Products & services

Chantiers de l’Atlantique contracts ALMACO to provide catering solutions for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 17 June 2022 17 June 2022

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s new LNG-powered luxury superyachts, Ilma and Luminara, will be equipped with state-of-the-art galleys, provision stores, and refrigeration machinery solutions by ALMACO. The work will take place at the shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique and the deliveries of the superyachts are scheduled for 2024 and 2025. ALMACO will also provide the superyachts with support and lifecycle services during operation.

Each of the newbuild superyachts will have a variety of culinary venues. The superior dining and service level of the superyachts calls for state-of-the-art catering solutions with the latest technology and highest sustainability requirements.

ALMACO’s scope of work in these projects consists of a Visual Turnkey delivery of all galleys onboard, as well as all equipment supply and installation of the galley areas consisting of 1,200 m2. ALMACO will also supply and install all equipment for the provision store areas of 525 m2 and deliver the refrigeration machinery system. Besides delivering the catering areas, systems, and equipment, ALMACO has also included a lifecycle service agreement with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, consisting of pre-planned maintenance and supply of a spare parts package.

The newbuild vessels will be constructed at Chantiers de l’Atlantique and the delivery of the vessels will take place in 2024 and 2025. Frédéric Vasseur, President of Catering Systems at ALMACO, says, “As always, it’s an honor and pleasure to be invited to join a project by our long-term partner Chantiers de l’Atlantique. We have a long track record of mutual successful projects, and I am confident this project will be a success too.” He continues, “We share the same process-driven and innovative mindset and commitment to research and development. That makes working together extra inspiring.”

Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam converts former Princess ship into Azamara Onward

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 12 June 2022 12 June 2022

The fourth ship was added to the fleet of the cruise line operator Azamara following extensive refitting at the yard of Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam. Benefiting from equipment overhaul and conversion to cleaner fuel, Azamara Onward sailed to Monte Carlo for its naming festivity on 2 May.

The 180 meter passenger vessel was berthed alongside at the Amsterdam yard from August 2021 to get an upgrade to the standards of cruise operator Azamara, refurbishing all cabins and suites and adding spa suites and terrace rooms. Passenger shared spaces like restaurants were upgraded and a new bar was created. As a relatively small vessel in today’s cruise market, this vessel aims to offer an intimate luxury cruise experience.

From mid-March through April 2022, the vessel was in the largest dry dock of Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam where technical and maritime conversion was performed. Lots of steel work for the reconstruction of deck arrangements, balcony structures allowed for the creation of the newly planned luxury suites, some of them with their own Jacuzzi baths. This steel work was on deck 8 and 9, where also the onboard spa is located. Steel reinforcements were placed to support the spa pools and installations.

Tanks for ballast water and fuel oil were restructured, to accommodate for bunkering larger volumes of Marine Grade Diesel. The work included a lot of piping throughout the vessel and the engine room. The grey water tanks as well as the tanktop were replaced. Stabilisers both on starboard and port were overhauled and the shaft seals were replaced. Thrusters were upgraded to allow for the use of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants. The tailshaft and the propeller seal were replaced.

The hull was completely cleaned and painted to fit in the appearance of the Azamara fleet. The steel logo on the top side was taken off and replaced with the new sign Azamara Onward. Performing all of these interior, exterior and technical upgrades in limited time, required complicated logistical planning and strict schedules. “It was challenging to organise all the operations to be performed in time and in a manner that steel work does not interfere with decorative jobs,” says project manager Colin Husslage from Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam. “We managed to deliver the ship to its proud new owner at the date agreed, so Azamara can have it in full service during the 2022 season.”

“Azamara selected Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam to complete the revitalization of the Azamara Onward following an extensive comparative analysis of shipyards in Europe,” says Head of Marine Operations Nico Corbijn of Azamara. “With an estimated investment of approximately 55 million dollars, it was very important for us to identify a yard that could provide not only the technical expertise and know-how for this large project, but also offer logistical support for the outfitting companies and their teams that would be attending the ship daily. Despite the supply chain and labour challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Damen delivered beyond our expectations. The yard team’s collaborative spirit and “can-do” attitude made this refit a technical success, and a reason for us to return to Amsterdam for future engagements.”

Telenor Maritime provides connectivity products for Ambassador Cruise Line

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 June 2022 05 June 2022

The new cruise line, the first in operation in the UK for over a decade, will be sailing in the Mediterranean, Greenland, N. America and Iceland. Telenor Maritime has advised on the network design and installation, providing a suite of connectivity products for the cruise line’s first ship, Ambience.

The solution is a combination of Ku-band VSAT and mobile broadband backhaul, that will provide connectivity to passengers’ devices when roaming into the mobile network on board. Bandwidth will also be used by Ambassador Cruise Line to provide competitively priced Wi-Fi to guests and crew

VSAT backhaul has traditionally been expensive, and for small cruise lines, it has been difficult to negotiate better prices given the relatively low volume. Telenor Maritime’s flexible capacity model for smaller fleets gives customers great flexibility to scale capacity to demand - at an affordable price.

“We are sailing in Europe, Caribbean, North America and Greenland - such global coverage comes at a cost. With Telenor Maritime’s flexible business model and global connectivity, we can be sure that we are paying the right price for the capacity we need.”, says Gary Hides, Chief Technology Officer at Ambassador Cruise Line.

Telenor Maritime has over 400 roaming agreements worldwide, ensuring that Ambience’s passengers can stay connected with their friends and family at home, during their cruise holiday.

WinGD launches software-based solution for EEXI compliance

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 June 2022 09 June 2022

Swiss marine power company WinGD has launched a software-based Engine Power Limitation (EPL) system to enable rapid and cost-effective compliance with the IMO’s EEXI regulations, which enter into force next year.

The solution uses the engine control system to limit engine power to meet EEXI design efficiency baselines and includes a required emergency override capability. It is applicable to all WinGD, Wärtsilä and Sulzer X, X-DF, and RT-flex two-stroke engines operating with UNIC or WECS-9520 engine control systems.

Amid concerns over yard space as operators rush to install EEXI compliance solutions, WinGD’s EPL can be installed in a single port stay with no engine downtime. WinGD has established a strong global installation network of engine experts, and authorised agents to ensure vessels can secure EEXI compliance without disrupting their planned voyage schedule.

Dr. Rudolf Holtbecker, WinGD Operations Director said: “Some EEXI solutions could involve high retrofitting costs or have a knock-on impact on operations or engine performance. A software-based EPL from the engine designer is the most economical way to meet the new requirements while safeguarding reliability and minimizing disruption to the fleet.”

The EPL offering complements WinGD’s solutions ecosystem of future fuel capability, hybrid power, and digital optimisation to help ship owners and operators choose the most flexible, practical, and cost-effective route towards decarbonisation.

“This solution leverages our deep understanding of engine design and operating experience. It represents an important step in greenhouse gas emissions compliance for WinGD engine users, providing a compliant baseline engine output from which operational emissions can be further reduced in line with evolving regulations.” said Holtbecker.

The product is being presented to customers at the Posidonia conference and exhibition in Athens, Greece on June 6 to 10.

Deltamarin to design climate-friendly train ferry for Fennorail

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 June 2022 05 June 2022

Deltamarin has signed a contract with Oy Fennorail Ltd for conceptual design of the Eurocarrier train ferry capable of carrying both train and truck cargo.

The aim of the Eurocarrier train ferry is to connect Finland to the European TEN-T railway networks and create a connection across Eastern Europe to Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Approximately 400,000 trucks per year, or almost 1,100 trucks per day travel on car ferries between Finland and Estonia. The emission footprint from heavy goods vehicles (road cargo) is more than five times greater than rail traffic, so significant emission reduction can be achieved by shifting a portion of the cargo from road to rail.

The vessel will operate in the Baltic Sea and have a capacity of more than 1,000 lane meters for train cargo and an additional 1,500 lane meters for trucks. The objective is to develop the world’s greenest train ferry by optimising the design and selecting machinery system compatible with alternative fuels such as LNG and green hydrogen.

Kaj Jansson, Member of the Board of Fennorail Ltd, says “We strive to make the train ferry climate-friendly and profitable. The train ferry will have multifuel marine engines that can run on either pure LNG, a mixture of LNG and green hydrogen or Marine Gas Oil (MGO). Ships propulsion system is arranged by two 360-degree rotating POD’s which increases the propulsion efficiency and ships manoeuvrability. Deltamarin is well acquainted with these technologies and their manufacturers and combines them with their own advanced ship design knowledge. In addition, they have well proven experience in supervising the ships construction process.”

“We are very happy that Fennorail with its partners have selected Deltamarin to design this unique vessel, which aims to connect Finland to the European railway network and support the goals of the Paris Agreement by moving part of the road cargo onto rail, offering significant emission cuts per transported cargo tonne-kilometre. Deltamarin is known as the leading designer for environmentally friendly vessels, and this project is a good continuation of our pathway towards zero-carbon shipping,” says Deltamarin’s Sales Manager, Jaakko Lappi.

Work is already on-going and will be done at the Deltamarin offices in Finland.