CODES OF CONDUCT

Those trying to improve their approach to clean shipping and ensure they comply with new legislation have no end of deadlines to meet in the coming years. These need to be addressed to ensure that they are not restricted in their operations as a result of missing the due date.

One deadline on the immediate horizon is the Maritime Single Window 2024 introduction from January 1 next year, at which time it will be compulsory for ports round the world to operate Maritime Single Windows (MSWs) for the electronic exchange of information required on ships’ arrival at a port, their stay and their departure.

Opening the recent Symposium at International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) London headquarters, IMO secretary general Kitack Lim said that making MSWs mandatory from 1 January 2024 was not only “a significant step towards accelerating digitalization in the maritime trade”, but also “an opportunity for all stakeholders in shipping, and a necessary step forward”.

Lim said, too, that taking this step would accelerate the digitalisation and decarbonisation aspirations of international shipping. He praised progress made in recent years by the shipping and port industries and pledged IMO’s support to member states in finding tangible solutions to the forthcoming new obligations under the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic Convention.

Also discussed were the concept of interoperability and understanding how to apply industry standards to harmonise electronic data exchanges, as well as port call data requirements, and the development of strategic partnerships.

In his opening remarks, International Association of Ports and Harbors president Subramaniam Karuppiah warned that the covid-19 pandemic emphasised that the maritime industry is seriously lagging behind in its move to digitalisation.

Nikolaus Schües, president designate of BIMCO, sounded an optimistic note, describing MSW as “an opportunity to be exploited and one we cannot afford to miss”.

A key panel discussion centred on the support that IMO member states can access to assist them in their MSW implementation journey.

Periklis Saragiotis from the World Bank and Kate Munn, a consultant, have been working together with Fiji on their MSW project. They backed the approach of “upstream analysis” to assess implementation readiness before making any adaptations or simplifications to systems, thereby avoiding digitising inefficient procedures.

Fiji is a good example, said Mr Saragiotis, of the World Bank and IMO cooperating with a member state. “If we work together and coordinate and try to send a message to the client and government that we’re here to help... that’s a very powerful message.”

Antigua and Barbuda has received technical expertise in-kind support from Norway for their MSW implementation. They settled on a system developed specifically with small island developing states in mind that can be modified and adopted as required.

Wayne Mykoo, representing the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping, said the project underscored IMO’s ability to support members to meet their obligations.

Another IMO initiative is that of the Single Window for Facilitation of Trade (SWiFT) Project. Under its auspices, Singapore is implementing a pilot project with Angola to establish a maritime single window platform developed for medium ports based on the system implemented successfully in Antigua and Barbuda.

Strength Assessment

Ship operations take place in hostile and corrosive environments, which means that the structural strength of the ship’s hull may deteriorate with time leading to buckling or structural instability.

Buckling has long been recognised as one of the main modes of failure of ship structural elements and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has, for many years, had in place a number of resolutions to address this.

Recognising, however, that the rules for buckling varied across different IACS Unified Requirements (URs), in 2018 IACS agreed to develop a standalone Unified Requirement (UR) dedicated for buckling strength assessment using the net thickness approach. This has resulted in the publication of UR S35 Buckling Strength Assessment of Ship Structural Elements, which will enter into force on 1 July 2024.

The new harmonised methodology for buckling has been developed applying the toolbox in the Common Structural Rules (CSR) for Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers, which are widely accepted as being technically sound and which have been implemented, maintained and improved over the years with industry’s expertise and experience feeding into the continuous improvement of CSR.

In harmonising the buckling methodology, improvements have been made on the global elastic buckling mode for stiffened panels subject to combined loads (biaxial loads, in-plane shear force and lateral pressure), the torsional buckling mode for stiffeners, buckling strength of U-type stiffeners, plates with opening and also plate panels fitted with sniped stiffeners.

Thorough verification and consequence assessments have been carried out by extensive linear and nonlinear FE analyses, with the harmonised requirements showing increased accuracy and effectiveness.

The application of the buckling requirements, such as scope, loading and permissible utilisation factor will be described in individual UR S series, for example in UR S21 on Evaluation of Scantlings of Hatch Covers and Hatch Coamings.

The new UR S35 will serve as an independent buckling toolbox regardless of ship types by collating, as far as possible, general requirements on buckling together in one UR.

A further benefit arising from the development of UR S35, is to facilitate the merger of the UR S21 and UR S21A (which currently address different ship types) into a single UR S21 Rev.6 also with an entry-into-force date 01 July 2024 to align with that of UR S35.

Commenting on this new UR S35, IACS secretary general Robert Ashdown says: “The adoption of a unified approach to buckling is a significant step in making the rule application check of different ship types easier for Industry, but also in enhancing the maintenance of future buckling rule improvements by IACS.

“Furthermore, it also facilitates the further harmonisation of other relevant IACS that will also be of benefit to the industry.”

Oceans Of Energy

Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, has delivered an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Oceans of Energy, a market leader in offshore solar farms, for their system design of a high wave offshore solar farm system.

The Oceans of Energy’s offshore solar farm system is the world’s first offshore solar farm proven in high waves, operating in the North Sea since 2019. This system is modular, scalable to any size.

The farm currently installed has a size of 0.5 MW. It has a unique design: rather than heavy structures above sea, which are normally used for offshore technology, the offshore solar farm system is lightweight. It uses the sea surface directly as support, like a waterlily resting on the water surface. In order to withstand high waves and rough seas, it uses an innovative system combining rigid and flexible structures that allows it to ride on waves.

Such a novel system had not been used before in offshore high wave application. Nevertheless, the system has recently entered its fourth year of successful operation in high waves. Since its deployment, the system has withstood many heavy storms, with waves up to 10m high.

The system was successfully basintested with 13m-high waves. Over the past couple of years, Oceans of Energy has worked closely with Bureau Veritas on the AIP of its offshore solar farm system.

The AIP includes all aspects and products needed for the production of an offshore solar farm system. This includes Oceans of Energy’s design base, the designed floaters, the mounting of the solar panels, scale model testing reports and mooring system design.

The rough North Sea conditions were used in the reviewed tests on the system and load cases determined all the structural calculations that had to be fulfilled.

“Oceans of Energy is very proud to receive this AIP as we realise it is a testimony of sound engineering, a feasible and sound concept choice and a recognition as a leading technology with a promising future,” says Allard van Hoeken, founder and CEO of Oceans of Energy.

Laurent Leblanc, senior vice president technical and operations at Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore, comments: “We have extensive experience in the marine and offshore market that helps us to provide relevant and efficient support to pioneers such as Oceans of Energy.

“Our mission of ‘shaping a better maritime world’ is all about enabling these innovative solutions that support society’s new demands and aspirations.”