Work Boat World on LinkedIn: OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS: "Finally, a judge in the UK has confirmed what we had… (2024)

VESSEL REVIEW: Chinese shipbuilder CIMC Raffles has handed over a new large jackup wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to compatriot private offshore wind construction company Boqiang Heavy Industry.The aptly named 'Boqiang 3060' (博强3060; “Broad Power 3060”) was designed and built by CIMC Raffles in compliance to standards covering safe operation in Chinese waters, South-East Asian waters, and European waters particularly the North Sea.The WTIV will be operated primarily in support of customers in the Chinese offshore wind market with its main role being the transport and installation of wind turbine generators (WTGs) of up to 20 MW capacity as well as their associated components. The vessel’s typical deck cargo will initially consist of either eight 8MW turbines, four 12MW turbines, or three 16MW turbines pending the availability of the much larger 20MW units.Full article link in comments.

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VESSEL REVIEW: Portuguese shipbuilder Grupo ETE, via subsidiary Navaltagus, recently handed over a new Ro-Pax ferry to the municipal government of the city of Aveiro on Portugal’s western coast.Designed by local naval architecture firm Vera Navis, the ferry has been named 'Salicornia' after the genus of flowering plant. The vessel’s main area of operations will encompass the stretch between Forte da Barra and São Jacinto in the municipality of Aveiro, with as many as 26 trips scheduled for each day.'Salicornia' has an LOA of 36.96 metres (121.25 feet), a beam of 9.2 metres (30 feet), a draught of only 1.7 metres (5.5 feet), a depth of three metres (9.8 feet), a gross tonnage of 396, and capacity for 19 vehicles and 260 passengers in addition to four crewmembers. The modern and aerodynamic design ensures improved handling and stability.The passenger spaces include fully accessible interior and outer decks as well as lounges and heated solariums. Even the interior spaces provide passengers with full 360-degree views of the outside thanks to the installation of large panoramic windows.Full article link in comments.

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AWARDS 2023: "This very interesting and versatile medium-sized inland waters pusher tug has been built as the first of a pair by a Brazilian shipyard, Belov Engenharia."The hybrid-electric-powered vessel, with a shallow draught and an impressive top speed of 15 knots, is a very versatile workboat for riverine and harbour operations in the Amazon River system. She is truly multi-purpose."Full article link in comments.

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VESSEL REFIT: Zhoushan Putuo Changhong Shipyard in China has completed conversion works on a locally-owned chemical tanker to enable it to operate as a bunkering vessel that will serve ships running on methanol.'Haigang Zhiyuan' (海港致远) is the first methanol bunkering ship to be put into operation in China as well as the largest methanol bunkering ship in the world. The vessel boasts an LOA of 139.98 metres (459.25 feet), a beam of 20.2 metres (66.27 feet), a draught of 6.4 metres (21 feet), a depth of 11.2 metres (36.74 feet), a deadweight tonnage of 11,000, and 12 cargo tanks with a total capacity of 16,000 cubic metres (565,030 cubic feet) of green methanol.The conversion of the former 'Jiuli 668' for the bunkering role was undertaken in anticipation of the growing use of methanol as an alternative marine fuel due to its significantly lower CO2 emissions compared to traditional fuel oils. Design work for the conversion was provided by local naval architecture firms Zhejiang Seahead Ship Design and Research Institute (Seahead) and Nantong Offshore Design and Research Institute (NODRI).The conversion works spanned 113 days and included incorporation of the necessary modifications to the existing deck structure, replacement of the existing refuelling pipe with a heavy-duty, stainless steel pipe, installation of equipment that can produce nitrogen (necessary for safe methanol bunkering), installation of remote monitoring and control systems (ensuring proper oversight even when no crew are present near the bunkering connections), incorporation of emergency release devices, and lining of the cargo tanks with a special coating to permit the safe transport of methanol.Full article link in comments.

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AWARDS 2023: "This fast, truly multi-purpose craft from Queensland’s renowned Norman R. Wright and Sons has a multitude of roles. It combines those of patrol boat, landing craft, Ro-Pax ferry, research vessel, general work boat and more for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program."An aluminium catamaran, it is fast, relatively economical, seaworthy and safe. It is an excellent illustration of the imagination and innovation for which Wrights is globally renowned."Full article link in comments.

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GREY POWER: "One does not wish to provoke any sort of angry response from readers, but is it not time that the definition of piracy was updated?"It was not that long ago that such was a crime punishable by ferocious penalties, even under quite liberal regimes, which were repealed only after somebody pointed out that there were really so few pirates at large on the world’s seas. But that was before Somalia became a failed state and the example of those who saw rich pickings at sea was followed by others in various locations."Now, in addition to Houthis, various dissidents in the Gulf of Guinea and South-East Asia, seafarers have Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to contend with as they attempt to assert their powers over the waters of the region. The seizure of the containership 'MSC Aries' by armed force is an unpleasant reminder of the way that piracy has become almost institutionalised in the cause of a dangerous state."Coming a few days after a senior Iranian commander had been boasting of the regime’s ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, it is more of a demonstration of capability than a hostile expression of intent and should be taken as such."Full article link in comments.

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FEATURE: The Electric Thames project, a collaboration between UK Power Networks, LCP Delta, and Marine Zero, is assessing the viability of using electric vessels to feed stored electricity back into London’s energy network.Using a principle similar to night storage heaters, battery-powered vessels on the Thames could store green energy when it is inexpensive to do so, such as when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, and feed it back to the grid during peak electricity hours. The partnership believes the approach could help increase the capital’s flexible energy capacity and reduce peak electricity demand.Thames vessel and quay operators will be surveyed over the coming weeks to identify and map out their needs. This will allow power suppliers to plan and complete any works needed to facilitate the move to cleaner vessel and river operations along the Thames.Most of the boats, quaysides, and ports operating on the Thames – which supports a busy freight sector as well as eight million passenger trips per year – currently rely on fossil fuels. This is starting to change, however, as the river’s economy decarbonises in response to net zero ambitions.Full article link in comments.

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FEATURE: Norwegian naval architecture firm YSA Design has unveiled a concept for a new type of sail-powered catamaran cruise ship that offers the flexibility to access waters where larger vessels will have difficulty operating.YSA Design said the design includes a host of features to attract premium-end cruise guests while combining the sustainability of sails and a four-metre draught in a 104.5-metre-long ship with access to shallow waters. Dual hulls counteract listing under the sail to maintain stability and comfort for up to 200 guests on board.Four 50-metre-high foldable sails will be mounted on six-metre-high bases on deck to capture the wind. Engines running on green bio-methanol will sustain hotel operations and – if wind was insufficient – the main propulsion, although the ship will also be enabled with a hybrid drive to incorporate silent running on battery power.Full article link in comments.

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OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS: "The history of the offshore industry, like that of the tanker business, can be written through the series of catastrophes that claimed the lives of many hard-working offshore crew. Unfortunately, the safety situation with tankers became so public and so bad in the forty years up to the sinking of the structurally unsound 'Prestige' off Galicia in Spain in 2002 that the entire tanker industry remains a by-word for pollution in the popular imagination."The endless run of disasters included such notorious casualties as 'Amoco Cadiz', 'Torrey Canyon', and 'Atlantic Empress' and lesser-known ones such as 'Betelgeuse', which exploded in Bantry Bay in Ireland in 1979, claiming the lives of 49 crew and terminal workers, the wife of a crewmember, and, subsequently, a Dutch salvage diver."It often seems that the marine and offshore industries only improve when the cost of a major disaster forces companies and regulators to say, 'Never again,' and to implement more stringent industry-wide standards to compel compliance. Double hulls were made mandatory for tankers only because of the massive oil spill when 'Exxon Valdez' ran aground in Prince William Sound in Alaska in March 1989."The fire and explosion on the Piper Alpha platform in July 1988 in the UK sector of the North Sea killed 167 people. This horrible inferno on a production facility led to the mandatory adoption of safety standby and emergency rescue response vessels and of significant improvements in permitting and maintenance procedures."The sinking of the 180-tonne bollard pull anchor handler 'Bourbon Dolphin' with the loss of eight lives in 2007 forced naval architects to adopt higher standards of stability for offshore vessels."Full article link in comments.

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