Recent Orders and performances

1. Transfer of cruise ships for Meyer Werft from Papenburg to North Sea harbours (2006-today)

The shipyard is situated on the Ems-river 40 km upstream of the sea. The Ems is a small winding river. On the way down the river the ships have to pass four narrow areas: the lock of the shipyard enclosure, the railway bridge at Weener, the road bridge at Leer and the barrage of Gandersum.

The overall length of the ships is between 250 and 350 m, the width is up to close to the width of the narrows.

Together with HYDRO-SUPPORT we have in 2006 developed a visual system enabling the crew of pilots to run the ship. The system has a sensor-suite of RTK-GPS, fibre optical gyro-systems and attitude-sensors and produces a data field and a chart of the vessel in the river on a monitor-screen. For redundancy there are three complete and independent systems.

Layout of system
Chart and Data-Field of ship in the dock gate
Chart and Data-Field of ship at Weener railway bridge


The vessels transfered with this system are:

Pride of Hawaii (2006), Norwegian Pearl (2006), Aida Diva (2007), Norwegian Gem (2007), Aida Bella (2009), Celebrity Solstice (2008), 
Aida Luna (2009), Celebrity Equinox (2009, Aida Blu (2010), Celebrity Eclipse (2010), Disney Dream (2010)
Aida Sol (2011, Celebrity Silhouette (2011), Disney Fantasy (2012), Aida Mar (2012), Celebrity Reflection (2012)
Aida Stella (2013), Norwegian Breakaway (2013), Norwegian Getaway (2013), Quantum of the Seas ( 2014 ), Anthem of the Seas ( 2015 ), Norwegian Escape ( 2015 )


2. Extension of space on upper deck I of MARIA S. MERIAN for 2 additional cabins (2008)

During the operation of the vessel it was found, that 2 cabins for additional crew-members were needed. An analysis of potential room-capacity led to an extension of the 2. upper deck of the forward superstructure towards the rear. Since however the deck below had to be kept free the extension was put on supporting pillars. The forward bulkhead of the extension was joined to the rear bulkhead of the existing scientific working room.

The total extension with the two cabins for an electronic engineers and a system operator measuring 7.00 x 7.00 m, was completed at TNSW shipyard in Emden in 2008 prior to the arrival of the vessel for annual refits, during which the installation was carried out.

We have teamed up for this work with Kaefer Schiffsbau GmbH caring ourselves for the design, the project management and the supervision of the building and installation.

The cabins were fitted out to the vessels standard as one-bunk-cabins with shower and toilet and AC/ventilation and all electrical and fibre optical connections and equipment.

In order to countract the weight of the extension on port we have installed 20 t weight on the wheelhouse top on starboard side. With this installation we achieved a reduction of the GM, which contributed to the welcome reduction of the vessels stiffness.

design drawing of new cabin
production of cabin-building
installation an 1. upper deck
view from portside

3. Installation of a V-Sat-System on MARIA S. MERIAN (2009)

With the extension of the V-Sat-System Ku-Band coverage to the Atlantic Ocean Area Briese research vessels operator was able to offer telephone- and internet-service on MARIA S. MERIAN for crew and scientists in most of the cruising areas.



We started on the basis of a contract between Briese and the Swedish company SEATEL for a 6006 system with a 1.5 m dish. In discussion with SEATEL we found a solution with 2 antennas on the wheelhouse top deck. We manufactured the pedestals and assembled the antennas on the vessel in the harbor of Las Palmas. We wired the system through the wheelhouse ceiling to the observation room (electronic rack), to the transformer room (telephone system) and the Lottechnische Zentrale (fibre optical centre). The system was taken into operation in early may 2009 and has worked successfully since.

study of best positions
System cabling list
installed port antenna
antenna-dish inside radom

4. Preparation of a proposal for the newbuilding of research vessel SONNE (2009)

A tender for the newbuilding of the research vessel SONNE was floated in 2009. We have been invited by the consortium Peenewerft/Briese Schiffahrt to prepare as part of their offer the sections:

  • trial cruises

  • scientific winches, wires, ropes

  • section 8 “Nachrichtentechnik” including Navigation-equipment, meteorologicial equipment, external and internal communication, hydroacoustic systems and data management system


SONNE is the newbuilding to substitute the well known German research vessel, run by Reedereigemeinschaft Forschungsschiffahrt. SONNE originally came out of a conversion of a fishery vessel by the same name in 1977. She was lengthened and had a midlife refit in 1991. The newbuilding will be 115 m long and 20.6 m wide and offers place for 35 crewmembers and 40 scientists. The delivery of the 124.4 million € vessel should be in 2015.

The offer or the consortium was submitted in january of 2010. Unfortunately  the consortium lost to the consortium of Meyerwerft and Reedereigemeinschaft Forschungsschiffahrt. The contract for the newbuilding was signed on 13.08.2011.

 
concept visualisation
layout of scientific winch room

5. J-frame and A-frame on R.V. ISLANDIA for INDP/GEOMAR (2008/2010)

The oceanographic institute of the university of Kiel (now GEOMAR-Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung) has a research cooperation with the Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Pescas in Mindelo (Cape Verde). For that purpose they make use of the research vessel of the INDP by name it ISLANDIA.

In 2007 we have designed and manufactured a J-frame for the starboard-side of the vessel for the deployment of rosettes/CTD. The installation took place in 2008.

In 2008 we have developed a system for the port side of the vessel in order to use a second winch on that side for deployment on starboard side. The system consisted of an A-frame with a metering wheel and 2 platforms and an access stairway to extend the vessel on starboard non permanently, i. e. during use of this winch and A-frame.

We have installed the system onboard in Mindelo in February 2009. During the installation we took off one of the trawl winches and redesigned the complete hydraulic-system.

Starboard J-frame during production
port A-frame after installation
port A-frame with deck extensions

6. Newbuilding and installation of a compressor-room on MARIA S. MERIAN (2010)


The vessel has been built to operate seismic airguns powered by a compressor-container, which was used in succession by ships of the academic fleet. In 2009 it was decided to generate the high pressure for this work on board with the help of 3 compressors, delivering 3 x 750 m³/h compressed air at 207 bar. The compressors, built by J.P. Sauer & Sohn in their series WP 6442, measure 3 x 1.6 x 1.8 m and have a weight of 2000 kg each. The air is supplied to the compressors by a blower with a pressure, which increases the total output of the compressors from 3 x 10 = 30.0 to 37,5 m³/min. The operation of all 3 compressors together requires 1.000 l/min of cooling water, 750 kW of 690 V electrical power and cooling air ventilation of 9.000 m³/h (winter, with additional heating) to 40.000 m³/h (summer). The room thus required had in addition to the compressors and the blower to accommodate 6 electrical cabinets (frequency converters, electrical controls, air ventilation etc.)

As general contractors, we have developed and carried out the design, coordinated all subcontractors and supervised the building.

The building of room was started at TNSW shipyard in Emden in spring 2010. The room was outfitted with the compressors, cabinets, blower and ventilation plant. Prior to the arrival of the vessel by end of august 2010, the equipment was taken out of the newbuilding with the ship docked in. The deck intended for the installation (forecastle part aft.) was cleared and the newbuilding welded in place. Simultaneously the pipes for the cooling water were run from the engine room to the newbuilding as well as the cables from the electrical switchboard room.

For the conduct of the high pressure air the airgun-control-room had to be completely refurbished  installing a valve assembly and a battery of air-bottles in the room. And an alternative connection to a newbuilding container with one compressor had to be installed. As in the case of the 2 cabin-extension a counteracting weight of 20 t was installed on upper deck 1 on starboard side right behind the superstructure.

Four weeks after arrival the vessel left for Tromsö. On the way all systems we tried successfully.

Transfer of new compressor-room to the vessel
Design-drawing of new room
installation of first compressor
additional cooling water pumps

7. Preparation of an offer for the newbuilding of a seismic vessel for MTA (Turkey) (2011)

The MTA (Mineral Research and Exploration General Directorate of Turkey) has been interested in the newbuilding of a seismic research vessel for a long time. Since the investigation of the seismic situation in the Marmara Sea as a focus of seismic threats became more and more urgent, a tender was floated for a seismic vessel by end of 2010.

In 2011 we were asked by the Istanbul based company ELKON to help prepare their offer of the full seismic and scientific suite for the shipyard DESAN. Elkon has in the past grown into the most efficient electrical main contractor for shipyards in Turkey and is a member since 2010 of IMTECH MARINE.

The planned newbuilding was to be used partly by a Turkish geophysical company and thus had a very demanding and up to date seismic system consisting among others of:

  • 80 lengths of 150 m long SSAS-streamers with all related navigation and acoustic equipment like birds, tailbuoys and diverters
  • data acquisition suite
  • 72 airguns with 6 “sausage”-floats, harnesses and umbilicals

  • gun controller
  • 2 seismic air-compressors of 48 m³/min delivery each

  • all winches and booms for the systems


In addition the vessel’s scientific equipment encompasses echosounder systems, Side Scan Sonar, magnetometer, oceanographic and geological equipment.

The offer was submitted in march 2011. In the final decision DESAN shipyard could not score the win, the order was given to ISTANBUL SHIPYARD.

2D-operation
3D-operation

8. Report on ISLANDIA: refit specification and operation costs (2012)

ISLANDIA, a 22.5 m long and 6.0 m wide fishery research vessel, was given as a present from the government of ICELAND to the government of CABO VERDE in 1994. The small vessel was run by the INDP (Instituto Nacional das Desenvolvimento das Pescas) in fishery operations in Cabe Verdean waters with the help of Icelandic fishery experts in 1994 and 1995. Later the ship was idle from 2000 to 2006, when the INDP began a cooperation with the Institute of Meereskunde in Kiel and other research institutes under the name of TENATSO (Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time Series Observatory) utilising the vessel for oceanographic work. For this purpose some modifications were carried out (see 6 above). Since IfM, now GEOMAR-Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung, plans to intensify the cooperation with INDP and since in that course a newbuilding of an oceanographic centre is under construction in Mindelo (Cape Verde) the status of ISLANDIA as an integral part of the concept had to be verified.

Having received the contract for this investigation and having interviewed the builders and government institutions in Reykjavik we did a thorough survey of the vessel in Mindelo, took her out to sea and developed a repair specification taking into account the necessary additions to make the vessel a full fledged oceanographic vessel. We then asked 4 shipyards in the region for an offer and after evaluation went into high detail with one of them. We than were then in a position to give a reliable cost-figure for this refit.

Looking at the operation costs we developed a cruise-model for 4 different years, enabling us to calculate the costs by categories and volume.

In the course of our work we drew a new general arrangement plan, did a detailed stability investigation with a new stability booklet and made a contribution for the planning of the newbuilding oceanographic centre.

The order for this investigation was received in december 2011 and the report presented in june 2012.

RV ISLANDIA in Cape Verdean waters
ISLANDIA at sea
Transparent model of ISLANDIA with conversions

9. Update of documentation for MARIA S. MERIAN (2009)

The research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN, built by Kröger-Werft and delivered in 2006, has been subject to a number of larger and smaller technical modifications and additions. For example see point 2 above and 4, 7 below. We have undertaken the updates of the technical documentation of these modifications and additions in the areas of accommodation, outfit and equipment, electrical systems, scientific systems and piping incl. AC.

Details in a drawing of additional clean seawater intakes

10. Supervision of the construction of BAIA FARTA (2017-2019 )

in 2016 the Government of Angola has awarded Damen shipyard with the contract for the construction of a fishery research vessel. Together with MAR- ARKUS, a company based in Leiria ( Portugal ) we have given an offer of supervision to the Ministry of fisheries of Angola in 2016 as a consortium. In January 2017 we were appointed as Authorised Representative of the Ministry for the supervision of the construction.

In the first half of 2017 we discussed the drawings and calculations with Damen shipyard in Vlissingen and approved  them in due course. Thereafter we visited the main subcontractors of the shipyard for the inspection and acceptance of the equipment.

At the beginning of the second half of 2017 we set up our own office in Damen shipyard in Galati ( Romania ). As a group of five specialised engineers we inspected the building of the hull, the hull outfitting and the installation of the specialised and general ship- equipment, approved/disapproved work presented and discussed alterations and improvements. The vessel was launched and named BAIA FARTA  on 9.November 2017.

Beginning in January 2018 we attended  harbour acceptance tests. They were followed by sea trials in the Black Sea in April and May. The provisional delivery in June had to be postponed until October, since systems were not finished and their function approved.

We started the transfer of the vessel on 11. November 2018 in Galati with a skeleton crew of the shipyard, the full crew of the owner´s shipping agency and a crew of scientists and technicians from the ship´s user, the Institute of fishery research of Angola.

After arrival in Luanda four weeks later the final delivery could not be accepted due to the number of deficiencies. After the necessary rectifications the final delivery took place in Lisbon on 12th of July 2019. The attached video (courtesy Damen shipyard ) shows BAIA FARTA at sea.

Watch video