Besides fuel costs, personnel costs and costs for maintenance and repair make up the largest share of the operating costs of a merchant ship. They account for up to 30 or 25 per cent of the total operating costs. Increases in efficiency in these areas can therefore lead to decisive competitive advantages for shipping companies....
Dr. Mario Tamburri, director of ACT/MERC, argued that a huge win-win for both commercial shipping and the environment can be achieved with a holistic approach to biofouling and better in water cleaning of vessels. That includes ‘getting proactive’ on one of our industry’s most pressing challenges. Ask Professor Mario Tamburri a single question about vessel...
MAKITA Corporation and MAN Energy Solutions have announced that the first ever PBST-branded and -built cluster-3 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) high pressure (HP) system has passed its ClassNK approval test at the MAKITA works in Japan. The SCR is one of the most compact systems available and one of four ordered for vessels featuring MAN...
German fleet operator SAL Heavy Lift has hired Inatech, a unit of Glencore, to ensure compliance with new low-sulphur emissions rules and optimise bunker strategies. Inatech, a specialist provider of energy trading risk management systems, has seen increased onboarding of its ‘Smart Trader’ app, which enables companies to map entire fleets of ships and visualise...
KPI Bridge Oil has agreed to acquire OceanConnect Marine, with the merger resulting in a new brand and entity, KPI OceanConnect. The merger will create one of the largest, most experienced independent marine fuels service and solutions providers in the world. With a 170-strong team operating across 15 locations globally, KPI OceanConnect will have an...
A comprehensive thruster solution from the technology group Wärtsilä will enable Netherlands based Boskalis to convert an existing hull to create the crane vessel Bokalift 2. In addition to addressing the technical challenges imposed by the project, Wärtsilä has also committed to meeting a demanding delivery schedule for the equipment. The order with Wärtsilä was...
The next generation of marine simulation solutions must address shipping’s accelerating pace of technological change and a widening skills gap among seafarers. If a ship’s crew from the 1970s were teleported ten years into their future, the ships of the 1980s would hold few surprises. The same could not be said over the last two...
Oslo-listed BW LPG, the first shipowner to place retrofit orders for the MAN B&W ME-LGIP LPG-powered engine, has now exercised an option in the initial contract and ordered a further four retrofits from MAN Energy Solutions. The initial contract covered the first retrofitting of four MAN B&W 6G60ME-C9.2 HFO-burning engines to 6G60ME-C9.5-LGIP LPG-propelled dual-fuel engines....
The risks posed to both the environment and the sustainability of commercial shipping by biofouling should not be underestimated, according to Norwegian environmental pressure group Bellona. The issue, which has yet to be tackled by any meaningful international legislation, apparently poses a serious threat ‘triumvirate’. However, as Bellona points out, by tackling it head on,...
Marine lubricants supplier Chevron Marine has released the latest in a series of white papers focusing on innovations and developments impacting the fast-changing shipping industry. ‘Lubricating dual-fuel auxiliary engines: a practical approach’ explores the unique challenge of using engines that run regularly on either fuel oils or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Around three quarters of...
A new online platform has been developed to help ship operators source marine fuels and lubricants in ports across the world. Digital disruption is coming to the marine fuels and lubricants market with the launch of a new sourcing platform set to simplify business for both buyers and sellers. Bulugo’s easy-to-use, purpose-built platform – available...
Wärtsilä, together with project partners Carnival Maritime and HVCC Hamburg Vessel Coordination Centre (HVCC), have announced successful implementation and testing of a new solution for Just-in-Time sailing. The partners have achieved the seamless exchange of data between ship and shore under real-life conditions, thereby enabling optimal port arrival. The applied solution, Wärtsilä Navi-Port, has received...