Products & services

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

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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. 

Metalcolour takes over DAMPA

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 31 May 2012 31 May 2012

Metalcolour A/S has, as of May 25, 2012, acquired DAMPA ApS in Tommerup, Denmark from the U.S. Chicago Metallic group. DAMPA, which in 2011 generated sales of some EUR 10 million, is a leading manufacturer of suspended metal ceiling systems for both marine and building applications.

DAMPA's history dates back to 1950-s, where the company invented the concept of sound absorbing perforated ceiling panels, which was launched under its original name "DAEMPA". Since then the company has spread its concept to most parts of the world where the current name "DAMPA" has become a synonym for these ceiling systems.
Metalcolour A/S, with group turnover of about EUR 25 million, manufactures coil coated and laminated steel and aluminium sheet for a variety of purposes, including shipping and building panels, appliances and automotive parts. It has two production facilities, one in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark and one in Ronneby, Sweden.

Metalcolour has for some years been DAMPA's main supplier of coated steel and aluminium, and through a closer integration between the two companies, substantial savings and more effective launch of new product designs and innovations are expected.

In connection with the acquisition the current Supply Chain Manager at DAMPA, Michael Nykjær, is appointed Plant Manager of DAMPA, while the Chairman and co-owner of Metalcolour A/S Henrik Kaa Andersen becomes CEO. After a short transition period, Michael Nykjær will take over this position.

SHIPSU web service to link maritime material buyers and sellers

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Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 08 June 2012 08 June 2012

A new webbased portal called SHIPSU that was launched in Finland in June aims to bring together buyers and sellers of materials that are used in shipbuilding and maintenance of ships.

“Unlike in the case of ordinary construction materials, those for in shipbuilding have to be internationally certified for this purpose,” SHIPSU said in a statement, adding that this often complicates the purchase process of materials.

The SHIPSU service offers “Provider Profile” for those that sell their products to the shipbuilding and maritime industries. Companies can offer information about their products and services and e.g. certification of them in text, image and video formats.

“Buyer Profile” targets shipyards, ship owners and e.g. ship managers who buy materials for shipbuilding and maintenance purposes. They will have access to the information provided by providers, with an aim to simplify buying processes and to save time.

Although SHIPSU is based in Finland, the company aims to target the global market –shore and afloat. It also works via satellite based Internet on board shops, the company said.

 

Survitec Group introduces new lifeboat Fall Preventer Device

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 29 May 2012 29 May 2012

Survitec Group has developed a new Fall Preventer Device (FPD) to help reduce the number of accidents caused by the failure of on-load lifeboat release hooks. The product comes with a Lloyd's Register certificate as standard.

Following a number of accidents, ship owners are being strongly advised to ensure that all vessels are now equipped with this sort of device to ensure compliance with MSC guidance circular 1327. 

In use the FPD's are attached between the lifeboat and the fore and aft davit fall blocks. This provides a second line of safety in case the loaded hook system fails while lowering or raising the lifeboat. The safety strops are removed before activating the sling release mechanism just before the lifeboat enters the water. The strops are then reattached before the lifeboat is retrieved from the water.

Each FPD is marked with the date it first came into service and it is stressed that the strop should not be used for any other purpose. All FPDs need to be in place before any drill, testing, inspection or maintenance work is carried out that requires people to be in the lifeboat.

Manufactured from Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) rope, Survitec's new Fall Preventer Device is exceptionally strong yet it is easy to handle by the ship's crew. It offers excellent resistance to UV and chemical damage. The product is supplied with an instruction manual and a safety warning tag to attach to the release handle in the lifeboat to remind operators to remove the FPD before activating the lifeboat release mechanism. Fully compliant with the MSC.1/Circ 1327 guidelines, the FPD can be retrofitted to all existing release and retrieval systems. 

Under the new regulations adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2011 all new on-load release mechanisms for lifeboats must be evaluated against new design requirements by 1 July 2013. Any non-compliant hooks must be replaced no later than the first scheduled dry docking of the ship after 1 July 2014 but in any case, not later than 1 July 2019.