GENERAL Archives - Page 7 of 68 - SHIP IP LTD

Constructed at Austal USA’s Mobile Alabama shipyard, EPF-13 is the first Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship with capabilities for V-22 Osprey flight operations and enhanced medical support. It is also the United States Navy’s largest ship with the capability to operate as an unmanned surface vessel (USV).

Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the completion of acceptance trials for EPF-13 was a significant milestone, being the first surface vessel constructed by Austal USA with autonomous capability.

“Apalachicola is the first EPF we have delivered with autonomous capability that demonstrates new technologies that will ultimately enable unmanned missions for the United States Navy, Mr Gregg said.

“We’re very pleased with the performance of the ship, which was rigorously tested over several months by the Navy and teams from Austal USA, L3Harris and General Dynamics.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what she can do when she commences operations with Military Sealift Command following delivery later this calendar year.”

During acceptance trials comprehensive testing is conducted on the ship’s major systems and equipment to demonstrate their successful operation and mission readiness. The United States Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey participates throughout the trials to validate the quality of construction and compliance with Navy requirements.

In addition to builder’s trials, EPF 13 went to sea five times over the past several months allowing Austal USA, L3Harris and General Dynamics Mission Systems to test and analyze not only her typical ship systems but those resulting from autonomous design and construction contract modifications required by the Navy to establish EPF 13 as an autonomous prototype.

The work included installation of a perception and situation awareness suite, an autonomy controller, an autonomous machinery control system, and automation enhancements to the machinery plant improving hull, mechanical, and electrical reliability. The enhancements will allow EPF-13 to operate autonomously for up to 30 days while retaining the capability for manned operation.

USNS Apalachicola is planned for delivery by the end of the calendar year and will be the 13th EPF ship to join the United States Military Sealift Command’s global fleet.

Austal USA is currently constructing Cody (EPF-14) and Point Loma (EPF-15) and is under contract to build EPF-16. Each of these ships are being constructed to “Flight II” specifications that incorporate Role 2E medical capability and capabilities to support V-22 Osprey flight operations.

Source: https://www.vesselfinder.com/news/24390-Future-USNS-Apalachicola-EPF-13-Completes-Acceptance-Trials

In partnership with West Coast Clean Fuels, LLC (WCCF), Stabilis provided project development, management, engineering, technical and operational services.

“Pasha’s leadership in lowering shipping emissions on West Coast shipping routes is a significant step toward the improvement of the air quality in the region,” commented Westy Ballard, President & CEO of Stabilis, “and we are delighted to have partnered with WCCF to play a part.”

Ballard further commented, “The Port of Long Beach is an important international trading hub for the U.S., and we look forward to working diligently with the Port and our customers to further advance the lowering of emissions in ocean shipping.”

Pasha Hawaii’s MV George III is a 774-foot container ship operating between Long Beach, CA, Honolulu, HI, and Oakland CA and is currently scheduled to bunker every second week at the Port of Long Beach. The vessel is the first of three LNG-powered ships that Pasha is putting into service with the second, the Janet Marie, expected in late 2022 and the third expected to be deployed in mid-2023.

Source: https://www.vesselfinder.com/news/24388-Stabilis-Solutions-Provides-Technical–Operational-LNG-Bunkering-Services-for-First-LNG-Powered-Ship-in-Long-Beach-CA

ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation) published a report, focusing on ships trading with the European Union, predicts a tripling of demand for LNG as marine fuel between 2019 and 2030, based on trends in fuel consumption.

The idea that liquefied natural gas (LNG) can help mitigate the climate impacts of the maritime shipping sector rests on the assumptions that ships can switch to bio and e-LNG (“renewable” LNG) in the future and that switching would result in low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For this to happen, there must be enough renewable LNG to meet future demand and using it must result in a substantial reduction in GHG emissions on a life-cycle basis compared to fossil LNG. Understanding whether these assumptions are realistic is important for policymakers, including in the European Union, which has committed to reducing its GHG emissions by at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 (that is equivalent to a 41% reduction from 2019 levels).

The report also estimates that renewable LNG will cost seven times more than fossil LNG in 2030 and, therefore, subsidies or other policies would be needed to encourage its use.

The well-to-wake (WTW) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions associated with three 2030 scenarios in the European Union are shown in the figure above. Compare the scenario in which ships use 100% renewable LNG in 2030 (far right, representing a €50 per gigajoule subsidy) to emissions from using 100% fossil in 2019 (far left). As shown, using renewable LNG could cut WTW CO₂e emissions by 38% based on 100-year global warming potentials (GWP, labeled as CO₂e100) but raise emissions 6% based on 20-year GWP (CO₂e20) because of methane’s strong near-term warming effects. Focusing on the orange portions of the bars, even using 100% renewable LNG doubles methane emissions compared to 2019; this is primarily because of methane slip from marine engines.

For renewable LNG to significantly contribute to achieving climate goals, methane slip from marine engines needs to be virtually eliminated and methane leaks upstream need to be greatly reduced. Additionally, methane leaks from onboard fuel tanks and cargo tanks, which researchers are still working to adequately quantify, would need to be near zero. It is important for policymakers and stakeholders to understand that other fuels, including synthetic diesel and green methanol, could offer low life-cycle emissions without the methane problem.

Source ICCT

Larger at the time than either the Suez or Panama canals, the St. Lawrence Seaway was officially inaugurated on June 26, 1959 by young Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. The latter had overcome initial strong opposition in Congress to the colossal project.

Widely regarded as one of the engineering marvels of the 20^th century, the marine highway’s 13 Canadian and two American locks have so far facilitated the movement of 3 billion tons of cargo.

The Seaway notably allows ocean vessels to deliver general and bulk cargo into the industrial heartland of North America.  The Great Lakes-Seaway waterway connects more than 110 commercial ports in Canada and the United States. Photos Seaway archives

Source: https://maritimemag.com/en/queen-elizabeth-ii-inaugurated-st-lawrence-seaway/

After two years of travel restriction, Indonesia is finally going to welcome back cruise ships.  On September 17, for the first time in two years, Laperouse, a 130 meters long cruise ship with 70 tourists onboard travelling from Australia, will dock at Bali.  Before Bali, the ship was at the Port of Kalabahi, East Nusa Tenggara.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, the Indonesian government has closed the borders and barred foreign tourists in a bid to stop the virus from spreading.  In recent months, however, with Covid-19 turning endemic and infection rate going down, the authority has reopened the borders to tourist to rejuvenate the tourism sector.

Prasetyo, director of Indonesian port strategy, Pelindo, said: “Indonesia is going to again welcome large-scale foreign tourist arrivals. The arrival of Laperouse is very important for us, considering that we just opened up tourism and this is the first cruise ship we have in two years. Hopefully, more cruise ships will arrive soon.”

Pelindo, the state-owned port operator, has engaged actively with all stakeholders, seeking feedback and suggestions, to boost maritime tourism. For 2022, Pelindo has confirmed 39 cruise ship visits and for 2023, 125 confirmed visits.

For Laperouse’s arrival, Pelindo has, since two weeks ago, coordinated closely with Benline Shipping Agents and Tour Operators Cruise Asia, to ensure a smooth docking and arrival.  Pelindo wanted all the tourists to feel safe and welcomed.

Benline thinks Indonesia can be at the forefront of maritime tourism.  Matt Joly from Benline said: “On the occasion of the arrival of Laperouse, this is a milestone for Indonesia and we will do our best to make sure everything is running ok.  We want to make Indonesia the number one for cruise ship visit in Asia.”

The Cruise Ship Tourism Program, under the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, runs from July to the end of the year.  Minister Sandiaga Uno said beside Bali, the program, with all new rules and regulations in place to help facilitate cruise ship tourism, will be extended to Batam, Bintan Island, Surabaya, Belitung, Labuan Bajo, and Bau-Bau (Southeast Sulawesi).

Sandiaga exhorted all stakeholders to make sure all related infrastructure is ready to receive foreign tourists. In the meantime, Pelindo is working to improve inter-island connectivity to attract tourists to stay longer and visit more islands.  Arif Suhartono, president director of Pelindo, said it is a priority to invest in the development of more port infrastructure and connectivity so that Indonesia can compete in the global stage.

Suhartono added that as an archipelagic country, the maritime and port sectors are key to Indonesia’s economic growth and it makes sense to invest in developing all related infrastructure.  Indonesia is an important maritime hub in the region and Pelindo, moving ahead, will invest in occupational safety and health, sustainability, latest technology, and world-class training, Suhartono said.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/indonesia-welcomes-first-cruise-ship-since-lockdown/

An investigating commission formed by some members of Italy’s parliament has published a report indicating that a third vessel was involved in a maritime incident that left 140 people dead in 1991.

The recently concluded parliamentary inquiry into the April 10, 1991 incident involving the Ro-Pax ferry Moby Prince and the oil tanker Agip Abruzzo stated that the presence of another vessel was a key factor that resulted in one of Italy’s deadliest maritime disasters since the end of World War II.

The report said the third vessel suddenly appeared directly ahead of Moby Prince as the ferry was manoeuvring to depart Livorno on a scheduled voyage on the said date.

Moby Prince made an abrupt left turn to avoid colliding with the unidentified vessel. However, the manoeuvre caused the ferry’s bow to strike the tanker Agip Abruzzo, which was at anchor at the time.

Moby Prince‘s bow eventually penetrated right through to one of Agip Abruzzo‘s cargo tanks, causing some of the light crude oil contained within to spill into the water and onto the ferry’s deck. The spilled oil then caught fire, and the ferry was engulfed in flames within minutes.

All but one of the 141 people who were on board the ferry perished in the incident, with many of them dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. The tanker’s crew, meanwhile, were all successfully rescued.

The subsequent rescue operation was also reportedly hampered by coordination problems. Additional government investigations over the years showed this factor to be among the main causes of the slow emergency response, which then led to further loss of life.

The parliamentary report could not identify the third vessel with certainty, though the report itself was approved unanimously by the members of the investigating commission.

The report also concluded that the area off Livorno where the incident occurred was experiencing calm seas and good visibility at the time.

The probe into the Moby Prince disaster was reopened by Italy’s parliament in July last year. Legislators decided on this action upon realising that the initial investigations conducted in the immediate aftermath of the incident did not identify its exact causes and therefore did not result in any convictions.

Source: https://www.bairdmaritime.com/work-boat-world/passenger-vessel-world/ro-pax/italian-probe-reveals-third-vessel-involved-in-ferry-disaster-that-killed-over-100-in-1991/