Next Events...

Smarter Project Management for the Marine & Defence Sectors

Thursday 14th January 2010; Marine Design Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

MDC and NDI are pleased to invite members to the first major presentation of 2010. Our guest speakers for this workshop will be new member company Stanton Burdett, presenting ‘Smarter Project Managment for the Marine & Defence Sectors'.

The presentation will explore the importance of ‘forward management' in the mitigation of risk and the creation of opportunity within the supply chain. The development of future opportunities within the North East will also be discussed.

 

Stanton BurdettStanton Burdett provide a strategic and operational management capability supporting the delivery of major UK marine and defence projects. Their experience includes the support of key marine projects including LPD, LSDA, Type 45, CVF and Trinidad and Tobago OPVs in the roles of Overseer, Project Manager and Subcontract Manager for the MoD/End User, Prime Contractors and Major Subcontractors.

To see an agenda for the workshop please click here.

The workshop is open to MDC and NDI members only. Attendance is free of charge although registration is essential. Places are limited, so to reserve your place please email events@marinedesigncentre.com or call 0191 255 1710.

ClipperClipper Windpower & Project Britannia

Thursday 21st January 2010;
Marine Design Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr David Still CBE, Managing Director of Clipper Windpower in the UK, will talk about the design & development of the Britannia turbine, current plans for UK wind farms and opportunities which will arise for design, engineering, manufacturing and offshore support.

US-based Clipper Windpower is a world leading wind energy technology, turbine manufacturing, and wind project development company, which has been developing a new 10MW turbine in Blyth since 2007. Clipper was recently awarded a £4.4m UK Government grant to develop a prototype 70-metre blade for the firm's Britannia project, which will see the largest wind turbines in the world created. The firm plans to build the turbines in the North East, playing a key part in the regeneration of the former shipyards on the Tyne. The Clipper blades will weigh more than 30 tonnes and will form part of the turbines that will stand 175m tall off the British coast.

The UK has one of the biggest wind energy potentials in the world, with nearly 20 sites currently approved and a further 27 proposed, and the North East is well placed to provide essential support in the manufacture, transportation, installation and operation of North Sea wind farms.

To see the agenda for this event please click here. To register, please email events@marinedesigncentre.com or call 0191 255 1710. Places at this event cost £20 (+VAT) for MDC members and £45 (+VAT) for non-members.

Optimising On-Board Fluid System Design

4th & 18th February 2010, Marine Design Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

The drive to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions competes with modern expectations for comfort, taking into account such functions as temperature; air quality; humidity; noise level; dynamic system performance; climatic, regional and safety factors.

 

Flowmaster system analysis software has been used across a wide range of marine companies to study and design modern ship-based systems to cope with the increasing range of ship fluid systems, and new technologies such as alternative refrigerants, power train types, heat pumps, compressor drives, etc.

In February 2010, Flowmaster UK will be visiting MDC for two sessions. The first (4th February) will provide a discussion on the types of system Flowmaster can analyse and the value companies can derive. The second, on 18th February, will be a technical session providing engineers with a chance to work hands on with the product in order to understand where it best fits from a technical perspective.

A more detailed agenda will follow, but in order to register for these events please email events@marinedesigncentre.com or call 0191 2551710. Attendance at these events is free of charge although registration is required.

Advances in Electrical System Design for Complex Marine Projects

Tuesday 2nd March 2010, Marine Design Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

 

An increase in project complexity over recent years across all disciplines of the marine, off-shore, oil & gas and renewable industries has created many challenges for electrical system integration. Traditional methodologies are struggling to keep pace with these demands and engineers are increasingly turning to bespoke integrated CAD software solutions to reduce risk and control cost.

Take the opportunity to come and meet with Zuken Ltd at this seminar to find out more about how you can overcome cabling design issues and integrate the many electrical and electronic products required which work to different standards, whilst building in flexible based capabilities to deal with the capture of client requirements and management of resultant project design data.

A more detailed agenda will follow, but in order to register please email events@marinedesigncentre.com  or call 0191 2551710.Attendance is free of charge although registration is required.

Member News...

Noble Denton and Seawell Staff Embark on Industry Degree

MDC member companies Noble Denton and Seawell are amongst the very first to put people forward for the UK's first Foundation Degree in Marine & Energy Design Engineering, which was launched last month after receiving accreditation from Teesside University.

Noble Denton, General Manager, David Byrne, said: "It is great news that this foundation degree is now available here in the North East and the fact that it has a very strong leaning towards marine design means that it is so relevant to our business. We really appreciate the huge effort that the people at MDC have put in to bring this to fruition."

 

The first Noble Denton person on the degree is Daniel Griffiths, above, who has been with the company just a few months. Daniel formerly served with the Royal Engineers, and recently spent several months providing engineering support to forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I am delighted to be given the opportunity to undertake the degree. The programme of activity looks very relevant and the fact that it can all be done as work-based learning is a big plus. I am sure that it will help me develop my career and make me develop skills that my employer will benefit from."

To find out more about the Foundation Degree, please contact John.lockey@marinedesigncentre.com  

...While Noble Denton Announce New Contract

Noble Denton have announced that they, with Germanischer Lloyd (GL) will support the utilities cooperative Trianel GmbH with technical support and project management of its 400MW offshore wind farm "Borkum West II", around 45km north of the German island of Borkum.

The installation of the first phase is scheduled to start in 2011/2012, consisting of 40 of the planned 80 turbines on the site and the Offshore Substation. Noble Denton will support Trianel during the pre-construction phase project development, conducting programme management and interface management. GL Renewables will conduct Health and Safety support services, operation and maintenance modelling as well as consulting for technical permitting requirements. In addition, Garrad Hassan will provide consultancy support to the project team during the negotiations for the turbine contract and for electrical systems design.

Alnmaritec Delivers Second Wind farm Support Vessel

 

MDC member Alnmaritec has announced the launch of the second in a series of four sister ships to be delivered for duties in wind farm support roles.

 

The Endeavour, above, has been built for the operators North Sea Logistics and is a sister vessel to the Aaryan launched last year for the same company. She is one of the popular ‘Wave Commander' class of vessels from Alnmaritec and two further sisters are under construction at the yard which are the eleventh and twelfth in the line of craft that Alnmaritec has built over recent years for support operations on offshore wind farms.

Commenting on the high standard of outfitting and particular attention paid to passenger comfort, Alnmaritec Managing Director, Chris Millman, said, "This boat marks a step change for us in terms of sophistication and quality of finishing and she is a real credit to our workforce".

Radical Engineering Paves Way for Lower Cost Offshore Wind

The Carbon Trust has revealed the shortlist of new designs which will be developed to accelerate the installation of thousands of wind turbines around Britain's coast by slashing the costs of construction and opening up deeper waters for development. The designs have been shortlisted in a global competition run by the Carbon Trust.

Over 100 engineering companies from around the world submitted their ideas on how to cost effectively build offshore wind turbines in severe weather conditions as far as 100 miles out to sea and in waters up to 60m deep. The seven shortlisted foundation designs have the potential to revolutionise the construction of offshore wind farms, with targetted reductions in foundation costs of at least 25%. The designs will receive up to £100,000 support for concept development, engineering analysis, commercial feasibility and technical assistance. Of the shortlisted designs, up to three final winners will have their designs built and installed in large scale demonstration projects in 2010-2012 with funding from a consortium led by the Carbon Trust.

For further information, including the identities of the seven successful bidders and technical descriptions, click here.

Showcase your design projects

 Design Network NorthDesign Network North, which is funded by One North East, and has the aim of enhancing regional companies' ability to employ high-quality design, skills and processes, is looking to compile a portfolio of work carried out by the region's companies and design suppliers.

One of the categories is engineering design and we would encourage members to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their very best work. For further details, click here.

Port of Tyne Invests £16m in Biomass Facility

 

Port of TyneTHE Port of Tyne has signed a £16m deal with power giant Drax to handle and store wood for power generation and is hopeful of announcing another major agreement within months. This has the potential to also be very good news for those of our members who can provide specialist support services.

Work will start early in the new year to build a handling and storage area at South Shields to take between 0.5 million and 1.4 million tonnes of biomass each year, which will be burnt at Drax power station in North Yorkshire.

The deal, initially for 10 years, will bring ships carrying up to 75,000 tonnes of sustainably-sourced biomass to the deep water dock on the south bank of the Tyne, where it will be unloaded and stored before being dispatched to Drax by train.

Astute Takes To The Seas

The biggest and most powerful attack submarine ever built for the Royal Navy - Astute - took to the seas last month. Clearly an exciting time for BAE Systems, this is also a proud moment for the MDC members who have provided services and equipment to the project.

Astute set sail from Barrow-in-Furness to start her first set of sea trials and is seen below arriving at her homeport of Faslane on the Clyde in Scotland.

Crown Copyright/MOD 2009

Measuring nearly one hundred metres from bow to stern, fully stored, she will displace 7,800 tonnes. The submarine has the latest stealth technology, a world-beating sonar system and is armed with 38 torpedoes and missiles - more than any previous Royal Navy submarine. She will be able to circumnavigate the entire globe while submerged and advanced nuclear technology means that she will never need to be refuelled.

...While Dauntless is Delivered

HMS DauntlessMeanwhile, HMS Dauntless became the second Type 45 destroyer to be handed over to the MOD at a ceremony in Portsmouth earlier this month. Dauntless, affiliated to the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, will now embark on a final set of sea trials before being commissioned in summer 2010.

Sister ships Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan are at various stages of build and will all enter service progressively through to the middle of the next decade. All will be based in Portsmouth.

 Crown Copyright/MOD 2009

Business Opportunities

UK MOD: In service support for boats located in Scotland and North of England

Ongoing requirement for in service support on a wide range of boats up to 20m in length. The operational roles of the MoD boats are primarily military and security but also include some training and functional taskings. Boat types include rigid hulled inflatable boats of various sizes (both petrol outboard and diesel inboard engined), general purpose launches/workboats, dive support boats, patrol launches and sail training craft. The current support of these craft is met through a number of support contracts. It is intended to establish a contract arrangement to meet ongoing and potential future requirements such as low level maintenance, unscheduled defect rectification and scheduled survey & repair periods.

UK, Suffolk: Power Cluster: Study about offshore wind energy. Updates on the North Sea Region state of the industry.

The study in general should contain a review and update on the issues covered in the case study "European Offshore Wind Farms - A survey to analyse Experiences and Lessons Learnt by Developers of Offshore Wind Farms".

For further information, please contact Simon Ellis on 0191 255 1710 or simon.ellis@marinedesigncentre.com  

MDC Training Courses

We are pleased to announce forthcoming training courses.

Mathcad Essentials

9-11 February 2010. In conjunction with PTC.

For full details of these courses please click here.

For further details please contact us on 0191 255 1710 or email info@marinedesigncentre.com

Please contact MDC if you have other training requirements for PDMS or other CAD packages. If we have sufficient demand for particular courses we will endeavour to arrange the appropriate training!

Dates For The Diary...

Some events which may be of particular interest...

BAE Systems Industry Day: FRES Project CV90 Supply Chain Opportunities

3rd February 2010, Newcastle. Organised by NDI. For further details email liz.ferguson@ndi.org.uk

SMI Annual Conference: Investing in UK Maritime Renewable Energy - Engineering Challenges & Business Opportunities

10th - 11th February 2010, Bath. For further details click here.

NDI Annual Conference 2010: The Defence Supply Network - a Vital Part of the Nation's Recovery

25th - 26th March 2010, Leeds. For further details click here.

15th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling

25th - 29th July 2010, Gateshead. For further details click here.

And finally, from the MDC Team

2009 has undoubtedly been a challenging year for all of us, although we are pleased to see a number of MDC members still finding good business opportunities in niche areas. Christmas provides a welcome break at the end of a tough year as we hold out for the much vaunted recovery. We'll continue to do our best next year to create new opportunities for MDC members to enter new business and continue the excellent skills development work that has already started to deliver results on the Foundation Degree training.

Here's wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!