Products & services

MEIKO consolidates its position as a global leader

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 20 July 2013 20 July 2013

The MEIKO brand and MEIKO products are already represented in over 90 countries around the world – and now the Offenburg, Germany-based company is successfully tapping one of the world's last major growth markets: Southeast Asia. More than a decade ago MEIKO delivered what was, at that time, one of the world's biggest dishwashing systems to Kuala Lumpur airport for Malaysia Airlines' catering operations. Fast forward to today, and MEIKO has established its very own regional office in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

With MEIKO already operating its own offices in Australia (Sydney) and India (Bangalore), this once again reinforces the company's role as a global player in world markets. MEIKO Australia-Pacific Pty Ltd. commenced its business activities back in 2007. The Australian regional company is now headed by Sören Gleitsmann, a seasoned sales expert who previously worked at MEIKO's headquarters in Offenburg. Building on its strong performance selling and servicing warewashing systems, the company is now also successfully marketing and distributing cleaning and disinfection appliances in Australia.

Meiko (Asia) Techcentre Pvt. Ltd. was also established in 2007. Headed by Virendra Dutt – who previously held a managerial role at the company that used to represent MEIKO in India – Meiko (Asia) Techcentre Pvt. Ltd. is headquartered in the Indian city of Bangalore and has a branch office in Delhi. As well as distributing MEIKO products in India, its reach also extends to Sri Lanka (dishwashing technology), Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

MEIKO Managing Director Burkhard Randel sums up the current situation as follows: "Our ongoing commitment to the Asian market was recently highlighted by the opening of our Regional Office South East Asia in Kuala Lumpur which – together with our long-established companies in China and India – puts a solid emphasis on the newly industrializing markets between Thailand and Indonesia. We are fortunate to have Rudolf Kitzbichler at the helm, a highly experienced manager with excellent contacts and a wealth of skills who is already familiar with the region. The twelfth international member of the MEIKO family is already forging a successful path in the industry."

Lloyd Werft to convert P&O Cruises' Arcadia

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 19 July 2013 19 July 2013

In 2012 and also this year, Carnival Corporation & plc docked two of its globally operating fleet of luxury liners – Queen Victoria and AIDAbella - at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven AG. Now the Bremerhaven facility has landed yet another attractive repair and conversion contract from the same group. The 82,505 gross ton Arcadia will dock in Bremerhaven between November 26th and December 12th. The 285.30 m long and 32.25 m wide ship was completed in 2005 at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard in Venice for P&O Cruises, which is also part of the Carnival group. Extensive conversion work on the ship has been carried out once before by Lloyd Werft, in the winter of 2008. This time she will stay in the yard’s big Kaiserdock II and get a new superstructure on her upper deck with 23 new cabins and one suite, all with balconies, as well as a sun deck.

The conversion and repair of Arcadia continues an association which Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven AG and P & O Cruises have enjoyed for many years, as well as an activity which the yard is justly famous for throughout the world - the high-quality handling of complex jobs in the shortest possible time. Lloyd Werft board member Rüdiger Pallentin said "it is good to know, at a time when things are not always easy for German shipbuilding, not only that our performance is valued by clients placing small repair orders, but also that we can hold our own on the market with bigger conversion projects. This second contract from the Carnival group inside just six months makes that impressively clear," he added.

Lloyd Werft will build a new deck weighing 75 tons. It will also build the 23 passenger cabins and a suite, all with balconies, in the new deck house structure. The new deck house will not only increase passenger capacity from 1,952 to 2,000 and the number of passenger cabins from 976 to 1,000, but will add holiday comfort to the Arcadia. That’s because the ship will also get a new 550 square m outside sun-bathing area. Also being installed are additional catering and air-conditioning facilities.

Lloyd Werft carried out similar work for P&O in 2008. At that time a 340 ton deck was installed on Arcadia with the help of a floating crane, increasing both the ship’s passenger capacity and comfort. The same extension principle is being followed this time also by her owners, once again to make their luxury liner more attractive on the cruise shipping market and to expand her yet again.

Along with the conversions, the shipyard will also carry out extensive docking and repair work on the eight-year-old ship. The work will include blasting and conservation of her underwater hull, the repair and conservation of the hull above the water-line, the overhaul of bow thrusters and stabilisers, overhaul of the ship’s two pod drives and also the overhaul of all seacocks. In addition, all life-saving equipment, boats and davits will be checked. There will also be a lot of work for Lloyd Werft’s pipe workshop because various pipe systems in both the engine and passenger areas are to be renewed.

Success for Roxtec Transit Designer

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 16 July 2013 16 July 2013

Five weeks ago, cable and pipe transit provider Roxtec released the free software Roxtec Transit Designer. Today, there are more than 730 registered users worldwide designing more than 5,000 transits! The new tool, that simplifies sealing product selection and drives efficiency, is a hit among engineers.

Designers and engineers just enter their cable schedule, sealing requirements, installation preferences and preliminary opening sizes into the Roxtec Transit Designer, and the software generates manufacturer-approved drawings and documents such as material lists and installation instructions.

Design teams can share their work online with project teams anywhere in the world, and Roxtec transit design experts are always there to help through the built-in chat function. To start using the Roxtec Transit Designer, designers and engineers are invited to register on www.roxtec.com.

Norwegian Cruise Line to install scrubbers on two Breakaway Plus newbuilds

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 18 July 2013 18 July 2013

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that its two new Breakaway Plus class ships will be among the first new builds in the cruise industry to feature innovative scrubber technology developed by Green Tech Marine (GTM), a world leading marine scrubber supplier.

The two new vessels will be built by MEYER WERFT GMBH in Germany and delivered to the fleet in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

Green Tech Marine will provide five scrubbers per ship for the engines which range from 14.4 to 16.8 megawatts. This installation will be the largest scrubber plant in the world with a total engine power of 76.8 megawatts.

"Norwegian Cruise Line has a history of innovation along with a commitment to utilizing green technology whenever possible," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "Installing scrubbers from Green Tech Marine on our new Breakaway Plus vessels is a smart decision and one that will ensure these ships are as eco-friendly as possible."

The GTM-R scrubbers are compact, making it possible for the builds to avoid the loss of cabin space or other service areas. GTM uses one smaller scrubber for each engine instead of a large multi inlet scrubber serving several engines, and the scrubber also replaces the silencer, which is very suitable for cruise ships. The GTM-R scrubbers hold all necessary certificates to ensure these vessels are compliant with the 0.1% sulphur limit in Emission Control Areas (ECA) beginning in 2015.

GTM has previously delivered scrubbers to Norwegian's Pride of America which sails year-round in Hawaii. The scrubbers were installed during the ship's dry dock refurbishment in March and are scheduled to be fully operational later this year.

"We are thrilled to see a large ship owner such as Norwegian Cruise Line and a respected ship builder like Meyer Werft being early adapters of green technology," said President and CEO of GTM Peter Strandberg.

MacGregor wins North Star order from Royal Caribbean

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 July 2013 05 July 2013

MacGregor has won the contract to deliver North Star, an engineering marvel that takes guests to new heights with a jewel-shaped, glass capsule, transporting them on a spectacular journey more than 91 m (300 feet) above the ocean and over the sides of the ship to deliver awe-inspiring 360-degree views for Royal Caribbean International's first Quantum Class cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, the company said in a statement.

The crane's slewing function will also allow the viewing gondola to be swung out over the sea for a unique guest experience. The order was booked in the second quarter 2013 order intake.

Quantum class will debut in fall 2014 with Quantum of the Seas, followed by her sister-ship Anthem of the Seas in spring 2015. Quantum ships span 16 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tons, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms. Quantum of the Seas will sail out of the New York Harbor from her homeport of Cape Liberty on 7- to 12-night itineraries during the winter 2014/15 season. The ship is under construction at German shipyard, Meyer Werft and is scheduled to make its debut crossing from Southampton to New York in autumn 2014.

The electro/hydraulically-driven crane will have an outreach of 41m, and the 7.1-tonne viewing gondola will be able to accommodate 14 guests and one crew member. The gondola will be fitted with a stabilising system to ensure that it remains level with respect to the vessel's deck. It will also damp gondola movements, providing a comfortable ride for the guests.

"We are the first crane supplier involved in anything like this type for a cruise ship," says Jonas Hägglund, MacGregor Sales Manager. "Safety is paramount, and the operator needed a crane supplier that would not only deliver the highest safety standards, but also proven, reliable technology for the North Star guest experience."

The system is designed for 100 percent redundancy with two separate power units, each large enough to drive the crane in reduced speed mode; it will also be provided with a diesel-driven emergency power pack. Additional safety features include automatic cut outs and safety valve overload protection on all crane motions. The crane is designed to standards set by German technical certification company, TÜV süd.

North Star will be controlled using a separate PLC safety system in addition to a MacGregor CC3000 crane control system. "The CC3000 provides excellent load control and can easily be adjusted with a laptop computer for different parameters, such as speed ramp times," says Mr Hägglund. "All crane movements will be smooth and immediate, with stepless speed control, essential for this type of guest experience. It is also important that the experience is as quiet as possible, so the main power pack will be rubber-suspended to minimise vibrations and noise transmission; the crane housing will also be isolated to minimise noise.