Bluestone Group’s Post

Austal and Gotlandsbolaget of Sweden have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a construction contract for the ‘Gotland Horizon X’ catamaran concept, first announced in April 2023.   ‘Gotland Horizon X’ is a high-speed aluminium catamaran that will utilise gas turbines in a combined cycle to transport up to 1,450 passengers, cargo and vehicles between the Swedish mainland and the island of Gotland.   Under the terms of the MOU and proposed construction contract, the high-speed catamaran will be designed by Austal and constructed at the Austal Philippines shipyard.   “Gotland Horizon X is an incredibly exciting project that is going to redefine commercial ferry capabilities, with a multi-fuel and hydrogen capable combined cycle powerplant and a class-leading, efficient hull design; leading the transition to decarbonisation of commercial ferries.” Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg #ferry #gotland #hydrogen #zeroemissions

'Years in the making: reimagining crewboats for the energy transition' - read in the Offshore Support Journal here https://lnkd.in/gqjZp8rn

🌊 [#ATSEA] ❓ How to design and monitor hybrid mooring lines, made of polyamide ropes and chains, that will be used in future floating wind farms? 💡 The chosen methodology combines a numerical approach, laboratory experimentation and sea trials. The complete system for sea trials named MONABIOP Prototype was successfully deployed on the MISTRAL test site owned by Valeco and operated by Fondation OPEN-C. It is a 7-tonne buoy anchored by 3 hybrid mooring lines fitted with tension and elongation sensors. The system was designed to have tensions representative of the average static and dynamic forces generated by a floating wind turbine. 🎥 A look back at the design, deployment, and monitoring stages of MONABIOP Prototype: https://lnkd.in/e4QkATWw 🖥 The ongoing sea trials with monitored tension and elongation are giving all the data necessary for the validation of the nylon behaviour law and are developing our knowledge on ageing effects in a real subsea environment and offshore conditions. ▶ This work is carried out in the framework of 2 consecutive and multi-partner research projects: #MONAMOOR (2020-2023) and #BAMOS (2023-2027): https://lnkd.in/eiPcFQ2m Atlantique Offshore Energy, BEXCO nv-sa, Bureau Veritas | Marine & Offshore, ENSTA Bretagne, Ifremer, #NCD, RWE, Saipem, Shell, Skyborn Renewables, SOFRESID ENGINEERING, TotalEnergies, Université Gustave Eiffel, Nantes Université, Valeco, WEAMEC, WEst Atlantic Marine Energy Community #floating #offshorewind #polyamide #behaviour #ageing #trials #atsea

Svitzer has ordered two new multipurpose TRAnsverse tugs from Uzmar Shipyard in Turkey to modernise its fleet and reduce emissions. These will be built to a new tug design developed by Svitzer and Robert Allan Ltd to lower fuel consumption by an estimated 10-15% compared with other tugs on the market. Both harbour tugs will be deployed in the Port of Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, a busy, diverse port with a complex harbour, tidal restrictions and a channel environment. Ships using the port require active escort towage, and direct and indirect towage capabilities, which new TRAnsverse tugs can deliver. Svitzer’s new tugs will have an omnidirectional hullform and specifications enabling biofuel operations, bringing down tank-to-wake carbon emissions to zero. Continued https://lnkd.in/gBhynYeA

SHIP WITH LARGEST SUCTION SAILS DEPARTS BILBAO: The Port of Bilbao has been the venue for the installation on a commercial vessel of the largest suction sails in the world, as part of an innovative project by the Spanish company bound4blue, within the framework of the Sails for Cargo Project co-funded by the Ports 4.0 Fund of the State Ports Authority. The sails were installed on a vessel of the Amasus Shipping company, with the support of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Bilbao PortLab, Toro y Betolaza and Haizea Wind Group. The general cargo vessel EEMS Traveller, owned by Amasus Shipping, has successfully set sail from the Port of Bilbao, with two bound4blue 17m tall eSAILs, believed to be the largest suction sails to be built and installed to date on a ship. The installation was approved by Bureau Veritas. The sSAIL is based on the use of a thick-walled aerodynamic profile equipped with a smart suction system to increase its aerodynamic efficiency, giving rise to a technology that is said to generate seven times more thrust than the wing of an airplane. The aim is to test the new and improved generation of this automated wind-assisted propulsion system designed to reduce fuel costs and pollutant emission levels. Using this technology could potentially bring about a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 40%, depending on factors such as the type of vessel itself, its operational profile and the winds in the areas where it generally operates. The sails were installed in two phases. In 2022, during a regular and scheduled dry-dock service of the vessel, the foundations for both the eSAILs were manufactured and installed in the Netherlands. Subsequently, the sails manufactured by Haizea Wind at its plant in Aranda del Duero were vertically positioned and installed, and all internal elements duly integrated. The operation to lift the system into a vertical position was performed by the company Toro y Betolaza, using two cranes and other auxiliary equipment for the sails to be firmly and precisely anchored into position. At the same time, bound4blue has been monitoring the consumption data of the vessel to obtain its baseline performance, which will be used by a third party to assess results in terms of fuel savings and emissions reduction over the next 12 months. This will enable scientifically validated results to be obtained and used to quantify the actual effects of the system on board the vessel, and to form the basis for future development.