shipping and marine issue 11 2013

floating excellencenew industry sectors are

seeing the benefits of innovative hovercraft technology

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3 Shipping&MARinEThE magazInE for marITImE managEmEnT

fit for the futurethe re-fit market is helping

owners keep their superyachts in peak condition

safety in numberstoday’s ship managers are under pressure to deliver solutions and

strong performance

effective management of transport services and cargo flows requires a secure supply chain

Explorethe options

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© 2013 Schofield Publishing Ltd

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

[email protected]

Chairman Andrew Schofield

Group manaGinG DireCtorMike Tulloch

SaleS DireCtorDavid Garner eDitor Libbie Hammond

StaFF WriterS Matthew HighKirsty Birkett-StubbsJo Cooper

eDitorial aDminiStratorEmma Harris

ollaboration, partnerships, or just being located nearby – however it manifests, the articles in this issue do highlight a growing trend in the maritime

sector for companies to work more closely together. Whether it is through a loose alliance as part of a maritime cluster, or much more formally through an agreement or joint venture, there is strength in numbers, and a lot to be learned from peers and even the competition.

There are also other benefits – in the article on page six Ioannis Koliousis and Panagiotis Koliousis note how collaboration helps the maritime supply chain maintain its security and in his article on page 14, Simon Barham quotes Henry Ford, who sums up the concept very neatly: ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.’

proDuCtion manaGerFleur Conway

art eDitorDavid Howard

DeSiGnJenni Newman Jamie Elvin

[email protected]

oFFiCe manaGerTracy Chynoweth

heaD oF reSearChPhilip Monument

BuSineSS DeVelopment manaGerMark Cawston

eDitorial reSearCherSTim EakinsLaura ThompsonNatalie MartinGavin WatsonMark CowlesJoe Wright

aDVertiSinG SaleSJoe WoolsgroveDave King Darren JolliffeFinlay Johnson Nick Davies

[email protected]

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

editor

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk - 1

Working together

Whether it is through a loose alliance as part of a maritime cluster, or much more formally through an agreement or joint venture, there is strength in numbers, and a lot to be learned from peers and even the competition

floating excellencenew industry sectors are

seeing the benefits of innovative hovercraft technology

ISS

UE

El

Ev

En

201

3 Shipping&MARinEThE magazInE for marITImE managEmEnT

fit for the futurethe re-fit market is helping

owners keep their superyachts in peak condition

safety in numberstoday’s ship managers are under pressure to deliver solutions and

strong performance

effective management of transport services and cargo flows in a multimodal environment requires collaborative business

Explorethe options

C

24 neptune lines

27 matrix ship management

30 port 2 port maritime security

35 afai southern shipyard

37 tts offshore handling equipment

40 port of tallinn

43 goodwood ship management

46 rolldock

48 frederikshavn havn

50 palmali shipping

52 shin tai ho & co (pte)

54 dunston ship repair

56 hvide sande skibs & baadebyggeri

58 stena bulk

60 bass

FEATURES

2 - www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

PROFILES

50

Contents

3 newsUpdates and announcements from the shipping and maritime arena

6 explore the optionsCompanies in the maritime domain have already started looking into collaborative ways of working

9 floating excellenceResearch suggests that there is potential for good growth in the hovercraft market over the next five to ten years

12 proven solutionsDuramax Marine has found a new solution from Infor to be very easy to use and very intuitive

14 safety in numbersWhat is essential in these times of difficult trading is that the shipping industry works together in partnership

16 designing the futureFinding the right candidates is a challenge, so recruiting into naval architecture is a priority for the industry

18 fit for the futureAs technology develops, it seems likely the refit market will continue to successfully find ways of making older vessels like new

20 a unified projectThe $6.1 Billion Thames Tideway Tunnel Project has decided on Bentley’s ProjectWise solution

9

27

27

News


To further strengthen BMT’s market position in blue water surveys, BMT Group Ltd, a design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has acquired marine survey and consulting engineers, Verweij & Hoebee. A co-founder of the Association of Marine Surveyors and Consulting Engineers, Verweij & Hoebee was established in 1913 in the Netherlands and has built a strong reputation as a leading provider of both blue water (coastal) and brown water (inland) Hull & Machinery (H&M) surveys in Europe.Bruce Verweij, managing director, comments: “This acquisition actually gives us the best of both worlds. As a part of the BMT group we can fall back on the many facilities within the group, share our knowledge with them (both technical knowledge and that of the markets) and make use of BMT’s international network to reach new customers. Whilst at the same time, we can remain a smaller specialist company serving a niche market in Europe.”

Recent acquisition First application of technologyFlexlife, a specialist provider of flexible pipe technologies and engineering services, has successfully used its new integrity monitoring technology at Chevron’s Captain field in the UK North Sea.FlexGuard is an early detection system for possible riser integrity issues, designed to provide continuous real-time data on the condition of flexible risers. With more than 3000 risers in use globally, with this number forecast to rise to 5000 by 2015, and 35 per cent forecast to suffer some form of outer sheath damage, the cost savings and environmental benefits are immense. FlexGuard incorporates Flexlife’s patented non-invasive, award winning ultrasonic (UT) scanning technology in the form of a lightweight collar permanently fitted to flexible risers. The new monitoring tool provides the operator with instant, continuous monitoring of any subsea riser. This information can be acquired remotely from any location in the world – ensuring a failsafe early warning system providing major cost and safety benefits. The system can be installed either during installation or by retrofit to risers already in operation in the field.

http://www.sevenstar-emt.com

In June, components weighing up to 420 tonnes each for Liebherr’s new heavy lift offshore crane CAL 45000-1200 Litronic were loaded from Liebherr MCCtec Rostock GmbH onto two ships in the port of Rostock. These components were subsequently transported to the Crist shipyard in the Polish town of Gdynia. There, the crane is currently being assembled on the ‘Vidar’, an installation vessel belonging to Hochtief Solutions. After completion of assembly works later this year the crane will be used for the installation of offshore wind power stations. The CAL 45000-1200 Litronic achieves a maximum lifting capacity of 1200t at a maximum working radius of 27.5m. The boom length is 108m and the dead weight of the crane is 1500t. Another fascinating feature is the lifting height of over 120 m above deck. The slewing ring of the heavy lift crane has an outer diameter of 13m. A specification of the CAL 45000-1200 Litronic is its design as ‘crane around the leg’ (CAL). It is able to rotate 360° around one of the four jack-up legs of the vessel. The new crane is Liebherr’s second heavy lift offshore crane that has been built according to this design after last year’s delivery of a CAL 64000-1500 Litronic to the vessel ‘Innovation’, belonging to HGO.

The Seatrade Med Cruise Convention, the major biennial cruise event focused on the world’s second largest cruise destination – the Mediterranean, will gather in Barcelona, Spain from September 16-18, 2014 at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via Conference Centre.“We feel extremely proud and excited to host Seatrade Med 2014 for the first time in Barcelona. We are expecting great participation, showing the strength and the resilience of the cruise industry in the Mediterranean and reinforcing the commitment of the ship owners and the cruise industry to our port and our city, Barcelona,” said Sixte Cambra, president of the Port of Barcelona.Owned and organised by UBM Live in partnership with Seatrade Communications Ltd, Seatrade Med is Europe’s most prestigious cruise event, welcoming over 4000 attendees and 300 exhibiting suppliers and service providers to the Mediterranean cruise market. “We are extremely proud to host our 10th edition event in Barcelona,” said UBM Live portfolio director Daniel Read. “It is one of the most beloved cruise destinations in the world and the perfect location to bring the Mediterranean cruise industry together.”www.cruiseshippingevents.com/med

Save the date


New delivery

Griffin Technology, one of the world’s foremost creators of innovations for everyday life, and Catalyst Lifestyle, an innovative design and development company that makes consumer lifestyle accessories, has announced the availability of the Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof Case for iPhone 5.The partnership brings Catalyst’s innovative design and development team in consumer lifestyle accessories, together with Griffin’s unsurpassed 20-plus years of experience in the consumer technology space. Together, they bring the world’s best waterproof cases and related accessories to market, superior in design, quality, functionality, and usability.The Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof Case is built for freedom in and around water, ready to go whenever and wherever adventure calls. Designed and tested to be waterproof down to three metres while maintaining full functionality of the iPhone’s features, the ultra-rugged waterproof case protects iPhone 5 without sacrificing the ability to take photographs, shoot videos, take calls, listen to audio, and even plug in to recharge the battery. Button covers provide protection without limiting access, and side latches secure the enclosed iPhone 5 inside the watertight case. Crystal clear housing showcases the iPhone as well as allowing users to visually inspect the O-ring seal for reliable waterproof protection at all times.“Our latest waterproof case is the culmination of over two years of research and development. After the successful launch of our first waterproof case on Kickstarter, we improved upon our first case by designing the Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof to be a fully-functional, everyday case that offers complete protection so that you can go anywhere with your iPhone,” said June Lai, CEO of Catalyst Lifestyle.

I’m a survivor

ALMACO Group was awarded the new building contract from Keppel FELS for modular cabins and public spaces on board Floatel International’s Floatel Endurance. The scope includes four accommodation decks and three public area decks, with a total of 440 single-bed, NORSOK-compliant modular cabins and 1500 square metres of public areas such as corridors, lounges, offices, messes and others. The contract encompasses detail design and engineering for all the interior, interior linings for public areas and corridors, insulation, installation of windows on the structure and all interior outfitting works, installation of the complete galley and laundry, and material supply and installation for the modular cabins and public areas. With this project, ALMACO’s position as preferred EPC in the offshore market is strengthened as it highlights ALMACO’s global capabilities to carry out extensive projects in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Float on

Construction is now underway on Liverpool2, Peel Ports’ £300 million in-river container terminal which will enable post-Panamax vessels of up to 13,500 TEU to call directly at the Port of Liverpool.Due to open in 2015, Liverpool2 will revolutionise UK logistics by attracting some of the world’s largest container vessels to a centrally-located UK distribution hub and a population of 35 million consumers within a radius of 150 miles. Liverpool2 will enable container ships from around the world to connect directly with the northern half of the UK and Ireland, and so serve a market estimated at around four million TEUs a year.Mark Whitworth, group chief executive of Peel Ports, believes that the investment will make an already strong commercial proposition ‘more compelling than ever.’ He said: “The Port of Liverpool has already seen increased interest from shipping lines and cargo owners. Over the last 18 months APL, Evergreen and Zim have started to offer weekly feeder connections into

Liverpool, whilst MSC and CMA have continued to grow their long-standing feeder volumes through the port. Liverpool2 sends a fantastic message to shippers and the wider international trade world – namely, that Liverpool is investing heavily to secure their business now and in the future.”

News


Seaway Powell Marine, one of the leading British engineering companies specialising in the design and manufacture of marine hydraulic systems, now has a mobile service and repair team for winches, windlasses, hydraulic and conventional sail and rigging controls.The service will initially cover the area from Hamble to Weymouth, with Seaway Powell Marine engineers making regular calls into harbours, marinas and boat yards, as well as responding to individual requests from leisure and commercial boat owners.Tom Loasby, sales manager at Seaway Powell Marine says the service has been set up in response to requests from customers. “We get a lot of calls from boat owners, who may have been out on the water, and either develop faults within their system or know that they are not operating effectively and need servicing. Our experienced engineers can carry out servicing and repair work on board, or we can arrange to collect the item from the marina or the yacht, take it back to our service centre in Shaftsbury, and return it fully repaired and working again.”

Going mobile Wärtsilä, the marine industry’s

leading solutions and services provider, has been awarded the contract by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., of Panama City, Florida to supply an integrated solution for a new multipurpose support vessel (MPSV) for Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC (HGIM) of New Orleans. This offshore vessel is the first in a series of three MPSVs being built for Harvey Gulf. The Wärtsilä contract includes an option for the supply of equipment to the remaining two vessels of the series.Wärtsilä’s scope of supply includes the engines, a turnkey installation of the Wärtsilä Control & Communication Centre (3C) integrated bridge, navigation, and communication control system, and the complete electrical and automation system. Wärtsilä has also been contracted to fully integrate the supplied systems and to further interface them with other onboard systems. Wärtsilä will also be responsible for submission of the documentation required for classification society approvals.Included in the comprehensive solution is a long-term service agreement. The five-year service agreement covers six LNG fuelled offshore supply vessels and up to three multipurpose support vessels, and includes all the Harvey Gulf vessels that have recently been fitted with Wärtsilä equipment. The multi-purpose support vessel will operate in the offshore oil fields of the Gulf of Mexico, and will be owned and operated by Harvey Gulf. The ship is expected to be operational before the end of 2015. It will have the ABS Guide’s Enviro + notation representing the vessel’s compliance with the more stringent criteria for environmental protection.

Expanded offshore fleet

Open for business in 2015Finnish shipping company Bore has announced that it will install ClassNK-NAPA GREEN ship efficiency software aboard the 13,625dwt highly efficient Ro-Ro vessel M/V Bore Song. This announcement follows on from sea trials last year aboard sister ship M/V Bore Sea, which proved that NAPA operational software, had led to a 5.8 per cent reduction in fuel consumption.The ClassNK-NAPA GREEN software system is a joint development between Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) and NAPA. This collaborative software solution for vessel efficiency, launched in 2012, builds upon the shared expertise of both organisations to provide a best in class approach to reducing fuel spend and greenhouse gas emissions whilst also providing compliance with legislation. Jorgen Mansnerus, vice president, marine management, Bore Ltd, commented: “Last year’s sea trial of operational software was a significant factor in our decision to choose ClassNK-NAPA GREEN. We are confident that this software is a wise investment that will begin to offer fuel savings aboard this vessel from installation, and proud that we are able to offer lowered fuel spend to the charterers.”

Proven savings

ccording to UNCTAD, approximately 70 per cent of all cargo is transported in intermodal shipping containers, representing approximately 240 million container moves in any given year,

of which 150 million occur on major shipping routes. EU ports are an important transhipment hub in this process, handling around a third of the container moves throughout the world. As a result, container security associated with terrorist threats, illegal immigration, theft and smuggling is an important business risk in the overall European cross border security and in the supply chain efficiency. It is commonplace to suggest that smuggling is one of the major issues in container security, and in particular the issue of determining whether the declared goods on a container (or the container being empty) are real and accurate.

On the other hand, supply chain operators have to provide seamless logistics services throughout the chain to all customers. Nevertheless, disruptions stemming from security issues reduce efficiency, not only on the (directly) affected container movements

The development of the industry is thanks in no small part to the support of the UK government, who recognise the potential of the industry to yield a range of socio-economic benefits


A

SHIP SECURITY

When it comes to container supply chain security, Ioannis Koliousis and Panagiotis Koliousis say:

“Old fashion inspections, you are the weakest link. Goodbye!”

Explorethe options

but also on the whole batch, on the shipment or even on the entire port depending on the criticality of the security issue (threat). To this extent, all operators try to quantify the severity of the risks linked to container transport, in order to either identify the most effective ways to reduce these risks to acceptable levels, or to reroute the shipments so as to reduce disruptions.

Currently, the challenge is in developing solutions that balance public and business interests, within recognised constraints. On one hand, customs and competent authorities would opt in for 100 per cent inspections, whereas ports, terminals and supply chain operators would opt in for zero inspections. It is obvious that neither approach is perfect. What is needed is a global containers surveillance system that complies with the EU and


national legislations and directives, supports the implementation of security and information management policies, and facilitates seamless trade to all commercial entities. In order to develop such a surveillance system, the following have to be provided:l Design of secure multimodal corridors; l Supply chain monitoring, inspections and controls processes based on integrated security technologies and public-private partnershipswithsharedresponsibilitiesandbenefits;l Innovative ways to exchange container security information among EU platforms, EU stakeholders and external (to EU) entities;l Enhancing security information in performance optimisation services for supply chain operators.

At the moment, maritime stakeholders have to conform to many different directives, guides and so forth. For example, the USA C-TPAT, the CSI initiatives, the EU AEO-Authorised Economic

Operator and the WCO SAFE Framework from one side and the ship and port facility security measures through the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code on the other side. In Europe particularly, maritime surveillance is expected to bring together Member States’ coastguard and other competent agencies, and collaborate under different umbrellas, including the European External Borders Agency (FRONTEX), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) and the European Defence Agency (EDA). Finally, the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) which is underway, will create a common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain. These initiatives complement similar ones in Asia and Africa, which also need to be taken account of.

To this extent, the CONTAIN Project (http://www.containproject.com/), an EU funded research project, addresses the issue of secure container transport. CONTAIN investigates ways of addressing security problems using both hardware as well as intelligent systems based on risk-based approaches to container profiling. The supply chain operators (transport and logistics services providers, ports, port terminal operators, customs, coast guard, finance police, to name but a few) can use the solutions to enhance decision making, to identify security issues, to establish patterns, and in general to optimise their supply chains based on risk calculations. The CONTAIN system is researching improved security features, that will:

1. Support transport security stakeholders (both business and administrations) in managing container security threats in an integrated D2D approach;2. Provide different technology options, like container integrated sensors, communication and security hardware, software technologies to monitor container movements, real time information sharing, risk taxonomies and risk mitigation measures libraries;3. Integrate siloed information hubs so as to enhance the Situational Awareness of the different stakeholders, to improve the information fusion and to improve decision making; 4. Provide real time information to all stakeholders;

CONTAIN is developing supply chain tools, aiming to improve security, including: l Container Monitoring and Tracking Solution (CMTS): CMTS facilitates reliable monitoring of container movements and security related parameters in real time. It integrates an EGNOS service platform with Novacom tracking sensors and e-seal solutions. l Communication and Information Security Module (CISC): CISC uses multi-level information security technologies enhanced for use over all types of communication platforms. CISC architectural models are semantically enhanced to improve information fusion; l Container Security Risk Management Decision Support Systems: A set of real time risk analysis decision support tools equipped with advanced risk analysis capabilities, an Impactorium tool to encompass knowledge and tools and enhanced crisis management strategy and reasoning capabilities.


l Transport Decision Support Systems: A tool that uses the real time container monitoring information to reschedule real time container movements.

In conclusion, effective management of transport services and cargo flows in a multimodal environment requires collaborative business and operational models between transport operators, cargo managers and security related authorities. New technologies that aid visibility and operational risk management within supply chains are necessary, and companies in the maritime domain have already started exploring the available options so as to reduce costs and improve efficiency and effectiveness. v

ship security

ioannis & panagiotis KoliousisIoannis Koliousis is project manager, Decision Dynamics and INLECOM Systems Ltd and Panagiotis Koliousis is project manager at Decision Dynamics. Decision Dynamics Limited helps companies achieve their business objectives and realise superior returns compared to their competitors. Decision Dynamics has assisted organisations across both the private and the public sectors outperform their rivals and create value achieving a sustainable competitive edge. For more information, visit: www.decisiondyn.com.

INLECOM is a company dedicated to providing strategic knowledge-centric solutions developed by specialist software engineers and business consultants and backed by an international team of experts in risk management, system dynamics, corporate sustainability and business performance optimisation.

cONtAiN projectCONTAIN is an EU Funded project, aimed at specifying and demonstrating a European shipping containers surveillance system in a global context which will encompass regulatory, policy and standardisation recommendations, new business models and advanced container security management capabilities. CONTAIN demonstrates secure multimodal corridor design and supply chain monitoring & control across international and European corridors on a full scale basis at focused demonstrators. For more information, visit: www.containproject.com.


2 Canadian Coastguard BHT AP188 craft on patrol

hovercraft

he first practical hovercraft designs were developed in the 1950s – over six decades later, powered vessels that float on a cushion of air are now capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice and other surfaces. Today

they are used throughout the world as a means of transportation in disaster relief, coastguard, military and survey applications as well as for sport or passenger service.

Larger versions have been used to transport people and vehicles across the English Channel, whilst others have been used to transport tanks, soldiers and large equipment in hostile environments and terrain.

Mike Coveney, sales and marketing director at Griffon Hoverwork Limited, gave a few more details about the history of this fascinating mode of transport: “Sir Christopher Cockerell, born in 1910, first tested his initial theory with a cat food tin inside a coffee tin and an industrial air blower. When air was forced between the two tins, the contraption began to float on its own cushion of air and thus the first concept of the hovercraft was born. In June 1959 the SRN-1 was unveiled to the

The hovercraft market is going strong, and as

Mike Coveney told Libbie Hammond, new innovations are making

these craft attractive to customers from

different sectors

excellenceFloating

T


world’s press at the Saunders Roe boat yard at Cowes. In 1962 the VA3, built by Vickers Supermarine, became the first ever commercial passenger Hovercraft and this was followed in 1965 by the first commercial ferry operation by Hovertravel carrying 38 passengers in a SRN6 craft. During the 1960s the longest running commercial Hovercraft service, Hovertravel, was established, Hoverwork was founded as a company and in 1968 the Bland Group decided to invest in Hovertravel and Hoverwork. In 1973 the first Griffon Hovercraft was launched followed shortly by the founding of Griffon Hovercraft in 1976.

“From the outset of the 1980s Griffon Hoverwork launched the first 1000TD, 2000TD, 8000TD, 81000TD, diesel powered craft up to the BHT 130 and BHT 150 in 2007. In 2008 the Bland Group acquired a 100 per cent shareholding in Hovertravel and Hoverwork and later the same year it acquired Griffon Hovercraft. Since then Griffon Hoverwork Limited has launched the PASCAT, a Partial Air Cushion Supported Catamaran, designed by QinteiQ and built by Griffon Hoverwork, and the first Ministry of Defence 2400TD craft.”

hovercraft

It is clear that innovation and hovercraft go hand in hand, and as Mike highlighted, research and development is always underway: “Griffon Hoverwork’s new product agenda is to offer hovercraft that fundamentally offer better value for money,” he said. “Target total costs of ownerships are to be comparable albeit slightly higher than a conventional marine vessel, while being considerably lower than a helicopter when measured in terms of total cost per Kg mile. To achieve this we are currently researching and applying a comprehensive range of new technologies to reduce craft weight, to improve cushion efficiency, ease of use, reliability and maintainability, to improve fuel economy and to enhance manoeuvrability. We will thereby create a more cost effective package.”

Although a hovercraft is difficult to compare to a standard ship, Mike noted that the demands from clients are common to both areas – reliable products within a lower budget. “Therefore our focus here is to use technology to improve the overall cost effectiveness and efficiency of the product,” he said. “There is an equal requirement for craft that are capable of carrying larger

The 8100TD craft which is in operation with the Swedish Amphibious Battalion


payloads for customers who need to provide logistical support in areas where this is not viable due to ice, high winds and fog.

“We will be testing a prototype of a new one tonne payload craft later this year. We have also commenced development of a new hover ferry product to be launched in 2015.”

Further development is also taking place for larger craft for key partners in the oil and gas sector. Success here will be underpinned by further research in power plant, application of advanced structures, materials and applied technologies to cope with the demands of extreme conditions.

In addition, the hovercraft also offers a possible alternative for customers concerned about green issues - its design means it is already an environmentally-friendly platform. Mike explained: “Hovercraft have no underwater signature and leave no wake or wash,” he said. “New products will also use engines with improved emissions levels and a lower airborne noise signature.”

Add these factors to the other benefits that the hovercraft offers and it is no surprise that the market is growing. “This growth is fuelled by changes in security priorities, the need to extract oil from

challenging environments, increased levels of flooding and growth in economies where waterborne transport is more prevalent – such as South America,” added Mike. “It can certainly be accelerated further by development of new products. Our current research suggests that there is potential for good growth over the next five to ten years.”

Mike concluded with some insight into future trends in the market: “We consider the next big step for hovercraft is for the standards against which they are built to be more widely understood and mandated. Unfortunately, there have been many examples of poor craft being developed and delivered that fail to meet an acceptable level of performance or reliability. Poor performance has been exacerbated by a failure to implement effective standards for maintenance and pilot ability.

“As leaders in the hovercraft market, one of our missions is to build on the existing standards embodied in the High Speed Craft Code. By doing so, our current and future customers can readily understand and adopt internationally recognised standards of operation. These standards can then be used to manage the entire supply chain, whether they are sub-component suppliers, craft manufacturers, product support partners or operators.” v

Griffon HoverworkFor further information, visit: www.GriffonHoverwork.com

Telephone: 02380 686 666Email: [email protected]

The 2000TD craft in operation by the Peruvian Navy

The BHT 180 craft ‘Solent Express’

uramax Marine is a privately held company that manufactures various marine products. Most of its products are not visible from inside ships, but are nonetheless vital. Its mainstay product is a

propeller shaft bearing that prevents the propeller from bending and breaking so that the ship will continue to move. Duramax also makes fendering systems, sealing systems, and cooling systems, as well as dock bumpers and tow knee products that fit on tug boats to enable them to push other ships without destroying them.

Headquartered in Hiram, Ohio, the company also makes pump products called stators that are used for industrial markets. Duramax customers are global and range from distributors to those that sell engineered Duramax products and those needing custom sizing to which Duramax sells directly.

Although Duramax products are mature and the company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of these products, the company is a relatively small operation. Up until recently, it was one of only a few companies that produced the same types of marine devices. Now its biggest challenge is global competition, particularly from China and India.

To confront its challenges and remain prosperous, Duramax needed to ensure that its business processes and manufacturing operations were as streamlined and efficient as possible. It was paramount for the company to find a system that was flexible to meet changing needs, incorporated lean planning and scheduling processes, and was easy to use. According to Debi Piccus, CIO at

Duramax: “Because our business is small, we don’t have the luxury of taking a lot of risks that’s why a proven solution - and from a supplier with a strong support system - was critical to us.”

After Duramax reviewed several enterprise resource planning systems, the company selected Infor ERP SyteLine. One of the characteristics that sold Duramax on Infor ERP SyteLine is its basis in current technologies. Debi said: “The software uses the most current, standard technologies, such as Windows SQL Server, which makes training easy to obtain, and we can easily get support from many different sources.” Debi explained the company’s technology history: “Several years ago we implemented the Symix product, which became an Infor legacy product, and we upgraded to the latest Infor version a few years ago.

“We use the software for accounting and manufacturing, doing everything in it from taking customer orders, scheduling, and planning, to invoicing and even to business analysis.”

Seeing resultsDebi described the process of deploying Infor ERP SyteLine. “As an implementation professional, I can honestly say that the user interface was intuitive, which made implementation easy and very quick. We were able to see the benefits of using the system so much faster than we would have with other applications.”

In fact, Duramax immediately began realising important gains from SyteLine. “Infor’s open architecture allows us to easily customise the software ourselves, and we’ve done just that,” said


D

CASE STUDY

Duramax streamlines business processes with Infor SyteLine

solutionsProven

Debi. In conjunction with Infor’s affiliate, Single Source Systems, Duramax developed a customisation that prints CAD drawings for selected purchase orders and jobs. The customisation integrates an AutoDesk drawing viewer used to print drawings for user-selected purchase and job orders.

Debi added: “Instead of having to look up drawings in a book, copy them, and include them with the purchasing or job paperwork, the user clicks a check box and all the paperwork prints together, saving the user 15 to 20 minutes for every drawing needed.

“Jobs get released to the floor quicker, purchase orders are issued quicker, and several users many times a day save time with the automated customisation. Also, we can extract important information from our old database - 15 years’ worth of invoiced sales data - and use it with our Infor products to analyse the business.”

With SyteLine’s built-in business intelligence, Duramax can perform various types of analyses on its 15 years of data comparing information from year to year to gain insight for better decision making. “It helps us see sales trends so that we can target markets and know where to invest sales and marketing in the future,” said Debi.

“For example, if we start to see a sales growth trend in India, then we know that we need to concentrate some sales and marketing efforts in that area. We recently did an inventory analysis. We used business intelligence to develop a report that


solutionstells us how much of a product was used or sold over the past ten years and compared that against how much stock of the item was on hand, giving us insight into obsolete or slow-moving inventory.”

Flexibility is another SyteLine feature that Duramax considers critical. “We can plug many add-on modules into it and integrate them into the application to appear as if they were part of the base software,” Debi added. “This seamless addition saves us much time and effort, allowing us to meet all our business needs without having to look for another software application.”

According to Debi, Infor sets itself apart in its support of customers. “I’ve never seen another software company support past versions like Infor does,” she said. “I think customers should be able to upgrade to the next version as it makes sense for their business. And providing architecture that allows users to plug in any software best suited to them and to integrate the best practices that work for them is the ideal scenario. Infor does all of that.”

Debi pointed out another benefit gained from Infor ERP SyteLine. “When Infor acquired SyteLine, we realised the extra advantages of a much larger organisation. Infor supports its professional services and support groups very well. We’ve consulted with the software experts many times, and they’ve stayed with us, diligently helping us grow that piece of our business.”

Other Infor customers also played a role in reassuring Duramax that there were many satisfied users. “Being able to consult with Infor customers at conferences and user group meetings was important to us. And we discovered Infor365, an online community that helps to support us in many ways.”

Duramax Marine has 40 users in several different areas - customer service, sales, marketing, accounting, purchasing, scheduling, and the shop floor, as well as shipping. Debi concluded: “Our users have found the software very easy to use, very intuitive, and it really helps support their job functions.”

Duramax emphasised that it continues to look to Infor for proven solutions. Noted Debi: “Infor has shown us that it will grow those proven solutions instead of offering something completely new that we need to rip and replace. And all Infor applications integrate with one another; we can go to one place for support and work with one sales rep. We believe that Infor will be with us for many years to come.” v

For further information visit: www.infor.com and www.duramaxmarine.com.

Because our business is small, we don’t have the luxury of taking a lot of risks that’s why

a proven solution - and from a supplier with a strong support system - was critical to us‘‘


SHIP MANAGEMENT

Simon Barham gives an overview of the challenges facing

ship management companies Safety in f there is one thing that is certain about the shipping markets this year - it is the overall uncertainty about everything. Owners, managers and industry practitioners all seem to be in the dark about prospects for this year.

Interestingly they all seem intent on asking how everyone else sees shipping’s lot panning out. I have been asked by more people than I care count, about when I see the recovery and I guess all I can do is repeat what I have been told by people in the know. But it would seem they are as much in the dark as we all are!

Green shoots are maybe still lacking but more optimistic talk could start to be heard towards the end of next year and into 2016 is what I am hearing. But the industry is making hay while the sun is shining and starting to put itself in order ready for any upturn. It is all about keeping your head down and weathering the storm - this perfect storm that has seen all shipping markets affected and the normal drivers to recovery blocked at every juncture.

This feeling is that while we may all have arrived in different ships, ‘we are all in the same boat now’, and an interesting phenomenon appears to be the growth in prominence of the maritime cluster. There is clearly a feeling of strength and safety in numbers and the work is on for certain geographic sectors of the global shipping community to develop and hone their expertise and to stamp their authority on an interested audience. Singapore’s international reputation as a maritime cluster is growing and strengthening while other established centres like Cyprus and Oslo continue to plug ahead.

But what is interesting is the determination by these and many other clusters to re-emphasise their existence and to develop new

skills that will leave them open to commercial interest as shipping emerges from the gloom.

And what is essential in all of this is that the shipping industry works together in partnership. Ship managers like Bibby Ship Management see real value in treating their clients as partners. Transparency is crucial but if everyone is pulling in the same direction then things can get done very quickly and very efficiently.

Today’s managers are under severe pressure to deliver high-end management services to ensure the managed vessel is in a strong position to meet its regulatory requirements against a backdrop of declining freight revenues and reducing management fees. When you lump in the soaring bunker prices then the task is accentuated and managers are continually being asked to look at ways of reducing fuel consumption.

As a ship owner today with younger ships you have to ask yourself where on earth am I going to get that ten per cent to 12 per cent return on investment that I need and how long can I expect to trade my ship to achieve that expectation? Well conversations I have had indicate that owners are still looking to write down their assets over anything from 18- 25 years. A worrying scenario when you consider that oil traders are sticking rigidly to their gentlemen’s agreement not to charter tankers over 15 years old.

The shipping market continues to be affected by over-capacity, with deliveries of new ships still out-stripping the scrapping of old tonnage. Over the year, surplus capacity has increased and freight rates have weakened further in the major tanker and dry bulk markets.

The over-supply will correct in time due to a reduced propensity

I


numbersto order new ships and an increase in scrapping. This is a trend that is accentuated by the shortage of available bank finance.

Growth in dry bulk seaborne trade continues its slow but steady recovery. For the calendar year 2012 it increased by 4.4 per cent compared with 4.3 per cent in 2011; and many broking sources expect this improving trend to continue into 2013. The rate of growth is affected by the pace of industrialisation and urbanisation of the emerging economies and the price of global commodities, which have both acted to maintain the rate of growth in the past few years. However, the total amount of trade is still smaller than anticipated before the recession, while bulk carriers that were ordered to meet those higher anticipated levels of demand continue to be delivered. In the year to December 2012 the bulk carrier fleet grew by ten per cent, after 13 per cent growth in 2011 and is expected to reduce to eight per cent in 2013.

And looking briefly at the primary wet trades, the freight market for crude tankers is at its lowest point and the product tanker market is fluctuating around break-even levels. Spot market rates, as measured by the Baltic Dirty and Clean Indices, displayed their usual seasonality with a weak second and third quarter followed by a fourth quarter rally. This rally was lower than anticipated and insufficient in 2012 for many owners to cover their costs for the year. The pattern of trade is changing with increased energy self-sufficiency of the US and rising consumption of crude oil in the Far East, which is increasingly being served by new refineries in the region resulting in an increase in seaborne distribution of refined products. The market remains over-supplied and this is now being added to by selective ordering of new technology tankers, which

will be more economical to run and have reduced environmental impact.

So what does this shipping market pointer tell us: Well it suggests that while it may be some months before the market outlook improves it is all about pulling together. The owner needs to survive and the manager, acting as his agent, is there to ensure costs are managed effectively and to ensure the value of the prized asset, the ship, is maintained to the highest level. The ship’s crew are crucial in all of this and while they say an army marches on its stomach, well a happy and productive crew is one that is well fed and well looked after.

Henry Ford once said: ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.’ An appropriate comment for the motor industry of his time but almost certainly fitting for today’s shipping industry, determined to successfully resolve issues of common interest while also keeping an eye on the bottom line. v

Simon BarhamSimon Barham is chief operating officer at Bibby Ship Management. Located in Liverpool, Bibby Ship Management Ltd provides a quality assured comprehensive technical management service to the international marine industry. In a highly competitive environment a dedication to quality brings economic advantages. Bibby Ship Management’s adherence to the quality management system means it prioritises the long-term interests of its clients. For further information visit: http://uk.bibbyshipmanagement.com.

he discipline of naval architecture covers a diverse array of specialties, including design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Those employed in this area are required

to have an extensive base of knowledge that includes applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations, trials, operation and maintenance, launching and dry-docking, the formulation of safety regulations and damage control rules and the approval and certification of ship designs to meet statutory and non-statutory requirements.

Given the list of skills needed to work in the sector, it doesn’t come as a surprise that finding the right candidates is a challenge and recruiting into naval architecture is a priority. Trevor Blakeley, the chief executive of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), confirmed that although the maritime industry can offer a rewarding career and at this time job opportunities for graduate engineers are generally good, it does demand high standards of professional skills of its engineers, at all stages in their careers. “The maritime industry must recognise that it has both a responsibility and a need to attract good graduate engineers into the industry by ‘selling’ the sector and its opportunities,” he said. “This includes providing career development through graduate training programmes that are aimed not just at meeting the needs of the company, but also providing the opportunity to meet the requirements for Chartered Membership of a professional Institution.”

Although its impact varies from sector to sector, the global financial crisis, which continues to affect the maritime industry has placed even greater emphasis on finding the right staff - particularly designers and builders - to create ships and marine structures that cost less to design, build and operate.

Trevor highlighted that technology has a great part to play in this development process going forward, and that again, it is a key aspect for naval architects: “The maritime industry is highly dependent on technology, and it is therefore not unexpected that innovation will have the greatest impact on hi-tech and scientific development. There is a need to provide ships and marine

structures which include the features mentioned earlier, as well as being safer, and more sensitive to the environment. The industry must ensure that it both recognises and uses such innovation where possible.”

He added: “The environmental side in particular is adding a lot of new demands, with society’s (and therefore inevitably the regulator’s) requirement that the industry be more sensitive to the maritime environment through reduced emissions and the sustainable use of resources. Naval architects have a key role in achieving this, for example by designing hulls which are more efficient.”

All of these areas are hot topics and Trevor noted they are actually somewhat linked: “When you provide ships and marine structures which cost less to design, build and operate, and have reduced emissions, it is almost inevitable that the vessels deliver reduced fuel consumption, whether as a cause or result, and make better use of sustainable resources (whether material or source of power).”

It is in high profile matters such as this where RINA can offer expert opinions and help naval architects – for example it has information available on the new generation of stability criteria, survivability of passenger vessels, damage stability for ro-ro passenger vessels, and guidelines for stability of tankers and bulk carriers. In fact its full participation in IMO at Committee and Sub-Committee level puts it at the heart of the discussions on the key matters affecting the sector, ranging from the development of a mandatory Polar Code, to Goal-Based Standards, the Formal Safety Assessment, the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), the Prevention of air pollution and the Reduction in Green House Gases. It is here that RINA can bring the rigour of the naval architect to proceedings. The Institution’s contribution to EEDI, for example, was intended to ensure that all future technical measures are properly evaluated before they are mandated.

Indeed, RINA believes that naval architects and other engineers are the key to the future success of the maritime industry, and that people particularly are the key to innovation: “Recruitment of good school leavers into engineering, attracting good graduate engineers



T

naval architects

Trevor Blakeley, chief executive of RINA spoke to Libbie Hammond about the role of the naval architect and the importance of recruiting the right people into the maritime sector

futureDesigning the

into the maritime industry, and providing career development opportunities through training and professional development are all essential in achieving success,” Trevor added.

The maritime industry and therefore its naval architects and engineers continue to face many challenges, and it is vital resources such as RINA that help to enable those working in the sector to keep abreast of new information. “Whether it is through RINA’s international publications and conferences, or through membership of the Institution, having access to independent, up-to-date technical information on developments in the global maritime industry is a major benefit, and RINA is always keen to ensure it is available to the broadest audience,” said Trevor.

In fact, the changes to the maritime industry have been both technical and geographical, and the Institution has reflected these changes in its activities and global membership. The Institution recently recognised the growth of the Chinese shipbuilding market by publishing its principal journal, The Naval Architect, in the Chinese language, and by organising conferences in China where it now has a branch. “Most people in the maritime industry will be aware of the rapid and extensive growth of the Chinese maritime industry over recent years, particularly in shipbuilding,” said Trevor. “However, the market recognises that if it is to maintain that growth it must seek improvement in design, production and quality whilst it continues to enjoy the benefit of low labour costs – all areas where its naval architects and engineers have a key role to play. It recognises that access is essential. In addition, this could also be said of those other countries that are seeing the same, albeit not as extreme, growth in their maritime industry, such as India and Brazil.”

But is there a need for this sort of journal in a world where information is available at the touch of a button? “In today’s world of information overload, it could even be asked if that still a role for the Institution,” Trevor acknowledged. “But which of the million-plus answers which Google might give are accurate and credible? I believe that accuracy and credibility are the hallmarks of the Institution.”


He concluded: “The professional qualification that is implicit in achieving full membership of RINA is recognised throughout the international maritime industry as demonstrating the achievement of the highest standards of professional competence and, just as importantly, of professional integrity.

“RINA encourages the individual member to take pride in his or her own professional achievement, and encourages high professional standards from others. I believe the Institution has a vital role to play in providing a link between academia, industry and the naval architecture profession, which is essential to the prosperity of maritime industries.” v

Trevor BlakeleyTrevor Blakeley was appointed chief executive of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) in April 1997 after a varied career as an officer in the Royal Navy. RINA is an international professional institution, whose members are involved in the design, construction and maintenance of marine vessels and structures. Its members are represented in over 90 countries and at all levels in universities, industry and maritime organisations. For further information visit: www.rina.org.uk.

ccording to market intelligence figures from Boat International, superyacht sales in 2013 are going well. At time of writing, one hundred and twenty vessels have been sold, at a value of 940m euros.

The research also indicates that builders are buzzing and the new order figures in the market are solid.

Rupert Savage, MD of Rolling Stock Group and Pinmar Supply (which are part of the Global Yachting Group) noted that although the superyacht market is hard to sum up as it is so changeable, the trend to go larger continues apace: “The mega yacht newbuild market is currently very strong with many shipyards having busy order books,” he confirmed.

However, not all owners want a brand new yacht, and it is these clients who are looking into refitting their current vessels that Rupert is keen to attract. On the subject of the newly formed Global Yachting Group (GYG) he stated: “GYG is a new company that was formed through a joint venture between the Rolling Stock Group and Pinmar Group by the shareholders of both groups. GYG is effectively a holding company owning all the subsidiary companies. As shareholders, we felt it very important to retain our two independent paint brands (Pinmar

and Rolling Stock) while putting together our two supply companies (Rolling Stock Chandlery and Pinmar Dockshop to form Pinmar Supply) and our two scaffold/cover companies (Pinmar Covering and Technocraft to trade as Technocraft),” he explained.

GYG aims to leverage on an experienced and globally skilled workforce to achieve economies of scale and the capability to execute ever-larger new build, refit and supply related projects. The group will have the broadest international service capability in the superyacht sector, including real estate interests in refit facilities, yacht finishing, supply (retail and distribution), scaffolding and covering, blasting and surface treatment, concierge and advisory services.

Rupert went onto discuss some changes he’s seen in the refit market: “It has always been hard to gauge the trends of the business as each year is so different and can be changed dramatically with one or two large contracts,” he said. “But one change in the refit market is ‘postponement’. It would appear that owners are now prepared to extend the time between refit periods, in particular paint contracts. In the past, yachts would be re-painted every three to five years - this has now been



A

superyachts

Superyacht owners don’t always want to buy a new vessel – luckily the refit market is there to transform their existing yachts into spectacularly modern examples of floating luxury

futureFit for the

extended in some cases, to every four to six years - this obviously has a knock on effect to the business.

“The other big change is the way quotes are produced. In the past we were expecting to compete with local companies, now we are competing on a global level. Clients will now get numerous quotes from numerous locations - this has forced us to become even more competitive and more efficient in the way we work.” He added: “Nevertheless, despite this change in approach, the refit market remains strong.”

When highlighting other changes in the market, Rupert also noted that there is now a global approach to sourcing services, and GYG’s clients can be from all around the world. He mentioned that new clients are demanding different technologies: “In reference to paint, many clients are looking for something visually different with custom colours or unusual metallic or pearlescent paint systems,” he said.

The environment is also increasing in importance to clients, and both Rolling Stock and Pinmar companies work in accordance to ISO standards 14001 and 9001 in reference to environmental and quality management. “Green issues are now very important,” Rupert confirmed. “Rolling Stock were the first


yacht painting company to achieve both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, and through our scaffolding and tenting company, Technocraft, we are able to offer complete containment and assure the best environment for our works. This means optimal quality is achieved while looking after the environment.”

The heady years leading up to 2008 in the superyacht market will probably never be seen again, but it seems that today there are still those out there looking to purchase a new superyacht or have their existing vessel brought up to spec. The Chinese market continues to grow in significance and as legislation increases and technology develops, it seems likely the refit market will continue to successfully find ways of making older vessels like new. v

www.globalyachtinggroup.com

http://www.globalyachtinggroup.com

entley’s ProjectWise will provide collaboration, work sharing, and engineering content management for Thames Water’s Thames Tideway Tunnel project. The project is designed to address the issue of

combined sewage discharges from London’s Victorian-era sewer system that enter the tidal River Thames, and thereby enhance water quality and help sustain the river for future generations. CH2M HILL, a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and programme management, is serving as programme manager for this massive $6.1 billion project. As a long-time Bentley user, CH2M HILL is confident in the ability of the ProjectWise system of collaboration servers and services to increase the project team’s productivity and decrease costs in delivering this project by providing information mobility across disciplines and project phases with data integrity. Additional Bentley software being used on the project includes Structural Modeler, AECOsim Building Designer, STAAD, InRoads, gINT, Bentley Navigator, and ProjectWise InterPlot.

Currently there are more than 20 principal partners involved in the project and 50 other companies engaged in the pre-planning phase. The project team needed a scalable solution to facilitate collaboration with multiple subcontractors and allow

them to accurately predict costs for this fixed-price project. The use of ProjectWise enables the team to more efficiently and economically manage design processes, project data, governance, standards, and subcontractors within a single federated and secure data environment. Moreover, the Bentley information modelling, structural, and civil applications being used enable interoperability – further supporting collaborative and streamlined multidisciplinary workflows.

Simon Williams-Gunn, engineering systems lead, Thames Tideway Tunnel project, said: “Thames Water will use ProjectWise to deliver models and drawings for planning processes based on BS 1192, enabling us to collaboratively work together within single and multiple offices and teams using the same information at once. We are going to be expanding into a huge team to deliver the project, and we wanted to put into place tools that enabled us to both accommodate the requirements at an early stage of the project and also scale into the full delivery of the project as it grows.”

ProjectWise and BS 1192The Thames Tideway Tunnel team is taking advantage of the new ProjectWise Business Process Template that incorporates the BS 1192 processes and naming standards, with appropriate



B

technology

The $6.1 Billion Thames Tideway Tunnel Project has decided on Bentley’s ProjectWise solution

projectA unified

folder structures and workflow conventions. ProjectWise also provides the team with time-saving automated support of numerous key activities including searching, creating, registering, checking, and issuing documents, as well as the tools for managing CAD standards to ensure that the growing team can create consistent work.

With ProjectWise, the project team was able to more accurately cost the project and minimise the risk of needing additional resources for information management as the project grows. “We needed to predict what the costs would be due to it being a fixed-cost project. If we had put in the resources required to manually manage this much information, the cost would have probably been ten times that of our new system, and that’s a conservative figure,” said Simon.

Management of an evolving projectThe London sewer system uses a single pipe to carry both sewage and stormwater runoff. It was designed to overflow into the tidal River Thames via combined sewer overflows (CSOs) only during extreme rainfall, when the sewers reach capacity, to prevent homes and streets from flooding. However, modern-day pressures, including population growth and the increased intensity of


project

precipitation in the UK, have resulted in increased discharges into the tidal River Thames – with discharges occurring, on average, once per week.

To capture this overflow before it reaches the river, there will be shafts six metres across and 60 metres deep at 22 CSO sites along the path of the tunnel that drop the flow down to the main tunnel. “There is a huge amount of engineering that goes into actually capturing the CSO. So we’re building a building underground, if you like, using Structural Modeler to create 3D models,” Simon explained. In addition, Structural Modeler and AECOsim Building Designer are being used to create 3D models of other elements and structures at the CSO sites, including the shafts, head houses, stacks, and other buildings and landscaping.

These 3D models are shared with other software tools for fluid dynamic calculations as well as GIS software for studying the environmental impact of the stacks and the resulting odour. STAAD is used for structural analysis of reinforcement issues, such as where CSOs enter the river near bridges. The 3D models are also used to produce the 2D drawings necessary for engineering, planning, and environmental needs.

Using InRoads for tunnel alignmentsThe tunnel will be London’s deepest ever – being 75 metres down at its lowest point. With the myriad underground structures beneath the city, the project team must avoid the many other tunnels and conduits used for rail, road, electricity, gas, and communications infrastructure. Moreover, it must prevent ground settlement from damaging the surrounding buildings. Settlement analysis will be conducted wherever the tunnel passes beneath or close to buildings and other structures, and mitigation efforts will be implemented as required.

The team is using InRoads to manage horizontal, vertical, and 3D alignments of both the main tunnel and various connection tunnels. In addition, it is implementing gINT to manage the huge amounts of geotechnical data needed for the tunnel, as its prior software was unable to handle the necessary quantity of data.

Delivering the right information to the right peopleTo meet the needs of various audiences and stakeholders, the Thames Tideway Tunnel project team will employ easy-to-use web tools to provide the required information to project decision makers. Moreover, Bentley Navigator will supply web-based access to 3D models for design review and clash detection. In addition, Bentley’s ProjectWise InterPlot will be used for publishing both web-based document sets and paper construction documents. The goal is to make all project information available to the entire team on the web. v

To read a case study on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, visit: www.bentley.com/ThamesTidewayTunnel.

http://www.international-marine.com/intercept8000lpp

There are thousands of ships sailing the oceans today, transporting every kind of cargo. The global fleet is manned by over a million seafarers of virtually every nationality and the companies involved in this sector are among the most technologically sophisticated of any in the world.

The prominent and successful companies that are highlighted in the next pages of Shipping & Marine provide real world examples of how state-of-the-art technology, best practices and modern innovations are put into practice in the maritime sector.

Profilesl nepTune lines

l maTrix ship managemenT

l porT 2 porT mariTime securiTy

l afai souThern shipyard

l TTs offshore handling equipmenT

l porT of Tallinn

l goodwood ship managemenT

l rolldock

l frederikshavn havn

l palmali shipping

l shin Tai ho & co (pTe)

l dunsTon ship repair

l hvide sande skibs & baadebyggeri

l sTena bulk

l bass

eptune Lines (NL) is a leading car carrier company in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, offering an integrated

liner service to 25 ports, and a wide agency network. This combination means NL can offer

an extensive geographic and market footprint

with modern asset base.

As Peter Menzel, commercial director, added,

the company also transports other vehicles

alongside new and used cars: “We also handle

trucks, construction and agricultural machinery as

well as industrial power plant parts,” he said. “Our

main trading area covers the entire Mediterranean

and Black Sea, where we hold a market leading

position, with the Spanish Atlantic port of Vigo

being the most westerly port we serve.”

Two of NL’s key strengths are its ability to offer

tailor-made solutions and the flexibility to change

when needed. As a result, it has established

longstanding relationships with most of the major

car and commercial vehicle manufacturers, which

are maintained and enhanced by NL’s exemplary

safety record – the company has one of the

lowest claim levels in the industry. “Our tailored

service has yielded great results with a near


N zero per cent damage ratio and a very high level

of performance during our customers’ quality

audits,” said Peter.

“Most of our key customers have been

working with NL for many years,” he continued.

“They include companies such as Renault, VW

Group, PSA , Ford and many others and our fleet

grows steadily in line with the constantly evolving

demands of the automotive industry.”

Maintaining such a very high level of excellence

requires investment in skilled operational and

technical human resources. NL’s vessels are

manned with more seafarers than the minimum

requirement, and the company recruits Greek,

Ukrainian and Filipino seafarers through manning

agents in Odessa and Manila with a very high

retention rate (greater than 90 per cent). This

ensures constructive training and sustainable

development.

For several years, NL has also had a female

cadet programme in place, and is presently

training female deck cadets and junior officers.

“This was instigated to reinforce the gender

equity/balance of our crew,” said Peter. “We are

planning to have more women in our team in the

future.”


A tailored

solution


C.A.R. (ContRol Automotive Risk) Consulting gRoup Since 2006 Neptune Lines has appointed C.A.R. Consulting Group to provide its automotive inspections and on-board supervision services as well as to obtain automotive risk management consulting. C.A.R. Consulting Group is a leading, international automotive inspection company and marine consultant delivering value-added services throughout European, Mediterranean and Black-Sea ports of call for Neptune Lines. C.A.R. Consulting Group is proud to be associated with Neptune Lines.

Profile: Neptune Lines

This team of professional seafarers is

responsible for the operation of NL’s young,

modern fleet. This consists of 15 ships out of

which 11 are owned and managed in-house.

“The average fleet age is only 6.3 years, and we

have two further new buildings on order that are

due for delivery early 2014,” added Peter. “These

vessels have a capacity of 3200 units each, and

are suitable for both transoceanic and short sea

trade.”

These new build vessels are particularly

noteworthy because of the amount of energy

saving and environmental features they are going

to incorporate. For example, an electronic engine

is used on this project, resulting in improvements

in fuel consumption. An electronic engine also

permits balanced operation of all the cylinders of

the main engine.

Further featured technology includes the

installation of an energy saving device called

PROMAS; an innovative antifouling system;

frequency control for important motors; autopilot

– economy mode of operation; shaft generator;

multiple thrusters; CLEAN notation; ballast water

treatment; Coriolis flowmeters; shaft power meter

and performance monitoring system; auxiliary

power measurement, and energy saving lamps.

“With the enhanced measurement capabilities

installed on these vessels, we will be able to

accurately measure the combined environmental

effects of the various efficiency measurements

and compare these to the previous project

vessels. We anticipate an improvement of

about 15 per cent in energy consumption in the

speeds between 16-17.5 knots at near full draft

http://www.info.carconsult.eu

26- www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

conditions as compared to the previous project

vessels,” said Peter.

These green considerations perfectly illustrate

NL’s overall dedication to CSR: “We have a very

strong programme in place, with strict targets

and close performance monitoring. Items

covered include bunker saving programmes, CO2

monitoring, as well as office supply and energy

consumption reduction targets,” said Peter. “Even

generated waste is closely monitored and annual

reduction plans have been introduced.”

It is clear that Neptune Lines has come a long

way in the 40 years since it was established

by Nicolas Travlos to provide cargo and ship

handling services to all Greek ports. The

company has re-registered two of its vessels from

Malta to Greece, and the two new builds will also

have Greek flags, in order to highlight its heritage

and support for a nation with a strong maritime

tradition.

Going forward, NL is well positioned in markets

with high growth potential, as well as ideally

placed to take on the growth expected from

Russia, Turkey and North African countries. “We

have a very experienced management team with

a track record of success, and NL is now a global

brand that represents excellent service, safety

and product quality in a market with high barriers

to entry,” said Peter.

He concluded: “2013 will continue to have

a strong focus on strengthening our existing

business and providing a strong and sustainable

base to cope with growing demand on capacity

and a further diversification of our network.” v

Profile: Neptune Lines

Neptune Lines www.neptunelines.com• Carried 750,000 units in 2012• Vessels can hold between 430 – 3200 medium sized cars• Company based on confidence, flexibility and trust

Fortune technologiesFortune Technologies is one of the most undisputed software leaders in the maritime ERP market. Its strong maritime industry knowledge coupled with a sound Microsoft Dynamics-Nav Technology leadership has emerged as a clear differentiating factor. Its ability to offer compliance with international standards like TMSA and government regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley, the extensive audit trail procedures, and the robust reporting and business intelligence capabilities accurately represents the structure and behaviour of a modern shipping company.

http://www.frtntech.com

owners/clients can be briefed on any potential

issues on an on-going face-to-face basis with

the ships superintendent. This ensures owners

do not feel removed from the daily operations of

their assets.”

Viewing its customers more as partners,

Matrix manages clients’ vessels with the same

care as it would its own; a philosophy that is

taken on by the company as a whole, which

ensures every detail and cost is consistently

monitored. Specialists in the managing of ferries

and cruise ships, the progressive young firm is

keen to develop business over time with high-

achieving clients that are cost-conscious and

share similar ideals.

“Matrix ship management have, in general,

focused on the passenger ship industry, such

as cruise and ferries,” says Peter. “Although

we currently have specialist crewing contracts

in place for other shipping industry segments,

such as a fleet of tankers and supply crews for

bulkers, reefers and general cargo ships, our

expertise is in directly managing and crewing

passenger ships.” Its carefully selected senior

ith a team that boasts a wealth of expertise in the maritime industry, Matrix Ship Management is an

innovative, reliable and versatile company that strives to lead the way in offering professional and bespoke management services to clients. Founded in 2011 from

the re-formation of an older company, Matrix

has quickly developed a strong reputation, with

independent surveyor Simon Groves stating: ‘The

company must be among the top two per cent

in the world for passenger ferry safety standards’

following a machinery risk assessment survey.

Matrix’s core management activities are within

the highly regulated passenger ship industry,

where it pledges to provide the best possible

services by offering quality, safety, security and

flexibility, as Peter Jordan, managing director

of Matrix Ship Management elaborates: “We

dedicate and match resources to the needs

of clients, and will, if needed or at the clients

request, set up a sub office within the client’s

offices, or within a short distance from them, so


W

Profile: Matrix Ship Management

Forwardthinkingmanagement team, all of which have a wide

range of experience in working for large and small

companies in senior management roles, currently

manages the fleet of ships owned by Irish Ferries.

This expertise has been instrumental in Irish

Ferries, considered to be one of the best ferry

companies in the competitive Western European

market, winning national and international awards

for its service. On top of this, Matrix also supplies

senior crew to two award winning cruise lines.

Following the downturn in shipping due to

the economic climate Matrix understands the

increased pressure on ship owners to cut costs,

which is why its costs are completely transparent;

based on a straight forward management fee,

plus costs, without any supplementary hidden

extras. “A lot of ship managers will initially

budget a low management fee, which on

first appearances may look to be better value,

but they will then add commissions or service

fees on all costs and purchases. Matrix costs

are transparent, with all management fees

discussed and agreed at the contract stage,”

highlights Peter.


http://www.tsi.eu.com

http://www.orts-greifer.de

Aware that crew retention is paramount to

vessel safety and operational standards, Matrix is

proud that its staff/crew retention rate averaged

at 94 per cent over the past few years, which

benefits both the company and the client, as

Peter says: “New hires lead to additional training

costs and also has a bearing on the maintenance

costs of vessels, such as breakdown/failure

costs, which in many cases is due to the crews

unfamiliarity with the particular vessels machinery

and past history.”

To ensure its crews are fully certified, trained

and vetted prior to joining vessels, Matrix owns

and operates certified crewing agencies in Latvia

and Poland. It has also developed partnership

agreements with certified crewing agencies in

Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. Furthermore,

Matrix’s HR department and QSMS department

have worked closely with the classification

societies and flag states throughout the last

12 months to ensure all of its managed ships,

crew contracts, SMS, crewing agencies and

crew terms & conditions fully comply with MLC

2006 regulations that are coming into force in

August 2013.

On top of its own supply of crew, Matrix has

a large database of highly skilled engineers,

coded welders/metal fabricators and fitters that

are used as a riding squad for activities such as

main machinery overhauls and refurbishments.

This is hugely beneficial for owners, as a Matrix

riding squad can be mobilised and on-site

anywhere in the world within 48 hours to fix major

breakdowns and incidents, without any additional

fees; a far more attractive option to contracting

expensive makers service engineers.

Matrix also owns and operates a fully bonded

and IATA accredited travel agency, Henley Travel

Ltd, which gives Matrix total control over all crew

scheduling, rostering and movements. Most

importantly it allows Matrix to control the costs of

crew travel to and from the vessels with forward

planning and the savings associated with the

earlier booking of flights. With the implementation

of MLC 2006 in August and the knock-on


Profile: Matrix Ship Management

Matrix Ship Managementwww.matrixshipmanagement.com• Founded in 2011• 94 per cent staff/crew retention rate• Service costs are completely transparent

implications for crew travel/luggage allowances,

Matrix can book (refundable) marine fares, which

include additional luggage allowances, with

most of the major airlines, this results in further

substantial savings for owners.

With a myriad of experience and a

commitment to quality, the future looks bright for

this progressive company, which has taken a step

away from seafaring tradition to promote a female

deck officer to captain and also promote a female

engineer to chief engineer. It is this dedication

to offering its customers ‘a new generation of

ship manager’ through a personal, transparent

and forward-thinking approach that will ensure

Matrix’s ongoing success. v

http://www.tyneelectricdiesel.co.uk

exemplary service delivery at all times in the most

challenging and unpredictable of environments.

“Our philosophy is one of understated excellence

founded on principles of professionalism, integrity

and transparency, which we believe will ultimately

prevail in the market as the ‘race to the bottom’

abates and our industry consolidates with the

very welcome introduction of formal regulation

through credible, accredited vetting,” says

Andrew.

Continually striving to set new standards in

maritime security, Port 2 Port is rightly proud to

be the leading private maritime security company

(PMSC) to be selected for MSS Global’s pilot

audit for ISO PAS 28007, in association with

the United Kingdom Accreditation Service

(UKAS) Certification Pilot Programme. The audit

assurance process in accordance with ISO

28000 and ISO PAS 28007 began with stage

1 in April 2013 and has now progressed very

successfully through to stage 2, which

Port 2 Port will complete in the very near future

with a view to full accreditation on completion of

the pilot programme. “The pilot scheme required

uaranteeing the security of maritime assets and the safety of vessels throughout high-risk areas, Manchester

based Port 2 Port Maritime Security Ltd provides flexible, tailored solutions to the unique and changing needs of its customers. The company’s superior standards

throughout all aspects of the business, such

as offering 24/7 operational support, crisis

management and emergency response, allows

it to deliver a consistent, reliable, personal and

professional service. “As the name suggests

we are a maritime security provider with primary

focus on the delivery of vessel protection

services, however, we are also expanding our

portfolio into the wider marine security services

sector to include offshore oil and gas, escort

vessels and other risk management services

in the littoral space such as port facilities and

pipeline security,” says Andrew Varney, managing

director of Port 2 Port. “The vast majority of our

business remains the provision of armed maritime

security teams on board vessels transiting the

eastern high risk area (HRA), however, we are

also well established in the Gulf of Guinea and a

leading provider of a complex range of services in

the region.”

Established in 2011, the fully UK regulated

company began trading with its first operation

conducted in November that year and since

then has completed in excess of 500; having

enjoyed an expeditious rise to success it

now has a respectable percentage of the

maritime security sector’s market share. With

experienced, expert senior management and

operational support staff, Port 2 Port can offer

a comprehensive range of services from armed

vessel protection and escort vessels to technical

security consultancy and intelligence services.

Furthermore, by utilising only the very highest

standard of UK operator, selected exclusively

from the Royal Marine Commandos, Port 2 Port’s

highly trained and qualified personnel can ensure


G

Securingsafety

Profile: Port 2 Port Maritime Security

a very select number of credible PMSCs to

present themselves to audit against the standard

working initially through MSS Global and LRQA

with RTI now offering services in conjunction with

the Security Association for the Maritime Industry

(SAMI). The pilot scheme runs until the autumn, at

which point once the certified bodies themselves

have been accredited, the successful PMSCs

who have completed the process will then be

accredited accordingly,” explains Andrew. “It is

great that this pilot is 100 per cent supported

by all interested parties and associations on a

global scale including BIMCO, the International

and UK Chambers of Shipping, SAMI, Security

in Complex Environments Group (SCEG) and

leading P and I Clubs.”

A major challenge for the world’s leading

PMSCs and particularly those selected for the

pilot scheme is the perennial issue of an almost

endemic misunderstanding of what is relevant

and acceptable compliance within the maritime

industry. This unfortunately continues to permeate

through significant sectors of the global shipping

industry and is a permanent source of frustration

http://www.spg-msc.com

http://www.satmarine.co.uk

to the reputable, compliant, and standards

driven security companies now competing in

a predominantly cost-focused market. “The

introduction of ISO 28007 will serve to address

this issue by offering, for the first time, an

internationally recognised and credible standard

which provides an unambiguous mechanism

against which to gauge the suitability of a PMSC,”

says Andrew. Aware of the consequences

shipping and oil companies face when engaging

the services of unlicensed, non-accredited and

inexperienced security firms in high risk areas,

Port 2 Port aims to educate its client base to ask

the fundamentally important questions relevant to

their needs.

“Any reputable PMSC should fear nothing of

a request to be transparent; clients should retain

the right to conduct further specific due diligence

over and above the ISO vetting process but try

and avoid replicating or modifying the standard

itself. Even once the standard is universally in

service, nothing can replicate visiting a provider

in their operating space to really investigate their

‘DNA’ and gauge who they are as a company.”

The recent publication of the IMB sponsored

Oceans Beyond Piracy annual report for 2012

showed a 78 per cent decrease in the incidence

of piracy off the coast of Somalia. This could

be interpreted that Somali based piracy is in

irreversible decline and the environment in

which they operate becoming more benign

and a commensurate reduction in risk. Andrew

elaborates: “The continuing decline in the

incidence of Somali piracy is welcome news

and I’m sure of great reassurance to seafarers

and the global shipping community. I believe

this reduction in activity is attributable primarily

to three main pillars: pro-active policing of the

regions coastal waters by EUNAVFOR and

other Naval forces, significant international and

national military and civil initiatives on land and

in the littoral space within Somalia, and the

implementation of best practice through BMP4

guidelines along with the undeniable success

of the private sector providing well trained and

professional maritime security teams on board

vessels. Although greatly diminished in terms

of operating range, logistic and operational

capability, Somali pirate action groups (PAGs)

are still well established and equipped to conduct

operations. In my opinion, if any of those three

pillars were to be removed, I have no doubt we

would see a resurgence in pirate activity in that

region.”

In contrast to the decline of Somali based

piracy, the report highlights a significant and

worrying increase in maritime crime and piracy in

the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). Well established and

operating extensively in the region, Port 2 Port

is fully conversant with the very different nature

of risk and threat experienced in this unique

environment compared to that of the eastern

HRA and the very complex challenge it presents.

“The environment and threat experienced in the

GoG is fundamentally different from that in the

east. Cargo theft is endemic across the region

and affects many types of vessels, however,

clearly, oil remains the primary target for these

extremely violent criminals who hold tankers

for limited periods in order to extract cargo for

distribution into the illegal bunkering market.

However, recently, we have seen a worrying

and verifiable shift in their tactics where vessels

are now routinely targeted underway and at

anchor with the specific aim of kidnapping foreign

crew members for ransom. However, unlike

Somalia there is no failed state from which to

operate with impunity and actually hold vessels

for protracted periods, therefore attacks tend

to be shorter in duration but extremely violent

with crew often severely injured and even

murdered to ensure they are subjugated quickly,”

says Andrew.

The mitigation measures available to the

security companies operating in the region are

also fundamentally different from that of the

eastern HRA. The coastal states of the GoG

have very specific laws, which prohibit the use

of armed private security companies (PSC) and

the import of foreign firearms into their sovereign

Profile: Port 2 Port Maritime Security

territory. Therefore, this results in PSCs utilising

the services of indigenous national security

forces either independently or in conjunction

with their own unarmed security personnel who

theoretically supervise the armed security forces.

“There are very stringent rules governing the

activities of private security companies (PSC)

in Nigeria and the wider GoG region. To be

legally compliant, a PSC will require to have

a license to operate within the security sector

and a permit to engage the services of local

security forces. In recent months we have seen a

proliferation of PSCs entering the sector claiming

to offer services. Some are operating under

joint venture partnerships with local security

companies who hold the requisite operating

license on their behalf, which although legal in

Nigeria and other states, this arrangement is

not conducive with an industry now focused

on transparency and compliance. Others are

operating totally unlicensed and in breach of

regulations, indeed there are already several

examples of unscrupulous practice ranging from

illegally entering sovereign territories with firearms

to engaging off duty security personnel, thereby

rendering void any liability cover in place. The

consequences of using unlicensed and non-

compliant providers in such a complex and very

challenging environment is a recipe for disaster

and poses a huge risk to any unsuspecting

client. The very select number of reputable

and fully licensed PSCs operating in the GoG

have a vested interest in ensuring best practice

in the sector to ensure clients are presented

with transparent and legally compliant services

which protect their assets, crew and reputation,”

concludes Andrew. v


Port 2 Port Maritime Security www.port2portuk.com

• Pilot company for the ISO 28007 standard• Leading experts in maritime security• Provide tailored solutions to unique needs

http://www.kamkiu.com

A major recent success for the shipyard is its $110 million contract

with the state government of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the design and

construction of seven aluminium alloy passenger ferries, which was

signed in March 2013. With the World Cup taking place in Brazil in 2014

and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016, CCR Barcas, the operators of

the ferries, aims to renew its fleet and increase capacity in preparation for

the increase in demand for services. Each of the seven ferries will be able

to carry more than 2000 passengers and provide at least 1000 seats.

Six of the seven vessels will be fuelled with diesel oil, while one will have

a dual-fuel diesel/LNG engine, making it the first LNG ferry to be built in

China; all are expected to be delivered within the next 24 to 30 months.

With fierce competition from 22 countries, Afai Southern won the

government’s purchasing contract by co-operating closely with its agent,

DPX Management Company Ltd, and by offering a world-class product

design by CoCo Yachts Holland BV and superior construction quality at

a reasonable price. Requirements for the ships also include two bows,

two wheelhouses and a designing speed of no less than 18 knots. The

shipyard has pledged full co-operation with the State of Rio De Janeiro

throughout the project, which will promote the development of bilateral

economic and political relations between Brazil and China. This project

also establishes Afai Southern’s fast-rising status in the international

aluminium shipbuilding market.

Another contract for the shipyard was signed in April 2013 for the

design and construction of four coastal fast rescue vessels to be used

by the Rescue & Salvage Bureau of Ministry of Transport. Having

successfully delivered the first three coastal fast rescue vessels for the

ministry in 2006, the shipyard is currently building rescue vessels four to

six. These full aluminium wave-piercing catamaran ships have an overall

length of 49.9 metres, a beam of 13.1 metres, a depth of 4.5 metres

ounded in 1992, Afai Southern Shipyard (Panyu

Guangzhou) Ltd today is the largest-scale and

advanced manufacturer of high performance jumbo

aluminium alloy ships in China and Southeast Asia.

Located at the Western side of Panyu Bridge, Guangzhou, China,

the subsidiary of China Shipping Industry Co Ltd (CIC) introduced

state-of-the-art technology to manufacture high-speed

aluminium alloy vessels to provide customers with innovative and

consummate solutions.

Following years of developing its craft and resourcing experienced

professionals in the field of aluminium alloy ship construction, such

as researcher-class engineers, experienced DNV, BV, CCS certified

welders with the ability to perfectly weld seams of 2.5-120 millimetre-

thick aluminium plates and skilled fitters with construction techniques

that guarantee world-class quality, Afai Southern is now a leader in the

domestic market of aluminium fast ferries, public vessels and rescue

vessels in Southeast Asia.

FperformanceHigh


Profile: Afai Southern Shipyard

and are propelled by twin water jets and twin engines. They also boast a

large deck area, excellent navigability, high speeds and manoeuvrability.

The first unit in the second batch of the coast fast rescue vessels being

constructed at Afai Southern, successfully carried out yard trials in April

2013 and was delivered in June 2013.

In September 2012 Afai Southern signed the construction contracts

for two 40m alumimium high speed catamaran ferries with a Shenzhen

client. This vessel is a new ship type and a breakthrough in new ship

types for the passenger transportation market in the Pearl River Delta


Region. By using an innovative design by CoCo Yachts Holland B.V.,

the fuel consumption of this ship type will be ten per cent lower than the

existing vessels under operation. The two ferries will be delivered in the

first quarter of 2014.

Dedicated to offering high quality vessels for a wide range of sectors

within the shipping industry, Afai Southern is keen to retain the best

standards; in April 2012, the shipyard carried out an internal audit of

quality, environmental, occupational health and safety management

systems in accordance with the internal audit programme. Throughout

the audit, the auditing team gave top priority to undertaking corrective

and preventative measures, which was followed by the continued

improvement of management systems. Results of the audit concluded

that the systems of Afai Southern’s shipbuilding processes met

requirements and operation of the systems was suitable, sufficient

and effective.

Consistent in its commitment to high standards, Afai Southern took

part in the Federation of Trade Unions and Administration of Safety

Work of Panyu District’s ‘Safety-Health Cup’ in 2012 and won the title

of Winning Unit. Throughout the competition the trade union of Afai

Southern ensured all staff implemented the rules and regulations of

safety production and safety production deployment. Further enhancing

its strong reputation as a high quality shipyard, Afai Southern recently

became 2013 annual excellent enterprise of cleaner production of

Guangzhou City, which is due to its active response to the proposal

for thousands of enterprises in the city to develop cleaner work

production, promote energy saving and emission reduction. Staff at Afai

Southern strictly developed their work production to the eight aspects

and seven phases of the audit to further improve workmanship and

the utilisation levels of resource and energy. The audit has led to Afai

Southern promising to continuously develop cleaner production work

into the future.

With its unique management style that blends the best of East and

West cultures and its high quality capabilities to take on a wide range

of challenging projects, the future looks positive for Afai Southern

Shipyard as it continues to offer customers, associates and suppliers a

knowledgeable, loyal and transparent service on a global scale. v

Profile: Afai Southern Shipyard

Afai Southern Shipyard www.afaisouth.com• Leading position in the domestic market• Largest scale supplier of aluminium alloy ships• Recently won a contract for seven passenger ships

http://www.marinejetpower.com

The agreement is only one of several important

contracts that have been secured in 2013, and

they have given rise to optimism for TTS in this

market segment.

High demands Offshore Handling Equipment AS (TTS OHE) is

part of the Offshore and Heavy Lift division of the

global TTS Group. TTS-OHE delivers all types of

cranes, but it is primarily focused on advanced

offshore and rig applications, including active

heave compensated cranes.

Based on a combination of innovative

solutions, experienced engineers and use of

best practice, TTS OHE’s products provide

safe, efficient and cost competitive solutions

for clients’ vessels and rigs. The company also

appreciates that lifting requirements are specific

to the type of vessel or rig. Therefore TTS OHE

ensures that its standardised building blocks

are always able to match the needs of each

individual vessel.

"We have seen a demand in the market where

reliability and high performance of the equipment

has an increasing importance," said Frank, "and

new contract with COSCO is signalling a promising kick–off for TTS' campaign into the rig market, as

Frank Heen, senior vice president of TTS Offshore Handling Equipment explained: “We are a well-established player in the market for offshore equipment, featured on most makers' list for major new projects. Expansion into the rig market, which includes drill

ships, is strategically a natural next step for us,”

he said.

New contract As part of the TTS Group, TTS Offshore

Handling Equipment shares a global reputation

for excellence and its customer base includes

renowned names such as Hyundai, STX, Ulstein

and Kleven Verft. In April 2013 the company

added a new client to this impressive list – the

COSCO Qidong Offshore Co., Ltd shipyard in

China.

This milestone contract is the first the

TTS Group signed with the COSCO Group

for offshore cranes, and is the result of co-

operation between the two TTS companies TTS

Offshore Handling in Norway and TTS-NMF

(formerly Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH)

in Germany. The crane package consists of

one 40-ton knuckle boom crane from Offshore

Handling and one 70-ton lattice boom crane

from TTS-NMF.

“It also represents a breakthrough for the TTS

Group as the first package sales of offshore

cranes from the joint efforts of TTS OHE and

TTS-NMF,” said Frank. TTS is aiming to get an

even better position in the offshore equipment

market, and this contract will be a reference

delivery for future projects.

The contract - worth approx. 50 MNOK

- concerns delivery of two cranes for a semi-

submersible accommodation vessel. Axis

Offshore, a joint venture company between J.

Lauritzen A/S in Denmark and HitecVision AS in

Norway, has ordered the rig.

The delivery will take place in the third quarter

of 2014. The contract also comprises an option,

which must be exercised by 26 September 2013

for identical scope of supply.


A

Semi submersible accommodation vessel.Picture courtesy of Axis

Profile: TTS Offshore Handling Equipment

our development of more advanced and safer

products for subsea load handling in rough

and deep waters have proven to meet these

demands.

"With the delivery earlier this year of a 135T

active heave compensated crane to Ulstein's

Seven Viking - the vessel recently voted ‘Ship

of the year’, Frank continued, "we are proud to

state that our AHC systems has shown an even

better performance than what anticipated at the

start of the tests."

TTS’s active heave compensated offshore

cranes are among the most advanced in the

market and can offer a vessel or a rig substantial

operating improvements. As with all its products,

TTS’ cranes are tailor-made to meet customers’

requirements and can be delivered in several

configurations.

Typical applications for TTS OHE’s offshore

cranes have been OSV and DSV vessels,

subsea construction and maintenance vessels

and PSV, but with its latest contracts TTS

moves to be a player also in the market for drill

ships, FPSO/FSO, research vessels and seismic

vessels.

Strategicstep

Offshore load handling packagesThe solutions for offshore load handling on rigs and vessels available

from TTS fall into three categories:

l Offshore cranes

l Offshore ships equipment

l Offshore winches

In the area of offshore cranes, TTS has been an active operator in

the market since the inception of the offshore industry in the North

Sea. The company recognised that the quality of on-board cranes is

vital in the efficient performance of an offshore vessel, ensuring trouble-

free operation and reducing downtime, and therefore over the years it

has researched and developed robust cranes that can withstand the

extremes of such a harsh environment.

In the area of offshore ships equipment, TTS has a large customer

base, which is again operating in the harsh environment of the North

Sea. As a result the company has developed products known for

their rugged construction, with functionality and safety as key design

factors. Side doors for ROV handling, as well as covers for moon pools

are designed in close dialogue with customers in order to maximise the

efficiency of these high technology ships.

TTS also has a range of winches for marine vessels, as well as

advanced subsea winches.

TTS offers packages that increase profitability and competitiveness

by improving productivity, quality and system capacities. It aims to

work closely with its customers to devise intelligent and innovative

solutions. The all-round expertise of the group provides it with a solid

foundation on which to build. Furthermore, the close, flexible-working

relationships within the group enable it to assemble complete project

teams when expertise in a range of fields is required.

Comprehensive conceptsRunning alongside the manufacture of cranes and other ships

equipment, TTS also provides a comprehensive service concept,


http://www.geartech.no

http://www.zollern.com

Umoe AdvAnced compositesUmoe Advanced Composites is the global leading company for composite pressure vessels for the offshore sector. The main market today is pressure vessels for heave compensated cranes and drilling applications. The increasing demand for composite pressure vessels among the leading suppliers within offshore cranes and drilling applications today contributes to increased capacity and lower operational risk and costs. With composite pressure vessels a weight saving of approximately 40 per cent is achieved. No pressure testing (which on steel pressure vessels needs to be done every five or ten years) is also attractive, which increases operational time for the end user.

Profile: TTS Offshore Handling Equipment

which covers genuine spare parts, inspections

and surveys, rapid response service, remote

access, service agreements and training. The

training offering includes training courses for

operators and maintenance personnel, each

tailored to customer’s specific needs and

objectives. TTS’ team of trainers can provide

both a practical, theoretical or combined

learning experience that covers operation


TTS Offshore Handling Equipmentwww.tts-ohe.com

• Specialises in offshore cranes and winches• Global reputation for excellence• 2013 has seen several large contracts signed

and maintenance of mechanical, hydraulic

and electrical systems. Courses can be held

wherever it’s most suitable, such as at the office

or on the actual crane.

TTS is one of the top three largest suppliers

in its specialised market segments, and has a

worldwide workforce of around 1100. With over

40 years of experience in the marine industry,

the Group has subsidiaries in Norway, Sweden,

Finland, Germany, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic,

Greece, the US, China, Korea, Vietnam and

Singapore.

Its various divisions have all seen success

in 2013, and going forward the company

is confident that TTS OHE and its sister

subsidiaries will continue to produce positive

results. v

http://www.uac.no

ort of Tallinn is the biggest port

authority in Estonia and when

both cargo and passenger

traffic are taken into account,

the biggest port on the shores of the Baltic

Sea. It actually consists of five different harbours:

Old City Harbour, Old City Marina, Muuga

Harbour, Paldiski South Harbour, Paljassaare

Harbour and Saaremaa Harbour. All of these have

their own benefits and facilities.

After a major restructuring in the 1990s, Port of

Tallinn today operates as a landlord type of port

with no cargo handling operations of its own. It

maintains and develops the infrastructure of the

port and leases territories to terminal operators

through building titles, giving the operators


P an incentive to invest into superstructure and

technology.

Erik Ringmaa, chief commercial officer,

explained that the Port’s geographical position

is its first key strength, and the reason the port

has been in existence in one form or another for

hundreds of years. “The second is the nautical

conditions,” he added. “Although we are situated

on the shore of the Finnish Gulf the dominating

winds during the winter mean our harbours

remain practically ice free giving easy access all

year round.”

Erik also highlighted the fact that the port is not

situated in a river mouth and therefore doesn’t

need dredging, and benefits from naturally deep

water, of up to 18 metres. “Our main cargo port,


to east & westGateway

Old City Harbour - masterplan


Profile: Port of Tallinn

Muuga, gains from not being situated in the

centre of the city, as it was constructed in 1986

20km outside of Tallinn. This gives us more room

to expand activities, both logistical and industrial,

and easy access for large vessels, and also

means it is close to international shipping routes,”

he added.

In fact, Muuga Harbour is the biggest cargo

harbour in Estonia and specialises in handling

transit origin goods. It is the main cargo harbour

for Port of Tallinn and the cargo volume handled

accounts for around 80 per cent of the total

cargo volume of Port of Tallinn and approximately

90 per cent of the transit cargo volume passing

through Estonia.

Nearly 3/4 of cargo loaded in Muuga Harbour

includes crude oil and oil products, but the

harbour also serves dry bulk (mostly fertilizers,

grain and coal) and other types of cargo.

Furthermore, an extensive free zone in Muuga

Harbour grants more flexible customs procedures

for companies rendering transit and distribution

services. Simplified customs procedures, easy

transfer of ownership rights and value-added

operations allowed in the zone are designed to

foster the development of distribution centres.

No import VAT is applied to goods imported

temporarily to be processed and exported in due

time from Estonia. “This is especially good for

trans-shipment and the trans-cargo because in

these cases customs charges and taxes do not

apply to the cargo, which is stored in the free

zone,” explained Erik. “Custom-wise this free

zone is considered to be as being outside the

European Union territory.”

Muuga has seen very significant investments,

including 200 million euros, which is being

allocated to three major projects – an expansion

to the container terminal, a massive LNG terminal

and a significantly expanded oil terminal.

Erik noted that the hinterland terminals in

particular have been the focus of attention:

“These would be the distribution centre areas that

are inside the port but not situated on the berth,

and work in conjunction and co-operation with

the container terminals. We call these industrial

and logistics park activities and they are a very

important part of our ports,” he said.

“We are also in the process of acquiring

new areas around the port to make sure there

is space to expand this logistics service,” he

continued. “It must be borne in mind that we are

not operating the warehouses or the terminals

ourselves. We are in principle a landlord, which

means we do not compete with our tenants. But

we also take a flexible approach, so for example

if the client needs warehouses, we could build

them. We have done so in the past, and we

still own some of them, which are rented out to

private users.”

The LNG project involves a 90,000m3 LNG

storage capacity in the first phase, and up to -

450,000m3 LNG storage capacity as a second

phase. “We want to become a regional LNG hub

and develop LNG bunkering, infrastructure and

facilities,” said Erik, “and Port of Tallin already has

a lot of infrastructure in place, which simplifies

the process from the port authorities side. In

addition, the Muuga harbour is the main industrial

area in the region, so there could be some local

commercial consumption of the LNG which is

not dependent on the regional LNG terminal

building.”

Finally Erik discussed the oil refinery project:

“This is in the very early starting phase, and is

based in the west of Tallinn. This area is ideal

because it was previously used as a military

base area during the Soviet era, so there are no

residential buildings around it. At that moment

there are no refineries in Estonia and Latvia and

there is still a need for such facilities in that region.

Of course, this all depends on developer and

plant.”

There are also numerous other developments

in the pipeline at Port of Tallinn. Said Erik: “These

include an LPG terminal, enlargements of oil

tank storage and fertiliser terminal capacities and

well houses complexes. In May 2013 Katoen

Natie, a Belgian company and one of the largest

logistics firms in the world, opened a 25,000m2

warehouse complex for the management of

goods to be directed to Russia and the CIS

Old City Harbour

Muuga Harbour


in Muuga. There are other smaller warehouse

complex projects going on as well.”

Alongside its industrial services, Port of Tallinn

is one of the biggest cruise and passenger

ports in the Baltics. Cruise vessels are mainly

accommodated in the Old City Harbour, located

in the very heart of Tallinn and from May 2006

in Saaremaa Harbour. “Such has been the

success of our cruise services, that we are now

constructing a new quay, which will be ready

for the next season of cruise ships in 2014,”

said Erik.

“We are also developing the area around the

old city port in 55 hectares of territory and I am

not exaggerating when I say this is the most

valuable real estate development area in the

whole of Estonia.

“On one side we are in the centre of the city

and on the other we have a market of nine million

passengers annually which go through these

facilities. Therefore for commercial activities

and shops and attractions it is a very desirable

location.”

It is clear that Port of Tallinn has an exciting few

years ahead of it. Erik is confident that its vision

for expansion is realistic and achievable once its

new projects are complete. He concluded: “Port

of Tallinn is so well connected on all sides, from

west European ports on the seaward side, to

train and land transportation on the Russian side,

that we are confident of its success. It has been

the gateway between east and west for centuries

and going forward I think even more customers

will come and benefit from these advantages.” v

Profile: Port of Tallinn

Port of Tallinn www.portoftallinn.com• Upgrading the five harbours• 200 million euro investment package• Biggest port on Baltic Sea

Muuga Harbour

http://www.tk.ee

oodwood Ship Management is an independent ship management company

that offers a comprehensive range of high quality marine services. The company places a lot of emphasis on meeting customers’ needs, and adopts a partnership approach when providing the safe and cost effective management of ships. Overall it embraces the owners’ approach, allowing the company to secure and service very long-term contracts from the most demanding charterers.

ServicesAt Goodwood Ship Management, a broad spectrum of ship management services are on offer, including technical management, crew management, commercial management and marine consultancy services which includes new building supervision. Currently it manages a diversified fleet, consisting of VLCCs, OBOs, chemical tankers, capesize bulkers and container vessels.

The most complex international shipping operations are handled with expertise and enthusiasm by a team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals with many years of shipping background and operational knowledge.

Technical managementIn fact, this team of staff is what underpins Goodwood’s adeptness in offering a full portfolio of third party technical ship management services. But in addition to just allocating the best-suited superintendent to a ship, Goodwood takes special care to maintain a good superintendent/vessel allocation ratio to ensure vessels under their charge get prompt attention at all times. It is this commitment from Goodwood that assures every vessel’s operating requirements are met and vessel operating condition is always at its peak.Goodwood also monitors the vessels’

performance closely to ensure optimum operating efficiency. Ships under its care are inspected at regular intervals by the


G

Profile: Goodwood Ship Management

Dedicated

team

superintendent responsible for following up on all aspects of shipboard operational matters and to maintain an active contact with the vessel.Working synergistically with these

superintendents is Goodwood’s computerised AMOS Planned Maintenance System that allows for close monitoring and timely vessel maintenance. The sustained optimal vessel performance and cost savings that result demonstrates the quality of its technical management services.

Crew managementWith its primary concern of delivering safe, efficient, high quality, ethical and cost effective ship management solutions that satisfy its customers, Goodwood Ship Management has to recognise the value of deploying seafarers who are well-trained and certified in accordance with STCW 95 and the ISM Code. Its industry standard stringent selection and training process policy ensures that it has access to an unceasing supply of knowledgeable and well-trained seafarers for deployment onboard its managed vessels. Currently, it has ready access to a pool of Indian, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Filipino officers and ratings in the system. The company also undertakes its own crew recruitment and training ventures, in India and the Philippines, in order to proactively develop its very own quality seafarers.Through fully computerised crew

management operations, Goodwood is able to ensure that all vessels in the


fleet have officers and crew onboard with the required skills, training and certification for the vessel type. In addition to Seagull Computer Based Training available onboard its managed fleet, it has developed a series of training courses and made them a mandatory part of the crew training programme.Crew training is conducted at Goodwood

Marine Services Pvt Ltd, its wholly owned subsidiary manning office in Mumbai, Trans Global Maritime Inc, Manila and at other external training facilities. Further, its officers attend company shore-based seminars. All crew training and personal development of seafarers is supervised by the Personnel & Operations department, and its manning offices are audited regularly and operate under the direct supervision of the Goodwood Personnel Department.

PurchasingWhen it comes to purchasing, Goodwood sees it as much more than a process of acquiring supplies. It is procuring the best quality goods and services at the most economical price. Through tapping its global purchasing experience, and its network of highly reliable suppliers, the company actively negotiates for favourable frame agreements and consolidates volume purchase. As a result, it is not only able to secure attractive pricing on a range of supplies, including spare parts, lubricating oil, paints and provisions, it is also able to adopt a holistic perspective to inventory control – maximising

savings for its principals. Furthermore, its computerised purchasing system, fully integrated with the AMOS Planned Maintenance System on-board vessels, assures that incidents of over-stocking are minimised.

InsuranceThrough its well established working relationship with insurance underwriting markets and the brokers, Goodwood is able to assist its principals in obtaining competitive rates for H&M and P&I coverage – in addition the company always ensures that all vessels under its management are covered against marine perils and third party liabilities. Not stopping at that, its insurance department plays an active role in handling and settlement of owner’s claims as well as assists in the process of insurance policy renewal.

AccountingAt Goodwood Ship Management, the importance of proper and timely financial reporting and its influence on owner’s decisions is fully appreciated. As a result, it has instituted a modern and fully computerised accounting, payroll, crew management and purchasing system. In accordance to the preference and requirements of the principals, the company can provide monthly or quarterly accounting reports in a timely manner; and the accounting procedures and systems meet the highest of corporate governance standards as required by Sarbanes - Oxley.

Information access servicesTimely information is critical in giving customers a keen sense of security and control over their vessels. Going the extra mile for its clients. Goodwood is able to offer them full access to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) of the Goodwood Ship Management system.With this facility, staying informed about

their vessels at all times becomes not only possible but also hassle-free. The information available on this network includes:l Class certificates and survey statusl Contact listl Crew listl Off hire statement

l Q88 HVPQ-vettingl Quarterly accounting reportsl Quarterly superintendent cost analysis reportl Superintendents vessel inspection reportl Ship’s main drawingsl Vessel particulars

Marine consultancy servicesBesides providing ship management services, Goodwood is also specialised in marine consultancy and new building supervision. Its marine consultancy services covers a wide range of expertise in the new building sector and the division has undertaken various new construction projects including VLCCs and chemical tankers at major Japanese, Korean and Chinese shipyards. The company offers a broad spectrum of

marine consultancy services to the marine industry and its main activities are:

l Project management of ship constructionl Ship condition surveysl Ship conversion projectsl Sale & purchase inspectionsl Supervisory services for dry-docking, conversions & repairsl Provide skilled manpower for projects

Goodwood has a team of skilled, competent and dedicated marine engineers and naval architects with proven track records in project management and site supervision of new ship construction. The team can carry out a detailed review of the yard specifications and provide owners with its comments to the hull, paint coating, machinery and electrical systems. This review is made against owner’s requirements, best industry practices and incorporating Goodwood’s operational experience gained through managing similar vessel type. Its

comments would also be useful for owners’ in their negotiations with the yard to upgrade the quality of the vessel. The four main phases of new building

supervision would cover the following:l Plan approvall Factory acceptance test of equipmentl Site supervisionl Commissioning and sea trials

The company’s site manager is responsible for liaison with the yard on all aspects of the construction programme and to ensure that the vessel is delivered to the agreed specifications, standards and quality. Owners are provided with weekly and monthly progress reports which covers the status of steel construction, surface preparation and coating, machinery, piping, electrical installation and outfitting works.The site team will closely monitor the

yard’s daily tests schedule to ensure that various equipment and systems are tested and proven to meet the specifications


Profile: Goodwood Ship Management

Goodwood Ship Management www.goodwoodship.com• Broad spectrum of services • Awarded ISO 50001 for energy management• Dedication to finding the right staff

and class requirements. Commissioning and sea trials would be carried out to the owners’ satisfaction and they are kept fully informed as to whether the performance of the vessel and its systems have met with the agreed contractual specifications. It will also liaise with the builder on any further outstanding matters and take delivery of all documents and final drawings for dispatch to owners.In all of these areas of operation listed

above, Goodwood Ship Management continually strives for excellence. It works in an industry where a reputation for reliability is paramount, and the company is totally committed to maintaining a leading position in the market. v

http://www.nationalforwarder.com

Roll-Lift’s cranes are different; some are all-terrain

whilst others are crawler cranes, allowing the

company to be multi-functional by having a wide

choice of cranes available to deal with every

circumstance.

The services offered by Roll-Lift fall under

seven categories – heavy lifting, transportation,

total solutions, contracting, engineering, rental

and loadouts/load-ins. It has worked on several

high profile projects since it was created; for

example it was contracted to provide the lifting

expertise on the 2014 World Cup Stadium in

Brazil, and has completed the installation and

testing of the fourth heavy duty tower crane on

the site.

In 2013 RollDock ventured into another new

chapter of its story, when, together with BigLift

Shipping it created a new company to design,

build and operate a fleet of state-of-the-art DP2

module carriers, called BigRoll.

Both companies have a strong reputation

in the heavy lift market for finding innovative

solutions for complex transportation jobs. Their

fleets and activities are complementary with lo-lo,

ro-ro and flo-flo vessels, so a complete shipping

portfolio can be offered to clients. BigLift Shipping

owns and operates 14 heavy lift vessels, with

ollDock is a heavy shipping

company, which wants to

be known for its different

approach to clients. Instead of

focusing on a limited range of standard services,

the company focuses on the needs of the

customers; and it understands that these needs

don’t always fit into neat categories. Therefore,

RollDock can craft a total solution for every

problem.

As quite a new company, RollDock offers new

vessels and solutions for what it considers a new

age of heavy lift shipping. All its fleet of vessels

are identical in sea keeping behaviour, which

gives great flexibility in its scheduling as only

‘one-time engineering’ is needed.

When clients approach RollDock - whether

from the oil and gas, petrochemical, power and

renewables, engineering, dredging or naval

sectors - they can be confident that it is ready

to listen. Its team of skilled and imaginative

professionals will assess their needs and craft a

unique solution to the last detail. RollDock can

plan every phase of the shipping requirements,

from factory to foundation, ensuring that a

tailor-made solution is provided for each problem

presented by the job.

RollDock Shipping presently owns and

operates two semi-submersible/heavy lift/ro-ro

vessels (RollDock Sun and RollDock Sea) trading

worldwide with two more sister vessels to be

delivered – one vessel (RollDock Star) by the

end of 2013 and the other (RollDock Storm) in

April 2014. Built by German yard Flensburger

Schiffbau-Gesselschaft (FSG), both are ‘S’ class

vessels similar to Sun and Sea but at 151 metres

and 8000 DWT the ST-class vessels are slightly

larger to accommodate growing client demand

for bigger, heavier cargo. They will be identically

equipped to again offer tri-functional capability

and achieve top speeds of 18 knots and 16 knots

when fully laden. Innovative engineering details

have been included such as a ballast water

treatment system (BWTS) remote controlled

ballast system with fibreglass pipelines and a fully

integrated alarm and monitoring system that will

deliver all information to the ECR and bridge.

The ships will also benefit from FSG’s

commitment to producing highly fuel efficient,

low emissions vessels.

In 2011, having seen so much success

through its unique customer-centric service

approach, RollDock founded new subsidiary

dedicated to mobile cranes called Roll-Lift. All


approachThe unique

R

lifting capacities up to 1800 mt, in the worldwide

project and heavy lift market.

In BigRoll the commercial, technical and

operational experience, knowledge and

capacities of both companies come together,

creating a high quality module carrier ship-owner

and operator from the start.

The combination of expertise of BigLift and

RollDock, who share the same core values in

QHSE and reliability of service and who have

over 50 years of combined experience behind

them, will give BigRoll a head start as a first class

solution provider in the modular cargo market.

BigRoll will concentrate on the offshore and

onshore oil and gas and renewables markets,

power generation, container cranes and shipyard

industries. The vessels’ high ice class notation will

make them ideal to operate in the Arctic regions

and the DP2 notation will enable direct offshore

delivery of modules.

BigRoll will build two module carriers, designed

with a focus on short loading and discharging

times, high service speed and low accelerations.

The vessels will have DP2 and Finnish Swedish

1A ice class notations. The overall length of the


Profile: RollDock

MC-Class is 169 m, beam is 42 m,

providing the vessels with a deck

space of 42 by 125 m. Maximum

deadweight of the MC-Class is

22,500 mt. To offer deck space as

large and flexible as possible the

main decks are completely free of

manholes, air heads etc. Loading

and discharging can be done over

vessels’ stern or side by ro-ro or

skidding. To minimise loading and

discharging time the ballast capacity

of the vessel is 12,000 m3/hr. The

Module Carriers are not semi-submersible.

Arne Hubregtse, managing director of BigLift

commented: “I am very excited about the

co-operation. Not only in designing, managing

and operating the vessels, but also in BigLift,

RollDock and BigRoll working together on special

projects worldwide. As partners in BigRoll and

having the innovative MC class available, we can

make a difference and add value.”

Wout van der Zwan, CEO at RollDock added:

“As a modern company we understand the

importance of being ahead of the developments

in the market. Our philosophy of not believing

in limitations is highlighted in the decision to join

forces with BigLift in this new venture to offer

clients the ultimate in heavy lift and transportation

solutions worldwide.” v

RollDockwww.rolldock.com• Non-traditional approach • Renowned for solving heavy lift shipping problems• New joint company launched in 2013

http://www.nooteboomtrading.com


Danish islands of Laesoe and Hirsholmene.

Accordingly, Frederikshavn Havn maintains a

very high frequency of ferry traffic – up to 15

daily departures to Sweden and Norway, with

an annual volume of more than 2.5 million

passengers, 0.5 million passenger cars, and

approximately three million tonnes of goods.

For Ro-Ro traffic Frederikshavn Havn currently

has three dedicated Ro-Ro berths, one railway

berth with Ro-Ro facilities and five ferry berths,

one of which is equipped with link-span. Each

of these berths features the latest technology

and to ensure the highest levels of efficiency

each has a dedicated marshalling area with

direct connection to the berths. Of course, the

location of Frederikshavn Havn means that it

is not only ideal for heavier ferry and Ro-Ro

traffic, but is also popular for cruise and day trip

operators. Using the port as a starting point,

cruise companies can operate vessels up to 220

he Port of Frederikshavn, known as Frederikshavn Havn, is the leading commercial port in Denmark that primarily

functions as a service centre for trade and industry in Frederikshavn and Northern Jutland. Frederikshavn Havn has a modern and

efficient infrastructure and logistically it is ideally

placed to give port users and customers easy

access to the European motorway and railway

networks.

Frederikshavn Havn represents a

multifunctional port with operations that include

tourism and ferry traffic, bulk cargo handling, oil

and gas, cruise, environmental and recycling,

and ship repair. The port is the most important

and largest ferry port connecting continental

Europe with the Scandinavian Penninsula, and

is the starting point for ferry traffic to Sweden

(Gothenburg) and Norway (Oslo) – and to the

metres length to provide excursions around the

local area.

Whilst ferry services have historically been

the core business of Frederikshavn Havn, over

the last few years the port has increasingly

looked to diversify its activities. Among the many

alternative operations it has commenced, bulk

cargo activity has been a key growth area. In

this particular field the port’s activities include

the handling and discharge of a wide range

of building and road construction materials

such as crushed stone, gravel and sand, and

the export of recycling materials. The port has

been active in this field since 2000, with cargo

activities increasing by 75 per cent since that

time. Alongside bulk, Frederikshavn Havn also

handles general cargo and has the equipment

and capabilities for receive all types of ships in

this sector. As well as a number of warehouses

for goods storage, the port can also provide

T

havenA safe


Profile: Frederikshavn Havn

is dedicated to carrying on this reputation. In

order to ensure that this background, and the

accompanying network of local businesses

and suppliers, remains strong, the Maritime

Network Frederikshavn was formed in 2005.

This is an organisation for the large majority

of maritime service companies that work in or

near the port and functions as an umbrella for

these businesses to promote quality, flexibility,

efficiency and safety in the local maritime

industry.

Of course, housing such a large network of

companies means that Frederikshavn Havn

follows an active development and expansion

programme in order to ensure that the port

can handle the continued business that is

being generated. As part of this, in 2013

Frederikshavn Havn is implementing a large

expansion programme at the port, which will be

overseen by Danish engineering specialist Cowi.

Costing around half a billion Danish Kroner, the

programme is designed to accommodate a

wider range of business opportunities for the

all of the required equipment needed to handle

such goods.

Being situated near to the North Sea means

that Frederikshavn Havn also has an active role

in the oil and gas sector, where the port houses

a range of storage facilities for petrochemical

products. At the site, Samtank AS operates

a tank farm that handles the storage and

distribution of oil for its shareholders, Uno-X and

OK. In relation to these activities Frederikshavn

Havn provides project cargo handling services,

whereby it has the facilities to handle complex

project cargo with heavy lift or special

requirements.

Frederikshavn Havn is able to offer such

a full spectrum of services largely due

to its experience and knowledge of the

maritime industry. The city of Frederikshavn

has a long tradition within the shipbuilding

industry, meaning that Frederikshavn Havn

port and the local business community. The

expansion itself will include an extension of the

port entry from the current width of 93 metres

to 150 metres and an increase if the water

depth from the present eight metres to minimum

of 12 metres.

After the expansion Frederikshavn Havn will

have the capacity to handle larger ships and

increased levels of traffic, giving it excellent

potential for future growth. With business in all

of its key areas continuing to look strong there

is little doubt that the port will continue to play a

vital role in the Danish maritime sector for may

years to come. v

Frederikshavn Havn

www.fhhavn.dk • Leading commercial port in Denmark• Service centre for trade and industry• Current expansion programme

http://www.shipcon.dk


In the ship management sector, the company

has established a recognised reputation for

dedication and excellence in sea and river

transportation. It prioritises compliance with all

the relevant international quality and efficiency

standards, and has adopted a variety of the

most important principles in the industry to

maintain the highest quality and customer

satisfaction levels combined with the minimum

possible cost.

The company operates a huge fleet consisting

of dry cargo and tanker vessels with DWT

range of 2000 up to 165,000 metric tons in

the worldwide market according to customer

requirements. Nowadays, Palmali

is capable of meeting all sea and

river transportation needs with its

specialised fleet, which, with its range,

is designed to offer the appropriate

vessel for almost every target market

segment or individual demand.

Palmali’s chartering department

provides simultaneous professional

chartering and post fixture

services to charterers, owners

and traders. The company

focuses on individual solutions,

which are designed to meet the

ith its roots starting just before the new Millennium, the Palmali Group of Companies

has evolved in a relatively short time to become the owner of a fleet of 130 young vessels. Today, the company has been rated as

a competitor to the most powerful companies

in transportation within the Russian inner ports;

Black, Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic Seas

and its corporate ambitions are targeted on the

worldwide transportation market.

With a variety of services on offer, Palmali can

assist clients with ship management, chartering,

ship agency, technical management and ship

construction.

demands and requirements of each client. That

is the main reason how Palmali holds long term

tailor made exclusive transportation services

contract with many major oil companies for

many years. The main activity in the international

market is maintaining powerful commercial

ship management, and aiming to fix the most

competitive terms and conditions for clients. By

embracing the latest IT tools, the company is

able to keep productivity and costs effectiveness

on highest possible level. Specialised ERP

software provides the possibility to maintain

contact with owners, charterers and brokers

and offer updated information gathered from

the vessel positions, current market trends and

future market movements.

The Palmali Ship Agency is playing a

significant role in increasing the efficiency of port

activities for both owned and chartered ships in

the Group. The company delivers professional

agency services with a reputation for handling

vessels of all types. The agency department,

as an independent service division, supplies

clients with its cost-effective services through

customers’ minimal requirements with its 24

offices around the world managed by the head

office, which acts as the centre of the information

flow and controls the entire operation. Its

W

Strength in

diversity


Profile: Palmali Shipping

of maintaining vessels technically

approved by all of the major oil

companies. The technical department

bases its activities on close teamwork

with its clients and partners, as well

as holding close professional contact

with external authorities and flag

states.

Moreover, the technical

department attaches great

importance to environmental and

safety issues, with an overall target

of zero incidents and zero spills

to sea. Realising the necessity

of ensuring environmental safety

when transporting cargoes

including oil and oil products,

Palmali is committed to the

maintenance of its management

system, which complies, as a

minimum, to the requirements of

ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004,

OHSAS and the ISM Code.

While carrying out its activities,

Palmali also aims to prevent human young and professional team is well trained in

handling all types of marine vessel, and works

around the clock in order to provide the most

efficient services. Crew change, delivery of spare

parts, repairs and maintenance, certifications

by class societies and surveys are just few of

services that can be arranged by the company’s

experienced agency officers in ports as well as

during passage via the Turkish Straits.

Palmali Shipping also accommodates its own

repair and maintenance department, acting

in association with a shipyard located at the

bay of Tuzla. Through the company's mission,

based on providing ships and facilities that are

safe, environmentally friendly, economical and

convenient, Palmali is able to satisfy any and all

customer demands for quality. All parts used

in construction and maintenance are chosen

from internationally certified and reliable dealers.

As always the company tries to focus on the

efficiency of vessels to bring additional profits

to clients.

Overall, technical management is the

cornerstone of Palmali’s ship management

activities. Highly experienced technicians, whose

close teamwork provides both the highest level

of operational reliability and optimum financial

results, staff this department; and at the current

time the technical department takes care of all

vessels under Palmali management plus other

vessels from clients’ companies.

The most up-to-date management systems

ensure efficient management and control,

and in addition the in-house vetting and

safety department provides the possibility

injuries or loss of life and ensure safety of all

people involved in the transportation process.

Such is the company’s dedication to this area,

that the president of the Palmali

Group of Companies is stated on its website

as having ‘ultimate responsibility for all quality,

health, safety and environmental matters.’ With

this kind of leadership coming right from the

top, it is no surprise to learn that managers and

supervisors, by their behavior, demonstrate

commitment to safety and environmental

excellence. Palmali Shipping constantly aims

to apply global best practices to its operations.

As a result it has earned a reputation for

excellence, and a young fleet renowned for

its diversity. v

Palmali Shipping

www.palmali.com.tr • Established in Turkey in 1998• Continuously investing in new vessels • New tanker delivered

http://www.correctmarine.ru


“We aim to provide a one-stop-shop service,”

notes Eddie Tang, group director of sales &

marketing. “We are very customer-orientated and

therefore we understand them well and always

work towards their needs. We’re not just a pure

supplier in that sense – we work in partnership

with our customers. We recognise that pricing is

important to them so we will find a solution that

saves them money.

“We have to work closely with our suppliers

ounded in 1954 Shin Tai Ho & Co

(Pte) Ltd is a well-established

ship chandler supplying

provisions, ship stores and

spares, hotel amenities, and consumables

to cruise, commercial, naval, and offshore

support vessels, and caterers. The company

also offers container transhipment handling,

temporary and long-term storage, inventory, and

agency services.

because a lot of produce is fresh or seasonal,

which means price can fluctuate depending upon

shortage of supply. As such vertical integration

by key partners is an important initiative,” he

continues.

The company is headquartered in Singapore at

a 57,000 sq ft facility and 30,000 sq ft supporting

premises, both of which are fully equipped with

frozen, chilled, dry and licensed bonded facilities.

“By 2014 we will be moving into a new office

F

goodsDelivering the


Profile: Shin Tai Ho & Co (Pte) Ltd

keen to establish a hub operation in Singapore,

similar to those in Miami or Europe, from which

supply, catering and other services can be

provided to the vessels.”

“Of course we’re looking at all sectors as

we see that growth can’t only be in one area,”

concludes Eddie. “We want to be a leading

player in our niche and being recommended

because of our services in what is a massively

competitive industry. We know our customers

well and we exceed expectations by going

beyond being just a supplier. Even at times when

extension and will see our current capacity

doubled,” notes Eddie. “Being present over

two locations is not very conducive to our

efficiency so we want to create space for all our

subsidiaries under one roof, which will enable us

to be more competitive.

As well as its foothold in Singapore, Shin Tai

Ho also has a presence in Dubai, Hong Kong

and a buying office in USA. In particular the

Hong Kong entity, Shin Tai Ho (HK) is a major

food and beverage distributor with customers

in supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and

other institutions. In 2006, the HK branch also

moved into ship supply, where it leverages the

strong global network of the Singapore office,

to support major international cruise lines and

commercial cargo vessels.

Vessel supply is the primary role of Dubai

subsidiary Shin Tai Ho (Middle East), handling

provisions, technical stores and spares, hotel

amenities and consumables to tankers and gas

carrier fleets, commercial cargo vessels, cruise

lines, and offshore caterers.

“Our motto is ‘we know food’, and therefore

we try to live up to that as a specialist supplier,”

describes Eddie. “We know what is important to

the customer and whilst we cannot guarantee

the lowest price, we strive to provide value

by being price-competitive, offering the best

possible service and delivering quality produce.

“The shipping market continues to grow

for us, partly due to cruise vessels and partly

because Singapore is one of the busiest areas

for shipbuilding in the world. In addition, we have

another element to the business, which deals

with the provision of food for offshore catering.

This was established a few years ago, and

continues to grow as a result of our stringent

standards which are very important to the oil and

gas industry,” he adds.

As a business that tries to keep pace with its

customers, Shin Tai Ho (Singapore) is paying

close attention towards the increasing numbers

of cruise ships operating in Asia. In order to

support and fuel this activity, the company is

the industry is facing a downturn as today,

we assist our clients in finding ways to get

through that, so that customers can trust us

as a one-stop-shop for everything to do with

food supply.” v

Shin Tai Ho & Co (Pte) Ltd www.shintaiho.com

• Ship supplier• Customer focused organisation• Expanding office facilities

http://www.angliss.com.sg/

panning over 100 years

the Dunston (Ship Repairs)

name has a long tradition

of providing excellence. Positioned on the Humber, UK, the company is

the first port of call for many local, national, and

international companies seeking expert ship

repair and modification services. Its strategic

position on the UK’s eastern seaboard places it

close to the North Sea oil and gas installations,

with Hull also acknowledged as one of the

world’s most progressive shipping centres.

Over the years Dunston has successfully

carried out all sorts of vessel modifications

including lengthening, conversions, repairs,

and extensive refurbishment. In the process

the company has worked on a wealth of

different vessel types such as offshore supply

and standby, anchor handling, fishing vessels,

passenger boats, patrol and high speed

vessels, tugs and workboats, car and vehicle

carriers, container vessels, coasters, dredgers,

barges, and ferries.


S This work is executed at Dunston’s well

established dry dock and repair facility based

at William Wright Dock in Hull. Surrounding

the site is a machinery workshop, plumbers

workshop, engine cleaning bay, shipwright and

joinery workshop, fabrication and welding hall,

sheet metal workshop, carnage facilities, and

various specialist equipment and machinery to

support the company’s workforce. In addition

Dunston has access to other local specialist

marine services and materials.

All of this means that Dunston is able to

guarantee a speedy turnaround with all work

executed by a qualified and experienced

workforce. The company offers a 24-hour

service to ensure projects are completed on

time and within budget. Last year contracts

completed by Dunston included the docking of

Fisheries Protection Vessels Jura, Minna and

Hirta owned by Marine Scotland.

Over the last 15 years the company has

completed over 20 refits for Marine Scotland,

each time meeting the high standards of

Strategicallypositioned


Profile: Dunston (Ship Repairs)

workmanship and service required. After

three years work Dunston completed the

conversion of a roll-on roll-off ferry into a

state-of-the-art survey vessel for Gardline.

Known as the Ocean Reliance, the scope of

work carried out on the vessel included the

addition of accommodation for 48 people,

a new auxiliary engine room, new wiring,

renewed pipework, and a full overhaul of the

main engine room.

It is not only ship repair that Dunston lends

its name and skills to though. The Group also includes Dunston (Electrical Services), which

specialises in marine electrical services, and

the latest third arm – Dunston (Ship Building).

Launched last year in partnership with Rix

Shipping, this new division is based at the Paull

shipyard, and it marks a return to Dunston’s

ship building past with the firm having stopped

in 1994 to concentrate on ship repairs.

The new business was incorporated in

response to a £5.1 million order for three

state-of-the-art aluminium workboats from

Rix Shipping for use in the renewable energy

market. Built under licence from Alicat

Workboats in Great Yarmouth, this contract has

since increased to five vessels. Not only does

Dunston have unrivalled facilities with which

to build new ships, but these activities also

neatly fit in with existing ship repair services

giving it the opportunity to offer an end-to-end

package.

As the first three boats for Rix near completion, Dunston has since

secured its first refit work for the renewables sector for a vessel which has

been working off the Swedish coast. With the renewables industry presenting

a major opportunity for the business, the company is now waiting for the

announcements that will spark this boom. This includes the east coast wind

farm, which was given the go-ahead earlier this year, and will feature 35

turbines from Siemens.

It is hoped that the acceleration of the renewables industry will see huge

volumes coming in and out of the Humber region, and as such transfer into

business for local operators such as Dunston. This may present the company

with the opportunity to invest further in its facilities, particularly the new Paull

set-up which it plans to expand to allow it to make more boats at a time.

Whilst it may be strange that in order to move forwards a company has

to return to its past, but in the case of Dunston reinstigating its ship building

services this seems to be a sensible step in capitalising on the market.

Most crucially though,

the company has never

strayed from its base

shipping roots, which

gives it the experience and

market insight to stay the

course. v

Dunston (Ship Repairs) www.dunstons.co.uk• Long heritage• New ship building division• Ongoing workboat contract

http://www.arma-hydraulik.co.uk


entrally located in the Hvide

Sande harbour on the

Danish west coast is Hvide

Sande Skibs & Baadebyggeri

(HSSB).. Since 1950, the company has

worked with a large variety of different types of

vessels from fishing cutters to modern service

vessels for offshore wind farms. Today the

shipyard is divided into two main departments

– new builds, and service and repair.

“On the new build side we have been

constructing vessels for the offshore wind farm

industry, which includes delivery of three boats

to a new offshore development in Denmark,

as well as ferries, and small tug and supply

vessels,” describes Carl Erik Kristensen, joint

owner of HSSB and manager of the new build

division.

“In the service and repair division we have

introduced a new concept called the Pit-

Stop Service, which is obviously taken from

the race car industry,” he continues. “This is

particularly aimed at the offshore wind farm

service vessels, especially the crew boats,

a different team carrying out the repair and

service work, which is often carried out under

short deadlines.”

Regardless of which department they are

dealing with though HSSB always has the

customer at the centre of its thinking. “We are

trying to sell solutions so it is about listening

to what the client needs, whether it is a new

vessel for a special purpose or some repairs,

and try to deliver a service that meets those

demands. Last year we had a client approach

us because their passengers were getting

seasick on the transfer journey from shore to

the offshore wind farm, and they wondered

if there were any solutions that could help

them. Together with an American supplier

called Seakeeper we installed a gyro stabilising

concept, which was originally developed for

super yachts, into these commercial vessels to

minimise the rolling motion,” describes Carl.

With the establishment of its subsidiary

business Seasight Offshore Fender Systems,

HSSB is today also a specialist in fender

systems utilised in the transfer of crew and

which often have a high day rate and only a few

days a year for service and repair work to take

place. Under this service we will go out and

meet a boat where it is operating and spend

a day with the vessel superintendent in order

to compile a dock list and take any necessary

measurements. This then enables us to prepare

all the necessary materials and labour at the

yard so that we can complete the work in a

short turnaround of as little as 24 or 48 hours

from when the vessel comes in.”

This level of service has enabled HSSB

to attract vessels from the Netherlands, UK,

Norway, Sweden, and Germany looking to

benefit from the short downtime and extensive

works capability afforded by the pit-stop

concept. With two legs to the business though,

Carl highlights how the approach to work

differs: “A new build project is typically a long-

term contract of anything from ten months if

it is a standard vessel type to up to two years

if it is a completely new design. Therefore we

maintain specialist staff to carry out these

projects, and then on the other side we have

C

Committed to

clients


Profile: Hvide Sande Skibs & Baadebyggeri

goods to offshore wind farms. “We developed

this particular concept together with another

Danish company,” explains Carl. “I think we

now have a very good grip on that market with

a well known name, and even more importantly

the performance of the system is widely

recognised. I believe we have the only product

on the market that incorporates a measuring

system to record the force created by the boat

when it docks. This helps calculate the level

of friction generated and therefore enables the

client to optimise this for the safest possible

transfer of personnel.”

Although the downturn in the shipping sector

is undoubtedly of concern, as an operator

across different markets HSSB has fared

well, with particular growth in offshore wind

vessels. “When looking at northern Europe

we are very much focused on the offshore

wind market, which we are trying to follow

the growth in through the development of a

complete programme dedicated to the sector.

We are also working to maintain some of the

other business areas we are present in such as

ferries and general workboats,” confirms Carl.

“There are new offshore wind farms planned

right outside the breakwater to our home port

so we are going to follow that development,

which will hopefully bring business to the area.

If you also look at our location with regards to

the planned parks and activities going on in the

German bay we definitely have an interesting

position. This is also why we can attract some

of the crew vessels from the area to our yard

for service and repairs. Furthermore we have

established a satellite office at the German

island of Heligoland to be able to offer service

and repairs locally as we see mobility being

important for the future,” he concludes. v

Hvide Sande Skibs & Baadebyggeri www.hssb.dk • Experienced shipyard• New pit-stop service• Subsidiary fender business

http://www.bureauveritas.com

s part of shipping giant Stena

Group, Stena Bulk is one of

the world’s leading tanker

shipping companies. In this

role it provides safe and cost-efficient transport

of crude oil and refined petroleum at sea, which

encompasses everything from developing and

building tankers, to manning and chartering them

out.

The company’s business concept is based

on equal parts innovation and performance. The

latter comes from delivering a highly developed

logistics network, whilst innovation stems from

analysing the customer’s business situation and

finding new ways to increase competitiveness

through cutting-edge vessel design and

development. This can be seen in Stena’s Max

concept. These in-house designed wide-body

tankers can carry 30 per cent more cargo than

traditional vessels with the same draft.

At present Stena Bulk’s fleet numbers 100

owned, charters, and commercially managed

vessels including panamax, aframax, shuttle,

suezmax, and medium range (MR) sizes. The

company continues to maintain its traditional

headquarters in Gothenburg, but has over the

years added five additional offices in Houston,

Beijing, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, and

Copenhagen to support its international growth.

Describing what the last year has been like

for the business, Erik Hanell begins with his

recent promotion to CEO: “I have moved back

to Gothenburg from Houston to head up the


A


company, which is a big step for me personally.

In terms of the business itself we have continued

to develop all of our niche areas such as the

Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool. At the beginning

of 2013 we received the seventh and final vessel

in our latest newbuild programme, the ‘Stena

Sunrise’, into that fleet.

“When we ordered those vessels in 2010 we

put a lot of effort into making them as fuel efficient

as possible, which today is one of the big issues

everyone is talking about, but I think we were one

of the first to really adopt that eco approach. This

has proven to be a success in that respect as we

can offer a better result in today’s tough market

than someone with older tonnage,” he continues.

The other dominant side of the business is the

joint venture company Stena Weco. Established

in 2011 with 50/50 ownership between Stena

and edible oils carrier Weco, this agreement

saw the two companies pool parts of their fleet

– 15 oil and petroleum MRs from Stena, and 15

medium-term chartered edible and palm oils and

caustic soda carriers. As such, each parent has

been able to establish a presence within a new

marketplace.

“Today we are running around 45 MRs under

that arrangement,” describes Erik. “Based on

this, last year we ordered ten new eco-MRs

from GSI shipyard in China. Once again we have

put a lot of effort into making sure they are as

fuel efficient as possible, and have more cargo

flexibility than the average MR which will benefit

us in future development and trading.”

Another niche where Stena Bulk has put down

its roots is the LNG market. This was through

the formation of new sister company Stena LNG,

which maintains a fleet of three LNG vessels at

present. Sharing his outlook on this area of the

industry Erik says: “We saw a very strong market

for 2011 and the start of 2012, but this has now

weakened a little as many projects around the

world have been delayed. We also know there will

be quite a lot of new build LNG vessels coming

out in the next year or two, which may have an

impact. However once these projects start to

come on stream we are sure to see this pick up

again. There is no question that LNG will be the

future and take over a lot of the growth in energy

requirements that we see in the world today.”Erik Hanell, CEO, Stena Bulk

&Innovation performance


Profile: Stena Bulk

For now Stena Bulk is focusing on ensuring

that it utilises its modern fuel-efficient vessels to

their maximum potential in order to come out

of the current market conditions in a stronger

position even than it has today. “The tanker

division of Stena Bulk is not the biggest but we

want to be the greatest in terms of safety and

operations, and to see a good profit on the

investments we are making,” highlights Erik.

“We will continue to develop ships for specific

trades and with customers that have higher

requirements on safety, quality, and limitation.

We want to continue to be at the high end of

this, but at the same time ensure we still have

the right return on our investment so that we can

keep developing. At the moment our Suezmax

Pool has around 25 ships, which looks to be

quite a healthy number, whereas Stena Weko is

still under development so could see something

between 50 and 70 ships depending on market

conditions. In other segments we are always

looking at new opportunities, and will utilise

the low market to undertake acquisitions and

developments to create new business products,”

he concludes. v

Stena Bulkwww.stenabulk.com• Quality tanker operator• Delivery of new eco-Suezmax• New MR vessels ordered

http://www.wilhelmsen.com/technicalsolutions

ormed from the amalgamation of the British Ship Stores Associations and the National Federation of Shipping

Butchers Associations in 1906, the British Association of Ship Suppliers (BASS), as part of the International Ship Suppliers & Services Association (ISSA), ensures the representation and promotion of its members to the ship supply industry. Standing as the voice of

its UK members, BASS is also an active part

of OCEAN (Organisation de la Communaute

Europeene des Avitailleurs des Navires), which


F primarily monitors legislation in the process of

development at the European Commission in

Brussels.

Praising its members as one of the reasons

behind its strong presence in the International

Ship Supply Industry, BASS offers each

member the opportunity to become a member

of ISSA, which means the company is listed on

the ISSA register and website. The register is

distributed to approximately 4500 outlets in the

shipping industry, including ship owners, ship

management as well as organisations with a

shipping involvement.

“BASS represents 47 members, all of


Tradingknowledge


We need to be vigilant who we supply at present because of the economic crisis, although a lot of the more established and stronger companies are managing to survive, quite a few owners are struggling

Profile: British Association of Ship Suppliers

which are ship suppliers based in various

ports all over the UK. One of our main roles

is to circulate information that either comes

out of ISSA or OCEAN to all of our members

to ensure they are consistently updated with

the latest legislation and activities within both

associations,” explains Bob Blake, managing

director of Admiral Harding and chairman

of BASS. “ISSA represents over 2000 ship

suppliers through 43 national associations

with associate members in 53 other countries.

The association held its annual convention

in London this year, which allowed members

to network and share essential information.

OCEAN, meanwhile, is a sub-committee of

ISSA and the voice of the ship supply industry

on European Affairs. The OCEAN Board is

made up of all the chairmen of the national

Associations thus ensuring all members of the

European Union are represented and is led by

the OCEAN chairman Alfredo Tosato from Italy.

BASS plays an important role in OCEAN;

with its lobbying of regulatory and authority

bodies that are affecting ship supply

companies helping to influence the industry’s

main regulators within the Commission in

Brussels. ISSA recognises the global nature of

the ship supply industry and OCEAN focuses

on achieving optimum business for ship

suppliers in Europe. The two work together

to solve issues, as Bob highlights: “Our

members approach us with problems and on

several occasions the proposal of unworkable

legislation is overturned before it reaches

the statute book. BASS and OCEAN often

receive feedback from their members following

discussions with local customs officials from all

European countries.”

A particular issue for the ship supply industry

is the recession, which is causing a challenge

in terms of receiving payment, as Bob explains:

“I told everyone at the last meeting that we

need to be vigilant who we supply at present

because of the economic crisis, although

a lot of the more established and stronger

companies are managing to survive, quite a

few owners are struggling.” While the tanker

trade remains relatively buoyant, the freight

rate for bulkers has fallen dramatically mainly

due to oversupply of tonnage. “One of the

main problems is that the charterers are not

paying owners on time, which knocks onto

the suppliers and causes all parties to push for

payment. There is also the issue of increased

fuel prices and new legislations,” adds Bob.

As fuel costs remain high and global pressure

to reduce emissions increases, ship owners


are exploring retrofit technologies that will

offer existing ships the capabilities to remain

economically attractive and efficient in a

competitive market.

With costs a major issue for an industry

that is already being challenged by the

recession and upcoming legislations, OCEAN

was recently successful in shelving plans to

charge VAT on ship stores and services, as

Bob elaborates: “It is our job to pick up issues

within the shipping industry as they arise,

and one major issue in Europe involved VAT

charges on ship stores and services, which is

nonsense because ship stores and services

have always been treated as exports. There is

also the issue of different VAT rates throughout

Europe, for example it might be 17 per cent in

Denmark, 20 per cent in the UK, and 15 per

cent somewhere else, which would make it

impractical and unworkable to administer.”

Amalgamations and bankruptcy within the

shipping industry over the last five to eight

years have led to a decline in the membership

of BASS, yet the association hopes there

will be improvements going forward. “As an

association our members are trying to keep

afloat in these difficult times. Ship owners are

constantly looking to cut costs but require

the same standard of quality and service,”

said Bob. “The service aspect is incredibly

important because the downtime on a vessel

results in huge costs to the owner. Our

members are geared up to supply a service

24/7 which is essential. Whilst certain ships

personnel have taken to going on-line to deal

directly with various suppliers to our members

the owners need to realise that these on-line

companies will not deliver to the port 24/7 as

our members do and often send their goods

to our members to deliver on-board on their

behalf! Our members continue to provide this

service because we realise the importance to

the owners.” v

Profile: British Association of Ship Suppliers

British Association of Ship Suppliers www.bassweb.co.uk• Part of ISSA• Over 100 years old• Plays an active role in OCEAN

http://www.alliedshipsupplies.com

Shipping&MARinEThe magazine for mariTime managemenT

www.shippingandmarine.co.uk

Schofield Publishing Limited Unit 10, Cringleford Business Centre, Intwood Road, Cringleford,

Norwich, NR4 6AU, UKTel: +44 (0) 1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0) 1603 274131

Schofield Publishing

Editor: Libbie [email protected]

Sales manager: Rob [email protected]

shipping and marine issue 11 2013

Documents

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