Products & services

MJM Marine receives multi-million pound contract from Marella Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 08 July 2022 08 July 2022

Cruise ship outfitter MJM Marine has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract with Marella Cruises, for significant refurbishment work onboard Marella Discovery.

Engaging MJM to deliver the project, Marella Discovery will undergo the multi-million-pound outfitting of its cabins and suites, with works scheduled to take place in November 2022 whilst in drydock in Cádiz, Spain.

Having recently worked with the cruise operator aboard Marella Explorer supplying antimicrobial lighting solutions for public restrooms, in partnership with VYV, MJM presents another major milestone in the onboard installation of the VYV technology, with its introduction to the wet units within the Marella Discovery cabin refresh project. The innovative and sustainably conscious antimicrobial applications enable MJM to supplement stringent onboard measures with further antimicrobial coverage within the cabin spaces, offering an additional layer of protection for passengers and crew to sail safely and securely with a new standard of environmental wellness.

Gary Annett, CEO of MJM Marine said, “Our team here at MJM are delighted to be partnering with the team at Marella Cruises for the outfitting of the cabins and suites onboard Marella Discovery. We are continually adapting and enhancing our offerings to match the new ways of operating in the cruise industry, post pandemic. Through our partnership with Vyv, we can present solutions to Marella that facilitates safeguarding measures alongside the delivery of our bespoke turnkey outfitting expertise, all without compromising on the quality and craftsmanship synonymous with our company values.”

“Teaming up with MJM Marine and LightPartner Lichtsysteme GmbH & Co. KG creates a winning partnership for playing an important role in the wellness and sustainability measures implemented onboard Marella cruise ships by helping to satisfy the demand for demonstrable environmental wellness features,” noted Colleen Costello, CEO of Vyv. “Once installed, our overhead lighting technology works non-stop to protect the environments passengers and crew frequent from many common germs, so they can cruise without worry.”

The multi-million-pound Marella Discovery cabin and suite refurbishment contract further provides a unique opportunity to aid the growth of both MJM and the local economy, as the company announce a significant number of new job prospects, particularly in the Newry, Mourne and Down area where MJM Marine are headquartered.

Gary added, “We are very proud of our company heritage in Northern Ireland and as we continue to expand our diverse portfolio of large industry clients and projects, such as Marella Cruises’ Discovery, we are delighted to present more opportunities back to the community, adding to the multi-skilled and accomplished MJM workforce that consistently deliver the highest calibre of outfitting onboard every project.”

Versonix deploys cutting-edge machine learning technology

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 02 July 2022 02 July 2022

Unlocking its full potential to drive new levels of efficiency and performance, Versonix has deployed cutting-edge machine learning technology to its Seaware Analytics module.

Facilitating the flow of reservation data into the data repository, the ML engine weighs actual patterns against target booking curves, correlating performance between various categories and departure dates. Allowing customers to control strategic pricing for multiple virtual categories and implementing pricing strategies for all physical categories. Providing this flywheel of data enables the module to move from recommendations to semi-automatic and eventually fully automatic and real-time adjustments. All the while, Seaware “learns” as it continues to work with clients and partners on fine-tuning the model.

Versonix realizes machine learning technology is a competitive necessity and essential to impacting the travel and leisure industry’s future. Below are 6 major ways ML brings value to our customers:

Six major ways of machine learning

– Cost reduction: Applying ML and intelligent automation solutions to automate tasks that are relatively low value and often repetitive, reducing costs through improved efficiency and quality.
– Speed to execution: Reducing the time required to achieve operational and business results by minimizing latency.
– Reduced complexity: Improving understanding and decision making through analytics that are more proactive, predictive and able to see patterns in increasingly complex sources.
– Transformed engagement: Changing the way people interact with technology, enabling businesses to engage with people on human terms rather than forcing humans to engage on machine terms.
– Fueled innovation: Redefining where to play and how to win by using ML to enable innovative new products, markets and business models.
– Fortified trust: Securing a business from risks such as fraud and cyber and improving quality and consistency while enabling greater transparency to enhance brand trust.

Wärtsilä to supply largest battery pack to Stena RoRo hybrid newbuildings

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 June 2022 21 June 2022

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply its hybrid propulsion system for three new RoPax vessel currently built for Stena RoRo, Europe´s largest ferry company. Two of the ferries will have a battery capacity of 11.5 MWh, making them the marine industry’s largest hybrid vessels to date. This battery power is approximately double that typically being used currently for hybrid propulsion. The order was placed in May 2022.

The ships have been designed and developed by Stena RoRo and Brittany Ferries and they will be long term chartered to Brittany Ferries for operation between Portsmouth in the UK and French ports of St Malo and Caen. Wärtsilä had already earlier been contracted to supply a broad range of solutions for the vessels, including the main and auxiliary engines, gearboxes, controllable pitch propellers (CPPs), thrusters, the fuel gas supply system, Nacos navigation and automation as well as integrated control alarm and monitoring system. The ships will be capable of operating with either LNG fuel or batteries.

The vessels will be equipped with the latest generation Leclanché energy storage system – the Navius MRS-3 – which has both a size and weight advantage versus comparable marine batteries.

“Stena wants to be a frontrunner in decarbonising our fleet and, together with our partners, pushing developments towards zero emission operations,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo. “Hybridisation allows our vessels to be highly flexible as we adapt to future technology developments, including green fuels, fuel cells, bigger batteries, and solar or wind supported propulsion.”

“Brittany Ferries is proud to be taking a lead in sustainable shipping, working with our partners to bring cleaner vessels to the regions in which we operate,” added Christophe Mathieu Brittany Ferries CEO. “Hybrid technology continues to move our fleet renewal programme forward and will follow the introduction of two LNG-powered ships. From day one of operation, ports like St Malo in France and Portsmouth in the UK will benefit from these cleaner hybrid vessels. Shore-side power capability means further benefits will be realised, as investment by ports in plug-in infrastructure allows.”

“Hybridisation is one way of shaping decarbonisation of the marine industry. This order further strengthens Wärtsilä’s leadership in the hybrid segment. The extensive battery size will allow the vessels to operate with full power, using both propellers and all thrusters to manoeuvre emissions-free in and out of ports, even in bad weather. The built-in shore power solution will charge the batteries while berthed,” comments Håkan Agnevall, President & CEO, Wärtsilä. “Wärtsilä’s unique Energy Management System will optimise the total hybrid propulsion system.”

Important elements of hybrid vessels include the ability to integrate multiple vessel systems and real-time optimisation of the on-board energy system. Wärtsilä combines a wide range of system expertise across a broad range of ship power and propulsion machinery. Combining the benefits of the hybrid propulsion system and shore power leads up to 15% GHG emission reduction.

WinGD X-EL Energy Solutions brings engine expertise to energy system integration

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 June 2022 23 June 2022

Swiss marine power company WinGD has introduced a new battery-hybrid power integration and sustainability advisory service, X-EL Energy Solutions. By integrating two-stroke marine engine control into the electrified vessel power system for the first time, X-EL Energy Solutions aims to widen the range of vessels that can benefit from electrification as shipping seeks to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.

With X-EL Energy Solutions, WinGD has developed proprietary expertise and digital tools to simulate, design and deploy the entire vessel powertrain, incorporating in-line shaft generators, frequency converters, thrusters and, whenever required, battery systems, integrated with the main engine. The overall power configuration is controlled by a holistic energy management system that offers dynamic optimisation to real-time vessel operating conditions.

“Electrification will be crucial both to reduce emissions and to reduce consumption of expensive fuels. Our holistic approach to designing power arrangements involves the entire energy system, not merely the main engine or any other individual component or a sub-system. The X-EL solutions are in complete alignment with the maritime industry’s ongoing energy transition by enabling greater efficiency,” said Stefan Goranov, General Manager Sustainability Solutions at WinGD.

As the most efficient energy provider on big merchant vessels, the two-stroke engine plays a central role in the overall power system, offering far greater fuel efficiency and lower operating costs than auxiliary generating sets when used to generate electricity, especially on partial loads. WinGD’s engine design expertise gives it unique insight into how engines need to interface with other components of the energy system to maximise energy efficiency.

WinGD has developed strong relationships with suppliers of key components, including shaft generators, frequency converters and batteries, to enable accurate simulation of complete energy systems. This ensures an optimal system can be developed virtually, reducing the risk of integration challenges while the vessel is being commissioned and in service.

WinGD’s proprietary energy management system ensures that the vessel has the right power delivered in the most fuel-efficient way at all times. It combines simulation of the energy system with real-time monitoring to identify the most suitable mode of operation for current conditions as well as improving reliability and load response across the integrated power system.

The launch of X-EL Energy Solutions follows WinGD’s first contract to deliver hybrid system integration and energy management, for four LNG-fueled pure car and truck carriers due to enter service in 2023. The vessels will be powered by X-DF2.1 dual-fuel engines as part of a battery-hybrid system developed by X-EL Energy Solutions.

Goranov explained: “By integrating electric hybrid technologies that are customised for the individual vessel’s characteristics and operating profiles, along with our proprietary energy management system, we can ensure lifecycle capabilities for meeting operational and regulatory challenges.”

As well as designing and integrating systems X-EL Energy Solutions also offers advisory services, using its expertise and digital technologies to simulate optimal configurations and control strategies of energy systems for ship owners, shipyards, integrators, and naval architects.

Viken Group acquires Italian yacht designer HotLab

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 20 June 2022 20 June 2022

Viken Group announces the acquisition of the Italian Yacht Design and Architecture firm HotLab. The acquisition is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships and acquisitions strengthening Viken Group’s global offering of comprehensive design, naval architecture and project management services to both the cruise line and yachting industries.

Established in early 2022, Viken Group was formed by world-renown design firm Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS) in an effort to provide global expertise in multiple targeted areas of yacht and cruise line design and build.

HotLab’s “Architecture for Voyagers” approach to the design of its forward-leaning superyacht projects has garnered the firm dozens of prestigious international awards and accolades since its founding in Milan in 2004. Its intelligent yet simple approach to design relies heavily on calculated research and a purposeful balance between functional style and luxury.

HotLab joins TDoS and the Italian design and naval architecture firm Thalia Marine under the Viken Group umbrella, in a collaboration that will facilitate cost-efficient, customized service with stream- lined production process for each client. HotLab will maintain its office and employees in Milan, Italy, with company founders Enrico Lumini and Antonio Romano remaining at the helm.

“We have always focused on the quality of our design and on the professionalism of the entire HotLab team. As a proud extension of the Viken Group family, we can only increase both,” says Enrico Lumini, Design Manager HotLab.

“Becoming part of the Viken Group is something that makes us extremely proud. It is but more demonstration of our accomplishments to date and the promise of the development of even greater projects in the future,” adds Antonio Romano, Marketing Manager HotLab.“We are thrilled to welcome HotLab and its employees to Viken Group. HotLab’s Architecture for Voyagers approach is a welcome addition to our Group’s global offerings, which also comprise TDoS’s expertise in comprehensive cruise ship and large yacht design, and Thalia Marine’s technical brilliance. We are well on our way to realizing our vision to be better together for our employees and our clients, while striving for our overall goal of a better tomorrow,” says Stefan Nilsson, CEO Viken Group.

The acquisition allows TDoS to maintain its focus on cruise ships and large yachts while continuing to hone its unrivalled expertise in large ship back-of-house operations, meeting SOLAS regulations and cost-effective design solutions. We are well versed in the design and management of large projects and routinely coordinate with a variety of experts in multiple areas, from lighting to naval architecture, to ensure the best possible product for the end users. Viken Group’s strategic coordination allows TDoS to continue our exploration and expansion of sustainable design within the simplistic and natural approach that is inherent to our Scandinavian design heritage,” says Daniel Nerhagen, Yacht Director TDoS.

The acquisition of HotLab will both enrich and strength our cruise business Hall. “Collaborations between TDoS and HotLab will infuse the DNA of private luxury yacht design into cruise ships, thereby facilitating the design of super luxurious and efficient cruise ships. At the same time, our yacht brand will benefit from the commercial knowledge that we have from decades of experience in the cruise ship segment,” says Madelene Hall, CEO TDoS.

ABOUT VIKEN GROUP

Established in 2022, Viken Group is a conglomerate aimed at providing a full range of comprehensive design, naval architecture and project management services to both the cruise line and yachting industries. Comprised of multiple brands and strategic partnerships, Viken Group provides complementary and comprehensive services and expertise to each facet of the yacht and cruise business.

www.vikengroup.se

ABOUT HOTLAB

Established in Milan, Italy by Antonio Romano and Enrico Lumini, HotLab is a yacht design and naval architecture firm that has distinguished itself globally with forward-leaning, award-winning yacht designs that display the firm’s “Architecture for Voyagers” approach to balanced and purposeful luxury.