Products & services

Eaton presents versatile portfolio at SMM 2012 in Hamburg

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 22 June 2012 22 June 2012

Eaton, a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control, as well as hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment, will be showing its full range of offerings for the marine and offshore industry at SMM 2012 in Hamburg on 4th – 7th September. On its 95sq metre stand in Hall B6, Stand 308, Eaton will demonstrate its expertise in providing reliable, high-performance energy distribution and UPS systems as well as automation and hydraulic solutions that enable safe and comfortable voyages.

No matter what size the vessel, power distribution and control are essential to reliable operation. With a steady trend towards increasing operational efficiencies, the demand for power on-board continues to grow and so do the requirements for reliability, sustainability and safety. Eaton offers equipment for switching, distribution, protection, metering and control of electrical energy that meet these demands.

The medium voltage portfolio includes primary and secondary switchgear and ring main units which are free from SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride) gas, and thus, environmentally friendly vacuum switches combined with solid insulation material. Also highlighted on the stand will be Eaton’s range of low voltage systems designed for optimised energy management as well as for safety and flexibility. For example, the low voltage distribution and motor control centre Capitole 40 handling up to 6300A / 690V has a completely arc-free design by creation of a fault-free zone, and thanks to its plug-in and withdrawable units, accommodates quick on-site changes. Other low voltage systems integrate the arc-fault protection system ARCON, which not only detects an arc fault, but a special quenching unit also extinguishes it in less than 2ms. Circuit-breakers like the NZM and IZM offer the shipbuilding sector features like tool-less technology and interference-free operation.

With innovative technologies and more complex electronics moving on board ships, there is also a need for disturbance-free power systems that supply both uninterruptible and clean power. Thanks to over 50 years of experience in the design, production and delivery of advanced marine UPS to cruise liners, ferries, ice breakers, LNG carriers, cable ships, dredgers and oil rigs, Eaton is a global leader in power quality for marine applications. The portfolio comprises UPS’s to protect safety and cruising related systems, commercial applications on cruise liners and special systems on board vessels as well as UPS’s that guarantee the smooth operation of on-board business management systems. In addition to its marine certified small (0-3 kVA), medium (8-160 kVA) and large systems (225-1,100 kVA), Eaton offers complementary power management solutions comprising of software and connectivity products.

Visitors to SMM 2012 in Hamburg can find out more about these and other products and solutions, as well as Eaton’s global service network comprising more than 1,200 professionals and selected authorised service partners worldwide. Experts from Eaton will also be available on the stand to discuss visitors’ specific application needs.

Vizada upgrades Pharostar VSAT portfolio

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 22 June 2012 22 June 2012

Vizada, the leading provider of global satellite-based mobility services recently acquired by Astrium, is launching a new addition to its Pharostar maritime VSAT portfolio. The latest innovation around the cost-effective high speed satellite service has been developed with a view to making maritime VSAT easier to install and more accessible to a wider range of vessels including medium-size transportation, fishing and leisure boats.

With data rates up to 1,5Mbps, Vizada introduces a new range of service plans for Pharostar based on “data allowances” to compliment the traditional “throughput-based” VSAT offering. Packages start from 5 GBs for an airtime cost of $1,000, with easy top-up options.

New 60cm and 80cm compact and reliable Ku-band antennas have been added to the existing 1m antennas choices, and can be delivered pre-assembled for simpler and faster installation time on board. Pharostar’s coverage area is planned to be extended twice this year giving further reach to vessels operating in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. The newly designed Pharostar service can be combined with a mobile satellite service (MSS) back-up for full global coverage.

Ghani Behloul, Vizada Chief Marketing Officer, commented: “These additions are the latest components in our strategy to offer the largest choice to the maritime community and to develop the most comprehensive maritime broadband solutions portfolio in the market. They will allow us to welcome more vessels onto our network and contribute to improve the service for the existing ones.”

A major advantage of the new Pharostar service is that it can be efficiently managed through Vizada XChange^TM, a platform which can be easily installed on board the vessel to interconnect with the corporate network. Vizada XChange enables the IT manager to seamlessly switch connectivity from VSAT to MSS, ensuring continuous communications as the ship enters or exits the coverage zones. Access to, and management of Vizada Solutions^TM such as anti-virus software and web compression is also handled through Vizada XChange. Additionally, crew can choose between the full set of prepaid communications options (voice, email, web) while using a single card.

Ship Financer Forum to be held ahead of SMM 2012

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 June 2012 21 June 2012

The maritime industry is currently faced with massive financing problems. But, difficult though the situation is, there will also be winners. "Logically enough, Tomorrow’s Champions is the theme of the SMM Ship Finance Forum to be held in Hamburg on 3 September – one day before the start of SMM 2012," the event organisers said in a statement.

The 25th SMM, shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair Hamburg, will take place at the Hamburg Fair site from 4 to 7 September, with expected attendance by more than 50,000 trade visitors from all parts of the world.

This is the fourth time that SMM organiser HMC (Hamburg Messe und Congress) is co-hosting this English-language conference together with Financial Times Deutschland; more than 200 participants and eminent speakers are expected from all parts of the world.

VIKING ramps up Down Under

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 June 2012 21 June 2012

Six existing certified service partner stations in Australia, and three in New Zealand will expand their servicing portfolio to include VIKING’s popular fixed- price Shipowner Agreement. The expansion will take place through two long-running VIKING partners – Australia’s Wiltrading and New Zealand’s Denray Marine.

The inclusion of Australia and New Zealand in VIKING’s fixed-price Shipowner Agreement network has long been on the wishlist of shipowners doing business in that part of the world. While the addition of these two highly developed countries may seem a natural step for a global offering like the Shipowner Agreement, there is a powerful underlying driver in these markets: the generally high price levels Down Under, making VIKING’s globally fixed prices particularly attractive.

VIKING CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen: “By getting closer with the two partners Down Under, we have achieved our goal of providing comprehensive geographical coverage for the Shipowner Agreement. In both cases, we have simply extended a long history of fruitful cooperation, formalizing and deepening it even more. All parties are confident that this agreement will result in higher service volume and closer co-operation for many years to come.”

With the introduction of the Shipowner Agreements to the region, VIKING and Wiltrading have strengthened their long-term relationship with Wiltrading’s nationwide network.

According to Wiltrading’s General Manager, Rob Lynn, “VIKING’s Shipowner Agreements are revolutionizing the way servicing of life-saving equipment is carried out. Australia is an important link in VIKING’s global network and, with strategically located service facilities located around the Australian coastline, Wiltrading is committed to supporting shipowners whose vessels operate in this region.”

John Peake, General Manager of Auckland-based Denray Marine, sees the benefits of the Shipowner Agreements for his clients and his business: “We’re pleased to be part of VIKING’s Shipowner Agreement network, helping to bring fixed-price servicing to the global shipping industry.”

VIKING’s Shipowner Agreements offer the market’s broadest, most comprehensive servicing package for marine safety equipment. The agreements were the first to provide global, all-in-one servicing with a choice of product packages, systems and servicing that range from basic options to top-of-the-line innovations. These highly customizable, managed service offerings have been rapidly adopted by the shipping industry. Key to the success of the Shipowner Agreements is a variety of fixed-price payment plans aimed at ensuring shipowners know exactly what they can expect and how much it will cost. Shipowner Agreement-based servicing at a fixed price is now available in up to 118 ports all over the world.

New compact scrubber showing promising results in full-scale trial onboard Royal Caribbean ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 19 June 2012 19 June 2012

Green Tech Marine’s new compact exhaust gas scrubber (GTM R15) has successfully been installed onboard a Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas, while the ship was in continuous service. The compact design required no extra space as the scrubber replaced the ship’s exhaust silencer.

Green Tech Marine and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. launched the pilot test to see if the new technology was a viable solution to a critical environmental challenge. Royal Caribbean has long been an industry leader in environmental initiatives, seeking to not only comply with regulations but also surpass them. With many new environmental regulations coming into effect over the next five years, the financial and technical challenge of upgrading systems and operations is considerable.

Beyond the efficient removal of SOx and other particles, the GTM R15 provides a number of advantages over other scrubbers, such as its minimal footprint requirement and low weight. It is also energy efficient, requiring virtually no external chemicals and allowing for installation during operation.

Installation was completed in four months. Initial testing has been undertaken with the system in full-scale operation and the engine running from 2 to 12.4 MW. The scrubber has produced successful results in both open loop and closed loop using seawater. A preliminary scrubber test was performed shore side in Norway for 11 months. After several visits to analyze the scrubber’s performance, Royal Caribbean committed to a pilot test.

“The small size and low weight of the scrubber got our attention,” said Anders Aasen, Associate Vice President, Global Marine Technical Services at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “When we saw the initial performance results, we were convinced to launch a full scale trial.”

The technology is a bold new approach from the young company, but Green Tech Marine has always been confident it would prove successful.

“We’ve had full confidence in our system from the beginning,” said Peter Strandberg, Managing Director of Green Tech Marine. “We were thrilled to see it put into practice when we hit the start button and the GTM R15 started working.”

Over the next 4-6 months Green Tech will continue to test the GTM R15 onboard Liberty of the Seas to demonstrate that the scrubber can be operated continuously over a sustained period of time and maintain the same positive results as the initial tests achieved. Green Tech Marine is currently working closely together with DNV in order to receive type approval for the GTM R15 under the applicable International Maritime Organization requirements.