenging, 

which is reason enough for us to 

include several highly interesting articles on 

the Arctic and Antarctic as well as deep-sea 

offshore technology. 

A major challenge when exploring the deep 

sea is dynamic positioning (DP), which is 

why we look at ways of keeping a vessel 

dead steady by means of propulsion in an 

environment-friendly and cost-efficient way 

(page 46). But is DP also feasible in ice? 

Extensive research is being undertaken in 

this area, and we look at the design study 

of Aurora Borealis on page 60, while the 

overall feasibility of DP in ice is discussed 

further on page 62, Thruster systems are 

crucial for DP, and understanding the hydrodynamics 

of these is also important, hence 

our analysis on page 50. 

A current aspect of navigation and communications 

technology is the refinement 

of the AIS system. It could be possible to 

use AIS base stations for differential GPS 

transmissions (page 16), but there is also 

an innovative approach that has led to the 

development of an AIS Search and Rescue 

Transponder (page 18). The positive consequences 

of these recent successful test 

results are possibly more far-reaching than 

the SART itself: phasing out the current 

radar SART could lead to no less than the 

development of a new type of digital radar 

in future. 

Here’s wishing you enjoyable reading! 

Leon Schulz 

M.Sc. 

Managing Editor 

leon.schulz@dvvmedia.com 

Deck equipment 

36 Landing safely on a rolling ship 

ABBTC_AD_SRV03_185_40sh 25.02.09 14:18 Seite 1 

Offshore wind energy 

65 Offshore wind park installation 

ABB Turbocharging 

Quality you can trust. 

www.abb.com/turbocharging 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 5

Industry | News & FaCts 

Artist’s impression of the Virtu ferry 

Catamarans for Denmark and Malta 

Austal | Henderson based Australian shipyard 

Austal has received a major order for two new 

ferries for European customers. Its largest ever 

catamaran is destined to serve the traffic between 

the Danish island Bornholm and Sweden. 

The 112.6 m long and 26.20 m wide 1,000 dwt 

vessel for Nordic Ferry Services, a joint venture 

between Bornholms Traffiken and Clipper 

Group, will be designed to carry 1,400 passengers 

and 357 cars. Three car decks accessible via 

both bow and stern ramps will ensure efficient 

transfer of the large vehicle capacity. The catamaran 

is scheduled for delivery in 2011. 

Following this order, Austal has also received an 

order by Maltese operator Virtu Ferries to design 

and build a vehicle-passenger catamaran for the 

traffic between Malta and Italy. It will have a 

length of 106.5 m and a beam of 23.8 m. It is 

designed to carry 800 passengers and 230 cars or 

45 cars and 342 truck lane metres. Vehicle loading 

and unloading will utilise ramps installed 

on both the stern and port-side. Four MTU 

20V8000M71L main engines of 9,100 kW each 

will care for a service speed of appr. 39 knots. 

Delivery is scheduled for 2010. 

Both ferries will be built in accordance with the 

requirements and under the survey of Det Norske 

Veritas. 

“Ship 

Efficiency” 

Conference | The 2nd “Ship 

Efficiency” conference will be 

held in Hamburg on 28-29 September 

2009. Organised by the 

German Society for Maritime 

Technology – STG, this conference 

series takes place every two 

years, alternating with the maritime 

trade fair SMM – Shipbuilding/Machinery 

& Marine 

Technology in Hamburg. 

In an industry characterised by 

increasingly keen competition 

on a global scale, the key to survival 

is designing, building and 

operating ships efficiently. An 

efficient ship is profitable and 

environmentally compatible. 

Consequently general topics of 

the conference will be: 

XX how to improve the efficiency 

of shipping operations, and 

XX how to increase a ship’s 

profitability 

The aim of “Ship Efficiency” is to 

create a forum where all stakeholders 

learn from each other 

and return home with fresh ideas 

and practical solutions. Information 

and registration under: 

www.ship-efficiency.org 

Turbine supply 

agreement 

First AHTS to Hartmann Offshore 

Offshore wind projects | The 

Danish company DONG Energy 

and Siemens Energy Sector 

recently signed an agreement 

for the supply of up to 500 offshore 

wind turbines. The wind 

turbines to be delivered under 

the deal have a total capacity 

of up to 1,800 MW and will be 

deployed on DONG Energy’s 

planned offshore wind farms in 

Northern Europe. Permit procedures 

and country-specific wind 

regime economics will determine 

where and when the individual 

projects will be built. 

The agreement with DONG Energy 

is said to be one of the largest 

orders in the history of Siemens, 

with wind turbines having 

a capacity of 3.6 MW, similar to 

those at DONG Energy’s Burbo 

Banks offshore wind farm. 

UOS Atlantis will be managed by United Offshore Support 

UOS Atlantis | The 2,922 gt 

MOSS 424type Anchor Handling 

Tug Supply vessel (AHTS) 

UOS Atlantis has recently been 

delivered from the Fincantieri 

Shipyard in Muggiano, Italy. It 

is the first offshore support vessel 

ever for the German Hartmann 

Group, marking the start 

of the Hartmann Group’s operations 

in the offshore sector. 

During sea trials certified by the 

American Bureau of Shipping 

(ABS), the UOS Atlantis proved 

capable of a bollard pull of 

close to 200 t and a maximum 

speed of about 17 knots. 

The 76.5 m long and 17.5 m 

wide vessel has been put into 

operation immediately: UOS 

Atlantis is awarded to EDT Offshore 

Egypt to become part of 

BP Egypt’s Mediterranean vessel 

fleet and to support BP’s offshore 

drilling activities. 

Until mid 2010, eleven further 

vessels, constructed in the same 

way, will be delivered in succession 

to Hartmann Offshore. 

Commercial management services 

for the fleet is provided by 

UOS (United Offshore Support). 

6 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Eletson enters gas market 

LPG carrier Anafi is the first of a series of four gas tankers 

built for Eletson by HMD 

LPG carriers | With the delivery 

of its first LPG (liquefied petroleum 

gas) carrier the Eletson 

Corporation, Piräus, Greece, 

has entered a new market sector. 

Built at Hyundai Mipo 

Dockyards (HMD) in Korea, 

the ship marks a milestone for 

the Greek operator, who owns 

and manages one of the world’s 

largest fleets of medium and 

long range product tankers for 

more than four decades. 

The Anafi, 22,010 dwt and constructed 

to Lloyd’s Register class, 

is the first of a series of four LPG 

ships being built for Eletson by 

HMD. Built to meet high specifications 

and exceeding latest 

requirements for navigational 

safety and environmental requirements, 

these ships demonstrate 

Eletson’s commitment to 

the demanding gas transportation 

market. Lloyd’s Register has 

worked with Eletson and HMD 

at all stages of construction, using 

proven design tools covered 

by Lloyd’s Register’s ShipRight 

procedures for structural detail 

analysis and fatigue design assessment. 

In addition, a higher 

standard of bridge layout and 

visibility has been selected - to 

the requirements of Lloyd’s Register’s 

NAV1 Class Notation. 

The Anafi has a length of 

165 m, a breadth of 28 m and 

a moulded depth of 17.8 m. 

The cargo capacity amounts to 

35,000 m 3 . The sister vessels to 

follow will be Nisyros, Tilos and 

Telendos. 

XXin brief 

WG Columbus | The first 

seismic vessel built with an 

ULSTEIN X-BOW ® , the WG 

Columbus, was recently 

delivered to WesternGeco. 

She completed her maiden 

Atlantic crossing to her first 

assignment in the Gulf of 

Mexico, sailing smoothly 

with a speed of 15 knots 

in 55-knot winds and 3- to 

4-metre-high waves. The 

ULSTEIN SX124 vessel was 

built at the Barreras shipyard 

in Vigo, Spain. 

ABS | The Norwegian Maritime 

Directorate (NMD), 

has extended its authorization 

to class society ABS 

to include Mobile Offshore 

Drilling Units (MODUs) in its 

scope as a Recognized Organization 

(RO). This entitles 

ABS to class Norwegianflagged 

rigs without having 

to perform additional safety 

equivalencies or a GAP 

analysis to meet Norwegian 

law. 

Stow-away gangway 

Brude Safety | A new type of 

aluminium gangway has been 

launched on the market by the 

Norwegian-based Brude Safety 

AS. Thanks to its extremely 

compact design, it can be integrated 

into the door, taking up 

virtually no space. The Brude 

gangway system consists of a 

complete and highly effective 

gangway, a coaming, a mounted 

door with the telescopic gangway, 

a hydraulic unit (HPU), a 

control panel and, finally, side 

railings, which come up automatically 

when the gangway is 

extended. 

The unit, which is powered by 

means of the onboard 230V 

system, is manually controlled 

via valves positioned in the 

vicinity of the gangway. In locked 

position, the door fits tightly 

against a rubber gasket in 

the coaming. The door itself, 

which is of steel and hinged to 

the coaming, is stiffened and 

made as strong as the ship’s 

side. It is locked by means of 

a hydraulic cylinder, operating 

The Brude Safety Gangway 

two locking cleats mounted in 

the coaming. 

When the door is lowered and 

placed on the quay, the gangway 

has a freefloat function to 

absorb the tidewater and swell 

movements between the ship 

and the quay. As an option, the 

gangway is also available with a 

swing movement (0-90°) along 

the ship’s side. 

The Brude Gangway System is 

designed and manufactured 

in accordance with the latest 

SOLAS requirements, the classification 

society SeeBg (ISO 

5488) and national authority 

standards (NS 6249). 

Newbuildings 

Farstad | CSV Far Samson was 

delivered from STX Norway 

Offshore AS, Langsten, to 

Farstad Construction AS in 

Aalesund, subsidiary of Farstad 

Shipping. The vessel will commence 

on a five years contract 

for Saipem U.K Limited after 

the final offshore testing. Far 

Samson has a length of 121,5 m 

and a beam of 26 m. The vessel 

is designed for its main purpose 

to pull a heavy plough on 

the sea bed to bury and cover 

oil and gas pipelines into the 

sea bed. With a bollard pull of 

423 tonnes the vessel is stated 

to be the strongest construction 

vessel in the world. 

PSV Far Serenade was delivered 

from STX Norway Offshore AS, 

Brevik, to Farstad Shipping subsidiary 

Farstad Supply AS. The 

vessel has commenced a longterm 

contract for Norwegian 

StatoilHydro. The hull of Far 

Serenade (4,000 dwt) was built 

at STX in Romania and outfitted 

in Norway. She has a length of 

93 m and a beam of 21 m wide. 

Ballast water treatment | 

Finnish-based Alandia Engineering 

OY is to provide 

engineering and installation 

services for the Hyde 

GUARDIAN ballast water 

management technology 

by Hyde Marine, Inc. 

The partnership allows 

Hyde to offer its customers 

a skilled, high quality 

organization to manage 

the multi-disciplined task 

of installing ballast water 

management systems on 

existing ships. 

ClassNK | Japanese classification 

company ClassNK 

has released the latest 

updated version of “Good 

Maintenance Onboard 

Ships”. This latest version of 

the booklet has been expanded 

to incorporate ideas 

and comments from port 

state control authorities, 

shipowners and mariners as 

well as extensive data compiled 

by the society itself. 

The publication provides 

checklists that cover every 

aspect of statutory requirements 

with clear references 

to the relevant regulations. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 7

Industry | News & Facts 

XXin brief 

Kronios | A joint-venture 

has been established between 

five companies cooperating 

in drinking-water 

production. Hatenboer Water, 

Minks Kunstoftechniek, 

Georg Fischer (GF), Kemper 

and Econosto are now approaching 

the market jointly 

under the name of Kronios 

offering total water treatment 

systems including R.O. 

plants, pipe systems, fittings, 

sanitary valves and service. 

MacBarge | The testing 

capabilities of MacGREGOR’s 

offshore equipment manufacturing 

site in Kristiansand 

(Norway) are expanded by 

means of a multi-testbed 

barge, which was ordered 

in the summer of 2008 and 

is now fully operational. 

The 76mx 23m MacBarge 

is designed to test two 

large AHC offshore cranes 

simultaneously, as well as 

winches, ROV systems and 

other subsea load-handling 

technology. 

New derrick pipelay vessel 

The Ulstein DLS-4200 design 

Ulstein | Abu Dhabi based 

National Petroleum Construction 

Company Ltd. 

(NPCC) has awarded Dutch 

design office Ulstein Sea of 

Solutions the Basic Design 

contract for their new large 

derrick pipelay vessel DLS- 

4200. The new 197 m vessel 

will be one of the biggest vessels 

of its kind, combining 

S-lay double joints pipelay 

operations with 4200 sT lifting 

capacity. 

The design of the vessel is a 

modified version of the SOC 

3000 design of Ulstein Sea 

of Solutions (USOS) and 

will be equipped with an 

Amclyde Model 80 crane. 

DLS-4200 is designed to 

operate worldwide, but will 

initially be equipped with a 

mooring system to operate 

in the Arabian Gulf and India. 

However, a future DP2 

upgrade is envisaged and 

catered for in the design to 

minimise the technical impact 

in the future. 

The vessel features two fixed 

pitch shaft driven main propellers 

of 5500 kW each 

which will allow for a sailing 

speed of 12-13 knots. 

For future DP upgrade five 

(5) retractable azimuth 

thrusters of 3500 kW each 

are required. 

The Amclyde main crane is capable 

of lifting 4200 sT (3800 

mT) at a 125 ft radius over 

the stern in tie-back mode 

and 4200 sT at 95 ft without 

tie-back. In full revolving 

mode the crane is able to lift 

2950 sT (2680 mT) with an 

outreach of 135 ft. 

CM Hammar | The Hydrostatic 

release unit H20 by 

Swedish CM Hammar will 

feature a new 5 x 10 mm 

silver black Holospot® 

label in order to better 

distinguish the original H20 

from fake copies. 

Acquisition | Swedenbased 

Chris-Marine, 

providing high precision 

maintenance machines for 

diesel engines, has recently 

acquired IOP-Marine A/S, 

which provides fuel injector 

test equipment and hydraulic 

power packs. Both companies’ 

products and methods 

are used for low-speed 

and medium speed engines. 

South Ferry | Blount Boats 

of Warren, Rhode Island, 

has delivered the vehicular/passenger 

ferry M/V 

Southside to South Ferry, 

Inc., Shelter Island, NY. With 

a length of appr. 30.7 m 

and a maximum beam 

of 12.8 m the vessel can 

carry up to 18 vehicles. The 

Southside is a sister ship 

to the Sunrise built at the 

Blount shipyard in 2002. 

Industry 

Alliance 

Global Partnership | A Global 

Industry Alliance (GIA) was 

launched at the headquarters of 

the International Maritime Organization 

(IMO) in London, 

to tackle the threats of marine 

bio-invasions caused by the 

transfer of plants and animals 

in ships’ ballast tanks. The Alliance, 

made up of a partnership 

between IMO, the United Nations 

Development Programme 

(UNDP), the Global Environment 

Facility (GEF) and the private 

corporations APL, BP Shipping, 

Daewoo Shipbuilding and 

Marine Engineering as well as 

Vela Marine International, aims 

to harness the different skills 

and expertise brought by these 

groups in order to develop concrete 

solutions to this global environmental 

hazard. The agreement 

was initiated by GloBallast 

Partnerships - a joint initiative 

by IMO, UNDP and GEF. 

Cooperation Wärtsilä/IHIMU 

Contra Rotating Propeller 

(CRP) system 

CRP | Wärtsilä and IHI Marine 

United Inc. (IHIMU) from Japan 

have concluded a cooperation 

agreement under which Contra- 

Rotating Propeller (CRP) systems 

developed by IHIMU will 

be incorporated into Wärtsilä‘s 

propulsion solutions for diesel-electric 

driven ships. The 

agreement covers mainly the 

European market, where environmental 

regulations on shipping 

operations are becoming 

increasingly stringent. 

Wärtsilä has plans for totally 

engineering a highly efficient 

propulsion solution incorporating 

the IHIMU CRP systems 

into a comprehensive plant 

that is environmentally sound. 

The CRP system will become 

an integrated part of Wärtsilä’s 

propulsion solution. 

According to IHIMU, the CRP 

system achieves 10% higher 

propulsion efficiency compared 

with conventional diesel-electric 

propulsion units 

and can be used on all vessels 

from small ships to large LNG 

carriers. This efficiency improvement 

translates into fuel 

savings, which means reduced 

greenhouse gas emissions. The 

application of the CRP system 

could be extended to include 

hybrid (mechanically driven 

and electrically driven) propulsion 

plants and four-stroke 

mechanical systems at a future 

stage. 

8 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Yaviré is launched at the San Fernando-Puerto Real shipyard of Navantia 

Launch of patrol boat for Venezuela 

Navantia | At the San Fernando- 

Puerto Real shipyard of publicly-owned 

naval shipbuilding 

company Navantia the second 

of four offshore patrol vessels 

(OPV) for the Venezuelan Navy 

has recently been launched. 

The OPV has a length of 79.9 m, 

a width of 11.5 m and the capacity 

to displace 1,500 tonnes. 

It reaches a maximum speed of 

22 knots. 

Yaviré is the second vessel in a 

series of totally eight ordered by 

the Venezuelan Navy in 2005. 

She is the second of four patrol 

boats for operations in coastal 

waters, among others i.e. coastal 

surveillance and protection, 

protection of maritime traffic, 

fire fighting, control of marine 

pollution, search and rescue 

operations, transport of personnel 

and provisions as well 

as surface defence and passive 

electronic warfare. 

The first vessel in that series 

was launched in October last 

year and will be delivered later 

this year. The delivery of Yaviré 

is scheduled for the beginning 

of 2010. 

The second part of the complete 

Venezuelan order is constructing 

four ocean-going Exclusive 

Economic Zone patrol 

vessels with a length of 96.6 m 

and a displacement of 2,300 

tonnes. 

Delivery of all vessels is planned 

to be completed until mid of 

2011. 

XXin brief 

Greece | At the Hellenic 

Technical Committee of 

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) 

representatives of the Greek 

maritime community discussed 

technical as well as 

operational topics. In a joint 

presentation, GL and the National 

Technical University of 

Athens (NTUA) gave an overview 

on a study of a novel 

holistic tanker design procedure. 

A variety of Aframax 

designs was presented. 

MAN Diesel SE | The new 

MAN Diesel training centre, 

PrimeServ Academy, was 

inaugurated in Saint-Nazaire, 

France. The academy 

is the natural evolution of 

the Diesel School, which 

has received 7,000 trainees 

from 125 different countries 

over the last 35 years. 

The PrimeServ Academy 

will also act as support 

for the internal training of 

new MAN Diesel engineers, 

technicians and workers. 

Gas powered ferry for Norway 

Mobile Offshore Unit Azurite 

First FDPSO in operation 

Prosafe Production | The MOU 

(Mobile Offshore Unit) Azurite 

owned by Prosafe Production, 

based in Limassol, is now in 

operation off the Republic of 

Congo. It is deployed for deepwater 

development by Murphy 

West Africa Ltd. 

The Azurite is designed to handle 

not only the production 

of oil, like a traditional FPSO, 

but also production well drilling. 

The Floating Drilling Production 

Storage Offloading 

(FDPSO) unit is equipped with 

a modular drilling package that 

can be removed and reused 

elsewhere when drilling work 

is completed. Storage capacity 

is 1.4m barrels of oil and process 

capacity 60,000 barrels of 

fuel per day and 40,000 barrels 

of oil. The unit will be spreadmoored 

in a water depth of 

1,400m. The former VLCC underwent 

a conversion at Keppel 

Shipyard in Singapore between 

2007 and the beginning of this 

year. The classification and 

verification of Azurite was carried 

out by Det Norske Veritas 

(DNV). 

Lithuania | AB Vakaru Laivu 

Gamykla (VLG) subsidiary 

company UAB Vakarų laivų 

statykla (VLS) and Fiskerstrand 

BLRT AS (a joint company of 

AB Vakarų Laivų Gamykla and 

Fiskerstrand Verft AS) signed a 

contract for the construction of 

a gas-powered double-ended 

ferry. 

The vessel is designed to accommodate 

120 cars and 250 

passengers. It will be built for 

the Norwegian company Fosen 

Namsos Sjø AS who will deploy 

the ferry in one of their 

Fjord routes. VLS will work for 

the first time with this company, 

which operates high-speed 

ferry boat routes in Norway. 

MM105FE LNG design of Multi Maritime 

Fiskerstrand BLRT AS developed 

the conception of the 

ferry, and the design work was 

carried out by the Norwegian 

ship design company Multi 

Maritime AS. The ferry of the 

type MM105FE LNG with appr. 

3,000 gt will be 109 m long and 

16.8 m wide. It is designed to 

travel with a speed of 13 knots. 

Det Norske Veritas will classify 

the vessel with the notification 

1A1, R4, Gas Fuelled, Car Ferry 

B, E0. 

Construction work will start 

in November, either at Western 

Shipyard in Klaipeda or at 

Fiskerstrand yard in Norway. 

Delivery is scheduled for January, 

2011. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 9

Ship & Port Operation | Port infrastructure 

Automation of container 

terminals 

Port productivity | Future terminal operations require higher storage capacity and simultaneously 

an increase in the vessel productivity. Whereas the quayside equipment rose the 

productivity to new all-time records, the traffic control under the crane, the horizontal transport 

and also the increasing demand of storage capacity will build the bottlenecks in the future. 

Although automation is sometimes 

perceived to be a means 

of reducing labour costs, in 

general, manpower reductions and 

cost savings do not rate as the only 

factor in the decision of whether to 

automate or not. Advantages in data 

security, error prevention, and time 

saving in the handling processes are 

also determining factors. 

As a result of strong competition between 

the ports and terminals it is essential 

to reduce costs and to improve 

the service quality. To satisfy customers’ 

demand, like short lead times and 

high quality products, it is nowadays 

necessary to carry out all operations 

very fast and efficiently. To meet these 

demands, terminals are looking for 

new techniques, such as automated 

transportation systems and automated 

ways of control. Furthermore, there 

are many significant industry changes 

that influence the development of 

terminals, e.g. increasing vessel sizes, 

space limitations as well as labour 

agreements and labour costs. These 

constraints rise the question whether 

the terminals will densify operations 

to increase the throughput of existing 

terminals or if new facilities will replace 

or expand existing capabilities. 

The terminal of the future, in some 

places, must use new technology to 

meet these upcoming requirements. 

Today, yard equipment and its inability 

to keep up with the ship-to-shore 

cranes has become the bottleneck 

limiting productivity in most termi- 

AGV working at CTA Hamburg 

10 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

nals. In example a fully automated 

terminal faces the problems of quite 

different technical performances: 

quay cranes up to 60 boxes per hour 

(bx/hr), AGV 12 bx/hr, RMG 20 bx/ 

hr. In other words, it is important to 

adjust the performances of the different 

technologies involved to provide 

an overall efficient system. 

Automation at the quayside interface 

The berthing time of a vessel is the 

main criteria for the productivity of a 

terminal. The quay crane (also called 

ship-to-shore-crane) is the first equipment 

in the sequence. The challenge of 

automation of the quay crane can be 

split into two parts: 

The first part is the handling at the vessel. 

Due to problems with positioning 

the spreader at the vessel, it is nowadays 

not fully automated at any terminal. 

There are semi-automated trolleys, 

which transport the container to a position 

above the vessel automatically and 

let the crane operator put the spreader 

onto/into the vessel. The speed of the 

trolley is limited by the well-being 

of the crane driver, who nowadays is 

moving with the trolley. In the future 

trolley and crane driver cabin may be 

decoupled. The driver will control the 

trolley only at the quayside and let it 

work automatically at the landside. 

The second part is the operation at the 

transfer area to the transport equipment. 

This part is to be automated if 

safety regulations allow this. For example, 

in Germany it is allowed to operate 

under an automatic trolley with 

transport equipment, but is forbidden 

Active lift AGV 

under a manned trolley. For this reason 

double trolley cranes often operate 

at the quayside. The main trolley 

moves the container from the ship to 

a platform while a second trolley picks 

up the container from the platform 

and moves it on shore. The main trolley 

is man driven while the second one 

works fully automatic. 

Special operating topics like twin-lift 

(spreader lifts two 20’ containers together), 

special spreaders for tandem 

40 (spreader lifts two 40’ containers 

one over the other or one alongside 

the other respectively) or triple spreaders 

and others must be provided from 

the manufacturers as well as new ideas 

for the layout of traffic lanes for the 

transport equipment. Loxystem e.g. 

developed the RAT twistlock system 

which provides the vertical tandem lift 

of two 40’ containers during one container 

move. 

Today the high productivity of quay 

cranes is limited by bottlenecks in the 

transport system and the control system. 

Automation of transfer systems 

Transfer systems are container transport 

systems between the transfer section 

of the quay crane and the stacking 

area. Automation of container 

transportation offers a high automation 

potential and is quite advanced. 

The most famous automated transfer 

system today is the driverless AGV 

(Automated Guided Vehicle). Normally 

they are used in combination 

with stacking cranes like RMGs and 

RTGs. The first AGVs were employed 

in the ECT Delta Sealand Terminal 

Source: Gottwald Port Technology GmbH 

Unmanned straddle carriers at the Port of 

Brisbane 

Source: www.portbris.com 

Rotterdam in 1993. AGVs can find 

the optimal way independently and 

evade obstacles. Nowadays AGVs can 

be considered as proven technology 

with positioning accuracy of about 

2.5 cm in the transfer areas. The latest 

series of AGVs have twin-lift capability, 

too. Disadvantages of AGVs are 

their dependence on stacking cranes. 

Their inability to pick the container 

results frequently in queues at the interchange 

points. Often AGVs have to 

wait for the gantry cranes or vice versa, 

which limits the overall productivity. 

The active lift AGV is a further development 

of the proven AGV technology, 

designed to decouple the container 

transport and the stacking processes. 

The conventional AGV is supplemented 

with two electronically operating 

platforms to pick-up and drop-off the 

containers independent from stacking 

equipment in the yard. 

Another automatic transfer system is 

the ALV (Automated Lifting Vehicle) 

which is comparable to a small straddle 

carrier but now updated with modern 

technology and performance to find 

its place in high throughput container 

terminals. The ALV works independently 

which results in reduced waiting 

times for the quay crane as well as for 

the stacking equipment in the yard, 

i.e. it improves the productivity of the 

quay crane and the utilization of buffer 

zone under the crane as well as the 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 11


Example for a stack module with twin ASCs handling Source: Gottwald Port Technology GmbH 

cycle times and therefore the number 

of needed transport devices. 

In cooperation with the Australian 

stevedoring company Patrick (Patrick 

Technology & Systems) Kalmar has 

developed and implemented ASCs 

(Automated Straddle Carriers) at the 

Port of Brisbane (Fisherman Island, 

Australia). These automated straddle 

carriers operate in “human free areas” 

and are fitted with anti-collision 

bumpers and laser detection systems. 

The robotic equipment relies, instead 

of an in-ground tracking system, on 

radar and GPS technology. The automated 

straddle carriers operate according 

to a virtual map that is not 

restricted to fixed stacks and linemakings. 

Even conventional straddle 

carriers can be converted. 

The future chances for automated 

straddle carriers are very high, because 

these systems are more flexible 

than AGVs. Especially in Europe automated 

straddle carriers will be very 

interesting for the future, because a 

lot of terminals currently operate with 

SCs. So the existing SCs may be converted 

to an automation system in the 

future. Because no hard wiring and 

underground sensors are needed the 

ASC can be installed at any terminal 

worldwide. 

A further approach is the use of a 

cassette system, which separates the 

buffer and the transport task by using 

cassettes and tractors or AGV. 

This may become an alternative after 

proving its applicability in practice. 

The cassette system is dependent on 

cassettes, which are detachable steel 

platforms. In case of double-stacking 

the upper tier is secured by using cellguides 

which are part of the cassette 

configuration. A cassette is not selfmovable 

– it needs to be connected to 

a type of manned or un-manned vehicle 

for transporting containers. The 

PLC-controlled Cassette AGV of TTS 

for example is very flexible – there are 

no fixed paths given by transponders, 

but it is navigated by micro radar and 

laser technique. 

A further development of TTS is the 

IPSI AGV, designed for transportation 

of special cassettes. The IPSI AGV 

operates in two height levels: Before 

collecting a cassette the AGV is lowered 

and it can now be positioned 

Common structure of an automated terminal 

underneath the cassette. For transport 

the AVG operates in the higher level: 

The cassette is then lifted and the AGV 

moves to the given destination were it 

is again lowered to drop-off the cassette. 

Other technologies like the LMTT 

(Linear Motor Transfer Technology) – 

which is in principle a rail mounted 

terminal transport system – and the 

Grid on Rail (GRAIL) system – which 

is based on an overhead grid system 

of rails – are tested but not yet in operation. 

Automation of container storage 

systems 

The yard offers further possibilities 

for automation. Further stacking systems 

besides straddle carriers are rubber 

tired gantry cranes (RTGs), rail 

mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) and 

overhead bridge cranes (OBCs). 

Full-automation of gantry cranes is 

difficult to achieve due to the fact that 

trucks are difficult to be accurately 

positioned at the truck interface with 

respect to the crane. So in most cases 

container handling is still done manually. 

On the other hand operation 

between the legs of the crane is fully 

automated. Therefore the automatic 

operation area is separated from 

workers. 

The RTG output grows worldwide. Beside 

many offers from ports in Asia, 

a big share of new RTGs is going to 

Europe. There is a highly visible trend 

towards higher stacking RTGs (up to 1 

Source: ISL 

12 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

over 7-high stacking). Needless to say 

that the mobile RTGs are more flexible 

in usage than rail mounted equipment. 

Yet development of automated 

RTGs lags behind due to technical 

disadvantages including increased 

proneness to vibrations, deformation 

of rubber tires, and difficulties of exact 

positioning. 

RMGs can be built wider and higher 

than RTGs. However RMGs offer less 

flexibility than RTGs and a lot of 

ground work has to be done because 

of the rails. In contrary to the RTGs, 

RMGs do not face problems with positioning 

and possible irregularities 

of the tire behaviour. Thus RMG’s 

automation is considerably easier to 

realise. Currently several automation 

systems from different manufacturers 

exist. 

The new Gottwald ASC (Automated 

Stacking Crane) is a portal crane 

based on the Gottwald WSG (Wide 

Span Gantries) technology. The crane 

spans up to eleven densely stacked 

container rows and stacks up to five 

containers high. This assumes logistically 

arrangements of the stacked 

containers to shorten the access time. 

Two ASC operate fully-automatic on 

a container stack using one craneway. 

The ASCs are equipped with an anticollision 

system, which allows the simultaneous 

operation of both ASCs. 

An innovation is the new vibrationfree 

rigid guiding beam instead of 

rope fields which tend to sway. This 

increases pick-up and drop-off time 

and with this the performance of the 

device because of a faster and accurate 

beam positioning. 

The concept of automated overhead 

bridge cranes (OBCs) has been proven 

at a 200m long test track at berth 

420 in Antwerp’s Churchilldok where 

the pilot crane achieved full operational 

speed and undertook the interface 

handling with shuttle carriers. 

OBC systems are more expensive than 

RMGs because of the elevated runway. 

On the other hand, they permit a high 

automation potential in contrast to 

the RTG and RMG due to their precise 

positioning. They are also designed to 

work as fast transportation vehicles. As 

a further advantage the OBCs allow vehicles 

using the area under the tracks. 

OBCs are electrically driven with low 

noise and air pollution and offer 

therefore lower operation costs. Maintenance 

becomes much easier because 

of the missing hydraulic parts and a 

fewer number of mechanical parts. 

The main disadvantage of OBCs can 

be seen in the relatively high investment 

costs for the elevated runway 

and problems with ground subsidence 

because of their high weight. At 

present automated OBCs are working 

at PSA`s Pasir Panjang terminal. 

Some ideas of high stack systems 

(HSS) follow up a quite different approach 

regarding yard stacking. It is 

a matter of container warehousing 

building which is able to store up to 

20~30 stacks in the rack-structure to 

minimize storage (for an optimized 

used of yard space), air pollution and 

dust in the port. A pilot construction 

is developed at Busan’s container terminal. 

The author: 

Dr.-Ing. Holger Schütt, 

ISL - Institute of Shipping Economics 

and Logistics, Bremen, Germany 

schuett@isl.org 

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New ISO specification for 

containers identification 

Safe 

operation 

TRACKING | A new ISO technical 

specification will help 

to ensure the functioning of 

radio frequency identification 

(RFID) tags on freight 

containers despite the harsh 

environments they may be 

subjected to during trans- 

RFID container tags 

port by sea, road and rail. 

ISO/TS 10891:2009, Freight 

containers – Radio frequency 

identification (RFID) 

– License plate tag, provides 

specifications and test 

methods for RFID devices 

used for automatic identification 

of freight containers 

in supply chains. 

This tag is a permanently affixed, 

read-only tag containing 

limited data relating only 

to physical identification and 

description of the container 

to which it is affixed. This tag 

is required to last the lifetime 

of its associated container. 

The purpose of ISO/TS 

10891 is to optimise the 

efficiency of equipment 

control systems including 

the optional usage of electronic 

seals in conformity 

with the ISO 18185 series. 

ISO/TS 10891:2009 establishes: 

XX A set of requirements for 

container tags which allow 

the transfer of information 

from a container to automatic 

processing systems by 

electronic means 

XX A data coding system for 

container identification and 

container related information 

which resides within a 

container tag 

XX A data coding system for 

the electronic transfer of 

both container identification 

and container related information 

from container tags 

to automatic data processing 

systems 

XX The description of data to 

be included in container tags 

for transmission to automatic 

data processing systems 

XX Performance criteria necessary 

to ensure consistent and 

reliable operation of container 

tags within the international 

transportation community 

XX The physical location of 

container tags on containers 

XX Features to inhibit malicious 

or unintentional alteration 

and/or deletion of the 

information content of container 

tags when installed on 

a freight container. 

Port equipment | The 

Port Equipment Manufacturers 

Association (PEMA) and 

TT Club have announced 

that they will co-operate to 

promote best practice in the 

safe design and operation of 

port equipment worldwide. 

The agreement was finalised 

at PEMA’s recent AGM in 

Amsterdam, where Laurence 

Jones, Director of Global 

Risk Assessment for the TT 

Club, presented the results 

of his recent research into 

causes of equipment accidents 

and loss in the global 

port and terminal sector. 

The Port Equipment Manufacturers 

Association will 

now feature TT Club’s research 

and advisories and 

will work with the Club to 

highlight the role of equipment 

design and technology 

in reducing port accidents 

and loss, involving port 

equipment, including ship 

to shore cranes, straddle carriers, 

yard cranes and smaller 

mobile equipment. 

Cradle solutions for the Atlantic 

Langh Ship Cargo Solutions 

| Cradle Tween Decks 

by Langh Ship Cargo Solutions 

are on their way to sail across 

the Atlantic Ocean for the first 

time. These cradle solutions, 

which have been developed for 

transportation of big steel coils, 

have, up until now, been used 

between Northern Finland and 

Central Europe. Since the steel 

coils have remained undamaged 

during the whole nine 

years of operation, the same 

solution is now to be tested on 

a cross Atlantic voyage, meeting 

new challenges. M/S Marjatta, 

chartered by Ruukki, is on her 

way to transport a steel load 

from Raahe in Finland to New 

Orleans on the south coast of 

USA, which takes some three 

weeks to complete. 

One part of the big steel coils 

is transported on the tank 

top in Cradle Cassettes, while 

another part of the steel coils 

is stowed on Cradle Tween 

Decks, which are situated in 

the upper part of the cargo 

hold. As being typical for for 

steel loads, the vessel’s centre 

of gravity rises and the over 

stability decreases. Thanks to 

the Cradle Tween Decks it is 

claimed to be possible to optimise 

the stability of the vessel 

to a much higher degree, 

compared with loads that are 

loaded conventionally, when 

it is necessary to stow all the 

steel coils on the tank top. 

Steel coils for Atlantic shipment 

14 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Ship & Port Operation | shipping 

Resolutions for cruising the Arctic 

SAFETY | Demand for cruises to remote 

regions is driving the regulators to make 

certain that passengers, possibly unaware 

of some of the inherent dangers in the 

Polar areas, must be protected as must the 

local environments. 

Cruising to the Polar Regions is becoming 

increasingly popular with close to 40,000 

people heading to the Antarctic during 

the November 2008 to March 2009 season 

alone, according to many estimates. 

Increasing popularity amongst the cruising 

public has not necessarily been met 

with a regulatory regime that has managed 

to keep pace with the growth of the 

industry. The risks are high in these isolated 

locations not known to be friendly 

to ships. 

Over the last two seasons there have been 

four accidents in the Antarctic, including 

one sinking, a collision with an iceberg 

and two groundings involving vessels 

ranging from around 60 to 300 passenger 

capacities. Thankfully, these accidents 

have not met with any loss of life. 

However, the trend of incidents coupled 

with the increase in the number of ships 

operating in both Arctic and Antarctic waters 

has lead risk assurance businesses and 

the International Maritime Organization 

(IMO) to become increasingly alarmed at 

the possible risks and consequences. As a 

result, the IMO issued Guidelines on Voyage 

Planning For Passenger Ships Operating 

In Remote Areas, issued as Resolution 

A.999(25). 

Those guidelines are in the process of 

being updated at the IMO and ratified 

by member countries into formal 

regulations, though not before at least 

mid-2013. Meanwhile, Lloyd’s Register 

has turned its attention to advising 

ship operators what precautions, both 

at design stage and operational measures, 

they can take to minimise the risks 

to passengers and crew in remote locations. 

Those guidelines include the need for 

voyage planning for safety of life at sea, 

Dawn Princess in Alaska 

Cruising safely the Polar regions 

safety and efficiency of navigation and 

protection of the marine environment. 

There is an obligation on ships masters 

and deck offers in STCW requirements 

and guidance on planning can 

be found in IMO Resolution A.983(21) 

Guidelines For Voyage Planning to plan 

all navigational voyages. 

The guidelines, Resolution A.983 (21) 

which have been reviewed in March 

2009, detail additional factors that need 

to be taken into account when planning 

a voyage to remote areas in general, and 

Arctic or Antarctic waters in particular. 

Preparations for Polar voyages should 

include: 

XX knowledge of ice and ice formations, 

XX current information on the extent and 

type of ice and icebergs in the vicinity of 

the intended route, 

XX operational limitations in ice-covered 

waters, and availability and use of ice navigators. 

Crew also need to be aware of conditions 

when it is not safe to enter areas 

containing ice or icebergs. They need 

to be aware of safe distance to icebergs 

and the safe speed in such areas. 

Detailed voyage and passage plans for 

ships operating in Polar waters should 

also include measures to be taken before 

entering waters where ice may be 

present, e.g. an abandon ship drill and 

preparation of special equipment. 

Consideration also needs to be given 

to safe areas and no-go areas, surveyed 

marine corridors, if available, and 

contingency plans for emergencies in 

areas remote from search and rescue 

facilities. 

Lloyd’s Register’s winterisation expert 

Rob Bridges also points out that cruise 

operating companies should aim, if possible, 

to prevent crew and passengers 

from becoming exposed to the sea and 

cold air. When an incident occurs the 

emergency response times in some areas 

could be five or six days, whereas the 

survivability for people in near freezing 

water may be minutes. Many of the winterisation 

requirements are contained in 

MSC/Circ.1056, Guidelines for ships operating 

in Arctic ice-covered waters, and 

these features may also be applied to 

cruise ships operating in the Antarctic. 

Protecting the fragile environment of 

Polar waters is of equal concern to the 

IMO, and in September 2006 it sought 

to address the threat of pollution with 

the publication of guidelines for ballast 

water exchange in the Antarctic Treaty 

area (waters south of 60oS) in resolution 

MEPC.163(56). 

These guidelines are non-mandatory, 

but they state that vessels needing to discharge 

ballast within the Antarctic Treaty 

area should exchange their ballast water 

before reaching within the 200 nautical 

mile limit of Antarctic shores, in water 

at least 200m deep. This only applies to 

those tanks that will be discharged. If 

this is not possible for operational reasons 

then exchange should be undertaken 

in waters at least 50 nautical miles 

from the nearest land in water at least 

200 metres deep. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 15

Shipbuilding & Equipment | Navigation 

Improved DGPS navigation 

with AIS broadcasts 

PRECISE NAVIGATION | The combination of AIS and beacon technologies can provide an 

important layer of redundancy and reliability for safe navigation. The AIS VHF transmissions 

can ensure uninterrupted DGPS availability, even under heavy weather or high interference 

conditions. Shipboard AIS and GPS equipment can be easily modified to take full advantage 

of this enhanced service. 

DGPS beacon stations 

and networks have 

been established 

along coastlines in many 

parts of the world to enhance 

navigation accuracy as well 

as ensure the integrity of the 

GPS position calculation onboard. 

Demand is growing 

for extended DGPS correction 

service, e.g. to enhance river 

navigation. Many authorities 

have also established an 

Automatic Identification System 

(AIS) base station network 

along their coastlines 

or inland waterways or plan 

to do this in the near future. 

The beacon broadcasts could 

be augmented and extended 

by delivering DGPS correction 

messages through AIS 

coast or river stations and 

networks, at the same time 

as achieving operational cost 

reduction. 

to the existing MF signals was 

minimal. 

The Radio-Technical Commission 

for Maritime Services 

(RTCM) created a special 

committee (SC-104) to propose 

standardised messages, 

and the first recommendations 

were released in 1986. 

These included DGPS correction 

messages and also 

integrity warnings. The latter 

are very important, as the onboard 

GPS equipment may 

otherwise not detect a bad 

satellite and continue to use 

incorrect GPS position information. 

The first commercial beacon 

DGPS systems were installed 

in Sweden and Finland in 

1991. In the following 17 

years, more than 400 beacon 

DGPS stations have been established 

around the world. 

The resulting system of national 

DGPS beacon stations 

and networks, all operating 

to the same standards, is a 

testimony to international 

cooperation at its best. Much 

of the credit goes to IALA 

(International Association 

of Marine Aids to Navigation 

and Lighthouse Authorities) 

for its critical role in organising 

and coordinating this important 

aid to navigation on 

an international scale. 

While the DGPS beacon 

systems have generally performed 

very well, there are 

certain limitations. The beacon 

signals, broadcasting in 

the MF frequency range, are 

subject to interference from 

lightning and manmade 

sources, such as arcing of 

sparks from shore-based or 

shipboard electrical machinery, 

which can disrupt the 

signals. This can cause problems 

for the ship’s navigation 

systems if the vessel depends 

on MR broadcasted DGPS as 

primary position and speed 

sensor. There have been reports 

on unwanted step responses 

when running on 

the autopilot in automatic 

track-steering mode. 

Many of the older beacon 

stations are now nearing the 

end of their service life, having 

been converted in the 

1990s for DGPS broadcasts. 

As these sites continue to age, 

the risk of occasional outages 

for repairs or maintenance 

DGPS beacon background 

In the early 1990s, raw GPS, 

which at that time was still 

subject to Selective Availability 

(SA) degradation, could 

not provide sufficient levels 

of accuracy to meet coastal 

and port navigation requirements. 

Marine radio beacons 

represented an attractive medium 

for transmitting DGPS 

data for various reasons. The 

radio beacons were beginning 

to lose their primary 

intended purpose of radio 

direction-finding, as new position-finding 

technologies 

were being widely deployed. 

The shore facilities, approved 

frequency bands and maintenance 

organisations were already 

in place, and the cost of 

adding the DGPS broadcasts 

Example of National AIS system 

16 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

increases. It is therefore desirable 

to develop an additional 

layer of redundancy 

to ensure 100% availability 

of DGPS corrections around 

the clock, even during periods 

of heavy weather or 

interference affecting the 

MF broadcasts. Various solutions 

have been proposed 

and tested, including the 

use of FM radio subcarrier 

broadcasts and Loran-C 

transmissions. 

This is where AIS comes in, 

but first let us take a quick 

look at the situation regarding 

onboard position 

equipment. 

DGPS onboard equipment 

IMO mandated GPS equipment 

in connection with 

the amendment to SO- 

LAS Chapter V in 2002. A 

new and improved GPS 

standard was developed 

to meet the most stringent 

requirements, including 

onboard integrity monitoring 

(RAIM). Unfortunately, 

there was no requirement 

in this SOLAS amendment 

to replace older and inferior 

GPS equipment. This is unfortunate, 

because the AIS 

equipment was intended to 

work with the very best GPS 

navigation available. Beacon 

receivers are still not mandatory, 

not even for SOLAS 

category ships. This low-cost 

device for preventing accidents 

has obviously not 

been considered as important 

as for instance Voyage 

Data Recorders, which were 

mandated to help accident 

investigators. 

AIS 

AIS transponders continually 

transmit a vessel’s ID, 

position, course, speed and 

other data to all other nearby 

ships and shore authorities 

on two common VHF 

channels. To accommodate 

the large number of messages 

on these channels, AIS 

has a data communication 

scheme called self-organizing 

time-division multiple 

access (STDMA), which uses 

the highly accurate standard 

time reference derived from 

GPS satellite signals. Class 

A AIS transponders are required 

for all SOLAS ships 

over 300 gross tons. In addition 

to this, a new Class B AIS 

standard has recently been 

adopted to provide a slightly 

reduced level of service to 

non-SOLAS vessels, such as 

commercial fishing boats, 

tugs and pleasure yachts. 

AIS works 

XX in a ship-to-ship mode 

for enhanced situation 

awareness, 

XX in a ship-to-shore mode for 

coastal surveillance/VTS , 

XX in a shore-to-ship mode, 

where a variety of messages 

can be transferred, even 

DGPS messages. 

Many countries are deploying 

automated AIS base 

stations ashore to monitor 

the movement of vessels in 

their adjacent waters and 

navigable inland waterways, 

typically with a 24/7 monitoring 

scheme employing a 

2-way messaging system on 

two VHF channels (approx 

162 MHz). Coastal networks 

have been established or 

are planned in Europe and 

North America as well as 

South-East Asia, India, China, 

Korea, Japan, South Africa 

and several other countries. 

Similar networks are 

also planned along major 

inland waterways. Coastal 

AIS coverage will thus soon 

match the coverage of the 

current population of DGPS 

beacon stations. 

The AIS standard includes a 

message type 17 encapsulating 

any RTCM SC-104 message. 

It is therefore possible 

to use the AIS base station 

and shipboard AIS transponder 

as a “modem” to 

forward the RTCM message 

to the GPS receiver onboard. 

This will work if the onboard 

AIS transponder has 

the capability for unpacking 

the incoming type 17 messages 

and output these on a 

serial port in the RTCM SC- 

104 format to the navigation 

GPS receiver. Some AIS 

transponders can already do 

this, while others may require 

a software upgrade. 

The advantages of this would 

be that: 

XX practically all types of onboard 

GPS receivers can 

navigate in DGPS mode, 

XX integrity warnings can also 

be broadcast via AIS, 

XX the likelihood for good reception 

can be monitored 

(i.e., if the base station receives 

the signal from the 

ship, this most likely receives 

the messages from 

the base station). 

IALA has issued a recommendation 

regarding this type of 

service, which requires that 

the quality of the DGPS corrections 

and system integrity 

are at least as good as the 

current beacon service. This 

presupposes that the DGPS 

reference station meets stated 

requirements for reliability 

and availability and that 

there is integrity monitoring 

of the corrections and the 

broadcast itself. 

The conclusion is that there 

are good reasons for integrating 

the modern DGPS 

beacon service with the AIS 

base station broadcast and 

also, if possible, integrating 

system monitoring of 

the two systems. This would 

yield cost savings for the system 

provider. 

DGPS data can be transmitted 

through existing AIS base 

stations/transmitters, and in 

many cases the existing beacon 

sites can be converted 

for AIS transmissions. The 

beacon reference station control 

and integrity monitoring 

software can be used to monitor 

both systems, resulting 

in operational cost savings 

for the operator. 

Shipboard AIS transponders 

can be reprogrammed to convert 

the AIS Message 17 data 

to RTCM format and then 

forward this to the ship’s primary 

DGPS navigator. 

The author: 

Gunnar Mangs, 

Saab TransponderTech, 

Linköping, Sweden 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 17


Innovative search and rescue 

transmitter 

AIS-SART | After several years of product development and standardisation work by international 

organisations, AIS-SART has been adopted into the GMDSS regulations as an alternative 

to Radar-SART as from January 1st 2010. 

Technically, the AIS-SART is a Search 

and Rescue Transponder (SART) 

transmitting AIS signals instead of 

the traditional emergency signals on 9 

GHz X-Band radar frequencies. The AIS- 

SART, working on the 162 MHz VHF 

frequencies, is programmed from the 

manufacturer with a unique ID code 

and receives its position via an internal 

AIS SART test message 

GPS antenna. This data is combined and 

transmitted using the international AIS 

channels (AIS A and AIS B) in the maritime 

VHF band. The transmitter sends 

out a specified pattern. Every minute, a 

sequence of 8 messages is transmitted, 

each message during a 26 ms time slot. 

Four messages are transmitted on channel 

A and four on channel B. All eight 

messages are transmitted within a total 

time frame of 14 seconds, defined to 

maximise the probability that at least 

one of the transmissions hits while being 

on a wave top. Only one of the total 

of eight messages has to be received from 

time to time to locate the AIS-SART accurately. 

Clear distress signal 

Anyone who can receive an AIS signal 

will also be able to detect an AIS- 

SART distress call. The transmission 

signal from an AIS-SART consists of 

an MMSI-like ID code, the first three 

digits being set to “970”. The ID code 

consists of a total of 9 digits, while the 

AIS-SART uses the remaining 6 digits 

to indicate the manufacturer (2 digits) 

as well as the unit’s unique serial 

number (4 digits). 

In addition to the ID code that appears 

on the AIS and its connected equipment, 

an AIS-SART will also be visualised on 

an electronic chart connected to the 

onboard AIS transponder. An AIS-SART 

will be shown as a circle with a built-in 

cross. 

Possibly the most impressive and innovative 

aspect is that the housing of Jotron’s 

AIS-SART, which seems to be the 

first launched on the market, is physically 

identical to Jotron’s Radar-SART, 

the Tron SART20. In other words, its total 

height is no more than 251 mm and 

weight a mere 450g. 

AIS-SART test results 

Three different tests have been conducted 

by IEC/IALA as part of the process to 

define an international standard for AIS- 

SART, with Jotron’s AIS-SART being used 

as test object during all these tests. 

The initial test was undertaken during 

the summer of 2008 in Oban, Scotland. 

Its purpose was to search for the AIS- 

SART using a ship and to determine 

the required output power of the unit. 

The results showed that it was possible 

to detect a precise location from 

the AIS-SART at distances of up to 8-10 

nautical miles (Nm). Similar results 

were obtained using the radar-SART, 

with the main difference being that the 

AIS-SART considerably simplified the 

search thanks to the fact that the position 

is plotted directly on the vessel’s 

electronic map system, as AIS is a fully 

digital system. In addition, only one 

single transmission of 26 ms is required 

to receive accurately the position on the 

map, while a radar-SART requires continuous 

updates. 

The second test was performed again in 

Oban in September 2008. This test was 

to determine the range obtainable from 

a SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopter, using 

a helicopter from the Maritime and 

Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the UK. 

The results were again as expected, the 

signals being picked up from a distance 

of between 26 and 40 Nm at flight levels 

varying between 300 and 2,500 ft. 

The last test was performed outside Key 

West, Florida in January 2009. It was carried 

out by the US Coast Guard (USCG), 

using a C-130 SAR aircraft. The aircraft 

flew in on different flight levels at 1,000, 

5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 ft and recorded 

the maximum range obtainable. 

A search for a 406 EPIRB and a radar- 

SART was performed at the same time 

to verify and compare the results with 

the new AIS-SART. The AIS-SARTs were 

deployed at different heights above sea 

level to account for different operating 

scenarios, ranging from a manover-board 

unit just above sea level 

to a SART mounted on top of a larger 

lifeboat. The ranges obtained were between 

40 Nm and 132 Nm and were 

picked up from an AIS-SART mounted 

on a 1m pole. 

These range tests, together with previous 

tests performed from helicopters and 

ships, show that the AIS-SART performs 

better than other locating transmitters 

The handy AIS SART 

18 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

1 Burst every minute with 

position update 

Channel A 

Channel B 

14 seconds 

8 distress messages of 26 ms each, every 14 seconds 

Live test: circles with a built in cross indicating distress 

(especially 121.5 Mhz EPIRB and radar- 

SART). It can be located from a far better 

distance, has position indication with 

GPS precision and uses readily available 

standard equipment (AIS) automatically 

positioning the persons in distress on to 

a chart. 

There is no doubt that the AIS-SART will 

contribute to more effective and less 

time-consuming search and rescue operations 

in the future and ensure that more 

lives can be saved. 

Immediate implementation 

Interest in Jotron’s new AIS-SART has 

been overwhelming, from both the market 

and authorities all over the world. 

Jotron expects to have a type approved 

AIS-SART already in summer 2009. The 

AIS-SART will also be implemented in 

an appendix to the European Marine 

Equipment Directive (MED), probably 

in summer 2010. 

In the meantime, authorities can issue 

national certificates to permit installation 

of the AIS-SART as soon as type approved 

products are available. 

Compendium Marine Engineering 

Operation – Monitoring – Maintenance 

Editors: Hansheinrich Meier-Peter | Frank Bernhardt 

NEW! 

After the great success of the German edition now 

available in English! 

According to the German edition this book represents a compilation of 

marine engineering experience. It is based on the research of scientists 

and the reports of many field engineers all over the world. 

This book is mainly directed towards practising marine engineers, 

principally within the marine industry, towards ship operators, 

superintendents and surveyors but also towards those in training and 

research institutes as well as designers and consultants. 

Find out more about this 

compendium and order your copy at 

www.shipandport.com/cme. 

Technical Data: Title: Compendium Marine 

Engineering, ISBN 978-3-87743-822-0, 

approx. 1100 pages, hardcover 

Price: € 98,- (plus postage) 

Address: DVV Media Group GmbH l Seehafen 

Verlag · Nordkanalstr. 36 · 20097 Hamburg 

Germany · Telephone +49 40/237 14 209 

E-Mail: service@schiffundhafen.de 

Seehafen Verlag


New Integrated Bridge System 

Raytheon Anschütz | Every third new ship built today is fitted with an Integrated 

Bridge System (IBS). One reason for this noticeable increase is that classification 

societies have created special notations for integrated bridges. Additional accident 

avoidance safety and superior system functionality as well as professional project 

management and service support from only one supplier are other important factors. 

IBS suppliers generally put 

strong emphasis on customer 

advisory service. 

For Raytheon Anschütz, customer 

service begins in the 

early project stage and continues 

over the whole lifecycle 

of onboard equipment. 

Raytheon Anschütz recently 

announced its next generation 

of Integrated Bridge 

Systems, which replaces its 

current bridge solution with 

more than 600 installations. 

Raytheon Anschütz defines 

its IBS as a tailor-made system 

providing all core components 

of navigation with 

standardised design, functions 

and operation. Each 

IBS is customised according 

to the vessel’s characteristics, 

requirements of classification 

societies and owner’s 

specifications. 

Ergonomics and operating 

philosophy 

The new bridge system comes 

with a new innovative console 

design with improvements 

in terms of ergonomics 

and ease of installation. 

Ergonomic considerations 

mainly affect three aspects, 

according to Raytheon Anschütz: 

arrangement of 

workplaces, instrumentation 

and operability of the 

equipment itself. The officer 

on duty spends a large part 

of his bridge watch at one 

central workplace and needs 

an all-round view from this 

position, if possible without 

blind spots. The new multifunctional 

concept from 

Raytheon Anschütz combines 

the functions of the 

(Chart) Radar, ECDIS and 

Conning into one system. 

With the high degree of integration, 

all essential navigational 

information is accessible 

at any workstation 

on the integrated bridge. 

The new multifunction 

systems can be fitted with 

wide-screen flat colour 

displays. Presentation of 

(Chart) Radar, ECDIS and 

Conning has been carefully 

redesigned in order to obtain 

the maximum benefit 

from the additional space of 

the wide screen, for example 

with an increased target area 

(PPI) on the radar screen. 

Another milestone for ergonomic 

bridge design is said 

to be a standardised manmachine 

interface, leading 

to a reduction of operating 

controls as well as an avoidance 

of screen overload. To 

reduce stress for the officer 

on duty even further, all operator 

controls for (Chart) 

Radars, ECDIS, Conning, 

Autopilot, Steering and 

Gyro Compass follow the 

same design and operating 

philosophy. Raytheon Anschütz 

points out that this 

new operating concept for 

integrated bridge systems 

is possible only because all 

core components are developed 

and manufactured by 

one supplier. 

Advanced functionality 

Safety on a ship’s integrated 

bridge goes hand in hand 

with the functionality of 

equipment, details of which 

are specified by national and 

international rules. Further 

operational safety can be 

achieved with intelligent 

functions such as collision 

avoidance with Raytheon 

Anschütz SeaScout or a 

track control system, which 

is able to guide a ship fully 

automatically along a track 

with an accuracy of 25 m. 

Several years of experience 

with the adaptive autopilot 

NP2035 have shown that 

this accuracy is maintained 

not only on straight route 

sections but also during 

track change. Track control 

proceeds independently 

while the officer on duty can 

concentrate fully on the traffic. 

Shortly before reaching a 

waypoint, the system checks 

the attentiveness of the officer 

on duty by sending out 

An artist’s impression of the new generation Integrated Bridge System 

20 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

an “Approach Alarm”. If this 

alarm is not acknowledged, 

the alarm is transferred according 

to a determined 

procedure. Immediately 

before beginning the turning 

manoeuvre, the “Wheel 

Over Alarm” is given. At this 

point, no acknowledgement 

is necessary. The turn begins 

and the ship is guided 

along the curved stretch of 

the route to the next track, 

heading along the planned 

radius. 

All radar and ECDIS workstations 

can be supplied 

with an autopilot operator 

unit including an “override 

tiller”, which allows for a 

manual override of the manoeuvre 

at any time. 

Positioned in the centre of 

the IBS, the conning display 

shows all necessary 

navigation data from the 

track control process such 

as Track Deviation, Heading, 

Rate-of-Turn, Speed, 

Lateral Speed, Rudder Position, 

Water Depth, Distance 

and Course to the next waypoint, 

Wind and Drift. The 

graphical presentation of all 

relevant data is claimed to 

be extremely easy to follow. 

Standardized alarms 

All system functions and 

the satisfactory operation 

of all components are continuously 

monitored, giving 

alarms if necessary. The new 

Raytheon Anschütz Bridge 

System is equipped with an 

integrated and standardised 

alarm system with a central 

alarm reset in order to reduce 

stress on the bridge. Raytheon 

Anschütz notes that alerts 

are now more easily recognised, 

avoiding unnecessary 

acknowledgements. 

The alarms are said to have 

decreased further in line with 

the new IMO Performance 

Standards for Radars concerning 

the automatic association 

of AIS and ARPA targets. Future 

efforts to establish INS 

Performance Standards may 

well lead to yet more intelligence 

within the alarm management 

system. 

Wide screen NSC Chart Radar with increased PPI 

New IBS with simulation 

Satellites as log sensors 

Sperry Marine | Apart 

from providing an accurate 

ship’s position, today’s 

GPS system is also precise 

enough to give a stable 

course and speed reading. 

When the European Galileo 

satellite project is introduced 

in 2013 at the earliest, 

a truly redundant satellite 

system (GPS/Galileo) might 

even be available. Until 

then, it remains advisable 

to integrate GPS receivers 

The Naviknot600 

with the traditional compass 

and log data sources, as does 

the new Naviknot600 from 

Sperry Marine. 

While the new Naviknot600 

Multisensor Speed Logs 

could well serve as standalone 

devices, their main 

feature is that they can be 

integrated with other sensors, 

such as a single-axis 

electromagnetic or Doppler 

speed log. The three-way 

GPS-electromagnetic-Doppler 

combination is claimed 

to provide optimal built-in 

flexibility and redundancy. 

The NAVIKNOT 600 systems 

use a twin GPS antenna array 

to measure the ship’s heading, 

velocity, course and attitude. 

The unit’s processor 

uses the GPS data, integrated 

with output from rate gyros, 

to calculate longitudinal and 

transverse speed over ground 

with an accuracy of ±1 percent 

or 0.1 knots, whichever 

is greater. In docking mode, 

the display presents a diagram 

with rate of turn, bow 

and stern side-to-side speed 

over ground and other useful 

data. 

Speed log data is shown on 

a large, bright, high-resolution 

display screen. Various 

remote control and digital 

and analogue repeater displays 

are also available. 

Bridge- 

Direct 

Lilley & Gillie and 

DPM (UK) | A new, fully automated, 

UKHO and MCA 

approved onboard chart 

management system, called 

“BridgeDirect!”, has been 

launched by Lilley & Gillie 

and DPM (UK). It provides 

mariners with a weekly 

transmission of Notices to 

Mariners and tracings to enable 

onboard charts to be 

updated. “BridgeDirect!” 

fully integrates with chart 

management systems and 

ensures that both ship and 

shore records are synchronised. 

Users only receive 

those updates that their vessel 

requires, keeping transmission 

costs of compressed 

e-mails to a minimum. An 

audit trail records that all 

corrections are received and 

applied. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 21


Responsible ECDIS and INS training 

NAVIGATION | Training is becoming 

a precondition for safe 

operation of vessels and for 

crew satisfaction. Since no firm 

regulations govern the content 

and duration of the ECDIS and 

INS training courses, the training 

responsibility is mainly left 

to the manufacturers and training 

providers. 

The quality of training has been 

developed significantly over the 

past few years and it is becoming 

a key factor for ship owners. 

Lately, International Group of 

P&I Clubs has raised concern 

over the increasing number of 

accidents caused by inadequate 

training of the crew. Some of 

these accidents stemmed from 

misuse of ECDIS. ECDIS and 

Integrated Navigation Systems 

(INS) were originally introduced 

to the market to increase 

safe operation of vessels, and 

Training and assessment 

the manufacturers have tried to 

constantly improve the user interface. 

At the same time, new 

technical improvement allows 

for introduction of a much 

wider range of features and 

possibilities in the system operation, 

adding new functions 

and data presentations to the 

user interface. 

It is a challenging task to fully 

comprehend the concept of 

ECDIS and INS, the benefits of 

the improved safety and limitation 

of such systems. When 

sailing with ECDIS and INS, 

it requires preparation before 

departure (setup and doublechecking 

on the whole system 

setup). These procedures and 

check lists are crucial to avoid 

navigators to set a wrong draft 

or safety contour as part of the 

system setup, or they forget to 

check the planned route and 

to correct it if necessary before 

departure. 

Having established a code of 

conduct when operating ECDIS 

and INS, it is equally important 

to teach how to verify the data 

provided by the system, when 

to trust the system and when 

to switch to other means of 

navigation. Furthermore, it is 

vital to establish procedures 

for handling the system in case 

of system failure. The troubleshooting 

procedure to resolve 

the problems in a system and 

restore a failed system to the 

normal operating mode, while 

continuing the voyage, is essential 

to safe and efficient navigation. 

Last, but not least, legal matters 

related to the operation of 

a vessel using INS and ECDIS 

should be taught. This includes 

knowledge of the IMO/SOLAS/ 

flag state carriage requirements 

for ECDIS when operating with 

or without paper charts, performance 

standards, classification 

requirement for the system 

concept, location of equipment 

and finally the understanding 

of the legal aspects of using 

ECDIS with official or privately 

produced chart material. 

It is crucial that manufacturers 

provide education at a 

high level of quality utilizing 

technical knowledge of the 

system and share experiences 

and ideas with the end users to 

the benefit of improving future 

INS and ECDIS systems. Only 

through sharing of experience 

amongst the manufacturers, 

the regulating bodies and the 

end users, the systems can be 

further improved to ensure a 

continued development of safe 

operation. 

Taking the above into the 

consideration, FURUNO has 

established FURUNO INS 

Training Center (INSTC) with 

training programmes that fully 

comply with the IMO course 

models for INS, ECDIS and 

BTM training with course duration 

of 4 to 5 days, depending 

on type of the course. The 

purpose of the training centre 

is to provide the best possible 

training experience to the end 

users, and, through the certification 

by DNV for the ECDIS 

and INS training (INS training 

course is to be fully certified by 

DNV within 2009), to secure 

a high level of quality for the 

training provided. In addition, 

FURUNO INSTC decided to 

make assessment of the trainees 

after each training course 

to verify to themselves, their 

employer (the shipping company) 

and to INSTC, that they 

had accumulated a satisfactory 

level of knowledge during the 

course. The trainees will receive 

the certificate only if they score 

above a certain point in the 

practical and theoretical tests 

at the end of the course, which 

turns FURUNO currently as 

the only known training facility 

to uphold this policy. 

Tracking Systems 

VTS Simulation 

panama | Vizada and Absolute 

Maritime Tracking Systems 

have been selected by the 

Panama Maritime Authority to 

provide long range identification 

and tracking (LRIT) for 

the more than 8,000 eligible 

vessels in Panama’s waters that 

must comply with new regulations. 

Vizada claims to be among the 

few mobile satellite providers 

capable of delivering automatic 

position reports (APRs) from 

the vessel to the LRIT control 

centers via the Inmarsat satellite, 

through its network of 

wholly-owned and operated 

mobile satellite teleports. 

Vizada says to rely on Absolute 

Maritime Tracking Systems to 

ensure the crucial link between 

Visada’s Inmarsat-C systems 

and the Flag Authority. 

Maritime Training | Fylde 

College’s Fleetwood Nautical 

Campus has become the 

second British nautical schools 

to offer MCA accredited VTS 

operator training thanks to 

Transas’ addition of its first of 

its kind VTS simulation suite in 

the UK. 

The two Transas Navi-Monitor 

workstations are able to monitor 

the developing traffic situation 

in any simulated exercise 

run on the main navigational 

bridges on site; a capability 

that is required for Fleetwood 

to deliver VTS Operator training 

to the IALA V103 standard. 

A projected visualisation channel 

gives the view from the 

control tower and completes 

the “full mission” effect that 

this training establishment has 

always strived for. 

22 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

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Organised by 

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Principal Sponsor 

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Verband der Fährschifffahrt und 

Fährtouristik e.V. 

Verband Deutscher Schiffsausrüster 

www.seatrade-europe.com 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 23

Shipbuilding & Equipment | Communication 

Cost-effective alternative for 

satellite communications 

IRIDIUM OPENPORT | In 2008, Iridium launched OpenPort, offering higher data 

bandwidth and high-quality voice service to its customer. Sea trials with beta units 

have just been completed and OpenPort is now ready for its commercial roll-out. 

Until not too long ago, the only 

choice in marine satellite communications 

was Inmarsat. Starting in 

2001, Iridium Satellite began challenging 

Inmarsat by offering truly global voice and 

slow-speed data connections through its 

low-earth orbit (LEO) constellation of 66 

satellites. 

Iridium has steadily posted market share 

gains in the maritime satcom sector during 

the last few years. At the end of 2008, 

Iridium had more than 320,000 subscribers 

across all of its commercial and government 

markets. The company’s endof-year 

financial results were impressive 

– revenues up 37 percent and operational 

EBITDA (earnings before income tax, depreciation 

and amortisation) up 42 percent 

over 2007. 

With the deployment of Fleet Broadband, 

which is now available in all of Inmarsat’s 

ocean regions, Inmarsat seemed poised to 

recapture its momentum in the marine 

marketplace, but then in 2008, Iridium 

launched its own higher-bandwidth product, 

branded as Iridium OpenPort. Iridium’s 

timing, in a sense, is fortuitous, coinciding 

with a deep recession in shipping. 

The shipping industry is feeling the effects 

of the worldwide downturn in trade, and 

shipowners are eagerly searching for ways 

to trim operating costs. The monthly satellite 

communication bill represents a significant 

percentage of the monthly cost of 

ship operation, and Iridium OpenPort offers 

an extremely cost-effective alternative 

to Fleet Broadband and other commercial 

VSAT service providers, in terms of hardware, 

installation and operating costs. 

To bring our readers up to date on the Iridium 

OpenPort rollout, Ship&Port spoke 

with Don Thoma, executive vice president 

of Iridium Satellite. Thoma told us that 

Iridium successfully completed sea trials 

with beta units on a variety of vessel 

platforms during 2008 and is now making 

commercial deliveries to its service partners. 

Iridium has ramped up its production 

line to meet the backlog of more than 

4,000 orders. 

One of the beta testbeds for Iridium Open- 

Port was a 1,600 teu containership in the 

Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG fleet, under a 

service agreement with Vizada, which was 

one of the first Iridium service partners to 

sign up to distribute the Iridium OpenPort 

products and service. Vizada worked with 

Peter Döhle teams on the installation of 

the terminal as well as on follow-up of 

service quality throughout the beta testing 

stage. Michael Dittmer, fleet IT and communication 

coordinator for Peter Döhle, 

identified three aspects which led to his interest 

in Iridium OpenPort – the antenna 

array has no moving parts, Iridium offers 

worldwide connectivity, and the service 

has low hardware costs. According to Dittmer, 

the main objective was to centralise 

all IT applications and software on the 

boat in order to simplify administration, 

help maintain the vessels and better manage 

systems on board. 

At the completion of the initial beta testing 

phase, Dittmer said he was “…very 

happy with the service,” which fulfilled 

his expectations. He plans to install the 

Iridium OpenPort units on more ships in 

the near future. “Before implementing this 

plan fully we need to wait for the full results 

from the tests, but this is definitely 

the direction we want to head in, because 

The Iridium OpenPort providing 128 kbps 

we completely trust the service,” Dittmer 

told Ship&Port. When asked about crew 

calling, he responded, “The voice quality 

is 100 percent perfect, so I have nothing 

further to say about that!” 

Vizada is also due to propose a number 

of Vizada Solutions to complement the 

Iridium OpenPort service on board Peter 

Döhle ships. Once the terminals are 

fully in place, the solutions would include 

emailing and data compression software, 

crew calling cards, leased lines for data 

connections, etc. 

Other beta testbeds reported similar results. 

One of them was an Argentine Navy 

ship, which relied heavily on Iridium 

OpenPort during a three-month deployment 

to support Antarctic bases during the 

Austal summer. The captain noted that the 

system was a tremendous boost for crew 

morale. The ship established an onboard 

“Internet Café,” where the crew could have 

access to voice and Internet connections, 

which were said to be reliable with much 

higher data speed, compared to other 

communication options. Many of the crew 

enjoyed interfacing with social networks 

like Facebook, where they could share the 

“Antarctic experience” with their families 

24 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

and friends. Prior to Iridium OpenPort, 

the ship’s crew was forced to rely on highfrequency 

(HF) radio links for telephone 

calls, using a phone patch to the PSTN 

through a radio station in Ushuaia. 

Thoma noted that Iridium OpenPort offers 

a unique value proposition of three 

independent phone circuits and a separate 

data link that can be provisioned for data 

rates from 9.6 to 128 kilobits per second, 

using an omnidirectional unstabilised 

antenna array. The phone lines can all be 

used simultaneously without interference, 

providing an excellent vehicle for crew calling. 

Data rates can easily be adjusted up or 

down at any time without making hardware 

or software changes, giving the users 

options that allow them to balance needs 

for speed of data transmission against cost 

considerations on a real-time basis. 

“The installed cost of an Iridium OpenPort 

terminal is much lower than competing 

marine satcom systems, and our per-megabyte 

prices for data are also substantially 

lower than other marine satcom services 

on the market today,” said Thoma. “This 

means a return on investment measured in 

months rather than years.” 

The Iridium OpenPort system uses a small, 

lightweight unstabilised antenna, which 

measures just 9 inches (230 millimeters) 

high and 22.5 inches (570 millimeters) 

in diameter – about the size of a typical 

enclosed small boat radar radome. It has 

no moving parts and is therefore virtually 

maintenance free. 

Thoma noted that Iridium OpenPort can 

centralise all IT applications and software 

on the ship in order to streamline 

administration, help maintain the vessel 

and better manage systems and crew 

communications. It will facilitate closer 

integration of shipboard and shoreside 

IT networks and the unit can support 

voice, e-mail, fax, weather reporting, data 

transfer as well as distress signaling. The 

complete integrated solution for ship-toshore 

crew calling, e-mail and IP-based 

data communications replaces expensive 

pay-per-minute billing schemes with a 

straightforward, cost-effective pay-permegabyte 

plan for data throughput. 

Ship&Port also asked Thoma about the 

long-term viability of the Iridium satellite 

network, especially when considering 

the highly publicised network failures of 

its fellow LEO provider, Globalstar. He 

explained that Iridium’s constellation of 

66 operational satellites is backed up by 

multiple in-orbit spares and the constellation 

is based on a cross-linked architecture, 

which gives each satellite four directions 

through which to communicate. 

This ensures that if an adjoining satellite 

happens to fail or a link is unavailable, 

the network is still able to relay messages 

around the satellite that may be inoperable. 

Thoma observed that the recent incident, 

in which a non-operational Russian 

communication satellite collided with 

an operational Iridium satellite in space, 

demonstrates the inherent robustness 

of the Iridium meshed network. Within 

60 hours, Iridium had successfully rerouted 

traffic, minimising service disruptions, 

and within days the company had 

maneuvered one of its multiple orbiting 

spare satellites into position to replace 

the one destroyed in the crash. 

Thoma stated that Iridium is on track to 

start deploying Iridium NEXT, its nextgeneration 

satellite constellation, in 

2014. Two large aerospace companies, 

Lockheed Martin and Thales Alenia 

Space are competing to be the prime 

contractor for the Iridium NEXT program, 

and Iridium expects to select the 

final partner during the second quarter 

of this year. The new satellites will be 

fully backward compatible with Iridium 

OpenPort and all other Iridium legacy 

products. 

www.marlink.com 

Connecting people and business at sea 

www.marlink.com 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 25


Latest development in 

FleetBroadband and VSAT 

SATCOMS | With full global coverage now in place and the introduction of the new FleetBroadband 

150 service opening the market considerably, FleetBroadband’s crossover to mainstream 

is now well underway, whilst at the same time the potential of VSAT is about to expand greatly. 

Changing onboard operations thanks to broadband connectivity 

The third Inmarsat I4 

satellite was launched 

in August 2008 and 

following a period of testing, 

entered into commercial 

service on February 24 

2009. It covers the Asia/Pacific 

region including Australia 

and New Zealand and 

went live just as the Fleet- 

Broadband equipped Volvo 

Ocean Race fleet entered 

the coverage area during 

the fifth and longest leg of 

the Volvo Ocean race 2008- 

2009, marking the first true 

global availability of broadband 

at sea. 

One other organisation 

committed to FleetBroadband 

is A.P. Moller-Maersk, 

who last year ordered what 

was described as the largest 

communications retrofit 

ever. 150 of its vessels, 

across the Maersk Tankers 

and Maersk Supply Service 

(MSS) fleet, were upgraded 

with SAILOR 500 Fleet- 

Broadband solutions by 

Thrane & Thrane. The MSS 

fleet consists of three types 

of vessels: Field and Subsea 

Support, Anchor Handling 

Tug Supply and Platform 

Supply. 

One of the reasons that 

A.P. Moller-Maersk gave for 

choosing FleetBroadband 

was that with the small antenna, 

they would be able to 

outsource the installation to 

crewmembers, who where 

very keen to get broadband 

internet onboard. All the 

vessels in the first phase of 

the installation program 

have received an installation 

pack with computer, 

LAN Switch, radome, mast, 

cables and fittings and so 

far very little external assistance 

has been required. 

Improving Operations 

The main driver for Maersk 

seeking to retrofit its vessels 

with new satcoms was 

to provide internet to crew 

onboard, ultimately for long 

term crew retention. However, 

the company has quickly 

integrated the system into its 

office and systems network 

and is starting to realise the 

potential of a full IP connection 

to vastly improve operational 

efficiency. 

MSS uses AMOS – Asset 

Management Operating System 

– for operations, maintenance 

and assets lifecycle. 

This requires four-six daily 

file transfers to fully harness 

the software suite’s organisational 

benefits, which is 

currently achieved using the 

Fleet 77 and Inmarsat B terminals 

onboard. However, 

MSS plans to use FleetBroadband 

to make the file transfer 

from the servers onboard 

the vessels to the servers on 

land faster and more cost effective. 

FleetBroadband is also 

opening up possibilities 

for remote diagnostics and 

maintenance for the shipboard 

systems. For instance, 

Dynamic Positioning (DP) 

pioneer Kongsberg Maritime 

is also using the new system 

to connect to its DP systems 

onboard MSS vessels for remote 

diagnostics. Having 

this extra level of support 

can provide solutions to 

problems or stop them happening 

at all. 

With this experience, MSS 

has decided to extend the 

opportunity of remote maintenance 

and diagnostics to 

all of its equipment partners 

and is hoping to enable it 

across all critical systems onboard, 

including the main 

engines, generators, and 

the large anchor handling 

winches on AHTS vessels. 

FleetBroadband 150 

FleetBroadband initially offered 

two levels of service 

that used two different sets 

of hardware. FleetBroadband 

500 is aimed at deep 

sea, heavy users whilst Fleet- 

Broadband 250 is aimed at 

users with a lower, but still 

considerable requirement 

for data usage. 

At SMM 2008, Inmarsat announced 

the introduction of 

a new service designed for 

vessels with lower airtime 

budgets and bandwidth requirements: 

FleetBroadband 

150. Working closely with 

Inmarsat, Thrane & Thrane 

has now prepared the hardware 

to utilise this new 

FleetBroadband service. 

The new SAILOR 150 Fleet- 

Broadband terminal offers 

150kbps IP data and simultaneous 

quality voice. The data 

speed, price and flexibility of 

this entry level solution ensure 

that it doesn’t overlap 

the core FleetBroadband 250 

and 500 offering. However, 

it is capable of introducing 

the use of IP applications to 

vessels that could not previously 

afford this, so SAILOR 

150 FleetBroadband ensures 

that a new class of user can 

now benefit from the Fleet- 

Broadband service. 

FleetBroadband 150 is meant 

as an introduction to broadband 

for vessels that may 

not rely on heavy data traffic 

between ship and shore 

but whose operation may be 

improved if the facility was 

available. 

VSAT Expansion 

Ku-band VSAT is traditionally 

for regional and coastal 

areas only, and because of 

the limited coverage, and 

26 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

size and cost restraints, it 

has not yet been a viable 

alternative to Inmarsat services, 

although things may 

be starting to change. 

There are signs that satellite 

operators and service 

providers will enhance the 

Ku-Band networks over 

ocean regions because of a 

considerable potential in 

the maritime market. Although 

many vessels do sail 

with VSAT, the market for 

merchant shipping is essentially 

in its early phase. 

The Ku-band coverage over 

the oceans will be expanded 

and completed over the 

next 2-3 years, and when 

this happens, VSAT will become 

more affordable. 

With greater coverage and 

less costs, VSAT is set to 

have more potential as a 

mainstream solution in the 

future and Thrane & Thrane 

is preparing for this by entering 

into this competitive 

market place. The company 

is launching its first VSAT 

solution this year, and although 

recognised primarily 

as a hardware supplier, 

it is taking a different approach 

by promising a total 

solution. 

Hardware procurement, 

installation and airtime 

are provided in a complete 

package in order to widen 

the availability of VSAT to 

vessels that may be holding 

off because of the traditionally 

lengthy VSAT 

procurement process, extremely 

complex installation 

or budgetary concerns 

over airtime. 

Thrane & Thrane has enabled 

built in Fleet/Fleet- 

Broadband switch over capabilities 

in its new VSAT, 

meaning that owners of 

existing Thrane & Thrane 

manufactured Fleet and 

FleetBroadband systems can 

install a true VSAT upgrade 

and benefit from higher 

bandwidth and lower airtime 

costs while sailing 

within VSAT coverage area, 

but still ensure satcoms coverage 

globally. 

Changing onboard operations 

Regardless of the service 

chosen, in addition to assisting 

in crew welfare and 

retention, FleetBroadband 

and VSAT have huge potential 

for changing operations 

onboard vessels of all 

shape, size and application, 

be it vessel and engine telemetry, 

ECDIS updating, or 

24 hour connectivity. With 

a fast, stable data connection, 

keeping in touch with 

the shore office is much easier, 

and planning, reporting 

and general organisation of 

a job can be much smoother. 

As long as the bandwidth is 

available there are almost 

limitless possibilities. 

The author: 

Casper Jensen, 

Thrane & Thrane A/S, 

Lyngby, Denmark 

LRIT Data Centre 

ABEKING & RASMUSSEN 

WINDP K 

The SWATH@A&R 

Windpark Service Vessels. 

CLS | The European Maritime 

Safety Agency (EMSA) 

has awarded Collecte Localisation 

Satellite (CLS) 

a contract to provide and 

operate the European Union 

(EU) LRIT (Long-Range 

Identification and Tracking) 

Data Centre, as well as 

the associated Application 

Service Provider (ASP) and 

Communication Service 

Provider (CSP) functions. 

The EMSA LRIT Data Centre 

will serve the 27 EU 

maritime administrations, 

as well as those of Iceland 

and Norway, and will also 

request reports from non- 

EU flag vessels entering EU 

coastal waters. The new international 

carriage requirements 

for (LRIT) came into 

effect Jan. 1, 2009. 

© composé communication 

www.abeking.com 

Offshore Technologies 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 27


VSAT for yachts 

WaveCall | Following Marlink’s acquisition 

of the WaveCall brand from Sea 

Tel Inc., new services are being launched 

for yachts and leisure craft with the aim 

of providing affordable and versatile 

satellite-based broadband communications 

solutions. 

WaveCall by Marlink uses the Sea Tel 

Ku-band VSAT 4006 antenna system 

comprising above-deck and below-deck 

equipment, which is claimed to be ideal 

for vessels requiring “always-on” satellite 

communications. The new Marlink 

services translate into increased satellite 

capacity in current coverage areas such 

as the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe. 

They are said to add new coverage 

areas to meet customers’ growing need 

for high bandwidth in day-to-day business 

at sea. One of the new features offered 

with WaveCall is Prepaid Calling 

Cards, providing better cost control for 

vessel owners and crews. 

Enhanced tool 

bandwidth allocation | A system 

upgrade to measure and monitor VSAT 

bandwidth utilization with significant 

granularity and flexibility has been developed 

by UK based network management 

company Parallel for SeaMobile 

Enterprises. The enhanced web portal is 

offered through SeaMobile’s MTN Satellite 

Services suite of products. It provides 

detailed bandwidth utilization graphs 

and reports that can be broken down by 

protocol, type of service such as Internet, 

corporate data, VoIP, or cellular, by individual 

IP address or by application. This 

degree of specificity and granularity will 

allow ship-owners to better understand 

their bandwidth usage. 

The new system seamlessly integrates 

with MTN’s iDirect infrastructure and the 

company’s unique implementation of 

Riverbed compression and optimization 

technology. Historical data will be stored 

for up to three years, with 5 minute resolution 

available on all data. 

For SeaMobile, this is a major step forward, 

following customer demand to carefully 

manage and optimize VSAT bandwidth, 

which, in deed, is a valuable and limited 

resource. In addition to helping identify 

usage patterns and potential abuse, the 

new system is also said to allow for making 

informed decisions regarding strategic 

bandwidth allocation and upgrades. 

New single channel Iridum PBX 

Global Satellite USA | A new intelligent 

Iridium PBX called MCG-101 has 

been launched by Global Satellite USA. 

The system has an intelligent solution 

for Iridium satellite phones to operate 

as a telephone, Internet gateway, GPS 

device, send/receive SMS and attach to 

other devices through RS232 or CAN 

bus. The MCG-101 is daisy chainable so 

that it can connect with multiple simultaneous 

communications. Installing the 

unit is claimed only to require power, a 

Communications onboard AIDA 

SatComms | Marlink has announced 

a new five year contract with German 

cruise company AIDA Cruises, for the 

supply of its Sealink satellite communications 

system. Sealink will be 

provided to five existing cruise vessels 

and three planned new builds, the first 

of which will be in operation from 

spring 2009 with the others in commission 

in 2010 and 2011. 

Sealink is a full service broadband 

satellite solution developed by Marlink 

which offers “always-on” voice, 

Maritime video streaming 

SIM card and an external antenna. To 

connect to the internet is said to be as 

simple as connecting a computer to the 

Ethernet Port. 

The MCG-101, weighing 1.9 kg (4lbs) 

and measuring 5 cm by 20 cm by 20 

cm, utilizes 100% digital technology 

and provides clear, true to life audio, 

and eliminates internal echo problems. 

The MCG-101 includes a standard analogue 

telephone RJ11 interface with a 

hardware echo canceller. 

Internet access and Local Area Network 

(LAN) communications. 

Operating in the Mediterranean, Northern 

Europe, Caribbean and Asia regions 

the AIDA vessels will be equipped with 

Sealink C-band VSAT technology, providing 

bandwidths from 384 kbps to 768 

kbps with dedicated SCPC. AIDA Cruises 

has the option to move to shared solutions 

from Marlink later this spring. The 

options are based on either Vipersat multicast 

SCPC or IDirect technology, subject 

to final testing and requirements. 

SATCOM | The appearance of broadband 

services in the maritime market 

over the last two years has provided 

tremendous opportunities for shipping 

companies and maritime fleet operators. 

Vessels are now in an “always-on” 

connection with the internet and corporate 

network, permitting constant 

monitoring of ships and cargo. The 

increased broadband bandwidth also 

permits the use of maritime video to 

improve fleet operations. 

M2sat recently introduced MarineCam, 

which is able to stream video and still 

images from vessels. The first applications 

M2sat sees running over its MarineCam 

system are purely commercial, 

such as for corporate promotions sending 

still images from ships to websites 

or allowing customers to follow and 

track the transport of their special cargo. 

M2sat believes that maritime video will 

be increasingly used in future to improve 

ship operations, security or the 

fighting of crime and piracy or to help 

and solve onboard problems more efficiently. 

Telemedicine applications for 

remote medical assistance and crew 

welfare is another application for live 

video at sea. 

The M2sat MarineCam system is 

claimed to be optimised for using existing 

onboard satellite equipment like 

Inmarsat or VSAT units and can use the 

relatively low speed bandwidth of maritime 

services (up to 256 kbps) for its 

video and still picture transmissions. 

All videos and pictures can be viewed 

with standard PCs with internet access 

on shore, but the shipping company 

has full control over who watches 

the material and all transmissions are 

claimed to be fully secure. Authorised 

viewers can select individual ships, 

look at saved still pictures or activate 

the onboard cameras. They can even 

control the onboard camera remotely. 

28 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1

Shipbuilding & Equipment | Propulsion 

Flexibility in a small package 

Green Engines | The new Wärtsilä 34DF engine uses the same technology as the larger Wärtsilä 

50DF multifuel engine to deliver fuel flexibility on a scale that makes it ideal for gas-fuelled vessels 

The Wärtsilä multifuel 

concept, as introduced 

with the Wärtsilä 50DF 

engine a few years back, is 

now available in a smaller 

package. While the Wärtsilä 

50DF engine provided Wärtsilä 

with valuable multifuel 

experience, it was found that 

for some applications, the 

17 MW power capacity of 

the Wärtsilä 50 DF engine 

is too much. Therefore, the 

Wärtsilä 34DF engine with a 

power range of 2.7 to 9 MW, 

has been developed based on 

the same technology. 

In terms of technology, it is 

almost a copy of the Wärtsilä 

50DF but on a smaller scale. 

It uses the same multifuel 

technology, allowing it to 

switch fuels during operation 

without stopping the engine 

and changing valves. 

The 50 Hz version of the 

Wärtsilä 34DF has a power 

output of 450 kW per cylinder. 

The engine is available 

in 6L (in-line), 9L (in-line), 

12V, 16V and 20V cylinder 

configurations. In combination 

with a generator, the 

electric power output ranges 

from 2590 kW to 8730 kW. 

This makes it suitable for applications 

where the Wärtsilä 

50DF is too large, and as 

The Wärtsilä 6L 34 DF generating set 

such, it is a very good complement 

to the Wärtsilä 34SG 

spark-ignited gas engine and 

essentially replaces the Wärtsilä 

32DF low-NOx engine. 

The multifuel capability has 

the following advantages: 

1. Good economy: choice of 

cheapest fuel on the market. 

2. High reliability: back up 

fuel available in case of fuel 

supply problems. 

Since the needed power range 

is wide, different cylinder 

configurations are available. 

The 6L, 9L, and 12V and 16V 

cylinder versions, are aimed 

at marine applications, and 

will be particularly suited 

to any vessels that need to 

switch to clean natural gas 

(LNG). 

Electronic control 

The Wärtsilä 34DF operates 

on the lean burn principle, 

whereby the mixture of air 

and gas in the cylinder has 

more air than is needed for 

complete combustion. Lean 

combustion reduces peak 

temperatures and, therefore, 

NOx emissions. It also reduces 

heat flow to the walls 

of the combustion chamber, 

as well as the tendency 

for knocking. Because of the 

reduced heat loss and likelihood 

of knocking, efficiency 

is increased and higher 

output is attained. 

Combustion of the lean airfuel 

mixture is initiated by 

injecting a small amount of 

LFO (pilot fuel) into the cylinder. 

The pilot fuel is ignited 

in a conventional diesel 

process, providing a highenergy 

ignition source for 

the main fuel charge, which 

is a mixture of natural gas 

and air. To obtain the best 

efficiency and lowest emissions, 

the main fuel flow to 

each cylinder is individually 

controlled to ensure operation 

at the correct air-fuel 

ratio, and with the correct 

amount and timing of pilot 

fuel injection. 

The engine functions are 

controlled by an advanced 

automation system that allows 

optimum running 

conditions to be set, independent 

of the ambient 

conditions or fuel used. The 

electronic control system is 

designed to cope with the 

demanding task of controlling 

the combustion in each 

cylinder, and to ensure optimal 

performance in terms 

of efficiency and emissions, 

under all conditions, by 

keeping each cylinder within 

the operating window. 

Stable and well-controlled 

combustion also contributes 

to less mechanical and 

thermal load on the engine 

components. All fuel ignition 

parameters are controlled 

automatically during 

operation. 

Incorporated into the system 

is a cylinder pressure based 

control. As this control utilizes 

the measurement of cylinder 

pressure for combustion 

optimization, cylinder 

pressure sensors have been 

added as standard in each 

cylinder. Continuous cylinder 

pressure measurement 

also contributes to more efficient 

engine diagnostics and 

improved safety. 

Multifuel system 

The key technology behind 

the Wärtsilä 34DF is the 

fueling and ignition system. 

The fuel system has been 

divided into three: one for 

gas, one for backup fuel, and 

one for the pilot fuel system, 

which acts as an igniter. The 

separate connection for the 

pilot fuel means that pilot 

fuel is always present, regardless 

of whether the engine 

is running on gas, light 

fuel oil (LFO), heavy fuel oil 

(HFO), or on liquid biofuel. 

The Wärtsilä 34DF can be 

started in diesel mode, using 

both main diesel and pilot 

fuel, or in gas mode. If the 

engine is started in diesel 

mode, gas admission is activated 

when combustion is 

stable in all cylinders. When 

running the engine in gas 

mode, the pilot fuel, which 

is always present, amounts 

to less than 1% of full-load 

fuel consumption. The 

amount of pilot fuel is controlled 

by the engine control 

system. When running the 

engine in backup fuel mode, 

the pilot is also in use to ensure 

nozzle cooling and to 

avoid clogging of the injector 

tip. 

The engine can also be started 

without using the backup 

fuel system, in which case, 

the engine is started on pilot 

fuel with gas admission activated. 

The synchronization 

and loading is achieved on 

gas. The pilot fuel consumption 

here is the same, namely 

less than 1% of full load 

fuel consumption. 

Gas supply 

The natural gas is supplied to 

the engine through a gas regulation 

unit. The gas is first 

30 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

filtered to ensure a clean supply. 

The gas pressure, which 

depends on engine load, is 

controlled by a valve located 

in the valve station. At full 

load, the gauge pressure before 

the engine is 3.9 bar for 

a lower heating value LHV of 

36 MJ/m. For lower LHV, the 

pressure has to be increased. 

The system includes the necessary 

shut-off and venting 

valves to ensure a safe and 

reliable gas supply. 

On the engine, the gas is 

supplied through large 

common-rail pipes running 

along the engine. Each cylinder 

then has an individual 

feed pipe to the gas admission 

valve on the cylinder 

head. Gas pipes on the engine 

can have a double-wall 

design if required for marine 

applications. 

Diesel oil supply 

The fuel oil supply on the 

engine is divided into two 

separate systems: one for the 

pilot fuel, and the other for 

backup fuel. 

The pilot fuel is elevated to 

the required pressure by a 

pump unit. This includes 

duplex filters, a pressure 

regulator, and an enginedriven 

radial piston-type 

pump. The high-pressure 

pilot fuel is then distributed 

through a common-rail 

pipe to the injection valve at 

each cylinder. The pilot fuel 

is injected at a pressure of 

approximately 900 bar, and 

the timing and duration are 

electronically controlled. 

The backup fuel is separated 

from the pilot fuel system 

and is fed to a normal camshaft-driven 

injection pump. 

From the injection pump, 

the high-pressure fuel goes 

to a spring-loaded injection 

valve of standard design for 

a diesel engine. 

Injection valve 

The Wärtsilä 34DF has a 

twin-needle injection valve 

with two separate nozzles. 

The larger needle and nozzle 

are used in diesel mode 

for LFO or HFO operation, 

and the smaller one for pilot 

fuel oil – when the engine is 

running in gas mode – and 

in backup fuel operation 

to ensure nozzle cooling. 

The pilot injection is electronically 

controlled, and 

the main diesel injection 

is hydraulically controlled. 

The individually controlled 

solenoid valve allows optimum 

timing and duration 

of the pilot fuel injection 

into every cylinder when 

the engine is running in gas 

mode. Since NOx formation 

depends greatly on the pilot 

fuel amount, this design ensures 

very low NOx formation, 

while still employing a 

stable and reliable ignition 

source for the lean air-gas 

mixture in the combustion 

chamber. 

Gas admission valve 

Gas is admitted to the cylinders 

just before the air inlet 

valves. The gas admission 

valves are electronically actuated 

and controlled by 

the engine control system 

to give the precise amount 

of gas needed to each cylinder. 

In this way, the combustion 

in each cylinder 

can be fully and individually 

controlled. 

Independent gas admission 

ensures the correct air-fuel 

ratio and optimal operating 

point with respect to efficiency 

and emissions. The 

gas admission valves have a 

short stroke and are made 

of specially selected materials, 

thus providing low 

wear and long maintenance 

intervals. 

The large gas common-rail pipe running along the engine 

Twin-needle injection valve with electronically 

operated pilot injection 

Injection pump 

The engine utilizes the wellproven 

mono-block injection 

pump, developed by 

Wärtsilä. This pump withstands 

the high pressures 

involved in fuel injection 

and has a constant-pressure 

relief valve to avoid cavitation. 

The fuel pump is ready for 

operation at all times so that 

the engine can instantaneously 

switch over from gas 

to fuel oil if necessary. The 

plunger is equipped with a 

wear-resistant coating. 

Pilot pump 

The pilot fuel pump is engine-driven. 

It receives the 

signal for correct outgoing 

fuel pressure from the engine 

control unit and independently 

sets and maintains 

the pressure at the required 

level. It transmits the prevailing 

fuel pressure to the 

engine control system. Highpressure 

fuel is delivered to 

each injection valve through 

a common-rail pipe, which 

acts as a pressure accumulator 

and damper against 

pressure pulses in the 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 31


Gas admission valves for supplying gas to the cylinder 

Camshaft driven injection pump for back up fuel 

system. The fuel system has 

a double-wall design with an 

alarm to warn of leakage. 

Automatic fuel changeover 

In the event of, for example, 

a gas supply interruption, the 

engine switches from gas to 

fuel oil operation at any load 

instantaneously and automatically. 

Furthermore, the 

separate backup fuel system 

makes it possible to switch 

from LFO to HFO without 

load reduction. The pilot fuel 

is in operation during HFO 

operation to ensure nozzle 

cooling, and has a fuel consumption 

of less than 1% of 

full load fuel consumption. 

Switching over to LFO from 

HFO operation can also be 

done without load reduction. 

From LFO to gas operation, 

the switch can be made 

as described above. This operational 

flexibility is the real 

advantage of the multifuel 

system. 

The engine can be switched 

automatically from fuel oil 

back to gas operation at loads 

below 80% of the full load. 

The changeover takes place 

automatically after the operator’s 

command, without load 

changes. During the switchover, 

which lasts about one 

minute, the fuel oil is gradually 

substituted by gas. 

Air-fuel ratio control 

Having the correct air-fuel ratio 

under any operating conditions 

is essential to optimum 

performance and emissions. 

For this function, the Wärtsilä 

34DF is equipped with 

an exhaust gas waste-gate 

valve. Part of the exhaust gases 

bypasses the turbocharger 

through this waste-gate valve. 

The valve adjusts the air-fuel 

ratio to the correct value, depending 

on the varying site 

conditions, under high engine 

loads. 

As regards the engine’s operation, 

some extensive validation 

tests with the Wärtsilä 

50DF on HFO were made 

some years ago. In particular, 

one interesting problem for 

the DF engine to overcome 

was the issue of deposits that 

build up in the engine after 

running for a long time on 

HFO. This raised concerns 

as to whether this build up 

would cause problems during 

gas operation. However, 

it was found that quite soon 

after switching over from LFO 

to gas operation, the load 

could be increased rapidly 

and deposits were burned 

out quickly. 

Notable technical features 

In addition to the multifuel 

system, there are a few other 

notable technical features. 

Lube oil system 

Normally, gas engines are 

run using lube oils with 

lower TBN numbers. Higher 

TBN numbers are required 

in HFO operation, where the 

fuel contains relatively high 

amounts of acidifying components. 

There was a question 

as to whether the lube 

oil composition would have 

to be changed when switching 

from gas to HFO. However, 

the engine can run on the 

same high TBN lube oil when 

operating on gas. 

Like the Wärtsilä 50DF, the 

Wärtsilä 34DF has an enginedriven 

oil pump and can be 

provided with either a wet or 

dry sump oil system, whereby 

the oil is mainly treated 

outside the engine. Marine 

engines have a dry sump and 

power plant engines a wet 

sump. On the way to the engine, 

the oil passes through 

a full-flow automatic backflushing 

filter unit with a 

safety filter for final protection. 

A separate centrifugal 

filter cleans the back-flushing 

oil and also acts as an indicator 

of excessive dirt in the 

lubricating oil. A separate 

pre-lubricating system is used 

before the engine is started to 

avoid engine part wear. 

Engine cooling 

The Wärtsilä 34DF has efficient 

coolers, with a flexible 

cooling system design that 

is optimized for different 

applications of the heat, depending 

on the coolant temperature. 

The cooling system 

has two separate circuits – 

high-temperature (HT) and 

low-temperature (LT). The 

HT circuit cools the cylinder 

liner and the cylinder head, 

while the LT circuit serves the 

lubricating oil cooler. The 

circuits are also connected 

to the respective parts of the 

two-stage charge air cooler. 

The V-type engines are also 

available with an open interface 

system, whereby the 

cooling circuits can be connected 

separately. This makes 

optimized heat recovery and 

an optimized cooling system 

possible. The LT pump 

is always in serial connection 

with the second stage of 

the charge air CA cooler. The 

HT pump is always in serial 

connection with the jacket 

cooling circuit. Both HT and 

LT water pumps are enginedriven 

as standard, meaning 

that no electricity from the 

generator is needed to drive 

these pumps. 

Turbocharger 

The Wärtsilä 34DF is 

equipped with the modular-built 

Spex (single pipe 

exhaust) turbo charging system, 

which combines the 

advantages of both pulse 

and constant pressure charging. 

The interface between 

engine and turbocharger is 

streamlined with a minimum 

of flow resistance on 

both the exhaust and air 

sides. High-efficiency turbochargers 

with inboard plain 

bearings are used, and the 

engine lubricating oil system 

is used for the turbocharger. 

The waste-gate is actuated 

electro-pneumatically. 

First application 

The first application for the 

Wärtsilä 34DF engine will 

be for the Platform Supply 

Vessel (PSV) being built at 

the Aker Yards STX facility in 

Söviknes, Norway. Wärtsilä 

will supply three 6-cylinder 

engines that are able to run 

on marine diesel oil, heavy 

fuel oil or natural gas. 

32 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Cutting costs with 

pre-assembly 

Caterpillar | Marine 

engines are increasingly 

dependent on electronic 

engine monitoring and 

control. MaK Large Engine 

Protection/Safety System 

(LESS) by Caterpillar can 

help reduce the time required 

for engine installation, 

commissioning and 

maintenance. 

MaK LESS integrates various 

functions for engine 

monitoring and control by 

using no more than two 

small, resiliently mounted 

control boxes at the back 

of the engine. The first box 

contains the engine protection 

system, the RPM switch 

unit, the start/stop control, 

an LED display and a 

graphic display. The second 

box contains the complete 

engine monitoring system 

and MODbus data output 

to the alarm system. This 

box can also be fitted with 

an exhaust gas mean value 

system as well as control 

devices for main and bigend 

bearing monitoring. 

If the MaK DICARE engine 

monitoring and maintenance 

system is on board, 

CANbus data output to the 

DICARE PC will also be 

found in the second box. 

The LESS technology is 

said to have advantages 

for the vessel operator and 

shipyard as well as for the 

engine manufacturer and 

commissioning dealer. The 

engine manufacturer, in this 

case Caterpillar, can adjust, 

test and approve all safety 

and control features prior 

to engine delivery. 

At the same time, the shipyard 

saves both installation 

time and space because there 

are no separate electronic 

components and less wiring. 

Engine commissioning 

is claimed to be quick and 

easy because pre-tests and 

class approvals are effected 

at the factory and there is 

less scope for wiring mistakes 

at the yard. Finally, the 

vessel operator benefits from 

the integrated protection/ 

safety system because there 

is maximum engine availability 

and minimum risk of 

failures. If failure nevertheless 

occurs, the affected sensor 

or actuator is highlighted 

in the LESS display for easy 

repair or replacement. 

MaK LESS is type-approved 

by leading Marine Classification 

Societies (MCS), including 

ABS, BV, DNV, GL 

and LR. 

MaK Marine Engine with LESS Control Boxes 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 33


Turbo boost for lower emissions 

Green Engines | ABB’s new A100-M/H turbocharger family for medium- and high-speed 

engines is designed to meet future demand for higher compressor pressure ratios and lower 

engine emissions with single-stage turbocharging 

Growing demand for energy, high 

fuel costs and stricter emissions 

legislation are having an important 

influence on diesel and gas engine 

development. It goes without saying that 

these same factors, plus the ongoing trend 

towards higher engine power densities 

and higher power output, are also impacting 

turbocharger technology: Higher 

engine mean effective pressures require 

higher turbocharger pressure ratios, 

while optimization of combustion technology, 

new engine-internal measures 

and the focus on exhaust after-treatment 

Fig. 1: New-generation A140 turbocharger 

systems all influence the development of 

modern turbocharging systems. In short, 

highly efficient turbocharging systems 

are vital for energy-efficient engines. 

High compressor pressure ratios are required 

today not only to increase the 

power output, which was the key aim 

in the past, but also because they play a 

significant role in emissions reduction. 

They are needed, for example, for the 

Miller/Atkinson process, which is used 

in some form in almost all modern diesel 

and gas engines. In diesel engines this 

process helps to reduce NOx emissions, 

while in gas engines it is used to shift the 

point at which knocking begins. 

Turbocharger performance 

During the past decade engine-builders 

have managed a significant increase in 

mean engine power output. In the 

high-speed engine segment, for example, 

the rise has been about 50%, 

while specific fuel consumption has 

been cut by approximately 10% and 

engine emissions could be lowered by 

up to 80%. Over the same period, taking 

the compressor power at the engine 

design point for the given compressor 

pressure ratios and flow capacity as a 

yardstick, the technical demands made 

on the turbocharger’s thermodynamic 

and mechanical performance can be 

said to have more than doubled. 

Figure 2 shows the trend for the mean 

effective pressures and the compressor 

pressure ratios required by high-speed 

diesel and gas engines, the latter typically 

requiring higher pressure ratios 

than diesel engines due to their higher 

control-related system losses and different 

fuel management. The next generation 

of diesel and gas engines will 

fully utilize the considerable potential 

of the A100-generation turbochargers. 

Full-load pressure ratios of up to 

5.8 in continuous operation with aluminium 

compressor wheels, at high 

efficiencies, set new benchmarks for 

power density in turbocharger construction 

and take the known limits 

of single-stage turbocharging a significant 

step further. 

From TPS to A100-M/H turbochargers 

Ten years after their introduction, 

more than 25,000 TPS series turbochargers 

are successfully operating 

on small medium-speed diesel engines 

and large high-speed diesel and 

gas engines rated from 500 kW to 

3300 kW. While these turbochargers 

continue to be the preferred choice 

for engine series rated at today’s power 

levels, market demand for ever-higher 

engine power densities and higher efficiencies, 

as well as the need to curb 

engine emissions, calls for new engine 

concepts and a new generation of turbochargers. 

It is for these advanced 

engines that ABB has developed the 

high-pressure A100-M/H series – the 

A100-H series for high-speed engines 

and the A100-M radial turbocharger 

series for small medium-speed engines 

(Fig. 1). 

The frame sizes of the A100-M/H series 

have the same outer dimensions as the 

field-proven TPS turbochargers and, also 

like the TPS, have the oil inlet and outlet 

ducts integrated in the foot. This ensures 

that in the case of further development 

of current TPS-turbocharged engine platforms, 

these engines can be fitted with 

A100 radial turbochargers without having 

to make any major changes to the 

turbocharger mounting. Development of 

a smaller and a larger A100-H frame size 

will depend on future market demand. 

Design concept 

A100 radial turbochargers are of modular 

construction with a minimized number 

of component parts and are designed to 

allow matching to the special requirements 

of each diesel and gas engine application. 

Different casing materials are 

available for different turbine inlet temperatures. 

A range of specific design and configuration 

features enables the A100-M radial 

turbochargers for small medium-speed 

engines to also be used with heavy fuel 

oil or with pulse turbocharging systems. 

Since the exhaust-gas temperatures with 

these engines are usually lower than with 

high-speed engines, the bearing casings 

of A100-M turbochargers can be supplied 

with or without water-cooling. Options 

include coated nozzle rings and multientry 

turbine inlet casings. 

Aluminium compressor wheels 

For the A100 radial turbocharger ABB developed 

a cooling technology that allows 

the continued use of aluminium for the 

compressor wheels even at such very high 

pressure ratios, and without compromis- 

Fig. 2: Trends in the turbocharging of 

modern high-speed engines 

34 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Fig. 3: Pressure ratio vs volume flow range 

for A100 turbochargers at full load 

ing the high operational reliability and 

long component exchange intervals users 

have come to expect with this material. 

This has avoided changing to cost-intensive 

titanium components. 

Cooling with compressor air was shown by 

an extensive test program to be the most 

efficient solution and also to be the easiest 

and least costly for the engine builder to 

implement. The concept is already proven 

in the field, having been offered for several 

years as an optional feature for the 

larger ABB TPL..-C turbochargers. 

Fig. 4: Compressor map (A140-H) 

Fig. 5: Turbine efficiencies, A140-H and 

TPS57-F 

Containment concept 

The A100 casings take full account of the 

much higher mechanical demands made 

on them. During their design ABB worked 

closely with engine-builders to ensure the 

same compactness as the TPS as well as 

optimum mounting of the turbocharger 

on the engine console. The safety of the 

containment concept – a vital consideration 

in view of the significantly increased 

power density – has been confirmed both 

numerically and experimentally by turbocharger 

containment tests on the test rig. 

The stronger shaft required because of the 

higher power transmission was also a factor 

in the design of the A100 bearing assembly, 

which was based on the TPS bearing 

technology. On the turbine side the 

casing centring concept which has proved 

so successful with the TPS..-F has been retained 

and ensures safe and efficient turbocharger 

operation. 

Thermodynamic performance 

Three entirely new compressor stages, each 

with different compressor wheel blading, 

allow the compressor volume flow range of 

today’s TPS..-F turbochargers to be covered 

by the new A100-M/H turbochargers with 

significantly higher pressure ratios (Fig. 3). 

The A100 turbocharger features a singlepiece 

aluminium compressor wheel. New 

high-pressure diffusers and compressor 

blading were developed in addition to the 

innovative wheel cooling to ensure the 

full-load pressure ratios of about 5.8 with 

aluminium wheels. A range of compressor 

stages is available for every turbocharger 

frame size, allowing optimal matching to 

every application. The compressor map in 

Fig. 4, which is based on measurements 

taken on the recently released A140 turbocharger, 

shows the high efficiencies, excellent 

map widths and more than adequate 

overspeed margins achieved. 80% compressor 

efficiency is achieved on a typical 

generator line for a full-load pressure ratio 

of 5.8. 

New turbine stages 

A new generation of mixed-flow turbines 

has been developed for use with the A100 

turbochargers in addition to the existing 

TPS mixed-flow turbine stage. 

A characteristic of this new turbine family is 

a larger operating range, allowing the new 

compressor stage’s high pressure ratio potential 

to be exploited over an even wider 

range of application. The turbine’s design 

has been optimized in each specific volume 

flow range, resulting in the individual 

stages exhibiting higher turbine efficiencies 

than the current TPS turbine stages. And 

additional, flexible sealing has been introduced 

to further reduce the bypass flows so 

Fig. 6: Turbocharger efficiency of A140-H 

with full-load-optimized specification 

that flow losses are also lower. This has 

allowed, in particular, a substantial improvement 

in turbocharging performance 

at higher boost pressures (Fig. 5). 

Thermodynamic potential 

Figure 6 shows the outstanding thermodynamic 

potential of the A100 in the case 

of a full-load-optimized turbocharger 

specification. The comparison with TPS 

turbocharger efficiency illustrates well the 

performance gain precisely in engine applications 

making very high demands on 

the achievable compressor pressure ratio, 

and therefore the quantum leap the A100 

represents in turbocharger development 

for single-stage turbocharging of modern 

medium-and high-speed engines. 

First results on engines 

Mid-2007 saw the first A140 prototypes 

successfully commissioned on ABB’s test 

rigs. This first frame size of the new turbocharger 

series successfully completed the 

rigorous qualification program and has 

been released for series production. Currently, 

ABB introduces further sizes of the 

A100-M/H to the marketplace. 

In the run-up to the series introduction of 

the A100, engine test rig trials were carried 

out to verify the thermodynamic performance. 

The high pressure ratios and efficiencies 

that can be achieved with the A100 allowed 

the high power densities expected 

on the engine side to be clearly demonstrated. 

Hundreds of running hours on 

the test rig have also confirmed the high 

performance level of the A100 in continuous 

operation. In the meantime, the first 

turbochargers of the new series are taking 

part in trials on selected field installations. 

Engine trials with further frame sizes are 

already successfully under way. 

The authors: 

Dirk Wunderwald, 

Tobias Gwehenberger, 

ABB Turbo Systems Ltd, 

Baden, Switzerland 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 35

Shipbuilding & Equipment | deck equipment 

Landing safely on a rolling ship 

Safe landing even under adverse conditions: 

Active roll compensation with Rexroth hydraulic controls 

ACTIVE ROLL COMPENSA- 

TION | The demanding task 

to land a helicopter on a ship 

deck is facilitated if the ship’s 

helicopter deck is equipped 

with an active roll compensating 

system with hydraulic 

controls. 

During landing, the helicopter’s 

center of gravity is at the 

top directly beneath the main 

rotor, making it vulnerable to 

any side movement. When 

the surface of the platform is 

slippery due to unfavorable 

weather conditions, the helicopter 

might slide sideways. 

When the platform is dry, the 

high friction may cause it to 

roll over. 

For each ship, regulations 

permit helicopter landings 

only up to a certain rolling 

angle of the ship. In the 

North Sea without an Active 

Roll Compensated (ARC) 

landing platform, this is limited 

to two degrees, but even 

then, the platform still rolls 

several meters from port to 

starboard. 

To expand the window of operation 

at sea, Norwegian TTS 

Offshore Handling Equipment 

AS has developed a 

fully automated ARC landing 

platform. The hydraulic control 

solution for this system 

was developed by TTS OHE 

supported by an international 

Rexroth team. 

Two hydraulic cylinders with 

a 4.4 meter stroke placed 

beneath the platform move 

the 26 x 26 meter sized steel 

platform and compensate the 

rolling of the ship at a speed 

of up to 1.6 m/s. The cylinders 

are controlled in real 

time by a high-end motion 

control MAC-8 and customized 

valve blocks. For calculating 

the compensation, two 

motion reference units constantly 

measure the ship’s angle 

of dip. Based on this data, 

the superior control system 

transmits in real time a position 

value to the MAC-8. The 

motion control synchronizes 

the two cylinders via high response 

proportional valves 

with on board electronics. 

The TTS-OHE specification 

asked originally for a maximum 

deviation of less than 

50 millimeters between the 

two cylinders. The Rexroth 

motion control achieves a 

10-fold higher accuracy keeping, 

actually the deviation at 

5 millimeters. 

Roll angle of up to five 

d egrees 

The design gives safety in 

operation highest priority. 

TTS-OHE opted for a redundancy 

of all critical components 

with the exception of 

the cylinders. The superior 

control system developed by 

TTS-OHE can switch jerk free 

between the running motion 

control and the redundant 

electronics. The two MAC-8 

motion controls are connected 

to the control system 

via CANOpen and via 

the specified analog voltage 

to the valves with on board 

electronics. A valve block 

on each cylinder with two 

customized high response 

proportional valves includes 

separate locking valves as an 

additional safety feature. 

Each MAC-8 sends all error 

and status information to the 

control system, including a 

“life”-bit signalizing the status 

of the controller. In the 

event of an error in the active 

motion control, the control 

system switches the access 

rights to the second Mac-8, 

simultaneously including a 

signal to the isolator valves 

regarding the change. This 

happens so fast that the cylinders 

have a minimal jerk. 

TTS-OHE has already installed 

the first ARC platform 

on the Ramform Sovereign, 

the world’s largest and most 

advanced seismic vessel. The 

ship, built by Aker Yards, is 

102 meters long with a gross 

tonnage of 15,000 tons. Directly 

after the ship’s launch 

in 2008, owner and operator, 

Petroleum Geo-Services, 

was awarded a contract by a 

Brazilian company to undertake 

the largest seismic survey 

ever in the off-shore oil 

and gas industry. 

For the commissioning and 

adjustment of the ACR system, 

Rexroth specialists are 

working on board the Ramform 

Sovereign together with 

the team from TTS-OHE. 

The first goal for the project 

is to increase the tolerated 

dip angle for safe helicopter 

landing by 50 per cent from 

2 to 3 degrees. The more 

ambitious goal: Compensating 

even 5-degree angles, 

so that helicopters can land 

safely on the rolling ship 

even when bad weather last 

for weeks. 

Observation platform solutions for seismic duo 

MacGregor | Observation 

platforms by MacGregor, specialist 

in engineering and service 

solutions for the maritime 

transportation and offshore 

industry, have been delivered 

to the first two of six seismic 

vessels under construction 

for Polarcus at the Drydocks 

World – Dubai shipyard in the 

United Arab Emirates. 

The platforms located at 

mooring-deck are mainly used 

in mooring operations and are 

destined for use on board the 

owner’s two Ulstein Design 

type SX124 vessels Polarcus Nadia 

and Polarcus Naila, which 

are planned to enter service by 

the end of this year. 

Polarcus Nadia and Polarcus 

Naila are technically-advanced 

3D seismic vessels capable of 

towing up to 12 streamers. 

They will each feature two 

MacGREGOR hydraulicallyoperated 

platforms designed 

and manufactured to the 

shape of the surrounding shell 

plating and delivered with 

pre-assembled coaming and 

ready tested in workshop. In 

open position, the platforms 

are supported by preventer 

stays and designed to carry a 

load of 500 kg. 

36 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Ship&Port 

Buyer´s Guide 

Ship&Port Buyer´s Guide 

The Buyers Guide serves as market review and source of supply listing. 

Clearly arranged according to references, you find the offers of international 

shipbuilding and supporting industry in the following 15 columns. 

1 Shipyards 9 Navigation + communication 

2 Propulsion plants 10 Alarm + safety equipment 

3 Engine components 11 Deck equipment 

4 Corrosion protection 12 Construction + consulting 

5 Shipséquipment 13 Cargo handling technology 

6 Hydraulic + pneumatic 14 Containers 

7 On-board power supplies 15 Port construction 

8 

Measurement 

+ 

control devices 

16 


Information 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 37


2.02 Gears 

Shipbuilding & Equipment | XXX 

1 Shipyards 

1.06 Repairs + conversions 

Brückenstraße 25 D-27568 Bremerhaven 

Tel. +49(0)471 478-0 Fax +49(0)471 478-280 

2 

Propulsion 

E-mail: info@lloydwerft.com 

Repairs and Conversions 

Next Buyer’s Guide 

September 2009 

plants 

2.01 Engines 

www.lloydwerft.com 

REINTJES GmbH 

Eugen-Reintjes-Str. 7 

D-31785 Hameln 

Tel. +49 (0)5151 104-0 

Fax +49 (0)5151 104-300 

info@reintjes-gears.de www.reintjes-gears.de 

Ships' propulsion systems from 250 to 30.000 kW 

SCHIFFSDIESELTECHNIK KIEL GmbH 

Kieler Str. 177 

D-24768 Rendsburg 

Tel. +49(0)4331 / 4471 0 

Fax +49(0)4331 / 4471 199 

www.sdt-kiel.de 

ZF - Gears 

2.03 Couplings + brakes 

KTR Kupplungstechnik GmbH 

Rodder Damm 170 

D 48432 Rheine 

Tel. +49 (0) 59 71 798 0 

Fax +49 (0) 59 71 798 698 

e-mail: mail@ktr.com 

Internet: www.ktr.com 

Couplings 

Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG 

Postfach 15 55 

D-74555 Crailsheim 

Tel. +49 (0)7951 32 - 0 

Fax +49 (0)7951 32 500 

e-mail: industry@voith.com 

Internet: www.voithturbo.com 

Turbo couplings, Highly flexible couplings, 

Universal joint shafts, Safety couplings 

2.04 Shaft + shaft systems 

2.05 Propellers 

AIR 

Fertigung -Technologie GmbH & Co. KG 

 

Tel: +49 (0) 38 295 – 77 78 10 

Fax: +49 (0) 38 295 – 77 78 40 

E-Mail: info@air-composite.com 

www.air-composite.com 

Inline Thruster - The Compact Propulsor 

Contur ® -, Vector-, Industrie-Propeller 

 

 

e-mail: pein@piening-propeller.de 

Internet: www.piening-propeller.de 

Fixed and Controlable Pitch Propellers, 

Shaft Gears, Gearboxes 

SCHOTTEL-Schiffsmaschinen GmbH 

Kanalstraße 18 

D 23970 Wismar 

Tel. +49 (0) 3841 / 20 40 

Fax +49 (0) 3841 / 20 43 33 

www.schottel.de 

Controllable-pitch propeller units, 

Shaft lines 

VA TECH 

ESCHER WYSS GmbH 

 

 

e-mail: cpp@vatew.de 

Internet: www.escherwysspropellers.com 

Controllable Pitch Propellers 

Voith Turbo Schneider 

Propulsion GmbH & Co. KG 

Postfach 20 11 

D-89510 Heidenheim/Germany 

Tel. 

E-Mail: vspmarine@voith.com 

www.voithturbo.com/marine 

Voith Schneider Propeller 

MAN Diesel SE 

86224 Augsburg, Germany 

 

Internet: www.mandiesel.com 

4-stroke diesel engines 

from 450 to 21.600 kW 




Tel. +49(0)4331 / 4471 0 

Fax +49(0)4331 / 4471 199 


mtu, John Deere,Perkins and Sisu engines 

Generating Sets 

Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG 

 

 

 

Sales- & Servicecenter Bremen: 

 

 

 

 

MaK and CATERPILLAR diesel engines 

from 90 to 16.000 kW 

38 II Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 

 

 

e-mail: pein@piening-propeller.de 

Internet: www.piening-propeller.de 

Fixed and Controlable Pitch Propellers, 

Shaft Gears, Gearboxes 

SCHOTTEL-Schiffsmaschinen GmbH 

Kanalstraße 18 

D 23970 Wismar 

Tel. +49 (0) 3841 / 20 40 

Fax +49 (0) 3841 / 20 43 33 


Controllable-pitch propeller units, 

Shaft lines 

SKF Maintenance Services GmbH 

 

Tel. 

E-mail: srs.deutschland@skf.com 

Internet: www.skf-maintenance-services.de 

Laser Alignment and Machinery 

Mounting Solutions 


2.06 Rudders + 

Rudder systems 

HATLAPA 

Uetersener Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG 

Tel.: +49 4122 711-0 

Fax: +49 4122 711-104 

info@hatlapa.de 

www.hatlapa.de 

Steering Gears, Shaft-Ø von 120 up to 1.000 mm 

Rotary vane up to 2.000 kNm 

 

 

e-mail: info@macor-marine.com 

Internet: www.macor-marine.com

e-mail: oceangoing@vdvelden.com 

www.vdvelden.com 

BARKE ® Rudders and COMMANDER Steering Gears 

- High-Tech Manoeuvring Equipment - 

2.07 Manoeuvring aids 

2.12 Diesel service 

+ spare parts 

Chris-Marine AB 

Box 9025 

SE-200 39 Malmö, Sweden 

Tel: +46 40 671 2600 

Fax: +46 40 671 2699 

www.chris-marine.com 

FOR DIESEL ENGINE MAINTENANCE 

TAIKO KIKAI INDUSTRIES CO.,LTD 

see NIPPON Diesel Service 

YANMAR DIESEL 



Jastram GmbH & CO. KG 

 

 

e-mail: info@jastram.net 

Internet: www.jastram-group.com 

Transverse Thrusters, 

Azimuth Grid Thrusters 

 

 

e-mail: contact@gold-engine.com 

Internet: www.gold-engine.com 

Technical Service and Consulting 

for marine and power industry 

HHM 

Hudong Heavy Machinery 


3 

Engine 

components 

3.04 Stuffing boxes 

for piston rods 

SCHOTTEL GmbH 

Mainzer Str. 99 

D-56322 Spay/Rhein 

Tel. + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 10 

Fax + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 13 00 


Rudderpropellers, Transverse Thrusters, 

Pump-Jets 

2.09 Exhaust systems 

H+H Umwelt- und Industrietechnik GmbH 

 

D-55595 Hargesheim 

Tel. +49 (0)671 92064-10 

Fax +49 (0)671 92064-20 

E-mail: Herbert.Roemich@HuHGmbH.com 

Internet: www.HuHGmbH.com 

Catalytic Exhaust Gas Cleaning for 

Combustion Engines on Ships 

KOBE DIESEL 


MITSUBISHI DIESEL/TURBOCHARGER 


Mares Shipping GmbH 

Bei dem Neuen Krahn 2 

D-20457 Hamburg 

Tel. +49 (0)40 / 37 47 84 0 

Fax: +49 (0)40 / 37 47 84 46 

www.mares.de 

Ship Spare Parts for Diesel Engines, 

Compressors, Pumps, Separators etc. 



POLYVERIX - H. & G. Meister AG 

 

Tel. +41 - 44 - 431 56 46 

Fax +41 - 44 - 431 15 20 

e-mail: info@polyverix.ch 

Internet: www.polyverix.ch 

Gland- & Stuffing Boxes / Piston cooling 

parts / various sealing items 

3.05 Starters 

DÜSTERLOH Fluidtechnik GmbH 

Abteilung Pneumatik Starter 

Im Vogelsang 105 

D-45527 Hattingen 

 

www.duesterloh.de 

Air Starters for Diesel and 

Gas Engines up to 9.000 kW 

2.10 Special propulsion units 

SCHOTTEL GmbH 



Tel. + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 10 

Fax + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 13 00 


Rudderpropellers, Twin-Propellers, 

Navigators, Combi-Drives, Pump-Jets 

2.11 Water jet propulsion units 

MOTOR-SERVICE SWEDEN AB 

Mölna Fabriksväg 8 

SE-610 72 VAGNHÄRAD 

SWEDEN 

 

www.motor-service.se sales@motor-service.se 

WORLDWIDE SPARE PART DELIVERIES 

NIPPON Diesel Service 

Hermann-Blohm-Strasse 1 


Tel. +49 (0)40 31 77 10-0 

Fax +49 (0)40 31 15 98 

www.nds-marine.com 

After Sales Service - Spare Parts 

Distribution - Technical Assistance 

Your Representative for Germany 

Austria and Switzerland 

Friedemann Stehr 

Tel. +49 6621 9682930 

E-mail: fs@friedemann-stehr.de 

3.06 Turbochargers 

ABB Turbocharging 

more than 100 service stations world-wide 

 

Bruggerstrasse 71a, CH-5400 Baden 

 

www.abb.com/turbocharging 

Service for ABB and BBC turbochargers 

Original ABB spare parts 

SCHOTTEL GmbH 



Tel. + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 10 

Fax + 49 (0) 2628 / 6 13 00 


Pump-Jets for main 

and auxiliary propulsion 




Tel. 04331 / 4471 0 

Fax 04331 / 4471 199 


Repairs - Maintenance 

on-board service - after sales 

KBB Kompressorenbau 

Bannewitz GmbH 

Windbergstrasse 45 

D-01728 Bannewitz 

 

www.kbb-turbo.de 

turbo chargers for diesel and 

gas engines from 500 to 8.000 kW 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 III 39


3.07 Filters 


BOLL & KIRCH Filterbau GmbH 

 

 

www.bollfilter.de 

MAHLE Filtersysteme GmbH 

Industriefiltration 

Schleifbachweg 45 

 

E-mail: industriefiltration@mahle.com 

Internet: www.mahle-industriefiltration.com 

Automatic, Single and Duplex Filters for lubricating 

oil, fuel, hydraulic and waste water 

AKO Simplex, Duplex and Back-flushing Filters + 

special systems for lubricating oil, fuel and heavy oil 

MARINE TECHNIK 

Manfred Schmidt GmbH 

Postfach 1763 

D-27768 Ganderkesee 

Tel. 

e-mail: office@marine-technik-schmidt.de 

Internet: www.marine-technik-schmidt.de 

Fuel oil supply modules for diesel engines 

„PAPS“ Pulsation Damper 

3.10 Preheaters 

ELWA GmbH 

Postfach 0160 

D-82213 Maisach 

Tel. +49 (0)8141 22866-0 

Fax +49 (0)8141 22866-10 

e-mail: sales@elwa.com 

Internet: www.elwa.com 

Oil and Cooling Water Preheating 

4 

Corrosion 

4.01 Paints 

protection 

Hempel A/S 

 

 

DENMARK 

 

www.hempel.com 

INNOVATIVE MARINE COATING SYSTEMS FOR 

CORROSION AND FOULING PROTECTION 

Georg Schünemann GmbH 

Buntentorsdeich 1 

28201 Bremen 

Tel. +49(0)421 55 90 9-0 

Fax +49(0)421 55 90 9-40 

e-mail: info@sab-bremen.de 

Internet: www.sab-bremen.de 

Your representative for Eastern Europe 

Wladyslaw Jaszowski 

PROMARE Sp. z o.o. 

Tel.: +48 58 6 64 98 47 

Fax: +48 58 6 64 90 69 

E-mail: promare@promare.com.pl 

International Farbenwerke GmbH 

AKZO NOBEL 

® 

 

 

e-mail: uwe.meier@uk.akzonobel.com 

Internet: www.international-marine.com 

Marine and Protective Coatings 

3.08 Separators 

GEA Westfalia Separator Systems GmbH 

 

 

E-mail: ws.systems@geagroup.com 

Internet: www.westfalia-separator.com 

Treatment plants for fuel and lube oil 

Your representative for 

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden 

ÖRN MARKETING AB 

 

E-mail: marine.marketing@orn.NU 

3.09 Fuel treatment plants 

ELWA GmbH 

Postfach 0160 

D-82213 Maisach 

Tel. +49 (0)8141 22866-0 

Fax +49 (0)8141 22866-10 

e-mail: sales@elwa.com 

Internet: www.elwa.com 

Viscosity Control Systems EVM 3 

Standard Booster Modules 

MAHLE Industriefiltration GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 0 

Fax +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 24 19 3 

E-mail: mahle.nfv@mahle.com 


Fuel Treatment Systems 

Filter/ Water Separators 

40 IV Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 

3.12 Indicators 

ABB AB 

Force Measurement 

Tvärleden 2 

SE-721 59 Västerås 

Sweden 

 

www.abb.com/pressductor 

Cylmate ® Diesel Engine Performance 

Monitoring Systems (MIP) 

LEHMANN & MICHELS GmbH 

Sales & Service Center 

 

Tel. +49 (0)4101 5880-0 

Fax +49 (0)4101 5880-129 

e-mail: lemag@lemag.de 

www.lemag.de 

 

 

E-mail: sales.maritime@leutert.com 

Internet: www.leutert.com 

Digital Pressure Indicator Type DPI 2 

Engine Indicators System Maihak 

 

Tel. 

www.maridis.de 

Maritime Diagnostic & Service 


4.02 COATINGS 

Steelpaint GmbH · Am Dreistock 9 

D-97318 Kitzingen · Tel.: +49 (0) 9321/3704-0 

Fax: +49 (0) 9321/3704-40 

mail@steelpaint.com · www.steelpaint.com 

1-component polyurethane corrosion coating 

systems for ports, sheet pilings, bridges, 

shipbuilding, ballast tanks. 

4.03 Surface treatment 

WIWA Wilhelm Wagner GmbH & Co. KG 

Gewerbestr. 1-3 

 

Tel. +49 6441 609-0 

Fax +49 6441 609-50 

www.wiwa.de 

4.05 ANODIC PROTECTION 

TILSE Industrie- und Schiffstechnik GmbH 

 

 

www.tilse.com 

Anti marine growth and corrosion system 

MARELCO ®

5 Shipséquipment 

5.02 Insulating technology 

G.THEODOR FREESE GMBH & CO.KG 

Carl-Benz-Str. 29 

D-28237 Bremen 

 

e-mail: contact@gtf-freese.de 

Internet: www.gtf-freese.de 

insulating ship floors, A-60, A-30 

5.03 Air conditioning + 

ventilation systems 

KLH Montage GmbH 

Am Waldrand 10 

D 18209 Bad Doberan 

Tel. +49 (0)38203 502-0 

Fax +49 (0)38203 502 22 

e-mail: montage@klh.selckgroup.com 

Internet: www.klh-montage.de 

Marine Air - conditioning, Ventilation and 

Refrigeration 

Kurt Lautenschlager GmbH & Co. KG 

Heinz-Kerneck-Str. 11 

D 28307 Bremen 

Tel.: +49(0)421 48548-0 

Fax: +49(0)421 48548-59 

www.kula.de 

The KULA Maritime Division: 

Your Partner for the Ship Interior 

S&B Beschläge GmbH 

Gießerei und Metallwarenfabrik 

Illingheimer Str. 10 

D-59846 Sundern 

+49 (0)2393 1074 

info@sub-beschlaege.de 

www.sub-beschlaege.de 

Ship, boat and yacht hardware 

In brass and stainless steel material 

G. Schwepper Beschlag GmbH & Co. 

Velberter Straße 83 

D 42579 Heiligenhaus 

Tel. +49 2056 58-55-0 

Fax +49 2056 58-55-41 

e-mail: schwepper@schwepper.com 

www.schwepper.com 

Lock and Hardware Concepts 

for Ship & Yachtbuilders 

Thermopal GmbH 

Wurzacher Str. 32 

 

Tel. 

e-mail: info@thermopal.com 

Internet: www.thermopal.com 

Decorative boards and High Pressure 

Laminates for interior applications 

5.08 Supply equipment 

 

Tel. +49 40 413 615 55 11Fax +49 40 413 615 55 19 

info@hansawassertechnik.com 

www.hansawassertechnik.com 

Fresh Water Treatment, Mineralizing 

Desinfection, Swimmingpool Water Treatment 

5.09 Waste disposal systems 

DVZ-SERVICES GmbH 

Boschstrasse 9 

D-28857 Syke 

Tel. +49(0)4242 16938-0 

Fax +49(0)4242 16938 99 

e-mail: info@dvz-group.de 

internet: www.dvz-group.de 

Oily Water Seperators, Oil-in-Water - Monitors, Sewage Treatment 

Plants, Ballast Water Treatment 

5.10 Oil separation 

DECKMA HAMBURG GmbH 

Kieler Straße 316, D-22525 Hamburg 

Tel: +49 (0)40 548876-0 

Fax +49 (0)40 548876-10 

eMail: post@deckma.com 

Internet: www.deckma.com 


15ppm Bilge Alarm, Service + Calibration 

5.04 Sanitary equipment 

DEBA Systemtechnik GmbH 

Gardelegener Str. 18 

D 29410 Salzwedel 

Tel. +49 (0)3901 83 13-0 

Fax +49 (0)3901 83 13 68 

www.deba.de 

Ready-made bathroom modules – the perfect 

solution for ship newbuildings or refittings 

5.06 Furniture + interior 

fittings 




 


5.07 Ship’s Doors + Windows 

Budak System 

Inhaber: P. Budak 

Schallbruch 69 

D-42781 Haan 

Tel. +49 (0)2129-343460 

Fax +49 (0)2129-343465 

Email: info@budak-system.de 

Internet: www.budak-system.de 

DVZ-SERVICES GmbH 


D-28857 Syke 

Tel. +49(0)4242 16938-0 

Fax +49(0)4242 16938 99 



Oily Water Seperators, Oil-in-Water - Monitors, Sewage Treatment 

Plants, Ballast Water Treatment 


 

Tel. +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 0 

Fax +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 24 19 3 



G.THEODOR FREESE GMBH & CO.KG 

Carl-Benz-Str. 29 

D-28237 Bremen 

 

e-mail: contact@gtf-freese.de 

Internet: www.gtf-freese.de 

primary deck coverings, floor coverings 

Design and Production of Ship's Doors 

Steel Doors - Fire Doors - Ship Doors 

Podszuck GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 (0) 431 6 61 11-0 

Fax +49 (0) 431 6 61 11-28 

www.podszuck.eu 

Bilge Water Deoiling Systems acc. MEPC.107(49), 

Deoiler 2000 < 5 ppm & Membrane Deoiling Systems 

of 0 ppm,Oil Monitors, Oil Treatment Systems 

5.11 Ballast Water 

Management 

 

 

e-mail: info@gehr-moebel.de 

Internet: www.gehr-moebel.de 

Cabins + Turnkey Systems 

A 30/60 Class hinged and sliding doors 


 

 

www.tilse.com 

FORMGLAS SPEZIAL ® Yacht glazing 

bent and plane, with installation 

DVZ-BALLAST-SYSTEMS GmbH 


D-28857 Syke 

Tel. +49(0)4242 16938-0 

Fax +49(0)4242 16938 99 



N.E.I. VOS Venturi Oxygen Stripping 

Ballast Water Treatment 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 V41


6.02 Compressors 



 

Tel. +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 0 

Fax +49 (0)40 53 00 40 - 24 19 3 



Ballast Water Treatment 

(Ocean Protection System - OPS) 

5.12 Yacht equipment 

 

 


Internet: www.macor-marine.com 

 

 

NORTHERN SHIP TECHNOLOGY 

GMBH 

Uferstraße 100 

D-24106 Kiel 

Tel. +49 (0) 431 38549430 

Fax +49 (0) 431 38549433 

e-mail: info@nst-kiel.de 

www.nst-kiel.de 

ND 

Design, Construction and Production 

HATLAPA 


Tel.: +49 4122 711-0 

Fax: +49 4122 711-104 



Water- and air-cooled compressors 

Neuenhauser Kompressorenbau GmbH 

Hans-Voshaar-Str. 5 

D-49828 Neuenhaus 

 

e-mail: nk@neuenhauser.de 

www.neuenhauser.de www.nk-air.com 

Air- and water-cooled compressors, air receivers 

with valve head, bulk head penetrations 

J.P.Sauer & Sohn 

Maschinenbau GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 (0)431 39 40-0 

Fax +49 (0)431 39 40-24 

e-mail: www.sauersohn.de 

Water- and air-cooled compressors 




 


6.04 Valves 

Schubert & Salzer 

Control Systems GmbH 

Postfach 10 09 07 

D-85009 Ingolstadt 

 

E-mail: info.cs@schubert-salzer.com 

Internet: www.schubert-salzer.com 

6.05 Piping systems 

aquatherm GmbH 

Biggen 5 

D-57439 Attendorn 

 

e-mail: info@aquatherm.de 

Internet: www.aquatherm.de 

fusiotherm ® piping systems for shipbuilding 

- Approval by GL, RINA + BV 

EUCARO BUNTMETALL GMBH 

 

Tel. 

E-mail: eucaro@eucaro.de 

Internet: www.eucaro.de 

Pipes and Fittings 

of CuNi10Fe1,6Mn 

Straub Werke AG 

Straubstrasse 13 

CH 7323 Wangs 

 

E-mail: straub@straub.ch 

Internet: www.straub.ch 

Pipe coupling with guaranteed quality 

STRAUB – the original 


6 Hydraulic 

+ pneumatic 

6.01 Pumps 

Körting Hannover AG 

Badenstedter Str. 56 

D-30453 Hannover 

Tel. +49 511 2129-247 

Internet: www.koerting.de 

Büro Schiffbau: Tel. +49 4173 8887 Fax: +49 4173 6403 

e-mail: kulp@koerting.de 

 

Industriestraße 

D-25795 Weddingstedt 

Tel. +49 (0)481 903 - 0 

Fax +49 (0)481 903 - 90 

info@goepfert-ag.com 

www.goepfert-ag.com 

Valves and fittings for shipbuilding 

Ritterhuder Armaturen GmbH & Co. 

Armaturenwerk KG 

Industriestr. 7-9 

D-27711 Osterholz-Scharmbeck 

 

www.ritag.com 

Wafer Type Check Valves, 

Wafer Type Duo Check Valves, Special Valves 

7 

On-board 

power 

supplies 

7.01 Generating sets 

KRAL AG 

 

www.kral.at, e-mail: info@kral.at 

Screw Pumps for Marine Applications. 

Special Offer: Pump Upgrade Project. 

42 VI Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 

Wilhelm Schley (GmbH & Co.) KG 

Valve manufacturer 

 

 

www.wilhelm-schley.com 

Reducing valves, Overflow valves, Ejectors, 

Safety valves, Shut-off valves, etc. 

AIR PRODUCTS AS 

P.O.Box 8100 Vaagsbygd 

NO-4675 KRISTIANSAND S 

NORWAY 

 

 

DRY INERT GAS GENERATOR




Tel. +49 4331 / 4471 0 

Fax +49 4331 / 4471 199 


Individual generating sets with 

mtu, MAN, Deutz, Volvo and other engines 

7.06 Cable + Pipe Transits 

AIK Flammadur Brandschutz GmbH 

Otto-Hahn-Strasse 5 

D-34123 Kassel 

Phone : +49(0)561-5801-0 

Fax : +49(0)561-5801-240 

e-mail : info@aik-flammadur.de 

8.08 Ship-Management- 

Systems 

CODie software products e.K. 

www.codie-isman.com 

Integrated Ship Management System 

Safety and Quality Management Maintenance 

Ms Logistik Systeme GmbH 

 

Tel.: +49 381 6731 130 

www.msls.de 

info@msls.de 

Maritime Software Systems 

GL ShipManager (Fleet Management Suite) 

GL SRA (Shipboard Routing Assistance) 

10.02 LIFE-JACKETS 

CM Hammar AB 

August Barks gata 15 

SE-421 32 Västra Frölunda 

 

www.cmhammar.com 

BETTER SOLUTIONS FOR SAFETY AT SEA 

Your Representative for Germany 

Austria and Switzerland 

Friedemann Stehr 

Tel. +49 6621 9682930 

E-mail: fs@friedemann-stehr.de 


GEAQUELLO® + FLAMMADUR® 

Fire protection systems 

8 

Measurement 

+ 

control devices 

8.04 Level measurement 

systems 


 

 

www.tilse.com 

pneumatic, electric und el.-pn. tank level gauging 

with online transmission 

8.05 Flow Measurement 

9 

Navigation 

+ 

communication 

9.04 Navigation systems 

 

D-27572 Bremerhaven 

Tel.: +49 (0)471-483 999 0 

Fax: +49 (0)471-483 999 10 

e-mail: sales@cassens-plath.de 

www.cassens-plath.de 

Manufacturers of Nautical Equipment 



11 Deck equipment 

11.01 Cranes 

Global Davit GmbH 

Graf-Zeppelin-Ring 2 

D-27211 Bassum 

Tel. +49 (0)4241 93 35 0 

Fax +49 (0)4241 93 35 25 

e-mail: info@global-davit.de 

Internet: www.global-davit.de 

Survival- and Deck Equipment 

11.02 Winches 

KRAL AG 

 

www.kral.at, e-mail: info@kral.at 

Fuel Consumption Measurement for Diesel 

Engines and Bunker Meters. 

10 

Alarm + safety 

equipment 

8.06 Automation equipment 10.01 Lifeboats + davits 

HATLAPA 


Tel.: +49 4122 711-0 

Fax: +49 4122 711-104 



Anchor, mooring, spezial and research winches 

Anchor-handling and towing winches 

11.03 Lashing + 

securing equipment 

Schaller Automation GmbH & Co. KG 

 

 

www.schaller.de 

VISATRON Oil Mist Detection Systems 

against Engine Crankcase Explosions 

Global Davit GmbH 

Graf-Zeppelin-Ring 2 

D-27211 Bassum 

Tel. +49 (0)4241 93 35 0 

Fax +49 (0)4241 93 35 25 

e-mail: info@global-davit.de 

Internet: www.global-davit.de 

Survival- and Deck Equipment 

GERMAN LASHING 

Robert Böck GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 (0)421 17 361-5 

Fax: +49 (0)421 17 361-99 

E-Mail: info@germanlashing.de 

Internet: www.germanlashing.de 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 VII43


11.04 RoRo facilities 12.03 Classification societies 


 

 



 

 

11.05 Hatch covers 

 

 



 

 

11.07 Anchors + Mooring 

Equipment 

12 Construction 

+ consulting 

12.01 Consulting engineers 

Detlefsen & Lau GmbH 

Naval Architects 

☎ +49 431 96287 e-mail: info@shipcad.de 

Fax +49 431 96266 http: www.shipcad.de 

Uferstraße 100 

D-24106 Kiel 

Tel. +49 (0) 431 3856241 

Fax +49 (0) 431 3856245 

e-mail: info@northerndesign-kiel.de 

www.northerndesign-kiel.de 

Engineering office for 

Interior Fittings and Equipment 

BUREAU VERITAS DEUTSCHLAND 

 

Tel. +49(0)40 23 62 5 - 0 

Fax +49(0)40 23 62 5 - 422 

e-mail: info@de.bureauveritas.com 

Internet: www.bureauveritas.de 

DNV Germany GmbH 

 

Tel.: 

: 

 

MANAGING RISK 

Classification and service beyond class 

Germanischer Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft 

Vorsetzen 35 · 20459 Hamburg, Germany 

Phone +49 40 36149-0 · Fax +49 40 36149-200 

headoffice@gl-group.com · www.gl-group.com 

 

Tel. 

E-mail: service@barthels-lueders.com 

www.barthels-lueders.com 

Anchor Type SPEK (SR), HHP AC 14 (SR), HHP 

SN (SR) ...chains up to dia.127mm, B+V Swivel 

Cosalt GmbH 

Winsbergring 8 


Tel. +49 (0)40 675096-0 

Fax +49 (0)40 675096-11 

www.cosalt.de 

Wire ropes and mooring equipment 

SEACAT-Schmeding 

International GmbH 

 

 

hamburg@seacat-schmeding.com 

www.seacat-schmeding.com 

Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Schindler GmbH 

Ingenieurbüro für Schiffbau 

 

Tel. (04608) 60 95-0 

Fax (04608) 60 95-50 

e-mail: ibs@ib-schindler.de 

 

 

Dr.-Ing. Walter L. Kuehnlein 

 

 

www.sea2ice.com 

Design and concepts for offshore structures 

in ice and open waters, evacuation concepts 

S.M.I.L.E. 

Techn. Büro GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 (0)431 21080 0 

Fax +49 (0)431 21080 29 

e-mail: info@smile-consult.de 

Internet: www.smile-consult.de 

Ship&Port 

Germany GmbH 

Schellerdamm 2 • D 21079 Hamburg 

Tel +49 40 284 193 550 • Fax +49 40 284 193 551 

E-mail: hamburg.office@rina.org • www.rina.org 

Together for excellence 



11.08 Tank cleaning systems 

 

Tel. +49 40 - 41 91 88 46 

Fax +49 40 - 41 91 88 47 

e-mail: consulting@mkecb.com 

Internet: www.mkecb.com 

Single + multi nozzle, programmable tank 

cleaning machines, fix mounted or portable 

44 VIIIShip & Port | 2009 | N o 1 

12.02 Ship model basins 

 

Tel. +49 (0) 40 69 20 30 

Fax +49 (0) 40 69 20 3-345 

www.hsva.de 

THE HAMBURG SHIP MODEL BASIN 

 

offers a complete 

listing of the 

maritime industry. 

In the section “Buyer‘s Guide“ 

a www-link to the 

listed companies 

gives full details 

of their products 

and services

13 

Cargo handling 

technology 

13.01 Material handling 

equipment 

Kalmar Flurförderzeuge Vertriebs GmbH 

Reichsbahnstr. 72 


Tel.: +49 40 547305-0 

Fax: +49 40 547305-19 

Email: vertrieb@kalmarind.com 

Internet: www.kalmarind.de 

13.02 CRANES 

MacGREGOR (DEU) GmbH 

 

Phone: +49-40-25444 105 

Fax: +49-40-25444 106 

e-mail: uwe.schulenburg@macgregor-group.com 

Internet: www.macgregor-group.com 

Your partner for marine cargo flow 

solutions and service 

24-Stunden-Service Weltweit 

Bohren, Drehen, Fräsen, 

Flanschbearbeitung 

 

T&D In Situ Machining GmbH 

An der Bahn 2 

D-22844 Norderstedt/HH 

☎ +49 40/53 53 22 25 

Fax +49 40/53 53 22 26 

Email: info@td-insitu.de 

Internet: www.td-insitu.com 

ORTS GmbH Maschinenfabrik 

Schwartauer Strasse 99 

D-23611 Sereetz 

Tel. +49 451 39 88 50 

Fax +49 451 39 23 74 

Email: sigvard.orts-jun@orts-gmbh.de 

Internet: www.orts-greifer.de 

The best link 

between ship and shore 

14 Containers 


13.03 Grabs 

14.03 Container cell systems 

Scheuerle Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH 

 

 

www.scheuerle.com 

MRS Greifer GmbH 

 

Tel. +49 7263 91 29 0 

Fax +49 7263 91 29 12 

e-mail: info@mrs-greifer.de 

Internet: www.mrs-greifer.de 

Rope Grabs, Hydraulic Grabs, 

Motor Grabs with Electro Hydraulic Drive 

 

 

e-mail: info@wader-mcp.de 

Internet: www.wader-mcp.de 

Turn Key Supply: Cell Guides, Lashing 

Bridges, Stanchions, Fixed Equipment etc. 

16 

Specialisation 

 

 

 

 

In this categories you can advertise: 

 

1 Werften 

Shipyards 

Tersaneler 

9 

 

2 Antriebsanlagen 

Propulsion systems 

Tahrik tertibatları 

10 

 

3 Motorenkomponenten 

Engine Motor bileşenleri 

components 

 

 

4 Korrosionsschutz 

Corrosion protection 

Korozyon koruması 

 

 

5 Schiffsausrüstung 

Shipséquipment 

Gemi 

 

ekipmanı 

 

6 

Hydraulik & Pneumatik 

Hydraulic + pneumatic 

Hidrolik & Pnömatik 

14 Container 

Containers 

Konteyner 

 

 

 

7 Bordnetze 

On-board power supplies 

Gemi şebekeleri 

 

 

8 

Mess- und Regeltechnik 

Measurement + control devices 

Ölçüm ve ayar tekniği 

16 

 

Navigation & Kommunikation 

Navigation + communication 

Navigasyon & Komünikasyon 

 

 

Warn- und Sicherheitsausrüstung 

Alarm + safety equipment 

Uyarı ve güvenlik ekipmanı 

 

 

11 Decksausrüstung 

Deck equipment 

Güverte ekipmanı 

 

 

Konstruktion & Consulting 

Construction + consulting 

Konstrüksiyon & Danışmanlık 

12 

 

13 Umschlagtechnik 

Cargo handling technology 

Yükleme-Boşaltma tekniği 

 

 

15 Hafenbau 

Port construction 

Liman inşaatı 

 

 


Information 

Alıcı kılavuzu 

 

 

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for three target 

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print issue. 

 

 

 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 1 IX45

OFFSHORE & marine Technology | OFFSHORE OIL & GAS 

Improving DP fuel economy 

and reducing emissions 

Green Dynamic Positioning | Traditionally, Dynamic Positioning (DP) has been designed to 

obtain “bulls-eye” station keeping performance in an ever changing environment, which can be 

fuel intensive and cause significant wear on the thrusters and machinery. By not aiming for the 

bulls-eye, it’s possible to reduce fuel consumption and subsequently emissions by up to 20%, 

reducing maintenance costs at the same time. 

A 

new solution by Kongsberg Maritime, 

called GreenDP, emphasizes 

keeping the vessel within its defined 

operational boundaries, rather than aiming 

for the bulls-eye. In deep-water operations, 

e.g. drilling, relatively large operational areas 

may be permissible. 

The new control strategy and the savings 

it brings have been verified through detailed 

dynamic simulations representing 

weather conditions from the North Sea 

(typical conditions for a one-year operation). 

The 20% fuel reduction is based on 

fuel use over the year and the reduction in 

CO 2 

, NOx and other gasses emitted to the 

atmosphere are reduced by approximately 

the same amount. 

In addition to fuel reduction, the variation 

of the power consumption is reduced 

tremendously. The standard deviation in 

power variations has shown to drop by 

more than 50%, and in bad weather conditions 

up to as much as 80%. This enables 

lower maintenance costs and increased operational 

reliability because it reduces wear 

and tear and offers more optimal operation 

of diesels. 

The upper graph in fig. 1a shows positioning 

in North direction (m) for Normal DP 

and GreenDP ® as function of time (sec) for 

exactly the same wind, wave and current 

20 

0 

-20 

Fig. 1a: Positioning (m), Red curve: Normal DPGreen curve: GreenDP ® 

(typical for North Sea bad weather winter 

conditions). 

The graph in fig. 1b shows the corresponding 

electric power consumption (kW) of 

the thrusters. Since the power variations 

are much smaller the number of running 

generators may be reduced. Hence the diesel 

engines may operate more optimal and 

significant fuel saving may be obtained. 

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 

10000 

9000 

8000 

7000 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

0 

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 

Time [s ] 

Fig. 1b: Power consumption (kW), Red curve: 

Normal DP, Green curve: GreenDP ® 

The Technology Behind GreenDP 

The GreenDP consists of two major components: 

XX Environment Compensator, 

XX Model Predictive Controller & Position 

Predictor 

The Environment Compensator is designed 

to give a slowly varying thruster 

demand compensating for the average 

environmental forces. Conceptually the 

thrust generated is similar to the traditional 

DP-controller, but with much slower 

and smoother response. This demand will 

maintain the wanted position under average 

conditions, but reacts very leisurely to 

a changing environment. Thus, keeping 

the power consumption more stable and 

reducing thruster usage. 

The Predictive Controller uses a forecast 

of the vessel movement as an input for the 

controller. The Predictive Controller demand 

acts during stronger changes in the 

external forces. The prediction is considered 

in conjunction with pre-set position 

boundaries. When the prediction indicates 

that the boundaries will be broken the controller 

reacts swiftly; assuring that the vessel 

will stay within the operational area. 

While the Environment Compensator is 

based on the mature theory of Optimal 

Control used in existing and previous DP 

systems, the Model Predictive Controller is 

based on a modern theory called Non-linear 

Model Predictive Control (NMPC). As 

the name indicates the NMPC has a predictive 

behaviour. By continuously solving an 

accurate non-linear dynamic mathematical 

model of the DP vessel, the future vessel 

behaviour is forecasted. This is the task 

of the Position Predictor. The Model Predictive 

Control algorithm is much more 

complex and time-consuming in computing 

than the traditional controller designs 

generally used for DP. Especially solving 

of the optimisation task of the “best possible” 

thrust is time-consuming. 

The input to the Environment Compensator 

is the measured wind and estimated 

current calculated by the DP Kalman Filter, 

and a forecast of how the vessel is going 

to move, relative to the Wanted Position. 

However, due to its nature GreenDP will 

not instantaneously react to a wind gust 

46 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

The limits of the Working Area and the Operational 

Area are fully configurable by the 

DP operator, meaning that the technology 

is applicable for a wide range of marine 

operations. 

In order to solve this optimisation, the Position 

Predictor is used to find the anticipated 

future vessel motion, the Predicted 

Trajectory within our prediction horizon 

assuming that only the thrust provided by 

the Environment Compensator is applied 

(see fig. 4). 

In fig. 4 the Predicted Trajectory oversteps 

both boundaries. The optimiser will then 

find the optimal dynamic thrust keeping 

the new Predicted Trajectory as close 

to the Working Area as possible. Note 

that the new Predicted Trajectory will 

always overshoot the Working Area 

boundary because there is a ‘cost’ associated 

with the use of thrusters and 

no ‘cost’ of staying inside the Working 

Area boundary. On the other hand it 

is not necessarily true that the vessel 

really will move that far because the 

prediction horizon is long and the environment 

may improve during this 

period. 

The optimisation is solved as a so 

called Dynamic Quadratic Pro- 

Fig. 2: The GreenDP ® Controller 

unless the Position Predictor detects that 

actions must be taken immediately. Hence 

unnecessary sudden thrusting is avoided 

and combined with the slower and smoother 

thrust delivered, lower fuel use and wear 

and tear on the thruster is possible. 

Additionally, the power level needed over 

time is lower and the number of generators 

running can be kept lower. Since the rate of 

change in power consumption also is significantly 

reduced, generators do not need 

to pick up load as quickly. 

GreenDP Optimisation 

One of the great benefits of the NMPC is 

the way of incorporating constraints on the 

predicted-, measure-, and estimated variables. 

Such constraints are typically defined 

by ‘cost’ functions. The objective of the 

GreenDP optimisation is to find the smallest 

thrust vector which will bring the predicted 

vessel trajectory inside (or as close 

to the Working Area as possible), where a 

‘cost’ is defined for dynamic thruster usage 

and for overstepping the different boundaries: 

Dynamic Thrust ( ‘high’ cost) 

Working Area (‘moderate’ cost moving 

outside boundary) 

Operational Area (‘very high’ cost moving 

outside boundary) 

See us at 

Stand E02-17 

Fig. 3: Predicted trajectory overstepping 

Working Area and Operational Area 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 47


Position 

Position 

Predicted 

Trajector 

yy 

Fig. 4: Time series of Predicted Trajectory overstepping boundaries 

Predicted 

Trajector 

fig 5: Predicted Trajectory after optimisation 

Fig. 5: Predicted Trajectory after optimisation 

gramming problem where the step 

response mapping gives the relationship 

between applied thrust and vessel 

trajectory. The result is indicated in 

fig. 5. 

After the optimisation is completed, 

the sum of the thruster demands from 

the Environment Compensator and 

the Model Predictive Controller are 

Time 

Time 

Operational 

Area 

Working 

Area 

Operational 

Area 

Working 

Area 

treated by the Thruster Allocation and applied 

to the thrusters. 

GreenDP and the Power Management 

System 

Since GreenDP requires little dynamic 

thrust to keep the vessel on location, the 

dynamic thrust range can be restricted. 

Due to the controller’s predictive nature, it 

may start reacting early with a low dynamic 

thrust instead of late with higher thrust. As 

a consequence the Power Management System 

may reserve a certain amount of power 

for the thrusters, and the DP will stay within 

this limit. 

This also implies that automatic start and 

stop of generators performed by the Power 

Management System can be made more intelligent, 

with significantly smaller margins 

which will give an additional effect on the 

fuel saving. This is illustrated in fig. 6 and 7 

showing power consumption and running 

capacity (kW) using normal DP and Green- 

DP respectively as a function of time. 

Normally automatic stop is not used in DP 

operations. With a much smoother power 

demand, however, the main reasons for increased 

power needs are changes in the environment. 

Since the environment generally 

doesn’t change very quickly and GreenDP 

estimates its own power demands, to be reserved 

by the Power Management System, 

automatic stop may be feasible. 

Flexible 

GreenDP also support the whole repertoire 

of modes and functions of the standard 

Kongsberg Maritime K-Pos family of DP 

systems. When ‘bull’s eye’ type of control 

is needed a simple mode switch will bring 

the DP system to work in this manner. The 

transfer is smooth and the vessel will stay 

on the position where the mode switch was 

initiated since the Kalman filter is updated 

constantly. 

Because GreenDP is incorporated into 

Kongsberg Maritime K-Pos DP solution, 

making use of this new technology doesn’t 

mean a vessel needs to install a whole new 

solution. This makes a technology that drives 

down costs in both fuel and maintenance, 

whilst significantly reducing emissions more 

readily available to more vessels. 

10000 

9000 

8000 

Capacity 

10000 

9000 

8000 

7000 

6000 

7000 

6000 

Capacity 

5000 

5000 

4000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

Usage 

3000 

2000 

1000 

Usage 

0 

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 

Fig. 6: Normal DP Power consumption and running capacity 

0 

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 

Fig. 7: GreenDP Power Consumption and running capacity 

48 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Large seismic research vessels 

with electric-propulsion 

Artist’s impression of COSL’s new seismic research vessel 

Deepwater engineering | China 

Oilfield Services Limited (COSL), part of 

China National Offshore Oil Corporation 

(CNOOC), has ordered two special deepsea 

vessels of which one will be used for 

deepwater seismic research and the other 

for engineering surveys. The vessels will 

enhance COSL’s working capabilities in 

waters of up to 3,000 meters in depth 

and thereby extend its working capability 

from exploration activities in coastal 

waters to deep-sea activities. Delivery of 

both vessels is scheduled for the middle 

of 2011. 

The seismic research vessel will boast allwelded 

and double-hull steel construction, 

and will be one of the largest of its 

kind with an electrical propulsion system. 

It is designed to tow a total of 12 streamer 

cables, each 8,000 meters in length. By 

organizing the streamers 100 meters apart 

from one another, the ship’s overall operating 

width will extend to 1,200 meters. 

Operating a vessel under towing mode 

puts a high amount of strain on the drive 

and control technology. For this reason, 

the vessel is equipped with twin dieselelectric, 

variable-speed propulsion systems 

from Siemens, which enable exact 

dosing of the propulsion speed – even at 

high towing forces. Two sets of controllable 

pitch propellers and two streamlined 

hanging flap rudders arranged in 

the stern ensure precise control. One set 

of bow thrusters and one set of retractable 

azimuth thrusters will be arranged in the 

fore part of the vessel. Further advantages 

of the electrical drive system in comparison 

to conventional drives are lower noise 

levels and better fuel consumption. 

The main activities of the deepwater engineering 

vessel will be geophysical and 

seismic surveys, seabed sampling and 

operation of remote operating vehicles. 

The vessel will have an all-welded and 

double-hull steel construction and will 

also be equipped with electrical propulsion 

from Siemens. 

The Siemens automation system Siship 

Imac will take care of all on-board control, 

monitoring and alarm tasks. This 

means that both research vessels have an 

overall integrated solution, which offers 

a high degree of reliability, availability 

and stability. 

New Field Support Vessel (FSV) design 

Newbuilding | Wärtsilä has received 

a ship design order from the Norwegian 

shipping company Sartor Shipping AS. 

The order is for two Vik-Sandvik 465 

FSV design vessels that will be built at 

the Wison Heavy Industry shipyard in 

China. Wärtsilä scope of supply also includes 

two main engines, gear boxes and 

propellers. Sartor Shipping has options 

for further newbuildings at the yard. The 

vessels are due for delivery in 2010 and 

2011. 

The design incorporates a hybrid system 

that offers considerable fuel savings 

compared to a purely diesel mechanical 

solution. This is because the available 

power can be adjusted to meet the various 

demands of the different operations 

that this type of vessel will be used for. 

The savings will be particularly notable 

when operating at lower power loads. 

Multi-functionality is an important feature 

of this design as the vessels are intended 

for use in a multitude of different 

tasks. These are likely to include offshore 

standby service, emergency towing, oil 

spill recovery, ROV (Remotely Operated 

Vehicle) operations, fire fighting, tanker 

assistance and surface surveillance. 

The vessels will have redundant Dynamical 

Position system, DP II. The speed of 

the vessels will be approximately 15.5 

knots. The vessels’ length is 65.9 metres 

and the beam 18 metres. They will comply 

with the Bureau Veritas (BV) ‘Clean 

Ship’ notation for pollution prevention. 

The Vik-Sandvik 465 design 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 49


Hydrodynamics of thruster systems 

Mobile Offshore Drilling Units | Multi-directional steerable thrusters mounted under 

the bottom of the ship are needed for dynamic positioning (DP). From a hydrodynamic viewpoint 

these are very special operating conditions. The thruster-hull interaction is highly significant 

for the actual net thrust. 

Resources in ever-deeper 

water are gaining in 

significance. To explore 

them, a large number 

of MODUs (Mobile Offshore 

Drilling Units) are presently 

being built. These drill ships 

or semi-submersibles need to 

be positioned dynamically in 

order to operate in water of 

greater depth. In dynamic positioning, 

the environmental 

forces of current, waves and 

wind are counter-balanced by 

the use of propeller thrusts. 

Computational Fluid Dynamics 

(CFD) provides for detailed 

insight into flow conditions. 

In the underlying method, the 

flow-mechanical conservation 

equations for mass (continuity 

equation) and momentum 

(Navier-Stokes equation) are 

solved numerically with a finite 

volume technique. The 

influence of turbulence on the 

medium flow variables, such 

as velocity and pressure, are 

taken into account using a turbulence 

model. 

Calculating the flow using the 

full-scale Reynolds number is 

essential for the study of the 

thruster-hull interaction. The 

simulation of interaction between 

thruster and hull only 

leads to acceptable convergence 

times if the calculation 

is carried out in parallel operation. 

Open Water 

The first step of optimizing a 

propulsion system takes place 

in free inflow without taking 

ship influences into account. 

In searching the optimal form 

of the blade shapes and nozzles, 

an automatic optimization 

is used. Starting from 

a pre-defined, established 

form, the computer looks 

via systematic change of geometry 

for the best possible 

combination of nozzle and 

blade shape. An automatic 

algorithm first creates the 

finite volume net and then 

calculates the propulsion parameters 

with the CFD-Code 

COMET for several hundred 

geometry parameter combinations. 

The propulsion performance 

is compared with 

the best previous results. 

Next, the computer follows 

promising geometric changes 

until the best possible result 

is found. The final result is 

then manually checked and 

evaluated for marginal conditions 

that the computer may 

not know, e.g. from manufacturing 

conditions. 

In dynamic positioning, forces 

in all directions need to 

be created, including with inflow 

that doesn’t occur axially 

to the propeller. Nozzle and 

propeller are, for example, 

also tested for oblique inflow 

(illustration 2). At the same 

time, such calculations enable 

the definition of necessary azimuth 

moments so as to design 

the azimuth gears. 

Thruster-hull-interactions 

For propellers underneath 

semi-submersible floating 

platforms, the thruster-hull 

interaction is of utmost importance. 

Pertinent literature 

quotes significant loss of 

thrust [Lehn 1992]. Semi-submersible 

operators report on 

up to 50% thrust loss identified 

in practice in offshore deployment. 

So as to limit these 

losses, it is current technological 

practice to tilt the nozzle 

downwards by approx. 4°. 

Tilting the nozzle around a 

horizontal propeller brings 

about larger gaps between 

blade tip and nozzle, which in 

turn reduces the efficiency of 

the nozzle. 

Hydrodynamic research was 

undertaken to see which tilt 

angle of the propeller axis 

minimized the interaction. The 

transverse thrust underneath a 

semi-submersible is particularly 

relevant and determines the 

required constructive tilting. 

The thruster in the windward 

side of the current is aimed 

at a transverse angle towards 

the two pontoons of the semisubmersible, 

and the propeller 

wake hits upon the second 

pontoon (illustration 3). 

A horizontal propeller wake is 

averted to tilt slightly upwards 

via the so-called Coanda effect, 

caused by the interaction 

with the hull, and hits at high 

speed onto the hull in the current’s 

lee. The flow patterns 

that lead to the Coanda effect 

are dependent on viscosity and 

are thus influenced by scale of 

simulation. For the first time, 

the calculations of this phenomenon 

with CFD take place 

with Reynolds numbers that 

tally with the full-scale vessel. 

The results of this calculation 

correspond with those losses 

that the operators identified in 

practice. Voith calculated that 

approx. 45% of thrust was 

lost for this particular thrust- 

Illustration 1: Streamlines in open water at J=0.7 

Illustration 2: Flow vectors for oblique inflow thrusters at different rpm 

50 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Illustration 3: Flow vectors and pressure near transverse propeller 

under the semi-submersible pontoons with 0° and 8° vertical axis tilt 

er operation. [Jürgens 2008] 

Further research was conducted 

with a step-by-step increase 

of the tilt angle for the propeller 

and nozzle axis. With increasing 

downward tilt, thrust 

loss sinks linearly up to a 7° 

axis tilt. At an axis tilt of 4°, 

more or less comparable with 

the level of technology at a 

4° tilted nozzle, the losses 

amount to approx. 28%. With 

an 8° axis tilt, the thrust losses 

leap down to approx. 5%. 

Wider tilt angles don’t lead to 

any further reduction of thrust 

loss. Thus the 8° tilted axis is 

considered to be optimal in 

minimizing the thrust losses 

with the Coanda effect. 

Modern CFD technology permits 

flow details to be visualized. 

Of particular interest 

are the changes that occur between 

7° and 8° of the tilted 

axis leading to the termination 

of the Coanda effect. The flow 

between the hull floor and the 

nozzle are magnified in the illustrations 

4a and 4b to exemplify 

the 7° and 8° tilted axis. 

With all tilted angles smaller 

than 8°, a vertex appears at the 

bilge radius of the pontoons 

over the nozzle, as shown in 

illustration 4a. At this point, 

the propeller wake is averted 

to the top, thereby striking the 

adjacent pontoon. The pressure 

on the other pontoons 

is illustrated for various tilted 

angles in illustration 3. 

Illustration 4a also shows that 

at 7° tilted axis, parts of the 

nozzle do not contribute to 

the thrust. The low pressure, 

illustrated in dark blue, does 

not extend across the inlet rim 

of the nozzle. At a 7° tilted 

axis, the top quarter of the 

nozzle does not contribute to 

thrust generation. 

In illustration 4b, the flow is 

shown at an 8° tilted angle. 

The low pressure at the nozzle 

is developed across the entire 

dimension and vortexes do not 

appear. 

Model scale tests 

The validation of CFD calculations 

occurs with simulation 

tests. Voith Turbo runs a circulation 

tank in Heidenheim 

that is suitable for propulsion 

tests. The thruster is attached 

securely onto the measuring 

frame and circulating water is 

flowed through it. In doing so, 

unlimited measuring times are 

yielded, with which the flow 

patterns can be observed. The 

flow lines can be visualized easily 

and clearly with the use of 

colored ink. 

To illustrate the interaction of 

the propeller tilting angles using 

the model, the model installation 

was turned by 90°. 

Under the now vertical pontoons 

of the semi-submersibles, 

the thruster axis was thus 

changed horizontally. 

The model scale tests confirm 

the CFD calculations. In 

the measuring frame, too, the 

Coanda effect can clearly be 

seen, as can the considerable 

reduction of losses at an 8° 

tilted axis. 

However, as the CFD numbers 

are calculated for a Reynolds 

number that applies to a fullscale 

vessel, slight variations 

may occur, which can be traced 

back to the different scaling effects. 

To quantify these, Voith Turbo 

is planning further CFD calculations 

within the scale of the 

measured model. Research for 

other formations are also in 

planning. 

Outlook technology 

Based on the results of hydrodynamic 

research and decades of 

service experience, Voith Turbo 

is developing a new generation 

of Voith Radial Propellers. The 

prototype is planned with L- 

drive arrangement for 5500 kW 

input power. With a propeller 

diameter of 4200 mm, a bollard 

pull of over 100 t is created 

from each of these VRP 

42-55s at dynamic positioning. 

The 98° gear, which transfers 

the torque of the vertical drive 

shaft onto the 8° downwardly 

tilted propeller axis can be cut 

on specific machines at Voith 

Turbo. These types of thrusters 

are mounted under water onto 

the floating vessel. 

Literature 

[Jürgens 2008] Dirk Jürgens 

and others; Dynamic Positioning 

Conference October 2008; 

Design 

of Reliable Thruster Systems; 

Houston, Texas, USA 

[Lehn 1992]: Erik Lehn; Marintek 

AS – DNV Research; 

Practical methods for esti-mation 

of thrust losses; FPS-2000 

Mooring and Positioning, Part 

1.6 Dynamic Positioning – 

Thruste r Efficiency; 

Report No 513003.00.06 

The authors: 

Torsten Moltrecht, 

Dr. Dirk Jürgens, 

Voith Turbo Schneider 

Propulsion GmbH & Co. KG, 

Heidenheim, Germany 

Illustration 4a: Vortex at 7° tilted axis 

Illustration 4b: Flow course at 8° tilted axis 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 51


Eco-friendly vessel for advanced 

deep sea operations 

OLYMPIC ZEUS | The first 

anchor handling and construction 

vessel with hybrid 

propulsion, the Olympic Zeus, 

has been delivered to the shipowner 

Olympic Shipping. A 

sister vessel, the Olympic Hera, 

is to follow later this year. 

The ULSTEIN A122 design is 

93.8 metres long, 23 metres 

wide and 10 metres from main 

deck to keel and has a towing 

power of some 250 tonnes. It 

is the largest anchor handling 

vessel of this design ever contracted 

at Ulstein Verft. Such 

huge dimensions is said to 

make the ship very stable and 

able to perform subsea operations 

in deep waters. 

Olympic Shipping is seeing 

a market trend from deepsea 

operations at depths of 

200–300 metres to advanced 

subsea operations down to 

2,000–3,000 metres. In order 

to provide the best services of 

the latter category, Olympic 

Shipping says it needs stable 

ships with major capacities. 

Layout of the hybrid propulsion as an X-Ray Illustration 

Hybrid for Green operations 

The environment has become 

an increasingly vital issue in 

recent years with major international 

focus. Olympic Shipping 

believes that taking measures 

to develop eco-friendly 

solutions aboard ships puts 

them into a winning position. 

Olympic’s vision is to be 

a global player offering more 

than steel, providing a broad 

expertise in the high end of 

the offshore service market by 

offering eco-friendly ships for 

the future. 

The A122 is, for example, the 

first vessel of its kind developed 

by Ulstein Design with 

hybrid propulsion, allowing 

the shipowner to do most 

types of operations with full 

effect, though with 50% less 

fuel consumption. The hybrid 

system allows the ship 

to switch between diesel-mechanical 

and diesel-electric 

propulsion or to combine the 

two for maximal pull and optimum 

fuel efficiency. This gives 

the ship a huge economic and 

environmental edge in their 

sphere of operation. 

The Olympic Zeus is a multipurpose 

vessel equipped for 

anchor handling, supply, subsea 

and construction operations 

in deep waters. She can 

be used for sophisticated anchor 

handling services as well 

as demanding construction 

operations where other vessels 

lack capacity. 

The Olympic Zeus and Olympic 

Hera will have enormous 

winches with drums three 

times the capacity of those on 

the two ULSTEIN A101 vessels 

Olympic Pegasus and Olympic 

Hercules already in service. In 

all, there are said only to be 

4–5 ships today that can compete 

with the Olympic Zeus in 

winch capacity. With one large 

500-tonne and two 450-tonne 

drums, the Rolls-Royce winch 

has an enormous capacity. 

Ulstein Elektro has also made 

extensive equipment deliveries 

to the ship, including UL- 

STEIN COM®, ULSTEIN IAS®, 

switchboards, consoles, motor 

control centres (MCC), engine 

starters and navigation and 

communication equipment as 

well as installation. The vessel 

is prepared for a 250-tonne offshore 

crane and two A-frames 

of different types. 

The ship has DP2 (dynamic 

positioning), a ROV garage 

and accommodations for 68 

persons. 

Powerful offshore vessel 

FAR SAMSON | The offshore 

vessel Far Samson entered service 

with Farstad Shipping of 

Norway, following a naming 

ceremony in Edinburgh. 

Rolls-Royce developed the special 

UT 761 CD design, working 

closely with the ship owner. 

Far Samson has demonstrated a 

continuous bollard pull of 423 

tonnes using all available power 

and more than 377 tonnes 

using the main propulsion system. 

According to Rolls-Royce, 

this turns Far Samson into the 

world’s most powerful offshore 

vessel. 

Far Samson was built by STX 

Europe Langsten, Norway, and 

incorporates a wide range of 

new technology. The vessel is 

multifunctional and capable of 

carrying out heavy ploughing 

operations for pipes and cables 

on the seabed, as well as subsea 

installation work in ultra deep 

water, towing, remote underwater 

(ROV) and other challenging 

subsea operations. It 

can cut trenches in the seabed 

in water up to 1,000m deep. 

The vessel is 121.5m long with 

a 26m beam, gross tonnage of 

15,260 with a hull strengthened 

to Ice Class 1B, and is capable 

of more than 19 knots 

at top speed. A Rolls-Royce 

propulsion system combining 

diesel electric and diesel 

mechanical transmission 

provides optimal operating 

flexibility, fuel economy and 

minimum exhaust emissions. 

Far Samson is powered by 

Rolls-Royce diesel engines, 

which meet clean design 

class rules and catalytic 

converters are also fitted to 

the generator sets, giving a 

95 per cent nitrogen oxide 

(NOx) reduction. 

The Rolls-Royce design 

Far Samson 

52 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

HEMPADUR QUATTRO 

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Hydraulic sensor monitoring 

drilling rig components 

MEASUREMENT TECHNO- 

LOGY | Automatic pressure 

monitoring is contributing 

to the functional safety of hydraulic 

systems even under 

difficult operational conditions. 

It is also a tool for maintenance 

and repair jobs, as it 

helps to establish individual 

service intervals and thus save 

maintenance costs. 

The magnitude of the forces occurring 

in offshore drilling can 

be illustrated by considering 

the Weatherford TorkDrive® by 

Weatherford Oil Tool GmbH, 

a hydraulic system which connects 

an already inserted casing 

with a new 12-14m long 

pipe. The working pressure of 

the TorkDrive® totals 210 bar 

and the grippers work at up to 

280 bar. In order to test new 

components, such as valves for 

leak tightness, testing is carried 

out at 2.5 times normal working 

pressure. 

New pipe sections are fed to 

the drilling rig via a catwalk. 

The TorkDrive® operates at up 

to 108,800 Nm and, depending 

on the type, it can pick up a 

load of up to 750 tonnes. This 

corresponds to a drilling depth 

of between 3,000 and 8,000m 

depending on the casing diameter 

or individual pipe weight 

The ServiceJunior wireless connected to the hydraulics 

of the TorkDrive 

and output resistance. A 9 5/8” 

inch casing at a 4900m drilling 

depth thus imposes about 360 

tonnes of “pull” on the Tork- 

Drive® gripping system. 

The spider holds the already 

inserted casing. Hydraulically 

operated wedges, known 

as “slips”, fix the casing directly 

on the drilling table. 

An equally important consideration 

is that the newly 

attached drill casing segment 

is securely screwed, string by 

string. 25,000 Nm is required 

to achieve this, even for the 

small 6 inch casings. For these 

applications, the monitoring 

of working pressures must be 

totally reliable, because the 

specified torques and holding 

forces must be achieved 

without compromise. It is imperative 

to avoid the loss of a 

casing at all costs. It goes without 

saying that every threaded 

connection, and thus also the 

actually achieved torque, must 

be documented. 

Maximum precision and reliability 

are also required when 

the casing pipes are screwed 

together and lowered into the 

well for stabilisation. Since at 

this stage of the operation the 

well is no longer stabilised by 

the casing and drilling fluid 

and could thus collapse, the 

pipes have to be cemented in 

immediately. As soon as the 

drill hole is brought in, the actual 

production pipes are lowered 

into this protective pipe. 

Monitoring hydraulics 

For monitoring hydraulics in 

drilling rig equipment such 

as spiders or the TorkDrive®, 

a Parker SensoControl Junior 

Wireless by Parker Hannifin 

GmbH is used to supply hydraulic 

system pressure development 

measurement data independently 

of external power 

supplies or cable connections 

for measurement data transmission. 

The instrument transmits the 

saved measurement data wirelessly 

over a distance of up to 

150m to the control room or 

to a PC. The battery provides 

an operating time of 800 

hours. 

The ServiceJunior wireless captures 

pressure peaks using a 

scanning rate of 10 msec (i.e., 

100 values per second). These 

are used for alarm and safety 

functions, and records are kept 

for long-term monitoring. For 

this, two settings are available. 

In “REC time mode”, measured 

values are saved and displayed 

as a graph over a defined timeframe, 

for example during a 

Signs of wear from the TorkDrive grippers 

period of 300 seconds 5,000 

measured values are compiled 

(one value every 10 seconds). 

In “REC auto mode”, on the 

other hand, the operator sets 

an alarm limit, for example 

100 bar, and receives the visual 

display of the pressure data 

graph with the overshoots. The 

information is given related to 

the timeline. 

Setting and operating is carried 

out on the ServiceJunior, 

or even more conveniently, 

via the PC software. Up to 16 

measuring instruments can 

be connected to a “point to 

point” network. 

A further advantage is that no 

automatic, continuous wireless 

transmission of the data 

occurs, thereby eliminating 

possible loss of data due to 

radio interference or outside 

EMC disruption. The data 

remains safely within the instrument 

and is called up via 

the JuniorWin software and 

saved externally, not until 

commanded by the operator. 

Transmission errors are also 

excluded because there is a 

plausibility check via an algorithm. 

By comparing measurement 

series, dangerous developments 

in the hydraulic system 

can be recognised promptly to 

prevent damage or downtime. 

54 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Wave measurements with 

X-Band radar 

SAFE NAVIGATION | Many 

offshore operations are crucially 

dependent on the prevailing 

sea state. Especially 

for navigation purposes, it 

is difficult always to estimate 

the sea state correctly, particularly 

at night or if there are 

crossing wave systems. 

The Wave Monitoring System 

WaMoS II, which consists 

of a high-speed video 

digitising (WaMoS II converter) 

and a standard industrial 

PC, utilises a standard 

X-Band radar, normally 

used for ship traffic control 

to measure ocean waves. The 

analogue radar signal of the 

sea clutter is digitised and 

transferred to the PC for 

saving and further processing. 

This stripe-like pattern 

shows the surface waves 

within the field of view of 

the radar (up to 3 nautical 

miles) with high spatial 

and temporal resolution. 

Sea state parameters such as 

wave heights, wave periods, 

wave lengths, wave directions 

and surface currents 

are calculated from the sea 

clutter images in real time. 

WaMoS II automatically detects 

multi-modal sea states 

Example of user interface – statistical wave parameters are 

listed on the left, the 2-dimensional and 1-dimensional wave 

spectra are in the centre, surface current speed and some 

information on the station set up are on the right, and a sea 

clutter image is on the bottom left. 

and distinguishes between 

wind sea and swell. 

Routine sea state measurements 

are required to enhance 

the safety of people, 

ships, buildings and the 

environment. WaMoS II 

can be used on board vessels 

to support safe ship 

operations, especially under 

extreme environmental 

conditions. This monitoring 

system is a state-of-theart 

instrument that is type 

approved by Det Norske 

Veritas (DNV) and Germanischer 

Lloyd (GL) with respect 

to accuracy and functionality. 

WaMoS II does 

not affect the radar performance 

from which the 

data stream is taken, so the 

radar can be used for both 

wave measurements and 

navigational purposes. 

New features are being 

continuously developed 

for WaMoS II. The latest 

research activities involve 

measuring high-resolution 

currents and mapping the 

bathymetry and individual 

waves. In particular, the sea 

surface elevation maps are 

attracting great interest, as 

they permit detailed spatial 

and temporal studies of the 

ocean surface. Spatial wave 

features such as crest length 

and wave steepness can be 

Example of sea surface 

elevation map, showing 

spatial distributions of individual 

waves including max. 

wave height 

derived directly from the 

data. These parameters are 

good indicators for identifying 

critical sea states. 

The occurrence of large 

waves and their impact on 

vessels is being increasingly 

discussed within the shipping 

community. The development 

of decision support 

systems combines the ship 

characteristics with available 

environmental information 

to support safe navigation. 

Wave measuring systems 

based on X-band radar like 

WaMoS II can provide the 

actual wave and current 

data in real time and thus 

a basis for any type of decision 

support system. 

Digital Oil Field Tool 

DEEPWATER MONITO- 

RING | A Digital Oil Field Tool 

(DOFT) system from Kongsberg 

Oil & Gas Technologies 

will provide real-time support 

and monitoring for field operations 

with “look ahead” predictions. 

The system is to be 

delivered to Petrobras America’s 

first deepwater production 

facility in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Off-line, it will facilitate production 

planning and training 

in subsea operations. The 

system will be installed both 

offshore on the Cascade & 

Chinook production facility 

and onshore at Port Fourchon, 

LA, and the PAI Corporate 

office in Houston, TX. 

The Cascade & Chinook 

production facility, an 

FPSO, will be located in 

the Walker Ridge block of 

the Gulf of Mexico, 300 km 

(180 miles) south of New 

Orleans. 

It is the farthest and deepest 

2500 m (8,200 ft) development 

in the Gulf of Mexico, 

in addition to being the 

deepest FPSO operation in 

the world. 

The project will be implemented 

by the Kongsberg 

office in Houston. The solution 

offered is based on the 

Kongsberg proprietary software 

solution D-SPICE, and 

is said to leverage the company’s 

experience in providing 

Production Management Systems 

in deepwater and offshore 

production facilities. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 55


Offshore vessels with 3D 

product modelling 

SHIP DESIGN | Integrated 3D 

product modelling in the development 

of new offshore vessels 

can offer benefits for naval architects, 

contractors, shipyards, 

owners and operators, making 

a considerable contributions 

towards cost reductions. 

An inclusion of parametrics 

means that highly accurate 

details result very early on in 

a project; thus, key decisions 

can be made much earlier than 

in the past. It is also easy to 

modify plans, should e.g. bulkheads 

or machinery positions 

be shifted. 

By selecting a particular engine 

model, for example, with all 

connected systems from a data 

bank, full details and dimensions 

are immediately available, 

which can be inserted 

into a plan to provide exact 

positioning. 3D modeling can 

then be employed should subsequent 

ships be ordered. 

In practice, these techniques 

can realise striking economies 

when combined efficiently 

with the new rules, such as new 

probabilistic damage stability: 

it is possible, on vessels with 

large number of people onboard, 

to reduce the number of 

bulkheads and tanks quite dramatically, 

while the design of a 

parametric navigation bridge, 

such as the complex ones often 

seen on offshore tonnage, takes 

The Aoka Mizu 

as a 3D model 

only six weeks instead of six 

months. Deck heights can be 

reduced in the lower part of a 

hull, the number of staircases 

can be cut and steelweight is 

less. 

All these benefits also enable a 

finite element structural model 

to be generated directly and at 

a very early stage in a project 

– even in the very early FEED 

phase. 3D modelling also offers 

significant benefits when 

generating a safety plan for 

evacuation, fire systems, and 

flood control. 

3D modelling can also be 

employed when carrying out 

health, safety and environmental 

(HSE) analyses, HAZID 

evaluation, also risk management. 

A further aspect for evaluation 

by this technique is a 

so called dropped object study 

(DOS), whereby the damage 

resulting from loads accidentally 

dropped from cranes onto 

topside modules – an important 

consideration for offshore 

operators – can be assessed. 

In the offshore sector, early 

3D modelling is considered 

by Deltamarin, who has been 

working with 3D computer 

modelling since the 1980’s, to 

be especially appropriate for 

dynamically positioned (DP) 

vessels, such as those involved 

in platform supply, drilling, oil 

and gas production, heavy lifts, 

pipelaying and subsea support. 

For such classes, DP redundancy 

is essential to avoid serious 

equipment damage or collision 

with an adjacent platform. Up 

to now, this subject has been 

examined very subjectively 

but 3D modelling analysis can 

yield huge design and system 

improvements. Analysis of redundancy 

is carried out at the 

same time and within the design 

process. Later on in the lifecycle 

the same 3D models are 

also invaluable for training and 

maintenance purposes. 

Other prime candidates for DP 

systems are floating production, 

storage and offloading vessels 

(FPSOs), also the new breed 

of similar ships which can additionally 

carry out “drilling”/ 

Well intervention/work over – 

floating production, drilling, 

storage and offloading (FPD- 

SO) designs. 

In the FPDSO sector, Deltamarin 

has already completed 

an important contract from 

the Brazilian offshore service 

company Petroserv SA. A very 

tight schedule was involved 

(3D modelling was invaluable 

in this respect) in carrying out 

all basic and detail engineering 

for the conversion of the 

tanker Ragnhild Knutsen into 

the FPDSO Dynamic Producer. 

Principal alterations involved 

the installation of a moonpool 

and drilling derrick so that the 

ship could work offshore Brazil 

for Petrobras. This was Deltamarin’s 

first contract for the 

expanding Brazilian market. 

Recent new engineering tasks 

for Deltamarin have included 

a contract to modify a jacket 

launch barge for China Offshore 

Oil Engineering Co (CO- 

OEC), where AQWA software 

was employed to execute jacket 

launch analysis after modification. 

In March this year, Deltamarin 

won its largest individual 

engineering package yet: 

for Allseas’ massive combined 

installation/decommissioning/ 

pipelaying ship Pieter Schelte, 

which features twin hulls in 

foremost part of the hull, dimensions 

of 382m x 117m and 

accommodation for 577 persons. 

The detailed design contract 

covers naval architectural, 

structural, accommodation and 

system engineering (including 

piping), as well as electrical 

and instrumentation details, 

and also the HVAC plant. 

Depending on which aspect 

of a ship is involved, Deltamarin 

and its partners use a wide 

range of tools, including AQWA, 

Femap Nastran, Tribon, Catia, 

Napa and Napa Steel, also class 

society packages such as Nauticus, 

ShipRight and VeriStar, as 

well as computational fluid dynamics 

(CFD) software. 

The end result is always one 

integrated and coordinated 

comprehensive product data 

model. 

The Allseas Pieter Schelte designed by means of a 3D model 

56 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Self installing platforms 

offshore West Africa 

The MOAB platform offshore 

West Africa 

MOAB | The 4th Mobile 

Offshore Application Barge 

(MOAB) platform has been 

installed offshore the Republic 

of Congo. The water 

depth of 55m and the seabed 

conditions are ideal for 

a suction cans foundation. 

Overdick, based in Northern 

Germany, designed a 32m by 

30m deck, which has been allocated 

partly for drilling activities 

and partly for production. 

In addition to the main 

deck, the conductor tower 

supports 14 conductors, 8 

of them bent to achieve a 

greater deviation. Four more 

slots are available as a future 

option. 

Compared with conventional 

platforms, the lower 

capital expenditure (CAPEX) 

and a more flexible project 

schedule make the development 

of marginal offshore 

fields with a MOAB platform 

a very attractive proposition. 

For this project, the cost optimisation 

was enhanced even 

more during the construction 

tendering phase by engaging 

conventional yards and steel 

fabricators judged to have 

sufficient experience and capabilities. 

Prefabrication in Casablanca 

To facilitate construction, the 

hull and substructure of the 

platform have been divided 

into modules, all with a maximum 

width of no more than 

5m. 

The pre-fabrication activities 

began with the rolling of the 

suction cans elements, as these 

were the parts to be placed first 

during assembly. This operation 

was performed at the Casablanca 

workshop of DLM, the 

fabrication contractor, with a 

team of up to 250 employees. 

The prefabricated blocks were 

then transported by road some 

150 km south of Casablanca, 

to the harbour of Jorf-Lasfar, 

which is normally used to 

load phosphates and coal. It 

consists of little more than an 

extended quay with sufficient 

bearing capacity and good access 

to the main roads, even 

for oversized convoys. All infrastructure 

for the temporary 

yard in Jorf-Lasfar, where the 

rather sizeable structure was 

assembled, was created from 

scratch. A complete yard based 

on portable solutions was set 

up and turned operative within 

a very short time by the fabrication 

contractor. 

During the assembly, the hull 

was supported at about 4m 

height by construction blocks 

in order to permit a correct 

mating with the substructure 

later on. Two mobile cranes 

with a capacity of 650t and 

200t respectively handled the 

platform blocks and sections. 

The assembly sequence was 

organised in such a way that 

it permitted parallel erection 

of the hull and substructure. 

Trial fitting was performed for 

a few components. The platform 

crane was installed very 

early on its pedestal and used 

intensively during the erection 

phase. 

Once fully assembled in transport 

configuration, the complete 

MOAB (approx 4,000t) 

was loaded out on a submersible 

barge by means of 

hydraulic multi wheel trailers. 

Transport to Congo and installation 

One of the main goals with 

fabricating the platform in 

Morocco was to reduce transport 

time and take advantage 

of more favourable weather 

conditions by avoiding the 

route through the Bay of Biscay 

during winter. This meant 

important savings for the 

structural weight of the platform 

and seafastening. The 

barge could be towed almost 

continuously at 9 knots and 

reached Congo in less than 

20 days at sea. 

Arriving at the location near 

shore, which had been surveyed 

in detail, the barge was 

moored at 4 points. After removal 

of the seafastening, the 

barge’s stern was submerged 

and set on the seabed at 20m 

water depth, allowing the 

MOAB platform to float off. 

After wet towing, anchoring 

and positioning of the platform 

on the field, the substructure 

was lowered with the 

double jacking system and the 

suction cans penetrated the 

seabed. The hull was then elevated 

out of the water up to 

target elevation. 

Finally, the platform was structurally 

completed by tightening 

the hang off systems and 

removing the jacking system. 

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Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 57 

Air Products - DIGG - 0,25 page.indd 1 2009-03-26 09:34:36


Launch and recovery system 

Deepwater 

operations 

Operating a LARS under severe conditions 

ROV-HANDLING | Launch and recovery 

systems are designed to make critical subsea 

operations safe and effective in the 

harshest of environments worldwide, expanding 

the operational weather window 

for robots and tools of all types. 

The LARS (Launch and Recovery System) 

from MacGregor is claimed to make possible 

safe operation of heavy systems in 

adverse weather conditions of -20°C to 

+40°C and sea states up to HS6 at unlimited 

depths (exceeding 6,000 m). The 

umbilical winch is equipped with CTS 

(constant tension system), which ensures 

tension in the umbilical when operating 

the A-frame in/out of the hangar. The 

standard Hydramarine electrically driven 

umbilical has an active heave compensation 

system intended to ensure substantially 

better performance than conventional 

hydraulic winch applications. 

The new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) 

support vessel Fugro Symphony will feature 

two of these systems for subsea load 

handling, comprising two overheadmounted 

launch and recovery systems 

(LARS) and two umbilical winch systems 

for delivery to the Norwegian/Dutch company 

Fugro Geoteam in May 2010. 

MacGregor states that the combination 

of the ROV-handling system and active 

heave-compensated ROV winch will expand 

the vessel’s “weather window” and 

ensure operational reliability, accuracy 

and precision, which are vital when working 

offshore in adverse climatic conditions. 

Furthermore, with these systems 

installed, the critical splash zone area is 

claimed to be secured because the dual 

axis dampening technology reduces the 

load’s movement at this crucial stage. 

MacGregor’s VHSS umbilical spooling 

system, which is fitted on the winch, is intended 

to ensure the full-diameter bending 

radius of the cable, resulting in less 

wear and tear and a longer lifespan. 

MacGregor | MacGREGOR has 

delivered what is said to be the 

world’s first subsea knuckle-jib crane 

equipped with a system for fibre rope 

handling, which will be installed on 

the subsea vessel Havila Phoenix. The 

250-tonne Hydramarine active heavecompensated 

(AHC) offshore crane is 

designed with a 250-tonne/3,000 m 

single-line winch and is prepared for 

a 250-tonne single-line fibre rope. 

The new technology for handling 

lightweight fibre rope is claimed to 

offer several advantages compared 

with traditional steel wire rope, especially 

when moving further into deeper 

and more remote territories. Due 

to the neutralisation of the weight 

of the fibre rope in the water, much 

heavier loads can be handled without 

strain to the crane at unlimited 

depths. By this, overall safety is said 

to be improved thanks to the lighter 

equipment, which can still carry out 

heavy work operations, even down to 

10,000 m with an operational capacity 

of up to 600 tonnes. 

Special composite 250T wire sheaves 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1963_anz_SPI_sea2ice_183x63.indd 1 09.04.2009 10:54:36 

58 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Automated anchor handling concept 

New generation 

anchor handling 

vessel 

DEEPwATER ANCHORING | As the offshore 

industry continues to move towards 

operations in deeper, remote and challenging 

waters, there is a need for a new 

generation of safer anchor handling vessels 

that are self-contained and are able 

to perform pre-set anchoring with lightweight 

ropes. New solutions are called 

for with the increasing regulation of the 

industry and the imperative to improve 

safety. Steel wire anchor ropes are also 

increasingly being replaced by polyester 

ropes. There is a vital need for efficient 

and safe operation at reduced cost on today’s 

offshore anchor handling vessels. 

To meet this demand, the Norwegianbased 

ODIM has collaborated with STX 

Europe in the project One Ship – One 

Trip. This partnership has maintained an 

active dialogue with leading international 

oil companies such as Shell, BP, Petrobras, 

StatoilHydro and Aker Exploration. 

One outcome of this project is a new anchor 

handling concept, the ODIM Smart 

AHTS, replacing traditional anchor handling 

winches with the ODIM CTCU® 

deepwater technology. Combined with 

a complete winch system, this can handle 

and install what a drilling rig needs 

for safe and rapid mooring in all water 

depths and seas. New and efficient mooring 

methods also aim at reducing fuel 

consumption by the rig. 

ODIM Smart AHTS is claimed to be 

three times as effective as conventional 

solutions in terms of capacity, cost-efficiency, 

safety and environmental protection. 

To meet stability and safety requirements, 

the offshore industry is now moving towards 

using more synthetic fibre rope for 

anchoring as opposed to heavy steel cable. 

This can result in huge amounts of 

fibre rope on deck that must be handled 

correctly and safely. 

ODIM sees significant potential in new 

solutions for anchor handling vessels 

based on the ODIM CTCU® technology 

that permits the customer to handle 

vast piles of fibre rope for anchorage for 

both mooring of FPSOs and deepwater 

installations from one vessel only. 

The overall efficiencies gained from 

the lower weight using fibre rope along 

with reduction in equipment requirements 

when using the ODIM CTCU® 

are claimed to make deep water projects 

significantly more cost-efficient. It is 

even stated that with storage capacity 

for polyester line three times that 

of other solutions and a capability for 

performing operations at extreme depth 

a Smart AHTS solution can perform the 

same work as three traditional anchor 

handling vessels, depending on the operation 

required. 

Calculated for a single rig over one year, 

utilising the ODIM Smart AHTS concept 

could boost value added by US$30- 

40 m. Annual emissions should also be 

cut by up to 50-100,000 tonnes of carbon 

dioxide – corresponding to emissions 

of about 15-30,000 cars per year – 

and 1-2,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides. 

ODIM believes that the long-term market 

potential for anchor handling vessels 

indicates a requirement for about 

20 ODIM Smart AHTS systems up to 

2015. 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 59

OFFSHORE & marine Technology | arctic & ice engineering 

Multi-functional advanced 

research vessel 

AURORA BOREALIS | Wärtsilä Ship Design finished the technical design of the European 

research vessel Aurora Borealis dedicated for all season operation in the polar region. In future, 

many of the completely new developed solutions for the Aurora Borealis project could be 

utilized also for the commercial shipping industry. 

The Aurora Borealis is designed to operate in any waters, including polar regions 

In terms of ship type, Aurora Borealis 

must be classified as a heavy ice breaker, 

as a multifunctional research vessel and 

as a scientific drilling platform. Aurora Borealis 

has been planned and designed for 

research operations in the entire Arctic and 

in Antarctica, as well as the ice-free oceans 

in between, including the warm tropical 

zones. The construction is planned for 

2012 with commissioning estimated in 

2014 with an operational lifetime of 35–40 

years. The construction costs are estimated 

at 650 million € with 36 million € p.a. as 

operational costs. 

The most outstanding novelties of this ship 

lie within the conception of the propulsion 

system with its energy-saving and environmentally 

friendly power management as 

well as the ability of dynamic positioning 

within an ice field and the ideally integrated 

multifunctional research facilities. This 

applies in particular to heat recovery, power 

management, transportation systems on 

board, and ice breaking technology with its 

associated dynamic positioning. 

After several design loops, the total length 

was fixed with 200 m with a largest width 

of 49 m in lines with the maximum permissible 

lock dimensions of the new Panama 

Canal. This width turned out to be 

the optimum also with respect to best ice 

breaking performance. The draft for the 

fully equipped ship loaded with 15,000 t 

of bunkers and cargo including 2,000 t for 

scientific equipment will be max. 13 m. 

The light ship draft will be slightly above 

11 m. A Tiltrotor aircraft as well as a helicopter 

with the respective landing pad and 

hangar facilities will be part of the ship’s 

equipment. 

The large enclosed drill tower will be 

equally distinctive for the ship design. 

All the drilling works can be done independently 

from weather conditions due 

to an enclosed tower. The arrangement of 

the complete drilling equipment around 

the aft moon pool including the working 

decks, the drill floor and the drill core handling 

have been designed in full compliance 

with the requirements of IODP, the 

“International Ocean Drilling Program”. 

120 persons in 88 single and 16 double 

cabins, all with own sanitary modules, 

are accomodated onboard. All cabins are 

located towards the outside of the superstructure 

with daylight. 

Designed for the Arctic and the Tropics 

The design parameters are exceptionally 

extensive and complex. Only by setting up 

a wide range of model tests for the various 

fields of applications the verification and 

optimization of the hull form was accomplishable. 

Comprehensive model tests have 

been executed in ice tank of Aker Arctic 

Technology in Helsinki and in the various 

facilities of the Hamburgische Schiffbau 

Versuchsanstalt. 

In the polar areas, with air temperatures 

down to minus 50°C, regular mild steel as 

used for shipbuilding would be too brittle. 

The designated special steel with plate 

thicknesses up to 70 mm and with substantial 

stiffening construction is difficult and 

costly to be processed and welded. Furthermore, 

many crucial parts of the ship need 

to be heated, such as the exposed tanks for 

water ballast and fresh water, fuel bunkers 

as well as much of the outside deck areas. 

The other extreme of working conditions 

will be met in the tropical zones with the 

difficulties to provide sufficient cooling for 

engines, equipment, and crew at sea water 

temperatures of 32°C. 

At any times, the ship must provide a 

steady working platform and allow operations 

through the moon pools or to deploy 

any kind of equipment over the side and 

the stern of the ship. 

Unique ice breaking capabilities 

For Aurora Borealis a unique hull form has 

been designed, enabling the ship to break 

ice of up to 2,5 m thickness at a continuous 

speed of about 3 knots and to break 

through ridges of up to 15 m thickness 

by ice ramming. To find her way through 

the ice in the most efficient, quickest and 

most economic manner, Aurora Borealis is 

equipped with various options for ice observation 

and monitoring. 

Whether in ahead or in astern direction of 

driving, the debris of the broken ice should 

never block the propulsion and maneuvering 

systems as well as the moon pool locking 

devices, nor should it cover or damage 

the deep sea multi-beam echo-sounders. It 

is crucial that the hull form provides suf- 

The moon pool on Aurora Borealis 

60 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

ficient discharging of the broken ice floes 

so that they do not jam on the hull and 

generate additional resistance. 

Diesel Electric Propulsion 

In order to provide the most efficient and 

flexible energy supply Aurora Borealis has 

been equipped with a diesel-electric power 

plant with an electrical capacity of 94 MW. 

A tailor-made power management system 

controls the power demands and load 

distribution of the 8 generator-sets of different 

size. The management system will 

optimize the power distribution to the respective 

generator sets to ensure the most 

efficient specific fuel consumption for each 

of the selected engines and thus minimize 

the fuel demands and costs. 

The propulsion system of Aurora Borealis 

will be a three propeller arrangement 

with ice reinforced fixed pitch propellers 

in combination with a centre rudder. Especially 

for the very strong multi-year ice conditions 

the complete propulsive power can 

be activated via the robust propellers and 

the protected shaft systems during transit 

and research voyages as well as ahead and 

astern navigation for ice ramming without 

risk of damage to the system. Each of the 

three propulsion units can deliver a power 

of 27.000 kW. 

The MARPOL regulations to be enforced 

from 2016 onwards will already be satisfied. 

The Diesel-electrical power plant also 

serves the advantage of a low noise and 

hull vibration, which is critical for many 

scientific measurements. 

www.make-ad.de 

Visit us at NOR-SHIPPING 2009 - Stand No. D05-08 

ment the bow of the vessel will be rhythmically 

raised and lowered in accordance to 

the speed of the ice drift. With this method 

the necessary speed for icebreaking is simulated. 

This maneuver will be supported by 

an active rolling motion. Both these techniques 

of pitching and rolling are multiplied 

in their effectiveness by the specially 

designed hull form. 

The author: 

Albrecht Delius, Director Operations, 

Wärtsilä Ship Design Germany GmbH, 

Hamburg, Germany 

DP in ice 

As a world novelty, dynamic positioning in 

drifting ice has been developed to assure 

drilling through a moon pool. Even under 

severe ice-conditions station keeping is ensured 

with the use of heavy-duty and most 

robust maneuvering equipment. 

In order to facilitate this, the ship had to 

be equipped with 6 thrusters with a power 

of 4000 kW each in addition to the three 

main propulsion units. In regular transit 

conditions these thrusters are retracted 

inside the hull but on demand they can 

be extended on site for maneuvering and 

positioning. They can be hauled up for 

inspection and repairs into the maintenance 

position above, or can be even fully 

dismounted through hatches. In retracted 

condition one of the forward and one of 

the rear units can be used as tunnel thrusters 

for maneuvering in ports. It is also possible 

to rotate one of the thrusters by 90° 

and use it in an emergency case for “take 

home” in case the main propulsion units 

will not be available for whatever reasons. 

In order to determine the required effective 

reactive forces there are neither data 

nor suitable calculation methods available 

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today. It is especially challenging to ensure 

station keeping in large drift ice areas created 

by wind and tides when needing to 

drill without disturbances 1000 m into 

the sediment at 5000 m water depth. This 

problem is aggravated by quick changes 

in drift directions and speeds and also by 

the different ice thicknesses, strengths and 

press ice formations. The ship must stay 

in position while the ice is slowly drifting 

against the hull. In this case the main propulsion 

units and the thrusters will work 

together to push the ship against the ice. 

By a partly automated process of move- 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 61


Oil & gas exploration 

Drilling rig (Parker Drilling Rig 257) in 

moving ice (North Caspian Sea) 

Dynamic Positioning in Ice | 

Very recent estimates have defined 

the Arctic as a potentially rich source 

of oil and gas, with approx. 22% of 

the world’s undiscovered reserves. 

Oil and gas development will be the 

“primary driver” of increased offshore 

and marine activities in the Arctic as 

a decline in sea ice results in more 

access there, as a leading Arctic expert, 

Robert Corell, chairman of the 

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment at 

the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, 

Economics and Environment, 

said end of March (2009) before a US 

House of Representatives committee. 

That development likely will come 

primarily in the Northwest area of the 

Russian Arctic, as well as the Norwegian, 

Barents and Kara seas. 

Especially, when it comes to exploration 

projects in ice covered areas 

which are located in deeper water 

depths, dynamic positioning for drilling 

units would be of great advantage. 

Up to now, all exploration operations 

in ice covered waters are drilled from 

moored structures or structures which 

have been grounded at the sea floor in 

order to be able to deal with the extreme 

high ice loads. Such structures 

are able to accept ice loads of more, 

sometimes even much more than 

10,000 metric tons. These high ice 

loads are a result of the ice conditions 

in combination with the shape of the 

exploration unit, which in general, 

need to have larger storage capacities, 

as a continuous supply may not be 

always granted. It is quite obviously 

that dynamic positioning (DP) will 

not be an option when it comes to 

such high ice loads, as in these cases 

a installed propulsion power of Gigawatts 

would be required. This is either 

not economical nor technical feasible. 

Therefore dynamic positioning for exploration 

units in ice covered waters 

are only imaginable for moderate 

ice conditions or in managed or well 

managed ice or if, in special cases, the 

shape of the exploration unit could 

be dramatically modified in order to 

have much lower resistance in ice. 

Dynamic positioning (DP) for exploration 

operations in open waters are 

well known and a lot of experience has 

been gained during the last decades in 

order to make these operations safe 

and reliable. But when it comes to DP 

in ice, we have/had to learn that this is 

quite different compared to dynamic 

positioning in open waters. In the following 

the main challenges for DP in 

ice covered waters are summarized: 

XX If moving ice is approaching a vessel, 

continuous ice breaking will be 

required for DP, there is no possibility 

for ramming operations, as 

in this case the vessel would not be 

able to stay on position. This also 

applies for ridges which may embedded 

perpendicular or even under 

certain angles in the approaching 

ice sheet. 

XX No (immediate/direct) interaction 

between thrust and motion can be 

measured, as long as the thrust of 

the vessel is lower as the resistance 

in ice. In other words the thrust 

should be increased to the maximum 

by the DP system and after the 

vessel reacts it could be reduced. 

XX The vessels needs to be orientated 

always against the drifting ice with 

the bow or the aft end first, as side 

motions are very limited or even 

not possible at all, depending on 

the hull shape. Vessels in ice are not 

able to rotate on the spot, like this 

would be possible in open waters. 

Normally, vessels have to move 

forward and backwards in order to 

rotate. 

XX If the ice movement comes to a 

stop, the ice around the entire area 

of the vessel needs to be pre-broken 

by the vessel itself or by an assisting 

ice breaker. Because if the wind 

starts to move the ice again, the new 

drift direction could be different to 

the earlier one. In this case the vessel 

could experience very high side 

or turning forces. 

In summary, firstly, DP in ice covered 

waters are much more limited and 

power consuming compared to DP 

in open waters. Therefore it is quite 

obviously that DP will be only used 

for much deeper water depths compared 

to DP in open waters. Otherwise 

a “conventional” mooring system 

would be the preferred option. 

Secondly, a proper ice management 

with an ice breaking support fleet will 

be required to support DP in more severe, 

to heavy ice conditions. 

Finally, it also becomes possible that 

new shapes and concepts could be developed 

in order to reduce the resistance 

of such structures in ice, dramatically. 

As DP in ice will be only used 

in (very) deep waters, as mentioned 

earlier, there are a lot of conceptional 

possibilities and opportunities, which 

would be absolutely not an option for 

conventional ice breaking vessels due 

to draft and other limitations. 

The author: 

Dr. Walter L. Kuehnlein, sea2ice, 

Hamburg, Germany, 

advice@sea2ice.com 

Ice conditions around an exploration 

platform 

62 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

Ice loading monitoring 

at the bridge as a part of a decision support 

waters. The goal is said to maintain high 

system. The system is now ready to competence levels and updated rules and 

be installed for both new buildings and notations so that DNV is able to provide 

ships in operation. 

owners, yards and oil majors with the 

Based on the success of the Ice Load Monitoring 

support they need to safeguard their cold 

project and the understanding of climate activities. 

the risks associated with Arctic operations, The experience from the development 

DNV’s conclusion is that technology will and operation of the Ice Load Monitoring 

not be a showstopper for conducting safe, 

system will be implemented in a new 

well-planned ship operations in Arctic DNV Notation securing same standard. 

Ship_Port_120x188 06.04.2009 9:52 Uhr Seite 1 

tough 

Ice loading monitoring is essential in 

polar regions 

ARCTIC NAVIGATION | A three-year research 

project initiated by DNV has led to 

the development of an ice load monitoring 

system that provides bridge personnel 

with real-time information about the actual 

ice loads on the ship’s hull and shows 

satellite information about the ice integrated 

into electronic navigation maps. 

Shipping activity in ice-infested waters is 

increasing and seasonal variation, combined 

with the effects of climate change, 

can open up for new business opportunities. 

But ship and crew are placed at risk if 

the actual ice loads experienced on a voyage 

exceed those the ship was designed to 

withstand. 

DNV is developing technological solutions 

to ensure that Arctic operations are 

safe and environmentally sound. The 

project culminated with the development 

of a comprehensive decision support tool 

for transiting ice that has been tested over 

the last two winter seasons onboard the 

Norwegian coast guard vessel KV Svalbard. 

The system includes fibre optic sensors 

that measure shear strain on the vessel’s 

hull and electromagnetic equipment, 

which measures the thickness of the ice 

at the bow. This information is analysed 

and displayed on the bridge. Additionally, 

meteorological and satellite data about 

the ice is integrated into electronic charts 

allowing for optimum route selection. 

The project is the first to monitor the actual 

ice loads to be presented in real time 

Our well-proven rudder systems are the ideal choice for all vessel 

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German Pavillon, C05-02, 

June 9th-12th, 2009 

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Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 63


The Neumayer Station III in Antarctica 

Neumayer Station III inaugurated 

POLAR RESEARCH | After 

a solid ten years of work, 

including project conception, 

environmental impact 

study, planning and construction 

phases, the new 

German polar research facility 

of Neumayer Station 

III, located 6.5 km south of 

the old Neumayer Station, 

has commenced its scientific 

operation on the Ekström 

ice shelf in Dronning Maud 

Land in the Antarctic. 

The station serves as a base 

for scientific observatories 

as well as a logistics centre 

for inland expeditions and 

polar aircraft. Neumayer 

Station III was erected during 

seven months in two 

Antarctic summer seasons 

by the Alfred Wegener Station 

for Polar and Marine 

Research in the Helmholtz 

Association. 

The station, which is to run 

all year round, includes 

210 m 2 of laboratory space, 

divided into twelve compartments 

in all, double the 

area of previous stations. 

The 15 accommodation areas 

provide space for 40 occupants. 

Nine persons ensure the 

year-round operation of 

the station. All inner rooms 

of the platform are built as 

self-contained units. The 

compartmentalised interior 

of the station is enclosed 

in titanium strength paperthin 

protective sheet metal 

with energy-retaining polyurethane 

supra foam. 

The construction project 

costing approx. 40 million 

Euro was financed by the 

German Federal Ministry 

of Education and Research 

(BMBF) with long-term 

funds for polar research and 

realised within the context 

of the International Polar 

Year. The station is expected 

to have a lifespan of 25-30 

years. 

This will be the first research 

station in the Antarctic to 

integrate research, operational 

and accommodation 

facilities in one building, 

situated on a platform 

above the snow surface. The 

two-storey heated section 

of the building is erected on 

the 68 m by 24 m platform 

within a protective casing. 

The platform itself is 6 m 

above the snow surface and 

moves with the shelf ice 

about 200 m annually in 

the direction of the open 

sea. 

The station is supplied with 

energy via an intelligently 

managed co-generation 

system, which regulates the 

best utilisation of available 

energy. One diesel generator, 

producing 160 kW of 

electric and 190 kW of thermal 

energy with a control 

system, can supply total 

demand. The excess heat is 

used for heating, the snow 

melting facility and water 

treatment. All in all, three 

of these generators work in 

alternating operation, while 

a fourth generator serves as 

stand-by for emergencies. A 

fully integrated wind power 

plant of 30 kW capacity 

provides additional energy. 

Four wind power plants 

will be added incrementally 

in the next few years. 

The emergency generators 

and block heat and power 

plant in this new research 

station are protected by a 

FOGTEC high pressure water 

mist fire fighting system. 

XXSpecifications 

Total weight 

2,300 t 

Station containers 100 (decks 1 and 2) 

Breadth 

Length 

Overall height 

Height of station 

Clear height 

underneath 

platform 

26 m 

68 m 

29 m 

21 m 

(from ice surface) 

6 m 

Useable area 4,473 m²/1,850 m² 

air-conditioned 

Power supply 

Accommodation 

Laboratories and 

offices 

Winter personnel 9 

Construction time 

Construction 

work carried 

out by 

Building owner 

3 diesel generators 

(160 kW each), 1 

emergency power 

supply (160 kW), 

1 wind power 

plant (30 kW) 

15 rooms, 40 beds 

12 rooms 

7 months 

Joint venture 

Neumayer III, J.H. 

Kramer Stahlbau 

and Kaefer 

Isoliertechnik 

Alfred Wegener 

Institute for Polar 

and Marine 

Research in 

the Helmholtz 

Association 

64 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

OFFSHORE & MARINE TECHNOLOGY | OFFSHORE wIND ENERGy 

Offshore wind park installation 

DRILLING RIGS | There has 

been an increase in offshore 

exploration and marine installation 

of renewable energy 

plants, such as wind 

parks. Their foundations are 

becoming increasingly demanding 

as the parks move 

into more challenging areas 

from a geological point of 

view. 

The German company Wirth 

is successfully applying the 

same drilling technique for 

offshore installations that 

is used for on-shore installations. 

Offshore references 

are, for example, the Bahrain 

Cause Way, the highway between 

Bahrain and Saudi 

Arabia with a total bridge 

length of 12.5 km, and the 

jetty in Ceyhan, Turkey, 

where oil arriving from Russia 

is pumped into tankers 

for shipment to Europe. 

There are a wide variety of 

methods for ensuring a stable 

foundation of offshore 

wind parks. In most projects, 

the monopile has been successful. 

This procedure involves 

driving the stand-pipe 

into the ground using a hydraulic 

hammer or vibrator. 

If, however, the required footage 

is not reached due to the 

geology, a Wirth pile-top rig 

can be used. The procedure 

used is uncomplicated and 

reliable: the rig is set on to the 

pile to be founded by means 

of a crane. This is done as a 

complete unit. The pile top 

adapter is the safe connection 

between the monopile 

and the drilling rig. 

This adapter/extension piece 

is laid out in such a way that 

the complete Bottom-Hole- 

Assembly (BHA) – consisting 

of rock bit, non-rotating 

stabilizer and drill collars – 

is placed in it. The required 

auxiliary equipment, such as 

water pumps to return the 

water, is also integrated. By 

applying this concept, the 

handling of the equipment 

has been minimised to one 

single lifting procedure. Immediately 

after it has been 

set down, the drilling rig is 

ready and can start its drilling 

operation. 

The rig is driven by a diesel 

hydraulic power pack that 

can be placed separately on 

the installation vessel, which 

is connected to the rig via hydraulic 

hoses. The required 

compressed air is provided 

by a separate compressor. 

Calculation models supporting 

customers for correctly 

selecting the compressor size 

are provided by Wirth. 

The BHA is then connected to 

the drill pipe. The rock bit – its 

cutting diameter is identical to 

the inner diameter of the pile 

– is rotated via the drill pipe, 

which is driven by the power 

swivel of the drilling rig. 

Pull-down is in the first place 

effected by the weight of 

25 km long Bharain–Saudi Arabia Causeway: 489 piles, 

diameters ranging from 3.75 to 4.0 m. Two rigs working in 

parallel from jack-up barges each installing four piles per week. 

Turkish Ceyhan-oil terminal: vertical and raker piles with 

inclination 1:3, drilling diameter up to 1.25 m up to 50 m depth 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1946_anz_suh_Oktopus_183x63_engl.indd 1 31.03.2009 16:10:30 

Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2 65

OFFSHORE & marine Technology | offshore wind energy 

Complete working unit on the way 

to the pre-set stand-pipe. Big-lift of 

approximately 250 tons. 

Wirth pile-top rig in operation, 

drilling diameter 4.5 m 

up to a depth of 50 m 

Reverse circulation system: in order to 

discharge the cuttings only compressed 

air and water is required 

the BHA itself, but also via a separate hydraulic 

pull-down system on the drilling 

rig. While drilling, the rock bit cutters 

crush the formation to be drilled. The 

hardness of this is of minor importance 

for the Wirth system; both soft and hard 

formations, including embedded boulders, 

can be drilled. 

The muck discharge is effected by using 

the so-called reverse-circulation method, 

which has been optimised by Wirth. 

Compressed air is injected into the drill 

pipe below the water level, inside the 

borehole. The compressed air rises inside 

the drill pipe, considerably reducing the 

density of the flushing. There is thus a 

pressure difference between the fluid column 

in the borehole and the drill pipe. 

Owing to the higher density of the outer 

water column, the flushing passes from 

the borehole into the entry opening of 

the drill bit, rising in the drill pipe. If the 

flow speed in the drill pipe makes it possible 

to carry solids, the reverse circulation 

principle (the “air lift”) can be used 

for conveying the muck as well. 

The value of the pressure difference 

and hence the delivery depends on the 

injected air volume per time unit, the 

injection depth as well as the delivery 

head. 

While the implementation itself is not 

too difficult and the system is robust, 

its theoretical determination is more 

complicated. Several empirical and analytical 

calculation models have been 

developed by Wirth, offering computer 

programs with recognized models for 

exact calculation of the air-lift drilling 

rigs for any depth and diameter. 

The jack-up ship Resolution was used in part of the projects for transport, 

support during drilling as well as for final installation 

Technical data 

Lynn & Inner Dowsing 

Offshore Wind Park 

Burbo Banks 

Wind Park 

Robin Rigg Offshore 

Wind Park 

(2 substations) 

Rhyl Flats Offshore 

Wind Park 

Gunfleet Sands I & II 

Offshore Wind Parks 

Total of turbines 54 25 60 25 48 

Capacity per 

wind turbine 

3.6 MW 3.6 MW 3 MW 3.6 MW 3.6 MW 

Water depths 6.3-11.2 m 3.7-7.5 m -0.3-8.7 m 6.5-12.5 m -0.5-10 m 

Outer diameter 

for the monopiles 

Weight of 

monopile 

4.74 m 4.7 m 4.3 m 4.7 m 4.7 m 

199-266 t 195-234 t 195-264 t 193-235 t 225 t 

Offshore Wind Park Projects in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea where WIRTH type PBA 936/3000/300 pile top rigs 

owned by Dutch Drilling Consultants (DDC) have been utilized successfully 

66 Ship & Port | 2009 | N o 2

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