Products & services

Fincantieri Marine Systems launches thruster family

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 02 December 2020 02 December 2020

 

Fincantieri Marine Systems Business Unit has introduced an innovative family of tunnel thrusters by establishing a new state of the art in terms of comfort, reliability, environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.

A leading maritime classification society validated and certified the results of the hydrodynamic optimization, confirming that Fincantieri thrusters reach the lowest levels of vibrations and noise available on the market, capable of satisfying even the needs of the most demanding segments.

A cutting edge patented system of tunnel closure elements (thruster shutters) ensures a significant reduction in terms of hull drag and total required propulsion power, with a fuel saving between 5% and 10%.

This innovative solution consists in high transversal thrust performances (optimized hydrodynamic flow), mechanical protection of propeller (assembly designed to act as a grid) and compactness. The adopted design solution paid the utmost attention to maintainability criteria, allowing to minimize the time of dry-dock operations and to carry out maintenance with floating ship. The reduced interface guarantees easy arrangements on new projects and retrofit on existing tunnels.

Fincantieri is capable to offer a complete and cutting-edge Green Package, designed for the highest sustainability of the top performing and reliable set of marine equipment:

 

• the last born high comfort Tunnel Thruster System completed by its tunnel closure for a perfect hull restoring while cruising;

 

• fin Stabilizers for energy saving and environment protection through its patented grease lubrication (studied for an easy retrofit);

 

• the high-efficiency Heat Recovery System dedicated to on board application.

 

These advanced components are conceived through cutting-edge design solutions aimed to maximize energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of the entire ship system.

The SMS Group benefits from port calls in Southampton

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 24 November 2020 24 November 2020

The SMS Group relocated their Southampton base just eight weeks ago; the business has proudly become the only ship repairer based within the Port of Southampton, UK. Its ‘total service’ offering has helped drive Cruise ship revenues even in these challenging times, supporting a dozen vessels in one month.

"The SMS Group, has an enviable reputation as specialists in ship repair, marine engineering and major fabrication projects in the Commercial Marine, Defence, Cruise and Superyachts sectors," the company said in a statement.

The business has recently moved to Western Avenue, within ABP Southampton’s footprint adjacent the King George V drydock. The move has helped ensure Cruise related revenue.

Nicholas Warren, the firm’s Commercial Director, comments: “Cruise is so important to our business. Dan Lockyer and his team lead our fit out and marine refurbishment business. Ben Rowe and Dave Chaffers support the ships’ engineering requirements and from the same site in Southampton our sister company Global Services manages the vessels’ procurement and supplies need.”

He goes on to say: “The provision of ‘Ride On Squads’ across both our engineering business and out fit business has enabled us to capitalise on our unique position in Southampton. Short, sharp port calls have allowed us to demob and remob quickly, and efficiently, to the benefit of all our Cruise customers; and our focus on longer-term relationships and the ‘life time’ value of customers ensures that we price correctly and deliver the very best service.

“This month alone we’ve attended over a dozen ships within the port.”

Dan Lockyer, Head of Interiors, comments: “Changes in the Cruise sector have presented an obvious challenge, but we, in-line with the Carnival Corporation chief executive Arnold Donald, remain ‘cautiously optimistic’.

“Our pipeline is very strong, our network growing daily, and perhaps more importantly our forward order book looks genuinely healthy.

“A big win for us has been the ‘Ride On Squads’. They’re lower revenue but allow our customers to make the most of both their budgets and capacity onboard.

“Our short-term future is focussed on smaller packages of work, but very soon we hope to see a meaningful recovery; both ‘universal testing’ and vaccines will ensure the industry recovers quickly.”

The SMS Group will be investing in both the fabrication workshop and the new mechanical workshop. The site will also benefit from new signage and further investment in the offices.

Additional capacity will be added to the footprint for the fit out and marine refurbishment team too.

The location will improve the company’s quayside presence, and its mobility with the city’s port infrastructure.

Trimline works to return cruise and ferry fleets to service

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 26 November 2020 26 November 2020

In all Trimline‘s 55 years’ as a dedicated marine interior outfitter, this year our industry finds itself facing a unique challenge. "Undaunted by this situation, we have adapted quickly and are working closely with the cruise and ferry industries to help them to get their fleets back into service and welcome passenger again," the company said in a statement.

"Our adaptable and experienced teams of tradespeople are often boarding ships at sea with minimal crew and no passengers onboard, to carry out essential maintenance works in order to ensure the high standards onboard are maintained. Safeguarding works are also being carried out to ensure cruise lines adhere to the frameworks developed by the Chamber of Shipping and CLIA in the UK and CDC in the United States," it continued

"Whilst the outlook is difficult to predict, our clients have already seen a reasonable increase in bookings for 2021.
While we’ve seen some clients being forced to push back their planned large-scale refurbishments, other clients are continuing with larger works and we are delighted to work with P&O Ferries for the first time."

Simon Dawkins, Commercial Manager said “One thing is clear to us at Trimline – since our inception in 1965, we’ve continuously evolved our business to support our clients throughout world events, and this will be no different. We’ll continue to support our clients with a first-class interior outfitting and maintenance service for many years to come.”

ABB wins $150 million order for five Fincantieri vessels

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 18 November 2020 18 November 2020

Strengthening its preferred supplier position in the cruise segment, ABB will equip five newbuild vessels with Azipod electric propulsion, which has a proven ability to significantly reduce fuel consumption on board.

Each cruise ship will be powered by twin Azipod units, bringing the total ordered propulsion power for the five newbuilds to 178 megawatts (238,700 horsepower). Part of the order includes the largest and most powerful Azipod propulsion units ever to be installed at Fincantieri, rating at 20 megawatts each. The vessels will enter service between 2023 and 2026.

“We look forward to collaborating with Fincantieri on these world-class vessels, setting them on course for eco-conscious cruising. Today’s passengers expect sustainable journeys, and we are honored to support Fincantieri’s environmental goals with our technology that stands for innovation and efficiency like no other,” said Juha Koskela, Division President, ABB Marine & Ports.

“Our collaboration with ABB spans over two decades, with the first Azipod propulsion installation at Fincantieri dating back to late 1990s. Today, we are taking further advancements in our commitment to environmentally friendly shipping, and we are delighted to once again work with a trusted partner whose solutions have over the years delivered superior performance, reliability, safety and sustainability gains for the cruise segment,” said Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ships Division, Fincantieri.

With the electric drive motor situated in a submerged pod outside the ship hull, the Azipod system can rotate 360 degrees, significantly increasing maneuverability and operating efficiency of a vessel and cutting fuel consumption by up to 20 percent compared to conventional shaftline systems.

Today, over 100 cruise vessels rely on Azipod technology, which has become the industry standard in the cruise segment. Since its launch three decades ago, Azipod propulsion has saved a total of over 900,000 tons of fuel in the passenger cruise segment alone. Options for Azipod propulsion range from 1 to 22 megawatts, and its technology plays a key role in ABB’s strong position for environmentally friendly electric propulsion.

Each vessel will also feature ABB’s integrated electric power plant setup, encompassing generators, drives, switchboards, propulsion transformers and a remote-control system to maneuver the Azipod units from the bridge. Combining Azipod propulsion with the electric power plant allows to configure all relevant equipment for optimized performance, resulting in increased efficiency and sustainability of operations.

In line with ABB Marine & Ports ‘Electric. Digital. Connected.’ approach that envisages shipping’s digital and connected future, these vessels will have the capability to leverage the ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations infrastructure and centers. Collaborative Operations uses remote equipment monitoring and data analytics to enable predictive maintenance, planned interventions and remote technical support.