Potential good news for builders and designers of Offshore Vessels?

In a recent post at WorkBoat.com by Bill Pike, “the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia began a strong push for oil and gas development off their shores.”

We hope so as expansion of offshore development could be good news for the industry, especially the engineering firms, builders and shipyards who service the offshore vessels that would be working the coast lines of these states.

Many states are pushing for more development of offshore resources, specifically as it relates to the exploration of oil and gas reserves which could be vital to individual state coffers.

At Boksa Marine Design, we would support the increased development knowing that builders and yards would benefit from the demand for offshore vessels to service the development. That could lead to more jobs, more projects and more opportunity for East Coast and Gulf area yards to maintain their workloads.

Read the full article here at WorkBoat.com.

In a recent Fox News article titled Size Does Matter In The Battle Of The Megayacht, the perspective of the article is that yachts of the mega rich are supersized simply for the sake of size and pomposity and that ‘bigger is better’ – a sort of yacht building arms race to see which multi-billionaire can build the longest, most extravagant prize.

Does Size Matter?

And while there may be some truth to that, the reality is that the owners of these massive, custom designed superyachts are building vessels that more like ships than they are romantic sailing yachts of past generations. They build them larger and larger because they can. The engineering and design of today’s boats is far more advanced than it once was.

Engineering and Naval Architecture Dictate Size

These advancements in engineering, in naval architecture, in computer technology and advanced analytics offer today’s owners the ability to stretch the size of yachts and ‘add-on’ luxury items that can sometimes boggle the mind. And it certainly makes for great reads in news publications! As designers of yachts and other vessels ourselves, we enjoy seeing the beauty of these superyachts.

The ability of builders and designers to accommodate the requests of owners has expanded. And this ability to custom tailor or custom design a superyacht to the exacting demands and requirements of ownership is what will also allow the marketplace – the yacht industry and all its various components, to thrive.

On April 16, 2013 the United States Coast Guard began accepting ballast water treatment systems as Alternate Management Systems with the approval of nine BWTS manufacturers.

Read the full release online at USCGnews.com or read the release below.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced the acceptance of nine ballast water treatment systems today as Alternate Management Systems (AMS) in compliance with the service’s March 2012 final rule for Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged  in U.S. waters.

AMS acceptance by the Coast Guard is a temporary designation given to a ballast water treatment system approved by a foreign administration.  Vessel operators may use an AMS to manage their ballast water discharges in lieu of ballast water exchange, while the treatment system undergoes approval testing to Coast Guard standards.

An AMS may be used to meet the Coast Guard ballast water treatment requirements for up to five years after the ship’s ballast water discharge standard compliance date specified in the final rule.  This five-year timeframe allows for the completion of required land-based and shipboard testing.

“With these AMS acceptances, we move into a new era of aquatic invasive species prevention and control,” said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph A. Servidio, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy.  “Compared with the existing requirement for mid-ocean ballast water exchange, these technological solutions reduce the ballast water exchange safety concerns for mariners and provide greater protection for the marine environment.”

“This is an important first step in making Coast Guard and foreign approved ballast water treatment systems available for the global shipping industry,” said Servidio.  “The Coast Guard AMS program will allow ship owners and operators to install a ballast water treatment system and use it in U.S. waters while it undergoes approval testing.”

The Coast Guard continues to review applications for AMS acceptance and will announce further determinations.  For information on how to obtain an AMS acceptance from the Coast Guard and for a complete list of ballast water management systems that have been accepted for use as an AMS, please visit the Coast Guard’s Environmental Standards Division’s website at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg522/cg5224/bwm.asp.

For more information regarding the retrofitting of ballast waster management systems,
please contact Boksa Marine Design at (813) 654-9800.

The U.S. Coast Guard recently announced its acceptance of nine ballast water treatment systems as Alternate Management Systems (AMS). Some of those BWTS manufacturers include Hyde, Alfa Laval and Severn Trent.

Alternate Management Systems are the USCG’s temporary designation for BWT systems that are / have been approved by another flag state according to IMO Ballast Water Management Convention Regulations.

April 16, 2013 - News Release on AMS acceptance from the United States Coast Guard – read it here.

An Alternate Management System may be used to meet the USCG ballast water treatment requirements for up to five years after the specific ship’s ballast water discharge standard compliance date.  This five-year timeframe allows for the completion of required land-based and shipboard testing.

The ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) listed in the table above have been accepted for use in U.S. waters as Alternate Management Systems (AMS). Use of a BWTS as an AMS is subject to the general and specific conditions and requirements listed in the AMS acceptance letter issued to the system’s manufacturer.

USCG Accepted Alternate Management Systems, 15 April 2013

United States Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations now require all marine vessels discharging ballast water to comply with approved ballast water treatments systems.

Ballast water discharged from ships is one of the pathways for the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species and the impact on coastal ecology and local economies is tremendous.

A recent article in WaterWorld does a great job in outlining the potential impact of this developing market within our industry – the opportunities for all suppliers, the challenges of owners and operators and the overall uncertainty in the marketplace.

Some highlights of the Ballast Water Treatment article include:

“Demand for BWTS has emerged following the adoption of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004. This convention aims to address the issue of the so called ‘invasive marine species’- aquatic organisms carried around the world in the ballast water tanks of ships.”

Why adopt Ballast Water Treatment Solutions?
“According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), maritime ships transporting over 80% of world’s commodities could carry between three and 12 billion tonnes of ballast water around the world each year. Losses incurred by economy as a result of the invasive species are equally staggering and in the USA alone it is estimated by the IMO to be as high as $138 billion annually.”

What role does the International Maritime Organization (IMO) play?
“In order to address this enormous environmental challenge, the IMO Convention adopted in 2004 set an obligation for the ship owners to meet strict water quality standards referred to as D2 standard in the legislation and determined the maximum volume level of invasive organisms allowed in the discharged water. Since ships have not been designed and equipped to treat ballast water, installation of an additional ballast water management system onboard is necessary to ensure conformity with the standards.

To ensure effective implementation of the legislation, the IMO Convention has set a roadmap for the ship owners to achieve compliance. Specific timelines have been provided for the new build and existing ships, additionally differentiated depending on the capacity of the vessel’s ballast water tank. Importantly, the agenda outlined in the IMO Convention will infl

uence the timeline for investments of ship owners to install BWMS over the next ten years.

Although the IMO Convention was adopted in 2004, it needs ratification by 30 states representing 35% of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage to be effective. The current status of the Convention is that it has been ratified by 21 states representing about 23% of the merchant fleet tonnage.”

What is the potential size of the marketplace for Ballast Water Treatment Systems?
“Driven by international regulations, the market for ballast water treatment systems is predicted to grow to over $34 billion. Cumulative investments of over $30 billion are expected to be made into ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) over this decade, according to a study recently conducted by Frost & Sullivan.

Investments will concern more than 57,000 maritime vessels that will require a ballast water treatment system to be installed during the period 2009-2020, driving massive requirement for system orders.”

Uncertainty in the marketplace…
“The approval and certification process is both costly and time-consuming (up to two years) and constitutes a major market entry barrier for the potential suppliers.”

Outside of suppliers, many questions exist for owners and operators managing ballast water treatment including:

1.)  Do I – or does my organization – have to do this?
2.)  What do I have to do / What does my company have to do?
3.)  What treatment solutions are approved?
4.)  How do the regulations affect our ships?
5.)  How much is it going to cost – and how can I finance these costs?
6.)  How do I manage and operate the ballast system / how do I comply?
7.)  Who can help us with new systems or re-engineering of our current system?

Whether you have marine engineers and architects on your staff or not, you may need assistance from an outside group experienced in the navigation of the management of ballast water treatment systems.

Boksa Marine Design can help your organization with:

• Understanding ballast water regulations, especially as they relate to your specific vessel or fleet
• Understanding the potential ballast water treatment solutions available to your vessels
• How those solutions can be applied through engineering work
• Mapping out the design and engineering of implementation

To speak with Boksa Marine Design about marine engineering solutions to help your organization meet USCG and IMO ballast water treatment regulations, please contact us at 813-654-9800.

Boksa Marine Design is located near Tampa, Florida and provides engineering and naval architecture services to clients within the United States as well as around the world.

A properly working electrical system drives the equipment for power generation and distribution. It also manages the control of various computers, machines, audio/visual and communication devices.

Ironically, electrical systems are often an undervalued component in a vessel’s design. This is underscored by the fact that marine electrical engineers capable of handling the integration of these complex systems are in short supply.

Electrical engineering is absolutely vital in today’s shipbuilding industry. The complexity of systems and their interfacing have become required, standard features.
 

Boksa Marine Design can design electrical engineering systems for new builds or refits, for all types of vessels.

• Our services include:
• Electrical systems design and specification
• Electrical systems analysis
• Load analysis, voltage drop calculations and short circuit analysis
• Design appraisal
• Technical investigations into equipment and system failures
• System design and development for new rule compliance
• Regulatory compliance
• Electrical Engineering is a complement to our Mechanical and Structural Engineering services

Our complete service offerings of all aspects of Marine Engineering combined with our Naval Architecture and Design services is what separates Boksa Marine Design from other firms.

Because of our integrated design and engineering services, we are known as valuable asset to Builders, Owners and Operators around the world. We can provide full support on all projects or act as a supplemental resource for internal engineering teams.

These services are applicable on a wide range of vessels within the marine industry – from hard working commercial ships to custom, luxury yachts to boats used by military and law enforcement.

If you’d like more information regarding all of our engineering solutions,
please contact Nick Boksa at 813.654.9800 or nick@bmdinc.com.

The issue of Ballast Water Treatment Management – systems, engineering, retrofitting, etc. – is one issue that is impacting the commercial marine industry in a big way – especially as it relates to the financial impact owners will face to incorporate design changes so that their BWT Systems meet Coast Guard and IMO regulations.







We continue to hear buzz from our contacts within the shipyards – or directly with the owners and operators themselves – that there is a good deal of uncertainty within the industry as to what needs to be done with current systems.

 

The 4 main questions we hear are:

1.)  Do I have to do this?

2.)  What do I have to do?

3.)  How much is it going to cost?

4.)  How do I manage and operate the system?

 

1.)  Do I have to do this? Yes, owners and operators are required to comply, but the timing depends on the vessel size and when it is being built. See time schedule below.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has made it mandatory on all new vessels after December 2013, but the unratified International Maritime Organization (IMO) convention says it should be from Dec 2012.

There is the possibility that a ship built now that doesn’t have it in place could find itself in a legislative hole when the IMO convention does get ratified. The IMO convention will be ratified eventually, though its note clear if it will happen this year or next, but the USCG is absolute so if you are trading in and out of US waters you must have one of these systems.

2.)  What do I have to do? Refits don’t have to be done until first drydocking after January 2016 (both USCG and IMO). This gives owners and operators time to prepare – both in terms of engineering planning and financial planning. If you are working on a new build project you need to select an approved or approvable system now.

3.)  How much is it going to cost? Cost will depend on the size of the vessel, the ballasting requirements and the cost of engineering services to implement a new system or retrofit and existing system. Costs can range from USD 250,000 on the very low end to USD 5 million on the high end, but the majority of vessels will be in the USD 500,000 – USD 1.5 million. These are per vessel prices. An owner with a fleet of vessels will be facing a sizable investment. Many owners are beginning to research options and it’s obvious that cost will be a major factor in the decision process.

4.)  How do I manage and operate the system? Different systems have different requirements. Some systems are relatively simple to operate and manage. Other systems involve more crew interaction. This will probably be a factor in the purchase decision along with the system cost and engineering costs. There are a number of IMO approved new ballast water treatment systems, too many to discuss here in detail. It’s best to work with your marine engineering firm to talk through solution options specific to your vessel(s).

Owners and operators are continuing to ask these questions because they’re seeking clarity – especially as it affects financial planning and potential dry dock time. That’s something that we as naval architects and engineers can help owners with. We can help manage the process of finding answers, creating plans and determining efficient solutions to re-engineer existing systems.

 

To speak with Boksa Marine Design about marine engineering solutions to help your organization meet USCG and IMO ballast water treatment regulations, please contact us at 813-654-9800.

 

Boksa Marine Design is located near Tampa, Florida and provides engineering and naval architecture services to clients within the United States as well as around the world.

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