Departments

Knud E. Hansen upgrades HVAC on Carnival ships

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 29 November 2013 29 November 2013

Knud E. Hansen A/S, in cooperation with Novenco Marine & Offshore A/S, have contracted with Carnival Cruise Lines to install state-of-the-art HVAC upgrades on the Victory, Triumph, Conquest and Spirit Class cruise ships, in order to improve the overall operational efficiency of their fleet.

Owner’s newbuilding requirements often specify excessive capacity for HVAC systems in order to ensure passenger comfort while cruising in tropical climates. This means that there is significant potential for operational optimization when the vessels are in less demanding climates or in transitional periods where there are fewer passengers on-board. Furthermore the upgrade will ensure that the system is taking advantage of the simultaneous factor for persons and for various heat sources such as entertainment equipment, so that cooling capacity is transferred to the areas where needed. The basis of this technology, is to monitor the passenger flow and occupancy of each area. Ventilation is reduced to a minimum for unoccupied areas in order to save both electrical power and chilled water. Each area is controlled from a “Timeschedule”, but to maintain a comfortable climate in the areas, CO2 sensors detect the passenger flow, and avoid any discomfort if the passenger flow changes.

Up to 25% efficiency gains may be expected in the HVAC system, by upgrading equipment on-board, changing system operational parameters, and installing customized software to better manage operation of HVAC machinery. As a consequence, the payback period is expected to be less than 6 months.

An “Energy Saving Calculation” program can give daily reports to the operators and technical staff ashore, regarding the saving.

Many of these upgrades have already been installed onboard several Carnival ships, and are performing as predicted and specified.

The new generation of the “TimeSchedule” and “Energy Saving Calculation” system, can be interfaced to most existing HVAC HMI control systems, and is therefore applicable to most vessels, without exchanging the HVAC HMI.
Further improvement of the energy efficiency for the HVAC system is in progress and can now be implemented, which will include chilled water flow control, “Freecooling” of chilled water for ships sailing with low outside temperature, Unoccupied Cabin control, improvement of Return Air and Enthalpy Wheels as well as demand air flow in Galleys.

Knud E. Hansen A/S and Novenco Marine & Offshore A/S in Denmark will manage the upgrades in co-operation with the local Knud E. Hansen A/S office in Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.

Technical support, regulatory compliance, refit design, and energy optimization incl. CFD analyses are among the services provided to cruise ship owners since the Florida office opened in late 2010. As a consequence of this focus and the in house knowledge on HVAC the Company has together with Novenco A/S secured the above contract.

Wärtsilä inaugurates propulsion product test facility

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 28 November 2013 28 November 2013

Wärtsilä, a leading provider of innovative products, solutions and services in the marine industry, says it is inaugurating its new test facility for future propulsion products and technology. The Wärtsilä Propulsion Test Centre has been established and funded by Wärtsilä with strong support from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, who will provide the resources to operate the facility. The test centre is located in Tuusula, southern Finland, and will enhance the company's capabilities in product validation and research activities.

The new facility enables Wärtsilä to speed the development of new, high quality and environmentally sound propulsion products together with research institutes, universities and suppliers. It will have a central role in propulsion related research and development activities carried out by the company. In particular, the test centre will be used for functional and endurance testing with an emphasis on mechanical power transfer.

The test installation can accommodate thrusters up to slightly above 2 MW in power. The main components are a frequency converter with an electrical motor and generator, a specially designed gearbox, and a hydraulic loading system. Including all needed auxiliary systems such as cooling, controls and lubrication, the test centre covers an area of about 200 square meters and will be capable of running tests on a 24/7 basis.

"This investment in a full scale test facility for propulsion products is one of the key elements in our strategy for supporting and assisting our customers in lowering operating costs through higher propulsion efficiency and lower maintenance expenses. Having a technology development centre enables us to provide the best possible technical support for the propulsion needs of the entire marine sector," says Jaakko Eskola, President Ship Power and Senior Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä.

The extensive list of benefits offered by Wärtsilä Propulsion Test Centre includes the ability to stretch the limits of current propulsion products, and to validate future products and new technologies prior to market introduction. This includes the introduction of, for example, cost efficient components, new environmentally acceptable lubricants, and new propulsion diagnostic techniques. With the new test centre Wärtsilä will remain at the forefront of propulsion technology advancement as the demands of the marine industry evolve.

Carnival Cruise Lines chooses MAN engines for its Carnival Vista newbuilding

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 27 November 2013 27 November 2013

MAN Diesel & Turbo has won the order from Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines to supply five 48/60CR engines for its next generation of cruise liner. The newbuilding will feature a diesel-electric propulsion system. The vessel will be built in Italy at Fincantieri S.p.A., one of the world’s leading cruise shipbuilders.

With a gross tonnage of about 133,500 tons and a passenger capacity of about 5,000, the ship will be the largest vessel in the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet. Its construction represents the introduction of a brand new class of ship that will be powered by five MAN Tier-II-type engines – 2 × 14V48/60CR + 3 × 8L48/60CR types – capable of delivering 62,400 kW. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2016.

Dr. Stephan Timmermann, of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Executive Board, said: “This new order is yet another historical milestone for the company in what is a technologically but also commercially demanding market. Gaining the confidence of Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, fills us with pride but we are also aware of the high level of expectation that working with a major, new customer brings.”

Timmermann concluded: “This new cruise order for Carnival Cruise Lines is our second at Fincantieri within a rather short period of time. It clearly signals the deepening of our nascent collaboration with one of the world’s dominant cruise shipbuilders, something we view as very encouraging.”

During the evaluation period to select the most suitable engine configuration, Carnival Cruise Lines and Fincantieri paid special attention to the highest possible degree of redundancy, safety, power flexibility and reliability. The five 48/60CR engines will operate with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s well-proven, state-of-the-art, common-rail injection system that accommodates running on 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 compared to its IMO Tier II engine version with conventional injection system.

Sokrates Tolgos, Head of Cruise & Ferry Sales, MAN Diesel & Turbo, said: “We are extremely pleased with what is a very positive development for us in the cruise segment. Our company’s firm approach of risk-controlled introduction of new technologies into the market over many years is bearing fruit and fully in line with the very high safety, reliability and environmental standards demanded by the cruise business. The recently increased number of new cruise customers opting for MAN engines encourages us to maintain our focus on continuous innovation without compromise on quality and reliability. We feel honoured to welcome Carnival Cruise Lines as our new customer. This is an excitingly positive milestone for our future growth in this market, which has always been a frontrunner for environment, emission reduction, and state-of-the-art technology.”

Neva exhibition gains official status

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 22 November 2013 22 November 2013

The Neva maritime event in St Petersburg has gained an official status as the Russian Prime Minister has signed a decree to grant the event such a position, the Anglo-Russian organisers said in a statement.

"In a landmark and unique step the future of the NEVA Exhibition & Conference Programmes has been adopted permanently into the list of State Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation," they said.

"By Decree of the State Office of the RF Prime Minister, the NEVA Exhibitions and Conferences now form part of the above list."

"It is stated in the Decree that the Events will be held every two years in St. Petersburg, the historic maritime centre of Russia. It is also stated that the Ministries for Industry and Trade, for Transport and for Foreign Affairs and the Government of St Petersburg, will be active in the planning and promotion of the Exhibitions, whose profile includes Shipbuilding, Ship Equipment, Ports, Inland Waterways and Offshore Energy."

The will continue to be organised by the traditional NEVA founder exhibition companies since 1991, Dolphin Exhibitions UK and Transtec-NEVA Exhibitions ZAO, in Russia.

Wärtsilä to retrofit scrubbers to TT Line ropax ferry

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 13 November 2013 13 November 2013

Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions and services provider, has been contracted by TT-Line, the German-Swedish ferry operator, to retrofit an exhaust gas cleaning system to its Ro-Pax vessel Robin Hood as part of TT-Line's Green Ship strategy.

The full turnkey project will be managed by Wärtsilä thereby minimizing downtime and risk, whilst guaranteeing performance and regulatory compliance. The contract was signed in October 2013 and delivery and installation will take place during summer 2014, the company said in a statement.

The vessel will be fitted with four Wärtsilä Hybrid Scrubber Systems designed to reduce harmful sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate emissions from the ship's exhaust. The ferry operates in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) between Travemünde, Germany and Trelleborg, Sweden. The Wärtsilä systems will enable compliance with the SECA regulations, as well as with anticipated future legislation.

Wärtsilä's turnkey delivery responsibility covers full engineering, pre-fabrication, installation, classification, project management, and construction site management.

"Environmental responsibility is a key element in TT-Line's Green Ship strategy. The pilot installation of Wärtsilä exhaust gas cleaning systems on the Robin Hood is a significant step towards our goals in this respect. The retrofit project is co-financed by the European Union through the TEN-T MOS "Green Bridge on Nordic Corridor" project. We see advantages in Wärtsilä's turnkey supply, and we will benefit from having one single point of contact for the entire project," says Mr Hannes Conzen, CEO of TT-Line.

"We are delighted to have concluded this agreement with TT-Line. This contract is an important confirmation of the validity of our strategy and is indicative of the market confidence in Wärtsilä's retrofit capabilities. This is the first retrofit project for a large Ro-Pax ship where we are taking the full Engineering Procurement and Construction responsibility," says Mr Leonardo Sonzio, Director, Retrofit, Environmental Solutions, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

The system operates in either an open loop or closed loop mode using seawater to remove SOx from the exhaust. When operating in open loop, exhaust gases enter the system and are sprayed with seawater. The sulphur oxides in the exhaust react with the water to form sulphuric acid. Chemicals are not required since the natural alkalinity of seawater neutralizes the acid. When operating in closed loop, the natural alkalinity of seawater is boosted by an alkali.

Wash water from the system is treated and monitored at the inlet and outlet to ensure that it conforms to all applicable discharge criteria. It can then be discharged into the sea with no risk of harm to the environment.