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Cargotec acquires Aker Solutions’ Pusnes mooring system unit

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 31 October 2013 31 October 2013

Cargotec, the Finnish material handling equipment maker, says it is to acquire Aker Solutions' mooring and loading systems unit to grow MacGregor offshore business .

Cargotec's MacGregor unit that focuses on maritime based solutions has entered into an agreement to acquire Aker Solutions' mooring and loading systems unit for an enterprise value of  approximately €180 million. The unit, known by the Pusnes brand name, provides mooring equipment, loading and offloading systems as well as a wide range of deck machinery for the global offshore and shipping markets. This acquisition is highly complementary with MacGregor's existing offshore offering, including the earlier announced acquisition of Hatlapa, and positions MacGregor as a leading player in the offshore equipment market.

The Pusnes business was founded in 1875, and is headquartered in Arendal, Norway. In 2012, the unit had sales of approximately €130 million and EBITDA of €20 million. The unit employs about 370 people with main facilities in Norway, UK and Korea.

"The Pusnes brand has a strong position in large and growing markets with active relationships across diverse customer groups. It has a solid position in lifecycle services with a large installed base and service scope. The unit's flexible business model focuses on high-value activities and engineering competence with a dedicated management team. All this fits perfectly with MacGregor's operating model and makes us an even stronger team than before," states Eric Nielsen, President, MacGregor.

"We have highly complementary offerings with leading positions in broad range of market segments. The transaction creates exciting opportunities to further develop our activities, and it also offers new possibilities to our employees within MacGregor," says Leif Haukom, who leads Aker Solutions' mooring and loading systems business.

"With the previously announced acquisition of Hatlapa, MacGregor is now well on its way in executing its growth strategy having concluded two key cornerstone actions. Management will now prioritise the integration of both  the Pusnes unit and Hatlapa into MacGregor where significant synergies are expected to be realised. Within Cargotec we will focus on strengthening our balance sheet and bring gearing back to below our 50 percent target," says Mika Vehviläinen, President and CEO of Cargotec.

Survitec Group opens Miami facility

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 29 October 2013 29 October 2013

Survitec Group Limited, one of the global leaders in critical safety and survival solutions, has announced the opening of a new facility in Miami, strengthening its North American servicing capability.

Simon Withey, Survitec Group CEO, commented on the new business: Survitec Group has carefully chosen the Miami market as a strategic location to ensure we offer the highest quality service and a complete range of on board survival equipment, particularly in marine evacuation solutions, to our worldwide commercial marine and cruise industry partners.

Formerly part of Wilhelmsen Ship Services, the new Survitec Group Miami service station will provide inspection, servicing and sales of multi-branded lifesaving appliances including liferafts, marine electronics, lifejackets, immersion suits and boats. It will also service a large number of Marine Evacuation Systems (MES) for the local cruise and ferry industry, including SurvitecZodiac medium evacuation systems and slide (MIS), and the RFD Marin Ark.

Customers will be able to benefit from Survitec's new liferaft hire and exchange service, launched a year ago, as part of its new Global Services capability.

In the last two years Survitec Group has acquired the commercial marine businesses DBC Marine Safety Systems and Zodiac SOLAS. These acquisitions have expanded the global footprint of Survitec Group's services and product distribution centers, while increasing the volume and variety of products and services available to Survitec customers. It has also added Bremerhaven and Algeciras to its European network and more recently a joint venture with Servaux to cover Marseille and Le Havre, two main ports in France.

The Miami facility will form part of Survitec's North American operations, with further locations in Jacksonville, Florida; Sharon Center, Ohio; Delta, British Columbia and Houston, Texas.  The new acquisition is part of Survitec's strategy to expand the services element of the business in key ports around the world, which has grown from 12, only two years ago, to the current total of 54 facilities where Survitec Group services are offered through their own personnel.

Boudicca to undergo six day refit at Lloyd Werft in November

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 29 October 2013 29 October 2013

Boudicca, one of the two 28,000 gross ton ships in Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s fleet originally built for the now defunct Royal Viking Line in 1972-73, will arrive at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven for a six day refit on 5 November.

It will be a packed programme of mainly technical work because the ship has to be back on the UK cruise market on 12 November. Boudicca – named after the Celtic queen who fought against the Roman occupiers of Britain in about 60 AD – is the fourth ship of the Norwegian Fred Olsen Cruise Line to undergo technical renovation at Lloyd Werft since 2011.

Black Watch, a sister ship of Boudicca, visited the shipyard in 2011 and Braemar and Balmoral came in 2012. Yard Managing Director Rüdiger Pallentin said the latest visit was "a great success." 

In 2011 Lloyd Werft laid the groundwork for regular co-operation between the Norwegian owner and the shipyard by repairing the Black Watc. Both ships are characterised particularly by their elegant external lines while the shipowner has built on English taste for the interiors.

This time however the passenger areas are not the main concern. Technical matters top the list on the tight Bremerhaven yard schedule for senior project manager Carl Ratjen.

Trimline signs 10 ship maintenance contract with Carnival UK

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 24 October 2013 24 October 2013

Southampton-based Trimline, a marine interior refit company, have this week signed a unique agreement with P&O Cruises and Cunard under the Carnival UK (CUK) banner to look after and maintain its fleet of 10 passenger cruise ships. The agreement will see Trimline support all ten vessels by providing maintenance services to the interiors of the ships for up to three years. Trimline will provide everything from survey, design and manufacture of furnishings and fittings to installation in ports around the world or whilst in service on-the-run.

Trimline had previously been awarded the maintenance of five of the CUK fleet, but the recent expansion to 10 is a ground-breaking deal for both Trimline and the cruise industry. Mike Oliver, Sales & Marketing Director at Trimline, explains: "The contract between Carnival UK and Trimline highlights a real shift in the way that the cruise industry is currently operating and the way Trimline has responded to its customer’s changing needs. Trimline’s ‘Different Approach’ means that a refit is no longer about simply completing a project on time, to budget and then walking away – Trimline are working hard to show that on board refurbishment is about value for money and the cost of ownership, meaning that we look after our clients well beyond the completion date of the project."

The ships that will come under the CUK and Trimline agreement are: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth (Cunard), Ventura, Azura, Aurora, Oriana, Oceana, Arcadia and Adonia (P&O Cruises).

William Whitehouse, Senior Superintendent Facilities Maintenance, at CUK commented: "This agreement is the next natural progression for Trimline and CUK cementing a business relationship stretching back over 30 years. Trimline have consistently demonstrated their expertise and commitment to maintaining interiors to the high standards our passengers expect."

In addition to the CUK contract, Trimline have had a busy start to this year’s refit season and they have started work on six major refit projects worth in excess of £4 million. Trimline will be working up to, and including, Christmas to complete the works on six different ships, engaging over 280 employees and sub-contractors across the various projects.

Due to receive Trimline’s expertise are: Arcadia for P&O Cruises in Germany, Windstar for Windstar Cruises in Portugal, Zenith for Pulmantur, Vision of the Seas in Spain, Crystal Serenity for Crystal Cruises in Spain, and Independence of the Seas for Royal Caribbean Cruises in service on-the-run.

The projects will take place throughout the world, with Trimline staff travelling to Portugal, Spain and as far as the Caribbean to complete the jobs. Some of the works include creating bespoke furniture and fittings, all built at Trimline’s Southampton headquarters, and shipping the materials across the world. The work to P&O’s Arcadia alone will use over 20,000m² of carpet.