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Northrop Grumman upgrades navigation equipment on Stena Line ferries

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 30 August 2013 30 August 2013

Northrop Grumman Corporation has completed an integrated bridge system retrofit for several RoPax ferries operated by Stena Line.

Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit provided a fully networked suite of scalable navigation products from the VisionMaster FT^™ series, used to form the core of a ship's integrated bridge.

The Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII vessels were upgraded with VisionMaster FT navigation radars, a voyage data recorder, and an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) that provides full control on both bridge wings. Meanwhile, the Stena Europe and Stena Adventurer were outfitted with the VisionMaster FT ECDIS, which meets the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) regulations for paperless navigation while providing a separate, redundant backup station in case the primary ECDIS navigation station is damaged or disrupted.

"Our highly reliable, flexible navigation solution provides leading edge situational awareness capabilities and improvements in radar performance to enhance the ships' safety at sea," said Alan Dix, managing director of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. "Additionally, it ensures compliance with new carriage requirements for greater navigational safety standards as set out by the IMO."

In addition to equipment, Northrop Grumman provided installation and training on the VisionMaster FTproducts. The company's customized, modular solution enables a high level of integration with the ships' current systems.

Stena Line operates ferries on 22 routes in Scandinavia, around the U.K. and to the Baltic countries. The company has a modern fleet of 38 vessels, including fast ferries, traditional combi-ferries, RoPax ferries for freight and passengers, and pure cargo ships.

Sperry Marine is a business unit of Northrop Grumman's Navigation and Maritime Systems Division. Headquartered in New Malden, U.K., with major engineering and support offices both in New Malden and in Hamburg, Germany, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support in numerous locations worldwide.

Metso to supply integrated automation system to Quantum class ships

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

Meyer Werft of Papenburg, Germany has selected Metso DNA for the Integrated Alarm, Monitoring & Control System (IAMCS) to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s new generation of cruise ships.The contract is for three vessels of 167.000 gross ton with a capacity for 4180 passengers.

The vessels will be of the latest innovative design with high focus on energy saving and sustainable environmental solutions, both important subjects for Royal Caribbean. The IAMCS will be sized to handle close to 18.000 I/O's within machinery, air-condition and emergency shutdown systems. The management of the diesel electric power plant is an integral part of the Metso DNA system.

Metso is delighted to be part of RCCL's innovative project at Meyer Werft having supplied automation system components earlier to Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance class and Celebrity Cruises Solstice class ships as well as many other cruise projects at Meyer Werft over the years.

Ship automation since the early 1980s

Ship automation systems based on Metso technology have a long history. Ship automation systems started in the early 1980s with Damatic Classic and has developed through to today’s Metso DNA. Majority of installations are for advanced ship types, such as cruise vessels. In particular, redundancy features and high product quality that guarantee undisturbed and safe ship operations have contributed to the success story of Metso’s automation systems.

The first delivery of an automation system based on Metso technology to a ship was in 1983 and up until today several hundred ships have been equipped with Metso’s automation system.

Metso has engineering resources with broad automation competence for machinery, power plant and air conditioning systems on board ships. Metso’s marine automation solutions fit all types of ships and complexities, from crude oil carriers to passenger ferries, cruise ships, offshore supply and oil & gas processing vessels.

Poly Shield Technologies enters into agreement with Prestige for multiple installations of the DSOX-15 fuel purification system

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 28 August 2013 28 August 2013

Poly Shield Technologies Inc., (SHPR) announces the signing of an Installation Agreement with Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc., with headquarters in Miami, Florida. The Agreement will focus, initially, on a two vessel installation and certification of Poly Shield Technologies Inc.’s newly developed DSOX-15 Fuel Purification System. The Agreement will also allow for DSOX-15 Fuel Purification System installations on up to seven additional vessels. The DSOX-15 system, with its revolutionary approach to sulfur removal, is expected to comply with the new emission regulations set to take effect in January 2015.

CEO, Rasmus Norling, commented: “This second Installation Agreement is further evidence of the market demand for the DSOX-15 Fuel Purification System.” CEO, Norling, continued: “This Agreement represents a second segment of the maritime industry, the cruise line industry, where Poly Shield Technologies Inc. intends to demonstrate the DSOX-15 Fuel Purification System’s economical emissions compliance capabilities in a real time operational maritime environment.”

The Company intends to update the public on all the installations and certification milestones of the DSOX-15 Fuel Purification System as we progress through the development process to compliance certification.

MAN Diesel & Turbo to supply engines to Breakaway Plus newbuildings

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 August 2013 23 August 2013

MAN Diesel & Turbo has won the order from Meyer Werft for new cruise vessels for Norwegian Cruise Line to supply its V48/60CR engines with diesel-electric propulsion systems. Norwegian is a longstanding customer of MAN Diesel & Turbo with almost its entire fleet powered by the 48/60 and 58/64 engine types.

The new ships – accorded the project name ‘Breakaway Plus’ – will be the largest in Norwegian’s fleet. At 163,000 gross tons and approximately 4,200 passenger berths, the vessels will be larger than the previous 146,000 gross ton Breakaway-class ships ordered at Meyer Werft in 2010, but will incorporate many of those vessels’ unique design elements and innovations.

The Breakaway Plus vessels will each be powered by five engines – 2 × 14V + 3 × 12V48/60CR Tier II types – capable of delivering 76,800 kW, compared to the four driving the Breakaway-class Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway vessels. The five engines will operate with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s well-proven, state- of-the-art, common-rail injection system that is suitable for 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.

Breakaway class

The newest member of the Norwegian fleet, Norwegian Breakaway, entered service at the end of April 2013 and features a 2 × 14V + 2 × 12V48/60CR Tier II engine configuration with 62,400 kW of installed MAN power. With accommodation for 4,000 passengers and New York as home port, the cruise ship will sail to Bermuda for the summer and the Bahamas and Caribbean in the winter.

Construction of Norwegian Breakaway’s sister ship – Norwegian Getaway – is well underway with delivery scheduled for January.

Sokrates Tolgos, Head of Sales Cruise & Ferry, MAN Diesel & Turbo, said: “With this new order, we are extremely pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Norwegian and Meyer Werft, both of whom have always been innovative with high demands for quality standards and professionalism from their suppliers. Norwegian pioneered the concept of Freestyle Cruising offering guests the freedom and flexibility to enjoy their cruise vacation on their own terms."

"Furthermore, it was the first company to introduce MAN 48/60 common-rail technology into its operating fleet six years ago. Ever since, all its MAN powered newbuilds have been ordered with the fuel saving electronic CR injection system.”
Tolgos concluded by saying: “Our company’s firm approach of risk-controlled introduction of new technologies into the market is bearing fruit. This is fully in line with the very high safety, reliability and environmental standards we encounter in the cruise business, where the parties involved strive not only to meet but even to exceed the level required by regulation wherever possible.”

Fjord Line employs Carus' s Radio Frequency Identification in cabin locks, check in

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 August 2013 21 August 2013

Fjord Line, the Norwegian ferry company, has become tthe first ferry operator to serve their passengers with contactless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) boarding control and to use RFID cabin locks, says Carus, the Finnish supplier of the systems.

The systems are on use on a recenty delivered newbuilding of Fjord Line and it will also be fitted in the second similar ship that will be delivered by Bergen Group Fosen early next year.

Carus have taken full project responsibility for providing the software, the handheld RFID scanners and the implementation of the solution that enables Fjord Line passengers to board and disembark using contactless RFID cards. The same smart card doubles as cabin key and boarding card, which is used to register when the passenger arrives on the ferry, as well as when they leave for ashore trips or for leaving their cruise.

Carus provides handheld scanners for all the ports where Fjord Line is operating to manage the registration of boarding and disembarking. The solution is based on Carus’ already existing boarding control solution which is enhanced with RFID support for contactless smart cards. Using BOCA System’s new RFID ticket printer, which can print and encode disposable RFID tickets, the media cost is similar to normal magnetic stripe tickets.

The solution is also enhanced with extended off-line support so that each scanner unit is able to operate uninterrupted, even outside network coverage. The scanner updates the central system automatically as soon as it is online again.

“Adding two new cruise ferries to our operation is a huge project, which has kept our IT organisation busy, and we are glad to have a solution that supports us in all our business process changes. I am happy to be able to say, ‘Yes we can’, to our management every time they ask if our IT solution will be able to cope with all the changes this business evolution includes," says Linda Selle, IT Manager of Fjord Line.

She continues: “This new solution with RFID support allows us to serve our travellers better than any other ferry operator."

Anders Rundberg, CEO of Carus added, “Working closely with our clients, we are able to come up with the most innovative solutions to keep us at the forefront of technical development. Seeing our customers being first with this type of customer phasing solution is the best testimonial we can get."