The Australian Antarctic Division has contracted Luxembourg-based Maritime Construction Services (MCS) to resupply several Australian research stations in Antarctica between December of this year and March 2021 because of delays in construction of the new Australian icebreaker Nuyina by Holland’s Damen Group (see Pacific Maritime Magazine, Jan. 2020). For the work MCS will supply its ice-classed multi-purpose vessel Everest, a state-of-the-art 25,000-kW ship with 1,400 square meters of deck space and accommodation for 140 personnel in 100 cabins. The DP3 rated vessel, which is equipped with several deck cranes of varying capacity, will also be available for underwater work and research missions during the contract period if required.
Viking Ocean Cruises, which sent its Viking Sun on an epic 245-night voyage around the world this past summer, will name its two new expedition ships being built by Fincantieri’s VARD subsidiary Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris when they are delivered in 2022. The 30,150-gt Polar Class vessels, which have been specifically designed for work in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, will carry 378 passengers and a crew of 260. One of the ships is expected to operate to Arctic destinations from Tromsø, Norway while the other will be based at Ushuaia, Argentina for trips to Antarctica
Russia has encountered several delays in its project 22220 nuclear icebreaker program involving LK-60 series ships. In late February the lead vessel of the series, the 33,540-ton displacement Artika, suffered the loss of an electric motor on its right shaft due to a short circuit during sea trials. If the motor requires replacement it will seriously affect the delivery schedule for the ship, which was expected to be handed over to operator FSUE Rosatomflot this summer. At the same time, the Baltiysky Zavod shipyard has been experiencing problems with the third icebreaker of the series, Ural, because of the late delivery of its turbines by manufacturer KirovEnergoMash. The 173-meter by 34-meter vessel was laid down in mid-2016 and launched in mid-2019 but may not be delivered until late 2022. A…
Canadian shipbuilder Davie, based in Quebec, has pre-qualified to become the third strategic partner, along with Irving Shipbuilding and Seaspan Shipyards, in Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and is expected to build six icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Davie is Canada’s largest and highest capacity shipbuilder but was disqualified from the original selection process for the NSS in 2011 because it was undergoing a financial restructuring at the time. Last year the Canadian government announced that it would invest C$15.7 billion to renew the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet with up to 16 multi-purpose vessels to be built by Seaspan and two new Arctic and offshore patrol ships to be completed by Irving.
By Jim Shaw Marine propulsion, the means of making a ship move, has become an increasingly complex segment of the maritime industry over the years as more power is squeezed from less fuel and new environmental regulations impact acceptable engine exhaust emissions. The size and power output of the largest marine diesels has also continued to increase, with Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions having developed the MAN B&W 14K98ME-C7 engine which can generate 115,000 BHP (84,280 kW) at 104 rpm, making it the most powerful marine engine to date. Like most modern marine diesels, the MAN B&W engine is considered more “environment friendly” than its predecessors in that electronic control of fuel injection and exhaust valves are used to provide lower fuel consumption as well as lower cylinder-oil consumption while improving…
Shanghai-based China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) is acquiring Sinotrans Shipping’s dry bulk carrier fleet as well as a 25.5 percent equity interest in five Arctic-class LNG carriers for $952 million. The Sinotrans vessels include nine Capesize, 11 Panamax-size and 21 handysize bulkers while the five LNG carriers are currently involved in the Yamal LNG transportation project in the Russian Arctic. The acquisition follows a merger between CMES and compatriot company Sinotrans & CSC Holdings carried out in 2017 and will allow CMES to enter the grain trades using the former Sinotrans Panamax ships.
By Kathy A. Smith The year 2023 could see full implementation of a ban of heavy fuel oil use in commercial shipping in the Arctic, according to the outcome of the IMO’s 6th annual meeting of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR6). The group is also working on identifying the type of fuels to be banned and how and when the stages of implementation will occur. Deadly Disasters and Other Incidents A seemingly routine commercial trip through the Rhône at the locks in Sablons, France, turned disastrous after the Pampero tanker-barge, loaded with 2,200 tons of vinyl chloride, was suddenly overcome by suction that caused it to be pulled backward as it was attempting to transit out of the lock. Pampero’s wheelhouse was severely damaged in the incident…
Karen Robes Meeks For 17 years, Alaska Logistics has been a steady mainstay as a service provider that difficult-to-reach villages rely on in Western Alaska. Since its inception in 2003, the company has grown from an office with a handful of employees and rented equipment to a fleet of its own assets and more than 50 employees at the height of its busy season, including consolidators, crew members, schedulers and talliers. From May through October – its usual busy season – the company is open at least 12 hours every day at its main yard in Seattle and on delivery sites, according to its website. It offers charter barges and stevedoring services and added services to nearby villages, transport to Central Alaska, and charter marine equipment. In an interview with…
China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has delivered the 174,000 cubic meter capacity LNG carrier LNG Merak to a joint venture formed by Mitsui OSK Lines and China COSCO Shipping Corporation as the second of four gas tankers it is building to support Russia’s Yamal LNG project in the Arctic. Completed to Lloyd’s Register classification rules, and to be managed by MOL LNG Transport (Europe) Ltd, the new ship will be used to transport LNG from transshipment terminals in Europe to LNG receiving terminals in Asia. It is the 12th LNG carrier built in China to be operated by MOL and follows a sister ship LNG Dubhe, which was delivered by the Hudong-Zhonghua yard last year. The two final sisters, LNG Pheoda and LNG Megnez, are to be handed over later this year.
By Karen Robes Meeks In mid-April, Cook Inlet Tug & Barge will add a shallow draft tugboat, the Bristol Wind, to its fleet. She will join sister vessel, the Capt. Frank Moody, in helping to transport cargo along the Arctic for the construction and oil and gas industries. "Drawing just 3.2 feet, the Bristol Wind is uniquely designed to operate efficiently as a coastal tug,” said Michael O'Shea, senior director of Business Development and Planning at Cook Inlet Tug & Barge. “She has the unique ability to lighten the draft when water depths are extremely shallow – allowing her to safely service river and coastal locations that would otherwise be unreachable by conventional tugs.” The Bristol Wind – which will be homeported in Anchorage, Alaska – will help meet growing opportunities in the Alaskan region, said…
