Wärtsilä’s hybrid battery technology to be used on new Wightlink flagship ferry

Impression of the new Wightlink flagship ferry
Impression of the new Wightlink flagship ferry

A ship under construction at Cemre shipyard for UK operator Wightlink will be the first ferry to employ Wärtsilä’s technology that uses batteries to manage engine load fluctuations.

The use of batteries in conjunction with four six-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 generating sets – controlled by a 690v main switchboard, an integrated automation system and a power management system also supplied by the Finnish company – is expected to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions while lowering noise levels.

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MCA issues MGN 432: Safety during transferring persons

The UK MCA has issued Marine Guidance Note 432 in order to provide advice for all vessels engaged in transfers of persons at anchor or underway. It gives guidance on taking the necessary precautions, the use of trained persons and carriage of requisite equipment to aid a safe transfer and rapid recovery of a casualty from the water.

Pilots and Pilotage Authorities regularly undertake transfer of persons between vessels at sea, and it is recommended that this guidance should be read in conjunction with SOLAS Ch V, Regulation 23. However this guidance is predominantly aimed at those who are not experienced in such

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IIMS Annual General Meeting 2016 details announced

Notice is hereby given that the 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Institute of Marine Surveying will be held on Wednesday 31 August starting at 14.45 hrs.

The AGM is being held at the Herringham Hall, Regent’s University, Regent’s Park, Inner Circle, London NW1 4NS.

Full details, including the Agenda, CEO and Marine Surveying Academy reports, together with details of the various proposals to be voted on can be found here. The page is password protected. When prompted type in the word -Institute – to access the content. Continue reading “IIMS Annual General Meeting 2016 details announced”

Well done to the IIMS Muddy Rudders for raising money for Cancer Research

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The Pretty Muddy event took place on Saturday 9 July in Portsmouth and the IIMS team of Muddy Rudders had great fun in their quest to raise funds for Cancer Research. The girls (Sam Legg, Sam Owen, Vicky Lawrence, Tania Bernice and Elle Hardham) had to manage a range of different obstacles as well as enduring a lot of water and mud too!

As the above photos show, the IIMS Muddy Rudders rose superbly to the challenge and we are very proud of them. And if you needed proof, there it is to show they really did get very muddy indeed. All photos are courtesy of Ray Bernice.

The team are so very grateful to all those IIMS members who have generously donated money already. If you have yet to do so, but would like to help boost the team’s total you can do so by clicking through to the Muddy Rudders Just Giving Page to make your donation online – it is simple.

IIMS announces the finalists for its Silver Jubilee Awards for Excellence in Marine Surveying

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), nine awards categories were created to represent excellence in marine surveying in various disciplines.

The deadline for nominations was 30 June. Following a meeting of the judging panel on 12 July, the nominations have been whittled down to a list of finalists.

The IIMS Silver Jubilee Award winners will be announced and their awards presented at the special 25th Anniversary Conference on 31 August at Regent’s University by Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Continue reading “IIMS announces the finalists for its Silver Jubilee Awards for Excellence in Marine Surveying”

Lloyds Register defines levels autonomous ship design and operation

Image courtesy of Rolls-Royce
Image courtesy of Rolls-Royce

With autonomous ships likely to enter service soon, LR has set out the ‘how’ of marine autonomous operations in a new ShipRight procedure guidance. The guidance describes autonomy levels (AL) ranging from ‘AL 1’ through to ‘AL 6’ denoting a fully autonomous ship with no access required during a mission.

The ‘AL’ system of levels provides clarity to designers, shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, ship owners and operators, enabling accurate specification of the desired level of autonomy in design and operations and paves the Continue reading “Lloyds Register defines levels autonomous ship design and operation”

IIMS Silver Jubilee Awards finalists announced

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), nine awards categories were created to represent excellence in marine surveying in various disciplines. The deadline for nominations was 30 June. Following a meeting of the judging panel on 12 July, the nominations have been whittled down to a list of finalists. View full press release.

Report on the sinking of the scallop dredger JMT published by the MAIB

The report on the sinking of the scallop dredger JMT has been published
The report on the sinking of the scallop dredger JMT has been published

The MAIB has issued its report into the capsizing and sinking of the scallop dredger JMT in 2015. The report will be of particular interest to surveyors given that the incident raises issues around the effect modifications made potentially had on the stability of the craft.

During the afternoon of 9 July 2015, routine contact was lost with the skipper and crewman on board the 11.4m scallop dredger JMT that was fishing off Plymouth, UK. A search and rescue operation was initiated the following morning when the vessel did not return alongside as expected.

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Blohm+Voss to open refit facility for megayachts in the Mediterranean

Blohm+Voss has announced that it has won the tender for the set-up of a new maintenance and refit facility for megayachts in La Ciotat, in the South of France. The company will partner with La Ciotat Shipyards (managed by SEMIDEP-Ciotat), the local company in charge of the site development which is providing a large dry-dock and neighboring workshop premises embedded within the existing shipyard. Blohm+Voss will utilize this new facility in the heart of the Mediterranean to maintain and service megayachts over 80 meters in length. Operation is planned to start in November 2016.

Blohm+Voss Chief Executive Officer, Fred van Beers commented: “Setting up a maintenance facility for megayachts in La Ciotat is an important step in our current growth strategy. With our new office in Monaco and this central location in the Mediterranean we are moving our core business closer to our customers; we are now offering more flexibility and tailored life-cycle.services. The dock in La Ciotat is 200 meters long and 60 meters wide. Our customers now have the choice of utilizing our extensive shipyard facilities in Hamburg or our new base in La Ciotat for large yacht maintenance, refits or conversions. Whatever our customers require: we will provide our renowned, exceptionally high Blohm+Voss quality standards and on-time services at both sites.”

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Beware signage dropping from a crane boom warns IMCA

In one of its regular safety bulletins, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has issued new information on an incident involving parts falling from a crane – in this instance a steel sign. IMCA says that this is not the first time this has happened and individuals may wish to review this in light of other similar reported incidents.

A piece of metal fell from a crane boom. The incident occurred on a vessel whilst alongside during the testing of the luffing motors’ braking system on the main crane. During this testing the crane boom made an uncontrolled descent into its crutch, resulting in a 60 kg steel sign falling 15m down to the deck. Investigation revealed that the sign was fixed by 4 x stitch welds, of which three were completely rusted away.

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Red Jet 6 Isle of Wight Catamaran ferry completes sea trials

The new addition to the UK’s Red Funnel ferry fleet, Red Jet 6, has completed its initial sea trials and is scheduled to enter service between Southampton and West Cowes.

Shemara Refit has built the new Red Jet 6 passenger ferry at its facilities on the Isle of Wight. The ferry entered the water for the first time in May.

The new 41.12m long ferry has is capable of accommodating 275 passengers.

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Volvo Penta cuts down on components with new battery management system

Volvo Penta has launched a new remote control battery management system
Volvo Penta has launched a new remote control battery management system

Volvo Penta has launched its latest battery management system, suitable for 12 and 24-volt installations. The device is a remote control and gives users a ‘car like experience’ offering theft protection, battery control and monitoring.

“It gives total control of the system, both status and health,” explained Petter Andolf, product management, Volvo Penta.

“When leaving a boat, people can just switch off and the system will power down and switch off. It’s built to be very simple and robust.”

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