British Marine announce first ever research into UK’s small commercial marine sector

The size of the UK's small commercial marine sector is the subject of new research by British Marine
The size of the UK’s small commercial marine sector is the subject of new research by British Marine

British Marine has published key findings for the UK’s small commercial marine sector in response to an industry call for a clear barometer measuring the performance of the entire sector. This is deemed pivotal for businesses future planning and ultimately, ensuring the prosperity of the UK industry.

According to the research, the sector generated a turnover of £182 million in 2015-16, employing 1,876 people across 395 businesses. It also reveals that over half (53.7%) of the sector’s turnover was generated by companies within the supply chain, whilst nearly a third (32.9) was from commercial marine builders and the remaining 13.4% was secured by business services.

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New CTV unveiled by Umoe Mandal

The new Wavecraft CTV  from Norwegian firm Umoe Mandal
The new Wavecraft CTV from Norwegian firm Umoe Mandal

Umoe Mandal in Norway has unveiled a new design, the Wavecraft, a series of high-speed, all-composite service vessels designed for fast crew transport. The company says the high-speed craft offers offshore operators “a long range economical, commercially feasible and safe alternative to helicopters.”

The company says the Wavecraft “delivers substantially Continue reading “New CTV unveiled by Umoe Mandal”

Registration for Seawork, the largest European commercial workboat show and conference, is open

Meet IIMS at Seawork, Europe's largest commercial workboat show
Meet IIMS at Seawork, Europe’s largest commercial workboat show

Seawork International, Europe’s largest commercial workboat show and conference, is a one-stop-shop for the commercial marine sector, providing a unique opportunity to see the latest solutions for businesses in the commercial marine industry all in one place, at one time, at one easy-to-access location.

Seawork International will return from 13-15 June 2017 at the prestigious Mayflower Park venue in Southampton, UK, for the second year running.

Continue reading “Registration for Seawork, the largest European commercial workboat show and conference, is open”

VEKA Group set to build the world’s first hybrid trimaran for transporting personnel offshore

VEKA Group set to build the world's first hybrid trimaran workboat
VEKA Group set to build the world’s first hybrid trimaran workboat

Workers on drilling rigs and offshore wind farms can hopefully look forward to a more pleasant commute to work with considerably lower risk of seasickness thanks to a special, innovative ship built by VEKA Group. VEKA will be building two trimarans intended specifically for transporting personnel and freight to offshore wind farms. These are the first hybrid trimarans in the world. Transporting offshore personnel takes place mainly by catamaran. These will be VEKA’s first trimarans.

Most of the innovations are intended to make the so-called workboat more stable and more comfortable, thereby reducing the risk of seasickness. For example, the ships have lower windows than is customary, so that the passengers have a better view. The third bow is designed to ensure additional stability and comfort. There are also innovative stabilisers built into the hull.

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New water lubricated seal for workboats developed by Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä has developed a new water lubricated seal, Enviroguard SLR, which provides cost-effective reliability for small workboats.

Available in nine standard sizes that suit 75mm-306mm of shaft size, the new seal is expected to provide more reliability to smaller workboats, fishing boats, motorised barges, and super yachts.

The Wärtsilä Enviroguard SLR water lubricated seal is also designed to survive large shaft movements and to tolerate aggressive waters that are heavy with silt or sand.

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MAIB report into the grounding and capsize of berthed trawler Saint Christophe 1

On 9 March 2016, three French fishing vessels sought shelter from bad weather in Dartmouth harbour, on the south-west coast of England. One of the vessels, Saint Christophe 1, was directed to berth alongside a quay wall and when the tide went out it grounded and capsized alongside. Saint Christophe 1 subsequently flooded and sank with the incoming tide, and was declared a constructive total loss.

Safety issues
The lack of effective communication between harbour authority staff and vessel’s crew failed to ensure a common understanding of the fact that the boat would ground at low water
The assumption that the crew understood the information provided by the harbour staff, prevented further safety checks from being made
Continue reading “MAIB report into the grounding and capsize of berthed trawler Saint Christophe 1”

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.

Continue reading “Report on the sinking of the scallop dredger JMT published by the MAIB”

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 signage dropping 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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Cheetah Marine builds the world’s first hydrogen powered boat

Cheetah Marine has built a hydrogen-fuel catamaran which demonstrates the potential of zero CO2 technology in the marine industry. It is believed to be the first hydrogen powered craft.

The 9.95m catamaran, designed and built at Cheetah Marine’s workshops on the Isle of Wight in the UK, features a Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (HICE). The Honda outboard works in the same way as traditional petrol engine, except it burns hydrogen and produces harmless water vapour as the only emission.

Continue reading “Cheetah Marine builds the world’s first hydrogen powered boat”

Death of workboat Carol Anne skipper could have been avoided says MAIB Report

The collapsed crane which caused the death of the Carol Anne skipper
The collapsed crane which caused the death of the Carol Anne skipper

The MAIB has now released its report into the incident in which skipper, Jamie Kerr, died on the Carol Anne when the crane fitted to the vessel collapsed leaving the reader in little doubt that this was an avoidable accident. The installation of a crane to a workboat adds significant challenges for the marine surveyor when assessing the structure as this report highlights.

On 30 April 2015, an Atlas lorry loader crane fitted on the workboat Carol Anne collapsed while being used to offload a net at a fish farm at Balure on Loch Spelve, Scotland. The crane fell directly onto the workboat’s skipper, who was declared dead at the scene. The crane had been in operation since its installation just six and a half weeks earlier. It was not overloaded when it failed.

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ESNA granted R&D funding for Surface Effect Ships

ESNA has won funding to research the next generation of Surface Effect Ships
ESNA has won funding to research the next generation of Surface Effect Ships

Sørlandet Knowledge Foundation and the Regional Research Council Agder has granted ESNA funding to develop the next generation of Surface Effect Ships for offshore service operations. ESNA, an independent naval architects and ship design company for high speed vessels, specialises in air cushioned catamaran Surface Effect Ships.

ESNA operates at the crossroads between advanced military and commercial high speed craft technology and the market for offshore renewable energy and maritime operations. The company develops designs with outstanding performance, seakeeping and comfort, higher speed and with lower power consumption and emissions for a greener future.

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Solar powered SeaVax hoover concept set to clean up the oceans

The new SeaVax solar and wind powered vessel concept will be able to clean up the oceans
The new SeaVax solar and wind powered vessel concept will be able to clean up the oceans

A team of inventors from Sussex, England, has developed a solar and wind-powered boat that can suck up plastic waste.

Bluebird Marine Systems unveiled their proof of concept at the government funded Innovate UK show in London in late 2015 and are now crowd funding the construction of a full-scale vessel.

SeaVax, when built, it will be 44 meters (144 feet) long, have a suction head some 13.5 meters (44 foot) wide, and will be fully autonomous. Deck-mounted solar panels and two wind turbines will feed power to electric pumps and filters that will suck up plastic solids and micro plastics.

Continue reading “Solar powered SeaVax hoover concept set to clean up the oceans”

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