Products & services

Wartsila launches new fixed blade propeller design

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 04 June 2014 04 June 2014

The FPP Opti Design, a new state-of-the-art fixed pitch propeller (FPP) design concept, has been introduced by Wärtsilä. The new design offers fuel savings of up to 4 per cent and highly reliable full scale performance predictions. The concept has been developed utilising the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology.

The Wärtsilä FPP Opti Design has been developed at the company's Technology and Service Centre in the Netherlands, and is the result of highly experienced design engineers having access to the very latest and most sophisticated software and analysis tools. CFD calculations analyse not only the propeller performance but most importantly also, the interaction between the propeller and hull. This provides extremely accurate information to achieve design and parametric optimisation.

"Wärtsilä has more than 100 years of experience in developing high quality propeller solutions. To this huge knowledge resource we have now been able to add a highly sophisticated state-of-the-art design approach that is unmatched in the industry. The hull and the propeller, and the interaction between the two, can both now be taken into account during the design process. The result is a higher level of efficiency and lower operating costs," says Arto Lehtinen, Vice President, Propulsion, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

Energy saving solutions

Wärtsilä continues to develop solutions that save energy and improve the efficiency of ship propellers. These include the Tip Rake Concept featuring an extended tip, smoothly curved to the pressure side of the blade with optimised geometrical parameters developed to achieve efficiency improvements, lower pressure pulse levels, and a quieter propeller.

The Wärtsilä EnergoProFin is an innovative propeller cap with fins that rotates together with any make of propeller. By weakening the hub vortex, resistance is decreased and propulsion thrust is increased, resulting in fuel savings of up to 5%.

Energopac is Wärtsilä's optimised propulsion and manoeuvring solution that reduces fuel consumption by integrating the propeller and rudder designs. It is fully optimised for energy efficiency without compromising either manoeuvrability or comfort levels.

The Wärtsilä FPP Opti Design is being highlighted at the Posidonia 2014 exhibition in Athens, Greece.

Heineken launches new advertising campaign

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 29 May 2014 29 May 2014

Earlier this month Heineken unveiled its latest global campaign, ‘Cities of the World’, aimed to inspire men to live worldly, new adventures by unlocking the secrets of their cities. The fully integrated campaign includes a 2 minute TVC, on-line activation and special edition Heineken® bottles.

The latest TVC, ‘The City’, is the seventh film in ‘The Legends’ series featuring Men of the World who are pushed to discover their limits and go beyond them. Created by Heineken, in partnership with Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, its main character embarks on an adventure by following a set of business cards lost by a beautiful woman, Eve, with each card uncovering surprising and hidden venues in his city. The TVC is a reminder to Men of the World that every great city offers an endless adventure within its sky-scraping towers and neon lit streets. It reinforces the notion that men should never stop exploring their own urban backyard and those they visit on their travels. ‘The City’ TVC can be viewed via this link.

To celebrate the launch, Heineken has produced a set of specially designed bottles, each with one of six global cities printed on it; New York, Shanghai, Berlin, Amsterdam, London & Rio de Janeiro. The special edition bottles will be available globally, including Global Duty Free from September.

“We know that while Heineken drinkers are familiar with many of the hot spots in their cities, they may not venture outside their usual routine on a daily basis to explore the unexpected,” said Audrey Schillings, senior brand manager Heineken Global Duty Free. “With the “Cities of the World” campaign, we’re aiming to inspire them to move away from their usual habits to discover and unlock the secrets of their own cities. For Global Duty Free the campaign has added significance of these iconic cities and the call to our consumers of being adventurous in new destinations while travelling for business or on holiday.”

May 12th marked the global launch of ‘The City’ TVC and ‘Cities of the World’ campaign with local activations to follow in more than 100 countries, beginning with the USA.

Next SMM 9 to 12 September to focus on Innovation

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 15 May 2014 15 May 2014

With 90,000 square metres of exhibition space, more than 2,000 exhibitors and over 50,000 industry visitors, SMM is the leading trade fair of the global maritime industry. The motto of this year's event, to be held from 9 to 12 September, will be "Innovation". "Once again we will welcome the Who's Who from all segments of the global maritime industry this year. At SMM they will highlight current trends and developments, offering fascinating insights into the future of the industry. We have been fully booked for months," says Bernd Aufderheide, CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. The patron of SMM 2014 will be German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The maritime mega event will be covering the entire space available at Hamburg's fair site: eleven exhibition halls (B1 to B7 and A1 to A4) plus a new hall called B8. Each hall will be dedicated to one particular field of the shipping world. Hall A1, for instance, will feature Ship Operation Equipment, Environmental Technologies as well as Deck Equipment and Cargo Handling Systems. Becker Marine Systems will be among the exhibitors in this hall. "For our company SMM is the most important trade fair. Our customers from both the shipyard and ship-owning sectors use this fair to keep themselves up-to-date on innovative trends, and to network," says Dirk Lehmann, Managing Director of Becker Marine Systems. This year the company's exhibits will focus on energy-saving concepts, including innovative rudder optimisation solutions (such as the Cross Over Rudder) and the well-known energy saving devices Becker Mewis Duct and Becker Twisted Fin. Furthermore, Becker Marine Systems will showcase their LNG Hybrid business line. "This context will be the perfect backdrop for Aida Cruises and Becker Marine Systems to jointly announce the commissioning of the first LNG Hybrid Barge, a floating power station for cruise ships mooring at Hamburg harbour," says Lehmann.

SKF/Blohm+Voss Industries will likewise set up an large stand in this exhibition area. "This year we will present an entire array of new products and innovative technology for the shipping industry, including several new solutions from SKF/Blohm+Voss Industries which will help our customers improve the performance of their ships while reducing their lifecycle costs. We will also introduce new engineering concepts addressing the need to comply with the requirements of the Vessel General Permit 2013 as issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," promises Martin Johannsmann, Managing Director of SKF/Blohm+Voss Industries. Johannsmann says he especially welcomes the opportunity to share views with customers personally in Hamburg's fair halls: "As the leading international maritime trade fair held right here, at the doorstep of SKF BVI, SMM is the biennial highlight of our interaction with customers. We are excited about the prospect of meeting up with our customers, networking and showing our enhanced market presence which we acquired by joining SKF."

A wealth of innovations

Halls A3 and A4 will accommodate exhibitors from the segments of "Prime Movers and Propulsion Systems" and "Lubrication", including such manufacturers as Caterpillar, Rolls Royce or MAN. "We are looking forward to this great industry gathering in Hamburg. For MAN Diesel & Turbo SMM is the most important fair and our visitors can expect fascinating exhibits and groundbreaking technologies at our new stand," says Dr Jan-Dietrich Müller, Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing with the Augsburg-based world market leader in ship engines. In view of the recent passing of the IMO Tier III emission control regulation, efficient use of energy resources will be a key topic for MAN this year.

Halls B2 to B8 will feature exhibitors from the ship building, production equipment, ship outfitting, safety equipment, navigation and communication, maritime security and defence and other segments. For example, in Hall B6 visitors will find the stand of SAM Electronics, ASP, a subsidiary of the US company L-3 Marine Systems International. "L-3 Marine Systems International will present a huge array of systems and products for automation, communication, navigation, positioning, propulsion, energy generation and distribution as well as entertainment," says Ulrich Weinreuter, President of L-3 Marine Systems International. "What is more, we are very focused on eco-friendly, low-emission solutions and are proud to show our products at the world's most important shipbuilding fair, SMM 2014."

The leading international maritime trade fair will be accompanied by a generous conference programme revolving around SMM's five featured topics, each assigned to one specific day of the fair: Finance (SMM Ship Finance Forum), environmental protection (gmec, global maritime environmental congress), security and defence (MS&D, international conference on maritime security and defence), offshore (SMM Offshore Dialogue) and recruiting (Maritime Career Market). In addition, the fair's industry visitors from all over the world are sure to benefit from the comprehensive special-events programme with more than 150 individual events (workshops, symposia etc.).

Rolls-Royce installs fuel efficient Promas Lite system on SuperStar Virgo

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 27 May 2014 27 May 2014

Rolls-Royce has installed the innovative Promas Lite propulsion system on SuperStar Virgo, the first vessel in South East Asia to be equipped with this efficient and fuel saving system. Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships.

Norwegian Spirit operated by Star Cruises' subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line was the first vessel in the fleet to be installed with Promas Lite in 2011. The efficiency gains and fuel saving benefits from the first upgrade has resulted in this subsequent order from Star Cruises.

Andrew Marsh, Rolls-Royce, President - Services said: "We highly appreciate the trust given to us by Star Cruises through this second order. As Asia Pacific's leading cruise operator, they recognise that using the Promas Lite solution will substantially reduce emissions and the operating costs of SuperStar Virgo."

Typical fuel savings for Promas Lite range from 5 to 15 per cent, depending on the type of operation and the performance of the existing propeller. A cruise ship like SuperStar Virgo can expect to generate £800,000 annually in fuel savings and a corresponding CO2 emission reduction of around 4,000 tonnes per year by converting to Promas Lite. The estimated payback period is two years.

Fleet Captain Gustaf Gronberg, Senior Vice President of Marine Operations & Newbuilding, Star Cruises, said: "The cruise industry is dependent on reliable, innovative technologies which are able to meet stricter environmental regulations and achieve return on investment quickly. Based on our previous positive experience with Rolls-Royce, we are confident that this upgrade will enable us to significantly reduce our fuel consumption and environmental impact."

Transtech organisers sign contract to secure venue till 2018

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 24 April 2014 24 April 2014

Organisers of the Transtech Ports and Shipping Conference and Exhibition in St Petersburg say they have extended agreement with Expoforum, a Russian owner of conference centres, which provides the basis for continuing its traditional promotion of Russia’s Ports and Shipping infrastructure development programmes through 2018.

Transtech will be held in cooperation with the Neva Exhibitions in accordance with the Decree of the Russian Federation Government №1910-R signed 21 October 2013.

"This renewed agreement will strengthen cooperation between supporting ministries and serve to widen Transtech's profile, offering additional topics for discussion and providing new business opportunities which have been fostered directly from B2B interest shown during previous Transtech events," the organisers said in a statement.