It’s Good News Monday!
This Monday we talk about:
New Ship Will Play Key Role in America’s Offshore Wind Ambitions
Cable-lay vessel Nexans Aurora delivered
Weary Seafarers Come Ashore in U.S. for J&J One-Dose Shots
Subsea 3D Printing Tech Targeted for 2022
Sail power from an unexpected source
Underwater inspection drones: every ship should have one
“An illustration of the Dominion Energy WTIV currently under construction. Illustration courtesy Dominion Energy”. Image from gCaptain.
Dominion’s new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), Charybdis is expected to be ready by late 2023. The $500 million vessel will be Jones Act compliant and chartered to work on two east coast offshore wind farms for Ørsted and Eversource. The vessel will also work for Dominion as they build their own 180 turbine offshore wind farm off Virginia Beach. It is being built in Brownsville, Texas.
“The cable-laying equipment for Aurora was designed by MAATS Tech in the UK, including the vessel’s carousel”. Image from Riviera.
Norwegian Ulstein Verft has delivered the new cable lay vessel Nexans Aurora to Nexans. The vessel will hold and install subsea cables and other related tasks. The vessel has DP3 dynamic positioning for the ability to install cable in severe weather conditions while keeping crew safe. “In addition to power cables for export lines for offshore wind and deepwater interconnector projects, it will be capable of carrying and deploying fibre optic cables, repairing and jointing cables and will operate a seabed trenching machine.” The vessel has an interesting concentric carousel-in-a-carousel concept that allows for two different cables to be stored at the same time or one long length up to 10,000 tons.
"ITF Inspector Barbara Shipley and some vaccinated crew from BW Canola in Newport News, Virginia. Photo: ITF Global”. Image from gCaptain.
United States ports are getting vaccines to seafarers on every coast. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides the opportunity to get people in and out quickly without the need for a follow-up shot. Almost 50 sea ports are participating. Many seafarers have been stuck on their vessels for much longer than anticipated due to fears of bringing COVID ashore and needing to quarantine. More good news: “a container ship calling on ports along the U.S. East Coast recently rewarded its fully vaccinated crew with something they haven’t had since the pandemic began: shore leave.”
Credit: Kongsberg Ferrotech. Image from Offshore Engineer.
“Norwegian robotics company Kongsberg Ferrotech has joined forces with Equinor, SINTEF, and Gassco to develop 3D printing technologies for subsea equipment repair and maintenance.” The new system will use metallic media to repair structures one layer at a time for a permanent repair. Deepwater testing on composite repair has already been completed with commercial operations coming in Q3 2021. 3D printing should be possible by 2022. This could be a solution where production does not have to be shut down, there is no waste into the ocean, and the underwater robot can go right to the damage rather than bringing the damage out of the water.
“Illustration of WISAMO inflatable sails on cargo ship – bow is to the left* (source: Michelin)”. Image from Riviera.
There’s a new sail power from Michelin Research & Development and two Swiss inventors: Wing Sail Mobility, or WISAMO. It’s an inflatable wing design for merchant ships or pleasure craft that can be retrofitted to existing vessels. Ship efficiency can be improved up to 20% with this system, and the mast is telescoping so it can be lowered for harbors and bridges. The first system should be installed in 2022.
“The Blueye drone provides high-quality images for underwater inspection reports (source: Blueye)”. Image from Riviera.
This next generation inspection drone from Blueye will have the ability to be operated from a smartphone with a little training. It can eliminate the need for a diver to inspect leaks or intakes of vessels. The vertical shape keeps the drone stable under water even with currents and waves. The app can stream live footage as well as generate reports in Word and PDF formats.
Smile, it’s Good News Monday! :-)