The DRS4D-NXT is a Solid-State Radar with pulse compression and Doppler frequency shift sensing technology, built into a compact 24” Radome. This “NXT” (read “next”) generation Radar is designed for use with both NavNet TZtouch and TZtouch2 MFDs. The DRS4D-NXT is packed with new features, but perhaps the most innovative and revolutionary is called “Target Analyzer”, facilitated by Furuno’s Doppler technology. The Doppler “Target Analyzer” will automatically change the color of targets approaching your boat to clearly show any hazards. Green echoes are stationary targets, land, or approaching targets moving at a velocity of less than 3 knots. Echoes dynamically turn red when targets are approaching your vessel at a speed of 3 knots or faster. It works the same when you are following another vessel. If the target is getting closer at a speed of 3 knots or more, the echo will be depicted in red on the screen. Incredibly, “Target Analyzer” works independently of one’s own ship speed!

The DRS4D-NXT is the first radar in the world to use the new FURUNO exclusive Target Analyzer™ function.

Tracking and interpreting threats is now easier than ever with the DRS4D-NXT Radar. Using Furuno’s advanced Doppler technology, this new Radar acquires and tracks targets in virtually every sweep, or just a few seconds. Almost instantly, you will see the target’s speed and course vector. If the target is hazardous, it will also be displayed in red, making it easier to identify and predict its course. The NXT Radar’s incredible ARPA signal processor will display and track up to 100 targets in a single sweep! The entire target theatre can be viewed, monitored, and tracked simultaneously, at any range. For an even more detailed display, target trails and Furuno’s unique True Trail feature can be utilized, allowing you to graphically see the direction in which a target is moving, independent of your own vessel’s motion.

The resolution of this dome Radar is impressive on its own, with a 3.9-degree horizontal beam width, but Furuno took it a step further by incorporating their exclusive RezBoost^TM beam sharpening technology to increase performance. With RezBoost^TM set to maximum, the NXT Radome’s beamwidth is synthetically sharpened to the equivalent of 2 degrees, providing enhanced target separation that was previously only available on larger, open array Radar antennas.

An all-new “Bird Mode” is yet another standard feature of the DRS4D-NXT. With a single selection on the MFD, the Radar automatically adjusts settings for echo enhancement to help you locate birds. For those fishing fanatics, finding the birds is an important step to zeroing-in on the bite.

The ground-breaking ‘Onboard Training System’ (OTS), developed by recently acquired Kongsberg Maritime company SMSC, won the prestigious Dynamic Positioning Award at the Offshore Support Journal Conference, Awards & Exhibition in London last week. The sophisticated system, which allows users to control a real vessel under DP, but within a simulated environment, was recognized by the award judges as a completely unique and positive new approach to Dynamic Positioning Operator (DPO) training.

Image Courtesy: SMSC

With the OTS concept, the vessel is controlled in a normal manner by a deck officer on the bridge, either by the use of manual controls or by the use of Dynamic Positioning (DP). The vessel’s motion and position in the virtual world is calculated based on input from the vessel’s navigational aids (minimum GPS and Gyro) and shown on a dedicated screen. While the vessel is actually in safe, open waters, the virtual world can contain imaginary objects and installations (such as rigs, buoys, piers, etc.) shown on the screen. Using this setup, the DP operator can simulate approach to a platform or other installations, docking the ship at any port, navigating in narrow and constricted waters, and various other operations.

During training, the real DP system is live, so the vessel physically moves according to input, but the operator sees the results in the simulated visual scene. In this way, instructors can introduce any conditions or combination of targets, allowing them to create exercises that deliver real-life experience, with the flexibility to train on specific operations or areas of competence. The concept, which is already in use on several vessels, enables DPOs to understand how a vessel really responds to their commands, whilst interacting with virtual objects in a simulated environment, with the flexibility to introduce any tasks or conditions.

SMSC was nominated for the award by Simon Møkster Shipping, who co-developed this unique take on DP training and simulation to ensure high competence across its workforce. Nils A. Liaaen at Simon Møkster Shipping commented; “We place a great emphasis on safety onboard all of our ships, and we see the correlation between relevant training and improved skills of our personnel. We are particularly looking for three things; familiarisation with equipment and vessel, ‘flight time’ on DP, and practice on incidents like interruptions, system errors and so forth. We were keen to nominate SMSC for this award because the OTS meets these requirements with a very unique approach.”

Knut Jarle Lysklett, Project Manager OTS, SMSC added: “The OTS was up against strong competition on the shortlist so we are delighted to have been selected as the winner. The award reflects the depths of our collaboration with our existing clients; Simon Møkster Shipping, Solstad Shipping, Siem Offshore and GDF SUEZ, and the technical expertise of the SMSC team. As a new member of the Kongsberg Maritime family, we are looking forward to developing the OTS even further and contributing to the world-leading K-Sim simulator portfolio with new and unique solutions for offshore vessel training.”

The Annual Offshore Support Journal Awards, taking place on the evening of February 3rd 2016, is one of the most anticipated events in the offshore support calendar. Each year more than 500 attendees from all sectors of the offshore business gather in London to celebrate the industry's best performances from the past year. The Dynamic Positioning Award is “awarded to the developer of an innovative product or DP system, or contractor responsible for an especially innovative application of DP on a project.” The winner is voted for by the readers of Offshore Support Journal through internet-based reconciliation ahead of the conference. Nearly 100,000 votes were cast across the award categories in total.

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s tanker escort and docking services group in Valdez is celebrating over seven million man hours and more than six years since logging its last Lost Time Injury (LTI). In addition to this remarkable number, the company announced that it had not had an OSHA recordable case in over two million man hours while performing tanker assist and escort work for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. In 2015, the company logged over one million man hours while safely escorting 236 tankers through Prince William Sound, transporting 185 million barrels of oil in one of the harshest environments in the world.

“We’ve partnered with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for more than 25 years to provide the safest, most comprehensive spill prevention and response services available for tankers traveling through Prince William Sound,” said Rocky Smith, Crowley’s senior vice president and general manager, petroleum distribution and marine services. “This achievement is a testament to the keen focus on safety our professional mariners and Valdez shore side support team displays. They are relentless in their pursuit of zero harm to people, property and the environment.”

In Valdez, Alaska, Crowley personnel and tugs help protect the environment through a contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS). As part of this commercial partnership the company provides tug escorts for tankers traveling through Prince William Sound to and from the Valdez Marine Terminal, assuring safe passage, even under the most extreme winter weather conditions. They also provide secure docking and undocking operations at the oil product loading terminals.

In 2015, Crowley continued its support of SERVS by planning and supervising classroom and field training exercises for the spring and fall fishing vessel training program. This training involved over 400 boats and 1,700 attendees, who gained familiarity with the equipment, tactics, and resources needed to quickly and professionally respond to an oil spill incident in Prince William Sound. Crowley’s nearshore response barge 500-2, and company-owned tugs visited the communities of Cordova, Whittier, Seward, Homer, Kodiak and Valdez in further support of the training.

Additionally in 2015, Crowley tug Endurance provided transportation and accommodation for the Prince William Sound Traveling Health Fair - a community outreach program supported by Alyeska to inform local communities about oral hygiene, nutrition, physical fitness, depression/suicide awareness and emergency preparedness. The program is driven by numerous dedicated individuals including nine very enthusiastic coordinators and educators who joined Endurance and her crew for the eight-day initiative.

“For Crowley, this was another chance to be a part of something much bigger than just tankers, tugs and barges,” remarked Endurance’s crew. “For most of the hundreds of Crowley employees on the vessels and ashore in Alaska, this isn’t just where we work, this is our home. Customer representatives, contractors, and shipmates are people we work with, but they are often also neighbors and friends. For our captain and crew, this latest adventure was another inspirational example of why we invest more than just our work ethic when we report to the job, this is also who we are.”

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) is one of the largest oil spill prevention and response organization in the world, with a mission to prevent oil spills and to protect the environment by providing rapid and effective response services to the Valdez Marine Terminal and Alaska crude oil shippers.

Bordelon Marine, providers of vessel services to operators in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world, has selected acoustically-aided inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne Inc., Houston, for its new Ultra-Light Intervention Vessel (ULIV), Brandon Bordelon. The dual Ranger 2 Pro DP-INS systems, the highest specification available, will be used to track ROVs during inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) activities and provide an independent position reference for the vessel’s Marine Technologies Class 2 dynamic positioning (DP) system.

The Brandon Bordelon (photo) was delivered at the end of 2015 and is currently under a 60 day contract with Tidewater Subsea. Designed to support complex IRM operations, the vessel features a high capacity deep water crane, infrastructure for two Work-class ROVs and a large, reconfigurable back-deck area.

Specialized vessels such as the Brandon Bordelon, conventionally rely on Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) acoustics and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) as their primary sources of DP reference data. However, a vessel’s station-keeping capability can be compromised in the event that the USBL is affected by thruster aeration or noise and the GNSS signal is simultaneously interrupted. The latter is particularly common around equatorial regions and during periods of high solar radiation.

Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 Pro DP-INS system addresses this operational vulnerability. It aids vessel positioning by exploiting the long term accuracy of Sonardyne’s Wideband 2 acoustic signal technology with high integrity, high update rate inertial measurements. The resulting navigation output has the ability to ride-through short term acoustic disruptions and is completely independent from GNSS.

In addition to the system’s deep water positioning performance and safety benefits, DP-INS has been proven to deliver valuable time and cost savings for vessel owners. It does not need a full seabed array of transponders to be installed and calibrated before subsea operations can commence. For most subsea tasks, positioning specifications can be met with only one or two transponders deployed on the seabed. Additionally, as the system needs only occasional aiding from the acoustics, transponder battery life is substantially increased and the need to task an ROV to deploy and recover transponders for servicing is reduced.

The equipment supplied to Bordelon Marine included Sonardyne’s ship-mounted inertial navigation sensor and two HPT 7000 acoustic transceivers. The HPTs have been installed on the Brandon Bordelon through-hull deployment poles and are optimized for tracking and dynamic positioning in ultra-deep water.

Wes Bordelon, President/CEO Bordelon Marine said, “Equipping the Brandon Bordelon with Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 DP-INS, reflects our commitment to providing hi-tech, hi-spec equipment on our fit-for-purpose Stingray vessels and ensuring our fleet is safe, efficient and cost-effective.

“Ranger 2 DP-INS is a mature, field proven technology that addresses operators’ need for a robust, independent DP reference that provides an update rate and accuracy on par with GNSS,” said Ralph Gall, Technical Sales Manager at Sonardyne in Houston. He added, “The Brandon Bordelon joins a significant fleet of vessels which depend upon our acoustically-aided inertial technology for safer and more efficient dynamic positioning operations.”

For more information on Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 DP-INS click here.

On Sunday February 21^st at 12:09PM Eastern time, the LNG ship Asia Vision arrived in Sabine’s southern berth. Genscape’s Commodity Vectors product as well as Genscape’s visual camera confirmed the arrival of the ship as there are two berths at Sabine’s LNG facility for ships to dock. The Asia Vision has been waiting out in the Gulf of Mexico along with the Energy Atlantic for many weeks now as Cheniere has encountered delays in the commissioning and startup of Train 1.

As of Sunday afternoon the Energy Atlantic is still waiting out in the Gulf of Mexico. Since Asia Vision did not immediately come into Sabine’s berth it is known that the ship is empty (and not bringing in a maintenance cargo) as part of the commissioning process. The last ship to appear in Sabine’s berth was the British Innovator on November 14^th of last year. The British Innovator unloaded 2.87 Bcf as a maintenance ‘cool-down’ cargo in the startup and commissioning process of Train 1. As liquefaction continues at Train 1, Asia Vision appears to be the ship to take Sabine’s first LNG for export to Brazil or Europe, most likely. It is also anticipated that Sabine may fill all of their 17 Bcf of LNG storage before any LNG is loaded for export. As of this last week, Sabine has just begun this process of filling up their storage.

ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, will supply the power, propulsion and energy storage solution for two of the most innovative vessels operating in the offshore oil and gas sector. The specialized vessels require an advanced propulsion and power generation system to perform its operation. The new Azipod D will help the vessels safely achieve millimeter precision at open sea.

The Azipod D is the latest generation of ABB’s award winning podded electric propulsion system. The vessels will each feature two 4.2 megawatt units. A hybrid cooling system using combination of direct seawater cooling and internal air cooling increases electric motor performance by up to 45 percent. Overall, the Azipod units will have a substantial impact on the ships fuel efficiency. Maneuverability and station keeping is the key for the vessels and the Azipod propulsor’s 360 degree steerable propeller makes it ideal for their requirements.

The Onboard DC Grid will cut fuel consumption by up to 27%. It allows the ships’ four 3600kW generators, also supplied by ABB, to operate at variable and optimum speed. The vessel is also equipped with batteries, which will further optimize use of the power plant and reduce energy consumption.

“The solutions we are providing will make these ships incredibly flexible and efficient to operate,” says Juha Koskela, Managing Director of BU Marine and Ports. “The Azipod D, Onboard DC Grid and energy storage are cutting edge technologies which match the demanding conditions often experienced in the offshore sector.”

In line with the high technology equipment onboard, the ships will also be equipped with ABB’s Remote Diagnostic Service. This system will connect the vessels to ABB’s shore side technical support centers where the technicians can monitor the performance of the vessel and ensure necessary support.

The vessels will measure 90 meters by 20 meters and is designed to accommodate 36 persons onboard. They are designed by the Arendal, Norway based firm Cefront Technology, and will be built by COSCO. The vessels are designed to operate globally.

“We don’t usually remove the heads at mid-life on the Cummins engines,” Randy Beckler, Shore Engineer for Seaspan Marine explained in reference to the 2003 launched Seaspan Venture’s third like-for-like repower.

The repower was completed in the first week of February 2016. The Seaspan Venture, like her sister the Seaspan Tempest, had a pair of Cummins KTA38 M0 engines when new builds. These engines were changed out at over 40,000 hours. In 2016, the second set of engines had around 42,000 hours. “We do what we call a top end job on them at 15,000 hours,” Randy said, “We just change the injectors, refurbish the after cooling and address any water leaks, but we don’t change the heads. We do the same overhaul again at 30,000 hours.”

The decision was made to install the third set of KTA38 M0 engines, delivering 850 HP each at 1800 RPM, in the Seaspan Venture at 42,000 hours, as the tug was due for its quadrennial inspection by Transport Canada. This involves pulling the tug out of the water for tail shaft and sea valve inspections. “We try to do everything at once when we have the boat out,” said Beckler, “we could have probably run the engines for another year but this was a good time to make the change.”

These two boats have been very popular with their crews. The hulls were built to order in China, shipped to Canada by barge, and finished up at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard. There was a lot of input from operators in the functional design. At the time they were a new generation of tug with a fine, longer, double-chined hull. The 64- by 23-foot hull has a moulded depth held to 10.4-feet to facilitate working some of the shallower areas of the lower Fraser River while providing good water flow to the propellers. This fine hull form, combined with a smooth "slipper" stern reduced the wake wash and lessoned the need for the tug to make a "slow-bell" past riverside moorings.

The boats tow the big boxy wood chip scows, se they were designed so that the aft bulwarks are the same height as the deck of a loaded chip barge while the bow matches the height of an empty barge. This improves the safety of crews getting on and off both empty and loaded barges. Bulwarks are set two feet back from the hull side to further ease the safety of crew moving between barge and boat.

After nearly 14 years of daily use on the Fraser River the two tugs have proven the effectiveness of the design. And now, with a new set of engines and other upgrades, the Seaspan Venture is ready to go back to barge towing for another 40,000 plus hours.

Photo Courtesy: Haig-Brown  for Cummins Marine 

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has strengthened its position in the heavy-lift market by confirming an important new contract to deliver twelve 450-ton capacity heavy-lift cranes for six Ecolift F900 vessels. The 13,300 dwt vessels are being built by two Chinese shipyards, Hudong and Huangpu Wenchong, for long-term charter to US operator Intermarine. Options remain for a further four vessels. The order was booked into fourth quarter 2015 order intake.

"This is a significant contract for MacGregor, representing important next steps into the heavy-lift market," says Mattias Sundström, Sales and Marketing Director for General Cargo Ships at MacGregor. "MacGregor is also delivering deck machinery from our Hatlapa range, as well as the Porsgrunn steering gear for these vessels," he continues.

"This order was received together with our partner Luzhou and MacGregor equipment was chosen because we were able to provide an efficient and high quality solution for our customer and can provide total lifecycle support worldwide," Mr. Sundström continues. Each vessel will feature two cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 900 tons.

"The vessels are an efficient upgrade to our existing bridge-forward F-Class ships. They have the advantage of better stability, larger holds, improved cranes and reduced consumption," said Frank Fischer, Managing Director of Tonnage Procurement, Intermarine, LLC.

The vessels will all be owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Leasing. Germany's Hammonia Reederei subsidiary, Peter Döhle, will be responsible for technical ship management.

Delivery of the vessels will begin in the summer of 2017 and continue throughout 2018. Hudong will build four vessels with options for two more. Huangpu Wenchong will build two vessels, also with options for an additional two. Crane deliveries start at the end of 2016.

Wärtsilä has signed a contract with Shanghai Bestway Marine Engineering Design Co Ltd to design a new type of deep water dive support vessel. The ship is to be built for China state-owned Shanghai Salvage Bureau (SSB), one of the largest professional salvage companies in China. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in January.

The Wärtsilä design features a unique combination of capabilities, including deep water (6000 meters) salvage operations, deep water pipe laying and construction work, and saturation (SAT) diving operations for 24 divers using two diving bells. SAT diving is a technique that allows divers to reduce the risk of decompression sickness when working at great depths for extended periods of time. All the design features are based on a single platform operating with DP3, the highest class of Dynamic Positioning. When built, this will be the world’s first SAT diving support vessel with Multi-Lay and ultra deep water construction capabilities.

Image courtesy: Wärtsilä

“For a complex vessel design such as this involving the needed sub-sea equipment, both extensive experience and broad know-how are absolutely essential. Wärtsilä was selected because of our strengths in both these areas. This contract highlights once again the value of the proven, sophisticated, and integrated system designs that Wärtsilä produces for the global marine market,” says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Ship Design, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

“The new vessel will certainly be the most sophisticated asset in our fleet. It will carry out operations in very deep waters and in often difficult conditions. We believe the Wärtsilä design will meet all our requirements for successful operations,” says Mr. Huang Yan, Director of Deep Diving Technology Development Center, SSB.

Wärtsilä has proven experience and an impressive track record in designing similar vessels of this type. The contract with SSB covers initial and basic design of the ship, meaning that class and flag authority related drawings for the purpose of finalizing the necessary approvals and certifications, will be supplied. Wärtsilä will also provide the basic references for future, more detailed engineering requirements for building the vessel.

On 4 February 2016 the DP2 cable installation vessel Maersk Connector was handed over from Damen Shipyards Group to Maersk Supply Service. The vessel is going directly on a long-term charter for subsea services provider DeepOcean. The on-time, on-budget delivery marks the successful cooperation between Damen, Maersk Supply Service and DeepOcean. Based on Damen’s DOC 8500 platform, the vessel has been customised to meet the challenges of reducing offshore renewables costs.

“We’ve already been awarded three UK and North Sea contracts for Maersk Connector, so we’re very satisfied,” reports DeepOcean Commercial Director Pierre Boyde. “The working relationship has been productive and Damen has delivered a state-of-the-art cable installation vessel. Maersk Connector is fine-tuned around DeepOcean’s 20 years’ experience of installing and trenching more than 1,000 kilometres of power cable and backed up with Maersk Supply Service’s long pedigree of superior marine operations.”

Owned and operated by Maersk Supply Service, the vessel is the latest addition to the 50-plus strong Maersk offshore support vessel fleet. Søren Karas, Chief Commercial Officer of Maersk Supply Service, praises the constructive cooperation between the three parties.

“Maersk Connector is the result of a successful tri-party cooperation between a quality yard, an experienced subsea service provider and a leading vessel owner and marine operator. Throughout the process there was close communication between all parties, focused on finding solutions. Maersk Supply Service is very happy with the outcome resulting from this cooperation; the vessel has been delivered on time, on budget and the quality is good. We are excited to embark on the long term cooperation with DeepOcean supporting their subsea operations.”

Contributing to production efficiency, the vessel is capable of grounding out with its seven points mooring system. This eliminates the need for a separate shallow water cable lay vessel and minimises the number of cable joints required. The bespoke 7000-ton carousel system accommodates bundled installation of high specification cables with no requirement to coil the cables.

ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, will provide the technology that will help three vessels safely carry out construction and maintenance tasks up to 5 kilometers under water. The vessels will be equipped with ABB’s OCTOPUS software that uses sensors and the Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP) to interpret weather conditions, allowing the crew to make informed decisions during sensitive operations. The ships will be built for Ultra Deep Solutions at CSIC Huangpu Wuchang Shipbuilding Company Limited and China Merchants Heavy Industry.

The largest vessel’s apparatus will include two remotely operated underwater vessels (ROVs), that will dive up to 3000 meters, and a 400 ton crane that can drop 5 200 meters. It will measure 142 meters in length.

The OCTOPUS suite of products is a powerful tool that provides onboard decision support and operational advice during weather-sensitive offshore operations by monitoring and forecasting vessel motions. When working in deep-water without mooring or anchoring lines, an important part of the set-up is the OCTOPUS-Operational forecast function. This extension within OCTOPUS makes it possible to define an optimal operational window during weather sensitive operations on DP.

Juha Koskela, Managing Director of ABB’s Marine and Ports business, said, “The broad scope of supply we have on these vessels is a demonstration of the wide range of solutions we have to offer the maritime sector. These vessels will benefit from some of the most established software and hardware technologies in the shipping industry.”

The vessels also will feature ABB generators, motors, drives and switchboards.

Jithu Sukumaran Nair, General Manager of Shipbuilding at Ultradeep Solutions said, “We are proud to be the first offshore vessel operator in the world to install the OCTOPUS weather monitoring system on board high tech dive vessels”

Modal Training, the first organization in the UK to offer integrated, multimodal logistics training, has invested in a full suite of advanced ship, offshore vessel, engine room and radar simulators from Kongsberg Maritime, a global leader in marine training technology.

Modal Training will use the equipment, which includes a detailed 360^o model of the Humber estuary on the east coast of Northern England, to support the delivery of advanced training courses for maritime professionals and businesses at its new £7million centre of excellence in Immingham.

The simulators will enable Modal to offer training that effectively replicates the working environment for a wide range of maritime roles, including bridge crews, navigators, maritime engineers and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) operators. Each part of the simulator system can be operated independently, or be interconnected to provide full vessel operation exercises for an entire crew.

Patrick Henry, CEO of Modal Training, said:

“Modal provides training of the absolute highest quality to maritime businesses across the UK, which is why we’ve invested in a full suite of advanced marine simulators from Kongsberg Maritime.

“We’ve listened to leading companies from across the maritime, offshore and renewables industries, and we are in the process of developing an extensive suite of equipment designed to meet their real-world training requirements exactly. Kongsberg Maritime is the global leader in marine technology and its simulators are widely regarded as the finest available in the world today.

“The Humber is home to the UK’s largest multi-purpose ports complex and Modal will provide the high quality, tailored training that businesses need to take advantage of growing opportunities in the region and across the wider sector.”

The centrepiece of the simulation suite will be a Class A full mission K-Sim Offshore vessel simulator with forward and aft bridge, configured with a DP2 dynamic positioning system and anchor handling vessel hardware. The suite will also be equipped with two Class B K-Sim Navigation ship’s bridge simulators, with one configured as a workboat/tug bridge.

Modal has also invested in a K-Sim DP Class C desktop simulator system for dynamic positioning training, and a desktop K-Sim Navigation configured for ECDIS radar training for up to six students. The engine room suite is equipped with a full mission K-Sim Engine simulator, including the high voltage functionality, and a desktop engine room simulator. A K-Sim VTS operator simulator system completes the new equipment line-up.

Sølvi Opthun, Area Sales Manager, Kongsberg Maritime, said:

“Our ‘Full Picture’ approach, which covers a wide range of maritime training disciplines, was successful in a competitive tender for this major maritime simulator contract. By demonstrating the capability and versatility of our technology and the possibility of integration for future training needs, we were able to meet Modal Training’s demanding requirements of its new simulation partner. We are looking forward to working closely with them towards a smooth 2016 delivery and on-going partnership.”

Modal Training is a new £7million centre of excellence for the ports, energy and logistics sector, providing integrated, multimodal logistics training for sea, road, rail and air. Jointly funded by the Grimsby Institute Group and the Humber LEP, Modal Training is based in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, in a purpose-designed 5,696m2 facility, it is set to open in September 2016.

Harvey Gulf has once again shown its commitment to utilizing LNG as a marine fuel with the opening of the first marine LNG fueling terminal in North America. Less than a year after the delivery of the M/V HARVEY ENERGY, America’s first LNG-powered vessel, Harvey Gulf accomplished another first when it completed a successful LNG bunkering of the ENERGY from the newly constructed LNG terminal facility at its operation base in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The bunkering included the transfer of 43,000 gallons of LNG in approximately 2.25 hours without incident.

The terminal is designed to meet the requirements of 33 CFR part 127 NFPA 59A, and able to deliver LNG at a pumping rate of 550 GMP. The total on site storage is approximately 270,000 gallons contained in three 90,000 USG type “C” vacuum insulated tanks.

Shane Guidry, Chairman and CEO of Harvey Gulf, commented: "This a testament to Harvey Gulf's commitment to promoting the use of LNG, a clean, abundant, and cost-effective alternative marine fuel. With the completion of our LNG terminal at Port Fourchon, we are able to provide a LNG bunkering point at the epicenter of marine operations for the Gulf of Mexico, which is vital to continuing the shift to LNG as a marine fuel.”

The M/V Harvey Energy and her sister ship the M/V Harvey Power, both LNG powered Offshore Supply Vessels, are under charter to Shell and support Shell’s Gulf of Mexico assets.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, can now offer the offshore industry a technology-leading fiber-rope crane. The crane has been developed by combining MacGregor's proven offshore crane technology with the fiber-rope tensioning technology perfected by Parkburn Precision Handling Systems. The companies have entered into a cooperation agreement to combine MacGregor's offshore crane expertise with Parkburn's fiber-rope tensioning technology.

"MacGregor recognizes that by partnering with experts in specific technological areas, it can deliver solutions that exceed its own capabilities," says MacGregor's Vice President, R&D and Technology, Baard Trondahl Alsaker. "We see ourselves as being able to integrate the best technology available to deliver systems with technology-leading capabilities."

The new MacGregor crane features a simple-to-operate fiber-rope lifting system that employs Parkburn's unique tensioning technology. The Parkburn equipment eliminates the heating and degradation problems associated with on-load fiber ropes stored on winch drums. Importantly, it can accommodate non-uniformities resulting from splices in the rope.

"This is an important advance for handling loads at depth," says Mr. Alsaker. "The great advantage of fiber rope in this context is that it weighs virtually nothing in water, so regardless of the length of rope paid out, it does not add anything to the load experienced by the crane. This is in complete contrast to the situation with wire rope, where the ever increasing weight of wire paid out limits the load permissible in relation to depth."

The new crane will be introduced to the market as a 150T fully heave-compensated knuckle boom crane with capability of reaching 4000m of water depth, but the offering will be extended to the complete range of MacGregor subsea crane fleet.

The MacGregor fiber rope technology is also suitable for retrofit on existing subsea cranes. This enables upgrading the capabilities of existing construction vessel fleet without having to build new vessels, an important feature to meet the requirement for reducing the cost level of the industry.

Parkburn is a UK-based marine handling systems provider that has spent over 40 years perfecting the deep-water handing systems required in fire-rope cranes. Its fiber-rope winch system can be delivered as digitally controlled electrically-driven, or hydraulic-driven. Features include integral active-heave compensation and power regeneration capabilities.

Click here to see the animation:

MacGregor fiber-rope crane: smaller crane to lift heavier loads, deeper. It has less rope wear and greater power efficiency. The MacGregor fiber-rope technology is also suitable for retrofit on existing subsea cranes. The fiber-rope winch system can be delivered as digitally controlled electrically-drive or hydraulic driven.

Oceaneering’s Maritime Business Systems group hosts its annual Portvisionville event on Wednesday February 10, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency in Houston, TX, to share the latest news and PortVision product developments with its growing customer base. Its annual customer advisory meetings provide a forum for sharing ideas and experiences in a collaborative environment, with the goal of further enhancing business operations while helping to improve safety and security.

Oceaneering Maritime Business Group latest innovation in AIS-based business intelligence is now available, delivering valuable new real-time analytics and reporting features plus add-on modules for specialized applications.

Event attendees will see live PortVision 360 demonstrations and learn about enhanced alerting and reporting capabilities that can be customized for information sharing and collaboration. Oceaneering will also host exclusive sessions with key customers and industry stakeholders during the day, focused on critical issues facing marine terminal management and marine pipeline protection.

Oceaneering is launching the PortVision 360 service at its annual customer event. Easy to buy and deploy, PortVision 360 provides many new options for delivering valuable information and knowledge about vessel and terminal activities. Users can quickly and easily answer questions about vessel movements and events anywhere in the world. PortVision 360 is available in two editions with tiered feature sets, and builds on the foundation of a product line that has enabled more than 2,000 users worldwide to enhance efficiency, reduce cost and increase safety and security.

Oceaneering will also continue its annual series of marine industry stakeholder meetings during the day-long event, with one session focused on marine terminal optimization, and the other on monitoring and protecting pipeline infrastructure and other valuable marine assets. Both sessions are designed to help solve industry challenges by fostering a combination of dialog, brainstorming and networking related to evolving issues and best practices in safety, security and operational efficiency. Representatives from major oil companies and leading terminal and pipeline operators have again registered to attend.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Afternoon – Main Event

2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: - Portvisionville

Morning – Customer Advisory Meetings

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Two parallel tracks on terminal optimization and marine asset protection. Continental breakfast/lunch included at each.

WHERE: Hyatt Regency Houston, 1200 Louisiana St., Houston, TX 77002, T: 713.654.1234

HOW: Oceaneering’s Portvisionville event is free to industry participants and open for registration. The morning customer advisory meetings are by invitation only. For more information or questions, contact: Andrea LaVorgna, 858.586.0933, x122, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Oceaneering and its Maritime Business Systems

Oceaneering’s Maritime Business Systems practice includes PortVision and related software and services that help oil companies, marine terminal operators, fleet owners/operators and other maritime users improve business operations through instant, continuous visibility into vessel and terminal activities. The company’s maritime business systems leverage the PortVision Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking service to automate and enhance operations, reduce costs, improve safety and security, and drive better business decisions.

Based in Houston, Texas, Oceaneering International Inc. (NYSE: OII) is a global oilfield provider of engineered services and products, primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry, with a focus on deepwater applications. Through the use of its applied technology expertise, Oceaneering also serves the defense, entertainment, and aerospace industries. For more information about Oceaneering, click here. For more information about PortVision and Oceaneering’s Maritime Business Systems, click here.

Eliminating the slack line required for conventional tie-ups, PSI Marine's TideSlide Mooring System greatly reduces inertial loading usually generated by a moored vessel. TideSlide's superior strength and safety are ideal for commercial docks where cargo or passengers are loaded. Maintaining the vessel's boarding proximity allows safer movement of freight and passengers.

TideSlide's vertical movement absorbs any built-up energy, enabling a vessel to be safely and securely held even in the presence of wind, waves and tides. The patented design uses a solid stainless steel shaft and specially engineered, proprietary polymer mooring block. Easy to incorporate into any mooring plan or pier, TideSlide Systems are available in sizes to accommodate any vessel or tidal movement. PSI Marine, Inc. manufactures the TideSlide Systems in the USA. It has installed systems worldwide for power companies, military and commercial applications, such as TideSlide Oil Boom Attachment systems.

Especially designed for extreme tides and weather conditions, TideSlide is built to survive cyclones, hurricanes and severe weather. This mooring system is storm-tested and was engineered to meet the rigorous standards of the US Navy Heavy Weather Mooring Codes. Using TideSlides increases the chances of a vessel surviving catastrophic storms.