Maritime
Increased Norwegian shipping activity abroad
The number of Norwegian ships calling at foreign ports increased by 4.8 per cent in 2010, but the number is still lower than two years ago, according to Statistics Norway (SSB).
Vessels controlled by Norwegian enterprises made 57 800 foreign port calls in 2010. Arrived gross tonnage was 1 174 million tonnes. The corresponding figures for 2009 were 55 100 port calls and 1 102 million of arrived gross tonnage. Norwegian vessels are vessels registered in Norway or vessels registered abroad while under Norwegian effective ownership.
These ships made 8 637 port calls in Asia in 2010. Arrived gross tonnage, at 319 million, went up by 39 million from 2009. Europe is still the largest area for Norwegian vessels measured by arrived gross tonnage, with 448 million in arrived gross tonnage in 2010.
Source: Norway Post
Norwegian tall ships race to the UK
Historical Norwegian tall ships Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Sørlandet and Christian Radich will dock in the Shetland Islands and Scotland in July as part of the annual Tall Ship Races.
From 30th June until 8th August the ships dock at 5 places going from Irland, through the North coast of UK, across the pond to the west coast of Norway before they reach the final destination: Halmstad in Sweden.
The Tall Ships Races was first held in 1956. The regatta then started in Torbay (England), and ended up in Lisbon (Portugal).
Source: Norway Post
Wärtsilä will design the new ship
Wärtsilä has secured a contract for the delivery of design to a new supply ship, being built by Rem Offshore Kleven Maritime. The company will also supply other equipment to the vessel. The company will include delivering dual-fuel main engines and generator sets, electric power and propulsion systems, integrated automation system and power management system.
- This order confirms Wärtsilä's position as a market leader in the design and propulsion systems for LNG supply vessels. Furthermore, the scope of the contract, Wärtsilä's strong position as a total supplier and systems integrator with the ability to offer naval customers.
The new ship will be based on an LNG VS499 PSV design from Wärtsilä, a design which is a further development of LNG VS489 PSV.
Source: Oilinfo
Offshore alliance for new DSV
Aberdeen-based KD Marine has hooked up with subsea specialist Mermaid Offshore to provide commercial diving support to a new DSV under construction at the Bergen Group's BMV shipyard in Bergen.
Saturation, air diving, daughter craft and ROV services are to be provided by KD Marine under the new alliance for the newbuild dive support vessel Mermaid Endurer in the European offshore sector.
The Mermaid Endurer is due to be completed in the first half this year by Bergen Group on behalf of Mermaid Offshore which operates in Thailand, and the wider Asian Market, and which also owns 20.5% of Nemo Subsea IS in Norway.
KD will act as the lead contractor in the alliance providing diving and project management while Mermaid - part of Singapore-listed Mermaid Maritime PCL will supply the DSV, marine and ROVs.
Source: Offshore247
Skagerrak conversion goes to UK yard
Britain's Cammell Laird shipyard has landed a major deal to carry out a conversion work on Norway's Nexan's Skaggerak cable lay ship which involves inserting a new hull section to extend the ship by 12 metres.
Cammell Laird Shiprepairs and Shipbuilders Ltd on Merseyside in the UK's northwest is expecting to start work on the Skagerrak conversion later this month when the vessel arrives.
Already the shipyard has received 750 tonnes of steel ready to commence the conversion which is designed to extend the vessel's operating capability.
"The conversion includes lengthening the ship from 106.00m to 118.5m by inserting a new hull section, the installation of an additional accommodation module and supporting systems, and the installation of a new working deck complete with cable handling equipment," said Linton Roberts, managing director of Cammell Laird.
With the work carried out at Merseyside, he said the ship will be able to carry out offshore cable laying for longer periods, while accommodation upgrades will improve conditions for the crew.
"This challenging scope of work requires the full range of our trade skills and considerable engineering experience,” Roberts added. “We have already successfully completed significant pre-fabrication and engineering work in advance of the vessels arrival at Birkenhead and are eagerly looking forward to the dry-dock phase of the project." .
Nexans's Skagerrak is one of only two purpose-built cable-lay ships worldwide, and it is equipped with a 7,000 tonne 29 metre (95 ft) diameter cable turntable, and a trenching system for cable-burial.
This year the ship is due to complete the installation of a 292 m km (182 mile) high voltage power cable for BP's Valhall project offshore Norway.
John Syvret, chief executive of the shipyard said the deal will secure at least 200 jobs at the Birkenhead yard, and another 100 with sub-contractors. "We are using many local marine services firms to help us deliver the best possible results for what is a highly technical and demanding conversion," he said.
Source: Offshore
Offshore alliance for new DSV
Aberdeen-based KD Marine has hooked up with subsea specialist Mermaid Offshore to provide commercial diving support to a new DSV under construction at the Bergen Group's BMV shipyard in Bergen.
Saturation, air diving, daughter craft and ROV services are to be provided by KD Marine under the new alliance for the newbuild dive support vessel Mermaid Endurer in the European offshore sector.
The Mermaid Endurer is due to be completed in the first half this year by Bergen Group on behalf of Mermaid Offshore which operates in Thailand, and the wider Asian Market, and which also owns 20.5% of Nemo Subsea IS in Norway.
KD will act as the lead contractor in the alliance providing diving and project management while Mermaid - part of Singapore-listed Mermaid Maritime PCL will supply the DSV, marine and ROVs.
Source: Offshore
Dominant position prompts vessel sale
Acergy and Subsea 7 have been urged to consider selling vessels because of their "dominant position" in the North Sea, says the UK's Office of Fair Trading.
Britain's OFT has signalled that the merger of the two companies would not raise concerned relating to offshore diving or construction and remote intervention, because the merged firm would continue to face significant competition from a number of other service providers in these specific areas," said the OFT in a statement on the proposed merger of the two companies.
But it goes on to point out that it also assessed the competitive position of the merged company in relation to pipelay projects, "...including integrated pipelay and diving services, following concerns raised by third parties," says the OFT.
"It found that the merger would raise competition concerns in relation to the provision of small diameter rigid pipelay services alone and projects which require the provision of both small diameter rigid pipelay and diving services. The investigation showed that Acergy S.A. and Subsea 7 Inc are two of three major firms who compete closely in these two areas."
As a result the OFT has indicated that Acergy and Subsea 7 have offered to divest or sell one pipelay vessel, and one diving vessel, to a suitable buyer. But the OFT says it will also assess the suitability of the proposer buyer of the vessels.
Ali Nikpay, a senior director at the OFT who has acted as decision-maker in this case stated: " We received a number of concerns about the impact of this acquisition in the North Sea. After a careful investigation we concluded that it did raise competition concerns and we are considering remedies offered by the parties to resolve these."
Source: Offshore247
Norway orders new spy ship for the High North
According to the Russian Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT), the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) has already ordered a new vessel for collection of intelligence in the High North. This information has not yet been confirmed by Norwegian media.
The Norwegian Intelligence Service has ordered a new research vessel to replace "F/S Marjata", which has been patrolling the Barents Sea for the last 15 years, Russian military analysts report.
According to CAWAT, Head of NIS Lieutenant General Kjell Grandhagen told Jane's Navy International that the price of the new vessel will amount to NOK 1.2 billion (€148 million). Other details about the project are not yet known.
Norway's Maritime Knowledge Hub initiative gathers steam
Norway's largest ever private investment in maritime knowledge development was launched with the full support of public and private leaders in Oslo in 2008. Since then the initiative has grown consistently, with 15 professorships currently sponsored at five universities and colleges around the country.
The Ministries of Research and Higher Education and Trade and Industry have expressed their support for the effort, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry is sponsoring its own chair at the Technical University in Trondheim, NTNU.
More than NOK 100 million has been put up by private sponsors to fund maritime R&D and education. Fields of study range from Arctic Technology to Ship Design and Environmentally Friendly Shipping. Sponsors include such maritime flagships as DNV/Det Norske Veritas, Wilhelmsen, Kongsberg Maritime and Leif Höegh. Sponsorships run for five years, after which time the Norwegian government will assume responsibility for funding of the chairs.
More recently the regional clusters along the west and south coast have joined the initiative, the latest being the offshore clusters in Kristiansand and Ålesund, giving Maritime Knowledge Hub a mix of offshore and maritime content that reflects growing trends in Norwegian maritime development.
Source: Oslo Teknopol
Wreck of UK trawler found after 60 years
Norwegian divers have found the wreck of the British trawler "Laforey" which stranded off the western coast of Norway nearly 60 years ago. Twenty UK fishermen lost their lives in the wreck.
The "Laforey" went down in the early hours of Monday morning, February 8th 1954, after it hit a reef near the coastal city of Florø, in heavy seas and driving snow.
Only two of the 20-man crew were found at the time, and the actual position of the wreck has not been found until now.
Vessel bids farewell to Tyne after refit
BP oil tanker the British Serenity has sailed out of the Tyne after a £1m refit. The 47,000 tonne vessel has been undergoing maintenance at MDC member, A&P Tyne. A&P beat off stiff competition from around the world to secure the contract, which has now drawn to a close.
It comes after the firm secured a series of other deals from BP to refit smaller vessels, which demonstrated to the multi-national oil giant the work should come to Tyneside. Managing director, Stewart Boak said: "A&P Group has been working hard over the last six months to secure work from BP and convince them we can deliver our promises." Mr Boak believes BP's confidence was gained by recent refits to the vessels Border Heather on the Tyne and to the Border Thistle on the Tees and, in particular, by a team of A&P Tyne steelworkers who carried out repairs on the BP shuttle tanker Loch Rannoch in atrocious conditions at Sullom Voe on the Shetland Islands.
BP said the Tyneside yard won the contract after proving it could compete against other European yards "on safety, quality, time and cost".
Source: Marine Design Centre
Norwegian satellite succesfully launched
The Norwegian observatiion satellite AISSat-1 was successfully launched from Sriharikota, India on Monday. The satellite will greatly improve surveillance of maritime activities in the High North.
As we reported earlier, this is the first Norwegian satellite developed in Norway.
The AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a short range coastal traffic system used by ships and Vessel Traffic Services around the world.
AIS is required to be fitted on every seagoing vessel of 300 gross tons or more. Its purpose is to help ship crews to avoid collision with other vessels as well as to allow maritime authorities to track and monitor ship movements.
AISSat-1 will operate in a polar orbit at an altitude of 600 km.The Norwegian Space Centre is project owner. The Norwegian Coastal Administration will receive the data and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is responsible for the technical implementation
The total cost of the satellite is approximately NOK 30 million.
Source: Norway Post
Award presented for seabed technology
FMC Technologies Norway have received the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's 2009 IOR award for outstanding technology development of seabed production systems. FMC has carried out focused work to develop cost-efficient solutions to improve recovery from seabed wells since 1999.
”The award is a recognition of our status as an established player in the IOR area, which is becoming increasingly important, both in Norway and globally,” says Rasmus Sunde, managing director of FMC Kongsberg Subsea. ”It is also an encouragement to stay our course.”
At present, there are more than 700 seabed wells in the Norwegian shelf, and the number is rising. Drilling cost-efficient sidetracks provides great opportunities for improving recovery from fields with seabed wells.
Improvement for the shipbuilding industry
So far this year Norwegian shipyards have received new orders worth NOK 7 billion. This is twice the value of the total number of orders received in the whole of last year.
The shipbuilding industry is hopeful that this is a sign of a new period of prosperity fior the industry.
- It looks a bit brighter. We now hope for new orders worth another NOK 10 billion for the rest of the year, says Norsk Industri spokesman Egil Holland.
The development in Norwegian shipbuilding industry so far this year is somewhat better than for yards in the rest of Europe, NRK reports.
Source: NorwayPost
Norwegian maritime satellite to be launched
AISSat-1, the first Norwegian satellite developed in Norway, will be launched from India in the beginning of May. The satellite will be used to improve surveillance of maritime activities in the High North.
AISSat-1 is a nano satellite measuring 20 x 20 x 20 cm. It weighs six kilograms and is shaped like a cube.
The purpose of the satellite is to improve surveillance of maritime activities in the High North.
Source: The Norway Post
Skagerrak conversion goes to UK yard
Britain's Cammell Laird shipyard has landed a major deal to carry out a conversion work on Norway's Nexan's Skaggerak cable lay ship which involves inserting a new hull section to extend the ship by 12 metres.
Source: Offshore247
U-boat Found In Bergen
During a routine exercise in Byfjorden earlier this year, naval divers found by accident what they believe is the wreck of the German U-boat U-1053. Navy press and information officer Commander Per Rostad says that experts are reasonably certain that the wreck stems from the German U-boat that sunk during a test-dive in February 1945.
Source: Aftenposten
Sales up at Norway International Boat Show
Exhibitors at Sjøen For Alle report better business than last year, even with visitor numbers slightly down over the first weekend.
The mood at the ongoing Norway International Boat Show in Oslo is positive following its first weekend, with sales up despite a drop in attendance.
Source: Maritime and Energy
New Guidance Notes for border fields
The Norwegian and British authorities have prepared new Guidance Notes with the intention of helping companies through the process of seeking Government approval for the development of trans-boundary fields.
The Guidance Notes will now be submitted for consultation, with comments to be submitted by 1 April.
In 2005, a framework agreement for projects that extend across the median line between Norway and the United Kingdom was signed by both countries. The Guidance Notes are a concrete result of this joint effort, and are based in part on experience gained from several trans-boundary projects in the North Sea.
”The intention is to create predictability for the licensees who are developing trans-boundary fields. We hope that the guidelines will create more efficient processes for both the companies and the authorities," says the NPD's Eva Halland, who has coordinated the work on behalf of the Norwegian authorities.
Source: maritimeandenergy
New commercial director to expand UK Business
Cosalt Offshore, a provider of lifting, tooling and marine services to the oil and gas industry, has announced the appointment of Lisa Mitchell as commercial director.
Lisa, 36, has worked for the company since 2000, when it was gtc Group and then became Cosalt Offshore in 2007, following acquisition. Her previous roles included contracts manager and commercial manager.
Cosalt Offshore Chief Executive Calum Melville said: “Lisa's appointment to Commercial Director is richly deserved. Her expertise has played a critical role in helping Cosalt Offshore to secure valuable, long-term clients across the whole of the North Sea industry, building a strong platform for additional future growth.
“We have an excellent reputation for high-quality products and service which surpass the expectations of our clients again and again and Lisa has continually strived to raise the bar.''
Source: maritimeandenergy
AF and Lerwick Port Authority To Develop Deep-Water Decommissioning Base
AF Decom Offshore UK Ltd., a subsidiary of AF Gruppen ASA, and Lerwick Port Authority are delighted to announce that they have entered into an Exclusivity Agreement with the intention of developing a deep water quay facility at Dales Voe, Lerwick, Shetland, as a decommissioning centre capable of meeting the growing UK requirement for the decommissioning of major structures located in the Northern North Sea.
Source: NewsWeb
In-depth Articles On Technical Issues
Wilhelmsen Ships Service has created a web page where the latest technical articles are published. Read about hydrogen cracking in welding, the safe handling of gas cylinders, microbial infections in lubricating oils on ships in lay-up, oxygen and acetylene, to mention a few.
Source: Maritime and Energy
"Norway as a maritime host country"
The Norwegian government aims to top the maritime industry with their new information campaign "Norway as a maritime host country". The campaign focuses this campaign to bring in more shipping companies to the country.
"We'll try to bring back Norwegian shipping activities to Norway. We'll also try to arouse interest among foreign players to choose Norway as their location for maritime shipping activities", said Trond Giske, the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry.
The new campaign is not the first shipping campaign launched by the Norwegian government; in fact the government has made shipping a preferred industry.
This campign doesn't stand as the first one in Norway as in June, the Secretary of State Rikke Lind presented a report on the Norwegian government's maritime strategy. According to the report Norway's position as a maritime nation had been strengthened in several important respects and that the government had granted NOK 200 million extra to the maritime strategy Stable Course (Stø Kurs) over a two-year period.
Among other things, the report also explained that several shipping companies have joined the new tax regime, the number of registered ships in NOS has increased seven per cent, the number of Norwegian seafarers has increased 15 per cent between 2006 and 2008 and in IMO, Norway has been one of the key players in the introduction of environmentally friendly recycling.
Source: www.maritimeupdates.com
Ship design centre funding boost
A pioneering hub to help North East companies tap into lucrative international marine design contracts has received a funding boost until 2012, which will continue to put the North East at the forefront of the marine design sector.
Funding of £900,000 has been secured to meet future centre running costs and further boost existing design skills at the International Marine Design Centre based in Newcastle, bringing the agency's total investment in the Centre to £2.4m.
The centre provides a focal point for the North East marine industry, marketing its combined strengths to the world in a bid to land major new design contracts in the defence, commercial shipping and offshore energy markets.
It also provides easy access facilities for local firms to carry out project work under one roof.
The centre - the first of its type in the country - is staffed by industry experts in offices in central Newcastle.
The centre showcases regional marine design capability, substantially raising the chances of North East marine sector firms landing lucrative new work.
Source: www.northeastengland.co.uk
Norwegian maritime industry is to be the world`s most environmentally sound
The Government's vision is that Norway will continue to be a world-leading maritime nation. The Norwegian maritime industry will provide the most innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for the future, Mr Dag Terje Andersen says.
The maritime strategy will be supported by a government allocation of 252 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) in the 2008 Budget for research, innovation and efforts to improve competence and skills in the maritime sector. This is an increase of 100 million NOK from 2007. The net wage scheme for seafarers will be continued. The Norwegian Government has announced that it will propose a new tax regime for Norwegian shipping companies. The proposed tax regime will be similar to tax regimes available for the shipping industry in the European Union.
The Government's maritime strategy highlights five main challenges facing the maritime sector: Globalisation and national policies; environmentally sustainable maritime industries; maritime competence; maritime research and innovation; and short sea shipping.
Environmentally sound growth is a main priority in the strategy. The Norwegian maritime industry shall be the world's most environmentally friendly and shall be in front in developing new and innovative solutions, says the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Dag Terje Andersen.
Source: Regjeringen