Wärtsilä has said it has won a contract to supply the design and equipment for a new Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) for offshore market.  The PSV will be of the new VS 485 Mk III design and is said to be one of the most cost and fuel-efficient supply vessels ever to be launched.  The new vessel, scheduled to be delivered towards the end of 2012, is to be built at the the Norwegian shipyard Hellesøy Verft AS and owned and operated by the Norwegian ship owner, Vestland Offshore.

In response to the customer’s demand for a modern, high quality, and fuel efficient PSV, Wärtsilä Ship Design has developed a highly energy and environmentally efficient vessel solution. Based on the well-proven VS 485 design, the new vessel has an optimised hull design for greater efficiency, with corresponding reduced emission to air. The Vessel will be fitted with Wärtsilä medium speed engines and Wärtsilä NOx Reducer.

In addition to the design package, Wärtsilä’s scope of supply includes four Wärtsilä 9L20 diesel generator sets, the electric propulsion system, the power management system, and an integrated automation system.

“Vestland Offshore is building a fleet of vessels that emphasise energy efficiency, safety, reliability, and environmental sustainability. These are all major focus areas for today’s oil industry, and Wärtsilä’s designs are at the forefront of achieving these aims,” says Tor Østervold, Chairman of the Board of Vestland Offshore.

The VS 485 Mk III fulfils the highest possible Environmental Rating Number (ERN) 99.99.99.99, which represents the vessel’s capability for maintaining its position and normal operations under certain weather conditions. The new Wärtsilä PSV design includes a unique power and propulsion system based on the company’s patented Low Loss Concept. This provides both additional safety and extra reliability for continuous operation, in various failure modes.

“Over the years, Wärtsilä has gained considerable experience in the development of energy efficient vessels. In particular, the optimisation of hull lines has been a major focus area of this development work. By combining this know-how with our overall expertise and experience, new design optimisation tools, and state-of-the-art power and propulsion solutions, we have been able to produce a highly efficient portfolio of Offshore Service Vessel designs,” says Johannes Eldøy, Director, Project Development for Wärtsilä Ship Design.

Wärtsilä has had a long and successful relationship with the Hellesøy Verft yard, and this will be the seventh VS 485 vessel that they have built. However, this is the first ship of the new Mk III design that they have ordered. The new ship will be one of the most cost and fuel-efficient supply vessels ever to be launched. It is designed to be suitable for world-wide operations.

The vessel is 85.6 metres long, has a breadth of 20 metres, a cargo deck area of approximately 1000 square metres, and has a dead weight at 7 m of 5,000 tonnes.

Via Wärtsilä

“Most New Zealand ports are in or very near major urban areas. The SOx reduction will positively impact the public health and local environment” says Julian Bevis, Managing Director for Maersk Line, New Zealand.

To improve the air quality around ports, Maersk Line’s sustainability strategy pledges to reduce SOx emissions significantly with a drive towards ‘zero’.  The shipping line has committed itself to implementing fuel switch programmes at at least 10 global locations by 2015.

“Sulphur is a major problem for our industry. We are concerned with the health impacts of repeated, long-term airborne exposure to SOx, in particular for people living close to busy ports” says Jacob Sterling, Head of Climate & Environment, Maersk Line.

Maersk Line pioneered voluntary fuel-switching in California in 2006, and has steadily extended the programme to other regions, including ports in Texas, Hong Kong and the US Pacific Northwest.

“While sulphur emissions from motor vehicles and industrial processes have reduced over the years, there are still improvements to be made. We are very pleased that Maersk Line vessels will now be burning low-sulphur fuel when they are in port, and we hope other lines will follow their lead” says Councillor Wayne Walker, Chair of the Auckland Council’s Environment and Sustainability Forum.

Global kiwifruit producer ZESPRI also welcomes the initiative.

“This focus on improved sustainability fits well with our own commitment to environmental best practice across our whole supply chain” says Mike Knowles, Shipping Manager, ZESPRI International Limited.

Photo (c) Maersk Line

Lloyd’s Register and Shanghai-based Bestway Marine Engineering Design have completed their joint-industry project to develop a trend-setting environmental bulk carrier, with results far exceeding expectations.

According to the provisional data from the project, the new design for a 35,000 Dwt bulk carrier will achieve an 18% improvement in environmental efficiency over comparable previous versions when measured against the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index, a method by which a ship’s CO2 efficiency is measured.

“This project clearly demonstrates what can be achieved through the power of technical co-operation,” said Nick Brown, Lloyd’s Register’s Country and Marine Manager, China. “It showcased our technical expertise and ability to provide timely insights and support to innovative designers such as Bestway right from the initial design stage. This project also highlighted the leadership Bestway is taking in the area of ship design. We are confident about working together again with Bestway on safe and efficient designs in the future.”

More details on this story can be found HERE

An article in the New Scientist reviews the state of the art in the technology and the obstacles that researchers are facing. For example: how do you create a blanket of bubbles around the ship but keep the propellers in undisturbed water where they can create thrust efficiently? How do you keep bubbles in place at high speeds? And can the gains from drag reduction outweigh the energy costs of creating the bubbles?

One promising solution derives from the work of Yoshiaki Kodama, director of the Advanced Maritime Transport Technology Department at Japan’s National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) in Tokyo. Kodama’s team proposes to shoot a layer of bubbles from slots near the bow of the ship. The bubbles will travel along the hull of the ship, with enough bubbles trapped under the ship’s surfaces so that the constant replenishment is sufficient to maintain the blanket of bubbles. Treehugger

Interesting in the least.

I am pleased to report a significant amount of positive feedback from mariners when discussing new MARAD (Maritime Administration) initiatives. In addition to being on the forefront of new LNG programs they are aggressively pursuing new ways of providing job opportunities for U.S. Mariners and, the *word on the street* is they are even working with the IRS to protect our interests with regards to the Sailor Tax Deduction Debacle.

One of the programs that gets too little attention is the Marine Highway Initiative. What is the program nicknamed “American’s Marine Highway” all about. Maritime Administrator, Sean T. Connaughton tells us;

Our marine highways are a cost effective, yet under utilized, method for the movement of passengers, containers, and bulk cargoes that is especially fuel efficient, safe, and reliable.

Accelerated use of the waterborne transportation mode holds forth a special promise for tomorrow in; reducing traffic congestion, enhancing freight flow, expanding freight capacity, and providing a new pathway for hazardous materials.

Maybe it’s because MARAD touts advantageous like “new pathway for hazardous materials” over headline grabbing sound bites that key into popular culture (how about “America’s Green Highway – Moving Cargo While Reducing Greenhouse Gas”) but the program contains major benefits for industry, consumers and the environment.

Despite a long line of marketing errors they might finally be on the right track with the attractive logo seen below and a new video that makes you ask; Why haven’t we been doing this all along?