Products & services

MAN Diesel & Turbo to supply engines to Breakaway Plus newbuildings

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 August 2013 23 August 2013

MAN Diesel & Turbo has won the order from Meyer Werft for new cruise vessels for Norwegian Cruise Line to supply its V48/60CR engines with diesel-electric propulsion systems. Norwegian is a longstanding customer of MAN Diesel & Turbo with almost its entire fleet powered by the 48/60 and 58/64 engine types.

The new ships – accorded the project name ‘Breakaway Plus’ – will be the largest in Norwegian’s fleet. At 163,000 gross tons and approximately 4,200 passenger berths, the vessels will be larger than the previous 146,000 gross ton Breakaway-class ships ordered at Meyer Werft in 2010, but will incorporate many of those vessels’ unique design elements and innovations.

The Breakaway Plus vessels will each be powered by five engines – 2 × 14V + 3 × 12V48/60CR Tier II types – capable of delivering 76,800 kW, compared to the four driving the Breakaway-class Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway vessels. The five engines will operate with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s well-proven, state- of-the-art, common-rail injection system that is suitable for 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.

Breakaway class

The newest member of the Norwegian fleet, Norwegian Breakaway, entered service at the end of April 2013 and features a 2 × 14V + 2 × 12V48/60CR Tier II engine configuration with 62,400 kW of installed MAN power. With accommodation for 4,000 passengers and New York as home port, the cruise ship will sail to Bermuda for the summer and the Bahamas and Caribbean in the winter.

Construction of Norwegian Breakaway’s sister ship – Norwegian Getaway – is well underway with delivery scheduled for January.

Sokrates Tolgos, Head of Sales Cruise & Ferry, MAN Diesel & Turbo, said: “With this new order, we are extremely pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Norwegian and Meyer Werft, both of whom have always been innovative with high demands for quality standards and professionalism from their suppliers. Norwegian pioneered the concept of Freestyle Cruising offering guests the freedom and flexibility to enjoy their cruise vacation on their own terms."

"Furthermore, it was the first company to introduce MAN 48/60 common-rail technology into its operating fleet six years ago. Ever since, all its MAN powered newbuilds have been ordered with the fuel saving electronic CR injection system.”
Tolgos concluded by saying: “Our company’s firm approach of risk-controlled introduction of new technologies into the market is bearing fruit. This is fully in line with the very high safety, reliability and environmental standards we encounter in the cruise business, where the parties involved strive not only to meet but even to exceed the level required by regulation wherever possible.”

Fjord Line employs Carus' s Radio Frequency Identification in cabin locks, check in

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 August 2013 21 August 2013

Fjord Line, the Norwegian ferry company, has become tthe first ferry operator to serve their passengers with contactless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) boarding control and to use RFID cabin locks, says Carus, the Finnish supplier of the systems.

The systems are on use on a recenty delivered newbuilding of Fjord Line and it will also be fitted in the second similar ship that will be delivered by Bergen Group Fosen early next year.

Carus have taken full project responsibility for providing the software, the handheld RFID scanners and the implementation of the solution that enables Fjord Line passengers to board and disembark using contactless RFID cards. The same smart card doubles as cabin key and boarding card, which is used to register when the passenger arrives on the ferry, as well as when they leave for ashore trips or for leaving their cruise.

Carus provides handheld scanners for all the ports where Fjord Line is operating to manage the registration of boarding and disembarking. The solution is based on Carus’ already existing boarding control solution which is enhanced with RFID support for contactless smart cards. Using BOCA System’s new RFID ticket printer, which can print and encode disposable RFID tickets, the media cost is similar to normal magnetic stripe tickets.

The solution is also enhanced with extended off-line support so that each scanner unit is able to operate uninterrupted, even outside network coverage. The scanner updates the central system automatically as soon as it is online again.

“Adding two new cruise ferries to our operation is a huge project, which has kept our IT organisation busy, and we are glad to have a solution that supports us in all our business process changes. I am happy to be able to say, ‘Yes we can’, to our management every time they ask if our IT solution will be able to cope with all the changes this business evolution includes," says Linda Selle, IT Manager of Fjord Line.

She continues: “This new solution with RFID support allows us to serve our travellers better than any other ferry operator."

Anders Rundberg, CEO of Carus added, “Working closely with our clients, we are able to come up with the most innovative solutions to keep us at the forefront of technical development. Seeing our customers being first with this type of customer phasing solution is the best testimonial we can get."

The new sulphur switch system is less than 5% of the price for a scrubber solution

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 22 July 2013 22 July 2013

The Danish company Insatech A/S has developed the Smart Sulphur Switch S3 system (S3) that minimizes shipping companies’ additional costs as a result of the requirements stipulated in MARPOL Annex VI concerning sulphur emissions in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in North America, the Caribbean, the Baltic, and the North Sea. The price of the S3 is less than 5% of the price for a scrubber.

The S3 system distinguishes itself through its ability to always blend and adjust two fuels to the desired sulphur content. This enables monitoring and control of sulphur emissions. The system logs and reports nett fuel sulphur content, density, and the ship's position and speed. By installing the S3 system, the shipping company will meet MARPOL’s requirements for observance as well as documentation of sulphur emissions. The shipping company’s additional costs are minimized since there is only a need for two types of fuel aboard. Irrespective of the ship’s destination, it is only necessary to carry a Marine Gas Oil (MGO), and a Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). Outside ECAs the cheapest fuel can be burnt and when entering an ECA, the MGO and HFO blend can be adjusted in order to meet the allowed sulphur emission in the area.

The S3 will provide the shipping companies with significant savings by simplifying logistics regarding fuel handling, minimizing products needed aboard, reducing the number of bunker operations, and limiting consumption of the more expensive MGO. In addition, use of chemicals is avoided and construction costs and downtime during installation are minimized. The price for the S3 is less than 5% of the price of a Gas Scrubber, which is the solution shipping companies often choose in order to control sulphur emissions. S3 is easily retrofitted and the ship does not have to be docked in order to mount the system as it can be easily mounted while the ship is at sea. Maintenance is limited to one yearly calibration.

Hamburg commissions five hybrid forklift trucks

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 August 2013 21 August 2013

HCC Hanseatic Cruise Centers (HanseCC) that operates the two cruise terminals in Hamburg in Germany has introduced five Still hybrid forklift trucks.

“The Still RX 70 Hybrid is the first serially produced hybrid lift truck to use the transmission of electric power, generated when the vehicle brakes, to recover energy,” HCC said in a statement.

This energy is stored in double layer capacitors, known as ultracaps, before subsequently being made available to the forklift truck again. Industries in which frequent braking and acceleration takes place are thus ideal fields of application for the RX 70 Hybrid – which is, for example, the case when loading and unloading cruise liners on harbour docks, some of which are cramped, HCC said.

TGE Marine Gas Engineering to deliver LNG fuel systems for the next AIDA generation

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 July 2013 21 July 2013

TGE Marine Gas Engineering has been awarded by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to deliver two complete LNG fuel systems. The systems will be installed on the new generation of cruise ships which Mitsubishi Heavy Industries currently builds for AIDA Cruises of Rostock, Germany belonging to the Carnival Corporation & plc. The 124,500 gross ton ships will be delivered in 2015 and 2016 and will be the first cruise vessels in the world fitted with dual fuel engines, meaning that they can also run on liquefied gas, depending on its availability at the port.

For TGE Marine Gas Engineering the contract with MHI for a world-leading cruise line is a great success in recognition of the company’s efforts in developing environmentally friendly fuel gas systems for the marine industry.