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Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the Solent Freeport is announced

The Solent Freeport has been announced as one of the first UK Freeports to be fully approved by Government.

“This is the news we've been looking forward to, and I’m grateful to our partners across the public and private sectors for their commitment and vision in bringing about a freeport for the Solent which will benefit our communities for generations to come,” said Brian Johnson, Chair of the Solent Freeport. “The strong business case we put forward has resulted in the Solent Freeport being one of the first officially designated by Government.

“The Solent Freeport really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity – an investment in our future which will ensure local people benefit from job creation and increased prosperity, regenerating our communities.”

The announcement follows formal Government designation of the tax sites within the Solent Freeport, where investment is underway. Tax sites offer occupiers business rates relief and other incentives to support capital investment, skills and employment. Business rates growth generated at the tax sites can be retained locally and reinvested in the area.

Designation of the Solent Freeport will help accelerate and enhance investment already underway at key locations. This includes a package of investments at the ABP Port of Southampton to enhance operational efficiency and capacity for new warehouse and distribution units. Additional container storage areas; new HGV driver welfare facilities; improved marine access as well as enhanced rail provision to support businesses right across the UK will also be constructed as part of the investment.

The new 500,000sqft of business space at Navigator Quarter, adjacent to the runway at Southampton Airport, and part of a 75-acre site as part of the Solent Freeport is another investment benefitting from Solent Freeport’s designation. The project is being delivered by AGS Airports Ltd in partnership with blocwork, a Network Rail JV Company, and expected to be completed in 2024. The Navigator Quarter site is ideally placed to benefit from excellent air, road, sea and rail connectivity. Phase one will deliver over £120m GVA to the UK economy.

The Solent’s ambitious bid for Freeport status was one of eight in England shortlisted by the Government in the Spring 2021 budget. As an important part of the UK's economic recovery, freeports are areas that benefit from incentives to encourage economic activity.

The Solent Freeport is a widely supported proposal which will transform Solent productivity, create more than 15,000 jobs in the Solent and a further 15,000 throughout the UK. It is expected that the Solent Freeport will attract £1.35 billion of private sector investments in the area, and because of the Solent’s existing trading links, an additional £1.75 billion GVA is forecast to be generated for the UK as a whole.

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Bureau Veritas certifies Nexans’ risk minimisation approach for subsea power cable

Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, has delivered certification to Nexans, a global player in electrification, for its risk management system for subsea power cables. Nexans and BV have announced the first outcome of their partnership to reduce risk and promote best practices for turnkey project delivery of high voltage power cables used for connecting offshore wind farms to onshore grids. Bureau Veritas has developed a protocol, leading to certification, to help minimise risk for Subsea Power Cables.

The subsea power cable market is going through unprecedented expansion, encouraged by major investments in offshore wind. At the same time, insurers’ studies confirm that high voltage power cables are among the most critical elements of offshore wind farms. Reliability of high voltage power cables, including installation, becomes an essential enabler for the current and the next generation of cables required to capture energy in deeper water. Hence, removing risks from new products, technologies and implementation methodologies is essential for the sector.

Due to the lack of any international or statutory certification scheme, Nexans engaged in a voluntary approach to ensure its risk management tools and processes are assessed and tested by an independent third-party body. The goal was to validate the methodology in place that helps identify potential hazards, associated risks and evaluates the level of protection that may be afforded to the cable.

As a result, BV established solid protocol and certification guidelines to review Nexans’ risk management system in line with international standards ISO 21502:2020 (guidance on project management) and ISO 31000 (risk management). The BV certification covers any phase of a development project from conceptual phase, design, procurement, manufacturing, transportation, installation and commissioning/start-up.

“Managing risk is an important and integrated part of the Nexans management system for delivering Subsea Power Cable Projects,” said Anne Fossen-Helle, QHSSE & Risk Director at Generation & Transmission Business Group at Nexans. “By having our risk management system and projects validated against recognised standards by an independent certification company, we believe this is a trusted route to deliver stakeholder confidence showing that risks have been understood and minimised.

“Together with Bureau Veritas, we have certified the Nexans ‘way’ of managing EPCI projects and risks, developed new standards for the offshore wind farm and interconnection industry, reduced the risk profile of such projects and developed improved standards.”

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COSCO SHIPPING Lines launches the OCEAN Alliance DAY 7 product

IN the face of external uncertainties over the past six years, the OCEAN Alliance continuously optimised the service network, enhanced the capacity deployment, and gained the acclaim from customers with high-quality and stable services.

The launch of the OCEAN Alliance DAY 7 Product in 2023 ushers in a new chapter for the development of the alliance. Going forward, it will continue to uphold the customer-centric principle. Boasting 353 vessels with an aggregate capacity of 4.62 million TEUs, OCEAN Alliance provides customers with a variety of service options.

The OCEAN Alliance is always committed to the ‘green and lowcarbon’ concept and attaches great importance to regulatory compliance. The DAY 7 products were officially launched in January 2023, in tandem with the implementation of the IMO's new environmental rules, which demonstrates the OCEAN Alliance’s commitment and determination to fulfil the carriers’ social responsibilities.

The OCEAN Alliance DAY 7 products launched in 2023 cover 40 shipping routes and one Non-OA Transatlantic loop: 7 Far East - North Europe services, 4 Far East - Mediterranean services, 21 TransPacific services (including 13 West Coast North America services, 8 East Coast North America and U.S. Gulf services), 3 Trans-Atlantic service (including one Non-OA loop), 4 Middle East services, 2 Red Sea services and 7 Far East – North Europe services.

The OCEAN Alliance will provide 7 North Europe direct services, including 4 upgraded loops. With an emphasis on the ‘green shipping and low-carbon’ principle, the OCEAN Alliance will optimise port rotation and vessel deployment to increase the vessel energy efficiency and the schedule reliability of its services. These loops offer direct services to 18 Asian ports and 15 North European ports along with around 100 port-pair coverage, thereby providing customers with high-frequency and comprehensive shipping services. Leveraging COSCO SHIPPIING’s transhipment hubs like Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Gdansk and its own feeder network, its services will be further extended to Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Finland.

Fast Offshore Supply Pte Ltd, Singapore, Terasaki Electric Co, Shift Clean Solutions Ltd and RINA to develop an Energy Storage System (ESS)

Fast Offshore Supply Pte Ltd, Asia’s largest offshore crew boat operator, has signed an MOU to jointly develop an Energy Storage System (ESS) with Terasaki Electric Co, Shift Clean Solutions Ltd and RINA for the FOS Fleet as part of FOS ‘Green Initiative and Sustainability Programme’ to cut vessel carbon emission.

The ESS system will be a containerised version where it will have a ‘Plug and Play’ connection to connect with the vessel's Electrical System. Terasaki Electric Co will provide the in-depth know-how to upgrade the existing vessel MSB and PMS for the vessel electrical system, while Shift will provide its latest state-of-the-art marine approved batteries and operational software (OnWatch) for the FOS’s ESS system. RINA will be reviewing the ESS systems and will provide the ‘approval-in-principle’.

“FOS’s ‘Go Green Attitude’ is absolutely amazing! The way they talk about decarbonisation and how to help the environment really thrilled us,” Ryo Katsuki of Terasaki Electric Co said. “With this project, we are determined to show our commitment to working towards a better, healthier and sustainable environment. We are happy to work once again side by side with Shift Clean Energy and RINA to support FOS’s ‘Green Initiative and Sustainability Programme’.”

“We are thrilled to work with Terasaki, RINA and Fast Offshore Supply to electrify these advanced crew transfer vessels,” said Brent Perry, CEO and founder of Shift Clean Solution. “It is a privilege to join forces with forward-thinking organisations and we know that this is only the beginning of an impactful, exciting project and the wider mission to decarbonise the marine industry as a whole.”

“The shipping industry faces unprecedented challenges as environmental regulations tighten,” said Simone Manca, RINA’s Regional Senior Director, Asia. “RINA is honoured to work with like-minded partners FOS, Terasaki and Shift Clean Solution in providing a way to comply with the regulations and contributing to reduction of carbon emission in shipping. We are excited to be part of the MOU to create a sustainable future for the benefit of all maritime stakeholders and the environment.”