Products & services

Independent tests confirm Norsepower Rotor Sail savings on Viking Grace

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 16 May 2019 16 May 2019

Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading provider of low maintenance, software operated, data verified auxiliary renewable wind energy propulsion systems, today announced that independent test results showed that Norsepower’s Rotor Sail technology has great potential to deliver savings on the Viking Line-owned and operated Viking Grace. Long term LNG marine fuel savings are expected to be up to around 300 tonnes on annual basis.

When looking at fuel consumption alone over the measurement period, the savings were not immediately evident. However, when expert analysis companies NAPA and ABB reviewed the data, they were able to isolate an evident change in the propulsion power breakdown of Viking Grace, caused by the Rotor Sail. The same conclusion was confirmed with a strain gauge analysis, where forward thrust of the Rotor Sail was measured and converted into propulsion power. Based on the different analyses, the expected long-term change in Viking Grace's annual fuel consumption due to the Rotor Sail has been verified to be between 231 and 315 tonnes on annual basis, equalling an average propulsion power between 207kW and 282kW. According to the analysis results, the Rotor Sail delivers more forward thrust on the open sea legs of the route for the Viking Grace, but due to the route being located mostly in the archipelago, the annual fuel savings potential is on the same level within both route areas.

As a result, Viking Line and Norsepower have agreed to continue collaboratively using and optimising the Rotor Sail on the Viking Grace with the technology now fully operational.

Tuomas Riski, CEO, Norsepower, commented: “When the test period began, we had some challenges with our new product, but were able to fix them quickly, and since the end of September 2018, the technical availability of the Rotor Sail has been around 97%. We are pleased to see that independent testing from respected, independent companies NAPA and ABB has shown impressive fuel savings potential on the Viking Grace. This project has confirmed, that our technology works also with high-speed cruise ferries and that favourable results can be achieved with a service speed of 21 knots.

During the last year we have been using the Rotor Sails in extreme weather conditions including icing events and high wind speeds, in which the Rotor Sail has been operational. Based on the harsh weather experiences so far, the Rotor Sail can be operated around the year without any weather-related issues.”

Commenting on the trials, Jan Hanses, CEO, Viking Line said: “As an Åland shipping company, we rely on the sea for our livelihood so it’s of prime importance for us to promote the well-being of the marine sea. We want to pioneer the use of solutions that reduce the environmental load. Viking Line has been testing the Rotor Sail on Viking Grace for a year now, and together with Norsepower we will continue testing and optimising the sail for its current route. We are proud to be the first in the world to trial Norsepower’s world-class mechanical Rotor Sail Solution on a cruise ferry.”

“This analysis showcases the importance of onboard data collection and the value of ABB’s analytical services. Besides optimising operations through improved energy efficiency on board Viking Grace, the data collected by ABB Ability Marine Advisory System OCTOPUS was used to calculate the savings gained from the Rotor Sail without disturbing operations,” said Marcus Högblom, Head of Passenger Vessel segment at ABB Marine & Ports.

Jaakko Talonen, Data Scientist, NAPA said: “In the actual navigational conditions there is always variation in the environment, which has an important effect on the fuel consumption. This is why a statistical regression model was applied, to overcome the variations in the comparison conditions and to disclose the effect of the Rotor Sail. The long history of NAPA on ship performance modelling gave a really good basis for the study.”

Complete results of all Rotor Sail performance analysis on Viking Grace is available at www.norsepower.com/vikinggrace.

Operating in the archipelago between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden), the 57,565 gross ton Viking Grace was retrofitted with one medium-sized Norsepower Rotor Sail Unit in April 2018, making it the first-ever global LNG / wind electric propulsion ship.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution, which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships without off-hire costs, is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor; a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind to propel a ship. The solution is fully automated and senses whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel savings, at which point the rotors start automatically – optimising crew time and resource.

In addition to the installation onboard the Viking Grace, Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution is also installed onboard the Bore’s Estraden, a 9,700 DWT Ro-Ro carrier and Maersk Tanker’s 110,000 DWT Maersk Pelican.

Adonis to hold User Conference in Bergen on June 6-7

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 16 May 2019 16 May 2019

Adonis AS, global providers of HR systems for the maritime industry, will hold the Adonis User Conference 2019, on June 6 and 7, at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, located in scenic Bryggen, a historical seaside area in Bergen, Norway. The Conference will bring together the Adonis' management, as well as specialists, support staff, partners and Adonis users from all over the world for in-depth presentations and conversations on technical and functional aspects of the Adonis Maritime Suite.

The conference will offer a series of break-out sessions, and will include social and cultural events set against the medieval beauty of Bryggen, which has been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites since 1979.

“We look forward to seeing all of our partners and customers in Bryggen and discussing topics of common interest,” said Sigrid Kviteberg, Director of Customer Services at Adonis. “It’s a great opportunity for Adonis users to meet, share their experiences and get insights from our senior staff on aspects of the suite and on what’s ahead. It will be two action-packed days of learning, socializing and culture in Norway’s most scenic city.”

Damen Shipyards Group opens new engineering centre in Helsinki

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 14 May 2019 14 May 2019

Damen has established a presence in Finland for the first time. The Helsinki office has been set up to take advantage of the depth of engineering expertise that exists in the country following the group’s entry last year into building large vessels for the ropax, cruise and offshore markets via its new Romanian yard, Damen Shipyards Mangalia. The new office will augment and extend Damen’s engineering capability in this market segment.

Finland was selected as the location because, along with Italy, Germany and France, it is one of the leading countries in the world in the design and build of cruise and ropax vessels; this in combination with particular expertise in ice-class vessels, a growing segment of the cruise market. Helsinki also has excellent connections to Poland and The Netherlands, allowing for optimal collaboration between the Damen engineering entities situated in Gdansk and Rotterdam. Damen Engineering Helsinki Oy will focus on concept and basic engineering with an initial target of around 30 people to be based there by the end of 2020 working in close cooperation with their colleagues within Damen.

The office is also intended as a showcase for Damen in Finland, welcoming both customers and suppliers, as well as seeking collaborating with local, specialized maritime engineering entities. With that in mind, a lot of effort went into finding the right premises. A recently renovated building has been selected in a central location in Helsinki. The area is currently undergoing regeneration from being a former industrial harbour & fish market and offers excellent commuting connections and a pleasant work environment for Damen’s employees.

“We are now focused on building the team,” said Damen’s Frank Rebel, “and we already have two projects to start with: a cruise vessel and a roro vessel. Members of Damen’s Helsinki team will have the opportunity to add real value to these and other projects in the future. We look forward to welcoming them into the Damen family.”

Mystic Cruises to implement Adonis across their new expedition fleet

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 16 May 2019 16 May 2019

Adonis AS, global providers of HR systems for the maritime industry, announced today that is has partnered with Mystic Cruises to implement the complete Adonis Maritime Suite to manage recruitment, crewing, payroll and crew self-service across their entire new fleet of Expedition Cruise vessels. Mystic will launch their first ocean ship, the World Explorer, this year and have announced the construction of two new vessels, the World Voyager and World Navigator.

Mystic Cruises is an ocean cruise division belonging to Mystic Invest, a Portuguese privately held financial holding with more than 25 years of experience in the shipping sector. The company is dedicated to operating expeditionary cruise programs in Antarctica, offering unique experiences in an eco-friendly way. Mystic Cruises allows guests to explore the unspoiled landscapes of the frozen continent with all the comfort of a five-star cruise ship.

“We are honoured to partner with Mystic Cruises and look forward to providing their organization with comprehensive HR support, allowing them to focus on making their tours of Antarctica such memorable experiences, “ said Sigrid Kviteberg, Delivery Director at Adonis. “Our partnership with Mystic is the most recent in a series of new contracts with expedition cruise lines, further underscoring the value our Maritime HR Suite and confirming our leadership within this segment of the maritime industry.”

“Mystic Cruises is focused on creating memorable experiences for our guests aboard our cruises, be they in the Antarctica or the Norwegian Fjords.” explained Mario Ferreira, CEO of Mystic Cruises, “For that we need a highly skilled and motivated crew, and that is only possible if we can properly manage them, offering the best conditions and opportunities to develop a career in the cruise industry with our company.” We looked at different software’s and we quickly realized that Adonis was the right partner for our operation.

David Sagrista, Operations Manager for Mystic Cruises, stated that “to be able to be the best in a competitive industry such as the expedition cruises segment, you need to have the proper tools available in the market. For us Adonis Maritime HR Suite offers the perfect expertise and flexibility we need to ensure that we can do a great job at sea and in our corporate offices. Thanks to Adonis we can streamline our processes between our ships and offices, comply with maritime rules around the world, control our multinational crew payroll and effectively manage crew turnarounds and time cards, allowing us to be cost efficient and focused in this area which is extremely important to the company success.

AIDAcara provides first cruise ship reference for Aquaterras biocide free antifouling

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 14 May 2019 14 May 2019

Nippon Paint Marine has successfully applied its novel Aquaterras hull coating to AIDA Cruises’ 38,531 gross ton cruise vessel AIDAcara. It is the first-ever full application of the revolutionary biocide free, self-polishing (SPC) antifouling to a cruise ship.

AIDA Cruises’ decision to use the coating follows the success of test patches on a number of Carnival Corporation cruise ships. Nippon Paint’s research has shown that use of Aquaterras can potentially reduce fuel consumption by more than 10% compared to standard SPCs, due to the coating’s ultra-smooth surface and low friction attributes.

After carrying out surface preparation by full hydro-blasting during the vessel’s scheduled drydocking in February at CNdM Marseille, France, all underwater areas of AIDAcara’s hull were coated with Aquaterras – the world’s only biocide-free self-polishing antifouling coating. The coating was applied using standard equipment and without complicated masking, a process that often extends the application time for silicone-type foul-release coatings.

“This application is the result of a long-standing project with Nippon Paint Marine to find an environmentally-sustainable way of reducing ships’ energy consumption,” says Jukka Ignatius, Superintendent, Innovation & Energy Management, Carnival Maritime GmbH, which is responsible for the technical and nautical operation of the AIDA ships

“The feedback from joint testing and in-water inspections of test patches applied to our ships over the past three years has shown Aquaterras to be an effective antifouling that does not leach hazardous biocides into the water column. The expected reduced frictional resistance also helps towards reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, emissions, which is very much in keeping with our overall strategy of reducing the impact of operations on the marine environment,” Jukka Ignatius explains.

Aquaterras is a patent-protected micro-domain SPC antifouling material that is based on a carefully formulated mix of hydrophilic and hydrophobic components, similar to the technology used to create artificial hearts and blood vessels where surfaces are required to suppress platelet aggregation. It contains no heavy biocidal pigments, active ingredients nor silicone but is proven to reduce ship’s drag (frictional resistance) by up to 10%.

John Drew, Director, Nippon Paint Marine, said: “We are delighted that a Carnival brand cruise line has become the sector’s first reference for Aquaterras. For AIDAcara, the antifouling’s extremely low surface roughness will result in reduced operational expenditure, reduced emissions and reduced hull maintenance.”

“After application, surface roughness measurements were as low as 40µm and averaged 63µm, but since Aquaterras is self-polishing the overall hull roughness should become even lower as the vessel continues on its regular operations.”

Regular biocide containing SPC’s generally have an Average Hull Roughness (AHR) of around 100µm.

Aquaterras can be applied to ships directly over approved biocidal SPC antifouling paints and can even be overcoated by other SPC antifouling paints without needing to be removed.

As AIDAcara is now operating its regular itinerary, AIDA Cruises and Nippon Paint Marine continue to monitor the coating’s performance by studying the ship speed and propulsion power until the ship’s next scheduled drydocking.