ClassNK has announced the release of its new Noise and Vibration Guideline for measuring and evaluating noise and vibration levels on vessels, in response to growing demand for new standards onboard to aid seafarer health and wellbeing.

The guideline provides detailed requirements for the measurement and evaluation of noise/vibrations in crew accommodation and machinery rooms and sets fresh notations for ships in compliance with the new requirements.  In addition to concerns over the impact of noise/vibrations on seafarer wellbeing, awareness of the detrimental effect vibration can have on the safety and reliability of ship machinery has been an important factor in the process of creating the new guideline.

Toshiyuki Shigemi, ClassNK Development Department General Manager, said: “This new guideline incorporates the results of the latest research on noise and vibration onboard ships, along with the latest developments in international rules and regulations. We believe this guideline will be an important tool for owners, operators, and shipbuilders in their efforts to more accurately measure and more rationally evaluate the noise and vibration on these vessels.” 

The guideline is divided into two parts. Part A covers noise and vibration measurement criteria for accommodation spaces in accordance with IMO Resolution A.468 (XII), ISO 2923:1996 and ISO 6954:2000. Part B covers vibration measurement criteria for rotating machinery and reciprocating machinery in line with ISO 10816.

In its efforts to identify compliance with the new requirements, ClassNK has established new notations for ‘Noise and Vibration Comfort’ (NVC) and ‘Mechanical Vibration Awareness’ (MVA) which will be affixed to the ship classification characters of vessels complying with Part A and Part B respectively.

Noboru Ueda, ClassNK Chairman and President, explained how the new requirement will benefit the industry: “Beyond just playing an important role in improving the work environment of seafarers, excess noise and vibration can affect not only reliability but also the safety of the ship. By releasing these guidelines today, we hope to make a proactive contribution to the development of a new generation of better and safer vessels and support industry efforts towards safer shipping.”

Alongside the release of this new guideline, ClassNK is finalising amendments to related requirements in its class rules, and plans to begin offering the new notations to vessels beginning this autumn.

In yet another major milestone for the Panama Canal Expansion Programme, permanent concrete work for the new sets of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific sides has started, marking one of the most important phases of the construction. 

Last March, the contractor, Grupo Unidos por el Canal S.A. (GUPCSA), in charge of this project, started pouring lean concrete at both lock sites to level the surface in preparation for the permanent concrete work. In July, GUPCSA poured structural marine concrete to shape the floor of the upper chamber in Gatun, on the Atlantic side. The concrete was poured into specialised industrial formwork that included a significant amount of rebar (steel bars or rods used to reinforce concrete), to ultimately shape the 100 cubic metre blocks that make up the lock floor.

The concrete mix, designed to guarantee a minimum service life of 100 years of operation to the waterway, was transported to the site using agitator trucks lined with insulating material to ensure a maximum temperature of 12 degrees centigrade at the moment of the pouring. Fifteen of these truckloads are required to pour each one of the blocks.

On the Pacific side, concrete pouring activities also began with the construction of the pit for the first of three lock crossunders or tunnels. Through these crossunders, trays and pipes will carry communication and electricity wires, drinking water pipelines and other components needed to operate the lock complex.

V.Group, parent company of the world’s largest ship manager V.Ships, has announced a successful $520 million buy-out deal with its senior management and Canadian Institutional investor OMERS Private Equity.

OMERS has confirmed it will support the continued growth of V.Group as a provider of shipmanagement and marine services, including offshore services, and will replace Exponent Private Equity as V.Group’s financial partner.

Clive Richardson, Chief Executive of V.Group will continue to lead the management team. Commenting on the transaction, he stated: “I look forward to partnering with OMERS Private Equity in continuing to build a market-leading company delivering outstanding service and value to our customers. V.Group has a tremendous future and the management team is excited to be working with our new partners in the next chapter of growth in our business.”

Mark Redman, Senior Managing Director of OMERS Private Equity in Europe commented: “V.Group has an attractive and differentiated outsourcing-based business model and is led by an exceptional management team. We believe V.Group’s extensive global network, track record of profitable growth, compelling customer value proposition and breadth of services provides significant long-term potential. As a global leader operating in robust and growing segments of the market, we believe the future opportunities for V.Group are extremely attractive.”

Financing for the transaction was provided by RBC Capital Markets. V.Group was advised by Lazard, with further transaction support provided by Allen & Overy, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and BCG. Kinmont and Travers Smith advised V.Group’s management.

After only six months of operation, One Maritime, the unique online ship supply portal, now delivers its revolutionary new online platform into more than 120 countries worldwide. Since its start-up this January, growth has shattered all targets, with ship operators and suppliers demanding to take advantage of the considerable benefits to be gained from the system.      

 “We are delighted that the maritime industry has welcomed One Maritime so warmly – a day doesn’t go by without a serious business enquiry,” Torben Brammer, Co-Founder and CEO of One Maritime said. “In this business one size doesn’t fit all – to be successful you need to be flexible, and make the catalogue work around the products it contains. This meant investing in a long development process and that has been a key part of the reason for our success.

“This flexibility means our team can work with any customer or supplier, accommodating different product views and incorporating additional features. Our customers value the unrivalled cost and efficiency benefits we deliver throughout our relationship with them, and we in turn are committed to building upon our success and providing them with constant product improvements. “

To achieve such widespread industry acceptance in only six months is a remarkable achievement.  By using IT to bring together many areas of ship management and supply through one, flexible, continuously updating system, the One Maritime IT platform provides ship owners, ship managers, ship superintendents and their crews a single solution for on-line purchasing, supply, information, procurement and communications with the added benefit of channelling information back to the supplier. 

“The challenge is to be good at explaining such a complex product to customers who may not need to take advantage of everything it offers,” added Torben. “With so much data available from such a mix of data sources – catalogues and products, services, ports and communications, in addition to vessel tracking information – we have built-in a tailored filtering system to ensure that One Maritime provides individual customers with only the information they need. This results in significant efficiency and time saving benefits.”

One Maritime provides access online or by CD to the shipping industry’s premier ship stores catalogues and many others besides, to secure the best quality and most efficiently-costed provisions, bonded stores, pantry and deck and engine stores worldwide.

Accidents in enclosed spaces are frequent, often fatal – but crucially, also avoidable. 

Videotel Marine International have joined forces with Mines Rescue Marine to launch a brand new training series, Entry into Enclosed Spaces.  The programme delivers a hard hitting message to both ship board and shore based personnel that will ensure that when working in enclosed spaces the correct equipment is used and good safety procedures become second nature.

“There is no excuse for the unacceptable casualties we have seen recently,” said Stephen Bond, Deputy Chairman, Videotel. “Again and again we hear of seafarers coming to grief in enclosed spaces. These incidents could have been avoided by an understanding of the dangers of entering enclosed spaces and the critical importance of following proper procedures. We are convinced that the Entry into Enclosed Spaces Training Series will help save lives.”

“We are delighted to have been able to work with Mines Rescue Marine to create this programme. For over 100 years, their Mines Rescue Service has developed its specialist skills, experience and knowledge gained from working in a difficult and potentially dangerous environment to effect the rescue and escape of mineworkers from underground. This experience has proven invaluable in helping to construct the training programme, ensuring it is both realistic and practical.”

With comprehensive written material including case studies and student exercises, the package consists of 6 programmes covering awareness; preparation and procedures; equipment; enclosed spaces entry; emergency procedures and rescue; and the correct use of breathing apparatus. It is available in a range of formats – interactive CD-ROM, through Videotel on Demand (VOD) and VHS/DVD with supporting booklets.

Braemar (Incorporating The Salvage Association) is poised to expand its marine surveying and consultancy services following its recent buy-out by Braemar Shipping Services plc. The company is looking forward to taking advantage of the wider group’s extensive global office network to broaden its existing international expert marine surveying and consultancy service.

The Association, which boasts a maritime history of more than 150 years, plans to expand its world renowned specialist maritime services through its close association with complementary businesses in the Braemar Group, while maintaining its market-leading range of marine surveying and technical consultancy operations.

Nigel Clark, Managing Director of Braemar (incorporating The Salvage Association), said: “The Salvage Association is the standard bearer for the provision of damage survey reports and we are rightly proud of this. While this work remains our core business, we also provide a broad range of other technical and in-depth expert services to the maritime industry and we are excited to have this opportunity to expand our capabilities even further.

“We plan to continue the great work of the Salvage Association as well as growing our marine consultancy businesses and the backing of Braemar’s extensive network of global offices will enable us to further extend its worldwide services,” he said, highlighting India and South America as key areas for expansion.

Braemar (incorporating The Salvage Association) is proud to employ highly qualified and experienced marine surveyors, some of whom have been with The Salvage Association for more than 25 years. All have the expert level of capability that The Salvage Association has always required. In addition, the company boasts marine consultants able to offer a broad range of expert services to insurers, P&I Clubs, shipowners, ship charterers and marine lawyers.

Bureau Veritas has slashed the reporting time for a Condition Assessment Programme (CAP) report from three months to one, and at the same time improved accessibility and usability of the report.

The move, which should reduce costs for tanker owners, has been made possible by the international classification society renewing reporting software used by the surveyor and by the Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement (UTM) service provider. At the same time it has revised the report to make it deliverable by web to the client and, if required, the clients of the client such as charterers or banks.

Vincent Lefebvre, Head of CAP Section, said: “CAP used to be something forced on tanker owners by charterers. Not anymore. Today it is a useful risk assessment tool for every form of offshore structure and vessel. We are seeing increased demand as owners realise they can get a really good picture of their asset in a very reasonable time.”

He added: “The oil majors allow three months for the CAP report production, which is the norm in this area, so our new system has dramatically shortened the time between survey and being able to use the data. Even tanker owners who were reluctant to use CAP change their view when they get such a useful report so quickly.”

The CAP software works alongside the UTM software and reduces the time needed by the surveyor to assess the findings from days to hours. During the survey period the reporting tool also allows for a provisional report on items needing repair or upgrade to be provided to the client for their repair specification needs.

The deepening of the Western Scheldt has made the port of Antwerp easily accessible not only to Ultra Large Container Ships of over 10,000teu but also to capesize vessels, as demonstrated by yesterday’s arrival of the MG Courage with an enormous cargo of steam coal for the German market. The vessel entered the port with maximum draught, bound for Antwerp Bulk Terminal (SEA-invest) in the Delwaide dock.

The huge carrier cane directly from Richards Bay in South Africa, from where it left on 23 June with a cargo of 176,487 tonnes of steam coal. A small part of this was unloaded at the anchorage in Everingen near Teurneuzen, where floating cranes transferred 17,274 tonnes of coal to barges for onward transport to the hinterland. The remaining 159,213 tonnes is being unloaded in Antwerp, also destined for German power stations.

The arrival of the MG Courage is partly the result of the efforts by the ‘Dry Bulk’ workgroup last year as part of the Total Plan for the port of Antwerp. This was a joint initiative by the various players in the port, aimed at further boosting the position of Antwerp as a port for large-scale coal handling and conventional breakbulk. The intention is to bring several such large carriers to our port annually.

The MG Courage, built in the Saijo shipyard (Japan) in 2007, is owned by the NYK line and sails under the Panamanian flag. It has a maximum cargo capacity is 206,254 tonnes.

Bahamian shipowners Campbell Shipping has signed an order with Tsuji Heavy Industries (Jiangsu) in Changjiagang, Jiang Su for two 37,500 dwt double-hull log fitted bulk carriers, with an option for two more.

These ships, which will be classed by ABS and fly the Bahamas flag, will have a length overall of 179.9 metres with a 30.4 m beam, a scantling draft of 10.2 m and a service speed of 13.9 knots. Their prime movers will be MAN B&W 5S50ME-9.2 Tier II diesels.

The vessels are being built to the “Seatransporter” series design developed by Nassau-based Algoship Designers, with basic, classification and production designs produced by Smart Engineering and Design Solutions. (SEDS), an engineering firm with offices in Nassau, Bahamas and Kochi, India. Both companies are affiliates of the GTR Campbell Marine Consultants (GTRC), which will be providing project management services in the shipyard – the unique ‘dream to delivery’ business model of turnkey shipbuilding that GTRC introduced to the maritime world almost 50 years ago.

ABS and ALGOSHIP closely cooperated during the design development of the Seatransporter design including detailed full ship FEM analysis.
“We consider this an excellent fuel efficient futuristic design, complying with most up-to-date rules and regulations and meeting anticipated commercial requirements,” said Lowell Mortimer, Chairman and CEO of Campbell Shipping. “The vessels represent what the maritime industry has come to expect from GTRC: a good ship at a fair price for both buyer and seller, built to high quality standards and delivered on time.” We currently operate several ships designed by Algoship including the Trader type 30,000 DWT handysize bulk carriers designed by Algoship and built by Tsuji.

Inefficiencies in moving the world’s food from farm to fork is often to blame for food shortages and low prices for growers, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute.

State of the World 2011: Nourishing the Planet states it is not just low yield and poor farming techniques that can leave shortages – links in the food chain including storage, transportation and marketing, are just as vital to ensure food actually reaches consumers.

The findings came from a two-year evaluation of environmentally sustainable agricultural innovations to alleviate hunger and poverty. Researchers from the Worldwatch Institute, an independent energy, resource and environmental research organisation based in Washington DC, travelled to 25 countries sub-Saharan Africa to meet with 350 farmers groups, NGOs, government agencies and scientists.

“Many of the farms and organisations we visited in Africa seemed to have the most success reducing hunger and poverty through efforts that had little to do with producing more crops,” said Danielle Nierenberg, Director of the Nourishing the Planet team.

And with the United Nations projecting a global population of more than nine billion by 2050, increasing food chain efficiency will become even more essential, said Robert Engelman, Executive Director of Worldwatch.

“When groups of small farmers better organise their means of production – whether ordering the right inputs at the right time or selling their crops directly to customers – they become more resilient to fluctuations in global food prices while also better serving local communities.”

Nourishing the Planet recommends three ways that agriculture is helping to address gaps in the current food supply chain – coordinating farmers, increasing market transparency and using low-cost technology to boost efficiency.