Next Event

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;
• integrate electrical and electronic products requiring different standards;
• build in flexible capabilities to deal with the capture of client requirements; and
• manage the 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.

Crown Estate Announces Round 3 Developers

  

The Crown Estate has now announced the successful bidders for each of the nine Round 3 offshore wind zones within UK waters. Round 3 offshore wind energy generation aims to deliver a quarter of the UK’s total electricity needs by 2020.

Of particular interest for the North East is the Dogger Bank Zone, which will be developed by a consortium of four leading international energy companies – SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc), RWE npower renewable, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, and two of Norway’s largest companies, Statkraft and Statoil.

The Dogger Bank zone is located off the east coast of Yorkshire between 125 and 195 kilometres offshore, and extends over 8660 km2.

The Carbon Trust estimates that Round 3 could cost as much as £75 billion to develop, and presents huge engineering challenges. The development zones are typically in water over 30 metres deep, with some areas reaching depths of 60-70 metres, requiring turbines up to 230 metres from base to blade tip. Moreover, Round 3 wind farms are likely to be on average 65 kilometres from the shore, distances which may require offshore accommodation similar to the North Sea oil and gas industries, said Benj Sykes, senior technology acceleration manager at The Trust. He added that Denmark has already started placing accommodation platforms by its offshore wind farms.

Mr Sykes said, “The scale of the challenge for offshore wind is massive. The build rate necessary is similar to coal in the 1970s and the ‘dash for gas' in the 1990s. The UK is positioning itself to take advantage. I'm confident there is capacity to build enough turbines [to install], but we have to do it faster, cheaper and safer. The UK has the offshore capability and experience and a workforce which understands what it means to work offshore."

For more information on the Round 3 announcements, click here.

 

Warning of Challenges Facing Maritime Sector

A manifesto published last week highlights the maritime industry's six major policy concerns, spelling out what is expected from the next Government. Maritime UK - the coalition of shipping, ports and maritime business - says the next Government will have a series of unprecedented challenges to meet on the economy, trade, business, transport and the environment.

Traditionally, UK maritime services have been at the heart of the global maritime community, but strong competition is emerging from other nations. With more than 90% of UK trade being moved by sea, it is vital to the UK’s economic recovery that our shipping and ports business is underpinned by a positive and consistent commercial environment.

Jesper Kjaedegaard, Chairman of Maritime UK, said: “The manifesto is Maritime UK’s first public policy document and is aimed at supporting the major political parties as they begin to define their own policies for the years ahead. It lists the main challenges facing the UK’s maritime services, including the current tax regime, the quality of the UK business climate, the recruitment and employment of high-quality personnel and the need to remove a range of regulatory obstacles to business. Some of these represent a severe threat to our activity. It also sets out a bold series of objectives that we believe to be in the best interests of our sector.

Further details on Maritime UK and the manifesto can be found by clicking here.

Member News

Imtech Marine Group joy at £120 million Carrier Order

Congratulations to MDC member Imtech Marine & Offshore, recently awarded a contract to supply climate control technology for the two new Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

The order comprises a total solution for the engineering design, equipment supply and installation of all HVAC systems (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) on board both ships. The order was placed with Imtech Marine Group company Schiffbau Dockbautechnik and a sizeable share of the activities will be performed in co-operation with Imtech Marine & Offshore Ltd who have recently completed several other Royal Navy projects including the design, supply and installation of electrical systems onboard four LSD(A) class Royal Fleet Auxillary vessels.

Managing Director, Tom Simpson, comments: “The north east region is synonymous with the building of many great ships, including the Royal Navy’s current aircraft carriers Ark Royal and Illustrious, so the team at Imtech is very proud to have been awarded this contract on the most prestigious UK Royal Naval project for many years. This demonstrates our ability to equip ships of this size with high-tech climate control technology and confirms our know-how and expertise in the field of naval technology".

At the same time, contracts were announced for AEI Cables and Pyeroy, both in Gateshead, for cable and wiring work worth £8m and paint and scaffolding worth £105m.

Alnmaritec Opens New Yard at Blyth

Alnmaritec, the specialist aluminium boat builder, recently announced an exciting expansion with the opening of a new yard at Blyth, Northumberland. The new facility is located on the waterfront within the Port of Blyth, adjacent to NaREC and within the new Offshore ‘Windbase’ being developed at the port. The facility offers extensive covered workshop space as well as waterfront berth lift-out facilities.

Designed to complement the company’s existing facilities at Alnwick, the new yard will allow Alnmaritec to build significantly larger boats, with plans already on the drawing board for construction of a new 24m catamaran design. It will also allow easier access to the waterfront berths to facilitate outfitting and trials as well as giving a boost to the company’s repair and conversion business.

The yard is already very busy with a conversion and two new building projects in the sheds as well as a new-build boat on the berths undergoing final outfitting and trials.

Managing Director, Chris Millman, said: “I am very excited about the opening of the new yard, we have been looking for some time for the opportunity to expand our facilities and I am confident that we have an ideal site at Blyth. This will certainly unlock new markets for us as well as providing us with further opportunities within our existing markets. We shall be particularly well placed to take advantage of the expected boom in the requirements for service vessels for the offshore wind farm industry and we are very happy to be part of the new developments at the port.”

Noble Denton Scoops Up China Job

Offshore engineering and marine service specialist Noble Denton has won a contract from Zhejian Shipbuilding to provide failure testing services for ten new-build vessels.

The company will supply failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and trials for the dynamically positioned new-builds, due for completion in 2012.

Noble Denton is working with the Chinese shipbuilding yard to develop an FMEA and trials programme which satisfies both owner and vessel Class requirements. The FMEA and yard design has to consider not only the failure of static components, but also the loss of complete compartments through either fire of flood.

Major Enhancements to AVEVA Marine Solutions for Shipbuilders

AVEVA has released an extensive set of valuable enhancements to its industry-leading AVEVA Marine solutions for shipbuilders. These new and improved features provide increased productivity in many areas of vessel design and production. They also include the latest release of AVEVA Marine (12 series), which provides a range of additional product improvements.

Several of these enhancements are also shared with AVEVA Plant; the new features in AVEVA Outfitting reflect those in AVEVA PDMS, for example. This illustrates the way in which AVEVA is achieving ever closer integration between these two families of powerful engineering IT solutions. Increasing integration enables more efficient collaborative working and the creation of complex vessels within a common design environment.

RCID Helps Harness the Power of the Waves

Member company RCID is now involved in further work on developing a low cost design of Aquamarine Power's Oyster device, currently the world’s only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing power.

RCID has been involved in the exciting project to develop a subsea structure for the new wave power generator, capable of surviving a hundred-year storm as well as many millions of wave cycles. The machine uses a large flap, hinged at its base with a substructure connected to the seabed, to produce a flow of pressurised seawater, which is then used in a shore-based turbine to generate elecricity.

RCID, a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy based in Newcastle University, has worked on the detailed design of the flap and subframe, assessing resistance to long term fatigue.

The ongoing work is progressing in tandem with testing on the prototype launced recently at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.

Business Opportunities

UK; Liverpool: Port Pilot Vessel

Design, build and supply as either a direct purchase or lease supply agreement a pilot vessel suitable for operation at the Port of Liverpool and Anglesey.

UK; Exeter: Rock Dumping Work

Supply and installation / placement of c. 65,000 tonnes of imported rock stabilisation for subsea power cable and hub; pre- and post- lay offshore rock dump surveys; and all other associated works. The works under this contract shall also include such design as necessary to perform these works.

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 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...

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

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

Crown Estate Offshore Wind Supply Chain Events

12 national events throughout February & March. For further details click here.

Ship Design & Operation For Environmental Sustainability

10th - 11th March 2010, RINA HQ, London. 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.

Oil, Gas & Subsea Market Visit to Norway

Trondheim, Hammerfest and Bergen; 19th - 23rd April 2010. For further details contact JGray@nofenergy.co.uk

15th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling

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

Meet the member!

Continuing our regular feature, meeting some of the key personalities in MDC member companies. This month Peter Douglass, Managing Director of CD Group, answers our questions.

The CD Group of companies includes Contract Design [Northern], the largest independent engineering service company of its kind in the North East, providing international design engineering consultancy and draughting contract expertise.

What is your favourite pub or restaurant? Café 21

How do you relax? I enjoy watching live music and eating out with my family.

Where is your favourite holiday location? Corsica

Which country would you never wish to return to? I have never found one that has nothing to offer so would always return to those I have visited so far.

Who or what makes you laugh? Hancock’s Half Hour and Laurel and Hardy.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema and when? Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006.

What’s your ideal job, other than your current one? Pleasure boat Skipper.

What is your greatest business achievement? Contributing to a successful team for over 15 years.

What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received? To be a good leader you must like people so you can bring out the best in them.

And the worst? Don’t take a risk.

How do you keep fit? Cycling and five-a side football (when not injured!).

What’s your most irritating habit? Probably the fact that I don’t think I have any irritating habits!

Who or what has inspired you most in life? My family.

Which company do you most admire and why? Virgin as they have always strived to find new ways of being successful and are not scared to do things differently.

How would you like people to perceive your business? As the most honest and trustworthy in our sector.