Products & services

Kongsberg Maritime: Integrated navigation and automation solution for new luxury ice class cruise ship

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 14 November 2016 14 November 2016

Kongsberg Maritime technology has been chosen for installation aboard Australian cruise line Scenic Cruises’ new ice class cruise ship. The 228-passenger, 168 metre long Scenic Eclipse features an ice strengthened hull, but with sleek lines and a myriad of state-of-the art technology and luxury fittings, it takes its design cues from the exclusive world of billionaire’s megayachts. Scenic Eclipse is currently under construction at Uljanik Shipyard in Croatia, with delivery expected during 2018.

The KONGSBERG scope of supply combines navigation and Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems, automation, Emergency Shutdown System (ESD), Power Management System (PMS) and Safety Management and Control System (SMCS) into a single Integrated Control System. It is designed to support the vessel’s operational profile as an ice class exploration vessel and will be integrated with an online diagnostics and remote service facility. The comprehensive K-Chief automation control system features close to 10,000 I/O points and will be distributed in the vessel’s fire zones to ensure maximum reliability and operation even in critical situations.

The Scenic Eclipse’s bridge will be focused around the K-Master Integrated Bridge System, a unique system designed with the operator in focus. The configuration is centred on two independent and redundant workstations, with multifunctional operator stations for navigation and positioning using a common user interface through touch screens, which replace traditional operator panels. An important aspect of the system will be Kongsberg Maritime’s unique redundant radar network, which uniquely enables navigators to combine signals from all four radars on board into a single picture for maximum situational awareness. In addition to navigation radars, the Scenic Eclipse will also have functions for ice detection, and wave height and direction calculations.

Scenic Eclipse will also benefit from the advanced KONGSBERG SMCS on board, which gathers all safety-relevant information into a common platform for manual and/or automatic processing. It ensures that sub-systems such as Fire Detection, Emergency Shutdown, Flooding Control, Fire Extinguishing, CCTV and the Integrated Alarm Monitoring and Control System (IAMCS) are all tightly interfaced, which enables a strong platform for safe operations. The SMCS provides adaptive information for each abnormal situation to allow the operator to deal with the situation efficiently by presenting the complete status through dynamic objects viewed on top of the general arrangement/ safety plan, including possibility for access and operation of the alarms list.

Three years in the planning and described by Scenic Cruises as ‘the world's first discovery yacht’, Scenic Eclipse is intended to take ocean cruising to a completely new level in terms of technology and innovation. Joining the KONGSBERG control and automation technology on board are two helicopters, a 7-person submarine and a marina with a fleet of Zodiac RIBS all in place to get guests close to the action. Luxury as well as technology is the key to the guest experience on board, with Scenic Cruises promising an almost 1:1 guest to staff/crew ratio, with all guest suites having a dedicated butler.

“We’re delighted to be part of such a unique vessel designed to offer something completely different to the burgeoning adventure cruises market,” said Halvard Foss, Vice President Sales Offshore Europe & Americas, Kongsberg Maritime. “Scenic Eclipse is special in every way, from the luxury guest experience to the vessel’s operational capabilities enabled by the systems we are supplying, which have already been tried and tested on some of the world’s largest cruise ships and the most exclusive megayachts.”

MAN Diesel & Turbo to supply Costa Asia and P&O Cruises Australia newbuilds

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 08 November 2016 08 November 2016

MAN Diesel & Turbo has won the engine-supply contract from Fincantieri for newbuildings ordered by Costa Asia and P&O Cruises, Australia. The two companies are members of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest leisure travel company with a combined fleet of over 100 ships across ten cruise brands.

Each vessel will feature 2 × 14V48/60CR + 3 × 8L48/60CR medium-speed MAN engines, providing 62,400 kW installed power. The engines will be delivered to Fincantieri’s shipyards in Monfalcone (Trieste) and Marghera (Venice) between August 2017 and September 2019.

Each newbuilding will measure 133,500 gross tonnes, have a length of 323 m, a passenger capacity of 4,000, and carry a crew of 1,450 personnel. Lex Nijsen – Head of Four-Stroke Marine – MAN Diesel & Turbo, said: “We are extremely pleased with the continuation of what has been a very positive development for us within the cruise segment since our first breakthrough at Fincantieri and Carnival. Our company’s firm approach of the risk-controlled introduction of new technologies to the market over many years is bearing fruit and fully in line with the very high safety, reliability and environmental standards demanded by the cruise business.”

Sokrates Tolgos – Head of Sales, Cruise & Ferry – MAN Diesel & Turbo, added: “The recently increased number of new cruise customers opting for MAN engines encourages us to maintain our focus on continuous innovation without compromising quality or reliability. This new order is an exceedingly positive milestone and bodes well for our future growth in this market, which has always been a frontrunner for developing sensitivity for the environment, emission reduction, and state-of-the-art technology.”

During the evaluation period for selecting the most suitable engine configuration, the cruise line owners and Fincantieri paid special attention to the highest possible degree of redundancy, safety, power flexibility and reliability. The MAN 48/60CR engines will operate in conjunction with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s well-proven, state-of-the-art, common-rail injection system that accommodates running on both heavy fuel oil and distillate fuels. This technology, developed in-house by MAN Diesel & Turbo and fully optimised for its engines, provides superior performance in terms of fuel consumption and smoke emissions, especially at part load compared to its IMO Tier II engine version with conventional injection system.

ABB and Wuchang Shipbuilding Group sign partnership agreement

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 11 November 2016 11 November 2016

ABB, the Swiss-Swedish electrotechnical group, has signed strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese ship yard Wuchang Ship Building Group that will focus on developing green vessels and digital technologies. 

“By utilizing ABB’s power and propulsion expertise along with its focus on maritime software, the partnership will help Wuchang Ship Building Group manufacture highly efficient and technologically advanced vessels,” the company said in a statement.

“Chinese shipyards are diversifying their portfolios and ABB’s long history of working in the icebreaking and cruise sectors is particularly relevant to China’s ship builders,” said Alf Kare Adnanes, head of ABB’s Marine and Ports business in China.

Telenor to provide communications services on all Color Line ships

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 07 November 2016 07 November 2016

Telenor Maritime, part of the Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor, have expanded the communications services they provide to cover fleet of Color Line, the cruise ferry unit in the Color Group of companies in Norway, deploying connectivity platforms supporting the complete digital value chain that will greatly enhance the customer experience.

“Telenor Maritime is a mobile company at sea, placing the mobile in the center of all we do. With our connectivity platform, we take full end-to-end responsibility for connecting the applications; the access layer with the onboard mobile and WiFi systems; and the backhaul from Ka/Ku satellite and land-based mobile broadband from our network of global operators,” said Frode Støldal, CEO of Telenor Maritime.

The THOR-7 Ka high-performance satellite provides seamless coverage throughout Europe, favorable in the northern regions where Color Line operates, enabling unprecedented performance for mobile services and applications.

“The introduced connectivity platform will be a major steppingstone for the ongoing digital transformation within Color Line. Our focus is always to improve the end user experience, and improve operational efficiency,” Frode Støldal continues.

“The agreement with Telenor Maritime means that we can offer full WiFi coverage on our vessels with increased capacity and bandwidth during 1Q17. This enables further investments in digital solutions to provide guests with the best experience on board,” explains Marianne Gade Gørbitz, CIO of Color Line.