Departments

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.

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.

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.

SHIPSU web service to link maritime material buyers and sellers

Details: 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.

Metalcolour takes over DAMPA

Details: 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.