Products & services

Ripple Operations acquires AdonisHR to deliver global end-to-end maritime HR solution

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 August 2024 23 August 2024

Leading maritime software company Ripple Operations has announced the acquisition of AdonisHR, a well-known Norwegian family-owned provider of crew management and payroll software solutions for the maritime industry. "AdonisHR enjoys a strong reputation in the market, with an excellent team and products, as well as an established, loyal customer base," the company said in the statement.

This acquisition is supported by a substantial financial investment from New York-based software holding company Bleecker Street Group and significantly accelerates Ripple’s growth in the global maritime sector, positioning the company as the market-leading provider of Crew Success Software. By joining forces with AdonisHR, Ripple is now to serve more than 380,000 mariners on more than 2,000 vessels in nearly 100 countries around the world.

"This acquisition is a transformative moment for both of our companies. By combining forces we are set to build upon our leading market position and redefine Crew Success Software to optimize crew safety, efficiency, and overall performance from a single, unified platform," said Heather Combs, CEO of Ripple Operations.

"The backing of Bleecker Street Group ensures a stable and enduring partnership that is poised to drive accelerated growth and long-term value creation for our maritime customers in Europe, North America, and across the globe. We are proud to be the go-to platform for all maritime HR needs, from seafarer recruitment to retirement. Modularity is key for flexibility so customers will be able to add modules as per their requirements, without having to purchase additional products from other suppliers, resulting in a more cost-efficient and user-friendly experience," she added.

AdonisHR co-founder Per Ove Kviteberg said: "Joining the Ripple platform marks a monumental leap forward for AdonisHR. Our decision to merge with Ripple Operations reflects a shared vision of excellence and customer-centric innovation. With Ripple's extensive resources and our combined expertise, we are ready to deliver a comprehensive suite of software solutions that empower maritime organizations to optimize crew performance and achieve sustainable growth on a global scale."

Growing portfolio

Ripple was formed through the merger of New Orleans-based MarineCFO and Vancouver-based Marine Learning Systems (MLS) whose e-learning and skills assessment solutions will integrate into the AdonisHR product suite. Specifically tailored for the maritime industry, the modules offer unparalleled ease of use, flexibility, and reliability in managing seafarer training and performance assessment – both onshore and at sea – and boast major ferry operators and cruise lines worldwide as customers.

"These early feature integrations represent a significant upgrade for all of our brands even as we hone our end-to-end Ripple platform. We will likely add additional modules, either developed in-house or through further acquisitions, so the story is ongoing. Meanwhile, customers can rest assured that we will provide the same client focused service and focused commitment to optimizing HR processes under the entire Ripple umbrella," Combs concluded.

In a separate transaction in September last year, AdonisHR acquired and integrated compatriot company Shipadmin, a leading vendor of onboard operations systems, particularly for offshore vessels and rigs, including daily ship-shore reporting, environmental compliance, document management and Personnel-on-Board (POB) solutions.

Telenor Maritime signs partner agreement with Veracity by DNV

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 12 August 2024 12 August 2024

Telenor Maritime has announced a strategic partner agreement with Veracity by DNV, establishing Telenor Maritime as a trusted data partner with automated ingestion into the Veracity ecosystem. This collaboration enables our customers to improve and speed up automatic reporting services on MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) and EU ETS (climate gas emissions), offered in cooperation with Maranics.

Fully automatic reporting solutions

The partnership aims to deliver a joint service to the market, addressing the need for efficient and tamper-proof reporting solutions. Currently, many companies rely on cumbersome and error-prone paper or Excel sheet-based reporting methods.

With a common interest in automating emissions reporting and bringing trust to data, Telenor Maritime and Veracity by DNV set the foundation for a successful partnership.

Mikkel Skou, Director of Veracity by DNV said; “Partnering with Telenor Maritime is a step in our ambition to make it easier for the shipping industry to obtain trusted data that can be used with confidence automating business processes. Together with Telenor Maritime, we share a common view on the importance of automation to reduce cost and risk of manual errors, with the result of better performance and reliability.”

With a growing need for verified real-time emissions data in the maritime industry, DNV has built its service Emissions Connect on the Veracity maritime industry cloud. With the partnership, common customers of Telenor Maritime and DNV can now enjoy a seamless process from noon report creation until they receive a verification voyage statement from DNV’s Emissions Connect service.

Enhanced data quality

This comes in addition to the already established automation in the input to the noon report, that Maranics and Telenor Maritime are delivering to their customers. By pre-populating the report with sensor/flowmeter data, the risk of manual errors that goes into the report is reduced and efficiency is gained.

Mikkel Skou stated, “Today, the industry faces challenges with poor quality in noon reports. The efforts by Telenor Maritime and Maranics to enhance data quality at the source are crucial.”

Telenor Maritime and Maranics are well positioned to provide a modular service, beginning with manual processes and gradually transitioning to a fully automatic reporting solution, with standardized, high-quality data. When data arrives with high quality at Veracity’s data quality engine, our customers can obtain their verification statements from Emissions Connect faster.

Telenor Maritime, well known for maritime connectivity solutions, has expanded into digitalization in the maritime industry with the Unified Hosting Service™ (UHS). The UHS® is a vendor-neutral, open platform and the core of the ship’s digital ecosystem. It collects, contextualizes, and stores operational data from various onboard sources. Applications hosted on the UHS process and reuse this high-quality data to provide insight and enable automated sustainability reporting and several other services on board.

Maranics is the trusted partner for digital checklists on board. These checklists are hosted on the UHS and generates the data needed for emission reports. By digitalizing human process, the data quality is increased.

New regulations

With new regulations effective from January 1, 2024, requiring ships above 5,000 gross tonnes to purchase CO2 quotas covering 40% of their GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions, the timing of this partnership is crucial. Precise calculation of emissions will be critical for shipowners.

By 2025, the requirements will increase to 70% of emissions, and by 2026, ship owners must buy quotas covering 100% of emissions. In the offshore sector, reporting starts in 2025, and they will fall under the scope of EU ETS from 2027.

This is stated by the EU, in their policies for energy, climate change and environment:  Reducing emissions in the shipping sector.

Enabling significant improvement in operations for Color Line

Color Line, Norway’s largest cruise and passenger transport shipping company, is already using the digital checklists and automated ingestion to DNV Veracity through the UHS® platform.

"We’ve observed significant improvements in operations with the implementation of digital checklists and automated reporting. We are very pleased with the results." States Henrik Baråt Svensen, Superintendent Maritime Digitalisation in Color Line.

They are now well equipped to face the new regulations. The setup gives them the ability to optimize performance of systems in real time and it makes the compliance reporting more efficient and cost effective, overall advancing their sustainability strategy.

“There is no other way around this than digitalizing when ETS fully hits the industry – It is going to be incredibly demanding and too costly and difficult to handle without a solution like this” says Are Paulsrud, Chief Technology Officer in Color Line.

Almaco Group delivers catering systems onboard Silver Ray

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 August 2024 05 August 2024

As of May 14, 2024, Almaco Group successfully completed the delivery of all galleys and provision stores onboard Silver Ray, the latest addition to Silversea Cruises’ fleet, built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. This project stands as a testament to the seamless cooperation and shared expertise between Almaco, the shipyard, and the cruise line.

The galleys and provision stores provided by Almaco for the luxurious Silver Ray reflects the high standards seen on the sister vessel, Silver Nova. The galleys and provision areas are tailored to support the culinary team’s needs, featuring advanced equipment and layout designs that streamline operations and enhance food preparation and storage processes to support eight restaurants, and a selection of bars that cater to every taste.

The project included design, supply, construction and commissioning of all galleys, pantries, and bar equipment.

The project’s success was amplified by the exceptional synergy between Almaco’s team and its partners. “The collaboration with the yard’s and owner’s teams was instrumental in achieving the amazing end-result,” says Frédéric Vasseur, President of Catering Division at Almaco. Eric Guiot, the Project Manager, adds, “Seeing our collective vision come to life with such precision has been truly rewarding. It helps a lot to have a long history of working together. We know each other well by now.”

Silver Ray is not just a vessel; it’s a pioneer in maritime sustainability. The ship boasts innovative features that set new standards in eco-friendly cruising. The quality and longevity of Almaco’s equipment contribute to the ship’s sustainable profile. High-quality equipment that is well maintained can add several additional years to the equipment lifetime, which means less replacements are needed.

BLRT Grupp opens up service on a large new floating dock

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 August 2024 09 August 2024

An official ceremony held on August 8th at Tallinn Shipyard, a ship repair facility incorporated by BLRT Grupp, marked the commissioning of a new floating dock designed for vessel maintenance, repair, and upgrade services.

The 180-meter long and 30-meter-wide floating dock, with a lifting capacity of 10,000 tonnes, was completed at the Hat-San Shipyard in Turkey at the end of May 2024. Once all the necessary infrastructure for the dock installation was completed, and the dock itself was transported to Tallinn by the Zeus of Finland tug, owned by Alfons Håkans, it was positioned in its designated location, previously occupied by the old 155-meter long and 27-meter-wide dock.

“The construction of the new dock for Tallinn Shipyard is the next stage of the Group's ship repair investment program, through which we have invested 90 million euros over the past five years. This step propels the holding to a new level, offering shipowners new opportunities to maintain, repair, and upgrade larger vessels in Tallinn, including Handysize vessels. This will considerably enhance the competitiveness of both Tallinn Shipyard and the entire ship repair division of BLRT Grupp,” stated Fjodor Berman, Chairman of the BLRT Grupp Management Board.

“We tend to think of the maritime industry mainly in terms of ships and ports, but this sector has tremendous potential. The commissioning of the new large floating dock at BLRT Grupp's ship repair yard marks a significant milestone for Estonia's industrial progress. This investment will substantially expand the yard's capabilities to service, repair, and upgrade large-capacity vessels. Simultaneously, it will support Estonia's strategy for developing a hub of environmentally safe and innovative maritime technologies and services. If we approach this wisely, we can transform Estonia into a nation as advanced in maritime technologies as we are today in digital technologies. Such investments make an essential contribution to the implementation of this ambitious plan,” commented the sizeable investment Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia.

Denis Lazarevs, a Management Board member of Alfons Håkans, a Finnish company providing towage services, noted: “We were excited to transport the new floating dock for BLRT Grupp. The challenging tow from Turkey to Estonia covered a distance of nearly 7,000 kilometres. We are pleased that BLRT Grupp continues to invest in equipment and expand its operations despite the tough economic conditions. We at Alfons Håkans hope that the new BLRT Grupp’s dock will operate smoothly and successfully for a long time.”

ABB modernizes Phoenix Reisen's Amera with DC technology and shore connection for improved safety and efficiency

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 31 July 2024 31 July 2024

To further improve the efficiency and sustainability of its fleet, Germany-based cruise operator Phoenix Reisen has modernized its 205-meter, 835-passenger capacity ship Amera. The vessel is now equipped with ABB’s Onboard DC Grid power system platform and shore connection for improved efficiency and safety, as well as lower emissions. Following successful commissioning and sea trials, Amera has become the first cruise ship retrofitted with Onboard DC Grid™.

The turnkey project involved the replacement of the vessel’s AC system with modern DC technology. As a DC-based power distribution system, Onboard DC Grid allows the simple and cost-effective integration of energy sources and loads in a compact, lightweight and functional setup. The key benefits include safer and more efficient vessel operations thanks to the system’s high fault tolerance. In addition, the vessel is future-proofed as it can be equipped to allow efficient integration of new, low-carbon energy sources such as batteries and fuel cells. This will also support operations in emission control areas such as the Norwegian fjords.

“Our aim is to be a leader in sustainable cruising, providing unforgettable travel experiences in some of the world’s most beautiful locations while protecting fragile local ecosystems,” said Johannes Zurnieden, Founder and CEO, Phoenix Reisen. “We are working towards more efficient and environmentally friendly operations across our fleet and having completed the modernization of Amera together with ABB, we are confident we are on the right track to achieve this objective.”

ABB’s shore connection system will help Amera reduce emissions during port calls. Typically, shore connection can help to reduce daily emissions of cruise ships by 35 percent when they are docked eight hours per day. Meanwhile, the onboard power setup will be managed by ABB’s integrated PEMS power and energy management system, which will ensure optimal use of the vessel’s power resources.

“At ABB, we are fully committed to working with customers toward electrification. Modernization projects, in this case converting the complete power plant from AC to DC and integrating shore connection technology, play a significant part in those efforts,” said Tomas Arhippainen, Head of Marine Service and Digital, ABB Marine & Ports. “Amera is the first cruise ship to be retrofitted with Onboard DC Grid, making this a milestone project for us, Phoenix Reisen and indeed the cruise industry as a whole. This project proves that the benefits of increased efficiency and safety are available not only for newbuild, but also for existing vessels.”

ABB’s full scope of supply comprises drives, motors and generators, transformer, PEMS™, automation technology and shore connection.