Work Boat World

OPINION: "With rich deposits of minerals in their exclusive economic zones, deep sea mining promises Pacific islands wealth, enhanced international status and leverage—for example, through influence in negotiations or economic bargaining power. Experts have determined that the value of seabed minerals could reach up to US$20 trillion. "However, the potential economic benefit must be weighed against ecological damage and natural resource depletion. Studies have shown that the disruption of deep-sea ecosystems, whether on abyssal plains or hydrothermal vents, could harm deep ocean biodiversity and affect fisheries, such as tuna stocks, that local communities rely on for food and income. Also, sediment plumes and waste from mining activities could diminish water quality, posing risks to tourism, a vital economic sector for many island nations. "Deep sea mining is dividing the region and may impede cooperation. Nauru and Tonga have each granted exploration licenses to subsidiaries of The Metals Company, a Canadian company that specialises in deep sea mining exploration. Kiribati’s state minerals exploration company has an agreement to sell deep-water tenements to The Metals Company." Full article link in comments.

OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS: "Anyone who doubted that Russia was an unreliable energy supplier should perhaps talk to Austria’s OMV. The company recently won a €230 million (US$242 million) claim at arbitration against Russian state gas company Gazprom for reducing its supplies in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Austria started importing Russian gas in 1968, the first western European country to do so. "Since Gazprom did not pay the award (strange, that), OMV decided to offset the claim against invoices from Gazprom under its Austrian gas supply contract, where Gazprom was sending gas to OMV via a Ukrainian transit pipeline (despite Russia and Ukraine being at war). Gazprom promptly announced it would not be sending any more gas and terminated all exports to OMV and Austria as a whole. "The Austrian chancellor reassured the public that the country had ample storage and would seek alternative supplies. This promptly pushed up European gas prices and saw LNG tankers divert from Asia to Europe to sell at the higher prices in Rotterdam. So long as Russia continues killing Ukrainian civilians, occupying Ukrainian territory and using oil and gas to fund its invasion, existing and former Russian gas customers will continue to seek alternative supplies." Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: The Waikato Regional Council in North Island, New Zealand recently took delivery of a new catamaran patrol craft designed and built by local company Kingfisher Boats. 'Tutaia' ("Vigilance") will be used primarily to help maintain buoys and to conduct boating safety patrols throughout the Waikato region, which has seen a growing population and a subsequent increase in boating activity. The boat's standard commercial catamaran design ensures stability that makes it suitable for operation under a wide range of weather conditions, thus allowing the council's maritime team to operate effectively year-round. A davit will be used to help maintain buoys and other aids to navigation. The davit has a maximum lifting capacity of 250 kg, making it ideal for working with buoys fitted with heavy chains and anchors to help keep them in position. Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: China’s Hangzhou Qianhang Ship Repair recently handed over a new hybrid electric passenger vessel to the People's Government of Dachen Town in west-central Hebei province. 'Dachen Tongxin' (大陈同心) was designed by the Wuhan Institute of Technology Shipbuilding to be capable of operating as an inter-island ferry and as a sightseeing vessel on trips around Dachen Island, which has become popular for its many reefs and mountains. The acquisition of the hybrid-powered vessel is in line with the Dachen municipal government’s goal of introducing alternative means of transport that promise a lower carbon footprint. Full article link in comments.

NAVAL GAZING: "Decades of cutbacks, driven both by economic stringency and by the desire by successive UK governments to be seen to be benefitting from the post Cold War 'peace dividend', have resulted in serious erosion of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN) combat capabilities across the board. This erosion includes mounting shortfalls in numbers of both front line warships and their support vessels and the inadequate crewing of ships. "The RN’s greatly reduced flotilla of escorts, currently made up of nine Type 23 frigates (the survivors of 16 such vessels built from 1992 onwards), and six Type 45 air defence destroyers (from a planned order for 12) is plagued with mechanical problems, partly as a result of being a dwindling force that is worked very hard and frequently on prolonged long-range front line combat deployments. "According to a recent estimate, the RN currently has a total of seven frigates and destroyers that are fully worked up and available for operations. London, however, continues to task, and often at short notice, these RN escorts with intensive long-range operations." Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: Saint Petersburg-based shipbuilder Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant recently handed over two new buoy tenders in a series ordered from the company by Rechvodput, the federal inland waterway transport agency of the Russian government. 'Kazarka' (Казарка) and 'Krechet' (Кречет) are the first two vessels under the Project 3050.1A series of 13 buoy tenders built by Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant to a design by the R-Flot Group’s subsidiary Gorky Central Design Bureau. The vessels will be used primarily for maintenance of buoys and other aids to navigation in inland waterways, whereas their secondary duties will include monitoring of water depths and handling of non-self-propelled barges of 400 tonnes displacement or lower via towing or pushing. Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: Albwardy Damen in the UAE has completed construction of the first vessel in a new series of twin-rig shrimp trawlers designed primarily for operation in tropical environments. The vessel was designed to be easy to operate and with minimal maintenance requirements. It also has low fuel consumption levels, thus resulting in lower fuel costs and reduced emissions. The design is flexible enough to allow the vessel to conduct a range of different fishing methods in addition to shrimp trawling. The development of the new shrimp trawler was undertaken in response to growing market interest in fuel-efficient vessels. The solution entailed combining a high-pull vessel with a larger propeller diameter and a high catch nozzle. A streamlined balance rudder and a skeg are added to reduce fuel consumption even further. Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: Netherlands-based family-owned marine services provider Multraship Towage and Salvage recently took delivery of a new multi-role ASD tug. 'Multratug 36' belongs to a series of two tugs ordered by Multraship in June 2023 to perform deep-sea and coastal towage, salvage, and other operations. Like its earlier sister 'Multratug 35', the newbuild has a length of 32.7 metres (107 feet), a beam of 12.82 metres (42.06 feet), a maximum draught of 6.2 metres (20 feet), a gross tonnage of 450, and IMO Tier III engines fitted with NOx reduction systems. The tug is also outfitted for firefighting, anchor handling, and other offshore operations. The accommodation spaces for the 10-strong crew have been enhanced with additional insulation and are rubberised to provide greater comfort. The accommodation includes two one-person cabins, four two-person cabins, a mess, and a galley. Full article link in comments.

GREY POWER: "It is no exaggeration to suggest that the civilised world has in effect become hostage to this nest of pirates lurking on the littoral of one of the world’s busiest sea-lanes. Those major companies that have elected to prioritise the lives of their crews are taking the long haul around the South Africa, racking up a vast extra number of tonne miles and, according to worried environmentalists, adding to unnecessary emissions. "While one can argue that these responsible carriers have been doing very well from this additional employment, which has put pressure on rates, those millions of users of those ships and their customers might also be described as indirect hostages of these ruffians. Let no one forget the concerns of serving seafarers aboard ships whose owners and charterers have decided to run the gauntlet, and the concerns of their worried relatives ashore. "Few commentators ever mention it, but the Suez Canal and the state of Egypt are being forced to pay a high price for the huge downturn in trade caused by the attacks. Before they began with the Hamas attacks upon Israel, the vital waterway was in the midst of an ambitious improvement scheme, while the large-scale investment on the new industrial zones that were established on both banks suggested a good future, with great employment benefits. Thus, Egypt, along with everyone else, has also become a hostage." Full article link in comments.

VESSEL REVIEW: China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) has completed conversion work on an offshore testing and production platform operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) to enable it to be operated as a steam injection vessel in support of heavy oil extraction. 'Haiyang Shiyou 162' (“Offshore Oil 162”) has now been rebuilt and will sail under the name 'Recai Yi' (热采一号; “Thermal Recovery No 1”), thus reflecting its new role. The platform will be used to inject steam to be used in the extraction of heavy oil from offshore sites. As heavy oil is a relatively viscous and therefore poorly liquidated form of crude oil, its extraction from offshore oil wells requires the use of specialised equipment that can discharge a significant volume of steam at high pressure and high temperatures. In the case of 'Recai Yi', it was rebuilt to be able to quickly inject high-pressure steam with a temperature of more than 350 degrees Celsius into six oil wells at the same time. The viscosity of heavy oil is reduced, thus turning it into a "thinner” oil with the ideal fluidity to make it easier to extract. Full article link in comments.