NEWS
Becker said it was now “looking forward to
auspicious success because of the huge interest [in] the Mewis Duct from the shipowner side.”
Systems BMT leads electric
ship study BMT Defence Services Limited, a subsidiary of BMT Group, is heading a consortium of 30 companies to investigate the commercially effective applica- tion of electric ship technology in a €23 million European Union funded project. The Power Optimised Ship for Environment with
Electric Innovative Designs ON board (Pose2idon) project will see BMT Defence Services co-ordinate the activity of the consortium, which includes Converteam Technology Limited, DCNS, DNV, SAM, Sirehna, GICAN, EMEC and BALance. The project will aim to enhance the electric
ship concept so that it can be applied to a wider range of vessels than is currently the case. The Pose2idon consortium is focusing on achieving size reduction through the development of new technologies across all aspects of marine electri- cal engineering. A key element of this will be the application of state of the art High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) technology, provided by Converteam Technology that will allow for smaller principal electrical components and an increase in efficiency.
Propulsion Not so smooth
lubricants The shipping industry could be sailing into another lubricants shortage – this one potentially more serious than the supply crunch of four years ago, writes Neville Smith. Most of the supply problems during 2004/2005
were related to shortages in additive manufacture, caused by damage to plants in Singapore and New Orleans. While causing prices to rise as availability tightened, the pinch was temporary. Now, industry analysts are warning of structural
changes to the lubricants base oil business which will have a longer-term impact. The base mineral oils used in most conventional
lubricants – including marine engine oils – are based on so-called Group I base oils, which have been the predominating standard for decades. In many non-marine applications, these base oils are being replaced by Group II and III products,
10
which give better performance, prompting the closure of older Group I refineries. But some of the particular grades of base oil
needed for marine engine oils, particularly bright- stock, cannot be produced on Group II or III refineries prompting concern about availability. By one estimate, about 8000 barrels per day of
brightstock has been taken out of the market in the last decade as Group I plants closed, despite demand continuing to rise. It is believed that some of the major marine
engine oil manufacturers are undertaking the process of reformulating their products in order to minimise these problems, but that this project could take five years to complete.
CAD/CAM GL’s new
Friendship Maritime consulting and software companies Friendship Consulting GmbH and Friend- ship Systems GmbH are now members of the Germanischer Lloyd Group. The acquisition expands GL’s advisory services for shipping companies, yards and the maritime supply industry. It will be able to offer its maritime and industrial customers a range of additional software programs to optimise the design process. GL said that, due to the great complexity of relevant systems, mathematic models are playing a key role in developing designs that would achieve lower fuel consumption. Friendship Systems, centred in Potsdam,
supports computer aided engineering (CAE) for ship hulls, propellers, turbines, pumps and other units.
Shipbuilding STX looks forward
STX Europe has said that the first half of 2009 will see it focusing on developing concept ideas for future vessels, as its newbuilding orderbook dries up. In January, the group announced plans for 1060 redundancies at its Turku yard, Finland. In the short term STX Europe says that 2009/10
will be a time of high activity for its yards, but its immediate focus will also include working with shipbuilders and owners on future ship concepts that are more environmentally efficient, to better meet regulations that start to come in to effect this year, and also to look at improving ergonomics on future ships. Te designs will then be presented as options to buyers when the market starts to pick up.
The Naval Architect February 2009
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