Shipping & Marine Issue 139 December 2016

139 December 2016

The magazine for maritime management

Commercial

logic

Container demurrage and how a recent court decision has caused some ripples in the market

In this issue:

u Crew transfer u Fuel u Marine emissions u Marine security

139 December 2016

Editor’s comments THE MAGAZINE FOR MARITIME MANAGEMENT

‘‘

It not only helps to address the issue of illegal waste disposal, but also helps sustainability and even traditional slops collectors benefit

Commercial

logic

Container demurrage and how a recent court decision has caused some ripples in the market

In this issue:

u Crew transfer u Fuel u Marine emissions u Marine security

Chairman Andrew Schofield Editor Libbie Hammond libbie @ schofieldpublishing.co.uk Production Manager Fleur Daniels Art Editor/Design David Howard Profiles Editor Jo Cooper Staff Writers Andrew Dann Joshua Younespour Production dhoward @ schofieldpublishing.co.uk studio @ schofieldpublishing.co.uk Advertisement Administrator Tracy Chynoweth studio @ schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Rory Gallacher Jo-Ann Jeffery Jeff Goldenberg

Advertising Sales Joe Woolsgrove - Sales Director Mark Cawston Tim Eakins Darren Jolliffe Jonas Junca Dave King Theresa McDonald

Subscriptions ikidd @ schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Watch your waste

I

line

really found the Fuel feature on page 10 of this issue of Shipping & Marine fascinating. Of course, all the articles we publish are designed to be informative and helpful, and I hope that the rest of the content also teaches you something new or offers an insight you didn’t have before. But I just always enjoy a story where something that is considered waste is turned into a resource – in this case, fuel slops are being transformed into valuable new fuels and light bitumen. It not only helps to address the issue of illegal waste disposal, but also helps sustainability and even traditional slops collectors benefit.

It just feels like a fantastic all round solution to a problem, and I think after the tough year that we’ve seen in 2016, some good news is very welcome..

Editor: Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Follow us at: @ShippingMarine

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: 044 (0)1603 274130 www.shipping-and-marine.com

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

©2016 Schofield Publishing Ltd

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Features 4 News

Updates and announcements from the shipping and maritime arena

6 Crew transfer

Profiles 17 DP World Antwerp

17

By sharing knowledge across sectors, the safe and efficient transfer of personnel can be managed with increased ease

6

23 Clean Marine 26 Reederei NSB 28 Fjord1

28

8 Marine emissions

Donald Gregory takes a look at the cost and technological implications of the emissions regulations within the shipping sector

10 Fuel Through innovation, real progress is now being

made to combat the environmental threat of illegal slops disposal

12 Marine security

Advancements in body armour not only saves lives, but also ensures increased comfort and flexibility for those in the marine security industry

14 Containers

Mike Burns takes a look at the chronic issue of abandoned containers and the level of compensation available to shipowners

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31 Northlink Ferries 34 VT Group 38 Stena Line 41 Goodwood Ship Management 44 Ambrey Risk 46 Karmsund Havn 49 Vyborg Shipyard 52 Redcar Bulk Terminal Limited

Maritime news Vessel in action uBibby Offshore, the leading subsea services provider to the subsea industry, has announced that the Olympic Ares is currently being utilised to install a tidal energy turbine in the Pentland Firth, Northern Scotland.

The Olympic Ares, which is equipped with a 250te AHC Knuckle Boom crane, was selected for its excellent sea keeping ability to work in challenging conditions. Bibby Offshore’s owned and operated ROVs will also be utilised on the project.

Barry MacLeod, Managing Director ­UKCS, Bibby Offshore, commented: “We continue to expand our credentials in the renewables sector, and we are well placed to continue to grow our presence in this market.”

First courses launch uModal Training, the Humber region’s new £7m training centre of excellence for the ports,

Traditional craft uTwo historic vessels, acquired by the Museum of London Docklands in the 1980s, have been moved to a new home under new ownership. The vessels, Knocker White and Varlet, will be relocating to Trinity Buoy Wharf where they will be restored, put on public display and could even be part of future river festivals and apprenticeship schemes. Their move comes as part of the museum’s rationalisation of its floating vessel collection; two have been transferred in recent years (one to a local group and one to the National Trust) and Knocker White and Varlet are the last ones to be rehomed.

Following guidelines set out by the Museums Association and National Historic Ships UK, a new owner was found and their future secured. Both vessels were moved overnight in a complex operation.

Eric Reynolds, Founding Director of Urban Space Management, said: “We are very pleased to be able to add to the preservation of London’s maritime heritage. The river Thames was the commercial mainspring of London until the docks closed in the early 1970s and we are proud to be able to be able to show some of the traditional craft that kept goods moving on this great river.”

energy and logistics sectors, is now taking bookings for a number of courses that have been launched ahead of the facility opening in early 2017.

The courses are classroom-based and cover basic safety, competencies and proficiencies for individuals and businesses working in the maritime, offshore and wind energy sectors.

They will include a comprehensive range of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) courses.

These range from entry-level, in accordance with section A-VI/1 of the STCW, to recertification, and courses covering: maritime security; fire fighting and fire prevention; first aid and medical care; crowd management; crisis management; personal safety; survival; and rescue boats.

Green buildings uWhite Arkitekter has won a competition for a housing project in Stockholm Royal Seaport together with Midroc. Three buildings will give a common identity to the block thanks to their brick facade and masonry arches that ¸ frame the street level. Located at the southern

Pontoons and tugs arrival uDamen concluded its latest multiple vessel transport in early November. The shipment of readyfor-delivery vessels contains Stan Pontoons 4113, 4111, 4512, 5211 and 6316 in addition to a number of ASD 2810 Tugs. From a client’s point of view, a transport such as this means that vessels are available at competitive prices and within fast delivery times.

The transport was performed

by SAL Heavy Lift’s MV Svenja, which set sail from Shanghai at the end of August loaded with Stan Pontoons from Damen Yichang Shipyard, China. After a stopover in Vietnam to pick up six tugs that were built at Damen Song Cam Shipyard, the Svenja began her journey to the Netherlands.

On arrival in Rotterdam, the task of unloading commenced straight away. The man responsible for this – as well as the planning and logistics of the entire transport – was Damen Service Co-ordinator Heavy Lift Rimmert Berlijn. “This was another successful shipment of vessels,” he says. “We encountered some heavy weather en route from Vietnam, but all the vessels have been safely and smoothly unloaded here in Rotterdam.”

Transporting several vessels at once from its yards located in China and Vietnam is a strategy that Damen has used on previous occasions with successful results. This efficient approach to vessel delivery means that the company can keep its own delivery costs to a minimum.

portion of Värtahamnen, the block is located within the Stockholm Royal Seaport, an area undergoing a brownfield redevelopment until 2025.

“The project meets the highest environmental standards with extremely low energy consumption, its own solar cells and vegetation. The green roofs and patio minimise the effects of flooding and help pollination.

They are also a central meeting place,” noted Rickard Nygren, sustainability expert at White Arkitekter.

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Merging the best bits uBritain’s largest independent ship repairer and marine engineering services provider, Burgess Marine, has completed the acquisition of the Superyacht centric procurement specialist Global Services and its sister company Global New Builds. The acquisition is Burgess Marine’s fifth to date and its second since RJD Partners’ private equity investment in February of last year.

Nicholas Warren, the Chief Executive Officer of Burgess Marine, said: “Whilst on paper this is an acquisition the operational reality is far, far closer to that of a merger. We’ll be taking the best bits of both the businesses and putting them together to the benefit of our customers. It’s very much business as usual for the Global team – branding, market position, strategy and personnel won’t change. That said, over a period of time we’ll definitely be pulling the two companies closer together and moving our own existing procurement business together with Global’s.”

Maritime news Introducing – Diana uAfter spectacular launches of five fully customised units from the Sunreef 74 line, Sunreef Yachts is proud to introduce the most technically advanced edition of this model. With carbon bodywork elements and cutting edge rig, the yacht named Diana is a stately sail catamaran offering all the luxury and comfort one could wish for, without compromising the performance.

From the very beginning, the project had specific build requirements and a complex specification list. The extensive use of carbon fibre allowed not only to compensate for the weight of the yacht’s long list of equipment (including two tenders and a Jacuzzi) but also increased Diana’s

Special recognition

uMercy Ships UK has been presented with a special recognition award for its excellence in delivering free medical care to the world’s forgotten poor at the Zenith Global Healthcare Practitioners Awards in London.

Mercy Ships, an international charity with national offices in the UK, operates the world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, to provide free healthcare services to those living in developing countries, namely in Africa, where the services of professional medical staff are most needed.

Mercy Ships is currently docked in the port of Cotonou, Benin, for a ten-month field service during which the international team of medical volunteers will perform 1700 life-changing surgeries on-board and treat over 8000 people at a land-based dental clinic.

The Zenith Global Healthcare Practitioners Awards celebrates ‘excellence in healthcare’ and the healthcare professionals who selflessly make it happen. The awards ceremony took place in Selsdon Park Hotel on Saturday 5th November.

performance. The yacht was given a carbon deck, flybridge, bulkheads and superstructure.

The Artemis symbol on the yacht’s sail represents Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt. This tells a lot about the boat’s character. Equipped with state-ofthe-art sailing gear, she is clearly the ambitious and adventurous type.

Diana has everything she needs to conquer the world’s oceans. Her rigging includes a carbon mast and an in-boom furling system. The main navigation station is equipped with touchscreens enabling automatic sail adjustments coupled with load sensors to prevent winch, hardware and rig overload.

Cool solution uFounded about a year ago, NOSKEKAESER Marine Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of NOSKE-KAESER GmbH, has secured an order to modernise the air-conditioning and cooling systems on eight frigates belonging to the Royal Australian Navy. NOSKEKAESER will be carrying out a comprehensive overhaul of the air-conditioning, ventilation and cooling systems on the Australian Navy ships and replacing, upgrading and making them more efficient with modern systems.

Upgrading the air-conditioning and ventilation systems as well as the engine room ventilation systems on the eight frigates is part of the company’s scope of services.

“In future, the ships should be able to operate under severe climatic conditions.

Amongst other things, this will be required to support operations in and around Australia as well as wider global operations,” says Joachim Bunnies, NOSKE-KAESER Head of Sales. In future the engine rooms will also have to be optimally cooled to ensure safe operation of the systems and proper manoeuvrability of the ships, even at an outside temperature of 400C and sea temperatures of 360C. Upgrading the air-conditioning system will require greater cooling capacities. New NOSKE-KAESER chillers will replace the existing chillers. “Along with our individually designed, shock and vibration-proof systems we will also be increasing chiller cooling capacity to 1,1 00 kW,” Bunnies continues.

The scope of NOSKE-KAESER’s order also includes retrofitting 15 air recirculation cooling units to environmentally friendly cold water cooling and increasing performance of the food storage refrigeration systems.

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Crew transfer

Changing

perceptions James Strong looks at safe marine personnel transfer, and what can we learn from the oil and gas industry

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hether it is from ship to ship (STS), vessel to platform or vessel to jack-up, the transfer of personnel is essential for many operations in the offshore and marine environment.

There are 50,000 merchant ships worldwide, 90 per cent of world trade goods carried by shipping and it is predicted that global freight will more than quadruple by 20501. It is essential to invest in personnel transfer and access solutions and prepare for a safe, productive future.

Personnel need to be transferred in the global shipping industry, whether it is during cargo operations where surveys and paperwork need to be exchanged, to gain access to Single Point Moorings, for maintenance, or for contingency or emergency use. Situations arise where people such as Mooring Masters, STS Superintendents, cargo surveyors, embarking crew, technicians, company personnel and Government Officials need to be transferred.

Learning from oil and gas

Seacor Crewzer – Seacor’s Joyce McCall conducting efficient, high volume transfers in the Caspian Sea

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Knowledge from extensive research in to the risks of marine transfer by crane in the oil and gas industry can be applied to the shipping and marine industries. The same essential purpose is shared, to move personnel safely and efficiently.

In the oil and gas industry millions of transfers are performed by air and sea each year, historically this has been one of the greatest risk areas for personnel in offshore operations.

Traditionally the primary means of personnel transfer offshore was helicopter, mainly for speed and relative comfort in comparison to marine transfer.

There was a lack of quality public data comparing marine and aviation risks, meaning the majority of industry decisions on transfer solutions have been subjective.

DNV GL, a leading technical adviser to the maritime industry, carried out a study for an organisation called the Marine Transfer Forum (MTF), in order to develop more objective data on

Personnel Transfer with WAVE – Seaway Heavy Lifting carrying out personnel transfer to vessel with WAVE-4

offshore transfer methods. The MTF aims to increase industry knowledge and to promote best practice operations by bringing together the most progressive asset and vessel operators, lifting and transfer specialists.

The latest published data for offshore helicopter operations worldwide during 2003-2007 (oil and gas production (OGP) 2009) is referenced in the DNV study2. This estimates that the average individual risk in helicopter transfer was approximately a one in 400,000 chance of fatality. This is significantly higher than the current individual risk estimate for crane transfer operations of approximately one in five million.

For several decades very basic equipment, such as swing ropes and collapsible baskets, were the main alternatives to helicopter transfer. Even with strong evidence that safety and efficiency could readily be improved, the strong industry culture around these alternative methods meant that change was slow.

Attitudes and perceptions are now changing, the benefits of marine transfer are becoming clearer and operators are appreciating the flexibility and safety benefits that marine transfer offers. Many operators now plan their marine operations with the same high level of focus and professionalism previously only applied to aviation.

Marine transfer is a flexible option and can be used in a variety of situations, including routine everyday operations, as a contingency option in case of adverse conditions, and evacuation or emergency usage.

Risk analysis A comprehensive review of crane transfer operations, supported by data sourced from operators and public resources, was carried out by Reflex Marine. Analysis of this data showed that the key risks during crane transfers were falling, vertical impact, lateral impact and immersion. These risks apply to any personnel transfer by crane and can be mitigated with the appropriate training, preparation and equipment in order to prevent incidents.

Marine industry incidents Initial research in to accidents in the marine industry shows several injuries and fatalities that fall in to the same key risk categories found in the oil and gas industry.

Falling: Personnel tipped from a basket as the basket is trapped beneath an obstruction, a person fell into the sea without PPE resulting in a fatality.3 Falling is the most common risk of the data analysed in the oil and gas industry.

Vertical impact: Back and leg injuries occurred when personnel were landed heavily on deck.3 Lateral impact: Injury resulted from a basket hitting a crash barrier and a basket hitting an accommodation rail on a tug. Leg injury occurred as

Offshore Transfer – Offshore personnel transfer by crane

the basket was accidently swung against the boom of the crane of the destination vessel.3 Immersion: A fatality occurred during a ship-to-ship transfer when a crane wire snapped, dropping the person being transferred on a rope basket between two tankers.4 These incidents highlight the need for thorough training, preparation and the use of the right equipment to ensure safe operations. Common injury contributors are transfer equipment, crane operation and crane maintenance.

Designing out risk Reflex Marine is a global leader in marine transfer solutions and a founding member of the Marine Transfer Forum. It has been at the forefront of developments in marine transfer for the past two decades and supports more than one million safe personnel transfers each year.

Reflex Marine’s design objectives were based around the risks identified and it developed the most rigorous testing and verification program ever used by the industry to confirm that these objectives had been met.

It adopted methodologies similar to those used to evaluate the safety performance of motor vehicles and assess the risk of injury. Vessel motions, crane speeds, sea states and the impact on the human body were among criteria assessed with the aim of designing a carrier with increased protection for personnel during transfer.

Its first marine transfer carrier designed to protect against the key risks of crane transfer, the FROG, was launched in 1995. The FROG and its successors, FROG-XT and WAVE, are in regular use in diverse locations and industries worldwide. For the past six years transfers with Reflex Marine carriers have been achieved without a single lost time incident.

The perception of personnel transfer by crane is changing, it is now seen as a manageable activity. Sharing knowledge across sectors means the same risks can be mitigated in the shipping and marine industry. v James Strong is Business Development Director at Reflex Marine, a personnel access solution provider serving the maritime, wind energy and traditional offshore energy industries. The company is dedicated to providing safe methods of personnel transfer, managing risks and improving safety standards. With over 20 years’ experience, Reflex Marine is widely recognised as the global leader in offshore access. www.reflexmarine.com 1 ‘International Trade and Freight to 2050’ Jani Kuppila, International Transport Forum, 2015 2 ‘Risks of Marine Transfer of Personnel Offshore’, John Spouge - DNV GL, Philip Strong and Robin Proctor – Reflex Marine, 2014 3 ‘Personnel Transfer Using Ship’s Cranes’, Chris Spencer, The Standard P & I Club, 2010 4 Professional Mariner (www.professionalmariner.com), Dom Yanchunas, 2009

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Marine emissions

Meeting the

targets Donald Gregory takes a look at the cost and technology implications of the emissions regulations facing the shipping sector

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T

he Uruguay round of the world trade talks between 1986 and 1994 was the beginning of a rapid expansion in world trade, much of which was transported by merchant ships. Following the Uruguay round came the emergence of the BRIC nations with China set to dominate economic growth rates for over ten years. This set the scene for a shipbuilding spree and continuous, brisk growth in marine transport. Shipping enjoyed a heyday with commensurate bunker demand growth from around 180Mt to over 320Mt over a 20-year period.

Despite the imposition of air emission controls in many industrial sectors, the shipping industry only began to discuss this subject in the late 1980s. Papers submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) highlighted the effects of acid rain and acidification on northern European forests and fauna. Also emerging were studies assessing the human health impacts.

Concerted resistance from both refiners and merchant shipping may have delayed, but failed to halt the inevitable regulations curtailing emissions to air from the combustion of marine fuels, in particular sulphur oxides (SOx).

The MARPOL conventions 73/78 comprises of six annexes. Annex VI was added in 1997 and regulates emissions to air from shipboard sources. The first impact of Regulation 14 dealing with emissions of SOx was the entry into force of the first Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) with an operating limit of 1.5%S fuel. The regulation also allowed the use of exhaust gas scrubbers to reduce SOx emissions to a level equivalent to using a fuel with the prescribed sulphur limit. The first SECA, later to be known as an Emission Control Area (ECA), was the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Nearly 30 years since those first papers raising concerns about the impact of SOx emissions were presented to IMO, the

organisation is faced with confirming a 2020 entry into force of a global sulphur cap of 0.50% or to delay implementation until 2025. Regulation 14 allows for a postponement if it is judged that there will be insufficient fuel available.

Ample time The decision will have profound implications.

The work on low sulphur fuels and emissions compliance technologies as an alternative to traditional marine fuel oils started in the late 1990s. Although it is currently assumed that the vast majority of compliance will be achieved through the use of 0.50%S fuel, it is unlikely that this will be an economically sustainable option.

Now exhaust gas scrubbers are one of the principal alternative options for ship operators.

Switching to low sulphur fuel to cut emissions An internationally trading ship burning 30 tonnes of fuel/day and operating for 5000 hours/ year at sea will consume 6000 tonnes of fuel annually in the main engine. At a $250/tonne differential between 0.50%S fuel and normal high sulphur fuel oil (HFO) that effectively adds just over $300/hour operating cost or $1.8M annually. Although no one can forecast a market differential, there is no doubt that a displacement in demand for HFO of around 150 Mtonne to 200 Mtonne will depress its value substantially.

The recent order by a major cruise line operator of a duo of LNG powered vessels is a major step towards LNG becoming an independent energy source, previously confined to a handful of vessels operating in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. On the fringes, methanol is being evaluated on what is pretty much an experimental basis. Both these fuel choices break the golden rules of bunkers: ‘marine bunkers should be widely available, easy & safe to store and handle, and a consistently low cost energy source’.

What we should note about LNG and methanol is that these fuels are not only addressing SOx emissions but that they are intended to be used to comply with Tier III NOx emissions.

Unfortunately, it seems inevitable that a 0.50%S fuel will also fail the golden rules of bunkers and, unlike LNG and methanol, will not provide the benefits of NOx Tier III compliance.

The fuel is likely to require much more careful handling and storing on board to avoid mixing with other supplies of 0.50%S deliveries. It will also need to remain segregated to avoid instability and sludge drop-out in tanks or fuel systems.

It will be incumbent upon ship operators to plan their switch to 0.50%S fuel, if that it their strategy of choice, at least six months before the entry into force date. Early preparation is essential in order to avoid the risk of cross contamination with residues of HFO and to gain experience with the new and quite different characteristics of 0.50%S fuels. Just ten tonnes of a 2.7%S HFO in a 500 tonne bunker tank could put a 400 tonne batch of 0.50%S fuel out of spec. The only published long term study using low sulphur fuel actually used marine diesel oil and not a blended 0.50%S fuel. On the other hand, there is some experience using very low sulphur HFO. Planning and early trials will be a prerequisite of a successful transition on the entry into force date.

Alternative solutions to marine emissions reduction It is understandable that in the face of high costs, significant change and uncertainty there is a resistance from the shipping industry to take the first steps until the last minute. Inclusion of a scheme of incentivisation in Regulation 14 might have helped to avoid this.

Although the global cap will be a significant step change in reducing emissions from shipping

it seems it will merely be part of a continuum and possibly increasing focus on emissions to air. The body of knowledge about the health effects of manmade combustion is accelerating with new discoveries seeming to be made a monthly basis. Getting rid of sulphur has got rid of the big particles. But science is discovering much more harmful finer particles from which even the so-called ‘clean fuels’ are not immune.

The long-term economically sustainable solution may therefore be to treat the exhaust gases prior to their entry into the atmosphere.

Over the last 18 years, the exhaust gas cleaning industry has developed marine scrubber systems that can be installed both on new ships or be retrofitted so shippers can continue regular operations with heavy fuel oil. They offer ship owners an easy, costeffective way of meeting the 2020 requirements by removing particulates from exhaust gases.

Exhaust gas cleaning systems are portable and can be manufactured pretty much anywhere in the world, then transported to the installation point. Shippers could carry out installation of scrubbers at the same time as ballast water treatment technology to save on off-hire and create synergies. v

Donald Gregory is Director at the Exhaust Gas Cleaning Association (EGCSA), which was established in 2008 to help create a sustainable operating environment within the marine and energy industry sectors for exhaust gas cleaning system technologies, providing clarity and a rational voice for those companies interested in reducing marine exhaust gas emissions. EGCSA offers impartial technical information, advice and opinion on the many current and future issues and challenges related to emissions reduction and marine exhaust gas cleaning systems. www.egcsa.com

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Fuel

Real

progress Embracing innovation as the solution to the growing ‘slops challenge’. By Vincent Favier

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ith estimates of illegal slops disposal reaching at least 3000 incidents each year in European waters alone, according to The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the scale and environmental impact on a global basis could be massive. Reports of illegal waste dumping are prevalent in the industry press, and while perpetrators are being fined and charged, the number of cases is not diminishing. Large scale, heavily polluting cases of oil spills are well documented, but it is the smaller spills, often going under the radar, which are causing unknown damage.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) MARPOL Convention 73/78 was adopted in the 1970’s to prevent pollution of the marine environment by ships - from operational or accidental causes - and while many ship owners dispose of their slops in accordance with this legislation, and also the European Directive

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59/2000 regulation, a minority do not. Indeed two recent high-profile slop dumping incidents have resulted in crew facing felony charges and have left the companies with significant fines, reaching up to $1,000,000.

Slops and sludges are a hydrocarbon-rich industrial waste, produced in various parts of a ship’s operations, including tank cleaning, purifying fuels and using ballast water. They are an unavoidable waste product of all voyages.

The volume of slops and sludges a vessel produces depends on its operations, the size of the vessel, its maintenance and age, as well as various other factors.

This waste material is considerable: the global fleet uses an estimated 350 million tonnes of fuel oil to function every year. This results in an estimated tens of million tonnes of slops generated each year, all of which needs to be disposed of in line with strict regulations, to ensure minimal impact on the environment.

Disposing of slops sustainably has not been

without its challenges. The recent low cost of crude oil has encouraged markets such as the construction sector – a traditionally reliable market for slops collectors to sell to - to invest in purer, virgin fuels. Without this channel, disposing of slops has become more difficult, and more expensive.

Crucially, there is also now a significant buildup of slops in ports with many port authorities not having the adequate reception or collection facilities to manage them, and tanks are becoming physically full. The situation is interrupting shipping operations in ports, causing downtime, as well as creating environmental and sustainability issues within local port areas and communities.

To provide a viable solution to this mounting issue, Ecoslops has developed a unique technology to sustainably regenerate slops into valuable new fuels and light bitumen, which can be sold back into the market, creating a sustainable cycle.

Based on a micro-refining process, the technology works in the following way:

Ecoslops’ refinery in the Port of Sinès, Portugal

firstly, to optimise distillation, the slops are pre-treated. They are heated, decanted and using high-speed vertical centrifugation, the water, hydrocarbons and sediments are separated before the refining and distillation process. As the reprocessing of the water from the slops is fully integrated within the treatment process, the water is then depolluted using the latest techniques.

The water is returned to its natural environment in line with relevant environmental laws. After the water and sediment is removed, the slops are sent to the P2R vacuum distillation column, where they are heated. Under vacuum conditions, the hydrocarbons and heavy molecules are vaporised, and at the end of the distillation process several fuels are produced, including naphtha, fuel (GO and IFO) and light bitumen.

This technology provides a solution at every level of the slops disposal chain. It helps ports to improve their sustainability profile, reduce the environmental impact within their local community, as well as enhance their competitiveness and

reputation. As the waste from the vessels is being appropriately treated, and at a good price, ship owners can also improve their reputation by creating a sustainability cycle for their slops with the regenerated product being sold back into the market. Traditional slops collectors also benefit, as Ecoslops purchases the product at a fair price, and alleviates the pressures on storage capacity.

Over 17,000 tonnes of slops have been successfully regenerated into fuel oil and sold back into the fuel supply chain since Ecoslops’ first micro-refinery in the Port of Sinès commenced industrial production in 2015. Ecoslops has also announced that it is on track to meet its annual target of producing at least 30,000 tons of regenerated slops in 2017 from the Port of Sinès.

In September 2016, Ecoslops signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Total, the international oil and gas company, to establish a slops processing plant within the refinery in La Mede, Marseille, further validating the viability of the technology and Ecoslops’ business model. The

aim of this unit will be to process slops unloaded in the Port of Marseille and neighboring ports. In conjunction with this, Ecoslops has continued to develop other projects, particularly in Northern Europe, and is reiterating its objective of signing deals for three new sites by the end of 2017.

With shipping’s sustainability profile, and impact on climate change as well as other environmental issues under real scrutiny, the problem of illegal waste disposal is an issue that the industry needs to address urgently. The unknown quantity of the pollution caused cannot be ignored, and sustainable solutions are now available to help tackle this problem. Only through new innovations, such as Ecoslops’ technology, can we make the legal and sustainable disposal of slops more attractive to ship owners and operators, and tackle the numerous smaller-scale, deliberate spills that don’t receive media attention. The issue is now being recognised within the industry, and with support from majors such as Total, real progress is being made to combat this environmental threat. v Vincent Favier, CEO Ecoslops ECOSLOPS has developed a unique technology to transform oil residues from shipping (slops and sludge) into new recycled marine fuels. The Company’s ambition is to establish itself as major player in the treatment of marine hydrocarbon waste.

The ECOSLOPS solution is based on a perfect knowledge of the processes of collection, treatment and recycling of slops and sludges.

ECOSLOPS offers an economic and ecologic solution to port infrastructure, waste collectors and ship owners through industrial scale treatment unit they develop and operate. The first industrial unit is based in Sinès in Portugal. http://www.ecoslops.com/en/

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Marine security

The proper

protection For maritime security personnel the right gear can mean the difference between life and death. Thomas Bowman reports on the latest developments in body armour

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aritime security poses a serious issue for governments, international bodies and organisations, legal advisors, risk management firms, shipping and security companies. The global scale of the operations of the maritime industry puts a lot of essential goods and services at risk as they are being transported through some of the busiest routes in the world. These routes are vital for trade and humanitarian purposes and have measurable benefits for all but there are many threats to the maritime personnel in using them.

Growing conflicts and tensions in the Middle East, Far East and North and sub-Saharan Africa have an adverse effect on accessibility for the maritime environment and some of the world’s most important shipping lanes. This has translated to a sharp rise in the incidents related to piracy, terrorism, arms smuggling, corruption, human and drugs trafficking as well as other illegal acts from the category of trans-national organised crime, which poses a serious threat

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to life and liberty and affects the maritime industry personnel.

In 2015 there were 386 maritime crime incidents reported alone and Asia remains the most active region for maritime crime with 66 per cent of these incidents being related to some form of pirate activity. Of course, there are other threats that also count for an increase in maritime incidents. The high level of maritime crime is evidence that adequate security measures are desperately necessary now more than ever.

Buoyant body armour Recent advancement of technology has seen several renowned manufacturers turn their interest towards development of body armour with increased buoyancy to meet the requirements of the maritime industry personnel in terms of safety, flexibility and durability. The most common problem of this type of body armour is weight and its restrictive properties.

Modern body armour is extremely versatile and lightweight, but still limiting when it comes to

flexibility. Heat retention is another problematic area that manufacturers are trying to overcome with the incorporation of temperature regulating technologies.

Research in the past decade has been successful in making advancement in terms of body armour that is significantly cooler and with increased airflow. These qualities are invaluable for people working in environments with intense humidity and heat, such as the maritime industry. There are additional body armour technologies that can be put underneath the armour, such as the CTAV from Cortac, whose bumped and ridged surface naturally stimulates airflow and adds some padding and comfort for the wearer. Other similar products boast the added benefit of improving weight distribution of the armour.

New types of body armour are manufactured to come with inflating technology, so that upon contact with water, the armour provides an extra layer of safety for any personnel working in the maritime industry. In the event of an injury from a pistol or melee weapon, the new BCB’s Inflatable

MILTAC Body Armpr Camo Green

Main patrol

Body Armour System inflates automatically within seconds of coming into contact with water, which means the person will remain afloat without any effort on their part. This upgrade on existing buoyant body armour models is a huge advancement in guaranteeing the safety of maritime personnel in their line of work.

Other existing body armour products are also available on the market and also inflate upon contact with water. However, they usually expand outside the armour and run the risk of damage if the wearer is under attack with gunfire. BCB’s Inflatable Body Armour System is the first of its kind with a capacity of handling 275 Newtons of buoyancy, which means that even if the wearer is carrying heavy gear, the armour will still keep them afloat.

Products for the maritime industry personnel need to address a variety of issues, such as providing body armour with better UV protection and odour control apart from being lightweight and flexible. An added benefit of many of these products is increased comfort as softer materials are preferred. One issue for buoyant

body armour comes from the bulletproof materials themselves; allergy to Kevlar, which is commonly used, is quite common and this can pose a significant inconvenience (even health hazard) to people working in the maritime industry wearing body armour for prolonged periods. This has prompted certain revisions in the materials considered by manufacturers and now certain floatation devices and buoyancy aids are available as part of body armour, that rely on different materials to offset the heavy reliance on Kevlar products.

Even further into the future, maritime personnel could be wearing customisable, tailor-made body armour that takes the best components of several styles and types for one light, accessible armour system. This could mean more components to wear and carry, such as layers in cold weather, or having special appliquĂŠs that serve a specific need.

Whatever the case, manufacturers have made it a priority to design a host of flexible, modifiable materials that meet those requirements or combine those requirements to address the

complex needs of the maritime industry and the threats they face.

Lowering the weight of individual pieces of body armour while accounting for the weight of new and additional equipment remains a complex challenge for body armour manufacturers to meet. Additionally, the ballistic material for this type of body armour needs to be specially treated to be impervious to salt water degradation. It is recommended that panels meet or exceed the NIJ 0101.06 requirements for maximum protection. v Thomas Bowman is communications manager at SafeGuard Clothing. International manufacturers of body armour, SafeGuard Clothing strives to be at the forefront of body armour innovation. SafeGuard is constantly looking to update and improve body armour to better protect wearers of armour globally.

It is their goal to help better educate and protect people operating in hostile areas and environments. www.safeguardclothing.com/uk/

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Containers

Commercial

logic

Mike Burns asks if we are to say goodbye to the container demurrage gravy train?

I

t is not an overstatement to describe the ready supply of empty containers to service export demand as the lifeblood of business for shipping line operators. The recent - albeit short lived - spike in global freight rates following the Hanjin insolvency, was attributable not simply to Hanjin vessels being withdrawn for the market, but also some half a million Hanjin owned and leased containers ‘disappearing’ from the global container supply chain; a case of reduced capacity driving prices, but also illustrating the importance of container equipment as well as ships.

Away from the acute fallout from Hanjin, a more chronic issue for shipping line operators in recent years has been ‘losing’ containers to customers who simply fail or delay to return containers after discharge and delivery, leaving them to languish in foreign ports or inland terminals for many years. This can leave operators with a re-supply headache. As both a deterrent and protection against this malaise, liner bill of lading terms commonly permit (after a short ‘free’ period) the carrier to charge a daily container demurrage or quay rent to the defined ‘Merchant’ until redelivery of containers. Though not a panacea, this has seemingly provided a mechanism to enable

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Mike Burns

operators to keep the meter running indefinitely, and provide a wide compensation (or penalty, depending on one’s perspective) regime for failing to return empty boxes.

However the English Court Of Appeal, in its recent decision in MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA v Cottonex Anstalt [2016] EWCA 789 has now curtailed carriers’ ability to recover container demurrage in this way, upsetting a longstanding market understanding, at least on the side of box ship operators.

Facts in MSC v Cottonex In early 2011 the claimant shipping line MSC contracted with the defendant, Cottonex Anstalt, to carry 35 containers of cotton to Chittagong, Bangladesh. The consignments arrived in Chittagong between May and June 2011. However, the Bangladeshi consignee refused to take delivery and instead commenced proceedings in Bangladesh with a view to restraining payment to Cottonex under letters of credit, albeit payment had already been effected.

Meanwhile, due to the failure to collect, the customs authorities detained the containers and refused to release them for delivery. The containers were still in storage at the port at the

time of trial, some 3.5 years after they had first been discharged. MSC brought proceedings for outstanding container demurrage, contending entitlement to recover demurrage accruing until the containers were returned even though that meant claiming a daily running tariff for a number of years. It will be appreciated that such accumulated demurrage would far exceed the value of a new container, perhaps many times over, which was the basic commercial objection of Cottonex i.e. that the tariff was in the nature of a penalty which was not a true measure of the carrier’s loss, and was therefore unenforceable.

English Court Decisions The Court of Appeal has recently affirmed the previous Commercial Court decision that MSC could not claim demurrage indefinitely. Both Courts agreed with MSC that at the point the containers were not returned within the free time, Cottonex were in breach of contract and that the demurrage charge provisions which thereafter became enforceable, amounted to a form of liquidated damages. So far, so good. However the Courts reasoned that the charges would continue only to a certain point, but not indefinitely. The right to continue to charge would be brought to an end by

the acceptance of a repudiatory breach by MSC (the repudiatory breach being the clear failure to comply with the obligation to take delivery), or the point where the innocent party affirming the contract (i.e. the carrier) no longer had a legitimate interest in doing so.

On the facts, the Court of Appeal decided that the date of frustration of the contract/repudiation arose after six to seven months, in February 2012, when MSC offered to sell the containers to Cottonex as a solution, which “was the clearest indication that the commercial purpose of the adventure had been frustrated. Such as sale would have discharged the shipper’s obligation to redeliver the containers and with it the final obligations under the contracts of carriage which still remained to be performed”.

In commercial terms, by this later date the containers had been effectively lost and could no longer be redelivered in the context of the original maritime adventure. Therefore, MSC could not, post repudiation/frustration, seek to maintain the contract and insist on a performance that was radically different from the bill of lading contract obligations, and in respect of which its only interest would be to “generate an unending stream of free income”. Further, MSC had a surplus stock

of containers in the region to cover any new bookings that the subject containers may have been used to satisfy. Accordingly, MSC’s remedy was to recover demurrage at the contract rate up to February 2012 and to recover as damages the value of the containers.

Impact The effect of this appeal decision now reinforces the message that container lines cannot be complacent in assuming they can simply ring up the demurrage tariff ‎indefinitely when containers are not collected and returned. There will come a point in time when continuing to affirm a bill of lading contract which has obviously been repudiated will be of no effect in terms of keeping the demurrage clock running. Conversely, shippers or NVOCCs faced with a claim will be advised, if it is clear containers have been abandoned and they have little effective control over the situation, to expressly terminate the bill of lading contract so as to oblige the Line at an early stage to mitigate its loss.

Further, whilst MSC was able to recover 6-7 months’ demurrage, it will always be a question of fact as to when delays are such as to amount to repudiation, and for what period a

Line can legitimately recover. However this will almost certainly be measured in months rather than years. Carriers may now need to look to other protective measures in their contracts, e.g. refundable container deposits, incentivised freight rebates for prompt return, increased daily demurrage rates, or simply to be smarter as to the customers they do business with.

Alternatively, there may be grudging acceptance of the commercial logic of the English Courts that in cases of unreturned containers, a carrier’s reasonable compensation should be in keeping with the value of the container, and its loss of profit (if any) for a finite period, rather than being a windfall opportunity. v Mike Burns is Partner in the Marine team at national law firm Weightmans LLP. Weightmans is a UK top 45 law firm with over 1400 people across ten locations in the country.

The firm prides itself on its full service offering, with a reputation as a leading national player in the insurance sector. The firm has a specialist marine team acting in commercial matters and disputes for clients and their insurers across the marine and shipping sector. www.weightmans.com

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Profiles There are thousands of ships sailing the oceans today, transporting every kind of cargo.

The global fleet is manned by over a million seafarers of virtually every nationality and the companies involved in this sector are among the most technologically sophisticated of any in the world.

The prominent and successful companies that are highlighted in the next pages of Shipping & Marine provide real world examples of how state-of-the-art technology, best practices and modern innovations are put into practice in the maritime sector.

DP World Antwerp Clean Marine Reederei NSB Fjord1 Northlink Ferries VT Group Stena Line Goodwood Ship Management Ambrey Risk Karmsund Havn Vyborg Shipyard Redcar Bulk Terminal Limited

Profile: DP

World Antwerp

Smart

connections www.shipping-and-marine.com - 17

Profile: DP

World Antwerp

A forward-thinking organisation that is keen to stay at the forefront of terminal operations, DP World Antwerp has been a pioneer of innovation and automated technologies since its inception

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A

leading enabler of global trade and an integral part of the supply chain, DP World boasts a portfolio of 77 operating marine and inland terminals, which are supported by more than 50 related businesses in 40 countries across six continents. With a significant presence in high-growth and mature markets, DP World strives to be essential to the future of global trade by ensuring all activities have a long-term positive impact on both economies and society as a whole.

Within DP World is DP World Antwerp, which operates from the Antwerp Gateway Terminal at the Deurganck Dock; this terminal is equipped with gantry cranes that boast an outreach of 23 containers as well as a number of automatic stacking cranes (ASC) and straddle carriers. The operator also has an off dock empty depot, where it provides services such as repairs, reefer repairs, storage, barge, rail and truck handling. Today

one of the leading stevedores in the Port of Antwerp, DP World Antwerp ensures superior productivity through a high level of service and optimal intermodal solutions.

“DP World Antwerp today has the second biggest terminal in Antwerp and the largest independent depot for repairs and storage. Alongside these operations, we have smaller inland depots along the Albert Canal and Rhine River in Germany; these sit in a separate division known as DP World Logistics Europe,” says Rob Harrison, Chief Executive Officer at DP World Antwerp.

He continues: “Our proposition is based on three key areas, nautical accessibility, productivity and access to inland markets.

When it comes to nautical accessibility issues, the Port of Antwerp responded to vessels becoming larger by deepening the Scheldt River in 2010; this has resulted in DP World Antwerp being able to service the largest of vessels afloat.”

No stranger to enhancing facilities to deliver

development follows Kalmar extending three of our previous generation STS cranes by six metres in 2015. There is currently a 75 million euro investment plan in place to ensure the terminal is ready for the big vessels.”

A forward-thinking organisation that is keen to stay at the forefront of terminal operations, DP World Antwerp has been a pioneer of innovation and automated technologies since its inception; a trend that continues to this day. “We are committed to seeking out new solutions and markets and are in fact in the process of looking at how to expand our products and services for customers; not just

Goeyvaerts R BVBA superior solutions and services, Rob explains that DP World Antwerp regularly invests in the accessibility of its terminal as well as the level of service provided to customers: “We have recently invested in having three of our ship to shore cranes heightened by seven metres by Kalmar, which has enabled us to service these larger vessels. This

Goeyvaerts R. are THE rental company for transhipment cranes, Gottwald cranes, shovels loaders, terminal tractors – tipping trucks and other specialised port machinery.

Focusing mainly on dock and other industries, we can provide an excellent service with our years of experience and our certified staff, who are all been trained within our company to operate our machinery. Our machines can be rented short and long term, with and without manpower.

In brief… the port is where we are at our best.

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Profile: DP

World Antwerp

TVH Equipment

TVH Equipment is a specialist in the sale of new and second-hand aerial work platforms, scissor lifts and lift trucks. In addition, all these machines can also be rented from TVH, for periods ranging from one day up to five years. Furthermore, TVH also takes care of maintenance and repairs: all workshops are fully equipped to repair machines perfectly and the field service takes care of any repairs or periodic maintenance at your location.

TVH Equipment is therefore an important supplier of aerial work platforms and lift trucks for various applications in port operators, such as DP World.

Colas Belgium

COLAS Belgium builds innovative solutions for harbour infrastructures. We have been working closely with DP World on maintaining their existing roads and platforms for several years.

In the beginning of 2017 COLAS Belgium will build the extension of the DP World container terminal in the port of Antwerp. A wasteland of 80,000 m² will be transformed, in a four months double shift period, into a complete ready-tooperate terminal.

A newly installed concrete plant and recycling unit, next to the DP World terminal will enable us to improve our services in the highly evolving Port of Antwerp.

COLAS congratulate DP World on the remarkable expansion of their activities and look forward to intensifying our partnership

for shipping lines but for the logistical chain as a whole. This would include providing more efficient trade flows, enhanced cargo management services and so on,” says Rob. One example of DP World Antwerp’s commitment to providing innovative, automated solutions that will enhance the efficiency of operations for customers is its participation in a broader initiative known as NxtPort, a data platform that will be administered by businesses in the port of Antwerp. The goal of NxtPort is to create a data platform where businesses can leverage business opportunities off this platform so smart initiatives can be created via app

developers. “The initiative will result in data being made available to developers so smart solutions such as ‘Track Your Box’ or a ‘Flexible Traffic Based Truck Appointment System offering dynamic slots’ could be put in place,” says Rob. Such developments are in line with DP World Antwerp’s focus on lean and efficient operations, as Rob continues: “We have adopted an element from the Toyota lean six sigma way of thinking, which is called the KANBAN system; so far this has helped us optimise the queuing of trucks on the terminal at any one time and increase land side productivity and capacity by 15 per cent.

“The KANBAN system is unique as it communicates with trucks via mobile phones, however we also have a big screen to call truckers through when we are ready.

During the development of this system we worked with the trucking community to ensure we delivered optimal solutions to our customer base.”

Already a renowned reliable supply chain partner, DP World Antwerp will continue with its improvement strategy over the coming years and remain at the forefront of innovative solutions for its customers in all three segments it operates in. “We have good rail, road and water access into the centre of Europe, which, from a commercial perspective, is the biggest market in the world,” says Rob. “When it comes to nautical accessibility, our focus over the short term is to increase our capacity by 40 per cent, or up to 2.8 million TEU, so we can service the big vessels as a terminal operator. This

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Profile: DP

World Antwerp

additional capacity is taking form in building three new ASC modules, which will give us an additional 350,000 TEU, expanding the terminal on the northern side to 150,000 TEU and adding more straddle carriers and cranes. We will also further heighten cranes and invest in inland depots to exploit the

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connectivity we have to markets in Germany, France and the Netherlands and thus get containers from these locations to Antwerp.

Complementing these developments will be the smart solutions we need to provide an enhanced, modern and efficient service to our customers,” he concludes.

DP World Antwerp www.dpworld.be • Part of one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world • Recently had three ship to shore cranes heightened • Investing €75 million to increase capacity to 2.8 million TEU

Profile: clean

marine

A new

horizon

Scrubber, cyclone view from below

3D illustration of Clean Marine EGCS

C

lean Marine was last featured in Shipping & Marine magazine in September 2014, and since then a great deal has changed within the market and for the company itself.

Despite the many challenges that those within the industry have faced due to the down turn in the maritime market, the company has remained positive and recorded a number of impressive achievements in its provision of marine exhaust scrubbers. Its continued success in a tough period demonstrates many of the core strengths of the business and its service, which no doubt means that it will have even greater prosperity in the years to come.

The heart of the business is its Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), which is a forward thinking development that allows its customers to reduce the running cost of their vessels. Due to this it has two key selling points, firstly it allows for companies to run at a lower cost and thus increasing profits.

Secondly, it assists in an environmentally cleaner vessel, which is becoming increasingly important with the addition of legislation that will make it a necessity.

There are well documented challenges that have faced the shipping industry in recent times, however Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Frode Helland-Evebø presented some of Clean Marine’s recent successes: “The company has delivered the three first newbuilding projects ever. These were completed without any delay of the vessels and were fully certified, demonstrating to the market that we could deliver our technology to the most demanding yards and owners.

The vessels that our scrubbers were installed on included two shuttle tankers, built at Samsung Heavy Industries, for the Singaporean owner AET. The two vessels, the most advanced DP shuttle tankers ever built, are on a ten-year TC for Statoil. The third vessel was a VLGC, built at Hyundai Heavy Industries, for the green owner Dorian LPG.”

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Profile: clean

marine

Scrubber, top section

The installations have been great successes, and Frode elaborated on this: “All vessels have been operating since Q1 2015, running on 3.5 per cent sulphur HFO cleaned down to 0.1 per cent sulphur through scrubbers, and helping the owners

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and charterers to reduce the operation costs significantly. Through these vessels, Clean Marine once again shows the market that our unique Hybrid Allstream is ideal for cargo vessels and tankers in particular. It offers great performance, simpler and more

flexible operation due to one fuel only (HFO), and short payback on the investments. In addition to these three deliveries we are now supplying our Hybrid Allstream scrubber technology to two chemical tankers for Stolt Tankers, built at Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding, and two MR tankers for BP, built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyards. The latter two vessels are to be delivered in 2016, while the first two will be in Q1 2017, and we have also secured contracts for two Reefers to be built in China.�

An important factor to this upsurge in demand is the impending introduction of even stricter sulphur regulations. In a major decision for both the environment and human health the International Marine Organization (IMO) has set the date for these restrictions to be in place by 2020 instead of 2025. It will implement a large reduction in sulphur levels in the fuel oil used by ships, going from a level of 3.5 per cent to a cap of 0.5 per cent. While many expected the change to come about, the shift in time period has left many in need of solutions much earlier.

This development will once again mean

Trade Technology Award by Riviera in 2014.

This recognised Clean Marine’s innovative approach to technology, which is helping to reshape and improve the economics of tanker operations.

In light of the many positives it has recorded in recent years, Clean Marine is a company that looks set to play a key role in the future of more efficient and less pollutant shipping. It will be a key ally for companies that want to ensure that their vessels are compliant with the latest sulphur regulations and harmonising rules, all the while helping to bring down running costs. Therefore, Clean Marine could not be better placed to take full advantages of these changes and to offer its industry leading expertise and products to customers that rapidly need it.

that the services of Clean Marine are indispensible to the industry, and its EGCS unique strengths called upon, which Frode went into detail about: “The patented Clean Marine EGCS is specifically designed to meet the needs of the maritime industry and offers proven Allstream exhaust gas handling; all exhaust sources on board can be served by one common EGCS unit, enabling a fast return on investment. Our EGCS is a seamless hybrid system that enables both open and closed loop modes of operation.

The Clean Marine solution is proven to connect all of the ship’s exhaust streams, including the boilers, to one single EGC unit without encountering an increase in back pressure to the combustion units. The system is specifically developed for seamless and easy operation in all ports and waters; sea, fresh or brackish, with an automatic alkali dosing system which is boosting cleaning efficiency and neutralisation of the acid created in the sulphur trapping process.

To put it simply; the Clean Marine Allstream Hybrid system makes it possible for vessels to trade globally with one fuel only – 3.5 per cent sulphur HFO, and this would reduce the yearly fuel bill significantly.”

The combination of all these factors, and the sheer quality and importance of Clean Marine’s services have resulted in several awards in the past two years. The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are prestigious awards that highlight the very best companies across a large number of sectors. It has the intention of picking out those that are transforming the way business is done and shaping the future of its industry. In the 2015 list by Deloitte Global Technology, Media and

Telecommunications (TMT) industry group, it placed Clean Marine eighth out of 500 for the fastest growing companies. It concluded that Clean Marine’s growth of 7260 per cent made it the top ranking Norwegian company.

The second was the Tanker Shipping and

Clean Marine www.cleanmarine.no • Successfully delivered first three newbuilding projects • Won Deloitte Technology award • Meeting existing and new emissions regulations with one fuel only strategy

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Profile: REEDEREI

NSB

Expansion in all

areas

F

ounded in 1982 by a management with strong knowledge in shipbuilding, NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (Reederei NSB), is a German quality ship manager with more than 30 years experience in managing container vessels, product, crude and gas tankers. Based in the metropolitan region of Hamburg, the internationally active ship manager boasts a fleet of 69 vessles under its management, including tankers, container ships and offshore installation vessels.

Keen to remain competitive in a challenging market, the company has focused on investment over the last five years, most notably in IT systems, quality management and the enhancement of processes; the training of teams for operations strengthened this strategic decision both ashore and onboard. Having proven to be a highly fruitful way of operating, the company invested further with a number of business expansions,

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such as the expansion into Shanghai in November 2014. This newly founded branch, named Asia Marine Shanghai, is the result of a joint venture between the Chinese Shanghai Nan Dou International Shipmanagement Co. Ltd. and Reederei NSB. Adhering to its motto of ‘local dedication with a global background’, Reederei NSB has further pushed for diversification on a global scale, as Tim Ponath, Chief Operating Officer at Reederei NSB comments: “During the last year’s crisis in the shipping industry we have pushed forward diversification into different sectors apart from ship management.

Since 2015 the corporate brand name, NSB GROUP, has been implemented for all NSB branches as Asia Marine in Shanghai, Busan, Manila and Colombo as well as NSB Marine Solutions, NSB Crewing Solutions, NSB Academy and Continental Chartering.

Apart from traditional ship management and newbuilding supervision services, the portfolio of the corporate group comprises crew

management, technical consulting, spare part, simulation & training centre, and commercial management services. The companies of the NSB GROUP can be found at ten locations spread all over the globe. They have a combined workforce of 240 shore staff and 1700 seafarers from 12 nations.”

One way the company remains competitive on a global scale is through a commitment to developing innovations that offer solutions to issues that are currently ongoing within the shipping industry. For example, in July 2015 the MSC Geneva entered service after the first ever ship widening; the first of three NSB ships to be converted under the widening project, which enhances the competitive edge of panamax container freighters while also increasing their operational efficiency and improving their carbon footprint. Depending on the ship type, the conversion adds up to four container rows to the vessel, which increases load-carrying capacity by approximately 30 per cent; other benefits include less ballast water

being required and improvements to energy efficiency as carbon emissions per tonne of cargo are significantly reduced. Achieving the IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), which will apply from 2025 onwards, the widening of ships offers a superior solution to shipowners seeking to make their ships fit for the future.

“So far we have realised three widenings, the MSC Geneva, MSC Carouge and MSC Lausanne; the former panamax vessels were widened in 2015, each over a period of three to four months. Widening means docking a vessel, cutting her into four parts, pulling apart each part, inserting pre-fabricated segments of 4200 tons of steel each and rejoining everything. This is how NSB converted a 4872-TEU vessel into one with a capacity of 6296 TEU. But a widening is also possible in the segment of 8000 to 11000 TEU vessels.”

The widening project was so succesful that the company won an innovation award at the European Marine Engineering Conference and Awards in Amsterdam.

In addition to this innovative milestone, the company has also developed a new technology that results in fuel savings of more than ten per cent, as Tim notes: “One outstanding project has been developed in our Engine Operation Department: Our Radical De-rating Concept we developed in co-operation with MAN and MMG. It is a retrofit method, applicable for large twostroke engines, type 12K98. Radical De-rating implements a permanent cut-out of six out of 12 cylinders as well as a turbocharger and propeller retrofit. We tested it successfully on one of our 7000 TEU vessels in a seatrial. Fuel savings of more than ten per cent have been proven during the trial – and of course the Radical De-rating results in less maintenance costs due to the reduced number of active cylinders and active turbochargers. Alongside these developments, our engine operation department is constantly developing various conversion and retrofitting projects; we have quite a range that we are currently working on.”

As one of the biggest ship managers in Germany and an internationally leading innovator, NSB Reederei is confident in its capabilities as a company able to offer tailormade solutions that meet each customers’ requirements at competitive rates. “With our diversification strategy that we have pushed forward during the last years, today pays off for instance in respect to crew management.

As you may know, we had a series of vessels to be flagged out during the last couple of months. That meant 28 vessels in total

that had to be crewed with senior officers.

Furthermore we took 12 vessels as 3rd party vessels into full management, which meant another 12 vessels to be manned with officers and ratings. Although operating the ships with more than 400 new crewmembers, we have been able to maintain our KPI on a high level.

This clearly shows that we have proven to act in a flexible and efficent way meeting our clients’ demands,” says Tim. Despite operating in a challenging market, through diversification, flexibility and innovation, Reederei NSB has carved out a name for itself on an international scale; with a solid reputation for delivering optimum solutions, Reederei NSB is certain to continue ruling the waves of ship management for many years to come.

Reederei NSB www.reederei-nsb.de

• Thirty years experience in ship management • Developed and implemented the patented widening concept • Developed a radical de-rating concept with MAN and MMG

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Profile: FJORD1

Leading the

way

T

he history of Fjord1 dates back to 1858, when Nordre Bergenhus Amts Dampskipe was established to provide boat services from Bergen to the county today known as Sogn og Fjordane. Another important year is 1920 when Møre Fylkes Ruteselskap, a government-owned organisation, was established to provide fjord-crossing services when local competition drove many of the private ferry firms into bankruptcy, Fjord1 has grown over the years to become Norway’s largest ferry company. At first the company simply offered a way for passengers to cross the fjord, however, by the 1950s and 1960s it had grown into a fully-fledged ferry company offering passenger, vehicle and cargo services.

Steady growth of both the population and economy in the area led to increasing business for the company until, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it started to branch into other transportation sectors. This was

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marked most significantly by the 2001 merger. The Fjord1 Nordvestlandske Group was established and its two ferry companies adopted new names: Fjord1 Fylkesbaatane and Fjord1 MRF. In 2012 the operation in the holding group was merged into one company, Fjord1 AS. Fjord1 has in later years concentrated on its core operational area, sea-based transport by ferries and passenger boats.

Today Fjord1 has 62 ships, making it one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector; servicing the rugged and numerous fjords in More og Romsdal and Sogn og Fjordane, as well as operations in Sor-Trondelag, Hordaland, Rogaland and Buskerud.

Additionally, the company has a 34 per cent ownership in the airline company Wideroe.

Fjord1 specialises in the operation of passenger and car ferries; crossing the fjords and connecting the islands to the mainlands, Fjord1 transported 10.0 million vehicles and 20.7 million passengers in 2015. In 2000 Fjord1 started operating the first LNG gas powered ferry in the world.

Today the company is operating 12 gas powered ferries, one of them converted to a battery hybrid. The company is committed to environmentally friendly operations. This

environmental focus has resulted in Fjord1’s name becoming synonymous with natural gas utilisation in ferry operations.

In more detail, the company’s 12 LNG ferries includes Bergensfjord, one of five LNG sister ferries to operate on the main coast road; sailing at 21 knots, the Bergensfjord has capacity for 589 passengers and 212 cars/22 trucks. The five sister gas ferries each have four Schottel thrusters, while three ferries are designed to operate at 21 knots, while the remaining two operate at 17 knots.

The 21 knots ferries have four Rolls-Royce gas engines, with a total output of 11,800 kw, while the 17 knots ferries have two RollsRoyce gas engines, which have a total output of 5000 kw; each ferry has two 125 m3 gas tanks installed.

Strengthening the company’s environmentally friendly and efficient fleet is Fjord1’s commitment to having competent and experienced crew on board. Indeed, by ensuring all crew, including apprentices, have a thorough understanding of the technical

properties of liquid and compressed gas, such as explosion limits, ignition sources, risk reduction and consequence reducing measures as well as rules and procedures that must be followed during normal operation and emergency situations, the company maintains a safe environment.

Moreover, all crew must understand the difference between an LNG-fuelled vessel and a diesel-fuelled vessel, security equipment, operational issues such as loading/unloading, passengers, collision and cargo as well as fire/explosions.

Despite its strong market presence, Fjord1 is not a company to rest on its laurels and had two new double-ended ferries delivered in 2016; these have capacity for 60 cars and 190 passengers each.

Following this investment, the company has ordered two newbuilds from Tersan; these vessels are battery-operated, fully electrical, boast zero emissions and have a capacity of 120 cars, 12 trailers and 349 passengers each. To further enhance

Tersan Shipyard Tersan Shipyard has become one of the leading shipyards in Turkey’s, as well as in Europe’s ship building market.

Tersan’s sustained success achieved by its experienced human resources, modern facilities, customer support and reliability, guided the company to gain unique and challenging big orders of complex ships.

Tersan provides turnkey solutions to its demanding customers with punctual delivery times. The tailor-made ships that Tersan has delivered or secured include sophisticated offshore vessels, freezer factory fishing vessels, battery ferries, duplex stainless steel chemical tankers, LNG driven cargo ships and many more that are one of a kind.

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Profile: FJORD1

capabilities on its double-ended battery ferries as they cross between Anda and Lote on the west coast of Norway, Fjord1 invested in Rolls Royce’s automatic crossing system in October 2016. The crossing system works by automatically controlling the vessel’s acceleration, deceleration, speed and track to enhance energy efficiency and safe transportation. Each vessel will have two Rolls-Royce azipull thrusters that respond to environmental conditions, which thus ensures optimal efficiency. Additionally Fjord1 will order two ferries with a capacity of 50 cars, mostly battery-operated, to cross between Brekstad and Valset in Sor-Trondelag.

Another sign that Fjord1 is taking a green approach to sea-based transportation is the delivery of the state-of-the-art passenger ship Vision of the Fjords in mid-2016. The ship is operated by The Fjords, a Fjord1 and Flåm AS joint venture specialised in

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operating tourist routes in some of the most iconic fjords in Norway. Fjord1’s technical staff played an important in the development and construction. Vision of the Fjords was awarded Ship of the Year 2016 at SMM in Hamburg.

Looking ahead, the company is certain to remain competitive in a challenging industry, having cemented its role as a ferry operator with the take over of seven ferry services in Hordaland in 2018 and 2020.

This development will not only result in the ferry fleet in the country being modernised but also opens up a unique initiative between rides and Fjord1 within the Emerald shift in the ferry industry.

From 1st January 2020, routes will include Sløvåg-Leirvåg, Fedje-Sævrøy, HalhjemVåge, Hatvik-Venjaneset and LangevågBuavåg. The ferries that operate these routes currently have an average age of 30 years, however, once Fjord1 takes over, the fleet will be renewed on all lines; this is due to requirements for ferry services to meet energy use and emissions regulations as well as Fjord1’s commitment towards a green approach in business operations.

Indeed, upon winning the tender, Fjord1 has worked continually on the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

FJORD1 www.fjord1.no • Norway’s largest ferry company • Two new ferries delivered 2016 • Provides essential public transport services

Profile: NorthLink

Ferries

Food for

thought S

ince taking over the operations of NorthLink Ferries in July 2012, which provides crucial ferry services from the Scottish mainland to Orkney and Shetland, Serco has worked towards its pledge to ‘overhaul catering, seating and onboard entertainment’ on NorthLink Ferries’ vessels.

An internationally renowned service company, Serco combines commercial expertise with strong public service values to successfully improve services by managing people, processes, technology and assets in a more effective manner. Awarded the six-year £243 million contract over four years ago, Serco has been working on behalf of the Scottish Government, local authorities and UK government, to deliver a number of improvements on NorthLink’s vessels. Among these enhancements, the company has made investments in a revamped catering service, including a new café bar and restaurant in 2013, as well as additional seating and the introduction of the first ever POD recliners on any ferry route.

Operating three passenger vessels on the Orkney & Shetland routes: the MV Hjatland, the MV Hrossey and MV Hamnavoe, the company also operates two freight vessels:

MV Hildasay and MV Helliar. Supporting its operations are the company’s offices in Stromness, Kirkwall, Lerwick and Aberdeen, as well as the ferry terminals at Hatston and Scrabster.

Not only providing a vital lifeline service to the Northern Isles for islanders and visitors alike, these vessels operate 363 days per year supplying industry sectors such as agriculture, aquaculture, construction, oil and gas and retail. In their last contract year NorthLink shipped over 470,000 lane metres of freight, the equivalent to nearly 35,000 articulated trailers as well as over 25,000 cattle and 130,000 sheep.

Proud to provide customers with local produce during sailings, Serco NorthLink Ferries retains close working relationships with food and drink suppliers to ensure high quality food is available in the bars, cafes and restaurants on each of its vessels.

Indeed, in line with the launch of its new bar, café and restaurant in 2013, the company launched a brand new menu for its restaurant, The Feast, complete with a number of eating and drinking options on board. Food for all passengers can be ordered from this new single ship’s menu, which has been likened to the kind of ‘gastro-pub’ fare on offer in

contemporary chain restaurants.

Options available to passengers include an all you can eat breakfast for £9.95, a continental breakfast for £6.95, breakfast light bite alternatives such as bacon softie or cereal and milk are also available. On-board families can also save money as two children (under 16) eat breakfast for free with every adult breakfast purchased. Customers can also take advantage to pre-order dinner and breakfast or three-course dinner, with a small supplement for those choosing the rib eye steak for each offer. To take advantage of the breakfast and dinner meal deal customers must book in advance. For those seeking to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, Serco NorthLink Ferries has ensured there is no need to rush off the ship in the morning, with passengers that aren’t driving able to stay onboard until 9:30 am.

The majority of the food is locally sourced from businesses in the area, with fresh Shetland salmon and a premium Orkney burger available from the lunch or dinner menu. Daily specials are produced using the expertise of the team of chefs who select only the best local ingredients available.

Starters available on the menu include soup of the day, made from fresh local produce

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Profile: NorthLink

with a crusty roll, Orkney haggis pakoras with yoghurt chilli dip and a locally sourced deepfried cheese with island chutney. Main courses include locally caught fillet of haddock in an island beer batter with lemon for those craving delicious fish and chips, Dark Island beef and vegetable pie topped with puff pastry, and Orkney pork and leek sausage casserole with potato mash. For those seeking high quality meat from the grill, not only is there the aforementioned premium Orkney gold steak, but also the Viking burger, an Orkney burger complete with fries, tomato relish and salad garnish; customers can add bacon or cheese to top off this superb dish. Baked jacket potatoes with a range of locally sourced fillings are also available.

For children, Serco NorthLink Ferries serves

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Ferries

a range of meals in a NorthLink Ferry boat with new potatoes or fries, juice and fruit or ice cream as part of its Kids Ferry Special.

Meanwhile, all bars serve a number of Orkney and Shetland Beers, such as Red Macgregor, Northern Light and White Wife in addition to the wide range of island draught beers, continental lagers, teas, coffees, wines and spirits that are also available.

Following these improvements, the

company was delighted to announce that all NorthLink Ferries passenger ferries have achieved for a second year running, the coveted ‘Taste our Best’ award. Each ship was inspected by the awarding body Visit Scotland for the use of local food and drink, the highest levels of vessel hygiene and the demonstration of excellent customer service.

In addition to improving the food menu and layout of bars, restaurants and cafes, several other changes have been carried out, including a £1 million makeover on all three passenger vessels the MV Hjatland, MV Hrossey and MV Hamnavoe. Beginning in 2013, this segment of the improvement programme included a new sleeping pod concept – a global first for ferry operators.

The seats recline back to allow passengers to lie and sleep without intruding on the space of the person behind. The fee charged includes a pack with a blanket, pillow and eye mask as well as a token for a free shower in the facilities next door exclusively for those purchasing a sleeping pod. This is a means of offering passengers a comfortable alternative to a cabin.

Another refurbishment is the creation of the Magnus’ Lounge, which is open to passengers with premium and executive cabin tickets or anyone who wishes to upgrade to this premium service. Inside the lounge are free newspapers, magazines, snacks and drinks, including tea and coffee. Passengers with Magnus’ Lounge entry arriving in Lerwick or Aberdeen also can enjoy a complimentary Continental breakfast. The ideal place for peace and quiet to work or unwind, the lounge also offers customers the choice to enjoy a table dinner service.

Further enhancements to passenger comfort and improved experience includes the introduction of an upgraded and customer-focused online booking system that has added features and increased userfriendliness. Customers are now able to book a number of services which were previously unavailable online, including meals, cots and kennels. The new system also recognises concessionary rates for senior citizens (aged 60 years and over), those in full-time UK education and disabled passengers. Once a booking is made, customers are then able to view forthcoming journey details and make amendments to bookings.

Other changes carried out involve the rebranding of both freighters and the three passenger vessels, which are now adorned with new livery – a striking logo of a Viking. Added to the vessels with the aim of exciting potential tourists about the

NorthLink Ferries www.northlinkferries.co.uk • Serco commence operating the service in 2012 • Upgraded passenger services within the first year of operation including improved catering, seating and onboard entertainment • Focused on supporting the Northern Isles and North East of Scotland by showcasing local produce onboard • 100 per cent of the Hotel Services Food and Drink procurement has, since July 2012, moved to businesses based within 50 miles of the NorthLink operating ports • Customer Service research now shows a 99 per cent satisfaction rating

Peterson history and culture for the Northern Isles, the huge Viking image is designed to make an impact so people choose the Northern Isles and NorthLink Ferries for their next holiday.

As Serco NorthLink continues to strive for a stress-free journey for customers, from the moment they make a reservation to when they step off the ship, it is certain that new

and existing customers will appreciate and enjoy the efforts made so far. Now more than two thirds through its six-year contract, Serco NorthLink Ferries will continue to listen to the needs of freight customers, including the critical livestock and seafood sectors to ensure their produce makes it way to the mainland and beyond.

International energy logistics specialist Peterson has a long standing relationship with Northlink Ferries having provided shore handling services in Aberdeen and Lerwick since the early 2000s. Peterson offers a comprehensive range of safe, reliable and value added logistics solutions to the energy industry globally from strategic locations. Established in 1920, the organisation has expanded throughout the UK and internationally including Malta, The Netherlands, Norway and Trinidad. Peterson employs 3750 people globally and is part of the Peterson Control Union Group operating in over 70 countries worldwide.

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Profile: VT

Group

Preparing for the

future

T

hrough innovative and reliable services VT Group delivers optimal support at bunkering and transport with highly educated staff and impeccable equipment. Thanks to its high standards, dedicated services and competitive prices, VT has built long-term relationships with all major petrochemical companies in the industry. It aims to be the partner of choice by bringing added value through innovative solutions and a pragmatic approach. The VT fleet consists of over 20 ships, ranging in size from 220 tons to almost 14,000 tonnes. The Vorstenbosch is the fleet’s largest ship and still the biggest inland tanker in the world.

Almost a century has passed since VT began, and the company has plans to celebrate and mark the occasion, as business development manager Hugo Sassen elaborated: “We had a new book made about the company – it’s called ‘VT in Full Steam’ – and this book will contain the entire history from 1916 onwards, and it will also be in Dutch for staff and English for customers. We have also organised a large festivity for our present personnel and those that have retired, plus all attendees are going to receive a copy of the book. This will also be mirrored by another event that is arranged for the customers of the company. In total then, the celebrations will span two days.”

Throughout the company’s long history it has been grounded in an understanding of the need to innovate and improve. This trait of VT is no less true today, and there are a number of recent developments,

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whether that be docklock magnetic mooring system, its fleet renewal by scale enlargement, or as Hugo discussed, its Mass Flow Meter System: “We are trying to convince the port authorities and industry to change to Mass Flow Metering. The best example is that Singapore is implementing this, from the 1st of January 2017, and we are in the process of convincing the Dutch authorities to do the same.”

Hugo discussed another area that VT is moving forward with: “What we are looking to do is to buy a ballast water treatment system from Damen Shipyard. Damen have the first ballast water treatment system that is certified, ready to enter the market, and we will install this onto one of our ships. And we would like to convince the port authorities so that we can provide ballast water bunkering in the port of Rotterdam and the port of Amsterdam. This would mean we can clean the ballast water of the ships that require that service when they enter the ports.”

VT is also working closely on new projects in a number of locations, and in regards to one of these Hugo said: “We have set up a joint venture between Ahlmark Lines and Erik Thun AB. The purpose of this project is to set up a barge transportation service in Sweden and the Baltic’s, because at the moment there is legislation that prevents the use of inland waterways for barge transportation.

Therefore, looking at this water rich area, there is huge potential. In part because you can also now sail on a large amount of Sweden’s waterways, which allows you to deliver a lot of products to potential customers in the region and decrease road transportation.”

VT is looking to continually modernise and improve its fleet for the future challenges and regulations that face the industry: “We are in a focus group to develop all of the new build fleet to be ECA compliant and they

will not necessarily be LNG dual fuel propelled, and instead we are exploring ways to find new and interesting business cases for diesel and electric hybrid, shifting our scope a little bit from LNG to electric, because barge transportation is not possible in 2020 with these restrictions from the European commission unless we prepare for it,” Hugo said.

The future of VT looks to be one where it will help bring about changes in the industry.

AKD

AKD’s Transport & Energy team congratulates VT with celebrating a century of high quality maritime logistics. We are proud to have worked with VT for over 20 years and look forward to contributing to VT’s future international success. AKD’s lawyers, civil-law notaries and tax lawyers deliver high quality legal services in nearly all legal fields. Outside the Benelux, AKD co-operate with an extensive network of reputable law firms. With this collaborative approach, we assist clients like VT in doing business around the globe.

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Profile: VT

Endress+Hauser

Endress+Hauser is a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services and solutions for industrial process engineering. The Group employs 13,000 personnel across the globe, generating net sales of 2.1 billion euros in 2015 with constant expansion into new territories and markets.

In a joint partnership, the VT Group and Endress+Hauser have qualified a newly developed bunker metering system that not only accurately measures aerated bunker deliveries, it also increases operational transparency by continuously monitoring bunker mass flow, density, pressure, temperature and aeration.

The certified Endress+Hauser bunker metering system has been deployed to the barges ‘MTS Vlake’ and ‘MTS Jaimy V’ with great success, avoiding quantity claims which could damage their reputation and expose the VT group the risk of costly legal disputes.

Hugo highlighted some of the areas the company would be looking at in the near future: “We are setting up in Sweden, while maintaining a strong business in Rotterdam, and continuously doing the work we are known for. As part of this it will mean keeping our position in minerals and chemicals, the latter is stable, and the former is competitive.

Lubricants are another area we are seeing

Group

an increase, but our focus will remain our wider mineral portfolio. This will also mean going on to new building so that we can ensure we are fully prepared to meet the latest ECA compliance – such as installing our barges with either dual fuel or hybrid engines. Furthermore, we will be maintaining our strong customer base in Rotterdam, while also focusing on international business development, as we see a lot of promise abroad.”

The industry is always changing, and with this comes new opportunities and requirements, and VT is a leading figure in the industry that can adapt and thrive with these changes. It believes in innovation and utilising new technology, as well as working closely with partners on new projects. It may be celebrating 100 years soon, but for all these reasons and more there is no reason to doubt there will be 100 more.

VT Group www.vtgroup.nl • 100 year anniversary • Mass Flow Metre installations • Joint venture in Sweden

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Profile: Stena

Line

Crossing the

horizon

W

ith a history dating back to 1962, Stena Line is a leading international transport and travel service company that specialises in transporting freight and passengers. As one of the largest ferry companies in the world Stena Line has a rich heritage and operates Europe’s most comprehensive route network, consisting of 22 strategically located ferry routes across Northern Europe, operating in Scandinavia, the Baltics, the North Sea and the Irish Sea with a fleet of 34 vessels. Stena Line is a registered ABTA member and is headquartered in the Swedish City of Gothenburg, from where the company employs approximately 5500 staff across Europe.

Every year over seven million passengers travel with Stena Line, while the company also transports 1.5 million cars and around two million freight units annually. With increasing demands on capacity through Richard Horswill

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its network, Stena Line is committed to a programme of continued investment to ensure that capacity matches the requirements of its passengers across both freight and sailings. Since previously appearing in Shipping & Marine magazine during December 2014, Stena Line has introduced new vessels to its fleet and further developed its network between the UK and Europe. “During December 2014 we had just acquired the Celtic link route, sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg. That route has since gone form strength-to-strength and we are delighted with the way that it has become an established part of the Stena Line network. During 2017 we also expect to see an increase in traffic travelling northbound between Rosslare to Cherbourg,” comments Stena Line’s Head of Freight for UK & Ireland, Richard Horswill. “We have managed to gradually increase the utilisation of the vessels sailing on the route, which is actually one of the few ways to reach the Continent from

Ireland via direct link without land bridging through Britain. With the UK decision to exit the EU, the route could become the ‘Brexit Bypass.’ Although it remains to be seen what the consequences of those decisions might be, there are a lot discussions concerning trade agreements. From our own talks with industry members, from a trade perspective there will be a preference to keep administration down to a minimum and to keep the borders open.”

During 2015 Stena Line introduced the Superfast X on its Holyhead-Dublin route, as a replacement for the Stena Nordica. “From a freight point of view the new vessel didn’t provide any extra capacity, but was acquired to further position the company in the travel side of the business,” Richard says. “The Superfast X is a fully refurbished ship with excellent facilities on board, particularly for drivers with a comprehensive freight lounge that has proven to be very popular. Again, the route has continued to grow in strength and we have enjoyed double-digit figures in terms of growth during the year.”

In recent months Stena Line has also announced that as of 31 October 2016, it will double the number of departures from Rotterdam Europoort to Killingholme in central England to six times a week.

The company will utilise the Ro-Ro ship Caroline Russ, which will provide a daily service together with its sister ship Stena Scotia. “We introduced the Stena Scotia

Further to developing its network of crossings and vessels, Stena Line also invests in its port facilities to ensure that its customers’ crossing is as smooth as possible

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Profile: Stena

Line

to the Rotterdam-Killingholme around 18 months ago with the vessel working a return schedule, which has meant that there has not been a daily schedule in each direction,” Richard explains. “With the new ship we will be able to run a daily schedule in both directions that will sail overnight, six days a week. It will increase the amount of volume going through Europoort along with our other route between Rotterdam and Harwich, which should make the freight harbour at Europoort an even more attractive destination for our customers.”

Further to developing its network of crossings and vessels, Stena Line also invests in its port facilities to ensure that its customers’ crossing is as smooth as possible from embarkation to crossing and disembarkation. Stena Line has been present within Belfast for over two decades, since beginning operations from the port in 1995. This year and next year, the company will invest over £12m in ongoing ship refit contracts with Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff as part of its Irish Sea fleet upgrade.

“During 2017 we will combine Victoria Terminals One and Two (VT1/2) creating one entrance and one exit, which will improve the traffic flow within the terminal, the layout in terms of drop-off and collection bays and hence operational efficiency for both Stena Line and our customers. The new entrance will reduce queuing times into the terminal and also improve safety as it will remove

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the need for any right had turns across main roads, as currently happens at our Westbank Road freight entrance. The new exit will also have an improved flow into the main Westbank Road with the majority of our customers exiting in the same direction as the traffic flow on the main road,” Richard reveals. The port has grown significantly during the years, which has necessitated an investment in improved traffic flow.

Over the coming years Stena Line will continue to focus on further refining its service in line with feedback from its clients in both freight and passenger markets, while ensuring healthy returns for the company’s shareholders. “During next 12 months will be focused on filling capacity on the new ships sailing the North Sea. We also have some Irish Sea routes where off-peak sailing times are experiencing severe demand

and one of the initiatives that we will be introducing on Cairnryan, will be to change 15:30 sailing times from either direction from an off-peak crossing to a peak sailing. This is really to help manage demand and to shift the load from off-peak sailings,” Richard concludes. “We need to support the business in terms of volume and probably rate increases. I think there will be rate increases in line with or slightly ahead of inflation to help support Stena’s recovery and its ability to sustain portability in the long run in what is increasingly proving to be an uncertain world.”

Stena Line www.stenaline.co.uk

• One of Europe’s largest freight route networks • Investment in both routes and fleet • Provides excellent facilities to freight drivers

Profile: Goodwood

Ship Management

Plain

sailing

Captain Ashok Sabnis, Managing Director of Goodwood Ship Management

A

n independent ship management company that offers a comprehensive range of high quality marine services, Goodwood Ship Management is driven to exceed the expectations of its customers in all areas of operation.

The company’s extensive range of ship management services includes technical management, crew management, commercial management and marine consultancy services (including new building supervision). Thanks to its wide ranging expertise, Goodwood Ship Management today manages a highly diversified fleet, consisting of VLCCs, Suezmaxes, Aframaxes, chemical / product tankers, LPG and container vessels.

Since previously appearing in Shipping & Marine magazine in October 2015, the company has enjoyed steady growth in a highly volatile and challenging market and has further enhanced its operations

with strategic investments. Captain Ashok Sabnis, Managing Director of Goodwood Ship Management, comments on recent developments: “Over the last 12 months we have added seven vessels, bringing the number of vessels managed by Goodwood up to 42 and close to ten million deadweight tonnes. This number makes Goodwood the biggest third-party manager of VLCCs in the industry. The latest successful deliveries by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are the two DHT newbuild vessels; both DHT Puma and DHT Panther were delivered in August 2016, these vessels are part of a series of six VLCC newbuilds to be delivered to the company.

The 290,900 deadweight tonne double hull vessels are designed to the latest technical specifications and are accredited with environmental notations; they are also fitted with fuel-efficient electronic main engines.”

Looking at the company’s success story, Captain Sabnis continues: “Goodwood

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Profile: Goodwood

Ship Management

today is a reputable professional tanker manager with our managed vessels on long-term charter to oil majors; our vessels also qualify under the USCG’s Qualship 21 programme, which is designed to reward high quality operators of vessels. Over the years our vessels have managed to maintain an impressive record with the oil majors, port state authorities, USCG and all other relevant maritime authorities. “Starting out with a team of ten, we now have 48 employees in the Singapore office today as well as 14 in Mumbai and the Philippines. At sea, Goodwood employs 1400 seafarers; as of this year, retention rates for officers are more than 88 per cent and 84 per cent for crew. Our seafarers are our biggest asset and our emphasis is on developing our pool of seafarers to their fullest potential through continuous education, upgrading and welfare. As such, we have invested heavily in our training facility in Mumbai and will continue to do so with further additional training

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equipment and courses in the near future.

This investment is in line with our strategy of recognising crew training as an important aspect of the self-renewal process of maintaining respective ranks in the fleet.”

Indeed, the recent upgrading of the company’s training facilities ensure seafarers are being trained on the latest technology, which in turn results in customers being provided with optimum services. The training facilities include the MAN B&W ME electronic engine simulator, FURUNO NavSkills simulator, which will provide training in FURUNO ECDIS FMD -3100/3200/3300 and a Transas full mission bridge simulator that is being upgraded to its latest version, NTPRO 5000 version 5.35. “We are fully committed to providing the best training available to seafarers through training courses at our own facilitiles as well as external sources; training is considered an investment into our seafarers than an expense on the company,” confirms Captain Sabnis. “The MAN B&W ME electronic engine simulator has been installed and commissioned at Goodwood’s office in Mumbai; the first training course was conducted for a period of five days from the 14th March 2016 to the 18th March 2016.”

The benefit of providing ultra-modern training to employees is that the training is carried out efficiently, reliably and costeffectively while providing real-life operating scenarios onboard ships. Because the simulator can create malfunctions repeatedly, trainees gain hands-on experience in plant operation management, risk management, team management, communications and troubleshooting in a safe, supportive and cutting edge environment.

In addition to these investments, Captain Sabnis also notes that the company has also relocated to a new office, which offers a seating capacity of 28: “This new office will aim at creating and training a professional team of positive, energetic and ambitious people in the years to come. Goodwood will remain committed to offering our employees the best possible training and professional development to help them succeed in their career paths on board and ashore; this is the main reason behind the huge investment in our new office and training facility in Mumbai.”

The key strategy behind these investments in both staff and facilities is the

company’s goal to continue delivering safe, efficient, high quality, eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions to shipowners that have entrusted Goodwood with their tonnage. Known for its commitment to quality, the company is certain to continue expanding its core business of tanker management over the coming years in a way that ensures prudent growth in a challenging market.

“Our vision is to keep building upon our track record, with a view to further enhance our reputation in the tanker market and also be a role model in the industry,” Captain Sabnis concludes.

Goodwood Ship Management www.goodwoodship.com • Biggest third-party managers of VLCCs in the industry • Relocated to a new office • Recently invested in training facilities and vessels

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Profile: Ambrey

Risk

Security at

S

ince its inception in 2010, Ambrey has established itself as the world’s largest operator in the maritime security and anti-piracy sector. As a provider of a comprehensive range of services for ships and offshore assets in high-risk environments such as East Africa and West Africa, the company has grown rapidly since its first offshore project in Kenya and Tanzania in the first quarter of 2011. Key to this growth was the company’s strategic decision to expand overseas in 2013 in line with the globalisation of the armed guard business, with new headquarters being set up in Dubai alongside offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea.

Alongside these developments, the company spent a lot of time understanding the market to ensure it was agile enough to make fast changes and give the client what they want when they require it. Analysis of the market in 2012 forecasted rapid consolidation and so the business focused on a rapid expansion of the volume of armed guards it provides. With this volume came efficiencies in costs and the improvements in standards and

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sea

responsiveness to clients that were essential in a highly competitive sector.

Seeking out other ways to remain competitive, Ambrey sought to take a leading role in writing the City and Guilds Maritime Security Operator 8269 course, as John Thompson, Senior Advisor of Ambrey, discussed with Shipping & Marine in March 2015: “We recognised that international training certifications were essential for the longevity of our business and have sought to

move discussion on armed guard standards away from that of nationality and more on to military experience and internationally accredited civilian training standards.”

Having enjoyed a record month in July 2015 supporting 214 ships with security teams, the independent, privately owned company has remained strong in an intensely competitive sector. Indeed, where there were previously 200 private security firms, there are now around 60 as many businesses have gone out of business or merged with others. As part of Ambrey’s volume and standards strategy it recently acquired two of its competitors, Drum Cussac’s maritime transits security division and Control Risk’s maritime security business. The integration of these highly respected businesses enabled Ambrey to strengthen its customer base and services, as John comments: “This acquisition helped us to operate at scale so we could deliver a service to the price and level of quality that our customers want. These acquisitions were part of a plan we had in place to grow the business operationally as well as in terms of our customer base. We have completely integrated the clients we brought

across from both acquisitions and have integrated the operational equipment and personnel that we acquired in that deal.”

Following these acquisitions, Ambrey established new operations following a drop in activity in Somalia and a rise in piracy attacks in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea.

John discusses these developments: “The number of anti piracy measures in Somalia was reduced in size by Ambrey’s customers because ships travelling through Asia and the Gulf were no longer going through the high risk area. This led to further consolidation in the market and Ambrey diversifying into a very different anti piracy market in West Africa.

“These operations in West Africa began in March 2016 and have been progressing well. We have brought our reputation for standards and cost effective but reliable services to a market that has not delivered this consistently before. As a result the business has grown rapidly. The number of piracy attacks off Nigeria have been significantly higher in 2016 than in previous years; in response to this we have been providing security escort vessels and local national armed guards from the Nigerian Navy, either on security patrol vessels or on board client ships, with the goal of countering the piracy threat,” he adds.

“It is a different operating environment to the Indian Ocean, which has established operating standards, compliance standards and ISO standards around the service as well as a clear firearms licensing regime. In West Africa, the countries have complex rules on what you can and can’t do with armed security but these are fluid and so as a business you need to be prepared for constant change. As we rely on the services of local naval personnel the level of training and standards is highly varied, the regulatory environment is looser and standards can differ markedly.”

While the Gulf of Guinea remains a challenging area with a high piracy threat, Ambrey will focus on growing its reputation in this new area as a company that believes in setting and maintaining the highest of standards. “We want to make sure people are aware of what we can do and that we are open for business,” concludes John.

Ambrey Risk www.ambreyrisk.com • A leader in the field of maritime security services • Led market consolidation through acquisitions in 2014 and 2015 • Strategic expansion into West Africa

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Profile: Karmsund

Havn

On the high

seas

Killingøy

F

rom its advantageous location strategically situated in southwestern Norway, Karmsund represents a vital transport link for the North Sea. Karmsund Sea-traffic Harbour is an inter-municipal organisation charged with many different activities related to port operations and the development of sea-based enterprise. The port is also home to some of Norway’s offshore energy and subsea industries and accommodates leading industry players such as Technip, Statoil PRS, Saga Subsea and DeepOcean on site.

Karmsund previously appeared in Shipping & Marine during December 2015 and has since continued to work with its clients and users to further develop the company’s facilities. As a strategic transport link to the North Sea, the port’s long-standing relationships with its clients are a vital component in allowing Karmsund to invest in the facilities and services that best serve its users. “We have recently completed a big new hall for the Deep Ocean Group on our Killingøy sub sea base, this is a combined maintenance and office building with a total footprint of around 1200 m2. The hall is directly

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linked to the quays at Killingøy and we are now preparing approximately 7500 m2 of new outdoor storage area on the base, which we expect to have ready by 1st November 2016,” explains Assistant Port Director and Deputy CEO, Leiv Sverre Leknes. “The Statoil Pipeline Repair System (PRS) is a very important partner at Killingøy, while clients such as Deep Ocean, Technip Norge AS, Olufsen Ship & Offshore, Saga Subsea are all important partners in further developing the base to a world leading subsea technology base. The weaker offshore market has also led to a need for layup areas and we are fortunate enough to have some of the best areas for this in our area. This has also driven an investment to extend the port’s capacity for shore power and we have now applied to Enova, where we hope to achieve partial funding to introduce even more power at our terminals.”

In addition to its comprehensive Subsea activities, Karmsund also serves the cargo sector at its Husøy public port for dry cargo commodities, which is now a key destination for all of the container feeders that operate along the West Coast of Norway. These include operators such as NorthSea Container

Line AS (NCL); Samskip, which has recently bought the European Container Line AS (ECL); and Maersk. These companies all also serve the major ports on the Continent, ranging from Hamburg to Bremerhaven and Rotterdam.

“In addition to this we also have several SeaCargo callings that arrive several times a week. SeaCargo is the major Ro-Ro/sideport port operator in our area, serving the UK and the Continent. In all, we have the best liner service available on the West Coast of Norway, all calling the same terminal,” Leiv says. “At Husøy we have significant development plans that are about to be finalised and we see a fantastic development here within all commodities. The utilisation of the terminal has been much better than even the biggest optimist could hope for.”

Husøy port has enjoyed impressive growth since 2015 by expanding its volumes by 15-20 per cent, while the opening of the bulk terminal has also lead to an increase in the bulk products handled by the facility. “The investment in the new bulk terminal was valued at close to 90 million NOK. The new facility is around 12,000 m2 and divided into 20 similar cells. The capacity of the facility is circa 30,000

Husøy’s masterplan for expansion

tonnes, depending on the kind of commodity that is being transported,” Leiv elaborates.

“The initiative was taken by a local terminal operator who saw the possibility to establish a bulk terminal, which was influenced by the fact that BioMar, a world leading fish food producer, has a major facility at Husøy. BioMar decided to extend its production capacity here and will complete its extension project creating a total capacity of around 340,000 tonnes in Q1 2017. The quay in connection with the bulk terminal is designed to accommodate handy size bulkers. With the growing demand for bulk storage, we expect to further extend the terminal within a few years.”

In addition to the current growth of Husøy, a second round of investment in the expansion of the terminal’s faculties will follow the completed development of the port. This will be comprised of an investment of some 300 million NOK, which will provide around 220,000 m2 in both quay and storage space, as well as ground for new businesses.

“Following this development the total port area will be approximately 310,000 m2 with two Ro-Ro ramps and four quays totalling 850 metres. With this new port area, it is our

intention to build a ‘future port’ based on a lean, clean and green philosophy,” Leiv says.

“This will include sufficient electrical power to operate cranes, forklifts and so on, while the same will be offered to the vessels with battery packages and inductive charging. In addition, we plan to implement a LNG filling station, gas oil fillings and hopefully also make

hydrogen and bio fuel available within the port to create a full energy cluster.”

Further to its subsea and cargo operations, Karmsund is also increasingly active within the cruise market. Although the port is a relatively new player in this sector, Karmsund is making steady headway in this area and expects cruise operations to continue to

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Profile: Karmsund

Havn

“Our main focus during the next 12 months is to undertake a proper planning of the new terminal at Husøy as well as get a good start with developing the new areas, including the port’s cruise operations.

“Our port is situated between Stavanger and Bergen. Presently there is one ferry to Stavanger and one ferry to Bergen, but direct roads are now being built between the cities, and a ‘ferry free’ road to Stavanger will be ready in 2024. This will mean that the trucking time to Stavanger from our port will be about 50 minutes. The ferry free connection to Bergen will follow some years later and will lead to a trucking time of around one and a half hours compared to three hours today.

This is the reason for our investments into the port, we believe that our location and its surrounding infrastructure makes it an ideal resource for our clients.”

Karmsund Havn grow in line with the port’s other interests.

“Karmsund Havn started with cruise calls four years ago and the development of this service has progressed very well. We have already

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booked 35 calls for 2016 with a total of 64,000 passengers, while in 2014 and 2015 we had between 15 and 18 calls each year with around 30,000 passengers,” Leiv concludes.

www.karmsund-havn.no • Historic south-west Norwegian port • Naturally sheltered area • Continuous expansion of facilities

Profile: Vyborg

Shipyard

Breaking the

ice

E

stablished in 1948, Vyborg Shipyard PSJC (VSY) has used its six decades of experience in shipbuilding to become one of the leading shipyards in Russia. Having built more than 200 different vessels with deadweight up to 12,000 tonnes and a total displacement of more than 1,550,000 tonnes, VSY has a solid reputation in the market, particularly in the icebreaker field. Employing more than 1500 people, the shipyard delivers high quality vessels thanks to specialists that are certified by leading international classification societies such as Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, Germanischer Lloyd, Bureau Veritas, RINA and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.

Since previously being featured in Shipping & Marine magazine in February 2016, VSY has continued to enjoy a successful year; currently involved in the engineering and construction of a port icebreaker for FSUE Atomflot, the shipyard has also gained a series of contracts for the construction of fishing trawlers with Arkhangelsk Trawl Fleet in March 2016.

“According to the contracts Vyborg Shipyard will build ATF four medium-size trawlers project ST 116 XL in a turnkey manner. The vessels

will be reinforced to Ice3 class. The planned catch capacity of each trawler is up to 100 tonnes of fish per day and also the vessels are supposed to be fitted out with combined holds of 375 m3 for seafood,” explains Alexander Solovyev, General Director at Vyborg Shipyard PSJC. “Meanwhile, in September 2016 a keellaying ceremony was held for a port icebreaker under the Yamal LNG project for FSUE Atomflot. The port icebreaker, ten MW with an innovative propulsion system, will be built at Vyborg Shipyard for operations in the port of Sabetta. According to the contract the shipyard is responsible for engineering and construction of the vessel and the delivery is scheduled for November 2018. The vessel is intended for escorting LNG carriers through approach channel and in the water area of the Sabetta port on the Yamal peninsula.

The vessel is 84.3 m in length, 21.3 m in

breadth and has a draught of 6.5 m; taking into account transported cargo at maximum draught, the deadweight is no less than 2000 tonnes, the ice breaking capability is 1.5 m,” he adds.

The distinctive feature of this vessel is its innovative propulsion complex, which consists of four thrusters with a capacity of 2.5 MW each. These thrusters are located in pairs on the bow and stern to provide optimum operations in ice conditions as well as superior maneuverability and performance of special operations in the water area surrounding Sabetta Port.

In addition to these projects, the shipyard is also completing the last in a series of

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Profile: Vyborg

Shipyard

icebreakers that were ordered by the Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport. The diesel-powered icebreakers have a rated power of 18 MW; the icebreakers have ice-breaking capacity of 1.5 m thickness

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and is intended for independent ice escorting of heavy tonnage vessels, towage, fire fighting on floaters and other activities; these include salvage and assistance to distressed vessels and transportation of cargo. “The first ship, Vladivostok, was handed over to the customer in October 2015. Two months later in December a ceremony was held at Vyborg Shipyard, which included signing the delivery and acceptance protocol of the icebreaker Murmansk project 21900 M. The third serial icebreaker, Novorossiysk, will be handed over to the customer at the end of the 2016. As of today, these vessels are the most powerful diesel vessels in the world,� highlights Alexander.

Also in April 2015 VSY signed contracts for two 22MW multi-purpose diesel-powered icebreaking support vessels by the order of Gazprom Neft Novy Port LLC, the Novy Port field being one of the largest oil & gas condensate deposits under development in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO). These icebreaking support vessels will be operated on the Arctic terminal of the Novoportovskoye (Novy Port) oilfield, located in the west of the Gulf of Ob on the Yamal Peninsula. The main purpose of the vessels will be to provide escort for tankers in ice conditions, assistance with mooring and loading operations, rescue, towing, firefighting and oil-spill response operations. The vessels will provide icebreaking capability up to two metres and considerable manoeuvrability at a rather small draught, and are designed to be operated all year round at temperatures of up to -50 degrees Celsius.

The keel-laying ceremonies of vessels took part at the end of 2015. Lead ship Alexander

Sannikov will be launched at the end of November 2016.

Elaborating on the reasons behind VSY’s success in the icebreaker segment, Alexander notes: “At present we specialise only in civil shipbuilding and have become one of the leaders in the construction of these vessels in Russia. Nowadays most domestic shipyards are focused on the construction of military vessels, despite the fact that the market for civil vessels has significant potential, primarily in connection with developments in the Arctic.

It is in the construction of ice-class vessels that we have the greatest competence. On top of this, our maintenance of competitive prices, together with high quality and reasonable construction terms, has ensured we continue to be successful.”

In fact, VSY, a corporate member of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, was recognised as the leader of civil shipbuilding from the tonnage of vessels handed over in Russia in 2015. “The work of the shipyard was viewed in high esteem, based on the research conducted by the agency Infoline Analytics,” states Alexander.

Having cemented its reputation for expertise in the field of icebreaker vessels and civil shipbuilding, VSY is certain to remain in demand in a market that offers strong opportunities for growth. “Certainly, the highly qualified and dedicated personnel of VSY has played a vital role in ensuring the company’s growth; there is a culture among the shipyard’s

staff of finding efficient, innovative and customer-orientated solutions that enable the shipyard to provide an exceptionally professional service. Moving forward, we will focus on successfully completing our current projects, receiving new orders and extending our capabilities. Looking further ahead, our long-term objective is to modernise the shipyard in order to maintain our market

position and increase competitiveness. The whole VSY team is working hard on these goals every day,” Alexander concludes.

Vyborg Shipyard http://vyborgshipyard.ru/en/ • Leading shipyard in Russia • Built more than 200 vessels since its inception • Has signed a series of contracts for icebreakers

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Profile: Redcar

Bulk Terminal Limited

up

Bulking

S

ituated in the port of Redcar, on the south bank of the River Tees, Port owner and operator Redcar Bulk Terminal Limited was established in 2011 to operate and manage the Redcar Ore Terminal. Features of the port’s terminal include a 320 metre long quay that can accommodate vessels up to 17 metres draft, which is fitted with two ship unloaders that can operate on grab or hook for bulk or conventional cargoes respectively. These rail mounted gantry cranes have a travelling length of 300 metres and in bulk mode can work in unison to achieve offloading

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rates in excess of 40,000 tonnes per day.

Conveyors transfer these bulk materials, once discharged, into a large open bulk storage area before they are stock piled with stacker re-claimers. Immediately adjacent to the quay is the terminal, this area covers 320 acres and provides storage capacity for both bulk and conventional cargoes.

HMRC approved for the storage of un-cleared goods, the terminal benefits from direct rail access to the Network Rail network, as well as road links to both the A19 and A1. Equipped to handle rail wagons with separate load and offload bulk-handling

facilities, Redcar Bulk Terminal carries out the loading of rail wagons via overhead hoppers that are directly fed by conveyors. Off-loading of rail wagons, meanwhile, is achieved by bottom discharge into an underground hopper and conveyor system; this is linked directly to stockyards, which thus enables the quick handling of rail traffic both to and from the terminal.

Previously handling up to 12 million tonnes of bulk raw material used by the adjacent Redcar steelworks together with steam coal imports for the power generators, the company had to restructure operations following the closure of the Steel Works in October 2015.

Faced with the challenge of replacing the lost raw material imports that were associated with steel making with new and alternative cargoes as well as customers to supplement its existing business, the company has been successful in attracting new clients and

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Profile: Redcar

Bulk Terminal Limited

products. Today the ISO 9001 and 14001 approved company is involved in the import of petroleum coke, granulated slag, and aggregates, as well as export cargoes of metallurgical coke and furnace ready scrap.

“Following the closure of the steel works in October 2015, Redcar Bulk Terminal carried out a major restructuring exercise that significantly reduces costs and introduced more flexible working practices. We also embarked upon a re-training programme for the workforce in order to meet the needs of new customers and also ensure we can address the increased number of new products being handled. The current markets that we are focusing on attracting include bulk material imports and exports such as aggregates, pet coke, coal, coke and scrap. However, bulk cargoes are not the sole focus for us; given the availability of land, a great deal of interest is coming from the offshore wind and North Sea oil & gas sector, as well as biomass and waste derived fuels,” says Garry O’Malley, General Manager at Redcar Bulk Terminal Limited.

Alongside attracting new customers, Garry notes that Redcar Bulk Terminal has been focused on a project that it is undertaking with West Cumbria Mining: “Redcar Bulk Terminal has been working closely with West Cumbria Mining and has been identified as the port facility through which coking coal produced by the new mine will be exported, not only to European ports, but to the rest of the world. Redcar, with its deep water, large storage capacity and existing rail handling facilities makes it the ideal port for the WCM project. Coal from the mine will be transported by rail directly into Redcar,

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where rail wagons will be offloaded through the utilisation of existing excellent rail handling facilities before it is stockpiled, pending shipment, over the wharf.

“In addition to this project, we have also recently signed an agreement with Denham Metals to handle scrap exports to Europe and continue to handle pet coke imports for M&G Fuels, a long-standing customer of Redcar. We also handle granulated slag and aggregate for a variety of customers and regularly handle metallurgical coke exports for Hatfield Energy.”

With its deep-water berth, on-site rail handling facilities and immense size when it comes to the port estate, the future looks positive for Redcar Bulk Terminal as it seeks to diversify operations and expand into markets such as the oil and gas industry. “We are also well located to serve the offshore wind industry and meet the full criteria that is laid down in the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s strategic review of UK East coast ports for staging and construction,” comments Garry.

“Over the next 12 months Redcar Bulk Terminal will focus on establishing itself as a hub for offshore wind and position itself as a key player in the regeneration of Teesside following the closure of Redcar Steelworks.

We will also continue to work closely with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority to attract new business and industries into the area with the goal of creating more jobs and securing opportunities associated with offshore wind, the North Sea oil & gas sector and the growing energy from waste industries,” he concludes.

Redcar Bulk Terminal Limited www.redcarbulkterminal.co.uk • Port owner and operator • Direct rail access to the National Rail network • Excellent bulk handling facilities • Restructuring company with added focus on renewables, offshore wind and oil & gas

Shipping &MARINE

The magazine for maritime management

www.shipping-and-marine.com

Editor: Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales director: Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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