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Bolidt takes the floor as luxury cruise orders rise

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 05 December 2023 05 December 2023

Leading resin applications specialist Bolidt has reinforced its position in a resurgent luxury cruise market, in a series of orders from both new and established operators.

With estimates that the luxury cruise segment is on course to accommodate over 1 million guests this year, increasing to 1.5 million by 2030, Bolidt has reported a significant rise in demand for its decking solutions from new and established luxury cruise lines alike.

The market has come a long way since demand patterns were set by global guest numbers amounting to 600,000 in 2019, but Bolidt adds that owners continue to seek the highest standards in aesthetics, performance, and sustainability from its resin applications.

Highlights include Silver Nova, the latest vessel from Silversea Cruises, which embarked on its maiden voyage earlier this year following delivery by Meyer Werft. The 243-metre vessel showcases an innovative asymmetrical deck layout, for which Bolidt supplied its versatile, environmentally-responsible solution, Bolideck Future Teak, as well as stone-effect flooring and prefabricated parts including benches and steps. In addition, as part of recent retrofit works, Bolidt refurbished all decks across the existing Silversea fleet.

Ritz-Carlton, a relatively new entrant into the luxury cruise segment, has also called on Bolidt’s expertise in providing and installing its industry-leading products for high-end passenger vessels. Having supplied Future Teak and Bolideck Select Soft for the 2022-launched Ritz-Carlton Evrima, Bolidt has followed up with the same products for Ritz-Carlton’s forthcoming ship Ilma – due delivery from Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the 2024 cruise season. The ship’s sports court, jogging track, and pool deck are among the areas benefiting from the solutions’ durability and non-slip properties.

Another hospitality group to have recently entered the luxury cruise market is Accor, whose sailing yacht, Orient Express Silenseas, will be the largest of its kind upon delivery – again by Chantiers de l’Atlantique – in 2026. The 220-metre vessel will combine sophistication and sustainability, with Bolideck Future Teak contributing to both aspects.

“The luxury cruise segment continues to be a highly significant market for Bolidt, and as established participants grow and new players emerge, demand for our products from luxury operators is stronger than ever,” said Jacco van Overbeek, Director Maritime, Bolidt. “These operators and their customers have exceptionally high standards in regard to style and the environment, so it is encouraging to see Future Teak, in particular, confirm its position as the decking solution of choice.”

Elsewhere in the luxury cruise segment, Bolidt decking is on board both Crystal Cruises vessels, Crystal Serenity and Symphony, which re-entered service this year under the new ownership of A&K Travel Group. Bolidt systems also feature throughout Celebrity Cruises’ fleet of luxury Galapagos expedition vessels: Celebrity Flora, Xpedition, and Xploration.

Photo: The Marquee on the Silver Nova. Credit: Teijo Niemela

ALMACO completes public spaces and new food hall concept for Marella Voyager

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 08 November 2023 08 November 2023

ALMACO Group, a global leader in the marine and offshore industry, has successfully delivered a full turnkey project for Marella Cruises’ vessel Marella Voyager at Navantia Yard in Spain. The project was completed on May 24, 2023, and included modernization of restaurants, food hall and buffet lines, as well as equipment replacement in the galley. Marella Voyager is one of the five ships operated by Marella Cruises. The ship was built in 1997 by Meyer Werft in Germany and has a capacity of 1912 passengers and 909 crew members.

ALMACO’s Vice President of Modernization, Jean-Pierre Lepage, said: “We are very proud to have delivered this project for Marella Cruises, which showcases our capabilities and dual expertise in public spaces and catering modernization. We have worked closely with the customer and the yard to ensure a smooth execution and a high-quality result that meets the expectations of the guests and the crew.”

Robert Saggars, ALMACO’s Project Manager for the project, added: “This was a challenging project that required a lot of coordination and flexibility from our team and our partners. I would like to thank everyone involved for their great effort and dedication. The end-result is amazing, and we are happy to have contributed to enhancing the guest experience on board Marella Voyager.”

Marella Voyager set sail on its maiden voyage from Palma de Mallorca on June 3, 2023. During the summer, ship offers 7-night itineraries around the Western Mediterranean, visiting ports such as Palamos, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Piombino, Naples and Barcelona. In November 2023, the ship will reposition to Bridgetown, Barbados, where it will operate Caribbean cruises until April 2024.

New version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine reduces methane emissions by an additional 41% on average, when compared to previous market best

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 01 November 2023 01 November 2023

Technology group Wärtsilä has introduced a new ultra-low emissions version of its already efficient Wärtsilä 31DF engine. Whilst operating on LNG, this new version can further reduce methane emissions on a 50 percent load point by up to 56 percent and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by up to 86 percent. On a weighted average, this new technology can reduce methane emissions by 41 percent more than the standard Wärtsilä 31DF engine, which has already the lowest emission levels on the market.

The new version, which is applied on one of the four engines on board Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia ferry, has already helped the Finnish-Swedish ferry operator further reduce the Aurora Botnia’s methane emissions by 10 percent. As part of the EU co-funded Green Ray and SeaTech projects*, Wärtsilä piloted the ultra-low emissions concept onboard the Aurora Botnia with exceptional results verified through an independent study conducted in December 2022 by VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland. Encouraged by the positive results, Wärtsilä has now launched the new ultra-low emissions version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine to the commercial market.

This latest collaboration forms part of a long-term partnership between Wärtsilä and Wasaline to reduce emissions onboard the Aurora Botnia, the world’s most environmentally friendly RoPax ferry today.

“We are very committed to decarbonisation, and we have worked closely with Wärtsilä to make sustainable shipping a reality. It is a goal-oriented partnership that benefits both companies, as well as the industry as a whole. We have been pleased to allow the ‘Aurora Botnia’ to be utilised as a floating laboratory, and we are excited to see the success of this latest Wärtsilä technology breakthrough,” commented Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline.

Launched in 2015, the Wärtsilä 31DF engine platform is widely recognised for its exceptional fuel economy, high performance, and minimal GHG impact. The engine, as a standard version, already meets today’s regulatory requirements. The new version will enable operators to go even further in reducing methane emissions, helping to futureproof their vessels in the longer term against potentially tightening global requirements. What’s more, improving dual fuel technology to enable methane emissions reduction will have a major impact on the long-term viability of LNG as a marine fuel.

“Our work around reducing methane slip and GHG emissions is part of Wärtsilä’s effort to continuously improve efficiency and reduce emissions of our products, and this new innovation is one more very important step along the road to decarbonisation,” commented Stefan Nysjö, Vice President of Power Supply, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

Nysjö continued: “The building of an LNG fuel infrastructure has been an important factor in shipping’s transition towards cleaner operations, and Wärtsilä continues to create solutions that support this journey. Our focus has always been to improve and optimise existing solutions, and to develop exciting new ones. With this latest introduction, we are clearly delivering on this commitment.”

Although methane slip from engines is a relatively small amount, from a percentage standpoint, it is significantly more potent than CO2 – up to 28 times greater. Across the shipping industry, cutting methane emissions is one of the most effective ways to decrease overall GHG emissions from engines over the next 10 years, complementing other efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

Kongsberg delivers 23% CO2 emissions cut for Hurtigruten ship

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 29 October 2023 29 October 2023

Kongsberg Maritime has delivered a 23% cut in CO2 emissions on the 121-metre passenger vessel Richard With, owned by Hurtigruten, a coastal ship operator and adventure travel company.

The vessel finished an extensive refit last summer using Kongsberg Maritime engineering and technology and has now completed its first year back in service.

Last year, Kongsberg Maritime partnered with Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships to hybrid technology, promising reduced emissions and quieter operations. The Richard With, built in 1993, was the first of three ships to be relaunched, in August last year. The second ship Kong Harald returned to service in May, and the final ship, Nordlys will be complete in 2025.

The project is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, with an investment value of approximately €100 million.

“We have built our last fossil fuel ship for the Norwegian Coastal Express,” said Hurtigruten Coastal Express CEO Hedda Felin. “We had the opportunity to upgrade the fleet and give the ships the best of today’s technology. Plus, it’s more environmentally friendly to retrofit a vessel than to scrap and build a new one.”

The refit programme for Richard With included installation of two hybrid shaft generators, two SaveEnergy 1,120kWh lithium-ion batteries and two Bergen B33:45V engines. It also has new tunnel thruster motors, a retractable azimuth thruster, and controllable pitch propeller blades, plus digital management systems.

“We can do the full turnover of a vessel in four or five months. An entirely new build takes much longer,” said Geir Oscar Løseth, Kongsberg Maritime’s Vice President of Sales Aftermarket Advanced Offerings.

“The vessel is also safer and smoother in the water. It gives the crew several layers of reassurance. They can operate on full battery, zero emission operation; they can run on auxiliary engines and they can run on main engines. So, there’s a high level of safety that meets the new requirements for lower-emission travel along the coast.”

Ship owners and operators are working to deal with IMO regulations on emissions reduction, particularly for active vessels.

“Our role is going to be to guide customers through this transition, with advisory services as well as the products and solutions that will make sure regulations are met. But we won’t do that simply by coming up with new products and solutions. We also need to look into existing fleets,” said Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, president of Kongsberg Maritime.