MLC was established in 2006, and mandates ship owners to bear the expense of shore- based medical care for seafarers who need hospitalisation or medical care while overseas on a ship.
It also covers timely payment of wages and repatriation to seafarers and their families in case of death and ailment at work.
The convention applies to everyone working on a ship, and also requires that all crew members have some form of health and safety training.
Maritime NZ director Keith Manch said: “New Zealand has always ensured its labour laws are up to scratch with the latest legislation from around the globe, but seafarers will benefit from the improved safety and living standards introduced by the convention. “The advantage for New Zealand in ratifying the convention is we can inspect foreign flagged ships from any country to make sure they meet MLC standards.
“For the owners of New Zealand ships affected by the convention this is not a significant change because NZ law largely covers the requirements. For New Zealand vessels, the Health and Safety at Work Act introduced in 2015 also covers key parts of the convention’s requirements.”
New Zealand will join a list of 81 countries that have adopted the convention once implementation is complete.
VEKA Group set to build the world’s first hybrid trimaran for transporting personnel offshore
VEKA GROUP SET TO BUILD THE WORLD’S FIRST HYBRID TRIMARAN WORKBOAT
Workers on drilling rigs and offshore wind farms can hopefully look forward to a more pleasant commute to work with considerably lower risk of seasickness thanks to a special, innovative ship built by VEKA Group. VEKA will be building two trimarans intended specifically for transporting personnel and freight to offshore wind farms. These are the first hybrid trimarans in the world. Transporting offshore personnel takes place mainly by catamaran. These will be VEKA’s first trimarans.
Most of the innovations are intended to make the so-called workboat more stable and more comfortable, thereby reducing the risk of seasickness. For example, the ships have lower windows than is customary, so that the passengers have a better view. The third bow is designed to ensure additional stability and comfort. There are also innovative stabilisers built into the hull.
“You do see these on those enormous passenger ships like the ones that go to England, but they’re not customary on catamarans. That’s what makes it special”,
says project manager Robin Sijbrands. “These stabilisers allow the passengers to arrive at the offshore windfarm as comfortably as possible.”
In addition, the 33m-long trimaran has an innovative driveline. The ships will have five water jets installed. Furthermore, according to Sijbrands, considerable extra attention was paid to safety. “Three of these jets are run directly by diesels engines. However, the outer two water jets are driven by permanent magnetic generators. So if one system fails, the ship can just continue to sail.”
There are also batteries on board as an extra backup, which are charged by the generator. These batteries can run the outer jets. This combination of diesel and electricity makes it the first hybrid trimaran in the world. Says Sijbrands, “The ship can sail for approximately an hour on the batteries. So in the very rare case that everything fails, it can always get away from offshore windfarm safely or sail into harbour. This is for even more safety.”
The two vessels will be capable of transporting 20 tons of
freight on the foredeck. Inside, there is space for 24 passengers in comfortable business class seats. There are six cabins on board for the ship’s crew, along with a mess room, changing locker and space for the crew. This allows the ships to be deployed 24 hours per day.
The trimarans are being built for the Danish shipping company World Marine Offshore. The vessels will be used for work at offshore windfarm in Europe. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.
About VEKA Group VEKA Group is a distinctive Dutch shipbuilder that has become an international player in the maritime industry over the period of its 25 years of existence. Today they operate in diversified nautical markets and deliver a wide range of specialised vessels. At their shipyards in the Netherlands and abroad they have experience in building high quality vessels.
VEKA Group set to build the world’s first hybrid trimaran workboat The Report • March 2017 • Issue 79 | 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
