Marine Materials News

VETUS said its proprietary polymer blend, NAVIDURIN, has been awarded Lloyd’s Register Certification.Incorporated in multiple VETUS products around the engine, NAVIDURIN is optimized for use in marine systems and, according to the manufacturer, offers many benefits spanning the recreational, commercial, and military sectors.According to VETUS, NAVIDURIN features a combination of additives to deliver a unique set of properties, including exceptional durability, a higher resistance to extreme heat and pressure…

A significant number of existing and newbuild vessels are operating systems and machinery containing asbestos despite regulations introduced 10 years prohibiting the use of the hazardous substance on board, according to maritime testing facility Maritec.Maritec, which carried out asbestos surveys for IMO compliance between 2011 and 2020, said more than 55% of in-service vessels and 50% of all newbuilds were found to contain asbestos materials.John Rendi, General Manager, Environmental Services…

In its latest analysis of the marine coatings sector, UK-headquartered market analyst Frost & Sullivan’s has shown that increased development and adoption of more environmentally sustainable and durable antifouling coatings using higher priced chemistries is a fast-growing trend in the marine sector. In addition, Frost & Sullivan’s report, ‘Global Marine Coatings Market, Forecast to 2025’, says that the Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the market owing to its large…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretariat is attending the latest in a series of conferences to develop a legally binding international instrument, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction - known as 'BBNJ'.According to the UN body, the 3rd Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) is being held at UN Headquarters in New York, United States (19-30 August). The current Conference session is the third in a series, with the fourth (final session) set to take place in the first half of 2020.The current conference session is discussing the draft treaty text.

Under the Marine Environment Protection of the South-East Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) project, a first national training course in Hai Phong, Viet Nam (3-7 June) is dealing with legal implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) and Anti-Fouling Systems (AFS) conventions.MEPSEAS project is run by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It  is supporting Viet Nam in its work to apply two IMO treaties aimed at protecting the marine environment.Participants are key personnel involved in developing national policies and drafting national regulation. They are being trained on developing the legal, policy and institutional framework…

Despite difficult markets Wrist Ship Supply was able to grow its business during 2018 and to consolidate its position as the world’s largest supplier of provisions and stores to ships and offshore locations, claimed the ship and offshore supplier of provisions and stores.Most shipping segments saw pressure on earnings, and the recovery in the oil and gas markets was limited during 2018. The customers’ demand for lower operating costs by strict budget control and shift towards lower priced goods continued.“As a trusted partner, we side with our customers in their pursuit of profitability, even more so in the present tough market conditions.

The Korean Register (KR) of Shipping has entered into an agreement with the  dry bulk shipping company Oldendorff Carriers and GSR Services for the development and certification of Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) for Oldendorff's fleet for meeting tight EU - deadlines.The classification society reminded in a press release that from the end of 2020 onwards, the EU-Ship Recycling Regulation requires that all EU-visiting or EU-flagged ships have a certified IHM on board. With 30,000 to 40,000 ships being affected, IHM-Expert resources are expected to become scarce in the near future.Michael Suhr, Technical and Commercial Director…

The supplier of protective coatings to the decorative, protective, marine, container and yacht markets Hempel officially opened its new Centre of Excellence in Barcelona yesterday (29 November 2018).The coatings manufacturer said in a press note that the centre’s focus will be on the research and de-velopment of coating products within the field of passive fire protection in which Hempel is determined to gain market share during the next few years."State-of-the-art research and development conducted by experts using the latest technology – this is what Hempel is now opening the doors to as the Centre of Excellence is inaugurated," said the statement.Hempel is committed to increase its range of passive fire protection (PFP) coatings…

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group held an auction of left-over surplus materials as part of its commitment to sustainability.Stock manager Martijn van Tilborg explains, “Auctioning left over shipbuilding materials might not be the most obvious step towards greater sustainability, but it actually plays a significant role – what we are doing, effectively, is recycling. As well as the important environmental benefits, this is a great opportunity for our clients, for example, to stock up on spare parts in a cost-effective manner.”He explains that previous drives towards more ecological performance has led Damen to take great care to optimise usage of materials ordered for the shipbuilding process.

Canada-based Corvus Energy has announced that its fully automated factory in Norway and semi-automated factory in Canada will increase production capacity eight-fold.The manufacturer of energy storage solutions for marine, oil and gas, and port applications revealed the plans for a new fully automated factory for maritime batteries in Bergen, Norway in a press release."We are proud to announce that contracts for the factory location and the production equipment were finalized and signed this week. The new factory will be located at Midtun in Bergen, about a mile south of the city center," the release said.The supplier chosen for the production equipment is Intek Engineering AS of Raufoss…

Color Line and Ulstein Verft marked the construction start-up on the world's largest plug-in hybrid ship, the 'Color Hybrid'. The hull is placed in the dock hall, and several hundred yard workers are now busy with the ship’s completion before hand-over next summer.'Color Hybrid' is a good example of the interaction in the maritime cluster, said Ulstein Verft. Color Line chose Ulstein Verft for this newbuilding project. Furthermore, the yard has contracted the subsuppliers to this project, of which about 70 per cent are local.A contract placed on a Norwegian shipyard generates ripple effecs in the cluster. About 100 of the suppliers to the 'Color Hybrid' project are Norwegian…

APM Terminals Poti, Georgia,  has commissioned a new, state-of-the-art, revolving spreader to load copper concentrate into bulk vessels. The spreaders are designed to improve efficiency and minimise the impact on the environment during bulk cargo loading operations.In traditional operations, product is loaded from a pile on the ground into the holds of the vessel. During this process product is lost due to the wind blowing and rain washing it away. Even with careful sweeping it is difficult to collect everything after it has been lying on the ground. This not only has financial implications but also a severe impact on the environment as most of the product ends up in the ocean.In a closed warehouse the copper concentrate is loaded in reinforced open top containers covered by a tarpaulin…

U.S. shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Tuesday that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $197 million modification to a previously awarded contract from General Dynamics Electric Boat to provide long-lead-time material and advance construction activities for the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine.The advance procurement funds will be used to purchase major components and commodity material and to begin advance construction on Columbia (SSBN 826). Newport News is a major subcontractor for the construction of the new class of ballistic-missile submarines, which are being designed…

Damen Shipyards will hold its first Fishing Seminar in Cape Town, South Africa on 22 November in recognition of this important industry. To be held at Damen Shipyards Cape Town, the event brings together leading companies, the government and other stakeholders.Damen is aiming to create a platform whereby the industry can come together with the government and exchange information about the latest developments in the sector and the new technologies and innovative ideas driving the growth of a sustainable fishing industry. Other major topics to be addressed include the progress of the fleet renewal programme and available financing vehicles for the industry.Representatives from the Department of Trade & Industry and Department of Agriculture…

ABS released new guidance and software to assist chemical tanker owners, operators and shipyards: the ABS Guide for Materials and Welding for Stainless Steels and ABS CHEM software.The ABS Guide for Materials and Welding for Stainless Steels provides minimum requirements for properties, manufacturing processes and fabrication techniques applicable to common types of stainless steels used in the marine and offshore industries. This new guidance is particularly relevant to construction…

The U.S. Navy has awarded Austal an undefinitized contract action (UCA), valued at $57.8 million, to fund the acquisition of long lead-time material (LLTM) and production engineering associated with the construction of a 103-meter Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) to be designated EPF 13.Austal was awarded the initial contract to design and build the first 103-meter EPF in November 2008. Since then, nine Spearhead-class EPFs have been delivered and are serving as an affordable solution to fulfilling the Military Sealift Command’s requirements worldwide.

San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) has been awarded a $136.8 million undefinitized contract for the procurement of long lead time material, preproduction and engineering support for the Expeditionary Sea Base 6.This action allows the procurement of ship sets of the purchase specifications supporting integrated propulsion, main diesel generator engines, propeller and shafting, integrated bridge electronics, centrifugal pumps, fuel and lube oil purifiers and steering gear components.NASSCO delivered the fourth expeditionary sea base vessel…

The increasing use of aluminum structures in shipbuilding is based on requirements for lower weight, reduced fuel consumption and higher speeds. Ships and vessels constructed of aluminum are also likely to ensure lower costs for lifecycle maintenance and ownership.Transit specialist Roxtec has extended its range of plastic pipe seals to meet the demand for high quality light-weight aluminum solutions in the marine and offshore sector. The Roxtec Sleev-it penetration seals are now available not only in steel, but also with an aluminum flange – for use in aluminum decks and bulkheads.

Damen Marine Components Netherlands (DMC NL) has laid the first foundations for its new premises in Hardinxveld, the Netherlands. Construction of new buildings reflect growth potential following company merger. With capacity for approximately 80 people, the new buildings will be used for both offices and production purposes. With construction of the new buildings beginning as the first foundation pile was driven into the ground on the site of DMC former head office, the company’s motivations to build new premises were twofold. The first reason was to provide one working space for the greater number of personnel resulting from the merger of DMC and Van der Velden Marine Systems (VDVMS) earlier this year.

The decommissioned USS Doyle (FFG-39) has concluded her final voyage from Philadelphia to New Orleans, where she will now be disassembled and recycled after 28 years of service in the U.S. Navy.The retired 4,050-ton Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate will be dismantled by Southern Recycling, part of EMR. Work to recycle the 453-foot-long and 47-foot-wide vessel will take approximately six months to complete.The decommissioned USS Doyle, also nicknamed the Valiant Mariner, was the 30th vessel to be constructed in her class and received her namesake from Vice Admiral James Henry Doyle…

Viega, manufacturer of mechanically attached pipe fittings (MAFs) for the maritime industry, recently obtained a type approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and an acceptance letter from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for its Viega MegaPress Stainless and MegaPress CuNi piping systems. These join  Viega’s previously approved MegaPress and MegaPressG systems for use with carbon steel and galvanized pipe, providing a full line of materials—carbon steel, galvanized, stainless and copper nickel.With the new approvals…

DNV GL has launched a new standard that allows operators to choose thermoplastic composite pipes (TCP) instead of steel or traditional flexibles, enabling substantial cost reductions throughout the project lifecycle.After the successful and wide adaptation of the recommended practice (RP) DNVGL-RP-F119 by the industry for qualification of TCP for various applications from dynamic to static applications since its publication in 2015, the RP has now been converted to an official DNV GL standard DNVGL-ST-F119.

NYK has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toyokoh Inc. to examine a joint business development utilizing Toyokoh’s "CoolLaser" technology in the maritime field.NYK aims to reduce the maintenance workload of crew on deck, in addition to dry-dock costs for repairs, and will discuss development of a business to provide a more efficient and environment-friendly maintenance method using Toyokoh’s epoch-making laser technology.Steel used on a ship’s deck is always susceptible to rust due to the harsh outdoor ocean environment that can lead to corrosion arising from severe salinity, temperatures, humidity, and ultraviolet rays, all exacerbated by scratches resulting from wear from cargo loading…