MS Medstraum, the world’s first fully electric and zero-emission fast ferry, classed as a high-speed craft, has embarked on the journey from Fjellstrand shipyard to her new home port, Stavanger.

The vessel has been built using unique modular manufacturing methods at the Norwegian shipyard, Fjellstrand. Modularisation helps cut both production costs and engineering costs and will contribute to making electric-powered high-speed vessels competitive in terms of both cost and the environment. Whilst traditional fast ferries running on fossil fuels are known for being highly polluting, Medstraum will vastly improve the carbon footprint of its owners, Kolumbus, a public transport company.

– We are very happy to finally get this flagship delivered. Kolumbus aims to be at the forefront of adopting new and environmentally technology, Project Manager at Kolumbus, Mikal Dahle says. The company currently has ten fast ferries, some regular ferries, and 450 buses in operation.

– Medstraum will cut our emissions by 1500 tonnes a year, despite operating on our least energy-demanding route. That’s the equivalent of 60 buses, Dahle says. In late summer the vessel will welcome passengers for scheduled operations between Stavanger and Homersåk.

Fast and efficient

– It’s been challenging building this ship, as it’s never been done before, but we’ve learned a lot. Fast ferries require a lot of energy so we needed to make Medstraum lighter and a lot more efficient than traditional fast ferries. We’re very happy and proud to have accomplished that. It is revolutionary that a vessel of this size can operate at 23 knots for an entire hour by electricity alone, says  Edmund Tolo,  head of research and development, at Fjellstrand AS.

TrAM project partners gathered to overview the testing of Medstraum: Mikal Dahle (Kolumbus), Edmund Tolo (Fjellstrand), Marianne Chesak (Rogaland County), Christoph Jürgenhake (Fraunhofer), Yan Xing-Kaeding (HSVA), Tobias Seidenberg (Fraunhofer) and Hege Økland (Maritime CleanTech). Photo: MARIUS KNUTSEN / MARITIME CLEANTECH

From one groundbreaker to another

In 2015 The world’s first fully-electric ferry, Ampere, was built at the Fjellstrand shipyard in Hardanger, Norway. That marked the start of an electric revolution on Norwegian ferries. Now, only seven years later, there are approximately 70 emission-free ferries operating in Norway.

– Medstraum is already stirring great interest internationally. The maritime industry across the world is now looking at what we achieve in our maritime cluster. This could really be the start of a new adventure for our industry.  Not only have the project partners developed and demonstrated a new and emission-free propulsion system that can maintain higher speeds than before, we have also adopted completely new modular design- and construction methods that will revolutionise the way we build boats in the future, says Hege Økland, CEO of Maritime CleanTech, the cluster organisation who initiated the EU-funded TrAM-project, which resulted in Medstraum. The Norwegian industry partners were inspired by how cars, trains, and aircraft are built when constructing Medstraum.

The modular way of thinking is absolutely central to the project. This means that ships can be purpose-built by putting together finished modules, which can be built in different places. This will save both time and money in the design and construction phase. It will also make it easier to get more boats into the market faster. This way, we can reach future emission requirements faster, by replacing fossil fast ferries with electric ones, like Medstraum, Økland says.

MS MEDSTRAUM

• Will carry passengers between Stavanger, Byøyene, and Hommersåk for Kolumbus from late summer 2022.
• Cruising speed during operation: 23 knots
• Max speed: 27 knots
• Length: 30 meters. With: 9 meters.
• Battery capacity: 1524 kWh (Corvus Energy)
• Electric engines: 2×550 kW
• Charge capacity: 2,3 MW
• This pilot vessel is a result of the EU-funded TrAM-project, and is partly funded by  Rogaland County Council.
• Project partners: Maritime CleanTech (NO), Kolumbus (NO), Rogaland County Council (NO), Fjellstrand (NO), Leirvik (NO), Hydro (NO), Servogear (NO), Wärtsilä (NO), HSVA (NO), University of Strathclyde (GB), National Technical University of Athens (GR), Fraunhofer IEM (DE), Uber Boat by Thames Clippers (GB) and De Vlaamse Waterweg (NL).
• Source: https://www.maritimeeconomy.com/post-details.php?post_id=Z25qaw==&post_name=The%20worlds%20first%20zeroemission%20fast%20ferry%20is%20ready%20for%20operation&segment_name=

INS Sindhudhvaj bid adieu to Indian Navy on Saturday, 16 Jul 2022, serving for a glorious period of 35 years. Vice Adm Biswajit Dasgupta Flag Officer Commanding -in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command was the Chief Guest for the ceremony. The Decommissioning event was attended by 15 of the former Commanding Officers including Cmde SP Singh (Retd), the Commissioning CO and 26 Commissioning crew veterans.

The submarine crest depicts a gray colour nurse shark and the name means flag bearer at sea. Sindhudhvaj, as the name suggests, was the flag bearer of indigenisation and Indian Navy’s efforts towards achieving Atmanirbharta in the Russian built Sindhughosh class submarines throughout her journey in the navy. She had many a firsts to her credit including operationalisation of the indigenised sonar USHUS, Indigenised Satellite Communication systems Rukmani and MSS, Inertial Navigation System and Indigenised Torpedo Fire Control System.

She also successfully undertook mating and personnel transfer with Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel and only submarine to be awarded CNS Rolling trophy for Innovation by the Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

The traditional ceremony was conducted at sunset, with an overcast sky adding to the solemnity of the occasion when the Decommissioning Pennant was lowered and the submarine was paid off after a glorious patrol of 35 Years.

Source: https://www.maritimeeconomy.com/post-details.php?post_id=Z25sbg==&post_name=INS%20SINDHUDHVAJ%20Decommissioned%20After%2035%20Years%20of%20Glorious%20Service%20to%20The%20Nation%20India&segment_name=

British shipyard, Harland & Wolff, has been awarded a £55 million contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS QUORN.

1. £55 million to regenerate former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel
2. Supporting 100 jobs at Harland & Wolff Appledore site in south-west
3. Enhancing mine-hunting capability for NATO ally

British shipyard, Harland & Wolff, has been awarded a £55 million contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS QUORN.

On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS QUORN renovated and restored, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe.

Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the south-west shipyard.

The work will see an influx of contractors for the project across the local and national supply chain, with 14 major subcontract packages in engineering, equipment and integration, along with other refurbishment services.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin, said:

I’m pleased that this multi-million pound contract will see a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel restored and regenerated in a British shipyard, supporting UK jobs and strengthening shipbuilding in the south-west.

Lithuania is a key NATO ally and Joint Expeditionary Force partner, and this mine-hunting vessel will bolster NATO maritime capability across Europe, ensuring the Alliance remains ready to respond to evolving global threats.

HMS QUORN completed 27 years of Service with the Royal Navy before being sold to Lithuania in April 2020. The vessel patrolled the seas as part of the Royal Navy fleet of Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMVs) until 2017.

The Hunt Class vessels specialise in active mine-hunting. They use high-definition sonar to scour seabeds for mines, which are then destroyed by the ship’s clearance diving teams or mine disposal system.

A key NATO ally and partner in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Lithuania will add the restored mine-hunting vessel to its existing fleet, with the addition of this capability boosting NATO capability across Europe.

Tailored for the Lithuanian Navy, the work includes upgrades to the ships mission and sonar systems, and an additional search and rescue capability. The contract will also add new main engines, generators and propulsion gear as well as refurbish the accommodation, hull, ancillary systems, electrical systems and painting.

Cdre Richard Whalley, Head of DESA, said:

This contract award reinforces our excellent working relationship that we have with Lithuania as our NATO ally as well as UK owned Harland & Wolff. We’re really pleased to see HMS QUORN refurbished in Appledore Shipyard and look forward to continuing our work with them supporting the British supply chain.

It is planned that the ship will be handed over to the Lithuanian Navy in 2024. HMS QUORN is the third mine-hunting vessel that DESA has sold to Lithuania, following the sale of HMS Dulverton and HMS Cottesmore in 2008.

Source: https://www.maritimeeconomy.com/post-details.php?post_id=Z25qZw==&post_name=GBP%2055%20million%20to%20restore%20minehunter%20for%20NATO%20ally&segment_name=26

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Finnish technology company Wärtsilä suspended all deliveries, sales, orders, and bidding for Russian customers. It further downscaled its operations in the Russian Federation in April, taking a $200 million writedown on the value of its business and giving up about five percent of its annual net sales. According to Russian media, the decision may have spurred the creation of a new Russian company to serve Wärtsilä’s Russian customers in the electronic-navigation space.

Wärtsilä acquired the civilian division of electronics and software company Transas in 2018. Though Transas was a global company with a UK headquarters, it had been founded in St. Petersburg in 1990, and it had a substantial Russian workforce. At the time of the purchase, the high-profile acquisition looked very attractive: it handed Wärtsilä a portfolio of simulation, traffic control, fleet operations and ECDIS technology, along with related businesses like training and after-sales service.

But the market withdrawal from Russia has had an impact on the Transas business line (known as Wärtsilä Voyage after the merger). Wärtsilä took a $75 million writedown on goodwill and intangible assets related to its Voyage unit in April, the largest single component of the $200 million impairment.

Now, according to Russian outlet RBC, two ex-Transas, ex-Wärtsilä Voyage vice presidents are starting a new firm which reflects the division’s Russian roots. The newly-formed EMCT (Evolution of Marine Digital Technologies) will provide products for Russian customers left behind by Wärtsilä’s exit, and will also compete in “Russia-friendly” countries in the years ahead.

In an interview with RBC, development director Vladimir Ponomarev (formerly VP Solutions for Wärtsilä Voyage) noted that St. Petersburg had been the birthplace of many Voyage products. He predicted that with the founding of EMCT, there would be a “smooth replacement” with similar products for the sanctioned Russian shipping market.

“The departure of Wärtsilä from Russia in March 2022 effectively deprived [Russian] users of qualified expert support and the opportunity to develop software and hardware solutions to meet changing requirements and standards. In most cases, this situation can be critical, at least on the horizon of 6-12 months,” Ponomarev said. “[EMCT is] ready to take on the tasks of expert and technical support for current users of Wärtsilä, as well as to develop and bring to the market domestic hardware and software solutions that can replace Wartsila products in a short time.”

EMCT’s creation is part of a broad wave of import substitution across the Russian economy. As Western businesses have pulled out or sold off their Russian divisions, others have stepped in to fill the gap – most prominently, the fast-food chain “Vkusno i Tochka,” the inheritor of McDonald’s Russian chains.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ex-waertsilae-execs-plan-to-serve-russian-market-for-e-nav-products